showtime synergy

Ok, so these don't actually twinkle. And yes, that was a very 80's reference there in the post title (from the very awesome yet cheesy cartoon Jem, if you didn't get the reference). But just thought these little cuties needed a title with some flair. These are my new laser cut bamboo star earrings... ta-da! Now here in my Etsy shop. Now if I can just get them to summon holographic imagery on demand like in that cartoon.....

kitchen stadium

“Oh yummy”, you are thinking, “... who made all this food, it looks so scrumptious?” Eh-hem, eh -hem.... oh, yes all the food you see in the shots was made by Roger and I during our 4 hour hands-on cooking class for couples at the Dirty Apron Cooking School.

On the menu:
· goat cheese apricot cake with grilled pear and prosciutto salad
· whole roasted cornish game hen with grainy mustard sauce accompanied with truffle & thyme risotto
· a trio of desserts (a Grand Marnier creme brûlée, a chocolate soufflé, and chocolate dipped strawberries

Not too shabby for two foodies/amateur chefs who watch the food network religiously. We were initially a bit nervous coming to the class (I kept having visions of Gordon Ramsay yelling at me while stirring bad risotto - don't get too excited, he wasn't actually at the class), but alas, all turned out well... the soufflé did not drop, the risotto delectable... and Roger and I did not have any marital spats during the entire course... hooray! Cooking course success!

pin display

I love doing craft fairs, and every year I try and find a new way to display items on the table, so that my table doesn’t look all jumbled and crowded. So how to display my little bamboo tie pins? Ta-da!... a wooden display box... aka, a fake typesetter drawer. I found these little wooden shadow boxes with compartments at the local dollar store and thought I would make a fake typesetter drawer (since odds of finding one at a vintage shop were low). The big box is made of 4 smaller boxes glued side by side. The empty squares are filled with batting and cut-to-size pieces of felt placed on top. Hooray for dollar store finds!

what a zoo

“What did you see on your trip to the zoo, Jasper?” asked grandma. Jasper's response: “Giraffes... and a monkey with a purple bum.”

On our latest trip to Portland, we ventured to the Oregon Zoo. So fun! Highlights for us included the lions, tigers, giraffes, orangutan (it was huuuuge!!!), sun bear and baby elephant... oh yes and of course the monkey with the purple bum (sorry for the lack of picture, you will just need to imagine). It was really cold that day, but I think we all enjoyed the animal adventures. :)

PDX breakfast and coffee

It's already been a week since our trip to Oregon, and I am missing it already. Some more pics to share with you today. The top one is one of my faves... Jasper patiently waiting for breakfast at the Doug Fir Lounge.   And of course you can't travel to Portland without having some amazing coffee stops... the bottom two are from Coava Coffee. As you can tell by the empty cup, it was really yummy.

i see the sign

I am such a sucker for old signage... maybe because old signs are harder to find here in Vancouver (hmmm... or maybe I am watching too much American Pickers on TV). I find myself snapping way too many pics of old signs (and street art) when we travel. We were in lovely Portland (one of my favourite cities!) this past long weekend, and that has ended up being the majority of our travel photos. Now if I can just find a cool old sign that would fit in our condo...

big bird

Whenever I see an oversized sculpture, I always feel compelled to take a picture. I guess a lot of people do, which would explain why many tourist attractions include a “World's Largest _______ (insert object here)”. Well, I'm sure this isn't the world's largest bird sculpture, but I had to snap the pic nonetheless. To give a sense of scale, you can see little Jasper standing near it's feet. Chirp chirp!

chocolate craving

A bit of a coffee break at Revolver over the weekend... oh yes, with the accompaniment of a chocolate croissant.  So yes, that did hit the craving spot... although the longer I stare at this picture, I am wishing I bought a few more to take home.