Zine Timeline

I've been asked by several readers for an ETA on the reprints of issue #1 of Manual Dexterity.

It's a holiday weekend here in British Columbia (BC Day on Monday) so I am sneaking in studio time, in between quality time with the family. As I mentioned in my last post, I am a one-woman operation, but I promise you, I'm working as quickly as my fingers will allow!

I am aiming to have the reprints completed and ready to make their way to postboxes far and wide by Wednesday at the very latest. If you're interested in purchasing a copy for your very own, please check back. I'll give you an update on my progress again on Monday.

Thanks for your enthusiasm and encouragement!

Controlled Chaos

Behold the chaos that is my desk. Yes, I believe I have, at last count, no less than four projects on the go at the moment! Usually my workspace does not look like this!

Currently, one of the projects I'm working on is a piece for a gallery show in California. I am about 90% finished. I've been chipping away at it in small increments, as inspiration comes. Sometimes you have to let the work age, as it were.

I am also sifting through content ideas for issue #2 of Manual Dexterity. I have about 3 weeks to pull it all together. Ideas are percolating! I also decided to do a reprint of issue #1, as so many people enquired about purchasing a copy. I'm doing a very limited run, which, when they are ready, I will post for sale right here on my blog. My plan is to also have a limited copies of issue #2 for sale as well, when all's said and done.

Putting a zine together sounds simple, but there's the writing, the art, the lay out, copying, assembly, binding and packaging, which is all done by hand, by me. It's time consuming but a true labour of love for me, simply because my hands do not work like they used to. I still have the ability to make art, it's just that sometimes it takes me a bit longer to get the job done to my satisfaction. (Aries are perfectionists by nature.)

In between times, I've been devouring books while snacking on Safeway's "Nuttin' Better" ice cream by Lucerne. It's vanilla ice cream with thick swirls of peanut butter and yummy chunks of dark chocolate. The perfect combination of mildly sweet and salty. MMMM! It's my summertime crack-I can't get enough of it. Don't try this at home! *laughs* It's highly addictive!

I am grateful for the cooler days we've had in the last while. I can handle summer if it's sunny, but not sweltering. Anything above 24C and I am toast. High temps also seriously cut into my art time, as my studio is the hottest part of the whole house, with full sun the entire day which turns it into a sauna. UGH! As long as milder temps prevail, I am a happy camper, though I am already on a count down to October and autumn, my most favourite time of year. Just thinking about it makes me giddy with anticipation!

By the by, while I am typing away here, I want to say a heartfelt THANK YOU to all my sweet readers who have posted in the last while and said such kind and complementary things about my blog and my art. It is encouraging to know I am not posting into the yawning maw of the internets. I do appreciate it and I just wanted you to know.

Okay, Indy's here putting his paw up on my knee-that's his way of asking to go out. Yes, I think we both need a bit of fresh air!

40 Things Before I'm 40 Update

1. Make some new art friends (workin' on it!)
2. Get a tattoo
3.Go to the Olympics
4.Meet some athletes
5.See Barenaked Ladies perform
6. Write & publish another zine (in progress)
7. Keep my ROD journal till it's filled up
8. Brush up on my Spanish
9. Work on a large canvass
10. Learn a new art skill
11. Go swimming in the ocean
12.Go on a picnic with my sweetie
13.See the Olympic Flame
14.Watch the Olympic Torch Relay
15.Cut my hair short again
16. Host an art project over the summer (in progress)
17. Take a day trip somewhere local but fun
18.Carry the Paralympic Torch
19.Ride the Zip line
20. Purchase and teach myself to play a harmonica
21.Make a journal out of my Olympic ephemera and journal in it
22.Submit something for publication
23. Host a swap or two
24. Try a new recipe
25. Create a calendar from my own art for 2011.
26.Print photos that I have taken from the Games so I can use them in my journal.
27. Do one project that's outside my comfort zone this year (in progress!)
28. Host an art party
29. Spend a weekend playing with paint
30.Take an online class

31.Make and send away some RAKs
32.Discover some new magazines/zines and buy/read them regularly
33. Take my laptop and/or journal to a funky coffee shop and write
34. Sew myself some cool pillows (I bought the fabric.)
35.Clean out the closet in my studio and reorganize it.
36. Plan a trip for our 20th wedding anniversary (In progress)

....and 4 more things, yet to be determined. (I like to leave room for the unexpected!)

So far I've managed to complete more than half of the current list. Checking things off, I surprised myself. I hadn't realized that I managed to get so much accomplished in the first 4 months since my birthday! Go me!

And how about you? What are you doing in the year between birthdays? Do tell!

This N' That

I've been quite the last while because I've had my nose to the grindstone working on various projects, some of which were due this past weekend. One was the book project, which I posted about recently. The other was an article, which has gone off to be published. Busy, busy!!

This week, I've been working on a pair of shoes, which will be going to a gallery in Venice Beach, CA, to be part of a show in September. I spent the last 10 days trying to track down the perfect shoes to work on. It took some doing, but on Friday, I struck pay dirt! They're about 3/4's finished already. (I've been inspired. YAY!) I'll post photos when they're finished.

In other news, for those of you who've been paying attention over the years, you've heard me mention my friend Penn alot. She's my art partner in crime. A good number of us have nagged her off and on for years to get a blog so she can share her genius with the world. Well...out of the blue on Friday night, I got an email saying she'd done just that! I've linked her on my side bar-she's Radiant Crust. Now all I have to do in get her to upload some pics of her work! You'll want to add her to your blog roll-she's a great artists and all around wonderful person!

On Sunday, I bought this book for myself, after looking at it several times. (Which by my estimation, is a good sign that I need it to come home with me!) I don't know that I will write in it, but I like the idea of it. I got it mostly for inspiration purposes. I like lists!

And lastly, Sherri Lynn Wood of Dainty Time asked for some mantras to put up on her travel trailer. I shared one of the ones I always share with my students about making art: "There are no rules!" Apparently, posting this on the back of your trailer and tootling down the I5 brings surprising results. To see what I mean, you can read about it here. It's amusing to think my consciousness was being spread far and wide on her vacation.

Okay, time to get back to work here! Deadlines are looming!

Product Review: Libre Tea Loose Leaf Tea Glass

Look what showed up in the magic mailbox! I won a free loose leaf tea glass from Libre Tea!

This is their glass 'n poly bottle. The inner wall is glass and the outer wall is poly, which makes it durable and safe.

Look at the pretty medallion on the top of the lid. Everything about this bottle is aesthetically pleasing, which to me is important-if you have to have something useful, it might as well be pretty!

Libre Tea's philosophy says:

" Libre...the state of being FREE...free from restraint, letting go, bringing one's mind and body to a place of rest. In today's world, to be free is also to know that one has a choice in every moment. Freedom to choose to take a moment to connect with oneself...a moment of peace and reflection.

Libre interconnects our community through the ritual of an engaging tea moment, where the secular is sacred."

I agree-tea is a sacred thing. There is comfort in the ritual of making it and sharing it with those you love. I drink tea the way some people consume coffee. It's a part of my every day.

I brewed myself a bottle of Tazo Earl Grey Tea to enjoy in the studio. I like the way you can brew bagged tea or loose tea in the glass. It has a removable stainless steel filter that keeps you from drinking the actual tea leaves. You can either put the loose tea in the strainer or directly into the glass-either way works! They made a great little video demo.

And here's my inaugural glass of tea, just the way I like it-a bit of sugar and a good dash of milk. MMM! It's very happy-making. Of course now I am going to have to go loose tea shopping-I'd like some chai. I am excited about making iced tea in it too-the glass will not only keep things hot, but cold as well.

I'm thrilled to have this glass. A friend of mine had one, made by another company and I've secretly wanted one of my own ever since. I came across Libre Tea on Facebook and they were giving away a free glass to every 5th person who "liked" their page. Lucky me! You can also follow them on Twitter.

I am not in the habit of promoting anything unless I personally use & love
it and I made this post because I *do* love this product and thought others might be interested in checking it out. I am especially pleased to share it with you because Libre Tea is a Canadian company, from right here in British Columbia! It doesn't get any better than that!



My tea glass is going to get alot of mileage!

Vikings Ahoy!

There be Vikings in Vancouver! Well not really, but yesterday on our way to the dog beach in Vancouver, our boat passed the Viking long boat replica, the Munin that belongs to the Vancouver Maritime Museum.

Very cool! Apparently you can book a sailing, help with the rowing and tacking of the sail. Sounds like fun!

You've Got Mail!

Art is still being made here, though at a snail's pace as it's been 30C here in the last week and the studio (and whole house for that matter) has been unbearably hot. My brain doesn't work in the heat, so I've been camping out in my bedroom with the air conditioner running full tilt, reading or surfing the 'Net while Indy snoozes at my feet. At the risk of being thought of as some sort of a seasonal scrooge, I will confess that I loathe summer. Bring on October!

Anyway, I've been working on my pages for a collaborative Penn is hosting. We had to alter envelopes and then make some sort of goodies to go inside. There were 17 in all, so it took awhile. Above is the front of the envelope...

..and this is the back. The background was made from the insides of security envies, cut and sewn. They were all different colours, but I wanted to go with a classic black and white look, so once I had the template of what the art was going to be, I copied it as black and white. I was thinking about the Recipe Clubs they used to have in the 50's. I won't share what's inside for now because that's going to be a surprise. Now I just have to work on the covers for my copy of the book.

I was making ATCs a couple weeks ago for our monthly swap and came up with these. I used number stickers as a mask on a master sheet and sprayed alcohol inks all over. Then I removed the stickers and cut the sheet into ATCs. Once I had a stack of cards, I added squiggles with a white pen, messy outlined the numbers and stamped with an office stamp. I like just messing around and seeing where it goes. I liked how they turned out so I made a few extra and I'm going to use them in a future ROD journal.

I'm working towards deadlines on a couple of other projects, that I can't talk about at the moment. Some clouds rolled in late last evening, so I'm hoping to be able to have some studio time over the weekend, in between outings we have planned. We'll see if that pans out.

Off to put a picnic lunch together and then we're taking Indy for a dip in the ocean!

Scenes From My Weekend

There was a trip to the river,

ogling red currents at the Farmer's Market,

And gooseberries too.

And time spent trying to decide which treat to get at the bakery on wheels...

and opting to share it-

(German Apple strudel) with my husband when we got home.

MMM!

Canada Day Part Deux

Well, here's Indy decked out in red to celebrate Canada Day. He's smiling because he's waiting for the little water taxi, which he loves riding to take us to meet up with my friend Jenn at Granville Island for Canada Day celebrations.

They had a special deal on for the holiday. If you and a friend were dressed in red, you could ride two for the price of one. It was a real deal because round trip for two adults is $22, so today my husband and I rode for $11! (Dogs always ride free!)

Even this beaver was dressed up. *laughs*


These were hanging in one of the celebrations sites. They're made of fabric. I'd love to have one, but I didn't see any for sale. Too bad!

This was cute. It's printed on canvass and was a hold over from the Olympics. Who doesn't need a beaver puppet?

Holiday wishes in a shop window.

This I am posting mainly for my pal Penn, who loves typography as much as I do. These number plates were a good 12 inches high and 6 inches wide. I wish I could have them! They were in the window of a print shop I didn't even know was down there.

Just an idea of the crowds yesterday. It was overcast and cool, but people still turned out to mark the day.

There was a small parade through the streets. I always love to see our RCMP members in their red serge.

The guy carrying the Canadian flag was having fun waving it as he marched along. There were flags from every country in the parade, reflecting the cultural diversity that blesses our country.

Stilt walkers!

I would think it would be hard enough to walk on stilts, never mind wearing a huge horse head mask while you're doing it!

Along came two Chinese dragons and a whole host of drummers behind them. Because we're situated on the Pacific Rim, we have a large community of Asian immigrants. The dragons are a familiar sight.

Here's Indy enjoying vanilla bean gelato, his favourite treat when we go to Granville Island. He's just a wee bit spoiled. *grins* He was a good sport today-so many people wanted to pet him and tell us how beautiful he is. He always attracts alot of attention when we take him out. We think he's pretty special too!

Some of you may not know, but the Queen and Prince Phillip are here visiting Canada. They spent the day celebrating our birthday in our nation's capital, Ottawa. I wonder what they thought of The Barenaked Ladies? *laughs*

Bonne Fête Canada!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA!!

In honour of our country's 143 birthday,

I give you once again Shane Koyczan's

We Are More.

Every time I hear this poem, my heart just fills up to spilling over with love and appreciation for my country and gratitude for the luck of being born here. There is truly no other place in the world I would rather live.

During the 2010 Games, I was witness to the birth of a new attitude amongst Canadians about our sense of patriotism. We're known worldwide as being oh-so-polite and humble about our love for our country. We don't tend to make a big show of waving flags-so much so in fact, that our Prime Minister had to encourage us to feel free to do so and worry about apologising for it later.

Yes, we are a funny bunch, shy almost in our pride in our identity, but all that changed during the Games-I began to see flags flying from apartment balconies, in windows of houses and on cars driving by. People stood in line for 3 or more hours at the Hudson's Bay just to have something in our national colours to wear. The streets were awash in red and white. Suddenly it became cool to be Canadian. We threw our humble hearts wide open and embraced our greatness with a fervor none of us had ever seen before and it felt good! Even the great Brian Williams commented on it in his closing remarks for CTV.

I am excited that today I will be out amongst my beautiful people, sharing the day in celebration of this amazing country we call home, OUR TRUE NORTH STRONG AND FREE!

P.S. The Olympic Flame will be lit outside of Canada Place tomorrow. To see how beautiful the post-Olympic installation is, you can get a wonderful peek here.

Happy, Happy Canada Day my friends!