Holiday Colors

With Hallowe'en creeping up on us, branches shedding their leafy covers and furnaces being awoken from their slumber, I have started thinking about the holidays.
This season is going to be all about simplicity, simplifying and keeping things simple. My sewing list and budget have been cut in half and my goal is to have all gifts ready and wrapped a few days in advance; a stark contrast to last Christmas where I was finishing quilts at 3am, so tired that I am pretty sure I actually saw Santa; the upside to this being that I now once again believe in the jolly old guy!

At this stage in the game, I am just starting to consider what the color scheme will be for decorations this year and have come up with the following options:
a) Robin's Egg Blue, Gold and Frosty White
b)Peachy Rose, Robin's Egg Blue, Gold
c)Gold, Brown, Robin's Egg Blue

Thoughts?

I also have a date booked with my dad and his workshop to construct this years Christmas Tree...stay tuned...

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IdeaPaint

Image c/o Behance Outfitter

I am a huge fan of all things covered in chalkboard paint. I love the old-school look of uneven chalky writing on a matte black dusty surface.
That said, this "IdeaPaint" white board supply kit from Behance Outfitter has caught my eye and imagination. It has me dreaming about kitchen cupboards, furniture and of course open walls covered in this stuff! A white board table anyone?

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24hrs. in NYC

Here is a run down of the 24hrs I had the pleasure of spending in New York City last week!

0900hr - Fly with the best Airline in the world from Toronto to NYC. Enjoy complimentary snacks and drinks and kind service and great branding - spend flight thinking about how much I love Porter and swear that I will only fly where they fly.

1200hr - Check into hotel and marvel at concierges wheeling and dealing Broadway tickets. Just like in the movies I tell ya! Spend afternoon working and absorbing as much American television as possible.

1600hr - Host Cocktail Party, practice "schmoozing," and resist strong temptation to hide in the bathroom

2300 - 0700hrs - sleep in ridiculously comfortable hotel bed. Convince self that an investment in all new "hotel-like" bedding for our home is really an investment in life.

0730hrs - Flip on NBC News and get very excited when I realize they are filming just down the street.

0745hrs - Confess love to Matt Lauer

0900-1030hrs - Squeeze in as much New York City as possible...

1100hrs - reluctantly board the plane and enjoy one last view over New York city as we disappeared into the clouds. Promise to be back in a "New York Minute!"

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Breakfast Dinner

A long day at work...

Tired eyes and hungry bellies..

Last night we indulged in the ultimate comfort food; Breakfast Dinner!

Our menu:
- Organic Pancakes with Canadian Maple syrup
- Spinach Pesto Omlette with white onions and garlic
- Veggie Bacon, slow cooked in maple syrup and a dash of beer!
- A jug of Mimosas!

Perfection.

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Tealish Party Favors

When Mr. S turned 30, I threw a party for him to celebrate three decades of amazing-ness with his family and best friends. The food and decor came together fairly easily (my dad and I even managed to make an ice sculpture with red tulips suspended inside) but I was stumped at what to give as the party favors.
It pains me to spend money on things that people will not use and will leave to sit for years gathering dust until the appropriate amount of time has passed that they can throw it away without guilt. So in my opinion a party favor must be either consumable, a donation or something you know for 100% certainty people will use.
It happened that at this time we had just come across an amazing little tea shop in the west end of downtown Toronto called Tealish and they ended up being my saving grace. Not only are they amazingly friendly and accommodating, but they put together a special blend of tea for Mr. S, let me re-name it and write all the copy for the label for less then it would have cost to do pretty much anything else!

The tea was amazing, looked stunning (their branding is fresh and clean) and a total hit with our friends and family, so when I got asked to host a work event in NYC this week and to find the perfect gift bags to give to each guest, I knew exactly who to call!

In 24hrs Tealish had put together 80 bags of tea for me with the copy I sent them and names that we provided that were in keeping with the type of work we do. They looked stunning all lined up together at the event and were so well received by everyone who attended.

Tealish
198 Walnut Ave. #2
Toronto, ON - Canada
M6J 2N6
Phone: 416.203.3301
Fax: 416. 203.3376
E-mail: info@tealish.com

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DIY - "Thanks" Giving Tree

This thanksgiving my usually craft repellent aunt was inspired enough to ask my cousin and I to co-ordinate the making a Thanks-giving Tree. Once I got over the shock of this aunt suggesting something crafty and it actually being really cute, my cousin and I got to work.

All you need is a fall leaf for each person attending your thanskgiving party, small pieces of paper to write on and a branch with enough smaller branches that extend from it so you can hang the leaves. During an especially long fall walk we collected all the leaves, which I lightly ironed between wax paper to draw out some of the moisture and make them perfectly flat.

We experimented writing directly on the leaf without any success, so decided instead to hole punch a small piece of paper and the leaf, and then attach them with wire. The wire also acts as the hook for hanging your leaf on the tree!

To keep the branch standing upright, we filled a tall, narrow vase with dirt and then planted the stick right in the center. And to hide the unsightly dirt we covered it in fresh moss and hid a few battery powered tea lights amongst is lushness to create a nice glow!

Once the family was all settled in by the fire, everyone was asked to anonymously write something they were thankful for.

The notes were collected and redistributed so each person read the thanks of another.

Taking turns by the glow of the fire, each was read aloud and hung on the tree, which came to life one leaf at all time with so much to be thankful for.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

I hope the weather is cozy, the food delicious and the leaves still on the trees displaying the perfect shades of fall. We will be eating-eating-eating, going for long nature walks, taking one last heart stopping dip in the lake and being thankful for all the good that surrounds us!
Have a perfect long weekend.

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Thanksgiving Menu - Stuffing!

Holiday meals seem to be the one time of year my choice not to eat all meats comes flying back in my face. Fortunately, I am totally down with tofurkey as pretty much anything tastes good covered in mushroom gravy!
For me, the hardest part about being a non-meat eater at thanksgiving is the stuffing. Nothing beats the taste of homemade stuffing that has cooked alongside (or inside) the bird, absorbing all of that delicious flavour and fat. As a result, Mr. S and I have spent many a thanksgiving meal mastering the vegetarian stuffing - and we are not talking about those crazy versions with wild rice and healthy substitutes; I am sure they are delicious, but that is not stuffing.

The base of our stuffing is white bread (look for the cheapest and least nutritionally beneficial) that is slightly staled; a morning on the counter should do it. This is added to softened white onions that are swimming in butter and flavoured by poultry seasoning and salt.

Ingredients:
White bread
White Onions
Butter, butter and a titch more butter
Poultry Seasoning
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
In a large frying pan, combine a healthy dose of butter and roughly chopped medium sized onion until the onion is softened and translucent
Add to this salt and pepper to taste and approximately a tablespoon of poultry seasoning.
When the onion in coated in the seasoning and there is still a good pool of butter in the pan, add approximately half a loaf of roughly torn up white bread.
The pan will be quite full and you should feel slightly concerned about how you are going to keep it all from falling out - don't panic, it is going to be awesome
Stir everything gentle together so the bread is coated in the butter/seasoning/onion goodness
You will notice that the thirsty bread will suck up the delicious butter, so make room in the pan and add more butter!
You are trying to re-create the process that occurs when the stuffing is in the turkey, so just commit to this being unhealthy and add the butter (or a bit of olive oil if you want) until the bread is still soft, totally delicious and slightly browned on the outside - similar to the bread of a buttery grilled cheese sandwich.

From here you can either serve as is, or stuff inside/alongside you turkey/tofurkey!

Whatever stuffing is not consumed during your Thanksgiving dinner should be saved and enjoyed the next day in a Tofurkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing sandwich - life is so so good.

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Thanksgiving Menu - Cranberry Sauce

On many a cool, damp thanksgiving morning my parents would load us kids into the car, oversized rainboots and early morning complaints in tow, for a long drive north of our cottage to collect fresh cranberries from the local farm. As we entered the uneven driveway the car would begin to smell of autumn's chill mixed with the bitterness of freshly harvested cranberries bumping along rough metal sorting-machines.
Our first stop was a visit to the flooded fields to see the thousands of cranberries pulled from their homes and left bobbing like abandoned ship passengers waiting to be saved. And then into the small shop, always many degrees cooler then the day, as if the machinery held onto the winter's cold from the year before; greeted by ladies chatting loudly over the whirl of machines as they sort the berries flying past them to ensure no bag is with more then one or two misfit "white" cranberries. Out the door we would go, enough berries in hand to fuel the addiction of our family and friends and to tie us over until the next year, when we would do it all again.

These days we visit a farm much closer with machines to sort the berries instead of warmly dressed ladies and baked goods to cover the bitter smell. What has however stayed the same is the perfectly simple recipe we follow to make our cranberry sauce - no measurements required just a palate able to recognize the perfect balance of bitter to sweet.

Ingredients:
Fresh or Frozen Cranberries
White Sugar and/or maple syrup

Directions:
Put about 2-3 cups of cranberries in a saucepan and cover in just enough water so that the berries are able to comfortably float off the bottom of the pan and bounce off each other
Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer
Add the sugar now if you want, but I wait until they start to look a bit broken down
Ensuring there is still some water in the pan, add about a 1/2 cup of sugar
Mix in the sugar and taste - you don't want to mask the bitterness of the berry, but you also don't want you guests making sour faces as they eat it
When it is the perfect balance and the berries are a good Jam-like consistency, remove from the heat and let sit until you are ready to enjoy!

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Thanksgiving Menu - Maple Syrup Squash

Last weekend we left the city for one of the final cottage weekends; games by the fire and a dress rehearsal for one of my favorite meals - Thanksgiving Dinner.
In anticipation of the "real deal" in just a few days, I will be featuring my favorite Thanksgiving Recipes this week - prepared and tested to perfection for you during our weekend away.

Recipe #1 - Maple Syrup Squash

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash per 2-3 guests
* This depends on how much you enjoy squash. I for example would happily eat an entire one on my own - you and your guests may however have more self restraint
Butter (about a tablespoon per half squash)
Brown Sugar (about a tablespoon per half squash)
Maple Syrup (about a tablespoon per half squash)

Directions:
This recipe is so easy and leaves you with plenty of time to tend to the "tofu-rkey" or enjoy a glass of wine by the fire!

Cut each squash in half and scoop out seeds and "guts"
Place on a baking sheet skin side down (you may want to cover the sheet in tin foil as the syrup can carmalize and ruin your pan during baking).
Poke a few fork holes throughout the flesh of the squash
Fill each half with the Butter, Brown Sugar and Maple Syrup. Feel free to play around here - a bit of olive oil instead of all butter, more maple syrup if you want to cut down on brown sugar, etc.
Bake at 375 degree for about 45mins. You will know it is ready when the squash is tender and soft. You want to avoid burning or creating a crust, so if it appears to be cooking on the outside too quickly, turn the heat down and cook for longer covered with tin foil.

Serve an entire half or cut into quarter for your guests and enjoy!

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A cozy, rainy sunday

I hope you are cozy and happy on this rainy sunday.
There are piles of laundry to fold, emails to answer and life stuff to ponder, but this afternoon we are putting it all away to snuggle up to a movie and convince our cat that getting her nails trimmed is truly in her best interest.

Happy Sunday.

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Pink

To those lovely ladies dressed in pink who will be walking in honor, in memory and in celebration - I hope the sun shines big and bright on you all this weekend.
I am sorry I will not be there to walk beside you, but listen real hard and you will hear me cheering for your grace, strength and positivity during what I can only imagine was one of life's greatest struggles.

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Copy Cat

Dear Readers,

For all of you who are kind enough to visit this here lil'ol'blog, you will know that changing my banner is pretty much a weekly affair; something I do to pass the time at my desk when the work I get paid to do fails to entice me.
It was brought to my attention (by myself) while cruising through the 1 million-plus blogs out there, that I have pretty much copied the banner of a fairly popular blogger.

The banner I currently use is like having a doll house. I can dress it up, change it around and act out my life in tiny, poorly pieced together photos.
However, as much as I am enjoying this little blog and the endless hours of distraction it offers me, it is not enough mine and mirrors to closely another's - who is doing it far far better I might add.

As a result, stay tuned, it looks like you have another homemade banner coming your way shortly.

Love,
L.

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Inspiration #1 - Moss

With the air turning cool and thanksgiving just around the corner (leaving only a few weeks until winter!), I have started mulling over what this year's seasonal Gifts will be. My goals this year are to re-use whenever possible, simplify, simplify, simplify and not be up all night the day before Christmas!

So as not to ruin any surprises, as some readers will also be gift receivers, I will be posting my "inspirations" for the 2009 gift giving season!

Inspiration #1 - Moss
Growing like a lush blanket protecting the ground from a frigid winter, this moss growing at my cottage offers endless ideas and inspiration.

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