My Little Corner of the World

It's been an insane week with running back and forth to hospital appointments every single day but Monday. (Monday I worked 14 1/2 hours straight at the bi-election.) This meant I had little time for creating in the studio, but surprisingly, I DO have something to show for what scant time I did have.

Tomorrow is the 9th anniversary of our ATC group and Penn gave everyone a template to make paper cake pieces. Everyone is making as many slices as they want and creating something handmade to go inside, as the prize.

I cut 10 slices from the template using cardstock and scored the folds. Then I covered the slices with anaglypta using matte medium to adhere it. I let them dry overnight and then ran my red staz-on ink pad over the anaglypta to colour the "icing". I finished each slice with a "cherry" on top.

It's a secret what's inside, but it's something pretty and practical and once the exchange is over I will show you what I made.

I have also been busy playing Suzi Homemaker. I don't know what it is about the fall, but it makes me want to spend more time in my kitchen cooking. My guys are partial to PB cookies, so I made 3 dozen to last the week.

My trick to ensure they don't gobble them down the same day is to put 1 doz. in the cookie jar and the other 2 doz. in ziplocs in the freezer. Out of sight, out of mind and it means I actually get a cookie or two!

My in-laws heard I wanted a bread machine and gave us one they weren't using anymore. I have been baking up a storm. I can make about 3 loaves per day if I am taking the dough out and baking the bread in the oven. I am trying to get a few loaves ahead in the freezer.

I decided I wanted a bread machine because I was paying $5/loaf and buying about 3-4 loaves per week. $20/wk on bread! That's insane! I discovered that I had everything I needed in the cupboard to begin making bread and so far only bought a bag of brown flour. I am not buying store made bread anymore! And besides which, the bread I make is not full of sugars and preservatives-I know exactly what we're eating!

Once you know how to make bread dough, you can make all kinds of yummy things with it. I made some cinnamon buns for us and then Lisa heard about it so I made some for her for her birthday. YUM!!

Shifting gears just a little, the latest in Olympic news is that last week I attended my Events Host training. I think I mentioned that they gave us an "Annie in a box" CPR learning kit. I finally got around to taking a pic of it. They were generously donated by the Canadian Heart & Stroke Foundation.

I also received my games time schedule this week and I got fantastic hours. It means I won't have to get up super early or commute during peak periods, which makes me very happy. I start on February 8th as my venue opens early to allow for Opening Ceremonies rehearsals. It's just over 2 1/2 months away!! I can't wait!

And what's a blog post without a pic of my sweet boy, Indy. He likes to hang out with me in the studio and has been glued to me the second I get home lately because I've been out so much. (And yes, he really is that shiny. He has a beautiful coat.) He's lying here right now waiting for me to be finished on the computer so I can play fetch with him. I'd better get a move on!

Bonne Fete!

Today I am celebrating my best friend Lisa's birthday. It's a milestone birthday and I would be remiss if I didn't share with the world what an amazing human being she is.

Lisa is sweet, funny and smart as hell. (We lovingly refer to her as "the brain on legs".) She is patient, compassionate and honest. She's the first person I call with good news or bad and really, I think of her as my sister and mentor, not just my friend.

She's been with me through thick and thin. She's come with me to all my infusion and chemotherapy appointments. She's kept me company, put mean medical staff in their place and held my hand alot. She's made me laugh when I felt like crying, looked after my dog so I could get away to AF for a break, brought me chai lattes on early morning hospital runs and so, much more-this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Lisa is my rock and I think everyone needs a friend like that. I am really, really blessed to know her and today I celebrate her life and the fact that she makes the world (and my world) a better place, simply by being in it.

Happy Birthday Sweetie! I love you, for all that you are and all that you do. You are precious and irreplaceable. xox

iLike

Kina Grannis' beautiful cover of "The Call" by Regina Spektor. This is just one of those magical songs where the combination of the lyrics and the music is so amazing. *loves*

And for those of you who haven't heard, Teesha has posted a series of tutorials on youtube. The first 4 part series is on collage and the second is on lettering. I've really been enjoying watching them. Obviously, I already know how to collage, but it's always interesting to me to see someone else walk you through their process.

What's especially great about Teesha's tutorials is that she shows everything-what works and what doesn't and how she fixes the parts of her work that she doesn't like, as she goes along. I appreciated the honesty of that. It just goes to show that not even someone as accomplished as Teesha likes everything they do and she doesn't always get it right the first time. Art is about being willing to take chances and make mistakes. Mistakes are a part of the process-as an artist, you just have to be willing to see them in that light.

I came across a book called Scraps that I almost bought the other night. The cover caught my eye and I stood at the check out counter for 10 minutes waiting to buy it before I became so annoyed that I set it down and a copy of the current Art Journalling magazine and left the store. I had a brutal headache and there was a single clerk working the checkout (while there were several other staff wandering the store aimlessly) and she seemed to be intent on taking an eternity with the customer ahead of me for no apparent reason. Normally I am pretty patient but I wasn't feeling good and I just couldn't stand it anymore. I am sad now that I didn't buy the book-it was full of eye candy and interesting instruction and ideas. I'll have to go back when I have more time and patience and try and find it again. Maybe I will go to another location and scout it out-perhaps the customer service will be better elsewhere.

I am gearing up for what is going to be a marathon week. Monday I am working the election and the remainder of the week is tied up with running back and forth to the hospital for MRIs, follow up for my broken wrist, treatment from my pain specialist, a consultation with an anesthetist and then minor surgery next week. Certainly not my idea of fun and you'll forgive me if my blog is quiet for a bit while I deal with all this stuff.

I went to Olympic training for Event Services on Thursday evening. It was alot of fun and now I have a better idea what I will be doing. It's going to be an interesting job! There's still more training to come that will be specific to the venue I will be working at and we will be getting our uniforms and accreditation soon.

After training on Thursday night, they gave each of us, as our parting gift, a box from the Canadian Heart & Stroke Foundation. The foundation donated CPR kits to everyone, so we got an "Annie" in a box, along with a training manual and DVD to learn CPR at home. It made me laugh-go to the Olympics, get an Annie in a box! It never hurts to refresh your CPR skills, I suppose. You never know when they're going to come in handy. Luckily I've never had to use mine, but I am glad I have them all the same!

I've finally started my Olympic journal. I am doing it a little at a time as I attend events and have things to add. They mentioned at training that we would get pocket maps of our venues during games time and my first thought was "Oh good-EPHEMERA!" *laughs* You know you're an artist when...

What do YOU like right now? Share with me your little gems of artsy goodness!

Chipping Away

I had intended to post again before now, but last week was a very tough week. I spent most of it running back and forth to the hospital and doctor's appointments. None of it was pleasant. Basically, I am still having issues with my wrist, which I broke a month ago. There's something wrong with one bone (the pisiform, if you really want to know) and tendon which attaches to it and it's so painful.

In addition to that, I also seem to have injured a calf muscle and the result is that it's having a trickle down effect on my foot muscles. I am limping and in pain a great deal of the time. Nothing to do but ice it, take ibuprofen and wait for it to heal. *sigh* I have no idea how I managed to get either of these injuries and I am *so* not amused.

Anyway, enough griping! What I want to talk about is art! Last week my friend Karenann sent me a wonderful collage, A is for Anatomy. (I'd have posted a pic here if my battery hadn't died on my camera just now.)Karenann is so lovely and thoughtful. Over the years, she's sent me so many amazing pieces of work. What I love best about what she does is her layering. She's so masterful in her use of colours, materials and mediums. Every time I find an envelope in my post box with her name on the return address, I know that it's going to contain some really yummy eyecandy.

Karenann proposed that we do an exchange of alpha cards, the idea being that when we have a spare moment and the spirits move us, we will make a card for the other and send it out, back and forth till we complete all 26 letters. I think this will be alot of fun-it will be like an art conversation between two friends. I've wanted to do something collaborative with her for some time so when she said she wanted to do this, I jumped at the chance! I am going to be working on my letter A shortly. I'll post it when I get it finished.

I am also going to make a concerted effort to begin working on my Olympic journal. I want not only to blog about my experience, but to record everything on paper as well. I must admit that I am not so much a paper journaller, (which is kind of ironic as I am hopelessly addicted to buying and collecting paper journals) as I am a blogger. I think it has alot to do with the speed at which my brain runs and being able to type and have my hands keep up with my train of thought. I really do like the idea of keeping a paper journal for this once-in-a-lifetime event though.

I plan to incorporate alot of ephemera into my journal-apparently each day of the Olympics, there will be a newsletter I will be getting as I arrive at the venue each day. I will try to snag a spare, if possible, so I can cut one up to add to my journal and then keep one "as is". If I can't get a spare then I will just make do.

I bought a large red Moleskine to use for this project and I am thinking about either altering the cover or sewing a slip cover of some sort. I haven't made up my mind yet which I prefer. I need to get moving on it soon-I already have lots of things I want to remember. Olympic training start this Thursday and I am so excited!

Okay, back to work for me!

This Is Our Day!

"Happy Anniversary Baby, got you on my miiiiiiiiiind!"

Today we are celebrating our 19th wedding anniversary! We are both so stunned that that much time has passed since our wedding day-it almost doesn't seem possible. Now our son is grown and graduated and we're going to be married TWO DECADES a year from today! *boggles*



It just so happens that my husband has the day off today, so we're going to have lunch together, which is a rare treat during the work week. He came in this morning to see if I was awake and then made me brekki. His mum and dad were just down for a visit so we have a fridge full of farm fresh (brown) eggs, so we had skillet strips, eggs and toast with tea. I could get used to this! *laughs*



So here are some things I love about my husband:

-he has a soft and gentle heart

-animals and babies love him

-he will help anyone in need, most of the time before they can even ask

-he works hard

-he is an excellent dad to our son and fur kid

-he actually enjoys shopping

-he has impeccable taste in jewellery

-he's very easy going (he's a Libra)

-he enjoys putting food on our table the old fashioned way-he grows a good portion of it organically

-he's married me twice (we renewed our vows on my 30th birthday)
-he shows his love for me every day


Happy Anniversary to my one true love. xox

Manual Dexterity Zine

Well, I did it! I created my very first Zine! It's called "Manual Dexterity" and as you can see, my hand is on the cover. I was so pleased with myself when I came up with the idea for the cover. I like it alot and I will probably frame the original art and hang it in the studio.

I made 20 copies. 13 are for an exchange I am involved in, I am keeping one and the remaining copies are going to friends I "owe" art to. I also have one copy that is going out to someone who has been a frequent commenter on my blog in the last few months. See? Unlurking has its rewards! (And thanks to Janice for the wonderful idea. She's one smart cookie that Janice!) I will reveal who won at the end of this post!

It was an interesting learning process putting a zine together. I did mine 1/4 fold style and used a simple stab binding to hold it all together. I found the most gorgeous sparkly, copper penny coloured paper at Urban Source for the cover. Urban Source is a little gem in Vancouver that sells art supplies. Part of the stock is new product and the other part is recycled and rescued industrial materials that can be used to make art. They have a fabulous selection of papers on the cheap!

I wrote a few articles and tutorials as per the requirements for the exchange and also included some art. 8 pages are in colour and I also included a packet of collage goodies inside the zine.

And then, because I think presentation is everything, I sewed the zines into these paper bag pieces. (I cut a paper bag in half, width-wise, sewed one side, tucked the zine inside and sewed the other side, sealing the zine inside.) I folded the extra paper over and stuck it down with a "Subversive Material" sticker I made. (Because I think anything that comes in a plan brown wrapper is suspect. *grins*)

I can't share what's inside the zine as I don't want to spoil the surprise for the folks who will be getting them in the exchange. Having gone through this process, I see more zines in my future. It takes a fair amount of planning to make everything work out right when you're doing 1/4 fold and want to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to colour copying, but I think my experience in putting together collaborative books helped alot.

Now I am working on my gifts for the 12 Days of Xmas exchange that I host every year. I have them about half finished and there are only about 12 days till they need to be mailed out, so I am going to be busy!

Okay...so the winner of a limited edition copy of Manual Dexterity Zine is.......SHERRY!!

Sherry, please email me your snail mail addy so I can get your copy out to you! And to the rest of my loyal readers, keep those comments comin'! You never know when they might pay off!

Gratitude Week Day 4

This morning, the last day of Gratitude Week, actress Helen Shaver shares her thoughts about addiction and homelessness and how we are all connected.

And to second what Helen said, here is my story of how we are connected:

19 years ago, before my husband Peter and I were even engaged, we were walking down Robson Street, a trendy shopping district here in Vancouver to meet a friend of mine for dinner.

Along the way, there was this homeless guy coming towards us, weaving badly, reeking of booze and filthy. I cut him a wide path and kept walking and talking to Peter. I was half way down the block before I realized he was no longer with me and I was talking to myself.

I turned around to see where I'd lost him just in time to watch him clap the homeless guy on the back with a big smile on his face and ask him how he was doing. I stood there watching them talk and then as Pete emptied his pockets and gave the guy all the money he had on him. They said their goodbyes and Peter jogged to catch up with me.

It turns out that this homeless guy was his elementary school friend, Randy. He'd known this guy since Kindergarten. It really struck me that even though this guy was obviously so down and out, Peter just saw his friend underneath all that and treated him as if nothing were wrong. In that moment, Peter showed me the sheer kindness of his heart, his loyalty and compassion-all the content of his character and I knew that this was the man I was going to marry.

Years later, my husband ran into Randy's brother by chance and learned that Randy had lost his legs in a train accident (I believe he'd taken to riding the rails and got hurt doing it.) and later on, after years of addiction, passed away. My husband explained to Randy's brother about the day he'd last seen him and how throughout our marriage we'd always said that Randy was our raggedy angel and thought of him often, as he was the reason I'd married my husband.

Randy's brother was almost in tears because it meant so much to him to know his brother whose life had never been what his family envisioned for him had deeply touched and affected ours. Randy's life had had meaning and purpose that his brother had never been aware of before. I think it changed the way he thought about his brother and that was able to happen because someone stopped and looked Randy in the eyes and validated him as a human being.

I usually share this story with someone to illustrate what a beautiful a soul my husband has, but I share it today to let you all know that each and every person out there on the street, whether by cruel twist of fate or by choice belongs to someone, somewhere. The pain of being homeless is not limited to that single person on the street. These people are not worthless pieces of garbage lying on the curb. They are human beings and they need a hand up, not a handout.

So if you're like me and are tired of waiting around for someone else to do something about the problem, if anything my friends or I have said here on my blog this week has touched you in any way, please go the the Gratitude Week website and donate $1. Just ONE dollar. That's it. Economic times be damned-we can all afford that $1. It's nothing by itself, but together we're going to transform people's lives. That's the power of $1.