East Van Skateboarding talent

While we're away, I thought I would share one of the skate videos that Dean's van full of skaters (ages 13-19, plus 2 adult leaders) created while they were at 'Roadrage' Skate Camp last week.  Dean (my husband) has been running a skateboard club for teens in East Van for about 12 years now and also heads up a camp that's been happening for about 15 years.  At first the SkateCamp was at a regular summer camp, but they would build ramps for the kids to skate for the week.  The past few years they've done a road-trip style SkateCamp, where they've met with Skate Clubs from all over Western Canada in the Okanagan for an 'Amazing Race' style trip for Skateboarders, with a manifest that they had to fill out by landing tricks at certain spots etc.  This year each van had to film a skate video throughout the week and then they rented out a theatre to watch the videos, with the best video winning a 'van-full' of skate product (with 2nd & 3rd place also winning prizes too!).  So bear with me and check the video out- it's not just a bunch of skate tricks.  By the way, they one first place :)!

Summer

I'm back after taking a few days of an un-announced 'blog break'.  We had a busy weekend- going to a wedding, finding a new Candy shop, cheering for Spain at the World cup, and me spending more time in the studio on a weekend than I would like. (That's what I get for letting my galleries know that I will be away for most of the month of August.) I did get to enjoy a couple of home-made Mojitos with fresh mint from the garden. Mmmm.
July is complicated- Dean runs his huge Skateboard 'amazing race' style camp late July/early August, so he is knee deep in Skate Camp prep.  And the boys are home full-time.  They are in a morning camp this week- it's a community camp that I've often helped out with a little girl who has special needs (my former career).  I really enjoy helping out and this year didn't have the heart to not do it because things were too busy at the studio, so that's where I am this week in the mornings. Needless to say I'm spending every evening at the studio until around midnight finishing off all the orders that will have to go out before we leave on August 6th for holidays.  We'll be doing the usual for holidays this year- heading to Vernon and the Island, but this year, to celebrate a big wedding anniversary, Dean and I are planning a train trip to Portland.  So I'll be in and out here this week with some news and links - thanks for hanging in there with me:)
 

Mid-Summer Checklist

We've had a complete heat-wave hit our normally mild West-Coast climate and it's really taken a hit on my energy level this past week! I think it's normally pretty hard to work during the summer; when the weather is so balmy and beautiful, all I want to do is hang out with the boys at the beach or the river.
I've started keeping seasonal checklists for myself to attempt to keep some balance in my life. I've put a list on the sidebar of this blog (just scroll down) to remind myself to enjoy each season and to make goals that aren't just 'work related'. This week I was able to check a few things off that list- namely going to the Theatre with the boys, and making strawberry jam! I had high hopes for those apricots (photo above), to make some sort of apricot tart or something, but they all just got eaten fresh!
On the studio front I was finally able to list a few of my tile frames (photo #1) on Etsy this week, only to have 8 of the 9 sell within 2 days of listing them. Wow! I had no idea they would be such a hit. Etsy gave me a little love this past week (photo #2) and my ginko leaf mugs got on the front page so that was nice. And my Ginko Teapot made it to Poppytalk's front page with some wonderful reasons to buy hand-made! The 70 reasons to buy hand made has been a great list, not only as incentive for me to further buy hand-made, but also as more reasons to keep making handmade!
I'm off to the Island this weekend to visit with my sister and then it's back here for another week until we are off on vacation. I'm on my own with the boys this week as Dean is leaving tomorrow on his big Roadrage Skateboard tour across the Okanagan with 150 teenage skaters. I'm always extremely thankful when they all get home in one piece!
Have a great BC Day long weekend everyone!

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day! These photos were taken from last-year's Canada Day parade and this year my camera is up in Yellowknife with Dean, who happens to be in the Canada Day Parade up there LOL! He's up their setting up youth work with skateboarders along with a crew of guys from all over and they got invited to be part of the parade! So, 'from far and wide, Oh Canada'!