journal

September 2, 2019

Hello from Ottawa!

It’s been 2 weeks since we moved to Ottawa. We’ve unpacked most of our belongings although it’s still a long way from being organized to my liking but the important things are sorted out. 1) The kids are ready for school and 2) my workspace has been set up.

It’ll be interesting to see how I’ll work on production for my business while living in the same space but I’m sure it’ll be fine once the kids are back to their routine. Radley and I have implemented that headphones are mandatory here and we’re using the party rooms wherever we can. Slowly but surely we are finding our rhythm. Just the other day, I finally got the nerve to drive out of the garage! Tight spaces make me nervous plus the fact that it’s shared between the 2 other buildings means it’s super busy. It’s way too much pressure for me but I managed! Now, I just have to practice driving in and parking ☺️.

We’ve lived in a condo before but this garage is very intimidating! I’ll share more photos of our space soon but for now, here’s a glimpse of where I’m sitting typing away.

I am slightly nervous for my plant babies. Our unit doesn’t get as much light as they’re used to because of the building behind us but I’m hoping after we finish painting, we can put up some shelving. I’ve been playing musical chairs with them these past 2 weeks, bringing them out to the balcony during the day to make sure they see as much sun as possible. Wish me luck!

Here’s my other table where I plan to put the press. I’ve been watching the sun move through our unit and it seems that white wall is the ideal spot for my plants. The first photo above (with my computer) gets just an hour or so of morning light then it moves to this side of the room.

As you can see, I’ve managed to squeeze in a bit of work too. This means the shop has been re-opened! I can’t wait to start printing and sewing again!

I’ve listed a few of my logo bags for pre-order since I do get a few inquiries for this style. You can choose to have it made as a tote or a drawstring depending on your preference.

The kids have named Lansdowne Park as the “green park”. It’s become one of their favourites so we went back one afternoon and after a few hours of biking, we headed to Boccato for a treat where I took these photos.

Here’s a closer look at my favorite pins on my bag. Both describe me perfectly to a T 🙂

Bag Lady and Plant Lady is the New Cat Lady.

It me 🙂

Of course, we’ve been to Byward Market as well. It was so hard to resist bringing home some of the beautiful plants for sale but we just have no room for any additional items right now. Oh, I forgot to mention another rule we’ve implemented that for every new item we bring in, we must get rid (donate or sell) 2 of the same. I didn’t quite think that one through being a yarn lover and all before agreeing to it but really, how would they know I added one or two more skeins to my stash?? 😝

// Shop Cake & Knit & Weave & Wear Tote Bag //

// Shop Knitterati Enamel Pin //

August 15, 2019

Peace Out TDot

Forever grateful, forever thankful

It’s hard to believe all the bags made with my own two hands in this tiny corner of my home are being used by knitters across the globe.

Just under 2 years ago, it was just an idea.

Thank you so much for your continued support. It means the world to me and my family.

The shop will be closed from today until September 1st as we pack up and move across the province.

I’ll be back with my new collection sometime next month. If you missed it, you can read all about it here and here.

Peace out TDot! Adventure awaits!

#pearadiseisland

>> PS. My T-shirt is from Drake Cereal. Check her out. She’s awesome!

May 27, 2019

We’re moving!

First of all, wow!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the shop last Friday. It was my biggest update yet after a long hiatus. I’m so humbled and grateful for the warm reception of the new tote bags!

I’m fulfilling all orders as fast as possible. Expect to see tracking details in your inbox very soon! I can’t wait to see you using your bags!

Share with #pearadiseisland and #pearadiseislandtotes.

Feel free to tag me as well, @pearadiseisland.

My 2nd year shopiversary is slowly approaching (Sept) and I’ve been preparing some new color combinations to celebrate 🎉. I will be releasing a few at a time starting in June and of course, newsletter subscribers will be the first to know! Sign up here to get the inside scoop!

#pearadiseislandtotes

As you know, I initially made this bag for my recent travels to Ottawa earlier this year to visit Radley. (More about that here if you’re new). I only made the trip a handful of times but Radley has been commuting every single weekend. At first, I hated the idea of this new venture. The thought of being far away from each other on top of shouldering the kids and chores by myself was daunting.

A few months in and it’s surprisingly not that bad. For me anyway. Thanks to technology, we’re able to stay in touch 24/7 and it helped that he’s been consistent in coming home every week. However, this arrangement is no longer sustainable. It’s taken a toll on him and it’s certainly not enough for the kids. They resist every time he leaves and are left heartbroken. It’s been an emotional roller coaster ride for them and it’s for this reason we made the decision to relocate – at least for the time being.

It’s not really a goodbye because my eldest, Ryan, will remain in Toronto to finish school. We’ll be back often to check on him and our home.

The move will take place sometime in the summer. I have a couple more orders to finish before I can pack up. The shop will remain open during this transition and I hope to launch the new collection in time for my 2nd year anniversary.

I’ll continue to update you here as things progress.

#pearadiseisland

May 22, 2019

Weekender

// The Weekender Sweater by Andrea Mowry //

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this space. How are ya?

I’ve been juggling being a part-time single mama most days of the week and my what feels like 12+ hour days working on my small business. It is tremendously rewarding and exhausting at the same time. Knitting has always been my refuge even though I barely get the luxury to do so anymore. Most days I am completely wiped out to knit a single stitch so when an opportunity to travel presented itself in March, I knew I had to take full advantage.

I’ve had both pattern (gifted by my friend Ashley) and yarn (Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in Narwhal) in my stash for over a year. Honestly, I don’t know what took me so long to knit it up. I shared a sentiment on Instagram a few weeks ago about hoarding my most valued treasures, never wanting to “ruin” the state they came in and Brooklyn Tweed yarn is very very high on that list. I’m ashamed to admit having a few sweater quantities just sitting in a drawer waiting to be used up.

We (myself and my 2 younger mini me’s) traveled to Ottawa to visit my husband for March Break.

Wait… what? why you ask? This should fill you in.

I cast on for this sweater sometime during the 4-hour train ride on the way to Ottawa. We spent 2 weeks there and before I knew it, I had a brand new sweater shortly after we returned home.

Incredibly fast and so rewarding!

It’s knit in the round. Bottom up. Inside out.

The only thing you need to pay attention to is 1) the length and 2) refreshing or learning how to do a Kitchener bind off for the neckband and sleeves.

I used this tutorial from Purl Soho. Easy Peasy!

I loved knitting this sweater as much as wearing it so much I’m already planning to make at least one more. This is easily a wardrobe staple for me and I’d like it in black as well.

These FO photos were taken by my soon to be 20-year-old son, Ryan.

He works for a photography company and with the wedding season now in full swing, he’s booked solid right through summer. He asked for a rain check to celebrate Mother’s Day due to this schedule. We went out on his day off instead.

The plan was to watch a movie then have dinner. He even made arrangements prior for my in-laws to babysit so that we could take our time downtown.

As per usual, we parked at Finch station (he even drove so I could knit!) and we took the subway down. As a young adult, we barely get time alone and it was like a breath of fresh air to catch up with what he’s been up to. We arrived at least half an hour before our movie started so he took me on a tour around his school, Ryerson University. We ended up taking an impromptu photo shoot in the stairwell.

We watched the movie “Us”. He’s currently taking Media Production and is hoping to get in the Film Industry. He’s a huge fan of Jordan Peele’s work and couldn’t wait to show me his latest film even though he’s already seen it before. I enjoyed it! So many creative sequences throughout the movie. Funny how I look at things in a whole new perspective now that Ry is literally dissecting it! Recently, he came home after a lecture from one of the directors of the TV series, Suits. He was so inspired and talked about it so passionately I could taste his hunger for this new passion.

Ahhh, life with young adults is the best!

For dinner, he took me to Assembly Chef’s Hall. We ate so much because we wanted to try as much food as we possibly could. Boy was I glad I was wearing super high waisted pants and a loose fitting boxy sweater 😉 Highly recommend this place. It’s like a food court at the mall except the dishes are 10x better! We plan on going back and bringing the entire family just so we can try more dishes!

I shared most of the food we ate in my stories on Instagram. It’s actually one of my favorite things to share, for no other reason than I’m just happy I’m not cooking hahaha! My dream if when I win that million dollar lottery ticket is to hire a full time chef for life 🙂

Dear Ry,

Thanks for being such an amazing kid. I had so much fun on our date and I feel so lucky I get to be your mom. I love how creative you are, whether it’s playing the piano, taking pictures not just for work but for pleasure whenever you can, and for this new passion you found in film. You constantly blow me away with your drive and motivation and I am so proud of you. I will always support you and be there for you, no matter what.

I love you so much.

xoxo,

mom

September 12, 2018

Pearadise Island turns 1

I can’t believe it’s been a year since I started this little business of mine. I was in my head with so much doubt because I’m super shy and it was really hard for me to put myself out there. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I will still be here today.

I actually celebrated last Friday, Sept. 7th but with the show, I wasn’t able to do a proper post until now. I still remember sharing this quote on Instagram. It was my way of officially holding myself accountable by making a public declaration. My store officially launched on Nov. 12th. It took me 2 months to make all the bags and get organized.

As I sit back and reminisce, I want to take you waaaaay back – and share my story. Many people have asked about how I got started sewing and knitting and I really tried my best several times but could never follow through. I even tried to talk about it on my first podcast but it quickly turned into a hot mess so I decided not to continue. Then, like an angel, my friend Eric tagged me on Instagram to share 5 things about me in my stories. I don’t know how or why I had this overwhelming desire all of a sudden to share and for some reason I was able to express myself without falling apart.

Anyway, if you’re interested on how it all began, continue reading. I haven’t talked about this before because it’s so personal and although it happened ages ago, sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday. I’m sharing it with you today because it’s part of my story on how I got into crafting and how much it helped me cope.

This is my mama. Her name was Tess. This was taken about a year before she passed. She’s on vacation here in the Philippines. It was her first and only time to go back home to the motherland.

We lost her 8 years ago, a day before my birthday on July 5, 2010. She was 56 years old. She was on vacation again – this time visiting her family in sunny California. It was an accident and totally unexpected.

We were actually scheduled to go there and meet her. We had booked a flight prior to travel on Jul 7th and stay for 2 weeks. I still remember getting that dreaded phone call while at the drive-in theatre by the docks. I haven’t been back to a drive in since that day.

She went to Cali to assist her sister with her business. She had already been away for over a month before the accident and it still gives me goosebumps to think that was her way of preparing us for what’s to come. When I was packing her belongings, I found a pamphlet by her bedside about support for widows. My dad also said she wanted him to set up an appointment to buy a lot in the new cemetary near their house for when she came back. She wanted to take advantage while the price was still low. There were so many more signs indicating my mom had some sort of premonition…I’m going to stop here because I don’t want to freak you out… but it seemed like she had a hand in planning her final arrangements. She was always super organized and I feel like up to now, she is close by, always watching over us…

Anyway, you can imagine… how tough it was.

My mom was the most frugal person, I swear. She was so frugal, she wore the same clothes from when we were little. When she passed, my dad couldn’t keep her clothes obviously because it hurt to look at but he also couldn’t give it away so he gave it to me and my siblings.

One day, out of the blue, my brother says, “let’s make a quilt out of her clothes.”

BRILLIANT! Except…none of us had sewn anything before. We didn’t even own a sewing machine.

Budget was super tiiight as I was on mat leave with Vanessa so I picked the cheapest sewing machine on Amazon. They came over one day and we just went for it.

It’s my one and only sewing machine – Brother XL2600I – and still the same one I use today to sew all the bags. She still works! Good ‘ol brother! But I have a feeling someone’s watching over it though 😉

I was going for a modern, minimalistic quilt but I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. My fabric choice of blue silk for the background felt nice against my skin but puckered like crazy. My quilting lines all wobbly and crooked but none of that matters because it’s just like getting a big hug from mama.

Since then, I sewed more things, mostly toys and simple clothes and accessories for Vanessa:

I also made her this quilt out of her baby clothes:

She still uses it today, as a blanket for her doll:

I started a tradition with Vanessa where I made a headband and a matching onesie for the first 12 months of her life.

When Aaron was born, I never got around to making his quilt (and I’m reminded of it every time Vanessa has hers out 😔) but I did keep up with the tradition of taking his photo every month. I cut up a onesie and sewed it back together into a “faux shirt” and also sewed a bow tie.

Here’s a closer look:

That’s basically how I got started with sewing. It felt really good to hold something I made out of my hands and the memories behind each item made it extra special. But with 2 babies only 15 months apart, I had less and less time with the machine. Enter knitting and well….the rest is history!

// I Make Things Enamel Pin from Makeology //

I am so grateful to those who have supported me whether you made a purchase or left words of encouragement. I want you to know I appreciate you!

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart ♥️

June 16, 2018

10-year wanderlust

If you are following me on Instagram and watch my stories, you would have seen snippets of our recent trip from Amsterdam. Radley and I celebrated our 10-year wedding anniversary there last month. We’re back home now and I’m slowly catching up with orders and updating my blog. I’m currently editing a new podcast so stay tuned for that.

I did record some b-roll and I do plan on uploading a vlog but knowing me, that will take some time… So, for now, I hope you’ll enjoy these 2 short films Radley created. He might be adding a third at some point and if he does, I’ll share it here as well.

PS, Apologies if it takes a while to load, I’m not able to upload these to YouTube due to 99.9% chance of copyright infringement :)))

Enjoy!

If you’re curious, these are the songs used:

Effortless by Wale
Zoom by Kyle

April 24, 2018

Toronto

I’m still in shock.

Both Radley and Ryan commute to Yonge and Finch every single day. Whenever we go into the city, we park at that station and take the subway down from there. It’s devastating to see this stretch of road so familiar to us and so close to home go through something unimaginable and horrific.

Yesterday, I sent Ryan to the passport office at Yonge and Sheppard. We are going to Punta Cana at the end of June and really need to get this done. I was there last week when I realized I had filled out the wrong form for his application.

The area is very busy with limited parking. Being a new driver, he didn’t want to deal with that headache and told me he was going to drive to Fairview mall instead and take the subway from there. I told him he’s going further away. Time is money and all that unnecessary commute is just a waste. I gave him my credit card and told him to drive to the office and pay for parking. Or, drive to Yonge and Steeles and park at the mall. It’s only a 10-minute bus ride. He said “ok mom” and left the house around 11:30. It was nearly 2pm when I realized he hadn’t checked in yet so I called him. He was still waiting in line. He called me back half an hour later saying he’s finally done and is going back to the car. He asked, “Mom, did you hear about the accident? A van hit several pedestrians. They blocked off Yonge Street from Sheppard to Finch.” Clueless, I said no, but to drive west to Bathurst and go around since he can’t take Yonge back home. He said “no mom, I parked at Fairview. I’m going to the subway now, call you later.”

I never ever thought I would say this but I’m so glad he didn’t listen to me yesterday. I’m thankful he was unharmed despite being in the area at the time this tragedy occurred. I’m also thankful Radley was right beside me working from home.

We are heartbroken.

To our city, and to everyone affected by this tragedy, our thoughts and prayers go out to you.

For more information or to find out how you can help, click here.

(I know it’s blurry but it’s the latest photo I have of us)

[ Project: No show socks // Hat from my cousin: In The Cut ]

March 22, 2018

Holy Grail

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Brooklyn Tweed. It’s always been a dream of mine to have a closet full of garments made from their yarn and designs. I have plans to make Natsumi, Ondawa, Aspen, Channel cardigan, Sundottir, to name a few.

[Images via Brooklyn Tweed]

So, of course, when I heard that the man behind it all, Jared Flood, was being interviewed in the Making podcast, I was ecstatic.

I’ve always enjoyed Ashley Yousling’s work on Woolful. It’s incredibly eye-opening and inspiring to hear about other creative’s journey and the ambiance she provides to tell the story is so my jam.

The quote above is from the interview. It resonated with me at this point in my life. Not just with my work but with life in general.

Isn’t it true that we always seem to wait for the right time? When the kids are older or when I win the lottery or when I lose that extra 10 pounds, I will…….(insert goal here)

What about right now?

What can you be grateful for at this very moment?

I’ve been trying to embrace mindfulness more and more as part of my new self-care routine and let me tell you, it’s not so easy. I’ve got so many ideas buzzing in my head. My to-do list is never-ending, the laundry is always overflowing and there aren’t enough hours in the day to get it all done. It’s very easy for me to be overwhelmed by things that in hindsight really doesn’t even matter if I look at the grand scheme of things.

It’s been a work in progress, allowing myself to pause and appreciate the little things whenever I can.

Bullet journaling (bujo) has been my holy grail. I love that it not only helps me keep my tasks and thoughts organized but it clearly lets me know when I’m in way over my head. What I think is important at the time all of a sudden gets shoved down the list or gets migrated. In some instances even irrelevant!

[WIP: Summer Feelin’ Sweater by Wool and the Gang]

I give myself room to journal in there as well and I love that everything is in chronological order. From my tasks to my thoughts. I can easily go back and remember where I was in my life when brainstorming an idea. I don’t really focus on the “pretty/fancy layouts” that bujo can easily turn into. I keep it pretty simple. I carry it everywhere I go and I make the effort to note what I’m grateful for each week.

I find this practice helps improve my perspective. I scan the week I’ve had and find one or two things that might have otherwise been overlooked. There’s always something to be grateful for. Even if you think it’s the worst possible day. It really isn’t so bad.

I love my Leuchtturm1917. It’s simple and classic (hmmm, sound familiar?) you know it’s right up my alley! I love that it comes with dotted lines, numbered pages, table of contents and 2 bookmarks. But mostly, I love the freedom of being able to customize the pages to however it best suits my needs for a particular time. I’m in total control of what I want to make a note of, whether I want a diary section for this week/month or not.

I chose not to get the bullet journal edition (I got it for my husband though) because it comes with fewer pages and cost a bit more. Have to admit though, I do like the extra features of a dedicated Key and Collections page.

I use the 2 bookmarks it came with for 1) my Current Week 2) my Collections. I added a third which says “Escape the Ordinary” and I use it for easy access to my Future Logs. I picked it up from Indigo (obsessed with that store!) a while back so I’m not sure if they still carry it but there a few others I’ve got my eye on like this and this. Thing is, I only use this one notebook so I can’t really justify getting another charm bookmark (for now anyway!)

It’s jewelry for my notebook. I just love it!

Anyway, back to the quote.

Lots of ideas and plans for the shop that I hope to accomplish this year. But at this moment, I want to pause, reflect, and be mindful of what is happening right now.

I’m extremely humbled and grateful for the opportunities coming my way and I can’t wait to share it with you soon!

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Forever grateful, forever thankful

#pearadiseisland

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