Despite getting somewhat back into a routine, October just flew right by like every other month. We had some lovely fall weather so I was able to spend most mornings outside on walks or getting the garden ready for winter. Luckily, our yard was a riot of colour this season, which made the outdoor chores much more enjoyable -

My afternoons were spent torching, working with new glass and playing with new ideas and designs. Here's a few sneak peeks -

And I received a big order of dichroic glass in the mail! Isn't it beautiful? I'm excited to make some beads with it; I see a lot of sparkle in your near future! 

This month hasn't been all about colour though. A surprisingly fun project was the black and white challenge that was going around on Facebook. Basically, someone challenges you to take 1 photo a day for a week. It has to be in black and white with no explanations, no people and no pets (what, no Mickey?!). At first, when I was invited to do it, I thought it would be kind of lame because I'm a colour addict, but in truth, it turned into an interesting experiment. I had to keep my eyes peeled for what I might deem a good subject matter and in that I had to think about what makes a good black and white photo, something I've never considered before. In the end, I concluded that having an interesting contrast of light and dark or taking a photo of something with texture and/or pattern made the best photos.  Here are some of mine from that week - 

The October routine was punctuated with Thanksgiving get togethers and a few outings including dinner at Bodega, which just might be my favourite place for tapas. Have you been? If you go, don't miss the chance to try the piri piri shrimp (unless you're deathly allergic to shrimp... then I would definitely miss that chance). We also went to another Escape room, GTFO with a group of friends and didn't even come close to escaping in time. I wish they would make them an hour long instead of 45 minutes, it's just way too rushed.

Afterwards, we wondered down into the basement area where there was a lounge called, "The Voice". It's a karaoke bar but there was only a handful of songs in English so after Chris sang, Michael Jackson's, Billy Jean, to strange looks from behind the bar, we left. From there we popped into The Bower, a little lounge tucked away in a downtown building with the feel of a Speakeasy. I only mention it because it has the coolest decor with plush couches, high back chairs, ornate mirrors, old oil paintings, warm lamp lighting and a beautiful, Victorian style bar. Chris and I are chipping away at turning our basement into a pub so I was totally inspired by the place. It's actually a dance club and the cocktails are a little too "experimental" for me, but I would go back just for some tips when we start decorating our space at home.

We ended the night with late night snacks at the relatively new wine bar called, Wishbone. I loved the curved ceiling and the horizontal strips of wood. I also tried my very first oyster there... and probably my last. ;)

Do you listen to CBC radio? They have this show called, "The Debaters" with host Steve Paterson. We found out they were on tour and coming to Edmonton so we had to see it live. It's pure comic gold. If you like the show, you'll really enjoy watching it live. Steve is such a witty host and in total there were 12 comics and 6 debates, arguing silly themes like what's better, the question mark or exclamation point! 

Of course, this October we said goodbye to a Canadian icon, Gordon Downie from The Tragically Hip. We all knew it was coming, but it was still such sad news to digest. That day, I spent time in my garden under a warm sun while listening to the Hip and all the beautiful tributes to Gordie in my earbuds. Someone in the mix said, "we listen to music when we're happy and we listen to the lyrics when we're sad". Thankfully, Gord strung so many words together brilliantly. We have such a treasure trove of amazing songs from them, some I've been listening too for over 25 years.  In a weird way, it was like losing a friend. 

On a lighter note, we have set on a date for our Christmas Open House! It will be December 9th, Saturday from 11 - 4 pm & December 10th, Sunday from 1 - 4 pm.  We have some new designs and of course new beads, lots of pretty things for the season!

In the meantime, I hope you're staying warm and hyggely. xo Carrie