Recommendation: Fanny Chadwick's

Fanny Chadwick's has been recommended to me for brunch by more than one source.

I went this morning with my brunch/life partner, Dan. Wowza! We arrived just as they were opening at 10AM and got a place on their bran-spankin' new patio - constructed about a month ago.  There are white triangular canopies and strings of lights with globe shaped bulbs over head.  Bright green Astroturf underfoot. Light wood fencing with horizontal slats all around.  It feels clean and bright, but very welcoming. I imagine it would be stunning at sunset.  From eavesdropping, I learn that pretty much everything is made in house.  The salad dressing, the ketchup, the English muffins, etc.

I got a quick snap of the canopy. Globe string lights on the right.

I ordered the eggs benny with house made sausage and greens.  The Hollandaise sauce was so light and frothy, I had to ask about it.  The waitress told me the secret: beer!  I'm in love.  The house made sausage of the day was jalapeño. Dan ordered the Finnish pancakes.  They were half way between the consistency of a flapjack and a crepe and so good!  They came with a fruit compote and whipped cream. The portions were generous.  Neither of us could finish our meals.

The guys at the next table ordered the potato hash with their meals.  I think I'll get that next time because it looked amazing.

The lady at the table behind me was raving about the sticky buns and wanted to know if she could buy a whole bunch (if you want to do this, call a few days ahead and they'll make extra for you). I had no room for a sticky bun, but I've been craving a cronut lately and knew I wouldn't have time to go to Le Dolci today, so I got one to go.  I'm eating it right now, and let me tell you: YUM!  It's very large for a sticky bun (a two-person treat), caramel-y on the outside and soft on the inside. Sticky-bun perfection.

My only complaint: there's not enough bicycle parking close by!

268 Howland Ave.
416-944-1606

Brunch hours:
Saturday and Sunday
10:00AM-4:00PM

Living in a Small Space: Pot Rack Edition

This is the first of what I hope will be many posts about how to fit two people's lives who are used to living in a low rent, large space market in Ottawa into 45 sq metres (500 sqft) in Toronto.

Problem: 

A common one - too many pots and pans and no where to store them.  I googled around for some DIY ideas and liked this article by Apartment Therapy. I love the idea of using a old wooden ladder suspended from the ceiling, but I couldn't find one in a pinch, so here we go...

What I Used: 

Home Builder Triple Grip Anchor

• Two 80cm (31.5") Grundtal rails from Ikea in Toronto. $8.99 each.
• Three 5pk Grundtal S-Hooks from Ikea. $3.99 each.
• Six dry wall anchors (I used Home Builder Triple Grip from Home Hardware)
• Six screws 
• Power drill and bits 
• Tape measurer 
• Level
• Pencil
• Hammer
• Step ladder



Butterfly Style Hollow-Wall Anchor/Screw

• Tall person

It's very important to properly support your new pot rack. Get Triple Grip or a butterfly style dry wall anchor. It's more work up front, what with the measuring and pre-drilling, but trust me, you'll thank yourself later when your pots and pan don't come crashing down on your fresh baked casserole.

Each Grundtal rail come with three screws. Two which look like normal screws (threads on one side, flat on the other) to attach the rail to its brackets on each side, and a third which has threads on both sides to connect rails together. I used this third one to connect two rails together. This wasn't the best idea for a pot rack, as you'll see later.

I measured out where my drywall anchors would go using a level, a tape measure, and a pencil. Then I pre-drilled holes just slightly smaller than my anchors (some anchors will come with the perfect sized drill bit) for a snug fit. I hammered in the anchors and fasten on the Grundtal brackets.  Here's where I needed a hand.  I couldn't hold up the rail and fasten it to the brackets alone!  There are nine foot ceiling in my place. I'm 5'2" and my foot stool in 1'8".  The math doesn't add up here, so I needed some help from my upstairs neighbour (Thanks Monika)! If you're in the same boat, call a tall friend to help. Next, I got out a pot and an S-hook and tested it out.  I found that it wasn't holding up as well as I would like at the mid point.  So I took another one of the Grundtal brackets and installed it horizontally in the middle of the rail for extra support and ...

The Result:

The rail is level, the ceiling is not. 

In hindsight, I should have just mounted the two rails, with brackets on both sides, side-by-side.  Pots and pans are heavy and the Grundtal connecting screw does not provide enough support for rails of 80cm each.

Happy small space living!

How (Not) to Make a Chalkboard Wall Inside Your House

Product I used: Krylon Chalkboard Paint in a spray can

Where I got it: Canadian Tire at Dundas St. W and Bay St. in Toronto. $6.99 per can.
Recommended for: Projects you can do outside and bring in once they are dry.

Why? The spray can format causes a fine dust of the product to settle on every surface.

Although I covered every surface, including the ceiling, about two feet around the wall to be chalkboarded, a fine black dust settled on everything in the vicinity. And I do mean EVERYTHING.  Once I noticed this happening, I covered the floor with newsprint, the furniture across the room with a drop cloth.  I have mopped the floor three times and I'm still getting black on the bottom of my feet. When I went to cook later in the day, I noticed black dust on my stove top, which is around the corner from the surface I applied the paint to.  I had to clean out the filter in my AC unit and the blades of my fan.  It took three hours to clean up.

Result: The Krylon Chalkboard Paint made a nice finish.  I used a can and a half to fully cover this 0.9m X 1.7m (3' X 5'6") surface.  This is consistent with the packaging which indicates each can covers 1.1 sq. metres (12 sqft).

Left: The Kylon Chalkboard Paint made a rich, velvety finish.
Right: I've used the surface now.  It erases well!

Since the finish is so nice, I do recommend it if you have a project which you can take outside. Just make sure there aren't any cars downwind. If you don't heed my advice and choose to do this indoors, please cover everything and wear a mask so you don't inhale the product. It says a to use it in a well ventilated area, which is good advice, but if you have fans going, it's just going to disperse the product even more.  Weigh your pros and cons.

In hindsight, I probably should have used something like Benjamin Moore Chalkboard Paint since you can apply it with a brush and avoid a big mess.  I can't vouch for the finish though.

Depeapa

Hi friends,

It's been quite a while since I've posted.  Almost a year in fact.  Life gets busy, doesn't it?

I'm very excited about a particular artist right now, as I get from time to time, so I'd like to spread the love for her.  Verónica de Arriba is the illustrator behind Depeapa.  Her designs are both kitsch and cute. Her palettes range from soft pastel to vibrant primary.  Although I was drawn to her fine art prints initially, she also has a number of accessories and textiles printed with her illustrations that look very tempting.  I first came across Depeapa in my beloved frankie magazine last spring. It must have been issue 47.  My partner saw a small thumbnail of Ref. Koala in frankie bits of issue 51 and he just had to have it.  We ended up ordering three other prints as well.  They did take quite a while to arrive, but definitely worth the wait.  The package was hand addressed by Verónica in her hallmark Depeapa lettering.  The prints are high quality and each is signed.  We had them all framed at Images on Bank and we couldn't be happier!

Ref. Koala

Monsieur Cock

Bon Voyage

Teen Years

I fell in love with being defiant
In a pick-up truck that roared like a lion

Thank you for expressing it for me Lissie - Cuckoo

Rock Me

Photo by Merrill Campbell Kost

So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama anyway you feel
Hey mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
Hey mama rock me

- Old Crow Medicine Show

Vertical Ribbed Cowl

Something I've been working on for my Etsy store.  I'm hoping to perfect the design with the next one I make.  This one didn't turn out exactly as planned and won't be for sale, but you can get the jist of what I was going for in the photos below.

The photos make the colour look very purple.  IRL it's more gray.

My beautiful friend Karine modelling.

How it will ship.

Me label.

 Happy Holidays everyone!

Rav Stash

Uploaded my yarn stash to Ravelry today.  Pretty pleased with myself :)

Anyone want to buy/sell/trade?

Framing for Etsy

Lovely new paintings are being framed for my Etsy shop!  See the progress:

Made from furniture grade pine.  It smells so nice going through the saw!

Checking our angles and making adjustments to get it just right.

Dad sent me this picture yesterday morning.  He's finished gluing and dowling.

This weekend we'll sand, paint high gloss black, craft paper the back and add the framing wire!  I'm very excited to have these ready for the store!

First Snow

First snow in Ottawa this morning.  It's so beautiful.  I love the way fresh snow muffles the sounds of the city.

View from my balcony this morning

My plants don't care that it's winter.  This orchid is blooming anyways :)

Brie - The Reason I'm a Bad Vegan

I've been what you call a vegan for almost five years now.  Some may shun me from their strict definition of veganhood for my occasional transgression involving a certain lactose-rich dairy product called Brie.  I don't know what it is about this gooey, delicious substance that, when paired with red pepper jelly, wrapped in breading, and baked at 400°F for 25 minutes, but I lose the will to abstain.

Oh, the blemish on my otherwise prestine record of meat- and dairy-free living!  What will I do?  Normally I have to run to the ladies' room, considering my body can't digest dairy to save itself anymore  :(

Guilty Pleasure - Justin Timberlake

I know I'm supposed to be a craft-making hipster, but what can I say?  I can't get enough of Justin Timberlake.  Sure, he's not the best actor, but you've gotta give him credit for breaking out of that whole N'SYNC thing and making it on his own as a solo artist.  Not easy.

He's hilarious in the SNL 3-Way (The Golden Rule) video with Lady Gaga.  My favourite lyric is "Wanna impress a chick? Do the helicopter dick."

Centretown Movies Web Design Contest!

Hi kids!  An organization that I hold near and dear is having a web design competition!  See details below:
Centretown Movies is an outdoor film festival in centretown, Ottawa. Every summer, we show movies in Dundonald Park with pay-what-you-can admission. Centretown Movies (CM) is a completely volunteer-based event and all donations are spent on paying the associated costs like license fees and equipment maintenance.

As part of an effort to improve and expand our operation, we would like to invite all community members, artists, designers, students, and others to participate in a web design contest for Centretown Movies.

Prize
The selected designer will receive $100 and a Centretown Movies T-shirt.

Submission Guidelines

• Your design should reflect the main principles of CM which are movies, community, and use of public spaces for healthy/cultural recreation.
• Your design should provide the information available on the current website, but you may include other content and information.
• Your design should avoid depending on special web technologies, as much as possible.
• You may submit a website wireframe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website_wireframe) or the URL/files for an actual site.
• All submissions (files or URL to the designed sites) must be emailed to info@centretownmovies.org

Important Dates
Submission deadline: January 1, 2012
Notification of results: January 15, 2012

Copyright
CM will own the selected design and reserves the right to modify it for actual implementation. The designer will be credited in a manner decided by CM. All other designers will retain the ownership of their submissions.

LUSHious Indulgence

For those of you who know me well, you’ll know that I used to work at LUSH Handmade Cosmetics. Probably the best, most fun job I ever had, but that’s beside the point. I was a huge fan of LUSH before working there and working there just solidified my love, if not making it stronger. So today, I share with you, something I cannot live without: the LUSH Bath Bomb. Bath time is just not the same without a little fizzy friend.

Note: I’m not a specialist in any of these areas; below is simply my personal experience shared with hopes that it will help someone else!
This may be a little personal, but I suspect a problem for many women, so I will share. Being prone to “down-there” infections and loving bath time are two dispositions that don’t mix well. Certain chemical ingredients, such as common foaming agent sodium laureth sulphate, found in most bubble bath products can cause urinary tract infections in those of us who are predisposed. LUSH Bath Bombs are super-natural and contain nothing but baking soda, dried lemon juice and essential oils (and the odd sparkle or rice-paper flower too). Since I love bath time and hate infections, LUSH Bath Bombs and I are a match made in Heaven! I generally stay away from any bath product containing honey or sugar as well. I’ve heard sweet stuff can make your whooha unhappy.

At $6-7 a pop, LUSH Bath Bombs are truly an indulgence, but something I splurge for because I just love how my bath experience is enhanced. Baking soda leaves the skin soft and deodorized and the essential oils are powerful to affect my mood (usually improving it). I like to leave the water in the tub for a while after I get out making sure the bathroom gets good and smelly!

My favourite bath bombs available in stores right now (because there are some that I love that I have been discontinued or are available online only):

Sex Bomb (of course)

Avobath

Space Girl

And just in time for Christmas, I'd have to say that Lil' Lush Pud is one of my all time fav's.  I always stock up this time of year!

Some of our friends over on Etsy are making Bath Bombs as well! Check out:

• Whipped Up Wonderful
• Antoinette's Bathhouse
• Black Sheep Soap Company



Kristen Schaal is a Horse!

I effing love comedian Kristen Schaal.  She's not your regular female comedian, that's for sure.  You may remember her as the crazy stalker fan from the Flight of the Conchords television series or from her hilarious Sony Xperia Play commercials.  Have to say the Kristen is Killing It one is my favourite.  There are also some outtakes that almost made me pee my pants.  I first saw these commercials whilst watching StarCraft II tournaments on MLG.  Call me a nerd if you must, but I actually find it more entertaining then our national passtime, watching NHL hockey... I'm going to get crucified for blogging that... but I digress.

I first heard of the video in this post, without seeing it, on WYNC's Radiolab.  In the Loops podcast, they describe what they perceive to be the emotions go through a number of different emotions.  At first they're like, "Oh!  This is going to be a regular comedy skit. Kristen Schaal is a horse?!  Look at her silly dancing!  Ha ha ha!" and then after a couple more repeations they're like, "OK, OK, you're a horse."  and then they start getting a bit upset, "Really, you're still singing and dancing like a horse?  When will this END?"  But something happens, and eventually, it's just plain hilarious.  The comedy doesn't really fit with expectations, and all they can really do is laugh! Of course I had to watch the video after listening to the podcast. You can definitely tell the audience is transitioning through a range of emotions. I heard somewhere that Kristen and Kurt Braunohler once kept that skit going for 10 minutes!  You you imagine?

Remember

National War Monument in Ottawa

11/11/11

How will you remember?

I have a midterm tomorrow morning, so guess how I'll be remembering?  By exercising my right to cram all day.

Trend: Bold Brows

Style Inspiration: Emma Watson

Since her feature in British Vogue, I’ve noted Emma Watson among my Style Inspirations. Before then, she was just that girl who played Hermione in the Harry Porter series to me. Maybe I was out of the loop. I’m loving her super short haircut right now. Her features are strong yet feminine enough to carry it well. I can’t help but be reminded of Twiggy. Perhaps it’s the short hair/British Vogue association all swirling around in my mind, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Ms. Watson counted Lesley Lawson as one of her favourite fashion icons.

Watson’s style right now is all about a feminine palette, lace, and just the right amount of sparkle.