The English Muffin Blog

What Edwin likes doing these days...

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:04:00 +0000

Edwin is like a little sponge these days, learning new words, activities and skills. It's amazing to see you do your work everyday Eddie, I'm so lucky to be your mama.

xox Bess

Bright Map Series

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:06:00 +0000

If you have visited my Etsy shop lately, you'll see a growing collection of Bright Maps. The original, The Bright World Map, was created for The Land of Nod and is sold through them printed on canvas. I sell the map in my shop as a paper print and it is one of my best-sellers. Over the last year, I have had a few inquiries as to whether I have a similar Bright Map of the United States, and more recently a request for a Bright Map of Africa. It was something I had been meaning to get to for a while, and I'm happy to say that I'm now offering both a Bright Map of the US and a Bright Map of Africa in the shop (it looks like a little rainbow exploded in there, in a good way!).

Of course, with the world as my subject there are lots more countries and continents to cover. Next up, a Bright Map of Canada. That would be nice, eh?

xo Bess

Montréal Map Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:25:00 +0000

The lovely Marie-Ève from the blog Lake Jane has generously offered to host an English Muffin giveaway! Today is the last day to enter to win a 13" x 19" Montréal Map!

What are you waiting for?! Enter here.

xo Bess

Montréal Map

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:30:00 +0000

Now that my maternity leave is over, it's full steam ahead with all the hundreds of to do's I didn't manage to get done over the last 13 months. At the top of my list is updating my print offerings in the English Muffin Shop. I've been wanting to adapt some of the illustration work I've done for Pure Green Magazine into pretty prints that are easy to frame and will look great hanging on the wall. The first one to make the leap from the pages of Pure Green to the shop is my Montréal Map. The map was originally created as part of our guide to Montréal article where the lovely Lake Jane took us on a tour of the city. I've updated it at bit, adding a few more neighbourhoods and landmarks and making sure it will look great as a framed piece.

The print is available in 22" x 17" and 19" x 13", and custom sizes are available too.

Bonne journée!
xx Bess

Portfolio Pieces: Eco-Logical

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:24:00 +0000

I've been working on putting together my illustration portfolio—a task that any artist will know is very time consuming and not so fun. The bright side however, is that I now have a nice little portfolio folder on my desktop full of neat and tidy jpegs of my recent work. It's great to see all of those images in there, it gives me a real sense of accomplishment after a year of feeling like I haven't been able to put 100% of myself into very much besides taking care of Edwin. I thought it was time to get some of these images onto the blog, so I've uploaded a few to share.

These are some of my favourites from a column that Papa Chuck and I have worked on together for Pure Green Magazine, it's called Eco-Logical. Charles (who has a PhD in Forest Ecology) writes about an ecological topic that is relevant to the theme of each issue and I create an accompanying illustration. It's been a really neat project to work on together and we always love the final result!

Pure Green Magazine - issue 10 / vol. 4

Pure Green Magazine - issue 9 / vol. 3

Pure Green Magazine - issue 8 / vol. 2

Pure Green Magazine - issue 7 / vol. 1

Pure Green Magazine - issue 6

If you'd like to see more of my illustration work for Pure Green Magazine you can visit the website, check out the new iPad app, or better yet get yourself a copy in print!

xo Bess

Baby, It's Cold Outside

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:18:00 +0000

This poor kid can't seem to catch a break lately. After 2 weeks of sickness following the holidays he's got another cold, had a super high fever last night from his 12 month vaccines—so much so that he threw-up twice, is getting his pre-molars and now it's -39C outside with the windchill factor which means another day indoors.

Sometimes it's hard to be a baby.

Stay warm!
xo Bess

Home Improvements

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:07:00 +0000

Over the past year, we have made a few home improvements that I haven't had the time to share on the blog. But, today as the bright sun was streaming into our bedroom, I was inspired to show you what my talented and handy hubby has been up to around our apartment.

Our bedroom was desperately in need of a little face-lift after we moved Edwin's crib out and into his own room (at 8 months!) and got rid of an ugly and not very functional dresser (good riddance!). Charles had the idea to find some old school lockers to replace the dresser and turn them into a mini closest with the help of some additional shelving and some hanger bars. We found a set of three lockers at a Salvation Army type store in Montreal and had them delivered the next day. They were in need of some love, so we chose a pretty shade of blue paint (which we were unsure of for a few days after they were painted—but have since come to love), and Charles got down to the business of cleaning, sanding, goo-gone-ing, hacksawing off a huge lock box attached to one end and finally painting them. The result is a charming closet solution that fits just perfectly in the space, and reminds you of your super awkward high school years. Yay!

The next project was to make a headboard for our bed. We wanted something simple and light, and something that was economical and easy to build. For this project Charles bought four pieces of 5/8" x 6" cedar planking, cut them to size, sanded them down to a super soft finish and mounted them to two legs hidden behind the boards on either side of the mattress using screws from behind. We didn't want to affix the headboard to the wall so it's easy to move and there's not the pain of dealing with anchors, unknown behind the wall materials, etc... The total project cost for the headboard was about $60.

Still to do in the bedroom is deciding on a window treatment for our one street-level window. I love the light that comes in, but privacy is a bit of an issue. I like the starkness of forgoing long curtains, but miss the darkness that they provide at night, there's a street light aimed directly at my side of the bed. Any suggestions for modern and clean window coverings?

xo Bess

P.S. You may be wondering what my role in these projects was—directing, and taking care of Edwin of course ;)

1st Birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:57:00 +0000

It's official, my baby boy is now one! Does that make him a toddler? I'm not sure I'm quite ready for him to have toddler status yet! Edwin's first birthday party was so much fun. It always surprises me how much more 'real' events in your life feel when celebrated together with friends or family. It is so important to mark these moments in time, and although I get a little pre-party nuts, I'm very glad we did it. The significance of the day really hit me when we were singing happy birthday—our little family had actually made it to this amazing milestone in all our lives, I won't lie, I got a little choked up.

Edwin was the lucky recipient of some very thoughtful and beautiful gifts, one of which was this wooden airplane handmade by his friend Aoife's grandfather. There's even a pilot inside and his name on the plane!

For his birthday cake I found a recipe for a Banana Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Icing that was baby-friendly. If you're looking for a first birthday cake recipe I would definitely recommend this one. It was really delicious, even thought I over cooked the bottom a little—oops! The babies didn't seem to mind, though ;)

xo Bess

We're having a party!

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 19:00:00 +0000

Edwin turned 1 year old last week and we were all set to celebrate this momentous event with some of his closest baby friends, but as probably often happens with winter birthday parties, we had to cancel because little Edwin was quite sick. He had a trio of maladies: an ear infection, strep throat and Scarlet Fever. Yes, I said Scarlet Fever. My jaw dropped when the doctor told me that my poor baby's rash—which I had assumed was a heat rash because of his fever—was actually Scarlet Fever. For those of you who have had it, or who's children have had it, you know that in the early stages it is not serious, it is associated with the same virus that causes strep throat. After a couple days of antibiotics he was already looking and feeling much better, however, we still had to call off his party to make sure we didn't spread any germs.

So, we are going ahead with the first birthday party celebration this weekend. I'm very excited to celebrate this big event. I think it will be a nice way to mark the end of Edwin's first year and the beginning of everything else to come. He already seems more like a kid than a baby, it breaks my heart and makes it leap all at the same time.

Happy birthday sweet boy. You are one of a kind.

xoxo Bess

A Pure Green Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 01:30:00 +0000

Pure Green Magazine is offering gift subscriptions this holiday season. As our Editor-in-Chief, Celine, said, "magazine subscriptions bring enjoyment all year round"! You can choose either a regular gift subscription (4 volumes) beginning with the latest issue, or the Collector's Subscription, an amazing offer that includes the first four volumes of Pure Green Mag and you still get the next four volumes to come—that's 8 volumes for a great price!

And, since it's the holidays we'll include a lovely little gift card with a message and both the recipient and gift giver's names on the back—designed by yours truly!

Happy Holidays!
xo Bess

In the shop...

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 01:06:00 +0000

Holiday Printables are in the shop! Make your holidays easy-peasy with English Muffin's printable gift tags and cards. Santa would approve.

xo Bess

It's beginning to look a lot like...

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 02:35:00 +0000

Puces Pop Holiday Market time! English Muffin will be at the holiday sale again this year with prints, posters, calendars and cards—and maybe a little elf named Edwin too!

Hope to see you there!

xo Bess

Daddy dearest

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 00:52:00 +0000

Now that Edwin is getting older—he'll be 10 months in a few days—it's great to see him and Papa Chuck interacting in new and super fun ways. They have a relationship that is already really different than the one I have with Edwin. Edwin can't get enough of all his funny faces, peek-a-boo games and plain ol' horsing around. It's pretty great :)

Here's a father-daughter relationship that looks pretty awesome (and what hysterical photos!!).

Dave Engledow

Happy Monday!
xx bess

Insta-addiction

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 02:10:00 +0000

Well I think it's pretty clear, I haven't been a great blogger as of late. If you'd like to keep up with me (and Edwin) I invite you to follow us on Instagram, @englishmuffinshop.

Here's a little of what my feed looks like...

Yep, you guessed it, all Edwin all the time :)

xoxo Bess

Hi!

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:52:00 +0000

You know when you stop blogging, and life just keeps moving forward, and then 2 months go by and so much has happened that you don't even know where to begin? This must have happened to you. Well, I figure the best thing to do is just to start back at it.

Here is Eddie laughing is sweet little head off at Mommy coughing.

Happy Monday!
xo Bess

5 months!

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 04:49:00 +0000

When you're 5 months old, you get to swing in your Mexican baby hammock in the garden...

practice your Jolly Jumping outside...

and (gasp!) get your feet dirty.

Happy 5 months little Eddie!
xoxo

Allô!

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 21:35:00 +0000

Papa Chuck was sick, it was raining outside and we were bored... Babies are just like real-life dress up dolls.

Hope you had a great weekend :)

ox Bess

Petite Ourse

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Fri, 25 May 2012 18:41:00 +0000

Wow, it's been a really long time since I've done a Canadiana Tuesday post... not since October 2011! Well, today isn't Tuesday but I do have a great little shop I'd love to share with you.

As many of you know, babies are droolly little creatures. Edwin's drool production has really gone up since he discovered his hands and now always has them in his mouth. I was lamenting the fact that all his clothes get covered in drool last week when my friend Anile told me about a cute solution, bandana bibs! I love the idea of having something that does not scream bib but acts as a great little fashion accessory and useful face wiper. Etsy to the rescue, check out the bandana bibs from Petite Ourse, they're so cute and based right here in Quebec. Score!

I think my little droolmeister would look pretty darn cute in one of these. Visit Petite Ourse to see more of their bibdana selection.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xo Bess

Storytime

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Edwin loves when we read to him, and we love it too! He gets so excited by all the pictures and "reads" along with us in his most excited (and loud) voice. It's hilarious! Olivia is one of our favourites (her cat's name is Edwin!) as well as Hockey Numbers (hey, we're Canadian), The Giving Tree, How Do I Love You and a handful of others.

Do you have any favourite books for babies? I have a list of some of my faves from when I was a kid that I'd like to get for Eddie. I'd love to hear your recommendations though!

Have a great day :)

xx Bess

Me & Eddie

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:14:00 +0000

For Mother's Day I asked Papa Chuck if he would take some photos of me and Edwin. There are so few of us together for the simple reason that it's usually me behind the camera. We had lots of fun, but I must admit that Edwin and I don't make for the best models—we're very hard to direct ;)

Have a wonderful day!

xo Bess

Happy Mother's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Sun, 13 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I don't think there's anything in the world that can prepare you for becoming a mother, even your own mother's cautionary advice about how hard the first few months with a baby can be (my sister and I were both colicky babies) pales in comparison to the real thing. I used to think having a high-maintenance dog would do the trick, um no.

The past four months have undoubtedly been the most challenging, demanding, amazing and rewarding four months of my life. I've never loved anyone like I love Edwin, it almost hurts my heart. So to all the mothers, you have my sincere admiration, and especially to my mom... Happy Mother's Day!

PS. The P&G ad definitely made me cry ;)

xox Bess

Napping with Edwin

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:03:00 +0000

If you follow me on Instagram—then you're probably inundated with Edwin photos, and you also may know that I captioned this photo "It only took 45 minutes. #sarcasm". I am writing this post from my bed which has an excellent view of the napping baby and is only three large steps away from his little back which I can pat and his little ear into which I can shush should he begin to stir. This setup is my way of trying to extend his naps which have been getting shorter and shorter as of late. And yes, I know it's against all the baby rules to put a baby to sleep on their tummy, but it's only for his naps and like I said, I'm watching him like a hawk!

Edwin's progressively shorter naps recently fueled an Amazon parenting book shopping spree. I bought three books (yes, that's the definition of a shopping spree to me), Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth, Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems by Tracy Hogg, and The Baby Book by Dr. William Sears. I waited anxiously for them to arrive, convinced they would solve all my parenting woes. These were to be my first parenting books, I had avoided them for the first 3.5 months of Edwin's life, but was now searching for answers on sleeping, eating and general parenting questions and welcomed the advice of seasoned professionals with open arms. Once they arrived I immediately skipped to the relevant sections in each of the books, ready to whip my parenting style into shape. The only problem was that I began noticing that each of the books contradicted the others, over and over again! "Never wake a sleeping baby" vs. "Wake a sleeping baby to keep them on schedule", "Breast-feeding a baby to sleep is perfectly fine" vs. "Don't breast-feed to sleep unless you want to be breast-feeding your baby to sleep until they're two", "Babies should be placed in their cribs drowsy but not asleep so they learn to fall asleep on they're own" vs. "Wait ten minutes before placing the sleeping baby in the crib to ensure they've entered a deep sleep", "Sometimes letting your baby cry it out is the only way they'll learn to go to sleep" vs. "Never leave your baby alone to cry, respond to their needs immediately". Shall I continue?!

Obviously all of this new and contradictory information sent me into a bit of a tailspin. I was suddenly convinced that everything I was doing for Edwin was wrong; his routine, the way I was feeding him, his relationship with sleep and whether he was getting enough of it. Did you know babies who are chronically overtired have difficulty learning and may become overweight?! I know I sound a little neurotic, but when it's just you, your baby, the baby books and google at home during the day sometimes it's hard to keep calm, cool and collected about all this stuff.

I have been able to incorporate some of the information from the books into our daily life so far with some success. But, in general I remain pretty committed to the parenting style Charles and I adopted from day one: to always be there for Edwin and to give him everything he needs. It can be difficult not to over-analyze the daily minutia and to find problems where there really aren't any, so thank goodness for real-life mom friends and their real-life advice! I've been very fortunate to have some great mom friends who help to keep me sane and give me sideways glances when I talk about elaborate baby schedules ;)

Edwin's nap update: It's been 1.5 hours and he's still sleeping!!

Have a wonderful day :)
xo Bess

Inspiration - A Photo Contest!

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:26:00 +0000

To celebrate Earth Day (Sunday, April 22) the Pure Green Magazine has team decided to hold a little photo contest! We're calling on all nature lovers and friends to submit your most inspiring nature photos to us. You can email them to submissions@puregreenmag.com with "Photo Contest" in the subject line and/or upload them directly to our flickr group.

The parameters are pretty wide open—whether you live in the city, the country or in-between—we are excited to see what natural elements of the world inspire you!

What will the winner receive, you ask?

Why, your very own copy of the latest issue of Pure Green Magazine!

Thanks for playing :)

xo Bess

Outings with Edwin

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:19:00 +0000

Having a baby in the dead of winter, in Montréal, meant that the first few weeks of Edwin's life were spent cooped-up inside. I think the idea of spending a lot of time inside, at home, cocooned with your new little baby is great in theory, in practice it left me feeling a little trapped and longing to go for a walk around the block. However, minus 30 degrees Celsius is no joke, so snuggled up and warm at home we stayed, and stayed, and stayed.

Luckily winter can't stick around for ever, and thanks to a super warm bunting bag, snowsuit, hat and mitts, Edwin, Tyke and I have been going on long walks during the days for a while now. We've been exploring our quartier and trying to find new streets, shops and parks to enjoy. Edwin loves being on the go and rarely makes a peep during our outings. As the weather gets warmer I get a little more adventurous—there's just something about not having to worry that my child will turn into a popsicle—and we make more plans and more outings together.

Today I think we'll ride the metro for the first time!

Have a great Thursday!

xo Bess

Golden Boy

noreply@blogger.com (Bess Callard) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:51:00 +0000

Edwin, today you're golden! Thank you for taking a super long nap and letting me bake, eat lunch, do the dishes and laundry, sort through your old clothes and write this blog post.

Happy weekend!
xo Bess