feathers, freesia & fishing tackle

Snow Bunny

2012-01-24T07:36:00.000-08:00

As per usual Anthro has the most genius display up for winter that includes a bunny that is so excellent, I might just attempt to make him. For Easter. Maybe. Because I really haven't had time lately to do ANYTHING. Which is why I haven't been around here. I apologize for my absence. You know that lull that happens after the holidays where you get to recoup and refresh? Well there wasn't that. AT ALL! I had scheduled some projects to keep me busy and tie up some loose ends through that typically white and cozy "at home doing nothing" period, but it never happened. And then not only did I have these projects, but also the things I had been working on all last year suddenly EXPLODED into fruition overnight... and I am just starting to get caught up! So I am happily puttering away, trying to stay ahead of the game by just a few strokes... and in the meantime my inspiration folder for this blog is bursting at the seams... so I might have to spend a few posts just cramming all the neat stuff into a few posts to get it out there to you :) Stay tuned!

Crafty Ideas... Craftgawker

2012-01-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

Do you know about the site "Craftgawker"? I peruse the Weddingawker site fairly often for the other blog's benefit... but my real favourite is to check out the goings on over at Craftgawker. It's my true eye candy. I adore seeing what people make. Not just the things I can do myself, but to aspire to greatness in other areas... such as, say... crochet! I also love it when somebody takes something we've all seen and reinvents it. It's just brilliant.

I have a friend who was chatting the other day about the doily pendant lightshade... which, to me was an obvious evolution of the string pendant made famous by Moooi. I was surprised that she hadn't seen it, and realized that maybe not everyone spends ridiculous amounts of time perusing websites just to look at pretty pictures. Huh. Who woulda thunk? (Although I have created a Pinterest addiction in her... mwahahahahaaaa). A sight like the Gawker series (food and dwellings are also part of the Gawkerverse,) puts the pretty teaser photos all on the same page and clicking on the links takes you to the sight mentioned where you will find tutorials, latest works or even just a glimpse inside someone's sketchbook. The next time you are looking to kill some free time, check them out!

Sunday Thoughts... A Bit Early. For Good Reason.

2011-12-30T06:25:00.000-08:00

As Twenty Eleven draws itself to a close, I find myself with time to ponder what the year has heaped upon myself and those I hold dear. Truthfully, in this time of chaos and craziness around the globe, I have had the most stable seeming year in over a decade. I moved from a teeny apartment into a house a little over a year ago, and right from the get go it was a lot to chew financially and was not without drama, but it was also amazingly normal seeming, considering all the elements. I lost my best friend in February. Nothing happened to her, she just decided we weren't friends anymore. Which was hard, but also just odd. I think I spent a good deal of time confused, and to get myself on track I threw myself into building (and maintaining, which is hard for an Aries flake like myself) the Other Blog, and working on getting my quilts noticed. I have mostly succeeded, while not in the ways I intended. I think that whole thing about doors closing so that new doors can open fits in right about here.

I have read lots about how 2012 is the Big One. All sorts of things, from alien invasion to Mayan shifts of dimension have landed in my inbox, and made for one giant "?". I have questioned as a homeschooling mom of two which things to explain to my kids and which to pass over to keep their kid years intact. I heard my eight year old at a Christmas party explaining to the other kids how the government is making big mistakes and selling our country to the highest bidder, so I know he has been paying more attention than I thought to various discussions, but all in all things are in pretty good shape around here as far as outlooks go. I think knowing the storm is coming helps to batten down the hatches a bit. I think this world is finally getting the wake up call it has needed for a very long time. Just like my friend throwing me for a loop, and the chaos opening new doors, I am confident that this crazy time will have a good outcome eventually. It helps to be aware of the process. I keep telling myself that I am an adult now, and I can handle it. LOL.

Some crazy things are happening. My stable home is shifting, I can feel it... while at the same time I have an old flame that is being rekindled. I have been trying hard to ignore it and put it back in the box I had shelved it in, but it just keeps letting it's presence be known. I'm not sure if the timing is convenient, but it definitely lends some interest to the situation. And somehow makes things that should be unhappy a bit more fun. And while I feel financially strapped to a sinking ship (just like everyone else) I am seeing some of the bonds that I had gotten used to finally slip away. Again, totally unsure of how it's going to work itself out, but freedom of a sort has to be a good step forward, right?

This Christmas I was lucky enough to stay at a friend's house and experience a family life very much like what I think I want. Very simple, very loving and very inspired. They have trials and they have "stuff" like we all do, but there is a feeling there that everyone is loved and respected. And I think that is the direction it is time to go in. For myself, for my family, and for us all. It's time to ask for, and allow, love and respect for ourselves and each other. It's actually super easy to do. It's one of those things that really does come back to you if you give it.

So here's to 2012! To throwing the doors wide open and welcoming the change instead of cringing away from it. To spending as much time as possible with friends and family and looking out for each other. To staying strong and standing up for one another. To believing in ourselves and knowing that we deserve better. Not bigger and shinier, but better. Less, more... that sort of thing. Happy Epic New Year everyone :)

New Year's Eve Glitteratti

2011-12-29T15:13:00.000-08:00

I have the perfect DIY for your NYE shindig! If you are going for sparkly and sophisticated, (of COURSE you are going for sparkly and sophisticated) then this sophisticated "adult" pinata is the most fun thing I have found yet as a New Year's party game. Fill it with game questions on slips of paper, gorgeous liqueur chocolate truffles wrapped in cello, cute matchbooks, Mardi Gras bead necklaces, tiny (unbreakable) bottles of booze, or any of these ideas from AT's list! Also throw in as much metallic confetti as you can handle for a real finale! They are available for purchase here, but are a crazy inexpensive and easy DIY (plus we are talking crazy rush charges to courier a pinata for delivery in two days!).

The sparkle goes remarkably well with the tassel garland DIY borrowed from the other blog. This photo was actually from the Shelby, but it looks like whoever's home it was bought them at the same place the pinata is from. What a small world :)

Another cute idea to bring some glitz and glamour to the evening? How about glittering swizzle sticks? Trust Martha to have a tutorial on these cute and easy tinsel drink accessories! Use the same method with those metallic pom poms you find at the craft store to make an alternate type. AND of course the same DIY can be used with toothpicks for hors d'oeurves.

Send photos of your amazing soiree! I want to SEE!

Fabric Gift Wrapping Bags

2011-12-27T12:25:00.000-08:00

As soon as I receive the amazing photos from my amazing Christmas vacay, they shall be posted. In the meantime, I learned a few things. Thing number one: Fabric Gift Bags.

I spent Christmas with a friend's family. While this friend is rather new, she is also rather fabulous. And crafty. The best sort of friend really, no? So this fabulous and crafty friend shared a secret with me, and now I am sharing it with you. The fabric stores have all their Christmas fabric on sale right now. Now. Right this minute... and guess what? You need some. Well, you don't need Christmas fabric necessarily, but if that is your thing, then get on it! Because the new thing is fabric gift bags instead of paper.

A few years ago Heather went to an after Christmas sale and bought up the remnants she liked best for $2 /meter. She zipped off a bunch of simple bags of various sizes and put them away for the next year's gift wrapping. Brilliant! I personally am not a fan of red and green, I rarely do "normal" for Christmas. It certainly doesn't have to be just holiday themed patterns though. In fact, I am adopting an entire spectrum of these bags for birthdays and such as well... and this neutral bag with the tree on the front is another lovely idea. I think stamped or silk screened pine cones would be gorgeous. I haven't taken on silk screening before, but I have a friend who does it and would probably be willing to do a trade. Regardless... this is the most easy peasy sewing project imaginable!

In the end, the bags cost less than paper if you use them over and over and I can't tell you how amazing it was that there was no crazy obscene mess of torn paper as an aftermath this Christmas morning. When I asked her if her kids missed the ripping and tearing into gifts, she replied that there were still gifts from outside the family (or from grandparents) that came wrapped in paper for that. And that when the gifts are torn into, often it becomes more about ripping open gift after gift without having much appreciation for what is inside. I tend to agree with that... having seen the youngest in more than one paper ripping frenzy. This Christmas was very calm and lovely, and the cleanup was not only far more eco... but super easy. All the bags fit into one big one to be stored with the decorations. Or with your wrapping whatnots, whichever you prefer. I am definitely adopting this gem!

Warning...

2011-12-22T17:53:00.000-08:00

Embroidering this on a quilt for a certain lady who is awesome and who may or may not have had something to do with my birth. She reads this blog (she'd better) so I don't want to give anything away, but plugging the letters in one at a time I am reminded how much I love this poem, and so does she :) Just in case you haven't heard it before...

WARNING:

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

-Jenny Joseph

Paper Quilling Snowflakes

2011-12-15T17:46:00.000-08:00

Spent the day making gorgeous quilled paper snowflakes at our Crafternoon Extraveganza. I found this photo on pinterest and made it big so I could figure out how it was made, drew out a diagram and guessed at the lengths of paper. Turns out, if I had just clicked ON the photo (I should know that by now) it takes you rather haphazardly to three or four tutorials for even more gorgeous designs! It's time consuming, but one of those projects that you get much faster at as you go, and actually really fun. The post I did awhile ago involving paper quilling has consistently be one of the most popular, so there must be people out there trying this! I thought you might be interested in a tutorial (or in this case five!)

If you are looking for a pretty detail for your Christmas decorating, may I suggest a few of these delicate and intricate beauties hanging about? You can make them any size and use them in any application that you can use a medallion or paper flower, they are crazy inexpensive... and they would look gorgeous dusted in opal glitter! Don't get frustrated with your first one, I was teaching people today and by the time they were finished their first they had just finally "got it"... so consider your first to be a practice and carry on :) Send me photos!

An ADVENTurous Idea!

2011-12-14T13:04:00.000-08:00

Waaaay back in November my sons and I decided to create an advent calendar for friends of ours. We thought it would be fun to gather silly gifts to open every day, small animals, a lucky penny, a pretty rock, that sort of thing. Their sons are of an age with these guys and all about collecting, so it seemed a good idea and the collecting begun. Then all hell broke loose with the social calendar and somehow the calendar was forgotten about till it was already well into December. I told them we would do it next year.

Today we are sorting out the last of the gifts we are making and figuring out what still needs doing and I have an ENTIRE day to work on Christmas details. I stumbled upon a lovely set of photos and ideas this morning in the Anthology Gift Guide, revolving around holiday traditions, new and old. I love them all, but this one in particular got me to thinking. It's an Activity Advent Calendar, and it's meant to cover a month of Christmas doings. I think that is pretty brilliant, but then I got to thinking further and realized that what we REALLY should do in this house, is to make next year's calendar NOW. Maybe not put the dates on it right yet, but make an activity for say, twenty of the twenty-five days so that when next year rolls around we can place the days around the things already on the calendar. The coolest thing, is that by next year, we will only have a vague recollection of what we put into it. It really will be a surprise for everyone! For us, it will be a way to be sure that enough time is spent doing family based activities and not running around like crazy just "getting things done".

I like the idea of doing this with small gifts as well, and am thinking that next year, if I'm really on it, November can be spent making advents for all the families we know. If you have ten families, you need to bake a dozen each of a few kinds of cookies, buy a set of small forest animals and paint them with glitter, a box of individually wrapped chocolates to divvy up, print out some friendship notes and curl them up into a vial or tiny box, a few decks of cards maybe from the dollar store, handmade tree ornaments... there are literally so many small objects that would be fun to put in a basket or box, each wrapped individually (make sure you put the individual cookies into wrapping, bags or containers that will keep them fresh) and with numbered tags on them. The family can pick a person each day to open something. So much more special than the cardboard and cheap chocolate things that you see everywhere.

What do you think? Tell you what, I will post this now for next November as well, so we can all remind ourselves!

Colour Palettes for Christmas Decorating

2011-12-12T15:22:00.000-08:00

Gatherings Magazine posted a question to it's followers last week on it's facebook page. "What is your favourite Christmas colour scheme?" I was not surprised by the answers, there are a few tried and true palettes that work with Christmas whether it be a classic look you're after or a natural one... or even up to the topmost branch in sweets and confections! It's generally the first thing (right around Halloween) that comes into my brain, and typically I don't sway much from the first inspiration.

Last year, we moved into our house on Halloween, and immediately I knew we had to paint the walls green. Very green. I also knew that I wanted them shiny to reflect the warm glow of the candles and tree lights. Four coats later, while not as lacquer shiny as I had wanted, they were very green. I intended greens upon greens using texture to define and add elegance. I usually go for all out fun, so this was quite a departure for me. I used metallic hits to break up the green, but for the most part it was layers of green in glass, china, fabrics and cut branches. I loved it.

This year, I want to do natural and neutral. Specifically slate gray with birch. I'm not allowed to repaint. I usually get my way here. I am confused. I know in my head EXACTLY what I want, and generally it would have been sorted well before this point. I keep wading through the decor and starting to put things up but the scheme just doesn't work with the green walls and I take everything back down and put it back in the box.

Weeeellll.... the middle of the month approaches. I simply must change my direction, and I refuse to repeat the decor of last year (yes, YOU try explaining the logic of that to the man) so I am left in a panic. BUT, my lovely eight year old and four year old sons have come to my rescue. The other day, while perusing Pinterest to look at craft ideas, they pointed out that many of my images had a green and aqua thing going on. They both LOVE turquoise and aqua and they are sold. It has taken me a couple of days... but it's possible that we have it.

My question now is do we stick to greens and various blues with silver? Or do we throw in a lavender or a pink? Whichever way you mix it in, it seems that this is a nice balance between my all out crazy fun (think Dr. Seuss or the one year that mustard and violet were the IT combo) and my new adult attitude. What do you think?

Inhabitat's Green and Sparkly Shiny Guide

2011-12-02T10:34:00.000-08:00

I am adding a few of these eco gifts from Inhabitat's Green Gift Guide to my own but thought that pointing out their guide might be of use to you. It's full of interesting and unique sparkly things.

On the Agenda: COOKIES!

2011-11-29T04:00:00.000-08:00

Molasses Cookies via Not Martha

I am making these today. Because molasses is GOOD for you. My mother says I should be giving my kids a teaspoon a day... well, she said more than that, but we tried it for a bit and both kids disowned me. I don't entirely blame them. So I am putting it in in cookie form instead. Also I think I will try a gingerbread cake. Because Christmas is in full swing around here, folks! I know, this is NOT what she meant...

Knitterly Love

2011-11-28T11:45:00.000-08:00

via Motohiro Tanji

I can't knit. It's kind of crazy since I can do so many other crafty things... especially so since my skills in and understanding of textiles are generally pretty good. I know I could learn to knit, and lord knows my mom has tried over and over to teach me... One year EVERYONE got a scarf for Christmas. Tons of them... super long ones too. You would think that after oodles of scarves I would be better than I am... but it's not in my cards, and I accept that. I suppose the fact that I can't just make a knitted something has a lot to do with my obsession with knit goods. I love knit skirts, handbags and pretty much any knit item or garment that is not usually what you think of when you think of knit.

nouveaumirai

Craig Lawrence

I say obsession, but it isn't the kind of obsession where I want all of it. Far from it... but more of a thing where when I see something unique and beautiful in the knitted world I am far more drawn to it than to something sewn. While I may look at a Dior gown and marvel at the technique and the ingenuity of it, I know that given the resources and time, I could produce something as grandiose... I know I have the talent to make most of the things I see, whether I actually do or not. Sewing is technical, and once you understand the concepts it is pretty easy to deconstruct an item. This is not me saying I am as good a designer as Dior, as dreaming up the designs is something entirely different. The only designer who has literally stumped me so far, is Alexander McQueen (RIP)... which is why he is my favourite. Which brings us back to why amazing knitting awes me.

Missoni

Rodarte

Annie Larson

Is it just me? Or is knitting entering an entirely new dimension on the fashion scene? Obviously, somebody someplace has been out there all along knitting amazing and unique pieces... it's not the talent that is new, but there is a recent acceptance, or maybe the same as I feel, awe over the knitted garment. Missoni, Rodarte, major players on the fashion scene as well as relative newcomers like Annie Larson are reinventing knitwear, and most often with as much colour and pattern as they can manage.

Renaissance

Pumpkinbelle

I am seeing the most beautiful things come out of the fashion scene in knit, and moreover, seeing all of my most uber chic friends take it up. It's becoming the "cool" hobby. Which IS cool! I am loving this generation's way of embracing all of these skills that we have removed ourselves from. Knitting, baking, slow food, gardening, crafting, etc. How refreshing!

So mom, if you are reading this and you have the utmost desire to knit something in the coming months... I would like to request... this pretty little number from ravelry. I'm sure it's not that complicated... :) Probably less so than my first choice...

...no? Heck, it can't be that much harder than a scarf... maybe I'll give it another go.

The Most Totally Awesome Gift Guides!

2011-11-25T16:00:00.000-08:00

So here they are, the Handmade Gift Guide, and the Not Handmade But Still Totally Brilliant Gift Guides are here. You can find them by clicking on the appropriate links at the top of the page under the banner.

The DIYs range from super easy to not so much. I have tried to put something in there for everyone, and my idea folders have barely a dent in them, so they will be added to daily. And they will continue to be added to for all time, so if you are looking for ideas past Christmas for birthdays or just a fun DIY they will still be there. Feel free to send me ideas or links if you know of something ridiculously awesome I need to add!

Please Excuse Me... Santa's BUSY!

2011-11-23T11:36:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I got all up in the sewing area ready to bust out a bunch of crafts... loaded the fabric into a pile, got back on the computer to look at something in the inspiration file... and the next thing you know I have spent the day putting together Gift Guides for the blog. I have two on the go, one for handmade gifts and one for just supremely cool whatnots that had to be mentioned.

It's OK, a large majority of the whatnots are made from recycled materials and such and I tried very hard to keep with my mantra of less is more... but there are some really nifty things that I needed to put someplace. Rather than doing a post, I think their own pages is a better plan. SO I am spending the rest of today sorting photos and such. I hope you are happy with the result. I will publish them later today with what is there (it takes a surprising amount of time to load photos and links... ) and will continue to add to them for... well forever... but will make a concerted effort for the next week so you can look up some fabulous Christmas ideas.

Around here we make most of our gifts or use "experience" based gifts like classes and such. I will definitely be using a lot of what is on the handmade list! Hope you find them helpful and thanks for your patience with the lack of christmas crafting photos as per yet.... HEY! It's still November people! I know, I know... the early bird and all that. OK! I'm on it!

Today's French Lesson...

2011-11-22T13:30:00.000-08:00

Internet issues yesterday. Sorry for the lack of post. So I thought I would throw up something quick, but seriously adorable. I hear all the time how fascinating (yet completely incomprehensible) the French language is to people south of the border :) so I thought I would share a little "lesson" with you today in the form of a sweet, wide eyed story about a "tremendously very bad mammoth" and a suicidal hippo. You don't have to understand a word, it's helpfully translated for you :)

I am off to make a bunch of goodies for the first slew of craft fairs and art shows of the Christmas season. I shall tote my camera and hopefully produce images worthy of your time tomorrow :)

Gatherings Joins Lonny and Rue In The New World Of E

2011-11-16T02:39:00.000-08:00

Quite some time ago there was a big commotion over the launch of the online mag, Rue as being the "new" competition for Lonny (which launched in October of '09). I love the idea of web based e-zines because I am an eco girl at heart (no trees hurt in the making of), and also they are so much more accessible... although shelter glossies are my major vice. And movie popcorn. Those two things top my weakness charts. Thoroughly evil, I know. Good thing there are not many good movies these days. But I digress... I tend to think of it as culling, as there were so many magazines on the shelves it was a little much at one point. In the period of one year, nearly every magazine I read just disappeared, leaving a huge gaping hole for those of us who eagerly anticipate a monthly dose of rugs, wallpaper samples and pretty vignettes of mirrors and seashells. (One of my male friends, while enduring my whining over coffee one day pointed out my "house porn" addiction. Since I can't have ten houses and unlimited funds to decorate said houses, I covet them through magazines, and it is an unhealthy addiction that literally covers bookshelves and piles around the sofa. Point taken.)

Rue Mag

The news of last September's launch of Rue Magazine was good news for those of us who simply can't get enough of the eye candy provided by such compilations, and the endeavor, started by blogosphere diva Crystal Gentilello of Plush Palate and Anne Sage from one of my favourites, the City Sage has proven to be worth the wait. I think it would be fairly easy to garner attention during this period of mourning. It could be said that a team could make a half-hearted attempt at this and it would still fly... but these talented folk have seriously outdone themselves.

Gatherings eMagazine: interior by Annette Tatum

Now, for the past few months I have been eagerly awaiting new issues of Gatherings. Strangely I haven't seen or heard much about it at all in media. I can't even remember how I happened upon it, always these voyages through cyberspace takes me on interesting paths and I can never seem to follow the breadcrumbs back. Either way, it is another feast for the aesthetically inclined eye that crosses the boundaries between interior design, gardens, food and pretty much anything... well, pretty. While the others sort of have that "mightier than the average home" feel of designers and stores trying to outdo each other on the "casually thrown together on an ample budget" scale, Gatherings is the type of read where you literally want to save it till you have a hot cuppa in hand and your scone perfectly prepared before you hit the browse button. It is warm and comforting and a bit more real... in kind of a dreamy sense. But real dreamy... you know what I mean?

Crochet Blossom Garland craft project

Gatherings is only partly leaning toward my style. The creator, Heather Spriggs is an interior designer from Tennessee and we really obviously lead different lives and styles. Still, there is so much that appeals to the girl in me. It has that romantic vintage thing going on and the photography is gorgeous. I am more inclined to drool over the recipes than to try making any of them. I really appreciate the look of most of the rooms, but it's not how I decorate my home. And yet, there is something very satisfying about how the publication is arranged and I adore the crafty look. I just think it is a really nice addition to the mix. I hope she expands a bit, as it is currently only a quarterly. I am excited though to see where the whole thing goes. Worth a look.

Honey Candles: A Green Candle Company

2011-11-15T01:03:00.000-08:00

When we started planning our pink Dressing Up shoot awhile back, we tried to make sure that we pulled together as much in the way of eco product to display as possible. The gown was reLoved, the flowers from an eco florist, the tablescape was entirely vintage and the ingredients in the baked goods were organic and local. We also contacted a local company that makes the most gorgeous organic beeswax candles in existence.

Many people don't realize exactly how toxic regular paraffin candles are, both in how they are made and what comes off of them when you burn them (read: what you are breathing in!). Honey Candles is a small (14 employees in busy season) company based in Kaslo, BC that specializes in all things good about candles... from the way they are produced to the unbelievably fabulous way they smell! They also debunk all the myths about how beeswax comes in only... ummm... beeswax colour. They have pretty much perfected the filtering process (they filter their own) and use natural dyes that allow them a range of vibrant colours (including blue!) as well as white, like the gorgeous tapers used in the Pink shoot.

In addition to the heavenly natural scent of the beeswax (I kid you not, I may just carry a candle around with me from here on in and smell it once in awhile to put myself in my happy place, it's that good) they offer gorgeous scents such as Lavender, Mulled Spice, Evening Bloom and Rosemary Mint.

While the company says that 90% of their business is wholesale, and they are growing all the time, they are more than happy to accomodate weddings and you can shop for candles for your home on their website. There you will find pillars, tapers, tealights and even church and birthday candles. Their selection also includes really nifty "shaped" candles (see above photo) that would be super pretty for an autumn or Yuletime wedding. Their website is a great wealth of information on the eco aspects of beeswax, and what the company does to contribute to helping with the decline of honeybees.

I have been burning the pillar from the All Soul's shoot for... oh... well, forever now. The burn time is incredible, and did I mention the scent? If you are looking for favours that live up to your green wedding standards, a gorgeous gift for your vendors and/or candles as part of your decor, Honey Candles is more than worth a look!

PS... This is NOT a paid post :) Just a heck of a good find!

Alternative Embroidery

2011-11-14T13:24:00.000-08:00

From Urban Threads

Possibly you don't know that I embroider things. I do. Weeeelllll... I have a machine that embroiders things. I did actually take up cross stitch when I was about twelve... for maybe a week. I think I got half a flower done. Which may explain why I have the utmost regard for people who have the patience for it. I really REALLY like the look of it, especially in places that may not be the most obvious spot to find it :)

I'd pretty much kill for anything in Christopher Kane's embroidered leather collection.

Via Green Wedding Shoes

These invites used an actual embroidered on paper master that was then scanned and used to create a unique set of invitations. It would be lovely to do embroidery on paper... for a wedding though, that's a lot of work. You would need minions. I could use some minions...

Sigh... Back to the machine... I am off to do another quilt :)

Sunday Thoughts: Working Together is Awesome

2011-11-13T12:36:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago I finished up a couple of very lengthy and head-banging-up-against-the-proverbial-wall frustrating photo shoots for the other blog. I started with the ideas ages ago, and it was a one thing after another situation where I was trying to make things work the way I wanted them to without the proper resources. I can be difficult that way :) I live in a small town where time moves very slowly and people's priorities are very different than those living in the rat race (read we don't stress the small stuff as much). Normally this is so not an issue for me. But when I try to take the thing that I used to do as a city girl and translate it to the "today me" there are some funny things that come up. Like, say, impatience. I realized that what I needed was a good team.

Heather's eldest daughter, Skye

It happened in a very haphazard and organic way but I found a group that consisted of a few brilliant vendors and a few general keeners. Good balance. The photographer Heather, is pulling together pieces of her portfolio that are outside her comfort zone, and could have been a disaster to work with. She is really sweet and lovely on a day to day basis, but those can sometimes be the people who come out of their nice and into their nasty when you try to work together on unfamiliar territory. Turns out that not only is she brilliant, but that her daughters all make great models as well :)

The goodie makers are a British couple, Becca and Stephen, who had their mother (in law) staying with them for two weeks from the UK and the first (pink) photo shoot was literally the last day of her visit, so... well... yeah. Tension. But the making of gorgeous and incredibly yummy confections turned out to be therapeutic maybe, because they came through with flying colours... pink, white and red to be exact :) They also helped set a gorgeous table and save my precious belongings when the sky opened up and poured rain down on all of the antique and vintage treasures. (Thank you for carrying the mirror, Stephen!)

the pink shoot

the all soul's shoot

The florist I had never met in person, face to face. She and I have used Facebook (of course) to hash out details and I have never done such good business with somebody that way before. This girl is uber talented and a total sweetheart! When I say talented, I mean the conversation for the second shoot went a bit like this. "I am thinking of doing a kind of goth but not creepy photoshoot of a wedding, but not a real wedding that will be mostly shot in the graveyard AND my garden, and it may be gray and red, or purple and ivory... or both... can you do flowers for that?" And she came up with exactly the perfect thing.

The models were one of those "laugh later" situations. It took me forever to decide on the perfect bride for the first shoot, who then disappeared the day before without a trace (she moved house and couldn't contact us without phone or internet we found out later) so we nixed the bride entirely... which kind of makes the tie in with a wedding blog... er... difficult. When I couldn't get hold of her for her dress fitting, I panicked.

Again, enter Facebook. A woman my mother works with sent me a friend request while I was trolling through my list of people trying to find a replacement. I remembered seeing her with her daughters at the library and asked if she thought they might want to model... They loved the idea, but being eleven at night, it seemed a bit far fetched to start dress fittings in the morning when we were supposed to be doing setup. So they became models for the second shoot...

The pink (still brideless) shoot was all on schedule. The morning of, I called to confirm the wee models... and their mother had been called into work. Ugh. Two of the girls were the photographer's daughters, so I knew we had at least two, but two does not a fabulous tea party make. We went to our location with fingers crossed that the backups we had called in would show up. Somehow, not only did Kate (the mom of the original four girls) show up with her sweet brood of angels, but she also stepped in to be the bride! And what a gorgeous bride she turned out to be :)

There were other small trials (super last minute change of local, major thunderstorm, etc.), well, not so small... but I think this list pretty much describes what I am getting at here. The bottom line is that despite all the drama, stress and eye-rolling, we are ALL happy... more than happy... with how all of the photos turned out. More than that though, the experience of both (well, all three in truth) shoots were all in all positive experiences for everyone involved. Even for the girls that had to spend "an eternity" out in the rain laying on gravestones at dusk in the cold... we all got more out of it than we expected and are all such suckers for punishment that we are willing to do it again. Which means that there may have even been an element of fun in some of it, right? We have found a team that works well together, and asking people who wouldn't necessarily be the first people you would think of, for help... we have all discovered some great raw talent. It has been a great experience for me to realize that sometimes all you have to do is dig a wee bit deeper to find what you are looking for!

If you are interested in how everything turned out and haven't seen them yet, the shoots are here :)
Playing Dressup... (the PINK wee lasses shoot)
After Playing Dressup (the PINK bride shoot)
Not Quite Goth (All Soul's Engagement)
Not Quite Goth (All Soul's Wedding)

Dark and Moody

2011-11-09T11:24:00.000-08:00

A jewel from the Pinterest file of The French Mouse

I am in a dark and moody... uh... mood today. So this seemed fitting. I once saw a table setting very much like this for... you'll never guess... Christmas. Yes, Christmas. It was done up in a store that I rarely go into, back in the city. A long, dark ebony table set in a very rustic but polished sense... but the plates were crystal and they were set on rabbit furs. It was gorgeous. I have never been able to bring myself to set the table the same way, as my circle of friends would most likely take issue with the furs. I sit on the fence about it because I have several boxes of white rabbit furs that I bought from a shop that was closing down a few years ago that sold native jewelry and used the furs for display. Someday I would like to have a quilt made with them, there are maybe sixty of them. But I still love the idea of using them on the table... I will simply have to invite a bunch of people I don't know over for dinner one Thanksgiving or New Years...

Seasonality of Food

2011-11-08T03:31:00.000-08:00

There is a word for seasonal eating. It's really popular around these parts... buying only what's in season from the local market and something about only eating the fruit that falls from the tree too... I had a friend once who was all about it. Macrobiotics? Is that it? I don't remember. Either way, I don't think this is what she meant. It is still pretty cool though :)

I know it is really really not good to crop up a work of art like that, but the detail is pretty brilliant and I just couldn't get a good screenshot. You should head over to Rue and check it out for yourself. It's pretty much just non-stop brilliance over there.

In Limbo

2011-11-07T17:22:00.000-08:00

I found all my wool while cleaning and now must roll some of the balls to look like this, as I think it's just gorgeous! From Gatherings.

I am feeling in a bit of a state the last week or so. I was SO between a rock and a hard place (sometimes I wonder if that is my favourite place to be since I seem to find my way back so often) what with two photo shoots for the other blog and then Halloween, which this year was a bit overdone in the sense that the reason I committed to having the soiree was so that my disgusting-hit-by-a-3-male-tornado-disaster... sorry, house... could once again begin to resemble a home. I love the idea of having people visit, but I seriously thought that I could bribe these guys into helping put the house together if I promised a party at the end. And for D it was more like a threat. But neither worked. It ended up being me and my super amazing friend Becca (the sweetmaker from the pink glass shoot) who spent four straight days cleaning. I'm not kidding, it was that bad. We moved in and multiple places in the house were just never sorted properly, so when we needed something from those areas, stuff was moved around and never put away because there didn't seem to be an "away". Add that to the kid's having bunk beds built into their room the day before and the day of the party... sigh. Yup.

Painted pine cones with the boys.

But it happened. We did it. Becca is my new hero and we pulled it off. The photo shoot photos came back better than I had hoped for, the models don't entirely hate me for being stuck in a graveyard in the pouring rain for over two hours... I have emptied my house of all the excess that was clogging up the living areas... we have our home back... life is lovely.

Luminaria by Kelly Wilkinson, author of Weekend Handmade: Place dried leaves and flowers between sheets of wax paper and iron to fuse the paper. Cut out 4 equal squares and fasten with washi tape (bamboo skewers will hold the edges straight)

And I have no deadlines. This confuses me. It's not that I don't have a TON of stuff that could be getting done, and lots of it is... but the fire isn't there. I miss the fire. But it's all about balance, right? Right? Right. So I think that the trick is that I shall take up some crafting. These ^^^ are the first on my list... especially the one that entails sending the rugrats off to collect the leaves before they are gone. They are still so pretty, but they are barely hanging on to those branches and next week they will be scattered to that frosty wind that has begun to hang about. I don't quite feel right about starting up the old Yule crafts yet, although they are already simmering in that area of my brain that doesn't turn off when I sleep... so some late autumn crafting it is. For this week. Next week it will probably snow. Then we are off again... Christmas crafting...

...also... I have a Wedding Show to organize.

Awww... Missed It!

2011-11-04T02:11:00.000-07:00

via Nothing Elegant

I have been a bit obsessed this year with the look of Dia de los Muertos. I have always liked the pageantry and colour of this holiday, and for us up here in Canada, whose second culture is French not Spanish, it is particularly exotic and not very commonly seen. This year in particular I was pretty taken with many of the photo shoots I found while looking for inspiration for our All Souls shoot. I came very close to recreating the look for the shoot, and almost wish that I had stayed with that inspiration, as the concept would be so much fun to work with. I will have to keep in in mind for next year. With all my fascination though, I didn't pay much attention to the actual date of DdlM. Apparently it is November 2nd, and I missed it. I still want to share some of these gorgeous images with you though. I hope you like them as much as I do! Which is your favourite?

via El Dia de los Muertos

via something in letters I can't get my keyboard to do

via El Dia de los Muertos

Shelf That

2011-11-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

Funny how setting out on the path for something in internet land can send you SOOO far in a completely unrelated direction! My search for unique wedding gowns has led me to some brilliant shelving, which I probably need more than a wedding dress. Fair enough.

The "Pedal Pod" by Tamasine Osher

from Dutch magazine VTwoman

... and this last one is just rather brilliant.

I Just Really Like Pretty Things.

2011-11-02T02:43:00.000-07:00

Nothing at all in common except sheer awesomeness.

This Bottle Marked Poison...

2011-10-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

I was perusing and admiring "vintage" style apothecary labels in my search for Halloween decor awhile ago, and thought, (in my insatiable need to troll ebay) that buying some actual antique poison bottles would be cool. And they would be if any of them were marked POISON with the skull and crossbones that we have all come to know and... er... love.

It turns out that very few are marked that way, and most are not at all creepy looking! Not only that, but they are crazy tiny! Which, of course, makes sense because who really needs a gallon of poison in their medicine cabinet, right? A couple of drops will usually do it. Many are only two or three inches tall or smaller.

I did discover though, that they come in all colours and designs and are actually rather pretty. Also, they are not as expensive as I thought they would be, even two weeks before Halloween!

One of the things that is visually AND historically interesting about them is that they are all ridged or hobnailed. Apparently, due to the fact that many were in use at the turn of the last century or before, when gas lighting was in use (so reading labels wasn't always an easy task) and when most people's skill at reading was fairly basic, it was a good idea to have a tactile warning on the bottle, so you didn't slip your husband a teaspoon of nasty instead of cough tonic. Huh. Nifty!

The other thing that I think is pretty fab is that there is an entire world of OWL bottles! Being a lover of all things owl, I am particularly impressed with the choice of logo for the Owl Drug Company that started up in San Fransisco in 1892 (look at me all historian-like lately!) and used various depictions of owls embossed on their bottles.

The closest thing I found to scary (the way a drag queen in an onslaught of silver sequins is scary) is so far out of my price range it found its way into my "covet" file. Not because they cost from $2000 to $4000 apiece, but because they come in PURPLE and are shaped like SKULLS! How freaking awesome is that? Now I need one.

Obviously more time and energy is needed in the research department before diving into a collection of poison bottles... but they are definitely going on the list for next Halloween ;)

Booooooooo

2011-10-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

I am working on a macabre wedding photo shoot for today and tomorrow... (and yesterday was spent sewing the gown) so whilst I am marrying bridal to All Hallows, I thought I would leave a couple of jolly good and creepy sites for you to peruse!

Pumpkin Rot is possibly the most genius use of Jackolantern's I have seen... a property decorated with gigantic and amazing sentinels in the creepiest and coolest way imaginable... an artist truly after my own heart! The installation is added to every year and the photos on the site are brilliant! But beware, none of them are cute!

If you are looking for cute though, you can find it on this site... although it's gonna take some digging! A similar medium, and on par genius, Stolloween is both an etsy shop and a blog that takes you through some of the processes and character outlines of the awesome creations...

Hope that leaves you with some fine halloweening for the day... will be back soon :)

Halloween Party Invitations

2011-10-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

A ridiculous amount of time has been spent rounding up the best invites from around the internet. Of course Martha reigns supreme in this crafty department, but a good graphic and a printer are all you really need to get a sophisticated invite out the door. If you haven't sent yours out yet though, you'd best get on it!

Awesome wood grain paper sets a great foundation for this simple but effective card invite.

These invites use stamping and collage for a more time consuming, but not that expensive invite that will blow the pants off the competition... because, let's face it, you will have to step it up these days on the holiday that comes in second only to Christmas, as far as how much effort goes into celebrations. I sit firmly in the more time, less cash category, and fully believe in the principle of going for a walk and collecting your materials vs. purchasing fancy papers, cardstock and ornamentation at expensive craft stores. Not that I don't have a ridiculous amount of scrapbook paper simply because I am a pretty things addict. I know that with some black paper, some kraft paper or something similar... some teabags and such... you could do some very similar things to these!

The use of props might indeed up the expense factor, but it also ups the drama! If you are planning a fairly small soiree, this might be the way to go! You will definitely get people's attention!

This one kind of takes the cake in the WOW factor department. I can't imagine having the time to gather and create these... but in case the day arrives that I do have that kind of time and resources... this one is going in the permanent inspiration file! Can I get another WOW?

Halloween Party Drinks

2011-10-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

The drink list for my party has very quickly become a martini bar. There are just SO many creepy versions of martinis out there! Some of these other fabulous drinks might win out though... who KNEW that creepy drinks were taking over the bar scene? Not me obviously!!

But since this is a kid friendly fete, there needs to be some liquids of the non-alcoholic type in there too. Also, since I have never been much of a drinker, I tend to gravitate toward the kiddie bar, so they have to also be GOOD. The idea of floating a hand of ice in the punch is a pretty good one (and easy!), so that's on the list.

Every year I intend to make a shrunken head apple cider and this year Martha makes it look so good that it might just be the year. Easy peasy and a great project for both the kids and for the apples hanging on the tree outside that aren't pretty enough to eat. HEY! I learned something the other day. Did you know that apples are meant to go through a frost before being picked? That the frost is what brings the sugars out in the fruit? So it's OK that my lazy butt hasn't pulled the ladder out yet to pick them. Today though. For sure.

Back to the martinis...

Vampire Kiss and Dracula's Kiss Martinis

Bleeding Heart Martini

Sweet Goultini

Black As Nightini

Yes, I did change a few of Martha's rather twee names, I prefer things to feel a bit more sinister. I think the black is my favourite. Just for the record, the recipe's for the Vampire Kiss and the Dracula's Kiss are actually different, so if you think you have a recipe for "the Kiss" already, you could check out the site that is linked for another option. I am very excited to try these... crossed fingers that black sanding sugar and black vodka can be found in this town!

Here's a fun thing :) The Hostess With the Mostess has provided a fabulous way to rim glasses for the party. She uses candy and it's a definite do ahead of time project, but SO worth it I think! Check out the process here on her blog... Result below!

Oh yes... and the picture at the top, is being added waaaaay down here because I wanted to do a bit of research on it first. To start, YES you can put dry ice into a drink or punch bowl and it will do all it's cool foggy business without doing harm to your insides. It is a SUPER cool effect and because it isn't melting, it is evaporating, you aren't drinking it.

Also, if you want to try this out, the martini at the top is a colour changing one... Yes, that's right folks, it changes colour as the temperature changes. It's scientific. Which means that I don't understand how it works, but it does. Now, whether or not you want to be drinking questionable martinis simply because they are cool, that's totally up to you. Apparently the red cabbage can be replaced with blueberries, which makes it slightly less questionable. But only slightly so. This is the recipe, consider the above to be a disclaimer. If you try it and you don't die or become seriously cramped up, let me know how it works out for you!

You'll need:
Gin (or vodka, for a vodka martini) ~ Vermouth ~ Dry Ice ~ Baking Soda ~ Red Cabbage
Yes. Red cabbage contains a water-soluble anthocyanin that is a pH indicator. At low pH (acid), it's red. It's purple at neutral pH, and goes blue then green as the solution becomes alkaline. You're not going to see the full range here, because we want the drink to be, well, drinkable.
To get the indicator, chop up a cabbage leaf, put it in a bowl, add boiling water and allow to steep. A purple pigment will stain the water.
Add a teaspoon of cabbage juice... I mean indicator solution - to the martini glass. Then add very small quantities of baking soda, just enough to turn the solution blue. Add gin (or vodka) and vermouth (~6:1) to the glass. You should have a pale blue clear liquid.
Give the recipient the drink. Tell them to watch closely, then add a chunk of dry ice. It will sink to the bottom of the drink, and bubble away happily, slowly cooling the drink. It will also neutralise the baking soda and change the colour of the martini.

All Hallows Soiree Food Ideas

2011-10-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

I'll be honest with you. It feels just slightly weird to jump from pretty little girls eating cupcakes to creepy gross halloween stuff, but I am not the sort that goes in for cute on Halloween. I DO have some adorable ideas sorted for the treats I am going to prepare for our upcoming (fast!) All Hallows party. Today we will be making the invites (although Facebook seems to have made that redundant) and I will take photos to share... but in the meantime, our transitional "cute" will be these goodies. 'Cause from here on in, it's going to be much less twee!

I'm not kidding, do NOT visit this site unless your sweet tooth extends to your visual side this morning... the treats here are adorable! Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats. Yup, says it all, no? These marshmallow Frankensteins are on the menu for sure! There is a bit of little known FYI here too, did you know that Boris Karloff's name was actually William Pratt, and that he changed it on the train from Nelson to the U.S.? Probably not. Most of the people who live here don't know that, but I used to have a historian as a neighbour. There is a theory that the name came from the Doukobours that immigrated here shortly before his arrival in the Kootenays. Cool.

This ingenious use of yogurt pretzels is here...

...and this really fantastic one is here.

Working out how to make white chocolate fingers for the zombie cake (which sounds delish).

These mini pumpkin tarts are really freaking cute! I adore anything bite sized, and if you are going to go and add a face to it, it makes the list!

These mummy pops are way high on my list too. Easy, yummy (I love Oreos), super cute and easy.

I am getting a toothache putting all these photos together in one place... and since we are not a group that generally goes for sugar induced comas, my thought is that these may end up being carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I have never made carrot cake as cupcakes, so do not take my very unexpert advice on this one... I will be checking with my mom. Either way, still awesome looking!

As gorgeous as these are using whole apples, I am going to do this with apple slices. As mentioned, we are working out cutting down on the sugar factor and as well, bite sized means that everyone can enjoy a bit of everything. Also, have you noticed the tendency for the smaller folk (and some of the adult ones, Ahem, Dylan...) to eat the caramel off and a few token bites of apple but leave the rest as "core"? Slices should take care of that. A lemon juice mixture should help with the browning or I will just wrap them until ready to serve. What am I talking about... if they can't handle the browning of the apple, they certainly won't be able to cope with the following... cause cute time is over folks :)

OK, admittedly this molded jelly is more garden party pretty than creepy... but if I can find myself a brain mold, we are talking some fabulous ick action, me thinks!

This is actually meatloaf (she made, and ate, three versions to get this one... some serious commitment to halloween cooking there!) and for some reason I felt better about serving this when I thought it was a form of grilled zucchini so I may go that route instead. BUT that doesn't mean it's going to stop me from serving this to my family for dinner sometime between now and then!

Ooops! Alright, he's cute as a button. But I am lumping him with savoury, and since sweet and cute seem to go together in the halloween food world, and the creepy stuff tends toward the savoury, we are just going to keep it that way. I don't want to turn your stomachs after all. Also, these pretzel bones are from the same place. They will be going on the table with some spiffy mustards. Because mustard is TOTALLY creepy.

I don't have a photo of my witches fingers and couldn't find a representation, but if you throw some hot dogs of any sort (chicken or veggie works as well) into the frying pan, and cook them up dry, they will blister. Cut them in half (but you can't cut them till they are cooked or they won't blister) so they are party food size, and dribble ketchup and/or HP sauce (I mix the two) out the cut end after they are on the plate, and you have creepy witches fingers. I will update this when I remember what I used for the finger nails. It's been a few years.

That's it for now for the party food... I will do up the drink post for tomorrow, so check back. In fact there is loads more to come for All Hallows posts, including some nifty things I learned while researching. I don't ever throw an event without researching. I found some very cool things to share with you... I know I blew your mind with the Frankenstein info :)

More Playing Dress Up

2011-10-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

We all had so much fun working on our very pink dress up inspiration shoot. It was (for me) the first time working with children in multiples, which could have ended up going in any direction really. It was all good, although there was a teeny petulant area when they got to the table and found out they would have to wait another three minutes before they were actually allowed to eat the pretty cakes :)

Also, we changed the location last minute both because one of the desserts was a white chocolate mousse cake and there was concern of it dissolving, but also because there was a storm coming in. Yes. With large, angry black clouds. The kind of weather that you see and run indoors for a cup of cocoa... not the kind of weather you see and grab all the pink glass you own to run outside and set up a tea party. So we were racing against the clock before we even headed to a local park. (This is where I say another big thank you to Heather for her "apres" work on the editing and making it look MUCH sunnier than it was.) All of the above shots are the setting up of the table... all of the below shots are what was accomplished in the few minutes we had before the sky tore itself open and poured torrents down... Luckily by that time the cakes had been consumed :)

The couple from All About Afternoon Tea are lovely Brits who have lived here for almost a year and they are extreme foodies. They take their white chocolate mousse cake very seriously. Becca also takes very seriously the fact that her mother in law was visiting, and the shoot was on the last day of the visit. It is rather a wonder that they were able to work with her perched five feet away in a lawn chair, fussing. I'm pretty sure all the table planning that Becca and I did in advance was directly related to the amount of time she had to escape the house for the previous two weeks. Of course, I thought it was so wonderful that she was so keen :)

The kids were troopers. I am constantly amazed (being a mom) how resilient children are. There were a few grumblies about being shuffled about, but for the most part, they were amazing! Our bride disappeared three days before the shoot. Welcome to the Kootenays. So in the interest of efficiency, we decided to simply focus on the girls and nix the bride. Well, then then one of the girls wasn't able to make it. Then another one. We were down to Aziel and Aeowyn and a whole lotta cake!

I had asked another friend to bring her kids initially, but she had to work and couldn't make it to the first location when it was forty minutes away. When we changed the location to five minutes away I left her a voicemail and a plea. Not only did she (and her four gorgeous children) show up, but she also volunteered to model the part of the bride! So this was somewhat a family affair (as Aziel and Aeowyn are the photographer's daughters and Paloma is a friend of theirs).

When I went to pick up the flowers, Nadine wasn't home (she runs the Green Poppy out of her apartment downtown) and it was such a lovely surprise to find the gorgeous bouquets in a box on the floor of her adorable abode... so I still have yet to actually meet our Organic Flower Goddess, but I am most pleased to have made her acquaintance. She is a woman with a talent and some serious enthusiasm! Her ability to take my ideas and throw them back at me far better than I was able to explain and in a fabulous package is brilliant. Much happy. I have known about Honey Candles for quite some time, as they have an excellent reputation for organic and beautiful beeswax candles. I know I keep saying so, but they smell divine! The birdcage veil hat came from the most adorable little boutique downtown called the Fairies Pajamas. Such pretty things!

All in all, the day went swimmingly (literally toward the end there...) and we all walked away pleased. I'm even more pleased to be able to bring you some info about each of these vendors in the next bit on the other blog (I know, back and forth, back and forth... I am getting confused as well) and will bring you a bit more of the story about each one. I went out of my way to try to find locals who use organic and sustainable business practices, and each one gave me a big smile. If I can do it in such a tiny town, so can you! Part of the process that falls under the sustainable category is that each is a local small business and / or artisan. Supporting the local arts and culture and helping them run a business from their craft while not cutting corners is really the way to go! It also means that you are probably working with awesome people :) Hope you enjoyed the process and the photos!

A Day Playing Dress Up

2011-10-15T02:07:00.000-07:00

Well that was harder than I thought it would be. Sheesh!

Can I just tell you how awesome it is to pile a bunch of pretty things in front of a huge mirror in a park and then let all the gorgeous children you know go to town on it? I highly recommend it as a pick me up.

I wasn't going to tell you about the stress level, but I think everyone should commend these kiddos and Heather the photographer for braving the elements (we are talking BLACK clouds and a serious thunderstorm that broke while we were halfway packed up) and working around frenzied stylists who were setting up three locations at the same time... and trying to keep tiny prying hands out of the whipped cream!

This may be a good place to send HUGE thank yous to Stephen and Becca who not only baked all the raspberry goodies, but carted stuff around and helped set up the table! Also, a special thank you goes to the Green Poppy for her ridiculously stunning, sustainable and organic bo-Ks as well as to Honey Candles for the gorgeous (and divine smelling) organic beeswax tapers. And of course to the Fairies Pajamas for the adORable top hat veil!

Also, I finally got some gorgeous photos of my (un-ironed) quilt! YAY!

If you want to see more (and more) photos, there is a dressing up and stuffing faces (elegantly, of course) post, and a moment with our lovely bride Kate in another post. I simply couldn't fit all the photos into one post. Or two for that matter. I will be giving more details on the members of our lovely team on the other blog... and as well, there will be another post here with some of the lovely details of the behind the scenes. Ok, perhaps not lovely, so much as wet and cloudy... but Yummy! For sure yummy.

Our contributers deserve a HUGE thank you for going above and beyond!

Photography: Heather MacMillan of Many Skies Photography
Concept & Styling: Tapestri (Andrea Bell) & All About Afternoon Tea (Becca Hunter)
White Chocolate Mousse, Raspberry Layer Cake and Meringues: All About Afternoon Tea
Cupcakes: Simone from The Kootenay Baker
Sustainable Floral Goddess: Nadine from Green Poppy
Organic Beeswax Tapers: Honey Candle Co.
Tophat Birdcage Veil: Fairies Pajamas
Pink Glassware, Props: Tapestri (Andrea Bell)
Embroidered Wedding Quilt: Tapestri

...and very special thank yous to our models!
Lydia, Virginia, Frances, Paloma, Aeowyn, Aziel and our bride, Kate.

Please leave a comment... I am dying to know what other people think! I really love the photos... but since we will be doing a few more of these, I would love feedback. Be gentle :)

Ugh... They're Coming!

2011-10-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

I am not entirely sure where the computer gremlins keep getting my URL from... or perhaps they are finding their way in whilst looking for crumbs in the keyboard... either way, my computer is simply refusing to load photos at a rate faster than thirty minutes per. Grrrrr! I swear, they are coming... just reeeeeaaaallllly slowly! Sometime next century perhaps. That is IF I don't throw this one out the window after the last. You think the threat of hitting the tree outside would get this hard drive sorted... but apparently not. Just letting you know that I haven't forgotten about you... AND that if you wanted to take a peek, the ones for the other blog are already (finally) up! So feel free to take a gander over at Tapestri.

Ahhh... They're Heeeeeeere!

2011-10-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

OK, so Heather (the photographer) has just dropped off her son. She is off for a day trip to the U.S. and her boy and my boys are going to ~~fight~~ play for the day. And this is important to you becaaaaaaause....

...she ALSO dropped off the CD of photos! YAY! Yes, those photos... which means two things. FIRST, I am going to spend the next hour fawning over them and won't be writing a post as such today. I will however post a whole bunch of photos here and on the other blog... just cause. When I have loaded them up on this computer which I am not supposed to be doing such things on...

THEN (are you noticing that I am in a capitals mood today? Excited much? Yes...), I am thinking that I am going to be devoting the rest of the month to All Hallows. As it should be! I am so obsessed this year with finally having a yard and house again to decorate that it has kind of taken over everything around here. I also have the help of Dylan... which, in itself is rather miraculous... who is apparently as obsessed (if not moreso) than I am. Of course, we are coming at it from completely different perspectives. He is wanting to buy animatronics from online shops that I can't even look at for the gore factor... I am searching for sophisticated ways to portray a mix of Dia De Los Muertos with Samhain to create something beautifully All Hallows Eve-ish. The Martha in me vs. the H.P. Lovecraft in him. Oh, the joy :) So, I will have some DIYs, some decor posts (of course), and some random Halloween inspired topics I found whilst searching for decor ideas, that I think are rather interesting.

Hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving (if you are up here in Canada) long weekend :) This is the only photo I got this weekend. Yes, the beginning of the centerpiece. Long story involving family politics, lots of rain and having to wash my four year old's hair whilst dinner was being served by my mother. Oh, how I love Thanksgiving.

Sunday Thoughts: Counting Our Blessings...

2011-10-09T06:21:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, I visited the Li'l Bee's blog often and one day noticed a pretty button on her sidebar. It took a while before I had "enough time" to click on the "Nie" button and when I did it was because it was so pretty. I had seen references on other blogs, but as I was not familiar with NieNie's blog it rang no bell. What I found was the inspiring story of a young couple who survived a tragic airplane crash over Thanksgiving weekend. This story might have crossed your path as it was picked up in news and media all across North America. It is a story that reminds us of how very lucky those of us who do not live with daily struggles due to injury, illness etc. are. Sometimes we need a reminder.

I only recently gained access again to a computer. It's not mine, it's his. Mine still hasn't been decided on, because I am lame like that and since I now have this one to fall back on, I am hesitant to put my coin into the wrong equipment. I spent most of this year without a computer which is a bit like having an arm cut off if you use blogging as a form of therapy... but I found that I had much to focus on. More than anything over the past months I have been reminded of how blessed I am to live the life that I do with my family and friends in such a gorgeous and bountiful place. And how lucky I am to have two children to watch grow and learn from.

Around Thanksgiving that year (in Cananda we celebrate in October,) I added the little Nie Recovery box to my own site. I am not familiar with Nie Nie's blog as most of her followers were, but I am more than familiar with how tragedy can alter your life. I almost lost my (then two year old) son six years ago as he fell off my sister's deck over twelve feet onto cement and fractured the back of his skull. The doctors told me in the hospital that if he made it there would almost certainly be brain damage. When all you want is to see your baby survive, you don't really stop to consider what the implications of brain damage could be, nor do you have it in you to plan for those changes.

It took over five hours for the local hospital to stabilize him enough that we could be airlifted to the Children's Hospital in Calgary. The paramedic that picked him up had to use a piece of scrap lumber to strap him to when they arrived because they didn't know if his neck was broken and the brace they had was too big. At the hospital, I watched them rip into box after box looking for the right sized whatchamits to use because he was so young and they had only youth and adult supplies on hand. As a result, his trachea was damaged when they intubated him. One of the nurses held his head absolutely still for hours while sitting in a squat position, but wouldn't let anyone relieve him until they had absolutely determined that his neck wasn't broken in case it moved while they switched places. I sat helplessly and watched while they did everything they could to save my baby.

And they did. Regardless of being severely underfunded, under-equipped, understaffed, overworked and exhausted, they made a miracle happen. Rowan made a complete recovery. He went right back to being the boisterous, loving and theatrical child he was before the accident and most people would never see that anything had happened, but something very important did. We all got to see firsthand what is truly important in life. Everyone involved was witness to what a miracle it can be to have so many people pull together in honour of one life and to truly cherish what we have through those we love. Thankfully not everyone needs to live through a tragedy to realize how lucky they are. So often we focus on what we think we need to keep us happy but in the process we neglect or put off what is truly important, thinking that it will always be there to appreciate when we find the time.

This past summer, I have not had the luxury of sitting at my desk filing away pretty photos to create new posts. What I have been able to do though is to refresh my understanding that in the end, what truly makes a house a home is the quality of life being lived inside. Since Rowan's accident I can honestly say that not a day goes by where I don't stop and think about how lucky we all are for what we have, as well as the capacity for understanding the enormity of it all. At such a chaotic and unstable time in many of our lives with the current state of affairs, politics and the economy, and simply day to day frustrations, let's all take the time to count our own blessings, and send our love and hope to those who have even more to struggle with, even if we never meet them.

Simple Thanksgiving Decor Idea: Paper Flowers

2011-10-08T05:03:00.000-07:00

Loving the simplicity of kraft paper this season. I am putting a few of these into a garland for above the window in the dining room this weekend for our family dinner (Thanksgiving is this weekend in Canada). Some burlap or linen, tiny white pumpkins and mercury glass is it for me this year. I am generally not too fussy with my table decor for holidays, and this year, the look that has been around for awhile now in interiors and weddings, rustic glam or what-have-you... it seems to fit well with me. So a few examples and tutorial links for those who don't just wing it till ya get it like I do (smart people, in other words). Click on the photo and it will take you to that pictorial. Ahhhh... the wonders of modern technology...

Bokja

2011-10-07T05:43:00.000-07:00

I am infatuated. Very much adoring my new find...

As a self-diagnosed fabricaholic, I absolutely am enamored with the trend of covering one piece of furniture with multiple fabrics, and if they are brightly coloured, textured, handwoven, natural and global textiles, all the better. The sad truth is that the making of fabric in our own culture has been mechanized and plasticized to the point of nearly being tupperware. But there is a cultural connection to textiles around the world that goes back nearly as far back as man. The gathering, dying and weaving of these fibers went hand in hand with the telling and documentation of tribal stories. The tapestri of life can literally be traced back through history.

"We are mixers and matchers who like to upcycle fabrics, frames, and techniques in a sustainable and fascinating way. We are story-tellers. Every piece of fabric, color, thread, frill that goes into our pieces is a little word from a different part of the world that is chosen in an intuitive process." the team explained to GreekArchitect online magazine.

BOKJA is a Turkish word that describes the elaborate and detailed fabric created to cover a bride's dowry. Embroidered by the bride's relatives, this fabulously worked textile is meant to be a reminder of her past to be treasured in her new life as a married woman. Marrying vintage furniture with fabrics that are worked traditionally is the brainchild of Lebanese design team Huda Baroudi and Maria Hibri. Artisans are often enlisted with a mind to help women, with female prisoners and widowers being given a chance to support their families in an otherwise desperate situation.

What the world needs is a more beautiful way of looking at what we have to work with. We don't need more stuff, we need a way to revitalize what is already on hand, both in terms of things, and resources. A good dose of colour doesn't hurt either! It doesn't get much better really :)

Upcycle THIS!

2011-10-06T05:04:00.000-07:00

A few really fun upcycling projects from around the WWW. The imagination is a grand thing!

APOLOGY

2011-10-05T03:03:00.000-07:00

This is my big, huge apology post telling you that I am not in never never land, I'm still here. I have been crazy busy doing a photo shoot for the other blog and while I had thought I had scheduled a few posts while away, none of them published, so I guess I still don't have the hang of that. Hmmm...

Either way, I thought it would be fun to show you a few of the images that we have so far (Heather is editing herself silly trying to get me the rest) and perhaps hit you with a bit of raspberry hued inspiration! The story is of a random tea party in the woods. Except that last minute changes meant that it was in a park. And there was no tea. And there was a major thunderstorm. But that's OK, there was raspberry white chocolate mousse cake... and pearls!

Also, this means I have a list of posts for the next few days covered! YAY!

P.S. It was the apology that was meant to be huge, not the post :)

Sunday Thoughts: iLonely

2011-09-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

iPod. iPad. iPhone. Has the world of techno-connectivity that seems to be symbolized by the humble lower-case "i" done more than just create a media iCon? For sure Apple / Mac is not responsible for the Age of Information's addiction to tech savvy connesseurism of tools and gadgets that are so "easy to use" that I'm sure more than one toddler has phoned Japan while their parent has unloaded groceries at the checkout. Absolutely our dependence on Facebook is not solely because it is the easiest way to re-connect with those we love when Friday night shenanigans result in another "I lost my phone- everyone send me your #!!" scenario. Our adoration for apps is not entirely the fault of the Apple store whose fabulously sleek interface has revolutionized the way our culture views media marketing.

I am the Apple girl in my family. Having dated a statistically significant number of geeks over two decades has taught me that Macs are superior. Period. Go ahead... argue. Won't make a difference, nobody else has swayed me yet. But strangely, while my uber plugged in sister still totes a PC in her stylin' laptop case, it is she that is the Apple poster child. Her ears have sported the buds of every Pod the wee letter "i" has been a part of. She was the first person to show me the bazillion reasons there were for me* to jump on the Smartphone bandwagon.

*Regular readers will know that I am still sans mobile and am possibly the only person in North America who is still land line dependent. In fact, I am waiting to chance upon a vintage rotary in a great colour, which should suitably confuse and frustrate my family.

Li'l Sis is the demographic that Apple has coveted since it made the horrific and near fatal error of ignoring the concept of home computing way back in the day. They played catch up for years before one of their more briliant marketing teamsters came up wtih the concept that would change the name of the game forever. Sexy. iPods are not small and convenient listening devices, they are crazy unique dance moves to indie tunes you have never heard before but know you should love. iPhones are not a way to enjoy the wonders of mobile communication, they are a way to let the world know who you are via rainbow hued cases, jeweled bling and wicked cool ringtones. And PC vs. Mac started it all by turning geekdom covetable with a campaign that imprinted on us the idea of computer-tech-network-engineer-graphic-artist-webmaster-hacker types being infinitely cool and mightier than thou.

These days, the more wired you are, the higher up the ladder you seem because chances are, you are one of the first to see it tweeted that Beyonce is preggers and that Miss Kardashian is over a foot shorter than her basketball playing hubby. And we all know that knowledge is power! Yes, in a rush to keep up with the "Joneses" of the digital age, we have immersed ourselves in a gloried display of how important "i" can be. It is a time to celebrate your unique attitude, style and sparkly contribution to society and show the world via cute txt lingo how fabulous you truly are.

But what about the "we"?

No, not the Wii (Nintendo's answer to unhealthy closeted gamers is to create quality family time playing "team sports" in front of the telly, of course) ... I am talking about real, actual, person to person communication using only the tools we used for all the centuries before this one. Our ears and our mouths. Julian Treasure has taken it upon himself to study the dying art of listening. He points out that the louder our world gets, the more distracted we are and the more removed from healthy society we become. I recently spoke to an old friend from high school that said since returning from life in Thailand, he has noticed a vast disconnection in North American society. That striking up a conversation with somebody is near impossible what with having to interrupt their texting or iPod listening.

People these days are busy even in their downtime, and our brains are becoming so overloaded with non-information that we simply have very little room left for the things that are... or should be... important. Politics, education, daily interaction... family... all are taking a backseat to a glossy new interface that we are mistaking for life. I notice this every day walking down the street with my four year old. I live in a small town (pop. 10 000) and when my now eight year old was wee, he spent most of his time out of the house chatting up anyone who would give him the time of day. Which was on average, pretty much everyone. The bus, the grocery store, the park... nobody was exempt from his tales of what was his favourite new toy or book. That was four years ago, and today, when my second tries in vain to converse with the people we run into on our walk downtown, he is mostly blocked by earbuds or a qwerty pad... and the most he receives is a polite but uninterested nod. Most of the time he is ignored completely. Now I am of course biased because I think everyone should drop what they are doing and indulge my son in conversation, but I was raised to not interrupt people and to give them their space and that is now the lesson learned in repetition. It isn't hard to see the difference though. Even without a degree in Humanitarian Studies, or whatever area it is that studies the effects of human interaction on the psyche, I can tell you how unhealthy this all is. Perhaps if I didn't take personal offense via my child, I wouldn't notice. But then, when we see more and more relationships being "built" on bank accounts and boob jobs, perhaps the art of social interaction is something that should be paid more attention to.

Maybe. Just a thought.

Ummm... Whaaaat?

2011-09-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

Tire Art.

Sunday Thoughts: The Way of the Budgie

2011-09-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

I am fascinated by the psychology of marketing. This is paradoxical as I am also completely against a consumerism based culture. Which is ironic in that I write both a blog about things and stuff, as well as a blog revolving around the wedding industry which is relatively redundant in a modern society where the church no longer rules and girls are not the property of her father but is rather an industry based on charging obscene amounts for unneccessaries we have been taught since Barbiehood that we truly must desire to be happy. Right. I digress.

I am passionate about the creative process. My world has always revolved around creating in some form or another. I am unsure where it comes from as my family and friends growing up, while supportive of the arts, were not devoting much of themselves to creative pursuits. I was taught that money was not only important as a means to getting by, but also as a demonstration of who you were. Thankfully I was also taught values and interests that won out and cleared another path for me, however economically unviable it may be :)

A couple of years ago I took a marketing class that focused on branding and how to translate your business into print and various areas of advertising. I spent the last bit of the class trying to explain to the instructor how I was searching for a name that was simple and organic without sounding too organic. The thing about living in the Kootenays is that it is very easy to be pegged as what I like to refer to as a "budgie"... those who try to live simply, shun pop culture for the most part, and eat a rather "seed" based or natural diet. We have a high per capita tofu consuming population and to use the word organic in Nelson is to pigeonhole yourself beyond redemption. Once you are labelled budgie, your abilities in the business side of town are much hindered. It's a small town.

So before we even got to the actual name figuring we had to debate the demographic being feathered or otherwise and then came the part where I had to stand by the concept of people paying at least $80 for a pillow. As I myself find this strange to a certain degree, I tried in vain to explain that when certain people see good design they will pay what you charge. I have to admit though that there is a fair amount of frustration in knowing that those people are not the majority of Nelson's populace. We are a young, hip and vibrant town, but that energy comes from all the starving artists out there. If you want to make a living in this town as an artist, you have to find a way to do it remotely. I think "the world is your oyster" is a phrase that we creative types are clinging to in an attempt to convince ourselves that as long as we have access to the WWW, we will be just fine. But at the same time, our values are finally returning to us and we are being hit with the question "If an overabundance of stuff and whatnots is such a huge part of what is wrong with the world today, then why am I trying to make a living by making more stuff?"

The handmade movement is such a greatly empowering entity. It allows the minority to be part of the equation. Single moms can try to make a living from home, students can supplement with part time, non invasive work and artisans are feeling that their skills might again be worth something. The lure of "cheap" and "mass produced" are no longer holding the sway they once did. Our economy in the toilet means that the higher ups are paying attention to details that they never would have in better economic climates. We are all standing tall while we steamroll the "Made in China" system. Yay us! But then, how do we make the right choices in choosing what to make? I often see people get down off their soapbox after a particularly brilliant schpiel about living simply so others can simply live... only to take up a needle and thread to sew more pretty stuffies and coffee cup sleeves. How big is our scope, exactly?

More and more I am seeing that the way of doing things is changing whether we are ready, aware, involved... or not. I am finding more people who are making huge changes in their lives. Not simply changing their light bulbs to CFCs, or upping their blue box capacity... but digging up their front yards to garden and tossing their cable subscription. Choosing not to drive, buying less... educating through leading by example. In a world where Disney rules and toothpaste brands are fighting over the rights to sell mint tooth cleaner with the top rated cartoon face, maybe the best bet for everyone is to worry less about the bottom line and think more on the common denomenators. Community, health, love and understanding... imagination and play... support and caring and selflessness. Maybe trading in the second car for more quality time via fewer soccer camps. Eating dinner at the table with healthy conversation is worth more and says more about the family than the cottage at the lake, or the size of the toybox.

Let's get back to making quality, dependable and beautiful necessities and work hard at trimming the excess. If less is considered to be "needed" then people will eventually learn that it's not about saving a buck, but putting that buck where it counts... and that buying something to last, maybe even to pass down through the generations, is in fact better than the "convenience" of disposable anything. Make less and get paid what you are worth. It sounds easy. Let's make it so.

Sunday Thoughts: What Was I Thinking?

2011-09-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been questioning my wisdom at twenty. Mostly how it relates to how in the world I ended up where I am now.

I don't know how well the life of a designer translates for most people, because when I have glimpsed the fashion world from the "outside" it seems very linear and almost harsh. It's marketing and it's an industry so I know there is an element of ick to it that people pick up on, and there is definitely an Us vs. Them feeling. Much of the time the fashion industry becomes all about keeping up with the Jonses of the It Bag world, (which is a ridiculous pastime,) and the focus is in all the wrong places.

The thing is, that when you are immersed in that world... I mean when that is your day to day, and your peer group, not just subscriptions to all the major fashion mags... it's about something different. Something completely different.

For one, fashion is an art form. I know, everyone knows that right? Not really. Not really really. Very few people are in the industry with the intent of getting rich and famous. Mostly because it is near impossible. It is an industry where percentage-wise, very few have reached celeb status,. And that is one of the first things you learn, because the fashion industry is harsh! It's aggressive, it's cut-throat, and it's completely unfair. When a girl who is used to being the It girl in her hometown walks into a modelling agency, she is no longer special. And this is true for every aspect. In truth, if you don't find your coping mechanism, you will get burned out really quickly. So what keeps everyone going?

They are not living in the real world!

The thing that keeps the fashion wheel spinning is that those in the center are completely and utterly removed from normal reality. Their way of being literally revolves around beauty as a way of life. Their talent, whatever it is, is dependent on somebody, or many somebodies, creating a reality out of the furthest reaches of their imagination. It is the closest thing to literal dream interpretation in the world of vocations. And there are teams of people whose role it is to keep that momentum flowing... absolutely nothing is impossible. Eventually you forget that your world is kind of, well... made up. When you go to your office party during the Christmas holidays, you probably dress nicely, have a few drinks and live a little. When you go to a label launch, fashion week, or "thank god that show's over" bash, it's not uncommon to have a plethora of ridiculously beautiful and half naked people with golden wings on their backs pouring you drinks. Or, say, a swimming pool with large air mattresses to float on. At the very least there should be a tea leaf reader. And whereas you might find wearing a tiara to be "a little much" for a night on the town, you would feel out of place if you don't have MUCH sparkle at a fashion soiree. Do you see where I am going with this? When this sort of thing is commonplace, you forget what else there is. And it needs to be your reality, because you need to continue to be a dreamer or you lose your muse. Fashion is an art that uses the human form as a canvas, and fabric, beading, steel rods and pretty much anything else conceivable as the medium. There is a dangerous side effect to the part where the lines of reality get blurred, but that is another post. What I am talking about is the part where one exchanges one "reality" for another.

Right. So cut to modern day. I only just recently came to the realization that I have a basis for my lack of reasonable thinking. That's how out of touch I am. Not only do I not function well in the real world, but I don't even know that I don't function well in the real world. When I left the city for the mountains, I immediately found myself a group of belly dancers and circus people to surround myself with. They are amazing people, and they make a way of life out of incorporating what they love doing into a living. But I am not a performer. I tried for awhile to organize them and PR them and be their business mind, but herding artists is very similar to herding cats. Possibly more difficult. I put on shows, I honed various art skills... I tried my hand at "normal" reality, managing financial institutions and working at a law office, somehow ending up in the role of Mom. My kids do their best to keep me in line as I have the attention span of a two year old on speed... my four year old regularly has to take my face in his hands to be sure I'm listening... While I'm certain they are having a good time, I'm not so sure that I've mastered the ability to impart a sense of... uhhh... responsibility so much.

If anyone has tread this path in the past and has something of useful advice regarding "fitting in"... please share. Until I come up with a replacement reality, however, I see no reason not to continue to believe in hoola hoops, feathered headpieces, outrageous garden parties and fortune cookies.

Inspired Fashion: The Fibershed Project

2011-09-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

While I have known about and followed Rebecca Burgess's Fibershed Project for nearly her full year, I was newly inspired today to see it written up on the Etsy Blog. For anyone who has the least bit of interest in organic and sustainable fashion, Rebecca's quest to wear only garments that have been grown, processed and created within 150 miles of her front door is one that is at once overwhelming and motivational. My own obsession with textiles and clothing design has instilled a certain awareness of what insidiousness is inherent in the fashion industry, but in making such a bold statement towards what is possible, and walking the talk, Rebecca has pretty much reached hero status with me.

Rebecca's journey reminds me of this book where the authors created the same process around food.

A few years ago, when the 100 Mile Diet was published, the couple who co-authored the book visited Nelson during their Canadian book signing tour. They gave one of the most entertaining PR talks I have attended and made the book so much more than what it was, sharing the stories behind their conclusions in hilarious detail. For two aware and educated people who were immersed in the age of information (they are both writers in media) and young enough to be able to focus on the how and the where, they were blissfully ignorant. None were more surprised than they when the discoveries were made of how obscene our way of getting from "farm" to plate is in the modern age.

What I found truly absorbing was how much of our culture, heritage, and sense of community has been lost in exchange for the convenience of the modern food industry. Food and community have always been inextricably linked, and removing the sense of community is having just as damaging an effect on our health as a species as the toxins we are consuming as part of a "conventional" diet. The same is true for the other aspects of our lives that are human needs. Breathing, eating, sheltering and clothing ourselves, if we have let go of our connection to these needs being fulfilled... if we have reached a point where the label in our jeans is more important to the physical, emotional, and way they are affecting our very selves... what is left of the humanity in our species?

That sounds heavy. It is heavy though. I doubt that most people are aware that the textile industry is the world's number one polluter of fresh water. That synthetic dyes produce cancer causing carcinogens. That the slave labour force around the world is largely driven by the fashion industry. While many of our needs are taken care of without much thought on a daily basis, what we wear has a profound effect on how others see us. The fashion industry has made us walking billboards for not only their labels and brands, but also for a certain allowance that we are willing to let our values be rearranged for a smaller price tag, following trends and acceptance in society. Rebecca's stand against that is much farther reaching than simply wanting to wear beautiful and natural clothing, or even for supporting sustainability and the environment. What she is doing is reminding us that working together and building a sense of community should be a part of human need. The process of creating should be inextricably linked with covering the basics of how we live, and that clothing our bodies in this manner should portray that we are healthy, understanding, beautiful people with strong values.

Rebecca notes, "There is a story in each garment, a living history of our collective experience resides in the implications and realities of our clothes. The wool in (one of the) tunic(s) comes from the homestead of Kenny Kirkland. His flock is small in comparison to the flocks that live north and west of us– where 1,000 sheep per ranch is considered normal. In our current system the meat from these animals brings the highest margins, and yields vital wages and income. However, many resources lay wasted in the process of procuring this “one” economically viable product. Making something from the wool is time consuming and proves unaffordable for many ranchers. I wondered…. “At this moment..the great irony and tragedy is that it is too “expensive” to use our own resources…. but in a drastically re-organized economic system which we are entering…… will this remain the case?” What happens when we can’t get everything we need somewhere else?

The Fibershed Project follows the making of the garment, from befriending the sheep or llama that the fiber originates from on its farm, to growing and wild-harvesting the plants that are used in the dying process, to dying, spinning and hand processing the garment. As an ecological restoration educator, textile artist and author, Rebecca was the perfect person to push the idea of creating a wardrobe from local and sustainable fibers and show how it would be a greatly rewarding experience. She has connected with various artisans, farmers and supporters to help her realize her goal.

Sage steeps in copper dye pots.

In creating a community that shares resources, educates one another and supports the concept, she is also helping to outline a blueprint for others around the world to do the same. As with anything that balks at convention, having the support of like minded people is in some ways the most beneficial aspect of this endeavor. Rebecca is spreading the ideas behind her work, as well as hands on how to, in her books A Better Life, and Harvesting Color. She also has a beautiful and well informed blog which follows her process and is well worth a read.

What do you think? Are as inspired as I am? Can you see yourself wearing only gorgeous, handmade artisan clothing? Would you attend dye parties so that you could build up within your community and make a difference? I love any project that puts the locals in the spotlight... and as my community has such an artistic community anyway, I am curious to see how far this could go here... time to start putting out some feelers perhaps.

Ron and Draco... All Growed Up

2011-09-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you all, but I was completely addicted to the Harry Potter books till the movies came out. Not that I have any many issues with the movies, but you know how it is with an amazing book... the possibility of cramming it into an hour (or three) at the theatre is next to impossible. It was years ago now that I read them, but I still feel a great fondness for the characters.

This is perhaps why I feel so amused by the idea of casting Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy in the roles of male model. I most certainly understand the savvy concept, the brilliance of borrowing their characters without actually using their persona to sell product. Marketing psychology fascinates me, and this shoot is bang on, but it still seems kinda like they should not be throwing Weasley and Malfoy in a room together with the purpose of selling clothing. It seems, I don't know... dangerous? LOL

Either way, the idea to shoot Rupert Grint and Tom Felton at the Magic Castle in LA was pretty genius. Scott Sternberg of Band of Outsiders shot the pair himself on Polaroid film (also genius) and the results are exactly what the clothing should be represented by. (It doesn't hurt that the label's acronym is BOO which fits with the castle's creepy bits for a lookbook hitting the populace in the face right before Halloween.) More than anything, it's great just to see these two just having a good time.

All in all, a pretty brilliant scheme. Well played.

Vintage Gorgeousness in Wood: Almond Hartzog

2011-08-31T08:22:00.000-07:00

It's not very often that I wish that I still had money. Swarovski encrusted masks aside, I'm not much of a "stuff" person. OK, that is not entirely true... I have a lot of stuff. But it is a lifetime acquisition type of stuff... not a rotating roster. I actually am more apt to collect other people's glorious junk from garage sales and thrift stores than anything else... and it is usually with the intent on using it in a photo shoot or similar type experience. That's it. I have theoretical experience based junk. And lots of it. Buuuuut.... there might just be room in my home for one or more of these things from Almond Hartzog's Gallery. (This would be the continuation of my unfortunately resurrected obsession with 1st Dibs. Ugh.)

The issue that I have is that I have always been mentally preparing for my forever home. As a renter, I am stuck with the irony that while I need to have "whatever works in this space right now" pieces, I also really want to be collecting what I really actually want for my future home. If only I could really really decide on just ONE style that I truly resonated with... I am getting closer all the time... LOL... sorta.

Nicoline Patricia Malina

2011-08-30T03:44:00.000-07:00

I have just wrapped up a post over on the other blog that revolves around the photography of Nicoline Patricia Malina and a piece from Harper's Bazaar Indonesia. Based in Jakarta, winner of ELLE's Photographer of the Year in 2009, and with a client list that runs the gamut from Esquire to Coca-Cola, I am not sure why I have not come across her work before.

Shooting in some very impressive exotic locales would help any photographer along, but this artist has a gift for clarity of form and for combining saturated colour with surreal moods to evoke an almost alien feel in her work. It truly is otherworldly. Gorgeous.

Want and Need are Relative

2011-08-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

Not very long ago, I FINALLY received some back pay that I have slogged through acres of red tape to reclaim from the government. I kind of knew it was coming, but also was prepared for them to find a reason why I shouldn't need it more than some Victoria politician who, say, needed a new antique desk for his office. So for the months where I waited with somewhat baited breath, I (thankfully) budgeted and prioritized every penny to pay down debt, fix up the house, and replace the computer and camera I so desperately need... This post is dedicated to my family and friends who somehow (... seriously, I have no idea!!! :P) see me as extravagant and impractical. What??? You see? If I were impractical, would I have paid off the hydro...?

Or bought a

...Swarovski Skull ring from Alexander McQueen for $450?! Huh?!? If I were impractical, would I have paid down the Gas bill? Or would I have paid $1,385 for a crystal spiked cuff from Philippe Audibert? Or Prada Butterfly sunglasses for $290?

No, seriously... are we aware of how fabulous I would be carting my two rugrats around Nelson wearing butterfly sunglasses and spiked cuffs? Or perhaps a hand painted Swarovski necklace?

Because what else would I wear with my Swarovski...

MASK!!! I know, Right?!? Anyone who knows anything at all about me knows that the only reason the mask is not currently in my possession is because I didn't see it till today, but still... just sayin' :)

All from Net A Porter...

Ahoy

2011-08-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

How amazing would it be to have bottles from an actual shipwreck in your study? These are 19th C and from the Netherlands., found in a shipwreck off the Java coast. They are hanging around at 1st Dibs... A site I should be kept from at all costs! Thank heavens I am not made of coin, although I dream of being able to outfit my future home with amazing pieces of furniture in that fashion. I think pieces with history are SO much more fun, not to mention the quality of the workmanship. I had to quit visiting the site last year when I found myself trying desperately to find a way to afford a pair of French lamps that were the exact ones that my grandparents had in their home years ago. This whole obsession was renewed last week when I visited one of my favourite blogs, the French Mouse. She has posted a photo on her "Country Mouse" House blog of the most glorious 18th century shop cabinet I have ever seen. This woman has infallible taste and I am completely jealous of her life. It is possible that I could afford a barnacle laden wine bottle though :)

Trend: Shipping Pallet Furniture

2011-08-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

Pallet shelving (Love!) via Remodelista

The most utilitarian piece of junk has recently stormed the design front in every application from headboard to sofa to wall shelf. The industrial look combined with everybody's favourite price (free) is definitely going to appeal, but there are two things that people may not be aware of. One very, very good, and one potentially very, very bad. Uh-oh.

This is actually wine crates, but same principle... and cooler IMO... via itsdesigned.

Years ago I dated a guy briefly who was figuring out how to build his house. He wanted to put as much re-use into it as possible and the creative genius he showed was waaaay out of the box. One of the things that impressed me the most was his research into things that, at the time, were unheard of.

Pallet pieces cut and placed in a herringbone pattern. Photo from a welltraveledwoman.com

He decided to create the flooring from lathed pallets as they are found in alleys all the time with signs begging people to take them away. It occurred to him that since these pallets were generally coming from overseas, they would be made from wood that would be considered exotic to us. He took some samples to the woodworking school, and his suspicions were confirmed. Mahogany was everywhere, and many more types were found as well. The process of lathing the pieces down to similar size/thickness was offset by that gorgeous price tag. He was sold. So was I. I have been filing that in the back of my brain for over a decade now, and that is the very, very GOOD thing... exotic hardwood flooring, for FREE. Combined with my desire to reclaim and re-use and generally leave as small a footprint as possible... this is all good, right?

Headboard via desire to inspire

I have used pallets as sofa frames, fencing, and garden plot framing. I am the pallet PR person. It always seems like a good thing to me when you get creative with your sources, and some of these back alley pallets are new wood! The thing that kept me from using too many inside the home was the birth of Thing 1 and Thing 2.

Having kids meant that I started asking questions I would maybe not have otherwise. One year when I was looking for wood for a project, I hauled some pallets to my parent's place to use my stepfather's saws. He asked me if I was aware of the amount of toxins that were sprayed on the pallets before they were shipped overseas to keep any bugs or spores or what-have-you from traveling with them. Enter very, very BAD scenario. The things I was making were intended for the kids room, so I did some research, and what I found was not very happy.

Painting them out seemed like a good option. I really liked the wood look and feel though. And I am still unclear as to how bad the toxins are if they are painted over. Does it seal them in? Or are we taking chemical reaction on instead? Ugh. I am not here to scare the bejeezus out of anyone, but as I am seeing these everywhere (and loving the look) I thought somebody might want to bring it up. So far I haven't seen the subject of toxins raised anyplace else on the design blog front.

Like any worthy question, this one raises more questions... we all know that many of the furniture and finishing products in our houses conventionally are filled with toxins already, so if we are the type to just go and buy a whatever sofa, then wouldn't it be fine to jump on this trend? Absolutely. Many of the chemical treatments are the same (formaldehyde etc.) as a sofa from Target or Crate & Barrel or wherever, and this is far better for the environment in the sense that it is keeping these pallets out of a landfill. Could you varnish or somehow seal the wood first? Sure, if the woman down at "Colour Your World" is correct, any treatment of that type will seal in the toxins and you don't have to worry.

There is also the option of the greener pallet. They do exist, and if you are using pallets that were used to ship domestically (within your own country) there is a much greater chance that toxins were not used. There are also companies that use a heating process to treat their pallets instead of toxins. If you take the time to ask a few questions, not only will you find (hopefully) some answers, but you will have the added benefit of raising awareness with the companies using toxic shipping meathods. The demand for less toxins and environmentally damaging processes in the world from a consumer perspective always starts with asking questions!

Coffee table from upcycled pallet via Tina's Apt.

All in all, this is a trend that I LOVE. I really want to see more of this inventiveness and out of the box thinking during the time of economic crisis and the need of the common folk have always been the catalyst of such. I can't wait to see what's next!

WANT

2011-08-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

Ohhh... if ONLY I had an extra $1800 kicking about. How the boys would LOVE this in their Tickle Trunk! Look at that gorgeous leather construction. This is just beautiful. I want. The word impractical comes to mind, buuuut.....

Noggins As A Canvas: The Steven Jones Milliner Competition

2011-08-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today's post is dedicated to the recent display of bizarreness, AKA "the guests of the Royal Wedding". I used to make hats. Looooong time ago. It occurred to me that all those bitty pieces in the sewing room could amount to something. Lo and behold, after one trip to Roberta's on Granville Island, where most confections started at about two hundred smackeroos... the light bulb went on. So I took up millinery... of a sort. I created one hat in a particular design and by the time I was halfway through, three more had occurred to me. I loved it. About a hundred hats in I realized I was merely so so at it. The experience, however, taught me that making fabulous noggin-wear takes more than a cap with feathers plunked on it. There is definitely skill involved. The word finicky comes to mind. Persnickety would most likely also come to mind if I knew exactly what it meant.

Holly Gaiman. Creator of hats.

Anyhow... I digress. I caught sight of this hat this morning during my facebook stroll and even though I may have voted for it regardless because it happens to be made by one of my favourite author's daughter (he is tied with Terry whom he has worked with, so does he get extra points for that? He does do brilliant children's books, and definitely gets points for that...) I have to say that this piece is a work of art.

"Featherswept"

Holly Gaiman has created "Featherswept" as part of her Private View show from June. This piece, inspired by Japanese calligraphy, is an entry into a competition that will see the winner commencing studies with acclaimed British milliner, Stephen Jones. (Holly was mentored by Rose Cory, former milliner to the Queen mum, and also holds a masters in media and culture.) If you would like to see some of the competition and vote, you can visit the site. These are a few of my other favourites, although the list is so vast I didn't come anywhere near to getting through them all.

"Birds on Street Corners" inspired by graffiti artist Xenz. Submitted by Ani Stafford-Townsend.

"In Memory of: Amy Winehouse" submitted by Joosten Mueller.

"Yvette, en Vert" inspired by the work of Yvette Delort. Submitted by Tricia Roush

Brett Morley's submission.

"Embrise Regis" by Melanie Grieve.

Reversable "Halk/Kingfisher" sculptural piece submitted by Emma Yeo.

"Ma-sy" submitted by Masha Sylnyagina

And this has to go in there because top hats and octopi are two of my favourite things...

Submitted by Megan Bishop... who feels the same way.

If any of you have a serious hat thing, as I do, you really should go and check out the entire list... there are some brilliant works of art that I didn't include. Both structurally and imaginatively stunning. And vote!

*Sidebar: Not that I think everyone at the royal wedding was a hoot, there were a fair number of gorgeous pieces included, of course :)

Sunday Thoughts: Simplicity...

2011-08-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

Someday I will be this woman...

Yasmina Rossi

...sitting on this swing.

Drool.

2011-08-10T02:51:00.000-07:00

Asus Bamboo

Could somebody please explain to me why it is that macs do not come in a bamboo sleeve?

Just Checking In...

2011-07-16T04:24:00.000-07:00

I wonder if this means that I don't visit my mother enough? I try to write at the library, but it is pretty useless with a half hour and no way of adding photos. The only way I seem able to get on here is if I spend time at my mother's house and since that has provided you with merely two posts in the last long while, and she only lives forty minutes away, I am thinking "my bad". Oh well, she is not an idle woman, she probably couldn't fit me into her schedule anyway :)

I promised you a flash mob, and so here it is. The Canada Day in Nelson BC Flashmob at the park right before the fireworks started. I would personally like to thank Cheyanna for driving into town a kazillion times to help with the rehearsals, and give her a huge KUDOS for facing the politics with her unstoppable (and gorgeous) smile. (I am not kidding, she has perfect teeth and rays of sunshine pour out of her mouth when she speaks...) The story behind the scenes is not very exciting so we will leave out the bit about the "we were looking more for pretty seventeen year olds"(- OOOPS... did I just do that? Gosh, sorry... it's the Aries in me...) As I did not check the facebook page that day (you guessed it, no computer) we ended up in the wrong part of the park and missed the whole thing anyway. But still, I promised...

That's it for the personal for now... on to more fabulous things! I NEED to share my new passion with you! I passed the thrift store the other day (in a car I wasn't driving silly, or of course I would have parked in the middle of the street and went in!) and spotted an authentic vintage box of Spirograph! Five bucks! Yes I hightailed it back there ASAP, but this town is not full of stupid people and I missed. WHY they went and put it in the window I don't know. That was just mean. I fully believe that the true treasures should go to those willing to give a throrough search of the building. But, I digress... what has ensued is a full-fledged mission to gather as many fabulous and gorgeous games as possible over the rest of my days to fill my home with fun, laughter and great detailing. Both vintage and craftsman versions are welcome... and there are some very design savvy samples already on my list. I will share some of my faves down the road, but I simply had to post about this gorgeous set now.

This ridiculously stunning version of Scrabble is designed by BYU grad Andrew Clifford Capner. The set, which comes in a minimalist birch box, is made of walnut, with options on which fonts you can order your letters in.

The concept was to bring to the (games)table a version that got people as excited about typography as the idea of tripple word scores. Scrabble has always been one of my favourites, and this version would take center stage in my living room. Scrabble is one of the top ten on the list of games that sneak education into play for those that need any more incentive. As far as my thirty second research shows, the game is still not in production, but obviously once Hasbro sees it on this blog, manufacturing will soon follow. Feel free to write to them if you feel as strongly about purchasing this game as I do!

R.I.P. Li'l Acer

2011-06-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

WOW. Where to begin? Well, let's start at the part where my computer really and truly died this time. Then we could skip the crying and tantrum throwing and get to the part where I cannot function at the library (where I believe is the only public access to computers in this shrinky dink little town... bitterness only happening when something like this happens... if I am wrong and there are other public access computers here please let me know!) due to wait lines, overdue book fees and/or ridiculously slow connections... I guess that sums up the part where I have COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED from the face of the planet! Not kidding, not only have I not been able to blog, but I have missed so much of my social calendar because apparently without the blasted world of facebook, I can't keep track of the Ws in my life! Ugh... HUGE appologies to all those people who think I fell into the lake... I actually was asked downtown the other day if I had left town and was back for a visit. Note to self: must leave the house more.

I have not been completely idle, I think of more things to blog about when I am without an outlet apparently, probably one of Murphy's Laws... but now that I have the screen of my mother's computer's in front of me and a time limit, I am trying to put them in order of most interesting and it's all comming up a jumble. I just got off the phone with a lovely gal from T. who writes for an e-zine called the Broken Pencil that covers the indie arts scene. She is doing a series of pieces outlining the attributes of small towns and their vibes across Canada, which I of course think is brilliant! I can't wait to see what she writes up about our lovely wee piece of indie heaven. She has spent a couple of days here, so she was at least able to breathe the air and eat some good food to give her a jumping off point.

Not my feet.

There are plans in the works for our own little flash mob and the last rehearsal is tomorrow, so if you are local and want to get involved, let me know and I will send you deets. For those of you unfortunates that live elsewhere, I'm sure there will be somebody who will throw it up on Youtube and I will link it up whence it happens! I am totally excited and also completely terrified... been awhile since I have been considered a performer :) Should make for a really good laugh for you all!

I would love to say summer is in full swing here, but since we have had nothing but torrents of rain and thunder for weeks and weeks, my garden party hasn't happened, and, well... what else was there? Sigh. I am just destined to not be the social diva I once was? Or perhaps the gods are merely seeing this as a big huge joke... my gorgeous garden which I have waited so long for went from crazy happy and lush to simply drowned. The weeds are doing supremely and are quite colourful, so I am keeping them. I can plead ignorance when the MIL comes to visit :)

I think that the only other thing I can do with no access to my inspiration files of photos, or time to browse around the net and such is to thank you all for still visiting. I was astounded when I went to the stats page, ready to see the slow climb back down to zero only to see that you all are still checking in! Warmed the cockles of my heart... is that right? Cockles? In the heart? I may have that expression all wrong, but warmed me it did... and I am sending you out the biggest most sunshiny hug possible! I will try very hard to make my new computer come as fast as possible... promise! Mwah!

Shrimp or Dragon?

2011-05-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

There was a Think Tank post due today, but my computer has been on the fritz again and I only was able to pull it out of stark raving madness (I turn it on and it whirs like a crazy machine and then makes weird faces at me via screen meltdown before crashing) three or four times this week. So I didn't put myself down for this one. This morning though, it seems to be behaving and now I am reading everyone's posts and feeling left out. So here is my favourite quote from a VERY long list of favourite quotes that pretty much make the rounds from Cirque Du Soleil posters, to Alice in Wonderland characters, to Dr Seuss, to Mae West... and anything that Albert Einstein ever said. The most profound quote in my repetoire is.....

"In shallow water, shrimp make fool of dragon."

It's from Dylan's fortune cookie at KC's. OK, perhaps not profound, but it is my favourite. It's not really a quote either, it's a Chinese Proverb, but that means somebody said it, and it's my blog, so I can put this one if I want. It is my favourite for a few reasons. First, it is the coolest thing to come out of a fortune cookie since Rowan got "Eat your vegetables"... and second all Chinese Proverbs are awesome. Period. It also, of course, is a good lesson about how the strength of the beast that is thought to be all powerful is never without a weakness, and since I spend a great deal of my time cheering for the underdog, that is an important thing to keep in mind... especially during a time when the underdog seems to be every one of us... politically, environmentally, financially, etc. These days, it helps to remember that we, the little people hold the actual power in our numbers and our positivity. Also, it sort of aligns with the rest of my favourite quotes that all read something like "Nothing is impossible." "Impossible is just a word." "Why, sometimes I have believed in as many as six impossible things before breakfast." I suppose the fortune cookie sort of sums up my belief about impossible. So yeah, maybe profound.

I have enjoyed finding a few new gems in amongst the other blog entries... see what you can find :)

Andes Cruz: http://www.andescruz.wordpress.com/
Brad Severtson: http://hammeringoutaliving.blogspot.com/
Kathleen Krucoff: http://mysticalmythicalmetalwork.wordpress.com/
Wendy Kelly: http://www.wendykianakelly.com/
Mary Spencer:http://www.wattoonline.com/news
Stephanie Clark: http://thethinkingsofacoldweathergirl.blogspot.com/
Barbara Donovan: http://barbaradonovan.blogspot.com/
Laura Flavin: http://www.modernbirdjewelry.blogspot.com/
Beth Cyr: http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com/
Thomasin Durgin: http://metalriot.blogspot.com/
Shaun Young: http://shaunyoung.ca/
Kathryn Cole: http://www.kathryncolejewelry.blogspot.com/
Natsuko Hanks: http://jewelrybynatsuko.blogspot.com/

Welcome To Shprixieland! Please Leave Your Wand At The Door...

2011-05-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes an artisan comes to my attention that makes me weak in the knees before I have moved past even the first piece. The way of marketing means that we put our best foot forward, and generally if you are scouting through websites or even shops, then you only get to see the best few of many... but when you find an artisan who is fabulous on multiple fronts, that is when it gets REALLY exciting! I think I have discovered my new favourite artist, and living in the Koots, that is saying an awful lot. I am surrounded by talented people and spoiled by the offerings of my small town. So it was a great pleasure to stumble upon ShprixieLand this morning!

Green or yellow... green or yellow... hmmm...

I am going to be needing some of these!

I'm pretty sure that's Pixie right there with her flower wand...

Such gloriously varied and whimsical designs! I love all of it and will be fetching myself up the beginning of a collection as soon as is possible... They don't have an online shop yet, they are working on it though. If you are local they will be selling at DogPatch, Touchstones and The Gallery 378.

A Shprixie-Chicken

The pair that make up Shprixieland Studios are nicknamed Shpriken and Pixie and it sounds like their lives as artists and rural homesteaders are intertwined in the same formula as their studio name. Days that begin with gathering eggs (from fabulous looking designer chickens... I'm serious, look at that plumage!) are interrupted by inspiration to hone their craft and the wares that are the result are most definitely inspired! A flurry of facebook messaging confirms for me that Pixie is indeed fabulous beyond most and as proof, she has a parrot! You know what they say about a girl with a parrot :)

Want

The minute they have a website you can purchase on, I will post. If you simply must contact them right away though (as I did) you can find them on their facebook page or here.More from this brilliant pair as soon as I can find my way to ShprixieLand proper! And so my quest ensues...

Sunday Thoughts... Ummmmm

2011-05-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday.

I'm supposed to have thoughts on Sunday. Today is the day that I have the time to actually sit down and write something stimulating and thought provoking. Ummmmm... well, I s'pose I could write about how wonderful it has been to finally have both sunshine AND a yard to work in at the same time... but that pretty much sums that thought up. How about the free headboard that I got this week to play with (photos of before and after when my camera is working again)... oh, wait... can't really turn that into a post without photos, can I? Hmmmm...

I am having an "I Love My Life" week, can I share? This is me remembering that it is the little things that make life worthwhile :)

This is the view from the top onto my town.

I got an unexpected call this week from my sister (who does not have kids and hence lives a completely different lifestyle- read: waking and sleeping schedule- than I do and we don't hang together nearly as often as we once did...). She took the boys and I on a hike. WITH her! My sister is the kind of person who wears yoga pants when she doesn't do yoga and calls Mountain Equipment Co-op "MEC". We know we are related because everyone says we have the same nose, and you simply cannot duplicate this nose... but aside from that... well, different cloth indeed. So when she wakes me up from a lovely sleep to tell me what a glorious day it is to hike up the side of a mountain... yeah. Not so much. BUT my number one DS asked me really nicely if we could do that hike again soon (the last time may or may not have been two years ago...) just a couple of days before, and I had said yes. I said yes because the chances of getting that phone call were so slim... perhaps they are conspiring.

Kazillions of yellow mountain lilies.

Turns out said mountain was a lovely place to be. Sis picked us up and took us by her place to make sure we had a protein shake before our ascent, then we spent a few hours in the perfect cool morning weather putting one foot in front of the other... about the time I started to feel my legs buckling, I noticed my first budding wildflower, then a wild strawberry flower, then some stunning chartreuse lichen... and all the toil melted away. The top of the rock was utterly blanketed in sunshine yellow lilies, and pink something or others... and the boys were on cloud nine... above it by the time we reached the top I think. Definitely a worthwhile day and I remember now how much I like being outdoors... sometimes I need a gentle reminder... yes, even living here in the Koots.

Pack Your Bags!

2011-05-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

What can you do with those super fabulous vintage suitcases that you see at the thrift shop but can't actually fathom dragging to Greece because they weigh a ton EMPTY? Hmmmm...

...just a thought :)

Pal & Smith... Coveted

2011-05-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

Featured on the cover of Living Etc. Magazine.

How much does a kidney go for these days anyway? I need to know, because I am saving for, well, pretty much anything from Pal & Smith. I was coveting a lovely table for awhile, and spent waaaay too much time drooling on my keyboard over their fabulously fun website. Then a bit ago I fell in love with their bedroom that was on the cover of Living Etc. After that, not only did I want the table, but now I want their bathroom, their bedroom and their entry hall too. Not so sure about their faux turf front yard though....

GORgeous!

I have such a difficult time browsing their website because it is so fricken stylish that I can't stop playing with the little icons and I get lost in the pretty pictures. So far my favourites seem to be the lovely table and the lamps.

I love that you can order near anything in whichever lacquer you choose... I am obsessed with lacquered anything. I adore the chunky shapes of their pieces... but mostly, I love their style. Period. I could happily live in any room they have designed. Sheer brilliance.

Yes, I want to live here...

Ohhh... want, want, WANT!

They should be warned that they may find me camping out in their house one day. I don't mind being relegated to the bathroom either. Just sayin', it's that fabulous :)

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T05:40:00.000-07:00

LOL... Sorry, it had to be done. This had me laughing so hard that I had to share.

Hope yours is filled with breakfast in beds and flowers and chocolates :)

How's This For Happy? Super Yummmm...

2011-05-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

How does Kate Spade stay so brilliant? Why...Red Sparkle Cake, of course :)

Kitty Empire... The Chicest in Vegan Totelage

2011-05-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

Nelson, BC designer Erin Bruce creates the sweetest styles in vegan vinyl Messenger Bags, Purses, Wristlets and Wallets under the name Kitty Empire. She uses vinyl and re-purposed materials when she can, and comes up with the most whimsical designs and great colourways.

I adore the Bambi wallet but I have also witnessed other gorgeous creations of hers being toted about town that I would happily take home and I don't think I have ever seen one I don't like. She is a doll too as well as a Derby Girl (this is me bowing and swearing allegiance), and we like to support artists that have stellar personalities, right?

I can tell you that the workmanship is excellent. I had one that I used for my laptop for the longest time, but my sister kept commenting on it so I gave it to her... I need a new colour anyway I think :) If you live locally, you can find them at one of my favourite shops in Nelson, the Global Underground.

Garden Orb Lanterns DIY

2011-05-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

I adore this chick's blog, The Art Of Doing Stuff. She is always a pleasure to read and I always learn something, whether it is how to properly re-wire a lamp or how to change the channels on your neighbours television with your remote. This one is so easy and fabulous, I had to share :)

Glass lamp globes

Basically if you take these (easily found for about $1 each at any thrift store)...

...and you add these (also for about $1 at your local thrift store)...

...you get gorgeous high end looking garden lighting. Stunning. And crazy inexpensive. Love. Go and check out her blog for more photos and how tos... very worthwhile :) Happy garden beautification!

Sunday Thoughts: What Does "Home" Mean To You?

2011-05-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

Many years ago, when I decided that life would be more interesting if I surrounded myself with eccentrics (OK, my life has been filled with them, but this was more of a conscious decision,) I moved to Nelson to hang out with artists. I have always been into that romantic notion that less is more and that the starving artist has so much to offer in the terms of character building etc... Yes, well I have since decided that the starving part has to go, but in those years I learned an awful lot.

Container City made of re-purposed shipping containers that are abandoned because it costs more to ship them back overseas empty than to make new ones.

At one point I dated a guy who was... extraordinarily interesting. He was also borderline crazy, but in that way that many geniuses are. Where they have put all their mental eggs into the intellectual part of their being and not many into the social graces basket. He was my first lesson in living with almost nothing. I had previously been a social princess who preferred the company of those in the extravagant fashion industry. He preferred the company of people who had left the rat race for their own race and he spent most of his time starting shelters and food kitchens when in the bigger cities, so he felt resentful being stuck in a tiny town such as Nelson where his small son lived. We would often take hitch hiking trips out to the larger cities and I would see him become this (more) amazing person when surrounded by streetkids. We would stay up with them all night in the parks talking about things like politics, art, culture... Not the things that society associates generally with street people, but that was the lesson. Those of us still in the rat race miss out on a lot. Also not something I would recommend unless you are with a person that can outcrazy them on any count and that you know can protect you if necessary.

Water Tank from Infomab

It was one of the best things that has ever happened to me because you really cannot understand what it is like to be in those shoes till you have been that close. It is also my firm belief that one cannot gain an absolute appreciation of what they have till they have experienced having nothing. And honestly, sometimes I saw very clearly how these people, in a lot of ways, had so much more. However, the part where people live without basic needs in a country where there is more than enough to go around is deplorable. It really shouldn't be that way and there are people who are trying to find ways to change it.

This is one man's idea for a homeless shelter. It has a toilet, solar shower, water catching system, a kitchen, desk and sleeping area. The two doors when opened were designed to pin on art wares for sale.

Of course, as with most progressive thinking, it comes down to red tape. The government and it's agencies are not on board with actually eradicating homelessness and while the problem continues to grow exponentially around the world, it is the richest countries whose governments do the least. It is up to society to push for intervention as well as to put an end to the notion that the homeless are there because they want to be and that it is simply a waste of time to help them. Hopelessness is an easy feeling to come by when everything has been taken from you. It is not a feeling that is easy to rid yourself of and even less so when the world looks down at you. Anyone who has ever felt failure, a math test, a parenting issue, not getting a promotion at work, if you have had that feeling during a time when you tried your hardest then it should not be a stretch to understand where these people are coming from. And if you continue to try and you get nowhere, how long does it take before you feel hopeless?

The test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members.~Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973)

Pallet House

I think the big move to make affordable housing a reality is stemming from the fact that so many people are realizing that they are only one paycheck away from being homeless. It is happening all over the continent from the economic crisis and all over the world as a result of the earthquakes, floods and hurricanes. It is totally bizarre that after years of this we still haven't come up with a viable solution that has been acceptably implemented. Studies show that it is the impoverished that are the first to step up to help the people who lose everything. It makes sense because it is a reality for them. But it is unfortunate that there are still so many that don't understand how real the issue is.

A Vancouver project by Emily Carr students.

I have been lucky enough to see both sides of the fence, and truthfully, I am undecided which side has greener grass. I would like to think that there is a happy medium where we can all live with a smaller footprint, help each other build stronger communities and find a way to integrate systems where we can think outside of our society's box and give everyone a way to live a healthier and more productive life. The projects in these photos from around the world are just a few examples of how it is more than possible if we just check our issues at the door and put in a bit of effort. I know it seems overwhelming in the broad scope of things to see the forest for the trees, but homelessness is an issue that does affect every one of us and society as a whole. If the only thing you do is change the way you perceive the situation, it is a step in the right direction.

If you know of a way to effectively help, or of a project that is working, feel free to leave it in the comments!

Happy Weekend!

2011-04-30T05:55:00.000-07:00

Some Wee Tweets to make your Saturday morning coffee a bit sweeter!

Can A Vintage VW Get Any Cooler? Oh Yeah... Waaaaaaaay Cool!

2011-04-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

What do Croatian metalsmiths who make fences and gates do when they get bored? Ask the guys at Vrbanus.

I have always wanted a vintage VW bug. This last photo I have had in my "Cool" folder for ages. I always thought it was a black bug painted with silver, and that was cool enough for me. They Dylan pointed out that it looked like it had been intricately chopped up. You can see right through the car! What??? So then I had to google it, but googling chopped up VW bug wasn't doing it so I gave up. Today it occurred to me to try the letters on the license plate... voila! Of course, now I want one :)

...How Does My Garden Grow?

2011-04-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

I spent today challenging the clouds to actually do what they were promising and throw down the rain in torrents. I dressed in my winter coat and scarf so that I could get my stolen booty of plants into the ground before they dried up. Just as I figured, it never happened beyond a few drops. Silly clouds.

Possibly a quince? Maybe?

I am determined to get my forest into a usable space before my Garden Party Extraordinaire. I spent my Easter pillaging plants from the natural landscape around my mother's property. I found some gorgeous tree like things that fought back gallantly when I tried digging them up but they have wee buds on them and I think they are the babies of the gorgeous tree I spied on a walk last summer. Mwahahaaa... I don't need no stinkin' garden center!

I also found some wild strawberries (I hope) and some other things that came out of the ground by accident and I felt bad so I took them home and found them a place too. Should be interesting to see what happens. At least it is no longer just a maple forest. Dylan doesn't know it yet, but this weekend he will be building me stone steps and small walls with all the rocks I found at the back of the property. I love me a manicured forest... now, to find myself a cello player.

Happy Bunny Day!

2011-04-24T04:30:00.000-07:00

from Vagabond Creations

Most happiest of Easter weekends to you all :) May much fair trade and super delish chocolate be included in your time with family and friends!

Egg O Gram

2011-04-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

ADORABLE eggy goodness going on over at Poppytalk! A really sweet DIY that is simple enough for a quick little something to give a special someone on the last minute. I love the pictorial too, way cute :)