1. what did think you think you were going to be “when you grew up” and what did you study in school?
I’ve always had a pretty wide range of interests. Watching Ally MacBeal as a pre-teen definitely glamorized the idea of becoming a lawyer so I was pretty set on that idea until I went to work with a family friend on a career day early in highschool – I remember thinking it was the most boring day of my life and nixing the idea before lunch. One thing I knew for sure was that I fell in the category of “artsy” – I excelled in english, art, history and other humanities classes and had a very, very hard time with math and science. Once again, I decided on a new career path after becoming obsessed with a tv show, Divine Design with Candice Olsen. This was the early days of “googling”, but I figured out that she had attended Ryerson’s Interior Design program so the rest of my highschool agenda focused on meeting the admissions requirements. I ended up being on the waitlist and was devastated when I didn’t get in, I remember having my fingers crossed until 2 weeks before moving to Hamilton to attend McMaster to execute my “fallback” plan of becoming an English teacher. I loved school and still idealize the idea of following through on this one day, but I wanted to work for a while after finishing my undergraduate education. Lo and behold, things went in another direction. When I think back to how I used to procrastinate writing papers by baking cakes for my roomates and I, it probably wasn’t much of a surprise that once I started working an emotionally draining government position I once again began baking as a form of stress release. And the rest, as they say, is history…
2. what are your greatest sources of inspiration / what do you do when things are starting to feel stale?
I feel like just going outside for a short walk can really help to clear my head when the stress fog is blinding. In general though, fashion and home design magazines are huge sources of inspiration for me, as well as exploring antique markets.
3. what does your typical “work day” look like?
Things have really changed since having my son, Henry. I used to be a total night-hawk and would always procrastinate to the extreme. It was a recipe for disaster and panic would inevitably ensue. I really think I used to work well under stress and that just isn’t true any more, there are too many uncertainties that come along with kids. My friends and family all make fun of me for how much sleep I used to require, a luxury I obviously no longer have – gladly, though. Being a Mom has made me a million times more efficient in everything I do so while I was always pretty organized, I didn’t necessarily make the best use of my time. I’ll still burn the midnight oil every once in a while, but I make the very best use of every spare minute I have. Naptime is for sure when I’m my most productive.
4. what would your dream make room look like?
Honestly, I can’t believe I got to create this space in our first home. When we first moved in I said to Dave, over and over, that I felt so spoiled. Although there are days when I fantasize about having a completely separate kitchen (it isn’t always fun making dinner in the same spot you’ve been working all day) and even bigger workspace and pantry, the general vibe of this space is what I’ve always dreamt of spending my time in. Oh, having a tv in the space might also be part of my next “dream” make room, but now that I’ve started listening to podcasts I almost prefer them as entertainment.
5. any superstitions when it comes to your making?
I’m pretty OCD about cleaning and organizing our home. Literally everything has to be clean, tidy and in it’s place before I can start working – it’s an issue, an issue that Dave in particular finds very frustrating, haha.
6. something that people would be surprised to know about you?
Hmm, maybe that I have an affinity for rap? Kanye’s The Life of Pablo was the soundtrack to my pregnancy, it would always pump me up enough to accomplish things when I was feeling very sick. When Henry was a newborn I could actually put it on and it would help to settle him to sleep.
7. end goal for your “making”?
I go back and forth a lot. I’ve always dreamed of opening up a shop but am not sure if that schedule lends itself well to having a young family – maybe one day. Right now, I’m really just so excited about combining my interests and connecting with people through this project.
8. if you could have one superpower today, what would it be?
Time travel, for sure. I love the movie About Time and the idea of being able to go back and relive each day without letting all of the “small stuff” bother you. I also would give anything to be able to talk to the people that I’ve lost.
9. if you could turn back time and give one piece of advice to your 18 year old self, what would it be?
If I could really absorb it and heed my own advice, which I still can’t, I would say just STOP worrying about everything so much, it really will be okay.
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