How I survived the Christmas madness

How I survived the Christmas madness

I hate to admit it but I’ve gotten caught up in the busyness of the season. My sister and I are entrepreneurs after all and it’s very hard to take a breather and slow down. We’ve written about this topic before here,  here,  here, and here but every time we go through it, it seems to feel different.

This week-end we are doing a very merry Etsy Pop Up Market (my sister is the Victoria Etsy lead). Today is the first day and we are here for 2 more days right in the core of downtown. We are at 547 Johnson Street Dec 18th-20th. The hours are Saturday 11-6pm and Sunday 11-5pm. If you are local pop by and say hi, we’d love to see you.

This time of year there is always something pulling at us or begging for our attention. It’s like that all year long but leading up to Christmas it’s especially busy with last minute orders, wholesale accounts, managing 3 online stores and doing local markets 6 months a year. This 3 day week-end is our last venue and we are longing for a day of rest. My sister and I joke that a vacation for us is a day at Costco which is a mere 25 minutes away. It’s really not a joke because that often is a real treat and holiday for us. So yes we’ve been caught up in the back backing stress leading up the holidays. There is always one more order to fill or one more errand to run and while we are extremely grateful we are longing to slow down just a little bit to recharge and renew our minds.

Tonight while walking to get a cup of tea I marveled in the beauty of the Christmas lights in the city. For a few moments I let myself get caught up in that moment and a smile crept across my heart and I felt happy to be right where I was and in a city I’ve grown to love.

My advice for this crazy season is to enjoy every moment and appreciate those around you and the beauty that is everywhere.  In fact the other day I walked outside and saw a tiny little daisy coming up from the grass. 

It was delicate and pretty and....continue here.

Hi, I'm Michelle the artist, visionary, creator and designer of Two Blooms Design Studio. I moved from a big city to Vancouver Island and fell in love with the west coast. My world is surrounded by beautiful scents, on trend design and endless possibilities.

A Christmas Tradition

Photo Credit: www.doltonehouse.com.au

   

 In this ‘instant’ society of North America, we tend to want everything now and do not like to wait.  Some things though can only truly be savoured if we only taste them once a year.

‘Impossible” you say, “why wait?  Bake them now”!  But that is the secret to ‘Italian Crostoli’ they taste best when eaten only at Christmas.

My great grandparents brought their Crostoli recipe from Italy.  Europe seems to have many versions of Crostoli pastries, each with a different name.  In the U.S. they are called ‘Angel Wings’. My great aunts called them ‘Nothings’ because they melted in your mouth and you had to have another one.

My grandmother used to bake them just before Christmas and I could hardly wait. I would sit on the kitchen chair quietly watching for the stage where she dropped them in hot oil and I knew she would give me the first one as soon as she sprinkled them with icing sugar.

In our household our baking of Cristoli takes on the air of a t.v. show starting with all the ingredients laid out ready to assemble.  It is a team effort with one person measuring, the other getting the oil hot for frying and another sifting the icing sugar.

Of course ‘Rosemary Clooney’ singing “Hey Mambo, Mambo Italiano” in the background is a must, after all this is Italian pastry.  Follow along, get out your favorite Italian song, tie on your apron and join the once a year Crostoli bake.

Ingredients (makes 2 dozen)

• 2 cups of flour (all purpose, sifted)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoons  vanilla
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Beat eggs and sugar and vanilla with electric beater until light and fluffy.  Gradually add dry ingredients with lemon zest into the mixture by hand until dough becomes a ball.  Turn dough out on board and knead adding extra flour as needed until it is no longer sticky.  Let rest in plastic zip lock bag for one hour.

Separate dough into four sections. Roll out on wooden floured board with a rolling pin until 1/8 inch thick.  Cut into 5 inch x 1/8 inch strip with pizza wheel.  Make a lengthwise slit about 1 inch long in center of each strip.  Pull one end twistedthrough the slit.  Keep remaining dough covered with plastic wrap.

Drop 3 or 4 at a time into hot  vegetable oil in large saucepan a depth of 4 inches. Turn once until just starting to brown.  They will continue to brown slightly after removal from oil.  Drain on paper towels and gently sprinkle with icing sugar.  Keep in air tight container.    Hide them somewhere until Christmas.

What is your favourite Christmas recipe?

See us on the flip side here.

Caron is one of the blooms of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is the dreamer, production manager, self taught chef and the social media wannabe. Caron is married to the word adventure and she will never stop dreaming.

Tis the season for purses

Bike purse with vintage blue/white check lining

Tis the season for purses

   

The perfect small bag just couldn’t be found, I didn’t want a plastic one that would eventually crinkle and crack.   Nor did it make sense to buy one factory made that everyone else had.  And my phone is old and clunky so the slim ones I did find were too small.  And there had to be room for my keys, which again tend to be rather big and clunky.  But the bag couldn’t be too big either, hanging out like a big diaper advertising clunky phones and bunchy keys.

The search was on but I couldn’t find what I wanted.  So I made my own finding a canvas that was sturdy but not stiff and the lining couldn’t just be anything common, nope had to be vintage.  Personalize it with a pattern on the front and it was good to go.  But then whenever I pulled mine out someone would say “oh I want one of those”, so the madness began and I started sewing them up by the dozens.

VW Purse with blue/check vintage lining

On a recent business trip to Toronto I stumbled upon a store selling beautiful zippers, so I bought 50 of them in every different colour and size ranging from 2” – 10” and brought them home.  No two purses are ever alike because the zippers are all different sizes and colours make these for a delightful gift for yourself or anyone else on your list.  Imagine filling one of these purses with our lip balms for the perfect Secret Santa gift?  Or fill one up with chocolates and who wouldn’t love that?  Someone bought a purse today and said she was going to fill it with tea bags and take it with her when she travelled.  Someone else bought a purse to start collecting money to treat herself to special coffees.

What could you use your purse for?  What would you fill it with?  And the price?  $18 or $23 w/ a lip balm – win/win for both you the gift giver and the receiver.

See our full collection of purses.

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Caron is one of the blooms of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is the dreamer, production manager, self taught chef and the social media wannabe. Caron is married to the word adventure and she will never stop dreaming.

What donut do you wear?

Photo Credit Viktor Hanacek

What donut do you wear?

 

We all like donuts don’t we? I do, the sweet sugary taste, the billowy goodness you enjoy after your first bite. It’s comforting even though you know it’s not the best for you. We all crave that sense of comfort and that immediate taste bud fix.

Recently a friend asked me why her favourite piece of clothing was so special. She was trying to understand why a certain article of clothing holds special meaning. I thought about for a minute and said: “well it brings you comfort, it makes you feel secure and it becomes that go to piece of clothing you wear over and over again.” Typically it’s well worn because you wear it over and over again and are continually washing it to keep it clean. My friends favourite article of clothing was a soft green angora sweater and it keeps her warm in her house. Mine is a blue pull over Polartec sweater that is baggy and is also very warm. It’s not the most glamorous piece of clothing but it holds significance because it’s been through a lot with me and has travelled life’s journey with me.

I titled this piece “what donut do you wear?” because a favourite piece of clothing reminds me of donuts. Donuts and my sweater give me that same comfort although one is comfort through food and the other is comfort through clothes.

In high school I remember loving Doc Martens. I had this favourite pair that were a black oxford style. You had to literally bang them with hammer when you bought them because they were tough and you wanted that worn in feeling right away. I no longer have those shoes but I did buy a pair of black mary jane Doc Marten shoes about 5 years and they instantly reminded me of the pair I had in high school all those years ago.

So the question for you is tell me what donut you wear? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Keep up to date with our latest blog posts.

Hi, I'm Michelle the artist, visionary, creator and designer of Two Blooms Design Studio. I moved from a big city to Vancouver Island and fell in love with the west coast. My world is surrounded by beautiful scents, on trend design and endless possibilities.

I thought this running class was for couch potatoes

Photo Credit:  holdosi

I thought this class was for couch potatoes.

 

You may remember the first post I did about running here.  So we go to the first class and we figure it will be pretty laid back. I wear a sweat shirt, jogging pants and a black puffy coat. I don’t look amazing but I figure we will do some light exercising. We step inside and head to the counter to ask where to go. The man motions us to sit next to some girls waiting to go inside. This was my first clue that I should run out of there. The two girls next to use were thin and looked very much in shape. A few minutes later we see the teacher and she is slim as well. The class begins and every one in there looks fit and in shape.  It was like high school all over again. We were the odd people and that felt uncomfortable.

The teacher asks if anyone hasn’t run before? Yup just Caron and I put up our hands gingerly.  We get the run down on the stance, posture etc.  Then we do a bunch of exercises and these were not easy at all. I was exhausted after 10 minutes. Then the teacher says okay we are heading out for 20 minutes. The first group would be 1 minute walking then 2 minutes of running. We were in the very back and were the only ones at the end doing 1 minutes of running and 2 minutes of walking. Caron and I were in shock. There was a woman
assigned to use the stragglers. We panted and could barely catch our breath during this time period. My chest was pounding and I said to the lady shadowing us there is something wrong with your title “Sofa to 5K”. Where are the couch potatoes I asked? She said something about there were some out of shape people in the class but I didn’t see them at any time. She sweetly told us to wear a light breathable top and then a shell over top. I guess she saw my mammoth coat and hoodie.

The clue should have been when the lady told us we would be so sore the next day and how we should take a bath in salts. I think the frustrating part was being in a class that wasn’t for newbie runners.

Have you ever run for exercise?

Keep up with all the bloom worthy news here.

Hi, I'm Michelle the artist, visionary, creator and designer of Two Blooms Design Studio. I moved from a big city to Vancouver Island and fell in love with the west coast. My world is surrounded by beautiful scents, on trend design and endless possibilities.

Adele would love this.

Adele would love this.

 

It’s a month until Christmas and as a maker, life is chaos.  Between fulfilling wholesale orders,  selling at weekend craft markets (who signed us up for these markets anyways? Oh wait a minute, that could have been me :) and replenishing stock I find myself working alone in the studio with only the radio for company. (Little Blooms is typically on the other side of the studio in another office).  Sometimes I even dance to a peppy song.

So naturally I am hearing Adele’s epic voice on a consistent basis.  And when I am procrastinating researching on Facebook, I do watch the Jimmy Fallon interviews with her.  So I feel like Adele and I are becoming fast friends (although she may not realize this AT ALL.)  Packing up this luscious face kit today I thought to myself “hey, Adele has beautiful skin, if she was my BFF I would definitely send this to her”.  What’s not to love?  Its got all the essentials to get you through the holiday frenzy, late nights and perhaps imbibing in the festive cheer of your choosing. 

Pampering Face Love Kit

Our organic face rehab with charcoal & dead sea mud to pull the impurities from your skin, followed up by a refreshing toner of either Neroli or Rose, follow this with a delicate application of our organic rose geranium face nourish and save the Azulene for night time skating or evenings après ski.  Instead of a fragrance that can irritate, I spray a light mist of the toner on my hair before heading out the door for a subtle scent.

Pampering Face care Kit

This is a limited edition kit, we’re only releasing a small number of these treasures for $75.00 CAD dollars (plus shipping).  And if you’re a friend of Adele’s, let us know and I’d be happy to send her a kit from her new BFF.

Pampering Face Care Kit

Keep up with the blooms here.

Caron is one of the blooms of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is the dreamer, production manager, self taught chef and the social media wannabe. Caron is married to the word adventure and she will never stop dreaming.

Run a 5K, are you joking?

Run a 5K, are you joking?

   

Caron (the other bloom of Two Blooms) has posted about our running adventure here and here and now it’s my turn to describe the events that led up to me joining this torturous class.  Yup Caron saw a sign driving by several times that said ‘Sofa to 5 K’ and for some reason it was calling her. The only time I’ve run is in high school and college and it was never something I loved. I did it more because it was required for gym credits. In college I toyed with it because we had a track close by and the odd time here and there I would run for exercise. Years ago I tried the beginner’s running method where you walk for 5 minutes and running 1 minute or something like that.  I tried it several times but never really stuck with it. Deep down though I’ve always wondered if I could run some sort of marathon. I’m in city that is known for this as there are several marathons year found because we have the ideal climate. 

A few years ago I remember going to Washington for a crab festival and on the way to the ferry there was a marathon happening. We were early so we stood and watched people passing the finished line. There were all ages and some brought tears to my eyes. It was that moment that I secretly wondered if I could ever muster up the ability to do a marathon. There never really is a question if I can physically do it because with determination and patience I think most of us can accomplish anything if we really put our minds to it.

So Caron calls and asks about the course and its full. I hear her on the phone and I breathe a secret sign of relief. I’m out of shape. Yes I walk a lot but I’m not used to running at all. So Caron goes on the wait list. Finally we get a call and one spot is open. I’m still relieved and tell Caron she can go the class alone and teach me the ropes. She says to the lady we are waiting for another spot. You guessed it we get a second call saying I’m in. While the lady puts Caron on hold she is yelling to me asking if I want to do it and I’m debating back and forth and finally yell yes but hesitantly.  To be continued in another post.

Has anything happened recently that you've dreaded? You dread it because you know it's good for you and you don't want to do it or maybe it's a obligation of sorts.

Stay up to date here.

Hi, I’m Michelle the founder of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. I’m in charge of production, designing all of our labels in house, photography, customer service, alchemist behind all of our scent blends, designer, creator and pretty much whatever else needs to be done.

Home is where your memories are

Home is where the memories are

 

 

I longingly read a magazine article that recalled the author going to their childhood home for Christmas and tucking their young family into the beds that they slept in as children.

“Does that still exist in this transient society” I thought?  What about the friend who told me she returned to visit her childhood home and found a highway there instead.  Upon inquiring with the neighbours, she found out her childhood home had been bulldozed down to make room for progress.

What about military families who may have had their young families in a far off country that would be too far away to return for a visit?

My mother brought us back to her family home that was now owned by someone else.  Standing on the sidewalk, staring up at the building she started to cry as she recalled her parents now long gone.  The owners of the house saw her tears and kindly opened their front door for her to see the entrance once again.  We didn’t see her bedroom nor would she be able tuck us into her childhood bed.

Do some family homes bring back painful memories that no one wants to return to?

How many of us can return to our family homes to show our families our childhood bed?  Would you want to?

We all know that home is where the heart is.  If we are unable to return to our childhood home,  perhaps we can make new memories?  Is that even possible?  In our house, food is the memory.  We will sit around in the afternoons enjoying tea and the conversation will quickly revolve around food.  Today we started talking about these Italian cookies my grandmother made, we called them ‘Clara’s Bows’.  A pencil width pretzel shaped cookie that was fried, drizzled with honey and dusted with powdered sugar.  Then my aunt’s Italian desserts that she made with ricotta cheese and chopped up mint, they weren’t my favorite but she’d always put powdered sugar on top and we’d eat them up with her big, brown betty tea pot in the middle of the table.

Blessed are the story tellers, for they can pass down stories and traditions that will linger long afterwards, even when there isn’t a house to visit.

Stay up to date with all the bloom worthy news here.

Caron is one of the blooms of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is the dreamer, production manager, self taught chef and the social media wannabe. Caron is married to the word adventure and she will never stop dreaming.

Don't leave home without it

Don't leave home without it

 

Your new breakfast friend.

Here’s one of the many joys of having a younger sister, she pushes your envelope sometimes and sometimes she brings ideas into the mix that you would never have considered.

Little Bloom is also known to find new things and then gets someone else to do it, for example one year she discovered a beautiful rose bush that she just had to have. We dutifully travelled to another island to buy this rare bush, she then helped to plant it in the ground and then never really looked at the thing again.  I was the one watering it, picking off the mites and then when the thing was in full bloom she would bask in the beauty.

Much the same with this recipe, Little Bloom found it, said she would make it and then the kale wilts in the fridge until someone else makes the recipe.  Although after we tried this, we haven’t stopped thanking her for finding it.

Poached Egg with Kale, Ryle, Tahihi and Yogurt from San Francisco’s Bar Tartine.

Serves 4

• 3 garlic cloves
• 6 TB oil, divided
• 1 cup plus 2 TB roasted sunflower seeds, divided
• 1 TB garam masala
• ¼ green Serrano pepper
• 1 ½ lemon juice
• 2 tsp honey, divided
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lb kale, stems removed and leaves torn into 1-2” pieces
• 8 oz dark rye bread (we didn’t use bread this time, but it would be good)
• 1 cup Greek style yogurt
• 2 tsp distilled vinegar
• 4 eggs
• 1 TB sesame seeds roasted
• 1 TB shelled pumpkin seeds, toasted
• 1 TB golden flaxseeds,
• Freshly ground pepper

You can roast the garlic, we used it raw.  Add 1 cup sunflower, garam masala, pepper, lemon juice, 1 tsp honey and 1 tsp salt, pulse on high speed, scrape sides until tahini is slightly thinner than peanut butter.  Add 1 TB water if too thick.

Heat 2 TB of oil and toss kale leaves in, add 2 TB water and sauté, add bread.  Get yogurt ready, add honey and salt, stir and set aside,  Poach your eggs.  To assemble, spread tahini in a large circle on four plates and spoon yogurt on top.  Distribute kale over yogurt and top with poached egg.  Garnish with remaining seeds and a drizzle of oil and season with pepper.

SO GOOD.

Keep up to date here.

  

Caron is one of the blooms of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is the dreamer, production manager, self taught chef and the social media wannabe. Caron is married to the word adventure and she will never stop dreaming.

Lip Loveliness

Lip Balm Loveliness

This is a post from yesterday so you are getting a treat today with 2 posts.

There are few things that really irritate me.  Buying a lip balm and smoothing it on your lips only to feel grittiness - do you know what I mean?  There is no reason for that silliness (unless of course you are wanting an exfoliating lip massage.)  

What makes a good lip balm?  In my opinion, I prefer plant based, so our lip balms are all essential oil - we often get asked for various flavours that don't exist in natural form, .All of our lip balms use pure essential oils that we source ourselves to make sure they are the highest quality we can find.

We're really happy to have been approved by PETA as cruelty free beauty, we do have a lip balm with beeswax in it which is the only item that isn't vegan.  Probably when we finish up the Rose lip balm we'll switch it over to vegan.  We also don't use any nut oils in our lip balm and as I explained to the nice lady at the fair, yes we know how wonderful almond oil is, but too many of our clients have nut allergies.

We offer choice and experience and our organic lip balms come in 7 scents. We have Green Tea (a lovely citrus blend that smells like Matcha Tea), On the Coast (an unscented lip balm and perfect for those with really dry sensitive lips), Surf's Up Mint(with a lovely cooling mint blend), Fusion (a lovely Lavender/Lemongrass melody), Roses in Bloom (with Rose Otto oil and local beeswax, this is our glossiest balm), Tofino Morning Chai (a beautiful chai blend that reminds one of sipping a Chai latte and staring at the ocean), and Vanilla Earl Grey (a lovely Vanilla and Bergamot blend that is perfect for Earl Grey afficionados.

All of our skin loving organic lip balms.

And packaging.  People buy products with their eyes first, so we’ve always used tubes, different shapes and colours, but we stick with the tubes.  We’re seeing lots of lip balm in pots but I personally don’t like putting my fingers in a pot of lip balm.  Again, its preference – what do you prefer for lip balm, tube or pot?

Keep up with the Two Blooms here.

Caron is one of the blooms of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is the dreamer, self taught chef, production manager and the social media wannabe. Caron is married to the word adventure and she will never stop dreaming.

When you just can't

When you just can't

   

 This has been a power week.  We’ve gotten two runs in, long walks and sugar consumption has been low. Yesterday I was up at 6am working away and went until 11:30 at night.  Lists were made, plans were set and the Christmas market was a mere two days away and I was on fire with productivity.

Woke up this morning and it has all gone terribly wrong.  I am sick, flu or cold or some horrible virus has invaded my body.  My energy level is lower than a dust mite and yet the list sits on my desk, begging to be done.  Set up is tonight at 7pm and I doubt I’ll be up much longer, I can do one small chore and then I have to lay down for a nap.

WHO PLANNED THIS?  Not I, not me Miss Type A+, this was not in the schedule.  I MUST get another run in today, I MUST get all packed up and I MUST invent the cure for cancer as well.  But I can’t, I don’t want to and worst of all, I don’t care.  The Little Bloom is running around trying to get it all in and I'm watching her, flipping through Facebook is all I have the energy for.  Now what?

Here’s my plan for the day: look at my list and pick out the essentials.  Slow way down in my head and just breathe.  Drink lots of water and hot tea and make time to sit and read a magazine.  Dress warmly and go out for a 20 minute walk, if I feel like little bursts of running I will, the goal is to get out the door.  Make a list of what brings me joy, in fact I am writing it down this minute and have lavender essential oil in my little diffuser.  Feeling better already, we can do this people, we are in this together.  And this 30 day blog challenge has made me realize that we are not alone, so thank you friends, I’ll be bringing you along with me this weekend.  Hugs.

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Caron is one of the blooms of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is the dreamer, production manager, self taught chef and the social media wannabe. Caron is married to the word adventure and she will never stop dreaming.