THE WAIT IS OVER.

The 2011 baseball season starts today, with the Blue Jays playing their first game tomorrow. For Dennis and I (and our baseball loving pals) that's very good news! The wait is over. Yes, that umbrella is indeed a ridiculously large Jays hat. And yes, I love emotionally manipulative, totally over the top sports commercials that feature all of my favourite men.

Nothing signals the start of spring quite like the beginning of baseball season (though the cold, grey conditions I see outside right now are doing nothing to back that statement up!). I eagerly anticipate trips to the dome, Sportsnet monopolising our TV, and the soothing sound of Jerry Howarth on the radio (hello friends).

KICKSTART-HER.

Check out this video for Becky's Kickstarter project: The Sweetie Pie Press 2011 Summer Craft Tour. Do you like helping awesome people continue to do cool things? Do you also like getting rewards in the process? Because donating money and recieving a reward in return is a pretty awesome kind of multi-tasking. Check out her page to get all the details!

I NEED A REMEDY.

Been enjoying a quiet night at home and the celebration issue of Remedy. Anne Zimmerman's story is making me want to attempt the churros con chocolate recipe, but there's no way I'm attempting that kind of culinary feat right now (add it to the ever expanding kitchen experiments of the future list). Remedy is a sweet little publication. A year in the making, Remedy Quarterly started as an idea amongst friends. That home remedies, and by association home cooking and recipes, are as comforting to share and read about as they are to actually consume. My sudden interest in a dessert I've never had before is a testament to the truth of that statement.

ART CRUSH: CAROLINE GAEDECHENS.

Today I came home to a couple of prints I ordered by Carloline Gaedechens via Tiny Showcase. The Wolves & The Village. The text in The Wolves translates to "as soon as the wolves had eaten the siblings they became human." I love them. Check out her Etsy shop for more spooky, textured, mysterious, excellent work!

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A couple of other things:

A small selection of my cards are now available at The Drake General Store in Toronto, and The Hach in Vancouver!

And I just wanted to say thanks to anyone who's written about my stuff, stopped by this blog, or reached out in some way lately on the web or in person. I am so appreciative of your kindness, time, and (contagious) enthusiasm. Thanks!

STICKS AND STEAK.

Two random slices of life:

1. Steak and eggs at The Bellevue with Melodie. Scalloped potatoes with breakfast? Yes please.

2. Something I'm pretty stoked about? Learning to play drums for a new musical endeavor with some lady pals. We had our first practice on Saturday! Dennis gave me some air drumming lessons at home to prepare. Pretty cool.

LA BELLE PROVINCE.

Good times at Puces Pop this past weekend. Met lots of nice people and enjoyed a totally gluttonous amount of food stuff. The quality of vendors was top notch - I had to exercise some serious restraint in the purchasing department to keep my trip budget under control. Big ups to those that braved the crappy weather to come down to the event, and thanks so much to all the kind folks who stopped by my table to adopt a card/print/poster. I really enjoyed hearing people casually switch between French to English to French mid-conversation - bilingual envy.

As per usual I forgot my camera's memory card in my printer, so here are a few photos (taken at home) of the things I smuggled back. Plus a few cellphone style snack shots for good measure.

A sweet Bow-lo tie from Norwegian Wood. Great stuff.

A plant I can't kill (finally, almost everything green in my house is dying) by Shannon, and a couple wooden cards by The Misanthrope Specialty Co (bottom one's for Dennis so it's a secret).

Homemade sweets by Dinette Nationale. It's a miracle those caramels even made it home.

Screen printed fancy shrub poster by French Fourch. These guys had lots of great prints, books, shirts, etc.

Pork tacos by Grumman 78. Basil instead of cilantro = major score.
I second my friend Tim's observation - Toronto needs more portable tacos!

Cinnamon sugar donut by Jane Donut. Also enjoyed the salted caramel donut.
Also ate a boat load of cupcakes via my generous neighbour.

There is so much stuff I didn't get photos of. Like the venue. And my fellow vendors. And the amazing ghosty screen prints with glow in the dark ink by the lady who's name I'm totally forgetting. Her stuff was awesome and I regret not picking up a print.

Rob and I also enjoyed pickles and sandwiches at Schwartz's, a meat feast at Au Pied De Cochon (my birthday came early this year - thanks Rob!), a mandatory poutine session, and many delicious brews. Trips are all about the food, or maybe that's just the perspective of gluttons like us. So be it!

HEAD OUT ON THE HIGHWAY.

Artwork by PinPals

Puces POP
March 5 & 6 | 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Free entry | L’Eglise St-Enfant Jesus | 5039, St-Dominique (at St-Joseph)

Hitting the road early tomorrow to enjoy a day in Montreal before the Puces Pop portion of our weekend adventure begins! Can't wait to take a break from the glitz and glamour that is office life, meet some new faces, and spend all my money on handmade goods and food. Bonsoir.