cedarseven

well

2008-03-14T10:11:00.004-07:00

possibly my most favourite photo ever. even though it was taken at night with the icky flash on. henry is just so funny. his personality is coming out more and more. here he looks like a drunk aunt!!!

i now have artwork available in halifax at love, me boutique. yah!

six months

2008-03-03T10:28:00.003-08:00

well the time sure has flown by.
my little hen is already rounding the half year mark.
he is turning into the funniest little boy. h's favourite thing to do is blow bubbles in my face, and just walk around looking at things. well, i walk, he looks. i can't wait to hear his first words, right now his coos are sounding very sweet.

the last six months have been a blur...i need to sit down and make a list of all that i managed to do so that i can reflect and move on to my next adventure. that next adventure being...
a show in vancouver!, yah! i'm very excited about this, as soon as i know more i'll post here.

so here's to finding a little time to blog again...i've missed you all that visit,
see you soon.

all about wombs...

2007-08-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

there are only a few weeks left in my pregnancy and i'm busy now thinking about the labour. too busy it seems for this blog, so i think it'll remain quiet until after the baby arrives. it's part of simplifying, i'll be over at flickr, because that is easy for me right now.

the two drawings above entitled "womb full" and "womb empty" are in a huge group show at this gallery in toronto, ontario. if you live there please visit.

i'm back, well sort of...

2007-07-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

i didn't really mean to be away for so long but i guess i needed it. we spent our time camping in a really beautiful place, fixing up oliver's room, and i have been drawing like a madwoman. i have 2 months to go before our baby number two arrives and i'm a little stunned at how quickly this pregnancy went compared to oliver.

i'm going away on a super exciting getaway for the next couple of days, but i'm sure i'll have lots of photos to share when i get back.

have a good week. ps thank you to irene at bloesem and jan at poppytalk for the lovely mentions of my work. i just love their sites.

spring cleaning

2007-03-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

is there nothing sweeter than the smell of jasmine on a spring day?

i'm going to take some time away from this blog to update my website, it's a much needed overhaul! i'm also going to be outside as much as humanly possible.
here are some things that are rocking my boat right now...

kelly's print
great lake swimmers (i'm hoping to see them play in april)
martha's handmade buttons (yes, handmade!, she's incredible)
a japanese vine called akebia, i bought it for the garden,
but now i'm thinking i'll put it off the bedroom balcony,
how lovely would it be to look out the window from bed and
see the vine covered balcony.

green gardens

2007-03-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

we finished building our eight foot boxes for our small garden yesterday. now the fun part, choosing seeds. i know no matter what we have to have peas. there is nothing like shelling fresh peas from the pod. when i was little i would sit in my parents garden and eat all the peas. they never made it into the house.

have a peek at sew green today, it's my first post! let me know what you think. happy monday to everyone, i'll be in search of some sunny skies today.

wet, and windy

2007-03-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

well, the littlest member of my family is down for the count with the stomach flu. my weekend is going to entail many loads of washing and helping Oliver feel better.

the response to sew green blog has been heartwarming. i hope you check in regularly. i'll be posting my first post on monday, wish me luck! thank you to everyone who has contacted me to say hello. i love meeting new people. don't be shy, drop me a line.

i'm honoured to be on irene's bloesom blog today. her blog is terrific. i really want to go to amsterdam thanks to her guide.

lastly, i have a new print called "abietina", it's from a new series called "the weeds below" you can view it here.

sew green

2007-03-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

i am excited to tell you about a new blog that i am very happy to be a contributor of. it is called sew green and its a group of talented women that want to collaborate on a blog with an environmental focus. it launched today, so stay tuned for all that we hope to bring you. go take a peek here.

i am working on some new cards, i hope to have something to show by the end of the week. i'll post pictures when they are presentable.

beautiful use

2007-03-10T20:02:00.000-08:00

i was very excited to receive my package from alison of six and a half stiches.her taste is so lovely and refined, and everything was packaged so lovely. my little one, oliver always races me to the door when the mail is delivered. i had to hide the gorgeous chocolate from him. there are so many sweet things, i think my favourite though is the tiny wee matchbox that inside contains seedpods and buttons.
thank you alison, i cherish it all!
you can see more of the beautiful use swap here.

i'll be back on monday with a very exciting new project to tell you about.
have a great weekend.

be back soon...

2007-02-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

i'm going over to the island again for awhile. it's my mum's birthday and my friend c. is having an art show opening that i'm very excited to see. i may or may not be connected to the internet, we will see. my new camera should be arriving today. yippee!

until then,
i'm smitten with this blog, lichenology, i've read all the archives, and it's so inspiring.
nikki mcclure's new art show at needles and pens.
i wish i could see this, also i missed tara jane o'neil here too.

i'll be around flickr, i hope. blogger doesn't seem to like my pictures today.

oh the sun, where have you been?

2007-01-26T08:44:00.000-08:00

i'm in love with this product designer, mara skujeniece, found via bloesem blog.
i love the tableware and the "leftover spoons." gorgeous.

it's going to be sunny for an unheard of 5 days in a row. i can't tell you how excited i am by this. i'm going to take oliver beside the ocean every day.

seed tree

2007-01-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

tiny 4" x 6" drawing from my moleskine.

how much do i love oliver

2007-01-19T08:17:00.000-08:00

well of course alot. more each day it seems, our camera is broken so this pic is one from the archives.

i've decided oliver is going to be a comedian when he grows up. he keeps me laughing all day. yesterday we were in the post office and there were two women behind the counter. when we were leaving he yelled "bye lady." he doesn't understand plural yet. then sometimes i go to a coffee drive-through when we are out and about, there is a young punk rocker working at the one we go to and he has long bleached blond hair. so oliver yells as we are driving away "thank you lady!" poor guy, he always looks so confused.

we co-sleep, and lately he's wide-awake before me, especially if he hears daddy getting ready for work. every morning he wakes me up with a sentence like " mummy, pie gramma's house!" we still really don't know what that means. my husband told me when he's reading him his bedtime stories, in the alphabet book, when they come to g for giraffe, daddy says g, and oliver says "tall." that makes me laugh to no end.

anyway i wanted to share the funny times that go on around here. i'll try and post more drawings soon. i have to bust out the scanner, since the camera is dead. i've been super busy with a wholesale order to studio 16 1/2 in victoria. there is a big arts festival called theMake that starts tomorrow so if you happen to be in vic you should check it out.

listening to die kreuzen. oh yeah.

snow day, again...

2007-01-10T08:57:00.000-08:00

we woke up to snow again. i'm getting tired of this weather. where is our mild west coast weather. i'm tired of all the trees falling over also. poor things.

the above is a page from one of my inspiration journals. when i was reading this months dwell and the story on the felter, claudy jongstra, i had a feeling i had seen her before. i've had these pics above of her work for a few years now. they inspire me to no end. just look at that wedding dress with the red crane... god, it's so good.

the dwell magazine is a pretty good read, but i have to say, i could give a better architectural tour of vancouver then that. i do however agree the museum of anthropology is arthur erikson's best work. the way the building is sited on the land overlooking the pacific, the feeling you get just being inside... it's amazing. as for the rest, i don't know anyone here in vancouver that are proud of those glass towers that litter the downtown, and block the views of the mountains. maybe if they took care in the planning stages of development to really know how they would impact the neighbourhood, like the excellent dockside green in victoria. that's the way to develop.

i had decided to only post once a week, on sundays, and i've already broken my rule.
i'm going to try and stay quiet until then.
here is a drawing from a weekly series i'm doing. i'll show you the next on sunday. have a good week.

a new year

2007-01-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

i try not to make hard and fast resolutions, but for the upcoming year there are things that i know for sure.

we will move to the island
i will paint again
we will give away a lot of stuff that clutters our lives
i want to swim more with oliver
i will have a few shows in the uk
we will be so much closer to building our sustainable home
i will spend most of my spare time with my sisters and my mum
making up for lost time
more time for simple living, and the beauty in the everyday
i will spend everyday near the ocean...

inconvenient weather

2006-12-21T08:26:00.000-08:00

i finally got around to watching al gore's an inconvenient truth last night. it was like a horror movie. most of it was not new to me, all that statistical data was sobering nevertheless. a few of the shocking things for me, the lake in africa that had already dried up,was a sad sight. the fact that even antartica is losing it's mass is really scary. of course locally we are feeling the effects of global warming for sure. weird weather for the coast. we had our second storm in less than a week last night, i'm sure it did some damage to communities along the water.
what can we do, well besides the obvious, sell the suv!, we can write our current government, shudder, i know it's not an easy thought communicating with those people. i'm no fan of our current environmental minister, rona ambrose, she's about to be sacked any second now, i for one can't wait. let's all send her a best wishes letter, a sort of "don't let the door slam you on the way out!"

light and dark

2006-12-13T22:06:00.000-08:00

i'm still recovering from last week. it's been a roller coaster of emotions for me. at the beginning losing our friend.
then oliver turned two. we were very excited. as it fell in the middle of the week we had his party on the weekend with his little peeps. on the actually day of his birthday i tried really hard to ply him with treats. i tried giving him cupcakes but he took a tiny small bite and refused the rest. he really can't be a son of mine, to refuse chocolate, the horror! his party was fun, he wanted sweet potatoe fries, his favourite.
then, the kims, it's all i could think about for days, (and nights.) the above photo is of the package i sent 3 prints, a raccoon, a fox sparrow, and a horse, wrapped in the nicest paper i have. i hope it arrived in time.

i'm overwhelmed...

2006-12-07T19:24:00.000-08:00

there is so much loss around. my partner james and i lost a friend to a hit and run accident. he was only 33, a father, a brother, a son, and quite a talented musician. it's so sad.
then i hear about this loss and it's just so overwhelming.
i'm planning on sending something to the gift basket. a bird in the hand and little birds are also planning something that will be announced soon on their blogs. please check there sites if you would like to contribute.
i'm going to back to my drawings, it's that kind of work i take solace in, and i'll make sure to hug and kiss my family and friends every possible chance i get.
i hope you are all well...

well,

2006-11-28T18:10:00.000-08:00

i'm back. it feels like i've been away for a year.
i have been working and working, now most of it is done and i'm exhausted.
last weekend i took part in two different craft fairs. i enjoyed them both, and learned alot from each. it was nice meeting people and connecting with them through my artwork. i went to vancouver island and saw bonnie prince billy play such a glorious show, in a former church. i've seen him many times, and he can be, shall we say "difficult". this show i saw was in my top 5 shows ever. ohh it was good. i'll get back to reading all your blogs soon, i hope everyone is doing well.
my etsy shop will be full of new things by the end of the week.

hello and bon voyage!

2006-11-09T12:40:00.000-08:00

i'm going over to vancouver island to see two rock stars.
william jefferson clinton, and bonnie prince billy.

i'm completely swamped with up-coming craft fairs. that's
definately a good kind of swamped though. i will post more
frequently upon my return late next week.
take care.

all i can think about...

2006-10-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

yesterday i was browsing the website of nyc boutique lyell, and i can say i am in love. perfect clothes in my favourite modern, vintage-inspired, style. i checked out their stockists page and see that a store here in vancouver called the Block carries their line. how exciting, i can walk to the Block from where i live. ollie and i will have to go for a walk today and go window shopping.
if you are ever in vancouver, here are some really amazing, inspiring boutiques with forward thinking fashion.

one of a few
hunt and gather, no website yet, but here's a review
city of pula
the Block
gorgeous clothes made from eco fabric,mandula
eugene choo

more on pomengranates

2006-10-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

i'm glad you all liked the pomegranate from yesterday. pomegranates are prized in iran, egypt and indian cultures. it's an obvious symbol for fertility. it's high in fiber, vitamin c, and anti-oxidants. pomegranates remind me of my mom. she would let me peel it and take out every seed, it was usually eaten after dinner, as it also helps with digestion.

i am taking part in a art show and craft sale at a local midwifery group, called quite appropriately, pomegranate midwives. i love this idea of mother's that are artists/crafters coming together to celebrate our work. midwife's are wonderful people, don't get me started on the woman who brought ollie into this world, well besides me of course,...

our crafting night was alot of fun. i accomplished hand-stiching half of a bird. i spent half the night just staring at my fabric. i didn't want to work from a pattern so i just winged it (so to speak, sorry!...) my p busied himself with making his craft. burning dvd's for all the ladies. he's a bit of a comedienne. my friend j started knitting a complicated (to me!), 4 yarn teddy bear. i am a very basic knitter = lots of rectangles. my friend r made 5 pillows in a few short hours! must be the 2nd trimester energy she has going for her. m decided on mending some jeans she has, she did a great job, you couldn't even tell they were altered.
p decided to entertain us by showing us a video on youtube of the kids in a japanese library who are having a contest to see who can do the weirdest things while maintaining their composure. how you seen this? one guy had to eat a whole cone of wasabi. not fun. ouch.

seeds

2006-10-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

happy diwali. it seems like i was just wishing that, where does the time go?

some things making me happy:

my friend alanna and her sister's studio/gallery

this gorgeous photography by simon norfolk. click on normady beaches, the third pic in, "gold beach" leaves me speechless.

the decemberists new album the crane wife. song number three. colin's voice mixing with laura veirs is heaven.

i'm joining in with a crafter's night. yah! the first night is at my house tomorrow night. i can't wait. i think i'm going to make a few birds and do some mending. i'll let you know how i get on.

trains, trains, and more trains...

2006-10-12T23:12:00.000-07:00

we took oliver to the heritage train park on the thanksgiving weekend. it's up in squamish, near whistler. he had so much fun inspecting all the old trains. he got to ride a mini train all around the park, the conductor even let him sit in his seat. toot, toot! i really enjoy seeing the royal hudson steam train which has just been put back in service between vancouver and whistler. it's a great place to visit.

we had a vegan thanksgiving at our house. the meal turned out so well, i was too excited to take pictures. oh well, maybe next year. there was no tofurky in sight!

i'm spending my time researching for a set of drawings i hope to have completed by mid-november, possibly xmas.
i doubt i'm going to have much time for updates, possibly i'll just post photos with no text. i'm also thinking about jumping to typepad. blogger is really not doing it for me lately.
i hope everyone is well.

light at the end of the tunnel...

2006-09-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

limited edition archival prints and sewn recycled paper cards at my etsy shop.

i'm really glad i finished these, it was really satisfying crossing them off the list. let me know how you like them.
thank you to mav and grace for mentioning my work. i'm humbled for sure.

the artist is nothing without the gift,
the gift is nothing without the work...
-emile zola