die, adjust or migrate

Connections to my past

Recently my mother gave me a recipe that my grandmother used to make. I never had the chance to know my grandmother but have heard many stories of her. She was not a cozy, loving person. She was a no nonsense person. Very proper in every way, shape or form. I don't think that we would have been close if she had been alive when I was younger. I am very much the cuddle on the sofa with my parent kind of person. I would not have understood her standoffish nature.

Yet, I find myself thinking of her each time I make this recipe. It is for a salmon casserole and has 4 simple ingredients. I imagine it was a quick, efficient, no nonsense recipe that she pulled out when she needed to know that the food would be good, hot and ready in a hurry. My husband can be counted on to eat the whole thing if I am not watching carefully! See how little is left in the photo?

 

I love that I get to touch the paper that her hands held. I love seeing her handwriting on the recipe. I am connected to her spirit and her life each time I open my cupboard door and bring out the canned salmon. I cherish the feeling of connection to a woman who, from all I have heard, was as different from me as night from day. She is able to come alive for me in some small way through my cooking her recipe.

My daughter hates this recipe and will not eat it at all. I don't care. I continue to make it every month or so and love the connection I feel to my past each time I pull out the ingredients. Perhaps, one day in the very distant future, my grand-daughter will pull out these ingredients from her cupboard and make this recipe because it connects her to me - regardless of how much my great grand-daughter hates it!!!

Diary of a Summer's Day

Sleep in. Ask hubby to bring coffee. Read. Drink coffee whilst still in bed. Get up. Leave pajamas on. Move to living room sofa. Keep reading. Keep reading. Keep reading. Get up off of sofa. Make fresh pot of coffee. Make fruit salad.  Drink fresh coffee and eat fruit salad while reading. Finish book. Take shower. Put on cozy clothes (one step up from pajamas but just...). Read blogs. Check email. Go for walk. Listen to India.Arie on the MP3 player. Come home. Start new book. Have snack. Check email. Write post for blog. Read some more. Watch tv. Work in studio. Make dinner. Eat dinner. Go back to studio. Create some more. Watch tv. Get ready for bed. Read in bed. Turn out the lights. Go to sleep. Start again tomorrow.

So Simple Wednesday

Today I am taking part in So Simple Wednesday. It is a lovely idea from Christina over at Soul Aperture. It is as simple as its name: all you need to do is list some of the simple things in your life that mean the most to you. There are many, many simple things that I love and that lift my heart and soul. Here are a few...

the words I Love You

the smell of banana bread baking

the hug of a child

the light in a child's eyes when they realize that they can read something!

the quiet in my living room when the tv is off

my cozy bed

people who say thank you to the bus driver when using public transit

comments on my blog

a glass of red wine

What simple things make your heart sing? I would love to know. Please join in the fun!

My husband, my crow

I lovingly call my husband my own personal crow as he is always coming home with shiny bits and bobs for me to use in my artwork. When he worked in security at a local club, he would bring home "floor score" each night: all sorts of broken bits of jewelery for me to use. And he'll bring home interesting furniture or statues or just things that he thinks I can do something creative to or with. He doesn't buy me flowers; he finds things to make my creativity sing! Well, this last time he totally outdid himself!!! He arrived home with these 2 wooden boxes...

 

What are these interesting objects? They are these totally amazing little mannequins! He got me 8 of them for $2.00 each!!!! They are so cool and show off my jewelery really well. Check it out...

 

 

 

They are on these really wonderful stands that can go up and down. Everywhere I turn in the house now there is a mannequin with one of my necklaces hanging on it. We only live in about 800 square feet so you can imagine that there is not that much room. They are  in the living room, my studio, the kitchen, the bathroom, our bedroom. I think the only place that doesn't have one is my daughter's room. And not for lack of trying!

I have been inspired to create more jewelery since he got me these. For some reason, I have turned back to the beadwork that got me started on this path 6 years ago. I am working on a bracelet but have finished a pendant for a necklace. Here it is...

Sorry for the blurry photo. My little point and shoot really doesn't like taking detail shots in my studio. I think the light just isn't good. If you can't tell, it is meant to be a gate opening into a garden. On the back I stamped the following...

 

Can you read it? It says Unlock the gate to follow your bliss. I have an antique key that will hang from the pendant and then I will attach chain. I have never done beadwork quite like this. I've done more of this...

and this...

but I am enjoying being back into it. I have the time to give it now that I am on summer vacation. I just wish my wrists were loving it as much. They are feeling the pain from doing so much beading. My carpal tunnel just doesn't like working for hours and hours. I have this problem with stopping a project once I get going. I can't. So, I will have to find some projects for the coming week that don't require so much hand sewing. Any ideas?

I wish I liked crowds...

I wish that wandering around Granville Island amidst the sea of humanity that turned out to celebrate Canada Day really rocked my boat.

I wish I could be in a crowd like that without becoming snippy, cranky and downright unpleasant to be with.

I wish that I found being in a crowd to be as exciting, energizing and stimulating as my husband does.

I wish that going out and doing these sorts of things could be a bonding experience for us.

I wish that we could do this more often and have each time be filled with fun and laughter.

I wish this was one area of our marriage where we are totally in sync with each other.

But it's not.

Simple truth: I don't like crowds.

Or when people move at a snail's pace.

Or when they stop in the middle of the sidewalk for no apparent reason other than stopping in the middle of the sidewalk.

Or when I feel claustrophobic from having people pinning me in on all sides.

I don't even like shopping anywhere on a busy, crowded day.

I don't like any of it.

Nonetheless, for my husband, I tried being in a crowd this year. I braved the crowds. I wore his authentic CBC hat in honour of Canada Day. I walked at a snail's pace behind people. I said excuse me a gazillion times trying to get past people. In the end, I was snippy. I was cranky. And, really, I was downright unpleasant to be with.

My husband learned an important truth about out relationship. This aspect of me is not going to change. No matter how much he wishes it. No matter how much I may wish it (although, truth be told, I only wish it because I know it would make him happy.)

I am not a crowd person. I am not a PNE fair person. Or music concert person. Or even a neighbourhood parade/fair type person. I am a stay at home, enjoy peace and quiet, read a good book and check my email kind of person.

In this we will never be the same. But, you know what? That is okay with me. And so, from my quiet living room to you, whether you are celebrating alone or are in a HUGE crowd, I wish you all a very Happy Canada Day!

30 random things about me on, this, the 30th day of June…

1. I don’t like to cook

2. I cook every night anyway.

3. I love to read.

4. I really like reading romance novels.

5. I started writing a romance novel years ago and have never finished it.

6. I like things to be just so but am rarely successful.

7. I am stunned that my husband and I made it to our 13^th wedding anniversary. I wouldn’t have bet money on it this time last year but am now willing to lay money down on the 14^th, 15^th, 16^th, you get the idea.

8. I have a teenager living in my house. So, as a result…

9. Our house could be renamed “House of Attitude”!

10. I am really patient. Except with my teenager!

11. I am really into taking pictures of flowers for some reason.

12. I can’t actually grow them - I have a black thumb!

13. My parents have lived in the same house for 45 years. I have lived in 17 houses in 39 years.

14. I am the youngest of three children.

15. Growing up, I always wanted to be an only child.

16. My daughter, the only child, has always wanted to have siblings. The grass is always greener, huh?

17. My two favourite things to watch on tv are cop shows like CSI and decorating shows on HGTV.

18. I have taught in elementary schools for 16 years. Right now I teach grade 1.

19. I love my job.

20. But, I am always glad to come home to the peace and quiet of my house at the end of the day.

21. I make stuff.

22. People buy my stuff.

23. I want to start making my own clothing again.

24. I love shoes.

25. If I could, I would have a room just for shoes.

26. I hate yard work.

27. This is one of the many reasons I am not really interested in owning a house.

28. I would really like to live in a loft.

29. My favourite season is fall.

30. It was hard to think of 30 random things for this post.

wet that wtj!!!

So, I took a shower with my journal. It didn't get as wet as I thought it would. I threw it on the floor of my tub and snapped a before shot...

 

Then I showered. I splashed, I washed my hair, I let the shower head aim right on my journal, I kicked the water at my feet on my journal, and this was the end result...

 

The journal is still in surprisingly good shape. It really only got wet on the cover and the edges for about an inch inwards. It is still wet today. Alas, I was unable to find my hairdryer in my daughter's pigsty, er..., I mean, room. So, I am letting it airdry.

What page did you do today? How did it work out for you?

Ask for forgiveness, not permission...

has always been my modus operandi. That doesn't seem to have changed with Wreck This Journal at all. Although, really, I don't have to ask for any forgiveness. I just get the beauty of changing the rules to suit myself and never having to say I am sorry. I like that about this venture.

I am still not giving much time to doing the journal. I am hoping that this will change now that school is finally done and I can play to my heart's content!!!! I had a nice time this week doing two of the pages with crayons. I seem to have an affinity with crayons lately. I just find sitting and colouring to be very relaxing and really almost meditative. I always enjoy sitting down with the kids in my class and colouring whenever I can. We always have such great casual conversations when I do that. There really is nothing like casual conversation with a group of 6 year olds. It always brings a smile to my face :)

So, here is what I did this week. Apparently, I was supposed to get my hands dirty on this page but, being the make my own rules kind of person, I just traced them and then coloured them in. I didn't even notice the directions beyond trace your hands. I guess I had already decided to do my own thing. Aren't they pretty?

 

See the lovely coffee stains? They soaked right through from the other page when I poured, literally poured, coffee from my pot onto the book. That was hard to do. Only because I really wanted to drink the coffee instead!!!! I hate to waste even a drip of caffeine!

Then I did the page where the instructions are to colour the whole page. I actually followed the directions for this one! Amazing! This is a drawing activity I often do with the kids at school to make the covers of their art portfolios. It is simple but very effective and always turns out differently. I love how kids can all do the same activity and each and every one turns out to be so unique and interesting. Don't you?

 

Tomorrow I have plans to take my journal in the shower with me and then dig up my daughter's hair dryer and blow dry it. Sound like fun? Why don't you take yours into your shower, too?

Goodbyes and Thank Yous

Today was the last day of school for staff. It was a good day but a sad day on many fronts. Teachers that I really enjoy working with are having to leave the school. We had jobs get surplussed and those with the least seniority had to go. I hated saying goodbye. I made some necklaces and earrings to give them. This one was for Sarika - an awesome EOC who came to cover for my next door neighbour who was on sick leave. We had such fun teaching together. I am going to miss her so much. She is one of those people who has tons of energy, a gazillion ideas and is just an amazing teacher. It isn't often that I find a teacher that I click with the way we did and the kids benefited from our working together. Plus, I learned a bunch of new things which is always great.

I gave this necklace as a thank you to my Special Education Assistant, Rita. She helped with my whole class this year even though she was really assigned to only two of the kids. She was always willing to do anything to help and I so enjoyed having the extra set of hands in my classroom for an hour a day! I call this one Rita's India Necklace partly because Rita is from India but also because it just makes me think of the colours of India.

 

The last piece I gave was a necklace that I was asked to make by my vice-principal. She is leaving us to go to a new school and so this was a special necklace to make. She brought in her button collection - a treasure box filled with all sorts of inherited items - and I created a piece of 2lery for her. This is a necklace that has a bracelet incorporated into it so it can be worn as one long necklace or as a shorter necklace and bracelet. I am happy with how it turned out. Here are the pieces shown separately.

 

 

I also made a pair of earring for Alicia. She has been at our school for two years and I have loved working with her. I am hoping that she will manage to get back into our school in the fall but it doesn't look good. Silly me, I forgot to take a photo of the earrings but I liked them so much I may just make a pair for myself and, if I do, I will post the pic here!

It was great to be back in the studio working again. I had left it for the duration of report cards and missed it. Now that I am on summer holidays, I am going to reorganize the studio so that it will work more efficiently for sewing. I have a hankering to make some clothes!

Craft-it-forward...herein known as CIF

So, I was visiting my favourite Aussie sites and discovered on Julie's blog that she is participating in this totally neat idea begun by another neat artist from Belgium named Steph who you will find here. The idea is to do a craft-it-forward where the first five people to respond to this email will get a handmade goodie from me.

Here are the rules:

1. You must be willing to blog about Crafting it Forward
2. You need to make something for 5 people
3. Leave me a message with your intent to participate
4. Then leave me another message with the link to your blog post

Simple, right? My mind is already churning with different ideas of things I can make. Jewelery comes to mind first, of course, but as I am about to be on summer vacation and will have loads of time to create in my studio who knows what I will end up with to send on?

So, if you are interested in participating, just let me know and then while you are creating, you can rest assured that I will be making something special for you!