hello hello!
so i'm not fired. i still have my job.
hardeeharhar.
all these really dark thoughts were swimming in my head last night as i watched heroes (yay, i'm on ep. 6!) and ate a bowl of ruffles and fritos. i thought i had lost my job for sure (i tend to magnify things like this). but i got an email from my boss saying that it happens and not to worry.
what happened? to make a long story short, 7 boxes of conference materials failed to make it in time for the conference in planet hollywood, las vegas (which was today). it was all because of purolator. never trust purolator with your international packages. i know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but i couldn't help it, seeing as i'm new to this job and all and am still trying to prove myself.
anyhoo, i had a much better day today. today was the holiday printing party at the workroom. i completely forgot that it was today and remembering that it was today was a pleasant surprise (similar to when you wake up at 4 in the morning and you realize that you have 2 more hours of sleep to go and you feel so happy that it's 2 hours rather than 10 minutes).
it was a lot of fun! when you're doing something that you really like, time flies by so quickly. my last class for the year is the sewn men's tie class! i can't wait to make john a few ties for christmas!
afterwards i decided to walk along queen street. i wanted to buy packaging tape for my backtack swap and for the packages that i send john. i didn't want to use normal, boring scotch tape this time, so i bought these:
hello hello!
i'm having a good morning so far, how is yours?
i think it's because...
* i had a great night in last night! monday evenings, my best friend usually comes over. we have dinner together, and she does her school work (she is in teacher's college) and i do my crafting, with the promise that i will not talk to her (which is difficult sometimes because there's just so much to say and she and i talk a lot. haha). BUT nothing tops having your best friend over and just standing by the counter eating nutella and ice cream right out of the box. she literally made an ice cream sandwich- nutella and ice cream inside this really yummy soft bun. sigh. love you, A.
* it's finally cold enough to wear gloves and a hat, and cold enough to stuff my pants into my boots. harhar.
* and it's really quiet here in the office...i like it that way in the mornings. unless it's a friday afternoon. or when i'm overtiming. then my co-workers and i would belt out queen, madonna & celine dion songs (celine dion songs is one of my guilty pleasures, i have to admit).
on a craftier note, i've started buying supplies and fabric for christmas presents! yeah!
i got these from etsy!
these are sold at the workroom.
happy thursday everyone :)
oohhhh so last thursday, i talked about crafty spaces that i really like. i've decided to do the same today :)
on tuesday night, john and i went to the workroom's one year anniversary.
there were prizes that were being given away...and i am the lucky winner of a $100 class card at the workroom!!!
isn't it all so yummy? it's art in shelves.
anyway, the event was a lot of fun! it felt like a wine and cheese party because karyn had a nice spread of cheeses and crackers and wine. there were also vegan cupcakes, of which, i must admit, i had four :)
(of course i couldn't leave without buying any fabric. i bought three meters of canvas to make totes with and four fat quarters.)
so, if you like crafting, or sewing, or quilting, or if you just like pretty things, or want to learn how to sew, you must visit the workroom. you'll love it, i promise! :)
the workroom
1340 queen street west
toronto, ontario M6K 1L4
416 534 5305
i must talk about downtown t.o because it is one of my favorite places to be in. beware, this is going to be a post of pictures!
when john comes to visit, i like to take friday off and we just spend an entire day shopping, looking around, and of course eating (john's fun to eat with because he eats my tomatoes and always saves me the last bite. and there's just lots to talk about!)
instead of doing our usual thing, that is, going to ikea for breakfast, we went straight to downtown and had breakfast at sunset grill.
sunset grill
1 richmond st. west, toronto, ON M5H 3W4
(416) 861-0514
7 AM to 4 PM
it also seems so idyllic and tranquil, but this whole experience was ruined by two things:
1) the very rude manager - who totally lacks people skills. she is actually quite notorious. i've read plenty of reviews and everyone complains about her.
2) the nasty, overpriced cake that we ordered for dessert (yes, the ones that drew me in in the first place). we got a chocolate malt layer cake and that was disgusting. it was mostly made of fondant and the insides were crumbling as if it was baked a week ago. all for the price of $11.
we got mushroom soup and this beef sandwich. it was tasty and herby, but the soup was obviously reheated and the beef was cold.
sigh.
one thing i liked though was the cantaloupe infused water our waitress gave us. just simply cut up large slices of cantaloupe (they didn't even peel it. that's where a lot of the flavor is, that's why) and leave them in your water pitcher. it's supposed to cleanse the pallet.
i'd go back there, as long as i avoid dessert and that awful lady.
here are more pictures from friday (hover over "notes" to see notes):
this is the dress i made, by the way! it has imperfections, but i love it and will wear it again! :)
i made this with the built by wendy pattern 3964, without the inset.
* summer's come and gone so fast. fall's settled in and the leaves are changing colors and more and more houses are getting their halloween decorations up.
* i splurged on 3 pairs of tights today. i really want teal and yellow ones.
* i am now caught up with gossip girl. and am loving chuck & blair more than ever. and am now hating serena.
* i hemmed my dress and skirt an extra two inches.
* i made another skirt last night! i am starting to love hemming. but i have yet to do invisible stitches. i'll give it a try with my next dress.
* discovered these lovely and good blogs.
* i really really really want to learn how to quilt and am hoping that the workroom has space in their presto nine patch class.
* i'm getting my laptop back tomorrow! i am giving myself a cut off time though. the laptop has to be shut off by 1o pm. i'm never leaving it on overnight again.
* bored at work? this is kinda silly, but really addictive. especially if you're competing with your co-workers.
* i am loving the following:
from the dorothy lee collection
built by wendy collection
* i have another TRENDS meeting tonight. october 25 is the next event! i love planning. :)
* i also signed up for back tack. more details later...but it will be my first crafty swap ever and am very excited!
and that isallisallisall.
it's rainy in toronto...i can't wait to go home and snuggle under the covers. and read more jane eyre. hehe. jane eyre hurts my heart.
one more sleep! :)
have a nice wednesday everyone!
teehee. i've been tagged by q's daydream!
merci buckets! i luuurv surveys. harhar.
What are the last three things you purchased?
fabric, fabric & fabric.
What are the last three songs you downloaded?
songs by lily allen & stars.
What are the last three places you visited?
california (sf, monterrey, l.a), ottawa, quebec.
one day i would like to add european countries to that:
france, u.k, germany, italy, austria spain
What are your three favorite movies?
breakfast at tiffany's, eternal sunshine, gosford park, sabrina (julia ormond one), when harry met sally, annie hall, to name a few.
What are your three favorite possessions.
my sewing machine :), my vintage smith-corona corsair typewriter from john, my moon river 45 record
What three things can you not live without?
COFFEE, my laptop (which is close to dying even if it's only 2 years old), l'amour. cheesy but true. :)
What would be your three wishes?
to be in the same country, city, house one day with john :), to live in france, to be sooooo bilingual and fluent in french that i get a french accent when i speak english. AHAHA.
What three things haven’t you done yet?
live in france.
learn how to swim.
travel everywhere with john.
What are your three favorite dishes?
my bran cereal with bananas, buttery mashed potatoes, grilled vegetable sandwiches.
Which three celebrities would you most like to hang out with?
sigh, if i could only have hung out with audrey hepburn. which we would do in a really classy way.
clive owen. hehe.
and that is all. i can't think of any other celebrities i would like to hang out with.
Name three things that freak you out?
insects, especially earwigs. rodents. sleep paralysis (which happens when i've had too much caffeine or when i'm very stressed).
Name three unusual things you are good at.
hm. i can't do anything unusual. all i know is that i have monkey arms.
according to my sister i'm the best person to go to a concert with. one of her reasons is because i can dance funny without looking weird.
Which three things are you coveting?
anything by philip lim (argh argh argh), long hair (only because my hair is at the ugly growing out stage. i have to grow it for winter because it gets really cold), and the perfect pair of pumps.
Name three bloggers you are tagging.
only if you want to be tagged :)
john
giscelle
rebecca
*
i had a very productive weekend.
saturday i had a meeting for TRENDS. the kickoff event is really soon and i feel unprepared! at least i know what to wear already. hehe.
for those who are wondering what TRENDS is, it's a club that was started by teenaged girls a few years ago. getting tired of all the lewd and revealing clothing that was being made available to teenaged girls, they started this club to revolutionize the fashion world and to help the way girls see themselves, as women of value and of dignity. it's still a tiny organiztion, but it's got chapters in vancouver, montreal, ottawa, and toronto :) and because it's still sort of starting out in Toronto, we need a bit of funding, hence the fundraiser/intro event on Saturday. we thought doing an "everything under $10 event" would be a good way to get girls to come and learn more about TRENDS and raise a bit of money at the same time. i found a lot of clothes that i haven't worn in years. some from club monaco, zara and the gap. i found some jeffrey campbell and aldo flats and lots of purses from aldo. aaaaand...lots of american eagle shirts. muahaha. nothing wrong with american eagle (to some people, anyway) but i went through an insane phase when i bought all things american eagle.
any insane phases YOU went through?
all black? all white? what else?
afterwards i went to fabricland. i am now an official member of fabricland. hehe. which means 25% or 50% discounts on all fabrics. because of this, i was able to buy 3 yards of 3 kinds of fabric, two of which are taffeta (awesomeness) and this lightweight, thin denim, and some lace. i want to make some blair waldorf-esque clothes. hehe.
i also bought more felt for more softies and cards. unfortunately it's not wool felt. i don't know where to get them here in toronto.
i was going to go to the workroom afterwards but felt so tired.
this whole weekend i felt so tired. granted i baked 50+ cupcakes yesterday but it shouldn't make me feel as if i've run a marathon. my muscles hurt and i have no energy.
anyhoo...have a happy monday everyone! i am enjoying hot spring rolls & shortbread cookies (from london! hehe and they are yummy) courtesy of co-workers.
today i searched high and low on etsy for the perfect black pumps, heeled oxfords & heeled loafer type shoes.
the ones that i found were either:
* too pricey or
* well priced, but shipping is killer or
* not my size :(
the last one was always the case.
after work today i went to h&m and zara found that the shoes were either:
* too pricey
* too HIGH.
i'm not a very tall person, but if i were to wear these heels, i will definitely be towering over people. and when i tower over people, for some reason i feel like a guy. hmmm.
i also went looking for fabric.
queen street past spadina has lots of fabric stores. thimble has a nice post on where to shop for fabric in toronto. anyhoo, i went into one and was overwhelmed by all the fabric. the store was practically bursting at the seams (hardeehar). there was a particular linen one that i liked with simple circles outlined in black (it looked almost like it was by echino, which is by the way one of my favorites) but it was $20 per yard. ack.
i don't know why i was being so cheap today. everything was expensive to me, which was weird considering that today was payday.
i'll have to hit up the thrift store again to look for some shoes. the best heels are the ones from thrift stores anyway, since they're neither trendoid nor overpriced. and the heels are just right :)
my lymph nodes are quite swollen and it scared me when i felt the little lumps last night.
according to my sister's soon to be nurse boyfriend, it's a sign that i will be getting sick soon.
yikes.
tomorrow:
* i have another TRENDS meeting to for the kickoff event which will be next week. which means attendance is mandatory, lymph nodes and all.
the kickoff event should be exciting. i'm planning to buy little tags and twine for price tags.
* i will continue my fabric shopping at
1) fabricland. i want to buy some more knits. i made a dress off of wendy mullin's sew u home
stretch, and i have to say that it was so easy to do. i can see myself wearing it again and again. and it is for that reason that i should get cracking with more dresses.
2) the workroom! for more fat quarters
i cannot wait for:
* don giovanni
* my package of japanese fabric from matatabi to arrive
* john :)
so i finally finished off amy's birthday card. it needs improvement, but i was pleased that everyone liked it and didn't see the flaws as my mother did hehe. and i can't wait to start on making a few more as backup birthday cards. i'also planning to make gift tags with the same cupcake.
