Whirlwind Times Call for Kale!

Wowsers! It has been crazy around here with the CGTA show in Toronto. Now I have one day off before heading to New York for more show craziness at NYIGF. My head is spinning but in a good way. It is always great to meet people and hear feedback about our work. Sometimes it can feel like I am working in a little apron bubble and laughing at my own jokes. It can leave a girl wondering if her new pithy taglines on her aprons are actually amusing or if she is just descending into apron overload madness. From the postive feedback I think I am still sane. Phew!

To keep me sane I decided to make a pickled kale salad. I have been eager to make it for a while and today seemed like the right day to do it. It is chock full of nutrition, just what I need before I am back to the crazy trade show diet that always seems to slide towards too much sugar.

photo: blog.recreativeworks.com

Oat Bar Fail

I had a million and one things to do before heading off to L.A. (can't wait to see you dear Mr. Sunshine!!) and then to Vancouver for the Circle Craft Christmas Market. You know how it is sometimes when you have a gazillion things to do but you suddenly feel an overwhelming urge to do something completely unnecessary? I guess it is the procrastinator in me. I stumbled upon this recipe I had torn out of a magazine. There was a feature on favourite picnic food and I was mesmerized by an oatmeal "flapjacks" recipe. They looked like oatmeal squares but with a touch of lemon. Packing and prepping be damned, it was time to make some oatmeal squares. I rationalized my stalling tactics by telling myself that I could take them with me on my travels as a healthy snack.

I should have known that things weren't going to work out. The instructions were in weight measures rather than by volume. Who knows how much 200 grams of butter is? I searched on the internet for a conversion and instead found persnickety online conversations along the lines of, "Well, you know the weight of a solid isn't the same as a liquid" and blah, blah, blah. Who cares? I just wanted to know how many cups of flour and butter I needed. The recipe called for golden syrup, which, thanks to my persnickety internet teachers, I learned, isn't the same as maple or corn syrup. It is a treacle, more akin to honey but not quite. I was getting tired. I almost packed it in when it called for Muscovado sugar (huh?) which is a dark brown sugar that isn't quite the same as brown sugar. Just how exotic were these oatmeal bars?!

I carried on to the best of my abilities, figuring out the measurements, using a combination of honey and maple syrup and hoping for the best. In the end my bars are more like a flaky baked granola - a far cry from packable tasty oatmeal bars. I guess I should have stuck with the packing and prepping.

Delicious Food Show

Time to tempt those tummies and get ready to browse through aisles and aisles of food porn! The Delicious Food Show kicks off with an opening night party tomorrow at the Better Living Centre and then continues on for a full weekend of yumminess. There will be celebrity chefs (rock stars in my world), demos, grape stomping and tasty nibblies galore. It is a foodie's paradise. I'm so excited to be participating. It just makes sense to have aprons at a food show, doesn't it? It's one of those perfect pairings, like peanut butter and chocolate, wine and cheese, apple pie and ice cream.

Domistyle will be in Booth #126. I expect I will be eating a lot. Come by and tell me about all the delicious things you have sampled and the tasty inspiration you have witnessed.

Speedy Summer

I can't believe that it is already August. The summer is speeding along and I have a feeling that this month is going to pass by even faster. We were at Kempenfest last weekend in Barrie which was so much fun! We had the best view of the bay and the sun was shining the whole time. I was a sticky hot mess but it was delightful. I met so many lovely people and had great feedback about our aprons. Domistyle won second prize in the best textiles category. Yay! I got a ribbon and a hug. I was tickled pink.

Unfortunately I won't be able to sit back and polish my ribbon at my leisure. I have new product to work on and a couple of wholesale shows coming up. Busy, busy, busy. I will have to put my lying in a hammock fantasies on hold for a while and hope that the summer lasts for as long as possible.

Barrie Jazz and Blues Festival

I'm off for some music and outdoor fun at the Barrie Blues and Jazz Festival this weekend! I am going to pretend that I am on my way to a cottage during the drive to Barrie. I love seeing cars with canoes strapped to the roof or pulling boats behind them, it's such a summery image. (Mental note, find more friends with cottages!)

Domistyle will be part of the Vendor's Village during the festival. I am looking forward to meeting other vendors, music lovers and apron fans. I am also planning to soak up lots of sun while listening to tunes. It should be a fun summer's weekend!

Love Local Show - Saturday June 4th

I am gearing up for the Love Local show at the revamped Evergreen Brick Works on Saturday June 4th. It sounds like it'll be a great time with all kinds of groovy artisans nestled in a little urban oasis. I plan to get there early so that I can load up on yummy snacks from the farmer's market. Hope to see you there!

Distillery Show - May 21, 22 & 23

I am experiencing some mad preparation for the Artisans at the Distillery Show this weekend. I had to exercise supreme self control when a temptress girlfriend tried to lure me away from my work by telling me about a sale at Anthropologie. It took all of my willpower to stay away but I am swamped and will have to wait until after the weekend to reward myself with an Anthropologie treat.

In the meantime, I prep. It will be the first time for Domistyle at The Distillery. I always feel like I am tucked away in another time and place when I am at the Distillery District with its brick streets, winding alleys and old buildings. I love the atmosphere, the galleries and the shops. I will be right outside of Balzac's which has the best coffee around. I never considered myself a coffee snob and wouldn't have thought that I could taste a huge difference, but their coffee is smooooth. I will also be filling up at Soma, heavenly purveyor of divine chocolate treats. I may not sleep for days, will be doing laps around my booth from caffeine and cocoa overload, but it will be well worth it. I'm looking forward to talking with the other artisans and meeting apron fans!