Ringing in the Holidays

It's that time of year again! We've just kicked off the 12 Days of Xmas Exchange with the "Parade of Presents"!

Beginning today, you can stop by daily right up to and including Dec. 24th and see all the beautiful handmade gifts we're exchanging this year. Each and every one is a work of heART.

For the first 11 days we'll be sharing photos of our wrapped gifts and then after that, photos of what was inside each one as we open them. We're kicking off the parade with photos of two gifts today!

Be sure and bookmark the 12 Days of Xmas blog or join the RSS feed so you don't miss out on any of the artsy goodness!

The Sweetness of Friendship

There was good stuff in my magical mailbox this week! Pilar sent me a Yule pressie! She made me the beautiful textile bracelet with a beaded, felted heart layered on the front...

...and stitching that says "sweetness of life" beside. It's just gorgeous and feels so nice on my wrist. I love it for several reasons: it's from one of my most treasured friends; it's RED, my favourite colour; it's soft; it has tattered edges; it's a heart, which Pilar sends me as her way of letting me know I am loved and it has a beautiful glass button (I LOVE buttons!) in the center.

It totally amazes me the amount of control she has to be able to coax the words out of her sewing machine and onto the fabric so that you can read them. I am guessing that she uses a darning foot and having been a quilter for about 16+ years, I can tell you it's a testament to her skill as an artist! I couldn't do it-it would be this hideous tangled rat's nest that I would probably have to use scissors to yank out of the feed dogs. Seriously!

Pilar has an Etsy shop, which she working on restocking, so go now and bookmark it. You can click on her "sold" items and see the scrumptious goodies that have already been snapped up to get an idea of what she has to offer. I promise you, they are fabulous! Also, I want to share with you that a little birdie told me that Pilar's going to be appearing in an upcoming issue of Sew Somerset, so be sure to keep an eye out!

The sweetness in my life comes from the people I am blessed to call my friends. Each of them has their own endearing qualities and Pilar has the kindest heart and a gentle soul. She lifts me up in her own special way and every time I wear this bracelet, I am going to feel the warmth and love of our friendship wrap around me. Yes, I know that's mushy, and terribly sentimental, but it's true!

Thank you Pip. xox

Jann Arden~Free

Hello, hello! Wow, it kind of felt good to have a whole week "off" after the insane 4 day hospital-going marathon, followed by surgery on Monday. I didn't have a single appointment after Monday (for once!) and I actually got to rest, snuggle with Indy, (If you want a sensitive and faithful dog, get a Lab) spend some quality time with my son and my sweet husband took care of the cooking.


Thursday night, I came into some free tickets to Jann Arden! I'd heard about the concert and I kept thinking how much I would like to go. Somehow, I just knew with great certainty that I would end up there and I was right!


My son went with me. We had just enough time to have dinner at Fatbuger. It's brand new and I got really excited when I spotted it across the street from the skytrain station. Carver heard they were opening a few here in BC and he was as excited about it as I was when he saw it.


I know, it's probably just run of the mill to those of you south of the border, but I was introduced to Fatburger a few years ago when I went to my first Artfiberfest. My pal Carol and I had had enough of the bad food at the venue where AFF was hosted and so on the last night we escaped to Fatburger. Being Canadian, this was a new thing for me and I still remember how YUMMY the onion rings were. (Three guesses what I ordered this time!) That dinner with Carol was wonderful-not just because it was the best meal we'd had in days, but also because we laughed and laughed-Carol is outrageously funny. I have only good memories of Fatbuger and the one we went to before the concert did not disappoint!


Afterward we walked a couple of blocks down to the Queen E, made our way up to the balcony and got settled. While we waited for the concert to start, I pulled out my iPod. Carver and I shared the headphones while he checked out my music. We do this every now and again and he's always surprised when I have songs from artists he doesn't expect me to like. I always find that amusing.


This time he said "Hey I didn't know you liked country music!" I think I had some Alabama and some Brooks & Dunn. (He likes Brooks & Dunn.) I'm pretty eclectic in my musical tastes. As a result his exploration of my iTunes, he's now hooked on The Travelling Wilburys, specifically "Tweeter & the Monkey Man". *laughs*


Just before the house lights dimmed, he turned to me and said "You know, this is my first concert." I hadn't given that any thought and now I'm thinking it's not going to make for a very good story-what guy wants to say "My first concert was Jann Arden, with my mum."?!? They want to say something like "I went to Whitesnake with the guys." You know your son loves you when...


Jann was fantastic-she's quite a character. Some young girl in the audience presented her with flowers and Jann said would try and watch the swearing. Jann promised that if she did swear, she'd give the girl $100, cash. True to her word, her young fan walked away $300 richer!


The best part of the evening for me was when Jann sang "Unloved" with just her acoustic guitar for back up. You could have heard a pin drop. I always find that really powerful-being in a large audience where everyone is focused and so present in the moment, listening. It allowed us to hear the beautiful layers of Jann's voice, in a way you can't appreciate quite the same with a back up band. Sometimes, beauty is in the simplicity.

I also really enjoyed Allison Cornell, who plaid violin, along with many, many other instruments and sang. I am always deeply impressed when when a musician shows such versatility and adeptness. Allison is incredible. It also made my night to hear one of my favourite strings instruments eing played, the mandolin. There really ought to be more mandolin included in music!


Her new album is called Free and I love it. You can read the story behind each of the songs on the album here. It's always interesting to hear what the artist was thinking or feeling when they wrote the lyrics. It's hard to pick a favourite when each song has something that speaks to me, but All the Days is so pretty and wistful.

"When I am old
I'll think of all the all the hearts I've broke
to be here, with you
When I am grey
and somewhat faded to confused
I know that I will still remember you the very most

And all the days will wrap around our fingers
they'll hang around our hearts like bits of stars
and all the tears we've counted
and all the memories that we thought would linger
disappear, they disappear..."


Thanks Jann for beautiful music, exceptional lyrics and for helping to create good memories. I am always grateful to the artists that have become a part of the soundtrack of my life.

ATC Party!

So last week I shared with you that our ATC group was celebrating its 9th year and we were all making paper cake slice boxes and filling them with some sort of handmade gift inside, which we would trade when we got together.

For my gift, I made "Java Jackets", sleeves that slip around your paper coffee cup to keep you from burning your hand. They're just like the cardboard ones you usually get, but these are much greener, as you can reuse them and if they get dirty, you can wash them. I made them from some of my favourite fabric, which I have been hoarding for about 10 years.

Here are some of the cakes that were created:

This is a cake made from all the pieces I traded:

And here's a look at some of the goodies that were inside!

Isn't this hand knit talisman bag Joanne made just fabulous?

And last, but not least, the ATCs I made to swap. I had alot of fun making the backgrounds. I just took a piece of watercolour paper and started slapping paint on it and added lots of layers of textures, mediums and colours. When I was done, I just cut it into smaller pieces. I like making backgrounds this way because you never know what it's going to look like when it's finished and no two cuts are the same.

The hand stamp I used was carved by my friend Angela, who also carved the stamps that I got inside one of the cake boxes. (Pictured above-a lotus stamp and another hand image.)

Tonight I am off to have some much needed fun after last week's hospital marathon. My son and I are having a mother-son "date" and going to see Jann Arden in concert. We managed to score free tickets! I can't wait-Jann is hilarious and a fabulous artist and I am sure it will be a very good time!

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!