Dream Life

(photos: NY Times)

This article popped up on twitter yesterday via @perfect_bound, and I immediately identified it as my dream life. A couple from New York bought this adorable fixer-upper cottage, a two hour drive from the apartment they rent in Brooklyn for $95,000. After investing time - every weekend from October to May, money - an additional $10,000 for renovations, and lots of do-it-yourself inspiration, they have this charming little cottage to call their own. Sigh.... And I haven't even told you the best part. The May deadline to finish work on the house was a strict one, as they were getting married in their backyard! So romantic...

Here are some pics from the New York Times article. Head on over to the site for the whole story, and more photos too.

Recipe cards

I was working on a little birthday surprise for a friend yesterday, you may know her, the Guerilla Gourmand?? Yes, it was her birthday yesterday and we celebrated with a little ice cream and walk by the river. I also gifted her my new recipe cards. Perfect for the international chef! I'm thinking of putting them in the English Muffin shop, what do ya think?

(designs by English Muffin)

Cabin + Cub

(photos: Cabin + Cub)

Seeing these wonderful woodburnt prints from Cabin + Cub, reminded me of some woodburning that I did at an overnight camp I attended with my middle school class. Not to brag, but... my woodburning design was chosen to be featured in the big woodburning mural, the design to commemorate our grade 7 class trip. What can I say? I was honoured ;) Enough about me, though.

Cabin + Cub is the art and stationary company of Vancouver based designer and artist, Valerie Thai. In addition to her woodburnt prints and stationary, Valerie is a very talented graphic designer. You can see her portfolio here.

And... if you want a chance to win the Cute Little Bird, visit the Cabin + Cub blog, as it is this month's giveaway - good luck!!


Cute Little Bird

Personalized Cute Squirrel

Personalized Cute Owl

Cute Little Chipmunk

Cute Little Squirrel

To see more from Cabin + Cub, visit their Etsy shop.

Postcards from Panama - week 3

Good Monday to all of you! Today we have another installment of Postcards from Panama. For those of you keeping track, Big Chuck has been in Panama for 3 weeks, only 2 more to go!! He's sent some more photos from the field, I hope you enjoy them.

A millipede, love all those little legs!

A spider monkey, they swing in the trees and Big Chuck says they stare at him. Maybe they want a banana?

Their tails are quite strong as they can use them to wrap around branches and suspend themselves.

Have a great Monday :)
bess

Muffinettes - Bite Sized Fun!

...jaune et bleu...

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you had warm and sunny week, maybe even took your bike for a spin. Today, in lieu of Freestylin' Fridays with Big Chuck, we are continuing with the Muffinettes series. How have you been liking it? Any thoughts? Feedback is always appreciated :) Personally, I'm a fan. I really enjoy gathering bite-sized fun to share with you while I'm making my way through internet-land. So, without further ado, may I present this week's Muffinettes...

...Elvis, I couldn't have said it better myself...

...you can do this in Montréal?!....

...learn how to make a robot, a really cute one...

...mom and sis, please don't see this sans moi...

...when you have some time, go here, there's lots to explore...

Have a wonderful weekend, until Monday...
bess

we love typography

Hannah Sans Serif

welovetypography.com, this website is toooo much fun! They have a huge catalogue of images displaying most standard typefaces as well as some lesser know ones. Search for "sans serif" and Hannah Sans Serif comes up, or for "Gill Sans" and you'll find a french video describing (en français) the history of Gill Sans and its one and only fault. Curious, aren't you?!
Check it out!

Baskerville

Vintage Caslon Clock

Have a great Thursday!
bess

IKEA - 50 and fab!

(photo: Liljevalchs konsthall)
The Liljevalchs museum in Stockholm is having an exhibition to celebrate 50 years of allen keys, Swedish meatballs, catalogues, flat pack everything, follow the arrow paths, buying more than you wanted to, screaming kids in the ballroom, 50 cent hot dogs, and of course fun, affordable and oh so Scandinavian furniture.

Ikea holds a special spot in my heart. I have been a customer since before I even had any money. My mom would drop my sister and I off in the ballroom (no judgments, I would have to) and shop. At the end of the trip we would get some goodies from the Swedish food shop; gingerbread cookies, delicious milk chocolate or even better, a plate of Swedish meatballs with potatoes, gravy and lingonberry sauce from the restaurant. (We have since managed to recreated Ikea's Swedish meatball dish vegetarian style, I kid you not!)

Even now, nothing soothes my homesick soul more than a trip to Ikea. I love them for their strict adherence to cookie cutter store standards. You could be in any one of their 296 stores and feel like you're in the one you grew up in.

A green armchair designed in the 1950's, one of the oldest items on display.
(photo: guardian.co.uk)

Page from Ikea's first catalogue, 1951.
(photo: guardian.co.uk)

(photo: Liljevalchs konsthall)

The exhibit at the Liljevalchs konsthall
(photo: guardian.co.uk)

Radiolaria, Collage + Cards

Notecard Set - Antarctic Explorers

I'm really pleased with this week's find. I love discovering new and original artists on Etsy. Sometimes I find there's a lot of the same sort of work happening, so it's great to peruse the shops and happen upon something a little more "out of the box".

Today's Canadian designer is from my hometown, Toronto. Radiolaria creates vintage comic collages, as well as hand-collaged original notecards and envelopes. Her designs are fun and quirky, and I really love how she pairs the envelopes and notecards. Wouldn't it make your day to receive one of her collaged cards in the mail?!

Notecard - The Piano Trick

Notecard - Matchsticks and Molecules

Notecard - Vena Cava

Notecard - Shakes and Malts

To see more of Radiolaria's notecards and collages, check out her Etsy shop.

Postcards from Panama - week 2

Big Chuck sent home another batch of photos from his adventures in Panama. I love seeing his pictures, he's such a talented Jr. photographer! I have a few more details about what we're seeing than last week, but I'm sad to say that we're still only communicating via google chat. How did anyone survive in long distance relationships before the invention of Skype?!

The pharmacy in Panama City

One of the scientists at the research centre is working with fruit bats. This little guy/gal eats figs. Don't worry they are caught and then released :)

Palacio de las Garzas, or Heron's Palace, is the residence of the President of Panama. The herons roam the courtyard freely. How nice...

Thanks Big Chuck!

Muffinettes - Bite Sized Fun!

...Cartonlandia - Ana Serrano...
Well it's Friday again! And since our favourite Friday blogger is somewhere in the jungle battling chiggers, crocodiles and spider monkeys, I'm posting some more Muffinettes. Hope you enjoy these bite-sized beauties from internet-land.

...pretty Swedish summer style...

...vintage poetry and more pretty summer styles...

...wow - lots of time and dedication went into this beauty...

...hotdog! need I say more?...

...and, this last one is for you, hubby-to-be...

Have a great weekend!
bess

Fun English Muffin News!

Whales by English Muffin for Tigerprint
I have some really fun news to tell you.... My whales design for the Tigerprint Baby Character Competition won!! Woooohooo! I'm so happy :) There were so many great entries and I am so flattered that they picked my card. You can check out the runners up here, as well as all the other entries.

Helsinki remade

Helsinki Remade - Mottoform via Design Forum Finland
Finnish-Canadian designer Elizabeth Salonen established the industrial design firm Mottoform in 2005. After moving to Helsinki from Canada, she became inspired by the details in the city's Art Nouveau architecture. "She worked them into modern graphic motifs and created Helsinki Remade: a collection of vintage textiles with hand-printed patterns remade from the early 20th century buildings – homage to both the history of the houses and old linen." Design Forum Finland



(Photos: Mottoform)
I love how this project brings together old and new. The clean graphics so beautifully contrasted with the old and imperfect linens. If you'd like to have some of Mottoform's vintage linens around your home, you can buy them through Design Forum Finland's Shop.

10 Things I Loooove About Canada

(photo via flickr)

1. The CBC
Even in Europe I'm still addicted to Radio One and we watch the National nightly (we don't mind that it's yesterday's news). May I recommend my favourite podcasts?
Q
The Current
As It Happens
Quirks and Quarks
The Vinyl Café
The Hour
(all of which can be found here.)

2. Timbits
Tim Horton's bite-sized treats! Only in Canada can the recycled hole of the doughnut become a national obsession.

3. Cold lakes and green trees
It saddened me to realize that I don't have any pictures from the cottage on my computer. In the great hard drive bust of 2009 I must have lost them all. But no worries, all cottages look like the photo above.

4. The Queen
She is our head of state, and I think that's neat.

5. The flag, the beaver and hockey (but not NHL hockey, only hockey played in outdoor rinks by children under the age of 10). And The Mounties too, but only when they're on horseback.

6. Eating snow drizzled with maple syrup, our version of a slushie.
Something I think every school-age Canadian kid has done while on a field trip to the sugar bush.

7. Nicey nice people
It's true what they say. We are a country of polite people. I never believed it having spent so much time in Toronto, but it's true. I love us!! Oh, and we're also quite modest... oops.

8. Anne of Green Gables
You can watch the whole movie on you tube. Guess what I'll be doing tonight!

9. Little Italy, Little India, Little Portugual, Chinatown (both of them), Little Vietnam (this is the section of Spadina Ave. where all the Vietnamese restaurants are - I just christened it Little Vietnam)
I love all the food, thank goodness for multiculturalism.

10. French
Mais oui je parle français, je suis Canadienne!

Oh Canada... Happy 142nd birthday!
ps. this is my 200th post!

rikrak

Quilt coasters

Rikrak is a cute little shop based in Ottawa, Canada, that specializes in "handmade one-of-a-kind and limited edition and upcycled vintage fabric creations". Shop owner and designer, Kristal, offers lots of great items in her shop. In addition to coasters and bibs, you can also find fun iron-on's, wallets, clutches, purses and pins! Be sure to take a peek.

Quilt coasters

Fabric Bib

Fabric Bib

Along with some other Canadian Etsy shops (you can find them all listed here), Rikrak is participating in the Team Canada Road Trip giveaway! There's a chance for you to win some wonderful prizes and support Canadian Etsy shops too. You have to hurry though, the winner will be announced July 2nd!
To get more info on the Team Canada Road Trip giveaway, click here.

Have a great Tuesday :)
bess

Postcards from Panama

Well, they took a little while to get here, but Big Chuck's postcards from Panama have finally arrived! To be honest we have yet to speak in person, only over Google chat, so I'm not too sure what it is exactly we're looking at - except for the buses, I got a brief explanation about those!

A church in Panama City

Public Transit! Apparently this is one of the city's public buses, cool, eh?! We'll have to ask for more info...



Ooooo, scary spider!

The Panama Canal

The jungle, where Big Chuck is working. Good luck BC!!
(photos: Bess Callard)

Muffinettes - Bite Sized Fun!

Preston - Sharon Montrose Photographs

I often find things in the vast and wonderful world of the web that I think are cool, but either are not in the "theme" of English Muffin (what is the theme of EM?), or I just don't feel like quoting another blogger word for word, and so they never make it onto the blog. Instead, they sit in my bookmarks folder. So, I thought today I would pick some of my favourite little bite-sized posts from this week in internet-land and share them with you. Just click on the link, and let these little... muffinettes (!) whisk you away to fun and interesting new sites. Enjoy :)

...dearest fiancé, i know you would approve...

...and most likely of this one too, i'm not sure how i feel about the blue, i think silver is more my colour...

...do it, you'll thank me...

...pretty ladies from the 50's...

...farewell, mj...

Have a great weekend!
bess

Tigerprint Contest

I entered the "Baby Character Card Contest" through Tigerprint. "The aim of this brief is to develop New Baby character/s that would be suitable for our New Baby card range in Marks & Spencer."
Here are my entries:

Whales

Duckies

Wish me luck :)

bess

Uh, how do you say....?

Listen up folks! Tired of being snickered at, ridiculed, embarrassed when you mispronounce this season's 'it' designer's name? Well no more - check out these super fun and educational videos from the Imperial Hotel Management College (IHMC) in Vancouver.

Think you know how to pronounce Thierry Mugler? Go ahead, have a listen...


Salvatore Ferragamo?

Hervé Léger?

Hermès?


How did you do?
(via The Moment)

The Beautiful Project

Pink Soy Milk and Vegan Cookies note card

"The Beautiful Project was established in 2006 by graphic artist, illustrator and web designer, Jeannette Ordas. Her work is inspired by her love of all things vintage and cute, from 1950’s cookbooks to textiles and typography."

Another great illustrator and stationary designer from Vancouver. I love how original all Jeannette's cards are, there are some really cheeky ones in her shop too, you should check them out ;)

You Are Easy To Be Around note card

Hand Signs note card set

Dutch Themed Birthday Calendar

Rain, rain, go away...

(photos found on flickr)
I'm feeling a little uninspired today. It may have something to do with the grey skies and sounds of cars driving through giant puddles just outside my window, or the fact that BC is in a warm tropical land far far away, or because I'm ramming my head against my laptop trying to make my moose work in a repeating forest pattern.

Whatever the reason, the rain has inspired me to share with you my wonderful Japanese umbrella. I love it - it's transparent. Isn't it the most brilliant invention. I never walk into people on the sidewalk anymore, and it was cheap cheap cheap. Well to be honest, I'm not sure exactly how cheap it was since it was a gift from a friend who was traveling in Japan, but apparently it came from the "dollar store".

See you tomorrow...
Bess :)