Quilt is Finished

A couple of years ago, I had made the decision to try something or accomplish something new each year. A sort of bucket list if you will. But being that I'm not really the "jump out of a plane" or "bungee jumping" kinda girl, you shouldn't be too surprised that one of the items on my list was to "make a quilt" - so adventurous I know!

If you read this blog a few years ago, you would know that I got a really great start on this goal. I bought and cut all the material to make a king sized quilt. I even stitched the entire top piece together. I even bought the batting and backing and started to put that on too. But all of it got sidelined when Charlie's new bed was made. I instead started another quilt for Charlie out of his old t-shirts. Of course I finished that one and was able to check "make a quilt" off my list. But for the past 3 years I've had an almost finished king sized quilt tucked away.

I knew I couldn't let this venture go the way of my "learn to knit" goal - the half of a scarf I started when I lived at home. I'm sure if I looked hard enough now I would find it in a box downstairs with the knitting needles right where I left them in 2002.

So when I moved it seemed like the perfect opportunity to decorate my room and what better jumping off point then this awesome quilt I'd started. After Christmas I dedicated a solid few nights and a weekend to finishing it. I did it! I finished this massive quilt. I watched you tube videos on how to bind the edges. I took my own creative liberty to improvise a bit in some places. I'm sure people who quilt regularly would be horrified if they looked at the back of this thing. But if you look at the top, it looks so great. It weighs approximately a thousand pounds, which I love. The colours and the textures make it interesting. There is wool and tweed and all sorts of stuff. There probably isn't one row that is straight. In fact, who knows if the quilt itself is square. All of this is besides the point. It's a homemade quilt. I'm so unbelievable proud of myself. It's a real accomplishment. Maybe because it's just a finished project? I don't know, but I'm proud. And happy. Of course I'm never going to make a quilt this big again - I'm crazy but not that crazy. I will leave the quilting to my Sister! Tackling this project gave me a whole new respect for this artform that is for sure.

It's left me thinking though about quilts. What is it that makes them so comforting? Why did I want to do this project so badly?
I think it's because they are like a story. Whether you bought all new material, or chopped up old clothes, whoever made the quilt had an idea in mind. It's not so different to a painting or any other creative outlet. The quilt tells a story. The different materials, the textures, the stitching, the colours. It is like functional artwork.

My Mom has two quilts that I adore. One she has had as long as I remember. It is so colourful and it reminds me of her Mom - my Grandma Newton. It's heavy. It's abstract. It's satin and velvet and corduroy with beautiful hand-stitching. I can't remember who made it, but I feel like it might have been someone I would get along with really well! In fact, that quilt inspired my Mom and I to make a quilt back when I was teenager. I still have that one too.

The second quilt she received a few years ago from her co-workers who as a group, made it for her. They gave it to her to celebrate becoming a Grandma when Charlie was born. How cool is that? This same group of ladies has done the same thing for others in the group as more little ones were born. There's a story! Each of them sewed a section and the whole thing gets brought together at the end in a beautiful quilt. This one happens to be of water and trees and it is stunning. Way to go Ladies of the Ridge!

Now that I'm writing I also remember the quilt on my bed a kid. It was mostly pink and white. It had a large circle pattern in it and the pieces of material were pie shaped. I remember spending nights falling asleep trying to find all the pieces of the same material. Or the one piece that had actually started to come apart at the seam, I would always stick my finger in it. I know someone had made that for me. I just cannot remember who.

Maybe it's all these memories that made me want to make a quilt of my own so badly.
In any case, here are some pictures of it. High five to me! It feels so good to have this done. Now to finish the rest of the room!

Finished King Size Quilt and Shams!

Putting Yourself Out There

So, 2015. Quite the year. Personally I couldn't wait for it to be over. Not be over in a my life sucks kinda way, but in a new year, fresh start, clear slate kinda way. I have been saying this past year was more a "trip" then a journey, so fingers crossed 2016 marks the start of the journey.

There is one last event from 2015 though that I would like to write about before we get this year kicked into full gear. For the past 5 years I have been an Artist on the Midhurst Arts and Crafts Home Tour. This year, for the first time, I was a guest artist in someone else's home instead of displaying in my own home. I was worried people wouldn't remember me because of this change up. And I was worried that people would remember me and have questions as to why I'm wasn't in my home anymore.

I live in small community where everyone knows everything. I was scared to be part of this show and stand alone as a guest on a tour I've been a part of for so many years in a community I grew up in. Knowing that everyone knows I'm not in my old house because I'm separated. Feeling like people don't know what to say or worry they put their foot in their mouth while talking to me about the change in location. This wasn't the weekend I wanted to spend talking about my personal life to strangers, but it's also the exact thing that you sign up for at an Art show. It's not just your work that sits out for people to look at, it's you. You've put a piece of yourself out there. And people want to know your story. The story could be the very reason they connect to your work. So you stand there, totally vulnerable - a word that keeps coming up for me lately - being judged, hoping people like you and your hard work. Work that is a direct reflection of me, what I represent, what I believe, where I've been, how I see things. But a funny thing happens when you put yourself out there. Support. Support of a group of artists that are now friends. Support of friends and family who make the effort to come by and say hello. Support of those who can't make it and send their love. Support of total strangers who come year after year to find me and ask how I am and how my son is.

As Artists, we are constantly vulnerable. Always putting ourselves out there. It's all subjective. My stuff isn't for everyone and I don't like everything. That's what is cool about it. But you've gotta own it. I work hard on my line of arts and crafts. Everything I make is an extension of me. When you buy something of mine, you are taking a little piece of my energy with you. If I'm selling it, it's something I'm proud of. So it is a very vulnerable state to stand beside your work and hope to God people respond to it. You put yourself out there professionally AND personally. In the creative world, you can't do one without the other. So when people do react, it's such a rush. In that moment you know you're not crazy (well, maybe a little bit), and you're proud of yourself. Watching people smile and connect with my stuff is so incredible.

I am so grateful to all my family and friends, to the group of artists and crafters on this tour, to this community and to the people I don't know, that all come out and send their support to myself and all the other incredible artists on these occasions.

What do I take away from "putting myself out there"? That it might be scary, but it's so very rewarding. I'm trying to embrace the vulnerability that I'm so accepting of in my creative career and apply the same confidence in other areas of my life. So Cheers 2016. Lets do this!

Paper Chains

Well, my first Christmas alone, or "single" as I guess they might say and it was my Son's first Christmas with myself and his Dad apart. This meant new everything to him. Routine and traditions up until now were questionable and it seemed to me like a good time to switch it up a bit. I was really stressed out about this for a long time. More then I could probably admit. I was worried about him, but I guess I was also pretty worried about me. What do I continue to do? Should I take this opportunity to change things? Would I upset Charlie if I changed anything?

The other thing for me, was that it's been a pretty strange month and half, and a tough year all around really. I was kinda faking my Christmas spirit this year. That's not like me. I was going through the motions if you will. I have about 4 rubbermaid bins of decorations, 2 trees, a box of garland and a bunch of items that don't fit in bins and none of that includes ornaments, lights, wreaths and seasonal towels/linens. I got my trees up. That felt good. There were a few little decorations I put out as I thought of them but I just didn't feel like trying to figure out where to put anything. I had no energy and I had no desire to dig through bins of memories.

But Charlie, being the incredible spirit that he is, inspired me. Kids will do that to you in strangest ways and this one never ceases to amaze me. We were out shopping when he started talking about decorations. It hit home as I realized that beyond the trees, I hadn't made very much of an effort to embrace the season thus far. And like I said, he is 6, prime Christmas age. We watched "Elf" that night and I just love the scene when they wake up in the morning and there are paper snowflakes everywhere. It's breathtaking. I said to Charlie, we should do that. His eyes sparkled. I knew this was going to get us in the spirit.

And so we went to work. Because we were hosting Christmas dinner, we decided to make the dining room the most festive place to be. We cut strips of coloured paper and spent a few nights stapling chains together. We had to stash the chains away in the closet some nights when we knew Grandma and Grandpa were coming over so they didn't see everything before it was ready. Then, the weekend before Christmas, we started to hang them. It looked incredible. I wanted paper snowflakes too but we ran out of time. That was until my friend Michelle (AKA Edward Scissor Hands), came over on Christmas Eve and helped make it a reality.

It looked spectacular. In fact it's still up because I can't bear to take it down.

I think what makes me so happy with this is the simplicity. This is what I wanted - what I needed really. Colour. Fun. Whimsy. Love. Creative. Spirit. Energy. Simple. It makes me smile. My tiny house is very quickly becoming quite the little home. This is the energy that I hope to continue to invite in 2016. Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year. 

And a shout out to Michelle (and Kim cause if she was here she would have helped) for helping me with the snowflakes. Eddie Freak n' Roid Paper Snowflake Manufacturers. Est. 2012. I just realized I didn't put my banner out. Ah...Memories.

Pantry Lockers

It's been a week so far in my new home. Trying to wrap my head around the chaos that is moving and unpacking. I received lots of help from family and friends and I could not be more grateful for their time and energy.

A week has gone by and while my living room is set up and my kitchen put away to livable status, it's time to really take a look at what the priorities are and start working.

Priority one is get my Son's bedroom sorted out. We have some work to do before we get to that stage though as there is some walls that need to move first so that project is on pause for the moment. My next area of gradual organization is the kitchen. Everything is put away currently, but as you live in the space, things get moved and you figure out better placement for all the stuff.

I lost a big amount of pantry space in this move, so I have an idea to gain some of that back. I managed to score these really cool lockers from where I work - thanks Dave (yeah, the guy who inspired my fish desk), for dropping them off. It was a year ago, but I finally have an idea for them!

They are going to become my pantry. Well, some of it - not everything will fit in the shelves but it is going to be perfect for cans, spices, baking needs, even seasonal dishes and table linens.

Now these lockers were pretty gross. My Mom and Dad have laughed at me and I'm sure even talked behind my back occasionally to express their confusion over my interior decorating choices. But I spent the weekend scrubbing and cleaning them and prepping them for a fresh coat of paint. The lockers used to be typical beige, and somewhere along the line in the screen-printing department at work, they painted them red. I like the red. However, it needs a do over.

I would never admit defeat to my parents though (or anyone else for that matter) if my parents are right and these lockers are a terrible idea for my kitchen. The worst case scenario, is that I have a nicely cleaned and freshly painted set of lockers in my garage. For, you know... garage stuff.

So here is how they look now after a good cleaning - which yes, I will do again once they are in place. And as usual, stay tuned so more pics of this complete project. Hopefully they're done sooner then later (my Montreal Chicken Spice needs a home).

Charlie's Desk

So the Summer is here and I have a now turned Senior Kindergarten at home for the summer. Of course the report cards come home from school in June telling parents and kids alike to keep up the good work over the Summer. Keep reading and writing and practicing you sight words. I had been thinking long and hard about what we would do with Charlie this Summer to keep him thinking about these skills, but not come across as work or indoor time, or... school. He is only 5 for goodness sakes. So it hit me one day when he found a feather. "Can I have it for my collection, Mom?" Sure. I don't know where these collection all go (except for the rock one that has started onto a second window ledge). This feather though, he was going to write about. In a journal. It's perfect. He loves to talk about what he did each day, so this Summer, he can record it. Glue in pictures and "collections". And along the way, practice writing and letters. So, that's what we are doing.

I got him a book to write in, well, I had a Smash book that I only used one page of, so now it's his. I took him out to get some special tape so he can stick his treasures in it and a new pencil sharpener. He has a pencil box he loaded with everything. Perfect. Except, one day it's at the kitchen table. The next it's on the coffee table. The next it's somewhere else. He needed a place to work that I wasn't constantly nagging him to clean it all up. I took to Pinterest, got an idea, then to Kijiji and by the end of the week, we were the proud owners of a kids desk and chair for $20. Sweet. And we had a project for the weekend.

First stop, Home Hardware for black paint. Which I usually have as a staple, but was out of. Second stop, the antique store for some old comic books.

Kids Desk and Chair we bought.

Comic Books

Charlie painting the new knobs. He chose blue.

Desk painted Black with two coats of varnish.

Finished Desk. Mod Podge the comic books to the top.

Top of desk.

We gave the desk a good sanding, it was missing a knob, so we picked up 4 new knobs as well. Painted it two coats of  Black Beautitone Cabinet and Furniture paint. Charlie wanted to paint the knobs blue, we just used craft paint for that. Hit some corners and edges with sandpaper to give it a worn look.

Next, we cut up the comic books into small pieces. We found these really great Looney Tunes comic books for a $1 each at the antiques store. Charlie loves Spiderman, but they didn't have those, and I was trying to do this cheaply, so I didn't want to get new ones. Plus, this faded newsprint colour is awesome! We lucked out and found a Wile E. Coyote comic which is Charlie favourite Looney Tunes charter as well as Daffy Duck featured as a Fireman in another book which was also fitting. We chopped them up and used Mod Podge to stick them all over the top. We did the edges first, then the flat surface on the top. Once we were done, I coated the entire top in one good layer of Mod Podge.

Finally, the entire desk and chair was coated the whole thing in three coats of Varathane.

We moved it into Charlie's room and it's perfect. He loves it and immediately filled all the drawers and got started working on his journal. It's been a great spot for him to sit and work, and keep all his stuff.

Happy Summer!

Fabric Design

It's been a busy Spring! Actually I have been working on lots of Graphic Design stuff which has been kinda nice for a change. Some wedding invites, 60th Birthday invites, Baby Showers, Movie Wedding Posters. Quite the selection I must say. I also did a show that I will post about later for the Midhurst Rate Payers.
For right now though, I wanted to get this pic up as now that the wedding has passed, I can post it and know I won't ruin my gift to the happy couple.
Last year I discovered this website called Spoonflower. A super cool site that you can upload your own graphics too and then they print you design on the fabric of your choice and mail it to you. I have too many ideas in my head for this amazing service so I just kinda panicked and didn't do anything with it.
Then, this past winter, our neighbours were planning their wedding. When they asked if I could give them a hand with some of the invitation stuff, I was pumped. It has been a while since I had worked on wedding invites and I forgot how much fun they are. Especially since the invention of Pinterest! Catherine and Mike (the Bride and Groom), had this kind of rustic, outdoor, classy thing going for their theme. In my looking around trying to design their invites, I found this image of a tree. It was too cartoon-y for a wedding invite, but I saved it because I loved the image.
As the wedding approached, I found the image and remembered the fabric printing. I could make a pillow! What a cool thing and I thought they would appreciate the connection to the wedding theme. It turned out amazingly well I think.

Front of Pillow

Back of Pillow

Because of the size of the design and size of material I ordered, there was half of another print. So I cut out the Catherine & Mike heart and stitched it on the back of the pillow. The pillow has no zipper because I don't know that I'm advanced enough sewer to attempt zippers. The back is a different fabric that I found that matched the design. So there are two pieces that overlap on the back making it easy to remove the cover and wash.

So, if you are creative and like to sew, check out this Spoonflower site. So cool!

Cottage Signs and Memories

Anyone who has ever owned or been too a cottage knows those trees you find all along the long winding cottage roads. You know the ones that have all the cottage owners last names painted or burned or scrolled into them?

I have memories of going to a close family friends cottage all the time as kids. In fact, I just talked to one of them the other week and we were remembering the time our family arrived and we gave them a sign for their cottage. There is actually a photo of all us on the driveway from that day. It was before digital cameras or else I would post it. I remember my Dad routing "The Kirks of Sandlake" into a piece of pine. I also remember the smell. I love the smell of woodworking. So many great memories of that cottage and the wonderful time spent their.

Well, we were invited to cottage recently this summer. A cottage that we know our friends have been working away at for over a year and bit now. We have been so excited to finally make the venture there and see all their hard work. So, my thought was that they probably needed a sign. My second thought was that between the two of them, they might be some of the most handy and creative people we know, so they probably already have one.

What could I do for them???? Well they have a nice big black truck that their kids so cleverly gave a name too. What Dad could say "No" when his beloved daughter suggests Princess Unicorn for a name of his rugged work truck? Hahaha. And the idea was born. I just hoped no one had thought to give them a Princess Unicorn Parking Only sign before me!! It's the perfect cottage-warming gift.

I found a nice piece of pine and dusted off my old wood burning kit and got to work (it smelled so good). I think it turned out pretty cool. A bunch of clear coats and it was all ready to go.

In the end, they loved the sign. We had a perfect weekend at their cottage and it's a place we hope to visit again soon. After all, I want Charlie to have the same memories of summer that I do. Swimming, laughing, fishing, running barefoot down the rocks to the water and of course, great company.

Cheers to memories!