Monday, March 19, 2012

Return to the Garden

Since our gardening season ended last fall we have been anxiously awaiting warmer days so that we could go and start prepping our garden space, this weekend we got to do just that. Not only did we go and map out our space but we bought seeds too! This year we've decided to try our hand at some heirloom and rare varieties and I am so excited at how colourful our garden will be.

Our garden's before picture looks much different from last years photos. This year there was no fence to be re-built and only a small amount of garden debris to be  removed.



We picked up our seeds from a seed exchange/sale in Scarborough and this year we will be growing the following:

Chioggia Beets
Atomic Red Carrots
Cosmic Purple Carrots
Provider Bush Beans
Homesteader Peas
Royal Burgundy Beans
Sugar Snap Peas
Russian Blue Potatoes
Habanero Peppers

We also bought a few seed packs from a local on-line source, Cubit's. From them we've ordered golden detroit yellow beets, yellow pair tomatoes, and purple tomatillos. These should arrive sometime in the next week or so. 

This year we will be trying our hand at starting some seeds indoors, Buzz and Ed have already started the habanero peppers, we'll start the tomatoes as soon as they arrive. Back at the garden we  have already planted peas as they can be planted before the last frost date, this year we started out with a tall trellis so that we don't have to switch it out halfway through as we did last year. Buzz happily planted peas and then created a racetrack in the dirt.



At the end of our Sunday trip to the garden Buzz simply did not want to leave, and so I suspect that despite there being not a lot more to do in the garden at the moment, we will go back at some point this week to let him dig in the dirt.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Finger Puppets

I made some finger puppets - yay!

Last night after Buzz went to sleep I sat down with a very hot bucket of water, some wool, and dish soap, and wet felted several finger puppet bodies. Today they were dry and I was able to needle felt a whole lot of personality into each little puppet. I'm very happy with how they all turned out and will eventually list some if not all on my Etsy shop. I need to figure out the best containers to ship them in before I list them. 

As with every item that I intend on listing in my shop, if you are interested in buying one of these guys right away then please message me and I will happily let you know about pricing and will set up a special early listing just for you. These finger puppets are not recommended for kids under 3.







Tuesday, March 6, 2012

A New Name for the Shop

I have decided to change the name of my business. While I love the name Mrs.Sewbot I feel that it doesn't allow for enough range in products without creating confusion, confusion in a business name is simply no good. The new name of my business is one that you should all be familiar with: Plaid Raspberries. This should keep things nice and cohesive and this name allows me to create whatever I want, whether I sew it, crochet it, or whatever.

I have also opened up a new Facebook page, so find Plaid Raspberries on Facebook and like me. When I have enough people on the page I will be sure to run a contest now and then as well as keep you updated on the blog, Etsy shop, and any upcoming shows I might be doing.

I don't yet have my shop on Etsy up and running, but I will let you all know when I have items there to buy. In the meantime take a look at some items that will most likely be the first to show up in the shop.


If you are interested in any of these new creations please contact me at plaidraspberries@hotmail.com and I will be happy to let you know about their price, shipping info, and setting up an Etsy listing just for you.






As you can see Buzz is quite fond of these guys, luckily he has an octopus of his own named Ollie. Ollie was the very first octopus that I made and so is very special indeed. These four Octopi are larger than the original but they are still the perfect size to be toted around by one of their 8 sturdily sewn legs. Each face is hand embroidered and so each one is a little different, some even have eyelashes. All of these octopi are made from recycled wool sweaters, are stuffed with fiberfill and are sturdy enough to throw in the wash on cold and hung to dry.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Saturday Morning at the St.Lawrence Market

Despite not having a very cold snowy winter this year, I'm done with it all and am very much ready for spring. Soon the air will turn warm and sweet and I can go back to wearing sneakers instead of giant winter boots... I can't wait!

We have had a few adventures this winter, whenever there has been a milder day we've taken full advantage of it to explore the city. This past weekend we went down to St.Lawrence Market on a mission to find some wonderful vegetables to cook with a roast later that night. We found some purple, orange, and white carrots, wonderful red onions, and some very nice purple potatoes that went wonderfully with the roast that we ended up cooking on Monday.

Our plans to eat a roast for dinner on the night we brought it and the veggies home was forgotten soon after we ate our lunch and realized that we weren't going to be all that hungry for a big dinner that evening. Lunch that day was amazing. St.Lawrence Market is full of wonderful food, and after some searching Ed managed to find something that was just perfect for my surprisingly picky pregnant self -  a pulled pork burrito from Carnicero's. Packed with pulled pork and homemade coleslaw this burrito was quite likely the tastiest meal I've had in quite a while.  Ed ate a steak fajita from the same place and quickly proclaimed that he could see himself eating something off of their menu every week. When trying a new food place we always try each others meals and I must say that the fajita was incredibly good as well.



Buzz was less than interested in the food that we offered him and was a little obsessed with the jelly beans that he spied in another shop in the market. We let him eat some jelly beans and an orange for lunch, he was thrilled.



While we can't wait for the outdoor farmer's markets to re-appear, the St.Lawrence market with their own farmer's market on Saturdays has turned out to be a wonderful place  for us to spend our Saturday mornings. The sights, sounds, and amazing food are a welcome addition to any day in the city.