tania howells

see you on the flip flop

One last crafty peep out of me for a while! Apologies for the gloomy photo. This is the shirt I made the very weekend I received the package and pattern from Tania. Yes, there is that sheet fabric again! What can I say? It was a queen sheet. I made this as more of a test to see if I could figure it out from the pattern shapes alone. Then on the following Monday, Tania sent me the instructions! That was a relief, I can next make a proper one with a zipper at the side. I wondered why I could barely get this one over my head. ( No I did not plan to have those two flowers so strategically placed. How saucy! )
And now, all my crafty things are packaged away, my sewing machine is sitting forlornly on the floor by the door, my knitting and books are sealed up in boxes. I have a feeling I will never be able to locate certain things again, but that's ok! We're moving! Tuesday we have a big van booked and a few strong like ox friends to help. If we don't get it all done, it doesnt matter because we have some time after that for the dribs and drabs of junk. Last to move is my trusty computer and the plants I suppose.... Oh well, I won't bore you with the details, just with the pictures of things that are pretty once we get there! See you soon!
xox

Hello!
Well, the things that I was so busy with a few weeks ago are finally starting to appear in the real world. This image is something I did for this. Click on "try designing your own t-shirt" in the archives. They ended up using small parts of the full illustration, which I am ok with. I have had a funny feeling about this job in the first place since it is for birth control pills. I am not sure why because it is good if teenagers DON'T get pregnant... but something about the whole cloaked in girl power/fun advertising thing... Anyway, gotta pay the bills and they have done a really nice job with it all.

Also, a nice last minute job appears here at The Wedding Co. A cake! (click on "1st Anniversary" link to see my cake.)Karina I thought you might like that. Yay for cakes! Oh, that also ties into my "stressed is desserts spelled backwards" theme! I just realised that now. Not to mention that my good pal next door invited me over for cake yesterday as well. I have half of that cake in my fridge. Bizarre how there have been no desserts for weeks and then all this. hee.

This here is the view from my soon to be new studio room! You can see two more here.

It was funny about yesterday and my desserts quote- When I got to work, there were leftover cupcakes from an earlier in the day party which we had for our tea time (desserts!) and then , even funnier, my co-worker down the hall gave me this book! He said his wife no longer needed it and would I like to have it? Would I? Again, desserts!
:)
I think the universe is telling me something.

In the spending money department, this weekend is an IKEA run for a couple of wardrobes and their $1 breakfast. Then a trip to Home Depot for many things including drywall - horrors- an outdoor light and some other boring things I won't go into.
I guess we won't have any time for beloved dim sum... oh well!
Have a great weekend!

I keep trying to keep this in mind! I saw this catchy slogan at this funny greasy spoon restaurant in Picton Ontario - it was posted above the cash area. I know that everytime I see it I think " My goodness! How clever- I must remember that!" and I always forget it. Today it popped into my head again so I wrote it down. We are both trying really hard to not get too stressed but it is hard with boxes all around and not being really here or there, anticipating the day of moving and the days of patching holes left by the electricians. I think that it is the anticipating that causes me the most problems! Worrying about things that will happen anyway, and will likely be fine. I just have to try and stay in the moment and enjoy the moment. Last night we had a TV free night, which was really refreshing! Needless to say, I am on a self imposed media blackout this week. All that terrorism stuff and the fact that my place of work is on this "list of targets" as well as the place I can see out my office window- well, I can't really bear to think about it. Not at all.

So I hope things will get crafty around here again soon! I will try and take some nice pictures of the house that are not dark or boring ( as all the ones so far have been ) , but my main big job is to keep my stress levels down! I think tonight I will try and rent Creature Comforts. Someone at work had it and I had forgotten how brilliant it is! So funny.

Well!

Things have been a bit hectic around here as you can imagine. Over the weekend Paul and Sam opened up the dividing wall between the living room and dining room. There had been a passage way there originally, but it had been closed up. It's so much nicer now! Light comes through. I scoured the kitchen cupboards of all the old olive oil stains etc. On Sunday I went over to do something and it ended up with the grandpa next door pulling out his lawn mower and cutting our grass! He helped rake it up and the granny helped sweep and then gave me plants from her back yard for our garden. I was touched and baked them banana bread. It seems almost like a small town where everyone helps each other but also knows each others business too. We are hoping they won't get TOO cozy! I want to be able to sit out and read quietly as well.

Above is a sweet little lace doily I found in the tool shed! Isn't is pretty? It seeems like a good sign. There were a few things left including a massive 45 album / 8 track "stereo system" monstrosity which Paul loves. To the basement it goes! Now the electricians are in there doing their thing and I am trying to not have fainting spells when I think of the money slip slipping away.

please stand by...

stripey tee shirts are always a good sign

I had to pop over to the bank machine early this morning and I found this poppy, probably plucked by some late night revellers ( I think I remember hearing some yelling ) left on the sidewalk. I passed it on the way but could not leave it on the way back, I rescued it and put it in a glass on the table. How I love poppies. They are one of the many plants on my list for the new teeny tiny garden. On wednesday night, we rushed over after work and had pizza and wine on the porch, happy as a pair of larks. We have a nice Chinese family on one side and a sweet Portuguese granny on the other, ( I love Toronto's multiculturalism!) lots of kids around and probably stray cats. We aren't moving in for a few weeks to let the electricians get down to business without junk around. Both of us are busting to get in there though and I can envision the next weeks waiting for that being rather trying. Yesterday a dark panic settled on me at the jittery newness of everything, the unknown parts of houses, the dark basement corners and mysterious problems that tend to cost thousands of dollars when they happen at the worst times. TERROR! I am trying to focus on the things that make me so exited - the tree, a window in the bathroom, stairs, quiet of not being on a main street, sitting in the kitchen having my tea with light pouring in, baking a pie, sitting for hours on the front porch with my book. To also not forget that moving is a top big stress ( thanks for reminding me of that H!) and to just be there with that, not fight it franticly like I tend to do! Tonight my friend Isabelle has invited us for supper to welcome us to the neighborhood- she lives around the corner! ( that will be fun ) I intend to have a glass of red wine and enjoy the moment.

Have a great weekend everyone!

thankyou soo much for all the kind words from last post!

Oh and to explain the title, in the back and to the left, I spied stripey kids tee shirts hanging to dry in the yard of the house with bikes. That's always a good sign!