Creative Projjies of Yore

Just getting in the spirit for an epic trip Down Under, to the land of hilariously shortened words, and bizarre expressions. Big J and I took out a library book on Oz, in which we learned that "fair dinkum" means "really".  Alrighty then.  And a person who's nosy is a "sticky beak".  I already know I'm going to love the Aussies. 

Now seems as good a time as any to share some of the projjies I've done over the past couple years. I'll be packing up lots of this stuff before we leave, and then who knows when I'll have time to showcase it.

Projjies for Kids

Sock Monkey Mania
Behold, my crowning glory: a family of sock monkeys. I made these in my last few weeks of pregnancy with Big J, when I was in major nesting mode, and also had LOTS of time on my hands.  

I essentially had a sweat shop operating in my living room. It's not important that I was both the sole employee and my own boss, and that I wasn't standing waist high in toxic chemicals. It was a crazy operation.

Oh. My. God. Becky. Did she pose her sock monkeys on a ladder? That. Is. So. Nerdy.

Sweet Whaley
I just named him this second. Aren't I creative? I made him for Big J's first birthday, from a pattern in a book. I did choose the awesome fabrics.  Isn't the Amy Butler fabric perfect for the spout?

Makeshift Mobile
I waited until Little J was over 6 months to simply place the butterflies on the pre existing lanterns, creating a mobile over the change table.  Ah, the plight of second children.

Baby Angel Costume
O.K. fine, I geeked out again.  But dang, babies look super cute in wings.  Never mind that they can handle wearing them for about 30 seconds.  I made these out of a thin clear plastic placemat which I cut in the shape of wings, and then glued on white feathers. I cut a hole on each side, and looped elastic through to create armbands. 

Baby Fairy Costume
Continuing on with the wings theme, because they're cute as shit. It wouldn't have been fair to torture Big J, and not do the same for Little J.  I bought the wings, but made the hat and tutu myself.  Maybe some day I'll post a tutorial.  But I followed an online one myself, and there are tons out there if you want to try your hand at it. 

You can unbunch your panties now.  She didn't hate every second of it.

I made her little dress, in a sewing class I took before she was born.  It was one of the most labour intensive things I've done.  But it was sooooo cute.  Here's us on the beach in Portugal.  She was 6 weeks old.

Another pic of pretty Baby J (at 10 weeks) in her pretty grey dress

Baby Memory/Photo  Projjies

I'm as sentimental as they come.  So I've come up with lots of ways to do creative stuff with early memories of the little ones.  For Big J, I did a footprint at 9 days of age,  and then again at 1 year.  I mounted them onto Japanese paper, mounted the paper onto mini canvases and mod podged the whole shebang. 

For his first birthday, I simply bought a white mat on white frame dealio (I made sure to use a wide white mat), and then had his grandparents, aunts and uncles (and of course, us) write him birthday messages. It's a great memory to look back on.

To memorialize Little J's newborn days, I created a shadow box with her teeny tiny onesie, her hospital bracelet, a footprint and a tiny sock.  She was only 6 pounds, and was itty bitty.  So it's fun to look back and marvel that she fit into those tiny things. 

I also had the foresight to take a monthly photo to track her growth.  I bought a big letter J and some alphabet stickers to put her name on it, along with some number stickers to show her age.  I used a big silk flower and a white shaggy rug as the backdrop. I then used Picasa to create a collage and edit it, since the lighting was different in each shot, and they really didn't look good until I edited them as a whole. I will continue this project until she is a year old.  And maybe beyond, with a different backdrop each year. 

These little starburst photo ornaments double perfectly as mini picture frames that are perfect to hang on the wall. The whole montage hangs in Big J's bedroom (one day to be shared with Little J), and is filled with pics of the extended family.

Home Decor Projjies

Window Hanging Garden

Yes, these are fake plants.  I have a black thumb, and have killed absolutely every plant I've ever owned.  Including cacti. But rather than looking exclusively at a hideous brick wall, I like to look at the hideous brick wall through my pretty hanging vases.

Fabric Covered Magnetic Photo Board
I bought a magnetic board at Ikea. It was butt ugly. I never used it. The thought of going back to Ikea to return it made me throw up in my mouth a little. I put a piece of pretty fabric on it and glued it down. Now me likey.

That's it for now. Enjoy!

Violence Sucks

Last night, M and I watched "Drive", with Ryan Gosling.  It was an excellent film, and Gosling...is a bit of a genius.  He always seems to play these dark, tortured characters, but finds a way to make each of them unique, thus avoiding the DeNiro-ification of his budding career.  Plus, he's not exactly hard on the eyes.  There's just something  about him.  But enough about my boyfriend Ryan Gosling.

I just cannot get over the extreme, gratuitous violence.  Some would say that it's actually not gratuitous, that it's necessary to establish realism. I couldn't disagree more.  I feel that so much can be implied or even illustrated overtly - - without subjecting us to the uber-realistic sounds and sights of brains being blown up and splattered everywhere.

We have no place watching a fellow human being be violated, unless we're simultaneously trying to protect them.  Or let the crimes we've witnessed motivate us to change the world for better.  We are not supposed to simply bear witness to it.  We are not supposed to see it in intimate detail, just because. We are not supposed to be so acquainted with another human's insides.  

Some people are unfortunate enough to have no choice but to witness these horrors in reality.  But I'm guessing that they struggle indefinitely with remembering and feeling traumatized by the images.  Since when did such violence become something you might just randomly come across in a film on a Sunday evening? 
The film had a great story and was absolutely engaging, from start to finish.  But I literally had to cover my eyes, and ask M to tell me when the bloodbaths were over.  I just couldn't take it.

I remember when Pulp Fiction came out (in 1994), everyone was taking about how violent it was. It was a new brand of violence that hadn't been seen in films before.  It was "get your brains blown out" humour.  I just didn't get it, and still don't.  And the kind of violence I just described seems to be commonplace in many films today, almost 20 years later.  Maybe I'm off base, but I feel like the world is getting more violent too.  Columbine. A man decipates a passenger on a greyhound bus. A Toronto grad student gets her eyes gouged out and her nose bitten off by her jealous husband. Just today, I read news items about how a dude in New York doused a 73 year old woman in gas and set her on fire in an elevator.  And how a guy followed his ex girlfriend and her 3 friends in his car, rammed into them, and then opened fire, killing 3 of them and then himself.

What do you think? Are we becoming desensitized to violence as a culture? Are we actually becoming more violent as a result, or do we just hear about it more in the media?

Dear Craigslist: We're Fighting

Those who know me well know how deeply my love for you runs.   As a former (OK fine, current) trashpicker, one man’s trash has always been my treasure.  And you, Craigslist, well, you’re pretty much as good as it gets: you make it possible for me to dumpster dive from the comfort of my own couch.  

So it is with great shock and sadness that I share how you stiffed me today. But first, a retrospective of our romance.



The crib, rocking horse and glider are Craigslist finds



So are the dresser and the change table







My all time favourite score: This Japanese step chest.  They retail for $2500-$3000 bucks. 






60's teak low dresser - the attached mirror is a rare find





Vintage 60's teak platform bed with attached side tables





Matching high dresser



Bassinette - it was barely used

  


Exersaucer



Cute wooden rocking horse - I paid  $5, and the guy delivered it!

 

Baby swing - the couple's baby didn't like it, so it had only been used a handful of times



Here’s why I'm mad at you.  I was supposed to go see a double stroller on a Friday afternoon, but I woke up feeling really crummy that day.  So, I emailed the seller to see if I could reschedule.  She had originally suggested Saturday afternoon as the best time for her. Here’s  how the shakedown played out:

Fri, 16 Dec 2011

 09:52 AM

Me: Hi there, I woke up feeling not great today. But I am truly interested, and definitely want to see it soon. Would it be possible to come either Sunday afternoon (say 2 pm), Monday or Wednesday of next week? Thx, Naomi
Sent from my iPhone

11:03 AM   Her: Oh, that's no good. Well next week is going to be a bust week for me as I will be going into the Hospital on friday. So I can't say for sure right now as to how my time will be allocated
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device

11:44 AM   Me: Ok. I've tried to change some things around so that I could come tomorrow. Would between 1::00-2:00 be ok? I can't say an exact time, because I would be coming directly from a dentists  appointment. Let me know if that works. Sorry for so many changes of plans. Sent from my iPhone

12:07 PM   Her: Ok let's say that's a go if any changes just email. Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device

12:15PM  Me: Ok, great. Please send your address and directions. I'll be coming from downtown Toronto, King  and Dufferin area. I'm guessing it'll be closer to 2 pm, as my appointment is for 11:45. Thx, Naomi   Sent from my iPhone

12:21 PM  Her: The address is 666 Satan’s Lane.  Take the Highway of Hell north to Lucifer’s Lane, then turn left at the first stop sign.  Then take the first right into the town house complex.  Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry

12:28 PM   Me: Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow.  Thx, Naomi.  Sent from my iPhone

Saturday, Dec 17, 2011

 1:22 PM   Her: Are u still coming ? What's is ur ETA?  Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device

1:36 PM  Me: Yes, hope that's ok. My appointment finished 5 mins ago, and I'm heading over now. I should be there around 2:15, earlier if there's no traffic. If you need to speak to me, please call 222-2222. I'll be driving and won't be able to email. Thx, Naomi.  Sent from my iPhone

1:37 PM  Her: Just asking because someone else has expressed interest. Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device



1:38 PM  Her: And is also going to come and have a look. Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device

I arrived at the condo complex at approximately 2:12 p.m, only to realize that the address she had given me was for the whole block of condo townhouses.  She had failed to give me her unit number. 

2:12 PM  Me: Hi there, I'm here. What's your unit #?  Sent from my iPhone

2:15 PM:  I witness a woman getting into a minivan, loading in a red double stroller.  I consider the coincidence, and feel slightly sick. 

2:26 PM  Me: Hi!! I'm waiting here, and I have no idea which unit is yours. Please call 222-2222 and let me know where you live. Sent from my iPhone

2:38 PM  Me: I'm waiting here, because I don't have your unit number!  Sent from my iPhone

Her: DEAFENING SILENCE.

OK.  Note that first of all, she failed to sign her name on any of her emails.  Her email address included her first initial and last name.  But who doesn’t sign off even one email with their name?  Secondly, was it not CRYSTAL CLEAR that I was coming?  From DOWNTOWN TORONTO, a 40 minute drive?!  What about the fact that she was on her Blackberry constantly, but just so happened to drop off after 1:38 PM?  And that she knew that I was on my iPhone, as well as having my phone number? 

There are unwritten rules about how to do business on Craigslist.  These include: letting someone know if there are other people coming to see an item, and giving priority to the first person who was interested.  I've never dealt with a first come, first served policy, but I suppose even that would be Ok, as long as the seller was upfront about it. 



Here’s the kicker: This woman is a mother of 3, about to have her 4^th.  In our initial contact, I told her that I have a 7 month old, and an almost 3 year old.   Who I left with my husband in order to spend my Saturday afternoon driving to Missisauga. To buy a double stroller for them, to make all of our lives easier. Would you not think that one mother would look out for another? 

So, that’s how it went down.  Here’s the irony: just today, I was thinking, “You know what would make a great post?  One about how much I love Craigslist, and how I’ve gotten so many amazing things, and never had a bad experience.  I think I’ll call it, ‘Craigslist: A Love Story’.” 

The numerous good dates we’ve had are keeping me from dumping you, Craigslist.  But we are fighting.  And to regain my trust, you will need to sweep me off my feet with a perfect condition, cheap double stroller, that someone will deliver to my house. For free.  







Some Day, I Shall Dine En Blanc

This is old news, but I couldn't resist writing a post on Diner en Blanc, for those who may not have heard of this amazing event.  It began in Paris, and has now been replicated in New York, Montreal, and Toronto, among other cities.

It is a flashmob picnic in which thousands of people clad themselves completely in white finery, gather in a secret location (generally a public space), set up their own tables,  and proceed to have an elegant dinner.  Toronto's event this past summer was by invitation only.  I'll be working on that...






http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/06/dining/a-pop-up-paris-picnic-is-coming-to-new-york.html?pagewanted=all

Homemade Hanukkah Gifts

It doesn't really  make sense to me to spend a bunch of money on Hanukkah gifts for an almost 3 year old and a 6 month old.  These kids get gifts every month or two when they see grandparents or other family members.  They are constantly getting new toys and clothes.  Both just got a whole wack of stuff because both sets of grandparents came to visit within less than a week of each other.  And there wasn't any particular occasion.  Don't get me wrong.  I personally LOVE getting presents, and even though we kind of fought it at first, I've decided that I don't want to be that person who doesn't let my child receive gifts.  But we do worry about them learning to expect stuff as a result.

But I do love to give gifts, and since the little dude is all about the alphabet these days, this seemed like a good idea, and  one that will help him to learn his lower case letter to boot.  These are painted rocks. 

These bad boys are going to be both a matching game AND magnets to be used on a cookie sheet for mucho spelling fun down the line. I think they'll be too heavy to be on a fridge, since they're rocks.  Each set will have an image to help him find matches.  When I finish them, I'll turn them over and hot glue magnets onto them so that they can be flipped over to create a matching game. 

Since I loved the colour scheme of the rock magnet/matching game, I decided to reproduce the whole darn thing as a canvas for the kids' room.  This is far from complete.  Anybody have any funny suggestions for pictures? 

This is my abyssmal knitting.  Since I have other projects on the go, it has gotten short shrift.  Can you see those giant holes?  I was pretty horrified when I realized that my knitting teacher was relieved when I told her I'd need to miss a week.  Her response was to say, "Well, that's probably for the best.  You could really use the extra practice."  Ho, SNAP! I got SERVED.  But she was dead right.  And in two weeks, I've practiced for exactly zero minutes. 

Trees

A brisk walk with the babe on a sunny December day. Why are branches so beautiful?

Not My Father's Versht

Growing up, one of my father's favorite things to eat was Versht, which I can only describe as a hard cured kosher sausage. He'd fry it up with some eggs or eat it with mustard,while enjoying other random culinary delights like jarred beet borscht and canned Bartlett pears in syrup.

Never being much of a fan, you can imagine that a pseudo vegetarian like me (I eat poulty and obviously, bacon) wouldn't get all too excited about going to a new beer hall called Wvrst, where they serve three things, and three things only: beer, sausages, and fries. Ok fine, I get really excited about fries. But beer and sausages? Not so much. So,it was with a bit of trepidation that I joined M and a few friends at Wvrst.
http://wvrst.com/

Right off the bat, I was digging the subway station inspired interior, and the reclaimed wood communal benches. The menu consisted of numerous types of meats,including some pretty crazy game options like kangaroo.Fortunately they had veggie and poultry options, all of which came with a choice of bun or no bun (definitely go bun), and a few toppings (sautéed jalapeños were a good call). The fries could be ordered plain or "dirty". This involved them being slathered in peppers, onions and some sort of yummy curry based ketchup. Call me a purist * ("you purist, you!") but I like my fries plain and simple. And my plain ones did a lot for me.

My ears may still be ringing (it was crazy loud), and my heart might not like me very much right now, but I would do it again.

* I thought it would be OK for me to substitute in for one of you. It's ok. You can return the favour some other time.

Server Etiquette 101

I feel like if you're going to wait tables, you kind of need to be the type of person who doesn't generally hate humanity. If you like to berate people publicly, and are OK with having an entire restaurant's worth of eyes staring at you, maybe you should go into theatre.  Seriously.

A friend and I just feasted on Veggie Bun, spring rolls, and Satay Spicy Soup at The Golden Turtle on Ossington St. The food, as always, was delicious.  But when we first arrived, a waitress was in the midst of a massive altercation with a client, who apparently ordered the wrong thing and then blamed the waitress for it.  After screaming at the top of her lungs at the customer, the waitress went off for a minute, and then came back to finish off the job by screeching "You see!  Now all the customers are looking at you!!!!".  She was right, we all were, and the entire restaurant was dead silent.  It was mortifying.

I don't care how douchy those customers were.  You don't treat a fellow human like that, unless they've gone and killed someone. It put a bad taste in my mouth, and scrumptious as the food is, I'm not sure I want to dine there anymore.  For shame.

The Skinny on Me (or: Me, Me, Me! Please, Let's Talk More AboutMe!)

Because I didn't do enough shameless blathering about myself  in the previous post, here's more.  Apparently this blogging thing really speaks to the selfish narcissist in me.

I explained that I've been wanting to blog for some time, that I'm inspired by the world around me and always have been, and that I'd like to share some of my thoughts on those things with y'all (or, apparently, 'yins', if you're from Pittsburgh). 

But, what inspired this grandiose dream of yours, you ask?  Because I know you're all asking. 

Well, over the last 3 and a half years, I've experienced some wonderful and rather drastic changes in my life, and have had lots of cool experiences. I took a leave of absence from a job I was never sure was for me, and I went to graduate school and trained in an entirely new discipline.  I bought a new car. I travelled to Cape Breton Island, Maine, Montreal, London (Canada), St. Lucia, San Francisco, New York, Vancouver, Israel, Providence, and Portugal.  I bought a house.  Most hugely, I gave birth to two beautiful children. 

This time of immense change has been the source of much inspiration, rumination, joy and lonliness, sometimes all at once.  But it has been an amazing and powerful time.

I have probably learned more about myself than I ever knew was possible.  And sometimes, I'm in my head so much, that I'm bored with myself.  So I guess this space is also a forum to put some of that cognitive diarrhea into the ether. It's just wonderful that I have a god given right to use the word diarrhea whenever I want, isn't it?

Let the saccharine navel gazing recommence.

Being in my head for almost 4 years has taught me the following:

1) I find extreme beauty in the every day.  A bare branch.  A fallen leaf.  A sparkly sidewalk.
2) I used to think I wasn't passionate about anything, but I was wrong. I now recognize that creating things has always been a passion, and has always brought  me fulfillment.
3) My family, and especially my children have taught me how deeply I could  love.
4) We create our own happiness.  Much of that results from gratitude for all that we have
4) I am one extremely lucky chick.  One of the luckiest, what with all the blessings that have been bestowed on me. I am so grateful.

The result of so much transition, isolation and lots of  time has been that I've had opportunities for great experimentation. I've (sort of) learned to sew, to knit, to cook, to take (and edit) better photographs, to salsa dance, and to write a blog. And that's not even including all the mad skillz I picked up in grad school. 

The most important skills in my mind though, as those that relate to being a mom.  And of course, it is by far the steepest learning curve. There are too many to enumerate here, but a few highlights: how to calm a crying baby, how to breastfeed, how to make a birthday ice cream cake, how to change a diaper full of a poo explosion calmly on my lap - - while sitting on a plane preparing for take off, how to travel abroad with babies, how to drive across town with two small children and keep them calm, how to drive across town with two screaming children and not lose my mind, and how to sort of function on less than 6 hours of interrupted sleep a night.  So, besides navel gazing, this blog will also be about my pursuits learning new things, and experimenting with various skills.

Basically, it's just a big 'ole hodgepodge.  And because I'm a closeted ADD case (truly, I think I'm undiagnosed), it's all over the place.  Enjoy.

First Musings

Welcome to my blog.  It's been a long time coming.  For well over a year I've considered writing, but over the last couple months it become clear that I would do it soon.  When I began composing posts in my head, I knew it was time.  There were a good 10 posts that would have been good for a laugh or two...But the old gray matter just couldn't recall them. 

This space will be a platform for my general thoughts about life; a space in which I will  "muse" about the things that inspire me.  Because I have been entranced with this beautiful, exotic, breathtaking world of ours for as long as I can remember, I feel that, in a sense it has been my muse.  So this will be part travel blog, a space in which I share photos and thoughts about amazing places I've visited.

But it will be more than a travel blog, because the more I live in the world, the more I feel awestruck and inspired by what surrounds me. The natural world, with it's inherent perfection. But also that which we create: art, architecture, design, good food. And people--and the absolute joy (and, at times, utter despair) they bring to our emotional lives.

As a young traveller before the digital age, I took rolls and rolls of film, to try to capture the essence of the places I visited.  The sights, sounds, smells, feel of a place. My friends, of course, made lots of fun of me, and I deserved it.  My husband (M from here on in) often told me to put down the camera, and just be. But I often felt as though I couldn't help myself.  I needed to document a beautiful moment, because I knew how fleeting it was, and I wanted to be able to relive it somehow, again, later. At times, I even missed out on moments because I was too busy chasing them with my camera. 

As I get older, I realize that it's better to live a moment that to observe it for the purpose of documentation.   And I have realized that there is perfection in being fully present in the life we're living, right now. 

But that old itch to capture some of life's beautiful essence so that I can ingest it and keep it a part of me has never left me. Just ask my hard drive, with its thousands of photos.

Hence, this blog. In it, I will highlight those things that I cannot help myself from trying to capture, ingest, digest, even in small measure.

It will mainly be a place for me to blather on about a bunch of stuff, and this novel of a post is just a long winded attempt to find a common thread.

Yeah, it's a lot.  But that's what's awesome about this: it's my blog, and I'll write if I want to. I hope you'll read....