And so it begins...

Bodyrocking in Ottawa

2011-04-06T20:53:00.000-04:00

I know I've posted a couple times on this blog about my current workout schemes. My current love is bodyrock.tv. I have been working out with Zuzana since December 2010. I LOVE this site because not only are the workouts quick, killer and amazing but they're FREE! She uses minimal amount of workout equipment and for many of them easy alternatives are possible in case you don't have the workout equipment she uses. I don't have an amazing transformation story like the ones you see in the comments on her site, as it seems my body is not responsive to exercise. (After seeing a naturopath it seems that my body is out of whack and just refuses to let go of my excess weight. I was working on the imbalance with her but she's off on mat leave and now I'm trying desperately to save money for my move across Canada! )
But even though I haven't dropped a pound I'm beginning to see improvements in my form and numbers. When I began this particular journey my burpees were majorly lacking and now they are beginning to look half decent. I'm also not deathly terrified of them, just a little scared.

Anyway, I say give her a try. If anything to challenge your body in a different way.

Jean Weaved Cushion Cover

2011-03-27T19:16:00.001-04:00

To all who read my blog, I'M BACK! Well for at least this one post. I made this cushioncover a few weeks ago from old jeans and I thought I would share the steps I took. FYI: I had started this as a floor mat but it somehow became a cushion cover. I guess it was meant to be!

Finished product. If you want to know how to make it, keep scrolling.

Cut the legs off of jeans. I used 3 legs, but if you are making a bigger cushion cover, you will need more legs.

Mark the width of your strips to your desired width. I marked about 1 " strips the length of the leg and cut.

Arrange the strips in a weave pattern (I used different coloured jeans). Then baste stitch the strips into place to hold so that you can machine stitch around the border without the strips sliding all over the place. (You can see pins in my photo because as I mentioned I had orginally planned for this to be a floor mat so I was trying to clean up the edges)

Now choose the fabric you would like on the back of your cushion cover. Cut to the same size as your cushion front, place right side to right side and sew all around, leaving an opening big enough to fit your cushion. Trim the corners and turn inside out. Insert your cushion and hand sew the opening closed.
VOILA!
In retrospect I would have added a lining to the jean weave front before sewing the back on.

If anyone makes this I want to see pictures! :)

30 Day Shred week 2

2010-08-15T20:51:00.000-04:00

LEVEL TWO! That's right my ten days of level one are up. This morning was my first level two work out of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I must say, it's much harder than level one, but I love it already! This is the kind of workout I'm talking about. Level one was getting really boring quick.
I must confess however that out of the ten scheduled days I only completed six. Two of the four days I took off were because my knees where hurting so much. And the other two I only have myself to blame. I thought that instead of trying to make those four days up, I would just continue my scheduled work outs as originally planned.
As far as seeing any difference in my body, I haven't seen any changes at all. But I also didn't complete the ten days of level one in full so that's not a fair complaint. I only hope that the next ten days will be the ones that will bring changes to my body tone.

Wish me luck. I'll keep you all up to date!

Hat-larious Bomber Hat

2010-08-14T18:28:00.001-04:00

Good Saturday all! This post is a long time coming. I made this bomber hat as a christmas present last year. I had every intention of blogging about it and now it's a whole year later.

I saw the tutorial for this on ThreadBanger, I gave it a try, made some modifications. Got bored left it sitting on my craft table for about 2 weeks, came back and finished it up 2 days before christmas.

What do you think? The funny part is that I'm already trying to figure out what I'm going to make people for christmas this year. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know, I would really appreciate it!

Holy moley, that front flap is HUGE!

Booty Camp Fitness Kick

2010-08-08T16:26:00.002-04:00

Okay, okay I know I've posted before about my fitness bursts but this time I have something new. It's called Booty Camp Fitness. And no, for all you pervy men who get all googly eyed when I mention the name, it is not a dirty camp. It's actually an outdoor fitness camp for women. I had heard about this from trulyjess on Youtube. She mentioned it frequently on her vlogs but they were never available in the cities where I lived...until now. I was walking downtown to get some lunch and lo' and behold there it was, a poster for Booty Camp in Ottawa on a street lamp post! I was so excited that I convinced my coworker to join with me. We signed up for the July session in the Glebe and it was awesome! We both had a love/hate relationship with the camp but love won and we are signing up for the September session for another round of ass-kicking. I lost a total of 3 inches from my body. But I know I can do better, that's what September is for, I am going to commit 100%.

I would have loved to sign up for July and just continue the momentum but unfortunately my work schedule wouldn't allow for it. So for July I am going to give Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred a go. I am on day four. So far so good. Nothing too exciting to report. I woke up with some muscle pain after the first workout but nothing much so far. I'm excited for level two maybe I'll feel more then. I'll let you all know how this works out.

Food Share in Ottawa! Roots and Shoots

2010-07-25T17:00:00.000-04:00

I moved to Ottawa in March of this year. I have to say that so far I am loving this city! Among one of the new things I'm trying out, since a new city equals trying new things for me, is being part of a food share. This year I joined the Roots and Shoots Farm share. So far it is going great! We are now in our fourth week of vegetable pick up and I can't wait until Thursday.

Basically how it works is, you choose either to buy a full or a half share. I went all in and got the full share. This means that I have the privilege of getting a nice amount of fresh, organic produce every week until mid October. I took pictures of some of the vegetables we got this past week. Enjoy!

By the way does anyone have any recipes for napa cabbage? I have never prepared this veggie before and have no idea what to do with it. Thanks!

Kale

Bins filled with organic goodness

Beets


Napa cabbage

Onions

Green beans, zucchini and a yellow thingy?

Work, work and more work

2009-11-06T23:02:00.000-05:00

Okay this one is the ranting blog entry. Why is everyone around me sick?! Everyone is spreading their dirty sick germs all around me and I don’t want them. But at the same time I’m really tired of covering other people’s shifts because they are home sick with the flu. I’m sorry but I really don’t enjoy working 13 hour shifts at a crappy drug store. Which by the way stinks, because people come in with their sick children who are nearly throwing up in the aisles.

And another thing, people stop with the hand sanitizers! You are letting these companies charge ridiculous money because they are shortages on hand sanitizers. What happened to good old fashioned washing of the hands?

Anyway, that was what I had to get out of my system today. On a positive note: I made it to the gym tonight just in time. I feel great! (That’s code for I’m heading to bed this minute)

Amy Butler's "In Stitches" hanging toiletry bag

2009-07-08T11:52:00.002-04:00

So since I'm all excited about school and will be living in a dorm for the first time in my life I'm trying to think of all the things I might need. During my undergrad I always lived off campus and so I knew what ever I used at home I would need in my apartments. But now I'm going to have to downsize drastically and one of the things I'm going to have to get most used to is communal showers/bathrooms (I shudder at the thought). Anyway, the point is I bought Amy Butler's book In Stitches about three years ago and remembered seeing a hanging toiletry bag that I thought would probably come in really handy for dorm life. I've been working on this sucker for 3 days on and off, well more off than on, and I'm having a bit of trouble on the bottom inside lining of the bag. Once I conquer that bit, I'm thinking an hour more and it should be done. Then I can take pictures of it and show it off in all it's glory.

One thing that I don't like about the patterns in this book is that she has a list of all the materials you'll need for each project, but the amount of fabric that she has listed is incredibly exaggerated. As a beginner I take her suggestions as truth and buy all the fabric she suggests, but when I'm done with the project I have SO MUCH fabric left over. Seeing to the fact that I'm not rich right now, that's wasted money because I don't have plans for the left over fabric and I'm not much of a "stasher". On the contrary I LOVE getting to the bottom of a product and the satisfaction of knowing that none of it went to waste, but that's off topic. Anyway the point is that for this project (hanging toiletry bag) when I went to Fabric Land for the boning and Timtex I got the nicest lady, which is unusual because I always get snooty older ladies who laugh at my sad attempts at sewing, and of course why am I even trying if I don't know what Timtex is, sorry again off topic. Anywho, this lady suggested how much she thought I needed just by looking at the picture of the toiletry bag and actually she also mentioned that all of Amy Butler's patterns ask for incredible amounts of fabric (as she rolled her eyes and said, "Oh yes, Amy Butler, that young designer"). So she saved me money plus the fact that the material I'm using for the bag is coming from a pillow case I bought at Value Village.

On another topic completely, I now have only 29 lbs to go to hit my goal weight. :)

Blah....

2009-06-27T15:42:00.001-04:00

Today is not a good day. I'm feeling really down I guess and listening to depressing love songs is not helping! But I can't make myself turn it off. Anyway, along with complete boredom comes the strange urge to take random pictures of myself on my crappy MacBook camera. So I just added it on here and as you can see from my eyes today is one if those self pity filled days. I have one at least once a month and then I'm over it and on I go to a new day.

I guess I'm just really starting to feel the distance between my boyfriend and I. I think I'm just being a big baby because we talk every day on the phone and see each other at least once a month. But for the five years that we have been dating we basically saw each other almost every day. But then in October of 2008 I had to move back home for financial reasons and we are now a long distance relationship. And although I try hard not to think about it or just be happy that we do communicate as much as we do, it's really hard for me. And now that I will be moving to Toronto for at least four years for school, who knows how much longer we'll be apart. It stinks ultra bad (lol).

Wow that sounds so depressing, lol, I'm sorry guys. Okay let me try to end this on a happier note...nope I got nothing right now. I'll try again tomorrow.

Not for the faint of heart

2009-06-23T10:27:00.001-04:00

Every summer, in the city where I grew up and am living in presently, around June and July there is an infestation of Fish Flies. They are the most disgusting insects I have ever laid eyes on. They cling onto everything: store fronts, cars, roads, people! So even if you don't want to, you end up stepping on them and hear the "crunch" as you're killing them with every step. And although this should make me feel good since I loathe the nasty creatures it just makes me feel like vomiting. I have such a huge phobia of these insects, it is not even funny! I swear if one EVER landed on me, you would be able to hear my screams in the next continent! So needless to say I wish they would go away and never come back! Or more realistically once I leave for Toronto, I will never make this city my home again. I'll visit but not make it my permanent residence.

YEAH ME! (x1)

2009-06-22T14:47:00.005-04:00

Weight loss update:

I've lost 3 pounds...booooo. But my boyfriend is down around 7 lbs, YEAH HIM!!!

The next blurb you may or may not find silly. Right now I am living 2 hours away from my boyfriend, so we end up seeing each other usually 1-2 a month. So we made a promise that we will be at least 5 lbs thinner each time we meet. So far he has beat me and I, sadly, couldn't even do 5 lbs. BUT this only means I just have to try harder.

Life update:

So....last time I said I had a feeling I would have something exciting to share with all of you? Well it has come true! I applied to a professional school in Toronto and I got in :) Which means I start a new chapter of my life come January 2010. SO EXCITED! A bit anxious about having to do the whole study/exams/sleepless nights bit again but Lord knows I DO NOT wish to work as a cashier for life. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but it is not for me.

Life is looking up again and the sun is shinning on my world.

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!

2009-06-11T13:02:00.001-04:00

Hello all!

I am SO sorry that I have all but abandoned my poor blog. I don't even know what happened, but one day I just didn't feel like blogging and so it continued until today.

BUT I'm back :) Everything is going "well", I have finally managed to score a job, is it a job I actually want? Absolutely NOT, however I'm just thankful to have one at all. I actually just started last week and so far I think all the people there are very nice, but isn't it always like that at the beginning? haha.

Also, I want to brag, lol, that I won (!) a $25 gift card to MAC cosmetics from a contest two of the makeup "gurus" were having on YouTube. YEAH!!! (Doing a little dance) And yes I know $25 is not that much when getting things from MAC, but I'm extremely happy non the less. Plus the fact that I'm super, and I mean, super broke and I wouldn't have been shopping at the MAC counter at all if it wasn't for this gift card. So YEAH! I'll let you all know what I decided to buy once I get the card.

One of the biggest news is that my bestestest friend ever is finally coming back home, after abandoning me for almost 5 months! lol. I'm so excited to almost have her back, she won't be back until next week Wednesday. At which time I will make her go with me to Kelani class, cause I'm dying to try it out.

That last sentence brings me to another topic. So I've been dating my boyfriend for five years going on six (an eternity! lol). And from the time I started dating him I've somehow managed to gain THIRTY EIGHT (38) pounds!!! That's right people you have read that correctly! Needless to say, it's totally unacceptable and I am making a vow to lose all that weight in a healthy way. So starting yesterday I am on a full blown weight loss plan. Let the games begin!

YAHOOOO...my mail just came and I got a letter from one of my penpals!!! Kathrin if you're reading this, I LOVE getting your letters!! :)

Anywho... I can't concentrate on writing this blog post anymore because my hands are itching to open Kathrin's letter. I'll be writing more frequently, trust me, because I have a feeling I will be able to share some very good news with you all soon. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!!

Hiliarous Cell Phone Commercial

2009-05-16T01:57:00.001-04:00

hahaha!!! Just because this made my night! :)

Installment Numero Tres

2009-04-20T20:24:00.002-04:00

The third installment of Etsy Undiscovered shops, Enjoy!

1.A Book of Daydreams - Blank Pocket Field Journal - Illusions by earthenelements.etsy.com

2. Bruce 3- Black & white photo -8x10 by mlvsphoto.etsy.com

3. Rose Blossom Earrings by AjsJewels.etsy.com

Update

2009-04-20T13:59:00.004-04:00

Lately I don't feel much like blogging, I don't have anything fun to share I guess. Also my creative jolt has gone somewhere and I can't seem to find it. So if any of you know where it is please let me know.

So I'm hoping that my boyfriend gets his co-op placement closer to me. He had his interview last week so I'm crossing my fingers that he gets the job. If he does he'll only be 45 mins away from me. YEAH!!!

Oh and another update.... I finally sold items from my ArtFire store!! TWO in the same week. You can't possibly understand how exciting it was for me.

Sadly, that is all for now friends. No more news....ma vie c'est tres triste. And yes that last phrase might or might not make any sense, I forget all my French...jaja

Oh and I was cleaning out my computer the other day and I completely forgot I had this image. I can't remember where I got it from but I love it. Enjoy!

Installment number two

2009-04-02T12:30:00.004-04:00

Here is the second installment of undiscovered Etsy stores,

First we have beautiful prints from bandeau.etsy.com, including this amazing Pretty Mermaid print,

Second on the list is a cute set of Apple Green Rose earrings from safarisandrainbows.etsy.com

Lastly an adorable shooting stars necklace from linhlovesyou.etsy.com,

Enjoy! :)

Undiscovered Etsy Shops

2009-04-01T19:35:00.003-04:00

Ok so the thing is that I have two Etsy shops and two Artfire Shops and I've yet to sell anything on any of them! I love looking at all the cute things people make on these sites and am amazed at how creative people are. I also run into shops just like mine, tons of cool stuff for so cheap and not ONE sale. It must be so discouraging for those people, and so I think I'm going to attempt to showcase cool things I stumble upon on Etsy or ArtFire. The catch is that it will only come from stores that have had no sales or little sales. Maybe I'll be able to share an undiscovered gem with you :).

This weeks finds are....

from ruffydrier.etsy.com, a Learn To Live screen print, 9x 13"

uprootstudio.etsy.com, a 14x 11" print

from BezalelsTree.etsy.com,
an adorable set of earrings :)

And finally, from ChristinaRTC.etsy.com, a mini stuffed ninja, because really, who doesn't need one of these on their desk? So cute!

I hope you like them and find them as interesting as I do, and if you'd like to make these people's day, buy a little something from their shop. I'm sure they would appreciate it :)

My 5 year old sister's "Make Up Look"

2009-03-31T15:51:00.002-04:00

Alright I just needed to share this because it is too cute! I was definately never this good when I was five years old. Never mind acutally trying to sneak into my mom's bedroom to use her makeup. haha.

And in case you are all wondering, no the little girl does not wear make-up everyday. She wanted to make a how-to video for fun because her sister has a make-up channel on youtube, so they did it for fun.

The Samuel Musical

2009-03-23T13:05:00.001-04:00

In case you haven't noticed yet, I love supporting local business, arts and music. And I am so happy to announce a new indie band based in London, Ontario: The Samuel Musical. Their new song is titled Would You Love Me and is amazing!

Not only that but my friend is in it! YEAH KELLY! So please, please go check them out on their myspace page. And if you would like to support them and other London musicians just pick up a copy of the Oh! Compilation One CD, offered by the Open House arts collective. You can find the CD at Grooves, on 353 Clarence St in London, ON, for only $5.99!

And not only do I love them but so does The London Free Press,

"All 12 tracks have something that makes me want to shout, but right now I'm thinking of the six magical minutes it takes for The Samuel Musical's Would You Love Me to swell like a symphony and then slowly fade away in sound and emotion. It doesn't hurt that the Musical's Sam Allen is the nephew of Lambeth fiddler and Canadian country music hall of famer John P. Allen."

Go check them out!

PIF of the Week!

2009-03-21T18:02:00.002-04:00

I'm going to start a new weekly blog which will showcase a chosen PIF of the week item! I just learned about this, although it seems I am way behind, it is a Pay it Forward gesture. Essentially I post something for the listing fee (ie. $0.20 on Etsy) and the buyer only pays for the listing fee plus the shipping. The only catch is that the buyer now has to either post a PIF in their store or simply do something nice for someone else that week. Easy as pie!

So without further ado, the PIF item of the week....

Repeat Transfer Patterns Bedroom and Bathroom Designs- Unique brand bedroom and bathroom design repeat transfer patterns. The patterns in this sheet include hearts, flowers, love birds and shells.

Description: Suitable for embroidery or fabric paints

Size of pattern sheet 56 x 43 cm (22 x17")

Art Fire, Art Fire, Art Fire!

2009-03-17T10:22:00.003-04:00

Hey guys I just wanted to let you all know about this new site I have found. Art Fire lets you sell your handmades without limiting the number of items you post and no listing fees.

If you want a verified account, it's $8.93 CA/month as part of their stimulus package. But there are only 326 spots left! After these spots fill the verified accounts will go up to $25.50 CA/month.

What I especially like about this site as opposed to, you know the other site (E***), is that EVERYONE gets to be on the main page. As items are posted they are featured on the main page, no extra charge!

So go check it out! If you think it's for you don't forget to fill in my name as a referral: Bodega.Alfaro or simply click on Register on ArtFire.com

Guatemala City, Guatemala made me homesick

2009-03-09T22:41:00.002-04:00

I wanted to have a real bathroom with a roof! And to not feel like I was in danger everywhere I went in my relative's neighbourhood. I felt eyes on me all the time, and it was soo different from my experience visiting Mexico. There I felt welcome and at ease and enjoyed being there. I'm sad to not be able to say the same of Guatemala City. I don't know if I would give it another go. I mean I visited other little town and villages near Guatemala city which I enjoyed very much.

How about a Canadian Etsy?

2009-03-09T14:26:00.000-04:00

Okay so really this has been bothering me for some time. As much as I love Etsy and all, I think I need to find a Canadian alternative. I've posted things on my Etsy store and I would love to give my Canadian friends a break, but if I lower the price then that applies to anyone who purchases my things. And so what I'm proposing or asking is... we Canadians should start our own Etsy-like site! One where I can browse and not have to think conversion rates. Just be able to say "oh $1? Amazing...why yes I would love to buy that". Know what I mean?

And if anyone out there knows of such a thing...please tell me where to go.

Lighting Tea Bag by Wonsik Chae

2009-03-07T16:47:00.002-05:00

I thought I would share this very cool idea. It's basically a tea bag that emits light through the chemical reaction between the fluorescent molecules in the tea bag and a chemical intermediate put in the cup.

Lighting Bag by Wonsik Chae from Takashi Yamada on Vimeo.

It's only okay to lie to protect someone's feelings

2009-03-06T12:23:00.002-05:00

When asked if I think if they have the ability to do something, and even if I might not think they do, I may say yes. Because sometimes all one needs is the support of someone else to believe in one's self.

Especially if I know that that person is delicate in the sense that other's perception or thoughts really impact their choices or decisions.

I don't lie this kind of lie often, I use it sparingly, but at times it is necessary.