A Mad Men Party - Finally!!

I can't believe it was the summer of 2007 when I first saw AMC's trailer for the upcoming Mad Men series.  One look at the costumes and set design and I was hooked.  About 3 minutes later I wanted to throw a Mad Men theme party.  Fast forward a while... I finally squeezed in a party on the night before the finale.

We also got a new couch a few months prior, and it fits the bill pretty perfectly. 

I had a lot of fun making the food for this party.  I have a small stash of vintage magazines, so I used recipes straight out of the 60's .  Change is a good thing - especially when it comes to avocado based dips.  No that is not guacamole! It is avocado and mayo and it was a sad waste of a delicious perfectly ripe avocado.  *sob

The deviled eggs, cheese ball and french onion soup dip were fairly classic.  But on the sweet side were these gems: pineapple rings surrounded by Jello, and ambrosia salad.  

Steve spent a solid chunk of time mixing drinks.  

We offered Tom Collins, the Blue Hawaiian, Old Fashioned and Mint Juleps.  

These fake ciggies were absolutely worth the effort.  They're the breadsticks that come in Handi-snack packs, dipped in white chocolate then red sprinkles and served in a thrifted ash tray complete with ash made from sugar crystals.  They were delicious and also added that extra element to everyone's photo poses, haha.

One of the things I love most about my friends is their willingness to participate.  Maybe my prize for best costume would have influenced things, but there were some great outfits.

It was a great night and I'm so happy! Better late than never!

The Oldies Dance

A couple weekends ago now, some friends + Steve & I went to an Oldies Dance put on by a radio station in Hamilton.  We were the youngest of the crowd by a couple decades, but it was a blast!
And you know how much I love to dress up!

I found my dress for $35 at a shop on Queen called Tribal Rhythm, which I always forget about/can't remember where on Queen it actually is. But I won't forget now - the dress had never been worn! And in a nearly impossible situation, I actually had multiple vintage dresses that fit me to decide between.

The dance was in a massive warehouse and had seats at tables for 1000 people, a silent auction of musical memorabilia, carnival rides including a merry-go-round, a fun house, games, and my fave a photobooth!
Enough telling - I can show you!

This part of the fun house was spinning, fyi.  :)

I knew we would have a good time, but I had no idea how much of a good time it would be.  Next year I want all of my friends to make the trek to Hamilton too!
Also - I want a photobooth in the hallway of my apartment.  I need to work on it.

Count to 30 - #23 - Photo session

Maybe you're getting sick of lists now.  I am.  Lol.  Now that I have to come up with 20+ things in a list it is rough. Must finish!

Here are 23 photos of A & M, which I took last week in an engagement session at Guildwood Park.  Aren't they cute? They'll be using some of these to send save-the-dates as well.  I'm so thankful that the rain held off for about an hour so we could snap these.
Enjoy and Happy Sunday!

 

It was great how much fun they have with each other.  Giggles all day. 

It was cold!

The falling leaf shot definitely required an extra person to be glamourous.  Haha still love it.

 Congrats lovebirds!

Our First Fake Prom

On an outing to Kensington Market a few weeks ago, I found a postcard advertising for Fake Prom 2012.  Elizabeth was there, and we decided we needed to go.
It took a little coaxing, but the guys did join us as well. ;)

I had no idea that for the past 10 years this event has been happening in Toronto.  It started out as a theme night a guy threw at Sneaky Dee's and has grown to become 1000 people dressed up in a rented ballroom, Palais Royale.  It was a blast.

We had no idea what to expect.  This year's theme was Enchantment Under the Sea.  The website had photos from Marty's parent's prom in Back to the Future.  So we dressed a bit retro and posed for some self-timer shots in my apt lobby.

 When we got to the venue, we discovered it was even cooler than we'd expected.  They had under the sea decorations and photobooths, and people were dressed in ocean costumes! There were jellyfish, mermaids, pirates, crabs, the Titanic, King Tritan, Team Zissou, and fish!
(I don't like taking pictures of strangers without consent, so if you want to see some use #fakeprom and search instagram.  The official event pics aren't up yet...)

There were 2 dj's and a live band.  It was so much fun to have on a random Friday night!
And only $20! I hope someone else picks up the reigns to organize another in the future. 

When was your last prom? 

Saturday

On Friday of last week I noticed a post on a friend's facebook wall that would change the course of my weekend.  A girl I hadn't seen since high school asked "Anyone know people living in Toronto that might want to buy Radiohead tickets?"
I was thrilled.  I immediately added her as a friend and sent her a message about the tickets.
She was selling them for less than she paid - awesome.
The concert was the next day & I had the day off - perfect.
She had 3 to sell and I needed 2 - cool.
The tickets were in Thunder Bay and needed to get to Toronto - hmmm.

She did find a person she knew who was flying to Toronto the next day, if I could go to the airport and get the tickets there.  Ok.  So it takes me an hour and a half to get to Toronto's terribly placed airport from where I live.  And what? Her flight lands at 8am.  Oh boy.
But I did it - I've wanted to see Radiohead forever, never lived in a city where they were going to play, and this concert sold out so quickly.  I packed a book and got the tickets.

I then went home and had a nap.
A few hours later in the day, as Steve and I were heading out the door to go to the concert, I got a text.  "Mel, look at the news or call the concert venue."  What?
And the news was terrible.  The stage collapsed just before they opened the gates.
It injured 3 and killed one man from Radiohead's road crew.  The concert was cancelled. 

We couldn't believe it.  I called other friends that were going to the concert and everyone was in disbelief. 

My apologies, I don't want to make it seem like the event was trivial, but I don't know how to segue into how the rest of my night turned out to be great.   I sincerely hope they can figure out the cause of the accident and prevent it from happening in the future.

Back to my shallow story.
We were ready to go out on a Saturday night but now had to find new plans.

This is the thing I love most about Toronto.  There is always something.

We decided to meet up with K & H.  They were downtown and enjoying some of the free concerts Luminato had to offer.  We told them find a restaurant somewhere off of Yonge and we'd meet.
They ended up finding a little place called the Urban House Cafe.  Which was having its grand opening that night and we'd be some of their first patrons.

Sorry - blurry cell phone pic! But they have a nice patio :)

Guess what the Saturday night special was?  2 entrees and a pitcher of beer or sangria for $24.95!
Seriously. 

The gals went with Sangria.

Guys went with beer.

Now we probably would go to this little cafe again, but maybe just for drinks.  lol.
The menu had AMAZING prices - meals ranging from $4-$11.  But the menu was all over the place with Thai, Indian, Mexican, Italian, All Day Breakfast and even sushi.    Jack of all trades, master of none - we were not really impressed by the food.  No one tried the breakfast though, maybe that would be good?  Next time, drinks & nachos!

After our around-the-world dinner we walked down to Yonge and Dundas to catch the free Flaming Lips concert that was part of NXNE.  It was packed.  But a lot of fun.  I've always wanted to see the Flaming Lips play too. 

After we couldn't take the crowd any longer, we decided to head to Utopia, a fave restaurant for some gourmet poutine we may have been craving.  As we headed to the restaurant we discovered a street carnival in Little Italy, and walked through bands, dancing and a midway to get to Utopia.
Toronto you saucy minx!

Overall it ended up being a great night, even though completely different than planned.
Feeling thankful for Toronto and good friends. 

2012: The year of the Dirty 30.

It's official.  2012 is the year in which 80% of my friends turn 30. 
Everyone I grew up with - friends from elementary school, high school, college.  (Me too. )

It's daunting, 30, for some reason.   Growing up in the 80's I had a much different picture of where I would be at 30.  Not that I dislike where I am now at all, but when I think about my mom turning 30 and already having 3 kids, sometimes that clock gives a little tick ;)

At least the fun part of this year will be a lot of parties.  The first of them was this past weekend, a surprise party 3 weeks late for D.  Here are a few fave pics. 

First off - check out the view from their condo! My city <3

The 'cake' was a pile of persians - which are unique to Thunder Bay, and were flown in as a surprise with D's sister.  I should dedicate a post to those desserts soon - I need to crack the recipe. 

Think cinnamon bun/donut with raspberry frosting....

If you talk behind the glass no one will know.  ;)

Happy Birthday D!

How old are you and your friends turning this year? 
Does 30 seem daunting to you?

52 weeks - week nineteen.

mattcimone7645, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

This is my old friend Matt.  

We went to different high schools, but met through a student organization ages ago.

He has always been a bit of a role model for me.  We are the same age, yes, but Matt is just all around a great, upstanding human being.   

He has started a project called Esther's Echo - a website which connects donors to projects around the world that need funding.  I love the idea.  

It's not just giving money to a charity to build a school - it's connecting you to the teacher who runs a girls school on $2 a day.  

Have a peek if you have a minute :)

30 days of getting to know me. day two.

day 2 - a picture of you and the person you have been close with for awhile.

Meet my great, kind, wonderful, talented friend Cindy. 

Here's a pic of what facebook has to say about us.

We have been friends for over a decade.   We first met at our elementary school, she was in class with my brother, I was in class with hers.   We re-met later through a mutual friend Meg, at a murder mystery birthday party, I believe.  We were acquaintances for a while, and then laughed to find out that we were in the same film production program in college.  From there, it's only gotten better. 

After graduation, Cindy moved to Toronto, and I took about 4 more years to follow.  I moved into a shared house with her brother, then a room opened and I moved in with Cindy.  

We've had, bake-a-thons, Sex and the City marathons, dance-offs in the kitchen, Christmas decorating parties and loads and loads of laughs.  She is truly like a sister to me. 

In the newest development, Cindy and her boyfriend Francesco got engaged, and asked me to be in the wedding party.  Whoo hoo! I get to help my best friend plan a beautiful day.  

oh! and Cindy's dad also figured out that we are, on far-reaching branches of the family tree, related.  She is family after all.

i love weddings.

is anyone else a sucker for weddings?  

i love seeing the bride & bridesmaid all giddy before the ceremony.

watching the bride and groom see each other for the first time.

dads walking their daughters.

 the perma-grin on the newlyweds.

 seeing my bestie cindy carry 2 bouquets all day as the maid of honour.

 hanging out with other couples between the ceremony & reception.

 getting dressed up! 

(this is my first ever little black dress, btw)

 seeing steve in a suit. mmmm hmmm ;)

 first dances.

 portraits at dusk.

 silly "we are the ones at the rowdy table" shots.

 and spending the night getting my fave type of exercise - dancing!

what's your fave thing about going to a wedding?