Dear Outdoor World,

I miss you.



A lot.

Some Hard Earned Advice

Hi Bloggies!

How's it goin' out there in Blogland? Hopefully better than here at Graceland II (I kid you not; that is the actual name of my new apartment). This Canada Day, I had big plans to do the very last of the unpacking (since I normally let that kind of thing linger forever), but instead, I got food poisoning and have been stuck in bed all week.

Boo.


Velvet wallpaper -- all part of the greatness that is Graceland II.

So this is your friendly Public Service Announcement, Bloggies:

DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, EAT MEAT-CONTAINING FAST FOOD SANDWICHES AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN IN YOUR PURSE FOR OVER SIX HOURS.

(No, I don't care how cheap you are -- buy or make a new one. Trust me on this one.)

Project Blogway -- Revived!

Before, I left you hanging with just this picture, not telling you what it was, who it was for, what work it would be part of. Tonight I will share with you the project I'm working on right now.



Last year, Danielle Meder of Final Fashion and I, inspired by the tv show Project Runway, decided to design and make up each other coats. Mine would be a knit coat and hers a sewn one.

Designing and executing your vision turned out to be a lot harder than we had envisioned: unlike the designers on Project Runway, we had lives to deal with -- the constant distractions of friends, family, work, school, etc.

This year, we decided to go at it again, but with a smaller scope. This time, I would mod out and just knit an established pattern and she would draw me instead of designing and sewing.



When I was designing the coat, I had in mind a kimono. I liked the simplicity and severity of the rectangular construction done in a classic black; I felt that this worked with Danielle's aesthetic.

What I hadn't factored in was practicality: as a professional illustrator, Danielle is always using her hands. This time, I'm making a piece with sleeves that work for Danielle's lifestyle. They are three quarter length and fitted at the cuff. This also reduces bulk, making it easy to layer it with a winter coat, an essential in East Coast Canada.



I also really like this idea as I feel it works more with her very fine bone structure in her arms. While the sleeves will have volume in the upper arm, having them fitted to her forearms flows better with the line of the arm, drawing the eye down towards her hands.

I love hands! Particularly the hands of skilled artisans. I really think this sleeve will work quite well on her, don't you think?

Out of Blog Email Response

Hello Peoples of the Internet,

I spent the weekend packing and moving. I am tired but happy to be in my new space.

Unfortunately, I am behind on email and currently without internet access. So if I owe you an email, please hold tight for a few days.

Thank you for your patience,

Nadia Lewis
Crafting Adventurer

Musical Friday -- From the Dad Files

Everyone has a soundtrack to their childhood, made up of songs that blend together into the musical soundscape of their early years. From the first chord or even note, these songs can pull you back in time.

For me, a lot of these songs induce a feeling of warmth and sunshine. Which isn't just nostalgia talking -- a lot of my childhood music was played in the car as we drove around in my dad's '77 Camaro: my dad driving, my mom beside him, my older brother in the coveted "seat behind dad" and me behind my mom. To this day, I love being driven around in an overly hot, stuffy car.

My dad was the DJ of my childhood. While most of the hours of my childhood has music playing, it was never from the radio. (Only in high school did I start dabbling with mainstream music.) In the house, it was mostly instrumental and in the car, it was mostly lyrical.

I always loved driving to camp in the summers, all the way up to Hope and beyond. My dad would spend the week before burning -- no, not burning -- what was it called then? Dubbing? Yes, dubbing the set of tapes we would need to get us there and back with no repeat songs. "Car Tunes" they were called around our house.



Last week on our show, we had Ladytron, who named their band after the song of the same name from Roxy Music, so I figured it was only fitting that we play Roxy Music next. The song for tonight is Roxy Music's "More Than This", a song which makes me feel dreamy and soft when I hear it.

I could just fall asleep to Brian Ferry's voice... with my pillow wedged into the door as I watch the Chilliwack corn fields roll by...