My Digital Story

At long last!

Here is my digital story that I created this summer as part of Volunteer Toronto's SharedTime Project.


It was such a blast to create this.

During our three-day workshop, 10 volunteers from across the city gathered at Evergreen Brickworks and, with the help staff from the Centre for Digital Storytelling and Volunteer Toronto, we crafted our stories!

We laughed, we cried.... it was such a special experience to hear what others are doing and experiencing in the city. And there's such a feeling of 'Wow' when we gathered on the last day for the screening of our stories. To watch everyone's polished stories and congratulate each other.

Speaking of screenings.... I had the opportunity to take part in the SharedTime Premiere on the December 5th, 2011 - the UN International Year of the Volunteer +10.
I must say, it is quite something to see your work up on the Big Screen!

DIY: Super Easy Jewelry holder

Project: Jewelry holder picture frame (for hanging on the wall!)
Estimated Time: 10 minutes
Materials Required: Picture Frame, mesh-y plastic placemat, brads, duct tape, scissors

For the longest time I've wanted to make something to hold some of my jewelry. I have limited space on which to sit a classic jewelry holder, so I knew whatever I made would have to hang on the wall...or from the ceiling.

When I spotted this large black picture from at the UMBRA concept store, I decided that it was finally time to get to work!
I removed the glass and the backing from the frame.

large picture frame

I also found these place mats. They're made out of plastic and look like strings that were melted together. The results is a place mat with little holes in it. (Perfect for hanging earrings in!)

 

Step 1 was to cut placemat to size. An inch or so smaller than the outer edge of the picture frame.

Step 2:  Use duct tape to tape the placemat to the back of the picture frame.

Step 3: I attached some brads to the placemat.

Step 4: Attach jewelry and hang!

Tadaa!

Sneak Peek: What I'm up to

Here's a sneak peek at what I'm up to:


Moving!!
I've discovered a benefit to being a bad packer. When it comes time to unpack, it feels like you're opening presents!
I have no clue what's inside each box.
And they each have such delightful contents.
The box that's currently closest to me contains pots and pans, cutlery, magazines, towels, books and mugs, an iron, and cushion covers!


Scribbles!


New dSLR!
I'm thinking of starting a Fun Flickr account...





Working on my course. I'm having a blast.


Cleaning and organizing...


and putting in drawer liner!

 
Dog-walker training here I come!

What does your future hold?

(photo by Nino Andonis)

A big bowl of vegetarian fun!

I cooked something....yummy!

I have this chronic condition where I spend hours in the kitchen making a meal for myself which ends up tasting horrible.
it's a problem. (...which could easily be fixed with a couple cooking classes, but that's besides the point!)

Well, my new vegetarian ways have prompted me to take on this challenge head-on.
armed with some tips, a cookbook, and some (correct) fresh ingredients, I now have a signature dish, which I absolutely love.
(wait, does 'signature' mean that I created it? ...cause I'm pretty sure I didn't make this up myself...)

I haven't thought of a name for it yet. For now I'll call it, Big Bowl of Vegetarian Fun.

 Ingredients: 

• 2cups chopped peppers
• some chopped green onions (what's the other name for those? ... oh yes, it's "scallions")
• 2/3 cups Italian-flavoured veggie ground round
• 2 7-inch torillas
• 2 dollops of sour cream (fat-free will do the trick!)
• spray oil

Kitchen appliances:

• stove-top
• oven (microwave oven will suffice!)

Other stuff you'll need:

• Food scissors will come in handy
• chopping knife
• cutting board
• a third-cup measure
• cookie sheet for the oven 
• skillet

Directions: 

Step 1: preheat the oven to 350
Step 2: cut up the tortillas into little triangles, put them on the cookie sheet, spray some oil on them, and pop them into the oven (they'll be in there for 15 or so minutes....until crispy!)

Step 3: spray some oil in the skillet and turn it on to medium/low heat
Step 4: cut up the peppers and green onions and throw them in the skillet
Step 5: (about 5 minutes later) add the veggie ground round and mix it up!
Step 6: cook for another few minutes then turn off the heat.
Step 7: The tortilla chips are done! Remove from the cookie sheet and place them in a bowl.
Step 8: Remove the big bowl mixture from the skillet... and place it in a big bowl.... add the sour cream on top of the mound.
Step 9: Enjoy! healthy vegetarian goodness... and chips!!
Step 10: uh.. there isn't anything else to say here. I just couldn't leave it at 9 steps... 

I'd say, this recipe serves 1.5people. ...or one hungry person. (I eat it all myself.)

Also, I add some cherry tomatoes sometimes.
And if I feel fancy, I may sprinkle some dill on the tortilla pieces before popping them in the oven.