Graduation

My son graduated from high school this week. We had a wonderful family party on the weekend for him. I made him this chocolate cake shaped in a grad cap. It was a hit.

Summer Blooms

I designed this one of a kind clutch for a bride who will be getting married in Turks and Caicos. The clutch is made from a beautiful creamy white bridal satin. The bouquet of white and cream flowers are handmade and accented with Swarovski crystals and organza leaves. I love to design these bouquet bags because each one is entirely different from the next. Every bride needs a custom piece for their one of a kind day.

A Visit to Chicago

Chicago is a beautiful city with it's mix of old and new architecture. There is lots to see and do in this wonderful city. It was our first visit to the windy city and yes it was windy and cold!

We took the architectural boat cruise along the river and saw some great buildings. One of my favourites was the Carbon and Carbide building. It was built in the 1920's. Some say it was inspired by a champagne bottle. What made it so unique was it's greenish, grey colour and gold top. An example of the 1920's art deco movement. It now houses the Hard Rock Hotel.

The trains make their way around the city, snaking over the streets.

This is part of the gorgeous Wrigley Building.

On Saturday we took in the famous Chicago Blues Festival at Grant Park where we listened to some great bands.

This was the Duwayne Burnside Band, who were from Mississippi.

New Spring Wristlets

I saw a wristlet at Winners the other day that had a vinyl flower on it, so I decided to add them to my wristlets for some summertime fun! They turned out really cute.

The wristlets are great for any time you do not want to bring a big purse with you. It fits your phone, your lipstick, money and keys.

And it never has to leave your wrist, perfect for those summertime patio bars!

Spring Is Somewhere In Air

It's been a long cold winter. I should have been sewing more but the old creative juices were not flowing too readily. Now that spring is in the air (is it?), I have started to produce some spring and summer bags. These are my Happy Eco Bags that I make with all my remnants. I have tons of scraps that would normally end up in the garbage, so I decided to use them wisely. Someone once called these bags Happy because they are so bright and fresh.

This brown bag is made with a colourful polka dot fabric and embellished with a rainbow of buttons. A fun summertime bag.

This bouquet clutch is made from a boiled black wool with a garden of handmade flowers and Swarovski crystals. It has a detachable chain handle. I am entering this bag in a contest with In Style Magazine. What the heck.

Featured Artist of the Month

My bags are now available at Meta4 Gallery in Port Perry. It is a beautiful gallery featuring local artisans and their work. They also offer workshops in their back studio.

For the month of March, I am the featured artist of the month. They did a fantastic job of diplaying my bags in their window display.

If you find yourself in Port Perry, be sure to drop in to the gallery and check out the work.

Weekend in Myrtle Beach

I went down to Myrtle Beach, SC to visit my mom and dad who were down there for the month of February. It wasn't the warmest but it was nicer than here. Some crazy kid, (my nephew) went for a dip in the 50 degree ocean (and air temp). He carried on the Canuck tradition.

Myrtle Beach hasn't changed all that much since we were kids, just more hotels and restaurants. They built a nice boardwalk down near the pier. It was a nice escape from winter.

Great New Restaurant

My husband and I went to a new restaurant last night for Valentine's called Sarpa. The food was great as well as the service and atmosphere. We started with grilled calamari with sweet peas and fried pancetta, then I had pumpkin and veal ravioli with sage, pistachios and truffle oil, my husband had eggplant and zucchini stacked parmesan. It was all so delicious, finally another decent restaurant in York region.

What a Beast!

I finally invested in an industrial sewing machine. I bought a used machine made in Japan. It is a Juki ddl5500. It sews super fast. I am still getting used to the speed.

The sewing machine and table weigh a ton. This baby is staying put.

The first three bags fresh off the presses made with the Juki. It can goe through heavy material without as much as a hiccup. My Kenmore broke needles at least every other day.

I will be delivering my bags to a new store tomorrow in Port Perry called Meta4, a fine art and craft gallery. I will take some pics, if I remember.

Personal Training in My Basement

I bought the family the Kinect for the Xbox 360 for Christmas. I went out and bought the Your Shape Game by Men and Women's Health. It is awesome. This is the personal training program where you can choose from a variety of different sessions. It actually scans you into the picture, as you can see I am taking a picture when I am suppose to be lunging! You enter all your weight and height information and it scans your arm and leg lengths.

This is called the Skinny Jeans Workout. You do a number of reps of different exercises with weights in 20 minute increments. I actually get a better workout with this program then I do when I'm at the gym. There is also sculpting and toning sessions as well as a Men's program.

At the end it lets you know your status, how well you did and calories burned. Sometimes you score low because you get out of rhythm although you are doing it accurately. There is also classes, a yoga/taichi and a kick boxing as well as some gym games to play. So if anyone is looking for something to do and have xbox go get yourself Kinect! I am really impressed with this program, you actually get a decent workout.