My friends are my estate. -Emily Dickinson

I am almost wiped out! Alex moved into our new apartment this past weekend (I’ll be moving in slowly over the next few weeks since my lease isn’t up until June). We had six friends helping us out (Yay Caitlin, Laura, Lesley, Julie, Dilan and James; you guys rock!), and it didn’t take too-too long but it was pretty tiring. I also had to go over to my current apartment for a few hours on both Saturday and Sunday to clean and straighten up because my landlords want to start showing it soon. I cleaned the oven…which is something I don’t ever want to have to do again in my whole life; I have at least 10-12 cuts and scratches on my hands from the rust, etc. Tonight’s goal is to get the kitchen all unpacked so that at least we have somewhere to cook. Once I get all of my stuff moved in and unpacked maybe I’ll post a couple of pictures.

One of my favourite blogs to read is LollyChops and if you haven’t checked it out, you definitely should! Lolly is a great crafter, really inspiring, and a truly wonderful web-friend. Last week I found a package from her waiting in my mailbox. Here is what it contained:

I love the fabric covered magnets; and the cork butterflies are for this doing THIS tutorial on Lolly’s blog. She also sent a nice little note and one of the inside packages was sealed with a very cute sticker that I know Lolly made herself. Lolly is having gallbladder surgery tomorrow; I know that she’ll come out with flying colours. There may just be a crafty-fun care package headed your way within the next couple of weeks Lolly! Extra big pre-surgery HUGS!!

It was Laura’s birthday on Friday. I got here these really neat Monster Magnets made by Mudpuppy:

I finished up Pride and Prejudice last weekend. Of course it was amazing; it’s one of my favourites! I can never say enough about it. No matter how many times I read it, it never seems stale or loses any of its brilliance. I also read Star Sullivan by Maeve Binchy in about an hour last Saturday. I didn’t like it as much as I’ve liked others by her. The ending was kind of depressing; I get what she was trying to say about the main character and about who she had become, but it fell a bit flat. Still, it was a super-quick read and I love Maeve’s style. All in all it was time well spent. Currently I’m reading Katharine Graham’s autobiography Personal History and I’m enjoying it so far.

My fabrics also arrived last week, but I forgot to take a picture of them to share. I’m trying to figure out what fabrics I need to order for various things around the new apartment. Alex and I had decided on one of the prints from Moda’s Arcadia collection for the living room pillows, but then when we moved in we realized that the living room walls were more of a sage green than a blue-gray like we thought. I recall the colour being a tad different, but I think it really depends on what time of day it is. I’d really like to do them in the Moss Painter’s Palette from Erin Michael’s Lush collection, but I think mostly because I’m in love with the fabric and can’t think of anywhere else I could use it. I know…my name is Kaye and I have a problem.

Because I mentioned it last time, here is my 1917 (26^th impression) edition of Anne of Avonlea. As far as I know it is the earliest pirated edition (Grosset & Dunlop) of this book. Here’s the cover (sitting in front of my sewing machine):

The frontispiece is badly foxed and the tissue paper overlay was torn out when I got it, but I still love it:

Just for fun here is the front cover of my 1940 edition of Anne of Ingleside:

You can see just a small part of my Lucy Maud Montgomery collection in that picture also (some astute readers may see three copies of Irene Gammel’s Looking for Anne in the picture. I explain what happened in THIS post and THIS post). My 1911 edition of Kilmeny of the Orchard is actually being hidden in this picture; maybe I should take pictures of it to show too! I can’t wait until I’m finally moved all into the new apartment so that I can take pictures of whatever I think of when I think of it.

Before I forget, Lolly and FujiMama have teamed up and are doing a whole week devoted to cupcakes! You can check out either of their blogs to get the scoop.

May the 4^th be with you (I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist). Happy Star Wars day!

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. -Eleanor Roosevelt

It’s been a little bit since I’ve posted. Almost everyday I think of things that I want to post about and I keep them all written down on a piece of paper on my desk. I’m going to try and get through mentioning at least a couple of these things today.

First off, the biggest news of all:

I got in to the Master’s program I applied to at the University of Toronto! That’s the University above; I also did my undergraduate here. I got into the Master of Information program, and the grand plan is to be a librarian. I may also take some courses from the archival stream as well; I find archives and collections very interesting (I also used to work at a museum here in the city). I’m super-excited and can’t wait for fall. I am also a little stressed and am worried about whether or not I’ll get a scholarship; I’ll find out in a few weeks or so. I’ll be leaving my job at the end of July, and then possibly going to a cottage in Quebec with Alex and his family for a couple of weeks.

I also wanted to post a picture of the pillow that Alex got me as part of my Valentine’s present; I just think it’s so gosh darn cute and kinda quirky. It’s from Urban Outfitters.

I had the pillow case(s) that you can see underneath for as long as I can remember. They’re really pretty, and have doves and ribbon and little flowers embroidered along the opening.

My Mum brought me my new (not actually new obviously, but new to me) sewing machine that my Grandmother gave me in February. It’s a Singer Stylist 513, and it is definitely better than my old clunker. It also has its case, which makes it easier to move around and less likely to get dusty. I realized after my Mum left that she had brought me the wrong manual for it, so she’s ordered one for me from the Singer website. They have a really neat system there – if they have an original copy of the manual they’ll send it to you. If they don’t have an original they send you a spiral bound facsimile. I think that’s pretty neat. Here’s my machine, she ain’t much to look at but I love her.

I’ve almost finished up Alex’s new owl; he’s been christened Hemingway (I even embroidered his name onto a piece of felt and attached it to his backside). I have so many ideas in my head of the things I’d like to sew and craft, but find it difficult sometimes after work to motivate myself because I’m just so darned tired. Hopefully I get Hemingway done soon; I feel kind of bad that he’s not done.

One of my best friend’s, Jenna, is getting married in July and I’m in the process of getting the materials I need for her wedding present. I can’t say what it is here, because I’m not sure if she’ll read this or not. I’ll post after the wedding though and let everyone know what it is.

I think I’ve finally got the fabric all together for Alex’s quilt (although I have no idea when I’m going to find the time to get it done). The center print is Alexander Henry’s Spotted Owl in white, and I think it will go very nicely with the yellow gingham, and green, white and blue plaid. He’s already seen all of the fabric, so this isn’t giving anything away (good plan: iron fabric).

Now onto books! I’ve read a few books since I last posted about them, except for the life of me I can’t remember what all of them were. It’s driving me a little crazy; I can only remember two. I know that I finished up Maeve Binchy’s Heart and Soul, which I had mentioned that I was reading last time. It was pure Maeve Binchy – no pretense, no soppiness, and I love how characters cross over between books (but you don’t have to have read the others to get the story; the stories are deeper if you have though).

The last book I finished was Alistair MacLeod’s collected short stories, Island. It was fantastic. I love the way that MacLeod writes, everything is real and harsh, but beautiful at the same time. He’s a born storyteller, and it was even better reading his work after hearing his voice and seeing him in person. I love his stories and I know that I’ll some back to them again and again.

Currently I’m reading three books. The first is one that I first read in the 4^th grade (I believe) called Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. It’s super short, but so well written. A movie of it was made a few years back with Alexis Bledel (Rory from Gilmore Girls) as Winnie. I’ve been reading it before falling asleep every night (interspersed with doing the New York Times crossword with Alex). For light fun I’m reading The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie Jones, which is based on the premise that Jane Austen left memoirs which reveal a personal love story that was the inspiration for her novels. My heavier reading is centered on Elizabeth Waterston’s Rapt in Plaid: Canadian Literature and Scottish Tradition. Waterston has written a lot on L.M. Montgomery and that is how I first became interested in her other works. I will admit though that I started the book by reading the chapter on Montgomery and J.M. Barrie, and then went back and started from the beginning. I’m like that.

I’ve been mulling over ideas for the paper I want to submit for the 2010 L.M. Montgomery conference at the University of Prince Edward Island. The abstract is due in June, so I better get motoring. Alex and I did a little bit of research the other night and talked over some ideas; hopefully I’m on the right track.

That’s about it for now! Have a wonderful day everyone!

"...but a solemn writer is always a bloody owl." -Ernest Hemingway

Since I have been lagging in the reading department (I have been reading, just not as often) and I’m feeling a lot more comfortable with this whole blog-thing, I’ve decided that I’m going to write about other stuff too. There are a lot of other things that I’d like to share. Whether these things are the projects I’m working on, the little things that I make, stories about the very talented people I’m meeting along the way, or (continuing on with) the books I’m reading, I just want to share more.

First things first, whaddaya think of my new blog design? Did it myself I did. I brushed off some of my old HTML skills and fiddled with one of Blogger’s templates. I think it turned out nicely. I may still tweak some things (mainly colours right now), but all in all I’m liking it. The background graphic is from Squidfingers. That little birdie at the top I love especially, it’s by Ida Waugh and appeared in a little book called Holly Berries (1881).

I guess before I continue on I should at least mention the books that I have in fact read since last posting. It would be rather mean of me to ignore them. The first book that I finished after last posting was The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Toibin. This has got to be one of the most amazing books that I have read in a long time. Toibin is a beautiful storyteller and I felt really connected with the main character, Helen (to the point that I was shocked at times by commonalities between her and I). While some have said that they’re tired of Toibin writing books about gay people (especially gay people and AIDS), I felt that because of his personal experience (write what you know) Toibin was cleverly adept at making the whole story come alive in a way that was compelling and didn’t rely on heart-pulling to keep the reader occupied. I see no problem with writing about the theme of homosexual identity, especially since it is a theme that needs to be openly explored and accepted.

Next up was Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair; this was a fantastic book again! I didn’t really know much about it before I picked it up and I hadn’t seen either of the movies, but I had heard good things about it and decided to give it a shot. I must admit that I have never been through a situation even remotely close to that described in the book, but I still really felt connected to the characters and to the story as a whole. I think that this is because much of the book is at least loosely based on Graham Greene’s own experience. It was a fairly sad book, but still very beautiful and well-written.

I started Night Letters by Robert Dessaix, and while I think it will be a very interesting read, I wasn’t able to get through it at the time. I’ve put it aside for another day, hopefully I do return to it.

I’ve been reading a lot of poetry, short stories, and journal articles instead of full-length books too. One of the best articles I read was The Victorian Sickroom in L. M. Montgomery's The Blue Castle and Emily's Quest : Sentimental Fiction and the Selling of Dreams which was written by Kate Lawson (a professor at the University of Waterloo) and published in the September 2007 issue of The Lion and the Unicorn. I just love reading journal articles, especially about Maud, and The Blue Castle is one of my favourites!

Currently I’m reading Heart and Soul, Maeve Binchy’s latest. Maeve Binchy just has such a way of making everyday life so interesting. Nothing fantastical or really crazy happens to any of her characters, but I would never say that their lives are boring. They’re normal people with normal lives, but I have always found everyday life interesting and I guess that’s why I love her books so much. I’m just about finished up with this one and I think the next will be Alistair MacLeod’s short story collection, Island.

Now that I'm done talking about books, I wanted to share this little guy that I made. His name is Ollie, and I made him for Alex. I based him off of a Christmas Ornament pattern that Anna Maria had posted to her blog (you can see a link to her blog on the right), I just changed a few things. Alex has also suggested that he'd like a bigger version (think decorative pillow-sized), which is what I'm currently working on. I'll post a picture of him when he's done. Oh, and the quote-name of this post was at Alex's request. He loves Hemingway...and owls...and stuff.

What else? I'm waiting for some fabric to arrive in the mail. I'm very excited about it all! I ordered Anna Maria's Dance Floor in burgundy and Mingling in rose, Heather Bailey's Tiled Primrose in rose, Alexander Henry's Spotted Owl in white, and Tina Givens' Silhouette Polka in pink. I can't wait for them all to arrive!

Tomorrow, if I have the time that is, I'm going to tell you all about Paula Prass and what a nice lady she is!

A good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend. -Author Unknown

Wow, I cannot believe that it’s been a month and a half since I last blogged! It’s kind of funny actually; things have been way crazy-busy in my life as of late, yet I’ve actually been finding more time to read (probably because I’m on the subway more often going here-there-and-everywhere).

Let’s see…I’ll begin where we last left off. I finished up Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. I don’t really know what to say about it since I’ve read it before, and Jane Austen is always amazing. I will say that I find a lot of people think that Jane Austen is old-fashioned (the number of people who think this is probably directly proportional to the number of people who think Jane is sheer awesomeness), but I don’t think Jane Austen is old-fashioned; I thinks she’s witty and intelligent, and I find that even though circumstances are different now, her plotlines still hold a strong resonance with the modern situation. I can’t rank Mansfield Park; Pride and Prejudice is my favourite, Emma is my least favourite, and all of Jane’s other writings are tied in the middle.

After Mansfield Park I read The Coffee Trader by David Liss. Liss sort of has his own unique niche-genre; he writes (for the most part) suspenseful historical fiction that revolves around the stock exchange, and commodities trading and speculation. The Coffee Trader is set in 17th-century Amsterdam, and centres on a Jewish immigrant named Miguel Lienzo. Miguel loses all of his money in a sugar scheme gone wrong, and wants to regain his position in the community. Being Jewish, in 17th-century Amsterdam, Miguel is directly under the influence and power of the Ma’amad (the Jewish governing council), and must keep his money-making scheme, and dealings with the Dutch, secret in order to not incur their wrath. Miguel becomes involved in coffee futures (coffee was a little known commodity in Europe during this period), and must lie, plot and connive in order to get what he wants. The whole complex story is way too involved to get into here (plus, I don’t want to give it away since it’s so good), but it’s quite a bit different from anything I’ve read before. The book was a little longer than I thought it needed to be, but I also think that it would have been very confusing and difficult to enjoy if Liss had shortened it and not spent the time plotting out the steps. I really did enjoy it, and look forward to reading his other books (which are on my Christmas list).

After finishing up The Coffee Trader, I felt that I needed some non-fiction so I decided on False Impressions: The Hunt for Big-Time Art Fakes by Thomas Hoving. Hoving is the former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and has some great stories, but dude (and I love him) he’s got a huge ego! His ego however is a major part of the reason that I find him so enjoyable to read. Hoving styles himself a fakebuster, and in this book he recounts how he started in his career, the fakes and con artists that he’s encountered, and how museum politics affect the world of art forgery. I just love Hoving; the fact that he uses words like “chicanery” makes me love him even more! Hoving is definitely not a born writer; he has a tendency to jump around a bit whenever something pops into his head, but all of his stories are so interesting! I also have another book by him, Making the Mummies Dance, that I have to read; it’s sort of a memoir about his time at the Met.

Now onto my traditional Christmas reading! I didn’t read Dickens’ Christmas Books this year, because I just wasn’t in the mood, but I fed my yearning with three others. First off was The Christmas Tree, authored by Julie Salamon and illustrated by Jill Weber. It’s a cute little tale about finding the Christmas tree for Rockefeller Center, and the special relationship that a nun, Sister Anthony, has with her Norway Spruce (which is eventually picked to be the Rockefeller tree). It is a very sentimental story, I really like it, but it doesn’t have a lot of real substance; the pictures are cute though!

No Christmas would be complete without a little Lucy Maud Montgomery! Every year I read Christmas with Anne and other Holiday Stories, which is a collection of Maud’s holiday themed stories and holiday chapters from the Anne books. There are two chapters taken from Anne books (one from Anne of Green Gables and one from Anne of Windy Poplars), the rest of the stories are ones that Maud had published in turn-of-the-century magazines. My favourites are “Aunt Cyrilla’s Christmas Basket” and “The Josephs’ Christmas”. These stories (I know it sounds cheesy) fill me with warmth, and happiness, and just pure bliss! I love Maud, I love Maud!

My last Christmas-themed read for the season was Maeve Binchy’s This Year It Will Be Different and Other Stories. Maeve Binchy is great; I haven’t talked about her books here yet, because she’s only released one book since I started blogging and I haven’t read it yet. I’ve read everything that she’s written, except for Silver Wedding (only because I bought it, but the pages were all screwed up and I haven’t found another copy yet). Maeve Binchy’s stories and books are always about people and situations that could be real, but she writes in such a wry and witty manner that even mundane daily details become amazingly interesting!

I started reading Measuring the World: A Novel by Daniel Kehlmann (translated from the German) and found it intensely boring from the beginning. I tired to get through it, I really did, but just couldn’t. I’ve put it back on the bookshelf for now, and maybe I’ll try it again someday. Maybe it’s better in German.

After that boringness, I decided on Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; Marquez is never boring! I just finished it yesterday, and it was fabulous. I know that I’m reading him in translation, so I can only imagine how poetic it would be to read him in Spanish; everything he writes is so wretchedly beautiful that I don’t really know what to say. It’s more of a feeling that I get when I read, it’s nearly impossible to put into words, but it’s as if Marquez knows something I don’t or has seen something beyond beauty that I will never see. I loved this book (even more than I loved Love in the Time of Cholera, and that’s saying something!); I know I’ll read it again.

I’ve been shuffling along through Return to Treasure Island and the Search for Captain Kidd by Barry Clifford (with Paul Perry). It’s one of those books that I can only read when a certain mood strikes, so I grab it whenever it does. Clifford is an archaeologist and he’s pretty famous in the marine archaeology community for his devotion to finding shipwrecks. He is best-known for finding the wreck of Black Sam Bellamy’s Whydah (Black Sam was a pirate), and the Whydah is the only shipwreck discovered that has been conclusively identified as a pirate ship. In Return to Treasure Island, Clifford and his team go in search of the burnt and sunk remains of Captain Kidd’s The Adventure Galley. Clifford and his co-writer Perry also give a thorough background history on the islands themselves, how Kidd came to be a pirate, and how his story inspired Stevenson’s Treasure Island. So far, so good.

After I finished Of Love and Other Demons last night, I grabbed Toby Young’s memoir How to Lose Friends and Alienate People off my shelf. I’ve heard some really good things about it and got it used, so I figured I’d give it a shot. He’s hooked me already: he mentioned Evelyn Waugh twice, Woodward and Bernstein, and the Whaleship Essex all within the prologue and first ten pages. So far he’s a man after my own heart, if he wasn’t my Mother’s age…anyways; I think it’s going to be a good one!

Okay, I’m done for now (and out of [metaphorically-speaking] breath). Merry Christmas/Hanukkah/Festivas/whatever-holiday-you-do-or-do-not-want-to-celebrate to everyone!