early in the morning

As promised, some recap pictures of our Christmas morning with Jasper. Here he is playing with his paper yo-yo (a little treat in his stocking from Santa). Almost one week later and it still hasn't got old... well, not to him anyways... I have been watching that paper thing whip back and forth for days now. Second photo is demonstrating some intense concentration with his new wooden toy rocket ship. This week has been a bit of a lazy holiday week for us, so will be back posting more often in the new year. Hope everyone has a great New Years weekend!!! :)

holiday grazing

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas over the weekend! My mind is still in holiday mode... there has been a lot of grazing on treats and leftovers these past couple of days... throw in a lot of social eating too, and I am quite surprised my pants aren't tight... yet. Here are some treats we made over the weekend -chocolate covered cake balls and Snoopy holiday cookies. Mmmmm... sugar.....

happy holidays!

Wishing everyone a very happy holiday weekend! I am super excited about seeing little Jasper open his gifts... although, I'm sure he will probably be more interested in the ripped paper and boxes than the actual contents. Off to finish some last minute holiday baking and gift wrapping now... oh where does the time go! Merry Christmas! ;)

if the shoe fits

Yes, I have a huuuuge thing for shoes... oh and boots too. I saw these cute boots last year in a store and had been regretting not getting them all year long... so when I saw them again recently, there was no hesitation. Anyways, I thought I would share my cute and comfy finds. :)

my gingerbread men

My hubby Roger brought home two cute little gingerbread cookies made by his co-worker the other day... how cute are these? They are of Roger and little Jasper. And if you are wondering, no, I am not married to a pirate... long story short... there was a bit of a play date mishap when one of Jasper's toys made it into Roger's eye. Good news is that his eye is all fine now, and the eye patch is now only on the cookie.

pine fresh

The house is smelling pine fresh... or should I say, fir fresh? We went and got our Christmas tree this week... a little 6' noble fir. And as you can see we have thrown on every decoration we inherited from our parents and grandparents on to this thing... my anti-Martha tree, as I like to refer to it. I think the 70's tinsel garlands are my favourite touch.

far away snow day

There is no snow here in Vancouver yet, but I thought I would share a snow day photo we had a few weeks ago up in our friend's cabin, near 100 Mile House (about 500km north of Vancouver). This was Jasper's first time playing in snow... which consisted mostly of walking tentatively from point A to point B, and a few bum drops here and there.

get your toque* on

It is finally here... my last holiday show! Okay, so if you missed the last two, here is another chance to swing by and do a little crafty holiday shopping. Opening tonight from 6-10pm, as well as tomorrow from 11-4pm, this show will feature over 20 vendors. Click here for more info on the event! Hope to see you there!
*for those of you who don't know what's a Toque (pronounced "took"), it is a knitted hat/cap you wear in the winter... very popular up here in Canada. I think Americans call this a "Beanie"... but using that word up here would result in a lot of blank stares.

book worm

Recently, my hubby Roger and I went back to his mother's house to dig out some of his old childhood books. I kind of assumed there were going to be maybe just a few, but lo and behold, Roger dug out over three dozen titles. Most of them date from the 70s... and quite a few of them, I'm sure never have been rereleased. Looks like little Jasper has a good start to his library... and we'll be very busy with story time for the next little while!

stringing along

A little follow up today on the ornaments I made for my holiday shows (two shows down, one more to go). I decided to use some bakers twine (that I love, love, love) to string them one by one. Oh if I had the funds, I would get the whole set of Divine Twine... their colors are fantastic! So back to reality and practicality, I settled on the color Oyster. Now if I can just think of a craft project that warrants using miles and miles of twine... maybe I can get one or two more colors...

this weekend - got craft?

Another holiday show is just around the corner... this coming Sunday to be exact! Come and visit me and over 50 other handmade designers... there will be fresh food, a DJ, A DIY table and a chance to nab a coveted swag bag if you are one of the first 45 people through the door. And seriously, these things are in demand... I have seen the line up out the door when I have got there at 8:30AM to set up! Hope to see you there!

Details

Sunday, December 4th

10am - 5pm

Royal Canadian Legion

2205 Commercial Drive 

(@ East 6th Ave)

Vancouver

Admission $3 (kids under 10 free)

www.gotcraft.com/vancouver

sew happy

My sewing machine usually doesn't see much action unless I am hemming pants... but alas, I am running low on kraft notebooks for the upcoming holiday shows, so time to fire it up again! A bit of a twist to the book design this time... a zig-zag stitch. Being the sewing amateur that I am, things like zig-zag stitches are very exciting. And after some trial and error, I think the zig-zagging looks really cute on these notebooks. Yes, I get excited over the lamest crafty things...

i made it!

Finally getting a chance to post today... I am recovering from the fabulous four days at the Make It! holiday show. Thanks to everyone who came by to visit our booth and thanks to everyone who made a little purchase as well! Here is a pic of some of my wares... as you can see the table was a bit on the overflow side. Thankfully, I came home with less inventory... hooray! One show down, two more to go... will post the announcements for them soon!

first show of the season!

It's finally here... my first holiday show of the season! If you happen to be in Vancouver, swing on by to check out Make It! at the Croatian Cultural Centre... there will be over 100 vendors, as well as live music and a bar. Yes, you read right... a bar. Nothing like sipping a little vino whilst shopping for crafty wares.

Here are the details... hope to see you there!
(I'll be in booth 18 as part of the Hob Snobs Craft Collective)
Thursday, November 24: 4pm to 9pm

Friday, November 25: 11am to 9pm

Saturday, November 26: 11am to 6pm

Sunday, November 27: 11am to 5pm

The Croatian Cultural Centre

3250 Commercial DrivePay once, Shop 4 days! $5 at the door 

click here for $2 off!

Kids 12 & under are free

winter birch

Now that winter is just around the corner, I figured it would be a good time to introduce a new cork coaster design just in time for the holidays. Here it is... winter birch! Perfect for a nice warm cup of tea, cocoa or glass of red wine. Hmmm... can you tell I am in need of a cozy drink by the fire today... it is so cold out!

holiday peek

A little sneak peek at some ornaments I am making for my upcoming holiday shows. I decided to use a lot of the vintage book images I had been amassing and combining them with these cute little wooden pieces. Just finished drilling all the little holes... so now they just need a little string for the final touch. Will post the completed photos soon!

One of my favourite things about the autumn are the leaves changing colour all around our neighbourhood... although sometimes they can tend to be on the soggier side here in rainy Vancouver. Makes for a pretty snapshot, nevertheless. Happy Monday!

nice package

Recently, I decided to change up a lot of the packaging design of my products, with the main goal of having consistent branding for all my crafty wares. I found the set-up at my craft sales was beginning to look a bit mish-mashy... with all my labels and packaging all over the map, so I am hoping this will help a bit. Here is a sneak peek at one of the new labels (this one for my wooden gift tag sets). Hooray for label paper... makes it all so much easier! Now on to incorporating this design onto the other things...

cute and mushy

Encountered these on one of our little autumn walks the other day. They looked so perfect, I thought they were fake... yes, yes... that is my urban naiveness showing. (In all fairness, they were near a house that was elaborately decorated for Halloween, so, um yah, that's why I assumed they weren't real). As I walked away, I couldn't help thinking of the Smurfs... falalalalalala...

a night of treats

As promised, a pic of Jasper trick-or-treating in his costume. This year, he was Godzilla. I bought the dinosaur costume from a store, but then added the angry eyebrows, as well as the burning buildings and cars around the legs. Thankfully, he didn't try to pull off all the flames and skyscrapers I sewed near his knees and his behind. All in all, it went well... went to a little over a dozen houses until one lady dressed as a witch who answered one of the doors freaked him out a bit. Overall though, he was pretty brave for a 17 month old.

happy halloween!

Happy Monday and Happy Halloween! Here is a little snapshot of our little pumpkin family! I am crossing my fingers that tonight will be nice and rain-free... we'll be taking little Jasper out trick-or-treating, and there is nothing worse than a soggy costume. Will take pictures and share soon! 

home sweet home

Now that the colder (and often times wetter) weather is here, I am finding that we are spending a lot more cosy days indoors. With that as an inspiration, I thought I would create a colorful illustration for our little abode. Check out the new Home Sweet Home 8.5 x 11 print here in my Tiny Cub etsy shop.

pumpkin patch kid

A few pumpkin picking pictures to share today... and yes, I had to dress Jasper accordingly for the occasion. I have been waiting for the day that his noggin could fit this hat I got him last year, and that day finally came... it was perfect for his first wheelbarrow ride on the pumpkin farm. I swear he is smizing in the last photo... or maybe that is just me watching too much Top Model.

this takes the cake

As soon as I took a bite of this the other night at L'Abattoir, I knew I had to blog about it... it was sooooooo good! Excuse the photo, I had to use my phone and it was very dim mood lighting in the restaurant... so this was the best I could do with no flash. Ok, ok... so what is this best dessert ever? Apple and olive oil cake with honey ginger ice cream and green apple granita. I literally had to refrain myself from licking the plate afterwards (I shake my fist at you "social etiquette" and "manners").

new calendar is here!

Hooray, hooray! So it is finally here... the Cabin + Cub 2012 Desk Calendar is being unveiled today! For the upcoming year, I thought I would shake things up a little bit and make the calendar quite a bit taller in size... which means larger images to enjoy each month (which, in turn, means more cuteness for your desk, and yes, perhaps more envy from your fellow co-workes coveting said calendar... heehee). And no fret, the calendar still comes with a cute little wooden easel stand. Check out the calendar in my etsy shop here.

turkey coma

A little late in posting today, since it is the Thanksgiving holiday here in Canada.... well, that and I am suffering from a major case of turkey coma and slept in a bit. We had the family over for a big feast yesterday, so it was a long day of chopping, basting, mashing, baking and eating, of course. I will probably recover from this coma by tonight, when we'll be chipping away at the mountain of leftovers. Happy Thanksgiving!

tarts and celebrities

A tasty treat the other night to celebrate the 'ol birthday... nothing like a cute lemon tart topped with a little chocolate ladybug. While on the topic of birthdays, I thought I would do a google search to see what famous celebrities I share my b-day with (yes, I am procrastinating a bit right now). Here are 10 (in random order):

1. Ashlee Simpson (hmmm, not off to a good start here)

2. Seann William Scott (aka Stifler from American Pie... dude!)

3. Neve Campbell (from Party of 5... I never really got into this show, who's next...)

4. Kevin Richardson (aka, the guy with the eyebrows from Backstreet Boys)

5. Gwen Stefani (ok, my list is improving...)

6. Clive Owen (...getting better...)

7. Tommy Lee (hmmm... darn, my list is sliding again)

8. Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac is a bit before my time, but my mom liked them)

9. Roy Horn (aka Roy of Siegfried & Roy, aka the one that was attacked by the tiger... eek!)

10. Chubby Checker (had to end with this one to give the list a nice "twist")

my little pumpkin

We went to the local farm on the weekend to pick up some fresh local veggies and were pleasantly reminded that pumpkin season has started! I refrained from getting one this early, since there is nothing grosser than possible rotting gourds sitting on our balcony, not to mention the added task of having to keep it away from one very curious toddler. So it was decided that pumpkin picking will have to wait a couple more weeks in this household. Jasper did get to have a practice run though... the whole time we were there, he insisted on trying to sit on every single one... perhaps he was playing musical pumpkins in his head.

calendar girl

I have been working on the new 2012 desk calendar, and thought I would show-and-tell some related news. My 2010 desk calendar was featured in the book Creative Calendar Collection by Basheer Graphic Books... the book just arrived on my door step a few weeks ago. Hooray for unexpected happy mail deliveries! It's arrival, though, reminded me that I have to hustle it up and finish up the new one for 2012... eek! Stay tuned for its reveal next week... I have revamped the format a bit, so it will be even better!

treat bag

I have always wanted to get a laptop bag from my friend Sasha's Etsy shop Track and Field, but never had the laptop to put it in. Well, hooray for me... I finally got one (yes, the laptop AND the cute little bag too). I had to get the matryoshka patterned one... it makes me smile every time I open it... and the smile keeps going once I start typing and working on my new silver friend too! It's like a back-to-school gift for myself... uh, despite the fact of being out of school for some years now... heehee.

chocolate sweet, less the wheat

I am totally not a baker... love to cook, but still haven't really gotten into the baking. So when my sister's birthday dinner came up, and a wheat free desert option was a must, I volunteered to make the cake?! My memory of a store bought wheat free cake at a work function years ago left me with memories of a dry and inedible cake that everyone politely moved around their plates or smuggled into their napkins, so I figured I would spare my sis the same culinary torture. Anyhoo, rather than start from scratch (since, yes, it has already been established, I don't really bake), I thought I would try a store bought wheat-free cake mix.... and lo and behold, it was really good! And yes, please don't make fun of my amateur cake decor... that unfortunately, I had to do from scratch!

underwater adventure

So have you ever had one of those weeks where work deadlines seem to not just trickle in, but pour in all at the same time? Yes, that was my past three weeks, actually, hence the lack of blog updating... very bad, I know. But now things are a bit calmer, so I am back to posting again! Ok, enough blah, blah, blah about work.... some cute pics to share today of our recent trip to the Vancouver Aquarium. Jasper loooooooved it.... although I am pretty sure he would have been happy as a clam (sorry, I had to go there) sitting in front of just one tank for the whole time.

dining in shangri-la

Warning - looking at these food pics may cause you to lick your computer screen or drool in hunger! Yesterday, I was treated by the hubby for an awesome lunch at Market at the the Shangri-La Hotel (the tallest building in Vancouver, FYI)... and it was oooooh soooo gooood. A little salmon sashimi with tomato and basil dressing to start, a brie topped truffle burger (sorry, my pic of it didn't turn out), and a summer berry sangria sorbet to finish.... oh yes, and all accompanied with an apricot mint mojito (hey it was our wedding anniversary weekend, so a little indulgence was called for). I am getting hungry just looking at these pics again and reminiscing after only one day... sigh.

ferry go round

Over the weekend, we ventured on the ferry over to Mayne Island for a friend's wedding (congrats Heather and Stefan!). I love taking the ferry on a sunny summer day... there is something very serene about the open air and calm waters. Even though it was only a 2 hour ride, for a few brief moments it felt like we were on a mini cruise (well, minus the buffets, entertainment, spas and shuffle board). Hmmm... I think the warm sea air really got to my head there.

mmmmmmm.... mmmufffins

Oh, so many great recipe ideas everyone has posted! Thanks! So, as you can see from the pictures, I decided to make classic blueberry muffins.... hmmm and it seemed to have not made much of a dent to the blueberry stockpile we picked on the weekend (I even put in more than the recipe called for). I think, I will have to make something else.... don't worry, this won't be turning into a blueberry cooking blog anytime soon.

true blue

Got back to some childhood roots this weekend and went blueberry picking. Although I must admit, as a child my harvesting wasn't very efficient (there was more eating going on than actual picking). Now that I have to crouch down to get to the berries, believe me, the harvesting went by a whole lot faster. Now I just have to figure out what to make with all these blue goodies... ideas?