F/W 09 bamboo collection

I've listed a few tops from my f/w 09 bamboo line in my Etsy shop. I plan on making more styles but a few of my fabrics are on back order. Next on my "to-design" list is a funky cardigan, a turtleneck and a tulip skirt. I also have a red hot one shoulder dress that's almost finished.

What I'm growing

Since zucchini is really the only vegetable thriving in my garden, I've been scouring the internet for some zucchini recipes. So far I've found this one on Epicurious. Delicious!

A few snap peas

The first 3 tomatoes make their appearance mid- August.

Mini green pepper

Cats gotta love them

The making of the garden boxes

I can't believe it's already August and I've barely blogged about my garden. To be honest, it's been my worst gardening season to date. In July, we had record breaking rainfall and August has turned into a scorcher.

I had such high hopes when we built our two garden boxes back in April.

It was relatively simple project. First we got all our supplies from Home Depot the night before.
1 4x4 (10 foot long)
12 4x2 (8 foot long)

At the HD, we got them to cut the 4x4 into 8 even pieces of 15 inches each and you get them to cut 4 of the 4x2 in half.

This leaves you with
o 8 4x4 (15 inches long)
o 8 4x2 (8 foot long)
o 8 4x2 (4 foot long)

We also picked up 1 box of 2-1/2 galvanized screws for cedar wood (not treated wood, there is a difference as I was told my the Mr.)

Supplies for 2 boxes

The cutting at HD sometimes leaves rough edges so you can choose to sand them like we did.

The first step is to lay 2 4x2 (8 feet) across resting on 1 4x4 on each end. Make sure they are flush at the edges, attach with screws (2 crews per piece, per edge). Do this again to make the other side. Once you have two sides, you add the 2 4x2 (4 feet) upright on one end and then at the other (both on the same side). Once you do this, you basically have a box with 3 sides. Then connect the remaining long side to the rest of the pieces to have a complete box that should look like this:


The extra length on the bottom of the 4x4 is to anchor the box in the ground.


Next step was to decide where to place the box. It's best to place your boxes in the sunniest spot in your yard. As you can see, your project evolved into 4 boxes.

Note to self: this spot was sunny in April, not so much in July.

I removed the majority of the weeds and turned the soil a bit. I covered the bottom with a single layer of newspaper to suppress any weeds I may have missed.


We ordered 5 cu feet of garden soil for the boxes. We ended having extra that we used for the flower garden. This was the most difficult part - hauling the soil from the front of the yard to the back of the yard. My arms were sooo sore the next day I could barely raise my arm.

The finished product in early May.

Weekend deal

Today I was lucky enough to be featured in Etsy's weekend deals. What's the deal you ask ... free shipping for everyone this weekend only. YAY!

Unfortunately the top that is featured has already sold but there's more styles and sizes in my shop. Free shipping runs till Sunday night, more details are available in my shop announcement.

You can view more weekend deals featured on Etsy here.

Sneak peek

Last week, I took a few days off to work on some new styles for my fall collection. I have 4 new styles that will be ready in about a week and a half. They're all made with this great eco friendly bamboo jersey. I'm really loving this new fabric. Bamboo is a great sustainable resource . It grows about 1 foot a day without the use of pesticides and chemicals.

A little weekend project

I've had Rationell pot lid rack since my first apartment in Ottawa. I thought it was pretty cool when I originally bought it. The landlord thought otherwise. I guess he wasn't fond of the the 3 holes it left in his kitchen cabinet. Now that I have my own house, I couldn't find a suitable kitchen cabinet for this gadget. It was only when I was cleaning my closet did I discover its true potential. I decided to hang it behind my bedroom door and use it to organize my clutch handbags. Works like a charm!

Since there was a bit of room left on the wall, I decide to buy an Grundtal rail and hooks to hang up my belts. I feel so organized!

Oven french toast

A Saturday morning staple

- 4 eggs
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 c milk
- pinch of salt
- Baguette or other leftover bread, crust removed and cut in 1" cubes. Approx 4 cups.

Combine first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Mix well. Add bread and let sit 10- 15 min so all the liquid can absorb. Add bread to square baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 30 min in a 350 degree oven. After 30 min, remove from oven and make sure the middle is cooked. It should be nice and puffy.

Next add 1 tbsp of melted butter with enough brown sugar to make a liquidy paste. Drizzle on top of french toast. I also like to add frozen blueberries and pecans. Bake for another 15 minutes ( foil removed). Serve with fresh fruit and maple syrup.