The Blue Brick

Best Friends

December 5, 2011

A few weeks ago, on possibly the last really warm and sunny day of autumn, I had the honour of doing the engagement shoot for 2 dearly loved friends; Kris and Kevin.

We shot at the very beautiful Cheltenham Badlands. They’re a very short drive outside of Toronto – what a great find!

Sitting and standing and clambering around on the hills left my subjects very dirty ;)

I couldn’t have asked for more beautiful light – golden and soft.

I also couldn’t have asked for more beautiful people :)

I love the colour of the ground and the sky in this shot – so intense!

The 4 of us had a few funny moments, slipping and sliding around on the hills. There’s Tito in the background helping me out with the reflector.

Tito and I plan to come back and shoot this beautiful spot in the winter as well. It looks like there are some great hiking trails around.

Since it was so close by we finished the shoot at one of my favourite spots – the Terra Cotta reserve.

And a final shot of the 4 of us together :)

I have known Kris nearly all of my life – we’ve been best friends for 22 years. She’s a beautiful girl, inside and out, brilliant, compassionate, loyal, patient and incredibly caring. She was a fan of my photography long before I had taken my first decent photo. I have watched her grow from a shy teenager into a beautiful woman, and I would do anything for her. Cuaderno is a spanish word for a good friend that loosely translates as ‘we have written many books together’. That’s how I think of Kris.

Dear Kris and Kevin; I value having you in my life more than I could ever express and I wish you both every happiness that life has to offer!
Bay of Fundy Scarf – Free Pattern!

December 2, 2011

I finally got around to writing down the pattern for my Bay of Fundy scarf – a huge, soft, scarf/wrap that I whipped up on vacation while down east this autumn. Don’t be intimidated by the idea of a scarf on 3.5mm needles, the pattern is pretty mindless and easy (which is what made it a great vacation knit) and you’ll be done before you know it. If you choose the pattern can be easily adjusted to other yarns.

The pattern was inspired by the tides at the Bay of Fundy, as illustrated by my cheesy graphic: Go on and laugh, you know you want to.

It was the perfect solution for 2 skeins of TFA Purple label cashmere yarn. I was lucky enough to get my hands on 2 of her one-of-a-kind skeins at the knitters frolic this year but if you’re looking to match what I’ve done there is a colourway called, appropriately enough, Atlanic, which would do the trick nicely.

The scarf was mostly knitted at the Bay of Fundy, of course.

And the results are beautiful, cozy and wearable :)

PDF can be downloaded here.

Ravelry project page is here.

Feel free to email me with any questions. Enjoy!
Taking it to another level

November 30, 2011

So I’ve been really addicted to resin lately – but definitely ready to move away from the leaves (good thing too, we had our first snowfall today!). The last 2 days I’ve been experimenting with putting drawings into resin and I came up with some very fun things.

This one is for me, but I’ll be making more for sale soon because I love it :) The reason I can’t sell them yet is because they don’t *quite* work for me, the design needs to be refined and I have a few ideas on how to do it.

Here’s another take on the same idea but using washi instead of drawings. I love the result! As soon as I solve a few logistical issues these will hit my shop.

The last of the leaf jewellery went up today as well, including this overlong copper necklace, sized to hang low on the chest, perfect for sweater season!

I also included a few festive items, also on overlong chains, like this copper ‘hope’ pendant.

Tito has weighed in as well by drawing cute elements for me to use in the work – I think this would be cute as an embellishment on a notebook or leather cuff, but it’s adorable on a chain as well.

Check out the Etsy shop for these and more updates!
I have a Ravelry store!

November 29, 2011

And here it is!

http://www.ravelry.com/designers/shireen-nadir

There’s only one pattern in there right now, a free download of my baby blanket hoodie crochet pattern, but I hope to add more soon :)
No sugar, no flour, no butter and no eggs… but they’re tasty!

November 28, 2011
My next experiment in cooking for diabetics took me to The Blueberry Girl’s blog for her amazing breakfast cookie recipe. She referenced it from here and, while both versions sound delicious, I put my own spin on it and made them for mom this weekend – instant hit!

Because these were intended for mom the sugar had to be kept really low on them, and the original recipe called for 1 cup of dried fruit. I upped the mixed nuts and lowered the fruits, and for a treat I added just a tiny bit of dried pineapple. You’ve got to be careful with the dried fruits because they can contain a ton of sugar. I also added more vanilla extract. Mmm…. vanilla extract….
- 1 1/2 cups regular rolled oats
- 1 cup coconut flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 cup of almond meal
- 3/4 cup mixed nuts, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup dried fruit (I used mostly raisins with just a few pieces of dried pineapple)
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease up a cookie sheet or use parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, almond meal, mixed nuts and coconut flakes. Stir in allspice and cinnamon. Add dried fruit and stir until well and evenly mixed. Make sure the dried fruit do not stick together in big batches.

In another bowl, combine canola oil, mashed banana and vanilla extract. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until well combined.

Take a large cookie cutter and press spoonfuls of the batter into it. Remove cookie cutter. Bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

They are delicious fresh out of the oven but also taste great the next day, they’re a good healthy serving of fibre, protein and iron… and the per-cookie sugar levels are not too bad (though if you’re trying to go for a no-sugar option then the dried fruits and banana may feel like too much). However, 1 cookie, at breakfast sounds perfect. I’ll be making a batch for myself as well!
Making beautiful memories…

November 28, 2011
Fear of Commitment Cowl – Free pattern by Coco Knits

November 23, 2011

I tried out this free pattern from Coco Knits By Julie Weisenberger – the Fear of Commitment Cowl, and I love it!

It’s super flexible, and easy to wear. I bought a few different toggles for the closure – it’s not attached so you can give yourself a few options to play with.

While I was knitting this I couldn’t resist taking a few goofy knitting kninja photos ;)

Yep. Knitting badass.

Before you ask – no I didn’t knit the cowl with my sais, they’re too heavy and taper besides so I’d never get an even stitch. However the shot was so goofy I couldn’t resist.

Check out the rest of the Coco Knits store for other great patterns, both free and for purchase. I saw a poncho on there that’s definitely going on my list!
Just a pretty shot

November 22, 2011

I had to shoot a site from the roof of the Waterclub condos here in Toronto. Before I finished up at the end of the shoot I took this pic of the Gardiner Expressway snaking along into the sunset :)
Japanese paper necklaces

November 20, 2011

Autumn is over and I’ve had to move on from my beloved leaf jewellery. Looking around for inspiration I gravitated towards the washi that I collect for origami and for the backdrops of my photos. The actual paper textures were so beautiful that I wanted to showcase them in a piece of simple, fun, festive jewellery.

I really love the 3D layered effect that I get with my compositions, so I pour my resin in stages. First I use contact paper to seal the back of my ring – making it into a bezel. I put my head pin in first – to create a hanging loop and also to seal the hole so resin doesn’t leak out of it. Then I do my first stage pour.

First I pour a thin layer into the bottom of the bezel. I use a popsicle stick to push it to the edges of the bezel and form an even seal.

After I’ve put my first layer down I start creating my composition. The first piece of paper that I put down faces out to the back – this is the backing that will be visible when I peel off the contact paper later. If the contact paper leaves any residue behind I use ‘goo gone’ to clean it off – it doesn’t affect the resin, but you’ve got to make sure it’s completely cured before trying this.

Alternating pours of resin and layers of paper allows me to get that 3d look. When I’m done I pour a final layer and put a cover over it to cure. If I don’t cover it then even a tiny dust mote landing on the surface can ruin a piece!

And Voila!

I hope folks enjoy these cute little stocking stuffers :)
Back on the wheel – new yarn bowls at last!

November 18, 2011

I’ve been experimenting with new glaze combinations and I think this one is the winner for me – so earthy and relaxing. The texture of the top glaze is my favourite part.

The textured finish on this one is achieved by filling my hands with ‘slip’. The slip is a combination of clay, water and in some cases, pigment. In this case I used only water and clay because I wanted to add texture but not colour. You smooth the mixture over the pot body until you’re happy with it, but not too thick because it can break off during the bisque firing.

These bowls were shot in my awesome new lightbox set up :) Here it is being used to shoot Tito’s paper maché sculpture. I love how it isolates the pots, evens out the light and allows me to control the reflections. I definitely recommend one for anyone who documents their own crafts.

Lastly, I had to show a close up of the glaze – the texture created in the kiln as the copper component separates is a work of art unto itself.

These bowls are only available at the Purple Purl here in Toronto – check them out not just for the bowls but for an awesome selection of Canadian yarn artists!