Vintage Moschino

I mentioned in the previous post that yesterday was a good day. I was happy with the crafts tape, but after those I made another, even better, find.

Yup, as the title says, it's a vintage Moschino.

I've seen the belts around here and there, and they are apparently quite popular and hard to find.

I saw this at one of my regular charity shops and at first thought it was a fake. On closer inspection and with some online research, it looks like I found the real deal. All the markings are correct, including the lining and the serial numbers. The letters are marked on the back and the zipper-pull has the correct names as well.

So, it seems like I finally made my first designer bag find. (I've already shown you a few of the non-bag finds, like a YSL tie and a Coach silk scarf)

I was really excited when I realized it's real. There's only one but...

It's a friggin' fanny pack!

Good news is that these have been making a comeback in the last few years. Bad news is that I'm certainly not trendy enough to pull this one off.

So, opinions guys... What do I do with it? Sell it? if so, where? Ebay? Somewhere else? Any ideas? Does any of you want to buy it? Make an offer if you do!

What would you do?

Japanese masking tape

Yesterday was a good day. I made some pretty awesome finds. I actually went to look for some materials and, naturally, made a few other stops along the way. I like to multitask whenever I need to run errands.

I'm pretty sure anyone who does any crafting or reads any crafts/mail/decor related blogs or websites have already seen them. Washi or masking tapes that is. They are everywhere.

I've been thinking about getting a few at some point, but always though the price is a little steep, especially since I didn't have a specific project for it. I really just wanted to try it out.

Well... It might have happened that I found some on sale and couldn't decide between a few. It also might have happened that I ended up buying a couple (nine counts as a 'couple', right?). So, now I can try it out and see what the hype is all about.

Have you tried washi tape? Did you like it? Where or how did you use it?

Something odd is going on...

Or *was* going on this weekend. While I was at the craft show, the entire city was filled with all sorts of activities. Several streets were closed and shops, bars and restaurants were spreading out to the streets from their usual locals. We went out for dinner and walked on St. Laurent Boulevard when we saw this:

I am still not sure what was going on, but basically all of this is fake. Even the brick wall is fake, the actual building behind it is a light grey colour. It looked like a fire had broken out on this spot, so maybe there was a show going on before and we just saw the results of it...

Well, that's Montreal for you, always something going on...

On plants and balconies

I'm a city kid all the way through. I don't feel the urge to escape to the country nor do I feel like I need a backyard to be happy. I'm notoriously bad when it comes to taking care of plants, and have, admittedly, managed to kill a cactus.

However, there's one type of plant I have learned how to take care of; edible ones. It so seems that fresh herbs do tend to survive even in my care and are often used all through the summer. After thinking more about this, I've come to the conclusion that there are two reasons for this. The first and more obvious one is that these plants are outside and therefore infinitely easier to take care of than indoor plants. (There's sunshine and sometimes they get watered by the rain, my job is half done)

Secondly, and this is the important one, I love being able to use fresh ingredients in cooking. So fresh, that I just walk to the balcony and pick what I need. Now, I'm not going so far that I would dream of a place to plant a lot more veggies or something, just not my thing. I'm perfectly happy with what I have.

I grow herbs and have a tomato plant or a few. And there's only a few herbs I really want. I've had others, but in all honesty didn't really use them much. So, I have three herbs, basil (for pesto and salads), cilantro (for absolutely everything) and mint (for mojitos). 

It's an oddly satisfying feeling to know that I've grown some of the ingredients we're using in the kitchen, even if it's only a few small things. To be absolutely honest, I think this is just about the right amount of plant tending for me.

Right now I only have basil, a little bit of cilantro and one tomato plant. I'm probably getting a few more things, including that mint. I'm also thinking of getting a few more tomato plants, since there's space for a couple more.

The additional benefit to having those plants out there on the balcony is the added privacy. Even though we don't live on a busy street, it would still be nice to block at least the direct views to our place. So, more photos and info to come as I finish the set up.

Do you plants like these? Or something else? if so, what?

Oh, the last two photos can be found on my Instagram (like you couldn't tell)

Craft show, done

I'm exhausted but happy. And when I say exhausted, I mean tired and achy and who knows what else, but still very happy.

I have to say that the turnout of shoppers was less than last time. It had to be because there were so many other things going on at the same time. It was the F1 weekend, Mont Royal street was closed for a sidewalk sale and the beer fest was in town... And to top it all off, the weather was beautiful (or so they tell me, I was in the basement).

It was understandable, I think I would've been outside too. However, the notebooks were a hit. I'm so happy about that. I did take a risk not just bringing them, but concentrating so heavily on making the notebooks. It did pay off and I sold a huge chunk of the ones I made.

Additionally, and this is one of the reasons I love attending the shows, I met some really amazing people and was able to talk about my craft with other people who make things or who are really interested in it. It was so wonderful. I got to talk about my inspiration, my techniques, my creative process and the reasons why I make things. It's so inspiring. And I got to hear other people's stories as well.

I'm happy how my table set up turned out. There's still a lot of things I can do better, but I definitely learned from last time.

[World's tackiest tablecloth in action. WTT also got plenty of compliments]

All in all a very successful show and I'm looking forward to the next one!

If you attended, what did you think of it? If you didn't, have you attended craft shows in your home town? what are they like?