Item of the day: Interstice Bracelet

I love this funky bracelet by nervoussystem. Be sure to check out the other cool science-inspired jewelry in store!

Friday Five

It's getting hard to remember everything I did each week - the days seem to just melt together. Yet again, I can hardly believe it's already Friday ... but I'm so ready for the weekend!

1. Monday I was super productive in the kitchen. I made blueberry-raspberry-banana muffins (following this recipe by bakerella) first thing in the morning. I brought some to work - they were gone within seconds. That evening, I made oatmeal-coconut-almond-chocolate chip muffins (modifying the exact same recipe, using sour cream in place of the banana). Again, these were all gone in the blink of an eye. Even Pat, who turns his nose up at banana bread & anything coconut, loved both of these. Success!
2. I've been working hard on my custom orders. Here's a peek at the circles I've cut for the 6 paper globes I'm making for a birthday party: I also listed iWunder's lanyard & the matching necklace:
3. I've finally gathered all the supplies for Dorana's custom wedding guestbook - I had an appointment at Quill's to pick up bookboard yesterday. I'm really excited to get started! Here's a look at the 2nd & 3rd coptic-bound notebooks I've made as practice. The 2nd one turned out so-so - I wasn't as careful with the binding as I should have been. It's a bit loose. But I love the papers I chose for the signatures: a fun pattern for the outside of each signature with white pages inside. The corners turned out just right too. The last book I made is perfect. I'm so happy with it! I was super careful with the sewing & finally got the edges to look just right. I love the deckled pages (in blue, yellow, green & cream).And I love my new pinking shears! I can't wait to get started on the real deal tonight!
4. I had my allergy skin test at work (to see if I'm normal & can participate in my supervisor's on-going clinical trials). I didn't react to any of the allergens (grass, ragweed, trees, cats, etc) ... but I also didn't react to the positive control, histamine, which everyone is supposed to react to. Ummm... ok. The clinical coordinator who gave me the test was shocked. The only thing we could think of was that the Gravol I got shot in the leg with on the long weekend (more on that here if you missed it) was still kicking around & acting as an anti-histamine (there's some in there). So.... I'll get the test again next week & we'll see!
5. I listed these gorgeous brass earrings - perfect for a summer wedding!

Item of the day: Bayong Woody

I love the surprise of the silver beads against the organic wooden ones in this necklace by lejonklou.

Item of the day: Hippie Chic

I always love to feature fellow Canadians, so when I saw these fun crocheted necklaces by indiejewelrydesigns, I had to show you. I love super long necklaces you can wrap around your neck or wrist a couple times if the mood strikes.

Wordless Wednesday

Item of the day: Passport Cozzee

Our passports came in the mail yesterday (one week! How's that for service?), so of course I'll have to make a cozy for mine. I really like the fabric on this one by RogueTheory.

Open Doors Toronto

On Saturday, Pat & I went to Toronto with some friends to take in Open Doors Toronto. I've been to the Open Doors in Hamilton before, but this was the first time I took advantage of Toronto's close proximity to us. The capital city is only an hour's drive away, there's no reason for us not to explore more often!

Our first stop was the horse palace at the Exhibition Place. There was a sequence of shows being put on (we saw the Governor General's royal guard & some carriage riding) & we got to meet some of the horse up close & personal in their stalls. This one was my favourite:

There were a couple of extremely large horses in the 2 stalls near the rear - I mean, horses are big - but these 2 were HUGE!

Next we went to the waterfront to see the Trillium - a 100-year-old, steam paddle ship.

It was pretty cool & the breeze off the water was nice. We even saw a few swans:

After some lunch, we went to our 3rd stop - my favourite. The Coach House Press.

Of course I was so mesmerized I didn't get any pictures. But I did get to take some things home with me, so I'll show you that. The printing press was in this incredible, tiny old shop. The vintage machines were awesome - a linopress, a neat folding machine, an enormous cutter. Upstairs, the books they print were for sale - I snatched up a blank red notebook that I had watched them make during the tour.

After that, we tried to go to a ceramics museum & an arts & letters club ... but both places were only open the Sunday of Open Doors. Boooooooo! But by that time we were pretty tired, so we decided to just head home. All in all, a great day! I'll definitely drag Pat back next year!

Item of the day: Deauville Ruffled Tunic

I love the simple elegance of this tunic by tortillagirl. The pretty ruffles & loose shape are perfect for everyday!