That time of year....

So, it's that time of year for me again - it was my birthday last week! My new company gave every employee a day off during the Olympics (our choice) with pay. So obviously I took Friday off.

My day started out with this.

What a fantastic way to wake up! New jewellry from one of my favourite Etsy shops.

I received fantastic gifts from people who obviously know me well - gifts from far away places - even New Zealand (Thanks V, it arrived on Friday!) The day also included ice cream cake, blueberry tea, friends over for dinner, breakfast out and a walk on the sea wall.

I couldn't have asked for a better day.

Icing Sugar Cookies

So, if you have been reading my blog for a while now, you know about my relationship with baking. I LOVE making my own bread, and it comes out perfect! The process is fun, relaxing and satisfying.

Cookies on the other hand? Not so much. Refer to this post and this one if you don't believe me.

So for Brad's birthday, I offered him my services - he could pick any recipe out of our Anna Olsen cookbook and I would make it for him. Please understand - this book is full of coffee ice cream cakes, creme brulee, tarts and loaves. What does he choose?

Cookies.

And not just any cookies - Icing Sugar Cookies. See them in the picture? Yes. Those fancy ones with the hard icing. Yay.

So the night before I planned to bake them, I made the dough. The first thing you do is beat the butter until it's creamy. While I was doing this Brad walked in and took a huge clump out of the bowl thinking it was cookie dough. Before I could warn him he shoved it straight into his mouth - 100% butter. We're off to a great start.

Anyway, I put the dough in the fridge overnight. Little did I realize that when I pulled it out of the fridge in the morning it would be solid as a rock. So I had to wait an hour and a half for it to thaw out. Awesome.

Then the usual - I roll it out (with a real rolling pin this time, not a bottle of rum) and it sticks all over my pastry board.....

.....then I scrape it off and scoop it straight into my mouth....after that I make the most awful heart shapes.....

.....and they bake up to look like bums.

In the end, they tasted fantastic! But awwwhhhh...did they look sad. Unfortunately, and I do say this with a lot of regret - I never took a picture of the finished product. This is the only photo - notice the green 'snot' icing sliding down the sides of the cookies? Mmmm.........

Okay, Robin - comment away......

Beach Bag Part II

I've made some progress on my Beach Bag!! The pleated pockets are turning out fantastic and they are super easy.

This will be the 'inside' of the bag - even though it's reversible. And yes, I know....I know....I screwed up.

I spent a few days thinking about the inside of these pockets and possibly using up another fabric from my stash since you don't see it easily from the outside. But Brad convinced me that it would just look/feel better to use the same fabric, so I did. He was totally right.

Tiny Packages

Check out the Valentine's gift I got for Brad.

It came in the mail - no, I'm serious! Isn't it the cutest thing ever?! Here is the website, she does tiny letters too!!

Notice the return address on the package? When I was ordering this online, Brad was in the living room watching football. I was typing as fast as I could because I was sure he was going to come in at any moment. I made up the address - obviously. Quickly typed in random numbers and chose a street. What good would a "secret" admirer be if she lives in the same house?

Do I know him or what? As soon as he saw the strange address, he had to look it up on Google Maps and even Street View. So I was elated when Swans Hotel popped up as the address - what luck!

So anyway, check out what was inside the package.

Can you handle the tiny newspaper?! Did I also mention that there was a Fragile sticker on the outside?!

Vancouver 2010

Woah.

Yesterday we took the ferry over to Vancouver. What the hell - the Olympics are going on right now and from what we've been seeing on television over the last week it is the place to be. And not just because talented athletes are there but because the energy of the people in general looks fantastic.

So we got up at 4:30 am (I know) to get the early ferry. Because everyone is heading over, there was no parking at the ferry terminal so we had to go with 'Plan B' which involved taking a bus to get to the ferry. Well I won't get into it but the bus didn't show up, so we missed the ferry. Ahem. I'll move on.

The ferry was FULL, I've never seen it like that. Once we got off the ferry the crowd control started and really - thank God, because it was eerie to be in such massive groups of people. We shivered as we heard the announcements on the SkyTrain platform "bzzzttt crackle...please report any suspicious behavior to your transit authority bzzzzt crackle...." Yikes, 1984 much?

Once we got downtown we decided to check out the cauldron. I really apologize for the picture, we had the camera on the wrong setting - but check out the crowds.

As we were walking towards the cauldron with thousands of other people, we were thinking it was like everyone was going to see an oracle.....it was seriously crazy. The crowds - I can't even describe it. Anyway, here is another shot of the cauldron.

It's located right next to the new convention centre and I was seriously blown away by the building. I worked close by when they were building it and it was a construction site for so long that I just got used to it. This is the first time I laid my eyes on the finished building and it's beautiful.

Check out the planet earth inside.

So I could sense the Vancouver I know and love, but it was so disguised by all the people and extra things going on that it was like being in a different city.

There was some public "art" set up on Granville Street, the best were these 'trees'. They were set up on plywood platforms and for some reason (which I still don't understand) everyone who walked past them would stomp their feet on the platforms. (I do still hope that they re-plant the trees that were there originally, check out this post for a picture of Granville Street without all the craziness.)

We headed over to Robson Square where the biggest crowds were gathering. Here is a shot looking towards Granville Street - we even managed to get a guy zip-lining over head in the photo. He is actually headed towards the left of the photo - not straight up the street.

Here is a shot of The Bay. We couldn't tell if there are still line-ups just to get inside but there likely was. I think the building looks fantastic.

Here is a shot of me on the phone arranging to hook up with Rawbean. It kind of looks like I'm standing in the middle of some kind of parade, but I really wasn't. It was just like that everywhere we went.

So overall I'm so glad we went over. It was so cool to be part of something like that even if we didn't go to any events. Today we haven't left the house, we are feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated by all the crowds and craziness!

Coffee Cup Cozy

I know, I know....more crafty stuff but I had to share this cause it's cute and SUPER easy.

Originally I was going to just trace over a cardboard sleeve that I got with my last coffee, but at the last minute I decided to go online and see if someone had written a tutorial. Don't you love the internet?!Here is the link to the pattern I used, thanks Erin!

I have tons of spare fabric floating around so it wasn't hard to piece something together. The red blobs are one of my favourites, the dark brown lining is from the quilt I made my parents. The grey button I bought intending for my Etsy shop.....yeah, well....

To insulate the sleeve, I sandwiched a piece of flannel left over from a pair of pjs that I made myself a couple years ago. There are super cute robots on it, so it's just that much cooler.

Beach Bag Part I

I'm going to make a beach bag from these fabrics!

It will be reversible, with pockets on the inside and outside like this. I could whip this up in an afternoon, but I'm planning something special for the pockets - pleats!

Stay tuned, hopefully it will be more successful than cookies.

Big Toe - Attempted Murder

Woah.
I arrived at the office the other morning, went about my business as usual until I reached for a Kleenex. Awwwh....poor Big Toe. In case you're wondering, it was the same work mate who put Chip up on the ceiling.

Do you think that because I have mental creatures (Big Toe and Chip) at my desk that I deserve to be treated this way? Am I asking for it? What would your desk be like at work without a little bit of whimsy and personality added in? Stale and boring I say.

Then again, what would an office environment be like without things like this happening once in awhile?! Yikes, let's not go there.

Mysteries of Udolpho (Part II)

"...Emily was observing the singular solemnity and desolation of the apartment, viewed, as it now was, by the glimmer of the single lamp, placed near a large Venetian mirror, that duskily reflected the scene...." *

"Screaming with terror, they both fled, and got out of the chamber as fast as their trembling limbs would bear them, leaving open the doors of all the rooms, through which they passed."

"She paused again, and then, with a timid hand, lifted the veil; but instantly let it fall - perceiving that what it had concealed was no picture, and before she could leave the chamber she dropped senseless on the floor."

OOooooohhhhh.......this is what I've been reading since December. Normally I'm not a slow reader, but this book is involved. The first 230 pages were super slow and I was waiting impatiently for them to get to the castle already!!! After that the book took off like a rocket - every third page something new was happening to Emily - (*SPOILER ALERT*) secret chambers, scary paintings, ghosts, kidnappings, murders, you name it. I could hardly keep up.

Now I have 50 pages left and Ludovico has volunteered to spend the night in a haunted chamber. The morning after he can't be found and he had locked himself in. Actually pretty creepy.

So Ms. Radcliffe, it's been great, but I'm anxious to finish and move on to something modern. I think a trip to the library is in order, nothing on my shelves is calling my name. Any recommendations?


*There is seriously this much punctuation in this novel. There is a note in the book that says it's indicative of the way it's meant to be read aloud. For us modern readers - think William Shatner. Ooooh yeah, it works.

Kunamokst

I just read this post by my friend Dana, and I'm completely blown away. Check out this website to find out what it's all about.

I think it's amazing that you can give an artist something so basic and they can create something like Marty did. Check out his website to find out more about the progress he went through to create his panel - do it.

I'm especially touched by the Heroes mural. Check out this site, seriously.

Lip Stuff

Here is a glance inside my new bag. Super cool fabric huh? There's my book that I can't seem to drag myself through.....but notice the number of tubes of lip "stuff"?

Yeah.....since I got this new bag I figure why not take advantage of those pockets and take all the stuff I could possibly want to put on my lips with me! No, I'm serious. All of these tubes live in my bag.

I have the typical addiction to lip balm, but recently I've discovered how great a subtle lip gloss can be.

It all started when I got married and needed make-up in general. I bought the lipstick and lip gloss from Mary Kay - that stuff is fantastic.

Egg nog lip balm? A gift and truly awesome. Burt's Bees - who can live without this stuff?! So why not get three versions? The other gloss was on sale.....now I don't know which to leave at home.

What are you guys using to keep your lips moisturized lately? What colours do you go for? Do you have a lip balm addiction?