The lovely front windows at Sideshow Cafe.

It is hard to believe that a year has passed since Suitably Cool launched with the Sideshow Café post- the little café where I spent many afternoons teaching myself blog software over Americanos and coffee cake. It was exciting to be blogging everyday for 7 months straight. Some posts were stronger than others. Some, that I spent hours laboring over, were far less interesting than others that seemed to fall from the sky in the 11th hour.

The blog changed to a once weekly post starting in February in order for me to jump on board with Diana C. at A Touch of Vintage. I never knew what the site would become or where it would take me. It was meant to be an adventure and it has been!

Thank you Michael Chan!

SC would have been no more than a fantasy had it not been for Michael Chan who put up with me through dozens of edits on the initial look and design of the site and who happily was photographed in dozens of posts. I would make him eat things that I had made and he never once complained, not even about the coffee cake…see below.

In the course of a year, myself along with bloggers Amy, Emma, Diana, and Lydia, have written 197 articles in total. A big thanks to all of you for bringing your own personal style and energy to this site. I couldn’t have done it without you! And a special thank you to everyone who opened up your homes and businesses and allowed us to interview you for many of our posts.

SC will be stay online for your perusal and reference. I may continue blogging again after getting settled into a new rhythm with the baby. I will keep you updated on facebook, twitter, or you can join the RSS feed. If you are not on any of these social networks, you can fire off a comment or email and I will keep you in the loop if/when I return.

I hope the site will continue to inspire you to seek out the wondrous and the pleasurable in your life- even in mundane chores. Writing for the site has opened my eyes to the beauty, possibility and adventure that surround us all.

Thank you again for your amazing support and comments! You have kept me going for the last year.

Now on with today’s post! I spent all afternoon combing through a year’s worth of posts and put together a compilation of some favorite articles. Just click on the pictures to take you to the article! Enjoy!

From Sad to Sexy.

A Note on Notes.

Doorknob Coat Rack.

A Compost Post.

Cozy Cashmere Hot Water Bottle Cover.

The Dance Break.

The DIY Welcome Mat.

The magic art of t-shirt folding with video!!!

The Polaroid Project.

Scarf Raving Mad!

Free Furniture.

Favorite things.

From Lone Earring to Necklace.

Natural Room Freshener

Hong Kong trip- The Big Buddha.

Left Over Rice Pudding.

At Home Hand Scrub.

Stumped.

Make your own French Press Herb Keeper.

Salad Rolls.

Follow the trail.

The $25.00 Coffee Cake.

Garage Sale Season.

Pretty Pedaling.

Laundry Getting You Down?

Haiku For Happiness.

Bed bath and book= a big day.

I have been thinking a lot about the final two posts for suitablycool. I would like to go out with a bang; write about some really cool adventures, gorgeous crafts, mind blowing recipes and throw around some new ideas brimming with possibility. And yet, here I am back in bed at 12:58pm on a rainy Tuesday afternoon barely able to keep my eyes open.

Watch laundry dry while reading outside- check.

The truth is for the last couple of weeks the bulk of my life has consisted of reading, sleeping, watching Freaks and Geeks and having baths.  Not very adventurous, except perhaps in one way: this is potentially the first time in my life where I have actually stopped. Really stopped.

After a busy May, I promised myself that June was going to be a month of rest before the baby came. Note: I say things like this all the time and then somehow manage to fill up my days and nights with projects.

Watch herbs grow- check.

But surprisingly June has been a real rest month. I would like to say this is because I have undergone some kind of spiritual evolution, but it’s truthfully because I just don’t have the energy. My body has decided to call the shots and for the first time in my life, I am slowing down. There is no gas in the tank.

Eat cookies- check.

At first, it made me really anxious. Beyond work, I had tasks to cross off lists, emails to answer, cards to mail, projects to start and baby things to prep!  But in the last few weeks, the anxiety has subsided and that nagging feeling of “I should be doing something right now” pops up less and less.

For the first time in my life I am ok with letting a day slip by into the night without accounting for how much I accomplished in that 24-hour period. Maybe this letting go, is the ultimate preparation for becoming a parent?  I think I will ponder this as I crawl under my duvet.

See you next week.

A little note: thanks to everyone for so much amazing support through the last 9 months: the thoughtful advice, the friendships, sweet emails, offers of help, surprise backyard dinners, “unshower” bbqs, picnics in parks, the passing on of clothes and baby things, endless enthusiasm, love, support and laughter. This kid is so lucky to be surrounded by the most amazing group of people!

The Mason jar

Yes, today I am writing a whole post devoted to the Mason jar! I do love them so! Mason jars were invented in 1858 by John L. Mason and remain a staple around our house.

Di sold these lovely vintage mason jars on atouchofvintage.com If you ever see this style be sure to scoop them up- they are treasures!

They are inexpensive, plentiful and effortlessly classic. They change to fit whatever environment they are in. They can be used for just about anything, not just the canning and preserving that they were intended for. (Although that is seriously back in vogue these days. More on that later.)

A little bargain shopping.

Sure you can spend lots of money on high-end containers, but you can also go to your local thrift shop and get some mismatched mason jars for a quarter or two. They’ve got charm!

A little scrub and voila!

Bring them home, polish them up and you have containers for grains, cereals, teas, pastas, nuts- you name it.

On display.

Use them for cutlery and chopsticks- they sure look swell on the counter top.

Sweet smelling.

Flowers always look so fresh and lovely in mason jars.  So unassuming and quietly elegant; they let the flowers take centre stage.

Buttons

They make great storage for sewing notions or in your workshop for nails or screws. You never have to guess what’s in there- just take a look!

Office helper

In the office they make pens, pencils, thumbtacks, paperclips easy to reach.

Water jug

They are an alternative to re-usable water bottles. Many of them have measurements on the side of the jar so you can gauge your h2o intake. They sure look pretty with a bit of lemon, lime or mint floating in them. I definitely drink more water in a day when I am using a mason jar.

Patio season at night.

My favorite use for the Mason jar is for candles, outdoors in the summertime. So pretty!

Fill it up with rainy day ideas

The Mason jar is also great for craft projects like the rainy day jar that was posted months ago- take a look!

Mmmmm beets

But let’s get back to the original purpose of this wonder jar: canning and preserving.  Over the last few years, interest in canning and preserving has been enjoying a resurgence amongst a new generation of people.

Here are a few links to organizations that are hosting canning and preserving workshops or have hosted them in the past. Google “canning/preserving” in your part of the world and see what you come up with. Nothing prettier than mason jars full of sweet goodness that you grew, harvested and canned yourself. Have a great week!

Everdale farm

Evergreen Brick Works with presenter Not far from the Tree

Toronto Community Garden Network

You Grow Girl- the last workshop was in May, but check out the site to see if/when they are hosting another session.

These days biking is easier than walking.

June is bike month in Toronto and to bike you need energy so I thought it was a good time to make some sweet more bars.

Michael has been hitting the trails and mountains on his bike as much as possible before the baby arrives and needs quick energy, so these little bars are a perfect snack and super easy to make. It took me 25 minutes to assemble ingredients, make and shoot this whole article.

Mike likes to fly.

This recipe was originally was found in Momentum magazine a year or two ago and comes from a cookbook called Health by Chocolate. I have long loved how these sweet little bars power my rides, climbs and runs.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened nut butter- peanut or almond work really well
• 1 cup honey, brown rice syrup or agave- I cut this a bit usually by a 1/4 of a cup
• 1/2 cup raw cacao- not cocoa- check your local health food store
• 1 cup shredded coconut- dry and unsweetened
• 1 cup sunflower or pumpkin or sesame seeds (or a combo of all of them measuring one cup in total)

** In this recipe I used pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and a few raisins measuring 1 cup in total.

Here we go!

1. In a pot add your nut butter and honey/agave. Warm it gently, stirring constantly until it bubbles. Don't let it burn!!

2. Add your ingredients

3. Stir it up

4. Put it into a square pan or glass dish, whatever you have in hand. I only had 2 small dishes so I split it up.

****The recipe says to grease the pan before hand but I don’t.

5. Press the mixture into the pan/s.

6. Let cool completely.

7. Cut them up into squares or bars.

8. I pop them into the freezer and keep them for up to a week. You can wrap them individually or put them into a glass container with a lid to freeze them.

Done! They are easy to grab and throw into a knapsack on the way out the door and are thawed by the time you need then!

A little side note: June 30^th will be my last suitably cool post for the foreseeable future; it marks a full year of blogging for me on this site!

It has been a wonderful experience never knowing where it would go or how it would change or challenge me. It has helped me to see how any day-to-day activity can be approached with a sense of joy and curiosity. It has given me fresh eyes to see the beauty around me. I think this is a great place to be as I embark on the next big adventure: becoming a parent.

Thank you for your ongoing support and comments! I may be back in a month or two or maybe not. I am not sure what is around the corner but you can bet it will be a big adventure. Have a great week!

The beginning of the project- a month ago.

Happy June!  A few months ago I wrote a post about getting a nursery together for the fresh baby on the way. Cut to a few months later and I am realizing that the nursery is really more for me than the baby. I don’t think the baby will care too much at all and will actually be in our room with us for the most part.  But I sure had a blast putting it together!

The beginning:

What a mess I had jammed into the closet,

and into the hallway,

and into my office.

Mike with tools- oh the power!

The bed is pulled apart.

The crib is put together...

and the trim painted.

My goal was to repurpose, re-use and borrow as much as we could. (There are of course deal breakers!)

Part two:

The wallpaper crew shows up!

My mom and sisters Amy and Emma gave up a Saturday and came to wallpaper. If anyone can get vintage wallpaper on a wall it is my Mom. I know it wasn’t easy but she has the magic touch!

Amy and Emma pose with paper.

I asked them to take some shots for me as I had been banished.

The gang 2 hours later.

There was laughter, tears, a few meltdowns and lots of chocolate and 2 hours later: ta-da!

Change table before.

The change table from craigslist needed some love. I didn’t think I wanted a change table but I have heard that it can be killer on your back without one, so we started to look on craigslist and got this one used  for $25.00. The lady I bought it from was very cool!

This should do the trick.

Some paint and left over wallpaper did the trick…almost ready to put things back together again.

Part 3:

So cute!

I had some old hooks from Ikea which made perfect towel holders. I added sweet little Chinese/English flashcards as decorations.

Happy bench.

This mid-century bench made its way from another part of the house. I think it’s happy here. (Truth be told, this bench originally came from my sister Amy. I not so secretly coveted it for years.)

Baskets and benches

Baskets under the bench will be perfect storage for books and toys. I bought these baskets on Spadina a year ago. (They used to hold my underpants!)

The change table after.

We added a bit of low VOC paint around the trim to match the crib and I papered inside the drawers and on the bottom. We bought an organic cotton change pad with a very fancy gift certificate! The painting is by Mike and the Chinese horoscope hanging was a gift from my Mama from a trip to Hong Kong.

Over- stocked!

We decided to use the dresser we already had. It is stocked full with baby clothes from friends and family! I love knowing our friend’s kids wore these clothes. The little horse is Michael’s from when he was a baby! It is in pristine condition.

Little dresser details

More details

You can never have too many globes! Did I mention I know where you can get great vintage globes? Atouchofvintage. Ahh shameless plugs!

Ikea- yup.

This fixture was purchased new specifically for the room. Cheap and cheerful. The old one was like a 1980s spaceship but not in a good way.

A long view.

The rug is a faux sheepskin was bought last winter to keep a draft out of our bedroom.

The other side.

The crib and change table and faux Eames rocker. The rocker was a gift from Michael a few years ago. It’s one of my favorite things.

Window side.

Wow- this room is long and skinny. It’s hard to get it all in one shot!

Closet afterwards- a bit of breathing space.

There is still a few things to be added- Mike is designing a big alphabet poster for the blank wall by the crib and we are making a cool mobile next week, we have cloth diapers to pick up and a couple of blankets but we are in pretty good shape! I wanted to make sure it was a room to grow into and not a room full of stuff right off the bat.

Thank you so much to all our family and friends for their advice, time, encouragement and generosity.

Have a great week!

Planting season is here.

It’s that time of year again: time to get your hands into dirt and make things grow.  Not sure where to start? I can think of nothing better or easier to grow than your own little herb garden.

Pretty tarragon.

Whether you live in a high rise with a sunny window sill, a place with a balcony, or a few outdoor stairs leading to your  door or have a whole yard to plant in, (I’ve done them all) planting a few herbs will usher summer right into your kitchen.

Thai basil- I bought two of these as we use it so much! No more trips to the grocer!

Garden, hardware and corner stores are stocked to the rafters right now with herbs ranging in price from around $1.50- $5.00 depending on where you are shopping and the quality of herb.

Salad rolls here I come!

Just imagine having a whole summer’s worth of herbs  at your fingertips, ready to cut and throw into your famous roast chicken (tarragon, sage, thyme, rosemary) to brighten up your salad rolls (mint and basil) to throw into your mojitos (mint) or to add to your favorite lemonade or herbal remedy or tea.

Add a few stones at the bottom for drainage.

So go to it. Pick up some terra cotta pots (Check Craig’s list, garage sales or sidewalks on garbage night- I have picked up many that way!). Throw a few stones in the bottom for drainage, add in some good potting soil, then add your herbs, water, and watch them grow.

Add good potting soil.

Make sure you buy herbs that are appropriate for the type of sun you get. (Don’t buy a full sun herb if you only have sun/shade.)

Pop in your herbs.

Potted herbs also make a wonderful gift for a friend, housewarming or just a cheer up. They smell wonderful, taste wonderful and are a snap to take care of. And remember, if you plant in a garden, many herbs are perennial so they will be back next year, fuller and thicker. Not a bad deal for such a small financial investment.

Water

The best part about planting herbs: Dirt under your nails at the end of the day.

and watch them grow.

Happy planting!

A couple of weeks ago I turned 40. There is a long running joke in my family that I was born at the age of 40 because of my serious and pragmatic nature as a child and for the most part I would agree. So to be actually turning 40, I feel like I have kind of caught up with myself finally. I feel weirdly grounded.

Birthday breakfast in bed, surfing! Bliss!

There is a lot to be said about aging in our culture. Many of us spend a lot of energy trying to fight the clock and stressing about getting older.  Some of us worry about beauty fading as we age, synapses firing less and generally losing what we “had” when we were younger.  It’s pretty understandable, as we live in an age of that glorifies and commodifies youth.

A fancy b-day decaf latte courtesy of Mike.

But I think it’s high time to celebrate getting older. Everyone’s doing it, you can’t stop it, so you might as well embrace it, breathe it in and enjoy the wisdom that comes with it. I may be one of the few people I know who lie about their age- the wrong way.  Half way through 39 I was telling people I was 40.

The rest of the day was spent transplanting ferns and working in the garden.

Birthdays are a great opportunity to re-evaluate. I ask the same questions every year. Am I happy? Fulfilled in my career? In a loving place with my friends and family?  Am I angry? Am I hanging on to old baggage that no longer serves me? Am I stuck in old patterns? Am I living life fully? What things do I want to do in the next year? What can go, what can stay? What needs to shift? It’s a good time to be honest with myself and move from there.  After that, it’s time to celebrate. Acknowledge the day quietly or with a big bang.

Dinner! Queen and Spadina at 40.

The past 40 years have brought me to this place in life. The road has not always been smooth and things rarely turn out the way I think they will – but it is mine and I forged it.  I hope the next 40 are as full of adventure as the last 40.

50 here I come!

Thanks for popping by! Suitably Cool is away for two weeks. Check back next Wednesday (May 19th) for the regular weekly post.

The market.

Last weekend I found myself in Kitchener-Waterloo at the Bloomin Arts Festival with Diana and a touch of vintage. We were there alongside 60 other artisans on the steps of the Kitchener Farmer’s Market.

Almost set up...

After set up I had a chance to wander around the farmers market and was wowed by the hustle and bustle taking place under this roof all well before 9am.

A view from the top floor.

The indoor part of the market boasted permanent stalls selling baked goods, flowers, meats and cheeses and outdoors, underneath an enormous car port, there were vendors selling gorgeous fruit and veggies.

So vibrant.

Whenever I travel, I visit the markets as soon as I can. There is always such vitality and life in local markets with people going about their shopping, conversing, bartering, laughing, relaxing and enjoying the bounty around them. Markets make me feel alive and a part of things.

The flower market.

This specific trip reminded me of a couple of things. First, that farmer’s markets all over the GTA (and no doubt close to where you live) will be opening in the next month or two. It’s a great opportunity to get out there and support your local farmers! I can think of no better way to spend a Saturday morning than filling up my bike basket full of locally made/grown goodies for a beautiful meal at home that night.

My favorite destination.

This trip also reminded me the St. Lawrence market in Toronto is a wonderful place to visit year round and I never seem to find time to get there. We have friends coming to visit from Calgary on the weekend and I know they would totally dig it! (Having friends come to visit is the perfect time play tourist in your own city!)

Delightful!

Thanks Kitchener- Waterloo!

For a list of opening markets in the GTA go to the Toronto Farmers Market Network.

Last August I bought a composter for the backyard and was very excited to start my own compost program at home rather than just relying on the city green bin program. I noticed immediately that we had about an1/8 of the compost to send to the city on any given week- it felt good. I managed to keep up with the composting for the most part throughout the winter months, although I admit not as much as I did during the spring, summer and fall.

John

Last weekend my brother in law John and Jonathon came over and planted cedar hedges all around our side property- a living fence. I was thrilled!

lined up cedars

A yard we could actually use and a green fence that would fill in and would grow with us for years to come.

Jonathan

Along with pulling out an old metal fence, putting in a railway tie, planting cedars, digging new flowerbeds, moving plants and transferring sod, John also helped me move my composter. After pulling the top off, he said, “Do you want to use this compost in your new garden?”  “What?” I said, “There’s usable compost in my bin?”

The insides of my composter. The stuff on the bottom is GOLD!

I was over the moon. Only 8 months after I started, with just a couple of minutes (if that) a day, I had a wheelbarrow full of usable compost!

No way!!!

No trips to the garden store lugging big bags of cow manure home; this was compost from our own kitchen and that felt deeply satisfying.  In that moment I felt that anything was possible! Goofy I know, but it was empowering!

Into the new flowerbed!

I am now fully back in the swing of composting again. Every veggie scrap from the kitchen makes its way to the bin. I can’t wait to see the results after a long warm summer ahead. Just in time for fall planting.

The new bed taking shape.

There’s lots of ways to compost even if you don’t have a yard: Google “indoor worm composters” and start reading. If you do have a yard, many municipalities sell composters for a song or you can check craigslist for someone selling a used one.

Mike does some finishing touches.

So many thanks to John and Jonathan for the amazing transformation in our side yard and of course to my nephew Jonah for keeping us laughing through the wind, snow, rain and sun last Saturday! What a day!

The bed in the foreground has been replanted with sod and new seed, the cedars are in and ready to grow and the bed on the right is full of transplanted beauties...