The Witticisms of Facebook.

Found this while digging through my facebook inbox. This is probably the best conversation I've ever had with a random person on facebook. Enjoy.

---

Guy: Dear Ms. R--,
You (or a friend of yours who hijacked your account) seem to have poked me.

I see that you're friends with C---, so you can't be all bad, but I was just wondering if we knew each other (and if I had forgotten...).

DG

---

Me: Dear Mr.G---,
I must admit to being your attacker (poker), and humbly apologize to have stirred such turbid thoughts of victimisation upon my pokee.

Pure animal instinct and the basest use of the feared "poke" feature resulted in my mouse hovering over the "poke" option after having seen some of C--'s recently updated photographs.

My most sincere apologies for the distress that pokeage may have caused.

VR

---

Guy:Dear Ms. R---,

Thank you for responding promptly with both sincerity and frankness of intent.

At one time or another, we have all found ourselves uncontrollably lured in by comely siren of the poke, the basest of our intentions surging from heart, to spinal cord, to index finger.

Please know that my distress at this unexpected pokeage was gilded with a dash of delight, and that I immediately stopped screaming upon reading your explanatory missive.

Considering the happy ending to this once foreboding road, I shall endeavour to have my photo taken (and, I hope, posted) by C--- in the near future.

A little bit excited and a little bit relieved,

DG

---

Guy: ahem..."lured in by THE comely siren of the poke"

how embarrassing.

---

Me: Dear Mr. G---,

I am pleased to hear that you yourself have been faced with the peril of intentionality that arises from the forboding presence of the poke feature. It is reassuring, as your poker, to know that your reception of the aformentioned poke has also been viewed with the rose-tinted glass of being a poker yourself.

I must admit, in a moment of unprecedented sincerity to my pokee, that I have never (nor hope to have again) such a pleasant exchange with my victims. --Please do not misconstrue this statement to cheapen the value of my pokeage, for indeed I do not poke often, and when I poke it is done with adamant conviction and feeling-- But nonetheless, I commend your acceptance of your function in the action and reaction of pokeage.

Once again, I must commend you for your clear physical attributes which led to my poke, and furthermore for your obvious wit which has made this exchange all the more pleasant. You, sir, are not just a pretty face.

I shall endeavour, should another instance in which your photograph finds itself on my news feed, to poke you again- without fear of consequence.

Affectionately yours-

VR
(p.s. I did not judge you for your absence of the article "the", I attributed it to poetic license and was impressed with the eloquence of the line, truth be told)

The Week Of Being Vegan - Day 5 & 6

So I didn't post yesterday - but mainly because it was a busy saturday.

Breakfast was Kamut puffs with almonds (dry of course, but I hate milk with cereal.. i like the crunch.)

Lunch was eaten while hiking through Lynn Peak, and was humous with fresh veggies: peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers - yum. Cherries were for dessert - score!

Dinner was leftover risotto, and I'm glad I made so much!

Then today breakfast was virtually non existant - we were in a rush. But I did discover I don't dislike soy milk, like I thought I would. I went to Dulcinea, my favourite coffee shop and was sad I couldn't order their delicious hot chocolate - until the barista offered to make it for me with soy milk. Sat and played chess with my delicious drink - score! Home and had some more left over risotto, and a couple rotis. Then went for a coffee at starbucks with a friend, and felt perfectly comfortable asking for my caramel macciato to be made with soy milk - hurrah!

Went rock climbing later in the evening, so all in all, a good day.

And in other news, I had 3 wonderful things happen today.
1. My friend Anna told me someone stopped her while she was shopping on 4th to ask her where she got the handbag I had made for her. She gave the girl my website info. Yes!
2. Recieved an email on my etsy account from someone who had seen the steampunk style pendants I make on craftster.org and she asked if they were available for sale. Flattered beyond belief, I made an etsy shop for them: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5927191
3. At the climbing gym, the girl who was working the desk commented on the bag I was carrying - one I had made from my dad's old blazer and tie. I immediately, however blushing, told her I made it and gave her the card for my website.

wow - talk about a good day for business!

The Week Of Being Vegan - Day 4

So I haven't really been good at being vegan.. until today. I've been lazy and haven't really bothered to prepare a good meal. I've been the equivalent of someone who just eats mac'n'cheese - except since I cant do that, it's been veggies, fruit, and roti.

Today started out no different:
breakfast was a handful of sunflower seeds and a banana and a plum
Snacked on another plum, and a roti
had a bowl of cut up tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and a roti for lunch, then ate some almonds to tide myself over.. but dinner.. dinner is where I cleaned up my act!I decided that since i love risotto with saffron and peas and corn, instead of making it with chicken like I usually do, I'd do it with chickpeas! So - this juicy dish is onions, garlic, olive oil, chickpeas, petite pois, sweet corn and brown rice - with saffron and sumac!


I served myself a 1.5 fistful portion, and the equivalent in salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, yellow peppers and cucumber, with seeds and nuts and dried cranberries.

YUM!

And I made leftovers, so even if I'm lazy, it'll be healthy lazyness!

The Week Of Being Vegan - Day 3

Breakfast:
Handful of Sunflower seeds
Plum

Snack:
Starbucks lemonade
Starbucks fruit bar (only vegan thing!)

Lunch:
2 roti
Bowl of chopped tomatoes in balsamic vinegar in olive oil
2 plums

Dinner:
attempt at canned indian food - didn't taste good.. so bailed on that and ate a roti, a tomato, and some soy icecream.

I'm definitely eating wayyy less than I usually eat, which I guess is a good thing, and i'm not feeling it affect my mood or anything.. again, good. Starbucks was way easier to navigate than blenz, as they have some non-dairy foods as well as offering soy milk (which i didn't want). I had to ask what was vegan friendly in the foods dept, and they only had one bar, a fruit bar, which wasn't too bad - a bit bland though.

Still too early to tell, but I think my body is enjoying this break from heavy foods. I think i'm definitely going to have to have some more protein or energy foods, as there isn't a whole lot for me to burn through. I still feel lethargic and not wanting to work, but at least my eyes havent closed on me in the middle of the day like they are usually prone to do.

The Week Of Being Vegan - Day 2

So I'm noticing that this is a bit stressful - a friend asked if I wanted to go out for a beer, and I told him to come over instead, since trying to find vegan friendly food in a bar sounded daunting.

Breakfast was a banana, a plum and a handful of sunflower seeds.
I feel like my appetite has gone down, mainly out of wanting to avoid hassle.. but lunch consisted of a roti.. and another plum. I was planning on having some canned indian food that I bought yesterday, but I was feeling lazy. So tonight Indian for dinner!

Not sure I've noticed any physical changes yet.. but.. we'll see.

If anyone has any food suggestions that don't involve fake cheese, fake meat, or fake.. anything, pls let me know :)

The Week Of Being Vegan - Day 1

So I've decided for various reasons to try out veganism for one week. Mainly I want to see if meat and dairy affect my lethargy - but also I figured it'd be nice to take a little mini-break - I'm sure I'll reward myself with a grass-fed organic steak at the end.

So Day 1.. I woke up and ate a handful of almonds and an orange. I don't like tofu or soy, and I think it's kinda cheating to have imitation dairy/meat products while being 'off' of them.. so i'm staying away as much as I can.

I went to Blenz to do some work and found myself stuck for what to order - being that I don't really like tea. I've got a yerba mate that I'm drinking - which I'm not hugely fond of, but alas.

Then hunger sets in - and everything they have is pastry/meat/cheese/egg based.. I'm thinking celery sticks with peanut butter would be fantasmic right now.. I think i'll work a few more hours then head over to have some tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Let the cleansing begin!


Edit:
Had a bowl of Kamut puffs, and then a bowl of tomatoes and avocado drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil.

Got hungry again, and so far have had 2 bananas on top of that. Then went to do grocery shopping - man, vegan shopping is hard! I got a few ready made indian meals since they're pretty much free of all dairy and meat products, picked up more fruit and veg, some VEGA drink mixes for energy, some indian roti bread (the only thing that didn't have wheat, yeast or egg - I'm personally trying to do without yeast and wheat), and some soy choco/peanut butter icecream incase I completely cave.


Any suggestions? (remembering I dont really like or want to eat Tofu or soy based products.. I'd rather keep that to the min.)

Betsey, the dress.

New Sewing Project! Yay!

I made this dress using an upcycled bustier and building from it. I love how it turned out. I used a great polkadot netting/tulle type fabric. The dress is fully lined, with an invisible zip at the side and a very low back for a sexy line. The sweetheart bust is thanks to the bustier, and there is rouching down the center to pronounce the bust line. The skirt of the dress is A-line, with three layers of fabric and gathers for a fuller skirt.

All in all, this was my first dress like this, and the 3rd dress I've made in total.. this is the only one I've liked so far. I used no pattern, just.. started sewing away..

I'm wearing it to a gala tomorrow, and if it is warmly received I might consider offering it in my shop on Etsy.

It took about 5 hours to make, give or take.

Jewellery Creation Update

So the first item up is my pea pod. Made from PMC, this is my first piece. I fired the clay and then embedded the green fresh water pearls. Then I drilled a hole in, and voila - hang it on a chain, presto! I made this for my mother, as the pearls represent me, my sister, and her.

Next is one of my Pieces Of Time, called April Shower. Made from upcycled watch parts with silver accents, a black crystal bead with an amber swarovski crystal briolette.

Another Piece Of Time, Belle Du Jour: Made from upcycled watch parts with a fleur de lis accent on both sides.

More Pieces Of Time: Narnia. I'm pretty sure if Lucy had been wearing something as she slipped into the wardrobe and into Narnia, this would have been it.

Swarovski crystal briollette hanging off upcycled gears and watch parts

And last on the upcycled watch parts: Lyra. I picture Lyra, from Phillip Pulman's Dark Materials Triology using something like this as she went on her quest to the North with her Golden Compass. Made with a filigree stamping embedded in resin inside an old pocket watch shell.

Finally, some gorgeous new earrings, called Maria. Silver filigree with clay roses and black crystal beads .

BED TIME!

Helado De Dulce De Leche, and gardening.

So I got to make some icecream over the weekend to test out my new ice cream maker. I went for an old favourite from Argentina, Helado De Dulce De Leche. Dulce De Leche is our version of caramel, made with milk and sugar. It's heavenly. I haven't found anything anywhere near as good here (and please don't you dare suggest HaaganDaaz as an equivalent!)
So I searched for recipes, and eventually find one from www.ciberchef.com that seemed worth trying (mainly because it had no egg in it, and I wanted mine to be nice and light, gelato style)

Churning in the Ice Cream Maker

mmm. looks good!

And was oh-so-tastey.

I was just a little annoyed - it wasn't as dark and dulce-de-leche-ey as the stuff in Argentina.. next time MORE! And after freezing it it was a little icy - I guess I have to take it out and let it warm up a little before serving. I think next time I'll try Marzipan icecream!

I also got around to sorting out the red radioflyer wagon where I plant my veggies. I ripped up last year's tomatos and cleaned up the sage and strawberries that survived the winter. Then it was all about planting the new tomatoes and peppers and leeks. I even made a trellis out of bamboo and elastic bands (recycling!) for my tomatoes to have. Bring on juicy fruits! I wonder what tomato icecream tastes like..

I'm in such a gooood mood! The sun is shining, and I haven't had much sleep. Yesterday I picked up a friend from the airport (after waiting 3 hours) and headed over the border to Seattle to watch The Killers.

The concert certainly didn't disappoint. I'm not a fan of the new album - a bit too samey and mellow, but when the old stuff started playing everyone was jumping around. Crashed at a crappy dive hotel and were on the road for 6:30am. Picked up my icecream maker (!!!) and made it to work.

Now while the icecream maker is prepping, I'm looking for recipes for argentinian helado de dulce de leche granizado, my favourite when I go home to Argentina. I cannot describe how much I miss it! So while hunting around, I discovered this blog: http://www.fromargentinawithlove.typepad.com/from_argentina_with_love/

It's lovely - every recipe from my childhood, all right there in plain english! Fantastic!

And now, to make my favourite icecream - pictures will follow.

Icecream Makers and Dreams

So I posted a dream gift on DreamBank a while back around my birthday time. Low and behold, today I got a little notification email saying someone had contributed the final amount to my Dream Gift! It's been fulfilled!

My Dream Gift was an icecream maker.. nothing too expensive, but an $80 icecream maker seemed to be a good bday present to ask for, since I absoltutely LOVE all things icecream. My nostalgia for argentinian gelato has left me wishing I could try and replicate it here in Canada.. ergo my IceCream Maker Dream.

I've gone on Amazon and ordered the CuisineArt ICE-25BC after reading the reviews.. Look at it!

It's so cute! I can't wait till it arrives so I can start icecreaming! M first attempt will be chocolate-peanut-butter me-thinks!

All in all, I have to say the whole DreamBank experience has been nice. I would have been super happy if people had contributed to my dream gift in time for my birthday (Oct. 13), but I like the surprise of being told my dream has been fulfilled in the middle of April.. Just in time for the hot summer weather!

Anyone have any good gelato/icecream recipes they want to share?

Weekend Missions and Taxes

I had a lot of plans for this last weekend. I was going to look for happy eggs. I was going to do my taxes. I was going to do the laundry. I was going to find an armoire for all our junk. I was going to.

But I didn't. And I blame it mainly on starting out on Saturday morning by trying to do my taxes. Needless to say - they aren't done. And it put the whole mission-filled-weekend into a spin. So I didn't make it out to the farms to find happy eggs. I did manage a dinner with my mom at "Le Bistro Chez Michel", which we've wanted to try out since it opened 9 years ago (but never got around to). Lovely food- though the creme  brullee was so bad that we left it. Ick.

But I earnestly attempted to find the armoire. I went to Ikea, United Furniture Warehouse, even walmart - but nothing. They had the right pieces in the wrong colour and the right colour in the wrong pieces. Finding a dark brown (espresson, dark cherry, mahogany) wood armoire seemed to be the hardest task of all. And so that ended up being abandoned.

It made no sense in light of all that to do the laundry - did it?

Augie March, the Hunt for Happy Eggs, and Blog Stress

It's occured to me that what keeps me from writing is the worry that without pretty pictures, there's not a whole lot to keep someone reading.. but that's assuming I'm writing for others, rather than for myself. So I'm scrapping my earlier resolution to write more, and replacing it with writing more for myself. Now with that said and done, hopefully I can ramble to my heart's content - pictures or no pictures.

While blasting Augie March's "One Crowded Hour" through my newly aquired iPhone, I'm taking a quick break from writing for work to write a little about the world of Moi. After reading an article on GranvilleOnline.ca, "Understanding Cruelty Free Eggs" I decided to go on a little bit of an "Egg Hunt". It broke my heart to read that delicous eggs were such conflict items. Not only that all males of the species were killed off inhumanely as useless, but also that after the initial period of 2 years of optimum egg laying had passed, the hens were also killed off. Not to mention that the conditions in which they live involves having their beaks and feet cut off, and being crammed into tiny spaces - and this is the "free range" ones! So I'm now on a mission to find local farms that provide happier eggs. I hope to come out of this with success rather than failure, as I'm contemplating giving eggs up altogether if I can't find ones that don't suffer to give me an omelette every once in a while. In May the city will pass a law allowing us to have backyard chickens here in the city - now to convince the cat that chicken doesn't taste as good as catfood..

Wire Jewellery and T-Shirts

I've made a lot of things lately - I just haven't stopped to take their pictures. I did quickly photograph some of my newest things, updates on the other stuff will come soon!

I have a broken wrist - thanks to an attempt at converting my skiing self into a snowboarder.. so I did this with a broken right wrist in a cast (and I'm right handed). Excuse the sloppyness!

Wire ring and Birds Nest pendant..


Closeup of wire ring

I also designed a graphic that I wanted on a T-Shirt. I put it on threadless.com, but it didn't get printed, so I took matters into my own hands and had it printed anyway - so it's the only one in existance..

It's the lion rampant, with a wax seal of the lion rampant on top of it. I designed this on photoshop, using an awesome pshero tutorial on how to make a wax seal.

more pieces of opulence

So I told myself I'd be more dedicated, I'd really crack down and blog more, and here I am again neglecting you.

So, to make up for it.. jewellery porn from my newest hobby - making pieces of opulence :)

These are Isabel, the pendant and earrings..

Andrea (crystals sitting on hand curled wires)





Heather (with crystals hand wrapped in wire to look like dew drops)

And one of my favourites:

Gaya
Beautifully detailed, I absolutely love this - a damask resin piece that sits on the collarbone, and then two birds on a pendant dipping down.

Hope you likey!

Pieces of Time and Opulence

so amidst the sewing and the baking and the cleaning and the working, my creative itch started.. well.. itching.. and I had some sort of urge to make some jewellery. So I decided to make some out of recycled watch parts..

this one is called freebird


couldn't think of a name for this one though :(

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh MY!

So I decided I needed an apron, since I'm constantly cooking, and constantly making a mess everywhere. I had a look around - and realised I was never going to wear the dress I made for last halloween ( I went as Dead Dorothy, wizard of Oz).

So presto, Change-o

I added the pocket, red ribbon and bow. Now she's my Dorothy Apron!

I've neglected you - I'm so sorry

I dont know what happened - we'll just say I fell off the face of the planet and leave it at that. And somehow- somehow, I've been placed right back on the planet where I left off, so I guess now is as good a time as any to update everything. I swear I'll try and commit better to blogging. Figures - I have commitment issues it seems, and it spreads to all facets of my life - argh!

So.. since I've been on "hiatus", I made "the ladies"

Country Betty, Christina, Queen Betty, and Sailor Kim.

Closeups:

And Snoopy, who decided she needed just as much attention as the purses:

I made these sometime over the summer.. its been so long that I can't really remember if there's anything noteworthy - other than that they're my favourites.

Fast forward, and for xmas I made these two ladies:

This is Anna, pronounced "Onna", and she's made for her namesake, a friend I've known since I was 13. She loves messenger bags, so I made this out of beautiful scrap brown leather. I lined it with pinstripe navy/red lining, and added the strap hardwear, a leather slider for the strap, and a magnetic snap closure. I finished her off with a gold sparrow to accentuate the funky shape of the messenger flap. Hurrah!

Then I made another Lady Kim, since my man's mother loved the first one I made so much when she came to visit.

Then I joined www.crafster.org, a really cool online community for people who love to.. craft! From there I got inspired to make my ugly-sweater-bag, Cindy:

That's it for the update, I'll try and be more regular from now on..