Tis the season

To all my friends, and people I don't know, who are suffering from the flu, my sympathy and get well soon.
And...if you need a shot, get it!!!

Houses in flight

I like crooked little houses (if you want a rubber stamp of a crooked little house, check my rubber stamps in the left-hand menu!), and I like wings. So I combined them.

I drew the wings in pencil on the back of the paper, and cut them out. The house I cut out of a paper bag (another use for paper bags!); the bits of lace were remnants from another project, and the Canadian King George stamp was on the wrapping paper from a gift I received recently.
Keep it simple, and may your house fly!

Shop

And some new items in my blogshop, Fancy That!

Favorite things

...of which these are a few.
A tattered photo from Ireland.
A bird pin from Belgium.
A scrap of an antique postcard.
Two pebbles that I wrapped in old lace.

Friday's child

So I came across these tiny paper bags, and I looked at them, should I save them, should I not? Kitchen or studio? Then that mysterious part of me took over, the part of me that says "do this, do that" and I obey without hesitating. I fashioned a mini "mushroom" -- and then tied some string around the stem and secured it. I added a small lace doily on the top, and finished it with an antique millinery leaf and vintage seam binding. Et voilà! A very pretty flower.

Happy weekend/Bon weekend

Details

Details. They say God is in them.
They also say the devil is in them. I don't believe in the "devil" as an entity, but I understand the idea.
It's the details that tell the story.

Sweet nothings

How to wear your heart on your sleeve

I have a little supply of Edwardian collars, little dress panels, and bits and pieces. I bought them because they were beautiful to me. I looked at this piece and saw it as a cuff. So I lined it, stitched it down, and added a velvet heart composition that I put together.

Anatomy of a rubber stamp.

From this

To this

Rubber stamp by Stampington & Company

WIP

Cleaning out a box of old paintings from years ago when I worked in watercolors, I came across some angels. They were inspired by the Mexican carved angels and I really thought they were lovable. So, I started painting some new ones.

May they shower you with blessings!

A date to remember

February 2, 2010:

The release of my line of rubber stamps.
AVAILABLE HERE.

Weekend

Just as I got comfortable in bed last night with my current book (Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), out of nowhere came ... stomach cramps. I could feel them getting stronger, so I got up and took my remedy which has worked twice now: a spoonful of fennel seeds, chewed slowly until they liquify before swallowing. Immediate abatement; a few minutes later I lay on my side and the pain was gone. Given that I don't usually respond to herbal cures, this makes me very happy!

[edit.] Just so you won't worry, the first time I had these stomach cramps, I went straight to my doctor.

For a sleeping aid, valerian root, melatonin, all those remedies that seem to "knock" other people out  have absolutely no effect on me. But recently I tried magnesium, around 450 mg in the evening, and I've been sleeping very well since. I take calcium etc. daily because taking vitamins and minerals in isolation is not recommended!

Have a restful day.

These cards are available in my Etsy shop. More cards are listed on eBay.

My favorite shirt

My favorite shirt is from Italy and belongs to my friend Julie. She bought it while on a trip to Toronto, at Yorkdale, confided that it cost a fortune but that she had to have it. I agreed completely. The shirt is pure art. I photographed it/her outside my building.

Today, the temperature dipped to -30C. With the windchill, that would be -40C. It was a day for the sheepskin coat Julie gave me before she moved to California.

In other news I'm cat-sitting again for a week. Calypso recognized me right away, spread herself out on the rug and waited to be stroked. Coco recognized me too because she was very friendly, and she tends to be aloof. They both know who will be feeding them for the next week!!!

Simple crochet

Credit goes to the handspun yarn, not my crocheting, which is very basic and which I make up as I go along. I made this collar/necklace thingie that you slip on over your head, and since my friend Ramona was visiting, I perched it on her head. She thought it made her look like a Roman. I thought she was very gracious!

Calling all coffee lovers

My friend Kelly has a fabulous One Word One Heart giveaway. Go and sign up now!!!!!

Clickety click here

I love...

...little fabric bags. I usually make them to house my little fabric hearts. Recently I ran out of envelopes that would fit a card because I don't measure my cards, so I made a fabric "envelope". It's more of a pouch, and it can be used for something else. Of course, if you want to mail it, will have to go in a big envelope but you won't have to worry about the card matching the envelope.

These two gift bags below were inspired by an article by Angela Harris in the current Somerset Life.

Naglikpok kapic

(Update: She has seen it and she loved it. Here's the full piece)

No, I don't speak Inuktitut. But I looked up some words for this quiltie for a friend of mine (this is part of the quiltie and shows her baby pic. I wanted to add something to honor her Inuit heritage.

And what does naglikpok kapic mean, you ask.

It means she "loves coffee" -- which she does!

A new week....

....in case you haven't realized it, it's the last week of January. Sometimes I think measuring time is not necessarily a good thing! But I suppose humans need it to keep some kind of order. Which reminds me of people who complain that we have too many laws. My response is that if people acted sensibly, morally and ethically, we wouldn't need most of our laws. There you go...

Let's be good to each other.

Thank you!!!

My first listing at Haiti by Hand sold immediately.

Robyn (in Australia), may blessings follow you all the days of your life!