Our fiber food has been included in the latest issue of Portals Zine. What a treat for me, as this is the first time any of my art has been published!
Back in November, I was reading a post on Lori's blog and I saw some wonderful fabrics she had recently purchased. Lori was kind enough to mention the lines (Building Blocks for American Jane Patterns-Sandy Klop for Moda fabrics, by the way), which made it easier to find when I decided I must have some for myself. So, I went to www.equilter.com and searched for the fabrics and voila...
Aren't they just nummy?
Can't wait to use them in a project.
So, here we are at the start of another new year...someone called it "the Bond year". Kinda cute.
One of the things I like about the start of a year is hanging up the new calendar. It signifies the top for me, like I am on a mountain where I will slowly wind my way along the switchbacks until ending up in the valley which is December once again.
Here's to all the possibilities a fresh new year can bring.
During the holidays, we made a trip over to Vancouver Island to visit with the families. While there, we dropped in at the new Starbucks (conveniently located just a few blocks from my mom's house). As we headed out with warm beverages in hand, we looked over to see them tearing down the neighbouring McDonald's (whose sign read "Reopen Spring 2007").
Now I know what you must be thinking..."Whoo hoo! One less McDonald's in the world, even if only for a short period of time, must be a good thing!" 
Right?
Well, this particular McDonald's holds some very special memories for Stephen and I. It was where we were both working in March 1979 when we first met...and it was where Stephen asked me out on our first date. So, it was with a touch of sorrow and nostalgia that we watched the dozer take bite after bite out of the landmark which represented the beginning of our life together some 27 years ago...*heavy sigh*
This little angel graced the Christmas trees of my youth. My mother passed it on to me shortly after Stephen and I were married (almost 25 years ago) and she has been on the top of our tree ever since. She always reminds me of those wonderful Christmas mornings where my sister and I would race into the living room to see what Santa had left for us. Those gifts were always placed with loving care at the front and centre under the tree; ready for us to pick up and play with immediately. Two particularly memorable years were the one where I received my Baby Tenderlove doll and then the year I received my little green portable radio/record player (which I still have).
Experiencing Christmas through the eyes of a child...especially your own, is wonderful in a completely different way. Setting up the Fisher Price Castle or the Criss Cross Crash set late on Christmas Eve...special times. Seeing my wee one with his wide eyes of surpise and delight...I will cherish those memories forever.
I hope you all enjoy this special time with family and friends.
Wishing you and your's the best of the season. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
The last plate in our fibre feast round robin arrived in the mail today...Laurie's appetizer plate.
How about Suanne's crab claws? Just awesome. Suanne also included her fabio milk carton which will become part of the TV dinner. The inside of the carton is lined with cow print. Too cute.
I have to admit, when the idea of this was first proposed at ArtFiberFest, I wasn't sure what to expect. Now, as we near the conclusion of this wonderful art adventure, I can honesty say I will be sorry to see it end.
I was tagged by Shari this morning to mention six weird things about myself, so here it goes...
1. I wear three earrings in my right ear and only two in my left...decided to get one extra hole put in my right ear many moons ago. I was going through an asymetrical phase (my hair was also asymetric at the time).
2. I was kissed by a killer whale on a stormy night at Seaworld, Ohio when I was ten.
3. Got to drive a stockcar (which was WAY COOL!)
4. Along with my team mate Rob, we became grand champions on a local game show "Talk About" back in October '89. We won $12,700 in cash and prizes (which was pretty good for a Canadian game show at the time).
5. I am a confessed Starbucks addict, but I never, EVER drink coffee...can't stand the stuff.
6. When I was a child, had a real chicken as a pet that I used to dress up and push around in a pram.
So, now that I have professed my weirdness to all...I tag Heather B and my fabulous fibre feast pals Lori S-C, Laurie G, Suanne, Carla, and Jen. You're it!
What a crazy month of weather...rain storms, wind storms, snow storms...oh my!
I wonder what December holds in store? Guess we won't have to wait long to find out.
Decided I should switch over to blogger beta and check out the new and improved functionality. I do like the new editing and 'drag and drop' features. While I was at it, I thought it might be a good time for a wee overhaul to the blog. A friend recently mentioned that she has a hard time reading blogs with black backgrounds, so hopefully this helps.
We had a wild rain/wind storm last week. Because of the high turbidity in the water, we have had to boil water or use bottled water for the past several days. Luckily, we have a water cooler and a good supply of water on hand, so it hasn't been too bad. The stores were all out of water within a day of the boil water notice. It's quite scary to think how bad it could be if we ever have the "big one" (earthquake). I think we can all benefit from Mother Nature's subtle and not so subtle nudges to help us become more aware and to be prepared for the time she decides to really let us have it.
My mom came over from Vancouver Island for the weekend. On Saturday we headed out to 'Be Creative', a fabulous little family-owned rubber stamp business run out of their home in Pitt Meadows (about a half hour east of our place). Haroldine, hubby Bob, kids Kari and Kyle and, last but not least, Iris (they are all wonderful) were busy demo'ing the new Adirondack Dabbers. I thought, I don't need those, as I have lots of acrylic paints already. Well...let me tell you, they are some kinda fun! I picked up a couple and Mom bought a bunch of stuff, but didn't pick up any of the Dabbers. We got back to our house and started to play with all the new goodies. Within about an hour, Mom decided she should have picked up some of the Dabbers and would I mind... Yep, in the car and back out to Haroldine's we went.
samples of Adirondack Dabbers and a new Stampers Anonymous 'Tim' stamp
We were greeted with a "Wow, it's been a while!" from Bob. Mom got her Dabbers and some paper and some more of this and that. Well, heck if I'm going to go home empty handed. I picked up a few more Dabbers and Mom bought me Tim Holtz's new book, "Distressables 2".
Most who know me, know how much I love Tim's art (I spent a weekend at a local scrapbook store in the summer of '05 taking a bunch of his classes...he is a doll!!). My fabulous art friends have been giving me a hard time about it ever since (okay, maybe I was a tad enthusiastic when I discussed how much fun I had and how much I liked him...okay...I admit it...I gushed...and gushed...but I had such a GREAT TIME!) Heck, we had practically the same hair style at the time!
Sunday, Stephen made his scrumpy pancakes with bacon for breakfast and then we played and watched our BC Lions win the Grey Cup, hooray! (Cdn equivalent to the Super Bowl for all my American friends) And it didn't end there. Next we got to watch my beloved Vancouver Canucks beat Chicago. It was a great weekend for my teams (Canucks also won on Friday night). Mom even made her famous pork chow mein for dinner. We had a lovely visit.
You must check out Laurie's pasta salad and romaine lettuce on the salad plate and Lori's pancakes for my breakfast plate. You gals rock!
I am currently working on my contribution for the TV dinner. I'll post a picture as soon as I am done.
Here's a peek at Lori's quiche and Jen's chocolate dipped strawberries that have been added to Laurie's appetizer plate.
The title of this post sums up the events of the last several days. Last week started with notification that our company was going to be going through another RIF (reduction in force). Sound better than "downsizing" or "rightsizing"? You be the judge. I understand it is necessary to sustain the business, but that doesn't make it any easier. Thursday came and went and I made it, but it is always hard to say goodbye to friends you have made over the years.
On Friday, we headed out with a group of friends to go see the Halloween Haunt held at one of the local movie studios. A bit hokey, but fun nonetheless. After that, we headed out for dinner and I was surprised with some birthday presents from my guys (my birthday was Saturday). My Wesley got me a table top vice, to assist with my soldering projects, and Stephen gave me a Nikon S6 digital camera. I have been wanting one for a while...love the large screen on the back. And to top it all off, we made it home in time to see my beloved Vancouver Canucks beat the Washington Capitals in an overtime shootout! What a way to start off my birthday weekend.
On Saturday it was off to the first of two fun-filled days of book-making classes. Janice came by and we carpooled over. The fabulous Nancy and April hosted the event. April was our chef for the two days, keeping our tummies full with all sorts of nummy delights. Suzanne Cannon of Quiet Fire Design taught us 'Over and Under the Covers' and 'Mini Mica Memories' on day one and 'Unfolding Adventures' on day two. Suzanne is a wonderful teacher and a lovely person. I always enjoy her classes. I was surprised with a birthday cake and some lovely treats. Thanks everyone! I got to meet Mary, who will be one of my room mates at Artfest! What a pleasure. Mary travelled over from Victoria to attend the classes. I got to catch up with Nadine, another one of my original art friends (as are Pat and Janice) who is just back from a wonderful trip to Italy. I can't wait to hear more and see some pictures. On Saturday, after our book classes, Nancy held another class for a portion of the group and we made lovely beaded dolls. With us all seated around a table it was a nice couple of hours to sit and chat while we worked away.
All in all it was a wonderful weekend and a great way to turn 29 for the 15th time. :u)
I finally decided to do as Heather told me and start putting my pictures in flickr. So, if you would like to take a look at my copper book, here you go.
It's been awhile...lots of stuff has been going on of late, so my apologies to those of you who are kind enough to drop by for a visit now and again.
I finished my copper book and am quite pleased with how it turned out; unfortunately, blogger doesn't seem to be cooperating this evening, so I will post pictures as soon as I can.
I'll be back soon with my recent adventures in art and life.
Cheers.
It was so exciting to open up the big envelope that arrived a while back. In it was Jen's bento box (the third dish of our fibre food swap to arrive).
Here are pictures of Suanne's tempura (naked and with batter). Great job!
I opened up the wonderful box of fabrics that were given to me by my friend Janice and found just the right material to create my additions to the bento box. Included are Ikura (salmon roe) and Tamago (egg) nigiri along with Gari (pickled ginger), a little felted Wasabi and last but not least, a Shiso* leaf. You should have seen the look on the woman's face when I walked up to the mall sushi stand to ask for one plastic shiso leaf (to use as a pattern). I'm sure she thought I was nuts.
*A little factoid...called "shisho" in Japan, this herb was traditionally served with sushi to alleviate seafood poisoning. Today it is rarely served, but it is represented by a green, plastic leaf in pre-packaged sushi.
I decided that my copper book is going to contain Wesley's poetry. This is the first page I finished for inside the book. The poem is titled "Sitting".
This weekend I am taking a two-day copper book class. The instructor is Suzanne Cannon. Her website is Quietfire Design. She is an amazing calligrapher and if you read Sommerset Studio you may have seen some of her work. I have taken several bookmaking workshops with Suzanne and this one is quite unique. Today, we etched images into the covers by simply stamping with StazOn and soaking the copper in ferric chloride. Once that process was finished, I dipped my covers in a liver of sulfur solution. Watching the colours change and deciding just the right time to rinse it off was a fun exercise. Everyone had different results, all wonderful. I tried to scan them, but it didn't show all the detail, so I took a couple of pictures (hard while trying to get enough light, but not so much that I got glare and reflection off the copper), so here they are...not the best, but good enough to give you an idea. The face will be the front and the text will be tipped and used for the back.
Tomorrow we get to etch more copper and also make the signatures for the book. I am going to make mine into a book of Wesley's poems. I will post more once it is finished.
After receiving Carla's email about the addition to my breakfast plate, I thought hmmm...there must be a post from the first plate she received. So I checked her blog and sure enough there it was... Take a look at her lemongrass caviar...wow!
I was so excited to finally receive my confirmation in the mail yesterday. I got all of my first choices; Lynne Perrella, Linda & Opie O'Brien and Thomas & Romona Ashman (my absolute first choice). Thank you to Teesha for putting together such a wonderful registration package, from the mini journal and amazing collages all the way to the cool Batman stamps. So much attention to details. Now it's time to start collecting treasures to use in my classes. I think I will have quite the list of tools to ask Santa for this year.
(thanks, Teesha, for letting me post one of your collages from the Artfest package)
Wow...Carla has done an incredible job with her addition to my breakfast plate. Check out the pics here.
...until I have another week like this past one! Have I mentioned what an important part music plays in my life? Next to my sense of smell, music brings back the most powerful memories for me. I can remember sitting in my room as a child listening to my first Beatles 45 (dating myself). Supertramp's Crime of the Century always reminds me of when Stephen and I first started dating. Then there's the time I actually had a fever of 103 while listening to Foreigner's "Hot Blooded".
While I haven't had much time to make art lately, I have had a chance to experience a lot...in the form of live music that is. Since last Thursday, I have had the privilege of seeing Huey Lewis and the News, Paul Simon and Elton John!
I had only planned on seeing Elton (bought tickets for his show the moment they went on sale!)...but as luck would have it, I was able to enjoy all three of these fabulous artists and their bands. A Huey ticket became available via my good friend Karen (who was already going) and she asked if I wanted to purchase it. Hmmm...second row in a new casino theatre (intimate venue)? How could I resist. THEN...this Wednesday at work, Karen called me late in the afternoon and asked if I was busy that night. I said I didn't have any plans so she invited me to see Paul Simon, as she had just been gifted with two tickets. Yup, I'm in! While at the show, Linda, the same wonderful person who gave Karen tickets to PS, gifted me two tickets to Elton John (row 21 on the floor, no less) for the next night (last night)! Of course Karen was getting one of the tickets and seeing as I already had tickets, we invited our friend Dave to join us. I had previously checked with Stephen, and he didn't mind me taking a floor seat with Karen while he sat in our seats with Dave. It worked out really well, as Stephen doesn't care much for dancing and was able to sit back (in his front row balcony seat) while Karen and I danced our butts off (near, but out of range of, the really, really drunk woman who was very entertaining to watch)!
All of the shows were amazing, but Elton was my absolute fav! He played for almost three hours straight (no pun intended)!
[sorry, couldn't resist...my warped sense of humour coming through]
His piano solos in "Benny and the Jets" and "Rocket Man" were to die for! I just love, love, LOVE his music.
So, while I haven't been creating art, my spirit has been filled by these amazing musicians.
Do you have a particular song or album that brings back special memories? Do share.
Laurie has posted a picture of the wonderful fudge cake she added to Suanne's dessert plate. Click here to take a look.
Most people make an appointment and a haircut takes a couple hours out of their day, end of story, right? While on the ferry, I happened to notice a woman facing me sitting at the next table. She pulled out a journal and started to sketch. We were busy playing cards, but every once in a while I would look up, wondering what she was drawing. I noticed that as she drew she seemed to be looking our way and directly at us at times. She was sitting with a man who also had a small journal out and was using some watercolour paints. Two boys happened by and the man handed one of the boys his paint brush and invited him to add to his journal. That reminded me of something Teesha (Moore) had mentioned one evening at ArtFiberFest. I asked her if they received a lot of attention when they were out at , say, a coffee shop journalling. She said that if someone asked what they were doing, there have been times that her hubby Tracy would invite them to draw in his journal. It made me smile. My curiosity was really getting the better of me and so I walked over and asked if I could see what she was drawing. It was a sketch of everything that was right there in front of her...including us. It was lovely. I asked her if she would mind if I took a picture of her sketch. She obliged me. I thought it would be great if I could share it with you, so I asked and she said, "Yes, and what is the name of your blog?" I offered to write it on a scrap of paper, but she said she would write it in her journal so she wouldn't lose it. I asked her name. It is Qi (pronounced "chee").
For our family it isn't a "haircut" but a "haircut weekend"...what that entails is a trip over to Vancouver Island, Nanaimo to be exact. Why Nanaimo you ask? Well, that is where we are from...where I was born. Stephen was born on the mainland, but has lived all across Canada...me, I'm an island girl. Since we moved 18 years ago next month, we have always gone back for our haircuts.
Here it is. Wes and I are on the left and Stephen is on the far right.
And here's Qi.
Thank you for sharing a bit of your art with me, Qi. Good luck with your sculpting. It was a pleasure to meet you!
...and now for something completely different...
Our hair stylist, Bryan is our friend and has been for over 20 years. Wow...I can't believe it has been that long! He is an absolute nut and we love him to bits. Here's a pic...he is such a ham! "Well, if you're gonna take my picture [for your blog], wait 'til I take my shirt off." Strike the pose, baby. 
Haircuts get us to the island every seven weeks where we try, and usually succeed, in seeing our families. Leaves little time for old friends whom we see all too infrequently, but are always in our thoughts. This particular trip was a quick one...caught the ferry over last night, got our hair cut (Bryan was kind enough to change our appointment from today to last night due to Wes's work schedule), spent the night at my Mom's and caught an early ferry back this morning to get Wes to work early this afternoon.
An eventful 24 hours.
For anyone who has experienced high tea, isn't it just so royal? Something about all those petite sandwiches and a steeping cup of tea...especially on a rainy afternoon like the one we had today. 
My nana (grandmother) is in town from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and we (that meaning the whole family, if possible) always spend a day together when she is in town. We went to The Secret Garden, located in the Kerrisdale area of Vancouver, for our high tea. I would highly recommend it. We had a lovely day.
wow...I was just at Lori's blog and I see she has been adding to Carla's TV dinner. Check out her amazing fried chicken! Awesome!
Wow...did I get on a roll this evening. I finished my portion of the salad plate. Added were cherry tomatoes, butter lettuce, carrots and beet slices. I had so much fun putting them all together. Can't wait for the bento box!!
Yeah...got to make a little art today.
It is my turn to add to Lori's salad plate. The first picture is how it arrived from Suanne. She added romaine and boston lettuces along with a broccoli stem and hard boiled egg. It was such a thrill to open up the box and see all of her wonderful work. Next are my felted cherry tomatoes that will join her wonderful creations. I have a couple other items started, but will keep them a secret for the time being. I will take another picture of how it will look as it heads off to Laurie's for stop #3.
(Nothing art-related, just some highlights from our trip...if you are interested. Warning: I do tend to babble)
Man, did that time go fast! Stephen and I got back from Vegas last night after four wonderful nights in Sin City. We stayed at New York New York. As a treat, we upgraded our room to one with a jacuzzi tub right in the room...sweet.
It isn't a trip to Vegas without indulging in a tasty beverage from Fat Tuesday! Gotta love that "extra shot" for getting a little Vegas buzz goin'!
One of the highlights of the trip was seeing the new Cirque show Love, which is performed to remixed Beatles music. The only Cirque show where the music isn't performed live. It was absolutely wonderful!
The music and sound was amazing and the performances were very different from the other Cirque shows (very little make up, toned down costumes). The acrobatics had a very urban feel. In-line skaters in half-pipes, break dancers, etc. In the theatre, you feel as if you are part of the show, and everyone actually is at one point (won't spoil it). It was a very intimate setting. Very unique, but still very Cirque.
After six trips to Vegas, we finally made our way down to the Stratosphere. What an incredible view from up top! We hung out for a couple hours, taking in the view and watching the people brave enough (or maybe crazy enough) to go on the rides 109 stories in the air! The X Scream is one ride I don't think I could ever manage to convince myself to go on. A teeter totter style ramp that tips and slides you down off the side of the building and leaves you hanging there only to tip you back and repeat the process. Eek!
While we were there, we also got to enjoy a lightning storm off in the distance. Quite the show. Because of the lightning, they had to shut down the rides and the outer observation deck, so we watched from inside.
We didn't have too much luck on the gambling front until our last full day, Thursday (the day we saw Love). Up until that point, we would win enough to give us some play time, but by the end, we would give it all back. I did have a bit of luck at craps, but ended up losing it on roulette. The turning point seemed to be when Stephen found a 2 cent cash voucher next to a slot machine in the Mirage and as we just happened to be right beside a redemption machine, he cashed it in and said, "These could be our lucky pennies." Turned out they were! We has a great run of luck at the slot machines after that! Stephen started things off by turning $20 into $248 playing Lobstermania! I love the B52's Rock Lobster song in the background. A little after that, I turned $20 into $148 playing on a Price is Right slot machine (one of my favorites..."Come on down!").
Late in the evening, back at NYNY, Stephen played Deal or No Deal slots and got to the Cash Box Bonus (just like the game on TV) and ended up picking the highest value case (10,000)! ...pennies that is! Another $100...not bad for us small $$ gamblers.
Seemed every machine we touched gave us a little something back. This continued on through yesterday. We decided to check out our the points on our players card and were surprised to find out that we had earned enough that we were comp'ed two nights of our upgrade (about $80 value) plus we were given a money voucher for $14. We took that money and dropped it into a Risque Business slot machine (another one of my favs...gotta love that stripper bonus). Well, by the time we cashed out on that machine we were up $100+ again. 
So much more fun when you win a little!
Our flight home was good (even after getting stuck out on the runway for an additional 20 mins, due to shifting winds). Alaska Airlines is one of our favs.
Wes managed just fine on his own for the first time. Of course, mom called home every day to make sure he was doing alright. It was great to get away, but feels good to be back home. Must go catch up on everyone's blogs and read all the emails that have been flying around regarding Artfest!
Well, we are off to Vegas for a few nights, so I will catch up with everyone when I get back! Have a terrific week and I will share some of our exploits (or not...cuz what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas) when we return. :u)
Shari, I will be thinking of you as I take the first sip of my mudslide from Fat Tuesday!
Here are pics of Jeremy's CDs. I tried to post them yesterday but blogger wasn't cooperating (I know I have to start using Flickr, Heather...I will contact you soon for a tutorial) :u)
My friend Karen (who also works at my company) and I have had a tradition over the summers of taking advantage of our company's "summer hours". Summer hours means you put in extra hours during the week and then (work permitting) you can leave as early as 1:00pm on the Friday. We would go into downtown Vancouver, wander, shop, stop at a watering hole for a thirst-quenching beverage and perhaps a bite to eat.
Unfortunately, over the last couple of summers, our Friday adventures have become very limited, due to work and life in general.
Yesterday, we had our first "Friday Outing" of the year...and it was a good one!
We started with a pedicure, followed by a fabulous Indian dinner. Next it was off to Malkin Bowl, an outdoor amphitheatre inside Stanley Park. Great Big Sea was the headline band. They are a group out of Newfoundland (a province on the east coast of Canada, for my international friends). They play a lot of traditional Newfoundland folk songs, which are heavily influenced by the celtic history of the area. Their concerts are more like traditional newfie kitchen parties...lots of singing along and dancing...a really fun time. Their latest album, 'The Hard & The Easy' is all traditional newfie songs. Check them out and have a listen.
- cover art for The Hard & The Easy
