meet my new friends!

so, in my last post I said that I wanted to take more pictures of my friends. well, here they are!
meet my friends Keen (mary janes)


my new friends Merrel 1 and 2





Flip and Flop






I'll try to take some human friends tomorrow....
(photos taken on my balcony!)
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ArtUnraveled

I'm off today to ArtUnraveled in Phoenix. I can't wait to see my friends!! oh, and to take the classes!

This is the lineup (a bit full, but Maija twisted my arm on a few)
Tues: Bottle Cap Beads (Melissa Manley)
Tues Evening : Dremel Applications - Thomas Ashman
Wed: Wood collage Totems (Karen Michel)(
Thurs: Monoprinting on Fabric (Jane Lafazio)
Fri: Sketching and Watercolour for Journals - Pinecones and Pods (Jane Lafazio)
Friday Night : Creativity Exposed (Ruth Rae)
Sun -:Word of Inspiration (Diane Cook)
Mon: A Day to Dye For (Lorri Scott) (actually, Lorri can't travel, so Glennis ? is teaching)
Mon Night: Party Animal (Olivia Thomas)

These are the dear friends who I CAN'T WAIT to see

Maija:

Ruth:Joanne (who only lives down the highway a bit in Michigan, but I see her more often in Arizona :)

My goal this year?? To take more pictures of my friends!

Finally, some new work!

I've been making these collaged pouches. I really enjoy free motion stitching!

Andy had a haircut

Isn't his lion tail cute?

(Ray cut his hair -- it's a zillion degrees here, so we're all a bit hot)

Yard Sale finds

Well, I've not been making much art, but I have found some interesting things at yard sales!
What do you think of this hole punch? I pretend that it is an electricity switch and every time I turn it on, Mr B shivers in convulsions. heeheehee. It takes so little to amuse us...

First you set the gauge to the width of the paper (it is 6" -- see the 6 in the little window?)

Then you slide the paper in and press

2 perfectly spaced holes punched every time!


Yes, so little to amuse me.... Hey, it was only 50 cents! Now I need to find some kind of project that uses lots of 2 hole punched cardstock......

Hot

Well, I'm back from the cool north (thanks, D&D!)

I don't complain about the heat very often but the heat here is almost unbearable (I'm a heat lover -- I'm almost always cold). I'm puttering around -- organizing, but not really feeling much like being creative. I'm having a yard sale on Saturday. Lots of junk to sell. Sorry, junque to sell..... so I'm doing a lot of sorting.

How hot is it? -- well, today will be 37c -- that's 97f!!! and with the humidity taken into account, it will be over 47c -- that's 117f! YIKES. And I have no AC. I do have fans though.

Off now to the cool basement -- to organize my Christmas ornaments, then to organize the studio. Mostly because I need the large work table for my yard sale :)

Relaxing

This has been the best week ever! look where I am!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Finally, summer!

I made some thank you cards. They are a bit simple -- but very effective, I think :) The photo is a bit blown out due to the brilliant sunshine that we've been having lately!

Happy Canada Day!

If it's Canada Day, I'm on the island! (That would be Centre Island in Toronto).

The Dominion Day Regatta is held here annually and we go every year to watch Lauren row. Tomorrow she rows in London. Hey! I've turned into a hockey mom! Go Lauren!

Eliza Doolittle

Isn't she so cute?



I bought her album earlier this year (I actually preordered it -- I never do that) -- it's a favourite. I love the song "Skinny Genes" too -- but I don't like the video so much.

(only a week left of school -- I'm super busy with year-end stuff so no time for art! But soon, soon!)

camper love

I just love vintage campers. How ironic for someone who doesn't even have a driving license. But I'd love to have one parked on some land somewhere and then go and visit it on weekends. Like a cabin :) (how I would get there is another story --- I'm sure that Mr. B would want to be part of this dream)(really, truly -- that wasn't sarcastic -- he has a strong sense of adventure)

Anyway -- have you heard of Sisters on the Fly? It is a group of women (nearly 1,000) from around the U.S. who own and restore vintage camping trailers. Your should see their gallery! Of course I'm pinning them to my pinterest board -- Camper Love.

This one is by Cath Kidston in her online magazine.


Of course, I could buy a new one. This one is about $14,000 and is made in Canada! but it seems a shaem to buy a new one, only to park it. And I can't see me in a car pulling a trailer (even with someone else driving)

The Outback by Trillium Trailers

(these images via , who else? poppytalk)

poppytalk

Do you follow the blog, poppytalk? It's my favourite blog for style, home decor, little cool things,
I could just pin EVERYTHING on there to my pinterest boards!. Sigh... I love pinterest.....

Pure Green Magazine

While we're checking out online magazines, check out this one!
Pure Green Living
It features (on the cover!) my favourite local florist, Coriander Girl!
Don't forget to check out the Pure Green blog!

The new issue of Rue is also out. My eyes are getting sore from all of this online reading. Plus, I can't read these while reclining on my chaise longue.....

my life is all about the frogs

Have you been following my other blog -- Ms Brown's Classroom? Check it out to read about how our tadpoles are changing/have changed into frogs!


The fun all started on April 27 -- so if you want to read it chronologically, go to my other blog, and then read the posts from April 27 until today (not to worry -- there are only 4 or 5 posts about the frogs). I'll be returning them to their home pond next weekend!

Sweet Paul

The summer issue is Sweet Paul is out! If you don't already know (have you been under a rock?) Sweet Paul is one of the best Online Magazines out there! And it's free! The summer salads look so beautiful (and yummy). The food that I prepare is never photo worthy. But it tastes good -- and that's what counts, right?

Candy Coloured Whimsy

This is my work in Rachelle's book (in the altered book Round Robin that I'm in). It's theme is "candy coloured whimsy" (well, candy colored whimsy because she's American, lol)

Scrappy Layers

This is one of my favourite blogs for card making and all-things-layered inspiration. Homespun with Heart.

(this card above is Danielle's card -- click on it to go to her blog)

I love Danielle's style! She does the scrappy layered look that I am finding lovely right now. My sewn work is definitely headed in this direction. In fact, some of my scrappy layers are shown in the Art Quilting Studio which is out now! (umm... I don't have my copy yet, so could someone who has seen it please confirm that I'm in it :) and maybe tell me the page number?)

Even More Mixed Minded

This is the nametag that Karen made for me! She actually sewed nametags and lanyards for each participant. (I'm pretty sure that she never sleeps). Karen has more energy than anyone that I've ever met. Honestly :). I made the embellishment in the upper right corner. I made it in Carmi's class when I was supposed to be making my needle felted brooch. I got a bit sidetracked. I think that was because we had some wine and cheese beforehand....
You can see more pictures of our work from Carmi's classes here on Carmi's blog!

More Mixed Minded

More from my weekend at Mixed Minded in Kitchener!

The brides were out in full force! From what I gathered -- they were raising money for the "Make a Wish" Foundation. They were wearing their own wedding dresses and going out for a night on the town.
This is a background that I started for my mixed media quilt. Actually -- its move than a background -- it is the base for the quilt. I can't give away Sandra's secrets though. You'll have to take a class from her :) You can see what Ludgera did here.


I needle felted in Carmi's class. This is my work-in-progress. (I didn't finish anything at the retreat -- except for the make and take -- more on that in a minute)


Isn't this cool?
Karen (Mixed minded creator and artist extraordinaire) was at the Inspire Retreat in North Carolina (oh I am so jealous) a few weeks ago and Tracie Lampe did a class of her cool fused plastic bags. I have a small pouch by Tracie that she gave me at ArtFest a few years ago. But anyway, Tracie said that Karen could teach us how to make small bags for our "make and take" -- this is the bag that I made.


Literally -- the whole thing, from 3 plastic bags to finished project - took about 10 MINUTES!!! And isn't it cute??? Target bags rock. (Especially since we don't have Target yet in Canada)(soon!) Great for carrying my lunch at school. I bought Tracie's book -- it's a fun one!!! More fusing to come. It's right up my "reuse and recycle" alley!

Mixed Minded

This weekend we headed up (down?) the highway to Kitchener to the Mixed Minded Even that Karen Ellis from The Art House Studio put on. It was FANTASTIC! .
I am terrible at taking pictures -- so I don't really have many of the event (even though I brought 2 cameras with me)

Below is the placemat that I worked on top of while in Sandra Spagnuolo's class....... House of Cards. (I took 3 of Sandra's classes, so what I did in each of them is a bit of a blur). If you have a chance to take a class from Sandra -- don't miss it. She's a great teacher and her background techniques are fabulous! She holds an open studio in the Milton/Guelph area if you live near there. Check out her blog here to see times/dates/ content.

(I did a bit of stamp carving -- this is my practice sheet of the heart stamp that I made)

I made this technique sample in one of Sandra's classes.

It was great fun seeing lots of my friends -- and also seeing some friends who I only know from online -- like Pam Barnes and Karen Oullette! Heather Robinson was supposed to come, but couldn't make it, and we really missed her. Hopefully, we can all get together and have an art weekend in the fall!

(more pictures of the event will be posted tomorrow as soon as I unearth my other camera :)