Support our local artisans

 I spent the better part of the day at One of a Kind, courtesy of Danielle Hession, Row K, Booth 53 (and her lovely Mom). I did a little Christmas shopping, of course, a Danielle piece,

some incredible chocolate made in Vancouver (for some incredibly lucky people....), and then there was this:

 Oh, my torchon! The lovely couple who own this company hail from Avignon in France and now grace Montreal with their gorgeous creations. They have an online shop, obviously limited in stock, but meanwhile they are at One of a Kind, Row N, Booth 14.




Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

If you know me, you already know that I love fragments of old and antique fabrics and laces.

In the upcoming Sew Somerset, I have an article about some of these fragments, and in the upcoming Art Quilting Studio I have an article about these fragments arranged in quilts. Along with painting and collage, textile art gives me great satisfaction; it also the most portable of the arts I practise, although I have been known to paint canvasses in my sister's house with materials bought locally.

Today I'm grateful I can earn my living doing what I truly love.

Hand-stitched fragments. Available in my Etsy shop.

 
Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

Weather: mild
Business: busy
Family: good
Friends: good
Fuyu persimmons: delicious

Today I have nothing to declare but my gratitude.

 Happy Monday.


Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

I saw this project some time ago, and it stuck in the back of my head. I think I may have seen it on Alisa Burke's blog, but I searched and searched and couldn't find it.

In any event, I made one for my bedroom.
It's simple, it's effective, and I love it. From a beloved poem by e.e.cummings.

Acrylic on 14x18-inch canvas

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

The perils of stitching a quotation: It's so easy to miss a word even if you think you're being careful. I missed a word and had to take the whole line apart and redo it.

This quotation is from Listen to the Warm by Rod McKuen. When I was just a young thing living in Southern California, I discovered his poetry and he's been one of my favourite American poets ever since.

 Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

Silent Wednesday

Extreme gratitude for lifelong friends, especially Trish in Australia

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

A hot chocolate kind of day. It finally feels like...winter. Bundle up!

I'm thrilled that my Yule tags have sold -- a bunch of them have just been mailed to Montreal. Another set went earlier to Massachusetts. I really love these tags, and when they go so quickly, it validates what I'm doing.

These went into the shop today.

Be well, be safe, keep warm.


Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

The week begins all over again.
In between the necessities and pleasures of daily life, my work, which is another kind of pleasure.

I've added a number of Yule tags to my Etsy shop, in sets of the larger kind; I like these because they can be used in so many ways, not least as a Christmas card with a message on the back.

And some stitching.  This little baby dress has a quotation from Pablo Neruda. Hard to photograph white, so please forgive the bad photo.

Forgetting [is so] long -- Neruda

 Wishing you a happy week ahead.




Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

On screen:

Most overused and lame expression of the moment: This wasn't supposed to happen. Well, that's because you don't think ahead, you don't think about consequences. I find this especially grating when a character on TV says this after killing someone. Who writes this stuff??

And then there's the expression I need you to do [whatever]. Why so needy? That's what comes across for me, neediness, and I want to say don't be so needy, be a bit more self-reliant.  Even the British have adopted this expression. I hear it on British programs all the time. What happened to Could you please do this for me.

Online:

The simplest craft I've come across so far is over at Sweet Paul. A vintage book becomes a photo holder.  It took 5 minutes, great result.

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

Friday's child

I'm not much of a collector; that is, my collections are very small. After collecting two or three items, I'm pretty much done. I don't think I could cope with anything bigger.
I'm attached to my small collection of antique decoy ducks, my one and only piece of authentic folk art by Earl Renz, a red fox carved out of one piece of a branch (Red is in the second photo below).

And a few pieces of Irish pottery. All the pieces came from Ireland. A wine cup made by a friend, a Nicholas Mosse demi-tasse,

espresso coffee cups and saucers, a Celtic cup, and a big earthy looking vase that was a gift from my husband, all came home with me from Ireland.

 It's an eclectic collection that reflects my tastes, and all the pieces are used in my daily life. I believe in enjoying one's beautiful things, new and antique.

Happy weekend.

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

The elves are taking a break.

While I clear the mess.

 But first, a cup of coffee and a walk in the leaves (they're mostly on the ground now).




Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

And this is what I do for fun.
Go on, have some fun today.

Le boulevardier

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

Yesterday was not the best of days, and as I drifted off last night, I reminded myself that in the morning things would look differently, that everything is always changing. This morning, in my mailbox comes this wee message:

Ever wish for do-over days, Colette? You know, hit the reset button and give 'er another shot?
Will today work?
It's never too late,
    The Universe

Last night's art therapy. The wings are open -- make of that what you will...

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

Friday's child

This post is dedicated to my clients, especially the regular ones, my friends and family who support my work and thereby help me make  a living.  I've come this far because of you.

You know that old (by now) chestnut "Do what you love and the money will follow"? Well, no. Not really. What you love has to sell for the money to follow. And it has to sell consistently and BIG. I say BIG because it's the people who make pots of money who throw out that little chestnut. Plus, it takes time, years, and consistent work and effort, another thing they don't tell you. As my mother would have said I don't have muggins written on my forehead.

There are certain items I make, because I love them, that rarely sell. But I never give up hope if I feel the item is worth it. This little piece was up for sale forever, at a very affordable price, but it went nowhere. Then one day, I got a request for gift suggestions and I threw the piece into the mix. Result: Not only did it sell, but the client requested 6 similar pieces.

work in progress

Now, that obviously isn't going to make a fortune, but that's not the point. It's about not giving up on yourself. It's about being true to yourself, not trying to fit into someone else's idea of what you should make. Eventually you'll find your audience.

The elves and I are currently working on a huge order of tags. We are very, very happy! Fa la la la la....



Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

The Christmas elves arrived last night.
I asked them, What can I make with these felt rings? I don't even know why I bought them.
They shook their heads, rolled their eyes, and pointed to the big ball of red thread sitting next to a crochet hook. They don't talk to me because I don't understand Elvish, so they rely on gestures.

Some people have muses, I have elves. Sigh.


Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

Last week was a week of putting out little fires, coping with frustration, making the best of a bad job.This sort of thing will happen once in a while and there's no escaping that. It's called life.

This week has so far been a fine one.  Old friends, new friends and good food; new ideas, new work. And...relief and gratitude!

Bunting. I don't make these often, but I love them.

Little gift bags.

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

This piece was ambitious, stitching a portrait, free style, on a 15x16-inch vintage napkin. I went at it slowly, adding to it whenever something came to mind. A package of vintage goodies arrived from Montreal, and a piece of lace from that parcel was the finishing touch. I'm not sure I would make a habit of this. It was arduous, which I don't mind, but I wasn't thrilled with the result. Still, that's how I find out what I want and don't want: I try it.

Arduous is what I would definitely call these fabric baubles. Hours of patience were needed just to turn the strips inside out, then to create the "beads", just for starters -- but I was thrilled with the results, so I will be making more.

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

Time Travel. All the clocks have been put back, including the one on the stove....

And another sunny day, bringing out the red hues of the maple leaves. The maple leaf forever, eh.

Maple leaf/feuille d'érable

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

Friday's child

I was at BizzyB's yesterday evening to see what was new (before all the stuff runs out). I don't mind telling you that I always get a thrill to see my own stamps on the shelves, as well as all the Stampington magazines to which I contribute. I went through the store inch by inch so that I wouldn't miss anything, and found these two stamps that were right up my street. Of course I grabbed them. I regret to say that they were the only two, but they can always be ordered, according to Mrs. BizzyB.

A lot of stamps are now coming out as cling stamps, but I love the ones on wood: they are easier to organize, to pick one out of the many, and to stamp with. May they continue forever.


  
Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

I was going through my many notebooks from my days as a (mostly) writer and came across this entry titled Perception. I knew of course that we can all look at the same thing and each of us will see something different, but this entry pointed it out in a very graphic way.

____________________________

August 21 [year unknown]

Bought a candle at the pharmacy. Cost was $2.29. I took my change out and counted out $2 plus a quarter and a nickel right in front of the pharmacist. She took the money, gave me a receipt, but not the 1 cent change. I was going to let it go, but something compelled me to say something -- obviously not for the one cent but for the principle of it.

So, very nicely, I said something -- and she replied: "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought I saw you count out four pennies."

I had put down 30 cents [a quarter and a nickel] and yet she perceived me counting out four pennies.

How often have I done this? I will pay attention from now on. I will not confuse perception with fact.

______________________________________________

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

A jaunt down Yonge St., from midtown where I live to downtown Bloor & Yonge, in beautiful 17C weather, dropping into stores I've patronized for many years.

Drake General Store

The cookbooks store...duh

Roberto at his salon, taken unawares by my camera

Cora at Dinah's cupboard

Sweet stuff. Dufflet's carrot cake is hidden behind the brownies

Say cheese...Fromage!

Side street leading to Yorkville

Paperbag Studios has just launched a new set of rubber stamps in collaboration with Samantha Kira Harding (whose art journaling videos on Youtube I've enjoyed for quite a while now).

As a happy member of the design team, I received them a couple of weeks ago and made a number of samples which I did not show in this semi-mysterious post.

Now I can, and with great pleasure! Here are a few.

Do not break your shin on a stool that is not in your way.-- Irish proverb

And so here we are. It's November. Already. I think measuring time is stressful; I need to get out of the habit.

A few things.
How to find a lost object: photograph it. I photographed my shelves and found an item I thought I'd lost at the very top [the bookcase is much taller than me).



A little egghead stitching:

And messing with paint. Or channelling Lynne; I should say following Lynne's instructions which she generously shares on her blog.

Acrylics, graphite, wax pastels.

Do not break your shin on a stool that is not in your way.-- Irish proverb