SCORE!!

So I just got home from my shopping expedition in Vancouver with my friend Jen. We went to the Salvation Army thrift shop and made our way down into the basement which is literally a free for all. It's this giant room with just table after table covered in boxes of stuff. Everything from housewares, to electronics (I spotted a VCR with the remains of a chewed up video tape hanging out of it-like that's going to sell!) to games, to hundreds of old records, to just plain JUNK!

While Jen was poking around looking for old Scrabble games to cannibalize, I spotted something shiny in the bottom draw of one of those clear plastic drawers on wheel units. (Oooo!! Shiny! I must have been a crow in a former life!) I opened the drawer to investigate and there was this huge, brand new, never been opened bag of plastic charms. 2000 charms to be exact. Every colour you could imagine, 3d, double sided so there's no "wrong" side to them and for a song!! You can bet I snapped that up right there and then and ran to the counter to pay for it.

I just opened it up to see all the different kinds that are in there. There's airplanes, rickshaws, Asian buildings, telephones, Native Indians, cowboys, horses, dogs, hearts, keys, motor cycles, genie lamps, totem poles, bless, clowns, lamps, crowns, Buddhas and more! I am so excited to have them and I know what I am going to do with them: my students are going to get to share them with me! I think they will make a fun little goodies and will be wonderful for adding to the spine of an altered book, tying to a package or just for fun. That right there made my shopping trip worthwhile!

Friday in Paradise

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

Here I am at the end of the week and it's going to be a crazy busy day. I have to go into the library this morning and take down my exhibit. Boy, a month sure goes by quickly! I created this little piece early this morning as a thank you to the library for giving me the opportunity to show my work. It's called "The Guardians".

Once I get the exhibit dismantled, I am zipping into Vancouver for the day to meet a friend for lunch (mmmm! Solly's!) and then we'll go do some art supply shopping. It will be nice to get out for a bit and clear my head. I've been working hard for the last week and I need a break. It looks as if it might be a half decent day out there. Perhaps I will take my camera along.

For those of you who have emailed enquiring about summer classes, I will be teaching altered books and collage classes locally in July. If you would like more information, please visit my Tattered Edge Yahoo group.

Getting the Word Out

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I thought that with the summer would come a slow down in work, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I have been pretty busy this week working on designs for Paper Artsy and doing some planning for the fall and winter, if you can believe it! I wanted to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who posted and emailed with congratulations about Belle Armoire. I really appreciate the kind words.

You may have noticed the new button on my sidebar for ArtistsinCanada.com. I was surfing the net and was delighted to come across this site. It's features Canadian artists and it's a wonderful resource for artists to access information on a variety of subjects (including employment opportunities) and to just get their names out there. I was just saying to Deb the other day that it shocks me how few Canadian mixed media artists have a web presence or name recognition in our circle. I know there have to be more of us northern folk out there! I think part of the reason why may be that Canada traditionally is about 2-3 years behind in the artistic trends of the US. I know this is true for the quilting community and from what I can tell, it's about the same for mixed media.

When I started with mixed media, the only way I had to connect with others interested in it was via the Internet. By the time I began teaching it, 3 1/2 years ago, it was just coming into Canada. It's still in its infancy here. Local venues where mixed media/altered art instructors (like me!) can teach are still scarce at the moment, though I am hoping eventually that will change. I am doing my best to get the word out! I still get the funny looks when I try and explain what I do. It's just easier to point people in the direction of my website and let them see for themselves. Like they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words".

Speaking of Canada, Sunday, July 1st is Canada Day, our birthday as a nation. What does that entail? Well basically, a day off with pay and a picnic or BBQ with the family. We're pretty low key in our patriotism, but we love our country, just the same. I for one feel incredibly blessed to have been born on this soil, to have grown up on the prairies and to now live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. So Happy Birthday Canada and to my fellow Canadians. Have a wonderful and safe weekend!

Hot Off the Press!

So today I was going to share another of the designs I was working on for Paper Artsy, but it turns out I have some news to share this morning. Quite some time ago, I was involved in a charm exchange with friends, hosted by Ruth Rae. Most of the ladies involved made charm bracelets with their pieces, but I decided to try something different and created a button necklace to string my charms on. A few others also came up with some really different and beautiful ways to enjoy their charms, which you can see on the project blog.



Anyway, shortly after our exchange, Belle Armoire put a call out for charm pieces so Ruth decided to submit the project and I sent off my necklace. The necklace just arrived home to me last Friday, after being published in the July/August 2007 issue. Here's how it looked:

They did a great job of photographing it-believe me, it wasn't easy! Anyway, it's very exciting to see it look like that. It really doesn't matter how many times your work is published-it's always a thrill to see something you created between the pages of a book or magazine. To be honest, sometimes it feels a little surreal. Thanks Ruth Rae for taking the time to submit on everyone's behalf! What a great way to start the day!

From My Studio

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

Just a little peek at some of the designing I have been doing for Paper Artsy. Yesterday was a really productive day. The ideas were flying out of my head and I got several pieces made. Today comes the second part of the designing process-taking step by step scans of the work and writing up instruction. That's the slower, more meticulous part. Oh and in case you can't tell, that's fabric you're looking at. I hand dyed the piece I stamped on myself. It just occurred to me yesterday that I have been on Paper Artsy's design team for 3 years now. Boy does the time go quickly!

I also wanted to share with you that the wonderfully talented, Deb Trotter has an interview online that you may read here. If you want to know more about the amazing woman behind Cowboy's Sweetheart, now's your chance! Congratulations Deb! You're a star! *grins*

Okay, time for me to get back to work! Oh and a quick note to Typepad people-it's been 2 1/2 weeks and I still can't comment on Typepad. I am still trying to work it out with the technical help people from Six Apart, but so far, it's not working. Not happy, not happy at all!

New Book!

You know how you go into a store for one thing and come out with more than just that one thing? Well I went to the local scrapbooking store this morning to get a new Staz-on ink pad because the one I had here had gone dry (ARGH! It wasn't that old and it's already no good, but that's another story!) and decided to have a wander 'round the store. Big mistake! I spotted this book on the shelf and somehow it ended up coming home with me.

Title aside, the photos and ideas for organizing and storing art supplies caught my eye. I don't know about anyone else, but I LOVE looking at how people organize things and I find such satisfaction in creating a clean and functional workspace. (I've been working on improving my own for the last 2 weeks and am determined to have it ship shape by then end of summer.) While this book wasn't cheap ($37.99 CDN *gulp*) it was enticing enough that I had to own it.

It has:

-More than 280 full colour photos.

-30 tips from "expert scrapbookers" who share what works for them.

-Suggestions for sorting your supplies.

-14 projects to make to enhance your organization system.

I am off to read it with a packet of Post-It Note arrow markers so I can mark the pages that inspire me. OOOOO the eyecandy!!

Minis in the Mailbox

The minis have landed!! All these wonderful new plates arrived in my mailbox today from Paper Artsy and I can't wait to work with them! One of the best things about being on their design team is that there is always something new to challenge me and get my creative juices going. I haven't done any art this week save for sewing on the "secret project" so I am looking forward to playing with all this new rubber.

In other happy news, my in-laws are coming to visit this weekend and my father-in-law is bringing me fresh cherries! (They live in the interior where there are lots of orchards.) We are really lucky because when they come to visit they always bring us cases of wonderful fresh fruit-peaches, apples, pears, you name it!

So I will be sitting here, working on design work and nibbling bowlfuls of cherries- it doesn't get any better than that! Have a good weekend everyone!

Gifts from Away

So the one bright spot in a week that started rather badly (understatement of the year, believe me!) is finding goodies from Tiffini in my mailbox. It's amazing how an artsy gift lifts one's spirits. Awhile back Tiffini had a contest on her blog and I won first prize, which was my pick of her optical necklaces. I chose this Dias de los Muertas image. I love Hispanic culture (I lived in Barcelona at one point) and even though I know it's not the same thing as Dias De Los Muertos, Hallowe'en is my favourite holiday. (It's my Gramps' birthday.) I thought it would be fun to have this pendant to wear in the fall.

Tiffini also included one of her little buttons as well. I adore little buttons. I have them all stuck on the roof inside my car. It's becoming quite the collection! THANK YOU TIFFINI! If you would like some of her wonderful unique art for your very own, you can visit her shop here. Be sure and check out the rings-very cool!

The organizing of my workspace continues. I am making headway-things are getting sorted and labelled within an inch of their lives, but it will all be worth it when I don't have to go crazy hunting for things in the future. I have also thrown out a pile of junk. It's amazing how much junk had piled up with my art stuff. (And I am saying junk as in garbage, not as in wonderful old bits for art.) My hope is that by the end of summer, I have everything ship shape so I can go into the fall with a fresh new workable space.

I have been to Ikea three times so far this week buying stuff to store my supplies in. I bought some of these in two sizes and a bunch of these to match (the red medallion ones). The red is this really nice deep vintage shade and I really love it. I figure if you are going to organize your workspace, you might as well have pretty storage solutions! I also added one more set of these to the stack I have of various drawers they make. I have 4 units stacked up and it sure holds alot of stuff! I am in the process of labelling each of the drawers, so I don't have to open every single one every time I want something. LOL! Fun-but not a good use of my creative time!

Speaking of creative time, I'd better get going!

Father's Day

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This is a piece I worked on this morning, called "Good Egg". My guys were out all night volunteering at the 24 Hour Relay, a fundraiser for Easter Seals. They do security for the runners in the middle of the night because it's always hard to get people to come cover those shifts. This was my husband's 20th year volunteering and my son's 4th. They didn't get in till 4:30 a.m. so I was quietly playing with the new paints that I bought yesterday while they slept. I love the antique colours.

I also managed to do some more organizing of my workspace which seems to be an ongoing project. I got these really nice barn red and white boxes with lids from Ikea. The print on them looks like antique wallpaper. I found some metal label holders I had and put them on each box so I could label what's in them. Now I can know exactly which box to look in when I want something. I still need a couple more boxes before everything under my desk will be contained neatly, but it's getting there!

Speaking of good eggs, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to the men in my life:

My husband who is an incredible father who is teaching our son what it means to be a man by leading by example. Love you honey for everything you do for our family and for always putting us first.

My father-in-law who doesn't fool me for one minute with his gruff exterior. I know underneath all that is a heart of gold. Thank you for raising your son to be a man I love and respect deeply.

My beloved Gramps, who is gone, but especially missed today. He was not only my father figure, but my rock, my compass and my heart. I am so grateful for everything you taught me and brought to my life and I will carry that with me always.

And my precious friend Carlos, for having the courage to trust that a stranger meant well and allowing me to be a part of your family. You are an amazing human being and I am so blessed to call you friend. I am thinking of you today and send you my love.

Playing Hookey!

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

So where have a been the last few days? Playing hooky! My creative brain has been taking a much needed rest. I have learned that you can't maintain a high level of creativity over a long period of time without sometimes taking a break. I have been seriously working at mixed media for 6 1/2 years now and you can bet I want to avoid burnout!

So what do I do? Well, anything but art! So far this week, I have: watched bad movies and read a couple of lame books, gone shopping at Ikea to get stuff to organize my workspace, bought new music online, had coffee with my friends twice, (Chai will cure anything!) cleaned the house, ordered more rubber from Paper Artsy for new design work, sewed a bit on my project (then unsewed-I had the directional fabric upside down! Brilliant eh?), planned a new project I want to host and watched my son go out on his first date.

I think by Monday I may be ready to get back to work, but if not, I will just putter along till I do.

In the meantime, it's been really nice getting emails from folks that have been up to see the exhibit. I took a friend up there yesterday to view it. It's hard to believe in 14 days it will all come down. A month goes by so quickly! I was just asked to do an interview that will appear online at some point, so I will post and let you know when it's available for viewing.

Things of Note

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Things that I am happy about today:

-My friend Jan Smiley has joined the blogging world. Her blog is called Full Circle and she's sharing the cool new bell tower studio space she has been granted for the next 11 months. (Very cool!) Congrats Jan and welcome to the blog world!

-Finding art supplies that I didn't even know I had. That's what happens when you clean up and reorganize! It's like Xmas all over again!

-Sushi for today's lunch. I love California roll. (It's the only type of sushi I like.) While I know how to make it, sometimes it's nice just to be able to buy it already made. My local Safeway sells it made inside out (rice on the outside, nori on the inside) with brown rice. YUM!! My pal Lisa gave me a set of handmade pottery sushi plates for my birthday a few years ago so I am going to have an elegant lunch today, just because.

-Being appreciated. Several people have said some really sweet things to me lately and I have to say, it's really nice to be on the receiving end. It used to be that someone would say something nice and I would just brush it off because I was embarrassed. Then one day I realized that when someone gives you a heartfelt compliment, what they were really giving you was a gift. To just brush it off carelessly is like taking that gift and tossing it aside. (How rude!) So now, even when I feel embarrassed, I try really hard to be gracious about it and to take it in, seeing it for what it is. So THANK YOU to those folks (and you know who you are) who have taken the time to email or call and tell me how you feel. I am humbled.

-Rain. Yes, I know it's supposed to be moving into warm weather and sun, but right now there's this cotton stuff blowing around that I am horribly allergic to and so the rain is my friend. If it rains, this stuff gets flattened and it's not so bad. I can't wait till the season for this stuff is over! (I also prefer cooler weather so you won't hear me complaining!) Besides, when it rains, there is nothing I love better than being in my workspace creating art and sipping tea. BLISS!

-The Ladies of Art Pub. It's great to have artist friends who can support and encourage one another. I love that if you have a question about something art related you can post to the group and then sit back and watch the answers roll in. I always learn something new, even if the questions are not my own and it's so helpful to hear different points of view, take everything under advisement and then make an educated decision. I think it's empowering to have a network of your peers that you can trust and rely on. I really do feel that together we are stronger-everyone has something special they bring to the table and I appreciate the generosity of spirit these ladies have.

What's making your world go 'round?

Priorities

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

My new Moo cards just arrived a few minutes ago. I got an email on Friday saying they were being shipped from England and here it is Tuesday morning in Canada and they are in my hands. Now that's good service! These are the two new images I used. The first is from a bees wax collage on canvass I did ages ago and the other is a collage I made a few months ago.

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

This is the whole set. I reordered some of the images I have used before because I like them so much. I sure love being able to give out Moo cards as my business cards. I love that I can pick and choose pieces or sections of my art to use and I can pretty much put whatever I want on the back. I love that they are smaller than standard business cards. I think it makes them more interesting. Whenever I have given someone my card, they look at it in surprise and then comment on how cool they are. I think so too-THANKS MOO! The next time I order, I am going to use some of my photographs. I have several I love that would work.

I was going to work on a sewing project this morning, but I flubbed something up right off the bat (curse you, directional fabrics!) and then discovered that I don't have a seam ripper. I had one, but it's gone missing. (Probably around the time my son took sewing in middle school a few years ago.) Anyway, I need to buy a new one, but I don't feel like chasing around this morning. I'll swing by the dollar store this afternoon and see if I can find on there. So in the meantime, I've moved on to some collage work.

It's been strange being in my workspace with it being so bare. Most of my art is off on exhibit at the Poirier Library. It's strange how I've gotten used to having the things around me that inspire me and bring a smile to my face. It's just not the same vibe without it all. I know they are just "things" but they're my things and I like them!

Speaking of things, Kathy asked me how I could stand to part with my Triptychs. Well normally, I might have a hard time doing it, but this time, I've actually made some for me, so I still have them for myself. If I can keep a set, it's not so hard to let the others go. Besides, what good is art if it's not shared? I have to admit in the beginning I used to give all my art away in swaps and had nothing to show for all my hard work. As time wore on, I decided to do less swapping. I now pick and choose the ones I participate in very carefully and make sure I am not over commiting myself. I adopted a 24 hour policy. It goes like this: If I am considering a swap, I wait 24 hours before I commit. This way, I am not acting impulsively and I have time to think about whether I have the time, energy and inspiration to do my best work.

I always want my personal art time to be a joyful time of creating and not a chore. It helps me to prevent burn out and being late for deadlines. I really don't think that saying NO to something is a negative thing. By saying NO to the things that don't fit with my commitment to myself, I am able to say YES to the things that really fire my soul. It was really important for me to be mindful of my time. For awhile there, I was on a runaway train. As soon as I started feeling stressed about art, I knew I had to stop and assess things. No more runaway train!

FYI

Just a quick PSA to any of my friends who are Typepad folks:

I am not ignoring you. I have for some bizarre reason been locked out of posting to Typepad. I've been trying to suss out the problem for the last week with the help of the Six Apart helper people. So far, no luck, but I will keep on trying. My ISP is on a white list so we've ruled that out...

In the meantime, if I have anything REALLY important to tell you, I will just email you. Otherwise, it may be awhile...wish me luck!

Update

Ahhh more MOO cards! I ordered a few of the text ones just to see what they are like. I was playing around with all the different patterns they had. They're fun, but I made another order for the image ones using my art and they should be here this coming week. I love MOO!! If you haven't checked them out, you don't know what you're missing!

In the meantime, I thought it was a good time for an update:

Reading: Life's Golden Ticket by Brendon Berchard. If you read the review, it about covers what it's about. I am about 4 chapters in and it's interesting so far. I found out about it just by chance, checking online which books were new at my library.

Watching: So You Think You Can Dance? I started watching this series last summer and really enjoyed it. Unlike AI, you can't fake your talent. Either you can dance or you can't and the amount of work that the dancers have to put forward is amazing. I am hooked!

Listening: Life is Short Call Now, Bruce Cockburn. I like Bruce Cockburn alot. I find his music easy to listen to while I work.

Drinking: Chai Lattes. I will never get tired of them!

Anticipating: The returns for the triptych swap I am in as well as another one I am hosting. I can't wait to have artsy goodness in my mailbox!

Dreaming: About new projects I would like to do. I have a bunch of them noted in my Moleskine (my second brain) where I record all my art ideas as they occur to me. I am mulling one in particular over and am pretty excited about it...just have to fine tune the idea.

I am also dreaming about how I can organize some of my supplies better. I think tomorrow I am going to get an Ikea catalogue and see what my options are. I want to create a more organized environment to work in. It's not for lack of trying-it's for lack of space. I need to make the most of the small space I have, which means finding a way to house my supplies that makes sense. That's going to take some doing, but by summer's end, I would like to have that accomplished.

Doing: Working on my piece for the exchange I am hosting. I begin construction of it tomorrow! YAY! (It's kind of a secret or I would say more!)

Creating: Hmm..well in the last two weeks I have mainly worked on banners for sale in my etsy shop, the three triptychs for the swap and setting up the exhibit of my work at the library. I am looking forward to having some play time for the next couple of months and just relaxing and enjoying a bit of a break. This girl wants to PLAY!!

Three of Three

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

I was up at O'dark thirty this morning (5 a.m.) fresh with inspiration for my final triptych for the swap I am in. This one is called "Seamstress Row" and is hinged together with ribbons and buttons. I thought it would be fun to put the seamstresses in the dormer windows. These really were seamstresses-I took their faces from a vintage photo I own of a girl's sewing class. The measuring tapes on the roofs and the buttons are vintage from my collection. (Some call it a collection, I think it's more of an obsession in my case!) The flower lace pieces I hand dyed myself. It was fun to create three totally different triptychs-one from paper, one from metal and one from fabric. It was a good way to stretch my creative muscles.

So...I am all finished and I will put them in the mail today. Now I get to sit back and watch my mailbox to see what lovely triptychs I receive back. I can't wait! I will have to post them here when they arrive some time in July. (With each artist's permission, of course.) Stay tuned!

Thoughts on Giving and Success

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

It's been a day of personal reflection. This morning, my friend Shari asked how we, as artists measure success. Part of my answer was this:

I am often assessing where I am in the big scheme of things and wondering just how far I want to take it and when will I know when I have gotten "there". I know I don't want to get a fat head. I want the work itself just to be enough. I would like to have more opportunities to contribute open up to me. I am perfectly willing to do the work-it's not enough for me to just succeed through the "it's who you know" network*. I want to feel the satisfaction of knowing I deserve it. I believe in paying your dues. It allows for time to develop your character and when the success does come, then you can really, fully appreciate and embrace it.



One thing I measure as success is when you are on the upswing, you reach down and pull someone up with you. It's not enough (IMHO) to work for your own gain. It's important to give back, to mentor someone else if you can. I think it's important to want the art world to grow as a whole-not just to serve your own purposes. I think successful people are those see the big picture and develop a generousity of spirit. If you can act with integrity like that, then people respect you and I think that, more than anything is really important. It will show in everything you do.

*Meant in no way to be a judgement of anyone else.

It's good sometimes to stop and think about where you are headed and how you are conducting yourself in the world. Today I spent the day supporting a friend who needed me. Let me tell you, there is no bigger blessing than to have someone come to you because they trust you and ask for your help. It's humbling and it speaks volumes about a friendship that I value deeply.

It made me think of something that came in my email couple days ago from another friend, Donna Magic. She sends me inspiration on a daily basis and this was part of it:

"Each person traveling the same or parallel path needs the attention that we can give. Every time we offer love to someone else, our own spirit is nourished."

Isn't that beautiful? We all have something to give-we just have to figure out what it is and then have the courage to actually share it! If someone needs a kind word, speak it. If someone needs some guidance, offer your hand. It costs you nothing and the more you give, the more you get to keep for yourself. Didn't John Lennon have lyrics to that effect? "In the end the love you take is equal to the love you make." May you be successful in all the ways that matter most.

Special Day

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

Proving yet again that the muses will come whenever they please, I suddenly got the inspiration for these last night. (It's called Friends & Neighbours.) I discovered I had misunderstood about the triptyc swap I am involved in. The way I read it I thought I was I was supposed to make one tryptych. Apparently, I was supposed to make THREE tryptics! The deadline isn't till the end of the month, so I still have time to make the last two and get them in the mail. I am pretty pleased with how these came out. I even managed to think up a way to hinge them together that made sense. (I didn't just want to be adding hinges that didn't blend with the look of the piece.) I made all the hinging pieces by myself. (Thank you Gramps for the mechanical ability genes!) I really love how this turned out-so much so, I think it would make a great class, so I am adding it to my list!

Today is a special day-it's my son's 16th birthday! I am picking him up at lunch and we are doing our traditional lunch and birthday shopping this afternoon. I decided long ago that when I had kids, they wouldn't have to spend their whole birthday at school. Having a March birthday myself, I always had to write exams on my birthday and usually it was math-my worst subject. I wanted my kids to be able to have better memories than that so lunch and shopping it is! Happy birthday to my kiddo, I love you! You are growing into the kind of man I had always hoped you'd be-kind and compassionate and an all around good human being.

This day is doubly special because it's also my precious friend Anna's birthday. I became friends with Anna when I set out to participate in the United In Memory quilt project, after 9/11. She lost her son Ken in the WTC and I randomly (though I do not believe for one second it was random) chose her son's name from the list of over 1000 lost that day. We were finally able to meet in the summer of 2004 and I simply adore her. Anna has the most loving and generous spirit and just being in her presecence makes you feel good. She inspires me to want to be a better person, a better woman. She radiates light and I know a great spirit when I see one. Happy Birthday Anna! May all the good you bring to the world come back to you tenfold.

Okay, time for me to get back to making triptychs. I have one more to go. I am mulling a few ideas over in my brain. I love doing the house/home theme-so many possibilities! Back soon with more!

Thoughts on Summer

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

As of this morning, there are some new banners for purchase at the Tattered Edge Mercantile. I have to say making these banners is highly addictive, but this will be it for awhile. I have several irons in the fire right now that require my attention, not the least of which is a new project I am in the middle of with several friends. It's working with art and textiles and I am really excited about it. I think we are going to have some wonderful results. I will share more about it when we are finished.

I am looking forward to the summer and having some time to develop new ideas and to play and create some art just for my own enjoyment. I know the time is going to go by quickly! I've been thinking about new directions I would like to move in-new materials I would like to work with, new colour combinations I would like to experiment with...it feels good to have a whole world of possibilities stretching out before me. I want to visit the beach, I want to walk in the forests and fill up on the inspiration of nature. I want to take photos, see new places, meet new people. I just want to take some time to wander and explore and see where it takes me and what I learn. Isn't that what we did when we were kids? We would spend the whole summer having adventures and then come back eager to share what we experienced with our friends in the fall. I travelled alot in the summers as a kid so I always had great stories to tell. I want to experience all that wonder and joy again and come back revitalized and refreshed.

Another thing I love to do in the summer is to fill up on books. I haven't compiled a list for summer reading yet, but that's my next task. Reading has always been one of my favourite things to do. I love to learn and when I was a kid, I would spend hours in the library choosing books to fill up my hungry mind. I read everything from Anne of Green Gables, to Judy Blume, to books on the Holocaust, to the poetry of Maya Angelou and everything in between. I actually had to beg the library to let me have an adult card because the books I so wanted to read were not allowed out on a junior card. When I got the adult card, it was like I had won the lottery! I am hoping there will be some new art books out in time for the summer!

As someone who loves books so much, it's been really exciting to create art for publication in several books. Being able to go to my local library and see those books on the shelf and know I am a part of them is amazing. I just feel so blessed for the opportunities I have been given. It's really nice to have my exhibit up at the library and be able to share some of my world with people in my community. Art has given me so much and I love encouraging other people to dip their toes into their own pool of creativity. It's amazing how happy it makes people.

Okay, time for me to get back to work! I have to prep for my Mini Picasso class which is on Thursday. Happy creating!

A Day in the Life

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

So the exhibit of my artwork has been installed at Poirier Library and will be on display now from June 2nd-30th. If you are local, I would like to invite you to come by and have a look. I managed to set it all up in 45 minutes, which was record time. Being an experienced window dresser for a quilt store paid off! What was really encouraging was that while I was busy working on it, several people stopped to look, give positive feedback and ask questions about whether I offered classes. They happily walked away with my flyer, which was great. It's good to know that the art its self is attention getting, even before I have fussed over displaying it.

It's funny to think that something I have been doing for 6 years is still pretty new here in Canada. It's starting to catch on in Vancouver, which is pretty artsy anyway, but out here in the 'burbs, it's like a whole new world. I will just be happy if by sharing my art in this way I can open people's minds up to new possibilities.

After installing the exhibit, I went with friends to Hats Off on the Heights, which is big annual street fair in Burnaby. They close down a large section of one of the main roads (about 10 blocks) and fill it with a parade, show & shine, vendor's booths, food booths, music, firemen dunk tanks and tons of other stuff. It was smokin' hot, but we had a good time just being a part of the sea of humanity. I have to share this with you:

Isn't this wild?!? It's an art car and it was pretty cool. I can only imagine how much fun it was to gather all the different bits and bobs to create it.

This is the hood section and see that white thing in the middle? That is a working water fountain! Amazing! My hat's off to whomever created this and has the moxie to drive it around town. That's taking altering to a whole new level!

Speaking of cars, through a series of {insert whatever adjective here} events, my husband and I managed to find ourselves stranded on the side of a major highway, in the dark, with nary a drop of gas in our tank. I won't go into whose fault that was (*surreptitiously points at the guy who insisted we had enough to make it to the gas station he wanted to go to and since we were in an area I was not familiar with, I listened to him!*) but let's just say it was very scary barely making it off onto the shoulder and having huge semis roar by at 110 km or more with just a whisper between my vehicle and theirs. The car would rock each time and I was so worried we were going to get creamed. Finally there was a break in traffic and my husband was able to push while I steered it farther over to the right. Thankfully, after a quick call for help, our friends whom we had driven out to have dinner with showed up with a jerry can and 1/2 tank of gas and we were on our way again. Surprisingly, I didn't kill my husband. I didn't even raise my voice. I just said that from this point forward, when I want to buy gas, I am buying gas. I don't care if it's cheaper somewhere else. The "E" on the gas gauge is not merely a threat-it's a promise! We finally arrived home at 11 p.m. and I fell into bed, utterly exhausted.

All in all, Saturday was a good day, up until the point of our little misadventure. Never a dull moment, I tell ya! In any case, I was utterly exhausted today so I didn't managed to finish the other banners for my Etsy shop. They will keep till tomorrow. Uh oh! I hear thunder in the distance-I'd better quit while I am ahead!