Motel 6-ing it

Road trips of my youth were defined by fights with my sisters over who shared space under a bad floral bedspread and who took the floor (usually my twin sis, Dianna—she kicks!). None the less, Motel 6 has been a familiar comfortable resting place even in my adult road trips: I know exactly what to expect and that it'll cost me less than 50 bucks.

What a treat though to discover my favourite budget motel chain is getting a slick little makeover. Read about it at the New York Times.

private Paris

 Ten-course dinner in a private Parisian supper club? yes please!

From the New York Times:
"Secluded in private apartments, unmarked buildings, blind alleys and underground caverns, a host of hidden new hangouts has sprung up in the City of Light’s shadows, creating a vogue for stealth addresses and a corresponding surge in confounded pacing, desperately unfolded maps and requests for directions."

Now that we actually have dining room chairs (see below!), perhaps I'll have to start my own private supper club right here in TO :)  I'll just need to find a chef...

The Keys

Somehow I've been lucky enough to make a lot of incredibly talented friends over the years and travels. I like to share them with you guys from time to time, so I'm thrilled that one of my favourite people and favourite musicians, Tenelle Porter has finally recorded some songs with her band The Keys, and posted them on Facebook for our listening pleasure.

If you like pure, sweet vocals, rich cello and intelligent song writing, then you'll probably want to check them out, right here.

new job, new feature

It's been a quiet week here on the front lawn. I took some time away from the computer and put it towards good times with visiting cousins and long walks in the sun. It was so gloriously warm on Thursday night (after a record-breaking 20-degree day) that we strolled to a nearby ice cream parlour at twilight and sampled the local gelato. On March 18th! It was bliss.

The reason I COULD take a break from my computer is that I landed a great little job here in Toronto. While I have loved the freedom of freelancing these past months, I have really missed being around creative people and simple routines of getting ready for the day. I also missed the guarantee of a pay-cheque every two weeks :)

The job? I'm a Marketing Strategist and Copywriter for a boutique-y comms firm, called Walden, just down the road from us on Queen East. It offered everything I was looking for in a job: lots of writing and imagining, and a little project managing; a laid back creative environment; flex hours; interesting people; and swift commute (by foot even!). I thought these perks were enough to offset the less than ideal pay. Besides, cost of living in Toronto has nothing on London.

In other news, a project that I've been working on for ages finally wrapped up this week. Lots of you will be getting the print version in the mail, but those of you who aren't TWU alums can check out the latest issue of Trinity Western magazine online. While you're at it, take a few minutes to read my feature, The Aesthetics of Attentiveness!

Pictorial Webster's: beautiful words

I'm likely among a dorky minority that thinks dictionaries are a gorgeous thing. So many wonderful words in one place! Even with the advent of dictionary.com, I still consult my giant Merriam-Webster's Collegiate to ensure I am using a word JUST RIGHT. Heck, I used it just today when I suspected I was abusing the word 'parlay' in a sentence (indeed, I was).

But no one can argue that Chronicle Books' new(ish) Pictorial Webster's is anything short of stunning. Even the subtitle (A Visual Dictionary of Curiosities) is enough to set my heart aflutter. But crack open the pages and you'll got lost in a sea of pictorial delights. Maybe that's why there's an octopus on the cover.

Last week while exploring West Queen West (not a typo, non-Torontonians), I stumbled upon Pictorial Webster's WALL CARDS—teachers and contemporary mommies, take note! I can't think of a more stylish way to learn one's ABCs.

the (other) City

[image via blogTO]

I've admitted, in confidence, to at least a few of you that I'm a closet 'The City' watcher. Now I guess the cat's out of the bag. I just love that doe-eyed Whitney Port and her fabulous entourage, wardrobe, apartment, cringe-y boyfriends and colleagues, etc etc. but mostly I just love New York.

Once in a while, in the depths of insomnia or a lonely Sunday night at home, I'll even tune into the Hills or, ahem, The Real Housewives of New Jersey. And I never miss an episode of the Bachelorette (admit you love it too).

Having come to terms with the fact that I'm not too highbrow to revel in such smut, I'm in no position to judge... but, aw what the heck! judge I will: What could new Toronto-based reality series, JacLife, possibly have to offer? I love a good dose of CanCon, but cannot imagine who will make the effort to tune into slice.ca to watch six episodes of socialite-in training, Jaclyn Genovese and her crew as they run a Queen West boutique. Toronto may be Canada's answer to New York, but Queen West is no SoHo. Likewise, running a boutique doesn't rate as high on the intrigue scale as, say running a tattoo parlor or promoting a global brand like Diane VonFurstenberg.

Here's what blogTO has to say about it:
Some more riveting scenes already in the can: Jaclyn in her fabulous bathroom brushing her teeth! Jaclyn in her fabulous store vacuuming the carpet! Jaclyn in her fabulous loft eating cereal! Basically all the things you and I do everyday, but more interesting cause she's rich.

If you'd like to give JacLife the benefit of the doubt (and think you can handle it without barraging the screen with snide remarks), watch the teaser here.

Canada Loves Hockey

The sounds of Vancouver when (and after) Canada gets hockey gold. Crosby scores about 1:18 into it. MAGIC.

(thanks Linnea!)

75 Best Dressed Men (of all time)

Because I'm married to an insanely well-dressed man, I quite appreciated Esquire's list of the 75 Best Dressed of All Time (yes, ALL time).

I love that everyone from Albert Einstein ("demonstrating the proper way to wear a cardigan") to the Marlboro Man to Steve McQueen ("Because no one in history has done more to advance the noble cause of khakis, jeans, cable-knit sweaters, and leather jackets") made the list.

going sew-lo

My dear, generous hubby gave me a pretty amazing sewing machine for Christmas. I'd been wanting one forever and had been itching to try my hand at projects that didn't involve knitting needles, crochet hooks or a keyboard.

My pretty little Janome sat in its box for a good month while we made the move to Toronto and then got our new home in order... and then it sat there for another two weeks while I tried to source the perfect sewing desk on Craig's List. After driving all the way to Newmarket to view a desk that turned out to be a dud, I realized that I could wait forever to use my new machine, and that it was time to just sit down and use it—perfect desk or no.

I've sewn an item or two in my day, but always under the helpful guidance of my Momma or auntie. So the other night, I set myself up at the dining room table (not suggested if you are having company in the week ahead) and taught myself how to sew all over again.

I ran through all my stitch settings on a piece of scrap fabric. I threaded a bobbin for the first time. Then I unthreaded and rethreaded it properly. And then, I embarked on my first solo project. I turned some old scarves into a wee pillow case.

The end result is too ugly to display here, but it was a start!

And to reward myself, I am indulging in some of my favourite sewing blogs and websites :)

Today I'm loving Colette Patterns for good vintage inspiration. She also has a free pattern for an adorable pair of mini bloomers, which I'll be making as soon as I get my printer up and running.

I also love the smock-y APC inspired clothes at Wiksten-made. Really, simple designs like these are what made me want to sew in the first place. I love this stuff.

And lastly, always the best spot on the web for sewing 'shareware' (did I totally misappropriate that term?) is BurdaStyle. How many patterns have I bookmarked here for future reference? I've lost count. Enjoy!