Thursday, May 15, 2008
seems we just get started and before you know it...
Before I left on vacation I had prepared a couple of draft posts to show you some of the crafts I have learned in Paris. The pictures below are examples of cartonnage desk accessories. I won't be posting again for a very long while so don't bother checking in. Best wishes to you all - oh, I'm so sad.
sneak peek at the condo
kitchen dinette
guest bedroom #1
Friday, March 21, 2008
so maybe ...
i love these !
I used 'Wilton' t-shirt transfers which I purchased at Michael's when I was home for Christmas. The package instructions make it sound soooooo easy to print in 'mirror' image but the only way I could get a 'mirror' image was to work in Microsoft Publisher (apparently you can use PowerPoint too). I bet if I learned Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign which I have at home in Paris (I'm so spoiled) it would be even easier (by the time I learn the software my versions will be obsolete). The only instructions missing on the transfer packaging were the following:
1. Ensure you pass a lint brush over the desired transfer area as lint will be magnified under the the glossy finish of the iron-on transfer.
2. Ensure you wipe the back of your transfer to remove lint from it, as lint will be magnified under the glossy finish of the iron-on transfer.
Yup, you guessed it - I got lint stuck under the transfer - TWICE. Not only that, even before I washed the t-shirts the transfer already started to crack and after hand washing with cold water the ink bled onto the t-shirts. They're still really, really cute though and 'little a' LOVES THEM - that's all that matters.
FYI: The monogram font (vine monogram) is from font bros.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
hi ma, i'm home
I just finished 3 quick (well sort of quick) craft projects which I'll post as soon as I figure out how to upload pictures onto my dad's computer.
I only have two things on my list of things to do while I'm in Toronto:
- visit Carmi at the One of a Kind Show; and
- visit the new Honeybunch store which isn't too far from my parents' place.
It's good to be home.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
international women's day
last minute dinner guests
For the appetizer I made chèvre chaud (mixed greens with an olive oil / balsamic vinegar / dijon mustard dressing topped with toasted goat's cheese on baguette). It's so easy and it makes for a good presentation.
I bet you've figured out that by this point the only clean surface left in the kitchen was the stove top.
Next, the pasta dish. A's cousin Massimo (from Rome) gave me this receipe a few years ago. The ingredients call for tagliatelle pasta, freshly squeezed lemon juice, spinach, about 175grams of melted butter and lots of grated parmesan cheese. It tastes soooo much better than it looks in this photo.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
et la gagnante est .....
But wait. There's more, read on to follow the sequence of events.
You're all here ....
now you're all in there ...
'little a' doing her thing (3 times - yes there's a total of three winners!!!!!!)
and the two 2nd place prize winners are Glee-Scrap and Colleen. You both win a Marie Claire Idees, the mini Italian arts 2009 calendar and a print purchased in Piazza Navonna. Congratulations winners !Will Maggie, Glee-Scrap and Colleen please e-mail me at creatinginparis@hotmail.com to provide your mailing addresses. MERCI to everyone for participating; Ihad alot of fun and I'm already trying to think of another giveaway.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
giveaway deadline
Sunday, March 2, 2008
the giveaway
- a 2009 mini calendar of Italian art
- a 'roman holiday' magnet of Audrey Hepburn riding a Vespa (weeeeeeeee - this is my favourite I wish I had bought one for myself)
- a Murano (venetian glass) pink heart pendant
- a print purchased in Piazza Navonna of Ristorante Panzironi located in Piazza Navonna
- a dishtowel with the limoncello recipe in Italian and English (I use these as mini tablecloths for picnics in the park)
- an Italian craft book on how to make wax-covered, bead embellished ornaments (I've never seen anything like this in North America - I just checked, the author is Italian)
- the current issue of Marie Claire Idees craft magazine (purchased in Paris not Rome)
To win this giveaway all you have to do is leave a comment and then 'little a' will pull the winning name from a bowl. Your odds of winning are very good. Buona fortuna a tutti !!!
Friday, February 29, 2008
vacanza romana - roman holiday
We had a great dinner with Massimo, Lucia and Domitilla (M & L are godparents to 'little a'). I eat to live but this family Lives To Eat. Massimo and his brother Marco are opening a fish themed restaurant in the coming weeks - not far from the Vatican (a bit more on this in another post).
Saturday we visited the fabric district in the 'jewish ghetto' not far from Piazza Navonna and Campo de Fiori (near Largho di Torre Argentina). Everything was closed. No, not because it was the sabbath but because we arrived at lunchtime. What was I thinking? I speak Italian but the lone store open was intimidating to me. All of the fabrics, mostly silks, were stored on moveable, elevated racks. You had to ask to view the fabrics - no browsing - no time given to ponder your choice - you have to think quick on your feet and make a decision. If other fabric stores in the neighbourhood have the same storage method I don't see myself buying much fabric in Rome.
We moved on to the book store across from Largho di Torre Argentina called Feltrinelli. The arts and crafts section is in the basement. If you love to cook then Feltrinelli has a great selection of books for you. If you love decoupage then Feltrinelli has a great selection of books for you. If you're looking for craft books on anything other than decoupage, then Feltrinelli is not the store for you. Unable to find a great craft book I turned my focus to craft magazines but I didn't find anything to my liking (lots of knitting, crocheting & decoupage). The magazine / newspaper kiosks are a bit like the fabric store - 'ask and they shall show you'. The craft magazines are usually displayed in an exterior window of the kiosk and you have to know what you're looking for because the vendor doesn't give you time to browse - he unlocks the window and gives you 10 seconds to decide on your purchase.
So you might think I was having a bad day - not at all; it was warm and the sun was shining, and lunch was next on the agenda. What you see to the left is only a small sampling of the pizza slices (pizza al taglio) available in the this eatery just outside Campo de Fiori. There's no need to recommend a pizza place in Rome - I've never had a disappointing slice (the same can't be said for Milano. The further south you go in Italy the better the pizza tastes).
Sunday we headed over to the flea market at Porta Portese. We've always wanted to visit but it's either been too hot (try to visit Rome outside the summer months) or we were travelling on a Sunday. In summary it was a waste of time. The market gets great write-ups but I was disappointed; I can get the same stuff at flea markets in any other city in Europe.
Would I ever go back? Only to scope out their antique market which we were too tired to locate, however, next time I'll skip the clothing market all together. Check out the crowd. They can't all be pickpocketers. Maybe they know something I don't.
Stay tuned. I'm planning a Vacanza Romana Giveaway to celebrate my new blog!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
arrivederci
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
look at what i got ...
- Tiara - "I am fairly certain that given a cape and a nice tiara, I could save the world."
- Vespa - "The world is full of people who will go their whole lives and not actually Live one day. She did not intend on being one of them."
- Yoga Girl - "One of the hardest things to realize," she said "is that our 'someday' is right now."
My friend Carmi, who is a phenomal card artist herself and a Paris afficionado, owns a large canvas of 'Tiara'. Carmi will be the second person I tell about this blog and then I'll announce it to the world (well, my friends and family). When I was home in Toronto this past Christmas I stopped by Carmi's because I have been longing to take a 'studio' tour. Did I say studio in the singular? I meant to say studioS !!!! Yes, she has two enormous studios set-up for different functions - you name it - Carmi can do it. I met Carmi several years ago when I took a marble coaster class from her ...
This is Studio #1 - the original.
This is a shot of her e-Bay store - amazing ! Don't forget to click on the 'Atelier' label so you can be reminded of the size of my craft space. I went to Carmi's intent on buying some of her beautiful Paris themed cards but I was so awestruck by her studios that I completely forgot. Yes, I have an excuse to go back !
Now let's play a game. Six degrees of Carmi. There's a link on Carmi's blog to Honeybunch blog (Nicole from Honeybunch is Carmi's sister-in-law). I love reading Honeybunch and one day I saw a photo of a tissue pack which screamed 'Melissa' to me (the first person I told about this blog). I continued reading and sure enough Nicole went on to mention that she got the tissue pack idea from Melissa and she raved about her blog (much like I did). Oh, it's a small world after all, it's a small, small world.