And then I made the following decisions: I needed to get out of the house. I needed to put normal clothes on. I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself.

So, adventuring I did go.

If there is one thing I can say about myself, it’s that I’m one lucky explorer. I am drawn to fun city happenings whether I mean to be or not. And that’s quite super.

I parked my bike in one of the cute, vegetable-inspired bike racks outside of Market Square and started my morning by strolling around the gardening festival.

I smelled petunias and mint, ran my fingers along the zig-zagged edge of ridged leaves, and got a tiny red pine seedling to plant in my backyard.

What came next was a pleasant surprise.

There was a flurry of activity on a street block downtown – the section where Larch Street meets Durham at Elgin, for those of you who know Sudbury. This mystery event was the perfect remedy to my earlier sadness. It was a yard sale.

I walked up and down the one block stretch of tables at least half a dozen times, closing my eyes and pretending that it was something bigger. There was a barbeque and a kettle corn stand, a man selling a plethora of over-priced vintage do-dads at his two tables. I would have sold my soul for this old globe.

My favourite table belonged to Hannah, a grade eight student at Churchill Public School. Her table was a message in a bottle station – a display leftover from an entrepreneur fair that was held in her school’s gym. She proudly told me that she made $75 that day. I couldn’t help but buy a message in a bottle. When I was her age I had a potpourri “shop” in my neighbours shed. I used to collect wildflowers and grasses from the nearby ravine, stuff them down the neck of leftover wine bottles, and force my parents to buy them for $5 to put on display near our whirlpool. Hannah appealed the sense of whimsy and determination that I had when I was her age, and have continued to foster today. Just take my $1.50, already. (Side note: the best part of standing by Hannah’s table was watching a grown man purchase a book about dragons. Looks like someone has been watching a little too many Game of Thrones episodes..)

Hannah + my message in a bottle

Then came time for me to scribble my message. I carefully selected my writing utensil from a collection of gel pens (also a former love of mine). I chose a glimmering purple ink and outlined my message in neon pink. That’s right. You want to be serious about your message? You sure as hell better write it in unicorn-themed colours.

Hannah rolled up my message around an orange pen and held it together with an elastic band she snapped off a rubber ball. In my message went. I’ll cast this one off at the end of the summer. As for my message, it wasn’t so much a note to some love of my life, but rather a personal wish involving person and place. I’ll just leave it at that.

In the end, this yard sale appealed to my every weakness. Or, more specifically, my weakness for old things that you can re-furbish in creative ways to make something new and unique.

There were gilded gold frames (four for $1)

A collection of Mason jars ($1 each)

A cute floral saucer that now holds my collection of earrings, volcanic rocks and sea shells.

And several more things that I couldn’t get. Including this teal-coloured sewing machine that was being given away for free (!!!!!!).

Okay, so I added a yellow tint in Photoshop to make it look a little more rad. But still.

While I have carried many a cake on my bicycle, I thought this 20-pound machine was probably my limit. I walked away. One day I will have a beautiful collection of vintage sewing machines, though. This I promise you.

My downtown adventure ended at the Boulangerie du la Village, where I sat at the makeshift outdoor patio. I sipped my apple lavender broth and contently dunked my fresh, doughy bun into the bowl like a baby being baptized. In my ears, a schizophrenic symphony, a meshing of melodies. Across the street, two girls strummed and sang Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl, with just enough twang to please the crowd. Behind me, jazzy brass runs, making me feel as though I just got lost in Woody Allen’s latest flick.

This really was the perfect morning. Moral of the blog post? Happiness comes when you least expect it – you just have to get off your chair and find it.

You say hand wash? I say stuff it into one of those mesh bra bags and go crazy. You say wash with like colours? I say wash with towels and sweatpants.

You say do not iron? I say iron anyways.

And that’s where I got screwed over.

See that? It says “low iron as needed.” Instead, I plunged this piece of clothing into the inferno of hell.

I did this.

Goodbye beautiful Urban Outfitters colour-blocked cover-up. So much sadness. This was one of my favourite go-to summer cover-ups, and I’ve worn it everywhere from workplace functions to inside the Vatican. Yes, the Vatican modesty police approved.

But hey, when life gives you a piece of clothing with a tear in it, make a cool eternity scarf that you saw on Pinterest! A motto to live by.

The other night I searched the term “DIY eternity scarf” on the site, and, after mindlessly trolling page after page of photos, I saw this one. Please note that I am drawn to braids like a moth to a flame.

I clicked the link and was heartbroken to see that I needed viscose – a special type of fabric that was certainly too much of an effort for me to go out and buy. Sigh sigh sigh. In my viscose-induced depression, I decided to read the tag on my destroyed shrug.

Eighty-six per cent viscose. Score! That was enough for me.

I did the “I have viscose dance” around my bedroom.

And so, on the Sunday of the May long weekend, I cut up my favourite colour block sweater and turned it into my favourite new braided scarf. Completion partially delayed by the need to purchase a strip of lace, something that was resolved by a Saturday trip to Fabricland.

#winning

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Unlike many people I know, my bedroom has (un)fortunately remained the same throughout my four years of university. What can I say? My house already has a guest room.

That means I was faced with pink, yellow and lime green walls. And a Happy Bunny poster and one of those “Have a Day” posters that every teeny-bopper in North America had. And a pink plastic IKEA chair that makes me feel as though I’m in the 1980′s. It was where I perched myself whilst taking self portraits in grade 11. Yes, those self portraits may have involved my band jacket. Just stop snickering, okay?

This obviously would not do. It would not do at all.

Since re-painting would involve far too much effort, I opted for two of its interior design siblings: re-arranging and re-decorating.

Much to the dismay of my 18-year-old brother, the re-arranging part started the Saturday evening that I got home – a half hour of him shifting my double bed upon my whim, and rolling his eyes as I tried, with no prevail, to help.

The end result is a bedroom that may be the same colour as before, but has been enhanced by all the things that have made me, me over the past few years. Buttons in mason jars. Art deco postcards. Gold swan bookends bought at the New Edinburgh garage sale. A working typewriter. The Amélie poster that I got in Montmartre and carried across Europe in a backpack. An ornate frame that I found in my Ottawa basement and re-painted last summer. Etcetera, etcetera.

It’s much more me. And that may just make living at home tolerable for the next few months. Fingers crossed.

I was going to go to bed early tonight. I swore to myself that I was. Early these days is anything before 10:30 p.m., FYI, so that I can wake up at 6-something and listen to CBC’s morning show. I have failed to wake up before 7:20 a.m. three times this week. And tomorrow’s not looking too hot, either. Next week I’ll adapt to this full time work thing. Promise.

Anyways, how am I supposed to go to sleep when I had such an amazing evening of baking and creating things? I am on a DIY high, and no matter how tightly I shut my eyes, sleep will not come. I’ll blame the sugar – the mouthfuls of cookie batter and almond glaze that was transferred from mouth to belly this eve.

It seems as though Thursday has become my baking day. I’ve discovered that if I do not bake, I get really anxious and grumpy. Back in Ottawa I would bake at least three times a week, and it’s an activity that has been significantly cut down post-grad. No more running to the corner store in my sweatpants to buy icing sugar and cherry pie filling. Perhaps this is for the best… Anyways, my point is that baking relaxes me and makes me feel like my normal self again. Baking is something I know and am always sure of. It’s a chance to make something beautiful out of nothing, a principle that I’ll hopefully be able to apply to my journalism work over the next few months.

But enough of the personal ramble. Let’s talk food and flowers.

One half of the food-flowers super combo

I’ve wanted to make lemon cookies ever since Brittany made these delicious little cookie morsels that burst with lemony flavour. I still don’t know what recipe Britt used and, since I started making these cookies at 1 a.m. Paris time (remember? She’s on an exchange!), I figured I wouldn’t disrupt her slumber for the sake of my own personal cookie pleasure. Anywho, I used a Joy the Baker recipe because she is my favourite cookie recipe source ever. These were a little untraditional – lemon scented olive oil cookies with almond glaze. Yeah, you read that right. Olive oil. What the hell, right? Ah well, Joy knows what she’s talking about. And god knows the Greeks need me to use all the olive oil that I can.

I also made some orange-raspberry muffins.

Then, in true Hilary fashion, I had a photo shoot in my bedroom, where the 8 p.m. sun shines the brightest and my cute desk decorations serve as the perfect backdrop.

I also made a paper flower out of nine paper muffin liners. Yes, it is looped around that bottle of Marsala that I still haven’t put away. Yes, I do plan on making my own muffin liner bouquet should I ever get married. Yes, I did give this flower to my mom as a corsage. Judge. Not.

These are accompanying me to work tomorrow and shall be gifted to my hardworking, well-deserving CBC colleagues. Apparently Hilary Makes Friday Treats is baaaaaack.

Happy Thursday (well Friday now) and cheers to DIY bliss.

Recipe: Lemon scented olive oil cookies with almond glaze
From Joy the Baker
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Generous pinch of salt
- 1 cup sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup good quality olive oil
- 3/4 cup whole milk

Almond glaze
- 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- Splash of pure almond extract (about 1/4 teaspoon)
- 2 tbsp of milk, more as needed to create desired thickness

Combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth.

For cookies…
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Zest 1 lemon and rub the zest into the granulated sugar, creating a slightly fragrant sugar.  Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, olive oil and milk.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just to combine.  If the mixture is stiff then add a touch more milk.

Drop by tablespoonful onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.  Cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack.  When cooled completely, drizzle with almond glaze.

Makes two dozen cookies.

Recipe: Orange-raspberry muffins
From Krista’s Kitchen
- 1 six-ounce package of fresh raspberries
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 2/3 cups sour cream
- 2/3 cups packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 2-3 tsp. orange zest, grated (about 1 orange)
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1 large egg

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.

Whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl, breaking up any lumps of sugar.

Combine sour cream, oil, zest, juice and egg in a large bowl. Stir in flour mixture until partially moistened. Add raspberries and stir gently until evenly mixed. Batter will be thick, do not over-stir.
Divide evenly between muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.

Bake 20-22 minutes until golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Makes a dozen muffins.

PS: Paper flower instructions can be found here.