Shrimp or Dragon?

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...

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

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!

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

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!

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...

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