21 before 22. part 2.

Happy Christmas Eve!  I hope you are all having a lovely monday, I definitely enjoyed getting to sleep in this morning.  Before my camera fills up with millions of Christmas photos I thought I should finish up my 21 before 22 list!  Here are the last 11!
11. Yep!  I made this fringe necklace earlier in the summer and I love it, I still wear it all the time.  It's even got repinned quite a bit on pintrest, fringe is the best!

12. Nope.  This is my goal EVERY SUMMER.  I really want to go on a sweet little picnic with pretty food and wine, it still hasn't happened.  Next summer.

13. Yes!  Sarah is my very lovely 10 year old cousin, and she is like my little sister.  She has me to thank for her hair twirling, love of hair bows and sass! We spent a lot of time at the pool this summer and went on a few very fun breakfast dates.  I love her.

14.  Nope.  Not even close.  I thought this would be a fun challenge since I own like 4 shirts.  Shirts are just not my thing.

15.  I think so!  I pretty much go for a walk every day, I can't stand being inside all the time, even when it's minus 40...

16.  I looked.  And looked.  And didn't find anything.  This is still a goal.
17.  This was one of the most fun challenges!  I started collecting vintage juice pitchers and it has slowly become an addiction, it seems that every time I go the thrift store there is a new cute one waiting for me.  So far I've kept it at 4, but I definitely want this collection to grow, they're just so sweet, and they make pretty vases!

18.  Kind of!  I made Focaccia bread earlier this year and it turned out pretty good.  My oven doesn't really like bread.  However, I'm moving out in a week and I have my fingers crossed that this new oven will like bread!

19. Yes!!!! That was the most exciting part of my August!

20.  Ummm.  Usually?  I like baked treats.  But I'm going to the gym now, so that kind of helps right?!

21.  I didn't end up cooking twice a month but I did more this year than I usually do.  I've been really into soup this year, I love soup. So much.

And now it's time to start a new 22 before 23 list!  I had so much fun crossing things off this list I can't wait to see what this next year as a 22 year old holds!

xo, T.

21 before 22.


Why hello there.

It's been a while, a rather long while and I'm so sorry.  So much has happened over the past two months and there has been so many things I've wanted to share with you!  However my camera happened to meet an unfortunate series of events in which the strap of my bag broke and my camera went tumbling down a flight of stairs....and then decided that focusing properly is a very difficult task.  And a blog post without photos is absolutely boring so I've been waiting to get it fixed...and procrastinating and it still isn't fixed.  And then I remembered I had an iPhone that happened to take photos.  Nowhere near as good as an SLR but still far better than a page full of type, yes?

About a million exciting things have happened in the past few months like having a boyfriend, breaking up with said boyfriend, learning to knit, buying new bright red shoes, starting to go to the gym, only wearing red lipstick,getting into a car accident (I'm fine, lot's of phyiso but I'm good!), finding out I get to move into a lovely apartment with a lovely roomate in January (I can't wait to show you all photos when I move!), getting tickets to go see my twin (aka. Taylor Swift) in concert in June, going on insane shopping sprees for pretty house things...and turning 22.  That last one was really fun, and involved a lot of cupcakes and dancing.

It also meant the end of my "21 before 22" list.  It's a bit like new years resolutions except far more exciting and fun, I made a list of 21 lovely things I wanted to do in my year as a 21 year old and I actually managed to do most of them, these were the first 10 on my list:

I accomplished 7.5 of them.  Yes, 7.5.


1.  I found out in November I get to move into the main floor of a lovely house with hardwood floors with a lovely roommate in January and I am so excited. There will be a million house D.I.Y's and photos to come.

2.  Nope.  I just wasn't into sewing this year.  I don't know why, but I just wasn't feeling any big sewing projects.  But I have started knitting...so I count that as 0.25.

3.  Kind of.  I'm on the waiting list for the January class at martha street studio so maybe?  Totally worth another 0.25.
4.  I got it inked in March and I LOVE it.  It is currently hidden under 100 sweaters because it's freezing here, but it still makes me so happy.

5.  I graduated with my undergrad in Environmental Design, architecture focus in May.  It was a crazy four years but I loved it, we had a pantone themed grad party which was sweet, that's me and one of my studio friends, we have matching bows.

6.  It's terrible that I have to put visiting extended family on a list, but I wanted to make it a priority to see her more than just at holidays, we went for lunch this summer and it was fun.  She's awesome.
7.  My grandma is still the only one in my family capable of making dutch pancakes.  Still a goal.

8. Starting in August I've been going to moksha yoga every week, I love it, it is SO warm and that is the best.  It's also super nice to be as flexible as I was back when I used to dance.

9.  Yep.  I am incapable of buying flat shoes.  I promised myself I was going to buy kitten heels for my Christmas party because I'm already 4" taller than most people.  I came home with those red ones.  I give up.  At least I can walk in them.

10. I've found so many!  I've currently been listening to a ton of Alex Winston, but I've also fallen in love with Julia Holter.  Taylor Swift is maybe a guilty pleasure.  There, I said it.  We're practically twins anyways...
 
It feels so lovely to be back!  I can't wait to share the other half of my 21 before 22 list with you!
xo, T.

diy:. dip-dyed scarves.

I love dyeing things.  I just need to get that out there.  It's just such a fun, and generally quick, way to give new life to fabric materials and there are so many different techniques that you can use to create different results.  My favourite is ombre dyeing, where the colour softly fades from a deep, saturated shade to something much lighter.  I like soft things.  While flipping through Martha Stewart's lovely website I saw instructions on how to dip-dye scarves and I decided it was time to break out the fabric dye and salt baths again.

Dip-dyeing is the process of folding your material and then just dipping a portion of the end into the dye, so that when it is unfolded there is a pattern of dyed and un-dyed fabric.  It's super simple.  And of course you can incorporate ombre dyeing into this so that the transition from dyed to un-dyed fabric is much softer.  These scarves were super simple to dye and I absolutely love how they turned out.  You can never have too many scarves.  Especially in the freezing cold prairies.
you need:
_fabric dye that is appropriate for the fabric you choose.  i used RIT in royal blue and pearl grey.
_scarf. i used rayon ones ordered from Dharma Trading Co.  i ordered three of the 11" x 60" scarves and sewed two together to make the longer grey scarf.  they also offer cotton, silk and bamboo scarves for a super reasonable price.
_a plastic container large enough to fit the width of your folded scarf.  you won't be using a large amount of dye so the smaller the container the easier it will be to dye the depth of your scarf.
_pants hanger.  you can also use clothes pins.
steps based on martha's diy here.
1_accordion fold your scarf, pressing it flat with an iron.  larger folds equal more space between dye, smaller folds equal less white space. i found it easier to clip the scarf to the hanger after i had dyed it.
2_set up your dye station.  this is best to do outside, but isn't really that messy as long as you cover whatever surface you are working on.  prepare dye according to manufacturer's directions.  mine required 2 cups of really hot water for one packet of dye and suggested adding 1 cup of salt since i was dyeing rayon.  wet your fabric.  this helps the dye spread more evenly.
3_ dye your scarf.  you can either dip your scarf in until desired depth and leave for 10-20 minutes to get the deepest, solid colour, or if you want an ombre effect dip fabric in to desired depth for two minutes, then pull out of dye 1/4 of the way and leave for 5 minutes, pull out another 1/4 and leave for 10 minutes and leave the final 1/4 in for 15 minutes. ****important note, your scarf loses a ton of dye during the multiple rinsing processes, so even when you think your desired shade is reached, leave it in for longer, otherwise you will end up with a very pale scarf.  I rinsed my grey scarf again after I took these photos and it faded quite a bit more.  lesson learned.  but if that does happen, don't panic, you can always re-dye it!
4_rinse your scarves under cold water until water runs clear.  let folded scarf hang dry, either by pinning to a clothesline or on a hanger.  the manufacturer suggests letting it dry out of direct sunlight.  i unfolded my scarves after a few hours and let them dry full length and it went much faster. 
5_after scarves are dry wash with mild soap in warm water and rinse in cold water.  let dry, possibly iron out the wrinkles and wear!

The blue scarf is a little short to wear as a scarf so I plan on tying it into a headband most of the time.  I love all the ways you can wear scarves as headbands!
 
check out this post at a beautiful mess for more ways to wear your scarf as a headband.
 
Have a lovely week.  xo, T.

three tips for restyling a thrifted dress.


So one of my most favourite places to wander around is the Goodwill store a few blocks down from where I work.  In my opinion it's the best one in the city, the secret's out guys, try not steal all the good stuff now.  Generally/every time I end up coming home with something from the kitchen section.  How could I pass up a vintage pyrex juice pitcher for 40 cents or an awesome floral fire king bowl for 35 cents? So impossible.

I occasionally will browse through the clothing, but generally it tends to be ugly things from the 90's.  I was born in the 90's.  I'm quite done with 90's clothing.  HOWEVER there is occasionally something interesting amidst all the velvet dresses and awkward two piece dresses.  And it is usually in the plus size section, so I have learned.  Most of my favourite thrifted dresses are some giant size, like the one in this post, it's like a size 14.  This dress is a size 22. Yeah.  But there are ways to make these awkward dresses into something really awesome!
There are generally three tips that I follow when restyling an old dress:
1_cut it. 
 So many of those dresses have great potential but are really weird lengths.  An instant way to make it a little more modern and wearable is to cut it to the same length as one of the dresses you normally wear and hem it.
2_add a belt.
Rarely are thrifted dresses the right size, especially if you're like me and find that all the things you like are 8 sizes too big.  Adding a belt defines your waist and changes the silhouette of the dress.  This works best with dresses that don't already have a defined waist, like sheath dresses.
3_do something interesting.
Sometimes after cutting and hemming your dress it still isn't quite right, it needs something a little extra to make it perfect.  This could be adding a ruffle along the hemline, cutting off the sleeves and finishing the edges, or changing the neckline.  A little extra sewing can make a big difference in whether you actually end up wearing that dress you thought was so awesome for 30 cents.
This is what the above dress looked like when I first bought it for 50 cents.  The fabric and the "made in canada" label intrigued me.  And I liked the buttons.

I think my face says it all.  It has a definite dessert travelin', biblical times, sheep herder feel.
Or at least it did.  Until I cut it into a mini dress.
This is how I made it so much sweeter, using the above three guidelines.
1_using a rotary cutter and a ruler (and a cutting mat!) cut your new dress to your desired length, add an inch for hemming.  you can always cut it shorter, it's a lot harder to make it longer.  follow an existing dress if you're unsure of how long to cut it.  i cut mine pretty short, i don't really ever plan on wearing it without tights.
2_take in the sides.  i am all for flowy things. however, there was just a little too much fabric so I took in the sides, sewing about an inch away from the existing seam and then trimming the edges to 1/4" from the new seam to get rid of the bulk.  again, start small and try it on before taking it in some more.
3_you could either hem your dress at this point and be done with it, but i decided to add a ruffle to the bottom. start by cutting a strip of fabric to 3 - 4 times the width of your existing hem line and to whatever desired width, keeping in mind hemming will take up about an inch.  i didn't have any fabric that was long enough so i cut two strips that were four inches wide and sewed them together along one of the short edges.
4_hem the long edge.  i find it the easiest to sew 1/4 " away from one edge and then use the stitch line as a guide to fold the hem along that line so that the raw edge is pointing upwards. press.  fold over again so that the raw edge is now tucked in and not visible.  stitch about 1/8" away from the top fold.
5_sew the two short edges together and press seam open.
6_using a long stitch and without back stitching at either end, stitch around the top of the fabric.  then, gently pulling on top strings of either end gather the loop of fabric until it matches the diameter of your dress.  make sure the gathers are evenly distributed.
7_with right sides together, pin your ruffle to the hem of your dress and stitch using a regular length stitch.
8_trim threads, press ruffled edge down and you're done!  I decided to use an existing scarf as a belt but you could sew your own by cutting a strip of fabric to the desired length and then hemming all edges!
This little project took only a few hours and turned out to be something I would totally wear on a normal day!  I can't wait to see what I discover next time at the thrift store.  Have an awesome week, xo, T.

eat me:. mini chocolate pumpkin whoopie pies {& happy thanksgiving!}

Happy thanksgiving everyone, I hope y'all had a wonderful day.  I've had a lovely weekend getting to spend time with family, playing a million rounds of Dutch Blitz and getting to drink tea and watch movies while outside is a little cloudy and grey.

As mentioned last post, one of my most favourite parts of fall is getting to pick pumpkins, roast them and then make as many pumpkin flavoured things as possible.  Last year I made this cake which turned out amazing.  I was tempted to make again for this thanksgiving, but I decided to mix it up and try something a little bit different.  Namely, whoopie pies.  Whoopie pies have intrigued me for a while now, kind of like a bite-sized cake in the form of a sandwich cookie and absolutely nothing like pie, they seemed like the perfect treat for when you want something sweet and small.  And they are.  I was a little unsure about pumpkin frosting, but it is DELICIOUS and I would make it again in a heartbeat to frost any number of fall-flavoured cakes.
mini chocolate pumpkin whoopie pies. recipe adapted from martha stewart.

chocolate cookies.
1 3/4 C. flour.
3/4 C. cocoa powder.
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda.
1 tbsp. butter.
1/4 C. vegetable shortening.
1/4 C. sugar.
1/2 C. brown sugar.
1 egg.
1 C. milk.
1 tsp. vanilla.

in a mixer cream butter, shortening and sugars until pale and fluffy. add egg and beat for another few minutes.  sift together cocoa powder, flour, and baking soda.  mix together milk and vanilla.  starting and ending with the flour mixture, alternate between adding dry and wet ingredients to the sugar mixture.  mixing until just incorporated.  spoon two teaspoons at a time onto a greased or parchment lined baking sheet, spacing about two inches apart. bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until bottoms are darker brown but not burnt and tops spring back when touched.  let cool on a cooling rack before frosting.  makes about 40 cookies, enough for 20 finished whoopie pies.

pumpkin frosting.
1/2 C. cream cheese.
1/2 C. butter.
1/2 C. powdered sugar.
1/2 C. flour.
1/4 C. pumpkin puree.
a pinch of nutmeg.
a pinch of cinnamon.

in a mixer cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy, about five minutes.  add powdered sugar, flour and spices, mix. add pumpkin.  using an offset spatula or a piping bag spread the flat side of one cookie with frosting and place second cookie, flat side facing in, on top.

I hope you have a wonderful week full of things that bring you happiness. xo, T.

 

fall adventures:. pumpkin picking.

Every fall for as long as I can remember my family has driven out to Lockport on the thanksgiving weekend to eat at the Half Moon and pick out a few pumpkins from one of the family-run roadside stands along the way.  This year I requested that we go a week early so that I would have time to roast my sugar pumpkins and bake them into something delicious for thanksgiving!  Especially since this is the first thanksgiving in four years that I haven't had to spend at studio.  whoa.
This year we also stopped at Captain Kennedy's Tea House along the way, I have been literally going there since I was a baby.  That probably explains a lot.
It was the perfect Sunday fall afternoon, warm, sunny and full of beautifully coloured leaves.
I am very excited for this upcoming three day weekend, even though it did start snowing today. gross.  Fingers crossed for a sunny weekend though!  xo, T.

ps.  this is also my 80th blog post, somehow we're getting up there guys!  Thanks to everyone whose taken a peek at all of my little adventures!

eat me:.bread pudding.

So as the weather starts to cool down I start to want warm, comforting desserts filled with fall flavours, with nuts and apples and caramel.  And what better way to combine all of these flavours than in bread pudding?

Which leads to me to a confession, I had never had bread pudding until two months ago, at Stella's Cafe.  I always thought bread pudding would be a lame dessert, like who wants bread when you can have cake or pie or brownies?  I was so wrong.  Bread pudding is amazing.  After baking with cream , eggs and spices it turns into something moist and delectable, quite similar to cake actually, but way less work.

You definitely need to try bread pudding this fall, especially if it comes topped with caramel sauce and whipped cream!
bread pudding.  slightly adapted from martha stewart

1 day-old baguette, roughly cut into 1 1/2" cubes.  if you decide to make this the day of and your bread is fresh just cut it up, place on a baking sheet and bake at a super low temperature for a while.  the goal is to dry it out a bit but not brown it.
1 apple, cored and chopped into 1/2" cubes.
zest and juice of 1 lemon.
1 C. chopped walnuts.
5 large eggs.
3/4 C. sugar.
1 1/2 C. whipping cream.
1 1/2 C. milk.
1 tsp. vanilla extract.
a pinch of nutmeg.

place cubes of bread in a baking dish.  in a small bowl mix together apple, walnuts, lemon juice and zest, set aside. in a larger bowl mix together sugar, cream, milk, vanilla extract and nutmeg. add in apple mixture.  pour over bread, making sure all the bread is covered.  place the baking dish in a larger baking dish or roasting pan and fill the outer pan halfway with water.  this helps to allow the bread pudding to cook evenly. cover with tinfoil or buttered parchment and bake at 350 degrees (325 degrees if using a glass pan) for 45 minutes.  uncover and bake for another 15-25 minutes until top is brown and a knife inserted in the centre comes out relatively clean.  let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

caramel sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. butter.
1/2 C. whipping cream.
3/4 C. brown sugar.

heat everything in a small saucepan until combined and sauce is smooth and heated through.  pour into a small pitcher or bowl and let cool, giving it ample time to thicken up before serving.

whipped cream
1 C. whipping cream
1 pinch of sugar.

in an electric mixer whip ingredients on high until it thickens up and desired consistency is  reached.

serve everything together for a delicious fall dessert that is definitely worthy of thanksgiving or any other special celebration!  have a great week, xo, T.

d.i.y.: vintage book bunting.

I love vintage books.   Especially ones with illustrations, the shading of vintage black and white prints is just so wonderful!  The only problem with these lovely novels is that the images and text are trapped inside, only to be seen by those who actually make the effort to read them.  And while I love reading and being immersed in the worlds that words create sometimes I just want to enjoy a book for the beautiful object that it is - which means unleashing all of its pages in some sort of craft! 
I chose to make some sweet paper bunting out of one of my favourite Nancy Drew books - the Clue of the Dancing Puppet.  I adored Nancy Drew as a child and I still have a good collection of my mom's old vintage yellow Nancy Drews.  Don't worry, I had two copies of this particular volume, so one is still in readable condition!  Bunting is a fun and simple way to show off some of your favourite stories and makes for a charming and whimsical backdrop for all kinds of parties and sweet things! 
Things you need:
_an old book you don't mind cutting up. [or you could always scan and reprint the pages to keep your book intact!].
_white glue and a glue gun.
_olfa/exacto knife and ruler [not pictured].
_scissors.
_buttons, lace, fabric, buttons, stickers, paper diecuts and other lovely things to embellish your bunting.
_ribbon. [not pictured].
1_cut out your desired pages.  i chose a mix of illustrations and text, i cut out 20 pages but you can do as many as you like. i also found it easiest to cut out the pages by scoring them with my olfa knife instead of just tearing them out.
2_cut your pages into triangles. i estimated the centre bottom point and then cut from each of the top two corners, but you could make a template or measure each page if you wanted to be more exact.
3_decorate, attaching elements with white glue.
4_cut a piece of ribbon to the approximate length you want your finished bunting to be. remember that you will leave spacing between each of your triangles and will want some extra on the ends to tie it on to things. i used 1" wide ribbon and chose to make two strands with 10 triangles each.  evenly space the triangles and glue to the wrong side of the ribbon with hot glue, gluing so that the top edge of the triangle is in the centre of the ribbon.
5_fold down the top edge of the ribbon and affix to each triangle with more hot glue.
I really love how this project turned out, the illustrations make me smile every time I look at them!  This bunting is currently hanging in my dining room waiting for our next family gathering at Thanksgiving!

ps. see those cake pops? there might be a recipe coming up soon so stay tuned!

Have a lovely week! xo, T.

eat me: sweet potato bourbon bundt cake.

So it is finally fall! Hooray! And fall means fall recipes, which for me generally mean things involving large amounts of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.  I don't really know why, but they're just the perfect comforting balance to the crisp fall weather outside.  My most favourite part of fall is that pumpkins are in season. I adore pumpkins.  Although I hate pumpkin pie.  Figure that one out, I think it's a texture thing. 

Anyways, we have not yet gone on our lockport adventure to pick pumpkins so I thought I would try out a new fall recipe, one with sweet potatoes.  As you have probably noticed from the chocolate beet cake and carrot orange muffins, I like baking with vegetables. Sometimes things get a little weird, but generally you always end up with something super moist and subtly delicious tasting!  This cake turned out really well and was super simple - no frosting, just dumping melted chocolate on top and watching it deliciously run down the sides.  As for the bourbon, it adds a nice warmth and spice and all the actual alcohol content bakes out, but it can easily be replaced with apple juice if bourbon isn't your thing.
sweet potato bourbon bundt cake. adapted and slightly modified from martha stewart.

1 C. brown sugar
1/3 C. butter
2 eggs
1 C. cooked and mashed sweet potato. (approximately 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes [yams] preferably organic.)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 3/4 C.flour
1 1/2 C. milk
1/3 C. bourbon
1/3 C. apple juice (or 2/3 C if not using bourbon)
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. ginger.
1 tsp. nutmeg.
1/3 C. chopped pecans + more for sprinkling.
1 C. dark chocolate chips or finely chopped baking chocolate.

cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add eggs one at a time. add sweet potato. in a separate bowl mix together flour, spices and baking soda. starting with the dry ingredients alternate,adding to the butter mixture with the milk.  add bourbon and apple juice and mix until just combined.  stir in pecans.  pour into a prepared bundt pan and bake at 325 degrees until a knife inserted in the cake comes out clean, 50 - 60 minutes.  let cool in pan for 20 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

to make the chocolate glaze melt the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds until melted and smooth. to thin into a glaze pour in a few tablespoons of milk while stirring and mix until incorporated and smooth (it takes a bit of mixing!) repeat until desired thickness is reached.  pour over cake and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

enjoy! 

ps. - does anyone else feel that a bundt cake with glaze looks like a giant donut from above?  That is all I could think about while I was taking photos.  I have a weird mind.

Happy Fall! xo, T.

eat me:.chai ice cream.

So, I don't know about you, but practically overnight my life has changed to include boots, top buns, giant scarves and tea on a regular basis.  Guys, it's fall.  I love the cozy feeling that fall has, bundling up scarves and sweaters and walking through the leaves - without completely freezing in -40.  Fall is also the time where I start drinking tea again, sometimes even more than coffee.  I know, crazy hey?!  My most favourite tea is chai, so with the sun setting at 7:30 and me considering wearing mittens I decided it was time for one last kind-of summery/welcome fall treat.  This recipe has the same steps and structure as the chocolate ice cream we made last time just with a few different add ins! 

{Ps.  I know the number of posts lately has been lacking, I'm sorry!  Life got a little busy with new jobs and new relationships...but everything is starting to settle into place, including free time for crafts again! }
homemade chai ice cream.

2 C. heavy cream.
5 chai tea bags.
1-2 tsp. cinnamon.
1/2 tsp. ginger.
1/2 tsp. nutmeg.
1/4 tsp. cloves.
1 C. milk.
3/4 C. white sugar.
5 egg yolks.
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract.

in a sauce pan bring 1 cup of cream, tea bags and spices to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, simmer for a few moments and then let the tea bags steep while the cream cools a bit.  remove tea bags and pour into a heatproof bowl and add second cup of cream, mixing until smooth. place a strainer on top of bowl. in the same saucepan warm the milk and sugar. while that is warming lightly beat yolks, adding in the warmed milk mixture, stirring constantly. pour back into saucepan and heat over medium, stirring constantly until 170 degrees has been reached and mixture has thickened. make sure you are stirring constantly to prevent scrambled eggs are forming! pour through strainer and combine with other mixture. chill in an ice water bath. freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions or follow these awesome steps to make it without an ice cream maker, it takes some more time but is super simple if you have a hand mixer or even a fork!

I hope you guys are enjoying your first fall days, I know I am! xo, T.

U.S of A.: minot, north dakota.

So, this past weekend I went on a road trip to dear old Minot, North Dakota.  While they did not have Super Target they did have an amazing candy store and super awesome vintage signs everywhere.  I love old signs, the colouring and lettering is just so great.  I realized after looking through these photos that I probably should have titled this post "Minot, N.D.: a study in signs,"  but, anyways there are a few photos of other things as well, namely the Scandinavian park, the antique store and the children's splash pad that I ran through.  I like water parks.  And of course the person I went to visit made up for the lack of Super Target, 100%. :)
That rainbow is why I love splash pads, they are magical.  And how often do rainbows actually end at someone? um, never.  Clearly it is a sign.  Minot, you are a sweet, odd little quiet town.  xo, T.

d.i.y. accordion photo book.

One of the main reasons I started this blog was because I like taking photos, a lot. And this blog gives me an excuse to share some of them!  However, most of them still end up stuck on my computer.  Which is why I really like photo books.  They are super quick and easy and a sweet little excuse to actually get photos printed! 

If you didn't know, I am the queen of folded books.   I'm pretty sure I made hundreds for lots of little kids last summer.  Out of all the kinds of books that I made that summer accordion books were my favourite.  They are quick to make, don't require binding, and can either be flipped through like a regular book or unfolded along a shelf or table to display all the images.
This one was made as a present for someone lovely in my life.  The final size of each page is 5" x 5.5" and the cardstock pages are taped together with lime green masking tape.  To form the pages I cut cardstock down to 5.5" x 10" rectangles, folded in half and then taped along the edges to join, making sure the folds in the cardstock in both pieces were facing the same way.  For more instructions on book making and binding see this post.  The images were edited and sized in photoshop and then printed on matte 4x6's and cut down to be 5" squares.  Crepe paper added a little bit of colour! 

Photo books are fun because they are like little mini scrapbooks, but way less intensive, and they can also double as really lovely cards.  Have fun filling yours with photos, labels, maps and bits of other delightful things! xo, T.