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

The Ides of March

Happy 6th Birthday to my beautiful, sweet boy, Indiana Jones. 

You are my heart walking around on four furry legs. xox

A Wee Gift Revealed

 A couple weeks ago, I sent this gift to eastern Canada to my friend Jan for her birthday. I promised to share what was inside. Now that she's received it, I can show you.

It's a wee leather journal, 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches. The leather is very special because my Grandfather made it years ago. I wanted to make the journal small enough that Jan could tuck it in her pocket and take it with her on adventures. I liked it so much, I am planning to make one for myself when I have a spare minute. Happily, Jan was delighted with this small offering. 

It is amazing to me how many of my friends have birthdays in March and even more surprising how many of those people are artists! I am in very good company indeed. Tomorrow is my day to celebrate another trip around the sun. Let there be cake!

Birthday Boy

Happy 5th Birthday to my sweet, sweet boy!

You are my heart walking around on four furry legs.

xxx

Psst! Indy has his own blog, Left Coast Lab. 

More updates coming soon!

On This Day

In Memory

Kenneth George Chick

October 31, 1921-January 25, 2004

Happy Birthday Gramps. 

This will forever and always be your day.

Thanks for switching the lights on & off in the studio yesterday 

to let me know you're just on the other side.

xox

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday to my love.

This year when you blow out the candles, 

we will all be wishing the same thing.

May it be so.

xoxox

8 Years Come & Gone

Okay, first things first! My blog is officially 8 years old! Yes, I've been blogging since the dark ages of the Internet, pretty much before most artists had blogs! It's hard to believe it's been that long. 

To that end, I am going to have a giveaway to celebrate. I promise it's going to be something GOOD, so make sure you leave a comment to enter, especially if you are a lurker. Tell me where you are from and how you found me and I'll throw your name in the hat. I'll draw a winner on Friday, August 10th. Please make sure I have some way of reaching you if you win. I'm not saying what the prize is because we all need more good surprises in life, don'tcha think? 

Meanwhile, I am working on healing my poor eye. It's slow going, but I am hopeful that by next weekend, it should be okay again. I sure wish I knew what I was allergic to that caused such an ugly infection. Not fun! This has been a very bad year for allergies. Everyone I know has said the same thing.

The Olympics have been fantastic so far-so many amazing moments and wonderful stories. I've been cheering like mad and I've already cycled through an entire box of Kleenex. CTV's Difference Makers stories are real tearjerkers. 

I am incredibly proud of the Canadian Women's Soccer team for making it to the finals. I volunteered at the CONCACAF Women's Olympic qualifier here in Vancouver back in January to help support them and I really want to see them do well. They have a big game against the US on Monday, which I am sure is going to be a nail biter. I will be glued to the tv!

It's funny, during in 2010 those of us who were involved in the Games were living in an Olympic bubble. We didn't really know what was going on outside of the Olympics. It feels the same way watching London 2012 now. I haven't watched news in days and I'm a news hound. I can't tell you what's happening in the real world, but I can tell you just about anything that's going on in competition! Hard to believe in a week's time, we'll be watching the closing ceremonies! The Paralympics are just around the corner!

GO CANADA GO!! 

ALLEZ LES ROUGES!

Staycation

For my birthday, we went on a staycation. I won a stay at a trendy boutique hotel (with dog!) in downtown Vancouver, so we took advantage of it this past weekend. What was great is that I happened to chose the weekend with the best weather we've had all month! How's that for luck?!

 Broken Glass, Stanley Park Seawall

 Barnacles, Stanley Park Seawall

Tanker, Stanley Park

Naps

Sunrise, False Creek

Warehouse, Yaletown

Red Teapot, Granville Island

First Swim of Spring, Lynn Creek

 I loved being out in the sunshine all day for the last few days. We even got to dine al fresco three times. I have to say that sitting outside on a Sunday morning, eating breakfast and watching Vancouver wake up was the best. We're early morning people and it felt like the city was ours for a few hours-there's no one out just past sunrise except other dog owners and runners. 

I love this city.

Important Stuff!

Prairie Girl

Yesterday was my birthday. THANK YOU to everyone who called, emailed or otherwise sent birthday greetings. I'm feelin' the love.

It was for the most part a quiet day, seeing as it fell on a Thursday, but my guys did take me out for dinner last night and then my son bought a big Black Forest cake for dessert. The celebration will continue over the weekend. I'm doing something fun, but that's a whole other post. 

This whole week, I've been the feature artist on Create Mixed Media for The Week As Art project. I had an email from Tonya Davenport saying that she's still looking for artists to visualize a week in 2012, so if you're interested, please get in touch with her. The project specifics and her contact info are here.

Wednesday night, a bunch of the Pulse of Mixed Media artist joined Seth Apter and a bunch of his fans in Tweet Chat for the Twitter Launch Party for his book. It was crazy fun-the chatter was non-stop and everyone had a really good time. The hour just flew by! If you missed out, check Seth's blog and see if his book tour is coming to a city near you. (And if so, save the date!) The info will be on the sidebar.

Also, Seth has been posting daily about the 31 spotlight artists in the book, so it's your chance to learn a little more about each of them. If you comment on any of these posts, he's putting your name into a draw to win a signed copy of his book, so definitely check it out!

And...as if all that's not enough, Seth has also issued an open call for artwork which once submitted will travel with him on his book tour. If you want the details about that, click here.

WHEW! I think that's all the important stuff I had to share. Meanwhile, I'm busy working on a zillion things at once. I've been doing alot of writing and HTML stuff for Papergirl Vancouver. (I'm working on the 2012 organizing committee.) I'll have details soon, including an open call, which I hope YOU will consider answering! 

Born On The Ides Of March

Happy 4th Birthday 

to my sweet, sweet boy whom I love 

more than anything in this world!

Just for fun, I looked up Indy's horoscope. I was curious what it would say.

21 February - 20 March

Pisces dogs are incredibly sensitive. This exactly quality of their character allows this dogs to understand people without any spoken words.  If you need a detector of friends and enemies, get yourself a Pisces dog. Pisces are blessed with outstanding intuition. They clearly define good and bad people. It is almost impossible to trick them.

Pisces dog may become a real comfort for people who have to stay in the hospital. Their presence has a healing effect on the fallen spirit. Pisces dogs are alot calmer than the other dogs. This dogs rarely perform any kinds of aggressive issues. They are peaceful and patient, very fond of other people and animals. They feel the most comfort among children. They just love them. 

It should be noted that the Pisces dog has very expressive and soulful eyes, which make him truly hard to resist. Dogs born under the sign of Pisces normally are of excellent memory and intelligence. They do not need the rude trainer. Pisces understand everything, they are ready to fulfill all your requirements just because they love you. The sea or the ocean coast and the places surrounded by mountains are the right ones for Pisces to stay.

Spooky! It's like whomever wrote this met my dog and then penned this. Indy is an excellent judge of character-I trust him implicitly. He's highly intuitive and often I just look at him and he knows exactly what I want.

It's also true that he's a comfort to me when I am struggling with my health. He will lie beside me and not move, as if he's keeping watch over me.

Indy loves small children. He is very sweet and gentle with them and often when we're out and about, little ones want to pet him. He sits nicely and is very patient.

Indy's a water dog, through and through. Aside from being a Lab, a breed that has a natural affinity for water, he's Pisces, so if he comes across even a puddle, he's in it. We swear he can smell water 100 miles away and if he can smell it, he wants to be in it. According to his horoscope, he's living in exactly the environment he should be!

 I bought him a gift, which I am sure he's going to love. It's a Kong Genius. There are three components to it. You stuff them with treats, so they have to figure out how to unhook them and get the treats out and you can hook them together to keep your dog amused for hours. Indy loves his Kong toys because they are fun and we love them because they are durable. Kong is the only company I will buy from-their products are Labrador tested and approved!

Anyway, you'll have to forgive me for being the blog that's gone to the dogs today, but Indy is worth celebrating. I am very lucky to have him in my life.

Edit: My best friend Lisa just sent me this link, which cracked me up.
 It's especially funny that this was posted on Indy's birthday.

Magic Mailbox: Belated Birthday Edition

Yesterday my husband came home from the PO with a big envie for me. It was from my friend Pip. It was a belated b-day gift, a beautiful art quilt she'd made. It's gorgeous and I've already hung it in the studio. If you lick the photo, you can see the details of the stitching.

Here's a shot of the whole quilt. I love how she created a skirt from silk ribbon. She really is a genius with textiles! Her beautiful work has been featured in Sew Somerset. One of the best things about having artists for friends is that they always send you cool handmade gifts like this. 

Pip also sent me a wonderful package of vintage wall paper pieces to use in my ROD journals. Perfect timing-I've been working on the ROD I started back in January again. I can guarantee some of those yummy bits will find their way into that journal!

If you'd like to see more of her work, Pip has an Etsy shop, which you can find here.

THANK YOU Pip for such a wonderful surprise! xox

Birthday Love

 So..to the birthday girl go the spoils! Seriously, my friends spoiled me rotten showered me with love and it's not over yet. Traditionally, my birthday lasts about a month. When my husband and I first got married, he couldn't believe how much mileage I got out of my birthday. Now he just thinks it's funny.

The fact that the celebration lasts so long mainly has to do with the fact that my nearest and dearest friends are scattered all over the place-not all of them are local and so birthday goodness comes in the mail and by phone and often everyone's so busy that plans are made for several get-togethers. I am very blessed that way. As I've said before, I have THE BEST friends in the world.

My pal Penelope sent me a gift in the mail. Inside the envelope was a sweet little card that read "I thought to myself "What would Lelainia like? Lelainia would like to choose." and attached was a gift certificate for Regional Assembly of Text, a local store. I love everything in it, so it wasn't hard to choose. I picked this set of Cavallini stamps, Vintage Office that I'd be coveting for some time. I am a sucker for office themed stuff. I love it all and the telephone is so cool. I know I will use this set ALOT!

 I also spotted this paper that was office themed and picked it up. It will find its way into an ROD. This was made in the shop-they do their own designs. You can't tell by this photo but it's a deep vintage gold paper. (The light is bad in the studio today.)

 This was another paper that was calling my name. Penn gave me some fabulous scissor fabric for Xmas, which you've seen in a previous post. I love old scissors-I've actually begun a collection. This paper will also become ROD fodder. THANK YOU Penn for such a sweet and generous gift. It so much fun shopping with gift certificates for art supplies. Very happy-making indeed!

 I picked these up in my travels yesterday too. I've seen them online and finally happened across them. They are quite wet, but as they dry, they have a 3D effect to them, in that the ink is slightly raised. Not entirely sold on them just yet, but maybe if I play with them a bit. I hate waiting for stuff to dry and I didn't know these were so juicy. What made me want them is the colours. They remind me of gelato and are supposed to be really good on black paper. Now I just need to find some black paper! You used to see pads of it everywhere. Now, not so much.

 Friends in NY sent me a birthday card (that made me cry-they said the sweetest things to me. I love them so.) and a cheque. I spent part of it on a few goodies this morning. I had to go to get a re-inker I'd ordered from a scrapbooking store and while there found some odds and ends I "needed". I love this flower shape. Kind of like a pomegranate, but don't quote me on that. Whatever it is, I like it. I bought a stamp awhile ago that is the same flower.

 And then of course, I spotted this ephemera pack and if the labelling didn't entice me, the little bits inside did. Yummy! It's from House of 3/ PinkPaisley.

Lastly, there was paper that I couldn't go home without. (I'm sharing just a small sampling-I am such a paper junkie.) This one had a fabulous selection of bits that I can fussy cut and add to my RODs. How could I resist? This line of paper is by House of Three. (Who have a very cool chair as their logo-gotta love that!) Click the link-they have a really fabulous website full of amazing art fodder.

I don't know how long they've been around, but their products are new here in BC. I'm giving them a big thumbs up! I will definitely be on the lookout for more of their stuff! (Or purchasing it online, 'cause that works too!)

 

 The next three are by a company called Simple Stories. They have some great digital freebies on their blog so be sure and check them out. I got this sheet because I loved the camera. I have plans for it!

 Same with this one-cool numbers. I love numbers and alphabets. It's ridiculous how I collect them. I have a whole drawer full, though I can honestly say that I do use them-I'm not just into the collecting.

 More fabulous little bits. I love the colours in these. 

You know, as I was shopping today, I was thinking about how 8 years ago, I was trying desperately to encourage my local scrapbooking stores to lean even just a little bit towards mixed media and no one wanted to hear it. Now when I go in, there's a tons of mixed media worthy products available. Do you know that a shop owner once told me that 7 Gypsies stuff would never sell? That's insane!

At that time, I was teaching mixed media classes freelance and occasionally I would do workshops at one of these stores. The classes always filled up. Why the owners never got on board, I'll never know. It's kinda of sad-I was ahead of the curve here in Canada (BC) and everyone thought I was nuts. I used to have 5 scrapbook stores within 10 minutes of my house. Now the closest one is 20 minutes away and the other, 1/2 hour away. All the local ones are long gone.

I don't think it's a sign of the times so much as an inability to read the market and respond to it. You have to keep a creative based business moving and growing. People who are crafty or artistic thrive on learning and growing their skills and you need to have something new to offer them. Once you build a following, you can't just keep doing the same thing over and over and expect them to keep coming back. There has to be an evolution of products and classes to keep things fresh and engaging.

In any case, I digress. The point is, I am thrilled that these delightful companies are finding their way into the store I frequent. It's wonderful to see all the cool papers and goodies they're coming out with. I came away feeling really inspired to get busy in the studio, something that's been lacking the last month and a half since I've been so sick. I can't wait to dig in and play with what I purchased today.

Oh and one last artsy thing-Penn also gifted me with these Washi tapes. If you're local, Loomis De Serres is carrying them and they're on sale at the moment for $3/roll. After the sale, they'll be $3.95 I believe. Hopefully these tapes are flying out the door so they'll stock more and continue to get new prints. Here's hopin'! (And thanks again Penn!)

The girls in my MS group gave me a gorgeous bouquet of yellow Gerberas and a card yesterday. It was very sweet of them and I have no idea how they knew that's one of my most fav flowers. (Freesia, Snapdragons and Sweet Peas are the other three. I love poppies too, but you can't pick those and bring them in the house. They are strictly outdoor flowers.)

My friend Karen gave me Water for Elephants, which I devoured in an afternoon. If you haven't read it, get thee to a library! It's so good and the author is Canadian and was born in Vancouver. I liked it so much I've already got 2 more of her novels in the to-read stack on my bedside table.

The rest of my friends who had dinner with me last weekend gifted me with cash to go towards my DSLR camera fund. It was the one thing I really wanted, so that's what they did. I haven't purchased a camera yet. I am still doing research because I want to be sure and get the one that will serve me best. The choices are endless and a bit overwhelming, but I'm in no rush. I'd rather take my time and get something that I will be happy with.

My son rushed into an upscale point and shoot just before the Olympic started and he's had major buyer's remorse. I've given it a try and while I am quite mechanically inclined and good with electronics of all kinds, I HATE his camera. It's not very user friendly and as I am setting up a shot, the lense closes and pinches my fingers every single time! It's enough to make you want to smash the heck out of it. (Which he's mentioned wanting to do as well!) It's worth it to do some research.

I hope to have it in hand by the end of April. That's my plan, so I can have the whole summer to get used to it and then in the fall I'm signing up for You Are Your Own Muse with the fabulous Vivienne McMaster. I learned so much in Wading In and I want to expand on that experience.

This birthday has been an embarrassment of riches, really. I am just so blessed by my peeps. I have the best friends in the world. I'm grateful for them every single day. They certainly know how to make a girl feel loved.

Okay, I am off to shape fresh bread dough into two pizzas for dinner tonight. There's nothing better than pizza made from scratch. MMM! Pizza and The Amazing Race. That's how I'm capping off this weekend. :)

**I'm not affiliated with any of these paper companies, but I sure wish I was!

A Treatise On Turning 40

(The cake from my surprise party on Sunday.)

This is just to say I happily turned 40 today. I am bucking the trend to feel like somehow it's something to despair of. Not this girl! Here's the thing: I'm not going to complain that I get to be alive. I got to wake up this morning. So did you if you're reading this. Do you know how HUGE that is?

And I am not going to start allowing myself to feel bad about aging. I'm not wasting a single moment being manipulated into thinking there's something wrong with me because I don't look like I did when I was 20. Why should I? I don't think like I did when I was 20 either. (Thanks goodness!) It's called evolving as a human being and it's something we do on the outside too. It's what makes us interesting. It's what makes us uniquely beautiful.

As women, we spend our whole lives being told we're too something: too fat, too skinny, too dumb, too smart, too quiet, too loud, to pretty, too ugly, too tall, too short, too happy, too depressed, too lazy, too ambitious, too nice, too bitchy, and on and on, ad naseum.

In my 30's I figured out who I was. In my 40's, I will stop apologising for it.

 I'm owning it. I'm stepping fully into myself, confidant that I am enough.

So no old jokes for me, thanks. I'm 40 and I'll wear it proudly.

Bonne Fete!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! to my Love.

You are *so* worth celebrating!

On This Day

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my kiddo who turns 19 years old (legal age) today!!

To mark the occasion, a poem by Rudyard Kipling because I am nothing, if not sentimental. The words are as meaningful today as they were when they were written over a century ago in 1895.

IF...

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too:

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream — and not make dreams your master;

If you can think — and not make thoughts your aim,

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same:

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings,

And never breathe a word about your loss:

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings — nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much:

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And which is more; you'll be a Man, my son!

*****

Here's to the man you are becoming!

xox Mum

Birthday Goodness

So in lieu of art content of my own, I am posting some pics of art gifted to me by a couple of my very talented girlfriends. But first, I wanted to show you this mug I bought myself from Starbucks. I saw it a few weeks before my birthday, but when it came time, my guys couldn't find it. I saw it again the other night while I was out and snapped one up for myself.

I love the colours! It's just so cheery and it's become my favourite.

Okay, so getting back to the birthday art! This gorgeous mixed media book wrap came from the gorgeous and talented Pilar*. It's got layers of gauze, paper, paint, fabric, wool and stitching.

Here's a close up of the wool felted heart. That's a medal piece in the center with the tree of life.

Isn't that just yummy?!? The layers in it are incredible. I have another friend, Tracy, who is a real sweetheart. She made me a set of signature pages for an exchange we did and I think they will fit perfectly inside this cover. (I haven't taken any photos of them yet to post, but I will!) I will have to make some more pages to flesh the journal out, but I love the idea of combining the talents of two people I adore. After I create my Olympic ROD journal, this is next on my list.

Yesterday my friend Penn (who is uber creative) and I got together. It's the first chance we've had to hang out since the Games. Penn had a whole bunch of little gifties waiting for me. This adorable wee "mixed tape" wool felted pin was one of them. I am a music junkie and this is so delightful! It measures about 1 inch x 1/2 inch.

Penn also made this little red apple book. She even included a worm hole in it!

Washi tape! It's a new addiction I have. Can't wait to use it in my journals.

Penn also recently bought herself a button making machine and has been making me little buttons for my ever-growing collection. Love 'em!

She also gave me a copy of Grey's Anatomy. I love, love, love medical stuff. I will be using the images in my artwork here and there. It's a keeper!

I am very spoiled and thankful for all the lovely, thoughtful gifts. There's nothing I love better than handmade presents.

*If you'd like to have some of Pilar's magic for yourself, visit her Zazzle store or Etsy!