Things I am Digging Right Now

This gorgeous custom made ring my husband gave me for Xmas. It’s the work of the very talented Lana of Lana Betty. I fell in love with the stone which is a rutile quartz. Lots of drama! I love the rain drop cut-it’s so very west coast. 

Dogs with Wings, an organisation out of Alberta that trains future service dogs is being supported by Naked Ape from January-March. For every bracelet sold from their special collection during this campaign, they will be donating a percentage to Dogs With Wings. I ordered this Amazonite mala and they are going to add their dog charm to it for me. It reminds me of Indy. Always happy to support service dogs! 

 

I happened to spot these adorable boots on Instagram. When I followed the link to the online store, Shoes For the Soul, I discovered that the brick and mortar store was located in Nelson, BC, an area I am quite familiar with. I decided on the spot to order myself a pair. These are so, so comfy-they’re European made and are a boot that wears like a shoe. I am wearing the h*ck out of them. My feet are so cozy. My experience with European made shoes is that the quality is excellent, so the shoes last forever. I live in El Naturalista clogs from Spain most of the year and these will be my go-to footwear in the colder, rainy seasons. 

 

I also came across these fun leggings from Leg Art and had to order myself a pair. I’ve never owned leggings before and I mainly wanted these for wearing at home. They arrived in record time and are super soft. We’ve had some warmer weather lately, so I haven’t had a chance to try them out yet, but soon!  I just ordered a grey tunic from them last night as well. It's already on its way!

I downloaded this app called One Second Everyday. I wanted to do a daily art practice of some sort but didn’t want it to become a chore. I am liking this so far because all I have to do is shoot a super short video (usually no more than 10 seconds) and then load it into the app and clip it down to 1 second. It takes hardly any time at all. The other option is to use a photo. I’ve been using a combination of videos and photos and so far have 2 weeks worth collected. At the end of the year, I will have a 365 second video of my entire year.

The app allows you to see the video you’ve compiled as you go too, which is fun. It’s a lovely way to document daily life and all the little things you might otherwise forget. The app has a paid version, but I’ve been using the free version so far. I may buy a year membership which is $35 and allows for longer clips and music, etc. I’m still thinking about it.

I saw some lovely art supplies online and called my local source to pre-order them. I have some Xmas money still and figured this would be a really nice treat. Above is a book full of art papers that looked delicious. I liked it so much I've ordered two copies.

Some stencils and masks to play with on my gellie plate. Cannot wait for these!

And some washi tapes. I haven't bought any new ones in over a year (I own about 140+ different rolls!) but these called to me, so I figured why not?

When I was out at a medical appointment the other day, I popped into Micheal's to see what was new and came away with this little packet of Jane Davenport washi tape. They are marketing it as washi tape, which is weird because as you can see, it's not on a roll like tape nor is it actually tape-it's printed sticker sheets. They are 3 inches long and the height of each one varies. There are 5 different sheets in the packet. Still, they were interesting and pretty, so I got them to use in my journal. 

And in my eternal quest to find a white pen that can write over mixed media, I finally found a Sharpie white paint pen. I really wanted a finer tip, but I'll test drive this one and if it does what I want it to do, then I will track down a smaller tip version. I can't tell you how many pens I have purchased over the years, only to have it be a huge disappointment. Gel pens, sigma pens, etc. I am hopeful this one will be what I want because it's water based paint. They also had an oil based paint pen in white, but I don't think I want to expose myself to the smell-I don't need the migraine I would get from it. If you have a white pen that writes really well over mixed media pages, please tell me about it. I would appreciate the info!

And just in case you're wondering, this post is in no way a sponsored post-it's just things I have purchased and loved and wanted to share with you. I'm not being paid by anyone to say nice things-all opinions are my own. 

Birthday Weekend

So...Saturday, the 22nd was my birthday. Unfortunately it didn't turn out quite like I'd planned. Friday night, our car's "Service Engine Soon" light came on. (What does "soon" mean, anyway?) We ran it in to the mechanic for a diagnostic first thing Saturday morning and the news was not good-we had to shell out over $660 in repairs. OUCH! Happy birthday to me.

In the afternoon, we met up with my son and his girlfriend and went to see Non-Stop with Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore and the woman who plays Mary on Downton Abbey, Michelle Dockery. It was actually really good-we didn't know who the bad guys are until the very end. It kept all of us guessing.

Afterwards, we went out for dinner and then home for Tiramisu cake.

Sunday morning, I spent the morning shopping for art supplies with my birthday money. I love paper, so these were the three I had to have.

I am taking a 6 week painting course that begins soon, so I wanted to pick up a few new stencils. Here are the ones I chose: 

This one is by Stencil Girl, which is my friend Mary Beth Shaw. So wonderful to see her having success! I would have bought more from her line, but this was the only stencil they had of hers.

I also popped into a dollar store to get an charger adapter for my husband's iPod and came across this chipboard set. I bought it for the pencils.

I also popped by the fabric store and fell in love with the fabric on the left. This is going to make me a really nice journal!

I spent the afternoon with my best friend, seeing another movie. It was nice to get out for a bit-I've been feeling pretty bad since the beginning of the year  (which is why I've been a bit quiet) and am currently totally deaf in my good ear. I've got medicine and go back to see my doc tomorrow. If it's not resolved, then it will mean an emergency trip to an ENT. I'd like to avoid that.

My friend Andrea, who was guiding a visually impaired skier at the Sochi Paralympics said she's sent me something for my birthday. My bet's it's something from Russia! I can't wait to see what it is!

Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes. xo

Good Medicine

Things have been quiet here for a bit because I was off having treatment. By treatment, I mean spending 3 days last week shuttling back and forth to the hospital to have IV steroids, which is about as much fun as it sounds. Somehow, I don't remember steroids being as rough as it's been this time. About an hour or so after the first dose, I get pretty sick with side effects and it was all downhill from there.

I've spent a fair bit of time in bed since then, though on Monday, I had to schlep out to UBC for a specialist's appointment and in a moment of insanity, also agreed to meet with a med student for an interview afterwards, even though I felt like death warmed over. I have NO idea how I managed it, other than sheer force of will. (or insanity...)

For the last 4 days, my throat has been absolutely raw, so I went up to my GP's office to see if I needed to worry about it. Being on immuno suppressants, I have to be very careful about infections. While I was up there, I popped by my post box and there was a package waiting for me in the magic mailbox! I wasn't expecting anything. The parcel was from my friend Amy. 

This is what it said on the side:

Which I found amusing, given the state I've been in. When I opened it, it was chock full of goodies-like this beautiful three strand bracelet she made me! 

This bracelet is autumn, any time I want to experience it! The yellow pearls remind me of kernels of corn. There's a old brass oak leaf, which reminds me of home and an "L" charm. Oddly enough, I only have one other piece of jewellery with an "L" on it. Years ago, Lisa Call surprised me with an beautiful "L" charm she made especially for me from precious metal clay. It was the first charm with my initial I've ever been given. I put it on a charm bracelet and I treasure it. I LOVE that Amy has given me a second one. It's just so thoughtful and special. 

There were also some great art supplies:

This funky journal, which reminds me of a zine.

An interesting variety of embellishments to play with-birds in cages, trees, clocks, mini red clothes pegs and cards in tiny paper bags. There was also a cool hexagonal box, which I somehow forgot to photograph. Oops! The bracelet was inside of it.

And three packages of washi tape! (8 individual rolls in total.) My washi tape collection must surely be at 100 rolls now-I will have to count later. It's just a wee bit of an obsession. Artistic crack, really. *grins*

The box did not lie-what was inside was pure medicine. Just the kind of medicine my battered soul so desperately needed this week. I am convinced that the cure for anything is art therapy and the love of a good friend. THANK YOU Amy for your perfectly timed gift. It meant everything in this moment.

What goes around, comes around-a parcel for you will be in the mail soon, I promise! 

Good Mail Day!

It's here! Stampington's Somerset Studio arrived in the magic mailbox today! I didn't know they were going to send me a complimentary issue. They usually do when you write an article for them, but I forgot they also do it when they publish your work. I am glad they did-I haven't been able to track one down in stores here yet. (Though certainly not for lack of trying!)

So here's my work between the pages. I posted images of my entire 5x5 submission here, if you'd like to see the whole thing. Seth did a great job on the article, all TEN pages of it! It's really nice that Stampington made so much room in this issue to showcase some of the 110 pieces Seth received for this call. Congratulations Seth! Long live The Pulse! Seth is now working on his second book, which is wonderful news. I can't wait to see it!

Also in the November/December issue is a great artist profile by Rice Freeman-Zachery about my friend DJ Pettit. DJ is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet and she crazy talented. She does amazing work combining her beautiful photographs with paint and textiles. I've taken a class with DJ and the techniques she's developed are like nothing I'd ever seen before. It was great reading this article and seeing how her work has grown over the years. She sent me one of her handmade books years ago and I treasure it. It's so uniquely DJ.

In addition the the magazine, the mail also brought my order from Artchix Studio. When I saw these really cool palmistry wood cuts online and had to order some for myself. (I have a thing for hands!)

Helga always ships things lightening fast and they're always beautifully packaged.

She also includes something a little extra and these were the extras this time. Love them! Yesterday was a good mail day all around! 

Saturday Doin's

 Didja miss Indy? I just realized it's been awhile since I've posted a pic of my beautiful boy. He's modeling his new Chuck-it ball, which is an odd shape so it bounces unpredictably. Besides swimming, fetching is his favourite thing. We have a toy box full of different Chuck-it balls. There are only two companies that make toys that are Lab durable-Kong and Chuck-it. I should own stock!

Indy and I spent the morning zipping around. (I seriously need a bumper sticker that says "Dog is my co-pilot".) We dropped my husband off at work, made a trip to the pet store to pick up kibble and the aforementioned new toy and then hit the freeway out to Langley to go art supply shopping. I bought a stack of new papers, which since it was storming when I took the photos, don't show to their best advantage here. They are bright oranges, limes and vintage aquas. I was inspired by Mary Ann Moss' latest travel journal. 
Next to aqua and red, I love aqua and orange together. The lime green was on a whim. (I have a bit of an obsession for circles.)

I also came across some washi tapes. I've been on the hunt for some orange for awhile and it seems to be the hardest colour to find. When I saw these, I had to snap them up!

I also bought a set of numbered flag rubber stamps-they are just small (2x1 inches) and will work well in journals. They're numbers 0-9 and are cling mounted. Good stuff!

I'm kinda glad I got out early this morning-it got warm and sunny, so Indy and I had a nice coffee break at Starbuck's and ran into a decommissioned service dog who was also a black Lab and could have passed for Indy's brother. Widget worked with his owner's daughter, who has autism. He was very sweet. Our two boys got plenty of attention while we enjoyed the sun-everybody loves a Lab. 

Later in the day, I lay down for a nap and when I awoke, it was storming. Lots of wind and rain and now, 4 hours later, the skies have cleared. Crazy weather we're having! If it's like this tomorrow, I'll be glad to hole up in the studio and play with all my new goodies! I can think of worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Artchix Goodies!

By the Sea Talisman

Awhile back, Helga, owner of Artchix had a giveaway on her blog for some really cool wooden frames. I won! She sent me a trio of house shaped frames and a sheet of Nature Filled Houses transparencies to play with. Things got a little crazy around that time because my best friend was seriously injured in an act of dog and needed my help while she underwent emergency surgery to repair a broken knee. The goodies were set aside, but yesterday I finally got around to making something with them.

I printed four of my favourite sea images from the photography classes I've been taking since the beginning of the year and carefully centered them in the windows. I used gesso to age the house (I was going for a worn beach house look) and added some aqua highlights with watercolour pastel. I added a real tiny starfish and threaded some pretty sari silk through the top to create a talisman. I love little houses!

I still have two smaller houses to do something with, so I'll be working on those over the next couple of days, but I thought I would share the first one in the meantime. I think these would make cool ornies for the tree. You could tie them to the outside of a package as a pretty extra gift or put one at each place setting at your holiday dinner. There are so many ways to use these frames. I can't wait to see what the other winners did with theirs!

Magic Mailbox: Hallowe'en Petite Inspiration Swap

Last month I signed up for the Petite Inspiration Box: Hallowe'en exchange. I was assigned two partners and so I made two boxes to send out, which I shared a couple of posts ago. This week, the magic mailbox delivered the two boxes my partners sent. (Apologies for the darkness of the photos-I took them last night and the studio was gloomy in the evening with the rain.)

Jamie Vowell sent me this yummy book bundle along with her box, which is in the foreground with the vintage doily on top. The book bundle was so pretty I almost didn't want to untie it!

This pretty card was inside the parcel. Jamie lives in Bozeman, Montana. I just love Montana-it's so beautiful and the people are incredibly nice. I've vacationed there a fair bit and it's one of my all-time favourite states.

These were the goodies tucked into the matchbox. Acorns (real ones!), mini pumpkins, silk ribbon, a teeny silver shaker (adorable!), buckles, glass stoppers, string on an old spool, paper inchies, trims, a skull bead...fun stuff!

Inside the book bundle was a selection of fabric pieces and more trims. I LOVE this piece. It's got a circular embroidered pattern to it and it's tea stained. I am so taken with it and I think I am going to make an ROD journal cover with it. I think it should stay in the largest piece possible to be used and it's perfect for a cover. I have a hand crocheted lace snowflake another friend gave me that her grandma made which I think would look cool sewn in top of this. Yes, I have plans!

My second partner was Diane Bouchard who sent me this fantastical crow box. Isn't it cool? She even made a crown for it!

It always amazes me how much you can pack into the wee drawer!

 

Ephemera, stamped fabric swatches, wee boxes of trinkets, a ceramic doll arm, trims, a vial of googly eyes, stickers, metal bits...

In addition to the box, Diane also sent extras: a container of spider putty (which reminds me of "slime" which was the "in" thing when I was a kid) which I WILL be playing with! Tons of cool trims and a bag full of ephemera.

I am so thrilled with everything they sent and blown away by their generosity. Thanks Ladies for spoiling me! I know that all these wonderful things will find their way into my various art projects!

A Shoppin' Good Time

This weekend my pal Penn and I went shopping for art goodies.

Here are the spoils:

7 Gypsies, which are one of my all-time favourite companies, made this incredible sheet of rubber. There are sixty four different stamps in all for a mere $15! (On sale.) That was a steal because if you do the math (which I did and I'm sure Penn did too because we both bought one) that works out to 23c per stamp. I recommend clicking on the image to read all the cool things they say. I can't wait to play with these!

And then there was the inevitable paper purchases. I freely admit I am a paper junkie. I'm hardcore about it, but I don't feel guilty because I actually use what I have. I'm not stockpiling or hoarding here-as far as I'm concerned, there's no point buying it if you're not going to enjoy it. Anyway, this one is Authentique "Blissful". I love the folk-arty feel of this one in a soft antique mustard gold.

Basic Grey, is one of my tried and true go-to companies for great papers. I love them! I got this strippy one-I think bits will find their way into some of my ROD journals. (The arc of yellow is what's on the other side-these are two-sided papers.) This line is called Out of Print and this piece is "Classifieds".

Another from the same line, called "Bits & Pieces". I am obsessed with circles. You would not believe the amount of circle paper I have.

 "Tribune". I love the layering on this one.

 "Newsflash" which reminds me of a quilting pattern I've done called "Bullseye". I have a stack of blocks, enough to make a queen sized quilt sewn. I've just never got around to piecing the top. One of these days! The blocks are all Aunt Gracies (1920's & 30's reproduction fabrics) on a white background. They are something special and piecing them in this way really makes them pop. One day I'll post pics.

 I am not a fan of Martha, but she does make some really cool Hallowe'en stuff. I decided I needed this set of paper tapes. There's a black doily pattern, black wood grain, spiders and then a roll of spider web. There's a fair bit of tape on the rolls. Fun stuff!

And lastly, I bought this package of post-it notes made by Smash. They have some really fun products and I can see myself buying more. I thought these would be fun to add to my RODs.

Speaking of RODs, I've been working on the one I started in January. It's almost ready. I will be sewing the signatures into the cover soon. I took it with us and showed Penn my progress over lunch. She gave me one of the fabrics I used in the cover for Xmas.

Right now I'm working on two Hallowe'en Petite Inspiration Boxes for a swap. I did the spring swap and had so much fun, I decided to sign up again. (You can see those boxes here, here and here.) I've been hunting and gathering bits in the last week. Today I hope to work on the boxes themselves. They have to be in the mail before the end of the month.

I'm also busy with week two of Swan Dive, which I am enjoying. Fall is turning out to be a busy time!