mother's day

mother's day is quickly approaching. one of these little pouches would be a great gift - filled with with a gift card or some beauty products for your mom, grandma, or aunt.

quickie lunch

grabby post title but no, it's not what you might be thinking. sometimes you need to make a quick meal and this is about 5 minutes total. this is our favourite small kitchen gadget of late. it's from kuhn rikon and was brought by santa but has just been rotated into daily use. it juliennes like nobody's business.

recipe: quickie lunch*

1 package ramen noodles (toss out the flavour packet - there is nothing good in it)
3 cups of broth (preferably homemade/low-sodium)
one carrot, peeled and julienned
handful of frozen peas/corn/green beans
1 egg, beaten
finely chopped green onion (optional)

cook noodles in boiling broth for about 2 minutes. add vegetables and cook for a minute longer. add egg and stir and top with green onion if desired. serve in bowls. slurping allowed.

*no pictures of the noodles as they were eaten in less time that it takes to make them!

domino magazine

domino

i have almost every issue of domino (2005-2009) carefully stored in my craft closet -  right alongside every one of martha stewart's blueprint magazines (2006-2008). while i've managed to edit the massive dwell 'mountain' down to one thick binder, every time we move or reorganize i struggle with the decision to donate or keep the full issue magazines. surely i am not the only person hoarding back issues of domino.

it was with great anticipation that i awaited the arrival of this issue, trolling the magazine aisles in the grocery store this week to get my hot little hands on my very own copy. I'd hoped for an entirely new issue as inspiring as the original but it's a bit of a rehash. i feel a little let down. maybe i'm just a little jaded - there's an awful lot to 'see' out there on the internet and a massive increase in lifestyle/interior design/shelter blog content. surely the online access to instant inspiration has had something to do with the decline in print publications. living in a small house, being mostly self-employed on a tight 'fun money' allowance, as well as trying to tread a little more lightly on the earth has meant that i have been much more selective in what i buy. and sometimes it's just that i want to come up with my very own ideas without any outside influence and that can't occur when there's no break from outside influences.

that being said, i am looking forward to sitting down with a cup of tea and getting to know this new/old friend.



Go Canucks, Go!

the canucks are in the stanley cup playoffs - this is our year. we could not have come closer last season and we are determined to bring it home this year. (ok so i can't really skate but we are all canucks in vancouver. the puck drops at 7 pm and the beer and chip dip are in the fridge. honestly, the only thing i miss about cable tv is not being able to watch the canucks on our tv. live streaming on the computer screen isn't the same though i can sew at the same time. if i sew with blue and green fabric we might win tonight? it's great to see people out and about in their jerseys on game days and the scruffy start of many a play off beard.

sign of spring flowers

grape hyacinth have been my favourite sign of spring's arrival since i was a little girl. we moved into this house in winter and were so thrilled to see all the daffodils, tulips, and grape hyacinth bloom that first spring.

the original owner of this house was an amazing gardener or so the neighbors tell me. the garden suffered from a couple of years of neglect when we got here so we've done our best to make use of the vegetable garden. the new downstairs tenants are horticulturists. (awesome people). we are thrilled to see their efforts to bring the fruit trees back to health, build a proper compost bin, and prune the roses. i can't wait to plan the veggie garden. the first summer we were giving produce away but last year's yield was just enough for one big meal. my kid's big request this year - grow brussel sprouts!

open for business

spring is here and katemakes is open for business! it's been a busy few weeks in the studio. lots of little pouches, pillow cushion covers, and bags. these little bags are perfect for summer travels, as a gift for a mom, dad or new graduate - just pop in a little note, a special lipstick, or a gift card. now if the sun would only come out so i can take some decent photos of all the other katemakes products that are ready to list. stay tuned.