I read this news item this morning about a kid’s group of knitters being banned from a library here in Ontario.  It’s probably about the dumbest thing I’ve heard in a long time.   So dumb in fact, that I thought it must be a library in Ottawa.  Sometimes I think our city’s decisions are pretty random… but that’s a topic for another post.

Basically, the library wants to promote literacy activities and I guess crafting activities don’t involve books.  I think Dewey decimal 730-760 would disagree!  (And their idea of video game nights makes so much more sense to increase literacy.)

I’ve borrowed plenty of books on knitting from the library and I think crafting and reading do go hand in hand.  Dumb.

I’ve been enjoying this series on the “6 Keys to a Disorganized & Unproductive Home” over at SimpleMom.  My favourite segment so far has been #3 “Have too much stuff”.  I’m really trying hard to declutter in these last weeks.  On that note, are there any organizations in Ottawa that pick up used clothes?

Ok, I like lists.  A lot.  I’d be lost without my Ta-Da lists, Google Calendar (and reminders… I love reminders) and Del.icio.us bookmarks.  So, when I came across Simple Mom’s system for meal planning using her bookmarks and Google calendar it was love at first sight.  Heart.  Of course, you don’t need to be a Mom…  just a good old fashioned Type A personality will do the trick.

The nerd in me can’t wait to try this system.

I watched last night’s episode of Marketplace – the topic?  Putting “Made in Canada” on products that are clearly not Canadian.  They pointed out that if a manufacturer spends 51% on “production costs” (such as shipping!) then it can be labeled “Canadian”.  What was even more shocking?  Frozen fish.  Caught and then sent to China for processing and then travels on a boat to Canada for packaging – totaling 25,000km.  That’s too far.

They provide tips for eating locally,  reading labels for ice cream & cheese, garlic, and fish.

I feel so duped – I am a label reader.

You may have noticed that the blog has been quiet. That’s because behind the scenes, I’ve been working hard on a new project. My own shop, Paper Skirt! This week, I’m stocking the shop with a series of silk-screened greeting cards.

It’s all set up for shopping – from the comfort of your cubicle! I’m also blogging over there too. In fact, from now on, all paper related posts will be on Paper Skirt.

Come on over! Sign up for the Paper Skirt newsletter, too! We’ll be adding new products each week.
See you at the shop,

Lana

Robyn, you are the best for finding this link to Ottawa Organics and Natural Foods!  There’s a new organic produce (plus bread, dairy, grains & treats!) delivery and their wharehouse is right here in Centretown.  Not only am I happy about the veggie delivery, but baguette delivery = awesome.

No more bent baguettes in my bike basket.

Girl loves design. Girl loves environment. Girl leaves job. Girl starts her own design business! That’s how Blossom Creations came to be.

Erin creates stationery, housewares, accessories and does custom work as well. From screenprinting these cute totes to designing greeting cards, it certainly seems that she’s totally prepared to go full steam ahead with her dream.

Check out her shop – she ships worldwide, so it’s not a problem if you’re not in sunny Australia. And she has a new blog to follow along.

Go Erin!

After catching up on some blogs, I found this link to Graphic Define Magazine on Neil’s blog. Looks like there’s lots of good reading to do: Networking is not Schmoozing for example.

The magazine is about “encouraging professionals in the graphic, web, and interactive industries to share their tips and experiences that have helped them in their business endeavours.”  You can even contribute to the magazine.

My “Cupcake Peddlers” print arrived safe and sound from A Black Apple yesterday. Equally as cute as the print itself is the envelope stamp that read, ‘hooray! mail for you, from the black apple’ and featured the happy hedgehog. I love these details.

Sarah from I like to cook wrote about a great online find, reusablebags.com. This site has more cotton bags than you can shake a stick at. But the best find was the Wrap-N-Mat. No more ziplock bags! What a great idea. There’s a few fabrics to choose from – I personally like the red gingham print.