Idle hands and all that…

My job exhausts me. Whose doesn’t? Mine has gotten so completely & utterly tiring lately, that staying up until 10:30pm on a weeknight is starting to feel like life in the fast lane. Yeah. I’m a wild woman.

I’ve found, though, that when I can channel all my mental puttering (LX’s term) into something physical, it actually helps me sleep better at night. I don’t mean going out and pounding the pavement for an extra few kilometres or adding extra reps to a weight routine, either; I mean a more creative pursuit (in addition to the writing, photography and dabbling with recipes that already occupies much of my free time) with which to toil.

So, because I have SO many free hours in my days (heh – if only html had a sarcasm tag), I thought it might be fun to try my hand at jewelery making. I was mesmerized by the efforts of the artisans at this year’s Spring One of a Kind Show and found myself inspired to give it a go, myself. I mean – how hard can it be? Kidding. Totally kidding. The talent at the One of A Kind shows is overwhelming & magnificent. But it did inspire me in a creative vein much different than any of the others I’ve ever decided to follow.

And, with that – here are my first few creations. They aren’t anything too terribly elaborate; not by any means. I thought keeping frustration levels to a minimum would be best for my (ok, LX’s) sanity. But it’s a start, right?

Attempt#1: Kid-sized & the height of fashion to a five-year-old.	Attempt #2: Simple seed beads, bugle beads & a lobster clasp.
Attempt #3: Double stranded beading & beads of varying sizes with a simple lobster clasp	Attempt#4: Earrings with faux pearls, silver spacer beads, Swarovski beads on silver-plated fishook earwires.

’tis the Season, Part 2: The Shopping

It’s December 3, which means there are only 21 days – less than 3 weeks – left until Christmas. This year I seem to have, unconsciously, taken a cue from my husband and his M.O. when it comes to purchases of any sort. Get in. Get what you need. Get the HELL out.

Only I’ve taken it one step further and done a significant amount of gift buying already without ever having to set foot into the cesspool we know as The Shopping Mall.

The thing is: I hate malls. At the best of times, I avoid the Eaton Centre like the plague. It’s full of tourists, teenagers & the ubiquitous meanderers. You know the ones I mean, I’m sure of it. You need to get from point A to point B, quickly & efficiently. But two or three of these slow-moving creatures are bobbing & weaving so as to effectively block your path from any and all given points of entry. So this time of year makes The Mall* even more of a No Fly zone for me.

Oh, don’t get me wrong – I love to shop. But there is one major caveat to that love: I do not enjoy shopping when there are any restrictions on time and/or end result. If I have all the time in the world to mosey about, browse, pick things up, try them on… then I’m happy to shop. If I have an hour in which to find and purchase a specific item, I can get a wee bit persnickety.

Needless to say, I’ve done quite a bit of online shopping already for this year’s Festival of Gifts. And tonight I’m taking myself on a date after work to the One of a Kind Christmas Show & Sale. If you live in the GTA, I highly recommend you check it out – especially if you have someone on your list a bit difficult to buy for. But give yourself lots of time… you do NOT want to go into this bad boy with any time constraints.

*any and all edifices dedicated to retail gluttony & fun… not solely the Canadian Mothership at Yonge & Dundas.