If you want to make me happy.

You can give me any set of stationary from recently opened Rifle Paper Co. Designed by U.S. based illustrator and paper goods designer Anna Bond, each card is more lovely than the next. I particularly have my eye on the holiday postcards and the Anatomy of Love print.




All images from Rifle Paper Co. website.

Wish List Part One Revised.

A series of wants for this Christmas season...


How about this amazing oversized art production fund towel from Raymond Pettibon?


This brown leather feather headband from Thief and Bandit.


This beautiful 2-way leather and canvas bag from Quote in Bangkok.


The fabulous meaford cowl from yarnovermovement in Ontario, possibly in a shade of dark grey?

I wish I had a fireplace.

Mushrooms, want to grow some?

Okay!

Buy this for me.

A birthday marathon.

The decorations are still up...

Dinner on Friday at Salt. Here are our wine flights (non-alcoholic gingerale, jasmine tea spritzer and passion fruit fizz for me). Later that evening we went to see An Education (a great film).

One of four cakes he got this weekend (two made by me and two by his sister). Lucky guy.

The birthday boy, himself, before our seafood feast courtesy of his mom.


The seafood feast, himself.

Oh why not.

If I'm going to be a faux-cigarette connoisseur I must have a cigarette case.


How about this one from helenaaleixoglamour on etsy?

If I wanted a new bad habit...

(photo from Johnatan c.'s flickr)

I would smoke these.

Sobranie Russian Cigarettes. Particularly 'London Cocktail'. I am enthralled after seeing them in 'An Education' last night. If I go to Paris, I want to go to 1960s Paris. Someone build me a time machine.

Apparently 'Sobranie' means 'Assembly' in Russian. Appropriate considering the assembly of this product is beautiful.

I'm tempted to track some down and try them. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I work in a museum that happens to have a collection of human organs. These organs show different causes of death in people. It just so happens we have a smoker's lung (it's not pretty folks). It just so happens the building I work in is the city's old morgue. Thus, no cigarettes for me.

B and I have been planning a trip to Paris for the end of February. It's more fantasy planning than anything because I'm not quite ready to make that kind of financial, realistic commitment. We might go, we might not. All I want to do is eat the best macarons, cheese and baguettes I can find.

P.S. Upon further investigation I'd also smoke these. Nat Sherman Fantasia Cigarettes. So bright.

Last night I showered with my yoga mat.

It's true. Well most of it, it's actually my sister's yoga mat. It was filthy. After eight weeks of outdoor Booty Camp (the last four of which were very muddy) the poor mat was a mess. And how do you clean a extra long yoga mat? In the bathtub of course!

Booty Camp was everything I had hoped it would be. Fun, challenging and motivating. I have to say I did not end up dedicating myself as much as I had hoped but I still enjoyed going twice a week and working out for an hour in a group setting and outdoors (even when it was dark and cold). I recommend this class for anyone looking to mix up their workout or weight-loss program. Though I have stumbled off the health-conscious path since September I am determined to get back on it before Christmas. I miss exercising consistently, but I know it will be a challenge now that the days seem shorter. As soon as its dark outside I don't want to go out again, even if its to the gym only two blocks away.

In other news, I'm still procrastinating.

I will, again this year, have a table at Got Craft on December 6th. For those you who are not familiar with my business, check out my Sam Made blog in my profile. Every year I wait until the last minute to prepare products and prep my display. This year I thought it would be different since I don't have exams and papers to write around the same time. Ha ha -- that's all I have to say to myself.

On a more positive note, here's something that I did make. It hangs in our bathroom and holds my jewelry.


I found the idea in an old issue of Blueprint magazine (oh how I miss it, I highly recommend anyone who hasn't read it to find old issues at your local library). All you need is:

1 large shadow box picture frame
paper or fabric to cover the back
glue/tape
small hook screws

I bought everything except the paper at a nicer dollar store a few minutes from my apartment. I think altogether it cost $15.

First remove the glass. I ended up just breaking it (I am not the picture of patience). The screws that kept the glass in place were tiny and some of them were stripped. After a good 20 minutes of effort I got my hammer. The back should be easy to remove. Cover it with the paper/fabric (I bought nice decorative paper from an arts supply store) with your glue/tape. Then screw in hooks where you want them to be. I had a few higher ones for necklaces and others closer together for earrings.

The Bread Pudding Diet.

Let me just premise this by disclosing that this is in no way a healthy recipe. If you make this recipe four times in one week, like I have, you will gain weight. If this is your goal, then all the power to you. If not, you may want to control yourself and cut it down to once per week. If you can, that is.

There is a marvelous cafe in my neighbourhood called Little Nest. For the past two Sundays we have strolled in for Sunday brunch. On both occasions I have ordered the french toast. Butterscotch syrup, pistachios, bananas, lemon creme fraiche, and the tastiest french bread your tongue will ever meet. It is incredible. The decor is clean and simple with a lot of white and a lot of wood. The furniture is a beautiful mish mash of 50s-retro pieces. This cafe is family-oriented, so you may want to get your food to go (or sit outside) if you're not one to handle the loud buzzing (or screaming) of a plethora of small children while you eat the best french toast you've ever had.

Little Nest also sells delicious pistachio, orange blossom and dark chocolate bread pudding muffins. Unfortunately due to my schedule, I never have the opportunity to stop by and pick one up. So I did what any good do-it-yourselfer would do and asked for the recipe. Easy. I've made it four times since last Monday. You should make it too. Here's how:


8-10 c. diced french bread
1 c. milk
4 eggs
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. melted butter
1 tsp. orange blossom extract
1 tsp. cinammon
orange zest from one orange
dark chocolate*
walnuts*
dried cranberries*


*these three ingredients can be swapped for whatever you're in the mood for.

Place the diced bread in a bowl and soak in milk. Let soak for at least 10 minutes, making sure you stir it to get all the bread covered.

In another bowl melt butter, stir in sugar, cinammon, extract, and zest.

Add butter mixture to bread and stir well. Add in chocolate, nuts, and cranberries.


Place bread mixture in to well greased or lined muffin tins. I used squares of parchment paper in mine as makeshift liners. Bake in a preheated (350 degrees) oven for 35 - 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. They're best fresh out of the oven, however warming them in the microwave the next day isn't bad either.

I am the whole world.

This year for Halloween I was the world. Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of my costume. I basically had a blue tube dress that I sewed fairly accurate (in shape) continents on. I made a little white beret out of an old t-shirt and attached the north pole to it. I even made a necklace with a little airplane on it to zoom around my dress. You can get the general idea from the blurry dancing pictures below. B was Herbert West from the 1985 film Reanimator, nobody knew who he was and he was a little disappointed. Hey, we can't all be well-educated in 80s horror films. We went to a party at my place of work and then later to a friends house party. Conviently I work in a building that used to be the city's morgue. Creepy and perfect for the occasion.



The evening prior was my birthday. 23 years old. Way to go. I like aging, every year I live is a pat on the back for me. Maybe my attitude will change in years to come, but for now bring on 24. B surprised me with tickets to Evil Dead the Musical. It was hilarious, and exceeded my expectations. He got us tickets in the 'splatter zone'. Fake Blood rained down on us from the ceiling and stage. By the end of it my arms and hands were a sticky mess (and for some reason the Vogue theatre thought it a good idea to not let any of us use the washroom to wash our hands). I wish I had a picture.