pre-kiss

I thought I would post a random pre-kiss picture.
I loved the way we were looking at each other.
(Right after snuggling on the Ikea bed while at Ikea, which for some reason aided in receiving some odd stares our way....hey it was a very cozy bed. We bet you want to when you pass them by too.) xo
A big thank you to indie icing for icing the nest.
Thank you to these twin sisters for telling us about indie icing. Thanks Jessica and Rachael!

we heart hong kong... hong kong vintage & recycled, that is......

I have been wanting to do a 'we heart thursday' on hong kong vintage & recycled for awhile now.
I finally got the chance to put our little annoying camera in my handbag and head over to hong kong vintage & recycled for a little photo shoot of this super model of an indie shop!
We met up with one of Charlotte's hippest women ever, Elizabeth Steinfels.
...ya have to know this girl is amazing the moment you walk into this retro wonder.

Elizabeth collected vintage before she opened her shop and thought perhaps Charlotte had a need for a shop like the one she was merely thinking up at the time.
She was so right....We love this place!!
It feels like the candy store of retro-goodness!
If you can't make it to Charlotte, NC, she also has a retro shop on line you can visit filled with fun treasures.
Okay, I even got Don to check out vintage girly stuff for me so you know it has to be great, right?! (below) There is also a ton of guy's vintage items too!

(above) us all smudgied up together in front of hong kong
A cool eames-esque chair we bought at hong kong vintage and recycled.

we are free thinkers...

Besides tricycles in the house are fun!

flora and feathers....

found the coolest new blog.....

(well...it is new to me.....hope you like it too)

my very first etsy customer....

Thank you Jodie!
Isn't her woodland view fabulous on its own!?!
I want that view.
So great of you to send me pictures. I love them!

(I surprised her with a few extra prints as a treat for being our very first customer.)

working hard on my bliss......

"When you follow your bliss, doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors and where there wouldn't be a door for anyone else." -Joseph Campbell

I saw this quote today and had to post it just in case you are needing a good kick in the tush like I am today.

the architecture of a feather......

(I carved this lino cut last night of a drawing of feathers I did)

For a while now I have been wanting to find a signature print idea for my art, something that I love, that is individual, creative and very 'me'.
Being inspired by a few key artists, it sometimes is a bit difficult to pull your brain away from all of that and really focus on what you find lovely.

As I was thinking about this a lot, it suddenly dawned on me as I was falling asleep a little over a week ago that a feather would be perfect. I have been doodling and drawing them ever since.
I love the simplicity and form of a feather.

In collage work I thought I would do a line of more simplistic printed bits in my favourite contrasting colours. I finished this one (above) for doing the lino cut prints on last night and I am kind of pleased with it.

Also thinking of putting some clipboards and bar towels up in the shop as well.
(I may have to work out the kinks of using my new oil based inks with fabric , wood, etc. to give a cleaner looking print.)
Hopefully we can have some of these up by next Monday.

Hope you all enjoy our feathery delights.
Have a lovely day, everyone!

a little of our weekend....

We mostly played outside with a new slip and slide and turtle pool, went to yard sales and did a wee bit of yard work.
All in all a great weekend with our little family.

videography of Bella's Turtle Pool by Bayley (our 12 year old son)

random thoughts....

When I posted here the other day, I never really gave much thought to my quandary being a 'God thing' in my life but when I read my sweet husband's post today I thought...wow that is so it.
There definitely is a theme that God is trying to get across to me as of late.
Humility is not something wonderfully embraced in North America.
I think one reason we have the lows along with the mountain tops in life is to keep us grounded and to aid our perspective from looking to ourselves as the center of our little universe to perhaps looking up.
I think our insecurities come from some sense that we think our lives need to be superior to the next person's....by that I mean we need to feel that, 'hey at least I am compassionate or hey at least I don't judge....etc.' because that gives us a sense of security.
(Although I know for myself I don't ever want to admit that.)
The one problem with our security and confidence being in our own good deeds, etc. is that we ourselves know that we aren't all that great all the time.
Still we somehow think when we strive for excellence, that we are being noble and good.
I know I have thus far thought that.
I am thinking God is working a beautiful thought line into my heart through some amazing and beautiful people here on earth who happen to have this connection with humility.
Humility doesn't mean one looks at themselves poorly, in fact it simply is looking at one's self in a proper perspective.
People who don't take themselves too seriously and who play in art and life, people who
don't hold themselves too precious and who seem to have no need for pretension are
the same people who I admire so much in life, to the point of almost putting them on a pedestal in my mind.
So then why do I struggle so hard with the concept of humility?

The Susan Boyle video clip I posted about had 100's of comments attached on youtube all putting down the sneering girl they panned to.
However isn't that all of us on some level?
We miss the beauty in humility and that is when God truly amazes us with his lifting up of the humble and his using the small things to confound us.

'love time' gets loved....

Being new to this, I am not really sure how she ended up on the front page of etsy last night but thanks to Stacy Winters who informed me...
I am on cloud nine.
(I kind of wondered how this one suddenly got 300+ views by this morning.)
(I am so new to etsy that I don't even know if that is a big deal or if they do that occasionally for everyone)
Is it odd to be shocked when people actually like your work?

happy friday today and easy breezy gyoza....

I am not very fancy when it comes to cooking but I really do like tasty food.
Gyoza (potstickers) are really easy if you let them be.
I think it is kind of funny when people complicate things more than they need to be.
I found a recipe for Gyoza that was about 2or 3 pages long and yet they were basically the same as the one on this post.
(below is my new apron from Pier One)
I think I have a thing for aprons lately.

You can make the dipping sauce in advance if you like.
1 Cup of Soy Sauce
1/2 Cup of Asian black vinegar or red wine vinegar works too.
1tbsp of sesame or peanut oil

Use ingredients pictured above and mix together in mixing bowl.
Take wonton wrappers and wrap in a moist cloth napkin to keep from drying out.
Use a bowl of water and a pastry brush to brush each square.
Put a small ball of the pork mixture in the center of wrapper.
You can fold into triangles and press or pinch together or you can bundle them up.
In a large wok or non stick frying pan place the little triangles or bundles with about a 1/4 Cup of sesame or peanut oil.
Cook at a low to medium temperature until the meat is fully done and the outside is a nice golden brown.
Chop up a bundle of green onions, garlic chives or scallions.
Put together on a plate and pour a little bit of the sauce over it and chives (or others) on top.

There all done!
Enjoy your Gyoza!
I know we did last night.

flowers for me....

I love my husband!
He gives me these sweet little surprises
like while I am focused on getting groceries for making Gyoza (which I am doing a post on later today) he sneaks over to the floral section of our local market and grabs a bouquet of white spider mums or bright colourful gerbera daisies and hands them to me like a cute playful kid with a huge grin on his face.
He proceeds to let me dance to a corny grocery store song down the international foods aisle in my pleasure for his sweetness or maybe it is my pure insane desire to dance in strange places.

He still gives me the sweet looks he gave me when he first met me like he is in awe.
Who wouldn't love that?

bits of yesterday and why i heart jenny of frecklewonder

If anyone follows Poppytalk or Frecklewonder, you may know I went a little ga-ga for this Canadian Map tea towel. I want to mount it on a frame, I think or perhaps get it re-printed on fabric to make some fun pillows. I am not sure but all I know is it is a little piece of home and for now it hangs on a little branch over my kitchen window.
I miss Canada a lot and haven't been home now in almost 3 years so when I saw this on Frecklewonder, of course I went a little crazy and for some reason I didn't notice that paypal had an old address of Don's from when he was single. Apparently it got sent back to Jenny and she was so positively wonderful about it and didn't even charge me for the postage mistake I made.
I was so happy when the package arrived that I squeeled in delight.
Attached was an adorable handstamped note with a sweet little bird on it....so fully cute.
Thank you Jenny!!
She is who I heart today!

I started the work on our compost area yesterday, dug up all the dirt near our grapvines, mulched, planted veggie plants and some seeds grilled out on our charcoal smoker/bbq.
(don't know how earth friendly that was but mmmmm..yum!)
I didn't get everything done that I wanted to but it does look a little better.
When I feel the compost area is completely cute, I will definitely post before and after photos.

Hope your Earth Day was swell!
Looking forward to Jenny's shop to have its May line!!
You will love her too, I am sure!!

in honour of earth day I am dreaming of a cute clean compost area.....

The cute ceramic compost crock and the pretty bamboo one you would keep under your sink area and empty often.

I find most compost areas not so adorable but I remember when my grandfather ( who died this past year) had the prettiest little compost spot surrounded by flowers and trees. Today it is my mission to make our compost area inspiring and lovely. (This is going to be a big task as you can see in our pictures below.)
Wish me luck because I think I am going to need it.
Happy Spring and Happy gardening to all my fellow gardeners!
Make sure your compost-able scraps don't go to waste and start your own small compost area too.

I used to go to a community garden area back home in Vancouver which I posted a couple of pictures of, a while ago in our blog. They also have a site with great composting and other gardening tips called the City Farmer.

Hope you all have a lovely sunny Earth Day while this girl is off to make composting cute, working hard on this somewhat mission impossible.
(or perhaps kind of possible with a fair bit of pain)

getting back to playing today....

I always want to be inspired and inspiring.
I want to see the best in others and have them see the best in me.
Let me be honest though...
I am at home a lot and some days it is rather difficult to see the world in positive light.
Which has got me to thinking....

or perhaps pondering what makes me go through ups and downs in life, art and whatever.

Where does the disconnect happen and instead of just being happy with who I am, I begin to be discontent with what I am, what I do and what I have?

I sometimes wonder if that is a good thing, that forces me to grow or if I am simply striving too much.

Art loses its playful edge and everything becomes about pleasing rather than being pleased.

Do we have to be flawless to be beautiful?
Does our work have to be flawless to be meaningful or are the flaws some form of inherent beauty of their own?
Where does one draw the line between just being lazy and being uptight?

I am thinking I will toe the line at when anything loses its pleasure, it is then too much striving. (Hoping that makes sense)

monday morning music.....

Really loving the folk sound and the fun of being a part of the 60's...ya I am old... heheh. I came to arrive in the last year of the 60's but hey whose counting. I still have this passion for the music of that time especially from small bands who hailed from Europe and Scandinavia. Ewald Thomsen on violin playing with young Copenhagen underground musicians in the fall of 1967.

our yard sale finds and a vintage cup filled with authentic home made chai....

This past weekend I discovered a new neighborhood to love...especially their yard sales.

It is is called, 'Lake Park'. (Thank you Donny and Judy for the tip!)
I found cute little antlers. (I know the antler thing is overdone but hey...it kinda suits my new rustic Swedish style that I am trying out.)
I found a cute doll's highchair for little Bella, a little rustic tool box and what the seller called a weed pot made out of post of chestnut wood. (We will use that last one for a candle holder or purely for display...no worries..heehee)
This little village may have to become my mini Greenville until we can finally move there.
It has great little ponds and lovely architecture. It also boasts a cute little shopping area and wonderful neighborhood events.
This morning when I went to the fridge I noticed that I had run out of my homemade chai concentrate. I made some more and thought with my vintage cup find full of chai you may want this yummy recipe. So I put it below this photo.

Did you know that literally translated chai means, 'spiced tea'?
Apparantly every Indian grandmother has her own recipe for authentic chai and I tend to switch mine up a bit too. I sometimes add a vanilla pod for a warm, rich flavour.

Authentic Chai Tea Recipe

Ingredients:

For Masala:
1/2-3/4 cup of Darjeeling loose tea or any other loose black tea with similar flavour

1 cup dried ginger root ( I sometimes use fresh ginger instead)

1/2 cup elaichi pods (green cardamom)

1 tbsp. peppercorns
1tsp fennel

5-6 2" sticks cinnamon
2 or 3 tbsp of cloves
3 or 4 whole nutmeg cut into bits
1 tsp of allspice
5 or 6 cups of raw or dark rich brown sugar

For tea latte you will also need:
1 long cinnamon stick and

1/2 cup milk

Procedure:

1.For making chai masala boil all of the ingredients except dark sugar with 8 cups of water on stove top in a heavy bottom pot.

2.When it comes to a boil move to lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.

3. Add 6 cups of dark sugar and continue simmering until you have a rich syrupy mixture. Strain.
4. Fill cup 1/2 full of chai masala concentrate.
5.Steam milk, add milk and foam to concentrate.
Store the left amount in sealed jar in your fridge for later.
(it lasts for about 3-5 weeks)

my love of picnic in vancouver b.c......

I am off to get garden supplies to fix up our yard today and can't help but wishing I could go back home for lunch. I love remembering the fun of PICNIC the ultimate little spot in Vancouver located next to Meinhardts in the South Granville, Fairview Slopes neighborhood.
3002 Granville
Vancouver, BC V6H 3J8

They have this fun communal table and a wonderful menagerie of personalities in their staff.
The food is so yummy too!!

I am sure just showing these amazing pictures will get you salivating.
My favourites are all and I mean all of their sandwiches with chocolate mousse for dessert but honestly everything is delicious.
If you are feeling new or lonely to this huge city, this is the place for you.
It is so easy to just hang out and get to know the locals mostly because of the friendliness of other customers but it does help to have a cool communal table too.

smitten....

('Smitten' a textured acrylic painting by me)
This couple of birdies were kind of representative of us.
I did this painting a while back and sold it , however I got it printed up for myself today and I think I kind of like it. I thought perhaps it might be fun as a print in our etsy shop.
So you may see this cute couple available in the near future.

I think this verse is appropriate.....

" And whoever exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Matthew 23:12 (NKJV)

My sister, Lori showed me this video today. I thought I could embed it but out of the 30 videos of this I found none that allow embedding and yet each of them had been viewed a million or more times. In fact you more than likely have already seen this. I think it so amazing that this humble woman from a small village area in England could be so inspirational and thrill us all in this way.

we heart michelle of blue moss....

We met Michelle Taylor of Blue Moss at Art and Light Gallery run by Teresa Roche when we were there for their 'First Friday' events.

She is wonderfully genuine with this amazing smile that brightened our day and made me feel like we had known her forever.
Her work is absolutely creative and so unique.
I love how she mixes in textiles, metals and vintage jewelery bits with a finished piece that positively stunning!

( above on the left is her sweet dreams bracelet: my favourite)
Honey, you may want to take notes.
(That was for my love, although if anyone else wants to purchase it for me I won't complain.)

Below are what Michelle called 'confetti necklaces'.
I love that, such a fitting and fun term.

It was wonderful to get the chance to meet Michelle and see her work in person.
Her work is even prettier to see up close.
The Greenville, SC, First Friday's events are the most fun ever. We SERIOUSLY loved it!! If you get the chance you should really go to and meet Michelle along with all of the wonderful people at Flat Iron Studios where the Art and Light Gallery along with Barb Blair's studio/shop, Knack and Lily's studio/shop are located.
Make sure you stop by and see all of the Blue Moss pieces and give Michelle a hug from us!