What is Production Design?

"Production Design is a combination of the best of visual fields: Architecture, Interior Design & Decorative Arts, History, Film making, Storytelling, Photography, Landscape Design, Travel." - Mark Ricker.

Mariage Frères French Breakfast Tea Bags

A steaming cup of lovely, fragrant black tea over breakfast is the perfect way to start your day. Who says that the British rule in the tea department? This French breakfast tea is superb and perfect for "tea time" any time of the day, so enjoy a freshly-brewed pot of this tea for quiet morning contemplation or share it with a friend over conversation and brunch. I love how each bag looks as though it has been filled by hand. Sip.

The New Antiquarians

Hot or Not? You've got to see it to believe it. Hollister's blog here. Porter's blog here. Let me know what you think. Does it (stuffed kittys, foxies, puppers and chickadees) creep you out or make your design heart sing...wlahhhhhhhhh....?

Eggplant Cafe

On the menu tonight. So much I want to say, need to say...so much sleep is needed, wanted, required...tired...so not much to say. Make sense? No, I didn't think so. I just love the colour of these eggplants. Makes me want to wake up tomorrow and eat very, very healthy. Perhaps make something like this. Good Night my friends.

Sauble Beach Celebrity Sightings

Beachers with a hip, strong fashion sense. Hot.

Absolutely Beautiful Things on The Skirted Roundtable Radio

Listen now. So exciting to hear Anna Spiro's voice! (Thank you Megan, Joni and Linda)

Anna's Blog: http://www.absolutelybeautifulthings.blogspot.com/ (her new website will be up in about 3 weeks http://blackandspiro.com.au )

The 'F' Word

Click to ENLARGE image.

hace un día de perros

the weather's foul today, it's lousy weather today

Benjamin Moore Classic Gray OC-23

Or if you prefer buying from Behr at Home Depot, Gray Castle PPPF-27 or Claudia's favorite Siberian Snowflake 8332 (Rodda Paint). To get the Tone on Tone look that Joni featured today, paint the wall and trim the same colour. Wall's flat or eggshell. Trim semi.

What Happens To Baby Teeth?

After the Tooth Fairy takes them? They get an agent and star in their own blog show of course! You have got to check this out! (Oh I'm having fun this Monday morning, plus, I've just realized that my blog is just so-so ordinary. I need to kick things up a notch. Get some Lifestyle Chutzpah!) Just in time too, The Purl Bee has a little Tooth Fairy project. I have fallen madly in love with these two little baby teeth. My heart is breaking and I can't stop laughing. Awww...look through the archives. LPxo

If You Haven't Seen My Ass

Here's your chance. WARNING: I figured I'd spice up your Monday morning. (No, not the photo silly.) Click here. It's been almost 1 year. Remember? My ass has never been the same. Some have said 'improved'. (perhaps I should charge pay-per-view.)

Writers' Fee Guidelines

General Interest/Consumer Magazines

$1.00 to $2 per word

$500 to $10,000 per article

$400 to $1,500 per column

Trade/Special Interest Magazines

$0.30 to $2 per word

$500 to $4,000 per article

$300 to $1,000 per column

Large Daily Newspapers

$0.30 to $1.00 per word

$250 to $2,500 per article

$330 to $1,250 per column

Smaller Community Newspapers

$0.10 to $0.50 per word

$75 to $1,000 per article

$75 to $500 per column

Online/Web Site Writing
Varies widely; "business" sites pay higher

$1 to $3 per word

$60 to $100 per hour

Advertising Material
Copy/Scripts/News Releases

$350 to $500 per page

$750 to $1,000 per project

for brochures$75 to $150 per hour

Blogging

$0.00000000000000000038 per photo

$0.00000000000000000015 per word

$0.0000000000000000000267 per post

I can't remember where I saved this from. It was reputable though. Perhaps the Amercian or Canadian Writer's Guild. No wait, now I remember. It was inside a fortune cookie. Or, did I just make this stuff up. Ah..the life of a wordsmith.

My Favorite Photograph

I've seen a lot of photographs. I bet you have too. But, when I asked myself 'what my favorite' one is, I did not hesitate. I love this image of Carole sitting in the window of Dean & Deluca in NYC. I actually think they should purchase it to use in their print ad campaign. Better yet, they could have a commercial built around it. To me, this is a very modern day Holly Golightly meets Hip Bistro meets Award-winning reportage meets Top Lifestyle shot - I don't even know who the photographer is. All I know is that I want to make it oversized and frame it for my studio so I never forget what I believe to be true for photographers everywhere: the whole point is to capture a flash 'authentic' second of life and this one certainly does. I want to step inside that flash second of life to smell the coffee, hear the muffled chatter, listen to the cash register, pick the brain of Carole - what is she thinking about at this very moment? (We should ask her.)

The Sunday Sauce is Back !!!

Slap slap slap the back of my hand. Bad food blogger. I've missed 4 weeks of sharing my BBQ sauce recipes with you. So my charcoal-broiled cooks, here goes...a recipe big enough to share with your entire neighborhood - so when they peak over the hedge and ask you what you're grilling, you can give them a jar!




Slow Cooker Chipotle Berry BBQ Sauce
Makes about 16 cups



5 cups onions, chopped or 1 1/4 cups dry onion
6 cloves garlic, (large), chopped or 2 tablespoons dried
6 cups ketchup
1 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 3/4 cups water
1/2 can or more chipotle chilies packed in adobo sauce (depending on how spicy you like your barbecue sauce)
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup dried cranberries



Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and stir.
If using dehydrated onions and garlic, add an additional 1/2 cup water.
Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.
Transfer contents in batches to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
The sauce may be refrigerated up to one week, or frozen indefinitely.



(and here's another smoky recipe)

$7 Dozen Corn (Yup it's True) + Elmvale Flea Market

Never mind The 100 Mile Diet. This corn must have been grown on the Space Station and shipped in on the bee-hind of the shuttle...for that price! (It really does pay to grow your own vegetables.) It was raining again at the market this morning. Umbrellas of many colours dotted the puddle jumping gravel aisles. I love being within an earshot of the various friendly conversations going on; most these days are lamenting about our horrible sunless Canadian summer. (Al Gore...have we been duped?) I bought a pint of new potatoes for $5 and a big bag of bright green beans for $3. Those crunchy beans were a wonderful snack for the ride home. And another thing. I am the absolute worst fresh market shopper ever! I always forget my cloth shopping bags. Everyone else seems to be on the ball. Next time. Yes. Next time I will remember. The bag and the $7.

CLICK on that carrot photograph. I really do love it! Would make a healthy desktop wallpaper! Enjoy.

The Satorialist, The Book Has Arrived !!!

And I have it for sale in my secure and lovely Liberty Post Amazon Shop. Come on in and get your very own copy. Pre-order this bespoke edition. (paperback version shown in Scott's photo above)

In the beginning, Scott Schuman just wanted to take photographs of people that he met on the streets of New York who he felt looked great. The blog he started, thesartorialist.com, is now an interantionally renowned site and a showcase for the wonderful and varied sartorial tastes of real people across the globe. This book is a beautiful anthology of Scott's favourite images, accompanied by his insightful commentary. Published here as a limited edition hardback, with a hand-signed card from Scott inside, it includes photographs of well-known fashion figures alongside people encountered on the street whose personal style and taste demands a closer look. From the streets of New York to Florence, Stockholm, to Paris, London to Moscow and Milan, these are the men and women who have inspired Scott and the widely diverse readers of his blog.

Thanks to Marnie for bringing this amazing chart to my attention. It's a Step-by-Step To Getting the Shot By The Satorialist. (I laughed so hard because the first comment on Refinery29 was this: 'fucking brilliant! SO TRUE!')

Yard Sale Find

I'm flopped comfy on my bed; being squished by Paige. (she is experiencing her summer shed right now and eeck...Golden Retrievers!...Kennel Club info here.) We ventured out early this morning for the sales. My hair was completely designed like a humidity 'fuzz ball explosion'. Rain, rain and more rain could not keep the diehards away from the open garages. My one and only find today was a pillow case. I love the blue and white ferns on it. Now I'm drinking the rest of my cold coffee and reading House & Garden UK. Bad hair day solved with a love loose pony and my sunglasses are ready...just in case...well, one can only hope here in Canada. Ah..and the pretty pendant necklace? It's mine... just like it so I thought I'd wear it today.

Do Golden Retrievers shed?

Yes they do! Goldens shed most all year round and there are least two times a year that it is a lot. You can expect dog hair everywhere if you own a Golden Retriever. They need to be brushed daily and regular use of an undercoat rake will significantly improve the shedding. Daily brushing also keeps them from matting. If you do not like dog hair in your house a Golden is probably not the dog for you.

I can't handle all the hair!

What is your opinion on shaving a Golden?

Do not shave your Golden. An undercoat rake and a steady routine of brushing will solve the problem. Goldens actually have two coats of hair. Their coat is designed to keep them comfortable and protect them in both winter and summer. During the winter, the undercoat grows, and in the spring they begin to blow that coat. The undercoat rake is designed to remove all of the dead undercoat. When first using one, it will take a few sessions of raking and brushing to remove all of the dead coat, but once you have done that, a weekly routine of brushing and using the undercoat rake will keep shedding to a minimum. The first time you use it, you will be shocked at the amount of hair you remove.

Combine the undercoat rake with the Porcupine Bristle Brush and you have the tools to keep your Golden's coat looking beautiful and you can control indoor shedding.