What's cookin' in the kitchen?

A trivet for my colleague Lisa’s mom. This little project came at a perfect time. After finishing the dragon a few weeks ago, I wanted to start something else. Something small but not too small—something that I could finish before we move.

I’m kinda in love with this little piece. The design is actually a quilt square design—it looks like a square of parquet flooring. Originally, each of the four squares was divided into four equal strips. And when I started laying the tiles, the four equal strips just looked too boring (like parquet!). So I decided to mix it up with strips of different widths, and different sizes of tile pieces. Some are whole, some halves, some quarters. I should be able to finish gluing the tiles tonight, and grout it by the end of the week. Then it’ll get some rubber feet and a hook, so Lisa’s mom can hang it if she wants (a lovely idea).

Thanks for the job, Lisa!


UPDATE!!
I finished laying the tiles last night (see photo above). Now I'm REALLY in love with this little piece! I'm already planning to do a series of smaller squares for myself, in cool colours, to hang together on a wall. I just love the different squares going in different directions. I wasn't sure how I was going to finish the edges. I've decided to tile them, too, so the edges will be nice and smooth when grouted. Might not be done as soon as I thought—edges take a while because you can only do one edge at a time, then you have to let it dry. But as usual, I'm anxious to see it done!

Sunday afternoon chez Aim 'n Chad

So what is there to do on a chilly, dreary early-spring Sunday afternoon? Laundry? Nah. Too much work. Reading? Nope. Did that yesterday. Sudoku puzzles? Too hard--maybe later. Cleaning? Ugh. Moving out in a month anyway. How about TRYING ON OUR NEW WETSUITS AND WATERPROOF NEOPRENE SOCKS!! Oh yeah!

Check out these two eager paddlers (and Grammar, who does not paddle but who snuck into the shot at the last minute). We got each other the wetsuits for Christmas. But we realized that our feet would be mighty chilly with just our summer paddling boots, so off we went to MEC this afternoon for some good 'n cheap neoprene socks, which will do the trick perfectly.

This summer's paddling and camping resolutions:
-go to Superior
-be more brave
-learn the fabled 'bombproof roll'
-be even more leave-no-trace

Cripes, is it only March?!

It's my birthday tomorrow

Hi,

I'm Grammar. Tomorrow is my birthday. I'm six. I usually get tuna for my birthday. I hope I get tuna for my birthday. It's tomorrow. I'm wearing my cape Auntie Stacey made me. I usually wear it for my birthday. It's tomorrow.

Bye.

This just in!

Stacey was sick this weekend, but she somehow managed to send me these shots of the mosaic I made her for Christmas. She has handily mounted it on her kitchen wall, where it looks so fabulous I can’t stand it! When I made the mosaic, I had no idea it would match her kitchen so perfectly—serendipity!

Stacey’s description of her illness made me laugh so heartily I must reprint it here: “Hey, I was supposed to work today, but instead am at home puking and having "loose stools" as we refer to them in the healthcare world--likely a bug i picked up in that very same healthcare world! ugh!”

My ultra-talented little polymath sister also sent me the following photos she took. The images in the e-mail were all called “aroundtown.033.jpg,” “aroundtown.032.jpg,” etc. So, in honour of her fledgling photography career, I present to you the “Around Town” series, by Stacey (she’s so damn doo-doo-doo-I-can- do-anything-and-make-it-look-easy, I doubt she even knows she’s shot a very professional and photographerly series).








I actually find the “Around Town” moniker strangely hilarious and cute. This may be because I’ve recently discovered “Cat Town.” You really shouldn’t check it out unless you’re alone or not worried about being judged by those around you. And if you have any liquid in your mouth, it will surely be shot out of your nostrils. Beware.

Ta dah!

It was a gorgeous pre-spring day today, so I took a few pictures of the completed dragon mosaic. He turned out pretty great. My only qualm: his wings are kind of washed out. They don't stand out enough, which is because the green of the wings and the grey of the grout are too similar. I didn't consider this when I planned the colours. I think I may eventually do mosaics of each of the other creatures in the series I modelled this guy on. He looks great hanging on the wall, but he'd look even better in the company of a few friends.

Mosaics are so unique. Right now he's hanging at the top of our stairs, so it's the first thing you see when you come in. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I don't know anyone else who has a mosaic in their entryway. There's just something about them...

Oh, sorry. I thought you said those pants didn't fit you anymore...

so I made them into more cat beds!! Chad and I were starting to clean out our closets for our move next month. He came across two pairs of pants with dangerously thin crotch areas (cycling is very hard on pants). To save any embarrassing potential pant crotch failure, we decided to decommission this pair of cords and pair of jeans.

I still had more leftover fleece from Christmas presents, so rather than move it, I stuffed the new cat beds with it. Each pant leg made one bed, so I ended up with four pant-beds (funny! a pant-bed!), and one more made of an old button-down Gap shirt. And, as you can see above, I'm left with two very hot pairs of '70s-style cutoffs, which I'll be wearing this summer (not on your life).

The new beds will be donated to the Toronto Humane Society again. The Humane Society does pretty well by us--Chad and I are monthly donors, and we're always dropping off old towels or blankets, which they use for the animals. In fact, they have a wish list of stuff they need. And you can always give me your clothing cast-offs and I'll stitch them into a snuggly bed. It's a good way to assuage your guilty consumptive soul.