Somerset Memories

My Toronto neighborhood immortalized in the new Somerset Memories. This issue is thick and juicy (no less than 8 scrapbook backgrounds to tear out and use), and I'm in terrific company.

I'm going to take it to the library and my corner coffeeshop to show them! You bet!!

Cheerful Things

Unidentified fowl

Hello Iris

Les oiseaux

Chocolate cake

I don't mind telling you I'm a little grumpy today. I have my reasons -- actually only one reason --  so I'm going to shut down my computer and go out and walk it off. Sometimes battling negativity takes effort. When you've done all you can do and there's nothing left but to be patient, you have to wait. Don't get me wrong; I never wait for that bus that never arrives.............

Meanwhile I've been playing with paper bags.

I dream of jeannie

What a lovely time we had.
She went straight to the kitchen and made googly eyes at me. I wouldn't mind a biscuit or three.
I made chicken mole for us, and Jeannie got a BIG bone-shaped biscuit.
Then some snuggles. And a lot of licking on her part. And tail wagging.
Contentment is a loving dog.
I bless the day she was rescued from a Florida pound and brought to Canada.

My Home on Native Land

The federal government fell yesterday. No confidence vote and all that.
Five weeks of campaigning, and we'll have a new government.
Probably another Minority government.
I'm wondering if we shouldn't elect the NDP.
Break the two-party stranglehold. See what happens.
And so it goes.

Meanwhile, in Mississauga...

Guess who's coming to dinner

Jeannie. When she comes over, she makes herself completely at home, which for me is a big compliment.

.

Then there's beloved Cleo who, last December, sensing my upset over a mistake I made, came over to me and put her head in my lap. I'll never forget that beautiful and comforting moment.

And now a word about cats: they're supposed to be aloof and usually they are, but the last time I cat-sat Coco and Calypso, they were very affectionate and touchy-feely. Hmmmmmm.

Friday's Child

He's been on my mind these last few days.
When I looked at the calendar, I realized why.
March 25, the anniversary of his untimely death. On this day, every year, I give thanks for his short but  beautiful life, grateful that he shared his last years with me.

John Robin Copeland

I love this photo of him (Right) in Dublin, Ireland. He love rugby, played defence.

Subconsciously, he's always there, because he's a part of what and who I am. He helped to shape me, he gave me the greatest gift, the gift of unconditional love, and his death with all the consequences made me who I am today. It's true that like steel, when we go through fire, we get stronger. When I emerged from the fire, I became stronger and I discovered my true self as I stumbled for many years after that. I loved again -- and lost, not because I didn't love enough, but because he acted through fear, not love. I never regret loving someone. Never. It doesn't matter if you "lose", you never really lose if you love from deep inside you, if you give it freely. It's said that all actions are based on one of two things: love or fear. If I've learned one thing, it's to act from a place of love, not from your fears. Act from your strengths, not your weaknesses.

It's not enough to merely survive. It's how you survive and who you become as a result.

For those who have lost someone dear, I send you all my love and comfort.

On my wall today

What's on my wall today?
This

 

It took more than a week to complete because I meandered without a plan, taking my time.

Favourite message this week:  Short-term gains, Colette, that don't feel good and make sense, can lead to long-term pains. Get smart.

Spring is taking a short break

Spring is hiding while March has a tantrum.
OK. No problem. March does that. We expected it.
Meanwhile at The Mess (on my table), unexpected things happen.

I stamped my Dancing Tulip (available here and here) and, looking around, I spied these angel wings. I though they looked like tulip leaves so I glued them on.

The Dancing Tulip can now fly.

I hear it's officially spring

Of course no day is completely without some stitching.
On paper.
On paper reclaimed from cardboard.
And scraps of fabric you can't bear to throw away.

The Bright side to the Mess

There's a bright side to The Mess. Everything is laid out before you . Yes, you do have to go through little piles of mess, but still, it's right there in front of you.

So, three paper scraps, one ATC card, glue, and a new piece is born. (In this case, I Photoshopped it, too.)

Always look for the bright side; you'll find it, even if it's only a glimmer.

Misty Monday

What's on my wall today

 

A piece of rescued patchwork from here in a vintage metal embroidery hoop, a gift from herself.

A day in the life

My Saturday went like this.

I looked at my small work table

and stifled an urge to scream. I couldn't deal with the mess today. [This is just a tiny detail of The Mess.] So I worked at my other table and now there's a mess there that has to be taken care of. It's neverending. I try, I really do; I tidy up and before you know it I'm back at square one. I think it's to do with the way I work.

I managed to finish this:

It's been in the making for weeks....I've now used 4 of my 6 wooden block. I put this one in my Etsy shop.

Spent some time at the library, and made my groceries as they say in New Orleans. I watched Merlin on the Space Channel (I love that show), and now it's the end of the day.

And that is how my Saturday went. Oh, and  the sun was out. Mustn't forget the weather report!!

Friday's child

It's Spring today. Enjoying it while I can. Going out wearing only a jacket is such a treat. No boots needed, either.

Making little things.
Like this:

makes me very happy.

Busy fingers

I tend to shy away from making tiny things because I find it so fiddly, but there are some things I love in miniature.

Like this:

 

And this: I adore tiny tags, not fiddly at all. Just very lovable!

Happy St. Paddy's Day

Being Irish by marriage, and having a whole Irish family across the ocean, I celebrate St. Paddy's Day. Although, being an amateur of Irish History, I'd be happier with a Brian Boru Day.

Paddy, not Pattie. Pattie is a girl's name. Paddy comes from Padraig, Irish for Patrick. Cheers!

Playing with photos

I'm in the middle of organizing my old photographs and discovering ones I'd forgotten I had. Organizing means creating an even greater mess, so I took a little break. I take a lot of breaks when I'm facing piles of stuff......

Have a playful day!

Another bunny. They multiply, it's in their nature. For the second one (on the left), I used Janet's pattern--although I couldn't resist adding two kisses-- and you can see the difference between it and my wonky, impatient freehand one on the right.

Then came the mail, and out tumbled these goodies from Jocelyn. I've been sending snailmail, and she's been a champion at sending some back despite her very active life.

Complete with chocolate-kisses postage stamps!

Ode to the sun

The sun is shining brightly! Oh, joy!

Sunday stitching

The bunny caught my fancy. I saw it on Janet Clare's blog and immediately wanted to try it. I confess that, in my impatience, I didn't use the pattern but just cut it out freehand. I used thick cotton batting because I didn't have anything else that was suitable, like felt. I'm a fan of Janet's designs; they charm me.

Accidental art installation

There's a portion of a wall that I use for things I like to look at. Call it my installation wall.
Like this:

Yesterday, I was cutting out the centre of a cushion cover made of lovely fabric printed with French words for use in my quilting. I gathered up the remains and I like them so much I hung them up.
Like this:

Instant art! I like the way it looks, so it will stay there until the next idea.

Friday's child

I've been wanting to try Spoonflower for a long time, several years actually. I finally did it. I uploaded this birdie sketch and ordered a swatch to verify the colors. It will take a couple of weeks to get it. If it works, fine, if not I'll have to tweak the colours. Then I can offer it for sale.

Meanwhile, I'm working on other designs. Stay tuned!

Weather (or not)

Yesterday it snowed all day. At night it turned into rain and it has not stopped since. I don't mind going out while it's snowing, but the rain...no, no, no. I hate going out in the rain. Besides, my umbrella is broken. And I don't like umbrellas. And I have a headache.

Ain't weather grand!

While waiting for the rain to subside (hope springs eternal) so that I can go out, I did some stitching. I'm still not good at free-motion-with-dropped-dog-thingies, I have to learn how to control the fabric, so I stitched normally. Not too bad, eh?

Tea-dyed thin canvas folded over batting.

March is behaving like....March. High winds, snow.... and what will the robin do now, poor thing. Except that our robins come in the spring. Hurry up, robins! I speak of this because I have to go out to an appointment. It's no big deal, I'm used to it, but still....

I soaked some cardboard à la  Hanne Mathiesen (see her article in Somerset Apprentice), to separate the layers and made a couple of  collage postcards with those layers, actually smaller than postcards (great mail art, though!!)

Tuesday

Today's letter is on a medium-size tag. The actual letter is written on the back.

This was yesterday's stitching. The sun is out and I'm going to take advantage of it and go our for a walk.

Be good to your friends -- Kevin Bacon

More bundles

I was sorting out a pile of fabric, and there were bits and pieces I didn't care for anymore. I didn't want to throw them out; recycling them was one option, and since I had bundles on my mind, I used them as stuffing. I can see a bookcase dedicated to things like this, that looks like some forgotten warehouse shelves from who knows which century.

A little experiment

Variation on tea-dyeing.

I placed the tea bags on a piece of muslin, one pomegranate tea bag and one green tea bag. Pushed them down here and there, and then let them sit. The pomegranate is obvious; the green tea left yellow traces.
Interesting if you don't want a uniform colour.

Misty Saturday

I've finished half my to-do list, and now I'm steeling myself to go out into the misty wet yonder to do the rest of the things on my list. The temptation on days like this is to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate. But that will have to wait.

Bundles fascinate me. I have no idea why. They just do. So I make them.

And now for something different.....

My baseball paintings.
For Jackie.

Friday's child

I have so much to do in the next couple of days that I had to make a list.

Until later/A bientôt

Today is a special day.

I just made my 300th sale on Etsy. It may not be much in light of other Etsy sellers, and the number is spread over several years, but for me it's a milestone. I'm very fortunate that people like my creations enough to buy them; I'm very fortunate to freelance for magazines that value my work.

It's not easy to earn your living this way, and I'm indebted to those who encouraged me and propelled me forward. Whatever the difficulties, however, it's worth it for me.


So my Grand Prize 300 goes to Montreal and my dear Zita. I've had the pleasure of meeting her in person, and hope to again at Easter, when I will present her with something special.

THANK YOU to each and every one of you, past, present and to come!

Today's mail

Why Miss Mailcarrier knows me by name. This is a little sample.

I send out notes and little letters every week. Sometimes I get some back. More mail, less email!!

The postman never rings, she knocks

Because the postman is a woman. When I see her in the lobby she always greets me with "Hello Miss Colette!"
Today she delivered this. When I heard the thump of mail come through my letterbox, I knew there was a magazine in the mix.

I'm truly honored to be in the From the Pros section of the new Somerset Apprentice. And when I turned the page, what did I find but an answer to a question. I brought back some Citrasolv from my trip to Florida and was wondering how to use it. Well, there it was on the pages immediately following mine. Ask the question and don't worry about how or when it will come, because it will!!

A huge thanks to Jana Holstein, whom I've had the good fortune to meet in person. She and the staff always make me look so good!

Gathering

The Birdies of the Round Table gathered to ask a very important question.

How many birds can fit in a telephone booth a nest?

Why, all of us, of course. But who's going to change the light bulb????