list: one hundred things (30 to 21)

It's a new year and as always a time to consider life and the things I love about it.
In a good life it should be easy to find one hundred things you love:

100. grey wool blankets

99. fireplaces

98. black underwear

97. lucite tables

96. a good cocktail

95. summer herb gardens

94. ridiculous shoes

93. french cooked duck

92. men who smell like laundry

91. dark chocolate

90. charcoal grey

89. 100 percent cotton

88. white porcelain

87. green ferns

86. skinny jeans

85.the perfect sunglasses

84. white iPhones

83. the return of Polaroid film

82. a great haircut

81. fountain pens
80. fresh pasta
79. nighttime snow
78. those trendy stump tables
77. flowering orchids
76. warm wool
75. chunky rings
74. faux gold
73. raw gemstones
72. grey nailpolish
71. houndstooth anything
70. Burberry plaid
69. warm showers
68. spicy tempura salmon sushi
67. espresso
66. whippets
65. snowy park walks
64. hot yoga
63. lululemon
62. Pantone chairs
61. dark stained wood
60. cream cheese cupcakes
59. copper jewelery
58. apothecary jars
57. arizona green tea
56. lavender honey
55. bacon
54. salt roasted chicken
53. marshmallows
52. stainless steel
51. Edison bulbs
50. catamarans
49. mismatched bikini pieces
48. cat-eye sunglasses
47. polo horses
46. warm sandy beaches
45. tropical rain
44. the yellow peeps
43. dark rum
42. toonies
41. short focus SLR photos
40. chunks of raw coconut
39. bodum coffee presses
38. peppermint patties
37. chocolate chantilly
36. suede boots
35. tan lines
34. lays salt & vinegar
33. mojitos
32. chipmunks
31. q-tips

30. old photography
29. white asparagus with butter
28. tom's shoes
27. planting seeds
26. weck jars
25. red hair
24. mini brownies
23. fresh basil sauces
22. carbon filtered water
21. japanese food

love: vintage Polaroids

Oscar posing for the camera :: mugshot style double shots

     I've always loved photography but I've never had the patients for dark rooms and slow developments. Polaroids, digital SLRs and Photoshop.

     So when a homeless Polaroid M203 crossed my path, I had to take it home, order Impossible film from New York, wait for it to arrive in the mail, read the instructions to figure out how it worked - and finally test a few shots.And it worked! The M203 was produced as a professional passport photo camera, so it takes rather unique two image prints (as you can see in the photo, there are two Oscars). Thrilled that it works, my plan now is to see in what ways I can add to the camera to create differing images (I'm thinking screens, silhouette lens covers and colour gels).

    I really love finding vintage items that are still intact (this one has the full manual, back film loader and the original dust cover). And the IMPOSSIBLE project was where I found film - if you haven't read about the IMPOSSIBLE project and you have an interested in Polaroid, check it out. I also get film for my more common 600 series there and they do great small runs of silver and colour film.

make: massage bars

      Living in Canada means I use a whole lot of body moisturizer. In the dead of winter I discovered Lush massage bars and I love them, well I love one of them - Mange Too. The rest all have scents that don't appeal to me at all, so I decided to try making them at home. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I did some research and ordered supplies.

  I'm a bit of a tree hugger. And a beauty junkie. Those two things combined lead me to be a very active consumer of all things Body Shop, Lush, Aveda and Origins. But I am also sensitive to some scents (migraines are strange like that), if you've ever walked past any of those stores in warm weather you know that scent is a big part of their marketing.  And try as I might, the Lush bars were just too much - I made the mistake of using them on my legs and then sleeping in my beloved Roots sweatpants. In the morning, both my pants and I smelled to high heaven of Neroli oil. I decided then and there to make myself a nice soothing bar (vanilla), one for sore muscles (rosemary) and one to perk me up (peppermint).

shop: dude, sweet

Breckenridge bourbon chocolate sauce :: vanilla fro-yo

awesome packaging

     I love chocolate. Like, really love chocolate.

     I'm also a deep lover of well designed brands and unique packaging - so visiting Dude Sweet in Dallas was pretty much a home run in the great ideas department. It's industrial chic, uses local and carefully chosen ingredients, packages everything in brown cardboard and brown lab glass bottle and they make a mean marshmallow. 

     My birthday coincided with a flight up from Texas, so I requested a care package of C3POs, Breakup Potion and whatever else looked delicious. So I made milkshakes with it. To die for milk shakes. I'm a firm believer that there isn't enough chocolate in regular food, so I'm super excited to try their chocolate infused EVOO and balsamic vinegar. 

If you get yourself to Dallas, stop by Bishop Arts and try something at Dude Sweet.

make: fridge pickles

the actual use for my mason jars

    I'm not a pickle person, I always thought they were sort of gross. A few summers ago, I grew cucumbers in my garden and debated trying to make pickles but they disappeared before I had the chance to really explore the option. 

    Then, last week I had the pleasure of dining at Cheesewerks downtown (that's another post). Beside my Brie and raisin bread Charleston was a small, innocent looking spear. So I ate it. 

things from my week

Canada Blooms :: orchids everywhere

the Charleston :: Cheesewerks

birthday gift :: sephora

vertical gardens :: Canada Blooms

foodie gifts :: the high & low