party time

It's a Canada Day party, yes, but after a fruitless search for cute red and white fabric - gingham, cherries, seersucker, anything - in the end I decided on yellow. I get so much use out of this $2 daisy-print sheet that I can't believe I once almost chopped it into an apron. The other tablecloths were picked up here and there. The first vintage tablecloth I bought was this faded blue and white one. I think I paid about $30 for it at Aberfoyle - which I figured was a pretty good deal until I discovered you can scoop them for $5 bucks at Value Village.

Sunday, the bowl will be heaping with fresh cherries, the cake stands laden with butter tarts and strawberry-rhubarb pie from the farmer's market and, god willing, a home-baked lemon cake. I'm still feeling pretty chilled; enjoying the blue skies and sunshine and trying not to think too hard about the five heads of cabbage in the fridge waiting to be turned into coleslaw. I'm signing off for a couple of days, to enjoy the beautiful weather, the company of my family and friends and to raise a glass of something fruity and fizzy. Happy Canada Day!

Handbag Heaven

Would you take a look at this lovely, lovely birthday celebration Holly cooked up for 3-year old Ellie? Yes, those are home-baked handbag cookies (cutter bought on ebay). I love the fruit skewers - so colourful and fun and sneaky healthy. The photos might be a bit small to see, but there was a decorate a purse or pail crafting station and a handbag-themed photobooth. So fun. Bravo Holly, bravo!

don't rush me

Henry (finally) takes his first steps.

I am absolutely not prepared to discuss fall, or heaven forbid, Christmas. I just won't do it. But the autumn PediPed catalogue arrived this morning and my eyes are dancing over pink metallic loafers and camo slip-ons and, oh my goodness, fur-lined booties. Which means though we are in the middle of a blistering heatwave and I am hunkered down in my cool basement office today instead of my usual perch at the dining room table, I need to order fall styles. So summer shoes must go. They're now $10 off if you buy 2 pairs. Enter coupon code PED10 at checkout. Get them while they're hot.

fresh cuteness + a gratuitous kid photo

Super-adorable bookplates now in the shop. I should be adding a new batch of vintage books this week. I can think of no better baby shower gift than a beloved book and a set of bookplates. Lovely.


We've seen some pretty wacky ensembles lately, now that Stella's dressing herself. The two-sizes-too-small-and-really-quite-dirty sport shorts + a long-sleeve button-down shirt in cabana stripes, Spiderman socks and a baseball cap was the outfit of choice to visit the Doctor. But this one I like. Because it perfectly matches the scooter. Sort of like when some people start to resemble their pets, I guess.

I'm never leaving

(inside the gazebo)

Late Saturday afternoon as I was weeding the weed patch on the side of the house we pretend we don't own, I looked up to see uniformed police officers across the street, knocking on doors and dipping in and out of backyards: a gas leak one street over. Soon we had a front yard full of neighbours. We gathered everyone in the backyard and within minutes we had a bottle of wine open (thanks to a quick-thinking evacuee). It's that sort of street. We're never leaving.

Talk soon turned to the neighbourhood shindig coming up this weekend. Now I don't know at what point a party officially becomes a bash, but I'm guessing this one might qualify. We're expecting 50 or so folks - big and little - but I'm surprisingly angst-free. Or maybe it's just too early in the week. The essential elements (food, music & decorations) are well in hand. We've decided on a cutlery-free menu of grilled corn on the cob, panini and bacon-wrapped chicken spiedini. I'm sure some will disagree, but I actually think food is the least important element at a party. Terrific food can take a good party to great, but it can't save a so-so gathering. An excellent mix of people, great music and a good host who keeps things happy do way more to make merry than fancy food.

With that in mind, here's our iPod playlist:
Beyond the Sea, Bobby Darin
Summer Wind, Frank Sinatra
Sea of Love, Del Shannon
Tu Vua Fa L'Americano, Renato Carosone (there's a good Jude Law version from the Mr. Ripley soundtrack, but I prefer the original)
Girl From Ipanema, Frank Sinatra
War on Sound, Moonbabies
Worst Trip, Dr. Dog
Say Something, James
Red Microphones, The Comas
Ciao!, Lush
Ain't That A Kick In The Head, Dean Martin
Inside and Out, Feist
When You Were Young, The Killers
Theologians, Wilco
Honey and the Moon, Joseph Arthur
Alison, Elvis Costello
Wishing Well, Terence Trent D'Arby
Old News, Dr. Dog
Into Your Arms, The Lemonheads
Do You Want To, Franz Ferdinand
Is She Really Going Out With Him, Joe Jackson
Paralyzer, Finger Eleven
Bohemian Like You, The Dandy Warhols
Stuck Between Stations, The Hold Steady
She's a Rainbow, Rolling Stones
The Lines You Amend, Sloan
Here Comes Your Man, The Pixies

More party prep later in the week!

Credo

(The beautiful tree in the park down the road)

I've been mulling things over lately. The line between work and home isn't just blurry - it's been completely wiped out now that I work for myself 100%. The decisions I make for the shop and my family often spill over into the other. It feels better that way, but I realize if I talk about it too much I could sound pious. Or like a bandwagon jumper. Or disingenuous. But as I grow my business and figure out what I want it to become I keep coming smack up against my own conscience. I feel a personal responsibility for the products I sell. I will not sell something that I wouldn't want in my home. Indeed, I say no more often than I say yes to new products. I prefer to shop at independently-owned stores and I buy local, where I can. I've outlawed paper towels in the house. I believe well-designed secondhand goods are better than poorly-designed, cheaply made new. I believe plastic grocery bags should be banned. I clean my kitchen with baking soda and vinegar but I use latex and, sometimes, oil paint in the studio and I wash the brushes in the sink. The hypocrisy bugs me. I was super excited to learn about Boomerang Paint, which is recycled paint and has a really low VOC rating (much less off-gassing than normal paint). I will be giving it a try. So far it's only available in three stores in Toronto, but there is an east, west and central location so it shouldn't be too hard to get your hands on a can.

Protek Paint
355 Horner Av
Toronto (ON)
(416)251-0051

Rotblott's Discount Warehouse
443 Adelaide St. W.
Toronto (ON)
(416)703-0456

Ontario Paint & Wallpaper
299 Queen St. E.
Toronto (ON)
(416)362-5127

I was also delighted this week to make the acquaintance of Tracy, an ex-Torontonian now living in LA, who runs a lovely blog chock-full of eco-friendly ideas for families. This post on replacing water and chemical dependent lawns with hardy native plants is an inspiration.

Happy weekend friends.

It's (Wednesday), I'm In Love

I don't care if Monday's blue


Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too


Thursday I don't care about you


It's Friday, I'm in love.




Why all the excitement? After a couple of bad nights - the sort-of sick kid is still sort of sick - and work-filled days I had planned to spend this afternoon doing nothing more taxing than sipping lemonade and cat-napping beneath the shade of my new gazebo. But a six-carton delivery from Morrocco is hard to ignore. The long awaited Zid Zid order finally arrived - I placed it back in February or March - but I'm happy to report it was most definitely worth the wait. Julie & Moulay are the husband and wife team behind the company. They live near Marrakech with their two kids, happily designing the most exuberant, lovingly crafted and original things I've seen in a long time. I hope to have all of the wonderful new things in the shop early next week.

I brake for Henrys

No matter where we are or what we're doing - running late to a party, say, or somewhere off the beaten path looking for a mythical ice-cream shop - if I see a Henry sign it means a Fred-and-Barney-both-feet-braking-middle-of-the-road-honkers-be-damned full stop. So I can take a picture. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this collection of oddly-angled photographs, but I think I'd like to frame them as a grouping when we do the big boy room makeover next year.

It's a busy week, suddenly. I know this because A) this was day two of no make-up and a bad ponytail and B) when I returned from Ikea I discovered my shirt was inside out. A convergence of writing deadlines, new projects, fall buying (already!) and, oh yes, a party for 50 friends in 10 days is keeping me hopping. But never so busy that I can't brake for a Henry.

Stay tuned for a shop update and a summer sale preview for email subscribers.

HA PPY FATHERDAY

Slipping Into the Weekend

A sort-of sick kid. Dashed plans. But time enough to make this tote for a beach-loving little friend who is turning four tomorrow. Off for an ice-cream. Kid maybe not so sick. Happy weekend.

If I Had A Million Dollars

Those who visit this blog often know that I've had my fair share of newspaper ink this past year or two. I'm so very grateful for the publicity; as a small business with no marketing budget the exposure that comes from being in a national paper means a lot. My inbox is usually full for the next couple of days with excited messages from friends (and cherished customers - thank you!), a few more sales than usual, and a bunch of emails from women starting their own businesses and looking for some advice. It's flattering and I help where I can, but frankly I'm kind of making this up as I go along. I could use a mentor myself.

Unfortunately there isn't much in the way of support for micro-businesses in Canada -particularly when it comes to financing. Most of the entrepreneurs I profiled in the Chatelaine article last month got started the same way: personal credit. But, as I'm learning, it's not ideal. It's slow. It's messy. It can be stressful. It seems to me there is an opportunity here for a bank or venture capital group or benevolent hedge fund manager to work with us small timers.

Which brings me to Kiva. It's a really cool non-profit that matches microloans with aspiring entrepreneurs in developing countries. It could be a business loan to help the owner of a fruit stall in a market in Azerbaijan or a jewelry maker in Mexico grow their business. You can pledge as little as $25 and loans are paid back over a year or two. It's so good that uncomplicated, bootstrap financing exists for people who really need the help and it feels good to be a (small) part of someone else's success.

Zen and the Art of Bundt Cake

zen and the art of bundt cake, originally uploaded by why not an egg.

On a day when there was much to do (a writing deadline, things to paint, things to pack) I baked a cake instead. The bundt pan from a few weeks ago had taken up residence on the kitchen counter and was flagranting violating the one thing in/one out rule. Something had to be done so I thought I'd test drive the bundt pan and make a lemon poke cake for the new neighbours. I imagined it would turn out looking something like this.

It is a big pan. I waited hours (the Zen part) for it to cool off so I could flip it onto a cake stand for the big reveal before dusting it with icing sugar and basking in the glow of another very satisfying procrastination. Something went wrong, but I really couldn't say what. I greased and floured the pan but the cake was good and stuck, and no amount of gentle coaxing, tapping or shaking could shift it. Defeat. In the end I had to tear fistfuls of moist, lemony sponge with my bare hands. There was quite a pile of cake.

Being too cheap thrifty to throw it all out, I tossed pieces into little bowls with some beautiful fresh berries and creme fraiche. It was so good.

"If I ever write a book, this will be the cover"

If I ever write a book, this will be the cover., originally uploaded by My Dragonfly.

That really says it all, wouldn't you say?

Maybe it's because finally (finally!) Stella is able to fall asleep without one of us in the bed beside her for two hours- it is, after all, so much easier to enjoy your kids when you're not resenting them - that I'm able to see the humour in the chaos these days. Or maybe it's the approach of Father's Day and I'm feeling so very grateful that I have a really good guy to laugh with. I suspect there are few fellas around who would step out of bed, land on a mixmaster and not ask any questions (it's Henry's favourite toy). Or one who stays up late mixing CDs for his daughter so she'll grow up singing Hit The Road Jack, That's Amore and Charlie Brown instead of Raffi (OK, that one might be more self-serving).

I love the article "How to Be a Good Father" in this month's Esquire. I prefer men's magazines to women's: they're funnier, better written and much more honest. Anyway, go buy the June issue, flip to page 98 and read Tom Chiarella. It'll make you love your kids and your fella just a little bit more.

a girl after my own heart

One of my dearest friends and I have what her husband affectionately calls a "purse-off." It's more of a mutual admiration than a competition (though I have cast a covetous eye at a few of her acquisitions, I'll admit) and she's given me some dandy specimens over the years as birthday gifts. It is, perhaps, a little hard to understand if handbags aren't your thing. Or if you're a long-suffering husband whose closet space is encroached upon by a collection that flaunts the household rule of one new thing in, one old thing out. But I digress.

But a three-year old with a purse fixation, I simply must get to know better. Thank you Holly for sharing. It is pure sweetness. Please send in the party photos!

let there be light

thrifted lamp, fabric shade, originally uploaded by SouleMama.

It was encouraging to discover I was not the only one taping fabric to a dilapidated lampshade at midnight last week. I love that phone.

Show + Tell

As much as I enjoy sharing glimpses of my world, I like even more getting a peek into yours. This creative and wonderful party invitation was sent in by the lovely Rita (a devoted Honeybunch customer) who is hosting a gaggle of kids next weekend to celebrate Elisa's 5th birthday. The lettering is hand-stamped and I love the Admit One ticket - so on theme and so cute. Wouldn't you be delighted to be invited? And that, friends, is what it's all about: little details like a thoughtful invitation that make you go ahhhh. Thank you for sharing Rita!

the globe article

An excited phone call from my husband alerted me to the Globe & Mail article, which is in today's paper. How fun! Dashing off to grab a copy...

Word of the Day: Furochic

My lovely friend Jenn over at Jenny Wren Paperie is the clever gal who came up with the idea of fabric gift wrap. Isn't it gorgeous? There's a newsletter offer going out this morning, if you're not a subscriber but would like in on the deal pop me an email or, better yet, sign up! Here.

ifonlyitreallylookedlikethis.jpg

There's nothing quite like running in to answer the phone at 8:00 p.m., feet muddy from watering basil and tomatoes, to learn it's the Globe and Mail on the other end and, if it's not too much trouble, could they come tomorrow morning to take a few photos of the kids' rooms? No trouble at all I say. And now it's all over, pardon me while I collapse.

pretty things

A fifty cent teacup and $1 compote, finds from Saturday's garage sale-ing, put to good use.

The arrival of the peonies makes me happy. They live in an awkward spot - in the shadow of a big blue spruce, tucked around the side of the house where only squirrels and hide-and-seekers venture - so I feel no remorse about cutting them by the armful and bringing them inside where I can admire them all day long.

mother-daughter outfits and other crimes of fashion

Summer in Toronto is a funny thing. Its arrival is usually so tentative. A two-steps forward, one-step back and perhaps a side shuffle. Sort of a meteorological bait-and-switch. But for now summer is here and, though others may complain, I could not be happier. Give me humidity. Give me steamy. Give me wispy breezes that swirl over bare legs and arms. And, oh yes, lazy Fridays. You see, just because I'm self-employed does not mean I don't enjoy goofing off a little come the week end. By noon thoughts of our July 1 party had me browsing for cookout recipes. I never expected to find sartorial inspiration in a cookbook but there it was. I've been thinking about making matching skirts for me + Stella all week. This photo from Amy Sedaris' book was the encouragement I needed. Is that a wig?

By 3:30 I had one adorable little twirly skirt (tutorial here) and got started on the mama version, which I intend to finish this evening.[UPDATE: the maxi version is finished - see photos] Though I'm delighted, Stella is thoroughly unimpressed because A) I did not use the Spiderman fabric she requested and B) there are no pockets, so the twirly skirts may never actually be worn in tandem. But I am going to insist on a portrait. I imagine it will look very much like this one.