Who's That Girl?

Guess what?! I am going to be on TV again!! On Tuesday, a reporter and cameraman (or woman!) are coming to my house to film in my studio! Isn't that cool? I can't say much about it for now, but it is art related.

Needless to say, I am madly tidying up the studio. It's not a huge mess, but I couldn't see the top of my desk for all the projects I have been working on lately. Excavation anyone?

I am exceptionally glad I just happened to spend last Saturday at the salon. Was that good timing or what?! Now I just need to figure out what to wear!

I will share more info when I can. In the meantime, pop on over to Artsmiths where this month, we are talking about the mentors in our lives. (Artistic or otherwise.)

Of Art & Books

I am mighty! I managed to complete 32 ATCs for a project I am doing in just a few days and well ahead of schedule! I've been in the groove lately and getting alot done. I'm pretty pleased with myself.

These are the fronts....

And then all the contact info on the back. I thought this pic of these girls in their bathing suits was amusing. The one on the right looks like me-same hair and face shape so I had to use it!

When I am not busy creating, I am reveling in the marvel of What It Is by Lynda Barry which was recommended to me by my pal Penn. I took one look at her copy and had to run out and buy one for myself. Luckily, there was a comic book store down the street that just happened to have them in stock. Lucky me!! Instant gratification!

It's so full of interesting little details and just looking at it is inspiring. It makes me want to sit down and just throw random pages together. When you click the link, be sure to click the "search inside this book" feature to get a peek inside. Skip past the first few pages it shows you till you get to the more collage themed ones, which is what the book is chock full of.

I am also reading and absorbing Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts. It requires that you go slowly and thoughtfully, as she provides alot of good insight, in addition to a variety of techniques.



I pre-ordered my copy directly from Kelly and it arrived signed and with a lovely print tucked inside the cover. I'd forgotten it would be signed, so that was a nice surprise when I opened it. I plan to write a review for Amazon once I've finished it.



Oh and before I sign off for today, I want to wish everyone a HAPPY FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN!! I am so thrilled Autumn is finally here. It's my favourite season. I've already had the pleasure of kicking up leaves when I walk. That is sheer bliss!

The Best Place on Earth

Here, as promised, are pictures from our trip to Stanley Park on Sunday. I took this one of Indy checking out the ducks near the aquarium, which is one of my favourites from the day. I was playing around with taking pics in colour, b&w and sepia. Sometimes the contrast on the black and white is so lovely.


I was surprised to see so many herons in the last little while. They are such big birds. As I've mentioned before, they nest in the trees near the aquarium, It's really something to see these gentle giants alighting so gracefully way up in the pines.


If this doesn't make me feel Canadian, I don't know what would! As we were walking, I said to my husband "I am so happy it's fall now. I love autumn!" and he insisted it wasn't fall yet, but late summer. I don't care what the calendar says, once the kids go back to school and the leaves start changing, it's autumn as far as I am concerned. There's nothing I love more than walking in the leaves, hearing them crunch and seeing the wind stir them. *happy sigh*


This is "Girl in a Wetsuit" on the north shore of Stanley Park. When I was little, I always thought it was a mermaid. I didn't get that she had legs and flippers, not a tail. (How was I supposed to know better? I grew up on the prairies!) Every year, on the "birthday" of this statue, Elek Imredy (now deceased) who created her would bring birthday cake to where she was on the seawall and share it with the people passing by.

Last night we took Indy for a walk at Como Lake, but I forgot my camera. It's too bad too, because I would have been able to get a really good close up shot of a blue heron who was fishing just meters from the path. I'll have to remember it next time and hope he's there again!

One thing about BC is that the parks are wonderful and abundant. The culture here is very much geared towards an outdoor life style. With such a rich and natural beauty, it's easy to understand why. One of the best things about living here is that you never experience the same thing twice and you will always see amazing things through the lens of your camera.

Oh and one last thing before I sign off for today: GO check out the Altered Page. Today and for the next couple of days of The Pulse, you can peek in at other artists' studios. I love being able to do that!! (I love seeing how people live.)

Little Red Label

Okay, I can finally share some recent art with you! Over the summer, I hosted a collaborative book called "The Little Red Label Project". I have a collection of red labels-some with text, some blank that I was dying to use in a project and with a whole summer off, I figured why not?

This is my first page. Unfortunately, I am having issues with my computers and printer so the colour and photos are not as vibrant as I would like them to be, but you get the gist.

The photo on the reverse here is one of my originals. I took it a couple years ago, thinking I would use it in another project and then didn't end up using it at all. It worked for this one though!

I like how this one came out. I am a bit of a stamp hoarder. When I get mail and it has pretty stamps, I save them. Most of these are vintage but I enjoyed playing with the layout to get the balance right.

This is the reverse. I didn't realize this pic was somewhat blurry till just now! (Yeesh!) Anyway, the map is of the province of BC and I thought it went with the postal theme on the front of the page. My signature is worn like a necklace by the faerie.

The book came out really cool, thanks to the outstanding contributions by Tina Abbott, Barbara Atwell, Tara Finaly, Pilar Pollock, Penelope Harris, Deb Lewis, Kristen Robinson and Lisa Ryder. I can't wait for everyone to get their books. They are on their way as of today!

Never one to rest on my laurels, I am already formulating the next project in my mind. I have a pretty good idea what it will be!

Tomorrow I will post pics from our trip to Stanley Park yesterday and some of the collaborative Penn hosted that just wrapped up. See you then!

Pausing To Remember

"Faith is the strength by which a shattered world

shall emerge into the light.” -Helen Keller

In memory of

Kenneth Charles Ledee

September 11th, 2001

&

In honour of the Ledee family,

who continue to heal.

I will remember, always.

*If you wish to leave comments of support for the Ledee family, please feel free to do so. I know they will see and appreciate them.

Thank you.

Farewell Summer

This is how we spent one of the last days of summer vacation. We took Indy to one of our favourite beaches, Crescent Beach. The tide was out so we were able to walk waaaaaay out on the sand and explore the tidal pools. It was Indy's first time swimming in the ocean and as you can see, he had a great time.

I am totally in love with this little guy (who is not so little anymore-he's growing rapidly!) and often find myself staring at him, appreciating his beautiful lines and shiny coat. He really is a gorgeous animal and has the sweetest disposition. We all adore him. There's just nothing like being greeted by him either-his whole body becomes one big puppy wiggle with the sheer joy of seeing you. Everyone should be loved like that!

I was going to share some art I did recently, but when I looked on the hard drive for the photos, I realized I hadn't taken any! I am not sure where I stashed the artwork, so I'll have to find it and share another day.

My son starts his first day of his final year of high school today. Indy starts obedience class tonight. Everyone's off to school! I have enjoyed visiting the office supply stores lately and picking up odds and ends for the studio. I am an office supply junkie. I really can't help myself. I love pens, envelopes, labels, paper and all that good stuff.

I did some quick tidying in the studio yesterday. It was getting a bit messy with all the stuff I've worked on over the summer. I will probably do a purge later this month, once I clear my plate of projects I need to complete. I am *almost* there! I don't know about you, but I find the need to do a purge at least twice a year, usually in the spring and fall. I can't stand to have unnecessary junk piling up. I usually find a fair amount of stuff to donate to charity and I always feel better when I know the house is in order.

It's hard to believe the summer is over and we are headed into fall. Two months flew by so quickly. Before you know it, it will be Canadian Thanksgiving! (Which falls on October 13th this year.) We wrapped up our summer with a BBQ with friends last night. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to the lazy days of summer. I hope your long weekend was good too!