We Have A Winner!!

The lucky winner of a free copy of Stampington's new magazine, Bella Grace is...

Roben-Marie Smith! Congratulations! 

I will be in touch with you for your mailing address shortly!

Thank you to everyone who entered. I wish I had copies to send one each of you. If you didn't win, you can still visit this post from Stampington's blog to enter more Bella Grace giveaways!

Hot Off the Presses: Bella Grace!

Two weeks ago, out of the blue, I was contacted by Stampington to see if I would be interested in reviewing their latest offering. Bella Grace. Would I?! I had been hearing about this publication all over the Internet and was dying to get my hands on a copy. Of course I said YES! Bella Grace's tagline is "Life is a Beautiful Adventure". Since I was just heading off on my own beautiful adventure  when my copy arrived, it seemed a fitting travelling companion so I tucked in in my suitcase.

The first noteworthy thing to tell you about this publication is that it's not just another magazine. It's presented as a soft covered book. The cover has fold over both front and back, which, if you're like me and never seem to have a bookmark handy, means you can use it to help mark your place in a pinch. The pages are nice and thick and it has that wonderful new book smell. (Though I seriously doubt Stampington is marketing it based on how it smells, but these are the kinds of things I notice.)

The content of Bella Grace is really lovely. When I was reading through it this past weekend, I was struck by how much it felt like the kind of important life conversations you would have with your best girlfriends over coffee. It's about women (and surprise, a few men!) telling their stories in the most authentic way possible, giving you a glimpse into their artful lives and how they've evolved. As I was reading, I had many moments of feeling a kinship with the writers. When you share your truth, it's relatable and I think the honesty of what's been shared in issue one speaks for itself. My favourite piece was called "Notes On How To Be A Dark Horse" by Jillian Lukiwski. I loved it because she talks about dog ski racing. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love snow and ice adventure. I am now following both her blog & instagram.

Another huge appeal of Bella Grace is of course, the photography. The images they've used are dreamy and ethereal and really quite magical. They've done an excellent job in matching images to content seamlessly. The photos are large enough so you can really soak in every little delicious detail. You can get a sneak peek of what's inside the premier issue here.

 One thing I really liked about how Bella Grace is put together is that there is a wide variety of fonts and font colours used. It makes reading the content that much more interesting. While I really do like this feature, my only constructive criticism of it is that there were places where they used a very fine grey or light blue handwriting font superimposed on a photograph of a similar colour and/or used a very tiny font size. As someone with visual issues, I found had to skip over bits and pieces of the content because it was difficult to see. I think these are things they could easily fix this in the next issue to make it more reader friendly. Other than that, I really enjoyed the eclectic look of the text.

What sets this publication apart from other magazines is that it's also meant to function as a journal of sorts. Bella Grace invites the reader to become a part of the experience by way of prompts within the articles. Each prompt has space for the reader to write whatever comes to mind. It's a unique and personal way to create an interactive experience and one that guarantees that you'll never want to part with your copy.

On the whole, I think Stampington has created a winner. It looks like they plan to publish Bella Grace twice a year, in winter and in summer. I think the quality of the content, paired with a fresh take on how it's presented makes Bella Grace the kind of publication I would happily spend $20.99 CDN on twice a year. ($19.99 US) 

Now the really good news, if you've read this far: Stampington has provided me with a copy of Bella Grace to give away to one lucky reader. Awesome right?!? If you'd like to be entered into the draw, just leave me a comment telling me what you've read recently for creative inspiration. One entry per person! I will randomly draw a winner on Friday, September 19th in the morning. Please be sure there's an email attached to your comment so I can notify you if you've won!

Good Luck!

Catching Up!

Hello! I know I've been scarce around here in the last week or so. Two reasons: 1. my laptop is on its last legs and keeps crashing and 2. volunteering! The laptop issue will be alleviated this weekend, thanks to a sweet friend who has recently upgraded her computer and has offered me her old one. (Thanks Michele!)

I have so many things to share!

Last Sunday, I got up early and headed to the park to volunteer with the annual Terry Fox Run. I finally got to meet Leah Pells and her beautiful Pads service dog Smokey who is a black Lab. You know how I feel about black Labs! Smokey helps Leah serve the students she teaches and connects with them in a way only sweet gentle dogs can do. He is a beautiful boy and so incredibly mellow. Indy desperately wanted to play with him, but he was working.

The Terry Fox Run was lovely. My favourite part was all the message people wrote in chalk on the park sidewalk where the run ended. I took the selfie posted above in that spot. I love that people did that. There was also a banner for people to sign saying who they were running for. I put my husband's name and also added the name of a little boy who was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with a rare brain stem cancer. I only know of this child through a friend, but I wanted his parents to see a photo of his name on Terry's banner and know that they are not alone as they face this terrible thing. This is exactly what Terry was hoping to put a stop to when he began his Marathon of Hope.

  The Vintage Pearl and Curly Girl Design partnered for a giveaway and I was lucky enough to be the winner! The necklace & note cards that were also part of the prize arrived yesterday in the magic mailbox. Had to giggle that they *almost* got my name right! 

Everything came wrapped in this mission statement bag.

Curly Girl sent me a stack of 25 of their greeting cards. When I saw a card set was part of the prize, I figured there would be about a 1/2 dozen, not 25! I think they sent me one of everything they make! The cards are lovely and I predict some very good mail days for friends in the future. 

The Vintage Pearl prize was so prettily wrapped.

Inside the box was this silver necklace which was *so* meant to be mine. I put it on right away and I don't think I want to take it off. I love how the little pearl tinkles against the silver when I move and reminds me its there.

THANK YOU Vintage Pearl & Curly Girl! I feel so spoiled! Now I just have to decide what goodies to treat myself to with the $25 gift certificates from each of them that were also included!

I have begun volunteering with the organizing committee for the 2014 Wheelchair Curling Championships which are being held in my community in late January. So far it's been a challenge with my computer crashing constantly, but the work has been interesting. 

I had dinner with my friend Courtney last Sunday and she asked if I would be willing to work with the Skiing Is Believing program this year. I was very touched that she would invite me because I know how much this program means to her. I was thrilled to accept. (It was a no-brainer!)

I also got the official word that I will be working with a new group of students for the Interprofessional Health Mentors Program for 2013-2014. I'll be finishing up with my current group at the end of the year, so they will overlap briefly. I met with my current group last week and we were all kind of stunned to realize we will only meet one more time before their program wraps up. The time flew by so quickly! Our last meeting is going to be over dinner somewhere nice. I am pretty sure they will remain in touch-they are such lovely women. I am excited to meet my new group at the end of this month and see which disciplines they are from.

I'm meeting up with my art partner in crime, Penn tomorrow and we're going to spend the day Gelli Printing. She is heading off to England shortly to visit family, so it will be nice to hang out and have an art day before she goes.

Autumn officially arrives tomorrow. I am already enjoying hearing Indy crunching through the fallen leaves in our backyard. I wait all year for this season-it's my most favourite. I think this says it best:

From my heart to yours, HAPPY AUTUMN!

Picture This!

Back in July, I won a give away on Natalie Dixon's blog for a set of 6 Paper Coterie swatch cards. I decided to follow Natalie's lead and use my prize to make a small portfolio of some of my photography. Now when people ask me what kind of photography I do, I can show them!

Paper Coterie has an amazing selection of products that you can use to showcase your photos. The interface is pretty easy to use-much like the one they have at Moo. You just upload your photos and arrange them, choosing colours and elements as you go.

Here is what my mini photography portfolio looks like inside:

The hardest part was choosing which photos I wanted to use! I'm really pleased with the results. I'd to make some other items through Paper Coterie-there are so many cool things to choose from: books, cards, journals, planners, calendars, memory keepers and more! I think I'd love to make a whole book of favourite photographs to start. I'd also like to do a whole book of Indy. There are so many possibilities!

Thanks Natalie & Paper Coterie for the wonderful prize!

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!

And The Winner Is....

Congratulations, Elaine from Georgia, you won the pane of Canadian Titanic 100 Anniversary stamps! They will be in the mail by Monday. Enjoy!

Titanic Giveaway!

Since I was a little girl, I've been fascinated by the story of the Titanic. I've read just about every book I could get my hands on. In honour of the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, I'm doing a giveaway for this beautiful pane of Canadian commemorative stamps. 

Here's an explanation of the artwork, which was done by Mike Little who resides in Halifax, by way of England:

"Each corner block contains 2 stamps showing RMS Titanic's bow and 2 featuring the stern. The detailed illustrations were based on existing photographs and are intended to be as realistic as possible.

The Bow: Titanic's enormous bow and two front anchors appear in the centre of the first pair of stamps.  On the right side, you'll see Southampton, England, where the Titanic began her maiden voyage. On the left is Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, which became the centre of recovery efforts after the ship sank.

The Stern: The second stamp pair shows the 3 propellers that were situated at the rear of the ship—2 larger outer propellers and a smaller centre propeller. Again, the stamp pair separates into 2 for mailing.

At the bottom of each stamp sits the House Flag of the White Star Line (Titanic's owners). This iconic red flag flew from Titanic's main mast and was also displayed on her tickets, cutlery and furniture."

***

To enter the draw, leave me a comment telling me where you're from and one thing you find interesting about the Titanic story. 

You can Tweet a link to this post or share it on Facebook for an extra entry. (Just let me know you did so in your comments!) 

The winner will be drawn on Thursday, April 19th. Please be sure I have your email in case you win-if there's no way to contact you, I'll have to draw another name!  Good luck!

Catching Up

If I've been on the quiet side this week, it's because I've been busy with the Women's Soccer 2012 Olympic qualifying tournament. I've been downtown in a swanky hotel my husband helped build, dispatching a fleet of cars for VIPs again. It's been fun, but long days knock the stuffing out of me.

So far we've attended Canada's first game, against Haiti and our ladies are looking really good. They played with integrity and their cohesiveness was really something to watch. If you're in town, you should get tickets-they're very inexpensive-$10-$25, no bad seats and all in the lower bowl.

I haven't had time to shoot anything new this week, aside from this photo of Indy, which I love. Speaking of photography, my beloved Picnik is closing mid-April. I am utterly bereft.{insert very sad face} I am very unhappy about it and have no idea what I am going to do once it's gone-it's my go-to editing program.

Mary Ellen, Sherry, Dave & Lisa, thank you for your feedback on Tapping In. It was really interesting hearing your interpretations. I wanted to let you know that you are all winners! Please email me with your snail mail addresses and as soon as I get prints made, I will send each of you postcards. (My email addy is on the sidebar.)

Tapping In

Tapping In

I think far and away, this is one of my most favourite images. I took a photograph of a section one of my mixed media pieces and then layered it with a self portrait of my hand. It took some fiddling to blend it to my satisfaction, but essentially, that's what I did.

I was going to write about what this image represents to me but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that maybe it's more interesting to hear what YOU think it's about, if you'd like to share. I'm curious how other people filter my work. If you are going to comment on this image, I'd like to challenge you to post your own thoughts and observations before reading anyone else's. (But feel free to read the other comments when you're done!)

And as an added bonus, if you take the time to comment, I'll enter your name in a draw to receive this image as a handmade postcard from me when I do my next round of photo prints. I'll take comments till 8 p.m. (PST) on Thursday, January 19th and I'll post the winner's name here on Friday morning, so be sure and check back!

Ready? Set...GO!

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!

Textures & Layers

Once

I've been working hard in the last week with textures. (Which I am sure you can tell by the number of image posts I've made lately.) I'm really loving this particular aspect of Swan Dive. It's the digital version of what I do on paper-the layering, blending, finding balance...all the things I love. I create entirely by instinct-I experiment with different elements until the piece feels right. If I don't like a choice I've made, I just hit the "undo" button and there's no harm done! Gotta love that!

I worked on Once last night. I created it from a vintage cabinet card in my vast collection and then pieced together five layers to create this image. I am especially pleased with how it came out. Today's Monday, so we've got a new technique to explore in class this week, but I'm finding it hard to move on. I want to dabble more in texture which is so satisfying.

Speaking of class, I wanted to let you know that Vivienne is having a giveaway on her blog. She's generously offering up TWO free spaces in her Wading In class, which starts soon. I can't say enough good things about the classes or Vivienne herself. If you'd like to read about my experience of Wading In, you can check out my Muse Interview.

To enter to win a spot in Wading In, click here.

The draw takes place at 8 a.m. PST on September 22nd, so hurry!

Would You Like To Wade In?

Hey gang, Vivienne McMaster who taught that wonderful online self portrait class I just took, Wading In is giving away a spot in her class!

I HIGHLY recommend her class. I learned so much! It's not about the techie stuff-it's about learning to see yourself in a different light and to open yourself up to the possibility that you can express yourself through photos. You do not need fancy equipment-I worked with a half-dead crappy SONY point and shoot and managed to get some incredible shots to work with. (One of them appears in the brand new header on my blog, another is the icon of me on my sidebar.) You also do not need to be some sort of expert photographer. All you need is to have an open mind and the willingness to explore the possibilities. I promise you, you will surprise yourself.

If you want to see more images I created in class, just visit my Flickr (the link's right there on the sidebar) and click on the Wading In set.

So what are you waiting for? Go enter! Click here.

For added inspiration, Vivienne is also featuring interviews with past participants of Wading In and You Are Your Own Muse. You can read the first one she's posted here. She starts with an introduction and then at the bottom you will see the names, which you click on to read that person's interview. Names will be added as more interviews are posted. I'd bookmark it if I were you-there's going to be lots of wonderful sharing happening there!

Olympic Giveaway Winners!

Why are the mascots celebrating? Because EVERYONE who entered the giveaway is a WINNER!!

Yes, all 6 of you: Melanie, Ariane, Edmontonjb, Blogmaster, Tedtopping and G please email me (tatterededge {at} shaw {dot} ca) your snail mail addys so I can send you your swag! 

 In the interests of not ruining the surprise you won't know which goodie you won till it arrives!

Thanks for playing everyone!

***

And if you haven't seen my CTV 1 year Olympic Anniversary segment, here it is:

I am hoping those of you who are outside of Canada can see it. I'm not sure if you can due to copyright laws, so let me know!

2010 Olympic Anniversary Weekend

Yesterday was so much fun, I can hardly put it into words, really. The Olympic spirit is alive and well in Vancouver. Yesterday truly was a day for the Blue Jackets to celebrate everything we accomplished. All around the city, people were stopping us to thank us for our service to our city and our country. They were also stopping us to ask for help or information. Those jackets made a very strong impression with people and I feel very honoured to be a part of that legacy.

It felt really good to get together with several members of my team and create new memories while reliving our Olympic experience. We had breakfast together with John Furlong and had another chance to have our copies of Patriot Hearts signed. Since I already had a signed copy of my own from participating in the Flash Mob on Thursday, I got the additional copy personalized for my in-laws. John graciously (and patiently) signed books before breakfast and then spoke after our meal. I have some video of that that I will post tomorrow. (I haven't had a chance to upload it yet.)

My friend and teammate Sharon and I went over to Granville Street midday to join in the fun there and then later made our way back to Jack Poole Plaza for 4 p.m. to see the torch lit. We stayed until dusk so we could get photos after dark as well. It was a long day, but a good one. Here are a small fraction of the 235+ photos I took yesterday. As always, mouse over the images to read the captions.

Today I was up and out early with my husband as we had tickets to visit the Canadian Mint pavilion. During the Olympics, I tried 5 TIMES to see the medals, but was unable to gain access-that's how popular the pavilion was. When I heard we'd be given one last chance this weekend, I made sure I got tickets (which were free!) right away. Persistence pays off! It was the one thing on my Games to-do list that had been unwillingly left undone, so I was very happy to finally cross it off the list today.

The medals were gorgeous! The last time I saw them was in Ring Road on the night of the Closing Ceremonies. They were hanging around the necks of the athletes to whom they had been awarded. (Which was kind of a surreal experience.)

We had to put white cotton gloves on before we were allowed to touch them. The medals are surprisingly heavy, weighing in at 2.2 lbs. each. They had a considerable heft to them. It was well worth the wait to see them. The people working at the Mint were incredibly nice, which in my opinion made the experience that much more special. Even the police officer stationed there was super nice. Everyone is in such a wonderful, festive mood this weekend.

While I was talking with Susan, one of the Mint employees, my sweet husband snuck over to the counter and purchased two sets of the commemorative coins for me. I've been saving a good number of them as they show up in my change, but I haven't yet managed to collect the entire set. So Happy Valentine's Day to me!

Here's some of the photos  I took at the Canadian Mint Pavilion today.(Which admittedly need to be cropped, but I am too tired. Forgive me!)

Captions are there if you mouse over.

Now we are getting ready for a celebration dinner at home, followed by watching CTV's 1 Year Olympic Anniversary special. I am *SO* excited!! Before I sign off, I just wanted to remind you that I posted a GIVEAWAY earlier today (it's the previous post) so be sure to go to that post to get the details about how to enter to win!

Olympic 1 yr. Anniversary Giveaway!

Hello, hello! Greetings from the land of Olympic Anniversary celebrations! Wow did I have a wonderful time yesterday! I am off to do a few more Olympic Anniversary-related things this morning, before settling in to watch the special (and see myself on national tv-how weird!) this evening. It's on at 7 p.m. in BC, so if you are anywhere else in Canada, check your local listings!

Meanwhile, if you'd like to share in the fun, I am having a GIVEAWAY!! I have lovely Olympic goodies to share with 4 lucky winners.

Here's the scoop:

Comment on THIS post the following:

1. How many Olympics has Canada hosted? (Bonus points if you can name the cities who hosted!)

2. Tell me where you are from!

3. If you retweet on Twitter, repost a link on your blog or Facebook you will get an extra entry. (Show me where you've linked!)

4. Make sure there's a way for me to contact you if you win!

1st prize is Olympic mascot MukMuk wearing the coveted red mitts that just about every Canadian owns. This particular little guy came from the breakfast I went to yesterday with John Furlong, so he comes with his own little story of the Games!

2nd Prize is Miga, another Olympic mascot. She's wearing a green 2010 scarf. She came home with me from the official Olympic warehouse, which is a very cool place!

3rd Prize is a set of Olympic pins. Miga carries the Canadian flag, Quatchi is carrying the Olympic flag and Sumi (the Paralympic mascot) is carrying the Paralympic flag. These are a great collectors item and I have a set just like it for myself!

4th Prize is a Quatchi change purse. (The zipper is along the bottom edge.) My friend Sharon can actually fit her camera in hers. It would also fit a cell phone...or any other little treasures you want to keep in it.

All the prizes are authentic licenced official Olympic mechandise-no knock-offs here! The contest will close on Wednesday, Feb. 16th at midnight PST and I will announce the winners the next day.

Back soon with pics from yesterday's festivities!

Message to Myself

Just a short post today because I am tired. I woke to the sound of Indy's deep growl at the foot of my bed (which is never a good thing) very early this morning. He was just doing his job (good dog!) but I hadn't planned to be awake so soon.

Anyway, continuing on with my hand self-portraits, here are two I worked on today. The first has just a snippet of my fingers, but it kind of shows my soul, really. My love for the beauty of this province is immense. Every single day, I get to look at mountains and trees and the ocean. You cannot live here without feeling a deep connection to nature. Any time I can be outside breathing in fresh air and hiking, with my husband and best dog in tow, that's what I'm doing.

That big starfish you can see is an souvenir from my last trip to Artfest in 2009. Penn and I were beach combing at the ferry landing when I spotted it. Normally, I prefer live creatures to remain alive, in their own habitat, but it was high up in the tide line and completely dried up. I've never seen one of this variety before-usually the starfish here are either thick fat purple ones or they are shaped like the sun and are deeply submerged. I figured finding this one was a gift and brought it home. It's been in my studio with the rest of my beachcombings ever since.

This one is about something someone once said to me. A friend, John Nunnah once wrote me a note on a scrap of paper that said

 "You were born to be a leader. You will surely be one."

I've kept that note for 22 years. It was one of the most meaningful things anyone has ever said to me and I am still awed that he felt moved to write it down. I carried those words in my heart all these years.

*****

Today has been a banner day. I got a phone call and email that was some very exciting news. I'll be sharing it here once it's a done deal, but it's really cool and was a lovely surprise. Actually, come to think of it, I've been showered with all manner of good things in the last week:

 Vivienne gifted me with her class, which you can see by my posts I am enjoying immensely. Thank you Viv!

Jeannette Janson had a give-away on her blog and I won second prize, which was a $10 gift certificate to spend in her Etsy shop. Thank you Jeanette!

 And then this mysterious phone call and email today that just put my happiness over the top. Thank you Mystery Caller!

Yes, I'd say that 2011 has been interesting so far. I love it when the new year starts off like this. Not unlike how 2010 started off, come to think of it. I'll take all the good kharma I can get!

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!

2010 Olympics Days 12, 13 & 14

Hello Peeps! I am back after a busy week! Day 11 is missing because I had Monday off. I am going to try and post twice today, as I have lots of pics to share. The one above is the Quatchi in the Waterfront Station, main hallway. I've been passing it for days and finally stopped long enough to snap a pic.


This is how our day starts off everyday. We gather in one area of the concourse and await our assignments. It's a brief time to play catch up with the people we've gotten to know over the last two weeks.

This is the east entrance. People are lining up to go through security and come in to see the victory ceremonies. I was out in the rain at the west entrance all night and it was pretty darn cold!

Here's a long view of the east entrance. After all the beautiful, warm weather, we got rain, rain, rain...and then it got nice again. Crazy west coast weather!

Russian Sochi House in the rain.

And the Athlete's Village.

This is The Plaza of Nations, a leftover from Expo '86. This is where most of us go for our food service.

And this is the food service area in the Stadium. It's smaller than Plaza of Nations, so only about 1/4 of the volunteers eat here each night.


Here is the Workforce check-in tent. This is where we go through security every day and then we proceed to the white tent behind to pick up our newsletters, get our gifts for working our shifts and pick up bottled water for the day. There's always a TV on in the tent so we can keep up to date with all the events of the day.

This is where I was stationed last night, just out in front of the stadium, at Terry Fox Square, which happens to be right across the street from the Alberta House. I was happy about that because while doing my job (which was answering questions and giving directions) I was able to watch the final moment of the Canadian Women's hockey game (GOLD MEDAL!!) and the later to see Joannie Rochette win a BRONZE MEDAL!!

I am *SO* happy for her. After the tragedy of losing her mother so unexpectedly last weekend, it took great courage and strength of character to get out onto the ice and give her best. I wanted so badly for her to win for herself. I am pleased that she was able to have that bittersweet moment. We are so very proud of her.

Here's a peek at the Olympic Family (meaning the IOC and Federations members) Lounge. It's quite nice and the First Nation's Art is really beautiful.

Here are the flags just outside the Olympic Family Lounge. It's kind of cool to see an Olympic flag up close.

So I am off on a much needed break today. Tomorrow I have the morning off, so I am going to have a haircut and then I have rehearsals for the Closing Ceremonies from 3-7 p.m. This is with my small team that marshalls the Athletes, so we'll be finding out what we need to do. It's hard to believe we're down to the wire here! It's gone by so quickly! I am excited for the big party that the Closing Ceremonies will be. I am also excited for the Opening of the Paralympic Games in 2 weeks. I will be at the ceremonies, with my small team again.

This morning got an offer for the Paralympic Games, volunteering at VANOC headquarters, helping with booking transport. It should be fun and a nice change of pace. I did dispatch for VIP transportation for the World Police & Fire Games, so hopefully it's much the same type of job. I guess I won't know till I get there, but that's okay! I'm up for the adventure!

Oh and I have a short video of a High School Band from Sardis, BC who were rehearsing right outside our Workforce tent on Wednesday. It was a great way to start out our day!

I'm sure you're wanting to know who won the Giveaway.

Congratulations to:

LISA CALL

Please email me your snail mail addy and I will get your prize out to you on Monday. I will be having another giveaway soon! Keep your eyes peeled!

2010 Olympics, Day 10 & A Giveaway!

I thought I would give you a glimpse of the crowds in the downtown core these days. The weekend was insane with the hockey starting. This was taken in Yaletown yesterday, as I made my way from the train station, to the Stadium.

Everywhere you look, you see our flag. It's literally a sea of red and white, no matter where you go. One house in our neighbourhood has taken their Xmas lights and spelled out "Vancouver 2010" with them on the side of their house and then there's a huge flag hanging in their living room window. Everyone is wearing their heart on their sleeve...

...Or their flag on their back. Some, like this guy have just strung their flag around their neck, but last night, when I was working the security check point, I noticed that someone is now making Canadian flag ponchos. It's the flag material, but just shaped into a poncho, for easier wearing. It sure doesn't take long for people to figure out a way to make a buck!

And then there are those who are wearing all manner of crazy costumes. It's become an odd sort of dress up party. Lots of people are wearing Canadian themes temporary tattoos on their cheeks and hands and arms and then there are those who are painting their faces. Apparently, if you want to show your Olympic spirit, anything goes!



I took these photos on the seawall around False Creek where I was sitting with a friend and follow volunteer, enjoying my lunch in the beautiful sunshine and people watching. I think it was about 15C here yesterday. Gorgeous!



I forgot to mention that on Friday, I randomly won a pair of tickets to the Swiss vs. Norway hockey game on Saturday. Of course I was working so my guys got to enjoy those tickets. They were seated in a suite and had the time of their lives! (Good to know my hard work is paying off.) I told them they owe me a very nice dinner out. I think they said something about the Keg! YAY!



Last night's feature Province was Nunavut and the concert was put on by Loverboy & Trooper. I saw Trooper last summer at the World Police & Fire Games and they were great. As I mentioned, I was outside working at the security checkpoint, so I don't have any pics of the festivities for you. Today, day 11, I am off, so you'll have to check back for a report on day 12! In the meantime...


...I promised a giveaway and here is the first one: I have two first day covers of Olympic themed postage. I saw these in our post office and thought they were really cool, so I bought myself some and picked up some extras to share with a lucky reader!

The first one features Whistler/Vancouver. The entire oval shape is the stamp pane and it has the 2010 cancellations on them. On the back side of the envelope is an explanation of the stamps.

The second one features the Olympic and Paralympic emblems and the blue and green artwork and colours of the 2010 Games. Again, the back of the envelope explains the stamps.

Both first day covers will go to ONE lucky winner.

So here's the scoop:

ONE entry per person.

To enter the draw, leave me a comment telling me where you are from and what your favourite 2010 Olympic moment has been so far.

I will be drawing a name and announcing the winner on Friday, Feb. 26th. Please be sure that I have some way of emailing you if you win so I can get your snail mail addy and send them off to you!

Good Luck!