Nanopod Studio

I just got an email from Akimbo about classes at Nanopod Studio. I'd done a little silver jewellery making in high school and loved it, so I've been thinking forever to take the beginner course – and now they are offering a 15% discount when you register with a friend! Now, if only I had an interested friend...

This is the email I received:


Celebrating our 2nd year on Harbord Street nanopod is offering 15% off 8 week & 3 week courses when you register with a friend!
Summer Courses & Workshops

Learn to hand fabricate & cast your own jewelry & sculptures out of Sterling Silver!

You will make a band ring,
learn one of the oldest casting techniques,
set stones, and much more...


Beginning Jewelry July 4th or July 9th
8 weeks, Monday evenings or Wednesday evenings
6:30 - 9:30pm $250 (deposit of half is required to hold space)

week #1: First evening: working with copper-safety, drilling, sawing, soldering.
week #2: Making a band ring out of silver (stamp, hammer finish, roller print, etc.)
week #3:working with wax create pieces w/the lost wax technique
week #4: Finishing wax projects, cleaning up castings> cuttlebone casting [mishka: I will have to ask if there is an alternative to the cuttlebone class. maybe more wax practice?]
week #5: bezel settings, tube settings, alternative settings for found objects
week #6: forming & findings (ear wires, pin backs, pendants), married metal > create beautiful silver beads,etc.
week #7: riveting, make another piece!
week #8: finish up projects

No experience necessary!

Happy Pride 2007!

In my world, the start of summer isn't signaled by barbecues or by trips to the beach. For me, the event that tells me we've finally reached summer is Pride Week. Whether the weather is humid and hot, or a rainy downpour, Pride is an event I haven't missed in years. And it looks as though the weather is going to be perfect this weekend with temperatures at 21 and 26 degrees and sunny skies.



Last year, this guy stood at the edge of a dance area on Wellesley with a sign that said "Homosexuality are SIN!! According to God words only solution is Jesus". So we took this photo. Others took their own.

This year, the plans are just as loose as previous years. Tonight, we hang out on Church Street, tomorrow morning we run the Pride Run 5k, tomorrow afternoon I plan to pop in to the Queer Veggie Picnic put on by the Toronto Vegetarian Association, tomorrow night will be played by ear, as will Sunday. We haven't watched the parade in a few years – it is so busy along the parade route and the parade is so long. Instead, parade time is the perfect time to avoid line-ups and get food, use the toilet, check out the vendors and service booths, and park your butt in a comfy spot in a beer garden. With a warm beer.

I dread Monday morning, but look forward to having lots of fun this weekend! Happy Pride!

Camping season begins! Let's eat!

This weekend will be the first camping trip of the summer. And that means that I'm starting to think of one of my favourite parts of camping - cooking and eating outdoors!

I'm hoping to not bring too much food this time. When I start figuring out the food list, it's like I'm shopping for an army instead of just 2 people! This is my list so far:

• pre-marinated scrambled tofu: crumbled tofu, marinated in lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic and mixed with sun-dried tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, nutritional yeast
• (maybe) premade potato salad: potatoes, vinaigrette, broccoli, asparagus
  
• premade quinoa salad: quinoa, red lentils, sun-dried tomatoes, leafy greens, lemon juice
  
• 1 can of baked beans in tomato sauce
• 1 package of veggie bacon
• package of whole wheat bagels
• 1 box of Lick's Nature Burgers
• burger buns
• burger toppings: tomato, onion, lettuce?
  
• potatoes, carrot and onion pouches (vegetables, foil)
  
• Earth Balance, canola oil
• ketchup, dijon mustard
• bannock mix - flour, oil, salt
• peanut butter
• apples
• V8, water, pop
  

We know a couple who went on a camping trip with nothing but trail mix. Just to see if they could last eating nothing else! I think they lasted 2 days before they started trading trail mix for their friends' food.

What veg-friendly food do you using bring with you on camping trips, car trips and picnics?

This is ridiculously cute.



Thanks to Carla for sending me the link!

Trudi's Studio Makeover

My very talented friend Trudi of Double Happiness was recently featured as a "flickr find" on Apartment Therapy Home Tech! Trudi's been setting up her beautiful new studio over the past little while where she creates her gorgeous and inspiring books. Her paper hanger solution for storing large sheets of paper is genius, and she generously includes a How-to!

Plastic Ocean

I want to thank Carla for bringing this article to my attention. Do yourself a favour and read it.

Our oceans are turning into plastic...are we?

... and don't think that presenting this article right after I gushed about the new car, which is complete with new car smell, is lost on me. Sadly, it isn't. Sometimes I wish for blissful ignorance. But it is not in my cards.

And now I'll shut up

Here we are.

We picked up our teensy, fuel efficient, very blue, cute as heck Honda Fit last night. So far, we love it! The boy has the day off work today and he ended up going mountain biking, but stopped at the office first to show off our little gem. Co-workers were impressed with the amount of space it has for a small car, and with how the seats fold up and back and down. I'm impressed with all the little design details (headlamps, molded cup holders), our iPod connector and the peppiness on the highway.

Driving home last night, looking at the interior of the car, I told the boy, "Y'know, it's about the width of a king size bed!"

Our first big trip will be to Fergus on Saturday. Taking the backroads, of course.