hohum.

sigh.
john flew back to north carolina yesterday and i am feeling quite sad and bummed.

but i do have pictures from saturday's downtown (again) excursion. it was a really beautiful day. we had breakfast at the gladstone hotel's ballroom cafe. (the gladstone is a boutique hotel)

gladstone hotel
1214 queen street west
toronto, ontario, m6j 1j6
416 531 4635

because i had wanted to try something different, i had eggs benedict for the first time! i don't know if it was because of the heightened anticipation, but i was a bit disappointed. i thought that the eggs were a tad overcooked and i couldn't really taste the hollondaise sauce.

john ordered a frittata. now this one was really good: sundried tomatoes, pesto and parmesan.

i have to say that the coffee was very, very good though.
the cafe also has a nice vibe. there was a lady doing some watercoloring a few tables away. i'd go back again, and just order the frittata. hehe.

i wish i had a teapot like this. so cute!

other little discoveries:
* this sewing machine store on ossington and queen which sells $6.50 yard sticks. fabricland sells them for $30!!! of course i got one and it was one of the best purchases of the day. it's wood and it looks really vintagey to me. i also bought gray knit fabric which i will be turning into another dress soon!

* i miss you vintage
where i got two pairs of shoes, with the right heel height and the right fit. i'm still searching for the perfect brown shoes, but these black ones (and one with a bow) are a good start.

* this:

"i am more than the square heads that live here"
muahaha.

* this:

it makes me want to go to the market and buy a loaf of baguette and tomatoes, even though i hate tomatoes.

i did a lot of crafting and fabric shopping this past week and i'd like to show you once i have everything uploaded!

and that is all.

have a good week everyone! :)

i miss you miss you, my dear.

ps:
* i was thisclose to buying a gocco printer for $300. after much pondering and weighing out the pros and cons, i came to the conclusion that it was too much to spend on something that is being discontinued and nearing obsoleteness. there may be an alternative though...rebecca from mon petit lapin made these classy teatowels with her screen printing kit. hmmmm...

* i am now up to date with gossip girl. i love blair. i hate serena. period. i prefer bitchy characters with hearts of gold.

* saw nick and norah's...it's a bit like a cute teenaged (and very drunken) version of before sunrise

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crafty space #3

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!!!

please excuse the blurry quality, the dorkiness, and the size of my nose in this picture. but off to the right are the shelves of fat quarters. so juicy!

i just can't stop gushing about the workroom because it is one of my favorite places to be in.
i had always wanted to learn how to use the sewing machine so i could make things and sew my own clothes (i thought it would be the best way to save some money and have things fit me well). when i first searched for sewing classes in toronto over a year ago, nothing came up on google that interested me. they were either too pricey or just not appealing. then this year, after finally being done and over my undergrad (i now have more time to do things!), i googled it again and this time i found the workroom.

it's owned by the very talented and creative karyn, and it's a cozy place where you can sew by the hour (with sergers and the much coveted berninas!), make things (they have a gocco printer and laser cutter!) and take classes (there's always cold iced tea and jar of cookies waiting). it's oozing with warmth and the most beautiful (picked by karyn) selection of fabrics - amy butler, kokka, echino, denyse schmidt, and more.

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

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friday's excursion

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

the servings were generous, coffee was bottomless, the waitress was very attentive, but the potatoes could have been better (i am quite picky with my potatoes).

john, being the tea lover he is, wanted to try out the the red tea box, which we discovered while walking to the workroom on queen street (one of my favorite streets. there's just so many things to discover each time). i don't like tea at all (except for bubble tea. hehe) but the display window boasts of fondant covered cakes and cupcakes...that of course drew me in.

red tea box
696 queen west, toronto
416 203-8882

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.

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happy turkey day!

happy thanksgiving!

sigh. i am thankful for so many things. :)

i am feeling really sleepy and lethargic right now. i also feel as if i ran a marathon. i peeled so many potatoes today to make my really awesome mashed potatoes. :)

i love thanksgiving.
i think it's because it's a holiday that doesn't require pretentious gift giving that happens during christmas (i love christmas though, don't get me wrong!). and everyone's just together at the table, eating a meal that they've all prepared together. sigh.

anyhoo, i hope everyone had a good weekend, just as i did! :)

ps: this is an interesting article on turkey and its lethargic effects. i've heard people say that turkey has something that makes you feel really sleepy, so i decided to look it up. it's partly true, but it's also because of our massive carb intake during thanksgiving dinner!

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what a beautiful day.

(as you can probably already tell, i like making lists. and writing in short sentences. hehe)

today was great :
* my offer letter came in the mail! they've offered me the job :)

* my laptop is back and works better than before and is super fast

* john arrived safe and sound. still amazing as always. he got me a calligraphy set & 4 more built by wendy patterns!

* watched an old gossip girl episode with john and thoroughly enjoyed bashing vanessa together (i apologize to those who like vanessa). she does have good points, but not enough to redeem herself, as blair had.

* had my mom's breaded fish (i normally hate fish, but my mom makes great breaded fish)
* aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand had FOUR whopping servings of warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream. mmm mmm good.

tomorrow is my day off and i'm glad. because it's 1:22 in the morning and i am still wired and i know i won't be getting enough sleep to function.
tomorrow is also our traditional ikea breakfast day and stroll around downtown.
i love ikea breakfasts. because they're good and they're only 99 cents.

i wish everyone a happy, beautiful friday! i'll be back with photos, yay!

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i need some space.

crafty space, that is. hardeehar.

i don't know if it's just the color that i picked for my walls ("wedding veil") but my craft area lacks warmth. it'll need it soon, now that the days are getting shorter and colder. the following craft stations make me feel all happy and warm inside.

this is casey's. i love that she used clothespins to put up pictures (i just bought some from etsy and cannot wait to put them to use!) it just makes the space sweeter and more personalized.

i love her use of clipboards and the white boxes.

this is sharilyn's. i love the wallpaper that she had used to cover up the walls. and the stacks of fabric are just to die for!

i love the bulletin board! just like casey's peg board, sharilyn's bulletin board adds personality to the room.

although my dream of having a bedroom with a little craft station has finally been fulfilled, it still requires a few more things:
* a homasote board, similar to karyn's (i love the patchwork detail), or shiso mama's (via karyn).
i already bought buttons to cover from etsy as suggested by a tutorial on how to make fabric covered push pins from how about orange.
* storage space, especially for future fabrics. one day i'd like to have them all displayed in nice stacks (and to have sooo much!) like anna maria's.
* pretty jars and tins (i use mint tins for my fabric chalks and extra pins) for sewing notions
* and...warmth. hardeehar.

i will work on that soon.

what does your crafty space look like?

ps: my laptop is baaaaaack. woohoo!

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last shot of summer & other things.

* 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!

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survival 101

my sister asked me how i'm surviving without a laptop.
surprisingly i'm handling it pretty well.

of course i can't

* update my blog as often (i'm writing this at work)
* check my mail when i want (the family computer is always being used)
* watch a movie (i like watching movies in my room)
* upload my pictures (no usb cord. i was using the memory card insert thing on my laptop. which means boring, image-less blog entries by me for the moment)

but this weekend i've been quite "productive":

*i'm rereading jane eyre. i didn't know that mr. rochester was THAT old. last time i read it was when i was in grade 8, which was several, several years ago.
*cleaned the bathroom.
*made pancakes.
*wrote letters (i love making cards and sending them out)
*hung out with best friend :)
*practiced on the piano (for more than an hour. quite a record breaker.)
*and i finished a dress and a skirt!

i used the built by wendy pattern 3964 again, but omitted the inset and redrafted the front piece. it's so much easier and better looking that way! i worked on it like i used to work on my essays: took lots of breaks in between. but all in all it should have only taken a morning to do(without the cutting of the fabric and transferring of marks- i find this takes the longest. i always do this the night before). there were less mistakes and minimal seam ripping, yay!
i also added the sleeves but didn't elasticize them. instead, i hemmed it and drafted out a pattern for epaulet looking things to go with the sleeves, similar to this:

i used gold buttons that i got on sale for 50c from fabricland.
i must say that i will be wearing this often!
i'll post up photos, hopefully soon...

have a nice monday!

3 more days till my partner in crime comes! :)

ps: i am itching to buy fabric. argh. argh. argh. but i'm trying not to spend, especially since i have a stack of fabrics waiting to be turned into dresses!

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wearable patchwork and miscellany

i don't normally talk about fashion, but when i saw this comme des garcons dress, it made me think of paper piecing.

from Coutorture

English Paper Piecing, originally uploaded by the workroom.

anabela from field guided (a blog that i just recently discovered!) makes the same observation:

from here

from here

ever since i discovered ayumi's blog and her wonderful logcabin pouch, i've been wanting to try quilting. going to the workroom makes me want to start as well, but it just seems so daunting. i suck at measurements and sewing straight on the machine, and am not very patient - which i think are prequisites to making something so beautiful and grand like a quilt (am i right?).

anyhoo...in other news:

* it amuses me that "vegan" is now the new adjective for synthetic leather

* john is coming for thanksgiving! yay! this means long walks, long talks, movie nights and lots of holding hands. sigh.

* i am hoping to get some sewing and crafting done this weekend. my energy's just been really low nowadays. but i do miss my machine!i'm planning to make my littler sister a crayon roll.

*my laptop has passed away. it's only two years old, but i guess that's the maximum lifespan of any techie thing now. things are just not made to last anymore. disintegration is the new thing. this is why vintage is awesome.

have a beautiful friday everyone!

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"battle scars"

last sunday was like spring cleaning in my room. i had taken out all of my clothes from my closet and sorted through the ones that i no longer like or wear. i came out with a huge bag full.

i also decided to get rid of the things that i made.

i told john that i got rid of my poorly sewn clothes, and he begged for me to fish them out of the bag so that he could keep them.
when my sister found out what i had done, she told me that yes, i should retrieve them and keep them, because these are my battle scars.
i'm looking at them now and i can't believe that i wore them out or to work!
so without further ado, here are my scars. and they ain't pretty. hardeehar.

this is the first shirt i made. i made it without a pattern. i wore it to work for casual friday. my dad called it my recyclable shirt. worn twice.


my first attempt to sew from a pattern. this is the anda dress from burda style, and the final product shouldn't look like this. i printed the pattern without changing the page layout. this has been infamously called the potato sack by my very sarcastic co-worker. it is also my first attempt at bias binding. worn once. and never again. (i got compliments though, funny enough. this girl at this boutique, and another lady who thought it was from club monaco) haha.


this is the camille skirt. i used a tutorial on how to make mui mui-esque skirts. i didn't use enough fabric. i thought the gold thread was a pretty cute touch though. worn once.


i thought, hey since i've been sewing for a few months now, why not try a built by wendy pattern? they're supposed to be simple. i chose the wrong pattern to start with. argh. it was all going smoothly until i did the inset. and the one thing that screwed it up even more was the topstitching, which i really suck at, and the dress was too short. so i tried to lengthen it by sewing onto it more fabric. it came out wonky in the end. i wore it anyway. my co-worker asked me if i made it, and i learned my lesson. to avoid another potato sack comment, i said no. it was thrifted. ahaha. he believed me and thought it was nice and unique (sometimes the word "unique" can be such an insulting word, but that' s just me). worn once.

it's a very good thing that the fabrics i used were all $3 a meter, or else i would have been really angry at myself.

the only thing that i'm proud of and that i've worn lots of times already is the knit jersey dress that i made from the sew u stretch book. this one got compliments as well, but i never owned up to making it. it avoids further scrutiny, you know? (it is for that reason that i won't be posting up any pictures of it. haha)

so now my "wip" (as fellow crafters call it) or work in progress, is my second attempt at the built by wendy dress, sans the inset. i'm using light denim (which i purchased a few weeks ago and got 50 % discount) this time.

i'm envisioning it to be wiksten - ish.

yars, yars. i'm dreaming.

but a girl can dream.



ps: gross. i hate it when my cat cleans himself in my room.

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TRENDS kickoff event

whew!
after...
...weeks of collecting and sorting through clothes, weeks of planning and anticipation, of meetings and emails back and forth
...a night of washing and ironing clothes
...two hours of setting up everything in hawthorn's atrium...

..."the everything under $10" event is finally done.
it was lots of work, but lots of fun and this is something we would definitely do again.
we also raised quite a bit of money. it had exceeded my expectations and am very happy with the outcome! :)


we tried to set up the atrium to look like a little shop. we had signs for the change room. my good friend pam volunteered to be change room girl (thanks pam!)

i have to say that i spent $29 :D . i bought some of my friend natalie's stuff (i couldn't believe she was getting rid of them!). some of my awesome buys are: leather gap belt (which can get really pricey). 4 cardigans. a poncho sweater thing.

i'm relieved that it was a success, but hopefully more girls will show up for october's event. i can't wait to plan it. it'll most likely involve a powerpoint presentation. but for now, a little rest. i didn't sleep until 2 in the morning and am running really low on energy. i have never ironed so many shirts and stamped so many shipping tags in my life! my room felt like a little factory.

shirts to be given away. still in good condition, it's just that my taste in clothes have changed. hehe.




price tags. i thought they were a cute touch! maybe i'll get a stamp made just for trends by someone from etsy!




we set up some outfits on the table. this is the belt that i'm talking about. :)






lollipops for the girls to take.


sign up sheet.

it's still a work in progress but you can see more pictures (and learn more about TRENDS) here.


anyhoo, i'm off to clean up my room. then the weekly tradition of watching a movie with the fam. :)

i hope everyone's having a great weekend! it's a bit rainy here, but that's fine. it' nice and cozy to sleep to.

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