tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255004312024-03-13T23:49:00.933-04:00Wyvern's Peak WritingJessica Strider's blog for cooking, writing, photography, non-SFF book reviews and more.Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-10880941718816736662014-07-26T13:09:00.002-04:002014-07-26T13:09:27.416-04:00Check out Sci-Fi Fan LetterI'm sure it's clear to anyone's who's come by this blog in the past few years, but I haven't been updating this blog. I've made a few updates, but I won't be doing anything else here. If you want to see some science fiction and fantasy content, head over to my live blog, <a href="http://www.scififanletter.blogspot.com/">Sci-Fi Fan Letter</a>. Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-22358835131971819262011-09-20T13:22:00.000-04:002011-09-20T13:22:24.391-04:00Book Review: Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson<div class="p1"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6d0N9A754Ck/TnjLoXlCaeI/AAAAAAAAA8g/pYxpXiCnWPA/s1600/Before+I+Go+To+Sleep.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6d0N9A754Ck/TnjLoXlCaeI/AAAAAAAAA8g/pYxpXiCnWPA/s1600/Before+I+Go+To+Sleep.jpeg" /></a>Pros: sympathetic protagonist, good pacing, tension builds to a strong climax</div><div class="p2"><br />
</div><div class="p1">Cons: some plot twists are predictable</div><div class="p2"><br />
</div><div class="p1">Every morning Christine Lucas wakes up next to a stranger: her husband, Ben. An accident has robbed her of the ability to remember the past 20 years and to retain new memories.</div><div class="p2"><br />
</div><div class="p1">She quickly discovers she has been keeping secrets from Ben, in the form of Dr. Nash, a doctor trying to help her regain her memories and a diary she's been keeping for the past few weeks. A diary that has, 'DON'T TRUST BEN', scratched into the front page. </div><div class="p2"><br />
</div><div class="p1">This was a quick read that pulls you in from page one. The plight of a woman who has no idea who she is, who learns things each day and then forgets everything, is gut-wrenching. </div><div class="p2"><br />
</div><div class="p1">Ben is alternately a sympathetic and sinister character. Christine discovers he lies to her, but isn't sure if it's to keep her from feeling grief over the events of the past or for another purpose.</div><div class="p2"><br />
</div><div class="p1">I was able to guess a few things that would happen, but the climax was strong and contained a few twists I didn't predict.</div><div class="p2"><br />
</div><div class="p2"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EsKZkzrNU5o" width="560"></iframe></div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-6069464111497507432011-08-06T08:09:00.001-04:002011-08-06T08:09:01.057-04:00Silhouette SD In UseIt's taken a bit of time to get used to the software - I'm not the most photoshop literate - so I haven't made any full <a href="http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/whatisit.aspx">Silhouette</a> cards until now. Yesterday I created a lily of the valley design (2 leaves, 3 stems and 16 flowers), cut them out and made a card. I also cut a frame for the inside birthday congratulations.<br />
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So, how does the Silhouette work? You create/open/download your design, resize it and lay out the pieces you want cut (pieces you want cut from other papers can be put off to the side of the cutting area). <br />
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Load your media (ie, put the paper onto the sticky carrier plastic and put it under the runners on the machine),<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2cQ-cxhQ-pA/TjxBMZ9qYQI/AAAAAAAAA74/-uUCxy-zgKU/s1600/Silhouette+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2cQ-cxhQ-pA/TjxBMZ9qYQI/AAAAAAAAA74/-uUCxy-zgKU/s200/Silhouette+1.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-39-WT_3VlKk/TjxBT7qwjfI/AAAAAAAAA78/oscon0oH8l8/s1600/Silhouette+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-39-WT_3VlKk/TjxBT7qwjfI/AAAAAAAAA78/oscon0oH8l8/s200/Silhouette+2.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
then send the design to the machine once you've specified your settings. In this picture you can see the green frame I'm cutting, while at the bottom, the center of the frame (in purple) won't be cut.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U9Rq4AX8chI/TjxDUTq94mI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/yFXNgJMBGcM/s1600/Silhouette+Cutting+Screen.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U9Rq4AX8chI/TjxDUTq94mI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/yFXNgJMBGcM/s320/Silhouette+Cutting+Screen.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Cut your shapes, peel them off the backing and use. The knife will score into the backing sheet (you can see the frame in the plastic if you look closely), so be sure to use the correct one (along with the correct knife and cutting settings).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lUg0uc09gLw/TjxBcOpRgII/AAAAAAAAA8A/I7jnWUseMYM/s1600/Silhouette+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lUg0uc09gLw/TjxBcOpRgII/AAAAAAAAA8A/I7jnWUseMYM/s200/Silhouette+3.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gfmfdLr_Rp0/TjxHDNJDBAI/AAAAAAAAA8U/-G9MmhaYYRs/s1600/Silhouette+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gfmfdLr_Rp0/TjxHDNJDBAI/AAAAAAAAA8U/-G9MmhaYYRs/s200/Silhouette+7.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
And here's the card I made:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z-3SyqXdvZ8/TjxBtQa-nlI/AAAAAAAAA8I/HfexTy5AhkQ/s1600/Silhouette+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z-3SyqXdvZ8/TjxBtQa-nlI/AAAAAAAAA8I/HfexTy5AhkQ/s200/Silhouette+5.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LNV7t9hHdi4/TjxB2yISvuI/AAAAAAAAA8M/I5_MYBWjseQ/s1600/Silhouette+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LNV7t9hHdi4/TjxB2yISvuI/AAAAAAAAA8M/I5_MYBWjseQ/s200/Silhouette+6.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
And if you're curious about what it sounds/looks like when cutting, here's a short example:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx4qHVclCyPyIlsSBmWlnKzWuGRrqPaxdxOcStjTQspsd7XTZVp1eQfr-BrDHV582Chs35Zxyzgb_Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-69520455292893458442011-08-05T15:09:00.000-04:002011-08-05T15:09:35.121-04:00Silhouette SD - Digital Cutting ToolI've been busy lately and haven't had the chance to blog about the awesome birthday present my husband got me: the Silhouette SD. It's a craft cutting system that allows you to design your own shapes to cut. This means you can cut ANYTHING you can draw (or find a shape file for, scan in and trace, etc.). You can resize shapes, use any font on your computer and more.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lk75ts-7otY/Tjw_q9E0I-I/AAAAAAAAA70/DPZj-68-4PE/s1600/Silhouette+Box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lk75ts-7otY/Tjw_q9E0I-I/AAAAAAAAA70/DPZj-68-4PE/s320/Silhouette+Box.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>So, what's in the box? You get the machine, 2 cutting mats (for different thicknesses of materials), 3 blades (again, for different thicknesses of materials), the design software (now Mac compatible!), an instructional video on CD-Rom, 48 designs (with 50 included in the design software to get you started), a start up guide book and a $10 giftcard for their online store (for buying designs). And all your cords (power & usb).<br />
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While not particularly noisy it's also not a quiet machine. It's surprisingly melodic as it cuts designs. They come out crisp and professional - just watch how you reuse pre cut paper (I've tried to reuse larger paper from which I've cut designs only to have it catch while being pulled into the machine, knocking it out of synch).Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-78648581197668522612011-06-24T10:24:00.000-04:002011-06-24T10:24:37.454-04:00Credit Valley Explorer TourI don't know how my husband finds these things, but for my birthday he took me on a <a href="http://www.creditvalleyexplorer.com/">Credit Valley Explorer</a> train ride. The train has grouped 4 person seating (so two of you go backwards each way) and has riders swap sides at the halfway point so everyone gets to see out both sides of the train. It also includes a 'light' lunch and drink service. The tour starts in Orangeville and goes south towards (but not reaching) Brampton.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zAohADBKcfs/TgSbtBMszAI/AAAAAAAAA5o/DAfU0rx4XyA/s1600/Credit+Valley+Explorer+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zAohADBKcfs/TgSbtBMszAI/AAAAAAAAA5o/DAfU0rx4XyA/s200/Credit+Valley+Explorer+1.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8kt82I7YrTo/TgSb9nZMyWI/AAAAAAAAA5w/7LJm2JySf7I/s1600/Credit+Valley+Explorer+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8kt82I7YrTo/TgSb9nZMyWI/AAAAAAAAA5w/7LJm2JySf7I/s200/Credit+Valley+Explorer+3.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
After passing several golf courses, the train goes around forest and then farm land. We saw a surprising number of animals, specifically horses and cows.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-brZxKOadjGY/TgSb2S9poiI/AAAAAAAAA5s/TaTcTp35k70/s1600/Credit+Valley+Explorer+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-brZxKOadjGY/TgSb2S9poiI/AAAAAAAAA5s/TaTcTp35k70/s200/Credit+Valley+Explorer+2.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d20vSzqKTx0/TgScGHTHe5I/AAAAAAAAA50/1HXs3TdexOY/s1600/Credit+Valley+Explorer+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d20vSzqKTx0/TgScGHTHe5I/AAAAAAAAA50/1HXs3TdexOY/s200/Credit+Valley+Explorer+4.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's even a nice waterfall. The train slows down a strategic spots to aide in the enjoyment of the view. Much to my surprise, they also served desert!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J0pZNsCpTBs/TgScPm4ix4I/AAAAAAAAA54/ZuzryJ_8xUk/s1600/Credit+Valley+Explorer+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J0pZNsCpTBs/TgScPm4ix4I/AAAAAAAAA54/ZuzryJ_8xUk/s200/Credit+Valley+Explorer+5.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7_rBXp8ar7g/TgScZnTVC1I/AAAAAAAAA58/N6C_r2pGixI/s1600/Credit+Valley+Explorer+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7_rBXp8ar7g/TgScZnTVC1I/AAAAAAAAA58/N6C_r2pGixI/s200/Credit+Valley+Explorer+6.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's a fun tour and a great way to spend an afternoon. They run tours throughout the year, but I imagine the fall tours are packed.</div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-71085019551900219212011-06-10T11:20:00.000-04:002011-06-10T11:20:39.151-04:00The Mini Bonsai Kit<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WPsy1IcypGA/TfI13LubDfI/AAAAAAAAA5g/0HBCwZ6QQGw/s1600/bonsai+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WPsy1IcypGA/TfI13LubDfI/AAAAAAAAA5g/0HBCwZ6QQGw/s320/bonsai+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything that comes in the box.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A few years back I got a mini bonsai kit for Christmas. It's been sitting in its box in my office since, as I waited for a time when the bookshelf in my office - one of the few places in the house that gets sunlight without fear of cats eating the plants or playing in the dirt - freed up. I've been using the spot for my winter herb garden, but now that the herbs are outside I decided to see how this kit worked. I was all ready to plant to seeds last week, when I read the instructions. Apparently the seeds need to be soaked in water for 24 hours, then given 7 days of cold stratification.<br />
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Now that that's taken care up, I was able to soak the soil pellet so it expanded, and, finally, plant the seeds. It's now sitting in the sun. Hopefully in a few days I'll see some sprouts and in a year or so I'll have a mini bonsai tree!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0048k4wes2o/TfI1-LB0z5I/AAAAAAAAA5k/3_m8edfYfKc/s1600/bonsai+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0048k4wes2o/TfI1-LB0z5I/AAAAAAAAA5k/3_m8edfYfKc/s320/bonsai+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-44767135850658485102011-06-01T15:45:00.000-04:002011-06-01T15:45:15.132-04:00Library DayI've been hearing all sorts of doom and gloom stories on the internet lately about how libraries are defunct and should be closed. Of course, not everyone agrees that it's the right thing to do, myself included.<br />
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My local branch was closed for over a year. I got by by going to a further branch and trying to wait for my holds all to arrive before going so I wouldn't have to make the trek so often.<br />
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Well, I'm happy to report that my local branch has reopened today. Given all the talk about the usefulness of libraries (that everyone's using the internet at home for research and ebooks are cutting the need for paper books, etc.) I expected the place to be pretty empty. I mean, aside from myself, who would be anxiously waiting for the library to open again?<br />
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Apparently quite a lot of people. The library was packed. There were adults on the computers, youth in the youth section talking about OSAP and universities and how to pay for school when you can't find a job. The magazine section had lots of comfy chairs and a fake fireplace, where I sat to browse my findings. I heard students studying at a nearby table and saw parents getting their children books.<br />
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And the staff were ecstatic, welcoming everyone back to the library, raving about the renovations and dishing out suggestions for books as well as computers.<br />
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As I walked home I realized something. For all the home computers, for all the advances in ebooks, for all the other things that take up our limited spare time, I've never yet been to a library that was empty. We take for granted the free access to computers, books and professional help libraries offer. If we're not careful, someday our descendants won't have that luxury.Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-44580697006072091222011-04-22T10:04:00.002-04:002011-04-22T10:04:00.222-04:00StampingI picked up a lot of new stamps and equipment at the <a href="http://www.csnf.com/">Creativ Festival</a>, so I figured I'd try them out. The <a href="http://www.localkingrubberstamp.com/">Local King Rubber Stamps</a> booth had a great demonstrator showing off their stamps. Unlike regular stamps that give an outline which you then colour in, these stamps are designed to be coloured on, so the colours are blended on the stamp to create great images on their glossy paper. Alas, I should know better than to believe things are as easy as expo demonstrators make them out. They said you can use any markers, which is true - to a point. I bought some water based markers at another book (<a href="http://www.stampinup.com/ca/enc/default.asp">Stampin' Up</a>) and some Copic markers to fill in the colour gaps from the set. Now, Copic markers are alcohol based, which means they dry faster than water based when applied to stamps, and the colours don't wash off. (You can tell I'm new to the idea of colouring directly on the stamps. It never occurred to me to make sure the markers weren't permanent before I used them.)<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rxiI9jgfXnw/TbBy8mLFOZI/AAAAAAAAA5M/FWh3oLR-nBo/s1600/stamps+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rxiI9jgfXnw/TbBy8mLFOZI/AAAAAAAAA5M/FWh3oLR-nBo/s320/stamps+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>Here's what my stamp looked like when I was done trying to do my first picture. You can still see the black marker around one eye and the nose. That's all that made the glossy paper (see the stamp below).<br />
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So I did an experiment. I used the same stamp and tried it with my water based markers (the pink/red wolf). Much better, but not quite what I want in a wolf.<br />
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So I tried a third attempt. I used some cheap dollar store markers, the yellow, orange, brown and black (you always want to go light to dark or you'll ruin your markers). Not bad, but not quite card quality either. I'll have to invest in another set of water based markers, with earth tones (rather than the colour set I got, which should be great for birds, butterflies and flowers). I still noticed that the lighter colours had faded by the time I stamped the card. Maybe that's why the demonstrator emphasized that you don't have to look at what you're doing when you colour. You colour faster that way and end up with more ink still on the stamps when you stamp your page.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hl4xCSV8ias/TbByvU2uUhI/AAAAAAAAA5I/9DUC4EgfudU/s1600/stamps+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hl4xCSV8ias/TbByvU2uUhI/AAAAAAAAA5I/9DUC4EgfudU/s320/stamps+1.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2kzxM9xMISo/TbBzSoap2zI/AAAAAAAAA5U/rlZEJL07H7k/s1600/stamps+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2kzxM9xMISo/TbBzSoap2zI/AAAAAAAAA5U/rlZEJL07H7k/s320/stamps+4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Compare that with the results of the rose stamp I got at the Stampin' Up booth. I used pigment dyes I bought as a 4 set (2 reds, green and gold) at another booth (I don't remember which booth this was, though I suspect it was either Art Tales or <a href="http://www.discountscrapbooksupplies.com/page/page/229311.htm">Memory Keeper</a>. I bought a bunch of stuff there, including the Vanilla Smooch Spritz used to give the finished card a sparkly sheen). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My rose set is designed to have each picture stamped twice, once for the base, and again for the highlights. It was quick and easy and worked perfectly both times (though with the stamps having wood backing you have to watch your placing carefully or they won't line up). I did the main rose twice, then layered it over the sparkly background.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EfW3iqzIzAU/TbBzZb65G8I/AAAAAAAAA5Y/GXsnm22Oe-c/s1600/stamps+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EfW3iqzIzAU/TbBzZb65G8I/AAAAAAAAA5Y/GXsnm22Oe-c/s320/stamps+5.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eLGi3KkZ4lY/TbBzHDKym_I/AAAAAAAAA5Q/Ly-0fBSxw3k/s1600/stamps+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eLGi3KkZ4lY/TbBzHDKym_I/AAAAAAAAA5Q/Ly-0fBSxw3k/s320/stamps+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I'm hoping with practice I'll get better with the marker stamps. When done well they look fantastic.<br />
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A few hours after doing this post (set to publish the following day), I decided to do a search for the marker tip sheet the woman at Stampin' Up said she'd send me if I emailed. I was correct in thinking the search would be easier. And I found it. It's a pdf file you can download <a href="http://www.stampinpretty.com/files/marker_tip_sheet.rtf">here</a>. (Or you can do a search for "Stampin Up marker tip sheet", it's the fifth result). The first result, <a href="http://www.stampinup.com/ca/enc/stamping_with_markers.asp">Using Markers - Stampin' Up</a> is the one that taught me the best tip though:<br />
<blockquote style="text-align: left;">3. Breathe on the inked image to remoisten the ink before stamping onto paper. </blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Such an easy trick! And it works. So you don't have to colour fast to get good inked images. Just breathe on the stamp to make the ink wet again. I tried a few of my stamps to practice. Here are the results. Much better. Now I just need black, grey and earth tone water based markers and I'm in business. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mVf0RA-oGdI/TbDqnlmbDII/AAAAAAAAA5c/4BcWRHgvjGE/s1600/stamps+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mVf0RA-oGdI/TbDqnlmbDII/AAAAAAAAA5c/4BcWRHgvjGE/s320/stamps+6.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-43901834714532386312011-04-21T14:04:00.000-04:002011-04-21T14:04:42.614-04:00Creativ Festival ReportSo, I went to the Creativ Festival in Mississauga on the weekend. There were a decent number of booths with a variety of focuses - knitting, crocheting, stamping/cardmaking/scrapbooking, seweing maching embroidery and more. The free classes weren't as good as I'd hoped, but I did have fun at the one make 'n take class I went to (where I made the 'laugh' card in the 'things I bought' photo).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZO6E1tmqq0/TbBxMGdQHnI/AAAAAAAAA5E/0JR--DMBNYQ/s1600/Creativ+Festival+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZO6E1tmqq0/TbBxMGdQHnI/AAAAAAAAA5E/0JR--DMBNYQ/s320/Creativ+Festival+3.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3p7ufWp06ZE/TbBwzVhl0mI/AAAAAAAAA48/GnBjXScueMo/s1600/Creativ+Festival+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3p7ufWp06ZE/TbBwzVhl0mI/AAAAAAAAA48/GnBjXScueMo/s200/Creativ+Festival+1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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One of the coolest things there was a booth demonstrating the Turkish art of Ebru. For $7 you could try it and take your piece home. Here's the one I did:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WysCfDqI6Sg/TbBxAajzflI/AAAAAAAAA5A/dVS4aTSZjcM/s1600/Creativ+Festival+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WysCfDqI6Sg/TbBxAajzflI/AAAAAAAAA5A/dVS4aTSZjcM/s320/Creativ+Festival+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Ultimately I had a good two days, and came away with some new techniques.Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-59588673391775765242011-04-14T12:05:00.003-04:002011-04-14T12:05:00.411-04:00Creativ FestivalI'm heading to the <a href="http://www.csnf.com/">Crativ Festival</a> this Friday and Saturday. Should be a ton of fun. I hope to learn a bunch of new sewing and card crafting tricks. :) I'll try to post some photos next week.Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-58214396873025885922011-04-13T11:17:00.000-04:002011-04-13T11:17:51.728-04:00Sewing Book Review: Illustrated Guide to Sewing: Garment Construction, edited by Peg Couch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9CJGxZPEhc/TaW97JmqfQI/AAAAAAAAA4s/4YvSSK4TFHA/s1600/Garment+Construction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9CJGxZPEhc/TaW97JmqfQI/AAAAAAAAA4s/4YvSSK4TFHA/s1600/Garment+Construction.jpg" /></a></div>Pros: step-by-step colour photos for everything, left and right handed instructions for hand sewing, progresses through basics to quite advanced techniques<br />
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Cons: some later instructions may be hard to follow without referring to the accompanying photos and even the glossary<br />
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<i>The Illustrated Guide to Sewing: Garment Construction</i> is a great guide for beginner and intermediate sewers who want to give their sewing a more professional look. It starts with the basics, touching briefly on some machine and hand sewing techniques, fabric preparation and essential notions. It assumes some knowledge and suggests reading through your sewing machine guide if you're a complete beginner before starting with this book.<br />
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This book teaches garment construction specifically. From the hand stitching techniques of basting (to check fit before sewing) to hemming, the book moves on to the correct construction order for garments and then to professional style finishing techniques.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m_Ut8fAhCF0/TaW-F1xwmzI/AAAAAAAAA4w/hOtwBPq3WMw/s1600/Garment+Construction+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m_Ut8fAhCF0/TaW-F1xwmzI/AAAAAAAAA4w/hOtwBPq3WMw/s320/Garment+Construction+2.png" width="320" /></a>Each set of instructions is accompanied by a series of full colour photographs with the different steps numbered for reference. The photos certainly help with clarity. Actual beginners will find themselves flipping to the glossary at the back of the book and to earlier sections where some procedures are given in more detail. I imagine many of the techniques taught (as with everything skill related) take time and practice to master.<br />
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The book recommends taking extra time with pre-sewing adjustments to ensure that you only sew once to create flattering, well constructed garments. And this is certainly a great book to help you achieve your sewing goals.Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-51851752919618058692011-03-25T11:19:00.000-04:002011-03-25T11:19:00.617-04:00Hemming PantsI have that 'lucky' body type whereby I can either fit clothes to my waist or my height. Ultimately I choose waist (of course) and end up hemming all my pants to make them shorter. I remember, once, finding a pair of jeans that fit perfectly when I tried them on. No adjustments necessary. Alas, that's not the norm, so off to hem them I go.<br />
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I had no idea there was a tool designed to help you hem pants. I'd always worn them to measure how much material needed to be cut and hemmed for the pants to fit right, remeasured after taking off the pants, pinned the line, drawn a line to cut on, cut the excess, then measured, pinned, invariably pinned the wrong side of my pants, pinned again, turned under the hem and pinned one last time. Finally, the easy part: sewing. After an hour or more my pants would be hemmed and I'd be annoyed enough that I'd avoid hemming another pair for as long as I could.<br />
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But I was looking at sewing notions a few days ago and came across this: it's called a sewing and knitting gauge and it cost $1.20.<br />
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<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bns7V07OS5A/TYyteULsdOI/AAAAAAAAA4c/DdUEIu2pm-I/s1600/Hem+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bns7V07OS5A/TYyteULsdOI/AAAAAAAAA4c/DdUEIu2pm-I/s320/Hem+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>And I just happened to have a pair of pants ready to be hemmed. I put the pants on and pinned up the sides, so I knew where to begin, then I got out my new tool. There's a plastic slier you put to the measurement you want, then you stick it inside the groove and make sure the fabric is the same height all around using that measurement. It was very fast and required no pins.<br />
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I then decided where to cut for the hem, and used the measurements on the side of the tool to mark a pencil line for cutting.<br />
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<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2dgrofvYZxE/TYytmLd4gVI/AAAAAAAAA4g/gP-efrIgXsM/s1600/Hem+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2dgrofvYZxE/TYytmLd4gVI/AAAAAAAAA4g/gP-efrIgXsM/s320/Hem+2.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
After cutting, it was again easy to set the hem line, then turn down and pin the fabric. This is the second point where pins were needed, rather than the third or fourth.<br />
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In a fraction of the time it would normally take me to hem pants, these were done!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-CBWmyXmJfw8/TYyttS1ccnI/AAAAAAAAA4k/vM0rSEsjD8k/s1600/Hem+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-CBWmyXmJfw8/TYyttS1ccnI/AAAAAAAAA4k/vM0rSEsjD8k/s200/Hem+3.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SnR1Uc9XD9w/TYyt0jx1uBI/AAAAAAAAA4o/KA-mrAVEq-0/s1600/Hem+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SnR1Uc9XD9w/TYyt0jx1uBI/AAAAAAAAA4o/KA-mrAVEq-0/s200/Hem+4.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-52775185050572466182011-03-11T14:44:00.008-05:002011-03-11T17:05:29.063-05:00Punta Cana - Spa and EntertainmentThe Spa at the Majestic Elegance is very beautiful. You have to walk off the main resort, across a bridge of naturalistic swampland to get there. The front had a few lounge chairs and a large Buddha statue. Reception was tastefully decorated and had a metal staircase leading to the massage rooms.<br /><br />As I said in my first post on Punta Cana, the overbooking of the hotel let to our being given a $100 spa credit. So I got a 55 minute aromatherapy massage. The room had 2 massage tables, sink and shower. The massage itself was amazing.<div><br /><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JKbDhQWnSWE/TXp-NM98LKI/AAAAAAAAA3c/IlkuNOeuEqQ/s200/P1230161.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582913453363571874" /><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T0JHGh5-e3M/TXp_r7pwJVI/AAAAAAAAA38/KkaHVJ3_TlM/s200/P1270691.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582915080803067218" /><br /><br /></div><div>After it was done, I headed downstairs to go to the other half of the spa. Here they have a series of pools (hot, cold, jetted), a hot stone chair, steam room, sauna, aromatherapy room and nifty showers (each stall had a different shower, like a pull cord bucket and wall jets).<br /><br />We attended one of the many bingo games (my husband won a bottle of rum, which we traded for a CD of local music), I did a karaoke number (Walk Like an Egyptian) and went to a few of the evening shows.<br /><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_XQLvFiHpx8/TXp-N75ActI/AAAAAAAAA3s/HJqb3Ck-9lM/s200/P1250518.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582913465959346898" /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MLKgoTO1qG0/TXp-NYnd1wI/AAAAAAAAA3k/1w2WxigT7kA/s200/P1240423.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582913456490534658" /><br /><br /></div><div>If you're in the area and have the chance, two shows were definitely worth it: The Michael Jackson show and Circus Chan-Chi. They had a few trapeze artists, a guy who balanced various things on his head, a fire juggler and more.<div><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/20932031" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/20932031">Circus Chan-Chi Fire Juggler</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4132064">Jessica Strider</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p></div><div>One day, the resort allowed some of the local artisans to set up a flea market. Let me just say that you have to bargain hard and if you're not used to it, you'll either end up paying a lot more than the items are worth or not enjoying the shopping experience. It was very different from negotiating in Thailand (and I wasn't very good at that either). Still, I got... decent prices for what I bought. Makes you appreciate set prices though.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jZreJ_HuEvo/TXp_sosCAKI/AAAAAAAAA4E/5dKMd9Tw3To/s200/P1270836.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582915092892221602" /><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VG-_3xk7-BA/TXp_rScGzBI/AAAAAAAAA30/R9rrPoqgG14/s200/P1260638.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582915069739977746" /></div><div><br /></div><div>In a bit of unplanned entertainment, a mother duck and her chicks were seen swimming in the pool and wandering the grounds.</div><div><br /></div><div>But alas, all good things must come to an end. We caught our shuttle back to the airport, where we waited in line, watching the windows computer 'error' message on the Toronto departure screen. At least the Big Ass Fans were there to keep us cool. And I mean that quite literally. We were fortunate to witness a nice sunset from the plane and arrived back home without problems.</div><div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Eqx-kwVeUWM/TXqAsJdABWI/AAAAAAAAA4M/K-NrCVC3L-M/s320/P1291075.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582916184019305826" /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JdiC1Lta2is/TXqAslEsZjI/AAAAAAAAA4U/R1qB1FumPdI/s320/P1291104.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582916191433549362" /></div><div><br /></div></div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-7992578904090923782011-03-10T11:50:00.007-05:002011-03-10T12:15:12.221-05:00Punta Cana - FoodLet's talk about food. It doesn't matter how pretty the resort is, if the food's terrible it's not worth the money. People on TripAdvisor had alternating ratings with regards to the food. I heard a few people complain about it while I was there, but I actually loved the food. There was always a huge variety at the buffet, the restaurants had good food, but generally smaller portions. Ok, their sushi bar was kind of weird (pineapple sushi anyone?). On the whole though, I loved the food and loved not having to cook the food and getting the chance to try new things.<div><br /></div><div>Their breakfast bar included omlet and crepe stations, cereal, fresh juices, hot chocolate (theirs is much richer tasting than ours), breads and sandwich additions. And let's not forget the pastries with chocolate to dribble over them and exotic (for us) fruits in syrup. And the not quite breakfast foods (mashed potatoes come to mind).<br /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_dXcDmoxv2c/TXkDWEfjTSI/AAAAAAAAA2k/36kwQKhGck8/s200/P1230120.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582496890800524578" /><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zycCXqb_dh4/TXkDVuTbMMI/AAAAAAAAA2c/iWo6AMTMoFg/s200/P1230117.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582496884844081346" /></div>There were two buffet locations for lunch. The main buffet (Flavors) and See & Sea, by the beach. They had pasta stations, fresh salads, nachos, pizzas and desert spreads. One day they even had a barbecue with live music on the beach.<br /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DYo1R3ujAck/TXkDWcsyzHI/AAAAAAAAA2s/9PXWEVcQK_M/s200/P1230203.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582496897298517106" /><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AEIlOAXzYx0/TXkF4uq_YUI/AAAAAAAAA3M/D8HE9JC_ZTg/s200/P1270729.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582499685261599042" /><br />For dinner, the buffet was always themed, with a VERY high variety of offerings and some nifty decorations. Not sure what the 'American sauce' they put on the mahi mahi was (and chose not to try it to find out).<div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0mFFuJT2mjc/TXkFYc6YuoI/AAAAAAAAA20/DgDJ0ErWoBU/s200/P1230242.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582499130738522754" /><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AqOgHfiMsYI/TXkFYu7UbzI/AAAAAAAAA28/EVrjOLSNIl0/s200/P1230246.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582499135574273842" /><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PvGFd1q056k/TXkF5N-FirI/AAAAAAAAA3U/olW1dtLiEfE/s200/P1270838.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582499693663193778" /><div><br /></div><div>There were several a la carte restaurants, Italian, steakhouse, Japanese, French and seafood. Only the French and Japanese teppenyaki tables needed reservations. We tried all but the French restaurant. For people staying up late, there was even a fast food place open all night.<br /><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HUidIU6p6VY/TXkFZD-8UxI/AAAAAAAAA3E/bZfl5mBeltk/s200/P1260652.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582499141226615570" /><br />I ate a LOT more than I should have on this trip. And I seriously miss the buffet breakfasts.</div></div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-65011601974048025972011-03-09T10:53:00.009-05:002011-03-09T11:29:44.743-05:00Punta Cana - Beach and PoolOf course you can't spend all your vacation admiring the buildings or sitting in your room - however nice they all are. So, it was off to the beach. I bought an Olympus Stylus Tough camera for this trip, which can go underwater! I had to learn a few tricks on the trip, which was unfortunate (as my photos before I learned the tricks weren't as good as the ones I took afterwards), but it was nice being able to take photos everywhere, even in the water.<br /><br />As I said yesterday, the beach was made up of fine white sand. The different resorts all had roped off areas for their guests, with occasional free areas where natives offered boat rides, parasailing and other services. And the area closest to the water is free for everyone to walk, so you can wander for hours down the beach...<br /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CUwaMtEQM68/TXekQPkNxuI/AAAAAAAAA0s/qsjLEG-VSxI/s200/P1230173.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582110862112311010" /><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8fy6F1SrgRY/TXekQ0qv-dI/AAAAAAAAA08/Ia6GsqHoYF4/s200/P1270806.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582110872071829970" /><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q94Rsfuc9wM/TXekQlQy3hI/AAAAAAAAA00/38KS2tJQfAg/s200/P1240314.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582110867936435730" /><br />Our resort (and this was not true of all of them, as I learned later) had a large number of shade palapas, palm trees and lounge chairs. It also had a beach bar service and a nearby bar/lunch & snack restaurant (at night it was the seafood restaurant). The stretch was also long enough that if you didn't want to join in the activities (at one side), you could read in relative quiet elsewhere. There were also geckos that came by your chair looking for food. One day we walked down the beach for over an hour and came to an area of shops on the beach. It had much better prices (and more reasonable starting points) than the people selling on the beach and the flea market that came to our resort.<div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lHEbBP3-Ods/TXelcIqeq3I/AAAAAAAAA1E/mQmS10jxgio/s200/P1270763.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582112165929593714" /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_Z0pjSwj_u8/TXelcv2facI/AAAAAAAAA1M/FCWfZCdH-U4/s200/P1280914.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582112176448956866" /></div>After I'd gotten a decent sunburn that first day on the beach, I decided a day at the pool would be nice. There were 3 pool bars, two dry (spaced a ways apart) and one wet bar. A separate kids pool was supposed to keep the noise down (though there was only 1 noisy kid there when we were, and he stayed by our side of the pool, unfortunately). <div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sy0IKtKq-pU/TXeldE_L6_I/AAAAAAAAA1U/2FvY3FPyyzI/s200/P1250430.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582112182122572786" /><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZDr4ee237XA/TXeo2Dp41XI/AAAAAAAAA18/GE893er9T7E/s200/P1250453.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582115909796418930" /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PQP3YSQwXj4/TXemrsM3pkI/AAAAAAAAA1k/46vb51W-NeA/s200/P1250436.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582113532678743618" /><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RbwHsbnuVHc/TXemsOgMQQI/AAAAAAAAA1s/GJpcpWOue0Y/s200/P1250448.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582113541886591234" /><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FpvvYoqUydI/TXeo2e_jPWI/AAAAAAAAA2E/YjrNtXdK66g/s200/P1250455.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582115917135035746" /></div><div>The pool was lagoon style, with swim up rooms along one side and several bridges to cross over/under. A fountain on one end and 'jacuzzi' (it was jetted but not heated) in the middle made it varied and fun to swim in. And it was gorgeous to look at.</div><div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1t5OL7hdMVo/TXemrA1ktcI/AAAAAAAAA1c/jkZWD7taL44/s200/P1250431.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582113521038308802" /><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5jWguymDsmM/TXeo1uuyx6I/AAAAAAAAA10/4_yrlHYFILQ/s200/P1250452.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582115904179849122" /></div><div>It was especially beautiful at night.</div><div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-82XIK-NhFaY/TXepRqn3pEI/AAAAAAAAA2M/tgYBTn6caWM/s200/P1220060.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582116384113402946" /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i-mXtNjQXoo/TXepSMixVkI/AAAAAAAAA2U/gcIO5_sRO90/s200/P1220089.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582116393218823746" /></div><div><br /></div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-48465529035460938412011-03-08T12:49:00.005-05:002011-03-08T13:14:32.037-05:00Punta Cana - The Majestic EleganceMy trip to Punta Cana was in January, but I've been spending so much time reading I haven't had time to blog about it until now. The trip was fantastic. It was my first time to theCaribbean, and worth every penny.<br /><br />After a lot of research, I settled on the Majestic Elegance. Not only is it a newer resort, it's got jetted tubs in all the rooms, white sand beaches and a lot of other perks. I particularly liked the lagoon style pools.<br /><div><br /></div><div>I was told that the airport was one where you leave and board the plane via the tarmac, but didn't realize all of the buildings would be open air with huge fans.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EuneYY0R2hA/TXZvEueHBBI/AAAAAAAAAz8/5JtfyKXoId4/s200/P1220013.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581770915156788242" /><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CynRe9G7bvQ/TXZvFvt9XUI/AAAAAAAAA0M/8L1bSTK51vU/s200/P1230138.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581770932671569218" /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RQGJfceQ9v4/TXZvEyE3S1I/AAAAAAAAA0E/nVN2o1ZAL6c/s200/P1230126.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581770916124642130" /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Majestic is 2 resorts, that attach along a shopping strip which includes the kids club. Due to overbooking (which we learned later happened a lot) we spent our first night on the Colonial side. While this meant we had to change rooms the second day, it did come with 2 perks. First, that our bracelets allowed us to use the facilities on both resorts, and second, we got a $100 credit for use at the spa. :) The main lobby (shown above) was spacious and pleasant.</div><div><br /></div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SEGlPtKGToM/TXZwJTjyKJI/AAAAAAAAA0c/Q0xwnMIPlQo/s200/P1230229.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581772093343803538" /><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qYunM9s1iJQ/TXZwJ0us4mI/AAAAAAAAA0k/JgVmKeTGEZg/s200/P1250499.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581772102247965282" /><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LOXC_WH1sTc/TXZwI12J8EI/AAAAAAAAA0U/n2h2Z4RhavE/s200/P1230218.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581772085367795778" /><div><br /></div><div>Down a double staircase from the lobby was a bar and the entrances to 3 of the restaurants. It also had covered walkways to the theatre and rooms on one side, and an outside bar, shopping area and other rooms on the other side.</div><div><br /></div><div>The rooms circled manicured gardens and pools, with other gardens or the pool on the balcony sides. The rooms themselves were large, with double sinks, a shower with a regular head, wall jets and rain function, a jetted tub, balcony, separated sitting room, 4-poster bed (or 2 double beds), TV with DVD player and wall safe. </div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-6695969745597212572011-03-03T11:35:00.003-05:002011-03-03T11:42:47.653-05:00Coverstitching!I now understand why so many people online suggested getting separate machines for serging and coverstitching. Changing the machine from one to the other's a bit of a process. On the other hand, everything gets easier with practice, and this machine allows me to do a serged edge with chain stitching (for a very secure seam). So it's a toss up. I'll try to post either a video or photos showing all the steps involved in switching the machine over so other people with that question have 'all the facts' before they buy. People explained it was difficult, but no one said precisely what you had to do.<div><br /></div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mbr84ML_DNE/TW_E20kx-AI/AAAAAAAAAz0/_Ab74josmjU/s200/P2181116.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579894909440227330" /><div>I finally got brave enough to try coverstitching. I'm fairly comfortable with serging, but have never coverstitched before so wasn't sure where to place the fabric (since the seam is down). Was I supposed to cover the seam or sew close to the seam and cut any excess fabric? The DVD that came with the machine didn't mention coverstitching at all, so I looked at a few online videos. </div><div><br /></div><div>After some test strips, which helped me learn a bit about tensions, and making sure I'd threaded the machine properly, I coverstitched a new hem on a t-shirt.</div><div><br /></div><div>And by golly it worked! Guess coverstitching isn't a scary as it seemed. What I have to work on is threading, and a better technique for finishing, so I don't have to cut the threads so close to my sewing (and then rethread the needles/looper).</div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-2622830886443900942011-03-02T10:59:00.007-05:002011-03-02T11:35:50.969-05:00Cookbook Review: Fast And Fresh Vegetarian by Marie SimmonsPros: colour photo center spread, tips at the start of each section, 'make a meal' box on recipe pages, lots of recipes<div><br /></div><div>Cons: recipes require lots of ingredients and can be time intensive, some ingredients are hard to find</div><div><br /></div><div>To review this cookbook I tested 6 recipes. Here are the results.</div><div><br /></div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LjA_ibLmoe4/TW5vYkVX-9I/AAAAAAAAAzE/99yVrNEXUWU/s200/P2161111.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 179px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579519456219495378" /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eSBXblLXLj4/TW5vYzg_YPI/AAAAAAAAAzM/FkmjQ7MFkbs/s200/P2161112.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579519460294746354" /><div>First up, Quick Supper Frittata. It took longer than the stated 30 minutes to</div><div>cook, and there were several mini steps (some of which are better prepared in advance rather than when you're cooking, like the egg mixture). I used roasted red peppers rather than piquillos and a sharp cheddar instead of Pecorino Romano. But for all the effort of making this dish, it was worth it.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xgSiNfOqETo/TW5wzGU8T-I/AAAAAAAAAzk/-2z67zkprbg/s200/P2171115.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579521011532713954" /><div>Second I made the Lentil and Vegetable Soup with Smoked Paprika. I'm not a fan of celery so I left that out. It did make the soup less 'full' looking, so in future I'd try to substitute something in its place, like sliced cabbage. I also couldn't find smoked paprika (I finally located it a few days after trying this recipe). I used sweet paprika instead, which has a much mild</div><div>er flavour and didn't do the soup justice. My version was bland, so I added in some roasted garlic and red pepper spice. With the smoked paprika the spiciness would be fine. Also realize that if you're adding the yogurt or sour cream (which is what I used), you won't taste much of the spices anyway because the cream will supersede everything.</div><br /><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AgcgOWZwh4Y/TW5wzTULwUI/AAAAAAAAAzs/tysQPPTBrxs/s200/P2181120.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579521015019192642" /><div>Next I did two recipes for a meal. Toasted Flatbread With Goat Cheese, Sauteed Greens and Crispy Shallots for the main and Roasted Asparagus with Parmigiano-Reggiano Crumbs as a side. While the asparagus was easy to prepare, I found the amount of parmigiano used made it on the strong side for my taste. But the asparagus themselves were perfectly baked, cooked through yet crisp. For the flatbread recipe, again there was a fair amount of preparation involved and I didn't use enough of the greens (I halved the recipe to serve 2 people and didn't realize how much the greens would wilt, so keep that in mind). Even omitting the crushed chilies, the cheese and greens were flavourful enough that it wasn't a problem that the flatbread wasn't completely covered.</div><br /><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-POTh3hUT1Ao/TW5v5QE3M9I/AAAAAAAAAzc/BhVOxaM03rI/s200/P2201122.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579520017717212114" /><div>The one recipe I tried that I didn't really like was the labour intensive Broccoli, Dill and Lemon Spread. I think I'd have preferred this one had the broccoli not been boiled before pureeing all the ingredients. Making this required boiling the broccoli, sauteing the garlic and using a food processor. So in addition to the prep work, there's a lot of clean-up required.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LZgiFgiQq-o/TW5v4wRNhKI/AAAAAAAAAzU/fQaCUCTpsUM/s200/P2241125.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579520009179071650" /><div>Finally, I made the Lentils With Roasted Red Peppers, Dill, Mint and Feta. I was afraid the peppers would be too 'smoky' to blend well, but the combination - especially the feta - worked well. Eaten on rice, this was a filling and delicious meal. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-75260981824680668422011-02-01T12:18:00.003-05:002011-02-01T12:23:35.986-05:00Book Review: Dexter Is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fhAX5NZE2Ok/TUhBe08BcPI/AAAAAAAAAy4/g_6sQdYRQ78/s1600/Dexter%2Bis%2BDelicious.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 131px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fhAX5NZE2Ok/TUhBe08BcPI/AAAAAAAAAy4/g_6sQdYRQ78/s200/Dexter%2Bis%2BDelicious.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568772937105895666" /></a>Pros: lyrical writing, introspective, darkly fun<div><br /></div><div>Cons: predictable</div><div><br /></div><div>Dexter is astonished that upon the birth of his daughter his homicidal instincts desert him for more... human... ones. Suddenly he wants to be Dex-Daddy, hang up his knives and steer Astor and Cody away from the dark path.</div><div><br /></div><div>But life intrudes in the form of his sister and a possible kidnapping/murder case involving cannibals. And a figure from his past starts to become cozy with his family, leaving Dexter disoriented.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is a lighthearted novel that examines the darker side of life. Like the others in the series, it's light on the gore and heavy on the lyrical writing. Unlike the previous books, Dexter develops actual feelings. It's fun watching him reevaluate life and try to understand emotions he's only faked before.</div><div><br /></div><div>While the story gets predictable towards the end there were some good twists I didn't see coming, like an unexpected request by Deborah.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the best of the series.</div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-45556097819050883272011-01-11T11:44:00.003-05:002011-01-11T23:19:32.503-05:00Health Book Review: Just 10 Lbs by Brad Lamm<img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fhAX5NZE2Ok/TSyNwGzZvLI/AAAAAAAAAyw/EDz9Nidi6QQ/s200/just10lbs.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560975497495166130" />I know I said I wouldn't review the book until I'd gone through the diet, but I'm quickly realizing that sticking to a set plan doesn't work well for me. So I figure I'll review the book without my failure/success weighing in on my impressions of the book/plan itself. I do intend to try the diet and see how things work out.<div><br /><div>Pros: the diet focuses as much on changing your attitude - towards yourself as well as to food - as it does on correcting eating habits and encouraging more exercise. The book encourages you to consider things you do well, on increasing your self-esteem and improving your body image - through a body map and other techniques. One of the first things you have to do is discover what kind of eater you are (do you eat because of an emotional imbalance? because you love the tastes and textures of food?, etc.).</div><div><br /></div><div>I think there's an advantage to doing the diet for a month, including the 'mindful meditation' (prayer, yoga, some kind of exercise that focuses on your body-mind connection) and other practices. Once you're in the habit of doing the exercises, you're likely to continue them after the diet is over. You're also supposed to learn and be satisfied by proper portion sizes - rather than the significantly increased North American portions we generally have.</div><div><br /></div><div>The book includes a sample meal plan, recipes and daily challenges/affirmations to keep you focused.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cons: he suggests that farmers markets are cheaper to shop at than grocery stores and going to them is a way of ensuring more fruits/vegetables in your diet for less. This simply hasn't been my experience with farmer's markets, which are (in my area at least) significantly more expensive than shopping at grocery stores. But that's a minor point.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another minor point is the idea that following healthy guidelines will prevent diseases. I don't like this because it implies that if you're sick you had an unhealthy lifestyle. Some diseases are preventable through healthy eating, exercise, etc. Others are not.</div><div><br /></div><div>A more important point is that I don't like the idea of cutting an entire food group from my diet. I'm a firm believer that everything in moderation is good for you. Or at least, not harmful. I find it strange that with all the care he's taken on designing the diet he has no chapter on reintroducing grains/legumes (beans, lentils, rice, pasta, bread) back into your eating plan once you've lost the weight. There's no guideline of 'replace 1/2 the protein with 1 cup pasta/rice if using' to show what a portion size of those would be or what you should take out in order to fit it into a healthy plan. Are you simply meant to cut them out forever? I wonder how long it would take to gain back the weight you lost if you're not employing smart choices when bringing back otherwise axed foods.</div><div><br /></div><div>And when he lists the approved foods it's hard to tell if you can add in other vegetables not on the list or if you should stick to what examples he's given (for example my favourite vegetable, corn, isn't on the list).</div><div><br /></div><div>Ultimately, it seems like a healthier diet than many on the market, in that it focuses on the entire body and mind as a unit, rather than simply focusing on 'bad foods' or 'good foods'. And while it's not perfect, I'll still be trying to follow as much of the diet as I can.</div></div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-26029926733621517912011-01-02T11:23:00.003-05:002011-01-02T11:36:06.743-05:00New Year's ResolutionsSorry about the break. December's a busy month - especially since I had to work more around buying presents, etc.<div><br /></div><div>One of my New Year's Resolutions this year is to... drum roll please... lose weight. Original, I know. But, I've already started working on it. Netgalley had a diet book on offer a month or so ago, and I've finally had time to start reading it. Unlike a lot of diet books that focus on big results, this one focuses on small, manageable results. <i>Just 10 lbs</i>, by Brad Lamm. I haven't had the chance to finish reading it, but I already like what I see.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lamm's focus is to increase protein and vegetable consumption (reducing carbohydrates) while at the same time, getting you to increase your overall care of your body. The idea is that if you don't love your body - extra weight and all - you'll be more likely to fall off the diet and gain the weight back. It's also less a diet than a way of thinking (or not thinking) about food. </div><div><br /></div><div>He starts by subdividing eating habits, you are how you eat. Do you eat out of habit whether you're hungry or not?, out of stress?, because you love the tastes and textures of food? If you don't know why you're eating more than you should, how can you stop?</div><div><br /></div><div>And yes, exercise is mentioned.</div><div><br /></div><div>In other words, it sounds like a plan that could work. I'm not too keen on the 'pray to a higher power to lose weight' component of his 10 step plan, but if I lose my 10 lbs I'll do it.</div><div><br /></div><div>My problem now is wondering when to start. I need a week to get rid of the white potatoes and bread around the house. And sometime in January I'm planning a trip to the Caribbean, so that will affect things.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ultimately, I suspect I'll start next week, and if the vacation interferes, I'll just restart when we get home. Regardless, I'll post progress markers, and at the end of my trial (which will be more than the subscribed month, after the vacation's added) I'll write up a review of the book/plan.</div><div><br /></div><div>Other resolutions are to learn how to use all the functions of my new serger (including the special feet) and sew some clothes.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also want to get my wedding album finished. It'll be two years soon... about time I'm done that project.</div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-26920675061238846092010-12-03T12:37:00.003-05:002010-12-03T12:43:59.619-05:00My New Serger Is Here<img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fhAX5NZE2Ok/TPkry_AJUAI/AAAAAAAAAyk/BhgOiiMQYOE/s200/serger.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546512570988974082" />When I got up I didn't have much planned for the day. Then the doorbell rang and my new serger arrived! I'm impressed with how quickly UPS got it to Canada from the States, but not impressed by the fact that I wasn't made to sign for this expensive package. In fact, considering the delivery guy was driving away as I got to the door, I wonder what would have happened to it had I not been home to collect it right away. I'd have been righteously angry indeed had someone stolen my serger because the delivery company left it on my front porch.<div><br /></div><div>I opened the box and found my extra thread, 8 serger feet, workbook and DVD on top. Underneath was the serger in it's factory box. I set it up and started reading the manual before realizing that once I got going on that all blogging would be ignored and I had an interview to post.</div><div><br /></div><div>So now that my blogging obligations are done, it's back to the serger I go. :)</div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-56220725483654435802010-11-30T11:54:00.003-05:002010-11-30T11:59:34.862-05:00SergerSo, after debating the issue for a while, I finally put in an order with allbrands.com for my serger. I went with the Juki MO735. All brands threw in all 8 serger feet, thread, needles, etc., so it was a pretty good deal. I was leaning towards to separate cover stitch machine, but in the end, I probably don't sew enough to justify the expense, and looking at my sewing table, I'm doubtful I'd be able to fit a third machine. And this machine is said to be their best, with up to 5 thread capacity for knit fabrics, and 2 thread chain stitch.<div><br /></div><div>I got notification today that my machine has shipped, which means I can (after a year) finally return my mother's serger to her. I've also been stocking up on patterns (fabricland had sales for several of the pattern companies), and baby fabrics. Not for me. I have a relative who's having her first child and figure this will be a great opportunity to use my sewing machine and get to know my new serger, while at the same time making one of a kind gifts. :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Life is wonderful.</div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-89728674367137045802010-11-25T12:04:00.005-05:002010-11-25T12:10:13.742-05:00Book Review: Dexter By Design by Jeff Lindsay<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fhAX5NZE2Ok/TO6X1YLD2-I/AAAAAAAAAyc/eJk17QpvIp8/s1600/Dexter%2Bby%2BDesign.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 131px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fhAX5NZE2Ok/TO6X1YLD2-I/AAAAAAAAAyc/eJk17QpvIp8/s200/Dexter%2Bby%2BDesign.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543535134617361378" /></a>Pros: wickedly funny, returns to the style of the first 2 books<p></p> <p class="p2">Cons: story arc is getting repetitive</p> <p class="p2">The third Dexter book, <i>Dexter in the Dark</i>, took the series to places I didn't want to go, so I was very happy to see that <i>Dexter By Design</i> returned to the fun style of the first two books.</p> <p class="p2">Dexter is working on his 'disguise' by taking Rita to Paris for their honeymoon. A bizarre art exhibit reminds him that his dark passenger hasn't played for a while. Back in Miami, a serial killer has started arranging bodies as art objects and Dexter is at a loss as to how to explain it.</p> <p class="p2">After someone close to him is hospitalized, he makes an error of judgement that threatens his new family and the disguise he's worked so hard on.</p> <p class="p2">It's a quick read, with Lindsay's characteristically wicked humour. My only complaint is that it seems any cops who start to wonder about Dexter, find themselves no longer in a position to do anything about him by the end of the book. It's a little too convenient for Dexter. Still, it's a minor complaint and didn't impact my enjoyment of this instalment of the Dexter series.</p>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25500431.post-27984496765696413342010-11-11T12:26:00.002-05:002010-11-11T12:32:49.155-05:00The Complete Serger Handbook by Chris James<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fhAX5NZE2Ok/TNwomxfWNJI/AAAAAAAAAyM/TBh719EibMo/s1600/Serger%2BHandbook.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 169px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fhAX5NZE2Ok/TNwomxfWNJI/AAAAAAAAAyM/TBh719EibMo/s200/Serger%2BHandbook.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538346288343823506" /></a>As part of my decision process to buy a serger, I read through some books to see what a serger can do and what in particular I should look for when buying one.<div><br /></div><div>And so I came across Chris James' <i>The Complete Serger Handbook</i>. It's got a lot of colour pictures to illustrate the text, and sections on needles, thread, tension, stitches, techniques, etc. I especially liked the subsection on elastics and rolled hem (didn't know you could do that!). Most of the information was great for a not quite beginner. A few times the text was outside my experience level, so it's probably a good guide for beginners to intermediates. </div>Jessica Striderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806396398400431213noreply@blogger.com1