Blurb is a tool that allows you to make a book from your images, either on your computer, flickr, picasa, etc. All I can say is, SCORE.

Update: They have a fantastic idea on the site to make a Blog Book which is something I'm going to focus my energies on soon. Do any of you guys have any suggestions on which entries I should add to it?

Labels: Photographs, Projects, Shopping

Fantastic idea: making your own tarot cards. I've been breaking out my watercolours and yesterday I started painting in some ink sketches, I think this might be my next big project.

I AM GOING TO SEE FEIST IN CONCERT. It's okay. I almost wet my pants with excitement, too. Also, I am going to see Radiohead as well. I am a concert-lovin' fiend this summer.

Upcoming road trip: CATHEDRAL GROVE. This is great because it's on my list of places to revisit. I went here when I was 12, but I was so full of angst and riding up overall short combos that I couldn't truly appreciate the fact that I was surrounded by trees large enough to like, live in.

Wishlist: Canon EOS 40D.

I am on a mission to learn all I can about horticulture. The different plant names are fascinating and anything said in latin instantly becomes mysterious and magical. Even if you're saying the latin equivalent to "Poop". (I don't know what that would be, but I'm sure it would sound nice enough to put on wedding invitations.) The above picture is of a flowering onion. I love these plants because they look so terribly Suessian.

Dinner: Jamaican Jerked Chicken. Add a little more jalapeno if you like it spicy, and a little bit more of everything to make a touch more marinade. Serve with Mango Salsa.

Side dish: Herbed Roasted Potatoes. Cut potatoes up into bite size pieces. Drizzle with olive oil. Cut up a ton (bunch) of Cilantro (chopped) and sprinkle on top. Add 2-3 cloves of garlic (minced). Lots of salt, lots of pepper, and some lemon juice. Mix it all together. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour - hour 1/2, or until the potatoes are soft.

Agatha Christie: Interestingly enough, she thought Hercule Poirot was "creepy". Listening to BBC radio plays of her works is what I do with my spare time. I'm damn productive.

Cheeseburger Phone: We all knew this was coming.

Labels: Recipes and Projects, Shopping, Wishlist

BUST card creator, for all the sentimentality you need.


A lot of my jewellery is currently being housed in a yellow vintage tin box, but Shadow Box jewellery holders, as seen in Carolina Cottage, are an excellent idea.

ATTENTION NEETS: Awesome cupcake apron dress courtesy of Bunny Maxwell.

Labels: Shopping

I desire this t-shirt.

And this one: Owl Who Vs. Whom.

I have updated my 43things. I am on a mission!

I am also being inspired by FiftyTwoProjects. I will be doing some of the writing exercises tonight, even though it is past 8:30, and therefore, past my bedtime. I am a wild woman tonight.

Sia has a wonderful cover of Radiohead's "Paranoid Android". Speaking of Radiohead, I sang "Creep" last weekend on Rock Band. I love Rock Band. It's a whole new level of singing with your eyes closed in front of strangers, making closed fists with your hands.

Labels: Musings, Shopping

What the world is bringin' back for the fat girls: ANIMAL PRINT LEGGINGS. I just cannot fathom this. I would maybe wear this if someone paid me, immediately after downing an entire keg, in which case I would likely don these WITHOUT A TOP ON, and then swing the girls around girls gone wild style, likely while screaming "SAVE THE ANIMALS" and gyrating a bit.

... Oh yeah. That's right. I've given this some thought. BUT STILL.

And while I'm on the subject, what the hell is this? It's like she's had a tracheotomy, and rather than sputum, her throat hole has just spewed forth a whole bunch of low quality tartan cloth.

Labels: Shopping

Sometimes I can't decide on whether or not Urban Outfitter's is cute and trendy, or unforgivably tacky. Evidence: Motel-inspired furniture. I cannot fathom why anyone would want furniture that is usually found placed next to dirty hookers and giant tubs of discount cocaine. On the plus side, check out this wicked copy of The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. I'm going to be honest here, partly because I've had a lot of sun and a lot of ice cream and lying takes way too much energy, I don't really enjoy The Neverending Story. The first movie is borderline awesome, but the book, much like the film series, begins to totally peter out until midway through you can't even remember why you're reading it in the first place. Seriously, if it was between The Neverending Story and the packaging on a box of tampons for bathroom reading, I would be all over that the box of tampons like white on rice.

Still though, despite the above paragraph, it looks like a beautiful book. I have the same problem with The Wind In the Willows. They have gorgeous hardbound copies of that book, but I am about 99% certain Mr. Toad will never stop being creepy and vaguely nauseating, no matter how gold embossed the pages.

Last weekend I took photographs at a Victorian Rose Tea. Jamie came along as my photographer's assistant extraordinaire and held my cameras. My camera is still acting questionably, and somehow the 300mm lens got itself jammed onto my dad's camera, so I've been switching both of them up and hoping they hold out for a little while longer, at least until I can afford to buy a 40d .. which is on sale right now... hmmm. Saving would be a lot easier if I stopped buying crap like dollhouses and cake plates. And giant boxes of junior mints. It's never too early for Junior Mints. I like to enjoy them at 5:30 a.m., when I get up for work.

Getting up super early agrees with me. I'm no longer heading to bed at 8:30. Mostly. Next week we start work at 6 a.m., so I'll be rolling out of bed, tying back my hair, and heading out to wow the workplace with my early morning hotness. Sometimes, brushing your hair is optional.

I leave you all with a picture of the King and Queen of the Victorian Tea. They are adorable. I want to shrink them down and carry them around with me in my pocket.

Labels: Musings, Shopping

I like to think about lots of random things at work, while I'm mastering the art of dragging a rake across soil, or shovelling pond scum out of a pond. (Incidentally, no matter what anyone tells you, the smell of pond scum NEVER comes out of your clothes. I mean, good luck and all, if you ever find you've fallen into a fetid pond, or made an unfortunate attempt at ill advised swimming, but I can guarantee you now... that's the kind of smell that lodges itself in your nostrils. Kind of like how I can't drink Mike's Hard Lemonade, because the smell and taste remind me of warm summer nights spent vomiting over Melissa MacGill's balcony.)

Sometimes I think about things I'd like to buy when I get paid, like this shirt. Although, this is nothing compared to things I've received / bought in the past few weeks, because 25 should always be served with a dash of panic and a heaping spoonful of therapeutic selfishness. Sometimes I think about Disney songs. The themes from Beauty and the Beast go through my head at least half the day. That's right. I'm the crazy groundskeeper who spends half the day thinking about singing dinnerware.

Did I tell you guys that I DRIVE A TRACTOR? I feel as though this should always be referred to in capitals because it's so awesome. I drove my Uncle Ron's loader once, and I accidentally brought the giant claw down and took a chunk out of the road. He kept trying to tell me which button to press to stop from destroying the driveway, but I somehow managed to just keep digging deeper. We christened the pile of gravel "Sarah's Load". DRIVING A TRACTOR is going at least 15% better that this. I have thus far managed to avoid all flower beds. .... Mostly.

I am usually really exhausted after work. I peel off my dirt encrusted jeans and have really hot showers that involve a lot of nothing. It's a challenge to even find the energy to wash my hair. Creating a lather? Whatever. Most times I am probably lucky to open the shampoo bottle. Having a bath would be a lot easier, but the concept of filling the tub with water is much too hard. I don't have time to wait for that because I am an old woman who goes to bed before most of the 8 year olds on our block. Seriously, I am going to go to bed in like, 15 minutes, and I can still hear all the jam hands outside playing and starting fires and chasing each other around with used needles. Whatever the kids do. I'm out of the loop.

Tonight I had pledged to make my fellow coworkers cinnamon buns, but there was a bit of a yeast / margarine debacle and I don't think the result is nearly edible enough. Also, it is 8:30 now and my inner clock is already thinking about getting into my pajamas and rinsing out my dentures.

I had an EEG today, which was interesting. The gel is still in my hair, so I look pretty unwashed. I must've looked rough earlier when I stopped with my mom in Winner's on the way back to Chilliwack. The lady at the counter looked at my credit card, then at me, then back at my credit card, and demanded I show her some picture I.D. Because I totally would've stolen a credit card to buy some 4 dollar stationery and a 7 dollar cake stand apparently.

The dollhouse is coming along, very slowly. It's actually been a couple of weeks since I've really worked on it. I still have to finish painting the bottom left hand room and the attic, as well as the outside (which is currently white with red shutters and a black roof.) Then I'm going to start on the floors, either using decorative cardstock or hand painting hardwood-esque floors onto them. I don't know what I'm going to do with it when I'm finished. I will probably gaze at proudly, maybe in the manner that Jamie and I gazed at Safeway's panini's the other day. The lady came over to ask if we needed any help, and I told her that we were fine, that we were just gazing longingly at sandwiches. Because that is what we do on dates.

Labels: Musings, Shopping

My cousin Luke and his girlfriend came down this weekend to kick back and relax it all cool, possibly while playing some b-ball outside of the school. That's when a couple of guys who were up to no good broke into Brad's car and stole my brand new MP3 Player. It was especially sad because I had only just finished cramming it with Led Zeppelin. I had been looking forward to belting out "When the Levee Breaks" while planting flowers, possibly followed by the X-Ray Specs "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" while driving a tractor in jeans two times too big on me.

Side note, bending over is kind of a chore in large pants. I am pretty sure I have flashed my goods at one time or another to all my coworkers, and soon, the general public .... aka, delightful old ladies in pastel Easter hats.

Anyways, my MP3 player. They broke into the car while it was in the Vancouver Hotel parkade, busting Brad's lock and opening up the car to access the sweet bevy of music found within. Luckily they left Brad's impressive music collection alone. I guess there isn't much of a demand for Heart on audio cassette. While it sucks that it's gone, it could've been a lot worse. What pisses me off however is the cavalier attitude displayed by the staff of the Vancouver Hotel. When Brad told the ticket operator about the break in, while pointing to their sign claiming 24 hour video surveillance, the man simply nodded and told us how much we owed for parking. I realize that an MP3 player isn't high up on the list of major thefts, but some reaction would've been appropriate. It sort of threw me into a bad mood for the rest of the afternoon, so much so that I could barely enjoy a bucket full of gecko's on a stick in Chinatown.

Geckos. On a stick. I am totally serving that up at my next summer barbecue.

I did cheer myself up with some awesome purchases, like shoes in bright red. I am wearing them right now and might never take them off. I also bought a hoodie and emblazoned "Sarah the Pirate" on it. That's right. I am now meandering around town wearing a personal shoutout to my blog. And by "town" I mean "Easter Sunday at church."

Brad and I have also decided to tell the world that we're twins. It works because he would like to remain 25 for the next five years or so, and sometimes we inexplicably end up wearing matching clothes. Like on Friday when we went bowling wearing brown hoodies and blue jeans. I'm not sure how it happened, it wasn't intended, but I'm pretty sure faux twins dressing alike well into their 20's is perfectly acceptable in everyday society.

I am now off to dinner at Jamie's family's house... first time meeting his extended family. I am kind of nervous. I hope I don't mix up my consonants or drink too much wine. I don't think things would go over well if I suddenly slammed my wine glass down and challenged his grandmother to a shot contest.

Labels: Family, Musings, Sarah Land, Shopping

Graphic Photo Album from Urban Outfitters

Labels: Shopping, Wishlist

I've got a bit of a Valentine's project on the go, that I'm hoping to have finished and sent out by mail next Monday (I am starting to put myself on an organized schedule so that I start getting stuff done... rather than thinking of great ideas a mile a minute and then doing some extended napping in between eventually possibly getting around to it all).



Day One of the Project has gone well -- I bought the papers I needed for it and took my first photograph, a chocolate cupcake of delicious awesomeness. Amy Nieto, who is the Queen of Scintillating Cupcake Photography was my inspiration. I can't take credit at all for the idea of using buttons for an extra splash of colour, but I'd imagine this picture is more of an ode to my dear Neets anyways. The buttons were one of my finds today -- 2 jars for 4 dollars at the scrapbooking store. I need to go back tomorrow for more. Because, why not. At least I will go broke in style.

Labels: Photographs, Shopping, Thrift

So far they just seem to have "I Love You" in stamp form, but I yearn for the day they provide stamps that say things like, "Toast by Sarah" or "I poisoned the orange juice".

I Love You Toast Stamper, Urban Outfitters.

Labels: Shopping

It's past midnight and Max is asleep and I'm drinking piles of root beer out of a fancy blue mug, listening to the Rowing Song and coming to the conclusion that Patty Griffin like, KNOWS ME, on the INSIDE, where it COUNTS. I haven't connected so much with a song since Foreigner's "I Wanna Know What Love Is".

It's also March! My birthday is in March! Many other less pleasant things occur in March, but there is one day of this month where everything is marvellous. I'm currently writing up my birthday wishlist and wondering whether or not it's appropriate to put sex toys on the list I'm writing up for my mom. Would it be awkward to receive the Jackrabbit from a parent? Likely. But I deal pretty well with acute social embarrassment. I did, after all, live through the early 90's, a time period in which I very vocally expressed my love for Dwight Yoakam. Especially when he wore the tight jeans.

But just joking. Even though I will be adding various sex toys to my birthday wishlist for the sole purpose of making my mom immensely uncomfortable I won't actually be expecting anal beads and warming gel for my birthday.

Last year on my birthday I was forcefed microwaved asparagus by crazy people, but I expect this year to be much better. Every year, no matter what's going on in my life, I wake up in the morning excited that it's my birthday. I like to pull out certain birthday related songs and sing them really loudly, like "Danke Scheon", which I enjoy singing with a faux microphone, pulling it back and forth towards my mouth while crooning like I'm doing a duet with GOULET himself. "Edge of Seventeen" which tops my list of most awesome songs ever also gets played with a little bit of Sovereign air guitar.

Granted, I'm away from some of the people I would love to be with. Mellers and I looked into meeting up, possibly with Etts when she journeys to Abbotsford in a few days, but getting off this island even one way is about 32423453 dollars over my current budget. But this is going to be my first birthday in a long time spent with my cousins Melissa and Max, so I'm excited for that. I'm going to wake them all up at 6 a.m., in my pajamas, by jumping up and down at the foot of their beds shouting about my birthday, and possibly, communists. That's right. When my birthday rolls around, it doesn't matter what number I'm turning because I AM ALWAYS SIX.

Actually, speaking of my birthday wishlist, I'm supposed to be constructing one for my mom so she can haul a suitcase of exciting off island things over here when she comes to visit me! So I've been perusing pages and this is what I've come up with so far -- in regards to a somewhat unrealistic wishlist.

1. A giant party full of all my favourite people and snack cakes. Everyone loves snack cakes. My cousin Melissa would be in charge of music, up until her seventh playing of Basement Jaxx, but even then we'd all just be "Hahah, oh Melissa." and let her play "Where's Your Head At" one more time. Melissa Scaffeo would show up with Duncan and I'd finally give Duncan those damn chocolate covered espresso beans I bought for him months ago. They've been staring me down gradually and I really have no idea if the second package is going to make it. Sarah E could cut a rug, and Kevin and I really need to challenge each other to a shot contest. Lord knows that one I challenged Melissa's father to that one year really showed off my strengths ... in passing out, covered in vomit, in random lawn chairs. I'm sure even more stories would abound! But it's ten to ten and I'm sitting here in sweatpants imagining non-existent events featuring my friends so, it's probably time to move on.

2. I share my birthday with my cousin Keri, so I hope she has an awesome day. One of these days Keri and I will have a joint birthday party where we will invite the world and even Jesus if he's like, available. He's pretty busy.

3. Ever since seeing Mirrormask I've been wishing desperately for a pair of slippers with bunny ears. I would wear them everywhere. Even to court.

4. I have gone through life without ever having an Ani DiFranco cd and it's pretty much time to rectify that. My first Ani DiFranco song ever was Origami which was on a mixed cd someone sent me in the mail. I like doing hand actions to that one, because I'm an all powerful Amazon warrior ... not just some snivelling girl.

5. Because I'm lazy, anything from my Amazon Wishlist.

6. Some new lenses! A new 300mm lens, or a 50mm Prime Lens, as recommended by Josh. And some polaroid cameras! I already have a Joycam. I covered it in Unicorn stickers because it seemed right.

7. A bunk bed. I am totally going to make the bottom bunk into a fort! Full of comics and lists of boys I like! Oh. Wait. Nevermind. I have a King Sized Bed that I can roll over in four or more times without getting to the edge of. ... Then again, I do have some unused space in the corner.. Unused space perfect for BUNK BED FORTS.

8. Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Lunchbox so I can be like that kid in The Wizard. I would fill it with photographs and memorabilia of my dead twin and then leave in a giant dinosaur in California. IT WILL BE SO AWESOME.

9. A set of faery wings. So I can wear them to the grocery store.

10. New stationery! I have letters to send! I am a big fan of sarcastic, different sorts of stationery. I love the stuff over at Mikwright Cards because sarcasm is my natural thought process, as well as anything featuring Emily the Strange or snuggling puppies.

11. Blackbird Pillow. If I had just three or four more pillows I'm pretty sure I'd just never get out of bed.

12. I like to collect elephants and owls because, at heart, I am an 85 year old woman who dedicates entire rooms to her knick knacks and spends her spare time creating miniature Christmas villages with cotton ball snow. I left the majority of my collection back in Chilliwack, and I hope they're all facing northeast lest I have to horrifically cripple someone's legs.

13. I love vintage tins. I fill them with lots of different things like money (when I have it), agates, photographs and broken dreams. Or wait, no, not broken dreams. Broken dreams are housed in the bottom of whisky bottles and the backseats of really sporty Mustangs.

14. I also really, really want an elliptical. I'd put it outside, like, in the front yard, and yell out random things to neighbours or people jogging by. "Wow," I'd say, "the scenery is just flying past! Oops, time to climb a mountain! See you at the top, Captain Picard!" and then I'd like, flip off it in a perfect 10 and take my pills.

Labels: Shopping

Or, oh, no wait. I live with Sovereigns. We do this all the time.

Actually, it's been a pretty quiet day. I meandered around town for awhile, bought a yellow pad of paper and a new pen. Office supplies are exciting. When I was a kid, sometimes I'd go to work with my dad and raid the supply cupboard for highlighters, fineline pens, post-it notes and graph paper... just before eating my weight in the free Jolly Rancher candies on his secretary's desk.

There's a little stationery store down the street so I go in there sometimes so that I can clap my hands retardedly in between grabbing handfuls of Bic pens. It's not like there's a ton of shopping to be had in Masset, which is awesome for my bank balance, but it does mean that you have to squeeze every single bit of shopping related therapy that you can out of the purchase of some crayons and a pack of Mentos.

And now I am sitting around in my pajamas, watching zombie movies and eating Melissa's beautiful salad. It was my job, in regards to the salad, to peel and cut up the cucumbers but I don't really have the motor skills required to handle large produce. I spent a good five minutes gingerly hacking the poor vegetable apart before Melissa just kind of took it from my hands and miraculously salvaged it.

But enough of produce and thrilling stationery! I am excited mostly because Gen is coming down in a week! We are going to wander along the beach, possibly so she can pack her suitcase full of agates and pebbles and shells. Who needs clothes? A suitcase laden down with rocks wouldn't be like, that heavy. Many adventures and photographs shall ensue!

Labels: Shopping

Laura and I had our fabulous yard sale today and it was amazing, much like David Hasselhoff, whose golden voice has set hearts afire all across Germany, except instead of wowing Europe in leather pants and singing with our eyes closed we lounged around in chairs eating cookies and raised the price of The Rankin Family's greatest hits on cd.

That's what our yard sale did. It set hearts afire all across Thunder Bay, or at least mainly the Westfort area, where people were thoroughly rocked by my cult classic film collection, Nanny's spoons complete with spoon racks, and Laura's book on Transgender Care. Not to mention Laura's stockpile of pirated computer software, which someone bought for fifty cents. SHHH. DON'T LET ANYONE KNOW.

We are the laziest yard sale girls ever. We woke up late, priced nothing and spent the day chillaxing in the chairs we were supposed to be selling because that's how we roll. We even woke up Paul at 8 in the morning and he brought his truck over to haul stuff from the storage shed, and also to drive around my mom who was practically waiting outside by the time we pulled up to the house for the first load.

"You girls are late!" she said at quarter after eight. ... Our yard sale started at 10. Apparently most people put ten billion times more preparation into these things than we do since we had been counting on going yard saling before dropping the stuff off at our table.

We sold a ton of stuff, although I can't believe some things didn't sell. Come on world. The original Little Shop of Horrors? The De-Humidifier? Our vast joint collection of romance novels? CALIFORNIA RAISINS ON RECORD?!

.... They are the California Raisins. Does no one care to walk down memory lane anymore? They were raisins and the sang. Christ, People.

Perhaps we would have made more money if people hadn't come up to us with yard sale stuff and we hadn't freaked out. "What?! What is that doing in there? I'm sorry, YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BECAUSE IT'S GREAT AND I NEED IT."

At one point in particular someone brought a little fluffy bunny toy up to Laura and she practically screamed "NO!", grabbed it, and proceeded to cradle it in her arms for a good five minutes.

Someday I really want to be one of those professional yard salers. I would love to set my favourite things up in my front yard, like my Cyndi Lauper on tape and vast assortment of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies and sarcastically cut down anyone who doesn't truly appreciate the awesomeness that is Kindergarten Cop, or how She-Bop is the most brilliantly upbeat song about masturbation ever. And after hearing my scathing commentary on how they could never really understand the greatness of my stuff, I will chase them off my lawn with a garden rake, possibly while quoting lines from Terminator 2.

I also met Rick, the Needle Guy who introduced Laura and I online way back in 2002. I was sitting in a green chair with unwashed hair and the same clothes from yesterday, but whatever. I see nothing wrong with wearing mostly the same clothes for 48 hours.

Sarah E and Mellers are coming over in about an hour. Kevin bought us about a million litres of alcohol (drinking hurts, drinking scars) and we will have a Sarah E Birthday To Remember, so I suppose I should bathe or something, and do the getting ready musical thing much like Elisabeth Shue in Adventures In Babysitting.

Labels: Shopping, Thrift