good-ness

that list. of 33 things to do. i have been checking things off it slowly. okay. only four things have been done. and two others are booked.

 

i sewed some wallets. well, zippered pouches really. i've been taking this finance course. the total money makeover. and i've learned there are so many benefits to using only cash. seriously. these are my cash wallets. which ideally make budgeting so much easier. five pouches for five things. groceries. socializing. gas. clothing. and other stuff.

   

the little tags on the outside. are the same fabric as the linings. which i was hoping would help me remember which pouch was for which budget category. but i think i need to do a bit of embroidery. or stamping. instead.

i love walking. and forgot what it's like to walk in minus temperatures. my gosh. long johns are needed. i bought a winter coat about 6 weeks back. and left it in my closest with the tags attached. hoping. hoping. hoping. i would never need it so i could return it and get a lot of money back. well. i wore it for my walk today. and am happy i bought it. and it was only minus six celsius. dang it. this is what happens to you when you live somewhere else where it doesn't snow for four winters. yes. the ideal would be to live in japan and commute to canada for work. and every other weekend.

on my way home while walking. i needed to warm up. so i slipped in a book shop  and went straight to the food section. and plucked Molly's book off the shelf. like i've done countless times before. i sat and read it for awhile. until i was nice and warm. i have been resisting buying it. because i am a friend of the public library since coming back. but our library doesn't have it. and though the library is a good thing. exceptions need to be made to support some special folks. like molly. nobody has asked me what i want for christmas. but this might be a really good idea.

speaking of christmas. i think h-kun and i will spend christmas eve and christmas day in kyoto. oh, kyoto. i miss you. i need to find a swanky hotel for some not so swanky prices. i thought about reopening my etsy shop while i am there. to earn some extra coin. so i can spend freely without thinking about it. to a certain extent. for just a little fabric. a few books. and magazines. some pottery. a scarf. and a bag. and a few nice hotels. but h-kun laughed. and told me i was being ridiculous. for even thinking about working while on my holiday.

so. i am making a list of thing i want to do while in japan. just normal everyday things. with a few not so everyday things thrown into the mix. one and a half weeks until i hop on the plane.

and i think. my legs have finally thawed out from that walk. finally.

yes. i sewed another bag. it's what i do best. my typical design. the bucket bag.

 

i need a bit of a bigger and deeper. and sturdier bag. for my upcoming trip to japan. one that can hold my camera. snacks. and new purchases. while wandering around.

 

i wish i didn't mind taking pictures of my back side. because i want to show you how the strap length is perfect. and how i can put it over my head and across my chest. and have it hang behind me. and how it doesn't hang too low but not too high. i love it.

the red fabric is a heavy canvas. the striped fabric is from ikea. and that great wall is from my mom's condo's stairway.

 

recently i spent a week out east. across the lake from toronto. in the niagara peninsula.

 

my family went back. to where we grew up. and we stayed with good friends on their acreage. and we spent lots of time together with my relatives. and especially my grandmother. we spent time mourning the death of my grandfather. and celebrating his life.

 
 
it was a trip full of mixed emotions. one that i never wanted to take. but glad i'm did. my grandfather was constant in my life. and i've only known life with him in it. i have always loved my grandfather. especially his tenderness and generosity. and after seeing all the lives he impacted and hearing their stories. i think i love him even more.

i love sewing for a purpose. for others. it motivates me. and it makes me happy.

 

my little friend turned two this week. and she loves potato heads. so i got her a new one and thought she could use a little bag to put the little pieces in. so i made one this morning before her party. fast. simple.

 and the mermaids add to the cuteness. in my opinion. 
 

random 13.

 

1. photo booths are fun. especially with nieces who have no idea what's going on.

2. every day. i miss h-kun. it's been almost six months. crazy. he should get his visa this month. whoohoo. but i don't think he will be moving her until january. boo hoo.

3. i want a prefab modern home. just a simple one. like this one. on a few acres with trees. or maybe with a great view. or both. dwell definitely helped me get hooked on these. and i am okay with that.

4. i saw paper hearts. a quirky movie. a great movie. so different than the norm.

5. i booked a ticket to japan. for christmas and new year's. for three and a half weeks. and i am a tad excited. thank you, air miles.

as soon as i saw that she was selling patterns for her amazing poppy doll. i had to jump on board. and give it a go. i had never made a doll before. luckily our friends in japan had a baby girl. sumire. and that was all the motivation i needed.

 

or so i thought. fiona did such a great job of writing instructions. and drawing diagrams. and pattern pieces. but she forgot to mention that she is the queen of patience. it took me quite a few weeks to finish the doll.

but i'm happy i did. and next time i think i will blow up the pattern pieces. and make her twice as big. which seems much easier than me trying to gain more patience.

go and buy the pattern now .and make your own. i dare you.
 
 

it's thanksgiving day here in canada. and i have been doing some thinking. about things i am thankful for. 

uninterrupted time spent with friends. and family. that my life will always be enriched by two cultures.my relationship with this cute fella even though we are still miles apart. adventurous spirits. freedom. people who invest time into others. the here and now. and the exciting future ahead. and fabric designers. of course.

i like the list h-kun just sent me. of some things he is thankful for: beautiful days recently. we are healthy. i can go surfing when i want to. i can go to canada soon. and i have a beautiful wife. 

i wonder what you're most thankful for. right now.

so. during the last of september. i turned 33.

 

last year's list was a bit of a bust. i was only able to check off thirteen and a half things. so i thought i would give it another shot. here are thirty-three things i'd like to try to do before the big 34 arrives next september:

1. paint with my sister and sister-in-law
2. meet a new blog friend
3. visit a photo booth with h-kun
4. go back to japan for a visit
5. read my great-grandpa's autobiography
6. write a haiku
7. learn to write my husband's family kanji
8. spend some time on vancouver island
9. make a blurb book
10. teach a friend to sew
11. grow my nails
12. have a sushi party
13. sew a wallet - done
14. do a hike or two in the nearby rocky mountains
15. re-open my etsy shop
16. take h-kun to a live hockey game
17. get a tattoo
18. learn a few new big words
19. make a king size quilt
20. go to a live concert
21. take photos of my family
22. learn a new craft
23. pay off the rest of my student loans
24. ride on a ferris wheel
25. make something using piping
26. go to italy with our good friends
27. sew a blouse
28. grow some herbs
29. make a hand woven rug
30. make granola
31. do a business plan for a creative endeavour
32. study japanese regularly
33. go to more indie films
 

my mom threw an early b-day party for me. and i got the best present ever. seriously. my four and a half month old niece did a painting for me. and i love the colours. burgundy. teal. and a touch of gold. i know what you're thinking. she's too young to paint. well, her mother, who is my sister, is ingenious. and super artistic. and i think you need to follow her lead.

she covered her kitchen table with garbage bags. placed some art paper on it with some dollops of paint. then she put some painting attire on baby joelle. wrapped her little hands in saran wrap and put some elastics around her wrists. brilliant. that is when the smearing began. yes, she tried to get her hands close to her mouth. but my sister was on the ball. the preventitive one. julie then put another piece of art paper on top joelle's painting and pressed it. peeled it apart. and voila. my birthday painting. that i need to get framed. asap. did i mention that my niece is only 4 1/2 months old? oh, i am in love. with the painting. and my niece!