The holidays are just around the corner...

The best thing about fall is that Christmas is just around the corner :) We were in ikea this weekend (returning my fabulous outoor chaise lounge that broke when I sat upon it this summer) (okay okay, yes I know I promised to lose 10 pounds sometime back in January, but most of the year has passed and I think that I GAINED 10 pounds) Anyway.... back to ikea. The Christmas stuff is all there!!!! I have seen Christmas trees! That means I am allowed to sing Christmas songs. Lauren says that I can't sing the Christmas songs until winter. But, I said, that isn't until December 21. That's my point, she said. Scrooge. And there have been adverts (that's what the brit hubby calls them, he's been wearing off on me) on the telly for some holiday movies that will be coming out in November!!!Woo hoo!
Now I can put up these! (I got them after Christmas last year) you can get yours at sugar*sugarfa la la la la......

Do you see owls or do you see flowers?

Have you read The Owl Service by Alan Garner? It is a fantastic book! (the plate above is actually owned by Alan Garner)I read it when I was quite young -- maybe 10 (Too young but I was a voracious reader and my aunt was a children's librarian and my great aunt loved to read and sent me many books) and have read it many many times since. So, what's the problem? It made me dislike owls. They have always creeped me out. So when owls started showing up in the design world a few years ago, I completely ignored them. Little by little they have flown -- or hopped into my life lately. Jacky makes some darling little owls, so I thought that I'd try......
These owls make me happy -- like Wol in Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat -- a book with really fun owls, not scary ones :). Or the adorable little owls in the picture book Owl Babies!

Oh, man, where did summer go?

Well, at least the summer has been nice this weekend. We went to the Queen west art crawl and hung out at 2 different art fairs.

I actually set up my studio this weekend! The walls are painted and I just have to paint one more set of shelves and it will be done. Yay! finally! It's about half of the basement -- so it's about 12 feet by 25 feet. It was a kitchen so it has a sink and an exhaust fan -- and some cupboards. I'll take some pictures when I have the final shelves done. Right now, it's just piled with boxes -- on the high and dry side of the room!

I made a piece of house art for Sandee's book. She plans to join them all together, accordian style and set them up on a table or shelf. I like the front side (top pic)better than the back. The back is a bit busy, Oh well.... she said that she likes rusty bits! It's very sturdy -- 2 pieces of watercolour paper sewn together.

Pogie Night

What the heck are Pogies, you may be asking? Well, they are mitten like things that rowers wear to keep their hands warm -- they go over your oar and your hand. Last night Lauren had friends over to make pogies from polar fleece and lots of trims. Lauren is so creative, and so are her friends. This is what they came up with! They are all competing today in London (Ontario) Good luck girls! I Love your pogies! You will be the talk of the races!!! These were all sewn on my Bernina!!! My machine came back from the Bernina Head Offices this week -- and seems to be running perfectly -- thank you to "Jay R" who was the repair person on my machine. And a SUPER HUGE BIG THANKS to Karyn who owns The Workroom a super fun sewing store down the street from me (Queen Street West at Brock). Karyn sent my machine in for me, when I was in tears because it was back so many times to the other repair place. Karyn's store has the best quilting fabric ever -- everything that I need in one place -- AND you can use the sewing machines and sergers and pay by the hour to use them. AND she has button machines that you can use too! (pin kind of buttons). Check out her blog -- make something -- it's a great one!

Making old things new again

A few years ago (3 or 4?) I participated in a swap in the Altered Art Obsession Yahoo group. It was a "True Colors 4x4 Swap" . You had to make 9 4x4s, each in a colour that each participant wanted. My colour was chartreuse. The hostess then drilled holes in the corners of each 4x4 and strung them together to make a wall hanging for each participant. I loved the idea, but it never hung properly. Last week I bought a 16x16 canvas and painted it green, then stuck the 4x4s on it. I love it! Each square has holes in the corners, but I don't mind it at all. I made the square in the top left corner. I don't work in this style at all any more, in fact it kind of makes me cringe, but it seems to work in the overall piece.

It's hung in my kitchen now. Yay! I'm FINALLY hanging some art! This is the kind of swap that I like. One that I can somehow join everyone's piece and make a cohesive whole. A collaboration.

Speaking of collaborations -- I've been published in Belle Armoire Jewellery! There are some pieces from Ruth and Kelly's book A Charming Exchange in it and 2 of my charms are on them.
Head on over to the Charming Exchange blog for a great giveaway and a fun how to video with Kristen Robinson and Ruth Rae. In October there will be an auction of many of the pieces of jewelry in the book with the proceeds going to Breat Cancer Research. For more information on the auction, go to the Charming Exchange blog. I'll remind everyone again when the date gets closer!

What a fabulous weekend!

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, we visited Riverdale Farm !!!And took a walk through the park -- isn't this red dragonfly beautiful? (click on this photo -- it looks REALLY cool blown up)
And we went to the Cabbagetown ArtFestival !!!!! I bought a small work from Danielle Hession . It was hard to photograph because it has a resin coating on it -- it's about 6x8"A few years ago at The Toronto Outdoor Art Show I bought one of her inspiration kits.
Danielle was featured in Somerset Studio this month. I love her work -- I wish that I could afford one of her huge mixed media works to go above my bed! She's at the Queen West Art Crawl next weekend -- exhibiting in Trinity Bellwoods Park (Toronto) on Saturday Sept 19 and Sunday Sept 20 11am-6pm. My friend Stacy Cameron will be there too! Stacy makes fabulous jewelry from silver and copper. See you there!!