Hi, I'm Trish Papadakos.

Radiant Dark — The Devil is the Details

It was a pleasure to collaborate with a pair of my favourite Canadian business owners, and designers, on their upcoming show in Toronto. MADE has curated a collection of new Canadian design works for their annual exhibition, and the catalogue above (designed by yours truly) prepares you for what you can look forward to seeing at the show.

859 Dundas Street West | January 26 to 29th, noon-6 pm daily

First mix of the year!

2011. A year in review.

The year before last involved so many new changes (the biggest being the move from London, UK, back to Toronto after two years), that it made this year feel a little less exciting or eventful. Until I reflected more deeply…

• Alan and I reconnected with Toronto, and felt a strong sense of home again.
• Celebrated my 7th anniversary, with my one and only.
• I finally (after deliberating for nearly two years) invested in a digital SLR camera, and made some progress in learning how to actually use it.
• I started documenting my days through photographs halfway through the year, using Instagram, and haven’t stopped.
• Before hitting the milestone of turning 30, I hit another: getting engaged to the love of my life.
• I shifted gears to a more creative and fruitful business opportunity, than the one I was previously focused on.
• Cooking and baking provided another outlet to be creative and “make things”. I learned a lot in that capacity this year.
• We traveled back to London for the first time since leaving our home there, and I surprised myself by not crying. I only smiled.
• A second trip back to Barcelona reminded me of why I loved it so much the first time.
• A quick jaunt to Milan made me less enthused to return, but satisfied a long-held curiosity.
• Time in Greece this year allowed me to reunite with friends and family that I hadn’t seen in many, many years.
• I spent quality time — every day — with the person I love most.

Some hopes for 2012:

• Overcome a childhood fear I’ve avoided challenging or working on until now.
• Focus on my own creative projects, taking time to follow my heart, and listen to my own voice.
• Take my culinary enthusiasm to new heights, by continuing to gain more confidence in my kitchen.
• Become better acquainted with my camera.
• Do more reading.
• Begin wedding planning (in earnest) halfway or so through the year.
• Plan an epic summer trip.
• Spend quality time with my best friend and partner, on a regular basis.

Happy 2012! May it be better than you could hope for.

Christmas came early, thanks to a special friend visiting from Switzerland, and hand-delivering the tastiest gift!

A little something to listen to while roasting chestnuts, sipping hot cocoa, and wrapping gifts this month…

Earlier this month, when Alan had a terrible cold, I made a lot of soup for him.

Ever since I started using Instagram a few months ago, my Flickr account has been very quiet. I’ve consciously decided to use my “real” camera more often again, and post more regularly… Here are some new photos that I shared today.

Tunes to celebrate what’s left of this beautiful fall season.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world,
are the ones who do.

Heartwarming tunes for cooler and darker Autumn days.

Among the apple trees — At Two Century Farm, there’s no denying that autumn is here. The tree branches continue to grow heavier with gorgeous apples.

Last days of summer

Spent enjoying the warm sun at the farm and by the pond, with bbq’s and bonfires to warm up in the evening.

A farewell to August

When your fiancé’s family owns a 223-year-old fruit farm, and you end up with more peaches than you can possibly eat, the best thing to do is to throw a Peach Party!

A sweet end to the month, and possibly, the summer…?

Pure Summer

There’s something about Greece that commands you to stop, and enjoy yourself. The weight of the sun on your shoulders, and the smell of sea salt in the air… It amounts to such bliss for me.

For as long as I can remember, summers were always spent in Greece; from the day after school ended, to the day before it began again. The carefree abandon that I felt the moment I stepped off the plane and breathed in the air, absolutely defined summer, and continues to.

More visions of summer in Greece can be viewed here.

Jack Layton, July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011

MP, Député
Toronto – Danforth
Leader of the Official Opposition/Chef de l’Opposition officielle
Leader, New Democratic Party/Chef, Nouveau Parti démocratique

(via thinksmith)

Celebrating what’s left of summer with a collection of love songs.

Our (second) summer visit to the city of beautiful markets, tucked away streets, delicious food, lush parks, and perfect sunshine.

It’s hard to leave a place as wonderful as Barcelona. When it was time to continue on with our travels, the thing that reassured us is that we’ll be back again. A visit once every other year could become a pretty great tradition…

Some more moments from our second visit are here.

Just over a year

At the beginning of August last year, Alan and I moved back from London, England, to Toronto, Canada, after living there for nearly two years. During our first few (or more honestly, five or six!) months back, I missed London terribly. But, as to be expected, time provided a sense of belonging to our new (old) place again.

Just before our one-year anniversary of being back in Canada, we hopped across the pond to visit our beloved, London. Leading up to the trip, I wondered how I would react — walking by our old flat (the first home we shared together), spending time in our old neighbourhood, and favourite spots around the city. I surprised myself, I wasn’t upset or sad, but instead was ecstatic to be re-united with what continues to feel like our home away from home.

Here is a selection of photographs, captured as we attempted to cross off the 40-or-so destinations on our “must-eat/must-visit-list”.