Winner!

One lucky reader is going to get an awesome package in the mail, full of Organic Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions! Is it you?And the winner is -
Hooray! I'm just about to email you (and probably tweet at you, too :) ). As usual, the winner has 48 hours to respond or I'll redraw.

One more thing.

I hardly got anything productive done today despite my best intentions. Not cool.

One thing that I did finish was this.

Dress somewhat inspired by this one on Prudent Baby - one of my favourite creation/inspiration blogs (though my dress is clearly not as awesome), and bunny is from this Martha Stewart pattern. As you can see if you click the link, the MS pattern makes a bunny that looks like it has to pee. That's why I added the dress - plus, my bunny fabric was not all that interesting. The colours came out kind of weird in the photo, but the bunny is ivory with yellow ears, and the dress is more turquoise with little carrots on it :)

If I do it again, I'll want to make a new bunny pattern. I don't quite like the way the legs bend towards each other. Or the shape to the head. Or the long skinny arms. The pattern is just a little unconsidered. Am I being picky? I have an old pattern from a bunny my mother made (her own design) for me as a child... I should have started there.

So now I have this bunny and am not sure what to do with it. Etsy it? (Can I do that with a Martha pattern creation?) Or... I have a pregnant friend (no idea what the gender is yet), and a bunch of friends with little girls - it could be a gift. Or... I could do a 200 followers giveaway here.

What do you think?

Five things

1. I got this awesome makeup palette from Eyes Lips Face in the mail yesterday. I won it at a Twitter party put on by the Clever Girls Collective for Project Runway. Um, fun! There's another Twitter party tonight, sponsored by L'Oreal - perhaps I'll see you there? RSVP here! I played with the palette today. It made me look like this. I'm not as snarky as I look in the picture. And please excuse the bra straps. My only strapless has given up the ghost. Oh, and this is what it looks like when I do my own hair. Messy. One side flips left - and so does the other! Why does the hairdresser always cut in two levels, one 3" shorter than the rest? That's not what I mean when I say I want layers! Grr!

2. I have a crush on the Pür minerals 4-in-1. It's $40 at Shoppers. For a compact of pressed powder. Ugh. Why is it MORE expensive to get make up with LESS in it (I don't want the chemicals, parabens, garbage fillers that are in all the regular drugstore brands, thanks). If you have a suggestion for a decent concealer and foundation that aren't full of toxins, xenoestrogens, comedogens and carcinogens... I'd love to know. I would go without but, unfortunately, at my age I still have acne issues.

3. I have been Beyond the Rack shopping again - this time for my husband. We picked up a pair of Doc Martens for him for $45 in one of their events last weekend. Just for the record - remember when I ordered that adorable Dereon lingerie set? Well it never came - I guess they oversold or something dumb like that. So they refunded my account... I was disappointed. I'm curious to see what happens with the Docs. I love Docs and wore one pair of their 8-hole boots for eight years before they wore out. They're a pain (literally) to break in, but soooo nice and durable once you get through that. My husband is a lucky man, is all I can say.

BTR is an invite-only online designer outlet. If you want to join and try it out, here's your invitation. Joining is free, and you can see all the current and upcoming events. They have stuff like shoes and clothing (men and women), handbags, cosmetics (Balmshell's on now!), lingerie, housewares, swimsuits, toys... You know. Stuff.

4. It was a good mail day yesterday. I also got a Made in the Shade dress from DownEast Basics that I won at Getting Kinda Crunchy (thanks!!). Lovely, although the value was marked at $30 on the shipping invoice, and that dastardly UPS charged me $29 in "import fees". This isn't duty or taxes, it's UPS' greedy money-grubbing evilness at work. UPS sucks.

Dearest US companies,
Please - when sending to your customers in Canada, go with a better courier.
Love, Emily.

5. I love spring. This year is a little harder. I wish it hadn't occurred to me that Lost Baby #1 would have been 10 weeks old today. I don't mean to torture myself. I don't mean to keep track at all. I wish I could forget. I confess, it's hard to see all the moms walking around the neighbourhood now that it's nicer out, babes in strollers and carriers, tots held by the hand. And the whole April Fool's "I'm pregnant!" joke on Facebook makes me ache inside. Not. Funny.

Easter deal on Sing-A-Long Favorites!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Madacy Entertainment. All opinions are 100% mine.

One of the things I can’t wait to do with my child(ren?) is sing. I already do this with the dog (yes, I sing to our dog. Hush.). My repertoire is limited, though, mostly to music from the 90’s. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but Tori Amos’ Waitress might not be exactly the ideal song for young ears.

So I’ll be looking out for music that is a little more age-appropriate. For you moms who are ready for it now, here’s a little deal you may be interested in. On Easter Sunday (coming up soon: April 4, 2010), Amazon MP3 Will offer an "MP3 Daily Deal" on the digital album "Ultimate Countdown Kids Collection: 200 Sing-A-Long Favorites". This digital album normally sells for $11.99, but it’s going to be on sale for less than half off at $3.99.



This as an amazing collection of children's favourites that is perfect for sing a long fun! Many of them you will remember from your own childhood, and there are also songs that were new to me – maybe they’ll be new to you, too. I know that I can remember the chorus, or the first verse of children’s songs, but often not the whole song. I need a little help with that.

If you're looking for a fun way to spend some time with the kids, check this out!

20 years of baking

...and I still have a baking disaster from time to time. I made muffins on the weekend - a previously untested recipe, that I modified to be eggless: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip (at my husband's request). They did not rise. They did not muffinize. They fall apart. They taste pretty good, but these are not muffins. I've been upending them in a bowl, pouring milk on them and microwaving for 30 seconds. They're better that way.

We went to the Leafs game on Saturday and it was a blast. The Leafs actually won (in overtime), which made for a more exciting game. The suite we were in had a great view of the rink, comfortable seats, and we were provided with Corona, veggie pizza (among other snacks, not all of which were edible vegetarian) and Haagen Dazs treats. Yum. This was my first NHL game and definitely fun to watch. Not quite as fun as a Raptors game, but pretty good! I must extend a thank you to Wonderlist for the great experience. I wish I'd asked someone to take a photo of us there, but I was too shy.

Ummmm not much else is up. DH is away this week, working out of town, so it's just been me and the dog kicking around the house. We're both getting increasingly whiny the longer he's away.

I'm not really sure what the point of all this is - I guess just to say that I'm still here!

Oh, and to remind you that I have three great giveaways going on - all open to Canada and the US - check the top left sidebar for links.