Oh, Hello! // Oh So Retro Accessories

2011-06-21T09:08:00.002-05:00

My boyfriend & two of his equally weird & talented friends are currently putting on an art show at Edge Gallery in Winnipeg. There is still a few days left if you want to check it out. There is a lot of great art for sale from all three boys as well as some neat stuff available from other artists in the gallery. Support your local artists & venues!

You can follow Randy & his art on Facebook here. He is a prolific artist who draws every single evening after work until bed time. Starting in July he will be working part time at his day job so he can focus more on his freelance art work. He's wanted to be able to do this for years so I'm really excited that it's happening for him.

It will be a big change for us financially but I know the end result will be worth it. Our motto for 2011 is "life is short, do what makes you happy." And for both of us, happiness is living creatively every day. We'll just have to be more creative with our money as well.

Here's some photos from the art show, just a tiny sampling of what there is. I think Randy is planning on stocking his Etsy shop with the left over screen prints, I will let you know when/if that happens.

2011-06-16T08:37:00.002-05:00

I love my hairdresser, but lately I haven't been happy with my cuts. It's not her fault, she does a good job, it's just not what I want. It's hard to convey "Louise Brooks meets 90s indie rock girl" to someone who has no idea who that is & wasn't 16 in 1994.

After spending an hour doing some intense youtube research on cutting a bob with clippers I decided that I could do it myself. If I really ruined it I could always get another pixie cut at a salon, and besides it would be good for a laugh. I dug out Randys clippers but the guards were missing. Instead of doing what a sane person would do and finding the guards or getting a new set, I decided that I didn't need the guards. Holding a hand mirror in one hand and the clippers in the other I went to work.

And somehow I ended up with this:

I'm really happy with how it turned out, and surprised that I managed to pull it off. All I need to do is straighten out my bangs. I saved myself a bit of money with this and to celebrate I think some serious headband shopping is in order!

Check out this adorable card on Etsy by Montreal artist Cyerly. This is the same look I had on my face yesterday while cutting my hair.

2011-06-14T21:17:00.004-05:00

I discovered Larabars recently while looking for some help to get through my workouts without feeling weak afterwards. I had tried protein shakes but found them too chalky. Boost is good but it's also expensive. Larabars were like a godsend because they were gluten free, rich in protein without being full of crap and delicious. I could eat one (or two) every day.. if I could afford it.

Looking at the ingredients on the Peanut Butter bars (dates, peanuts, salt) I realized that I could probably come up with my own version. A quick search on google confirmed that homemade Larabars are easy to make & just as good as their name brand counterpart.

I picked up a package of "red value" brand pitted dates today for $2.99 and a bag of unsalted peanuts for $3.50 at my local Safeway. I wasn't sure if these were the right kind of dates - they had larger unpitted ones for $15/box but these ones were nice and sticky and worked great.

I used about 3/4 C of dates (loosely packed) and 1/4 cup of peanuts along with a dash of salt and a splash of vanilla for each batch. This is the kind of thing that can be made to preference, more dates for sweeter bars and more peanuts for saltier. Some recipes I found called for cocoa powder for a fudge version.

I made two batches, the first one I made by mincing the dates first and then adding all the other ingredients and the second batch I tried putting all the ingredients in at once. I recommend doing it the first way as the peanuts were not chopped as finely in the "all at once" method. I shaped them into bars with saran wrap and put them in the fridge.

I made 5 bars with just under half the bag of dates and barely any of the peanuts for a total of $2. That's just twenty cents a bar. Now I can indulge in two a day, guilt free.

Let me know if you try making your own Larabars & any variations you make. I'd like to try a version with cashews, and maybe one with shredded coconut.

2011-06-13T08:36:00.007-05:00

I have always loved vintage skirts, especially the large circle skirts of the 50s. They are so flattering for every figure and they're just fun to wear. They can be expensive though, and it's not always easy to find a vintage skirt in your size. (23" waist? Maybe when I was 10.)

I wanted to recreate the vintage silhouette in casual, everyday wear. These are the kinds of skirts you can put on with a fitted t-shirt and sandals and wear while doing your errands, or pull on over a pair of tights while on your bike. They are all machine washable & made with solid french seams that will last so long that they will become vintage themselves some day.

Most of the skirts in stock are in size 31/32/33 with lots of stretch. However I would be happy to take custom orders to fit any size! Send a message on Etsy to discuss custom options.

Mavis Knee Length Full Swing Skirt sz 33 M/L

Anna Knee Length Floral Aline Skirt sz 31 M/L

Ethel Knee Length Vintage Fabric Swing Skirt sz 32 M/L

Check out the skirt section in my shop to see the rest of the skirts available!

Canada Post Update

2011-06-08T08:28:00.003-05:00

You've Got Mail
Originally uploaded by Naveg

I've been getting a lot of questions about the Canada Post strike from confused sellers and buyers this week. At first we were preparing for a full national strike and had assumed no mail was going to go out or come in. Thankfully that didn't happen, but many people are still under the impression that it did.

Right now it's a rotating strike taking place in one or two cities at a time for 24 hours and then moving on to the next location. There really hasn't been much difference in the quality of Canada Post delivery that I have seen. My awesome mailman hand delivered my parcels the day after the Winnipeg strike action the same as the week before.

As such, I've decided to operate my business as if there is no strike going on. It is safe to buy from Canadian sellers and safe for Canadian sellers to run their shops. For those of us close to the border who sell a majority of our items to the US, our packages are (thankfully) out of the Canada Post system and into the USPS system within 48 hours anyway. No need to panic, yet. However things could change and I'm keeping an eye on the situation. If anything changes I will let you know as soon as possible.

For now, I'd like to offer free shipping to all my North American buyers for the duration of the rotating strike! Just to say thank you for your patience and also because I couldn't resist the irony.

Thanks to my fellow Canadian sellers on twitter for the updates! You guys are like my own little union, repping the home based independent online seller. We're important too!

Be More Creative

2011-06-07T08:20:00.002-05:00

It's not quite summer yet but it sure feels like it. I've even had my first sunburn already, which will hopefully be my last sunburn of the year too. Sunburned knees hurt A LOT!

These pictures were taken a couple weeks ago. I am going to attempt to upload photos on the same day they are taken now instead of dumping my camera once a month, being overwhelmed by hundreds of photos and shutting down the computer. It's part of my "be more productive" goal that will hopefully lead to a "be more creative" outcome.

2011-05-09T20:44:00.003-05:00

The hardest part about going gluten free was losing pizza. It had been my favourite food since I was a kid and something we ate at least twice a month. (Or week, on occasion...)

Thankfully pizza places are starting to offer GF delivery and there are lots of options for buying frozen pizza crusts and mixes these days. It's hit or miss though, some of it tastes like cardboard and many of them are full of weird preservatives. I've bought bread with a two year expiration date.. that's just wrong.

I've adapted this recipe for Pizza Dough from the Betty Crocker New Edition Cook Book. You can use any gluten free flour, either your own mix, straight rice flour or a bread mix. I use Celimix White Bread Mix as my regular all purpose flour. This recipe will make two round pizzas, I "half double" it, to make 3 pizzas. One big one for my boyfriend and one small one for me.

Pizza Crust:

2 1/2 to 3 Cups Gluten Free Flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 package quick or regular yeast (equivalent to 2 1/4 tsp)
1 tsp guar or xanthan gum
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup very warm water

Preheat your oven to 375.
Mix 1 Cup of the flour, sugar, salt, yeast & guar/xanthan gum. Add oil and warm water. Beat with mixer on medium for 3 minutes, scraping frequently. Use your batter beater, not the dough beater. Stir in enough remaining flour until dough is soft and leaves side of bowl. I always mix up these steps, either I add all the flour at once or I don't beat it long enough, etc. It's very forgiving, so don't worry if you dump in all 3 c of flour at once accidentally. (I've done that more than once.)

Divide dough and scoop it out onto a well greased baking sheet. Dust your hands with your GF flour and press it into shape with your fingers. I use a bit of oil on my fingers too. I make my little pizza into a circle and Randys double pizza fills up the whole baking sheet. I press these fairly thin because they will rise up a bit in the oven. Brush a bit of oil around the edges and place the pizzas in the oven for approx. 8- 12 minutes. You will know it's ready for toppings when the dough looks dry and starts to crack.

Load up your partially baked crusts with toppings. I like cheese and basil and Randy likes cheese, pepperoni and sundried tomatoes. You can pretty much put anything on these pizzas, but if the topping is wet, like mushrooms, it's good to put it on during the last 5 minutes of baking.

Bake for an additional 10 - 15 minutes. I like to turn the broiler on for the last few minutes to brown up the cheese. These make a nice crispy crust that's got the right amount of chewiness to it - that's something that is usually missing from gluten free baked goods.

Enjoy!

The Best Gluten Free Banana Muffins (They're Vegan Too!)

2011-03-01T09:06:00.004-06:00

I was really tempted to call my post "Tasty Tuesday" for some strange reason. What is it about blogging that makes you want to turn everything into an alliteration? I wasn't able to come up with anything catchy though, so I'll just call this section "Gluten Free Recipes" for now. (You'd never know I make a living based on my creativity...)

I've been gluten free for almost two years now and in that time I think I've tried every flour created and every brand of Gluten Free/Celiac Friendly processed food. Some of it is really good.. and some of it tastes like wet dog.

We don't have many GF products in Canada - no Betty Crocker mixes, no Bisquick, no Rice Chex. It's a lonely celiac world up here that involves a lot of baking from scratch. My saving grace has been Celimix. On it's own it's pretty bland, but used as a flour base it's great. Previously I made my own flour mixture but the Celimix bread mix is so convenient and delivers better results. A 2 kg bag sells for just under $12 at my local Safeway. You can find it in the gluten free section if you're lucky enough to have one, or in the regular flour aisle.

These muffins are so good that even my not-giving-up-gluten-for-anything boyfriend loves them. It's a recipe I've adapted from my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook to be gluten free and vegan. You can use regular cows milk instead and 1 egg in place of the flax mixture if you prefer.

The Best Gluten Free Banana Muffins (They're Vegan Too!)

Prep: 10 mins Bake: 25 Mins
12 Regular Muffins

1 C mashed, ripe bananas (2 medium)
1/4 sunflour oil (or your preferred oil)
1/3 C soy milk or almond milk (or 1/3 C cows milk for nonvegan)
1 tbsp flax meal mixed with 3 tbsp warm water for egg substitute (or 1 egg for nonvegan)
2 C flour mixture minus two tablespoons (I measure a full C then dump out about 1 tbsp. GF flour mixes use slightly less than the equivalent white flour measurement.)
1 tsp guar gum (or xanthan gum)
1/2 C packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1. Mix flax egg substitute in separate dish. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400F. Grease 12 medium muffin cups. Don't use paper liners for these guys, they are too sticky.
3. In large bowl mix bananas, milk, oil and flax egg with fork until well mixed.
4. Add flour, guar gum, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir until well moistened. Add more milk if neccessary. I usually have to add one or two more tbsp of milk depending on how much banana I've added. Mixture should be thick.
5. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Let stand and remove to wire rack.

Best served warm and kept in the freezer. Microwave from frozen about 30 seconds before serving.

Make a cup of tea, get out a book and enjoy a little treat.

I'm a Social Media Failure

2011-02-23T11:56:00.006-06:00

Fail Whale by iadornu.etsy.com

I'm finally ready to admit it. I suck at social media.

It's true that you can find me on twitter almost every day, either tweeting with friends or sharing a new listing on Etsy, but that only takes 30 seconds and 140 characters - or less! Of course I then spend the next hour scrolling back in time reading new posts. But I get my own tweets in, I make connections, and I even generate a sale on occasion. Twitter works. It's everything else that I have a problem with.

The Oh So Retro Facebook page is sadly neglected and my Flickr page has seen better days. Even my new Tumblr has already been abandoned, and we all know how often I update my blog. My poor blog... thought of often, written in never.

It's not that I don't want to participate in social media. I like it. I'm with it. I know how to do all this stuff... I just don't and I'm not sure why. As soon as I sit down on the computer I find myself in a cycle bouncing from one webpage to the next, reading and looking for things but not actually accomplishing anything. I can spend half an hour reading about The Kinks or vintage magazines or girls who look like Justin Bieber but can't find the time to upload pictures to Flickr or post a link on my fan site.

I see many women who have shops full of fresh items and blogs full of content and I think - why can't that be me? It's not like they have an extra pair of hands or an extra hour in the day that I don't have. They just sit down and work instead of sitting down with the idea of maybe working and oh hey look pictures of kittens in sweaters!

At the beginning of the year Randy asked me "How is this year going to be different from the last?" and I ask myself this when I am thinking of where I am and where I want to be. How am I going to make sure that this year is successful? What can I do to make Oh So Retro better?

I have a few social media goals that I want to start working on every day, just an hour during my lunch break that would usually be spent wasting time online. My list includes twitter, facebook, flickr, tumblr and of course blogger. How much time to you spend working on your social media/web presence? Do you find it makes a difference? I'm going to get serious about it for a few months to see if it helps. It can't hurt, even if it just helps me break my addiction to blogs about texting errors and animals wearing hats.

Snowball: Bird Eater Extraordinaire

2011-02-02T20:11:00.001-06:00

Vote for Randys newest Threadless design! I'm not usually so spammy but I really think this would make a great shirt - and I want to wear it!

Thanks so much. <3

Long time no see.

2011-01-17T07:00:00.003-06:00

I was a bit surprised to check in on my blog and see that I hadn't written since August 10th. That's almost half a year. I had just taken a little blogger break because I had wanted to adjust the width of my blog and wasn't sure how to do it and somehow it's five months later and I'm just getting around to adjusting it now. (Procrastination is not the best means of accomplishing things, by the way.)

My resolution for 2011 is simple: Stop being lazy. Basic enough that I can apply it to every aspect of my life, and trust me on this, my life needs a serious kick in the pants. More on that another day.

I just wanted to get a start on my blogging by saying a big thank you to Jamie from A Forest Frolic for letting me use her beautiful photograph for my header image. I knew as soon as I saw this picture that it would be perfect for my blog. I found her using the Creative Commons on Flickr which is something else I want to talk about another day. Best tool ever.

So here's to 2011. Let it be productive and happy, safe and successful for us all. (And let's hope that I actually blog more than twice this year.)

ps: Mr Boots says Hi!

Trying Something New - Vintage Inspired Clutches

2010-08-10T09:14:00.007-05:00

I've been doing a little more designing and experimenting with my shop. Nothing too drastic of course, I'm not a terribly fashion forward kind of gal. In fact I usually joke that I'm "fashion backwards" because my style is so firmly rooted in the 40s, 50s and 60s.

Last month one of Randys coworkers asked me to come up with a gift for her 6 bridesmaids. She wanted something using her wedding colours and she wanted each item to be personalized. Oh and I had a really strict budget. Panic! I had no idea what I was going to do. I took a day to think about it and came up with the perfect idea that night while I was falling asleep - which is incidentally the time when I do my best designing.

The next morning I got up & excitedly emailed my idea to her - 6 simple clutches done up in navy blue with blush pink lining, each with it's own special button. She loved the idea and I started drafting a few different patterns to find the best shape. I also got hooked on clutches and have now made 10 of them, these little purses are addictive!

The final clutch design, one of the bridesmaid gifts.

These are my first two patterns. I love how both of them turned out and am really pleased to be able to offer some new bags to my shop. I've got a few more to be listed in the next few days, including solid coloured bags for those of you who aren't as pattern obsessed as I am!

Yoko Japanese Fabric Clutch

Ida Vintage Barkcloth Clutch

Learning to Live with my Fears

2010-08-09T09:17:00.008-05:00

Stuff No One Told Me #22 By Alex Noriega

When I first saw this drawing by Alex Noriega I probably said something like Holy Shit! It couldn't have been more perfect if he had drawn it just for me. It looks like me, I drink tea alllll day and I am pushing myself out of a deep anxiety rut.

A few yeas ago I went to see a new age therapist while I was working through some childhood issues. It wasn't anxiety based but we did touch on it, since it's such a large part of my life. Agoraphobia is like a scar. You can definitely get better and function normally but there's always a part of your brain that won't forget.. especially if you keep picking at it.

I remember one session she had me sit on the floor with my shoes off and draw on a huge pad of paper with those fat Crayola markers. She would tell me to draw abstract things like where I see myself in 5 years or what would be inside a gift box that I gave to myself. I think I gave myself a ball of glowing light that would give me energy. (I should have given myself a car or a mortgage-free house.)

Most of the things she asked me to draw were simple and didn't require too much thought, until she asked me to draw my anxiety. I remember just sitting there looking at the ceiling trying to visualize what my panic disorder would look like if I could get it down on paper. It was huge, looming, scary. Evil.

I took the purple marker and drew a big giant blob the size of the paper, with a messy, jagged edge. I added horns, to make it more evil. My therapist was asking me about it while I was drawing it and I remember saying that it was just a really, really, big menacing monster. After looking at it for a while I decided to draw on eyes and a mouth, to give it a face. This ended up making me laugh instead of scaring me. My anxiety was adorable! He had googley eyes and a little grin, like he was in on the joke with me. I added little stick arms and legs and that was that. I couldn't believe I had been so afraid of this guy. He was a big scary monster sure, but he was easy to tame.

After that things actually did get easier. When I felt the shadow of panic creeping over me I would picture the monster behind me, tapping me on the shoulder and running away. It still sucked (and sucks) but it would at least make me smile for a moment when I thought I would go out of my mind with panic.

He's been coming back to bother me lately, but instead of worrying about him I think I'll just offer him some tea. I don't think he's going anywhere so we might as well get reacquainted.

Flashback Friday #5 Me & My Mama

2010-08-06T07:42:00.004-05:00

Happy Flashback Friday!

Recently I decided to renew my Flickr account that had gone dormant last November. It's not that I didn't want to use the site anymore, it's just that sometimes an extra $25 is really hard to find. You know how it is.

Once I was able to get back into my account all my old pictures were available to me again, and it's been so fun to look back -- even though they were available until Nov I hadn't actually looked at them in a couple years.

I found a folder of photos from childhood that I had scanned in for Facebook, back when scanning in childhood photos for Facebook was the thing to do. I'm the first born so it was just me & my mom and dad back then. My dad was into photography so I'm lucky that there's so many pictures of us.

These were taken in the summer of 1980 & 1981 in our backyard in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Me & my mama.

DIY Hang Tags (on a budget!)

2010-08-04T11:38:00.006-05:00

I have been brainstorming ideas for making professional looking hang tags to use locally during the upcoming craft show season. Up until now I had been using a business card with a regular hole punch, but the cards are big and get in the way and it just seemed a bit too amateur. Using items I already had, a little graphic design work & elbow grease I was able to come up with a classy hang tag that I think looks pretty sweet!

You will need two craft punches for making your hang tags. I used the "Extra Jumbo Marvy" 1.5" scalloped circle for the tag and a quarter sized hole punch for the string. Both were purchased from Michaels using the weekly 50% off coupons. These go on sale all the time too - don't pay full price for them! You can use whatever shape or size you like as long as it is no bigger than 1.75" wide and 2" tall.

Here's where the graphic design comes in. I used Vista Print and waited for a premium business card sale with free uploads. Trust me, if you sign up for their mailing list you won't have to wait very long! I get multiple free offers from them every week.

I used the "design your own business card" option, uploaded the background image from my blog and laid out the text boxes so I had two identical graphics on each side of the card. You will need to play around with this a bit - and it helps to have a business card in front of you with the holes punched out so you will have an idea where your borders will be. I was a bit worried that my 6 pt font would be too small to read but it turned out beautifully.

Of course you can use any printing company that you like but you can't go wrong with 250 cards for free + $10 shipping. That's 500 hang tags! Just be careful during your check out that you don't select any of their optional add ons. It ends up being cheaper to wait and order more items from their next promotional email.

And then the elbow grease. This is the least fun part of making your own hang tags but it's also kind of satisfying. I removed the plastic bottom from my Marvy stamp at first so I could make sure I was punching each card in the correct spot. After a while I was able to tell just by looking at the side of the stamp if the card was lined up in the correct spot.

Once my cards were stamped out I used my mini hole punch on them. A regular sized punch would work too but the smaller size looks cleaner to me.

Finally, I used embroidery floss to hang the tags from my purses. Floss comes in hundreds of colors so you can pick out the perfect shade to compliment your hang tags or your items.

I'm still not sure yet if I'm going to attach them to the inside of my purses with little safety pins or if I should just loop them around the buttons and snaps of my items. What do you think?

I'd love to see your tags if you try this method - if you already use the method - or if you purchase premade tags!

Oh Yoko

2010-07-28T09:00:00.002-05:00

Yoko Green 7 Pocket Wallet With Change Purse

Yoko Pink 7 Pocket Wallet with Change Purse

Yoko Pink 7 Pocket Wallet with Change Purse

The Oh So Retro bifold wallet has 6 deep, staggered pockets for easy organization and massive amounts of storage! Keep all your business cards, bank cards, rewards cards, coupons and cash organized in one place.

Features:
- 6 inside pockets, 3 on each side.
- 3.5" zipper pocket on the back to hold a ton of change.
- Secure tab with metal snap closure keeps everything in it's right place.
- Measures 4.5" wide x 8" long (4" folded.)
- Interfaced for strength and stability.

Available in a pink or green version. Made with authentic Japanese fabric featuring large dots and patterns on green cotton. Lined in a matching print textured cotton with solid accent fabric.

Visit my shop for more wallets - or custom order one with your own choice of fabric and options!

Flashback Friday #4 Hello, Goodbye

2010-07-23T07:49:00.009-05:00

The day he was born was a rough one for me. I actually hung up on my mom when she called to tell me that I had a baby brother. It never occurred to me that you might be a boy, I was sure I was going to have a little sister named Sarah. Instead I had a stinky brother named Michael. This was my first taste of disappointment.

It didn't take me long to warm up to you. We shared the second bedroom in our small house and I can remember standing beside the crib, looking in through the bars and holding his little feet. Who knew finger nails could ever be that small. I loved to hug and squish him.

When Michael was 3 years old he was diagnosed with a spinal cord tumor and given one month to live without immediate surgery. My parents flew to Toronto with him and I lived with my grandparents. The doctors prepared us for possible paralysis and we excepted him to come home in a wheelchair. (He ran off the airplane to meet us at the airport.) At the time I didn't understand the seriousness of this event. I still can't fully understand it.

(Further proof that I am the smart one.) Christmas was the best. Having someone to share that excitement with.. the moment before our parents would give us the go ahead when we both sat shaking with excitement before the tree, counting presents and seeing who got the biggest one. Michael would rip his presents open one after the other and then sit and watch as I meticulously unwrapped my gifts.

There's a big gap without pictures of us because there's a big gap where we hated each other. Hated. Now I realize what a waste of time that was. I carry that regret with me even though my brother has forgiven me for how I treated him. (We're not just talking sibling rivalry here.)

It's taken years but I consider my brother one of my best friends. He's moving to Montreal tomorrow to start his new career at Aerospace as an Engineer and I am SO proud of him! I am going to miss him something fierce and will probably be making the same face that I am in the first photo but I'm excited to see what he's going to accomplish in his life.

The sky is yours Michael, one step at a time.

Thrift Shop Finds

2010-07-22T10:45:00.001-05:00

I love books. I love books more than I love fabric. Well maybe not quite that much, but they're a close second.

Actually let me restate that: I love second hand books. I love hunting through a heavy shelf in a thrift shop for well loved books, finding a forgotten bookmark treasure or vintage library card. One of these had tickets for a draw to be held in December 1989. I guess they didn't win.

This week I found these books at my local Goodwill - a great find. My high school had the entire collection of New Canadian (NC) paperbacks, these same editions from the 1970s with abstract paintings on the front.

Margaret Lawrence is an amazing Canadian author, if you haven't read her yet I strongly recommend "A Bird in the House" and "The Stone Angel". I haven't read "A Jest of God" yet but it's next on my list.

The Margaret Atwood "You Are Happy" book of poetry was my absolute favourite in high school. Some of the poems I had read so much that I was able to recite them from memory as I was reading them. I was so excited to find a first edition, and one in great shape too.

Anais Nin is of course classic and the Stephen Leacock book - well I just liked the design. Sometimes you just have to buy a book if it's going to look good on your shelf.

As cool as I think the e-readers are, I will never own one because they don't come with the dusty library smell, you can't sit and look at the titles and they won't make for very fun thrifting in the future.

Reintroducing...

2010-07-19T21:35:00.004-05:00

It's been a long time coming but I am finally ready to restart Oh So Retro Accessories up full time. I'm really excited to be designing & creating again after a two year hiatus in which OSR was put into bare bones mode. I'm feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, inspired and ready to get back to work!

I'm hoping to put up at least one brand new item a day in my Etsy shop until it's nice and full for the upcoming season. I will also be taking wholesale and custom orders. You can email me at ohsoretro@gmail.com if you have any inquiries.

As always you can follow me on twitter or add OSR on facebook. You can add my personal facebook too if you want more me, less spam.

Thanks to everyone for your support over the last two years -- it means a lot to me to know so many people are still excited to see what I'm up to in the sewing room.

Vivian Vintage Inspired Purse in Jacobean Linen $52

Maybelle Vintage Inspired Purse in Polka Dot Canvas $42

A few thoughts before we get on with it.

2010-07-19T09:30:00.000-05:00

I've recently discovered that the problem with depression isn't the painful sadness or the intense apathy, the lack of hygiene and nutrition and sunshine and friends...

It's the fact that being depressed takes up a lot of time. Weeks, months, years go by in a haze and before you know it one morning you're waking up (exhausted) and looking at a calendar unable to recognize the date. 2010? How the hell did that happen?

Coming out of a depression is really like coming out of a coma.

The really sad thing is that I didn't even know I was depressed until I started to come out of it. I've been living life at a dull hum, not really doing anything except the bare minimum needed to get by. I have no excuses for this. I'm tired of making excuses.

I don't want to waste another minute of life! I've been making some small changes over the past month, getting out more, being with people more, taking photos and sewing and drawing. Getting dressed, showering, eating. The simple things. The things I used to enjoy doing. The things that make me "me".

So that's it. No more excuses, no more bullshit. It's time for me to get on my way.

Introducing... Hair Bows & Headbands!

2010-06-21T07:35:00.003-05:00

When I was a little girl (waaaay back in the 1980s) I loved to draw and design my own clothing. I had an empty school notebook that I used to fill up with pictures of impossibly proportioned girls in ill fitting clothing; mostly tiered skirts with strapless bustiers all covered in giant bows. I was obsessed! Hair bows, sock bows, front bows & bum bows, bows on shoes and ramdomly placed all over dresses. I was kind of like the kid in Superbad, except with bows.

So when I noticed the resurgence of the bow I was really excited & decided to bring my childhood drawings to life. I wanted something that would suit everyone. Some of my drawings featured giant upright bows (think Lady Gaga's hair bow) and others were more feminine and laid flat over the ear. After some tweeking I was able to come up with a bow that does both - in fact it can be worn any way, any where on the plastic headband that it comes with. The secret is the fabric band that keeps it in place while it's being worn.

Because the bow is not permanently attached to the headband you can not only change it's style but you can remove it completely to swap it with one of eight other bows in this custom listing. The extra bows can also be used on their own to sew onto bags, jackets, shoes, pet collars, necklaces, bracelets... anything you can think of really. Because everything looks better with a big bow!

Check out my new Hair Bow section on Etsy! New fabrics & sizes coming soon. Wholesale & custom orders available.

As a special offer, FREE SHIPPING in North America is available on all bows & headbands in my shop from now until July 1st!

Wear Sunscreen. And Leave the House.

2010-06-01T07:01:00.003-05:00

"Be Free" by pennywishes

The other morning when I was watching old videos on youtube (I do this every day) I came across "Everybodys Free To Wear Sunscreen" by Baz Luhrmann. I remember Much Music playing the video over & over & over back in the day (they had a way to kill everything good) but rewatching it 10 years later I was struck with the soundness of this advice. If only I had listened, but advice is one of those "best seen with hindsight" things, intentions are all well and good, but you have to live through things yourself to be able to understand the advice.

The line "Do one thing every day that scares you" stood out especially for me since I have become so complacent in dealing with anxiety. Lately I have been feeling motivated to pull myself out of the rut I've created and find myself again, so to speak. I feel like I'm coming out of a fog. I feel like myself again. It feels good.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99
If I could offer you only one tip for the future,
sunscreen would be it.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked…

You’re not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you.

Sing.
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe you won’t,maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people
think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own..
Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live
in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will
look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it’s worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen…

Day 2, or Mr Boots Laments the Rain

2010-05-28T21:03:00.002-05:00

It's been a very, very rainy day today and it's just as well since I'm feeling a little under the weather myself.

No walks today, hopefully tomorrow.

The re:365 Project - Take Two, Day One

2010-05-27T19:41:00.007-05:00

I finally remembered to throw my camera into my bag today when I went out to the shops to buy ingredients for supper. I find myself saying "I wish I had my camera" almost every time I'm out. (I wish in a way that I had a cell phone with a camera, but that would involve having a cell phone in the first place.)

So on my little walk this afternoon I decided that I should attempt to do a 365 again as a twofold sort of project - one, to get out of the house more often and two, to take more photographs. My anxiety has been acting up the past few weeks so getting out of the house as much as possible will be a good therapy.

This photo was taken in the parking lot outside my building. The arrow points up to a light standard. I'm not sure who's watching, or where they're watching, from but I hope they enjoy the view.

Breakfast For Dinner Of Champions

2010-05-25T07:00:00.004-05:00

Alright, I'm back from my self-imposed seasonal depression sabbatical -- because the last thing the internet needs is more self pitying blog posts, amiright? Anyway, Randy and I were making thee best breakfast-for-dinner meal this weekend when I realized that I hadn't put together a blog post in a while so I grabbed my camera and took a few pictures before we sat down to eat.

I could probably eat breakfast 3x a day... and sometimes I do. (Although I'm not sure if Koala Crisp counts as a meal.) We forgot it was a holiday weekend and so instead of fighting our way through the Safeway we just raided the fridge & freezer and threw together a delicious meal.

Scrambled Tofu w/ Bacon

Mmm. Bacon. That part was pretty straight forward - we had half a pack of bacon in the freezer so I zapped it in the microwave for about a minute so I could peel it apart before putting it in the frying pan. We had two batches of bacon to cook so that took the same time as the tofu.

I buy prepressed organic tofu so I skip the whole pressing under a plate step but if you buy water packed tofu make sure you press it for half an hour first. I like to use firm or extra firm. Medium works too but it's a bit mushy. Pour a tbsp or so of oil in the pan (we use canola) and crumble your brick of tofu into the pan while heating it over medium-high. I don't measure any of my ingredients, it's all to preference. Add in about 1 tbsp of tumeric and mix it up so your tofu turns a nice bright yellow colour. This won't last so enjoy it while you can.

Next throw in anything you have in your crisper, I added some green onion & green pepper. Anything watery, like tomatos, should be added right at the end. I seasoned it with some garlic, onion powder and the best part, soy sauce. I use gluten free low sodium soy sauce so I really pour it on, but if you had a nice dark sauce you could use a lot less. I'm a bit of a soy sauce addict hence the brown scramble.. but it's delicious!

You can cook it until it's heated up and browned a little bit, serve it with bacon (or any veg side dish) and you've got yourself a delicious & super easy breakfast-for-dinner.

Thank You Thank You Thank You

2010-05-21T20:51:00.000-05:00

Last month I was one of the lucky winners of The Rik Rak Studios Eco Week Giveaways! I won a beautiful hand woven recycled rug from the extremely talented Pegg of Five Forty.

This was exciting for a number of reasons, one of which was the fact that Pegg is also from Northern Ontario. There's a special connection between everyone I've ever met from the Lake Superior region, I think it has to do with the water and trees and rocks. Being far away now it's always nice to find a little bit of home. Pegg has a beautiful shop full of hand woven rugs and handmade jewelry.

Mr Boots especially enjoys the new rug!

Thanks so much to both Pegg, for the beautiful rug, and RikRak Studio for hosting such fun giveaways. Be sure to visit both of their shops to look at all the eco lovelies they have for sale!

Flash Back Friday #4

2010-04-23T08:27:00.004-05:00

I was one of those babies born so bald they don't need a haircut until their 3rd birthday. My brother was the same, although he did have little whispy ringlets at the back of his head. I had nothing! My mom had to stick frilly bonnets on me and always had me in pretty dresses when we went out, otherwise the cooing strangers would call me fella. I'm always amazed when I see a baby with a full hair of hair, especially babies born with the same amount of hair that I have in this picture.

I'm probably around 18 months here. This was taken in our backyard during the summer of 1980 - although in black and white you would swear it was the 50s. That old shed has been torn down now but the houses & the fence are still there. Oh & I have a lot more hair now, thankfully.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I've been working on some new things for OSR and I hope to have a blog entry announcing them on Monday.

Surprisingly Delicious Gluten Free Lasagna

2010-04-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

The one thing I've missed most since being diagnosed with celiac is a good lasagna. Nothing fancy, no vegetables disguised as noodles. Just meat, cheese, sauce and noodles. And more cheese. Lots of cheese.

I was a bit skeptical when I came across a recipe for lasagna using rice instead of noodles. There was no way that could taste good I thought. But the reviews, along with my pasta craving, convinced me that it was worth a try. How bad could it be anyway? Tons of casserole recipes use hamburger, tomatoes and rice.

I changed up the recipe a bit just to make it more like my moms lasagna and to make sure it was gluten free. The results? Success! I loved it. It had just the right amount of gooey cheesiness and the rice held together really well. Randy wasn't as crazy about it, although he said it was a 6.5/10. He's not a tomato fan though, and really doesn't like tomatoes with rice. (I know right, what's not to like?!)

Surprisingly Delicious Gluten Free Lasagna

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups Minute Rice, uncooked
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 container Ricotta cheese
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tsp minced garlic
1 jar Catelli Garden Select garlic & onion spaghetti sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. Prepare rice according to package directions. Cool slightly. Combine rice, eggs and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese in medium bowl. Mix well; set aside.
3. Combine 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese and Ricotta cheese in separate bowl. Mix well; set aside.
4. Add meat and brown over medium heat; drain off excess fat. Add spaghetti sauce and minced garlic; continue cooking until thoroughly heated.
5. Spoon one-half rice mixture into baking dish. Cover with one-half of cheese mixture. Top with one-half of meat sauce. Repeat layers. Top with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Click here for the original recipe from Minute Rice.

Flashback Friday #3

2010-04-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

In the summer of 2005 Randy and I decided to go on our first road trip together. We were just going a couple hours north to stay at my parents camp for the weekend but it was one of the first really big things that I did once I started overcoming my agoraphobia. Back in those days I had a hard time travelling in cars because I was phobic of being stranded somewhere, even if it was just the mall or grocery store. I was nervous but I remember being really excited too. I made us a lunch so we could have a picnic and we packed up our things and the dog & away we went.

Of course what happens? We ran over a bag full of nails and got a flat tire! I remember getting out of the car in the middle of nowhere and telling Randy that I was going to walk to my parents camp! A couple minutes later I realized I was being ridiculous and calmed right down. We flagged someone down to help us change the tire and all was fine. That's me waiting for help, you can see our doggie sitting in the back seat and (yuck) I'm smoking! (I quit smoking that September.) We had a great weekend & slept under the stars. :)

Free Shipping Wednesday!

2010-04-14T08:06:00.005-05:00

I've been going through my stack of not-quite-finished and not-quite-started sewing, trying to remember what all these pieces of cut fabric were supposed to end up as. Before I start anything new I want to finish up these projects. I previously used to sew items as I sold them but part of my restructuring plan is to make the stock and then sell it - no more midnight binge sewing sessions for me.

I was pretty excited to find 4 cut and ready brown leaf bamboo pillows just waiting for their zippers. I have one in my living room and it's my favourite pillow. I think this fabric is out of stock now but I wish I had bought more, I would love to make myself placemats out of it. Anyway, to celebrate me getting off my butt and finishing these pillows after they sat in the to-do pile for over a year I'm happy to offer free shipping on them! Hooray for small accomplishments. :)

See the listing for theGreen Leaf Bamboo Cotton pillow slips or the Chocolate Brown Bamboo Cotton pillow slip!

2010-04-12T08:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the new Oh So Retro Accessories! It will be very much like the old Oh So Retro except it will be updated regularly and kept organized. At least that's the plan.

You might have noticed that I've dropped the "Design" and replaced it with "Accessories". This is because I have renewed my business license and realized that my work is less about design and more about .. accessories. Less fashion & more function, as it were. I'm also hoping to do more local shows and thought that Oh So Retro Accessories was a better way to describe myself.

While working on my blog I went through my old photos to find an image for my header. I was really struck with how abruptly my photos stopped in the spring of 2008. There's still pictures but they're not the same, there's no flowers or trees or artsy fartsy macro shots. This is also around the time that I stopped sewing anything new - I'm still selling the same items in the same fabrics as I was in the spring of 2008. I was always aware of my depression, it was kind of a low level static that hung over me like gauze but I had no idea how deep it went.

I feel in a way as if I'm picking up where I left off. I won't ever be able to get those two years back but at least I can move forward from here. I don't ever want another year to go by with no pictures to add to the photo album. Or no money in my pocket, as is the case of not doing my sewing! It's all uphill from here & it feels good to finally be looking up.

Finally, Facebook Fans

2010-04-05T08:12:00.005-05:00

Randy & I had both been saying that we needed to make Fan pages for our respective businesses so we sat down together on Saturday afternoon and got to work. It was much simpler than I anticipated and I really feel organized now, especially since I had stopped using Flickr last year when my pro account ran out and had no where to store my pictures. At one time I would have said that Flickr was your best promotion online but now I think Facebook is the necessity.

One thing I noticed when uploading my photos is that I haven't made anything new in ages.. Really it's almost been a full year since I did any real work besides wholesale orders. No wonder my store has stagnated! On one hand I'm mad at myself for getting lazy and falling so far behind but on the other I think maybe I just needed the break. It feels good to feel good again & be excited about something. But I still need to kick my bum when I'm feeling lazy!

My next project is to redo my blog template to make it more personalized. I don't think I'm going to get too crazy with it, mostly because I don't have the skills. I have an idea of what I want in my head and hopefully I'll be able to make it appear on the screen! I see so many beautiful customized blogs and I know I need something prettier and less default template. Wish me luck!

If you'd like to become an Oh So Retro fan on Facebook you can find me at http://www.facebook.com/OhSoRetroAccessories
& if you want to check out Randys art he's at http://facebook.com/randyortizDTD

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T21:48:00.003-05:00

Easter Eggs by Torsten Reuschling

I hope everyone had a great Easter or long weekend if you're not the Easter celebrating kind!

We decided to do away with a traditional meal and headed to my parents place for a barbecue instead. It looked like rain all week but at the last moment the weather cooperated. I was even able enjoy a cup of tea out on the patio with my mom, which is unheard of for an Easter weekend. I hope this weather keeps up, I want to get out for a bit of a walk every day and can't wait to use my balcony.

We had a really nice time hanging out with family. The Easter bunny even stopped by with some chocolate for me, which was rather nice of him considering I'm 31 years old and should not be eating a six pack of Cadbury eggs. (I won't complain though!)

I love a holiday weekend but I'm looking forward to getting back on track, especially since I have so much to do this week -- but more about that tomorrow. I'm going to be attempting to personalize my blog template so hopefully I won't mess it up!

Flashblack Friday #3

2010-04-01T22:15:00.005-05:00

Looking at Tias pictures of her & her husband I decided to dig out an old hard drive backup in search of my 2003 photos

Randy & I met in the spring of 2003.. he was a friend of the boy I was dating (I use the term dating loosely here) and we had talked to each a few times over the internet. The boy I was dating had warned me that Randy was "weird" but we seemed to get along pretty well so when Randy needed a new roommate in a hurry, I offered to move in with him. We hung out a few times, found the cutest little house and moved in together on June 1, 2003. Less than two weeks later Randy had stolen me away from his friend and the rest is history.

In case you're wondering, no ones feelings were ever hurt. The boy I was dating was happy for me & Randy & we're all still good friends. This story has a very happy ending. :)

Spring Cleaning

2010-04-01T09:02:00.004-05:00

I have fallen sadly behind on the shop front scene. I really got thrown off by our move (which was in Decemeber and is no longer a valid excuse!!) and I think now would be a great time to do an Oh So Retro overhaul. There's so much that I need to do, clean, organize, revamp, etc that I usually just put it off because it's so overwhelming. I only had 1 sale in March and that was for a $2.00 fabric destash so I know I need to pull up my socks now or else my business is going to be sunk. It's like starting over from scratch almost.

I didn't want to admit it but I had lost the passion for sewing/selling/everything. The thought of sitting down to work almost felt like torture to me and I did anything I could to avoid it. Everyone close to me has expressed concern about it, Randy because I wasn't working or making money, my mom because I appeared depressed. When friends would ask me how my work was going I'd say it was slow because it was easier to blame Etsy than admit that I'd given up. I can't compete, I'd say. It's too hard. There's too much. (Followed by: I'm overwhelmed. I'm going to bed.)

Slowly though I've been getting back into it. I started a new ideas binder that I've been saving fashion pictures in, which is fun and reminds me of being a teenager. I've got a whole line of patterns planned out and my first one completed. I've got some new supplies to inspire me, some new headbands and totes to make and maybe I'll do a couple skirts this summer too. Just for me.

It's hard work and a big commitment to make but I'm ready to get back into the long days and longer nights of being a one woman sewing empire. I need a little help & motivation though in the form of a public to do list.

The Great Oh So Retro Accessories Revival of Spring 2010

- ~~Create new logo & Etsy banner~~
- ~~Customize blog with new logo, colours, etc~~
- Re-do website with new designs
- Incorporate shopping cart into website (or look into big cartel?)
- Create and list at least 1 new pattern per month
- Sell off old stock
- Photograph and list all completed items in storage
- Destash excess fabric and supplies
- Relaunch monthly mailing list
- ~~Create a Facebook fan page~~
- Sew every day, even if just for an hour

I'll probably have more things to add to this list as I think of them. There's nothing that motivates me more than crossing off an item on my to-do list so hopefully this list will be the little push I need to get back to work.

Introducing Patterns from Oh So Retro

2010-03-29T14:56:00.004-05:00

I am very excited to introduce my newest product, Oh So Retro Accessories Patterns!

The first pattern released is Simple Cases: learn to sew a Card Case, Gadget Case and Glasses Case for beginner to intermediate sewers. Instructions are included for customizing your own templates and installing a snap, hook and loop tape (aka velcro) and an elastic loop and button closure.

I'm also happy to provide free email support with this pattern so that I can help you walk through any problems you might run into. I remember what it was like learning how to read a pattern and tried to explain things in an easy to follow way, including a page of Tips, Tricks & Techniques.

This 17 page pattern includes 3 full size templates that are ready for printing as well as detailed illustrations to guide you through the creation of your cases.

This was the first project that Randy and I worked on together and I'm so proud of how it's turned out! I know it might be a little basic for some of you with more advanced sewing skills but I wanted to start with the basics. My next pattern will be for a summer clutch and will be released next month.

As a special Thank You, I'm going to be offering Simple Cases to my blog readers at a special discounted price of $7.50 until April 3rd, 2010. Simply purchase through the paypal link provided in this entry & you will receive the pattern through email within several hours!

Something Pretty

2010-03-24T14:54:00.002-05:00

Green Rondelle Crystal Sterling Silver Wire Wrapped Ring by SoftnShiny

I've always wanted a wire wrapped nest ring so when I saw that my friend Kaye had them in her shop I knew I had to have one. I've known Kaye for years - actually she's one of my oldest friends, who knew me "back when" and always encouraged me and checked up on me, even in the midst of her own crisis. She's always been an inspiration to me and I'm happy to finally own one of her creations.

Last year she started up her own shop on Artfire (and she's on Etsy too) as SoftnShiny, selling her crochet goodies and beaded jewelry. Her work is really great and I'm sure I will be adding more to my SoftnShiny collection in the future.

Here's a few of my favourites from her shop:

Amethyst Faceted Puffed Teardrop Briolette Necklace $9

Burnt Sienna Crochet Ladies Cloche Hat $14.00

Green Rondelle & Crystal AB Bicone Bracelet - Cerebral Palsy Awareness $30.00
Named in honor of Kayes son Jonas who has Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. 20% of the price of the Jonas Collection will be donated to the NWT Council of Persons with Disabilities http://www.nwtability.ca/

You can also find SoftnShiny on Facebook to see more of her work & custom supplies.

Yum Yum

2010-03-23T08:14:00.004-05:00

Butter Chicken Curry
Originally uploaded by The Jon

One of my goals is to try a new recipe every week - sometimes it's an epic fail (like the Chickpea Curry I made last week... ugh!) and sometimes it's an epic win, like last night.

I'd tried to make butter chicken & tikka masala before, from scratch, but they didn't turn out right. There was just something off about them but there's so many ingredients (most of which I'd never used before) that I wasn't sure what to do to make it taste better.

I'd found out recently that many of Patak's sauces are gluten free so I did some research and decided to try the butter chicken curry. It was so simple that it almost feels like cheating! I steamed some cauliflower for a few minutes and threw it in for a vegetable and made a green salad. It was a perfect, easy supper & delicious too. It's so satisfying to try a new recipe and have it be a success.

Ingredients:
* 2 tbsp Patak's Butter Chicken Curry Paste
* 1 tbsp vegetable oil
* 1 tbsp butter
* 250g chicken, diced
* 1/3 cup of water
* 3tbsp of cream (I used 35% whipping cream, I know it's not healthy but it was so good that I'll take an extra walk today to pay for the luxury.)

Directions:

1. In medium size pan, gently heat oil, butter and chicken. Fry gently until browned.

2. Add Patak's curry paste and fry for another 2 minutes.

3. Add water and cream and simmer gently for 15 minutes until cooked. Add more water if necessary.

4. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with hot rice or naan bread.

Motivational Monday #1

2010-03-22T08:10:00.002-05:00

I've decided to start an inspirational quote book, which is something that I should have done when I was 16 like most girls do. Every now and then I'd come across a quote in a magazine that resonated with me and would clip it out and paste it in my journal but it never amounted to any more than that.

To be honest, I found quotes boring. At least I thought I did, but now that I am older and wiser (humour me) I've realized that I just couldn't relate to them because I had no hope. That's really what quotes are, little bits of hope and love wrapped up into bite sized text.

We all know there's nothing more tedious than a large collection of someones favourite quotes so I will just post these two that are going to be the first entries into my hand written, hard bound, inspirational quote book.

"And then the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." - Anais Nin

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." - Lao Tzu

--

Feel free to leave your favourite quotes in the comments section! I would love to see what inspires you and maybe be inspired myself to add it to my collection.

Flashblack Friday #2

2010-03-19T10:52:00.008-05:00

While looking for the elusive blanket photo from last weeks Flashback Friday I unearthed a box of photos and trinkets from my last boyfriend that I had hadn't seen in years. I actually thought I had gotten rid of it but when I lifted the lid off the pink cardboard box and saw the stack of photos with ribbon tired around them I was instantly glad that I had decided to save them. I can vaguely recall thinking at the time that I might want to look at them one day.

I started dating Blake right around my 19th birthday. Unfortunately for Blake this was also around the time when I really descended into depression and anxiety. When we met I was a functional girl, working as an admin assistant at the cable company. When we broke up three years later I was a housebound agoraphobic and 80 lbs heavier. It's a really hard period of my life to think about and I still have some guilt towards the way I treated Blake and his family.

Sometimes I think "If I could only go back..." but I can't. It is what it is. I try to keep in mind that I am the person I am today because of the lessons I learned during that period of my life. It was a long time ago now. It was nice to be able to look at the photos and feel happy at the good memories: our first apartment, our cat, our camping trips, our last apartment, the last photo of us together with him putting me in a headlock - how appropriate.

There was a time when I was terrified of running into him when I was out. We have a mutual friend so I know he's married with two children and doing well. I hope he's happy and I hope he's been able to forgive me so that if we ever run into each other we'll be able to say hi and introduce each other to our new families.

Here is our first picture together, taken in Polo Park Mall in 1998. So young!

The Good Life

2010-03-15T22:44:00.005-05:00

life, or something like it by the half-blood prince

I've been having a hard time finding the motivation to do much of anything these days. I've always been a procrastinator and I think I'm also a bit of a perfectionist, which is a fatal combination because it's so easy to talk myself out of doing anything.

I had a bit of an epiphany yesterday while reading a blog written by a really lovely girl. I realized I was getting angry and this stream of negative thoughts was flowing through my head. I was so jealous of this persons goals and achievements, her photographs and writing and sewing. Someone was sharing their passion through their blog and here I was seething.

It shocked me to tune into my train of thought and hear myself. Why do I feel this way? It's so unhealthy! I never want to be jealous of another woman's success. I want to be celebrating along with her and feel genuinely happy. She works hard for the life she has. She deserves respect.

I realized that I need to focus on myself, or maybe not focus so much on myself. I need to stop measuring myself up to others and quit trying to achieve some kind of magical ideal that really doesn't exist. I expect instant results with minimal effort but life doesn't work that way.

I was thinking of what I can do, how I can go about organizing my life because that's really what I need right now - some direction. I remembered this website I used back when I was quitting smoking called 43 Things. I decided to dust off my account and will be updating it with my new, improved goals for my 30s.. it should be an interesting journey.

What do you want to do with your life?

Flashback Friday #1

2010-03-15T16:47:00.004-05:00

(In true Adrienne fashion I am participating in my first Flashback Friday... on a Monday.)

I have been wanting to get my hands on this photo for a while now. Not for the people but for the lovely afghan on my grandmothers even lovelier sofa which happens to be the same afghan from Tias Flashback Friday banner. It must have been a kit sold in the 70s because I've seen it many times hiding in the background of old photos.

This was taken during Christmas at my grandmothers house. My brother is the baby, he's 4 months old and the life of the party, chatting up the ladies and showing off his brand new jogging suit. I'm 4 and probably on the floor playing with my cousins and our new toys. My mother is in the kitchen helping my grandmother with supper and my father is standing off to the side with my uncles and grandfather, like journalists, taking photos of the action. My aunts are smoking cigarettes and playing with the baby, because that seemed to be perfectly acceptable in 1982.

It's funny how something as simple as seeing the afghan from your grandmothers sofa in a photograph can bring back so many memories. I think that's why I like going thrift shopping. I will always find something that my grandmother had in her house like the sombrero salt shakers she kept on the back of the stove or the tacky ceramic walnut candy dish with the squirrel on it. I never buy these things, I just like to look at them and be transported back in time when life was very simple and very full.

Fashion Friday #6

2010-03-12T12:25:00.011-06:00

Spring has sprung in Winnipeg! I was so happy to hang up my knee length parka at the back of the closet last week and air out my spring coats. Could winter really be over already? The birds seem to think so. I haven't bought a new coat in a few years so I decided to look on Etsy for something new and so I present to you:

Five Sweet Spring Jackets
(that also happen to be worn by pretty girls
in front of brick walls)

How's that for theme specific?

The Brandenburg by LittleHouses $115.50
I have a bit of an asymmetrical front jacket fixation (as you will be able to tell from this post) and I think no one does it more charmingly than Little Houses. Her light fall/spring jacket is made to order in sizes S - XL.

Pinktuck Spring Jacket by Cotylee $130.00
Cotylee pairs up her asymmetrical front jacket with 3 chunky buttons and some sweet pintuck detailing. It's made to order in sizes S/M and M/L.

Spring Coat by Sohomode $100.00
This beautiful swing coat by Sohomode is made with a vintage fabric and lined in green satin. It would look great paired up with a wide green belt over a solid coloured dress or wide jeans. It is a one off, one size.

Blame It On The Rain by VeraVague $48.00
Everyone should own a fire engine red rain coat! I adore the patterned lining. Vintage from Vera Vague, size M/L.

Cabin Fever by Wolfcalls $75.00I love the wide waist band and chunky buttons on this shirt jacket from Wolf Calls. It's made from buffalo check flannel and is size small.

It is what it is.

2010-03-06T21:56:00.007-06:00

Let Go by Meghan Colson

I was going to blog about my surgery from last week but every time I sit down to write my mind goes blank. I feel like I need to say something though because when I was googling for information ahead of time I found nothing but forum posts from scared girls and women who didn't want to go to the doctors. I was one of them.

This was my second laser surgery (sometimes called laser ablation or co2 vaporization) so I knew what to expect. This made it easier on me but I was still nervous. Having panic disorder makes everything extra scary but I did really well, did my breathing, took a xanax and had very little anxiety.

The atmosphere at the hospital was very relaxed. I had a fantastic nurse who made me very comfortable and held my hand throughout the entire procedure. We talked about my business, sewing, clothes, etc the whole time which really took my mind off things and made the time go by faster. My doctor was excellent too and despite what was happening to me she still made me feel at ease.

They use a local anesthetic so I had no pain at all just a bit of uncomfortableness at first. My last biopsy showed severe CIN 3 (sometimes called carcinoma in situ) which is the stage before invasive cervical cancer. Most laser treatments only take 10 minutes but I was in there for over an hour due to the area that needed to be treated. It wasn't fun but it wasn't bad either and it's definitely nothing to be afraid of.

Randy was waiting for me, worried because I was gone for so long that he watched an entire episode of The Price Is Right. I was in pain on the way home and I said to R that I can't begin to imagine what it must feel like to drive home after you have a baby. When we got home I curled up on the couch with a hot water bottle until supper time. I wasn't in any pain and by the next day I felt totally back to normal. Other than some nausea on and off over the weekend I was fine.

I go back in 6 months for a follow up. Hopefully they got everything. One of my nurses said that it often takes 2 treatments to cure cervical dysplasia. I sure hope so although I won't be taking any chances. If you are one of the women googling laser surgery for dysplacia and have stumbled upon my blog and want more information feel free to contact me.

We are a society where the term "pap smear" is a punchline to a crude joke, something we avoid talking about or worse, avoid doing. Something we are taught through hearsay to be afraid of. If you haven't gone for a pap in over a year book an appointment. If you're in the US you can book a low cost appointment at your local Planned Parenthood clinic. And if your results come back as ASCUS please go for your colpsocopy to find out if you have dysplasia! It's 5 minutes that could literally save your life.

Look What I Found!

2010-03-03T14:39:00.004-06:00

While digging around the Goodwill yesterday I came upon a real treasure, a Brownie Hawkeye outfit complete with flash, bulbs and 6 rolls of old film! The best part is that one of the rolls is exposed, although after 50 years in storage I'm not sure if there would still be anything on the film. I'll have to call a local developer and see what they say. I've never had a Brownie but I've always wanted one - I was a Polaroid Land Camera girl. (I think that says something about my attention span...) I just sold my last one on Etsy because I couldn't afford the film anymore. I'm certainly no photographer but for some reason I just love old cameras.. old books.. old type writers and tea pots and sewing machines. (I would definitely have a house full of "junk" if I had more room!)

Restructuring

2010-03-01T08:41:00.002-06:00

I Know I Can I Be What I Want To Be by PhotoDu.de

I spent a lot of time thinking this winter.

Actually that's not true. As much as I hate to admit it, I spent a lot of time sleeping and feeling depressed this winter. I thought moving would help, but it's true what they say about running away from your problems. I thought a bigger window and more sunlight would help. I thought being back in my old neighbourhood would help. I even thought having a dishwasher would help. And it did, at first.

But it's not where I was physically that was the problem. It's where I was mentally. Where I am mentally. I was bored and unhappy with my life. I had to admit something to myself. I didn't want to sew anymore. I was completely burnt out and exhausted. I just couldn't do it anymore.

Once I decided to quit sewing I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. And oddly enough I wanted to sew again. So I started planning out some new wallets, thought about spring craft shows. I was almost euphoric with relief! I felt like myself again.

One day while drawing out a bill fold wallet, complete with sewing instructions, I realized that I loved the planning more than the sewing. I played around with this idea a bit, thought up some ideas & talked to Randy when he got home. We had a brain storming session and it was decided. I'm going to start making & selling my own patterns, fully illustrated by Randy!

It's at least a year since I've been really excited about my work. This first pattern will be 3 in 1 Simple Cases; card case, gadget case & glasses case. It's a beginner level pattern with learn to sew tips & techniques in it. I'm really pleased so far & can't wait to show you guys what I've been up to these past couple weeks. I have so many ideas that I've got my next 10 patterns already planned out!

I'm hoping to have it listed by Thursday, so if all goes well check back then for a free giveaway on my blog. :)

Back to Basics

2010-02-26T11:50:00.000-06:00

Little Bit Of Hope by Michael Mistretta

I've been meaning to get back to blogging. Actually I've been meaning to get back to a lot of the things that I used to do before we moved but there just never seemed to be enough time in the day. Not that I was really busy, I am not really sure what I've been doing. Living really, taking care of the apartment, Randy, Mr Boots, myself.. life was just going along at it's own pace.

Yesterday I had two phone calls while I was having a nap. I ignored them thinking it was just a telemarketer (and if I had gotten out of bed to answer the phone it would have been) but when I checked the called ID I saw it was the hospital and then 5 minutes later it was my mom. My first thought was that something had happened to my dad. I tried to get a hold of my parents but no one was answering their phones. I started panicking. Something was wrong, I could feel it.

My mom called me back a few minutes later, she had been out walking the dog. Relieved I asked her if anything was wrong - no, but the doctors office called for you, and they need you to call them back. Real panic. Why was the hospital calling my emergency contact?

On the morning of February 3rd I bundled up in my winter clothes and sat in a freezing car while Randy drove me to the hospital for my regular colposcopy appointment. Everything had gone well and I had graduated to annual appointments. I was happy, the doctor had said everything looked good - mild - and that she was just going to do a biopsy as a precaution since they wouldn't be seeing me for a year.

It had been 4 years since I was diagnosed with severe dysplasia - pre cancerous lesions on my cervix and treated with laser surgery. Not an easy task for someone with agoraphobia - I panicked at the hospital while waiting for my initial appointment and was waiting for the elevators to get me out of there when a nurse saw me and pulled me aside, put me in a private room and basically saved my life. I never would have been able to go back if I had ran that morning 4 years ago. I would not be here now.

Laser surgery is a one time treatment that sounds a lot worse than it really is. It's not that bad. I mean it's not fun, it sucks, but it's not that bad. I got through it and went for my follow ups, every three months at first, then 6 and had recently moved up to 9. I was healing myself they said, only mild changes so when they called I was confused. I thought maybe my biopsy was going to show more moderate changes and that they wanted to see me in 6 months instead of 12.

Instead the results were severe, cis3 again. I'm booked for another surgery next friday. The urgency in that appointment is what scares me the most. It's unnerving. But, I know I will be fine. I know what to expect. They caught it in time, it hasn't spread, I am not going to die. One treatment and hopefully the lesions will be gone and I'll be back to three month check ups.

I used to hate going for my colposcopies so often, used to pray I wouldn't need a biopsy. Now I'm thanking god (or whomever) that they took a biopsy, because if I had waited a year for my next appointment it would be too late. Randy said last night this is the second time I've cheated death. It's true, in a way, but it's not me cheating death. It's having good doctors and nurses, being in the right place at the right time with someone who cared for me. Even though I hate going through this I feel very thankful to be here, to have the people in my life who care so much for me - within 20 minutes of getting the results both my mom and Randy were here with me.

I have to believe that this is the plan, I'm not sure whos plan it is, but this jolt out of security is exactly what I needed right now. I have to believe that everything is going to be ok, because it is going to be ok no matter what the outcome.

Happy Thursday!

2009-11-26T08:41:00.004-06:00

Mr Boots would like to wish all his American friends a very happy Thanksgiving holiday & the rest of us a very happy Thursday! ♥

Things are quiet this morning. I'm going to finish up my sewing orders and then head over to my moms for tea. I'll be staying up late tonight to set up my shop for my black friday sale (check back tomorrow for an update) and to purchase Three Keyboard Cat Moon from Threadless. Their one day $9/shirt sale starts at midnight CT so make sure you stay up late with me if you want to stock up!

The greatest T shirt design of all time.

Pieces Of Me

2009-11-25T08:34:00.005-06:00

Vintage Flower Power Baby Quilt

I've decided to do something that I never thought I would do. I'm getting rid of my fabric.

No you don't have to call the suicide prevention hotline. I'm ok. In fact, I feel pretty good about this decision. Of course I'm not going to get rid of all of my fabric, I'm not going to quit sewing or Etsy or anything crazy like that. I just have too much fabric and I feel like it's actually hurting my creativity instead of helping.

I'm going to be changing up the way I do things in 2010. After 6 years selling online I've gotten myself into a bit of a rut. The internet has changed so much and I haven't been keeping up. Online selling went from being a part time hobby to an art form over the past couple years. I'm so thankful I got in when I did, I can't imagine what it's like to break into the market now. You have to know everything about everything, and be a pro at it too. It's no wonder I'm burnt out! I'm sure many of my Etsy girls feel the same. It's a tough business to be in.

I'm going to be listing my fabric in my main shop for now: Fabric Destash @ Oh So Retro.

If you're looking for a specific fabric let me know, I probably have it horded away.

The View From Down Here

2009-11-24T08:52:00.004-06:00

Things are starting to get exciting (messy) around here. We've got one week until we move into our new apartment, at least we think we do. We still haven't been given our moving date yet but it should be Sunday at the earliest or Tuesday at the latest. We've got our friends lined up to help us move, our boxes ready to pack and some polyfiller to patch up the walls that we decimated with artwork and Ikea shelving.

I've been trying to take in the moment and enjoy the last week here. I've moved a lot in my life and find there's always something I miss about each of my childhood homes and adulthood apartments. There are a lot of things I won't miss about my first (and last) basement apartment - the cemetery outside my living room window for one. There's something ominous about starting your day with a view of a burial. As well as the crunchy brown nylon carpet with the cigarette burns & the way cigarette smells come through the vents, the creepy caretaker who hugs me when Randy isn't home, the mouse infestation that said creepy caretaker wouldn't do anything about. (Mr. Boots to the rescue.)

In some ways though the last four years have been pretty good. This was the very first apartment that I got by myself & was able to experience living on my own. I learned how to cook here, in my tiny kitchen with the avocado green appliances and floral counter top.

When it was warm out I would sit on the front steps and wait for Randy after school. I could see his smile when he saw me, waving, kissing me hello. He started his career, bought his first suit, learned how to tie a tie, got a haircut and sensible shoes. He grew up & I turned 30.

We completely share this 500 square foot space, with his art supplies & my sewing supplies taking up every square inch. Every night after supper we listen to music & work. When we finish we show each other what we made and then spend the rest of the evening being lazy. I love these nights. Sitting on the couch watching TV or reading with the lamp light and blankets, the cat sleeping between us. That's what I will think of when I'm an old lady and I remember this apartment. That and the funerals.

Hooray For You, Mr Boots!

2009-11-17T08:17:00.004-06:00

Mr. Boots Diet Stats:
Goal Weight: 8 kg / 17.5 lbs
1st Weigh in October 29th 2009: 10 kg / 22.05 lbs
2nd Weigh in November 16th 2009: 9.5 kg / 20.9 lbs

As you can see from the picture Mr Boots is doing very well on his diet! He's lost 1.1 lbs in the three weeks that he's been eating Wellness wet cat food. Unfortunately I can't afford to feed him a pure Wellness diet so he gets about 2/3 wet food, 1/3 kibble twice a day and a quarter cup of kibbles in the afternoon.

I can already see a big difference in him. He has more energy and is no longer wheezing. He likes to run along all the furniture and jump up on the air conditioner (kind of like "the floor is made of lava" that we used to play as kids) so every night you have to watch yourself because there's a kitty tearing through the apartment. His coat is shiny and much softer too. He just looks a lot healthier and I can tell he's feeling a lot better. The food is a bit stinky but it's worth it.

I'm amazed at how much crap is in our pet foods. I was reading labels at the Superstore the other week when I ran out of wet food and wanted to pick up a small tin for supper. Corn, wheat, rice, soy, animal-by products, sugar, and artificial color to name a few. Really, I don't even know if Mr B can SEE color so I really don't think he cares if his salmon isn't bright pink. There is a huge difference between "gourmet" pet food and premium pet food.

I also found out while researching dry kibble that Eukanuba is actually owned by Iams, so for those of you who are avoiding Iams for one reason or another make sure you also avoid Eukanuba! I still haven't decided on a new brand of kibble for Mr Boots, I think we're going to try Science Diet and see how that works.

I'll try to get one more weigh in before we move on Dec 1. I'm using the pet profile in Wii Fit Plus to keep track of his weight, which I totally recommend picking up. (Not only can you weigh you pet but you can plan yoga routines... love it!)

In Which Mr Boots Begins His Diet

2009-10-30T08:05:00.004-05:00

It's no secret that Mr. Boots is a fat cat. His size was one of the reasons we picked him out in the first place, there was so much more of him to love. He weighed in at 18 lbs when we brought him home last August, which seems like a lot but he does have a large frame. Most people are amazed at how tall he is when they first meet him - if you hold him upright with his back paws on the ground he's almost 3 feet tall. He's our free range tiger.

When he came home from the Humane Society he was given a package of Iams dry food, Chicken Flavour and he seemed to really like it so we kept him on it - I assumed it was good food because it was sold in the pet store and the Humane Society wouldn't give me bad advice, would they?

I noticed after a few months that he was gaining weight so I put him on the dry Iams weight control formula. The recommended amount for Mr. B was 1 1/2C a day but my friend Kathy told me that many pet food labels exaggerate the amount of food the animals need in order to sell your more product. At first I fed him around 1C throughout the day but it wasn't making any difference. I lowered the amount to 3/4 C, which wasn't making any difference either. Finally I quit free feeding him and started feeding him 1/4 C three times a day. No difference, or so I thought, and that was half the recommended amount.

For months Randy had been telling me that the cat was getting fatter, but I'm with Mr. Boots all day almost every day so I hadn't noticed anything. What I had noticed was that he was sleeping more than he had when we first got him, often snoring so loudly that I could hear him across the apartment. He was wheezing after jumping up on the bed or window ledge too. But the kicker was his chin.

I had noticed a little smudge under his chin for the past month or so but just thought it was some dirt, I had even wiped it off a couple times. The other night though he rolled on his back and I noticed his chin was red, and there was a little bald spot. Horrors! Sure enough there was a little pimple and lots of black smudges. Turns out that cats can get blackheads and acne. Who knew? I've been washing his chin every morning and putting hydrogen peroxide on it twice a day. It looks cleaner already.

This scared me enough to realize that Mr. B is not healthy, not happy and needs a change. We found out that he weighs a whopping 10 kg or 22 lbs. I honestly had no idea that he had gained that much weight, but looking back at pictures now I can see it. I did some research online about obese cat diets and found a story about a fat cat named Tucker that sounds just like Mr. B. Motivated, I headed out to my local PetValu to get some more advice and pick out some new food.

We're on day two of the transition to wet food and so far so good. Mr. Boots is a champion eater so I had no problem getting him to try the new Wellness food. We started with one tablespoon of Chicken and Herring (me: ew B: yum) mashed into his bowl to teach him how to eat slowly.

Success! He loved it and ate it all up in one sitting. I gave him two tablespoons this morning and one small scoop of dry food. Hopefully there will be no adverse side effects from the other end and we will keep up the transition until he's totally off the dry crap.

Mr. Boots Diet Stats:
Goal Weight: 8 kg / 17.5 lbs
1st Weigh in October 29th 2009: 10 kg / 22.05 lbs

Fashion Friday #5

2009-09-11T09:09:00.005-05:00

Well well... long time no blog. You might have noticed that I was missing this August from blogger, twitter, etsy, facebook, life, etc etc. I was absent from pretty much everything online and off while I worked on a fantastic wholesale order. As one of my friends said, "It's just like having a real job!"

I took a week off once I finished to enjoy the last bit of summer and now I'm ready to get back to business. I've got lots of new stuff planned for Oh So Retro this autumn/winter but that's for another post... Right now I want to share with you:

Six Stunning Handmade Jackets

Just in time for the cooler weather I thought I'd check out the jackets on Etsy and I wasn't disapointed. These 6 are the ones I would most like to have in my closet, next to my black trench coat.

The Botany Coat by brightpirate $80.00
This great damask print jacket is an altered vintage piece in my absolute favourite colour. The short sleeves would look great paired with a skinny chocolate brown turtle neck.

Olive Coat by Little Houses $210.00
I admit I've been smitten with this coat for some time now. The high collar, offset buttons and slight puffed sleeves make it unique yet still classic. Any girl would look darling in this one.

Blanchett Raglan Coat in Vintage Dot by DeNovoStyle $338.00
It's impossible to pick just one jacket from DeNovoStyle, their shop is filled with classic styles and fabrics. This one is my favourite, with the soft colors of the vintage polka dot wool and the big brass buttons. It's the perfect length to wear with your fall and winter skirts.

Little Red Riding Hood by encouragementaward $150.00
Who doesn't love a peacoat? This one is extra sweet in red with it's clean lines, front pockets and 6 big buttons. The best part? The hood is lined with black and white polka dot fabric.

Hooded Swing Jacket by staciemay $231.00
This is a beautiful jacket with a flattering pleated A line shape, big off center buttons and a charming hood. Available in three fabrics, my favourite is the black Vera Wang fabric with ivory starbursts.

Flared Jacket by lunatepetal $185.00
I won't lie, I actually "squeed" outloud when I saw this listing. It's a modern take on the classic grey peacoat with a gathered empire waist and pleated 3/4 length sleeves. The hood is cute too!

Fashion Friday #4

2009-07-31T12:12:00.008-05:00

So I lied! Last week I said I was going to put together a list of end-of-summer Sale items but then I saw "Let's Dance" by Mnemosyn on the front page during the week and I knew I had to do a feature on the amazing handmade skirts on Etsy.

The skirt wearing season in Winnipeg is very short so I try to wear one as often as possible. Usually I wear a long wrap or patchwork skirt around the house and when I go out I love to wear knee length aline skirts with bright patterns, lots of flowers and lots of yellow. I have a very favourite bubble skirt in simple grey that I wear often too. You can see some of them on Flickr in my product shots.

Here's some of my favs off Etsy, all handmade, that I would love to add to my collection one day:

Seven Stunning Handmade Skirts:

Let's Dance by mnemosynedesigns $152.00
The skirt that inspired this entry. Beautiful hemp fabric, fully lined, pin tuck detailing. Size 6.

Less Is More in beige by idea2lifestyle $40.00
This gorgeous and simple cotton linen skirt is made to order in your size and is available in several different colour schemes. At $40 it's a steal and is at the top of my must-own list.

Full and Flowered by littleocean $39.00
This one of a kind vintage inspired skirt has a playful contrast waistband and can be worn high or low. 30" waist.

I'll Try Not To Forget You by zacobe $148.00
Super full party skirt made from pretty sateen fabric. Made to order in your size.

Liquid Blues Aqua Patch by randompatch $35.00
No matter what your style is every girl should have at least one patchwork skirt in their closet. You can't help feel beautiful and feminine when you're wearing one. This one is sweet and simple with an elastic waist to fit 28" - 44".

Picnic Skirt by favoritestyle $38.00
This is an adorable wrap skirt in large gingham print. One-size-fits-all. Also on my must-own list.

Puffy Plaid Taffeta Skirt by couvert $135.00
This gorgeous bubble skirt done in plaid taffeta would be perfect for winter wearing, paired up with leotard tights and knee high riding boots. I love the bow placed on the hips and the texture that the plaid pleats create. Truly a piece de resistance!

Fashion Friday #3

2009-07-24T09:03:00.004-05:00

I've developed a strange fascination this season with rainbow sandals. It started innocently enough while hunting for a simple two strap flat, you know the kind from the 80s with the little buckles and padded insole. Since I'm a size 10 my vintage shoe options are extremely limited but I found the perfect pair on eBay, in perfect shape, in perfect primary colours and best of all, in my size. They were the kind of shoes you dream about and think that somehow owning them will make your life more fun. And they probably would have, if I hadn't been outbid at the last second. Now I search the internet for a second pair and think about the summer in rainbow sandals that could have been...

6 Pairs of Amazing Rainbow Sandals

Vintage Multi Color Ankle Strap Knotted Sandals from VintageShenanigans $20.00
These are the same shoes but in size 7. I'd consider chopping off my toes to wear them. This pair is in gorgeous condition too.

80s Rainbow Sandals from DewBerryVintage $16.00
These are quite possibly the sexiest rainbow shoes ever made, and at $16.00 I would actually chop off my toes to wear them. Size 7.

1960s Sandals Kitten Heel Shoes from SmallEarthVintage $28.00
Not quite rainbow, this color scheme reminds me of plastic patio lanterns shaped like owls. They are a size 10 and "vintage deadstock" which are two of my favourite words put together.

70s CORK WEDGE rainbow stripe SANDALS from 28Crash $42.00
There are no shoes more comfortable than cork wedges and they look hot too. This pair is in amazing condition. Size 6.

1970s COBBIES Cork Wedge Leather Sandal from Nuttinover20Vintage $17.00
I love Cobbies & this is a great pair although I wonder if they realized they used the Mercedes Benz logo on the heel? Size 8.5. Nuttinover20Vintage's shop has tons of really fun stuff and, like the name, nothing is over $20. Sweet.

70s Rainbow Woven Platform Wedge Sandals from OrnamentVintage $10.00
These adorable rainbow striped platform wedges are from Sears and in immaculate shape. Size 6.

Next week I'm going to put together an end-of-summer-sale list featuring some sweet homemade and vintage items!

In Which My Life Takes a Giant Leap

2009-07-23T07:58:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow it will have been two weeks since Randy and I moved in together. The first week was pretty awesome because Randy was on holidays and we spent most of our time together having fun, staying up late, watching movies, eating ice cream, playing video games in our pajamas. It was basically like a glorified slumber party.

This week has been a little less fun and a lot more reality. We get up at 6:30 and I make Randy a lunch to take to work while our tea is steeping and he gets dressed in shirts and ties. He looks so much older to me these days but then again so do I. He kisses me goodbye and takes his lunch and goes to work and I close the door and am alone. I've wanted to spent my days working on Oh So Retro but so far that hasn't happened yet. This week has been all about getting organized, hopefully next week will be all about settling into routine.

Yesterday was my last day on Disability. I've received it since 2002. I used to work in an office as a bookkeeper, this is what I did after school. I loved my job and I loved the people I worked with and I loved the math and the office supplies and the business casual clothing. I had to quit my job after two years when my anxiety and depression took over my life. I was young and immature and I didn't know what I was going to do and at that point I didn't care. I moved back into my parents basement and slept through my early 20s. My family refers to this time as when I was "sick" - it's not like I had cancer or anything life threatening but I'm still surprised I survived.

I was approved for Disability after my doctor recommended I move out of my parents house. I knew I had to go but didn't know how I'd get out, at this point I could barely walk around the block. Actually I probably couldn't even do that. So I moved out with one roommate and that didn't work so I tried another and that worked out really well. Randy was a friend of a friend who also had a bad roommate and needed to move so we met and rented a little house and lived together for a year. We started dating and he moved out because it's really not realistic to live with someone you've just started dating. Especially when you're mentally ill and he's only 21. It was a bad scene.

To make a long blog entry short, I lived on my own thanks to Disability, and was on a work program which allowed me to supplement my income with Oh So Retro. I got better with a fantastic therapist, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, medication, exercise, diet, perseverance, support, love. I still have a hard time with agoraphobia and I can't work but my depression and mania are totally under control. I am happy.

I no longer qualify for Disability because according to the Manitoba government Randy and I are considered common law. I'm well enough to be in a stable, functional relationship with someone who loves me enough that they are willing to get up every morning and go to work to support me. This amazes me. I would love to be getting up every day and going to work again, and in a way I am, but for now this is good. This is why I get up and make his lunch at 6:30 in the morning, because while some girlfriends would never do that, it's a small sacrifice I can make for someone who has given me so much.

The Gluten Free Flour Mix that Saved My Life (or at least my sanity)

2009-07-22T08:11:00.006-05:00

Original Photo By DeathByBokeh

The most intimidating part of going Gluten Free has been the flours. The first few times I tried to navigate Gluten Free recipes and websites I actually cried because it was so confusing and I had no idea how I was ever going to eat again. All of a sudden a simple pancake or baking powder biscuit recipe had 14 ingredients, most of which I hadn't even heard of before. Sorghum Flour? Amaranth Flour? Quinoa, Teff, Millet? What??

After several months and some experimentation I discovered Gluten Free Cooking School and Mary Frances' amazing All Purpose GF Flour Mix. Since discovering this mix being GF has been so much easier AND cheaper - this is a low cost mix with easy to find flours.

All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Mix:

3 Parts Brown Rice Flour
3 Parts Corn Starch
2 Parts Soy Flour
1 Part Tapioca Flour

The original recipe calls for Masa Harina flour instead of Tapioca but I wasn't able to find it anywhere so I sub'd Tapioca since I had it on hand and it turned out great. If you don't eat Soy you can sub Sorghum Flour instead.

To make things simple I use cups for parts, so 3 cups Brown Rice Flour, etc. I don't mess around with a bowl, I pour the flour right into a tall tupperwear container and give it a really good shake until the flour is uniform with no streaks. (This is a good way to get out your frustrations about having to be gluten free, shake shake shake, swear swear swear.. damn you flour!) I keep it stored in the fridge.

So far I've made bread, biscuits, pancakes, muffins and flatbread with this mix and it's worked amazingly well every time. I've used it in Gluten Free recipes in place of the crazy list of called for flours, just add up how many cups of flour in total is used in the recipe and use the same amount of this mix instead. If you want to sub it into a nonGF recipe you just need to add 1 tsp of Xanthan or Guar Gum.

I'll include some of my favourite recipes using this mix over the next little while - it really makes the best biscuits I've ever had, with or without gluten! I have a butterscotch brownie recipe I want to try adapting to GF with this mix, my first foray into desserts. It's a mild enough flour that I think it would work equally well for breads and cakes.

If anyone tries this mix I would love to hear about your results and what you made with it.

Fashion Friday #2

2009-07-10T09:19:00.007-05:00

How is it Friday again already? I'm sorry for not blogging this week, or tweeting very much either. I've been very busy getting the apartment ready for Randy to move in! This involved a lot of emptying closets, sorting junk, making piles (to keep, to donate) and then shoving everything back into the closets, only in neater piles. Will it keep? Lets hope so. Today Randy moves in and my workload doubles, as we attempt to share 500 square feet of basement apartment with no dishwasher! Wish us luck.

But more of that later - today I want to celebrate fashion because it's Friday and what better way to start the day than by shopping for summer clothes. This week I'm sharing some handmade sun hats to go with the vintage sun dresses from last week. A great dress is only made better with a great hat. (and great sandals, but that's next week!)

5 Fabulous Floppy Handmade Hats

Cape Hatter in indigo cotton denim by terrygraziano $120.00
Terry Graziano makes hats; really cool, multifunctional, vintage inspired hats. Her designs are very hip without being silly, her fabrics are beautiful and her whole shop is very aesthetically pleasing. This is Hat Art.

Gidget by Chiahats $48.00
Anyone who knows me knows that I love vintage floral fabric so it should be no surprise that I LOVE this hat. The bold yellow flowers are adorable and the button flap is a nice touch too. Chiahats has several of these hats in different fabrics.

Vintage Hanky Flower Hat by softshelterhats $75
This girlie hat was made with vintage floral handkerchiefs and buttons and is adorned with an oversized rose. I love the soft shape and colours of this hat. As a bonus, softshelterhats donates 10% from every sale to animal shelter programs in their community. Mr Boots approves.

Carmen by HatsbyDenise $50
This is quite possibly the cutest sun hat on Etsy. I love the bright colours and sweet floral pattern with the contrasting twill tape. This would be a great beach hat. Denise has many classic designs in her shop, it was hard to pick just one!

Retro Fabric Hat by pinksequin $45
Not quite a floppy hat, this wide brimmed hat will still keep the sun out of your eyes in style. I love the vintage fabric, especially that shade of green, and hand drawn flowers get me every time. Check out Pink Sequins shop for more of her sweet vintage style.

Fashion Friday #1

2009-07-03T07:02:00.010-05:00

Hooray it's July! I hope you're having as nice weather as we're having this summer. It's been warm and sunny almost every day which means one thing... sundresses! I love to look through the vintage section on Etsy for well priced and super cute dresses but since I'm officially on a spending hiatus I thought I'd share some finds with you this morning.

7 Sweet Sundresses Under $30

Red Polka Dot Dress from TheOwlsGo $18

Secret Garden Maxi Dress from roseredwinter $28

Kauai Orchid Halter Dress from mimisgamine $23

Tie Strap Tied Dress from LittleGirlVintage $18

Yellow Floral Sundress from QsDaydream $25

80's Lanz Sundress from wearitoutvintage $28

Red Floral Day Dress by labellevintage $17

Feel free to share your favourite vintage dresses in the comments, I'd love to see them! I have a lot more saved for a future post.

Monday Monday

2009-06-29T09:04:00.004-05:00

I'm not usually a fan of Monday (insert lame Garfield joke here) but I have to say I'm glad it's a new week. The past week has been surreal, I had too much going on, spent too much time online and watched too much TV about Michael Jackson.. which means I didn't get enough done. But a new week is a new start and another chance to work on the never ending to-do list that is running your own shop.

Randy is moving in on the weekend of the 11th/12th and I am excited! I'm also going to be very busy over the next two weeks cleaning out the storage closet (groan) so that there's room for all his stuff. I'm pretty sure that after a couple months in the teeny tiny basement apartment we'll want to move but we're going to try it first. It's nice and quiet here and better the devil you know, right?

My shop needs some new stock but I've been busy working on wholesale and custom orders. They are my priority and actually I like them the best. It's very satisfying to complete a large order and I find the work relaxing. I really love to sew but I find the actual shop keeping kind of daunting, the photo editing and writing listings can be really difficult. I'm currently working on a 400 piece wholesale order which is going to take up the majority of my summer but I'm going to try to put up a few new purses and totes and of course keep my card cases well stocked up.

I'm offering a special deal for anyone interested in a bulk order of cases, buy any 20 cases for $50. I've also got a 3/$10 offer in my shop. You can find more info here.

Boo, Forever

2009-06-26T10:32:00.007-05:00

Yesterday @sleepingpoet asked what our favourite poem was, which was a nice diversion from the media madness that is Michael Jackson. I have three poems that are dear to my heart for three different reasons but my absolute favourite is Boo, Forever by Richard Brautigan. It is short and sweet and the first time I read it it took my breath away.

Boo, Forever
by Richard Brautigan

Spinning like a ghost
on the bottom of a
top,
I'm haunted by all
the space that I
will live without
you.

I love poetry and writing, maybe not the way I did when I was younger, when I dreamed of being an english major. (Something I'm glad I didn't do now since I'd be in the exact same situation minus $20k or so...) I logged in to an old old forum where I used to post, many lives ago, and found some of my own poems this morning. It's kind of amazing to me to read these words now and realize that I put them together. I always wanted to make a chapbook, maybe I should.

once swaying, she says no more,
can't find a voice of reason in the
broken floral dishes that
line the dirty floor, and

ohlove, how you did once,
those lace covered legs danced around me
so beautifully, grass stained
to fall on bended knee,
pointing straight to heaven
singing stars for me, and

ohlove, this other side of lonely
is starting to fade, to cave
in on me.
- 2003 (for my grandmother, who had died of cancer that winter.)

There is more here, if you're curious too.

If you are poetry inclined please share you favourites (yours or others) in the comments, I would love to read them.

Third Time Is The Charm.

2009-06-24T10:30:00.006-05:00

Hello again blog world.. I've decided to make another attempt at regular blogging. I used to be quite the avid blogged back in the day (when my life was more.. exciting) but had since found myself with little to say. Who wants to read about an agoraphobic girl and her cat? I've noticed a big increase in my tweeting though so I think I'm finally feeling like talking again. Being quiet for too long isn't good.

I've wanted to blog for a while now but wasn't sure what theme to take on, if it should have some kind of greater purpose, like featuring indie sellers or fashion or gluten free cooking or if it should just be a personal blog with a bit of everything. I've decided not to have a theme because I have a lot of different things to talk about - agoraphobic, celiac disease, sewing, starting my life with Randy, etc. The emphasis in my life is on self improvement and finding happiness and that's what I'm going to share.

There's lots of exciting things happening this year - I'm 30 now and I love it. LOVE it. Everything has finally come together for me. I struggled for years with anxiety and depression, stomach issues and agoraphobia. It's been very difficult. It wasn't just an issue of facing my fears and desensitizing myself to panic attacks, I had chronic stomach issues that triggered the panic and I knew if I could figure out what was making me sick I could finally find the end of the cycle I was stuck in. It took 15 years (I had a housebound period for about 6 of those 15) but finally I've been diagnosed properly with celiac disease and after two months on my gluten free diet I can go to more places than I have in years. (Can you believe there was a time not too long ago when I couldn't go into the fabric store? Sadness!) Every day is a challenge, and I don't want to fall back into old habits and become complacent with just getting by so this is my promise to myself, that I will keep trying until I reach my goal of being free of agoraphobia, getting my drivers license and living a "normal" life.

I'm getting ready for another big change too, Randy is moving in with me in three weeks. This will be the third time (the charm, we hope) and will signify the start of our "adult" life. (Better late than never..) We were waiting for him to graduate school and he has and is now working downtown at an architectural firm. We were going to get married but I think we're just going to sign the common law papers for now. You can file for common law status in Manitoba and you then have the same rights as a married couple, can change your last name, etc. One of the reasons is that I don't feel ready for a wedding - not a marriage, I feel totally ready to be married to Randy - but I have a lot of anxiety about having a wedding ceremony. It's silly I know but the thought of having a panic attack during my wedding makes me sad.

It's nice to be honest with myself, for once. I'm happy to be writing again, more for myself than an audience but it's always nice to find kindred spirits who are living through the same situations. It makes this life a lot more enjoyable, and that's the one thing my life has been missing.

Delicious Gluten Free Biscuits!

2009-04-06T12:53:00.005-05:00

I've been Gluten Free for one week today & I'm feeling great! I've only had a few moments of utter frustration trying to prepare dinner or find ingredients. I don't recommend trying to make GF pizza dough while someone is eating a delivery pizza right in front of you as your first baking experiment. Otherwise I can't complain too much.

This morning I made my first GF biscuits and I'm happily surprised with how good they are. I followed the recipe exactly, except I substituted flax seed meal for the xanthan gum. I was a bit worried that I would have hockey pucks or have to throw them out but they were light and fluffy and had a really nice slightly sweet taste. I ate mine fresh from the oven with peanut butter. Yum.

The recipe is from the Canada/Kiwi Bed and Breakfast Site.

Gluten-Free Biscuits

1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup corn starch (or potato starch)
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil (avoid olive oil)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated cheese (optional, and if using cheddar cheese, use white cheddar, as other cheddars are not necessarily GF)

Mix all dry ingredients together well. Add other ingredients. Mix well. Drop on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake in 400 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 6 large or 12 small biscuits.

If you want to substitute flax seed meal use equal amounts (1 teaspoon in this recipe) and let the entire mixture stand for 10-20 minutes before you scoop onto the cookie sheet.

Pay It Forward Contest Winners!

2009-04-01T09:12:00.003-05:00

It's time to announce the winners of the Pay It Forward contest! There's a bit of an April Fools twist to it though..

The three of us (I had my mom help out too) liked every story so much that we decided to make everyone a winner! So congrats to fauxtograph, Melissa, Karley, Claudine, bipolarbear, spazspun, lesliecooper, corrinekenner and Taina! You will all be receiving the card case of your choice. I'll be contacting everyone throughout the day.

I want to thank you all for sharing your stories with us, and for giving a little bit of yourself to someone else. Even the smallest gesture can make a huge impact! Thanks also to everyone who tweeted and helped me promote my contest and left comments - it was appreciated and it inspires me to know I've helped inspire others.

I've decided to have another contest in May for a bookshelf bird, so keep up the good work guys! :)

ps: If I haven't contacted you yet, please email your address to ohsoretro AT gmail dotcom! I wasn't able to track down every through their blogger profiles. Thanks!

Pay It Forward

2009-03-25T14:26:00.006-05:00

I've been feeling very lucky lately. Or maybe it's blessed.

I helped a little old lady in the grocery store a few weeks ago and since then good things have been happening to me. Two other little old ladies had cut in front of her while she ran to grab something she had forgotten, and she returned to find her cart pushed out of the way. Instead of making a scene she just stood there looking confused and panicked. I had seen the entire thing and even though we'd already been waiting in line a while I asked her if she would like to go ahead of us. She was so relieved and told us that she was worried she would miss her bus. When we were standing in our new places she came over to me, put her tiny weathered hand on mine and whispered in my ear that she always meets the good people when she goes out. "Even when I want to complain I don't, because I always meet the good people." It's funny how something so simple can have such a profound impact.

To thank all the good people out there I'm going to be giving away THREE card cases from my shop, your choice. You can keep it for yourself or give it to a friend. All you have to do is tell me something nice you've done to help someone lately. If you haven't done anything nice now's your chance, go out and make someones life better & then tell me about it. Three winners will be picked by me & Randy on April 1st. (No this isn't a joke!) Anyone can enter & you can only win once.

Make sure to include your favourite card case in your comment! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=10892§ion_id=5050579

Happy Birthday

2008-12-29T14:09:00.004-06:00

50.365
Originally uploaded by ohsoretro

So another year is winding down & that means it's time to do the annual year in review meme... although to be honest I don't think this will be the most interesting year to review seeing as how I can't really remember anything that happened. :)

2008 Year In Review

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Ate tomatoes. (told you it wasn't an exciting year...) Got a cat. Had a real grown up dinner party. Saved money.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Most of them, except giving up caffeine. I gave up giving up caffeine though. I did challenge my agoraphobia and was finally able to eat in restaurants, lost weight and maintained a healthier diet and spent less time online. I didn't get my teeth fixed. I wanted to save enough money for a new kitchen table set too and I did but won't be buying it until we move in the spring.

2009 resolutions are to not buy anything until I need it (clothing, supplies, food, etc), to read more, to stop using emoticons (seriously) and to get my drivers license. And to get my teeth fixed. I'm not holding my breath on that one though.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My cousin had a baby boy. Ryan and Odessa had a baby boy. Laura and Ben and Robb and Kirsten are expecting in the spring. I got a cat, which is close enough for me.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
It was a good death free year.

5. What countries did you visit?
None.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
A nicer place to live with Randy, with a dishwasher and balcony. More time with friends.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Probably the day the townhouse caught fire.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Hitting 1000 sales on Etsy.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Had to borrow money from my parents one month to pay the rent.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Had a wicked flu in the spring, lost 15 lbs which kick started my new health consciousness. Salad is my friend.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Hmm... I don't think I made any large purchases this year.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Randy did really well at his co-op job and was asked to be a full time staff member next spring when he graduated. My brother took a vacation by himself to deal with his agoraphobia. My parents are finally happy in thier new house. I wasn't lazy.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Same answer as the last 8 yrs, George Bush.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent, cat food, interfacing

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Obama!

16. What songs will always remind you of 2008?
future of the left - the lord hates a coward
fleet foxes - blue ridge mountains
marnie stern - the package is wrapped

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. Happier or sadder? happier
ii. Thinner or fatter? thinner
iii. richer or poorer? richer

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Hanging out with friends, going out.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Playing Packrat.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
With a lot of food.

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
My mom.

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
5 yr anniversary in June 08 <3

23. How many one-night stands?
365.

24. What was your favourite TV program?
Nancy Grace haha. I'm addicted to that shit.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Hate is weak.

26. What was the best book you read?
Pride & Predjudice

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Future of the Left

28. What did you want and get?
A cat to keep away the mice.

29. What was your favourite film of this year?
Probably Step Brothers. No Country for Old Men, Religulous and Kung Fu Panda were good too.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 30 and I had a lovely dinner with my fiance to celebrate my oldness.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
It involved a lot of dresses and tights in the summer and jumpers and turtlenecks in the winter.

33. What kept you sane?
Wine. Books. Mr Boots.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I had Obama fever. Also had a crush on Craig Ferguson.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
The Canadian and the US elections.

36. Who did you miss?
I would have liked to have spent more time with my friends but otherwise I was ok this year.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Jamie.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
Drama breeds drama. Mind your own business and let others mind theirs. Quiet is good.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I pull back a bow towards the crowds.
I cannot stop even if it is allowed.
I spell your name out in the sand are you proud?
The arrow arches and it comes pouring down

There are dimensions I must enter to see what I am made of.
There are dimensions I must enter to see what I am made of.
The sea, these things I see, blow through.
What's right, this thing I fight, is good

Is there no way out of my mind?
I see beautiful and shimmering signs.
The Celtic Knights are calling me from behind.
You rearrange your mind, you rearrange your mind
Marnie Stern - The Package is Wrapped

Bread for Everybody!

2008-12-12T12:01:00.004-06:00

Pan para todos (Bread for everybody)
Originally uploaded by madriguera

Since it's so cold and snowy out I've been in the mood to bake. Yesterday we made an amazing lemon pound cake for my birthday (yum) and today I'm going to whip up a batch of whole wheat honey bread to have for breakfast tomorrow morning with my boyfriend who is staying over this weekend.

Here's my 2 favourite Wholewheat Honey recipes - the bread is delicious when cut into thick slices and toasted, then slathered with warm butter and peanut butter. For reference I make my dough in a bread machine on the dough setting, then remove it and proceed as a regular dough but you can alter the recipe to either bake in a bread machine or to be made entirely by hand.

100% Whole Wheat Honey Bread

1 1/4C Water
2 tbsp. shortening (I use margarine)
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. molasses
1 tsp. salt
3 1/4C Whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp. yeast

1) measure ingredients into the baking pan in the proper order (water, shortening, honey, molasses, salt, flour, yeast)
2) select dough setting (the 2 hour setting, 1 hour mix 1 hour rise)
3) when dough is complete remove from pan onto lightly floured surface, punch down and kneed several times.
4) shape dough and place in glass bread pan
5) cover and let rise for 2 hours in a warm spot (I use the oven)
6) preheat oven to 350, bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Honey Wheat Sandwich Rolls

1 1/4 C warm milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp. butter, softened
1/4 C honey
3/4 tsp. salt
2 3/4 C white (bread) flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp yeast
topping: 2 tbsp melted butter or olive oil

1) measure ingredients into the baking pan in the proper order (milk, egg, butter, honey, salt, flours, yeast)
2) select dough setting (the 2 hour setting, 1 hour mix 1 hour rise)
3) when dough is complete remove from pan onto lightly floured surface and roll out to 3/4" thick.
4) Cut out rolls with a 3" or 4" biscuit cutter (or glass dipped in flour) and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
5) Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.
6) When rolls are finished baking brush with melted butter or olive oil.

Enjoy!

My Etsy Christmas List

2008-11-26T09:58:00.003-06:00

After spending too much time online this morning and incessantly tweeting Etsy finds to my followers, who I am sure are sick of me already and it's not even noon, I decided to put together a little list of Etsy finds that I wouldn't mind finding under my Christmas tree this year. This will also serve as a not so subtle hint to my boyfriend who once gave me an unwrapped VCR the day after Christmas (that he purchased at a Boxing Day sale) with a plastic bag of used VHS tapes... oh yes it gets worse.. one of the tapes was a Gallagher special. I know it's the thought that counts but really, a used Gallagher VHS is the kind of thought I can do without.

My Etsy Christmas Wish List:

1. Small Bunny Vase by prettyrandomobjects

Is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen? I almost can't stand it! I have a few ceramic bunnies that this would look great grouped with on my desk. It's such a sweet and simple design, I don't know what girl wouldn't love it.

2. Botanical Still II Print by stephanielevy

Stephanie Levy is an American artist living in Germany who creates beautiful illustrations of everyday things like living rooms and window sills with a modern design element to them. These would look great in a grouping of 3 or more down a hallway or above a table. I would love any of her Botanical prints, or better yet all of them.

3. iPhone and iPod Touch Cozy (Sir Hamilton) by annamatic

This is one of the most clever iPod holder designs I have seen, although I would probably giggle to myself everytime I put my iPod up Sir Hamiltons bottom. Nevermind the fact that I don't even have an iPod touch (yet) but this might be all the incentive I need.

4. Hogweed - Coptic bound journal in dark teal by paperiaarre

I've been journalling since my 12th birthday when I received a 5 year diary complete with a lock and key. The majority of them have been destroyed (believe me, no one needed to read about my teen years) but now that I am all grown up I love to pick out the perfect new journal, one that I will keep on the shelves and be drawn to fill with musing every evening. This is one of those books. I want two, one in teal and one in linen.

5. Prairie Hoody 2-Way Zip Hoody Jacket Dress by SelenaEon

I've had this jacket dress on my favourites for ever - it's one of those items I go and look at now and then to see if it's sold or if I can still hold out hope. I love the design, the chest and back detailing, the ruffle skirt, the gathered sleeves and pockets, the color.. a lot of work went into this dress. I might just have to save up my Christmas money and buy it for myself.

Own The Hour

2008-11-21T09:05:00.005-06:00

If you haven't heard of Own The Hour yet you will soon. OTH is an independent promotion website for Etsy sellers offering 12 spots each hour in a treasury like format. It's very simple, it's very cheap and best of all it works! I've used it a few times already, at 50 cents a pop it's basically pocket change.

My results; an average increase of 30-50 views, a whole bunch of new hearts (thanks guys!) and 1 sale. Not too shabby for a website that just launched this month. Own The Hour is already selling out daily - more proof that social media marketing works (and works fast!)

Here's a tip: Buy midnight. That's when the next days time slots open up so you're guaranteed to get a ton of traffic! Noon is good (think lunch break) and of course the coveted evening spots - but be quick, they sell out very fast.

We've come a long way baby.

2008-11-17T09:19:00.011-06:00

Somehow or other my 3 year Etsy-versary is coming up. It's shocking, I know - where did all that time go? Have I really made over 1000 things? No wonder my fingers are so sore. I'm thankful for that time though because it's allowed me to learn and grow not only as a seamstress but as a business owner, marketer, graphic designer and photographer.

I've been looking back at my first sold items - and cringing. I decided to re-do my first big seller, the check book cover in Alexander Henrys Light Bright fabric. Version 2 has a few upgrades, a pen holder, bigger pockets and a snap for extra security.

Mod Dots Check Book Cover in Light Bright Natural

And here's the original listing. I am still using this check book holder by the way. It was so cute I had to keep one for myself. (I won't even tell you how many wristlets I have kept over the years.)

The Original Mod Dots Check Book Cover

What a difference 3 years make! This not only goes to show my own evolution, but just how far the online marketplace has come. Your image is important but your key to success? Your customers actually being able to see those images.

365, again.

2008-11-16T08:08:00.001-06:00

21.365
Originally uploaded by ohsoretro

I recently started a new 365 - you know, the flickr once-a-day photo project. I love the idea, in theory, but in practice I'm not so good.. as you can probably tell from my pitiful lack of blog updates. (I blame twitter. How am I supposed to get anything done when I'm tweeting all day?)

It's easier this time since my subject is so cute, and furry. The first time was around the house macro photos, and I made it three months but there's only so much stuff around the house to photograph. Mr Boots, on the other hand, is endlessly entertaining. He spends most of his time sitting next to me on top of the record player while I'm on the computer and I can't help but want to photograph all the sweet little things he does, how he tucks in his paws or rolls on his side or does a big meow at me if I'm ignoring him. I realize this fast tracks me into crazy cat lady status but I'm ok with that. After all I'm going to be 30 soon, I'm not married and I live in a basement apartment. Let's face it, I am a crazy cat lady.

Feel free to follow along Mr Boots' 365 on my flickr stream!

Hello.

2008-11-07T16:08:00.003-06:00

I have self esteem issues.

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone since I think every women in the history of the world has had self esteem issues. I've been feeling it a bit more lately than I usually do - maybe because I'm slowly approaching 30 (4 weeks!) or maybe because my shop hasn't been doing as well (recession!) and I've been questioning myself more. Being self aware is important, being too self aware isn't.

I try to be myself, with my lame jokes and tongue in cheek humour, my short hair and flared jeans, my bright colours and simple shapes but everywhere I look I'm being told that it's outdated, out of style, boring, old, mundane. (Of course somehow charcoal gray isn't boring these days.. go figure!) I want to be true to myself without compromising integrity, without giving in to trends or latching on to the things that, while I can appreciate as being hip, I don't identify with.

I like bold 60s patterns, gaudy 70s colours and god forbid, I like florals. I like politics and history and world culture. I like reading books and listening to music and playing video games. I cry when I watch The Biggest Loser. My favourite food is oatmeal and I live in a basement apartment with a cat and sometimes I have panic attacks at the grocery store. But that's ok. It's about time that I started to like her, maybe even get to know her better and appreciate her for who she is. Not what she wanted to present herself as or wishes she could be. It's time to let that all go. I can only understand how I see myself and the world, not how others see me.

Isobelle in Amy Butler

2008-11-06T09:20:00.002-06:00

Isobelle in Amy Butler Lotus Fabric
Originally uploaded by ohsoretro

I've been tempted by Amy Butler fabric for years - who couldn't be, with their bold patterns and coordinating colour schemes, it's like a candy store for seamstresses. But I was steadfast, mostly because "everyone else is doing it" (not a good reason!) and because I felt a silly loyalty to Robert Kaufman, my first love. Well, I finally broke down and bought two yards from her Blue Lotus collection... it was calling me, I hearted it on Etsy and would look at it every day until I could decide which one to get.

Can I just say WOW? I didn't know what I was missing! I know I'm preaching to the choir here but the quality of this fabric is amazing, the weight is perfect, the bias are threads and absolutely perfect. It's one of those fabrics that just sews beautifully, crisp ironed edges and steady straight top stitching. I'm a convert. I get it now. (Why didn't someone tell me this sooner?)

Here is my first (and definitely not my last) Amy Butler purse done in my Isobelle pattern without the flap. I made two and might have to keep one for myself!

Happiness!

2008-11-05T12:44:00.002-06:00

14.365 Happiness
Originally uploaded by ohsoretro

Mr Boots and I stayed up late last night watching the election results. I knew I would be nervous (I was) but I didn't expect to be shocked and then so emotional. Even though he was clearly winning all evening, when they finally announced that Obama was the new president I was overwhelmed, and during his speech I wept. I only hope the change we see, the unity of gender, race, & age and the energy of the young carries over into every day life. The world deserves better and it finally feels like we're on the verge of something really good. I'm excited!

Happy Obama Day!

2008-11-04T10:28:00.005-06:00

I can't believe November 4th is already here - it feels like Christmas! I love seeing how excited everyone is, it is really a global phenomenon. I was chatting about it with my mom last night (who doesn't really understand why we care so much about Obama) and I told her that, for me at least, it finally feels like the turning point towards goodness again. The entire world has been so weird since 9/11, full of negativity and hatred and sadness. I want to believe in the good of humanity, I want to have hope and happiness that a good life for everyone isn't just a dream but a reality.. it feels like it's possible again. It's all very exciting.

I'll be watching the returns tonight and working on my website. It hasn't been updated since I created it - oops. Embarrassing fact: I got sucked into playing an online game over the past 6 months, I'm talking major addiction here, and I kind of let my store go to the wayside. Actually I kind of let my entire life go to the wayside. I finally kicked the habit a few weeks ago and am ready to kick my butt back into business. I've got a big to-do list that I'm working on for Oh So Retro - blogging, photographing, new products, update website...

If anyone has any blogging tips for business let me know! I finally found a template I like and set it up last night. It's definitely a lot more complex than it used to be when blogger.com was new but I'm sure I'll figure it out. :)

I hope everyone has a great day - make sure you vote if you can! Enjoy the moment, we're in the midst of hisotry.

The Return

2008-11-03T22:05:00.010-06:00

Hello!

So by now you've noticed that I didn't make good on my previous attempt at daily blogging. I'm trying again though, and this time I think I will make it stick. Instead of deleting the past entry and starting fresh I'm going to leave it up as a reminder to myself of where I've been and how far I have come.

When I read that entry I feel sad, I just sounded so defeated. Maybe I was in shock. My dad did turn down the job offer and was "reassigned" - only it turned out to be a great change for him. He's no longer stressed out so badly and that's made everyone happier. My parents did sell their house and move into a smaller home but instead of being 1000 miles away it's only one neighbourhood over. So all is well that ends well there.

I don't consider myself housebound anymore, at least not to the extent I once was. I still have a very hard time with my agoraphobia but every day I am out there trying. I can go to the post office and eat in restaurants and visit with Randys family and our friends, all the things I couldn't do before. I can even go to the corner store by myself when I need groceries. My mood is good, my sewing and creativity are up, life is good.

It will be even better if Obama wins tomorrow.

Oh & I finally got a cat to deal with those damn mice. :) (you can see him on my flickr stream!)

The Push

2008-01-16T10:43:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry that I don't write anymore unless I'm trying to sell you something or showing off my consumerism or killing mice. I wanted to start blogging daily this year, to go along with my 365 photo project, but I didn't have time and then I didn't have much to say and so I just didn't.

The truth is that my anxiety has come back pretty bad over the last year and I am housebound again. Not to the degree I was before but I can't leave the house alone anymore because I'm afraid to close to door behind me and other odd quirks that make it very difficult to live. A lot of the old mental patterns from my early 20s have crept back into my head, the fear of standing still, the fear of walking in front of someone, the need to wear certain clothing in certain colors, etc. Things that are more obsession rituals than anything else. The ironic thing is that I'm more stable and sane (ie: not manic) than I've ever been in my life yet these thoughts and fears persist.

So my daily life basically consists of nothing. I go to my parents house a couple times a week to visit my mom and do my laundry. Sometimes she takes me to the grocery store. Randy and I will go shopping together in the evening once a week or so. I can't go to the post office anymore so I am just buying stamps in bulk at the corner store and mailing things that way. That's the extent of my social life.

I very rarely see my friends, maybe once every three months, and I've lost touch with almost all of my online friends. I have over 100 friends on facebook but I would say that maybe 3 of them are actual friends. Somehow I don't think I'm the only one like this. It's lonely to sit and see so many faces but not feel connected to any of them, even in an abstract online way.

I've been coasting along, not really depressed but not really content either. I was waiting for something to happen, something to push me back into life. "I'm not really living I'm just waiting time." I feel sorry for myself but I don't know how to be myself. I don't like the person I am. I don't act the way I want to act. I question my motives, everything is to be safe. I don't want to be agoraphobic anymore, it's extremely limiting. Everything revolves around being safe. I am not safe anymore.

This morning is my breaking point. My phone rang at 8 am, on the dot. I knew it was my mother because she knows that's when my alarm goes off. I knew it was bad news but not bad enough that she wanted to wake me up early to tell me. No one was dead but something was happening.

My dad lost his job today. Not in the pink slip traditional way, but in the "if you don't take this other job we're offering you then you're going to be demoted" kind of way. You spend 30 years working your way up a corporate ladder only to be told that you're too old to be profitable. Only they don't use the word old, they say risky. It's less offensive, apparently.

This is a roundabout way of saying that my parents are moving away and I am scared and sad. I can go with them if I want or I can stay here with Randy. My parents actually said that Randy and I could come and they would buy a house big enough for all of us but Randy won't go (and I don't blame him, he has a life here, unlike myself.)

I know people leave their parents all the time. They live thousands of miles apart and they are fine. Of course I don't know how many of them are agoraphobic and bipolar but I imagine that some of them must be. I keep saying that this will be good for me, this is what I need, this will be the push I am waiting for. (My mom is just as agoraphobic and dependent on me as I am on her, so it will be good for her too.) Maybe we need to get away from each other.

I don't want to end up being one of those weird daughters who gives up her own life for her parents only to regret it when they're dead. At the same time I don't want to be one of those far away daughters who only gets to see her parents twice a year and regrets it when they're dead.

I'm only two hours into what is going to be the most difficult (and possibly rewarding) experience of my adult life, other than Babas illness and death. You know that saying "Today is the first day of the rest of your life"? Well, here it is. It's about time.

This Is The Re-Launch

2007-11-30T21:02:00.000-06:00

Must.. blog.. daily....!