Grey Music Box

First I should warn anyone that is prone to feeling dizzy not to look at this post! Francine and I are slowly but surely learning the art of the gif, so you'll just have to bare with us while we perfect our craft. This time we realized that I was going to have to do some continuous motion so that the beginning and the end of the gif wouldn't be so jarring to look at. The obvious choice was the twirl- evidently we didn't think about the types of continuous motion very hard. However, I think next time we're going to use a tripod, so that the background of the picture stays the same. I think that the cross vaulted ceiling may also exaggerate the movement of the camera. But anyway, please excuse the slight movement in the background, because I think that otherwise this gif is really quite beautiful.

I am wearing: 

- H&M tights

- AA skirt

- thrifted bright blue cardigan

- pale blue lace cardigan by Vero Moda from The Bay

- Rachel for Rachel Roy coat also from The Bay

- the same blue clip from Holt Renfrew

- M.A.C. lipstick in luckable

I bought this coat a few months ago when it was still about minus 10 degrees outside. I just fell in love with it, especially with the back pleating, oh and the lining. Usually I don't like bright coloured linings, but this one just seemed to suit the muted grey colour of the coat so well. It reminds me of a rainy day in spring when the sky is grey but the colours of the flowers and the grass are so vivid. 

 After reading Hila Shachar's article on taking adult ballet classes I've decided to do it! I checked my gym and beginner ballet classes have already begun so I will have to wait until June to begin them. I decided I should blog about it so that I'll be forced to do it when June rolls around. This decision was definitely spurred on by a few things: the first being that when I went to twirl for this gif I realized that I could not even spin around in a graceful manner! the second obviously is my obsession with The Red Shoes and the third reason being that I found out the other day that my gym has a lovely dancing room with mirrored walls and a piano! I thought I could do a photo shoot in that room but realized that I have trouble touching my toes, so I'm not so sure what types of poses I could do. But I think with a few ballet lessons I might be able to at the very least sit with good posture, and learn a few french words that will very likely make me sound smart at a later date.

Anyway, I hope that everyone has a lovely Easter weekend. At the moment my mother lives here in Toronto so my Father and my older brother are both coming down here to celebrate. I've already decided that instead of chocolate (although I'm sure there will be chocolate) I'm going to eat home made marshmallows. I hope everyone has a wonderfully delicious holiday!

The Red Shoes

Recently I've been watching the new HBO series, Mildred Pierce, and although I haven't found it that entertaining I have loved everything that Veda wears in it. Her clothing reminds me of one of my favourite films, The Red Shoes. I first found out about this movie from Design Sponge where they did a "living in" post about the film (which is obviously my favourite category on Design Sponge because who doesn't want to live in a movie). I just adore all the blues, pale pinks and reds in it!

 Today I tried to create a Red Shoes inspired outfit when I went to meet my friends for tea but I was missing something blue. After tea I decided to do a little window shopping at Holt Renfrew, mostly because I loved my outfit and wasn't ready to pack it in yet. I had a nice time looking through all the expensive clothing, but I have to say I wasn't that impressed by the designers they carried- except the Rodarte section, which was obviously so amazing. I did, however, find this beautiful blue barrette! I was so excited because I've been looking for barrette's so that I can begin to wear my hair swept to the side, but that is neither here nor there.

 

So I'm wearing my staple black kilt from aa, a pink top from urban outfitters that I bought years ago, my favourite cream tights with a black seam from aa, and "truly red" lipstick from Revlon (wink). 

 Luckily my mother came over tonight so I was able to rope her into gathering all Red Shoes looking things in my apartment for a small photo shoot. It was difficult to get the effect I wanted with the light- my mother was very patient with me asking her to change the amount of flash a hundred times. I do wish I know more about photography, but I suppose that will come with time. Well anyway, if you haven't seen the film, it's beautiful, that is, if you enjoy blue, pink and red as much as I do right now.

Lemon Poppyseed Cookies

Whenever I go to Larissa's mother's house she always has some amazing baked good for me to try. Shereen is just the best baker ever, but she lives in Thunder Bay so I never get to eat her cookies. So I decided to try one of her recipes once a month, and Shereen was nice enough to let me share them on my blog. So to start I tried this lemon poppyseed cookie, and it was delicious. After I was finished baking them Jon and I went to Greg's Icecream and we bought vanilla ice cream to make icecream cookies out of them. They were absolutely delicious. I have to apologize for the dark image of the cookies, I took them with my new Diana mini, and I'm an amateur to say the least. Most of my pictured turned out either all black or all white. Needless to say I need a little practice, and she maybe read through the directions a bit better. But don't let the pictures fool you, they were the cookies were delicious.

 

lemon poppyseed cookie

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice plus 3 1/2 teas. grated lemon zest

1 cup butter (room temp)

3 cups flour

1 teas. baking powder

1/2 teas salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 egg

2 teas. vanilla

1 teas. poppy seeds plus more for sprinkling

 

1. preheat oven to 350.

In small saucepan simmer lemon juice over medium heat til reduced by half.

Add 1/2 cup butter, stir til melted. let cool a bit.

2.whisk tog. flour, baking powder and salt. Cream remaining 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup sugar on med. speed in bowl of electric mixer

mix in egg and lemon butter. Mix til pale coloured about 3 min. Mix in vanilla and 2 teas. zest. mix in flour mixture and poppy seeds.

3. Stir tog remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 teas. zest. Roll spoonfuls of dough into 1 1/4 inch balls, roll them in sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. dip a flat bottomed glass in sugar mixture and press to 1/4 inch thickness. sprinkle with seeds.

4. bake til just slightly browned around edges about 10 min. Transfer to wire rack, cool completely.store airtight 1 week.
 

Shereen's Advice: 

This recipe is an old cookie of the month from Martha Stewart magazine. In the original it is only 2 cups of flour. I found the dough to be too wet but you can start with 2 cups and add more if necessary. I also  press mine with a metal measuring cup. I find it works to dip and press a few times for each cookie, you will get the feel of it. It's important not to overbake this cookie, it is just lightly browned. Also, don't try to remove from the pan too quickly, let them cool a bit, because they are delicate.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

 

Spring Time

I had the loveliest weekend that started with waking up to the sun shining into my bedroom. Since the weather was so nice Jon and I decided to walk to Madeleines for breakfast where I had a scone and he had a meat pie. Then I went and got an absolutely terrible haircut, but I was determined not to let it ruin my day-- and when the weather is so beautiful it's almost impossible to be discontent. Anyway, my friend Emma came over after to console me and we made lemon poppyseed muffins (of which I plan on posting the recipe for later this week because they were delicious). Afterwards we went for Thai food and I spent the rest of the evening walking around Toronto with Jon. Today it's cloudy and a thunder storm seems to be coming on, making it a perfect day for doing a bit of sewing and reading and just generally staying inside my apartment. Hopefully I'll be able to show off the skirts that I've been making soon. Oh and this is a picture of me as a girl playing in the spring time in Thunder Bay (where I grew up). As you can see my mother let me dress myself and she always provided me with lovely dresses both vintage and hand made to create them.

Singers

Larissa sent me this amazing sound and light performance piece by Canadian artist Martin Messier called Sewing Machine Orchestra that was featured on Christopher Jobson's blog,  Colossal. I'll have to quote Jobson's description of the piece as it is a bit technical for me: "the eight 1940-1950s Singer sewing machines are interlinked with a micro-controller system without need for human interaction." I think the sounds are really amazing, and it makes a visually beautiful piece as well.

Sewing Machine Orchestra from Martin Messier on Vimeo.

Just a few things

 I thought I would share a few things that I have acquired lately with the intention of bringing on spring. This is a mask that I made this Saturday for my friend Julia's masquerade ball. I thought the mask was alright, but I was still a bit nervous to see what everyone else made (you had to make your own). As usual my mask was the only one that was pretty instead of funny. I wish I could combine the two things because I always end up feeling a bit vapid. Oh well, maybe next time I'll be able to create a pretty and witty mask.

I also bought this amazing perfume from Anthropologie that has a pin cushion for a lid! When I saw it I knew I didn't stand a chance. It smells like a flower garden with a hint of old fashioned glamorous woman. I love it, and I haven't had a perfume since I bought Tommy Girl in grade 10, so I'm pretty excited about it. The cards in this photograph are also from Anthropolgie, they're a reprint of cards from 1861 and have suits of roses, pinks, violets and heart's-ease. I love them, but I think it would be very difficult and confusing to play with them. But maybe when I have a daughter we can play go fish with them.

Francine brought this book along with some Madeleine's from today which was very nice of her because I was not feeling very well. The book is called Daughters of Painted Ladies and is about redecorated Victorian homes. I can't wait to take a better look at all the houses in it. Oh, I'm also wearing a new lipstick that I bought for spring from m.a.c. called Luckable. I really like it because it's definitely bright and daring, but still a somewhat natural tone. Now then, I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.