Free Owl Calendar 2014!

One of my favourite things to put into the advent calendars, as a small gift, is... a CALENDAR! Because I have become a huge fan of The Owl Barn's annual free OWL Calendar. The artwork is always gorgeous and you get to choose your favourite twelve designs to use which means you can actually customize them to fit each person's aesthetic. I mean, owls... even if they WEREN'T super trendy for four years and counting, they would still be an awesome calendar of art! Click on that pretty button to your right to see all the designs for this year. I have kept the other buttons too simply because I adore the artwork and have been known to go back and print out a past month to use the imagery on cards and such.  Enjoy!

2013 Advent Calendar DIY Ideas

WAAAY late getting this year's advent calendar together. And as far as keeping up with posting, well I'm not even going there. But what with the epic Gatsby party that has taken up so much of November, I am down to one week to get at least three calendars together to post. I spent last night going over the pinterest board that I compiled last year, adding some new bits and then throwing it all on a brand spanking NEW board, aptly titled THINGS TO PUT IN THE ADVENT CALENDARS. You know, so I don't get lost. So behold.... the pinterest board that will be the beginning of this week's making of things. If you have a craft that you think is AWESOME and should be included, just comment and I'll add it.

I have to apologize as per usual for my computer being (again) at the cleaners, with all the photos from last year's crafts and such... I really DID take photos. Really GOOD ones actually. The nice man says it will be fixed soon, so if the calendar isn't your thing but December crafting IS, then I'll post those when I get it back with tutorials. In the meantime, we begin with ideas for this year's calendar.

That moment...

...when it's too hot to think, but you are in the furnace/kitchen making quesadillas and bruchetta even though you aren't actually hungry because that's what mom's do... and you are arguing about how they are actually from two DIFFERENT countries in a rather joking manner with your kids etc so you forget that when you made the uber most awesomest smoothie in existence for your fighting but adorable spawn because THAT"S HOW MUCH YOU LOVE THEM... you've already unscrewed the lid to the blender and when you pick it up by the lid like you always do even though you shouldn't and you know better, it doesn't just fall over, or drop on the floor... nooooo.. it bounces in three different directions and sprays the glorious smoothie in the excruciatingly hot kitchen ALL. OVER. THE. FLOOR. WALLS. CUPBOARDS... and YOU.
 
 Yes. That moment.

This Morning... Early.

 

Prince Sulu... His Royal Awesomeness.

 

 You have to appreciate how the mind of a feline works. It is nothing if not determined.

"Good Morning. I LOVE you. Why are your eyes still closed? We are having a conversation about how much I LOVE you! I like, REALLY do... you can tell by my incessant purring, no? I can tell by you rolling over that you need further proof of my devotion. Let me rub my face on yours even though you are allergic to my fur, (you should get over that, by the way). It's like kissing, see? THAT's how much I LOVE you! I can see that you need some space and even though you rather harshly pushed me away from you right now, I am willing to accept that you just haven't come to terms with the adoration I have for you. It's probably because you like these dishes over here... let me take care of those for you... OH! Your UP! Well good MORNING, I have been counting the hours and am just so HAPPY to SEE you! You seem stressed. You've had a lot going on for the last few days, here let me massage you... forcibly. What do you mean OUCH? Ouch WHAT? I am MASSAGING you! Here, I'll massage the other leg then. WHY DO YOU KEEP PUSHING ME AWAY??? I LOVE YOU!!! Oh yes, let's go sit down together... there's not actually room for me, but that's OK, I'll sit ON you because I just LOVE you so MUCH... why are you looking at that thing again? Sheesh... I am seeing a real lack of trying on your part here! I'm feeling VERY unappreciated. I think I am going to go and vomit adoringly on something you like to wear. Maybe THAT will get your attention....."

 

Sigh.

 

 

 

Anna Karenina: A Study In Theatrical Cinema

Let me begin by explaining that I am not a big Keira Knightly fan, and yet I seem to LOVE the movies she is in. I get it, she's British, she's gorgeous, she's cheeky... there's just something about her that irritates me. HOWEVER... apparently when paired with a classic storyline, a BRILLIANT director and the most fabulous sets/costumes in... ever... she's a winner!

It's no secret that I am a sucker for great packaging and I will sit through multiple viewings of really tedious films to take a closer look at hairstyles, corsetry and set design. There is no question that Anna Karenina is opulent and extravagant in it's gilded and carved props and backdrops, but since we have now "been there, done that" a few times too many for that to be a draw in 2013, this film relies on an ingenious use of motion through the sets and scenes that is at once fluid and fractured to create a visually innovative masterpiece. Sets are manipulated on screen the way a theatrical play would be on a stage but with the actors moving through the sets as well as through the scenes.

As a Russian socialite in pre-Bolshevik Moscow, Anna travels to visit her philandering brother in an attempt to explain to her sister-in-law that it is in the woman's best interest to let him have his cake and eat it too while she cares for the brood. In one of those cinema norm string of coincidences, she meets the fabulously moustached Count Vronsky, who is near as well dressed as she is and almost as cocky. The two fall head over fur lined boots in love with the first glance and so begins the ruining of Anna.

The IMPORTANT part of this film is the return of the veiled hat, train travel, creative ballroom dancing and blue silk wallpaper. I'm not kidding, the tragedy of the storyline, the intensity of the passion... all well and good, but the choreography! It's gorgeous. And the blue room where Anna eventually loses her sanity, that alone is worth whatever they paid to have the film produced. Also I am taking up Ice Sledging. 

Anna Karenina isn't a new tale, but in the light of our fairly recent fascination of over the top grandeur and bolts of silk a la The Duchess, Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette et al... the way this movie was filmed is what sets it high above the rest of the aristocracy. Joe Wright isn't a name that I am overly familiar with, but surprisingly the man of the house knew immediately who he was, based on his direction of Hannah, which was equally refreshing, albeit a genre as far from opulence as one is likely to get. So I suppose it's fair to say I dig this guy's style. In 2007 he became the youngest director in history to have a film open the Venice Film Festival with Atonement. There also seems to be rather an obvious link between Wright and Knightly... which is sort of ironic.

New Digs... and New Perspective

Has anyone else had a crazy life for... say... the last eight months? I have been working through some of the craziest stuff since last May, so maybe even more than eight. Completely random and unforeseen and not necessarily bad... in fact not bad now that I can look back at it all in hindsight. Chaotic, yes. But all in all really all necessary to find the place I didn't know I was looking for. I moved. For five months. I know... THAT's a long time... but I somehow got it into my head that the place we were in was costing too much, and wasn't worth the investment of fixing it... which was true. What I didn't realize was that my area has an insane shortage of decent housing. So we started to make preparations for moving... and started packing... and looked and looked.......

...and looked and looked. Months, literally MONTHS of looking for a new place while needing to be out of the old place and living month to month with less of an idea of what was going on every day. It took us to the point where we were out of our place without having a new place ready. Everything in storage, trying to sort out what was "important" to keep close and what to put away for what was looking like an increasingly long time. We rent, so it became a bit of a juggling act to pay month to month and to not know where we would be in the coming month. Trying.

In addition, while I was still in the mindframe of the beginning thought that it would take a month to move, I decided to take on the planning of a wedding show. Because that's what I do. I have this innate ability to take something uncomplicated, make it more complicated... and then make it the most complicated it can be... and then add a few things to the To Do list. You know, just for fun. I actually enjoyed planning the show intensely, and it went over well considering all the things that happened behind the scenes. I love having a project, and for me the bigger the better. But I wasn't supposed to be moving for the ENTIRE planning and execution of it. I literally landed in the new place  two weeks after the show.

In the end, (or the beginning, depending on how you look at it) I can see that it has all worked out better than had I simply moved the way I had intended. I was far more careful about where we moved TO and have in a round about fashion created some amazing connections and built a support network that I think is so important in any business... and in life! So I am now breathing again and today is the first day in... an awful lot of days that I get to sit here and write something. SO I turned my computer on and had no idea what to write about. So this is it. Now that I have this off my chest I shall get back to our regular scheduled programming. Tomorrow I will write about my NEW favourite movie, Anna Karenina.

Thanks for being patient :)

~A

REALLY EASY Last Minute FREE Gift for the Holidays

I am so proud to direct you to the right hand side of the site where you will find the 2013 version of the OWL calendar that has been lovingly curated by My Owl Barn for three years running. I love the new art and just finished printing a few for some stocking stuffers. BRILLIANT last minute gifts, especially because there is such a range of art that you can customize each calendar to fit the person you are giving it to. But also, if short on time or just really indecisive like me, you can simply download the one she's already created for you. (Really though, the first one I did took about a minute and a  half to sort which month should go with which picture. Obviously the snow ones go on the winter months, the flowers in the summer and my favourite one goes on my birthday month of March. Obviously.)

GO MAKE A CALENDAR! Have fun :)

The Perfect Christmas Cake

How adorably fabulous is this Red Velvet Cake with Snowmen Macaroons on top? I am totally in love!!!

I don't know if macaroons are beyond my capabilities, but the ingredients, cream cheese icing, red velvet cake and gorgeousness, all make for a good reason to attempt it. Oh, wait... I think I may have to make this a joint project with my foodie friend Becca. Mmmmm... :)

Holiday To Do List: Fabric Gift Bags

Last Christmas I learned a few things. Thing number one: Fabric Gift Bags. I am reposting this now so that those of us (ahem) who are really seriously on it, can keep this in mind as a possible "To Do" for their holiday list.

Last year I spent Christmas with a friend's family. This fabulous and crafty friend shared a secret with me, and now I am sharing it with you. The new thing is fabric gift bags instead of paper.

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 last 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. 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 looking into wooden gift tags as well... or durable cardstock ones. There are a number of possibilities and since your family members will probably keep their names, re-use is a simple option :)

Lavender Hot Chocolate

Now that there is no denying the cold that has befallen us, I am open to trying new things in the world of hot chocolate. Because, well... I might just have to make this a few times to perfect it, right? My new obsession is Lavender Hot Chocolate. Mmmmm...

Go here for the recipe...

Another ADVENTurous Idea!

Last year I posted this idea of making advent calendars for friends, family and ourselves.  The thought being that I should have started in November. I said that I would post it again so that we would ALL remember to start early and actually stand a chance of getting it done.

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.

If you have unique ideas of what to put into the advents, leave us a comment!

Formal Garden Love

In the little world that exists within my head, I am creating a garden from heaven. It's been in the works for several years, so that when I get my land I will be able to hit the ground running. I almost purchased a large property on a local river two years ago, and I went so far as to sneak onto the land and plant a small violet plant in amongst the old wasted garden plot to say "here I come!" and start the process. It turned out that it sold before I could acquire it. So I was sent back to the planning stages. I have about a million photos in various inspiration folders all over the computer. I thought I would share.

DIY Butterfly Art Found on Poppytalk

I am always happy to find something out of the ordinary... especially if it is a thing I can try my own hand at. I pretty much never do the thing that the tutorial tells me to do, but if there is a good idea there, I'm in.

You might find this lovely little B-day card slash butterfly pin found on Poppytalk Handmade to be a happy project. I am thinking that I will turn the mass of butterflies into art for my wall as practice, and then find a way of using the idea to decorate something wedding oriented for the other blog. I love the neutral look and the mass of wings and especially love how the gradient in the ribbon (which I think probably will be referred to as "ombre" because EVERYTHING in a gradient is now referred to as ombre) really sets it off. Off to experiment!

The Whimsical ReBirths of Jessica Joslin's Taxidermy Sculpture

Once in awhile you come across an artist that makes you all jittery when you see their work. Like when you were a kid and you would hop up and down a bit hearing the song of the ice cream truck ten blocks away, or knowing that when the car stopped you would arrive at one of your favourite destinations. Taxidermy sculpturist Jessica Joslin gets me all hoppity like that every time I visit her website.

Now, I can't say that I am a huge fan of taxidermy per se, but I AM a huge fan of different and unique. And while the steampunk revolution, goth encores and inundation with macabre that comes from living with two boys has created a sort of blase attitude toward using skulls and such in art for me... well Jessica has hit some sort of nerve. A really good one!

Jessica's work takes these critters to an entirely new world of fun and whimsy. You almost get the impression that they feel lucky to be reborn in such a world! I find something to oooh and aaaah about with every piece, her intelligent use of decadence mixed with an ability to let the personality of the piece speak simply. She's just kind of brilliant!

I absolutely ADORE her work and have made it my brand new mission to start a collection. It may take until I am eighty to acquire enough pieces to actually CALL it a collection, but I shall have at least three. THIS way I get to visit her site regularly to pick out favourites and keep tabs on her work with purpose! I'd love to know what you think... should be a fun discussion!

Fabric Quilled Gowns

One of the most popular posts on this blog has definitely been the paper quilling projects from last spring. I understand why, they are unique, super fun to do and have a distinctly "back in my day" feeling to them. The look is delicate and ornate at the same time and I was very excited today to come across these gowns from Victorio & Lucchino in the Grace Ormonde digital issue (which is fabulous). They look like they have taken quilling to a modern couture level and I absolutely love the lines and juxtaposition between the sheer and the lace fabrics.

To Do... Make Felt Cookies

I have been meaning to go to the store and buy some cardstock to make up a chore list for my kids. It can't hurt right? Partly because I walk everywhere and the trip downtown is somewhat of a luge run of ice, but also because a plain old list of chores and stars (as much as my kids ADORE stickers) just doesn't seem awesome enough to get my kids' butts in gear, I have been procrastinating. HA! Imagine, if I can't even MAKE the chore list, what kind of example am I setting for them to pick up their toys??? LOL, anyway, I digress...

Today my inbox had the PERFECT solution for me. Thank goodness I didn't spend that five bucks on paper and star stickers! Urban Threads, which is where I get my favourite embroidery patterns from, has a tutorial posted for THIS:

Brilliant, I know, right? I love the way Niamh and the other UT girls think. They make everything fun, and even if you don't own an embroidery machine, you can still make a version of this for your own little rascals. I really think this just might do the trick. We painted their room a bit ago and have built a loft bed into the space and I love how it is coming together, I just can't see the floor. Ever. So this is being done this weekend. Promise.

And since we are on a monster kick, if you're feeling crafty, you could head over here to vote for your fave monster from their readers projects. I adore the zombie bunny :)

Snow Bunny

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

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!