There's a lovely feature about me and my work posted on the Found Paper Co. blog ! Check it out along with the Found Paper Co. etsy shop! I'm just loving this folding ruler- would be a great addition on my desk, don't you think?

Tick Tock Clock

Tick tock, apparently we need a new wall clock. Lots to choose from on Etsy... advice anyone? Which one do you like best?
1.Doily Clock by andfurthermore for $28.50
2.Blue Circle Clock by Chromalab for $75
3.Clock made from a Recycled Bicycle Wheel by Stuff Made from Stuff for $109
4.Retro Spinning Wheel Clock by Blended Splendid for $24
5. Modern Grey Wall Clock by Uncommon for $32
6.Vintage General Electric Clock by Seaside Vintage for $15
7. Striped Wall Clock by Bliss in a Teacup for $25
8.Wall Hanging Clock- Cuckoo Clock by Decoy Lab for $28

Back to School

We get an extra week of summer this year, but my head is getting into 'back to school' mode! I'm organizing my office, along with buying supplies and some new cloths for the kids. I've been doing some thrifting as of late and found these cool back-to-school items to spruce up my desk. I wasn't sure what to do with the index file, but it's been the perfect spot to hold all my cords and battery chargers!
And for more Back to School cool stuff, you ought to head over to the Poppytalk Handmade Market for an amazing selection! Sure beats standing in line at the big box store...

The Fair

We try to get to the annual PNE here in the city every couple of years with the kids and this year was great fun as our boys were older and taller, therefore able to get on a few more rides than in previous years! Although, I have to say that I can't stomach the twirly/spin type rides as much as I used to...

New ceramics on the Block!

I've really enjoyed getting to know Claire Madill recently, a 'new' ceramic artist that has her studio upstairs from mine. She graduated from Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design in 2007 from the same ceramics program I went through, but with different instruction and skills learned, she's all about slip-casting vintage items and patterns. Her new website just went up and I had to pass it along! I really love these new bottom jars: Edna, Vera & Mary, each size named after her 3 grandmothers! I've been admiring her porcelain jewelry for a while too (photo at the top) and might need to buy some closer to Christmas! She promises that her etsy shop will get stocked and open soon; in the meantime, her work is available at the Gallery of BC Ceramics in Vancouver, and Distill Gallery in Toronto!

Holiday Part 2...

Holiday part 2- Thanks to better weather and in better health, we took off last Wednesday for Vancouver Island to stay with my sister and her husband in Nanaimo. We have had so many good friends from Vancouver move to the Island lately that we spent the first 2 days visiting 3 sets of family friends in their new homes! It really is astounding the amount of land they have- big wide fields, talk of goats, chickens and livestock, these great little barns and tree houses for the kids to play in... well, needless to say, we felt a little jealous!
Back in Nanaimo, we went crab fishing with some good friends that were holidaying from Alberta, and although none of our crabs were actually big enough to keep, the mama seal and her baby that came up to the dock to say 'hi' made it all worth while in the end!

Website Up-dates...

While we were away on holidays this past week, my ceramics gallery on my website was being up-dated for me with the new photos from the last photo session! You will notice that some of the photos were 're-shoots' of work that looks similar, but the quality of photos we got this time around is really great! We took a lot longer working on the gradation of grey in the background and also bouncing light off 2 white cards (instead of just 1 or not at all) for each photo and I think the results this time around really look amazing. The photos are really crisp and the work stands out!
Thanks again Curtis and Chris (my web developper)! Now I've just got to get at it to up-date all the print/retail info and my site will be good to go for a few months again!

Home from Holiday Part 1

Well we are back from a week in Vernon, where we stayed with our good friends Marvin and Jenny and their 2 daughters that are the same ages as our boys. I'd love to tell you all that it was an amazing holiday, but to be completely honest, I was sick in bed for much of the week... Yuck. We arrived last monday and I was already feeling really tired and a bit off, but managed to make it with the family to the local farmer's market and up to SilverStar Mountain (middle image) for a hike. The fresh mountain air and wild-flowers up and down the hill were really something special to see, especially since we usually go up there in the middle of winter. I also managed to enjoy an amazing meal that Marvin made while he had his day off. From that point on I was pretty much flat out in bed for a whole day+ with a fever of a 104, the chills, the aches, an incredibly sore throat and so tired. It wasn't until friday that I finally made it to the doctor to find out that I had Strep Throat and needed to be on antibiotics. Amazingly, my boys had a great time, dispite the cloudy/wet and cold weather that was highly unusual for Vernon's usual hot and dry summer climate.
I will say that my two big highlights were going to the Value Village and finding a score of stuff- both for the boys and for myself (will share more tomorrow!), and I got to see the movie Julie & Julia! I won't spoil it for any of you who haven't gone- but I was smitten!
We are home for a couple of days and then off to Vancouver Island for the weekend... as long as no one else gets sick.

Summer Vacation!

We are off for a couple of weeks on family vacation! Since the fire in Kelowna changed our initial plans, we are heading out to stay with friends, but are bringing the tent and don't quite know where we will end up yet! Nothing like a little adventure to add to our fun. I might have a post or two in the meantime, but otherwise, I'll check back in later. Happy Summer!

Out and about...

Blog-worthy as of late.
A Plate a day: Heather Dahl
Nothing Elegant with a post on things you didn't know you needed until now.

Nesting

This lovely little family made a home in my sister's hanging basket just outside of her kitchen window. It was really neat to see both parents working together to bring these 4 little ones their food (bugs and flies!). When mom and dad were out getting bugs I was able to peek in and snap a photograph of the little birds- a rare treat to see, especially so late in the season!
Speaking of family, I've got one more night and day without my other half. Single parenting isn't my strongest suit. I much prefer to have Dean around to spell me off or to do things together with. I also miss him and am looking forward to his return. Unfortunately, our holiday plans went up in smoke the other night (quite literally). The forest fires that are currently raging near Kelowna are about 4 km away from a condo we had booked. While I'm pretty bummed about our foiled holiday plans, I feel for the residents who have had to evacuate and are sleeping in School Gyms or hotels, wondering if their homes will still be standing when they get back.

Farm & Art Tours

I had a great weekend on Vancouver Island visiting my sister's new home! One of the highlights was going on a mini farm and Art tour around the Nanaimo area. We really only got to 2 places this time around, considering that I had one sick boy to contend with, but here are the goods!

First off was an amazing Letterpress Studio and Art gallery called Strathcona Press, started by Jen Van de Pol and her partner Adrian Robertshaw, who I actually graduated from Emily Carr with- small world! It was great to connect with these two who moved from the Strathcona area in Vancouver last year to this amazing little property with a lovely house, yard, and beautiful studio! They are both full-time artists, working on a variety of projects, but fell in love with the letterpresss process, the presses, typography and printmaking along the way. The little gallery had a variety of vintage photographs with frames, lovely little drawings, letterpress prints and some Vancouver Roasted Coffee with letterpress printed labels. If you are ever on the Island, do stop by during the summer as they are open fri-sun, 3208 Hill Road, in Cedar, BC.
Then it was off to Hazelwood Herb Farm to see their garden and amazing different products that they make on the premises with the herbs they grow. From shampoo to soaps, ointments to dried herbs, this place had it all with a lovely little garden to roam around in too.

Beach

The hottest days of summer are best spent at the ocean where the cool breeze blows and there is so much to explore! Hope you are having a great August long-weekend!