Wednesday, July 30, 2008

ebay update

the final bidding price for the jeans is $36,099.00

holyfrick.

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Monday, July 28, 2008


hello. my name is melissa and i don't have enough time.
i would like more time please.
my to-do list is growing and so are my bookmarks of things i would like to make for myself and for people.
i have to make 4 accessories pouches and clothes for angeli's stuffed bear for her birthday.
and birthday cards.
i have an unfinished dress. the pieces are under my bed, in an ikea bin, not sewn.
i have a bunch of thrifted clothes that need to be altered and taken in.
blarghblarghblargh.
plus there's piano practice. and the TRENDS website. and driving lessons.
i've never felt this pressed for time.

but anyhoo.
more downtown photos.











i call this set...disintegration.
hahaha.










and that isallisallisall.

my stomach sucks.
it hurts after ice cream.
mickey d's chicken wrap is pretty good.
i accidentally ate a tomato today. blargh.
went a-thrifting with angela again today and scored some vintage goodies.
speaking of vintage goodies.

look what is being bid on on ebay:

(photo from ebay).


a pair of levi's jeans from the 1890s, from the mojave desert in california. in "great" condition because of the candlewax the wearer worked with. These jeans were found in an old paper bag with the name of a mercantile store which operated between 1895 and 1898 in the town of Randsburg.

these jeans have 30 bids...it started with $9.99.
now it's going for a whopping $8,101.00
all this leads to two questions...
1. what were those pants doing in an old paper bag?
2. what the hell are they going to do with those jeans?
find out more about this ebay auction.
just make sure you don't accidentally bid...or else there goes your tuition fee.



2 more sleeps :)

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i am excited for two things
1. mini family trips.
2. him.

lovely day today:
driving lesson.
big breakfast.
bike ride around town.
pattern cutting.
hanging out with A while she makes ratatouille
loblaws with the three.
chicken and wedges and pizza and a movie.
cranium triumph.
dessert and more games.

ps. the nines sucks.
pps. ryan reynolds is cute. but james mcavoy is still cuter.
ppps. i want to see southland tales. and dark knight.

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Saturday, July 19, 2008

toronto, je t'aime and other things.

i unearthed these pictures i took a year ago. i totally forgot about them (which tends to happen when pictures are not digital).

i love queen street, east or west. but i love west the most, especially the parkdale area...i'm there every week. there's always something new to discover. lordy i sound like a provincial promotional ad. but it's the truth.













le quartier chinois. lots of fruit and $10 clothes that are absolutely awesome.














i am craving:
focaccia
tiramisu
salade nicoise

crap. barefoot contessa is done...but ohhhhh giada has new everyday italian episodes. awesomeness teehee.

i am dying for coffee. i can feel the headache coming on. everything that pertains to caffeine (coffee granules, coffeemaker) is in the new house.

speaking of which, my dad, brothers and i were till the wee hours of the morning. it's really nice this time because i got to prime my room (which used to be a heinous light purple and light green). now i know how people on trading spaces feel like.
i can't wait for my room to come together. i've picked my paint color.
it's called wedding veil. haha.
i want my walls all white, with nice billowy, sheer curtains.
i'll get my splashes of color from throw pillows (which i will be making! heehee), the tiffany green phone that i snagged from the thrift store, and hopefully *crosses fingers* the teal typewriter i'm watching on ebay.

i packed more things yesterday.
holy crap.
i didn't know i had THAT much stuff.
goshdiggitydammit. and it's not like they're junk.
there's boxes for
knitting
sewing (like a bin of fabrics)
cardmaking
and then other personal things.
and then my big bag of hangers and my big luggage of clothes.
it's amazing how a 12x10 room can hold all that.

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Thursday, July 17, 2008

music and passion were always in fashion at the copa

i am so fricking tired.
i went to class today and was sort of in a trance for the entire thing. i wouldn't be surprised if i've forgotten how to sew in an invisible zipper.

so i made a dress last night to wear to work (yars, yars, i washed and shrunk the fabric) today. and not bad at all. :)



two things: never sew on the actual bias tape. and don't take fashion advice from those who think fishnet jerseys are sexy at a pride parade.

and...they've arrived! my babies have arrived. hehe. i love amazon


we went to the new house today. we finally got the keys! i'm so excited for the new room...i have big plans for it. i want a taller table so that i don't have to bend when i cut out and measure patterns.

tomorrow i have to stay at home to pack.
still no progress. sigh.

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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

day 2 of packing

i actually got some packing done today. i'm feeling quite wired after that large coffee i had with A.



looks forlorn without anything.




we've taken the canopy and the curtains and the curtain rod down.



my bag of bags...i'm thinking i should do a garage sale, because this is not all. these are bags that i use at least once a week...i have more that i don't even use. i am now seeing where a lot of my money has been going to for the past few years. sigh.



the closet is definitely going to be a task.
i'm going to just keep my clothes in hangers but the annoying thing is that they just keep sliding off their hangers and the closet floor is a big mess now. i can't wait for the two-door closet. it's probably just as big, but now i don't have to stick my hand in and pray that i get the right pair of pants.


i downloaded a dress pattern today and spent $3.00 on fabric. hehe. hopefully by wednesday i'll have the dress done as i am running out of work clothes.

teehee...i bought both sew u books online for cheap and free shipping. they're normally $30 in stores!

yarsyars i'm going to take that shower now.

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Monday, July 14, 2008

bobbing for hairdos and other things.

squeal.
my co-worker cut her hair over the weekend and she looks adorable in a bob.
i've always wanted one but i didn't know it would look THAT great!
so after my hair's grown a few more inches, i will have to take my pick from some of the following.
maybe more like cristina ricci's sans les bangs.
or an asymmetrical bob.
whatev. but i can't wait to be able to put it up in a little ponytail.






and ooohhhh...i think we may have found a photographer for TRENDS!
paola denegri's pictures are absolutely beautiful and artistic.
check them out :)


i want to get this!



it's a ruffler foot for the sewing machine. it can make even ruffles or pleats while sewing it onto your fabric simultaneously.
a bit pricey though...they're selling it for $49.99 online. i'll have to check out the neighborhood sewing machine store tonight to see if they have some.

we will be moving this week! i'll post up photos of the new house soon :) lots of packing, painting and steam vaccing to do.
my grandmother and aunt are coming next week!
johnny in a few weeks...16 days and counting.
and a starbucks run tonight avec A after piano. :D

it's going to be a really busy july but i like them that way.

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Sunday, July 13, 2008

packing and other things.

augh. kill me.
i hate packing.
i have to pack 3 years' accumulation of stuff. so far i have packed 1/8 of my room in two boxes. those are just my books. the real feat will be the the closet.



after much deliberation, i have decided that this will be the color scheme for my new room. inspired by peonies, tiffany boxes, my h&m layered top and the green club monaco shirred skirt.










no no. this is not a poser pic. it's the shirt that i made thursday night, which i've worn twice already.
two things: i really should hem (but too lazy to do so...i wish i owned a serger! that's next on my list after an ice cream maker) and ruffles are easy to make...i just need to remember to kno the threads...they're coming a bit undone now. but for a beginner shirt, not bad at all! i'll be sewing up another shirt and a skirt pretty soon.


it's taking me 15 minutes to dry my hair now...which means that my hair is growing out! woohoo...

yesterday i made some pouches at the workroom. this is one of them. i'm planning to make some as christmas presents.


sigh. i aspire to be karyn who makes her own ice cream. haha. i have yet to try the ice cream recipes in my nigella cookbook. my birthday's coming up, however...i can put that request in hehe.

yesterday was a lovely day. i had a spinach and cheese croissant and a cup of coffee. it was truly a la holly golightly/audrey, although she was having breakfast at tiffany's and i was having mine on a streetcar. afterwards i just walked along queen street west, perused the stores, but found nothing that i really liked. i did buy some new fabric and insane amounts of zippers and bias tape. i came home with things for john, but none for me, which is fine. i find that now that i've been sewing and thrifting, nothing really appeals to me anymore. i am dying to sew my own clothes from patterns.
anyhoo, it was nice to be by myself and not be in such a hurry. i had wanted to sit in a cafe and eat a nice plate of salad and nuts and cheese with fruit, but the weather wasn't very cooperative.
speaking of food, if one day you find yourself dessert-less, but with a box of vanilla ice cream, some bread and nutella and strawberry jam, you could do an improvised, deconstructed poor man's version of a napoleon:


1. toast bread.
2. butter bread.
3. flatten bread with a rolling pin or your hand if feeling lazy.
4. nutella the slices up.
5. jam up the other slices.
6. cut in squares.
7. layer them alternately .
8. top with creme glacee in vanille flavor.
as bizarre as it sounds, trust me, it's really good. it will definitely satisfy your craving for something sweet. this is definitely a melissa original...whowould'vethunk? bread and ice cream at the same time. haha.

my birthday wish list:
1. an ice cream maker
2. a cuisinart or kitchen aid mixer
3. a vintage typewriter
4. loads of vintage and japanese fabric
5. stamps and ink pads
6. antique perfume bottles
7. a bouquet of flowers
8. another class at the workroom
9. a serger
10. a chandelier for my room
11. sewing books and sewing patterns

anyhoo...must get on now with packing.
sitting amidst strewn clothes and papers and books gets exhausting after a while.

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Thursday, July 10, 2008

i've got fries in my mind.

oh man. here it goes. the monthly craving has begun.
i want fries.
and not just any kind of fries.
wendy's fries.

so yesterday was the first session for the a-line skirt class.
it was fun...but measuring and tracing and cutting out patterns and making sure that the fabric is all straight is sooooo tiresome.
it's my least favorite part.
i either make something to small or too big.
i'm going to make it high-waisted and shorter than the original pattern. we will also be drafting out a pattern for a waistband for it.

so karyn accidentally doublebooked the workoom...two classes happened in one night. so in return she made the yummiest ice cream sandwiches (home made strawberry ice cream! it was yum-o, i tell you) and gave $25 off for the next class.
weeeeeeeeeee.....

tonight i'm staying home. and i can't wait. i feel like crap. there's a bug going around and i think it's my turn.
i'm trying to make my own shirt...BAH. so last night i cut it out and it was...too short. i forgot to take into consideration the seam allowance. goshdammit. when will i get my measurements right?
but no matter. i've decided to line it with gathers or ruffles. if not i'll just sew on another layer...like a little band. hopefully it turns out well so that i have something to wear to work tomorrow. hehe.

my co-worker's back and she's complaining again. augh.
i complain because she complains. let the madness stop. please.

yes...i'm still thinking about fries.
drool.



yay A's coming back from her two week vakay in lovely montreal! snaps for A!
and 20 more days and coming until the return of johnnyjohnny. woohoo :)

friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiies.

no one wants to share fries with me. ack.

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Tuesday, July 8, 2008

huh.

hello, my name is melissa and i live for blogs.
i bike in yoga pants, striped shirts and yellow flats.
i have bran flakes with banana and skimmed milk every morning.
i must have my coffee between 8:30 - 9:30 or else i get a headache.
i gain weight when i pms and my feet get swollen.
i am dying to live in france.
i love being around people and being by myself.
i am a quasi cat lady without the cats while still being capable of maintaining some sort of social balance.
i don't know when to stop eating.
or start eating for that matter.
i can finish a box of ice cream.
and a bag of fritos hoops.
i hate being the center of attention and try to enter and exit as quiet as possible.
i am taking my g2 test soon. finally. on the 24th.
i like driving on the highway. i can change lanes smoothly.
i can also parallel park, but it took me a while to do hand over hand, which is the simplest thing in the world.
i am sleepy but i still have to finish my laundry.
i do my laundry when there's not a lot of underwear left. which means...i have a lot of underwear and a lot of clothes. sigh. my laundry bag is bursting at the seams.
i really need to start doing my laundry regularly.
i should also start packing my lunches.
today i only had a cheese sandwich because that's all i felt like making.
i hate bringing tupperware to work.
and i hate washing it even more.
and that is all is all is all.

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Friday, July 4, 2008

according to the all-knowing ipod...

Instructions: Go to your music player of choice and put it on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud, and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question.

How does the world see you?
"Man Eater" Nelly Furtado
that's right i make them fall real hard in love.

Will I have a happy life?
"American Boy" Estelle feat. Kanye West
oohhh i like that one...i'll have a happy life with my american boy.

What do my friends really think of me?
"Week 12 Lecture" Gillian Helfield, FILM 1701
thanks friends. hehe.

What do people secretly think of me?
"Same Mistake" James Blunt
oh dear.

How can I be happy?
"Alone" Heart
ohmy. this is turning very emo.

Will I ever have children?
"Mary's in India" Dido
i guess i'll have one named mary who will be living in india

What is some good advice for me?
"Fly" Hilary Duff
quite embarrassing really...this song is in my guilty listening list.
it's funny, it's the one thing i am always told never to do.

How will I be remembered?
"The New Girl in Town" Brittany Snow Hairspray Soundtrack
the new girl in some french town i hope!

What is my signature dancing song?
"Nobody's Home" Avril Lavigne
it's the song to dance to while slitting your wrists.

What do I think my current theme song is?
"Skyline Pigeon" Elton John
wow. my ipod really knows.


What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
"Foolish Games" Jewel
yeah this is really sad.

What song will play at my funeral?
"Take My Breath Away" Berlin
ahaha. it's been taken alright.

What is my day going to be like?
"Bohemian Rhapsody" Queen
yes everyday i question myself whether or not this is the real life or is it just fantasy

in summary, i am a man eating skyline pigeon that is longing to fly who will either be happy alone or with her american boy.

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"someday this job will [insert swear word here-ing] kill you"

and i quote my co-worker.



why does my nose look big? (uhhhh because it is...)

avec Rizie...she has the coolest clothes and shoes.

a pair of oxfords (not mine), an fcuk top (not mine), old navy & h&m shirts, and a huge plate of banana crepes swimming in maple syrup AND cream AND ice cream later...



it was a lovely impromptu night out with the girlies.


i am currently obsessed with...
- veggie sandwiches from quiznos sans tomates
- clinique happy
- james mcavoy. it's amazing how he can go from this:

to this:


(mr. tumnus, is that you?)

- patterned paper and fabrics
- rubber stamps

i cannot stand...
- guys who scratch their faces and necks in public
- people who chew their gum like cows
- this awful canadian weather. we're still wearing sweaters in july. ack.
- small talk that goes on in elevators : "how's the weather out there?" "is it friday yet?" (when clearly it isn't because it's only monday PEOPLE) "is it 5 pm yet?"


i cannot wait for...
- sushi tonight with the other girlies
- family togetherness tomorrow
- to see Hancock & Batman hehe.
- to get my license...i still need to master the art of reverse parking and three point turns, but other than that, i'm pretty good :D my instructor wants me to take my test on july 20th.
- to learn how to make an A-line skirt
- for john to arrive! 26 more days and counting
- la pique nique avec les filles
- and new york hopefully hopefully avec les filles

i am dying here at work.
i am bored out of my mind. and sleepy. and cranky.


ps. i fear the days of menopause...it's pretty cool out there but my co-worker is roasting her rump off, as she says. yikes.

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Thursday, July 3, 2008

un tas de conneries


i must do something about this 5x3 confinement i find myself in.
sometimes i feel that i'm all to blame for being where i am right now.

i haven't been very brave at all.

and nothing justifies my staying here anymore. and when i make an attempt to do so i secretly blush knowing full well that my listener is buying none of it. i don't even believe in what i say because deep down this is not where i want to be.
i've gotten too comfortable. i need change. i need to be someplace else. so that i don't feel so dead in the inside.

or maybe it's just hormones.

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