camp and quarry a.k.a. sadie designs, vancouver

february photos

2012-02-09T18:43:00.000-08:00

My first week of participating in the february photo a day challenge (#febphotoaday). I think this is the first winter that I've really noticed how limited our daylight hours are here in Canada (even in the south of Canada). So many of my pictures suffer from poor lighting right now, though the mornings are much brighter. When I have some daylight this weekend I plan to spend lots of time with my camera. I have organic cotton scarves to photograph, new jewelry to share, and a plant conservatory that I really want to visit for a photoshoot. Always so many plans, so little time. I hope you enjoy these first seven photos from the photo challenge. They were all taken with my iPhone 4S. Mostly on the way to work. Onwards! Friday!

update

2012-02-05T11:16:00.000-08:00

Just popping in today to let you know that a shop update is in process. Silk scarves have been listed here and here. Cotton scarves will be there soon. I have a busy day of photographing and editing ahead of me. Thanks for all of your comments about the scarves I've posted so far here on the blog and on Instagram!

silk scarves

2012-02-04T10:16:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned yesterday I had Friday off and was able to catch up on some projects that have been in the back on my mind for many, many weeks. Dyeing these silk scarves was one of those projects. Both are 29" x 29" silk with a rolled hem. I dyed them in a very concentrated dye to achieve this subtle lavender colour. I could see wearing one of these on a spring day as a light extra layer. I also have some new organic cotton scarves to share (I'm psyched!!!) but they're not quite ready yet. These silk dudes will be in the Camp + Quarry shop soon. Have a great Saturday!

a friday favourite

2012-02-03T11:27:00.000-08:00

I have this amazing, spring-like Friday off today and am going to use it to drop some jewelry off in Gastown and work on some new organic cotton scarves. Lola and I already went on a nice long walk and found some snowdrops and got some much needed Vitamin D and exercise. Today is the perfect day to have off and the perfect day for this song. Enjoy and happy weekend!

february photo a day challenge

2012-02-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

I'm participating in the February photo a day challenge on Instagram and wanted to share my first photo with you here (I'll post the rest, too, in batches...it'll keep me honest and help me stick with this). I took this photo this morning on my way to work with my iPhone 4S. Gone are the sunrises. I'm generally leaving the house in daylight now, which is a positive sign that spring is on its way. This picture is of Canada Place as seen from the Seabus. We live in a beautiful city. Too bad I spend most days at work rather than exploring this amazing place. Looking forward to an impromptu long weekend...today is my Thursday. Yesssssssssssssssssssss...

sticker collection

2012-01-31T09:18:00.000-08:00

These beauties arrived yesterday and I can't wait to put them to work on new Camp + Quarry orders! Along with changing my shop name and the name of this blog, I've been working away at updating my packaging. These are just one part of the new C + Q packaging that is coming together slowly but surely. The one starring Hazel being swung in my arms just might be my favourite of the batch. I'm already looking forward to a sunny weekend day when I can get outside and take some new photos for the next batch of cards and stickers. I ordered these from Moo and am happy with the colours and quality. I've also been busy making lots of new pieces for the shop which I hope to have the time to photograph soon.

In the meantime, if you live in Vancouver you can look for new Camp + Quarry pieces at Dream Apparel in Gastown and on Granville Island soon and if you're lucky enough to live in Copenhagen C + Q pieces will be popping up there, too! Now I must drink more tea and hurry to work. Have a great Tuesday, everyone!

märta mattsson: jewellery artist

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

Märta Mattsson calls her jewelry "objects of astonishment", and when I started to take a closer look at them I began to understand how that was the perfect description. I was first drawn to the work's texture and intricate details. These are the kind of pieces that I wish I could see in real life, to take a closer look at how they've been made and put together and to be able to really appreciate the materials that the artist is using. These lace-like pieces, for example, are actually made of calf skin. Though I've been vegetarian for about eighteen years, I still love materials like leather and even (gasp) fur...not saying that I'm about to go walking around in a mink coat any time soon, but I would like to pet one. And while I'm petting that fur I would think about how it is simultaneously beautiful and disgusting. I think that's what Märta Mattsson is going for with these pieces, but I do think she's (smartly) erring on side of beauty. Which one is your favourite? Have you discovered any new jewelry artists lately?

picture day

2012-01-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

I took this photo yesterday with my iPhone 4S. There is a dog park/dog beach close to my office and I walk there at lunch when it's warm and dry enough. I wanted to share this photo because I think there's something kinda magical being captured here. I'm still thinking about what the narrative might be. I hope you're all having a good week. Have you taken any photos lately? What camera do you like to use?

camp + quarry turns two!

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

I feel lucky that I caught this date before it snuck by me. It's been two years since I opened my Etsy shop, and (how many jump rings opened and closed?) I'm still here to write about it. I want to celebrate this birthday by showing you one of the beautiful cakes my friend and fellow indie business woman, Camilla has made (the same Camilla that made our wedding cake). I really want to celebrate by eating this cake, but that's not gonna happen because Camilla lives in Montreal and this cake is long gone, I'm sure.

So instead I'll take the time to say this: I hope that making things for C+Q continues to make me happy for years to come. I hope Jeff doesn't get sick of taking packages to the post office for me. I hope you'll hang out and see what happens here. And, above all, I hope that we all continue to make things for the sake of making things, because making things makes us happy. I hope that we make many things that are never for sale and I hope that we all receive gifts made especially for us by others.

Let's make 2012 the year of making stuff for the sake of making stuff! Now I have an apple tart to put together! What are you working on these days?

a friday favourite

2012-01-20T09:49:00.000-08:00

Today I just have one thing to share with you. The David Lynch Remix of Zola Jesus's In Your Nature. Enjoy and have a happy weekend, everyone.

P.S. Don't forget that today is the last day to enter the LAX to YVR giveaway. I'll be picking a winner tomorrow!

smashed jewelry

2012-01-17T19:19:00.000-08:00

Today I'm introducing a new regular post that's going to be showing up on the blog this year. I don't have a snappy, blogger-approved name for it, but I can tell you that I'll be searching far and wide to bring you images from brilliant contemporary jewelry designers. This is the stuff that you can't buy on Etsy (no offence, Etsy)...and that's a good thing.

The first jewelry designer that I want to introduce you to is Rory Hooper. I've chosen to share some images from his Smashed Jewelry series. My favourite piece of the ones above is the amethyst ring in the bottom right. I love the way he has flattened all of the metal, leaving the stone and setting intact. These pieces remind me of pressed flowers. I can't help but think that they have all become more beautiful with the filigree details and the various thicknesses of metal being revealed in these renewed (destroyed?) pieces. Now if I could just have one on a chain I'd wear it every day.

Take a look at more of Rory Hooper's work here. Thanks to my friend Emily for helping me discover his work!

a giveaway: lax to yvr

2012-01-16T09:03:00.000-08:00

Today I'm excited to introduce you to LAX to YVR, Alice's fantastic shop and blog. Alice makes beautifully crafted, hand-painted wall decor. A local Vancouver designer, Alice's shop features fun typography pieces and brightly coloured felt garlands. LAX to YVR (the blog) is full of home decorating tips and crafty goodness. If you aren't already a regular reader I'm sure you'll love it. Alice's bright photography and thoughtful posts always pique my interest and it's because of LAX to YVR that I have such beautifully painted walls (Benjamin Moore "Simply White").

Not only do I get to share links to this great shop and blog with you, Alice has also been kind enough to share this brand new design with readers of Camp and Quarry, too. I think it's kind of perfect for the New Year. This giveaway is open until Friday, January 20, 2012 at midnight PST.

To Enter the Giveaway

You must subscribe to the LAX to YVR blog and do any of the following for up to 3 entries (leave one comment per entry):

1. Visit the LAX to YVR shop and leave a comment below mentioning your favourite item(s).
2. Tweet: "I entered a giveaway on the @CAMPandQUARRY blog to win a prize from the @laxtoyvr shop! http://www.campandquarry.com/2012/01/giveaway-yvr-to-lax.html"
3. Subscribe to the Camp + Quarry blog.

The winner will be contacted via e-mail, so be sure to leave your e-mail address along with your comments. This giveaway is open to international entries, too!

the weekend that was

2012-01-15T18:48:00.000-08:00

I've developed this obnoxious tendency to feel really sorry for myself at the end of the weekend (more like the middle of the weekend, if I'm being totally honest) because these precious days off fly by. I get to Sunday night and though I know I've done lots over the weekend, it can feel like my To-Do list has just gotten longer. That's partly because my mind never stops. I'm always dreaming up new projects, being given a piece of amazing fabric or a ball of incredible yarn (thank you! don't stop!), or reading a promising weather forecast that makes me wish I had a weekday morning for a bike ride or coffee with friends. It also feels like my To-Do list just gets longer because I take on a lot. Thus, my resolution to simplify things this year.

This post is about reflection: realizing that I did lots this weekend, that I am rested and as ready as I ever will be for a fresh, full week of full-time work. After nine months at this job I'm starting to get better at enjoying my time off. And after a fun weekend with some weird Pacific Northwest weather, I was inspired to share some photos from the weekend that was...

A walk in the university endowment lands with Lola and Jeff early Saturday morning, snow (that never happens here), Lola looking sharp in her Vermont Flannel Company dog jacket, a grocery shopping trip to Bellingham, Washington (with a stop at Avenue Bread), and lush rainforest greenery still shining through the snow.

What did you get up to this weekend? Be sure to stop by tomorrow to check out a super fun New Year giveaway! (P.S. Lots more pics on Twitter and Instagram.)

friday favourites

2012-01-13T08:20:00.000-08:00

1. european country homes via design is mine

2. another unseen landscape by robsworld

3. the best american nonrequred reading 2011

4. fortress ring by dollybird

I had this themed favourites post all figured out, and then I saw #4...that amazing hand-forged sterling silver Fortress Ring by Dollybird. If you haven't already checked out this shop, you really should. I love the maker's description of this piece: that it was inspired by her memories of always wanting to be the warrior rather than the princess when she was a child. Perfect. The rest of these picks are things that are inspiring me these days. I want my house to somehow include ALL of the interiors in this post on design is mine. Weathered wood, colourful textiles, and all that natural light. I dig it. Good thing my mom is an expert quilter...we're on our way to achieving something like this, someday.

I'm also really intrigued by collaborative photo projects. As in, you shoot a roll of film, send it to a friend, and they shoot over your pictures. You see what happens. #2 is a collaborative photo from robsworld's photostream. Through the camera twice on opposite sides of the ocean.

And #3: I'm reading this right now. It's early going but I read this collection pretty much every year and it's consistently among my favourite books of the year. So far the profile of M.I.A. is one of the highlights of the 2011 edition. If you aren't familiar with this collection, it's a really good combination of the best fiction and non-fiction writing each year from American publications. There's something in it for everyone and you're bound to discover a new writer that you love. It was this series that introduced me to Nick Flynn, one of my favourite writers these days. Trust me.

I also really want to share this beautiful video with you that uses light painting to make WiFi networks visible. The idea of making immaterial parts of our life visible is beautiful in itself and the execution of this particular project is particularly stunning. Enjoy and happy weekend!

Immaterials by Timo

getting back into the swing of things

2012-01-11T21:01:00.000-08:00

It's been nearly two weeks since the holidays ended and I still don't feel like I'm back on track! Perhaps it's just all of the changes around here that have overwhelmed me a bit, but getting organized and motivated after all of the Christmas madness has been a challenge. As I mentioned before (and as you might have seen if you follow me on Twitter or Intagram) I've brought a lot of amazing new stones home with me from Alberta and I absolutely can't wait to start working on new Camp + Quarry designs for the spring. But, it's still winter (though I've seen the first signs of spring bulbs this week) and dark and I keep spending my evenings hanging out on the couch watching Breaking Bad or just reading for hours.

I do have my studio space somewhat prepped and ready to go though. A new awesome lamp (an OttLite) lets me take decent photos in the evening, without having to make or use a DIY lightbox (with a little extra help from Photoshop, of course...shhhh). And refined black curb chain is my true muse these days; I want to use it in every piece I make. You can see it in play in these new raw stone quarry necklaces, now available in the CQ shop. That jumbo piece of black tourmaline is the only one of its kind. Black tourmaline is my favourite stone right now, and this is the chunkiest piece I've come across yet. I love the way the crystals form in planes, giving the stones a naturally faceted texture. Raw rose quartz, amethyst, prehnite, and citrine stones on long black gunmetal chains are also available.

Finally, thank you all for your patience while I iron out the details of this big change. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback about Camp + Quarry and I am 100% convinced it was the exact right move and that it is the exact right name, too. I'll be back on Friday to share some of my current favourites, and next week there will be a giveaway here on the blog that I am very excited about. You're going to love it!

What have you been working on lately? Or are you taking it easy, enjoying some post-holiday down time?

welcome to camp + quarry!

2012-01-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Camp + Quarry! After two years of calling my creative project Sadie Designs, it's time for a change. Sadie has been a labour of love and it has, with my interests, changed over the past two years. As I take on new challenges I want to work under a name that reflects my aesthetic and interests more accurately, and Camp + Quarry is just that name.

Camp + Quarry will focus even more on the awesomeness that is the Pacific Northwest, the amazing things that people make with their hands, think with their brains, and see with their cameras. Yes, in 2012 this blog is going to feature even more prominently the outdoors, brain thinking, and picture taking.

I will be renewing my summer guest post series, sharing a lot of my creative projects and (hopefully) titillating you with my West Coast adventures. If you knew how many tries it took for me to spell "titillating" correctly you'd know why I feel the need to include an emphasis on brain thinking here on the Camp + Quarry blog in 2012. Yes, I will learn new words for you, dear readers!

I hope that we coalesce here often, to share chronicles of captivating experiences and to celebrate our successes. ("Coalesce" was a bit of a stretch just then, perhaps...) In the meantime, I leave you with a new Camp + Quarry soundtrack to consider. Thanks for joining me in this evolving endeavour!

Connect with Camp + Quarry on Twitter

Like Camp + Quarry on Facebook

Check out the new Camp + Quarry Etsy shop

Camp + Quarry from CAMPandQUARRY on 8tracks.

tracks:

1. foam hands destroyer

2. ada the national

3. hand me down your love hot chip

4. after the gold rush neil young

5. river guard smog

6. (i can't get no) satisfaction cat power

7. play a slow jam javelin

8. love king the-dream

9. ritual union little dragon

10. stay free black mountain

friday favourites

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

A new year, a new format for Friday Favourites. I'm going to renew this ongoing series by bringing you a few of my favourite objects and images each week, along with an amazing video, should I be lucky enough to find one. This week's picks are a bit all over the place, but here we go...

Seeing as how my iPhone is my new favourite toy, this case caught my eye. There are lots of other great ones on Society6, too, including this crystal case which is kinda my other favourite (my real iPhone case cost $2 on dealextreme.com, by the way).

I always like weirdly mundane photography, and the work of Corey Olsen fits the bill perfect. Cute photography is never bad either. I had trouble choosing my favourite from a collection of sled dog portraits in this month's National Geographic and look forward to following the adventures of Cal and her new puppy, Turbo, over at Boardwalk to Eden. Turn Off Your Computer and Go Outside? I hope we all consciously choose that this weekend. Finally, I offer you the most amazing video that I've seen in a while. A time lapse of the Earth from the International Space Station. I urge you to take a few minutes to watch the Northern Lights wash over the atmosphere. I hope it proves a magical start to a wonderful weekend for you. Thanks for reading!

sources:

1. sequin spill iPhone case by Grace Breyley at Society6

2. photographer corey olsen via BOOOOOOOM!

3. Cal's new puppy, Turbo, via boardwalk to eden 4. Laura George print via design is mine

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.
via fecalface
Two posts that made my week:
How Lola spent her holidays (with Stina from Honeywild) and the fabulous Alex Silva featured wearing a Sadie necklace on The Cultist.

Tusen tack

2012-01-04T09:41:00.000-08:00

We woke up to another rainy day in Vancouver. Winter here is kind of amazing in a way, because we live in Canada and yet it rarely gets colder than freezing. This is especially incredible in light of the human-killing temperatures Jeff and I learned to survive in Alberta and Manitoba growing up. -40C/F was not unheard of, in fact, it was to be expected. Jeff lived this way his whole life until we moved to Vancouver. I, on the other hand, had a taste of grey English winters, Maritime snowstorms, and even a few tepid Mississippi Christmases.

When I came across this beautiful Swedish restaurant, Tusen, designed by Hans Murman Architects I couldn't help but feel a little wistful for snowy winters. For all I know, this restaurant is 500 kilometres from the city my Swedish friend Rebecka calls home, but reading about it certainly made me jealous of even the faintest possibility that she, or really anyone, gets to experience winter like this. Idealized? Of course. The snow is always whiter when you don't have to shovel your car out of the driveway to get to work.

But still, I love the way deep snow absorbs sound and quiets even the busiest streets, the way it slows you down, and the impromptu winter adventures that can be had when there is fresh snow on the ground. Living in Vancouver, I find myself missing outdoor ice rinks and sledding. Truly, though, I do not miss the subzero temperatures and frigid wind of the Prairies. It's a fair trade-off in the end.

Let's here what Jens Lekman has to say about The Cold Swedish Winter:

on the mountain

2012-01-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday looking over Burrard Inlet and towards the Coast Mountains. Couldn't have asked for a nicer New Year's Day. Tomorrow it's back to the grind. Why do vacations always fly by?

resolve

2012-01-01T11:38:00.000-08:00

Resolve 2011. It feels like it has no bearing at all on 2012. If last year was all about new things (thesis, marriage, work), this year the focus must be on getting better at those new things. It has been a long time since there was no giant goal post visible at the end of a treacherous field. My focus for the past eight years has been getting a fine arts degree, getting into grad school, getting a degree in landscape architecture, getting a job, getting married. And now those things have been got. I'm there (or here?) and can just hang out for a while. I can take my time. I have time.

Resolutions are a good thing, and writing them down makes them real. Mine are simple this year, inspired by the over-riding resolution to simplify it all, not plan life out months in advance, save some money, enjoy some down time. I have jewelry-related resolutions that include learning and making many new things. I have piles of new supplies that I brought home from Alberta that I'm excited to work with...but not yet. First the time to reflect. Reenergize. Prioritize. Sleep.

In 2012 I will read more. This used to be something that I loved and, honestly, I still do, but I get caught up in bright screens and busyness and forget that I'm in the middle of an amazing book. The best things I read in 2011?

So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell

"What we, or at any rate what I, refer to confidently as memory -- meaning a moment, a scene, a fact that has been subjected to a fixative and thereby rescued from oblivion -- is really a form of storytelling that goes on continually in the mind and often changes with the telling. Too many conflicting emotional interests are involved for life ever to be wholly acceptable, and possibly it is the work of the storyteller to rearrange things so that they conform to this end. In any case, in talking about the past we lie with every breath we draw."

It Chooses You by Miranda July sticks with me, too. I'm excited to see her new movie someday.

I will eat more salad in 2012, even when it is too cold to eat salad. Martha knows what's up.

When I think of 2011, I think I will think of this:

And as for 2012, I think it needs some time to figure itself out... Today we'll hike up a mountain with some good friends. We might go to Starbucks afterwards. No one is perfect.

2011

2011-12-31T11:42:00.000-08:00

2011 was a really big year for me in just about every way. It's also the first full year that I've had a blog, enabling me to look back at milestones noted in blog posts and reflect on a year that has felt a decade long. I'm 31 now and have reached a bit of a turning point, in that school is over and the future is a little more open-ended than it has been in the past. Thank you all for sharing this incredible year with me. Here are some moments I won't soon forget:

1. My thesis presentation

My mom flew to Vancouver to attend my final presentation with Jeff. I was so nervous beforehand that I thought I might throw up if I ate lunch. Despite my doubts, I lived through it, presented in record time (thanks to my mentor for pointing out how quickly I talk when nervous), and was just, well...done. Finished. Numb for about two weeks afterwards. What just happened? I had finished the toughest thing I'd ever taken on: a master's degree in landscape architecture. Finished it. Weird. Still not over how awesome it feels to be out of school with that degree under my belt.

2. Graduation

One of the happiest days of my school career. Sure, it was fun to wear a hooded master's gown, but it was way more fun to share this accomplishment with all of my classmates, who I will love forever. I could not have asked to go through the landscape architecture program with better people. In my opinion, we were an amazing class with 100% wonderful, supportive people. When you felt shitty, someone made you feel better. When you didn't want to work, someone would go for coffee with you. When you felt like you needed to have a blast of sugar, someone would give you a ball hole. Without my classmates I would never have survived this program. I love the photos of all of us from graduation day! I hope we all still get a little bit of a high thinking of that sunny, amazing day!

3. My stagette in Calgary/Banff

Shortly after graduation I flew home to Calgary for my stagette. Heather organized it all for me, making sure that as many of my good friends who could be there were there. Carrah even studied in our hotel room for a while, since taking a weekend off from med school was not an easy thing to do. My sister Jenn showed up a few hours later than the rest of us, but seriously owned the club we went to that night, ruining the photos of at least four other stagette and stag parties with her hilarious antics. And Heather carefully placed the pizza in our hotel room's fridge before we all went to bed that night, ensuring that we'd have a healthy breakfast in the morning. So. Much. Fun.

4. A new job

my morning commute

Even before I went home to Calgary for a party weekend I started a new job as a junior landscape designer in a local landscape architecture firm. The biggest adjustment has been getting used to full-time work again...it's been a while, to say the least. But I really like my new job. I learn something every day, work with great people, and have told myself that I will try very hard to never make the same mistake twice. Mistakes, you see, are a given in my chosen profession, and the learning that comes from them is invaluable. I figure it I don't mess up in the same way twice, I'm learning and moving forward. And getting a paycheque again? That's just awesome.

5. Our wedding

I can't possibly sum up all of my thoughts and feelings about our wedding in this post. All I can say is that the day was everything we wanted it to be and the first four months of marriage (which makes it ten years and four months of being together) has been great. I really believe that Jeff and I did everything we could to plan the best event for our family and friends that we could possibly pull off and that the rest of the awesomeness (most of it, that is) came from our guests showing up to share the love and have a good time. Watching everyone meet each other (after hearing so much about one another from us, I'm sure), make new friends, do ridiculously hilarious shit by the end of the night, and generally have a fun time celebrating with us made this the best day ever. I knew right away that it was a once in a lifetime kind of day and found myself saying more than once, "I wish I could get married every day!" As my good friend Jill R. said, that's a good sign. Best day ever. Thank you, friends!!!

Sarah and Jeff's Wedding Video from Sarah on Vimeo.

6. Montreal/Vermont trip

To celebrate our new found freedom from planning a wedding, Jeff and I took a little vacation to Montreal. We were so long overdue in our visit! It had been nine years since we last visited Camilla! We are bad friends! Seeing what Camilla, Marigold, and Jesse get up to in their Montreal lives was so much fun. I loved riding Bixis and eating amazing food. I loved reconnecting with some Calgary people that I hadn't seen in a while (Karen!). And our short side trip to Vermont was super fun and fulfilled my dream of visiting that part of the continent at the height of autumn. We are definitely looking forward to our next Quebec visit!

7. Beating our old landlord in court

I thought about whether to include this one or not, because it's not the most fun story, but it did end up being a highlight of 2011. This time last year Jeff and I were having the worst day ever. We were wrapping up our move to our new apartment (already our old apartment...see #8) and dealing with a very unreasonable, crazy landlord. Long story short, she attempted to illegally keep our entire deposit (a full month's rent in a very expensive city) and it took eleven months for us to pry our cash from her greedy little bank account, using every legal avenue available to us. But in the end, we got it all back and then some. Thanks to everyone who listened to us freak out and complain about this over the year. We won!

8. Our new abode

Yes, we moved twice in the last year, but this time I think we'll stay put for a while. Jeff and I have a place that is nearly double the size of our last little turn of the century nun dormitory apartment. Yes, it is as suburban as we've ever lived (read: ever want to live) but we've got everything close that we need, have lots of natural light, and a remote controlled fireplace that Lola and I love very much. Furthermore, there is no satyr living above us, clomping around at 2AM. We sleep very soundly and the extra fifteen minutes on my commute is worth it.

9. Sadie Designs

photo by ryan mathieson

I couldn't end this list without talking a bit about Sadie. This was my second full year of making jewelry and blogging. The growth that I experienced as a craftsperson and that my little business experienced is very exciting. I have so many great things planned for the New Year and my 2011 customers and supporters made it all possible. More scarves, amazing new stones, and some big changes are in the works. Stay tuned and thank you!

10. Lola

Going into our fifth year with this fifty pound bundle of crazy. No better dog in the world. For real.

11. Alberta holidays

Jeff and I found ourselves wrapping up this crazy year in the company of good friends again. A hectic but fun vacation to our adopted hometown kinda brought it all together. We had some time with my family, met up with our very best friends in the world, and gave everyone one last 2011 hug. We even made up some more 2011 dirty jokes! We know we'll see you all again in 2012! Hot pumps!

This was New Year's Day on Burnaby Mountain last year. Wishing you all the very best in 2012. Thanks for reading!

Love this landscape

2011-12-29T12:00:00.001-08:00

This morning Jeff and I went for a walk with one of my sisters. Fuelled by our favorite cheese buns from Glamorgan Bakery, we walked through Weaselhead along the shores of the Elbow River. Jeff was bitten by a chickadee that was maybe a bit too used to humans and we slipped and slid our way along some of my favorite trails. I hope you're able to spend some time outside this week, too!

crystals

2011-12-26T14:51:00.000-08:00

Today I spent some time in one of my favourite rock and gem shops this side of the Rockies (which is to say, not the side I usually find myself on). Take a look at some of the amazing specimens that they have available. The stone that I discovered today that I find particularly amazing is this super lightweight, pure matte black stone called "jet". According to the stuff I read about it, it comes from Australia and is a type of bituminous coal that can be polished. I also read that "it assists in entering and exploring your inner void of creation"...not exactly sure what that means, but the stone is lovely. What is your favourite type of stone? And how were your holiday celebrations?

***Just a quick note: use coupon code BOXING15 for 15% off everything in the Sadie Etsy shop today only!***

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T11:07:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you all have a great day celebrating with family and friends! And if there was a Sadie gift under your tree I hope you love it!

when I was a teenager...

2011-12-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

...I am pretty sure that this was all I cared about:

vintage winter

2011-12-20T15:19:00.000-08:00

While searching for wintery inspiration images I came across this awesome Flickr photostream belonging to the Vintage Winter Museum and Shop, one of my favourite finds recently. Here are some of my favourite photos from their collection. I think my absolute favourite is the hairy backpack. I've never seen anything like that! But then again, I've also never seen a horse snowshoe before. Enjoy these ones and take a look at more in their photostream. You might also want to take a peek at their shop for more vintage winter awesomeness. I think I need a cabin in the mountains somewhere filled with their repurposed winter gear stat. (All photos from the Vintage Winter Museum collection.)

the cave explorers of 2011

2011-12-18T12:03:00.000-08:00

Here they are! The final cave explorer necklaces of 2011. These guys are all listed in the shop as of today. Figures range from little children playing in the snow to a old gentleman making his way through a crystal cave with his walking stick in hand. Each stone has been chosen for its amazing shape and crystal features. Take a look at them all in the Sadie shop.

In other fun news, last week I hit 400 sales in the Sadie shop. My 400th customer just happens to be a local blogger who I connected with thanks to Got Craft? here in Vancouver. Heather has a great blog called Tea with Me. She even wrote about her Sadie necklaces after the craft fair. In addition to her order, Heather is going to be getting a pretty special surprise in celebration of this exciting milestone.

I know I've been saying this a lot lately, but thank you all for your support! This has been a fun year (crazy at times with getting married, graduating, and all of that) and you guys have all made it even better and gotten me through the nutso times with flying colours, too. And now we have just five more work days until Christmas vacation!

it is coming

2011-12-15T15:51:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been eating, breathing, and sleeping work. I fall asleep thinking about jewelry design and wake up in a hurry to get to the bus on time to make it to my day job, which has been really demanding lately, too. So I'm here today to share with you some of my thoughts about what I'll be doing over my Christmas holidays.

While visiting my family and friends, I plan to spend lots of time outside (no matter how cold it is, and I imagine it will be very cold). I would really like to visit the migratory bird sanctuary that I used to work at, as I've been trying to get back there for the last couple of Christmas vacations, only to have everything else make that all but impossible. Maybe since Jamie and Carrah live on that side of the city we can all go there together this year.

I would also love to walk in Weaselhead, which is close to my parent's house. Last year I did a small post with some of my photos from our afternoon there. It is definitely my favourite park in Calgary.

And, finally, I am sooooooo looking forward to sitting on some couches, eating food and drinking giant cups of coffee. I will likely spend some time on Jill's, Heather's, Jenn's, and my parents' couches, to name just a few. In fact, I'll pretty much go anywhere where I can hang out on a couch and enjoy doing almost nothing. Doing absolutely nothing is just not in my nature.

The countdown is on. Just one week until winter vacation. In the meantime, Jeff will keep delivering Vancouver's mail, I'll be happily making jewelry every night and getting stuff done at work every day, and Lola will continue to sleep 22.5 hours a day. After all, we all have to earn this little break, right?

P.S. The great irony of running an online shop around Christmas is how much time I spend helping other people get ready (gladly helping them, no less), while my own preparations lag further and further behind! I think I might be sending out some IOUs this year!

P.P.S. If you'd like your Sadie package to arrive before Christmas today is the day to get your order in, friends!

all I want for christmas...

2011-12-13T22:26:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I put together a list of my favourite handmade objects and 'tis the season to talk about things we want and drop helpful, blatant hints, so here are mine (a little late, I know...). A limited edition gold leafed ceramic tray by upintheairsomewhere? Yes, please. A big, pretty much ideal Forestbound leather bag. Forestbound leads in perfectly to Foret, my favourite scent from OLO (inspired by all of the forests the maker has visited). A BFF necklace that I'd be psyched to have half of, made by In God We Trust. (I'm dying to see their "Heathers" series...I wonder which quotes they chose.) And finally, hand-painted silk and cotton scarf from Scarfshop's Holiday Shimmer collection. I'd definitely choose the gold one (to go with my platter...).

I have a bit of a tough time with the whole insanely commercial side of the holidays, but I think shopping handmade makes it all feel a little better. Rest assured, any purchase that you've made from a small business person has been greatly appreciated this holiday season. I have been very busy making, packaging, and shipping jewelry lately and I am thankful for each and every order. I love seeing all of the different addresses that my work is headed off to and appreciate it whenever a customer sends me a nice comment when they place their order or receive their package. It's amazing to be part of the process of getting the perfect gift to a special person. Thank you all so much for your support this year!

What's on your handmade wishlist? Leave me a link if you have a post to share!

gold zag tray by upintheairsomewhere

ashcroft leather carryall by forestbound

OLO fragrance

best fuckin' friends necklace by IN GOD WE TRUST

holiday shimmer collection by Scarfshop

a few new things...

2011-12-10T17:50:00.000-08:00

This weekend I'm updating the shop with some new pieces. Among them: cave explorers, rutilated quartz necklaces (one of my all time favourite stones), new pendulum pieces, and a few new vintage paddle necklaces like the one in the middle. I've taken and edited all of the close up shots, tomorrow I'll take a few more of each piece and get the listings up. There's still time to get your order in before Christmas!

I hope you're enjoying your weekend and perhaps hitting up a craft fair or two to support your local makers! Jeff and I spent a lot of the afternoon in Point Roberts, Washington, waiting in various lineups to get American Sadie orders mailed out, pick up some Christmas packages, and take advantage of cheap American gas prices. Not the most exciting afternoon, but we got a lot done. Tonight we're going to our first Christmas party. I'm hoping for shortbread and glogg. Happy weekend, everyone!

ocean

2011-12-08T16:16:00.000-08:00

Although I often talk about home being Calgary, I'm actually from the far east coast of Canada (not the farthest, mind you). My hometown is Halifax, Nova Scotia, and recently I've been able to make it back more often than in the past. It helps that my sister lives there now, as does my dad, and my 92 year old grandmother that I've written about before also lives in there on a farm she's been at since she was about two years old. So the draw of close family is strong.

Halifax is also an amazing little city. It has a whole bunch of universities and with thousands of students living there it's got a pretty great arts and culture scene, some decent restaurants, and perhaps best of all, practically nowhere to buy expensive things. I love that!

So, though I grew up in Calgary during junior high and high school, Halifax, slumping down to the Atlantic Ocean, is still home. And while I lived in Calgary, my dad lived in Mississippi or England, so I've had bedrooms next to both sides of the Atlantic and along the Gulf of Mexico.

I would love to go back to Mississippi, as my sister has been lucky enough to do a few times, but I know that everything has changed since I was last there. We lived right on the coast in a little place called Pass Christian, and nothing was left in the wake of Katrina. Well, some cement ("see-ment"?) pads and pool copings, but that's about it. My dad had already moved to England years before, so the foundations that are left were no longer ours when Katrina hit, outside of the memories that all of the images of the devastated coast brought back.

And now I live by the Pacific, which is not at all like the Atlantic. In Vancouver we're protected by Vancouver Island, which means we rarely see waves. The ocean laps the beaches here, at best, but I still appreciate the way it changes every day. You'd never know that the two images of the ocean from this post and one a couple of days ago were taken at almost the same spot. Today was warm-ish and bright and sunny and I discovered a beach by my office that I never knew about before. It's for dogs, but I still like it.

I think it might be hard to ever go back to living land-locked...but then again, the Rockies are pretty spectacular. What kind of natural places do you visit in your part of the world?

vancouver in december

2011-12-07T14:28:00.000-08:00

Vancouver turns into a magical city this time of year. All of the major downtown streets are strung with twinkle lights and there are even more people bustling around downtown than usual. We have a very vibrant, busy downtown here, owing to the fact that many thousands of people live on the downtown peninsula, a condition not very common in North American cities. All of those downtown residents mean busy streets 24/7. It makes our little city feel like a much bigger one, if you ask me.

I'm looking forward to doing some holiday shopping in Gastown (seen above in the drizzle last night) and having dinner in a couple of my favourite restaurants this month. Jeff will be finished his exams this week and I'll have all of my craft fairs behind me and online orders shipped in time for Christmas. There are a few exciting pop up shops that I want to check out, and some places that I always stop by this time of the year, like Old Faithful.

I'm excited to bake some cookies, finish unpacking, and head away on Christmas vacation to see most of my family. What's on your holiday to do list? Do you have any travel plans?

new camera...sort of

2011-12-06T15:03:00.000-08:00

You guys might remember my little autumn to do list. Well, I didn't get to everything on the list, but I got to a lot of it, and had a fun fall travelling, making new things, and generally enjoying an autumn without school for the first time in three years.

One thing on my to do list was to take a photo with a new camera. I still haven't invested in the camera that I have my eye on, but in the meantime, I was way overdue for a new phone and I got the new iPhone 4S. I think this counts as getting a new camera, too, and I thought I'd share a picture that I took of Burrard Inlet and downtown Vancouver this afternoon. Yes, it is a grossly grey day here in Vancouver. (And, Danielle, I will try to refrain from sharing crappy Instagram photos here but I can't promise I won't try to get one past you every now and then...)

I'm not kidding when I say that I was overdue for a new phone. BABIES have much better phones than I did before last week. And with my new phone I was already able to contact a locksmith to get Jeff and I back into our apartment when our lock broke last weekend, take credit card payments at Got Craft? that were instantly authorized through PayPal's virtual terminal (so awesome and convenient), and share this photo with you. I don't want to talk about my new phone too much, so let's just say: I'm convinced.

And on that note, please tell me about your favourite apps...

something new

2011-12-05T19:13:00.000-08:00

Hi friends! Got Craft? was a great success, thank you so much to all of you who came out to check out the amazing vendors. It was nice to see a lot of familiar faces and some people that I haven't run into in a long time. To everyone who stopped by to say hi, from old friends to new customers, thank you. It was so fun being part of this event. I'm already looking forward to the next time I get to participate. And I really should mention the people who directly helped me with this show: Jeff, Sam, Laura, and Jacqui, you guys are the best! It was excellent having your help working the table, making piles of jewelry, keeping up with online orders, and having your company, too. Thank you!

Above are a couple of pictures of new things that have been added to the Sadie shop. Black tourmaline nugget necklace and hammered brass and vintage chain neclaces. If you live in the US or abroad and you order before Saturday I'll ship your order from the US this weekend, which means you'll get your package much faster! If you live in Canada you have until December 15th for regular mail orders or right up until the 21st for orders shipped expedited.

Jeff goes back to being a Christmas mailman next week (he'll be on a little break from school). If you live in Vancouver maybe he'll have a hand in delivering your Sadie package. Oh, and on that note, don't forget to be a bit old school this year and leave your mailman or woman a little gift. They love Starbucks gift cards but will also happily accept thank you cards, cash, and booze. I know it for a fact.

I guess it's time: Happy Holidays!

How is your holiday shopping coming along? What handmade items have you purchased?

sadie scarves have arrived

2011-12-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

After getting such a great response to the post where I introduced the new hand dyed organic cotton Sadie scarves I've decided to list a few in the shop. These are limited edition for the holidays. Take a look at the ones I've listed in the shop and let me know what you think.

There will also be a big shop update sometime this weekend. Today is my day to photograph all of the pieces that I have ready for the last part of this busy holiday season. Check back here for more about some of the new pieces I have going on! And if you live in Vancouver be sure to stop by Got Craft? tomorrow any time from 10AM - 5PM. Remember! The first 45 people through the door get amazing swag bags! See you there, I hope!

UPDATE: Several of these scarves found new homes at Got Craft? but don't worry, there are more on the way soon!

got craft?

2011-12-02T07:27:00.000-08:00

I'll be at Got Craft? on Sunday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. It's at the Royal Canadian Legion on Commercial Drive (just a couple of blocks north of Broadway). Remember! The first forty people to show up get a swag bag with goodies from the vendors inside. I've heard that people line up to get into this show and am looking forward to being a vendor at Got Craft? for the first time.

A couple of other things to note: I'll be able to take cash, credit cards (using my phone) and PayPal/Interac money transfers (using your phone). That should have most people covered, I hope. I'm also going to have some friends helping me out, so thanks in advance to Sam and Jacqui for hanging with me on Sunday.

Here's a little time lapse video of a previous Got Craft? event:

Got Craft from blueolive on Vimeo.

we've got a lotta lotta lotta lotta work to do

2011-12-01T09:22:00.000-08:00

No, really, you guys are amazing. I'm a bit overwhelmed these days with my day job being increasingly demanding (and challenging, in a good way), holiday shopping well underway, and preparation for one more craft fair this Sunday. And with all of this going on it is all but impossible for me to catch daylight hours to photograph in...it starts getting dark here around 3:30 PM these days! It's been great that despite my long absences between posts, when I do check in here you guys always leave me such lovely comments or send me a message on Twitter wishing me luck with all the things I've got going on. I really appreciate it and am very grateful for the things that you've helped me accomplish this year. (I'll go into that a little more at the end of the year.) I'm looking forward to taking a little inventory of 2011 here on the Sadie blog and I will certainly be sharing my plans for 2012 soon.

Happy December, everyone! Good luck with all of your holiday preparations! Oh, and as a little thank you to my Sadie holiday customers, then next ten purchases from the Sadie shop will ship with a free pair of laser cut baltic birch earrings. I will ship ten different designs to ten wonderful Sadie customers.

Here's a little video to start your Thursday off with:

business time

2011-11-28T13:51:00.000-08:00

It's been a bit all business, all the time around here (and in my life in general as both my day job and Sadie have ramped up a few notches in the past few weeks). There are still packed boxes in our new apartment and my to-do list just keeps getting longer, no matter how much I accomplish in a given day. I'm sure you know the feeling. It's just a busy time of year.

So today I just wanted to share one small thing. This is the view I have from my lunchtime walk Monday - Friday. From my office on the North Shore we have an amazing view of Burrard Inlet, the Port of Vancouver, downtown Vancouver, and more. Turn around and there are the North Shore Mountains. It's a beautiful place and on days like these, when I'm insanely busy and a bit stressed and the sun is shining (in November in Vancouver?) I have to take a walk to soak some of this in. I thought you might want to take a look, too. That right there is the Pacific Ocean, friends. What did you get up to this weekend?

portobello west all weekend long!

2011-11-25T19:17:00.000-08:00

I'll be at Portobello West all weekend long, so be sure to stop by and say hi. There are coupons for free admission in The Georgia Straight this week. You can find me and my friend Sam at Table 19 down the centre row. We're going to have tons of new necklaces, earrings, and a few special, limited edition hand dyed scarves to share with you. Some items will be deactivated in the shop starting later tonight as they're coming with me tomorrow! Have a great weekend everyone! See you at the market!

Portobello West runs from 11AM - 5PM both Saturday and Sunday at the Creekside Community Recreation Centre in Southeast False Creek (Athlete's Village). Come get some holiday shopping done!

meet the holiday cave explorers

2011-11-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

These new cave explorers will be joining me at Portobello West along with a couple of other new miniature figure pieces this weekend. You might also find them in the Sadie shop this week, though the little man in the beige coat has already found a new home. These guys are really fun to make, but it takes me a long time between batches to find the right stones and materials to use. I'll be sure to let you know when more hit the shop!

In slightly unrelated news, my friend Laura came over last night and helped me do some major prepping for my upcoming shows. I have to thank her here so that you guys can all know how awesome she is! She helped me get all caught up on online orders, ensuring everyone who's ordered up to this point will get things in lots of time before the holidays, and having her and Emily here to chat with helped make the night fly by and we made a ton of stuff. So, thanks to both of you ladies for coming over to our new place! And thanks to Jeff for always taking things to the post office for me! He's the one who really makes sure you get your orders quickly! Looking forward to seeing everyone at Portobello West this weekend! I'll be at table 19, down the middle aisle just in front of the entrance! Stop by and say hi!

sadie scarves

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Our new apartment is pretty great, though not entirely unpacked or cleaned up yet. One of my favourite things about it is the new paint job. Alice recommended simply white by Benjamin Moore and our landlords were kind enough to paint everything in the colour we chose. I couldn't be happier with the bright, clean feeling this white lends to this place. It is so much easier to take photos in here than in any of our other Vancouver apartments.

Now on to the scarves! If you've been following this blog for a while, you know that Emily and I (and Camilla Tie Dye Ingr) have been hand dyeing everything from scarves to underwear since the summer. One of my favourite things to make are these large organic cotton scarves. They are big, nearly 2m long, and super lightweight. I use mine as a blanket to sit on in the park, a scarf, or as an adhoc sweater in the summer.

Wednesday morning I had a serious dye session in between drawing landscape plans for work and I got some awesome scarves made for Portobello West this weekend. As you can see, they still need to be ironed, but they're almost ready to go. I'm so glad I managed to pull of making these in time for the shows I'm going to be at. Any that I still have after PW and Got Craft? will be available online in the Sadie shop...except that last one...I might have to keep it for myself.

white agate pendulum necklaces

2011-11-23T21:00:00.000-08:00

As I said in my last post I'm going to be sharing a lot of new Sadie pieces here over the next few days. Previous pendulum necklaces were made with grey quartz, these are made with a beautiful banded white agate. One is accented with a vintage brass tassel charm, the other has a working brass fan with an etched dragon motif. You can find them both in the Sadie shop now. Thanks for taking a look! I'll be sharing an exciting new project here tomorrow morning.

they are coming

2011-11-23T13:57:00.000-08:00

Did I mention I've been busy? Well, I've finally had a few daylight hours at home (thanks to being able to bring my office job to my living room today) and have had a chance to catch up on some photographs and projects that needed to get done ASAP in order for me to be ready for Portobello West this weekend. Stay tuned! Over the next couple of days I'll be showing you some of the pieces that will be available, like this dude above who can be found in the Sadie shop this afternoon, both online and in person at Got Craft? and Portobello West. Hope to see you at one or both of these events, Vancouverites! Happy Thanksgiving to my American pals, too!

it's dark

2011-11-22T10:06:00.000-08:00

Dear friends, I've been busy! And more than that, it's been dark here. I leave my house in the dark every morning for work and I leave my office every evening in the dark. It's not that I'm a workaholic (far from it) but it's getting dark so early now. So, in lieu of beautiful, daylit photos of my new apartment, I hope you'll accept this video for now. It's my favourite song from the new-ish St. Vincent album.

A few more things: I'll be at Portobello West all weekend long with new necklaces and earrings for you to peruse if you live in the Vancouver area. Portobello West is now located at the Creekside Community Recreation Centre at the former Athlete's Village. Which is to say, formerly the 2010 Olympics Athlete's Village, not the village for former athletes.

And finally, last night Jeff and I and Lola (on the upswing, thanks for asking!) were sleeping soundly when we were awoken by what could only be described as the sound of a dump truck plowing through our apartment walls. Turning the lights on in a panic, we realized that it was nothing that bad, but that our closet bar and shelves had all pulled out of the wall and crashed down along with everything we'd just unpacked. Adventure mess! Lola believes she was nearly killed, though that's far from the truth. I think the whole thing might have a small relation to an accident that did happen on our street last night. Someone drove through a fence and knocked over a traffic light. Perhaps that impact was just enough to jolt our closet bar free of its tenuous moorings and send it crashing to what was likely its inevitable fate, overloaded as it was.

Excuse the drama. I've been stressed. We are slowly making our way through the giant mess that is created when you move from one home to another. The move has been a good one for us. Pictures soon!

DIY Crystal Collection

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Jeff and I were in Whistler not too long ago and we stopped in to check out a rock and gem shop. Although their selection of stones was pretty limited, they did have a wall of collector's kits that was kind of awesome. Inspired by these little boards with a variety of stones glued on them and interpreted in various ways (metaphysical stone collection, dinosaur fossil collection...) I've made my own mini crystal collections as swag for Got Craft? at the beginning of December. The first 45 people through the door on Sunday, December 4th at the Royal Canadian Legion on Commercial Drive will get swag bags, and each one of those will have one of the bedside crystal collections that I've put together. And yes, making 50 of these things did take a few episodes of Breaking Bad.

For those of you who aren't able to make it to Got Craft? I thought I'd share how I made these little boxes so you can make one of your own, with stones of your choice.

Supplies (and where to find them):

kraft paper box, I used 3" x 2 1/8" x 1" (available online here or at local beading supply shop)
clear-drying craft glue (I used Beacon 527 multi-use glue)
1/2" wooden cubes (optional - I used one for each stone)
Avery 5667 clear labels (or equivalent)
label template
various stones (look for mixed lots online, be sure to check dimensions, like this one)

The real key to this DIY is this list of materials. After that, it's all pretty self-explanatory.

1. Design your labels in Word or Indesign and print out one of each of your labels to see if you like the scale of the text and if they will all fit in the box you're using. I had to trim the labels in order to evenly space them inside the box. My text refers to some of the properties that some people believe these stones possess, you could also list things like the name of the stone, the type of crystal formation of the stone, or a full description of the physical properties of the stone.

2. Place all of your labels inside the box.

3. Glue in wooden cube plinths (if you're using them). It's a good idea to use this glue near an open window or in a room with good airflow. Let the glue set a little bit before adding the stones.

4. Place one drop of glue on the top of each cube and drop your stones into the glue, trying to position any flat side of the stone down for better contact.

5. Decorate the lid of your box however you'd like. I used a simple Sadie stamp and then tucked a mini card into each box.

That's it! You're finished! If you make one, please send me a picture!

collecting and buying vintage with marie from pillowsophi

2011-11-17T09:43:00.000-08:00

While setting up posts for my Get Featured blog series I was so happy to come across Marie's beautiful shop, Pillowsophi. The vintage collectables she offers are beautifully photographed and I noticed right away how well curated her shop is. She knows what she's looking for and the result of her searching for specific types of items is evident in her shop. Everything feels like it fits and flipping through her listings you run into page after page of beautiful mid-century vintage items. For Marie's post she's offering some tips on starting your own vintage collection. Thank you so much for sharing, Marie. Enjoy, everyone, and be sure to visit Marie's beautiful little shop!

denby studio pitcher from pillowsophi

Blue Mountain Pottery fawn from pillowsophi

Marie from pillowsophi here; I’m thrilled to have been invited to write a guest post for Sadie Designs! Today I’d like to talk to you about one of my favourite subjects: vintage goods. Specifically, I’d like to talk about the art of collecting and – as the holiday shopping season is upon us – give you some tips for buying vintage items online.

If you’re a seasoned collector, I’m sure you don’t need any advice regarding what to collect or how to grow your collection. However, if you’re new to collecting, I suggest you ask yourself the following questions.

Deciding what to collect

1. Do you want a functional collection? Sometimes it’s fun to collect things that will become integrated into your daily routine. The most obvious example of a functional collection is dishware. Dishes may seem like an odd thing to collect, but the process can actually be quite rewarding if you come across a rare pattern you really love and will be proud to display in your home. Personally, I collect Denby’s “Studio” pattern. Even though it was manufactured from 1961 until 1974, pieces in this pattern are still relatively hard to come by. This pattern also has a nostalgic connection for me, as there is a “Studio” coffee set at the cottage where I went every summer as a child.

2. Would you prefer to have a large collection of objects that are relatively easy to find (although specific items within the collection may be more rare), or a small collection of extremely rare objects? If the former appeals to you, you may want to consider collecting milk glass, depression glass, teacups, salt and pepper shakers, pieces from a big pottery company, or any other item which will allow you to create a large, impressive, interesting and carefully curated collection. However, remember that large collections take up a lot of space! It’s also worthwhile to remember that large collections may require a lot more effort to sell if your tastes change. For my display-only collection, I went with the latter option. I collect pottery by Dybdahl of Denmark. Dybdahl was a small pottery studio – run by a husband-and-wife team – which started production in 1952. My collection currently consists of three pieces: a plate, a small bowl and a mug. Although my collection is small, I’m quite proud of it, since these items are hard to come by:

3. How much are you willing to spend on your collection? Do you want your collection to increase in value as the years pass? Some people don’t care about the monetary value of their collections, while others look at their collections as investments. Before you start spending money, you may want to think about which attitude you’d like to take. If you’re going to treat your collection as an investment, it is advisable to do a lot of research so that you will have a realistic idea of the present value of your items, as well as a reasonable estimate of their future value. One thing you should NOT do is rely on eBay for value estimates. Which brings me to the next section of this post...

Tips for buying vintage items online:

1. Make sure the seller knows what she’s selling. If the seller doesn’t quite seem to know what he’s talking about, be extra wary of high prices. I have seen many eBay sellers slap ludicrously high price tags on things they haven’t been able to identify. I think this is usually done for one of two reasons: either a) the seller is hoping the high price will create the illusion of value, or b) the seller is hoping somebody who knows what the item is will be shocked by the price and get in touch, thereby saving the seller a lot of research time. Obviously, it’s important not to buy overpriced items (unless you’re absolutely in love with the piece and don’t mind overpaying). However, it’s also very important not to judge an item’s worth based on a misleading online listing. The bottom line: if you see a photo of something you recognize, read the description before taking the list price as evidence of the item’s market value. Of course, none of this applies if the high price is the result of the bidding process in an auction; often the potential buyers will know more about the item than the seller.

2. When in doubt, assume the worst. If a seller says nothing about the condition of an item, this usually does NOT mean it’s in excellent shape! Good sellers will do their best to describe their items accurately; a short description which is lacking in detail is often a sign of carelessness on the seller’s part. After all, this isn’t like buying something in a bricks-and-mortar shop; you can’t hold the item in your hands and inspect it for flaws yourself. If the seller doesn’t provide a detailed description and clear photographs, proceed with caution. And remember, you can always ask questions before you buy! It’s better to be safe than sorry.

3. Check measurements. This is especially important when it comes to vintage clothing, but it’s generally a good idea to pay attention to measurements whenever you’re buying anything online. Remember, if a seller is doing her best to get detailed, close-up photographs, the item may look bigger in the pictures than it does in real life. Also, one person’s “mini” may be another person’s “child size”, which may be another person’s “individual”; one person’s “small mug” may be another person’s “demitasse”; one person’s “medium vase” may be another person’s “small vase”. Don’t rely on words; always check the measurements. I’d even recommend looking at a ruler, just to make absolutely sure you understand the real size of the item.

Thanks for reading my top tips for choosing a collection and buying vintage items online! I hope you’ve found something useful in this post. If you’re looking for further advice, please feel free to contact me via e-mail or through my Etsy shop! I’m always happy to help.

royal albert cup and saucer from pillowsophi

I hope you found Marie's wonderful post helpful. I think it comes back to my previous post about minimalism in some ways. Thinking about what you want your vintage collection to be about is helpful when you're deciding what to collect or how to grow your collection and keeps you from having a lot of clutter around, too. Happy collecting! Be sure to visit Marie's shop and send any vintage collectible questions her way! Thank you again, Marie, for sharing on the Sadie blog! Tomorrow I'm posting a little DIY that will walk you through the process of making the swag I contributed to Got Craft this year!

less is more

2011-11-15T10:17:00.000-08:00

source

I had a long post about minimalism half written, but the irony was too much.

The more we pack away in boxes, the more I like certain parts of our apartment and the easier I'm finding it to get the simple things in life done (when climbing the box maze that we have built isn't part of the task, that is...). Doing the dishes is a lot easier when you only have two pots and two plates. We are really trying to prioritize and ditch some stuff during this move.

Simplify.

How do you get organized?

Would you ever consider taking the 100 Thing Challenge?

moving next weekend

2011-11-14T06:03:00.000-08:00

source

It seems like a long time ago that Jeff and I moved into the place we are living right now, but it wasn't. It's just that since we moved here we successfully retrieved all of the money our former landlord owed us (it only took ten months!), I finished my master's degree in landscape architecture and landed a new job and we got married. And yet, we've been in this former nun dormitory apartment with high ceilings and excellent built-in shelves and big windows for less than a year. It's been a busy year, full of ups and downs, but more on that another day.

For now, I'm just writing to share how excited we are to be moving into our new place. It's bigger and better and the tree-lined streets are going to be perfect for Lola. We have friends who live relatively close to our new place, including Lola's frenemy, Hazel, and we're excited to check out a whole new-to-us part of Vancouver. So wish us luck. I'll give you a tour of the new place (complete with real natural light!) as soon as I can! And I'll try to get the print that we've chosen for over the fireplace made soon so I can share that, too! Thanks for your advice on which one to pick. Have a great week, everyone!

P.S. You can read an interview with me on Caiti's blog, Life is a Canvas today. And there might be a little giveaway, too!

some decorating advice, please

2011-11-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

As you guys might have read, Jeff and I are moving next week and our new apartment has a gas fireplace in the living room. A fireplace requires some nice art to go over it and we currently only large black and white photographs that I got plotted at a local print shop that would suit that space, but we are thinking we'd like something a bit more colourful. So, if the above images were framed in a 20.5" x 20.5" frame, which one would you prefer as the focal point of your living room? Most of our furniture is neutral or dark wood. I was thinking the frame would be black, but perhaps white would be worth a try, too? All of these photos I took with either my Diana or my Holga. They were taken in Merritt, B.C., Vancouver, Millersylvania, WA, and Portland, OR, respectively. Thanks for the help, friends!

new sadie mini cards

2011-11-12T16:03:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago I ordered some new mini business cards from Moo and they have finally arrived! I now have six different cards to send out with holiday orders, each one featuring a different photo from our amazing Lighthouse Park photoshoot with photographer (and friend) Ryan Mathieson. I'm excited to start shipping them out and to show them off at Portobello West here in Vancouver on the weekend of November 26th and 27th at Creekside Community Recreation Centre at the athlete's village.

In other Sadie news, I am updating the shop regularly. There are many new pieces listed as of yesterday, including my new favourite (pictured in the second photo in this post) which mixes vintage brass chains and charms to make a delicate, minimalist necklace. I'm going to have to make something similar for myself, I think. I'm also planning on getting a few new cave explorer necklaces made to keep this guy company as soon as I can. Now back to packing for this fast-approaching move... Have a great weekend!

11/11/11

2011-11-11T15:08:00.000-08:00

A playlist for epic winter days. Something about this time of year makes me want to watch Twin Peaks and listen to weird music. Here are a few of the songs that I'm obsessed with right now or have been obsessed with in years past as winter sets in. Enjoy.

tracks:

1. nightcall - kavinsky & lovefoxxx

2. rock classics - the knife

3. spanish armada - ratatat

4. i never learnt to share - james blake

5. the palm of your wave - bibio

6. lay in a shimmer - pantha du prince

7. feral - radiohead

8. the children - yeasayer

9. got 2 let u - the knife

10. return to the violence of the ocean floor - moonface

11. bay of bigs - destroyer

(Thanks to Camilla, Marigold, and Emily for introducing me to some of these gems.)

parker fitzgerald

2011-11-09T22:38:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered the work of Portland, Oregon-based photographer Parker Fitzgerald. I love the colour and light and all of the greens that show up in his work. His photos remind me of everything that I love about living in the Pacific Northwest: dense forests, outdoorsy people, grey days that are easy to romanticize (and that we all come to dislike as winter sets in). You can check out Parker Fitzgerald's Flickr photostream and blog (all of the images above are from Flickr). You'll find page after page of amazing images like these ones. It was hard to choose favourites for this post.

In slightly less exciting news, Jeff and I have started watching Breaking Bad and we are really into it. I think I know what we're doing this weekend between packing and getting ready for some holiday craft shows. Enjoy the long weekend, Canadians! I'm assuming it isn't a long weekend south of the border since you lucky dudes get four days off for Thanksgiving soon!

core samples

2011-11-08T20:38:00.000-08:00

Can I just say that this week is going by waaaaay too fast? Jeff and I are moving in about ten days and we are nowhere near ready! Sure, we have like six boxes in our apartment, but they're pretty much all empty, and the ones that are packed Jeff took care of. I have been busy busy busy making things for the two shows that I have coming up at the end of November and beginning of December (check out the sidebar for more information about Sadie holiday events). Part of my pre-holiday updates included adding new silver dipped amethyst core samples to the Sadie shop, including a listing for a special deal on two amethyst core sample necklaces. This evening I just wanted to share a couple of photos with you of these new pieces. I'm really happy with the way the top image turned out. It's given me some inspiration for how to set up my displays at Portobello West and Got Craft.

Oh, and I picked up Mindy Kaling's new book (normally I'd get it at the library, but I'm kind of boycotting the Vancouver library right now because they keep finding bedbugs in their books!!!) and I'm really enjoying reading it everyday during my seabus commute. My favourite line so far:

There is no sunrise so beautiful that it is worth waking me up to see it.

So true. Have a great week, everyone!

some wedding details

2011-11-06T09:43:00.000-08:00

Let me start by saying thank you to everyone for your response to my last post about the things that I've learned being an Etsy seller. Your response was so positive and it was great to hear from people who were inspired to get making some new things, walk away from their stats, and who wrote to tell me that they appreciated my perspective on Etsy. It was great to hear because I honestly never thought I'd write a "tips" post. Thank you.

Today I thought I'd share some of our wedding details. All photos are by the brilliant Elle & R. Our flowers were put together by the wonderful Ali at Oasis Flowers in Vancouver. I loved the seed pods and the perfect shade of purple that Ali used. Having all of our flowers around our apartment after the wedding was awesome, too, we enjoyed them (and used them in Sadie jewelry photos) until there was no denying that their day had come and gone. Our lighting was all purchased online and was put up by friends who didn't necessarily consider themselves decorators. The heart was the work of Jill and Doug, key members of our decorating committee.

The banner that hung from the front of the schoolhouse was forgotten there at the end of the night. Given the condition of our guests by the time the party bus arrived, it's not hard to figure out how such a thing could have been overlooked. The banner was from an Etsy shop that doesn't seem to be around any longer, but there are lots of other shops that make similar things.

Our place settings were very much the work of my mother and Jeff and I. We all collected vintage plates from thrift shops in Vancouver and back in Alberta, my mom finding the lion's share. The mismatched plates and simple floral arrangements helped us create the relaxed atmosphere we were looking for. Soon I'll share the table numbers that some of our artist friends created for us. My favourite thing about all of these plates is the fact that they are going to be used at another wedding next year. We are so happy that they're making the wedding rounds and that a friend can take advantage of this awesome collection, too.

The amazing lemon poundcake with lemon curd, white chocolate ganache, and marshmallow fondant was made by Camilla. Her baking is incredible and her preserves are pretty great, too. These days I'm considering another wedding so I can marry her strawberry and meyer lemon jam, which I brought home with me from Montreal. Marshmallow fondant makes fondant not just edible, but enjoyable!

The rest of our decorations were made by some great friends. We made huge backdrops with modified Martha Stewart tissue paper pompoms attached by wire to foamcore. Twisted streamers spelled our names across one of the walls of the venue (excellent idea, Marigold!) and it all came together thanks to the wedding day efforts of Asrai, Jill, Amanda, and Kyle, not to mention our incredible caterers, Savoury City.

Jeff and I have now been married for just over two months and we're about to move into a new apartment, too. One that will have more space for Lola, jewelry making, bike fixing, and cooking. We're excited to get settled in our new place (first I suppose we have to pack and move first) and will be super busy (as usual...) this month. I promise to share my last couple of wedding posts before December hits! Have a great Sunday, everyone, and thanks again for reading and commenting! It's great to hear from you all!

my etsy tips

2011-11-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

This kind of post is totally out of the ordinary for me, so let me start by saying that I am by no means an expert Etsy seller, nor have I quit my day job, been featured very often on the ever-coveted front page, or been able to break out into the design blog world in a big way. What I do have is a successful small (tiny?) business that allows me to do something that I really love (make things) and share them with other people. I have customers that have become friends and important contacts and I am still passionate about what I do two years later.

I’m pretty happy with where I’m at, though I’m not confident (ever) that things will stay this way, and I’d like to share a few of the things I’ve learned from my experience as an Etsy seller with you as the busiest time on Etsy approaches. If you’re also an Etsy seller please feel free to let me know if you agree or disagree or have some tips of your own to add!

Don’t give up, but do change.

This is the single most important thing that I’ve learned in my nearly two years of being an Etsy seller. The first six months were especially depressing. Like a lot of sellers, I was totally obsessed with checking out my shop and dismayed at the small number of sales I was seeing, despite the effort I was putting in to making the pieces I was listing. I began learning more, branching out, and making new things. And some of those new things caught on and some even became popular. Had I just stuck with the original materials and methods I was using, my shop would likely still be stagnant. Diversifying, improving, and changing brought me both customers and creative satisfaction. Build on what is working best for you and your customers and you won’t be disappointed in the results.

Kill them with kindness.

We all have customers that can’t be satisfied or that ask for unreasonable things. I try to remind myself that while it is hard to deal with tough customers, it is much harder to be someone who is often dissatisfied and ready to do battle. When a customer contacts you with a legitimate concern or otherwise, they are likely on the defensive. If you are kind, no matter what the situation or whether you’re saying yes or no to their request, they will understand that you are not against them. This is so important that I might someday do a whole post about online business customer service. Bad customer service is the worst! I am not talking about giving the customer whatever they want or that “customer is always right” nonsense. I am talking about giving the customer respect and not getting defensive or taking customer comments personally. It really works! I promise!

Use your time to move your business forward.

This means thinking about whether you’re spending a lot of time looking at your Stats or Google Analytics or engaging in other time sucking activities and choosing to use that time in a more productive way. Browsing Etsy listings can turn into treasury making time (a small way to promote your own shop and show appreciation for others), checking e-mail can turn into taking the time to e-mail a blogger or Etsy seller that you admire and tell them that you appreciate their work. Finally, stalking your shop stats is time better spent making things, organizing your supplies, filling orders, blogging, researching upcoming craft fairs, and so on. When you find yourself (as I think we all might) going into that black hole of internet paralysis force yourself to walk away and do something relaxing or productive.

Take time off.

This is a big one for me. Twice in the last year I have put my shop into Vacation Mode to take time off to finish my graduate thesis and to get married. Time off felt really good! It gave me a chance to truly focus on the important things happening in my life and also to get some perspective on my business and make some things that I might otherwise have not had time for had I been filling orders or answering convos.

Make things for the sake of making things.

Maybe this isn’t the most succinct way to put this one, but not everything I make ends up in my Etsy shop. Making gifts for friends, one super special item for myself, or something made with a new material or using a new technique does not always turn into a new business venture. In fact, it rarely does. I find that making things for the sake of making thing is hugely fulfilling to me and reminds me of why I started this all in the first place: I like making things. I don’t just make things to sell things and that is important. To put it another way: keep some things just for yourself and you’ll enjoy making them a lot more! Give something special to a friend and they’ll appreciate its uniqueness and the thought you put into making something just for them

As I said earlier, I’m by no means an Etsy expert, I was just interested in sharing some of the things that have made a difference for me as we approach this busy holiday season. Let me know if you agree or disagree or what your best tips are! How does this all sound from a buyer’s perspective? Thanks for reading!

a lola update

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi friends, Lola had her surgery on Tuesday and is doing well. The vet found two abscesses in one of her front legs, likely a result of fluid on the joint...like tennis elbow, but for dogs. She's pretty wiped out and has a cast and a cone and some other gross stuff going on, but she's on the mend! Thanks to everyone who wished us well! And you can still make use of the FREE SHIPPING coupon code GOLOLAGO in the Sadie shop for one more week!

P.S. Isn't this photo of Lola in Powell River at Thanksgiving awesome? She's a beauty, although slightly zombie-like these days.

get excited

2011-11-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

One of the best parts of our Montreal/Vermont trip was sharing so much good/new music with our friends. Yes, we enjoyed our share of YouTube parties and listened to some really baaaaaad (but funny) stuff and at some point I think we all made a note about something to look for and high on my list was this album by The Knife. Wanna get excited about a concert that took place half a decade ago? Watch this video. This is my new favourite thing ever.

happy halloween

2011-10-31T10:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from the creepiest kid on the block, circa 1983!

a few new things...

2011-10-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with you some of the new things that I've been working on as I'm getting ready for holiday craft fairs and online shop updates. All of these pieces are available in the Sadie shop (don't forget to use coupon code: GOLOLAGO for free international shipping). Some of my new favourites stones are featured in these pieces: pink jasper, aquamarine, and tiny raw peacock ore nuggets. I've also been making more pieces using vintage chains and have been hammering lots of brass, much to the dismay of my neighbours, I'm sure.

If you're in Vancouver and can make it to Portobello West at the end of November or Got Craft? on the Drive on the first Sunday in December, I'll see you there! My next big project is making swag for the Got Craft? show. I'll share my project as it progresses...first I have to get the supplies in the mail! Have a great weekend, everyone. Lola has her surgery tomorrow. We really appreciate all of your encouraging comments!

caiti's five friday favourites

2011-10-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Today's guest post comes courtesy of Caiti at Life is a Canvas. As part of my new series featuring bloggers and makers that I admire, Caiti has offered to share some of her favourite links for your enjoyment! Be sure to check out her blog, it's always full of inspiration. Thank you, Caiti!

First of all, thank you to Sarah for inviting me to guest post for her while she is recovering from her vacation in Montreal! My name is Caiti and I am a designer of paper goods and blogger at Life is a Canvas: Creative Musings from CaitididDesigns. On the Life is a Canvas blog, I explore all the ways that we can celebrate creativity in our daily lives — not only through artistic pursuits like art, graphic design, crafting and writing, but also by infusing creativity into everyday activities like cooking, interacting with friends, our jobs, where we choose to shop, and the way we present ourselves to the

world. I am committed to the notion that we are the artists for our lives, and I know that I want to create a life full of color, vibrancy, passion, exploration, and authenticity.

One of my most popular blog series is a "Monthly Faves" post in which I pick several of my favorite links from around the interwebs to help inspire your creativity. I've picked out my five current favorites to share with you today.

{READ}

-Although this post is written by a photographer, I think Alex Beadon's

"13 things I have learned as an artist" can be applied to any creative person's life.

{WATCH}

- The series of "Live the Language" ads for EF International Language

Centers give me a serious case of wanderlust, including the desire to

visit Sarah's hometown of Vancouver.

{LISTEN}

- I'm in love with the subtle, moody sounds of Gem Club -

Breakers. Perfect for an autumn stroll.

{DO}

- Make these gorgeous DIY gradient napkins with not much more than Sharpies and rubbing alcohol.

{LOVE}

- Running a tea shop out of a

vintage trailer is basically the most perfect, dreamy job I could

imagine.

Thanks again, Sarah, for letting me share some of my favorite links with your readers!

a little lola fundraiser

2011-10-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

Hi friends, just dropping in with a quick post to share some news. Lola (our seven year old staffie/border collie x) has to have surgery on Sunday on one of her front legs. We suspect an abscess got infected and now it needs to be fixed up so Lola can get back to her old (crazy) self. To help us deal, I'm offering free shipping in the Sadie shop with the coupon code GOLOLAGO until she's feeling better.

This is Lola's second surgery since we adopted her from the Cochrance SPCA in 2007. Her first was in the first month we had her when she brilliantly knocked out some teeth while playing in my parents' backyard. Do you have your own adopted pet? Tell me a little about them! And thanks for your well wishes this weekend while Lola's having her surgery. She's such a sad cone head right now.

shelburne farms, vermont

2011-10-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

In the light of day, the fire pit that you sit around at American Flatbread still looks pretty great. And the farm cats are cute, too. After we had breakfast at the Lareau Farm Inn (cottage cheese pancakes with lemon honey butter) we drove to Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, Vermont. From what I could tell, Shelburne Farms is famous for it's cheese (I loved the cheddar spread) and the huge property is laced with beautiful walking trails. Camilla tells me that this is and always was a hobby farm, which perhaps partly explains the amazing barn that is now home to a small cadre of pettin' animals: goats, donkeys, and fancy chickens, included. My personal favourite was this badger-faced goat. If you can swing a visit to this farm I highly recommend you go. It is ridiculously beautiful and the barn itself is so much bigger and grander than these pictures can convey. It made me realize that there is this whole part of this continent that I know very little about and that has a rich history and amazing architectural traditions. I definitely want to spend more time exploring New England soon!

I'm already looking forward to my next trip, which will likely be back home to Calgary for Christmas. Jeff and I have a busy month ahead of us because we're moving (again!) and so I'm glad we took this time to chill out with friends and goats between the craziness of getting married and the annoyance of moving. Our move will be worth it, though! Lots more space and even a fireplace to call our own! Do you have any fall or winter vacations planned?

vermont vacation

2011-10-26T06:30:00.000-07:00

While we were out east, Jeff, Camilla, Marigold and I seized the opportunity to head to Vermont for an overnighter. I've been to Vermont twice before, once with my family when I was pretty young and once before with Camilla on an adventure of unmatched proportions in an early-millenium February snowstorm. I feel like since those visits both Vermont and I have changed.

First off, I thought that the Pacific Northwest was food crazy. Wow! Vermont shows that us West Coasters don't even know about food crazy. Or maybe it's another kind of crazy. How can fancy bakeries survive in small places where the town itself appears to be for sale? The word "local" is omnipresent and, to my mind, even has a bit of a sinister ring in Vermont. Like, local or else... Okay, okay, I'll eat the undeniably delicious local honey butter on my local cottage cheese pancakes with locally roasted coffee and locally preserved preserves in this room filled with, well, non-locals. We hit up Vergennes Laundry, a cider mill (where I ate three apple cider doughnuts!!!) and had dinner at American Flatbread in Waitsfield. While waiting for your table you can take your drinks outside and sit around a bonfire with other guests. Such a great idea for a rustic restaurant! And the pizza is much more than great. It is amazing. The one pictured above (featuring Camilla's "pizza claw" whizzing through the frame) is covered in sharp cheddar, apple cider glazed butternut squash, beets, and more. And yes, the toppings are all local.

Since Jeff and I won't be back in Vermont anytime soon we are so happy that we scheduled so many great stops. Thank you, Camilla, for organizing it all! We can't imagine a better place to spend time with friends over delicious food in the autumn. And for all my jokes about local, the focus on local production really did make this a special visit and I loved seeing the pride that Vermont's residents have in their beautiful part of the world. The effort they put into making the most delicious things I've eaten in a while is really impressive and I will be dreaming of some of these places for months to come, I'm sure.

from montreal

2011-10-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

A few pictures of some of my favourite parts of our Montreal visit: amazing coffee, great friends, good shoes, and Wu Tang Bixis bringing da ruckus! Oh, we did eat a million delicious things. Thanks to Marigold, Jesse and Camilla for showing us around the city! Pictures of our Vermont trip and a little DIY tutorial to come!

back from montreal

2011-10-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

Hello hello! It's been a while. I'm back now from a super fun one week vacation in Montreal and an overnighter in Vermont! New England and the east of this country is kind of paradise this time of year and I have lots of great photos to share once I do some editing. The one above I took from my Bixi (the inexpensive, convenient bike share program in Montreal) in Parc Lafontaine. In the meantime, let's take a look at my autumn to-do list. It's coming along nicely:

~~1. Go camping on the coast~~ DONE

2. Visit a pumpkin patch (and conquer a corn maze while I'm there)

3. Bake a pie from scratch

4. Go apple picking

~~5. Visit friends in a different city~~ DONE

~~6. Have a Thanksgiving feast~~ DONE x 2!

~~7. Revamp the blog for a new season~~ DONE

~~8. Knit something (I'm thinking chunky yarn and big needles)~~ DONE

9. Go for a forest hike on the North Shore

10. Take photos with a new camera

11. Clean up the garden one more time

12. Walk home from work (it's a pretty long walk)

~~13. Ride the Stanley Park Halloween Ghost Train (Ivy and Jamie, I'm going to miss you guys this year!)~~ DONE with Laura, Jeff, and Mike

14. Check out the Parade of Lost Souls (Halloween seems to be Vancouver's favourite holiday) - October 28

What did you get up to this past week?

Here's one of the songs that was part of our soundtrack during this trip. Enjoy!

a few new things before I go

2011-10-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

Before I head to Montreal I really wanted to get the Sadie shop updated. I haven't been home on a weekend day in three weeks and today was my one and only day off here in Vancouver to get things done. Jeff and I had a nice day walking around the city, but I also made sure to get to the post office to send off Etsy order #299 and take some photos while it was light out so I could do some editing and put some new listings together tonight. I'm also taking a few pieces with me to Montreal in the hopes of finding a shop to carry my work. Now I have finished editing photos, researching the metaphysical properties of unikite (what are you doing tonight?) and there are lots of new things in the shop. Quartz earrings, aquamarine necklaces, rutilated quartz point necklaces, antique pressed tin earrings, and more. Check it out and have a great weekend! I'm off to New France!

P.S. Thank you all so much for your comments on our wedding posts! We really appreciate all of your kind words and that you've enjoyed us sharing the details of our wedding with you. More to come, though I promise not to talk about it forever!

taking five

2011-10-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Jeff, Lola, and I spent the Thanksgiving weekend in Powell River at the cabin. The cabin is actually our friend Grady's house, which he shares with his awesome daughter Clancy and their cat, Mittens. We spent the weekend in a town of 20,000 without a whole lot to do. So we drank a lot of coffee, we made some delicious food (including a Tofurkey and cranberry sauce, which I love), and hung out with a lot of horses, dogs, and even a cat or two. It was pretty much heaven. Above you can see a picture of me with my giant dog friends, Honey and Bear (a.k.a. Chunkstar and Leo). You can also see our black and white dog, Lola, taking five. We took a lot of fives, too. Have you seen Fubar? You really should. Most of it was filmed in the city Jeff and I used to live in. It's kind of a must-see movie, whether you're Canadian or not. This trailer is definitely not suitable for work:

I'm going to Montreal this weekend to visit with friends and to spend some time in a fun city that I haven't been to in over nine years. It's a long overdue visit and I can't wait to hang out with Jeff, Jesse, Marigold, and Camilla all week long. I'll be back when I can with pictures and stories!

getting ready

2011-10-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Before the wedding I got ready with my best woman Heather, friend (and wedding sax player extraordinaire) Clancy, friend and make-up artist Jill, and my parents. Friends and family were coming in and out of the room we were in at the Sylvia Hotel and it was all beautifully captured by the amazing photographers we had. I will definitely be sending some of these photos on to the wonderful Jill who did an amazing job with my make-up. She even curled my eyelashes for me when my hands were shaking too much to do it myself. And that's what friends are for. All photos by Elle & R.

our wedding

2011-10-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

I thought a lot about whether to share this video here on the Sadie blog or not. It was made for us by our friends (and witnesses at our wedding) Marigold and Jesse and was one of the most amazing surprises we got during our wedding week. I try to keep a nice balance here between sharing personal things and keeping some things personal. In the end, this video just seems way too awesome to keep it all to ourselves. I really, truly love this record of this awesome day and whether you're a friend or a reader I haven't met yet, I hope you'll enjoy it, too. Thank you times one million, Marigold and Jesse!

cubit's organics giveaway winner

2011-10-11T22:05:00.000-07:00

The winner of the great Cubit's Organics seed giveaway has been picked! Genevieve, commenter #1, was chosen at random and will be the recipient of two great seed packs from Laura! Be sure to drop me an e-mail, Genevieve, to claim your seeds!

Genevieve said...

That roasted veggie salad looks amazing! I think it will be a quiet Thanksgiving with just my daughter & I. We might have a small turkey with stuffing & I would love to make the salad above.

PS Thanks so much for such a lovely giveaway.

Thanks again to Laura for offering up this great prize and to all of you for entering! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend!

jill's rad summer: the canadian arctic

2011-10-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

Remember a few weeks ago when we visited Africa with my friend Carrah? Well, this last of the Rad Summer guest posts is pretty much the exact opposite of that in every way. Except that it, too, is about a place that many of us dream of visiting and may not have the chance to visit any time soon. And there are some amazing animals hanging out in these photos, too. Oh, and both posts include incredible photos!

I’m excited to write about my rad summer, because it ranked up there in the top few raddest summers ever. In fact, it just might take the top spot, as it involved an adventure of the kind that I always wished for but never really thought I would get to actually embark on.

the Amundsen and icebergs, Pond Inlet

my favourite poster from the ship -- so retro!

I am a geography student in Calgary, interested in the frozen parts of earth and how they interact with/influence climate and climate change. I got the opportunity to go and work with a consortium of scientists studying different aspects of climate change in the Canadian Arctic on board a Canadian Coast Guard ship, the CCGS Amundsen. For a month, I lived aboard the ship with 40 odd scientists and another 40-ish crewmembers while we travelled up the east coast of Canada from Quebec City, to ultimately journey through the southern route of the storied Northwest Passage.

coast guard hauling the Rosette on board so we can test water

My job was to test seawater for carbon dioxide concentrations. This is the instrument that took water samples from different depths in the ocean, called a Rosette.

From Quebec City, we sailed up the St Lawrence Seaway and then hit the open ocean off the east coast of Labrador, where I both saw humpback whales and experienced my first (and only, thankfully) bought of seasickness (tip: don’t try to do anything in 6 meter seas. The only way to avoid throwing up is by lying face down in your bunk).

stormy seas!

Off the coast of Baffin Island, we crossed the Arctic Circle. It is a really big deal to cross the Arctic Circle by ship and it is customary to initiate those who cross (only going north to south counts) into Neptune’s circle. I am forbidden by the law of the sea to give any more details, but let’s just say at one point I was doing jumping jacks outside at 4 in the morning while being sprayed with a fire hose of seawater….as I said, very serious!. The sun never really properly set north of the Arctic Circle at that time of year, so it was very hard to get to sleep at a reasonable time. The scenery was so amazing: I saw huge valley glaciers tumbling into the sea, crazy icebergs and even a few pieces of the Petermann Ice Island, which broke off Greenland in 2010.

Petermann Ice island

In the middle of my time aboard the ship, there was to be a small conference on the ship, so 11 scientists (myself included) left the ship for 5 days to free up some bunk space. We were flown to Resolute Bay, a tiny, predominantly Inuit, community of about 240 people on Cornwallis Island, at 74°N latitude. We spent the next five days at a research station, exploring, reading, watching movies and watching out for polar bears. Many people in Resolute still depend on traditional foods to supplement the very expensive (and in the case of produce, very limp) food flown in to the community weekly, so we saw lots of evidence of seal and whale hunting. One day, we went to a local woman’s house to see the skins she had prepared from animals hunted by her husband, including Muskox and Caribou (so soft!).

Finally, in the first few days of August, back on the ship, we sailed into sea ice, which I was very very excited about. The Amundsen is an icebreaker, so it is built to be able to travel through sea ice; I spent many hours on the front deck watching sea ice break under the bow as we plowed along. Ice breaking makes an ungodly sound like mermaids screaming their heads off or something, so that was a big disconcerting at first, but I soon learned to sleep like a baby through all the noise.

I also saw my first polar bear, just wandering around sea ice, hunting for seals. It was amazing to see a polar bear in the wild. My hands were all shaky and I was so excited. The captain stopped the ship and everyone on board just watched the bear for about an hour (apparently, seeing polar bears really never gets old. Awesome.).

My trip to the north was an eye opener in terms of appreciating just how big Canada is and gaining more of a connection to the landscape, people and climate of the north. The north really got into my bones, I think, and I am both excited to hopefully return in the future, as well as a little sad to know that the arctic is changing and may not look the same when next I see it.

So, that was the raddest part of my rad summer. Thank you, Sarah, for inviting me to do this post!

Not only did Jill put together this amazing post for my blog, she is also the brilliant friend who made all of the rosemary peach jam that we gave out as favours at our wedding. Now that's a best friend! Don't you all kinda feel like you went on an adventure just reading about how Jill spent some of her summer? Thank you, Jill!!! Now move to Vancouver already!

There you have it, the end of Rad Summer 2011. We've been to Portland, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Osoyoos, British Columbia, Vancouver Island, Vacation Island, California, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Seattle, Reykjavik, Iceland, El Paso, Texas, Calgary, Alberta, and now the Canadian Arctic. Rad, dudes. You go to some incredible places. Thanks for kind of taking me with you! I'll be doing this series again, so consider sharing your adventures here next year. Now, sorry, it's official. Summer is over.

mixtape: putting the fog to sleep

2011-10-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

A new playlist to replace our wedding tunes mixtape. This is for quiet, cool nights. I'd like to think it's a mix that you bake to or listen to while you knit mittens, but we all know the truth. Like Jeff and I, you're probably doing the dishes or making dinner. I hope this makes it all a bit better and quieter. Enjoy.

track list:

1. quién? (suite) - juana molina

2. in the fog III - tim hecker

3. s'vive - bibio

4. lately - washed out

5. roller skates - samiyam

6. summerdata - emeralds

7. blackberry song - kurt vile

8. the making of grief point - voscil

9. putting the dog to sleep - the antlers

10. these eyes are berries - múm

happy thanksgiving: a recipe and giveaway from cubit's organics

2011-10-07T05:30:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned yesterday, today is the first feature post from the new series that I'm starting here on the Sadie blog. Rad Summer gets wrapped up in style next week and these feature posts will be taking over. Get ready to meet some amazing creators and bloggers!

Laura from Cubit's Organics has kindly offered up this incredible guest post just in time for Thanksgiving dinner. And to top it all off, she's also offering a giveaway and a coupon code for Sadie readers. Find out all of the details at the end of the post.

A Thanksgiving Recipe from Cubit’s Organics: Roasted Carrots and Beets with Mint and Feta

The combination of sandy soil and full sun means that we are able to grow really nice root vegetables in our front yard here in Toronto. When we’re not growing for seed, we just grow all the different types and colours mixed up so what you pick is a surprise; A striped beet or a purple carrot? Who knows.

Our two year old daughter has taken to announcing that she needs a carrot and then heads to the front door to go get one from the garden. I can’t help but oblige and let her pick a few whether I was planning on having them for dinner or not.

This is really so easy that it hardly qualifies as a recipe but it’s simply too delicious to keep to myself. We bring carrots to my mother’s every year for Thanksgiving dinner and will continue the tradition this Sunday.

1. Send the two year old out into the yard to pick some different coloured carrots and beets. Going to the farmers market to get some heirloom root veggies will also suffice.

2. Preheat your oven to 425.
Wash your carrots and beets. I cut the greens off but leave a little at the top just because I think it looks good. I cut the really long tails off the beets because they will burn otherwise and then cut them all in half length wise.

3. Coat everything in olive oil, add a little salt. Then roast them in the oven at 425 for 40 minutes.

4. Let everything cool down for a few minutes, then crumble feta on to your veggies and add a hardy handful of mint leaves. Toss and serve out of your favorite vintage bowl. I think they look nice in this plaid one.

These are tasty when hot but are also great as a room temperature salad so no hurry to get everything done at the right time.

5. Give thanks for the vegetable gardens and the small children that tend to them.

In case you fell in love with the vegetables in this post (like I did), Laura is offering a coupon code for Sadie readers. THANKS20 gets you 20% off in the Cubit's Organics Etsy shop. I've got my eye on some nice kale and easter egg radishes!

The Giveaway Details!

Leave a comment here letting us know what you're bringing to Thanksgiving dinner and you could win a package of colourful carrot seeds and mixed beet seeds for next year's (or this winter's?) garden. I will choose the winner at random Monday evening!

Please be sure to visit Cubit's Organic Etsy shop and beautiful blog, too, to say thanks for this great recipe! Thank you, Laura and Cubit's Organic Living!

good night and good luck

2011-10-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

At the end of our weekend in Larabee State Park in Washington we decided to drive down to Burlington on Chuckanut Drive because from what we'd already seen of the road, it was narrow and winding and beautiful. We were not disappointed. Just where the road comes out of mixed forest and heads over a bridge to flat, delta farmland we discovered the abandoned house of Edward R. Murrow. When I read his name on the sign in front of the property I knew it sounded familiar. I looked him up when I got home and discovered that we had stumbled on the former home of a legend. I stopped in at the library last night on my way home from work and found Good Night and Good Luck (and a good cookbook) and watched it again. Murrow was very prescient about the way television programming and journalism would end up being mindless distraction. It would be good autumn evening watching if you haven't seen it before.

Tomorrow I'm excited to be running my first feature post. Laura from Cubits Organics is offering up an amazing guest post and giveaway just in time for Canadian Thanksgiving. Did you know our Thanksgiving is in October here? And that it's earlier than in the States because our harvest is earlier, too? Fun facts. Be sure to drop in tomorrow (or perhaps you'd like to subscribe via e-mail, which you can now do over there in the sidebar...). You won't want to miss this post!

white room

2011-10-04T20:15:00.000-07:00

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I wish that I could tell you that this was my living room and that all I own is pictured here: plants, a nice light, a small table, an awesome tea set. But no, life is much more complicated and not as naturally lit as this lovely scene. With wedding-related hazards and stuff all over the apartment still, things are feeling cluttered and messy and my brain is suffering as a result. My indoor life right now is quite the opposite of our relaxing camping trip this past weekend. I plan to tackle this problem one small space at a time. I wish there was a vaccine for clutter. Or a magic raygun I could use on my apartment to expand it by five times or so. For now this image is my inspiration. Does anyone know the original source? What are you interior inspiration images like?

charlotte and chelsea's rad summer: calgary, alberta

2011-10-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

This week's Rad Summer post comes from my adopted hometown of Calgary, Alberta and some lovely ladies that I met through Kati's blog, I think. Charlotte and Chelsea have an awesome blog called There & Here that beautifully chronicles their long distance friendship. For their guest post here on the Sadie blog they are sharing a night where they're together. I love the photos they chose to share and that their Rad Summer is about their friendship. No matter where I am I always have a good time when my best friends are around. Looks like the same is true for Charlotte and Chelsea...

When Sarah first approached us to do a guest post about our Rad Summer we had a long list of potential adventures we could embark on. However, the further into the planning process we got, the more it made sense that the most fitting setting for our post would be our home of Calgary. We were both born and raised here and met here during our first year of studying graphic design. Together we have made many many memories in this city and it was here that we grew into lifelong friends. This summer in Calgary marks a turning point in both of our lives. For Charlotte, it is a brief visit before she heads back to her adopted home of Nelspruit, South Africa to figure out what the next year will bring. For Chelsea, it is an extended goodbye as she prepares to depart in the fall on a trip overseas for an indefinite length of time. So, with us both unsure when we will next be back, it seemed right that our Rad Summer would document our last night out together in the city that brought us together.

We've been lucky this year to enjoy one of the longest and warmest summers we can remember. It's rare in late September to be able to spend an evening outside comfortably in Calgary, but on this night we were able to do just that. Our plan of a quick drink at Chelsea's apartment to start the night turned into hours of drinking vodka lemonade on the fire escape talking about life, reliving old memories and laughing the night away. Throughout the years so many good intentions of nights out have been disrupted by us opting to instead stay in and drink wine and tell stories late into the night. However, by the time the sun had set (and the vodka had run out) we figured we had to have more to show of our night than self timed photos on a dodgy fire escape. So, jars of cocktails in hand, we set off on our adventure.

Our plan was to pub crawl through some of our favorite bars in Calgary, meeting and making friends along the way. However, on our way to the train we unexpectedly happened to stumble upon a massive outdoor dance party making its way through downtown. It was unlike anything either of us had seen before in Calgary. There were literally hundreds of people dancing and singing along with music from synchronized boom boxes scattered throughout the crowd. We managed to randomly find a few of our friends in the mass of people and, as we did not come prepared for the apparent "business time" theme, they kindly offered us fake moustaches, which clearly meant it was time for business. We wore our mustaches proudly and danced and sang along with the hundreds of other business minded partiers. We had a great time laughing at the randomness of it all until the party started to move further away from our original destination and we managed to escape the crowds and get back on track. After a brief pitstop at a location that cannot be named (as you never know who reads this blog!) we made our way through the city, stopping to explore the gorgeous new Memorial Park and for a drink with our dear friend Maia. We eventually ending up at Broken City to catch fellow Calgarian Samantha Savage Smith sing her heart out. We've both been fans of her music for awhile but hadn't had the chance to see her live. With her album recently being released by Arts & Crafts and a huge career imminent it was a treat to see her in this small hometown venue so synonymous with Calgary music. We ended with a 2am nightcap and a long sleep to Sam's voice still ringing in our ears.

Our Rad Summer may not have taken us to see fantastic sights in far away places but for two friends with a looming departure our adventure was perfect. This warm autumn night of a cozy apartment, local live music, gorgeous public spaces and countless old friends reminded us of how fortunate we are to call Calgary home. So, despite all of the thrills a more exotic adventure may have allowed, the chance for us to document our last night out together in our hometown before going our separate ways was more than worth sticking around for.

Thank you so much, Charlotte and Chelsea! I will always wonder about the secret pitstop that you made. I also love that you shared all sorts of Calgary stuff that I've never even heard about. I guess I've been gone a while now and it's exciting to know that Calgary has some fun things going on these days. Be sure to check out There & Here and say hi to these two ladies (and check out my guest posts for them here and here). Also, next week marks the end of the Rad Summer series (it had to happen sometime...) and I have a very exciting post scheduled, so check back!

master cleanse

2011-10-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you have to get out of the city, head south to warmer, less rainy places. Sleep outside. Watch Hazel (the little dude at the top here with her favourite camping mug) go crazy for nearly 48 hours straight. Wash raccoon prints off of your car windshield. Hike for hours to see lakes and beaches. Make a fire. Use ketchup in the dark. Master cleanse your brain. Here are some highlights from our first day in Larabee State Park with Adam, Emily, Hazel, and Lola.

• lookout point over the pacific ocean and the san juan (southern gulf) islands •

• fragrance lake with lola and hazel •

• clayton beach tide pools •

• candlelit cheese plate •

I think I'm in love with fall camping and getting away for an entire weekend without computers, cell phones, television, and all that other distracting stuff. Now I'm dreaming of a fall camping road trip next year after Jeff is finished school. The cooler temperatures are just right for a long hike and evenings are nice and long for hours around the campfire. I hope you enjoyed your weekend, too. Is it very autumn-like where you are?

ten years

2011-09-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

I just realized that today is our for real ten year anniversary. Yup, we've been together since we were really still kids (or early twenty-somethings, to be more specific). Jeff and I have been married for almost three weeks now and have finally gotten a glimpse of our wedding photos from our amazing photographers, the local company Elle&R. We've also, almost, finished our thank you cards! Here's a little look for you at one of my favourites from that most fantastic of days. I'll be sure to share more when I have them and give you some details, too, as long as you promise you won't get sick of hearing about it all.

Happy ten years, Jeff! Let's go camping!

camping times

2011-09-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

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Jeff and I are going camping this weekend with some friends and some dogs. Ever since I read the Bon Appétit feature on the Pacific Northwest I've been trying to make a camping trip to the Washington coast happen.

Quite a few years ago Jeff and I had a Washington camping adventure with two friends of ours. We went down to camp and search out a natural hot springs that we had read about. It was supposed to have a beautiful view from the hot pools and be well-maintained, though not commercialized. We drove down to Washington late in the evening, probably with no clue about how far we had to go and definitely without any idea about where we might camp. We stopped at a gas station for provisions: beer and cigarettes, if I remember my early twenties correctly. We forgot firewood.

I remember sitting around a single mini maglite flashlight in "candle" mode at a picnic table in a closed campground with Laura, Rosie, and Jeff. It must have been winter or late fall, because there were no other campers in the park at all. We all slept in a four-man tent that we had rented from the outdoor equipment store Jeff and I worked at in Vancouver.

In the morning we followed the directions we had to find the road to walk into the hot springs from. We followed a rough trail off a slightly less rough road and located the power lines that were meant to guide us through what appeared on first look (and second pass) to be completely impenetrable bush. Thwarted repeatedly by our inability to locate the markers meant to guide us to this hot springs paradise, we eventually turned back towards the car. Down the highway we passed a ranger station and decided to stop in to ask about the elusive hot springs. Turns out we had been on the right track, but the hot spring pools had been dismantled and the trail purposely destroyed by the landowners who were sick of risking litigation from hot springs users. Damn American tendency to sue! We would stick to Canadian hot springs for years thereafter. And there are some good ones.

It was kind of like this, but not really:

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Where do you go camping in your part of the world? We mostly stick to mountains and forest, so I'm looking forward to this coastal excursion.

being outside

2011-09-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

Life has been busy, and when we haven't been busy we've been outside soaking up the amazing autumn weather in our part of the world, or getting soaked by rain that is starting to show up more frequently in Vancouver. For the next three weeks Jeff, Lola, and I will be travelling to some amazing places. Can't wait to share them with you here. How is your fall going? Or is it spring where you are?

five friday favourites: knitting

2011-09-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

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Though all of a sudden Vancouver is being inundated with humid, hot Hawaiian air (this is what they tell me), earlier this week it felt like the right time of year to bust out some wool and knitting needles. I scoured the internet for some tips on the type of thing that I wanted to make (more on what I made another day) and found some great stuff along the way.

Great stuff like this company that has "Brooklyn" in its name (pretty much a pre req. these days for company names): Brooklyn Tweed. But honestly I love their 100% American wool yarns, especially this awesome colour called "long johns". I think I would make it into mittens. Their patterns also look pretty great, and I love the fact that you just download .pdfs from their site for some instant gratification.

I was looking for a finer, textured cowl pattern, but I also came across this super chunky pattern from Martha Stewart. If you want to make something giant really quickly I'm pretty sure it would do the trick.

In my search for exciting (and, let's face it, low commitment) patterns I also found this knitting-centric tumblr: Knitting, Fuck Yeah! It's packed with pages of properly linked patterns and is a great visual collection of knitting inspiration.

I have never been successful with intarsia (using two or more colours in the same row to make magical gloves or mitts like these), but my mom has mastered the double knit New England/Maritimes mitten. I hope that she makes me a pair that I can pick up in Calgary at Christmas time! If I had a picture of her handy work I'd post it as my fourth favourite (though it's technically my first favourite). Instead, I'll just let you know that someday soon she hopes to get her knitwear company, Bow Valley Knits, up and running.

And finally, if you can't afford $100 Norwegian mittens, you could make your own. Mitts are a pretty easy project to take on to learn a few more basic skills, like working in the round and increasing/decreasing. These ones look super easy and would get you started.

There you go, people. The best of the things that I found this week before I just made up my own pattern for what I wanted to make and winged everything. Also, starting a new project may or may not have been an excuse just to use the manual winding machine at the yarn store. I love those things!

an autumn to-do list

2011-09-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Amanda and Caitlin, I've decided to put together a little list of things I'd like to make happen this fall. My New Year's resolutions are almost all no longer applicable (having graduated from my masters program this spring!) so I think it's time to put some focus on all of the fun things that I'd like to do as the manic craziness of the Summer of Getting Married subsides and the cool, calm days of fall start to set in. On the second-to-last day of summer, here's what I'm dreaming of doing as the seasons change:

1. Go camping on the coast

2. Visit a pumpkin patch (and conquer a corn maze while I'm there)

3. Bake a pie from scratch

4. Go apple picking

5. Visit friends in a different city

6. Have a Thanksgiving feast

7. Revamp the blog for a new season

8. Knit something (I'm thinking chunky yarn and big needles)

9. Go for a forest hike on the North Shore

10. Take photos with a new camera

11. Clean up the garden one more time

12. Walk home from work (it's a pretty long walk)

13. Ride the Stanley Park Halloween Ghost Train (Ivy and Jamie, I'm going to miss you guys this year!)

14. Check out the Parade of Lost Souls (Halloween seems to be Vancouver's favourite holiday)

In all honesty. some of these things are already in the process of being planned. The camera that I've been dreaming of is finally available in the States, so I might get my hands on it before too many of these other events come to pass...which would be nice. I feel like I've outgrown the camera that I usually use for blog posts and jewelry photography. I think an upgrade is needed so that I can get the kind of photos I want...crisper, brighter, more depth of field control. The picture above was taken on Broadway with my Golden Half 35mm camera. Speaking of which, my double exposure project is coming along...

You can also see that most of my plans involve being outside as much as possible. Here in Vancouver it rains most of the winter and the days are always grey and cloudy (just writing about it makes me feel a little depressed), so if we have sunny, crisp fall weather it's important to get out there and enjoy it. Luckily in Vancouver we can get outside year round because the temperatures are never too crazy (unlike the last city I lived in, which often dipped to -40, which is the same in ºF and ºC). Winter might be full of lame rain days, but you can still go for a walk in forests where you'll stay dry under all of the cedar trees...and our flowers do start coming out in January, which is always a welcome relief.

Jeff and I are going into our fourth year here in Vancouver, and yet, in some ways, it feels like our first year. He still has a year left in nursing school, but I am finally finished. It's a great, weird feeling for weekends to be full of possibilities rather than homework and stress. I'm looking forward to enjoying this new season with friends and family and sharing some of what we get up to with you!

micaela's rad summer: el paso

2011-09-21T09:11:00.000-07:00

Though it feels like summer is coming to an end, I'm going to keep it going here on the Sadie blog a little longer with a few more Rad Summer posts. This week the wonderful Micaela from Dolce Vita is bringing us along on her relaxing summer adventure. Micaela was also part of my previous guest post series, A Day in the Life. Her blog continues to be one of my absolute favourites. She is the kind of writer that you feel like you know personally after just reading a few of her posts. So enjoy her post and be sure to visit her blog today, too.

After spending an exciting summer traveling with my twin sister and girlfriends from one coast of the county to the other (NY & SF) and then spending two blissful weeks home in Wichita Falls, TX (that included watching my little sister marry her high school sweetheart), it's nice to soak up the end of summer lazily.

There is nothing like your husband gently waking you up at 4:30 in the morning just so he can take you to watch the sunrise with him at the scenic drive overlook (he even stops at Starbucks so he can get you both a Pumpkin Spice Latte to keep you warm). The lights of El Paso and part of Mexico is enough to take your breath away.

I snapped the above photo of my husband while saying a prayer of thanksgiving that I get to look forward to endless more sun rises and sun sets with him.

"The greatest gift is a passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a moral illumination."

-Elizabeth Hardwick

I enjoy spending delicious hours in a sea of stacks at my favorite used book shop. Admiring beautiful album covers like the above of Carly Simon's Boys in the Trees in boxes of vinyls that seem discarded to the side. As evidenced by my pile to be purchased, I can never leave empty-handed. random: I consider it a gift when I find an inscription in another's handwriting from years ago. A private note, a window to the past though it's not my own.

And no summer would be rad without enjoying copious amounts of frozen yogurt. Mine is never the healthy kind either... chocolate on top of chocolate!

xo Micaela

Thank you so much for sharing and being part of this series, Micaela. I also love spending hours in used bookstores and I, too, never leave empty handed! If you'd like to see the guest post I did on Micaela's blog you can take a look here. The next Rad Summer post will feature Chelsea and Charlotte of There & Here. Looking forward to it!

A to Zs, inspired by Moorea and others

2011-09-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

This photo of Jeff and I is from our rehearsal dinner the night before our wedding two weeks ago. My sister Jenn took it and I think it kind of sums up how much fun we were having with all of our friends and family.

This has been a big year and a big month. I've noticed lots of new followers here on the Sadie blog and have hardly had the time to keep things going around here the way I'd like to. So, as a way of introducing myself to all of you, I'm going to share the A to Zs of me, Sarah, with you. I first saw this on Moorea's blog, so thanks to her for passing some inspiration my way. If you post something like this on your blog be sure to link back to her, or to Liz, who got this whole thing going.

A. Age: 31
B. Bed size: Queen
C. Chore that you hate: Putting away laundry, just like Liz and Moorea.
D. Dogs: Lola, a border collie staffie x from the Cochrane SPCA. She's 8-ish and the BEST.
E. Essential start to your day: E-mail check, breakfast, bike ride to work. Weekends require a little sleeping in and laziness.
F. Favorite color: This is tough. Today, almost-black navy.
G. Gold or Silver: Both. At the same time.
H. Height: 5’7", though for most of my adult life I thought I was 5'6".
I. Instruments you play: All of them...very badly.
J. Job title: Landscape Architecture Intern, Jewelry Designer.
K. Kids: I'll babysit for you.
L. Live: in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Supernatural!
M. Mother’s name: Janet Miriam.
N. Nicknames: They never stick.
O. Overnight hospital stays: As an infant, I'm guessing.
P. Pet peeves: Bad grammar is always annoying, bad grammar or incorrect punctuation on signs drives me crazy. Except one on Main St. that used to say "Freshly Quizzed Juice". That one I loved.
Q. Quote from a movie: Who's Benjamin? Who's Benjamin? My drummer! (Do you know what it's from?)
R. Right or left handed: Right, though apparently I swing left in golf. Not that I golf.
S. Siblings: Two younger sisters, one younger brother.
T. Tea of coffee: Both. I drink coffee mostly on the weekends or if I take public transit to work. Tea is the drink of choice at work so I stick with it.
U. Underwear: Tie dyed!
V. Vegetable you hate: This is cliché, but brussels sprouts. I just found out they're called "brussels", too.
W. What makes you run late: I put things down without thinking. When it's time to go, my keys, sunglasses, lunch, bus fare all become roadblocks preventing me from leaving the house on time.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Where to start? I'll just list broken bones instead: left wrist x 2, right wrist x 1, right humerus x 1, one growth plate in my leg at age three, one ankle. It should be noted that I do not partake in extreme sports, just that I have extremely fragile bones.
Y. Yummy food that you make: I make the lasagna around our place (about once a year).
Z. Zoo animal: Large cats. I once saw this thing on TV about a large cat sanctuary in Florida. I would definitely volunteer at a place like that if there was one nearby.

Tell me a little about yourselves? Or have you perhaps posted your own A to Zs?

UPDATE: After seeing this meme repeated on a few other blogs, I noticed an astute commenter picked up on the fact that "T" was missing. Like, everywhere. From every blog that I've seen so far. So, I've added my own in a little update. I just couldn't let it slide.

five friday favourites

2011-09-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

This week is the first time that autumn weather has made an appearance in Vancouver. It makes me excited to get a new sweater or two, bake spiced cookies, and watch a lot (and I mean, a lot) of movies. As much as I don't want summer to ever go away and though I would never say that I was ready for summer to end, there is a certain excitement brewing about the fall slow down. And my first fall without school in, well, almost forever. For me fall is a time to still be outside a lot, enjoying bike rides and trips to farms and mountains whenever possible, but with a little less going on in general. It feels like there is breathing room, though maybe that just has something to do with the fact that I finished school this spring and that our wedding is now a couple of weeks behind us.

Anyway, on to the fall-related finds. First of all, I was excited to discover that you can buy mini doughnuts on Etsy. I think I might have to order some of those dudes to our American mailbox address just because I can. The rest of these picks are all about thick knitwear, cold weather, and smokey campfires. Click on the links below to see more.

1. The gorgeous Blanket poster by Debbie Carlos

2. Woodsmoke and Vanilla perfume oil by FlourishBathBody

3. Two dozen (!!!) pumpkin spice doughbabies by donutsandmore

4. Crochet genius Yokoo's Soopascarf

5. Raincity Boot Warmers by Vancouver's own Kove

So, these are the handmade things that I think would really help me survive the non-summer months this year. What autumn-y things have you found lately?

If you'd like to see more of my fall finds, I have three new treasuries on Etsy: Around the Campfire, Sweater Weather, and Awesome Autumn.