Happy Canada Day!

I had a nice Canada Day surprise today. This little hat worn by my lovely son was featured in a treasury on the Etsy front page. Hooray. I hope my model doesn't get wise and ask for a raise.

A Happy Anniversary

This weekend Paul and I celebrated our sixteenth Wedding anniversary. We stayed in a cottage owned by my Aunt and Uncle in Queensland a stone's throw from the beach. The weather was amazing, the scenery fantastic and the company as charming as always.

We really enjoyed visiting the Hubbards Farmers Market on Saturday. So many incredible vendors and tasty baked goods. I am already planning to go back. We drove to Lunenburg on Sunday and had an incredible meal at an amazing Italian restaurant. Lunenburg is such a beautiful town with so many interesting shops and restaurants. We had a great time.

Halifax Spring Hobby Show

I had the pleasure of visiting the Spring Hobby Show on the weekend. Barbie enthusiasts, miniatures of all kinds, model trains and military models aplenty.
What fun to see the hobbies of Halifax on display. There was a whole room dedicated to lego displays. My boys were thrilled. They scooped up some very cool ( and somewhat labor intensive) army sets. Ah.. I love the smell of model glue in the afternoon....

Off to the races

My fearless husband, being a alumni of the Canadian cub scout movement, decided to enroll our boys (and himself) in the program this year. There have been winter camping trips, fundraising ventures, skating parties and, of course, weekly meetings. Last weekend we attended the much anticipated KUB KAR RALLY.


The rally was held in a warehouse with lots of room for multiple tracks and a large group of anxious cub scouts. Each boy (and his pit crew parents) had put hours of love and creativity into building the perfect design. There were tanks, police cars, race cars, bobsleds and even a hot dog car.



All cars needed to be weighed prior to racing. They could weigh no more than five ounces. The right weight, coupled with the right design could result in victory. Fishing weights, coins and washers helped provide extra weight. After an exhaustive prepping of the track by the cub leaders, we were ready to begin.

Three by three they raced to the finish line in endless heats. After a mere two hours the winners were awarded gigantic trophies and plaques. The defeated racers left (some with tear stained faces)filled with schemes to secure victory next year.

A taste of sunshine

I have returned from a lovely Florida holiday. It was wonderful to see the sun and all the lovely colors that come along with it. Palm trees, flowers and happy faces. Delicious.

Now we are home. It is snowing. It is brown and muddy. The sun is nowhere in sight. Please tell me the winter will soon come to an end.

HELLO Dolly!

So, here is my first tentative foray into dollyville... When I heard about the Dollies for Haiti campaign from the lovely(and very talented doll making team) ladies at Third Street Handcrafters I knew I wanted to join in.

Being a stay at home mom and therefore a woman of very modest means I have been wondering how I could make any contribution to the massive needs of a country so decimated by disaster. My hand sewing skills are very undeveloped( I am a slave to my machine), but I do bring something else to the table. I have two crafty hands and a heart full of love.

I hope that she will bring companionship to someone in need of it. Her arms are stretched wide. She is ready to give the hug I am too far away to deliver myself. Safe journey little friend.

SNOW DAY!!!

After months of waiting, my kids were rewarded with the most coveted of winter happenings.. the first snow day of the season! What a joy it is to see a sleepy school morning face transformed into the euphoric "school is cancelled" face.

Many hours were spent frolicking in the sizable dumping of snow. There were tunnels and snowmen and many pairs of wet mittens and snotty noses.

Jiao zi

Before I fell in love with my sewing machine, I found my creative expression in the kitchen. This weekend, being Chinese New Years, I thought I would pull myself away from sewing projects long enough to make something to contribute to my family's epic Chinese New Years feast.

I cracked open my latest issue of Fine Cooking and decided that Chinese dumplings would be the perfect thing. Chinese New Year traditions are all about starting off the New Year with good luck and all of the food and celebrations are filled with things symbolic of good health and wealth. Long noodles for long life, red colors and loud fireworks to burn or scare away all the bad spirits. Any food that has a Chinese name that brings to mind money, gold or wealth is considered good luck. Jiao Zi (Chinese dumplings) means "money" in Mandarin. Here is a whole heap of good luck to start the year off....

Kawaii cuteness

I have been obsessed for some time now with Japanese fabric. One particular sort is referred to as "kawaii" which encompasses a wide assortment of adorable prints. Little deer, mushrooms, bunnies, dolls and all manner of cuteness abound in the kawaii category.

Here is my latest "snazz" offering to use some of my Kawaii stash. Japanese fabric is more expensive because of its quality and the fact that it is imported so I try to use it mostly for smaller projects. I have been using it recently to make wallets as well. So many possibilities....