Sneak Peek!

WOOHOO! I am *so* excited! After a ton of work, I've finally completed issue #2 of Manual Dexterity! The first dozen copies are for the zine exchange I am participating in. I still have to work on binding the copies I will offer for purchase, so if you want one, they will be available here on my blog soon!! (Hopefully late next week.)

I learned alot from creating issue #1. I learned that it's not particularly fun to have to physically cut out and glue down all the colour pages by hand, especially if you have no feeling in your hands and you've got several colour pages per copy. It took forever and I went through an entire econo pack of Uhu glue sticks in the process!


For this issue, I learned my lesson and did a far better job of formatting, which meant no gluing, save for the cover. YAY! I use Publisher and there's a 1/4 fold template, which in theory works, but if you are doing five 1/4 folds for a total of 20 pages, you actually have to do some complicated math to get it to all work out. It took some brain bending, but I finally figured it out (which in itself was a small victory, because dammit Jim, I'm an artist, not a mathematician!) and it made the entire process of assembling the zine go much smoother.



Of course there's all the small details that I agonize over, so it took a solid month to write and format the second issue. I printed it last weekend and for the last two days, I've been folding, detailing and hand binding 12 copies so I could mail them off on Monday and meet the deadline. I am really pleased with the end result. I think it's even nicer than the first, aesthetically speaking.



Funnily enough, my brain is already churning out ideas for a third issue! It's amazing how once the season is beginning to morph into Autumn, my creative energy kicks into overdrive. I expect to get alot accomplished in the next few months!

Weekend Update

See? It's coming!! Autumn is on its way!! One only has to look for the signs. *wink*



This gorgeous blue dragonfly was hovering right in front on me on our hike to Beaver Lake in Stanley Park. I've been going to Stanley Park since I was 4 and I've never been on this trail. (Neither had my husband whose lived here all his life.) I was pleased that I could capture this shot.

Here he is resting on a bush. It's amazing how large dragonflies get. This one's wing span was wider than my palm.


There was a single Blue Heron hanging out at the lake, along with a flock of ducks.

The entire lake was covered with lily pads. It was so beautiful. I've never seen so many in one place. I was hoping to spot frogs and turtles, both of which make their home here, but no such luck.

Mother nature is slowly transforming this lake, back into forest. On one side of the lake you can see seedlings and grasses have taken root and the lake is drying up. I guess eventually there won't be lily pads anymore. I am just glad I got to see it how it looks now. It's a little gem, tucked away in the heart of the park.


We stopped at the Point that overlooks North Vancouver to get some ice cream. They had some fabulous flavours. I got Pistachio almond, which was *so* good. Indy was trying to work his doggie mojo. (It's all in the eyes with him.) This expression is "Please mum, I want some of your ice cream." It worked-it always works. I have a very soft heart where Indy is concerned-so much so that I order my ice cream or gelato based on what he can share. Yes, he's got me wrapped around his big furry paw.

True north, in the true north!

And a quick visit with the belugas. The little grey one is a baby. I always visit my fellow Manitobans when we're in the park. The belugas come from Churchill, Manitoba, which is way up north in the Province where I was born and raised.

What's In My Bag?

I'm taking a brief break from working on my zine and thought I would post a round of "What's in my bag?", which is a game I like to play. I know I'm not the only one because there's a Flickr group dedicated to these kind of photos. So today, just for fun, I'll show you what's in my bag at this moment in time.

First of all, my bag at the moment is a Reebok mono strap backpack. I like having my hands free, so I can sling this on and away I go. It's chocolate brown and egg shell blue and has three zippered compartments and a mesh side pocket.

What's inside:

1. A pretty fabric pouch Debra Cooper made for me for our first 12 Days of Xmas exchange. It's very well loved and is one of my most favourite handmade things.

2. Inside that pouch, I carry my Skull Candy headphones (best ever headphones, IMHO!) and my iPod touch, which has my whole life on it.

3. Also in the pouch I have my birth certificate and some other ID which is too big to fit anywhere else. Apparently, I also have $1 US. Why, I don't know. I had no idea that was even in there till just now. Weird!

4. My red Moleskine journal, which is where I keep track of all my doctor's appointments, medications, tests, etc. If I didn't have this, I would be totally lost. My medical stuff is complicated and it's saved me so many times having everything in one place. I buy a new journal every year and keep the old ones to refer back to. The sticker on the from was a gift from my friend Tara. (It's a reference to a goofy nickname.)

5. Red leather card holder with all my ID, store cards, photos, etc. Small and compact and very organized!

6. "Love Art" a gift from my best friend Lisa & her husband from their trip to London last summer, from the National Gallery Museum. It's a shopping bag, believe it or not. I use it all the time and it's starting to show wear. It's one of the most useful gifts I've ever been given.

7. Oto pouch (which is sinfully ugly!) with my custom molded ear plugs for keeping the wind out of my ears so I don't get an ear ache. I keep these handy for when we're by the ocean or hiking in cold weather. I seriously need to find a prettier pouch for them.

8. My cherry chocolate touch phone. It's a few years old, but was one of the first touch screen phones to come out. I love my phone and will miss it when I eventually have to replace it.

9. My red leather daisy zipper pouch which is where I stash my cash, bank card, driver's licence & library card. The daisy reminds me of my Gramps.

10. My cowgirl makeup bag, which was a gift from my pal Deb. This is from her line of bags and shoes through Icon. It holds my kleenex, Emla cream (topical freezing cream for when I have to have needles), pill tin, lipstick, Swiss Army knife, headache balm and almond oil cuticle stick.

11. Dog tin, (It's Vera mouse hugging a Jack Russel terrier-so very cute!) which holds my Moo cards.

12. Favourite pen and my ROD journal.

13. Sunglasses clips in case.

14. Powdered ice tea mixes.

15. My keys on a Lab key chain my husband bought for me (which is starting to fall apart, so I'll soon switch to one a friend made for me) & my mini Starbuck's card.

There are a few things missing that I usually have in my bag-a bottle of water, a snack, a pack of gum and my camera. Curiously, my mirror is nowhere to be found at the moment. It's an art mirror by Tiffinay Elektra X with a crow on it and has a raspberry velvet pouch. I will have to find it. It's probably didn't get switched over from another bag at some point.

So...that's a peek into what I'm hauling around. How about you? Take a pic and post it to your blog (or Flickr if you don't have a blog) and send me a link! I'd love to see what's in your bag!

Good Things

My friend Liz Lamoreaux's book is now available for pre-order!! Not only was Liz busy writing this book, but she was also pregnant with her first child at the same time! Welcome Ellie & Congratulations Liz & Jon!!

I've ordered my copy through her blog, as it comes personally signed and with additional goodies. (Which is *so* much nicer than Amazon, but you can also get it there too.) The book is due out in October and as I said to Liz, by then I will have forgotten all about ordering it and it will be a lovely surprise in my mailbox. Can't wait!

You can read all about it and pre-order a copy here.

I picked up the latest issue of Stampington's Greencraft last night. It's become one of my favourite magazines in their line. I don't know if it's because I live in BC, home of tree huggin' Granolas or what, but I find it really creative and appealing. The photos are really beautiful and it's chock full of great ideas about repurposing everyday cast-offs. They are doing a really good job with this one.

Other good things include Carla Trujillo whose website I stumbled across the other day. It is assemblage heaven! You *must* go see for yourself!
And Cartwheels in My Mind which is bound to keep me busy for awhile, nosing through the archives. Lots of good stuff there!

And one last good thing to mention is that I've made great headway on Manual Dexterity, Issue #2! It's 75% finished, so it won't be long now!

Dog Days of Summer

In honour of the title of this post, I give you Indy, in all his happy water dog glory on Saturday. We're in the middle of yet another heatwave (when will it END?!?!) so we took pity on the poor kid in the fur coat and drove him to the river for a dip. It always puts a smile on my face to see him happy and he's never happier than when he's in the water.

Not only is he born and bred for this kind of thing, but my sweet boy was born on the Ides of March, March 15th, making him a Pisces, so he's a true water dog in every sense of the word.

Sunday was our monthly ATC swap, so once we were home from the river, I got busy in my sweltering studio. I guess heat exhaustion did something to my brain because I just started dumping paint directly from the bottle, onto a large sheet of glossy card stock and quickly swiped it around. (It was almost drying faster than I could move it around!)

I sprayed inks on it and kept layering mediums, including writing on top with a new Sakura pen, which, for the moment is actually working! (You'll remember 2 posts ago, I was talking about the quest for a white pen that works.) Eventually, I cut the master sheet into cards.

I had some pieces left over, so I grabbed a new punch I'd bought on Friday and clipped these seal shaped circles out. And then I thought "Hmm..I bet those would pop on white. I should sew those onto blank cards." So I did...

And I added some text and kept the threads long so they could hang. I named them "Thoughts on the Wind" because when I hung one up, the fan in the studio caught it and spun it around. It reminded me of Tibetan prayer wheels, which are spun so the prayers can go out into the wind.

I find it kind of telling that sometimes, you begin one thing and it evolves into something interesting, if you can get out of the way and just allow the creative process to unfold. The ladies I traded with thought they were pretty, is perhaps I will make some more.

The Richmond Art Gallery is having their annual ATC exhibit soon. I've never entered cards in that show-the timing has always been off for me to be able to do it, but this year, I think I can manage it. You should click the link too if you make ATCs because you can participate too! The show is always spectacular and well attended and at the end, your cards will be traded with the other artists!

I also hit the jackpot at a local thrift store over the weekend. They were celebrating their 5th birthday and had deep discounts. I scored 4 vintage books for a whole $5 total, which included images like this historical map of Canada. I love when they read "The Dominion of Canada" which is how Canada was referred to until the 1950's.

I also got a French language book, which had this cool map in the back cover. It's of Paris.

I was thrilled to find this Canadian dictionary, from which I have removed the entire text block and am revamping it as a journal. I've already reinforced the spine and recovered the inside. Now I just need to create the signatures and sew them in. It's a small book and perfect for this alteration project. I really like working with Canadiana.

On Sunday, when I was over at Penn's before our ATC swap, I spied a paper bowl on her desk and fell in love. She got hers from this place called 10,000 Villages, which is a fair trade artisan shop.

We went down there before the swap and I picked out this bowl for myself. It's made from recycled magazine pages. The artists use an umbrella spindle to twist the papers tight. Then they flatten them and sew them end to end.

They would them to form the bowl and then cover it with a starch solution to set the form. I think they are so cool and each one was a different colour, based on the pages they used. I've put mine on a corner of my desk as a catch all for things. LOVE IT!! The next time I see a broken umbrella on the street (Vancouver has lots of those!) I will snag it so I can harvest the spokes. I'd like to try making one of these myself.

First Gallery Showing

About a month ago, I was invited by my friend Patricia Anders (who by the way is an incredible artist-you should follow her blog!) to participate in an invitation-only gallery show on altered shoes. It seemed like fun so I said yes. I've never done a gallery show before, so I guess this is a bit of a milestone for me. It also means I can cross one more thing off my "40 things before I'm 40" list!

I've just finished and packed up my pair of shoes for shipping to California. As you can see, they are full of details that are really "me".

The right shoe is called "Avril" which is "April" in French. (That's a nod to my Canadian heritage.) Avril has a bit of a sour look on her wee face. Guess she doesn't like getting her feet wet!

The pincushion is made from a piece of butter coloured velvet I had on hand that married perfectly with a vintage crochet doily from my stash of bits. I added a locket (from Papier Valise) with a tiny tag, pinned on with this oddly shaped safety pin that I saved from a piece of clothing I'd bought ages ago.

The focal point of the shoe is this gorgeous old button. I chose it both because it's a flower (which is what April/Avril reminds me of-it is spring, after all!) and because it had this wonderful naturally occurring patina on it. This button came from my stash, but it was one gifted to me by my friend Helen. A few years ago she gave me 15 lbs. (yes, you read right!) of vintage buttons in return for a private class, which I taught at her farm.

To finish it off, I added some soft cream ribbon and the letter "a" which is a rub-on. I took a small brush and carefully painted several coats of matter medium over top of it to seal and protect it. A few pretty pins and it was finished!

The left shoe is "Rose", which means "pink" in French. She's just little.

The pincushion for Rose is made from a scrap of a vintage crazy quilt. I can't remember where in my travels I picked it up, but I've been keeping it safe for the perfect project. Rose also has a locket (again, Papier Valise) which is held on with a tiny pin safety pin.

The focal point of this shoe is a cluster of antique buttons and a lovely length of that old rayon ribbon I love so much. The thread in the mother of pearl button is original. I love when buttons have the old threads in them-it makes them that much more special.

Rose also has her initial on the toe. The shoes were purchased for a pittance at a thrift store, but it took me about 2 weeks to find exactly the kind I was looking for. I think I hit at least 4 stores in 3 cities to find them. Persistence pays off!

So later this afternoon, I will pop up to the Post Office where the ladies get no end of amusement over the weird and wonderful things I ask them to mail for me. I have these shoes and the altered folder from yesterday's post to go out today.

Oh and the show? It's going to be at the Ten Women Galleries
at Venice Beach in early September. I'll be posting more info, as it becomes available. Both shoes will be available for purchase at the gallery.

Altered File Folders

One great thing about using Google Reader is that it keeps me stocked up on eyecandy all day long. I have my browser set with the Google Reader as the dashboard, so whenever I open the browser, I have a pile of updated art blog links waiting for me.

One of those blogs belongs to Roben-Marie, whom I met via MaryAnn Moss' ROD class. Roben is always busy creating something new and lately, I've been watching as she keeps posting altered file folders to her blog. It looked like fun, so I emailed her and asked if she'd be up to swapping. She said yes.

So all these little photos are of small sections of the file folder I made yesterday. I love taking the camera and using the macro feature to zoom in on small sections of a larger piece. It gives you a different perspective of your work.

Remember that Tim Holtz tissue tape I mentioned in my last post? Well I tried it out on the file folder and as you can see, it blends seamlessly. The adhesion is excellent, even over Caren D'Arche water soluble pastels, gesso, matte medium and acrylics.


I also added a colour copy of an ATC I made some time ago and another on the front of a cone flower that I took in our garden. I like to colour copy my art so I can use the images over and over again in different ways.


I also plunked the folder down and randomly stitched all over it with my sewing machine, which was fun.

I added some white pen as well. Thing is, I am STILL on a quest for a good white pen that will WORK over top of a variety of mediums. I've tried all kinds of white gel pens and two types of Sakura pens-a gelly type one and then a permapaque. ALL of them are a dismal failure. They will write for about 2 seconds and then give up the ghost. (As evidenced by what you see above.) Either the tip gets gummed up (even when the piece I am writing on is dry) or they just refuse to work. I store them correctly and everything. They'll write on paper, but never on my work, no matter how new they are *sigh*

If anyone knows of a foolproof white pen, please let know! I would love to get my hands on a Sharpie white poster paint marker too, but so far haven't seen them for sale here in Canada.

I love the colour of this section.

Aren't the shapes of these numbers great? That was a $2 stamp from Daiso!

So here's the back of the whole thing...

And the front. (The yellow Post-it notes are covering up our addresses.)
I've filled it with all kinds of ephemera and stapled it shut so when Roben gets it, she can just remove the staples and reuse the folder. I stitched around the outside, which I think finishes it nicely.

It was alot of fun and a great exercise if you're not feeling particularly creative. You can just slap some paper down and go for it-there's really no wrong way of doing it and you can add whatever you want-paints, stamps, ephemera. It's a good way to use up scraps left from other projects.

I still have a couple more issues of Manual Dexterity Issue #1 left. I plan to list the remaining copies on my Etsy over the weekend, so if you want a copy, please email me soon! Purchasing info is here.

Faye, a Tattered Edge reader had this to say:

"I received my copy of the Manual Dexterity Zine today and it is to love! I've been on the run and just had time to look quickly at each page. I'll go back later and enjoy it all. Thanks so much for making it available and I hope you do the same with #2."

and then later emailed back with:

"I've had time now to read every word and enjoy your beautiful art and am looking forward to the next one."

Thanks Faye! I am so pleased you're enjoying it! Issue #2 is in the works and should be available for purchase in late August/early September. I'll be announcing it here, so keep your eyes peeled!

Zine Update & Art Supply Finds

(Random graffiti downtown.)

First of all, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has ordered a copy of Manual Dexterity issue #1 so far. Your response has been heartwarming. I am busy working on issue #2 now, with plans to make it available for purchase as well. There are still a few copies of #1 left (very few!) so if you'd like to order one, now would be the time! Info about ordering is here.

Last week I came across Tim Holtz tissue tapes locally and decided to try them. I am hooked! The tapes are thin and have a bit of translucentcy about them. I really like the way they look once you lay them on a page and they are relatively inexpensive. (Always a plus!) They're a great accent for mixed media journals, which is where I tried mine out.

I'm becoming a tape junkie-I've got washi tapes, printed packing tapes and now this tissue tape. If you want to try some out, Ginny of Small Studio has them. She is on vacation till late August, but do bookmark her website-she has a great selection and excellent service. Incidentally, the set I purchased was Marketplace-I have a thing for numbers and as the tape rolls out, the print keeps changing.

Now I am on a quest to find poster tape, which I think is made by the good folks at 3M. I don't know if it's available in Canada or not-I'll have to have a look-see. I have some ideas I want to try out and I need that tape!

Also in my travels, I purchased this adroable little camera rubber stamp. I've never seen anything quite like it and it will come in handy for a number of projects. It's wood and though you can't really tell by this photo, the lense is the handle you hold when you're stamping. Apparently, this stamp comes in a variety of designs, each one depicting different styles of cameras. I will have to keep an eye out-I've love to add a few more to my collection.

Speaking of stamps, I scored a whole pile of wooden handles off old stamps at Urban Source. I found them in the window of the balk section and snapped them up-I have a "thing" for old wooden handled stamps, though all the ones I own actually have the rubber attached. I have plenty of unmounted rubber, so I will go through it all and see what would be useful and attach it to the handles. I really need a big carousel to house the handled ones. The one I have now only holds 9 or 10. I'll have to nose around and see if I can find one locally-the shipping on something like that would probably be more than the item itself.

Okay, time for me to run off-Indy has his yearly vaccination appointment with our vet early this morning and seeing as I am the designated chief medical officer of both humans and fur kids alike, I'd better get a move on!

Zines for Sale!!

Okay, you've been patient (for which I thank you!) and now I have a limited run of 10 copies of the first issue of Manual Dexterity available for purchase for $14.00/each which includes shipping to Canada or the US. (International buyers, please email me for a postage estimate.) I accept Paypal.

Manual Dexterity is a 1/4 fold style zine of 20 pages. Each zine is bound by hand, using a simple stab binding to hold it all together. I used the most gorgeous sparkly, copper penny coloured paper for the cover. This issue contains a few articles, one of which is a tutorial and 8 pages of art, printed in full colour as well as a packet of collage goodies!

And once again, because I think presentation is everything, I've sewn the zines into these paper bag pieces and added a "Subversive Material" sticker I created, because I think anything that comes in a plan brown wrapper is suspect. *grins*

So...if you want some of this artsy goodness (which makes for great summer reading and inspiration) for your very own, you can email me to purchase. Hurry though, because once they're gone, they're gone!

Books & Zines

Hi Gang! I didn't manage to get here to post an update on the reprint of Manual Dexterity Zine issue #1 yesterday. I had a horrific migraine yesterday, so my computer time was limited.

Anyhoo, this limited edition run will be posted for sale on Thursday, August 5th, right here on my blog, if you have been wanting a copy for your very own.

I am now in the process of writing and creating issue #2 and it's going like gangbusters. One of the great things about doing a project like a zine is that each time you do it, you learn something new about the process that helps make work on subsequent issues easier. I like that part! It means in some small way, I've grown as an artist.

In the meantime, I have also been juggling several projects because August seems to be the month o'deadlines. I've had a burst of creative energy over the long weekend. Saturday night, I was plugging away in the studio when my husband started wandering through the house turning lights off. I looked up from what I was doing and saw that it was after midnight. Yikes! I'd completely lost track of time!

In my spare time (and I use that term lightly) I've been gobbling up books again. Here's what's on my bedside table, waiting in the queue:

I just happened to spot this one a couple weeks ago and I've started reading it. It's good-it made me want to jump up and organize things. (Although I need little prompting to want to do that-it's an Aries thing!)
I am only a few chapters in, but it's going well.


I think everyone and their dog has read this one. I am probably dead last in line, but I finally got a copy through my library. (It's absolutely dog-eared.) I'd like to read it before I go see the movie...or not...sometimes that only leads to horrible disappointment. I can't think of a single time where I've said "Hey that movie was even better than the book!" So we'll see if I do or not-let the chips fall where they may. Maybe it would be a good idea to read the book after, for a change.

Carol Burnett's memoires. YAY! I love Carol. Truly, I do. When I was growing up, I never missed an episode of her show and she was just so sweet and funny. She was one of the best memories of my childhood.

There's just so many good books on the shelves right now! Okay, gotta run, but I'll be back on Thursday to post details about purchasing the zine!