Quick and Easy Handmade Greeting Cards

c="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/easy-greeting-card-to-make-with-a-flower-sticker.jpg" alt="easy-greeting-card-to-make-with-a-flower-sticker" width="640" height="640" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25369 blk-brdr">Hello to you on this holiday Monday. Hope you are having a great time. I am still hobbling around, confined to home and garden (due to this), but I feel fine and all is well here.So it is Labour Day weekend and the blogosphere is resplendent with talk of autumn and all its glory. Even though here in Toronto where summer weather consistently comes to us later than most places but usually lasts well through September so we can expect some lovely warm weather still to come, I thought it best to post these handmade greeting cards with their definitive summer look, now before they look way out of date.Of course, this technique can be used with any sticker and colour combination, so they can be made to suit any season or occasion.

It’s a Zoo Out There : A Photo Scavenger Hunt

Here's one of my collections that doesn't take up any room or need to be dusted! It's a set of pictures of Zoo Animals spotted around town, which I hope you enjoy.

We'll begin with the Elephants :

↑ Outside Clinton's Bar ↑

Going to the Canadian National Exhibition

This is Part Two of my day spent with Andrea last Monday. (Part One, here, saw the two of us cooking some Jamie Oliver recipes together for lunch.)

For 18 days each year, leading up to Labour Day, the Canadian National Exhibition is on in Toronto. This has happened for the past 135 years, since 1879, so it's safe to say that pretty well anyone who grew up in or around the city has been going since they were young.

For as long as I can remember, a visit to The Ex has been one of the highlights of summer, and as a kid I had a paper route during the summer months, particularly to earn some spending money for it. As a child, my siblings and I were taken by our mother, and then later I went with my friends as a teen. It has been one of life's constants and although I don't make it every year nowadays, I do still really like to go.

In some posts here where I've included photos of our dining room, like in this one, you can see that big plant in the corner to the left ... I started it from a cutting I bought at the Ex as a kid, so that plant has been with me for most of my life. In retrospect, it was probably amusing to my mother when, as a young child, the souvenir I chose to take home from such an exciting place was a small piece of branch, that was sealed with wax at both ends. Back then one of my favourite stories was Jack and the Beanstalk and I remember being quite enchanted by my purchase and its promise to grow. I'm actually amazed now that my young self was not disappointed by a dud, and that in fact it did grow.

I was glad when I suggested to Andrea that we spend our evening together at The Ex she was keen on the idea.

We walked the midway, went into some of the buildings (I especially liked the Arts and Crafts Building), did some shopping, watched some musicians, and had some food in The Food Building. It's quite amazing how, while there are many newer things to see, there is also so much about the CNE that just never seems to change at all.

Cooking with a Friend : Jamie Oliver’s Ricotta Fritters and Zucchini Salad

c="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/with-jamie-oliver-ricotta-fritters-and-zucchini-salad.jpg" alt="with-jamie-oliver-ricotta-fritters-and-zucchini-salad" width="640" height="909" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25286 blk-brdr">A week ago Monday Andrea took a vacation day and we spent the afternoon and the evening together. It was a two part date, the first of which today's post is about.When she was over last (seen here) I showed her my new cookbook : Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals. So she suggested that we cook one of the menus together for lunch. We decided on this meal, his Ricotta Fritters and Tomato Sauce, with a side of Zucchini Salad flavoured with fresh mint. To quote him 'These fritters are an absolute doddle and the crispy creaminess works a treat with the tomato sauce'.

Colourful Crocheted Coasters (with Waterproof Backing)

ass="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25258 blk-brdr" src="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/crocheted-coaster-with-waterproof-backing-free-pattern.jpg" alt="crocheted-coaster-with-waterproof-backing-free-pattern" width="640" height="640">Coasters are a common crocheting project and there are many nice looking patterns out there, however, although I've been crocheting since first grade, I've never made any. As much as I've liked how they look, a coaster made of any kind of fabric that absorbs liquid just didn't really make sense to me. Certainly they would look cute sitting under a dry glass, but if that glass had cold liquid in it on a hot day, it would inevitably be wet on the outside, and the coaster would let the moisture go right through, ruining any wooden tabletop the coasters were meant to protect.So, I set about figuring out a way to make some crocheted coasters that have a waterproof backing.I found a free crochet pattern online for these nice looking colourful ones, Simple Arts Planet Sunshine Coaster, but before beginning them I had a good think about how to make them waterproof. Plastic that was stiff enough to keep them flat, but thin enough to easily cut and stitch through was in order, and I found just the right material in the office supply section of the dollar store - an inexpensive plastic binder did the trick.First I crocheted the coasters using some cotton yarn (left over from this project for a garland of flowers we currently have hanging in our kitchen). There are two sizes included in the pattern and I made the smaller one.