Supper Club!

Kay. Bear with me here.

This is an experiment and you are my test subjects. No, I will not force to you inhale pollen and then inject you with a new trial antihistamine. No, you will not be poked. Nor prodded. No, you will not be paid.

I will, however, force to you read what will likely be gibberish, as my typing is fueled by tequila and white wine. The experiment is as follows: I blogging in a timely fashion. As in, fresh. Like, ALMOST LIVE, YOU GUYS. *gasp*

This never happens.

I like to write a bunch of nonsense, edit it 60 times over the course of 4 months until the content is irrelevant and stale, and if I'm not toooootally bored of it, post it sheepishly and hope you'll read it.

I suck at punctuality.

But, I'm kiiiiinda excited and energized by a pretty lovely group of gals that just whooshed out of my house  (literally 10 minutes ago!) after an awesome night of nibbles and drinks prepared by me!

Here's the thing: I'm left-brained, so I'm supposed to be a better cook than a baker. True. But I'm so repelled by rules that I frequently botch meals due to over-experimentation. (I think I know everything. I will not be convinced otherwise.)

But sometimes, I'm lucky.

Tonight, I hosted Supper Club – a monthly food-centric get-together with seven of my gal-pals. The previous hosts decided to work around themes (Mexican, Thai, Paleo), but I elected to use my night to try out some recipes I'd spied (and pinned) on Pinterest. A social media-themed meal? How very, very predictable.

Because the recipes were so well-received (even though, of course, I meddled with them), I decided to share them with not only my Supper Club, but also with you. 

Thanks, internet.

The Menu:

App:
Goat Cheese Balls (note: ran outta time and didn't make these, but they're too cute to skip)

Meal:
Cheesy Quinoa Cakes
Roasted Butternut & Coconut Soup
Lemony Avocado Tomato Chick Pea Salad

Drink:
Cucumber Lime Fizz

 

 

 

PS. The whole meal is gluten-free (I subbed rice flour for wheat flour in the quinoa cakes), and vegetarian!

{ Images/recipes c/o: Jujugoodnews, Green Kitchen Stories, spoonforkbacon, refinery29, Seaside Kitchen }

Upholstered!

Oh, awesome.

I have a new hobby. Let's add that to the 598624 other hobbies that end up in labeled Rubbermaid containers in our basement. OK, wait. Really, my hobby du jour is merely a branch of my umbrella hobby: "makin' stuff". Anything that involves getting paint on my clothes or hot glue burns on my hands or a staple through the thumb is my idea of spare-time-awesome. But where is my spare time? What am I DOING with it? (I smell a resolution comin' on.) Clearly I'm not blogging enough. I even worry that my dogs and my husband get neglected. How do people add kids to this mix?

Magic, obvi.

I don't have/make enough time to cut and paste and bedazzle, but I'm getting better with the help of my equally crafty friends. We've been combining socializing (something I won't forfeit for extra time) with sewing and crafting to help encourage each other. 

{ the fruits of my labour and too much day-drinking }

Thanks to these mostly-wholesome get-togethers (OK, there's still booze and raunchy convo topics), I pumped out 2 dresses, a handful of necklaces, a pendant lamp, and a chair over the summer. More than I could (would) do on my own. Whee!

The chair in question was my chosen piece for a 2-day upholstery workshop that I took with Bunce this summer. I've dabbled in some furniture recovering (self-taught, trial-by-error-style as usual) but wanted to really dive into the guts of upholstery.

{ before aaaaaand after! }

I'm kind of in love with every part of it. Pneumatic staplers! Rotary sanders! Upholstery tacks! In 2 days, I took a deflated and stained chair seat and gave it back its confidence. Springs tightened, foam refreshed, webbing reinforced. It's also pretty chic now with a light sanding, fresh coat of varnish, new ikat fabric and a clean row of finishing tacks. It's my new sewing chair. It's divine.

I also started a little footstool – a confusingly small piece that I picked up from a thrift store. Like hobbit-sized. Before and after pics to come!

Bunce, that ambitious little beaver, tackled a bench and two chairs in the same amount of time. They were more straightforward (no guts and springs) but proved to be a major challenge due to immovable stain and grit (this bench once belonged to a fast food chain!)

After the workshop, I asked for a pneumatic stapler and compressor for Christmas. "Santa" was kind enough to oblige! Guess I was on the nice list this year? (A slip-up, for sure.)

No chair, couch or footstool is safe now. Neither are your eyes, BTW; wear goggles at all times, my friends. 

Two chairs rescued roadside will finally get a proper makeover, and I may even tackle our couch this year (it's the victim of two terriers). 

 { Pinterest gems // Jane Hall Designs }

 
As usual, I've also been stacking my Pinterest boards with inspiration. The total of all of the projects in my Crafts + DIY board would take me into the next century to complete, but the secret to eternal life will be discovered in my lifetime, yeah? I'm counting on it.

---

RESOURCES!

For Torontoites looking to learn the craft, I recommend contacting Andrea at RE:Style Studio. Her workshops are self-directed, casual, and really hands-on. 



If you already know your way around a tool belt and a sewing machine, check out this online tutorial via Better Homes and Gardens.

 Also, this handy yardage estimator is a must. See the full chart here.

Side Dish

I can't just do one thing. Maybe I've finally made peace with the fact that I'm not going to be the kind of girl with a "5-year plan" or a "career path". I've been pretty lucky to have jobs (like my current one) that let me do a million different things and appease all of my conflicting interests. It's not that I don't have dreams or goals, it's just that there are a lot of them and I might be shooting around wildly hoping to hit a few.

Imma just gonna do stuff I like.

I guess I'm afraid to not indulge my every whim for fear that my true calling will get missed. It's why I can't say no. It's why I have 5,674,936 hobbies. It's why I come off as flighty, directionless. Maybe, though, my true calling is "DOING AWESOME THINGS". I agonized forevs about choosing one career over another (Should I have pursued journalism? Is corporate retail where I belong?), about what I should have studied in school  (I had the math grades for Engineering but I wanted to design clothes), about how I saw my life in 5, 10, 20 years (panic!).

 { grade 8 // this is clearly not a new problem }

Can't I just dabble in everything? Why isn't that allowed? So, as it turns out: it is. It's a little frowned-upon, but in a city is rife with floaters and dreamers and slashies, I fit in. I romanticize living in the sticks, but I'm pretty at home here with aimless weirdos like me.

On top of being insanely busy at work (but I'm getting an intern! yay!), I've also signed myself up for some pretty big side gigs leading into the holidays. I have to sew my face off for a City of Craft – it's coming up in less than a month. But I haven't even started because of another project that just wrapped up on Sunday.

Thanks to some work I did on some videos for my day job, I made some friends in the movie biz. Heh. Dan was our DOP on a few GelaSkins vids (and he directed my directing, too!). When a personal project came his way – a music vid for his hip-hop artist friend, Muneshine – something possessed him to hire me. As a stylist! Oh boy. I was totally in over my head but I wanted to do an awesome job because getting paid to shop is pretty much my dream (OK, one of seven billion dreams).

I was excited but nervous about the role. My challenge: to outfit 5 girls in the style of 60s-esque stewardesses. On basically no budget. Hey: my look-expensive-while-being-broke superpower is paying off outside of my own closet!

I was also somehow smooth-talked into being "talent". Totally against my will. If you know of my not-so-secret and completely unattainable Broadway aspirations, you are rolling your eyes. But honest: I didn't want to be in the vid. Mostly because I hired 4 mega-babes who completely out-babe me. Seriously, you wanna juxtapose me against teeny dancer bodies and high cheekbones. Crap.

 { sneak peek! photos: shlomi amiga }

Once I have a chance to wade through the photo-aftermath, I'll post some behind-the-scenes eye-candy and my thoughts on make-believe career #5,674,937. Let's manage expectations here, though: it won't be anytime soon. I'm diving straight into sewing while attempting to dodge holiday-ish invites with minimal FOMO and working longer-than-normal hours at my uber-busy day job. Blog neglected again.

See? I have so many side dishes that I don't even have time for my very favourite among them! I would like you to know that I currently have NINE draft posts sitting in the wings. All becoming less relevant and timely the longer I wait. 

I am well-meaning. 

"The road to hell...", yeah?

Playing Dress-Up: Suzy Bishop

1. Vintage binoculars on Etsy $25-$250 // 2.Tara Jarmon peter-pan collar dress $460 // 3. Cicada earrings on Etsy $25 // 4. MAC eyeshadow in Aquadisiac $15 // 5. Vintage tackle basket on Etsy $50 // 6. Portable record player on Etsy $70-$300 // 7. Jeffrey Campbell saddle shoes $115 // 8. Falke London knee socks $24 // 9. Vintage books and handwritten love letters on Etsy $5-$35

---

This is probably going to be my Halloween costume this year! Not surprising, right? I'm just so thrilled to have another Wes Anderson female character to emulate. I've wanted to re-do Margot since I embodied her several years ago, but recycling ideas seemed cheap, especially for a Halloween über-enthusiast like me. 

So yea, Suzy! 

 

{ scene from Moonrise Kingdom }

Of course, I will find a way to MacGyver most of it and keep my budget to a minimum. I'll scour Value Village over the next couple of weeks, and maybe pick up the odd Etsy item to round it out. 

Hubby is obvi going as my pre-teen love-interest, Sam Shakusky. It will involve a hearty face-shave (i'm nervous). We both get to pretend to be 13 again. Pretty cute, since we were 13 when we first met on a yellow school bus.

Photos coming soon!

p.s. I even curated a little Etsy treasury for more great Wes Anderson costume inspiration!

---

Additional image credits: Collage by me, Portable record player via Ubiquity Records, Cicada Earrings via The Village Idiot, Binoculars via Bruneau vs Bennett

The $0 Wardrobe Re-invention Project!

I am on a shopping diet.

It's self-imposed, but will happen under the judging, disapproving eye of my minimalist husband. He doesn't actually have a say in my purchases. My money is my own, and I'm currently the winningest bread-winner in our duo. However, he definitely has a right to pipe up about this shoe purchase or that new shirt: my closet is just the worst. I ran out of hangers. Again. And have I mentioned that I share the lone (and tiny) storage space in our whole apartment with that poor, poor man? My skirts constantly taunt his slacks. My blouses bully his shirts. His wardrobe ends up huddling together at the very edge of the rack, hoping for a safety-in-numbers approach to survival.

It's not just a space issue, though. if I'm ever going to pay off debts and save up for grown-up purchases like houses and cars and Airstreams and hot tubs (and tattoooos!), I need to curb spending.

So here's my challenge: no new clothing/shoe/accessory/jewellery/beauty/non-essential spends for 2 months. Nothing frilly. Nothing frivolous. NOTHING.

 [ oy, can someone puh-lease get me another beer? ]

I actually started (officially) last Monday, so I'm already more than a week in!  

Exceptions: a proper haircut, non-vanity products (deodorant, toothpaste, sunscreen), underwear if needed (needed), and a nude strapless bra (to replace the one that exploded while on my body in the middle of the No Frills produce section).

Oh yeah, and the necessities of life: tacos and beers and the like. Duh.

Yikes. I might wilt and fade and die without chameleon-like style-self-expression. How, oh how, do I reinvent myself each day with the same old pieces from last year? #firstworldproblems 

It's doable with a little resourcefulness, a mess of creativity, and a good pair of fabric scissors. Luckily, I have all three. But even the DIY-challenged can breathe new life into last season's rompers, pants that fit a much-skinnier former self, and dresses hoarded since high school. Without spending a dime. 

Wardrobe CPR:

1. Trade. Have you not yet discovered the wonder of clothing swaps? Sister, PLEASE. I have a friend with a bit of an attitude about used clothing, but these are your FRIENDS, girl. Surely you will not contract imaginary/worst-fears-come-true parasites if the hand-me-downs come from a friend who shares your personal hygiene OCD. I have gleaned many an amazing piece and have peacefully parted with gems I couldn't bear to drop in the big metal Goodwill bin. 

 [ swap scores: vintage teal petal-print skirt // denim jacket // chevron tank ]

2. Revive. Dye, tie-dye, paint, embellish, restring, stamp, re-purpose, darn, mend... I actually darned socks once, during my poor student days. I felt all wartime-y. Like I was doing my part for my country. Of course, said socks did not end up on the feet of soldiers. Also, they were red with monkeys on the ankles. A girl with an actual salary can probably stand to avoid darning, but I'm excited for some more interesting revitalization projects. I restrung beads from two vintage necklaces to make this one. I'm inspired to make more!

 

[ $80 at asos.com or... I could DIY my plain white chucks with some easy stamping ]

3. Layer, mix, (mis)match. Not a new concept, and really my all-the-time M.O. I just need to start getting a lot more creative in the next 8 weeks. Example: I have this midi-dress in white with crocheted bits. I have worn the shit out of it. The top is a bit ill-fitting now and the armpits reveal many a sweaty summer bike ride. But the skirt portion is pretty lovely. Throw a light gauzy tee over the whole mess, and voila! I considered converting it to a skirt, but the top portion is perfect as a layering cami. Win-win.

4. Nip & tuck. You don't have to be a master seamstress to make quick alterations to your too-big, too-small, outta-style pieces. There are plenty of great online tutorials, some not even requiring a machine! See P.S. I Made This and A Beautiful Mess for some fun examples. My new projects for the coming weeks (if I can ever find time to do anything hobby-ish) are to convert two dresses into skirts. 

First: my actual wedding dress. Back in tha day, I ripped apart an off-the-rack BCBG dress and re-made it to suit my farm-themed wedding. Now, I'm going to lop off the bodice, slash out most of the lining and turn it into a semi-sheer summer maxi skirt. I'd like to vintage-up the colour but the poly lace won't take to normal fabric dye. Suggestions?

[ before // after... ]

[ after-after? // via chictopia.com ]

Secondly, I have a Won Hundred dress in an awesome pixel pattern, but the bodice won't close over my boobs anymore. I'd like to tell you it's because I'm suddenly a lusty, chesty broad. No such luck. I think I just got too fat in the armpits and back. Joy! This dress, too, is destined for a similar fate: the guillotine!

5. Dress up/down. Also not brain surgery, but think beyond the LBD (that's "little black dress" for the dads/husbands). I'm a firm believer that every dress has two personalities – Peggy by day, Joan by night. I originally bought this Zara pink peter-pan-collared dress for a wedding. I accessorized it with pearls and black patent for a faux-Chanel-Barbie look: sweet, classy & feminine. But I discovered that it can be work/play appropriate, too, with flats and tights! 

Also, I can do pretty much anything in any season with my little green dress (LGD!):

6. From scratch, baby. There are some awesome beginner patterns online that require only the machine basics. I tackled this Victory pattern in a barn in 6 hours.

We'll see if I have any time for even one of these projects. I am WAY too ambitious, pretty booked up socially, and terrible at time-management. I'm not setting any unrealistic goals here. However, I'm pretty confident that I can stick to my shopping diet. It will be tough, especially when I visit my mother next month: "Oh, just buy it!" and/or "It's sooo you." and/or "I'll pitch in half."

What are your secrets? Tell me! Help!

get it together.

I shampooed last night.

Presumably, that just-washed feeling in my hair would last until at least this evening. But, in the way that I ruin most things by overly fussing with them (pastry, arguments, tiny-turned-angry zits), I overdid it on the conditioner and hair balm. By this morning, even with the sock-bun that I was cultivating all night, my locks were flat, limp-ish and verging on oily. 

But I didn't sweat it. 

Dry shampoo cures all. It's not only super helpful when you sleep through your alarm and only have time for a wet-cloth-swipe across your armpits, it's also handy in sopping up oily hair products when you've gone a little too far (always). 

 Hair emergency swiftly averted. 

It got me to thinking about how dependent I am on my quick-fix beauty. Namely, a few products that (let's be honest) I COULD live without, but I really don't want to. Maybe she's born with it? Probably not. In lieu of god-given beauty, I opt for a little help from my friends: my 7 must-have in-a-pinch beauty miracles (for the girl who can't pull off "together" for more than 45 minutes. Read: me).

In a stranded-on-a-desert-island scenario, I'll have one Ryan Gosling, one iPod loaded with the Dirty Dancing soundtrack and a lifetime supply of each of these, pretty-please:

1. Marc Anthony 2nd Day Clear Dry Shampoo - While I love the colour-matching properties of Bumble & Bumble's hair powder, a spray format is usually more convenient/clean. Also, I'm cheap frugal. Problem is, most sprays are chalky and visible in dark hair. This beauty is only $13 and crystal clear. Win! (Also, it makes you smell like Strawberry Shortcake. Not the dessert. The plastic scented 80's toy.)

2. 100% Pure Coffee Bean Eye Cream - I could eat this. Literally, I could. The ingredients are practically entirely edible. Bad packaging design aside, 100% Pure is the best organic beauty company around. Hands down. And they make my very favourite beauty fix. This eye cream smells like a Grande Vanilla Bean Latte with Chocolate Sprinkles and brightens up my only-slept-4-hours-due-to-New-York-Times-crossword-iPhone-app-obsession eyes. $25

3. Aveda Phomollient - The only reason I'm ever able to maintain any curl in my hair. Smells amazing and adds volume and hold without any stiff stickiness. $16

4. Jamieson Prenatal Vitamins - Maybe this one needs a whole post of its own. It's really the answer to my Pizza Face post and years of frustration. Vitamins as a beauty product? No, really. I'm taking a prenatal vitamin daily (and if my mom wasn't already squealing out of her driveway to hit up Babies 'R Us, I'd tell her this: not pregnant, Mom, not pregnant). It was meant to address an iron/zinc deficiency and self-diagnosed Restless Leg Syndrome (didn't you know, since the advent of the internet I'm totally a doctor?). Surprise side-effect? My skin has never looked better! Aside from the odd rogue pimple, the weather is clear in epidermisville. $20

5. Benefit Bo-ing Concealer - I don't actually get 8 hours of sleep every night. But I LOOK like I do. $19

6. Tatcha Blotting Paper - I'm probably paying for the packaging (#marketersdream) but these babies cut afternoon shine like nobody's business. And without caking on more powder. In the interest of full disclosure, however, Twitter-buzz tells me that Starbucks recycled napkins work just as well. Huh.

7. [insert brand name here] Cheek Tint - I'm pale and pasty 10 months a year, so that rosy glow that you've complimented? Fake. But I don't do powder blush: it's cake-y and prone to sitting in my hard-earned crow's feet. Also, while I have oily acne-prone skin, I also have verging-on-exzema skin. AT THE SAME TIME. Totally possible. A natural/organic cheek tint is the perfect comprimise. I started with Aveda's cheek cream. Discontinued. Moved on to Suki's cheek stain. Discontinued. As I scrape the dregs of it from the jar, I'm forced to move on. Gonna try 100% Pure's Cheek Tint (with fruit pigments!). High hopes!

What are your beauty band-aids? I can use all the help I can get.

Staycation (Craft Week!)

 

(from The Repurposed Library)

I booked the week off. For no reason whatsoever.

It's great. It's really just the greatest.

Except that I'm sick. I spent Day #1 pouting and eating soup and watching back-to-back episodes of so-bad-it's-good TV (err, Drop Dead Diva. Any fans?). But yesterday, Day #2, I said eff you bubonic-devil-cold, eff you. I DID sleep in a little, but was far more productive.

The purpose of this week was inteneded to be productivity + relaxation. I can't quite manage the latter. Unless it's forced upon me by, say, being sick. Well, there you have it. Success?

Anyway, I'm trying to prep for the holidays, Etsy-wise and just maybe get my Dudley & Bea goods into at least one retail shop before Christimas. It's not that the interest isn't there. Really, I've has wholesale requests from shops in Toronto, Florida, Austin, and even Australia. It's my readiness. I'm not ready. During my previous crafty venture, I rushed things. I didn't nail down my methods or patterns or even a cohesive style. This time, I'm doing it right, dammit! So that's what this week is about: getting closer to "right".

Also, this week is about: hot yoga, brunches with mat-leave moms & night-shift friends, finally getting my passport updated, blogging like crazy, cleaning out the basement, painting the washroom, painting (as in canvases! as in art! as in omigosh I'm using my big expensive art school education for once!), finishing the art wall in our bedroom, and crafting while devouring season 3 of The United States of Tara. All while Alex is at work. I might also book a facial or a massage or a pedi. There should be something a little lavish in this mix, yeah?

Since much of my Staycay (or as I've been calling it: Craft Week) will be spent DIY-ing, here are some images that have inspired me:

So we bought some old maps at a flea market in Kingston this summer (that's Alex thumbing through the box)...

I've framed a vintage Pacific Ocean Floor map and I'm contemplating these for the rest:

On the same antique adventure, we snagged some burlap coffee bags and they'd be pretty awesome as a makeshift bulletin board:

All of this is part of one big masterpiece: the yet-untouched accent wall in our bedroom. It's been sadly empty for so long, but I've been working on Alex to recreate something like the below. He's in.

I'm also painting. "Starving Artist" is one of my many alter-egos. I put enough money and time and blood and sleep loss into becoming the illustrator that I never actually became. It's nice to get a little pay-off occasionally. Even though I was never really cut out for starvation. 

I'm painting jellyfish. Too much Blue Planet, I guess. Or Saturday-morning Spongebob. Too much TV.

I'm still fussing with the water. I'm no longer fully confident wielding a brush.

This inspired me:

My equally craft-loving friend Cathie bought me this book (The Repurposed Library)  for my birthday. A book-cum-lampshade project is calling my name. If painting in the living room has taught me one thing, it's this: the place is a bloody cave. DIY lamp to the rescue! How does once craft project always spawn six more!?

I'd like to say that's it, but I've managed to fill my to-do list with an impossible number of projects for just one short week. During half of which I've been sick. 

Stay tuned for the craftermath....

Magic numbers.

[Me n' Mr.Dudley. Totally pose-y. photo: Mark Hatfield]

I should be blogging for blogTO right now, but I feel like blogging for me. Maybe that's because my blogTO working hour-count for last week was 93. NINETY-THREE! Yup, and I still only managed to get 11.5 stories completed. Serious burning of midnight oil. Another magic number: 16. That's how many posts I'm supposed to be writing each week. 

Let's do some simple math:

11.5 is to 93 as 16 is to x

So, x= (16x93)/11.5

Therefore, x=129.4

Ah, I friggin' love math. It's just so logic and unchanging. There's something kind of reassuring about it. Have you seen this, by the way?

Hilarious!

Anyway, back to the equation: so, in conclusion, I have to work 129.4 hours per week to make quota?!? Not happening. Last Monday, the only thing I ate was a stale blueberry scone. While walking. I don't have to tell you that we're back at the drawing board. But I will keep you posted on my results from week 2, and the re-negotiations. New job = death (so far), but this week I'm not going to kill myself over it. Promise. I expect that my story-count will be much lower. Yikes. Check out what I've been up to here.

In good news, I am liking the job despite clearly unreasonable expectations. In even better news, Dudley & Bea has been getting a ton of interest lately. Party just from people randomly finding me on Etsy and partly from a post that just went up on the site of CBC's Steven & Chris! Check it out here. Yup, all of that sewing has paid off. Make this pillow with step-by-step instructions (by me)! Look, I even did my nails for you.

The sad thing is that I obviously have ZERO time to devote to making more puppy sweaters and dog bowls, even with all of the interest. I need balance. Hopefully by my next blog, i will have some. Turning down retailers just KILLS me! Isn't this what I've wanted??

Oh yeah, and toats random: remember how Dudley and I "modeled" for some iStock photographers at PawsWay last month? No. Oh, I forgot to tell you. Yeah, we did. Anyway, I thought it would be a good way to get shots of my product (professional ones). A few have come in and this is a sample, along with the one at the top:

[photos by Mark Hatfield, not to be used/reproduced]

Anyway, I really do have to go now. I'm writing a couple of time-sensitive event pieces so I should get them done tonight. One is a profile on blog-girl about town, Raymi the Minx. Going to her big 10-year party on Thursday, too. Ooh, something social. Much needed because Alex is outta town again. More on THAT excitement/travesty later.

Toodles.

XO

Too legit. (hey-hey!)

Wanna know how I turned a hobby/not-so-real job into a legit career? OK, well, I'd share but I don't exactly know how it happened myself. I guess doing what you love (the best parental advice I ever received, and am only now following) just works out because if you are so obviously passionate about something, someone is bound to notice.

So, yup, I'm finally sharing my news! Remember how potential good news had to be kept a secret because I was worried about it falling through? It's confirmed now, and I can open my fat mouth! Finally. *whew* I am sooo bad at my own secrets.

 [ big mouth. ]

As of November 1st, I will be officially working FULL TIME for blogTO!  Yup, what was really meant to be just a side project and fun thing to keep me busy during job hunting has turned into an actual career! I am so thrilled that my work for the site was noticed! I guess it shows when you really love something! I am loathe to call myself a journalist (huge overstatement and insult to ACTUAL journalists) but at least now when I pretend to be one, I'm actually being paid! Yee haw! You can see my work-to-date here. Lots and lots more to come!

The challenge? I am going to be BUSY and will probably have to build a social life into my schedule - ie. if you want to hang out with me, you have to do it at a bar I'm reviewing or be my plus one at an event I'm covering. That's reality for me now.

I also have to make SURE to make time for Dudley & Bea. I'm actually getting a lot of interest from bloggers (like this one - see my water bowls featured here!) and retail shops with the line so far! I've only sold two items, but granted, I haven't advertised and my shop is pretty small. I am hoping to devote 8-10 hours a week to it, which will be more feasible when A. Alex is on tour and B. I get into the swing of my new job. I MUST learn to be super organized all over again (I slipped quite a bit while in unemployed sloth mode).  

 

Speaking of my ever-crafty DIY world, doing what I love and am good at has paid off in another way (this is "good news" item #2). Through a weird Twitter encounter, I met some lovely CBC producers from the Steven & Chris show. We've been chatting for a while but nothing had really panned out. Until now. On a recent Web Wonder Woman segment with Jamey Ordolis, I did some back-end sewing/crafting to make demo items for the show! This week, my projects will be featured on a step-by-step demo on the show's website with photos of me making them! Well, my hands, at least. Alex and I sat in the audience at the show today, and the pillow and placemat I made were featured. The episode will air Thursday at 2pm EST! Watch! They're actually doing a giveaway of some of the pieces I've made. Annnnd, I hear that Steven loved the pillow and will be keeping it for his own office! I hope to work with the show again in the future. Stay tuned!

 Strangely enough, Alex and I will be BACK at the CBC building tomorrow, as the boys of Sweet Thing will be taping a performance for George's new show, George Strombolopolous Tonight. Gotta admit, I'm kinda over having to attend every single show/performance/whatever related to Sweet Thing (not that I'm over the band, or my "duties" as cheerleader, just all of the standing around), but I love George and it IS a pretty big deal for them. The performance will air on the show sometime soon, likely on a Friday. I'll sneak a few photos of the behind-the-scenes action and share soon!

 Since this week is going to be BONKERS for me (massive to-do list before I start crazy full-time work), I might be posting less frequently, but I'll be sure to write a "3 Things" and a "My High School Diary" post.

Ta-ta!

xo

Your Yoko

[ i'm THIS happy. ]