Archive for December 2013

Cheers to a wonderful 2013!

Purple Workbench has been alive and afloat for over 6 months now and it feels good to have shared some creative experiences with you!

Maybe you baked yourself a pound cake?

Maybe you made yourself an ornament for the tree?



Maybe you were one of the 7 ladies who joined me at a farmhouse retreat to relax, feast, and craft together!



The new year brings new opportunities to be crafty and creative, and I'm excited to announce the next Purple Workbench event!

Purple Workbench presents:


Join the Purple Workbench for a weekend to escape the snowy citylife and make time to relax and create. The 5 bedroom luxury cottage is nestled in peaceful forestry adjacent to the Nottawasaga river, just outside of Orangeville.

Like the previous farmhouse retreat, this is your chance to bring any creative project to work on and have all your culinary needs provided for. I'll have optional sewing workshops available if you are looking to brush up on your sewing skills, but any crafty endeavour is welcome! (I'm thinking of bringing my laptop to finish up some digital photobooks...)

On the menu will be heartwarming meals aimed to comfort and soothe away any winter blues, and there will always be plenty of delicious treats and beverages to fill the weekend.

For more information on the event, including registration, please send an email to contact@purpleworkbench.com. Cost is $300 for a private room plus all meals and snacks.

Wishing you all a fantastic end to your year and creative plans for the future ahead!

Living in a big city can be financially difficult. Things just cost more. But you don't want to sacrifice life too much just to save a couple bucks. There's a fine balance between saving for your future and enjoying life before it's gone.

The lovely writers at Urban Departures are giving a great account of their journey to Financial Freedom without missing out on life's treasures.

They support travelling, good food, buying what you love, athletic luxuries, and a fave at the Purple Workbench: crafty hobbies. All while keeping their financial goals in check.

Where do they splurge? How do they try to save? It's great fun reading about regular (and chic) modern urbanites as they learn about the financial basics and more.

Their latest post is a Purple Workbench post for a DIY Christmas ornament that doubles as an inexpensive gift. Go check out my step by step tutorial on the Zipper Christmas Tree Ornament!