Pyrex Love.

I've officially jumped on the Pyrex bandwagon. I love Pyrex! My mom has always had a few pieces of Pyrex in her kitchen, and while I have fond memories of cooking and baking in them, and I loved the weight and feel of those mixing bowls, I didn't think they were all that special. Last summer while at an Antique Market I came across these little pink Pyrex dishes that I immediately fell inlove with.

I later learned that the pattern name for these is Pink Gooseberry. I hadn't realized all the great patterns these dishes come in. I just wanted more and more, and it did not help that one of my favourite flickr members is an avid Pyrex collector with an amazing collection.

While I wanted more pieces, I didn't come across any more until late into the fall when I found these at a Church Bazaar.

Town & Country and Snowflakes! Perfect for holiday dishes.

Again, I didn't find anything else until today (unless you count the little plate I found thrifting) when I visited the Antique Market where I got the Pink Gooseberry dishes.

I went a little crazy, but how could I not with these great colours and patterns? The Butterprint Turquoise is a favourite pattern of mine, and the Pink Daisy..well, it's pink!

I cannot wait to mix and create in these bowls. I assembled this set from different booths around the Market, but the smallest bowl was nowhere to be found.

A sweet mixing bowl in the same Butterprint pattern.

And a refrigerator dish sans lid. I couldn't pass it up, I just love the rooster print. It looks like I'm trying to assemble a Butterprint collection! There were several pieces I passed up though, like the large butterprint casserole dish and the Shenandoah Cinderella bowls (that one I'm regretting, but the price was a little high). I couldn't buy everything, even if I wish I could have.

I almost passed on this one because I wasn't sure if I could scrub it clean, but I'm glad I didn't. It's such a cute piece and it suits me well.

I'm going to have to find more room to store these things if I allow my little collection to grow. Yes, I love Pyrex!

Spring!

Spring is starting to pop up all around me. It's a welcome change from the cold winter months. There are things I enjoy about winter, but it's nice to see more colour and warmth in the world around me. I am sure I'm speaking a bit too soon as I have a feeling this warm weather is just a sneak peek of what is to come. Still, it makes me look forward to planting, going on picnics, riding bikes, going on long drives up north, and everything that comes with the Spring for me.

Early today I snapped a few pictures of what is going on around me.

It's easy to see all the green, but there are hints of other colours peeking out too. This vibrant pink/red of our rhubarb plant was a welcome sight.

I love the way the leaves of thsee plants curl and twist.

And these tiny pink tips.

Lola sure enjoyed a romp in the backyard on this Spring afternoon!

Finding Treasures.

Sometimes it can be nice to spend the afternoon searching through a thrift shop with a good friend, finding those treasures that would fit right into your home.

A pink bowl and a lone Pyrex plate, both in pristine condition. They will be put to good use here.

Ceramic canisters with an owl motif. The colours and tree branches remind me of fall even though the scene is more likely to represent spring, with flowers on the ground and buds on the trees. These are a little worse for wear, the pattern being scratched in a few places, but still have a lot of life left in them.

What special treasures have you discovered lately?

Make Music.

Another way I enjoy creating and keeping my hands busy - music. I strum a guitar, I pluck a bass, I hit a drum (though pots and pans work just as well and can be so much fun!), and I sing out with a voice I don't dare subject others too! I have very little training, but I fill the house with notes and tunes that sound pleasing to my ear. Sometimes I invite a friend or two and we play together.

In the summer we travel up to a cottage, sit out on the dock, on the roof, or by a campfire, and play to our surroundings. This is one of my favourite memories. This is what I look forward to this summer.




Expert or beginner, music is a wonderful thing to make!

A Special Dinner for Two.

A home cooked meal for our special day. Steak for him (I don't eat meat), my special roast potatoes, green beans, warm bread, and chocolate dipped strawberries for dessert. A specially set table with candles and rose petals. It couldn't have turned out better, inspite of the kitty who knocked over the vase of flowers minutes before he was to arrive, and the chocolate that refused to melt. I had a lot of fun putting it together.

My gift to him - a photobook of all our past trips together. 2004-2008. I had it made on Photoworks and am so happy with the result. I went with Photoworks because it gave me a lot of freedom with layouts. There were several to choose from and I could mix and match as I pleased. It was so hard to pick which photos would make it into the book, there are thousands to choose from, but the ones that made it in ended up being the ones with the most memories. A good mix of sights and laughs.

His gift to me - a choice of one of three trips this coming June. Amazing! I'm not sure how I'll choose!

It was a wonderful anniversary. The time we spent together was so special.

Four Years.

Four years ago today, with sweaty palms, a racing heart, and butterflies the size of boulders in the pit of my stomach, I waited for him - my best friend, my confidant, my partner. How could I have known that four years later I would be with this amazing man? This man who makes me smile, who comforts and supports me, who makes me laugh, who listens to my secrets while my head lays on his lap as he strokes my hair, who reaches for my hand at all the right times, who shares so much of himself with me, and who loves me. He amazes me every day. We have experienced so much together, physical and otherwise, things I had never even imagined, and have come out stronger for it. Four years seems like a lot right now, but I look forward to a time many years from now when it seems like nothing at all. I love him so much.


Since this is a craft related blog, I should also mention how great he is for putting up with all of my crafting endeavours, offering feedback and critique when he can, and ignoring the fact that my projects sometimes seem to explode everywhere. He really is some kind of wonderful.

A Cat in a Basket.

This basket used to hold our newspapers awaiting recycling. Now it holds our dear sweet Snowie. I don't think there is a basket in this house she hasn't tried to fit herself into, no matter how small. There is just something about cats and baskets.

And sometimes a little dog, who is in great need of a haircut, keeps her company.

I love it.

Something for Them and Something for Me.

I have been crafting a lot for Rory and Lenore, the chinchillas, lately. Those little girls create a lot of waste due to the amount of bedding they need. We use Carefresh bedding, which is made from recycled paper and can be composted, but I wanted to create something reusable and less costly. $25 for 50 litres is a lot, especially when we go through the entire 50 litres in one month. The issue with a reusable cage liner is that chinchillas like to chew everything and most fabric frays. Little threads can be dangerous for chewers! The solution - polar fleece. It does not fray, and most chinchillas do not bother trying to chew it.

I'm not sure if this switch is actually better for the environment even though we are no longer going through heaps of bedding. Polar fleece is made from plastic and it does require washing. Although, we do a load of pet laundry each week (blankets, pet beds, and chinchilla hammocks), so adding a few cage liners to the mix does not create an extra load. Four two by three foot fleece liners that can be used for a long period of time creates much less waste and less mess than bedding, and it saves a lot of money, so I do feel it is a better choice for us right now. It's also much cuter!

I don't have a photograph of the liners, but I do have one of the new fleece tube I made for Rory and Lenore. Of course there's a liner to match, and there will be a matching hammock once my sewing machine is back from the shop.

A soft and cozy gift for my girls.

For a craft of a different nature, I had a lot of left over scrapbooking paper in my favourite pattern, Urban Prairie by BasicGrey, which I used to embellish my mini-drawers. I have been trying to find the perfect project for it, when I came across these Paper Globe Ornaments by Heather Bailey. So sweet, and just the thing!

A perfect little something for me. I am planning to hang this up somewhere, perhaps in a window. I still haven't found the perfect place.