As 2014 Fades to Black

Contrary to popular belief, I have not fallen off the face of the earth! I've just been super busy not only with the usual holiday hustle and bustle, but also reviewing 24 grants for the Canadian MS Society. It's alot of very concentrated reading and then equally thoughtful writing. I've managed to get all 24 reviews written and after New Year's I will work on editing what I've written. It's challenging but interesting work.

In between times, I have also managed to steal some time to make myself something! Two weeks ago, I decided I really wanted to make myself a journal for 2015. I took a really old book I'd been saving and started working on transforming it. I bought it originally because it was small, (I love books that fit comfortably in the palm of my hand) it was leather and it had some cool gold hinges printed on the cover.

As I began pulling it apart, I realised that this book was printed in 1914, making it 100 years old this year! Really cool! The middle photo is of the journal lying open to show some of the pages I sewed in. It's about an inch and a half thick. I love a good chunky monkey journal. 

The final photo is how I altered the cover. The photo on the cover is actually a vintage photograph I picked up in an antique store. I loved the strong women of various generations standing in their garden. It called to my prairie roots. I didn't feel bad about using an original photograph because 1. this journal is mine and 2. oddly enough, there were several of the exact same photo in the pile when I bought it, so I bought them all.  I've already been working in my 100 year old journal! (It was just too hard to resist!)

I have begun preparing for my trip to Toronto in late January. (I am flying out to TO for 3 days to meet with the Grants Review committee.)  Unlike the west coast, Toronto has snow. Being a Winnipegger, born and raised, I know all about snow so I knew I would have to get myself a decent pair of winter boots. Before the holidays, I decided to pop into a store just to see what they had. I looked at aisles of the most ridiculous boots-boots that were basically "fashion" boots-not warm and with heels high enough that if you hit a patch of black ice, you were just spoiling for a fractured ankle. NO THANK YOU!

Anyway, getting down to the end of the aisle, I spotted some boots that looked like they would do. They were mostly black with a hint of lime green trim and really good tread. I found my size, opened the box and was surprised to find the exact same pair, but in buffalo plaid!! I love buffalo plaid!! Of course I had to have them and I got the last pair in the store.

(Photo credit Delish General Store)

 The funny thing was that Delish General Store had a buffalo plaid infinity scarf I had been coveting for forever. My husband know this was on my Xmas wish list so Tamara, owner of Delish General Store was able to make sure he got the right one when he came in to buy it for me. I am now suitably outfitted for TO! I shall be warm and toasty! (And stylish!) I am laughing about the boots because living on the west coast where we don't get weather warranting the wearing of snow boots very often, (if at all) my new boots will last me for a very long time. Good thing I love them!

What would Xmas be without a new toy to play with? My son and his girlfriend very sweetly gave me a Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 in vintage aqua. (Pictured on the left.) It's prints credit card sized photos (3 3/8 tall x 2 1/8 wide) which are the perfect size for adding into a journal. The camera is very light weight, since it's made from plastic and measures about 4 1/2 inches square. I think it will tuck nicely into my carry-on bag for my trip. 

Tonight marks a special occasion-my husband and I are celebrating the 25th anniversary of our first date. It's hard to believe that happened a quarter of a century ago. Man, I feel old! In typical Canadian fashion, our first date took place at a hockey rink, watching the Canucks vs. Philadelphia game. (My husband is a huge Philly fan.) We were fated to be together.

Truth be told, I had the best intentions of writing some end of the year, sum-it-all-up post, but just never seemed to find the time to do it, so this will have to do. I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to leave me comments over the last year-I appreciate it! I want to wish you a happy, healthy, creative 2015 and may we all continue to find ways to make this world a better place.

Here's to 2015-may she be a good one!

Cranberryfest 2011

Hello again! Well, another Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone. It was pretty busy! Saturday, my husband, Indy and I went to Fort Langley's annual Cranberryfest. This is my 5th year and I think that judging from the crush of people present, folks have finally caught on that the best little Autumn festival is happening there. Seriously, I have never seen so many people in attendance! I think it helped that the weather was perfect too.

We had a wonderful brekki-pancakes, cranberry sausage, breakfast sausage, juice and coffee for $5-can't beat that! The sausages, which were made by Freybe were so yummy! One of the cooks even gave us a spare sausage (for free!) for Indy. Indy was super happy about that!

After brekki, we toured around town looking at all the vendor's booths. Everyone comes from far and wide to get fresh cranberries for their holiday dinners. Langley is one of the largest exporters of cranberries in the world. A couple years ago, I actually took a tour of the bogs. It's incredible to see acres and acres of land turned scarlet with berries. These guys were scooping and filling bags for sale just as fast as they could. The lines were 10 people deep!

These are the sweet ladies who have a booth in front of the little white church every year. They have buckets galore filled with dahlias. You can pick 6 stems for $5. There are florists who have vendor's booths at the festival, but I always hike up the street to the church to buy my Thanksgiving bouquet. I'd much rather give my money to these to gals. They are just so lovely and their flowers are gorgeous. I love dahlias and they looked very cheery on our dinner table.

All around town are these huge pumpkins. I couldn't resist snapping pics to play with when I got home. I love how this one turned out. The pumpkins are really big and they bring them in on skiffs because they are so heavy. They have to move them with a forklift.

I also came across these gorgeous mushrooms, which were waiting for me like a gift, just as I stepped out of the car. They are 100% real, I promise you! This is the season when you see them and these ones were huge! You can't tell their scale from this photo, but they stood 7 inches high and the caps were as big as my palm.The only other time I've seen them this large was hiking the wilds of BC last autumn on Vancouver Island. I love photographing them.

In case you missed it the other day, Manual Dexterity #3 is now available. It's chock full of Autumn and Hallowe'en art, inspiration & goodies! There is also the second mini house zine in the Rue du Maison series, which I had so much fun making.You can find these two zines (and more!) here.

Canadian Thanksgiving

Copyright Lelainia Lloyd/Tattered Edge 2011

This weekend is one of my most favourite of the whole year:

it's Thanksgiving!

It's going to be a busy weekend, as we observe our family's holiday traditions and I work to print and assemble the 3rd issue of Manual Dexterity. It's going to be a bit of a whirlwind!

Amidst all the holiday goodness, I am also acutely aware of all the things I have to be grateful for in my life:

-The love of a good man

-The love of a good dog. *grins*

-Our son who makes me laugh

-Work that feeds my soul

-The opportunity to learn new things

-Friends far and wide who make my life better simply by being in it

-Opportunities to make a difference on other people's lives

-Laughter

and so much more.

It's become a tradition here on my blog for me to post this harvest prayer. It's a personal favourite of mine because it pretty much sums up my life's philosophy and its message is timeless.

Harvest Prayer

(Anonymous 17th Century Sermon)

Please be gentle with yourself and others.

We are all children of chance,

And none can say why some fields blossom

While others lay brown beneath the harvest sun.

Take hope that your season will come.

Share the joy of those whose season is at hand.

Care for those around you.

Look past your differences.

Their dreams are no less than yours,

Their choices in life no more easily made.

And give.

Give in any way you can.

Give in every way you can.

Give whatever you possess.

Give from your heart.

To give is to love.

To withhold is to wither.

Care less for the size of your harvest than for how it is shared,

And your life will have meaning

And your heart will have peace.

 

***

 

To my fellow Canadians, whether at home or abroad, I wish you a beautiful harvest celebration with your family and friends and a safe journey if you are travelling this weekend.

Happy Easter! Joyeaux Paques!

Hello Peeps! I hope you are enjoying the 3 (possibly 4) day weekend off. We got lucky the last 2 days with sunny, warm weather, which meant we were outside all day yesterday. We took Indy to Spanish Banks for a dip in the ocean and then headed over to Stanley Park for the first picnic of 2011.

While we were at the park, we were lucky enough to come across the area where the Blue Herons are nesting. It's a pretty impressive sight to see these large birds landing high up in the branches. Their nests are huge! We had a chat with a woman who was there surveying the birds and she explained a bit about what was going on in the heronry. I remember when the birds nested in the center of the park, right outside of the aquarium in the evergreens. Apparently, the entire population migrated en masse to its current location on the ocean (English Bay) side of the park because of eagle attacks. The eagles come and steal eggs or the chicks if they are so inclined and the herons are pretty much helpless. Kinda sad, but that's how nature works.

My friend Alyx has some beautiful photos of this year's nesting season. The heron photos are about 1/2 way down. I took some myself, but they weren't great-it makes me think I'd better finish doing my homework and hurry up and get my new DSLR! I'd like to return before nesting season is over and try again with the new camera.

I spent today baking up a storm in anticipation of tomorrow night's dinner. Friends are joining us. I baked some cabbage buns this afternoon (an Easter staple!) and I had to cover them and put them away-the temptation to "taste test" was proving to be too much! Tonight we'll BBQ and I got some corn on the cob. MMM! Looking foreword to switching up our day to day menus for the warmer weather fare.

I hope the Easter bunny is good to you!

A Holiday Head's Up!

Okay, you've waited all year! The 12 Days of Xmas Exchange is set to kick off very soon with the annual Parade of Presents!! For more information and to follow along, follow this link. I do hope you'll join us!

It's an extremely busy time in the studio right now as I just finished putting the finishing touches on a slide presentation that will go along with the speech I will be giving at the Celebration of Ability on December 3rd. I am excited to be sharing (and reliving!) my Games time experiences.

I am also plugging away on writing and art for a new book I was invited to contribute to. Deadlines are coming up soon, so my fingers are flying! I've been enjoying the challenge and feeling like I'm getting alot accomplished.

We're going through a rather unusual cold snap here, so what better time to be holed up in the studio with Indy curled up beside me for company?

And just in case I forget to say so on Thursday, HAPPY AMERICAN THANKSGIVING to my dear friends south of the border. xox

October 31st

This post is in honour of my beloved Gramps, whose birthday is today, Hallowe'en. If he were still with us, he would be turning 89 today.

Happy Birthday Gramps. I miss you every single day.

Hallowe'en Circa 1975

My earliest Hallowe'en memory was the year my Gramps took me out trick or treating around to the neighbouring farms. In those days, we knew all the neighbours and in the culture of true Manitobans, they were all considered members of our extended family. Everyone was either an "aunt" or "uncle".

That Hallowe'en, my grandparents bought me a Bugs Bunny costume, which in the late 70's consisted of a thin jumpsuit that tied at the neck with Bugs' body printed on in, (in blue if memory serves) and a plastic mask of Bugs' face and ears held on by a flimsy elastic stapled to either side. Oh look! Here's a pic of the exact same costume!

Now if you know anything about Winnipeg and the surrounding area, you'd know that traditionally Hallowe'en night was usually pegged as the first snowfall of the season which often turns into a blizzard. It means that your choice in costumes is dictated by the weather. Either you wore a costume that was big enough to fit your bulky winter coat (or in some cases, snowsuit) underneath or you had to put your coat over top and then "flash" your neighbours so they could see your costume before they gave you candy. Fortunately, my snowsuit fit under the jumpsuit piece of my costume, so I looked like Bugs Bunny while staying toasty warm.

The farm houses were set a fair piece back from the highway, so Gramps loaded me up in the Funcraft (a sort of pre-minivan van-all the room of a minivan, minus the seats) and drove me from farm to farm. The Funcraft had a sliding door on the side, so he left the door locked open and I sat in the opening with my legs dangling out while he drove. Thinking about that now makes me laugh. Can you imagine tooling around in the dark, on a rural highway with a child of 4 sitting in the open door, legs dangling these days? Um...yeah...no...

Anyway, we drove up and down the highway, stopping at the end of each driveway and I would hop out and run up the drive to the house. I'd be almost out of breath because those were looooooog driveways, but somehow I'd manage to belt out "Hallowe'en Apples!!" (Kids in Manitoba say this, not "trick or treat". I don't know why, we just do. My husband thinks we're weird.) Someone I knew would come to the door and pretend they didn't know who I was and then dole out the candy. I of course was thrilled to be putting one over on them and the candy was just the bonus. I'd say thank you and then run back down the drive and hop into the Funcraft and we'd be off to the next house.

My quest for goodies ended with a trip to Don & Lou's house, our next door neighbours. Don & Lou had the longest drive of all. They built their house on the back end of their 5 1/2 acre property, on the river's edge, so Gramps drove me right to their front door. (Walking, it would have taken me about 20 minutes to get up the drive.) I hopped out of the van and hollered "Hallowe'en Apples!" at the house and Don came to the door. He went through the motions of pretending he didn't know who I was and teasing me before he gave up the candy. ALL of it! I loved Don.

I love Hallowe'en. It's my favourite holiday.

Celebrating 20 Years

(Photo taken in the wilds, Port Renfrew, BC, Canada)

Happy 20th Anniversary to my Love;

It's hard to believe it's been 7305 days

since we exchanged our wedding vows.

Every single one of those days has been a gift

and I am the luckiest girl in the world.

xox

***

We just got back from an amazing 4 day adventure, hiking the wilds of the south western coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. As soon as I finish unpacking, I'll tell you all about it. Stay tuned!

It's Turkey Day!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

to my fellow Canadians, wherever you are!!

I hope you are having a relaxing weekend. Indy and I went to Cranberryfest out in Fort Langley yesterday and had a wonderful time. The weather was perfect and I met some lovely people. It reminded me how much I enjoy being in a crowd of strangers and meeting people. I know that might sound kind of odd, but it's something those of us raised in Winnipeg (the heart of the Canadian prairies) understand. Winnipeggers can walk into a crowd of people they don't know and make instant friends. It's just what we do. Ask any of my friends -they'll tell you that's one of my secret powers. *wink*

The only thing that would have made the day more perfect would have been if my guys could have joined me, but they had to work. It was a 52 hour work week for them. (Yikes!) They're off for the next two days though, so today is turkey day and then tomorrow will be leftovers. I always think turkey tastes better the second day, don't you? I made the pies earlier in the week, so there's less to deal with in the kitchen today. I made both pumpkin and apple because my husband doesn't like pumpkin. (What kind of a person doesn't like pumpkin?!?!)

We got up early this morning and took Indy to the park for some off leash time and then headed over to our local Farmer's market. I love shopping there. We really have a fabulous market. I picked up some farm fresh parsnips and some beautiful rolls from the bakery truck to go with dinner. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to be putting my food dollars into the pockets of local Canadian farmers, rather than the big chain grocery stores. I try to shop local as much as humanly possible. Not only does it help keep those farms (and farm families!) in business, but it also ensures that our family is eating the very best of fresh, healthy food. It's win-win.

Anyway, it's almost time to get busy in the kitchen, so I will leave you with this beautiful piece of writing, which has become my favourite of the season.

Harvest Prayer

(Anonymous 17th Century Sermon)

Please be gentle with yourself and others.
We are all children of chance,
And none can say why some fields blossom
While others lay brown beneath the harvest sun.
Take hope that your season will come.
Share the joy of those whose season is at hand.
Care for those around you.
Look past your differences.
Their dreams are no less than yours,
Their choices in life no more easily made.
And give.
Give in any way you can.
Give in every way you can.
Give whatever you possess.
Give from your heart.
To give is to love.
To withhold is to wither.
Care less for the size of your harvest than for how it is shared,
And your life will have meaning
And your heart will have peace.

Ringing in the Holidays

It's that time of year again! We've just kicked off the 12 Days of Xmas Exchange with the "Parade of Presents"!

Beginning today, you can stop by daily right up to and including Dec. 24th and see all the beautiful handmade gifts we're exchanging this year. Each and every one is a work of heART.

For the first 11 days we'll be sharing photos of our wrapped gifts and then after that, photos of what was inside each one as we open them. We're kicking off the parade with photos of two gifts today!

Be sure and bookmark the 12 Days of Xmas blog or join the RSS feed so you don't miss out on any of the artsy goodness!

The Spirit of Giving

Copyright Tattered Edge 2008

Hello again! Have you been checking out all the eyecandy over at the 12 Days of Xmas blog? Only 5 more days left till we being opening our gifts!

I've been busy practicing the fine art of altruism. In our family, this is not something we save for the holiday season, but something we strive to do all year long. It's important, I think to give back in any way you can, as often as you can-and I don't mean by simply giving money, but giving of your time and your spirit.

With that in mind, I spent this morning in the studio making bracelets for two girls (12 and 15, if I remember correctly) whose family was adopted for Xmas by a group I am involved with. Our goal is to provide not only food on their table, but gifts under their tree as well. The nice thing about doing something like this with a group of friends is that everyone does what they can.

I wanted to make something personal for them, so I made them silver wish bracelets. Every little girl needs some *bling* for the holidays, I think. With these little tokens of love goes my wish that 2009 will be so much better for their family. May it be so.

I've been enjoying the beautiful weather we've been having. Today it was warm enough to leave the screen door open! It's unseasonably warm for December, that's for sure. Indy and I have been walking at the lake every day. I bought him a red velvet jingle bell collar and he wears it when we go for walks. It makes me happy to hear the bells tinkling as we go and people smile when they see him. I will have to try and get a pic of him wearing it and post it here.

Tomorrow I am doing something really exciting. Can't say too much yet, but it's one of those "once in a lifetime" things! I'll report back as soon as I can!

Bits & Pieces

Holy wow can you believe it's December 1st? I can't! We have only 31 days left of 2008! Time is just racing by. Speaking of which, I haven't updated my list in awhile, so here it is:

Reading: Jonathan Kellerman's latest novel in the Alex Delaware series "Bones". Nothing makes me happier than a new book in that series. I've read everything he's written and I own all but a few of the newest in the series, they're that good.

I also have a copy of the newest Artful Blogging. My pal Deb is featured in it and while I did read her article (which is fantastic if you are looking for info on branding yourself as an artist.) I must confess that I have not had time to read the rest of the magazine. I will get to it though!

Watching: HOUSE religiously. I can't get enough of that show, although last week's ep left me a bit bored. TAR which is always entertaining and the only good thing on on Sunday nights. I am still hanging in with Heros, but it's really circling the drain this season. Far too many gratuitous characters and the time-space continuum is giving me whiplash. I saw CNN's tribute to heros again this year and it's always so inspiring to know there are good people out there in the world.

Listening: I just downloaded Yo Yo Ma's new Xmas album, as well as Melissa Etheridge's from iTunes. Both are very good. My standby favourite from last year is James Taylor's.

Drinking: Yesterday my best friend Lisa brought me an early Xmas gift. Part of it was this big red Starbuck's mug I was coveting. After she left, I made some tea and came into the studio to work. I eventually went to take a sip and found there was a puddle on the coaster. So I cleaned it up, thinking I had bumped and spilled it somehow. A little later on, there was another puddle and then I realized my beautiful new mug had a long crack in it. *cries* Tomorrow I will swing by the Starbuck's and have them replace it.

Anticipating: All the craziness of the holiday season. I am going to do my level best to avoid all the crowds and get my shopping done early. I already have part of it completed. And as a sign of complete self indulgence and puppy love, I am taking Indy to have his picture taken with the pet Santa in a couple of weeks. I don't think he'll sit on Santa's lap, but maybe I can get him to sit next to Santa long enough to get a pic. I am justifying this by the fact that the money made from this silliness goes to an animal shelter, so it's all good.

Dreaming: Of presents. I'm a notorious giver, but I do love to receive thoughtful, personal gifts. I have a few special things on my wish list this year-a small fabric purse of some sort that I can sling across my shoulder to tote my journal, pens and iPod in when I want to go the coffee shop and unwind; some mixed media art books; comfy jammies and some new music. It's the simple things make me happy.

Doing: I taught my last workshop for 2008 last week, so now I am basically off till February's flurry of workshops. In the meantime, I have been cleaning the house and purging junk from our closets. I seem to do this at the year's end, probably because I like to start the new year off fresh. It's been quite satisfying to cull the clutter.

Creating: I am in a jewellery RR with a small group of friends and I have the first piece in the rotation which I need to work on this week and have in the mail by the 5th. No idea what I am going to add to it yet, but the wheels are turning.

And speaking of creative, I urge you to check out my friend Lisa's new blog. She just posted about decorating her home for the holiday and has photos that will just WOW you! Seriously. You'll want to crawl through your monitor and curl up on her couch and take it all in. Go look!