I have always enjoyed celebrating the New Year on the first day of school, in the fall, rather than on January 1st. That being said, I do feel like the day does warrant some type of acknowledgement.

Thanks 2009!

So this year I have decided to make a list, not of resolutions, but of things to be thankful for. It’s a nod to the past year and to all of the great things that life has offered. I can’ think of a better way of to ring in 2010 than with a big thank you to 2009. Do you have a special thing that you do on New Year’s Eve or Day to mark the changing calendar? I would love to hear about it!

Thank you!

Speaking of being thankful. Thank you all for your support, enthusiasm and comments over the last 6 months and 130 posts. I wouldn’t be doing this without you. You keep me going! Happy New Year! I will be back on Tuesday January 5th with regular posts.

Happy Tuesday! Many people are back at work today. Here’s a sweet, tiny movie to get your week off to a great start!

I am not so good with too much time on my hands as I go a bit stir crazy. Yesterday morning I was really unsure how to spend my “free” day. Christmas was over and I found myself in that strange week of nameless days that stretch between now and New Year. Mike said, “Why don’t you paint today?”

The funny part of this story is that I don’t know how to paint. And yet, two weeks ago I found myself in an art supply shop buying watercolors out of a deep desire to put paint on paper.

Maybe I was inspired by the art at the One of a Kind show, or the  thank you card I received in the mail or a recent re-reading of Lucy Knisley’s French Milk or Craig Thompson’s Carnet de Voyage or my Father in Law’s watercolor paintings.

I used to doodle, sketch, draw little stories, create art projects and journal daily, but let it all go to make room for other pursuits in the last couple of years. I was clearly missing it.

This was my first practice session with watercolors. I don’t know how to mix them, what brushes to use or have any notion what the outcome should look like.

I threw a bunch on colors together, mixed them with different amounts of water, messed with all the brushes and let it unfold.

It’s probably a mess but I really don’t care. This little experiment made me calm, happy and focused.

There’s something quite lovely about trying something you have absolutely no idea how to do, regardless of the outcome. Isn’t a great time of the year to try something new?

Thanks to Jody and Sadie for the cool ornaments.

Well it’s the eve of Christmas Eve and I find myself up in my workshop getting organized for the next few days. I am in a “creative period” and things are upside down in here.  I am really looking forward to spending time with family this year. We are having Mama and Papa (Mike’s Mom and Dad) over tomorrow for lunch and then we are all going to my Mom’s on Boxing Day for another lunch.

If I am to be really honest, this season was not always a great time of year for me. In decades worth of Holiday photos you will see me in the corner, jaw set rigidly, sulking. It actually became the family joke. Then something happened a few years ago after having  a conversation with my sister Amy. To be honest I can’t quite remember the details of it, but it ended up with me deciding to bring my “best self” home over the holidays. I started to pose for pictures with a smile (hard at first), joined in the games and guess what, I actually ended up enjoying myself.  Yep, me moping in the corner is a distant memory at this point, except when old family photos come out, but I can take the gentle joking.

Just hanging out.

So, thanks Amy for that chat years ago, it changed the holidays for me and taught me to endeavor to bring my best self to whatever situation life brings my way. It is a beautiful gift.

I can’t wait for the weekend. I hope to beat my record of eating 13 Yorkshire puddings. (The new thing I am known for in my family.)

Happy holidays to everyone. See you Monday.

It’s funny how you can start out by writing one post and end up with another one all together.

I got these magazines free at a street sale last summer. They were headed for the bin.

I was going to continue my theme of gift-wrapping suggestions, this time using old magazine pages. When I was done wrapping my gift in this “patchwork” fashion I realized it was in need of a little flourish, something to send it over the top. Yes, it needed a bow. Suddenly a new post emerged.

Such pretty paper screaming to be repurposed!

I decide to try to make a bow out of strips of magazine pages that I had pulled out to wrap the gift. I think it turned out pretty cute and definitely quirky. This is a great gift-wrap solution for your nutty aunt or younger sister or your “pattern loving” best friend.

Here’s how to do it:

A.

A. Cut 12 strips of a patterned magazine page widthwise. My strips are about 1-2 inches wide. (They don’t have to be perfect.)

B.

B. Fold the ends of the strips together and hold with your thumb and finger. Don’t squash the pretty loop.

C.

C. Make 6 loops, and spread them out evenly in a half moon shape.

D. A simple staple holds it together.

D. Pop a staple in the middle of the loops to hold them together.

E.

E- Repeat steps B, C and D to make a second set.

F.

F- Put both of your half moons together and carefully put a staple in the middle of both, connecting them in the centre.

G.

G- Take a little piece of paper and cut it in a heart or circle and paste it in the middle of the bow to cover the staples.

G.

G- Attach to your gift.

A little mid afternoon lift.

Or if you are like me wear it around the house for a while and feel fancy.

Hello from Winnipeg!

Hi guys! It’s Diana again, reporting from Winnipeg. I’m here for a couple months performing at the beautiful Manitoba Theatre Centre in The Drowsy Chaperone… an absolutely hilarious show where I play the dim witted, wanna-be leading lady, Kitty.

Old factory.

I’ve only been here for a couple weeks so far and haven’t had much of a chance to explore, as rehearsals take precedence, but I can tell you that Winnipeg’s downtown architecture is stunning!

This building is great! Here they seemed to have installed windows after the sign was painted.

I’ve have been noticing a lot of old signage painted directly onto the sides of brick buildings. They signs are worn and faded and many are flaking right off.

Some signage is partially hidden or so high up between buildings that you can’t see the full image.

It’s fun to guess what is underneath...

On some buildings you can see the layers of old signs that were there before. Time and weather reveal history.

What kind of place was this?

A great old sign

I’m so glad no one painted over these signs. It’s nice to see the history of a building this way.

RBC.

I am glad they have been preserved. I just love it!

Classic

Winter wonderland.

After dinners we have been getting into the habit of cuddling up and watching a movie and not getting out like we did when the weather was better. Needless to say we have been feeling quite lethargic.

Grab your scarf and grab your hat.

But a few nights ago after dinner, we got bundled up and went for an hour and a half walk, making sure we took a route we had never been on before. We looked at Christmas lights on the houses and browsed in a bookstore, contemplated getting dessert at a café (we didn’t) and meandered through our favorite park. It was a misty night and the streets were quiet and damp.

Bundle up!

By the time we returned home rosy cheeked, we were energized and alive and that night I slept really well.

I love walking!

Based on that night, I have decided to try to walk everyday this winter. Whether it is a purposeful walk to get somewhere or a rambling walk to get a bit of vitamin D and fresh air in my lungs, I am going to bundle up, take on the snow and cold and get walking.  Are you a winter walker?

I was at the The Rock Oasis yesterday morning when I saw this brilliant DIY project by Cort. It is a curtain made out of old climbing ropes. (1400 feet of them to be exact.)

Cort took a 140 –10 foot ropes and screwed them into a wooden base at the top. (The ropes are 10mm if you are wondering.) He then trimmed the rope on the bottom to make way for the stairs. This was a three-person job!

The curtain is smart on so many levels. First, it is using old climbing rope that can no longer be used to climb with. It is thick enough to create separation between areas in the gym and yet, it is open enough to keep air flowing.

Most of all I loved it because it looks really cool and it feels like you are going through a carwash when you walk through it!

Peek a boo.

This project is a really creative way to re-use materials!

Thanks Cort, Sam and Karen at The Rock Oasis.

This is container #1 of leftover rice. There is another in the fridge.

Last night we had a small dinner party with Sarah, Hinna and Karen. I made a tofu chickpea curry with basmati rice and I really overdid it with the rice; we had 8 cups left over. Sarah suggested I make a “leftover rice pudding.” (Thank you Sarah!) I am scarfing down this insanely delicious rice pudding as I write this.

Ingredients

I got this recipe online. I chose it because it was the one that used the largest amount of leftover rice and was the easiest to cook. (Gotta love those credentials.) I have modified the original recipe slightly.

You will need:

• 3 cups of cooked left over rice. (I had white basmati, but any will do.)
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 egg beaten
• 11/2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
• 1/4 cup of raisins.
• A tablespoon of butter (optional)
• Cinnamon to taste.

Bring to a boil. Don't forget to stir.

Add rice, milk, egg, brown sugar, and raisins to a pot and bring to a boil stirring constantly. Lower the heat and continue stirring until pudding thickens. (It was about 6 minutes for me.)

Mmmmm butter

Add butter if you please.

I like a lot of cinnamon.

Add as much cinnamon as you like.

Yes, that is steam rising from the pudding!

More pudding please!

Devour!

Dry hands

My hands have been really dry lately, far more than usual at this time of year. My esthetician told me about a really wonderful way to hydrate my hands with ingredients from the kitchen cupboard.

A simple recipe

This recipe has been around for ages and it is amazingly effective. It exfoliates and moisturizes.

Mix up olive oil and sugar thoroughly.

Take about an 1/8 of a cup of sugar and mix it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. This makes enough for 2 sets of hands or 1 set of hands and a set of feet! Cut the recipe in half if you only want it for one set of hands. (I have used less sugar and more oil in the past but this seems to be the consistency I like the best.) Feel free to experiment!

Rub the mixture into your hands, being careful not to rub too hard. Be gentle, you don’t want to over do it and have sore hands.

Not too hot

Rinse with warm water.

Pat dry

Pat your hands dry. Let the oil sink into your skin for a few minutes afterwards.

Voila! A revitalized, softer version of your hands!

Some people add a dash of lemon juice for scent and cleansing properties but I like it just as is! You can also use salt if you have it on hand- just be careful of using a really coarse salt. I also learned last night over dinner that using brown sugar makes for a divine scrub!  Thanks for the tip Sarah; I am going to try it next time!