First Christmas!

I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed prepping my new home for my very first Christmas in it.  I love being in charge of the decorations, and coming up with different little arrangements.  You already saw my wreath in my last entry... now here's how the rest of my apartment is looking these days.

I adore my ornaments.  I've been collecting them for several years.  I could always picture my "future" tree, even when I was living at home.  I would love to buy a white (fake) tree, during some after Christmas sales.  That would truly perfect my vision.  This year, I had to settle for borrowing my parents' old tree.  But I still think it looks lovely.  I love just sitting on my couch and looking at my tree, lit up all pretty. 

My absolute favourite would have to be this: my coffee table centrepiece.  The best part of this is that the entire arrangement (including the coffee table itself) probably cost me less than $20.  Haha.  The table is a temporary one - a LACK sidetable from Ikea (on sale for $7.99 right now! Can't go wrong).  The garland and "floral" arrangement (for lack of a better word) both hail from the dollar store.  The vase is from several seasons ago at Ikea (not sure if they still sell this.  But it was definitely less than $5 when I bought it).  And the spikey ornament, I made myself, using this tutorial from How About Orange. I love the way it looks so much, I think I'll probably keep it up through the entire winter.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Interchangeable canvases

Here's a tutorial for a new project I spent the day working on...

I started out wanting to make just a set of canvases for my bedroom... but as I was working, I realized that with the b&w colour palate, I could actually use these for multiple occasions, and switch them up every once in a while... and so the Interchangeable Canvas idea was born!

Materials:
- 3 canvases (I found mine in a 3 pack at the dollar store)
- scrapbook paper (I used 4 different sheets)
- double sided tape, regular tape, and glue
- photo corners
- laminating plastic (Also found this at the dollar store)

Steps:

1. Start with your blank canvases... so much potential here!  Use your creativity.  My bedroom happens to be black & white damask, with 3 bright fuchsia walls, and one grey wall.  I had some damask paper in my collection that I had specifically bought to be some sort of bedroom decor, so I used that.  Use whatever tickles your fancy, but make sure it's something that you really like, because it'll be the "permanent" part of the interchangeable canvas.

2. Gather your paper and cut down to size.  My canvases were about 4 inches square, and I also cut 1 inch strips for the edges of the canvas (the 1 inch leaves a bit of overlap so that the edges look a bit smoother).  The paper I chose was a black on grey Latin (I think?) script.  I thought it was a nice complement, while still staying within a neutral colour scheme.

3. Apply your double-sided tape to the 1-inch strips.  Expose the other side of adhesive, and stick to the edge of the canvas.  I left the paper long enough to wrap around two sides, and did a traditional gift-wrapping type corner on the canvas.  If you need to, you can actually use a dab of glue or even tape to help the paper stay down, because it will be covered by the main canvas paper.

4. Glue your scrapbook paper (which has already been trimmed to size) onto the canvas.  I just used a regular ol' glue stick here.  Cut your laminating sheet down to size (mine was about 6.5 inches square).  Then, peel the backing from the sheet, and making sure you're working on a clean surface, lay it down, sticky side up, and lay your canvas, right side down, on top of it.  Smooth out any bubbles, and wrap it around the edge of the canvas, all the way to the back.  You can use staples into the frame of the canvas if you want to secure it a little bit more.  At this point, you're pretty much done!  The canvases can be hung as is, or you can add some artwork to them.  I added stuff, so I'll keep going with that step...

5. So, I had some photos that I took on my last trip to NYC, with my Diana+ lomography camera... since they were shot on film (and I have no idea where the negatives are, since moving), I didn't want to glue them down, or glue anything to them.  I secured them to pink scrapbook paper using photo corners, and the "N" "Y" and "C" are only glued to the scrapbook paper, not to the actual photos.  The art is stuck to the canvas with just tape... and the tape peels away from the laminate easily, so whenever the mood strikes, I can change up my canvases and have some new art on my walls!

Now I just need a hammer and some nails to actually get these things up on my wall.
Like this tutorial?  Try it?  Leave me a note and let me know!

Washer Necklace

So, pretty much every blog in the craft world has done some take on the washer necklace.  I recently inherited a bunch of washers from the set (yes, everyone looked at me like I was very strange when I got super excited about washers.  But I'm used to everyone looking at me like I'm strange.  No big deal.)... So here's my first washer necklace.  I didn't take any process photos, so if anything's confusing, let me know.

Materials needed:
1 washer
hemp cord
patterned paper
mod podge
diamond glaze







1. Take your washer and trace it onto your paper, opposite side of the pattern you're using, so that the pencil doesn't show through.

2. Cut out, or if you happen to have punches that fit the sizes exactly (lucky you!) use those!)

3. Slap some mod podge down on your washer, and lay the paper (patterned side up) on top.  Let it dry a bit.  (If you like, you can cover the edges or the back with more patterned paper, but I like the look of the washer itself)

4. Lay on a thick coat of Diamond Glaze and let it dry (hardest part! I recommend letting it dry at least overnight, so that you don't end up with any fingerprints on your necklace).

5. Once it's dry, you can take your hemp cord and loop it through the washer.  For the closing, you can add some jump rings and add a clasp, or you can do what I did, and use an adjustable sliding knot.  This is my favourite, because you can change the length of your necklace depending on what you're wearing. Since I didn't take any process photos, here's a tutorial that you can follow along with.


Let me know if you end up trying this out!  Or if you've already tried it, let me know if you have any tips to improve it.

Autumn in Toronto

Autumn is my favourite time of year.  And Toronto is an absolutely beautiful place to live at this time of year.  It definitely takes on a majestic quality, with all the leaves showing off their lovely colours.  Back in the spring, I showed you what High Park looked like with the cherry blossoms in full bloom.  Now here's my neighbourhood in October.

 

More pics? Right this way!

The Morning After Show

So, here's something pretty fun that I can finally share with you guys!  Back in May, I worked on a web series called The Morning After Show.  My producer knew that I enjoy photography, and he asked me if I would be interested in shooting the stills for the show opening.  Of course, I jumped at the opportunity.
Now, the shows have been edited, and they're finally airing (the show is a web companion to the show "The Dating Guy" which airs on Teletoon and HD Net in the USA)

You can watch it here (but be warned, it's 18+ and NSFW, unless you have a cool job)... New episodes come online on Monday, after The Dating Guy airs on Sunday nights...
And the stills are in the slideshow below, or you can click the link to Flickr and see them a bit bigger, there.




You can see them all on Flickr here!

Mad about Mad Men

I'm not really sure if I've ever talked about my Mad Men obsession on here... but it is just that.  I am completely obsessed.  Sadly, it is going away for a while, as the season finale airs tonight on AMC.
I may have to start watching from Season One again, just to get through the downtime.

One other thing I did to get through the downtime... I did Mad Men Crafts!  Now I have the most adorable little mini-figs on my fridge!  Here they are, and here's how I did it, just in case you want Don Draper on your fridge too (and really, who wouldn't?)

I also have an obsession with fridge magnets.  I think it has something to do with the fact that we never had magnets on our fridge when I was a kid.  Anyway, I digress.  

First... you'll need to gather your supplies:

• Dyna Moe's minifigs
  
• scissors
• craft glue
• magnetic sheet
• markers (if you're going to colour the minifigs, rather than print them in colour, as I did)
• Krylon Low Odor Clear Gloss

 Next, you'll need to colour your mini figs and cut them out (easy as pie, right?)
After they're all cut out, arrange them on your magnet sheet.  Try to fit them as close together as possible.  Use your craft glue to glue them down.  Then cut them out from the magnetic sheet.

Arrange your magnets on some scrap paper, newspaper, paper towel, whatever you have lying around.  Hold your can of gloss finish about 20-25cm (about 10 inches or so) away from the magnets, and spray lightly.  Try not to be too forceful, otherwise the ink will run.

Let them dry for at least a half hour, and then they're ready to adorn your fridge!  (This project can obviously, easily be adapted for any sort of printable magnet project - let your imagination run wild!)

Happy Mad Men-watching.  Last week's episode, Don showed us his brilliance.  I wonder what will happen in the finale!

Birthday Treats!

So... I'm a pretty big fan of baking - especially when I can bake and bring it into work for my coworkers, so that I don't end up eating the entire batch of whatever I make.  And I think my coworkers enjoy it too ;)  I'm back on Battle of the Blades again this year, so there are plenty of mouths to feed with treats.

This past Saturday was my birthday, and on Blades, we work through the weekend (Saturday is rehearsal day, Sunday and Monday are show days).  I got home early on Friday night, so I decided to whip up a batch of my favourite, and the easiest truffles ever - from the amazing Bakerella website.  I had tried these before, dipped in white chocolate, but I found them too sweet.  So this time, I dipped the truffles in bittersweet chocolate, and I thought they were perfect.

I wanted to make them a little more special, with a bit of character... so I decided to give them a mouse shape.  They have almond ears, and pretzel tails.
I think they're pretty darn cute.  And I got so many compliments on them throughout the day.  I think I made a little more than 50 of them, and they were completely devoured.  Here's the first batch, chilling in the fridge overnight.

There were further birthday treats for me, when my awesome coworkers surprised me with a cake, (and singing!) in the studio by the rink.  I'm not really someone who's easily surprised (I can usually tell when someone is prepping something like this!), so this was definitely one of the best birthday surprises I've ever received. 

So, I have Tuesday off from work, since I work through the entire weekend, and even though it was a full 3 days after my birthday, I couldn't let it go by without a party with my friends.  And, I don't know if this makes me really weird or not, but I decided that I had to bake my own cake.  And further to that, it had to be a super awesome cake.  I decided I had to make myself a castle.  Haha!

Now, keep in mind, I am FAR from a professional baker, and this is my very first layer cake ever... but this is how I did it.  First, I baked.  I decided on vanilla cake, and I made two 8-inch square pans, plus four cupcakes.  I had originally wanted the cupcakes to be the four pillars on each side of the castle, but I thought they looked too big, after I assembled everything.

 - The bottom layer of the cake is just as is.  (I didn't even level it off, because the only serving dish I had was a plate, and I thought turning the cake upside down and letting the dome sit in the curved area of the cake would make it sit a little better)

- The second layer, I levelled and cut about a half inch off each end. 

- The third layer is actually the part that I levelled, cut into quarters and stacked.
- And the top layer is one of the cupcakes.
- For the pillars and door entrance, I used some of the scraps from the second layer.

After assembling all the pieces together, I "glued" them with rainbow-chip frosting and put the cake in the fridge to set a bit.  After about an hour in the fridge, I created a "crumb" layer of vanilla frosting.  It's a thin layer to help seal in all the crumbs that you might get from frosting the cake after it's been cut like this.  And it made me realize how difficult it is to frost around "pillars" ... man this was hard!   So after I finished this layer of frosting, I put it in the fridge to set again.




The next part was my favourite.  The final layer of frosting, and then piping on some details!  I used the same frosting as the crumb layer, and for the piped bit, I just added some food colouring.  I was originally going to do pink, but at the last minute, I decided to do turquoise, to match my apartment! (Yes, I am that much of a geek)  The windows and doors are made of graham crackers, and the little posts are marshmallows.  Here's a look at how the cake turned out:

 

Again,  not a pro baker here... it may not be the fanciest cake... but it was delicious, and my friends loved it, so that's all that matters, right?! :)

Let's Go To The Ex!

Aahh, The Ex. Nothing signifies the end of summer in Toronto like the Canadian National Exhibition. For the last two weeks of August, leading up to Labour Day every year, The Ex has been a Toronto tradition since 1879.

And has been my tradition since I was at least 6 years old (I don't believe I've missed a year since then!) My summer just does not feel complete without a visit, or a waffle ice cream.

Oh yes. The focus has definitely switched in recent years. 6-year-old me would have said that the best part of The Ex was the rides (heck, even 16-year-old or maybe 26-year old me would've said that too!) But ask me now, and the food is definitely top priority.

I went to The Ex with my aunt, Ester. It was about 6:30pm when we got there. First stop: the Food building. I already had brunch earlier in the day, but she hadn't eaten. So, we ended up picking up some perogies, and we sat out on the grass enjoying our dinner. Afterwards, she enjoyed some BBQ corn on the cob, while I looked at it longingly (I can't eat corn on the cob anymore, because of a wire I have behind my teeth as a result of my orthodontics... oh, and I had a root canal two days earlier and my teeth were still sore).

We walked around the various buildings and exhibits, in an attempt to have the food settle before hitting up the spinny rides. I really enjoyed the brand new Rock 'n Roll theme. They had lots of old, original posters, costumes and artifacts, dating from the 50s through the 90s. You weren't allowed to take photos in the exhibit, but I may have snuck one from outside the exhibit walls. Wink wink.

We also made a trip through the At Home building, where we came across a fantastic broom. It's called the sweepa and it looks to be the greatest thing since the bristled broom. We watched as the demonstrator easily transitioned between hardwood, linoleum, tile and carpet, picking up cereal, chip crumbs, pet hair and more, without any extra dust or particles being left behind.  Super impressive. So, the demonstration was awesome... and the brooms were 2 for 1.  It was pretty much a no-brainer.  Afterwards, when we were walking around with them, we had at least 10-15 people stop us to ask where we got them!

At that point, we were going to get out to the midway, but decided that since our brooms were so desireable, we didn't want to leave them on the ground where people could potentially swipe them... so we took a walk back to the car. On the way, we stopped by the Food building again, to parttake in some BeaverTails. BeaverTails are one of those Canadian traditions that I've always wanted to try, but could never find in Toronto (they are particularly popular among the crowds skating down the Rideau Canal in Ottawa). They had a booth in the Food building, and I was determined to buy one. Ester and I decided to split a chocolate hazelnut 'Tail, and it was everything I dreamed it would be, and more! Mmmm...

After we got back from the car, we got our tickets for the rides. We made the mistake of going on the Tilt-A-Whirl first, because it had the shortest line. I have since decided that I am much too old for the Tilt-A-Whirl, and I shouldn't even think about it next year. Oh man. That ride lasts forever, and you just keep spinning and spinning. Thankfully, I didn't lose my BeaverTail (I'm sure it wouldn't have tasted as good on the way up! Sorry for the mental image!), but my equilibrium was off for the rest of the day. We rounded out the rides with the Ferris Wheel, my favourite ride, the Polar Express, and the Swing Tower.

Oh, and while waiting around outside the Polar Express, I ran into my friend, George Stroumboulopoulos... which is becoming a CNE tradition in itself. I'm not sure how I always manage to run into him there! Great seeing him though. His revamped season 7 gets a new name, a new website, and premieres on September 20th. Be sure to check it out on CBC.

After the rides, there was only one more thing to do... waffle ice cream! As I said before, summer is just not complete without one. Picture if you will... a brick of vanilla ice cream, sandwiched between two piping hot waffles. So. Good. Because we were both still off balance from the rides, and somewhat full from the BeaverTail, Ester and I decided to split our waffle... and it was the perfect end to a perfect (short) trip to The Ex!

Photos, you say? Right this way.

How To: Digital Inspiration Boards

So, I don't know if I ever officially mentioned it on my blog or not, but I bought a condo a few months ago.   (!!! Still very excited!)  As soon as I saw it, I immediately had ideas of what it would look like once I got my decorative touch on it.  I had a pretty long closing (3 months), so I had a lot of time to think and browse for various decor ideas.  I put them all together in various inspiration boards for each room, which were a definite hit when I posted them on my facebook/flickr pages - so here's a tutorial on how to do it.  This does take a little bit of knowledge on using a photo manipulation program like Photoshop.

The first thing I did was create a folder on my computer called "Condo Decor Ideas" - and within the folder, I created subfolders for each room in the place.  I already knew that I wanted a black & white bathroom, a pink & black damask bedroom, and a turquoise/teal & neutral kitchen/living area (it's open concept) - so I began searching the web for different items that fit my vision.

While searching, I would save any items that I thought I would like into the subfolders.  If I came across any pages that didn't allow me to right click on the image, I would screencap it (ctrl + shift + 4 on a Mac) - I tried to capture the price on the image whenever possible, that way I could reference it later as well.  And when I saved the image, I would name it including the website where I found the image (ie "waterfall_curtain_urbanoutfitters.com")

Once I had all the items saved that I thought would make a room complete, I began to open them up in Photoshop.  I began with a blank canvas (about 1200x1200, and then scaled it down later).  I opened each individual item up, and deleted the background (either using the magic wand tool, or the eraser - very patiently - depending on what the background of the item was).

Once the backgrounds were deleted, I would drag the image over to the main canvas.  I'd add a text note of what the item was and what website I found it on.

I tried to scale items to what their approximate size would be in the room (IE, the bed is larger than the lamps/picture frames, etc), and I also tried to keep them in the relative location that they might be found in the room (ie, chandelier is on the "ceiling", bed is on the "floor")

When I was satisfied with the placement of everything on the design boards, I scaled them down to a size that wasn't too gigantic, but was still legible (the full size "Girlie Bedroom" board is actually 839x1032 pixels)... added a border and a name, and voila! All done!

I'm a very visual person, so even though I could picture this in my head, I found it a lot easier when shopping to remember exactly how these items worked together.  I even bought several of these exact items for my place, so I can't wait to see how it compares to my design boards once I get it all decorated!

I have a couple more design boards in my "Journey To Home Ownership" album on flickr, right here!
Feel free to post any questions in the comments, I'll try to answer them as best as I can.

Featured!

Just a quick post to mention a few places you can find some of my work around the web. StarFish Entertainment has added some of my shots from the Outlaws & Gunslingers show to the following pages:

http://www.myspace.com/ohsusannamusic

http://www.myspace.com/theskydiggers

http://www.myspace.com/jimcuddyband

And you can find a couple of my shots of the Twilight Saga: Eclipse premiere in Toronto at the Rue Morgue blog: http://rue-morgue.com/blog/archives/2010/06/29/red-carpet-massacre-at-the-twilight-saga-eclipse-premiere/

And, remember, you can always find updates on the Superflash Facebook fan page or Flickr page.

Thanks for the continued support! I'm currently in the process of my first big move, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to update. Stay tuned! ;)

NXNE Day 2: Outlaws & Gunslingers - Part 2

So, continuing from where I left off..., the next set was delivered by Royal Wood, Andy Maize and Amelia Curran. To be honest, this was probably the weakest set in the bunch for me (though I wouldn't consider it to actually be WEAK by any stretch), it seemed less cohesive, like they were much more comfortable playing their own songs than gelling as a "trio" (of sorts) and playing each others'. It could also be that I didn't know two of the performers in this set at all (Andy & Amelia)... but I digress.

I found myself anxiously waiting for Royal Wood's (who has this super sexy Don Draper look going on... rowr!) turn to come around. His songs definitely grab me. I was thrilled to hear the set end with his new single, On Top Of Your Love (check out the video linked. It's beautiful).

Amelia Curran was okay. She admitted to being a little bit nervous, due to only having a few rehearsals with the boys, and I think it came across a little. Still, I did enjoy her songs, and I would like to go see her in a solo show of her own.

Andy Maize, I'm sure, is the most popular among the rest of the crowd, as he is the singer of The Skydiggers... but somehow, they were a band that kind of flew under the radar for me, and I never really got into them. I did enjoy him though - especially the song "Where's My Baby Tonight" (which, I apologize, I don't know if it's a solo song, or a Skydiggers song). Beautiful song.

The next set was probably the most anticipated set amongst the crowd - Jim Cuddy, Hawksley Workman and Colleen Brown. So anticipated, in fact, that I ended up smushed right up against the front of the stage, so I didn't really have the best angle for photos during this set. I had never really heard of Colleen Brown before, but she was great.

I used to be a big Hawksley fan, but I think I somehow fell out of touch with his music after the release of Lover/Fighter in 2003... but I really love everything that he played! Especially his most recent single - "Warhol's Portrait Of Gretzky" ... but I think I liked that the most, because I got to hear Jim Cuddy sing the words "Pretty F***ing Sexy" ... which was pretty sexy in itself! Jim Cuddy is probably one of my favourite musicians ever, and he's got such a squeaky clean image and such romantic lyrics... it definitely made me smile to hear him sing this song with Hawksley.

This set is probably tied with the Danny Michel set as my favourites of the evening.

The midnight set was brought to us by Dakota Tavern favourites, The Beauties. Always a highly entertaining band to see live, they brought it out in full form for NXNE yet again. Some hilarious mishaps with a broken bass drum petal brought some fun improvisational and sing-along moments with the crowd... but my absolute favourite part of this set was when the ONE person who I thought was missing from this lineup came out to join on a song.

Serena Ryder snuck out from the wings of the Lee's Palace stage to sing backup on my favourite song by The Beauties - Hearts Are Down. It totally made my night to see her up there, and she looked like she was having so much fun, too!

Finally, the end of the evening in the 1am timeslot, brought out my friend Joel Stewart and his band, The Future Hall Of Famers (who seemingly have no web presence whatsoever to link to...). I worked with Joel back on the CCMA's in 2007 - and at that time, I got to see him perform live at one of many parties we attended, and thought he was brilliant. Also, at that same time, he introduced me to what would soon become one of my favourite bands - The Hold Steady. So it was pretty awesome for me when he closed the set, joined by Andy Maize and Shawn Creamer of the Beauties, singing an AMAZING rendition of Almost Killed Me. It was the perfect end to an all around perfect night of music! A night that I won't forget for a very long time, for sure.

Lots more pictures are right this way... and if you're interested in hearing/reading more about this night, check out THIS blog entry by a newfound friend! It's pretty awesome!

NXNE Day 2: Outlaws & Gunslingers - Part 1

Thursday night brought the show that I was looking forward to most of all - Outlaws & Gunslingers at Lee's Palace. I swear, this show was as if some divine being had rummaged through my head and said, "Who are the bands that Katie would die to see all together on one night?" and then put them all on one bill for me.

I took so many photos that I'm going to end up having to split this review into two, or maybe even three, parts.

First up, Mr. Andy Kim.

Andy and his band are always super tight and put on a very entertaining show, and this was no exception. I never get tired of seeing him live, because he always delivers. Andy has a new cd out, and played a lot of new songs (many of which I'd heard at his previous shows). He also played old favourites - Be My Baby, Baby How'd We Ever Get This Way (Ron Sexsmith, who introduced the band, came out and joined Andy for this song, too!), and if memory serves me well, they closed the set with back-to-back Sugar Sugar and Rock Me Gently. Pretty awesome!!

Next up, the set containing my favourite musician ever - Mr. Danny Michel - along with Justin Rutledge and Oh Susanna. In my opinion, this was the best of the singer-songwriter triple acts of the night. Danny has a new cd out on July 1 (but, as he announced to the crowd, he had just picked them up from being pressed, and they were available for that night only, before the actual release date... so, naturally, I have my new cd in hand - thanks for lending me the $20, Chrisy!!) So, each act did three songs each, one at a time, and Danny's were all songs from the new album. He played Maybe You Can Find It In Your Heart, Wish Willy, and Who's Gonna Miss You? ... and I loved each song more than the next! Fantastic cd. I definitely recommend it.

Unfortunately, I'm not quite as familiar with Justin or Oh Susanna's music, though I have seen them live a few times before. I did recognize Justin's song "Be A Man", which was absolutely beautiful performed live.

The reason this set stuck out from the others for me was that it seemed like they really enjoyed playing each other's songs. It didn't seem like they had barely had any rehearsals, which I'm sure was the case! Also, their stellar back-up band included Bazil Donovan and Glenn Milchem from Blue Rodeo, so how could you go wrong with that!?

More photos HERE, and the rest of the review & photos from this show to follow!

NXNE Day 1: Karen Elson

Firstly, I feel like I should apologize for my lack of entries lately! Life has been crazy... and I'm planning on doing a redesign, so blogging wasn't really the first thing on my mind. Sorry 'bout that!

So, yesterday was the first day of the North by North East music festival here in Toronto. I decided not to get a wristband this year, but there's still a few shows that I wanted to check out. My friend Chrisy is in town from Ottawa for the week, and she happened to have an extra ticket to last night's show, Karen Elson at the El Mocambo. First thing to note... it was my first time taking my new Canon point-and-shoot camera for a spin on the concert scene - and it was returned today, if that's any indication on how it performed. I'm not at all pleased with these shots.

Anyway, back to Karen Elson. Before being invited to the show, I hadn't heard of her at all. However, she is well known as an internationally renowned supermodel, and as wife of Jack White, of the White Stripes. Thankfully, I had listened to a couple of her songs before I knew all of that information, because though I realize it may be a draw for some, for me, it would actually be a bit of a downer for me. I'm not a fan of piggybacking on other work.

But as it turns out, she is actually a really talented singer-songwriter. It came across in her recorded tracks that I had listened to, as well as in last night's show. She has a beautiful voice. She is stunning and captivating to watch. And her band is made up of incredibly talented musicians as well.

That being said, you can tell that it is a very polished act. Not like a typical singer-songwriter who is releasing her debut cd. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just something I was aware of. The band was all dressed really nice (3-piece suits, dresses). They were all playing super expensive gear. They had a roadie who was also dressed in a 3-piece suit! Hah. Maybe it's just me, but I think there's something to be said to get to that level of success.

In any case, she was very sweet and gracious. She didn't expect the applause after every song, and seemed very genuinely grateful. I definitely appreciate that. Also, at the end of the show, when we were walking back to the car, even though she was in a rush, she paused to take a photo with my friend Chrisy. Bonus points for her.

Also worth mentioning is the opening band, San Sebastian. The sound was COMPLETELY different to Karen's alt-country vibe. They were more straight ahead rock with a bit of pop infused... and very catchy hooks. I enjoyed it!

A couple more photos, including the bizarre note that was left on my car, over at my flickr page.

Tonight - the show I have been looking forward to most. It is my dream show, with some of my favourite musicians. The Outlaws & Gunslingers show at Lee's Palace. Featuring: Jim Cuddy (of Blue Rodeo), Danny Michel, Andy Kim (you guys know how many times I've blogged about all three of these guys! Honestly... I'm dying here!!) and other talented performers: Hawksley Workman, Joel Stewart (who I've actually worked with in the past!), The Beauties, Justin Rutledge, Royal Wood, Oh Susanna, Amelia Curran, and more! I can't wait.