Why Not Collage

I love collage because it is limitless. I coffee-dye tags, why not dye rather than paint the paper? So I experimented with coffee and inks. I made the collage, and then I thought, why not hand-stitch rather than use the machine. So I did. This collage is truly "mixed" media!

The powers that be took pity on us and turned on the air-conditioning yesterday. Naturally, the weather cooled too. But still, I'm happy they didn't wait for June 1 to turn it on. It's a lifesaver for me because I get nervy and headachy in hot, humid weather. I turn it on to cool the place, then turn it off. Meanwhile, it was snowing in Alberta. There's a climate shift going on for sure.

I was looking for a way to photography this bit of stitchery, when I spied my little salvaged frame hanging emptily on the wall (I like empty frames as decor). So I slid the piece in and voilà!

The quilt is available in my Etsy shop. SOLD.

Friday's Child

The raven was dramatic, so I added some found words to lighten the mood........

I spent a few hours with my friend Jc. We stamped, and talked, and ate, and made earrings, and...  there's nothing like having a friend who's also an art buddy.

This collage is available in my Etsy shop.

A little book of Paris

I loved these little book covers from 7gypsies. I also had a pack of 7gypsies large printed cards. I collaged them and folded them in half to make a signature, and they fit perfectly into the little covers. I get a little dismayed by people who stamp "paris" on something and call it French. Subject matter and images should reflect it, too. Stamping Paris or the Eiffel tower on something that's obviously not French kind of wrecks it all. This book is authentic. I hope I can set an example!!

La nostalgie

Awash in nostalgia.

I was looking for something on google, when I got it into my head to go to the google.france and search for the Lycée (high school) Janson de Sailly in Paris. Oh, my! I almost got weepy. When I was 16, I won a scholarship to Janson de Sailly, and it was the best time of my life. This is a photo of the entrance -- it hasn't changed at all.

I also found a photo of Place Colette, near the Palais Royal. I have a photo of myself standing under the sign, but who knows where it is -- I have so many photos.

I have many bad memories, but I have some spectacularly good ones, too. I prefer to remember the good ones, and this is one of them.

Heatwave

If it weren't for that little breeze, I would be having a much harder time. It is hot here! The air-conditioning doesn't come on until June 1 in my building. That's OK, though. We'll use less electricity.

So I turn on the fan, and stitch. I won't go out until after 4 o'clock, when the sun calms down. Thank goodness for all the trees. I love trees. They give us shade, they clean the air, they provide homes for birds and squirrels.

More paper flowers

After a couple of tries, I got the hang of the basic technique, then I made the flowers mine. Some look like roses, others remind me of magnolias. I wasn't after perfection, after all -- that isn't my style! What stunned me is that such a simple method can produce such lovely results.

I put three flowers in this antique glass measuring beaker. These flowers make me very, very happy!

[I gave this link before, but here it is again, by special request. A tutorial by the wonderful Angela]

Holiday Monday

It's utter bliss not to have any obligations today. I have to return a library book before tomorrow, but that's about it. However, at home there is dust to be removed (that pesky stuff keeps coming back!), and some serious cleaning up of my work table.

This collage has been in my head for a while. It finally saw the light of day.

I'm in love with making paper flowers...

My friend Jocelyn gave me a string of red jade. I had told her that I'd had a hard time finding a good red-coloured bead. Next thing I know, she produced these. Namaste, Jc.

I made these earrings for my sister. She looks great in red.

Story tags and one-liners

Kids say the darndest things. Remember Art Linklater (sp?)? That should take you back!!

My kids, however, are a little different....

Climbing the mountain

Life and growth are a little like climbing a mountain. You go up, you slide back, you take a breather, do some more climbing... you keep going. Sometimes you come up against a massive rock: it's too difficult to climb over it, so you go around it. It takes a little longer, but you're in no hurry. You keep going. That's life. Never give up.

Do you speak Elvish?

Even in the unhappiest of childhoods, there's a mysterious place where the child believes in elves and assorted magical beings. It's a gift, to help the child survive. I know. I've been there. And I was lucky to have a mother who had me reading by the age of 5, so that I could read about that magical world too.

Books have kept me going through the tough times, and keep me happy in the good times. To all the many authors whose books I read and enjoy, thank you! Don't ever stop writing.

Needle therapy

This needle therapy is the best kind in my book.
It turns darning into an art!

La baguette canadienne

After work I did my grocery shopping, and treated myself to an Ace Bakery baguette. It's the closest you can get to the real thing, and it's very, very good. As I walked home with the baguette under my arm, I did something I haven't done in years, probably because I don't buy a daily baguette. I broke off some bread and ate it. Delicious. The crust was perfection and the inside was not too dense. A blast from the past ensued. I remembered walking to the bakery three minutes away from where my aunt lived in Pavillon-sous-Bois, just outside of Paris in Le Raincy, and buying the bread, sneaking in a chocolate truffle, and my aunt's preferred mineral water, always but always in glass bottles. She didn't like plastic. I remembered the daily 4 p.m. goûter (snack) of pain au chocolat, a chunk of baguette and a piece of dark chocolate (this is the origin of the croissant stuffed with chocolate). You pulled open the bread and inserted the chocolate, basically a chocolate sandwich. The thing about a true French baguette is that it's light and airy inside, full of air bubbles. So, if you're eating with me and you see me pulling out the meal from inside the bread before I eat it, that's where it comes from. It's a lifelong habit, a reflex.

Ace Bakery presentation at the Good Food Festival
Photo: Philippe Gaudet

For this month's ATC trading at BizzyB's, the theme was house. My houses focused on the inhabitants, humans and plants... each one had a purpose. There was no thinking, no coming up with ideas -- it just happened. Oddly, I've been dreaming about houses, and houses that I've recognized from previous dreams. Houses symbolize the self, so it was quite an interesting message for me (I always pay attention to my dreams).

Friday's Child

This was half an antique collar. It was very discoloured, but I didn't want to throw it out. Instead I turned inside out and found it was impeccable. So I made this little dollie. (When there's a will, there's a way.)

She says: Happy Friday!

While I appreciate Victorian style and love these old photos, I am so grateful that I live in an age where I am free to live as I choose, do what I love, and be no one's property. As I work with old photos, I'm always aware how far women have come, and how much we owe our predecessors.

No prizes for guessing that it's the woman needs the Aspirin....

Postcard from the edge

My friend Austin and I met at University. We rarely see each other, since he lives in Ottawa, but we keep in touch. Mostly with postcards.

This one arrived yesterday. The message had me in stitches: purifiée à Marseille, or "purified in Marseilles."

Move over, Nick Bantock!

I saw this idea here. It was very "anthropologie" and perfect for me because it didn't need gluing stuff to the wall, just some masking tape. So I made it my own. Old book pages, painted, and a face from a magazine. Simple and highly effective.

It must be the season

I want to resume painting flowers with watercolours. The feeling is slowly building up in me. It's been a long time and I'm somewhat out of practice. As I look at some of my early work, I remember how much practice it took just to get there. I also remember the complete joy of it.

I like to use watercolours right out of the tube. Sometimes mixed with gouache. Like this.

Yesterday, after a few hours' work dowtown, I drifted over to Yorkville and into Anthropologie. I go there once in a while mainly to look at the props. As I wandered around I came across this little number, and it occurred to me that I work so hard and I do a good job of staying within my budget that surely I could give myself a gift. I tried it on in front of a huge mirror and I decided I would have it. I love everything about it, and I know I will wear it a lot. My wardrobe is small, but it contains clothing I really, really love. I believe in quality over quantity.

Friday's Child

I know I make fun of (with) the birds, but it's done affectionately. Let's say: affectionate humour. The only birdie I don't mess with is the sparrow. I love sparrows, I find them very sweet. Living amid all this greenery for the last many years, I've come to appreciate nature and the creatures so much more. Hug a tree? No problem. Talk to the birds (and the occasional squirrel), no problem.

[Update on the Winged Messenger on David's tree: I finally had the courage to go and look. All that remained was a tiny piece of paper which leads me to think it was torn off the string that I had knotted around a branch. I can only hope that the person who took it needs it more....]

Hoarding with a purpose

I usually choose things that I really am drawn to, without any preconceived ideas. It may take a day or a year to do something with them, but I've learned not to rush things. Take this little doll's dress: old, shabby, torn, it said "take me home." About a year later, it's found a home of its own. If you don't know what to do with something, anything in life really, don't push it. No sense pushing against the river. Let it come to you. It usually will.

[This collage/assemblage is available in my Etsy shop]

Big -- or is it medium?

After a few days of making things, I had a pile of fabrics and scraps and who knows what else...
I pulled out a vintage square that was embroidered on all four corners; the middle was damaged. I didn't want to cut through the embroidery, so eventually I went for a big heart that would carry the whole quarter.

To give you an idea of the size, I've placed it next to a small heart.

A little fun

Yesterday was a work day at the bookstore, followed by errands and a lot of walking. It feels like summer, so I'm grateful for the little cool breeze that wafts my way now and then. On days like this, I'm so happy that I'm surrounded by nature: trees and gardens and grass and the park and the ravine ... and still be living in a great big fabulous city. I'm thinking of doing a memory book, not of people, but of my neighbourhood. It's gestating in my mind.

Meanwhile, a little fun goes a long way.

Always inject a little fun into your day.

Finished

So here it is, the finished piece. I may not ordinarily do pink (wink) but I had this piece of hot pink pure linen that needed to be used........

Now -- you didn't think I'd stop with just one, did you?

In stitches

Sometimes I'll see a style or technique that charms me completely and I want to try my hand at it. This piece is inspired by Abigail Brown's stitching style. It's a fabric collage, something I often make, but anchored by long and short stitches that I'm completely in love with. It's not finished yet. I'll post the finished piece tomorrow.

Bird talk

These birds are quiet. They're an antidote to the chattering live ones that live around here. Not that I mind their chattering, unless it's 4 a.m. and they wake me up. Because sometimes my feathered friends can be very loud. Yesterday a robin was on the edge of the sidewalk eyeing the street. I told it to move back, what with all the traffic. My logical mind said: I'm talking to a bird, for heaven's sake. People are going to think I'm crazy. Still and all, robin moved back onto the sidewalk and hopped away to the grassy slopes of the park.