Ft. Langley

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

This morning we drove out to Fort Langley to take a walk and shoot some photos. It was beautiful again today-warm and sunny and it finally feels like spring. Everything is lush and green and the cherry trees are blooming. They are simply stunning.

One of my all time favourite antique malls is in Fort Langley and I couldn't resist going in a poking around. It just feels so good to be amongst all the old things. Old things have so much more soul than modern things. They have a history and I love nothing more than to find little treasures, to hold them in my hands and ponder where they came from and who they belonged to in a previous life.

Remember yesterday I was looking for an antique toast holder? Well today I struck paydirt. I found the one pictured above, which is sterling silver and made in England. It's perfect. It wasn't even overly expensive (under $10) so I snapped it up and soon it will hold odds and ends of art work in-progress on my desk. When I went to pay for it, the lady at the desk mentioned to me that lots of people were buying them to use on their desks. I told her that was also my intent and that I figured if you have to have things to keep organized, they may as well be pretty. She agreed.

My fondest dream is to win the lotto and then go shopping there to furnish my home. I would take home all the little wee wooden chairs, just to have. I would buy a well weathered sideboard and fill it with old mint green dishes and antique linens with red embroidery on them. I would want all kinds of old kitchen utensils-tin cookie cutters, metal eggbeaters, fancy cookie sheets and muffin tins...I want it all! The most lovely thing about this antique mall is that they have several alcoves dedicated to just kitchenware. I love standing in them feasting my eyes and drooling. The colours, the classic lines that have stood the test of time, the textiles...*swoons* These are the things that speak to my heart.

While we were poking around, by chance I came across this kitchen tool that had my son's name on it. We had a good laugh over it and I really should have bought it to hang in his kitchen some day. (And perhaps he could use it-it was a meat carving tool that acts like a giant fork. I believe it's meant to be used on large quantities of meat.) Next time I got out to Fort Langley, if it's still there, I am going to buy it and put it away. Someday when he gets married, it would be funny to wrap it and give it to him as a surprise.

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

We finished off our visit with lunch at this 50's diner we like. The food is wonderful and they have little jukeboxes at each table so you can choose classic 1950's music to listen to while you eat, for a mere 25c a tune. That's great fun for cheap! They have a soda counter and you can also order ice cream. The place was hoppin' the whole time we were there-it's always busy, but especially on a sunny Sunday afternoon. It's a big hit with tourists, but the locals love it too.

It's so fabulous to be able to get out, get some fresh air and relax! I hope you had a relaxing weekend too!

The Spoils

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

I am back from my day trip to the US! The weather was gorgeous-warm and sunny and such a happy change from all the rain and cold weather we've been having! The border was fairly busy yesterday-it took me 45 minutes to get through, but I imagine most folks had the same idea as I had-get out while the gettin's good! These are some of the goodies I brought home with me. I bought some really pretty handmade lace to dye with the dyes I bought at Artfest. I can't wait to play with it. I also bought a package of vintage hooks and eyes. I love the old printing on them.

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

I found these old scissors in my favourite antique shop in Lynden. When I spotted them, there was no way I was going home without them. I fell in love with them! I adore old sewing stuff and these are just so beautifully crafted, I couldn't resist. I paid $12 US for them, but I will own there forever and every time I look at them, they will bring a smile to my face.

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

I also spotted this odd little doll tucked in a corner. It reminded me of my kewpies so I decided it needed to come home with me. I can't imagine that it ever had clothed, based on how the arms are moulded to the body. It's just kind of weird-naked and clutching a lolly. I will have to do some research.

I am still looking for an old wire toast holder, the kind that you could put several slices of bread into at one time. I saw a very small one in the antique shop, but I know they come larger than that one was, so I will keep looking.

The ATC swap didn't start till 2 p.m., so I had lunch at this place that makes burritos bigger than any human being in their right mind should consume. I didn't know that till my order came and then I was wishing I had ordered off the kid's menu. It was 10 inches long, 6 inches across and 6 inches thick! I cut a small piece off the end and had that and ended up tossing the rest. I hate wasting food like that, but there was no way I could (or would) eat the whole thing and I couldn't take it back across the border with me. Of course when I told the guys about it, they got all excited and now they want to go down and see for themselves. ROFL!

It was great visiting with old friends at the swap and catching up. It's been awhile since I've been able to make it down. Friends that I haven't seen in ages from Vancouver were there too. Jacques cracked me up because he knew I looked different, but couldn't figure out why. He thought I had cut my hair. LOL! Nope! There is something different about my appearance, but it's not my hair!

It was really nice to be able to just spend the day doing whatever I wanted and not having to worry about anything or anyone else. It was really relaxing. I just drove with the windows rolled down and the stereo cranked up, singing at the top of my lungs. Bliss!

Burnt Offerings

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

Remember the other day when I was talking about those crazy matches that wouldn't stay lit long enough to burn anything? Well this was what I was burning-a series of ATCs I call "Burnt Offerings" that I am taking to trade in Bellingham today.

Usually I go with a friend to the swap because it's a trip to the US so it normally entails shopping and lunch as well, but today I decided it would be nice to just fly solo and enjoy my own company. We all need that sometimes-to just "be" and not have to worry about anyone else but ourselves. I don't do that very often but I am looking forward to it, since the weather has been pretty cold and rainy and I haven't gone out much in the last little while. While I am down there I hope to take some photos along the way-perhaps of some of the old barns I drive by. I love old barns!

Tomorrow we (my guys and I) have plans to drive out to Ft. Langley for part of the day and take photos there as well, if the weather is half way decent. Let's just say everything here is lush and green. When I stepped on the grass yesterday, it made a distinct "squish" sound it was so saturated. There is blue sky peeking out now, so I am hopefully we might actually get a dry day here today!

Pseudo Cover Girl

I finally got a copy of the 1000 Atcs book I am in. It was interesting thumbing through it and seeing whose name I recognized. It has alot of fabric based ATCs, as well as other mixed media. A very nice coffee table book.

Anyway, after I had looked through it, I read the back cover and then noticed something. See on the left side, just under the black rectangle that says "Quarry" on it there is a little snippet of a pink card with a man's face on it? That's mine!! LOL! I am "almost" a cover girl. Kinda-sorta! That stamp, by the way is from Paper Artsy, the great company out of the UK that I do design work for. Anyway, that made me laugh this morning. A little piece of my art squeezed onto the cover. As we are fond of saying in this family "It beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!"

My other little piece of news is that I am going to be exhibiting my artwork at the Poirier branch of the Coquitlam Public Library in Coquitlam, BC, Canada from June 1st-30th. I am rather pleased by that. The library has these great display cabinets mounted on the walls in the entry hall and they invite local artists to share their work with the public there. I am really pleased to be able to do that. If you are local, please do go down and have a peek in June! I am planning to include the books I have contributed to and the artwork that was published of as part of my exhibit.

Sounds of Africa

It's been raining here so I have been spending alot of time housebound. Rain is a good excuse to batten down the hatches and make art. (Though the art making is going rather slowly right now since I am having problems with my hands.) When I am working, what I am listening to is as important as what I am doing. Music is an intergral part of my process and my tastes are pretty eclectic.

Today I had an absolute treat for the ears with Lady Smith Black Mambazo's Long Walk to Freedom. This is the South African acapella group that backed Paul Simon on his Graceland's album about 20 years ago. It's amazing to listen to this album and hear their voices weaving together seamlessly, creating such a rich blend of multi-layered harmonies. Their music is so uplifting and joyous and it transports me away to another time and place. It's the perfect music to "just be" with. Beautiful music and a chai latte-that is balm to my soul.

This N' That

See these matches? They make me laugh. On the box it says "Superior quality matches". Last night I was doing some experimenting and wanted to burn something. I had planned to use a butane lighter, but it was empty. Then I remembered I had this box of matches I had purchased on the way home from Artfest, so I decided to use them. The matches are long and I figured I could get a fair amount of burning done before the flame got close to my finger. Well the matches were terrible! I managed to use half the box to burn 3 small things! What ever happened to truth in advertising? These were a pyromaniac's worst nightmare. I would strike the match, it would do a big flare and then go out! So much for "superior quality"! It's a good thing I bought these for the graphics on the box and not because I wanted to light anything. I am voting them: "Matches I would most like to avoid having if I am ever stranded on a desert island."

My Faux Family Album is finished. I managed to find the right ribbon to bind it and voila! It's about an inch thick and it looks really nice. It will be interesting to see how the other folks finish theirs.

In other news, my friend Tiffini (you know the sweet sweet gal who made and sent me that beautiful and amazing charm bracelet as a surprise last March?) has just completed work on her online store. It's a beautiful and wondrous place and I have already ordered goodies! Pop on over and have a look. I know there will be things to tempt and delight you and amazingly, shipping is free! *faints* Congratulations Tiffini, your store is absolutely lovely!

Those of you who work with your hands, know how important your hands are. I have had ongoing issues with my hands. Believe it or not, my poor hands have been fraught with illness (3 different kinds!) in the last 4 months. Yesterday required another trip to the doc for another dose of news I did not want to hear. It's treatable, but I am growing weary of dealing with health challenges. That, added to other life "stuff" has left me feeling decidedly blue. The one bright spot right now is that my friend Liz is on her way here from England on Friday and we have plans to get together while she's in Vancouver. I can't wait. When I first met Liz, I loved her instantly. She is utterly lovely and a real kindred spirit-it was like I had known her forever. I am looking forward to us chatting up a storm and laughing till it hurts. Fly safely Liz and see you soon!

Spring Cleaning Sale!

The Spring Cleaning bug has bitten me! I spent a good chunk of the weekend going through the house and clearning out the excess that has built up over the last year. I love spring cleaning-it's a chance to get rid of junk, donate the good stuff to charity and just generally organize. In the course of doing all this, I came across a pile of patterns I have amassed and decided that there are many I will never get to, so they need a good home. I listed them here last night because Etsy was having some technical issues, but it's been resolved now, so to make my life easier, I have relocated them to Etsy. So far I have 6 posted, with more to come. If you are interested in getting some great patterns on the cheap, you can visit The Tattered Edge Mercantile. (And yes, I have a "thing" for bees, so you will find several of the patterns include bees!)

In other news, I have booked a bunch of private workshops, which is really exciting. I will be teaching my mixed media charm bracelet as well as a new class called Mini Picasso. It's going to be a busy month! If you would like to book a private workshop, feel free to email me for details!

I am hoping to be able to find time today to get some ribbon so I can bind my Faux Family Album and share the finished results with you. It's looking really fabulous-the artwork is wonderful and Penn and I have finished ours to look like real vintage albums. How I love collaborative books!

Faux Family Album

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

So back in the fall I was invited to participate in a project hosted by Laura Duet called "Faux Family Album". The idea was that Laura would send us a vintage photo and we would build a photo album page (art on one side, story about the people in the photo on the reverse) and return it to her. She would then photocopy all the pages and we would each receive an album's worth in return.

The photo I received didn't really inspire me, so I used a vintage photo of one of my real family members. (We had the option to use our own photo if that was the case. The RCMP officer is one of my uncles.) I thought it would be interesting to add a Canadian flavour to the project since most of the participants were American. By way of explanation of the photo, I created the telegram for the back. It was alot of fun working on this project and it was so great to only have to create one page!

About 2 weeks ago, I received my packet of pages back and I am in the middle of fashioning them into an album. I am almost done and it's going to look great when it's all put together. Laura submitted the project for publication and I just got word yesterday that it will indeed be published in Somerset Memories sometime in the fall. (I don't have all the details yet, but when I do, I will let you know.) All the pages were really well done and quite interesting and I can't wait to see it shared in a magazine. Congratulations Laura on such a successful project and to my fellow participants on a job well done!

A New Day!

Photos copyrighted Tattered Edge 2007.

Thanks to everyone who commented here, emailed or called to offer support about my last post. I struggled with whether or not I should say anything, but I am glad I did. I have been stepped on one time to many in the last year and this girl has had enough! In any case, it's a new day! Onward!

Anyway, I realized I had not share the bracelet I made at Artfest with some of the charms I received as trades. Some of the charms were too big or too heavy to go on, but I will find something else to do with them. I made myself the bracelet and took it with me and the first night after trading, I came back to the house and added each of the charms. Everything, except the button charm in glass (made by Kathy Strittmater, as a gift for hosting the Be My Valentine gift exchange) was from Artfest. I now have 3 different chunky monkey charm bracelets! Each of them is so special because the charms were made and given by such wonderful friends. It's fun to wear them and jingle as I walk. *grins*

I have finally gotten around to ordering a copy of 1000 ATCs and it should be here shortly. It's always a sort of surreal experience having a real live book sitting on your shelf that has your art in it! I still pinch myself to see if it's real. Right now I am working on a couple of submissions for publication that are due at the end of the month. One is finished and in the mail and the other is almost complete.

I am also gearing up to teach another 5 week series for kids in Vancouver. My last series was on ATCs and the kids loved it. The parents asked if I would come back and teach again and the co-ordinator invited me back, so this series is called "Mini Picasso" and will be about exploring mixed media. It's going to be messy, but fun! I can't wait. I am also going to be teaching a button bracelet class sometime in the next couple of week for kids at a local middle school for Mother's Day. I had a blast teaching there in December-the kids were so creative and took what I taught them and ran with it. It was such a lively class and the results were wonderful!

So, busy times ahead for me. The best thing is that several of my artist friends from Artpub have been having successes of their own to celebrate. It's great to have a network of women artists that can come together to support and encourage one another. It's so empowering to have that kind of energy being shared. If someone is having trouble with something, they can send a shout out to the group and within minutes, there are several folks at the ready to help. If someone has something good to share, congratulations emails start filling their inbox in no time. It's been so helpful for me to have that give and take and I thank all the members for the time and energy they so generously share with me. Also, thank you Kathy for getting it set up in the first place!

Unbelieveable!

I really hate wasting energy on this, but I feel this is something I need to address. Here's the scoop:

Yesterday I was on Flickr, working through creating a certain type of link and in the course of doing so, found one of my photos there. I thought that was rather odd, since I had not posted that particular photo to my Flickr. Further investigation revealed that an online acquaintance had snagged my photo from my blog and posted it to her Flickr account. (Granted, she had credited the image to me, but she had not asked if it was okay with me that she posted as she had done.) This made me really uncomfortable, so I sent her a brief polite email explaining that I would prefer that my photos only be posted to my account. She removed it and replied "Sorry, but don't post them on the internet then!"

Now I had given her the benefit of the doubt that she really didn't mean any harm or perhaps didn't know any better, however, that last comment really got me. How is it that someone does something wrong and that the person that they do it to is somehow responsible? I emailed her back and patiently explained that I consider my photographs part of my art. I choose to share my art online, but that does not mean once I do that people are free to snag and use those images however they want. They are copyrighted to ME. At the very least, you should email and ask permission. In any case, I thanked her from removing it from her Flickr.

Later in the day, I discovered that she also had posted my photo to her Live Journal, with no credit and had created an icon for herself from it. At this point, I was pretty annoyed. I reminded her that Live Journal's terms of service includes the stipulation that you will NOT infringe on anyone's copyrights and asked her to remove my images. This morning, she emailed that she had forgotten about the fact that those were on her Live Journal and said "Your art I thought was your mixed media. I didn't realize you sold photos as well." Whether or not I sell my photos is neither here nor there. It's my art and unless you are ME, or ask for and receive my permission, you have no business using it in any way. The icon made from my photo is still up. I have reiterated that I would like her to remove it. *sigh*

So here's the bottom line:
I know that 99.9% of folks who read my blog and visit my website would never think of doing something like this. I truly appreciate that. This is not directed at you in any way. I appreciate you visiting my corner of the web and commenting and sharing the art world with me. I appreciate that you do it in a respectful way.

I am not by nature a bitchy person. In fact anyone who knows me, knows that I am exceptionally generous and easy going. However, if you step on my toes after I have tried to ask you nicely not to use my work without my permission, I am going to get testy. It's rude and disrespectful and it shows a lack of integrity. How would you feel if it happened to you?

I am hoping that this will clear up any grey area about how I feel about someone "borrowing" my art and that I don't have to waste my time addressing it again. There is a notation on copyright on my sidebar here and on each of the pages of my website. I can't make it any clearer than that.

If you heave read this far, thanks for your patience and for listening. Let's hope tomorrow is a better day.

Sunday

So yesterday I spent the afternoon in Vancouver at the monthly ATC swap, which turned into an impromptu book singing for me. LOL! A couple of the ladies had ordered the 1000 ATC Book via Amazon (we don't have it here on the shelves in Canada yet.) and brought them for me to sign. It was pretty funny, since not only had I not seen the book, but I had also completely forgotten which ATC I had submitted.

I found them on page 280. Sadly, the colours are completely off. The first one which was done with a bubble wrap technique and a stamp from Paper Artsy (Men of Numbers plate 4) is hot pink, but this is quite dulled down. The second one, is so washed out, you can barely tell what I did and again, the colour is off. I am disappointed. I don't know what happened. The cover of the book turned out really nice and there are a wide variety of techniques used in the ATCs featured. I will be buying a copy for posterity, regardless.

After the swap, I met up with my guys and we drove to Vanier Park, parked the car and walked along False Creek to Granville Island. This is the marina we passed along the way. As you can see, it was a beautiful day.

Thought I'd take a pic of the street signs along the waterfront.

This is a little lagoon along the way in behind some of the condos. My son and I were really taken with it, thinking about how lovely it would be to live there and be able to sit out on the deck and look at the view. It's like being on a little pond.

This is the sign welcoming you to Granville Island, under the bridge. I never get to take a picture because usually I am driving under it. And how Canadian-there's a banner underneath announcing a sugaring off! Too funny!

I took this pic just for Liz. *wink* Kroma is this wonderful paint company on Grandville Island. They sell acrylic paints, gesso, fluid, gels and matte mediums, etc. and all of it is manufactured right there. They are comparable to Golden paints, but less expensive because they are locally made. I love their stuff!

There are lots of little shops on the island, many of them catering to tourists, but it's always interesting to see what's in them.

Here's a shot of "the Lions" the two peaks in North Vancouver that are a city landmark. You can see them from most points in the city. Gorgeous!

Right near where I parked my son spotted this eagle's nest high up in a tree. My husband said he had seen an eagle fly from it when we first arrived. You can't tell by this picture, but the nest is HUGE. The only other birds I have seen locally with nests this large are the herons in Stanley Park. We ended our day with a trip to Mondo Gelato, the best gelato place in the city. I had one scoop of coffee and one of hazelnut. MMM!

It was a lovely day, marred only by the fact that when I got home, there was a voice mail message waiting, telling me one of my uncles had died. It made me think of The World is a Beautiful Place by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. It's the last line I was thinking of.

"but then right in the middle of it

comes the smiling

mortician"

*sigh* Not the kind of news I wanted to come home to, but such is life.

Artfest Part7

Okay, at long last I have a few pictures from Show & Tell on the last day of Artfest. I took lots of photos, but I just picked a few to share or I would be here all day uploading. Here are folks wandering around looking at everything. There were two giant rooms FULL of art. It's a great way to see what comes out of the classes and to help you see what you might like to learn next year.

I wish I had been able to take this class. My love for buttons borders on obsession and it would have been so much fun to make one of these!

The work that came out of Anahata's classes was jaw dropping. She and Misty are some teachers-everything I saw from their classes was so beautiful and unique. I would love to take a class with either of them next year, since I am not painterly per se. The colours in these pieces are fantastic and I wonder what type of paint they used?

Penn's "I See London, I See France" dos a dos book. I love the acrylic cover-very clever!

I don't know which class this was, but the books that came out of it were really cool and interesting. Gotta love little books!

This is one of the ladies that won one of the raffle prizes. Let me tell you, that bag was chock full of goodies! I hope she didn't have to take it on an airplane-it probably weighed a ton!

This was the most beautiful sunset, taken just as the Show & Tell was ending. I had to capture it, if only for the way the trees were silhouetted against the sky.

The only photos left now are ones I have not taken yet. I have my workshop projects to complete and photograph, but I have not had time to get to that. I am busy working towards to publication deadlines for two different projects, both due by the end of the month! Anyway, eventually the last bits from Artfest will show up here.

It's hard to believe all if this is crammed into a few short days! It's a whirl wind and frenetic and crazy, but I really do love the experience and can't wait till next year!

An Award

So I know I said the other day that I would post pics from Arfest Show & Tell, but when I tried to do it yesterday, Blogger was in a mood and would not cooperate. My head is in a different place this morning, so the last batch of photos will have to wait.

This morning, in reading through my blog roll (I start my day with tea and visit all the blogs I enjoy, gently working myself into the day) I came across this post from Deb Trotter which caught me totally by surprise. I can't tell you how perfectly timed her kinds words were. It got me to thinking about this "Box of Inspiration" that I made in Kristin Steiner's workshop at Artfest. I kept trying to figure out what I wanted to put in it and I think I have finally figured it out. Every time someone says something kind about me (or my work), I am going to write it on a slip of paper and tuck it into that box. Then on days when I need some encouragement (we all have those, don't we?) I am going to open the box, pull out those slips of paper and read them! It's so easy for the bad things people say to get engraved on our hearts, but the good stuff often just slips away unnoticed. Well, no more. I am writing those gifts of spirit down and savouring them when I need them most. I challenge you to do the same and see if it doesn't change the way you see and feel about yourself. I think it will also remind you who really "sees" you and loves and supports you.

As per the rules of the Thinking Blogger Award and in the spirit of "paying it forward", here are my five picks:

1. Heaven and Earth-Hanne Mathiesen's work is so utterly inspiring. Every time I see her pieces, I wish I could somehow magically transport myself to her studio and spend the afternoon learning from her. She totally embraces old world charm in her work and each post is a delicious glimpse into her serene world.

2. Artist Unleashed-What I love about Shari Beaubien is the way she writes. She is refreshingly honest and willing to share with her readers the trials and tribulations of what it's like being an artist building her career. Her sincerity and earnestness shine through and it's so encouraging to read about somebody else out there striving to live their dream.

3. Ornamental-Nina Bagley is in a word "lovely". Nina is an old spirit with the soul of a poet. I greatly admire the way she weaves her words together. I learn so much from reading her blog and it's so easy to recognize her greatness as a human being. She is kind and thoughtful warm and funny as hell, not to mention her art is amazing.

4. Jane Wynn's Studio-Jane Wynn's art is unique and quirky. I love how she is not afraid to express her own style in her art. She takes the ordinary fodder of every day life and turns it into something amazingly beautiful and rare. She is what I consider to be a true artisan.

5. Be Present, Be Here-Liz Elayne's blog is like a gentle whisper to your soul. Her blog is brand new to me, but I love it. Liz is a kindred spirit I didn't even know was out there until Artfest-she loves buttons and fabrics and poetry and I just feel so at home reading her thoughts. Her blog is very happy-making for me.

And so these blogs are some of many that feed my soul. I chose blogs no one had mentioned (to my knowledge) so far and ones that I truly glean inspiration from. All right girls, I am off to notify each of you of this post and encourage you to spread the love. Please share your 5 picks and know that I thank you for the part you play in my life.

Thank you Deb, for blessing me with your kind words this morning, they are deeply appreciated and you know the admiration goes both ways. xo

I also discovered this morning that:

I think you can click on it to vote if you are so inclined. Thank you for the nomination Jemjoop! :)

Artfest Part 6

This crush of people is Vendor Night. It's sheer insanity every year. Not only do the Artfespians attend, but Teesha also opens it up to the public so it's basically a sea of humanity. The trick is actually getting to the tables that are lined up three deep. Last year, I had my nametag somehow ripped right off my chest! Anyway, shopping requires patience-I had to circle the room three times in order to get to see everything. I ended up not buying much-some prefab shrine and jewellery kits and vintage cloth measuring tapes from Small Studio Productions, a beautiful pendant from Stephanie Lee and a handmade wool bear with button eyes from Karen O'Brien of Quiet Companions.

My classes...day one was Mixed Media Naturalist with LK Ludwig. Here LK is showing us how to do techniques with chemicals. Somehow in reading the class desciption when I signed up, I missed the part about working with chemicals. Unfortunately, I can't wear latex gloves and since I wasn't paying attention, I didn't bring any I could wear. Luckily Mary and Katie were in my class and were able to aid me in dipping and neutralizing. It was pretty loud too-there were 27 people in the class and there was lots of hammering. It was an interesting class, but I am not fond of working with chemicals, (I have allergies) so I don't know that I would use those techniques at home. My book is nowhere near finished so it may be a long time before I will have pics to share.

Day two was the delightful Nina Bagley's "Book of Parlour Questions". That was a fun class. My seatmate, (sorry, her name slips my mind at the moment, though I want to say it was Sherry (?)) had hearing aids. She sat down and asked me what was going on. I had to laugh. She does what I usually do-sits next to someone she can ask to clarify if she misses something because she has a hearing impairment. I laughed and explained that if she thought I was going to be helpful in that way, she was barking up the wrong tree-I have a hearing impairment too, though most people never notice it. (Years of coping with it makes it hard for others to tell, unless they spend alot of time with me.) We had a laugh about that. Later when the hammering got crazy (we were bashing eyelets all day) she was able to take her hearing aids out to cut down on the noise. I wasn't so lucky! Though I worked like a demon, I did not manage to finish my book in class. I am almost finished it now though so soon I should have something to show you.

When I pulled up to the classroom in the morning, I parked and got out to rummage my trunk for my class supplies. While I had my head in the trunk, I could here this loud pounding of hooves, like galloping. I thought "What is that? There can't be horses here!" I stepped back to look and very nearly got side swiped by a huge deer racing by, hell bent for election! If we had collided, I am sure it would have meant some broken bones for me-that animal was scared and enormous! As it zipped past me, there was another car pulling up and about to make a right hand turn. They had to slam on their brakes to avoid grazing the deer on the passenger side. I just stood there for a minuted yelling "ON MY GOD!!" I was so stunned. Talk about a close call with mother nature! (Later, I laughed hysterically at the thought of what would have happened if I had got hurt and how much fun it would have been trying to explain that to BC Medical! "Uh yeah, I got side swiped by a deer...")

Day three's class was "The Box of Inspiration" with Kristin Steiner. (Sorry Kristin, this is not the greatest pic of you, but the only one I had!) When I walked into the class, I looked around to see if anyone had brought a hammer. No one had! It turns out, Kristin's class was an oasis of calm. I was so relieved I had chosen this class for my last day. (On the last day, everyone is pretty tired and I knew I should pick something within my comfort zone.) Kristin closed the door right away to block out the hammering that was happening down the hall (Bless you Kristin!) and she talked softly and calmly the entire time. The pace was slower, which was perfect-it was nice to feel relaxed. This class required some personal reflection and sharing and it was a nice way to wrap up my Artfest experience. I also got to meet some really cool people (*waves at classmates*) and finish up some trading.

During the class, Kristin mentioned that she was a quilter. I've been a quilter for 15 years. She also lives in South Carolina. The wheels got turning so I asked her the dreaded "Oh you're from (insert name of place) do you know...." question. I asked her if she knew my friend Jan Bode Smiley, who is also a quilter and author. I know that the quilting world, like the art world is a close knit community and if you don't know someone personally, you know of them. Sure enough, Kristin knew Jan. In fact, Kristin told me she was in both of Jan's books. At that point I had to laugh because so was I! Later, when we got home, we found we had actually shared a 2 page spread in one of the books. Small world! You just never know which of the threads that run through your life connect you to others.

My favourtie part of the class was learning about using these special fabric dyes to paint fabric and lace. I enjoyed playing with the dyes and seeing how soft and vintage-y they came out, Yesterday I spent an hour or so painting more fabrics and as soon as I get a chance, I am off in search of lace to dye.

My box is also a work in progress, but nearing completion. Since getting home from Artfest, I have been busy with family stuff and kind of tired. Now that Easter weekend is over, I hope to get back on track.

Tomorrow I will share photos from the show & tell. Stay tuned!