An Important Conversation

Join the first #AKchats on Twitter,Fighting for Care.

When you have multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy or another chronic illness that accelerates the aging process, where do you turn for long-term care? Hospitals and nursing homes seem to be the only options. Anna-Karina Tabuñar (@AKTabunar) explores this important topic featuring special guest, 

Lelainia Lloyd (@tatterededge).

 Join the conversation on Twitter using #AKchats on 

Monday, May 13th at 9 a.m. PST. (12 p.m. EST)

Learn more by visiting Anna-Karina's website.

 *****

I'm so honoured to be invited to be a part of this.
I hope you'll come join this important conversation.

All & Sundry

Time for a catch up post! I am still having a blast experimenting with my Gelli plate. I made this print the other day. I still haven't had time to shop for more paint colours to round out my pallet, but I'm hoping to fit that in soon.

The weather here has been spectacular. Over the weekend we hit highs of 30C. We took Indy to Davison's Pool, a hidden away swim hole in the Alouette River my husband grew up swimming in. Indy loves it. We had our first picnic of the year afterwards and I played around with the camera in my iPhone. I was aiming for sun flare and I got it! Still looking for great photography apps, so if you have a favourite you think I should get, please comment and let me know!

I took this shot after Indy got out of the river. Something about the intensity in his eyes make me think he looks kind of wolfish when he stares like this. People who don't know him are very cautious of him because he's big, black and lean like a panther. Thing is, he really is the sweetest boy. To know him is to love him.

He was completely tuckered out when we got home. He crashed on the futon in our spare room. It always cracks me up how he has to lie with his head on a pillow. When he lies on our bed, for some reason, my pillow is the pillow of choice. Dogs really are creatures of comfort.

Like my sexy new splint? For just $115 this too could be yours! Seriously, while I am not thrilled about having to wear it, it is making the wrist fracture easier to live with. I finally managed to get a referral to a hand specialist and it looks like I am going to need an MRI and a referral for a plastic surgeon to take out a tiny floating bone in my wrist (the pisiform) that is causing me grief. It's impinging my ulnar nerve and making my ring and pinkie finger numb, cold and when the swelling is really bad, change colour. It's not carpel tunnel, but sort of similar. It's very uncomfortable and has become a chronic problem. I've fracture my wrist every year for the last 4 years and as much as I've tried to ignore it and just carry on, it's time to do something about it. No telling how long this will take, but at least it's in motion.

In the good news department, I've had two really cool opportunities come up. The details are still being worked out, but I'll share as soon as I can! Lots of great things in the works!

The Canadian Car Company With Heart

I don't normally promote companies on my blog, unless they have an exceptional art product I use and love, however, I am more than happy to make an exception when it comes to MV-1 Canada.

In April, MV-1 Canada came out with an e-book called Life Without Compromise in which stories of ordinary Canadians living extraordinary lives were featured. I am honoured to be a part of that book. (If you missed it, you can download it for free here. There's also a permanent link on my sidebar.) 

I also wanted to share that I have an article on accessibility on their blog All Access Pass. I'm talking about how accessibility improves quality of life not just for people with disabilities, but for everyone.

If you follow my blog regularly, you would also know that on May 26th, the first ever Canadian NMO 5 km walk/run is happening in my community. What I am so happy to share with you is that the good people on MV-1 Canada have generously stepped up as one of our corporate sponsors! A big THANK YOU to company co-founder Peter Grande, to Lori McKnight, and everyone at MV-1 Canada for their incredible kindness to me and support for those living with NMO. They are truly a car company with heart.

I'd like to invite you to get to know MV-1 & show them some love by following them on Facebook and on Twitter . 

If you'd like to make a donation to the NMO 5 km walk/run, you can do so here. If you'd liked to join us as a sponsor either personally or as a business, there's still time and we would really appreciate the support! Please post a comment and I will get in touch with you!

Let The Monoprinting Begin!

Guess who is the proud new owner of a Gelli Plate! Yes indeed! I decided to see if the (somewhat) local scrapbooking store was carrying them and they were! First I wanted to show you what I did with some of the papers I created the first time I played with my friend Penn's plate a couple weeks ago. 

I've made some bits to add to my art journals. Super easy and a good way to spend a rainy afternoon. I have all sorts of shape punches and rubber, so I went through my stash and chose some of my favourites. Voila! Instant collage fodder!

 Yesterday was a busy day, so I only got to play with my plate for an hour, but as you can see, you don't need alot of time to get results.

Regrettably, you don't really get a sense of how bright and beautiful the prints are-it doesn't quite translate on a computer. 

It's time for me to stock up on acrylics-I've printed over 100 sheets now with a paint collection that I've had since 2009. I'd say that's pretty economical! My dollar store has an excellent selection of colours, so I'll have to swing buy and replenish my supply. Since I'm only using a nickle sized dollop every time, a little sure goes a long way!

I had to laugh when I showed my husband the plate. I took it out of the box and held it up so he could see. (If you haven't seen one, it looks like an 8 x 10 sheet of clear jello-it's silicone)

 He says "That was $30?" 

Me: "Yes."

Him: "Whatever makes you happy Honey."

SMART MAN!

Honestly, he has always been super supportive of anything I am doing and doesn't seem to mind if I want to buy some new tool or take a class or whatever, as long as it makes me happy. He's a keeper!

Catching Up

Always on My Mind

I am very lucky: my son gave me an iPhone as an early Mother's Day gift. I wasn't in the market for one, really, but my old phone, a 6 year old LG Chocolate Spin (which I loved and was the top of the line in touch phones when I bought it) had pretty much given up the ghost. It was no longer holding a charge and my son knew this, so he decided it was time I got an upgrade. I love it though it's going to take some getting used to the phone part-I liken it to talking on a calculator. It's just a bit odd.

I am having fun figuring out how to use the camera along with various photography apps and at long last, I've joined the rest of the world on Instagram. I've been trying to make a link button for the sidebar of my blog, but the hotlink for it refuses to work so I've put that on hold for a bit while I mull over why it's not linking properly. Eventually I'll figure it out. In the meantime, I'm under Tatterededge if you want to link up there. I've got a grand total of two photos posted so far, but there will be more soon!

In other news, I am super excited to share that I will be one of the featured subscribers in the next issue of Uppercase. (#18!) If you're not familiar, there are usually 3 subscribers featured in each issue with a little interview of about half a dozen questions. Editor Janine Vongool put a call out and I thought "Why not?" So there you have it! 

I am also happy to report that the first ever Canadian NMO 5 km walk/run is up to 250 registered participants! This is really wonderful and I am so pleased for Nancy Reimer, who is organizing the event. It's so wonderful to know so many people care and are willing to show up and support those of us living with NMO. 

I am also thrilled  to share that MV-1 Canada has kindly and generously stepped up as a corporate sponsor. THANK YOU MV-1!!! They are a lovely bunch of people, committed to making a difference in the lives of people who live with disabilities and we really appreciate their support. In case you missed it, they've put together an inspiring e-book, Life Without Compromise which you can download for free here. I am very proud to be a part of it. MV-1 Canada can be found on both Twitter and Facebook, so please show them some love.

There is still time to register for the walk/run. More info about the event can be found here and you can sign up here. If you are unable to attend and would like to make a pledge, you can do so here. Pledges in any dollar amount are greatly appreciated! On the day of the walk, I will be volunteering and speaking briefly during the welcoming. Please come by and say hello!

Other than that, I am busy writing articles and volunteering. I'm volunteering for the first time politically. Someone I know quite well is running in our provincial election and I thought it would be an interesting experience.

I am also busy prepping for the Interprofessional Health Mentors Symposium out at UBC on Monday. My students and I are going to be presenting what we've learned as a group so far. I am looking forward to seeing what the other groups have been up to as well. Members of the public are invited to attend so if you'd like to see what we've been up to, here are the details: 

Date: Monday, April 29th, 2013

Time: 6:30-7:30 pm 

Location: In the West Atrium, 

Life Science Centre, 

2350 Health Sciences Mall,

 UBC Campus 

The 2012-2013 pilot project includes 51 health mentors and 200 students from nine different health professional programs (audiology, dentistry, dietetics, medicine, nursing, occupation therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy and speech-language pathology). At the symposium, the groups summerize and share their learning with other UBC students, faculty and community. The event includes poster board displays by each of the 51 groups and the opportunity for guests to talk with students and mentors about their experiences in the program. Guests can also learn more about this new initiative and how they might get involved.

Washi Collection

I was asked if I could post photos of my washi collection, so here it is, all 102 rolls of it! I seriously need to find a way to house it all. I have an open container from Ikea, but it's full to overflowing already.

Some of the rolls are not the true washi tape, made by the MT company, but they're close enough as far as I am concerned. A few rolls are by Cavellini, Martha Stewart, 7 Gypsies, Tim Holtz and the the dollar store tapes which, as I mentioned the other day, have a slight plastic finish to them. The 7 Gypsies tapes (the grid ones in the yellow stack) are actually paper. It doesn't really matter to me-I love them all.

I still want to add some neons to my collection-I have my eye on hot pink and orange. I also want to add some more purples and oranges and some air mail print tape.

I saw this tape which is printed masking tape that is wonderful-I must get my hands on a roll! I also move these as well. I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to washi tape. Clearly, it's become an obsession. *grins*

Okay, so I've shown you mine. Show me yours?! Leave a link in the comments-I want to see!

More Fun With Gelli Plate Prints

So I've been playing around with some of the Gelli Plate prints I made last week. I scanned one and then layered a couple photos I took of some wooden print blocks on top. I think I like the one in white best-it has a lace-like quality to it. I'm going to keep playing around and see what other photos from my collection would work well with the papers.

The good people of Gelli Arts contacted me asking if they could share my prints on their FB page and their Pinterest boards. That was really nice of them! They are having a giveaway on their blog, so go check it out!

Here are a few more prints from the 80 I did last week:

Left: Circle stencil using left over black paint on the Gelli Plate and laying blues and yellows over top. 

Right: A negative print using the same stencil and grading the colours from left to right.

Left: Using a foam stamp with circles. This one looks like pain on a plaster wall.

Right: Using the alphabet sticker sheet, printed side by side.

Left: A number stencil, put on backwards. Colours graded from left to right.

Right: Over printing using a loosely woven grid-like cloth.

Left: Using a hand cut swirl foam stamp.

Right: The loosely woven grid-like cloth again. It makes great texture!

I picked up a circle stencil the other day. I have an obsession with circles. (No really-I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to them.) I'm going to have to hunt up the other stencils I have kicking around. I know I have some interesting ones. Then I need to get my hands on a Gelli Plate. Seriously!

In my travels yesterday, I discovered my dollar store had a whole pile of washi tape. It's not exactly like MT tape-it has a slightly plastic feel to it, but the prints are so lovely and at $1 a roll, how could I resist?! They also had some rolls of neon washi from another company at $2 a roll. I think I'm going to have to go back and get some. 

I now have 99 rolls in my collection. It was never my intention to amass so many, but you start with one roll and then you see a colour you like, so you buy that one. Then there's a pretty pattern you can't resist, so you buy that one. Then you need a certain colour for a project, so you hunt down that one. Then you discover a certain design in several colours and you can't decide which one you like best, but they're inexpensive, so you buy all of them...SEE? THIS is how it happens! Consider yourselves warned! I've never been one to hoard art supplies-I usually only buy what I need and use it right away (I like to keep things fresh) but this seems to be the exception to the rule. The good news is that I am using them!