!!!!

Posted on Posted in Illustration7 Comments

 

We had some major excitement here this week. An advance copy of Noisy Poems for a Busy Day arrived! I had a hard time not crying when I opened it up and saw the pages, but reading the enclosed note by my editor pushed me over the edge. I think Sosi was terrified until I explained “happy tears, these are happy tears!”.

The book doesn’t come out until this December, but you can preorder it here or here. It is such a fun book to read to your kids, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. It looks great!

 

 

one thing at a time

Posted on Posted in Life1 Comment

 

My head has been spinning these days. Our house is in the midst of so many renovations… everywhere I look there is something for me to do.

I have the girls with my during the day and I have so many projects on the go. My mind is always thinking about what needs to be done.

I could continue like I’ve been, running in circles…or I could choose to breathe. Do one thing at a time.

There is beauty everywhere… even where you least expect it.

I’m choosing to slow down, because that’s when the magic happens.

 

Ila’s monkey quilt

Posted on Posted in crafting, fabric, Kids7 Comments

Ila’s monkey quilt is finished! I used mostly outgrown monkey pjs for the squares… the ones she refused to part with and put in the bag of hand me downs for her baby cousins. Now she can have them forever.

Why am I spending my last few days of kids at school/babysitter sewing a quilt? That’s a good question. I have about a dozen different art projects I could be doing, but this just felt right.

Maybe I’m winding down, changing gears for the summer where I’ll have the girls with me and creative projects will have to be more like this. Something that can be easily interrupted, and doesn’t require all my concentration.

Or maybe I just wanted to do something special for Ila. She’s been having a real rough time lately. Lots of tears, tantrums, general super crazy behavior. I want to wrap her up in love, in the hope that my sweet Ila might return and this angry at the world and everyone in it phase will pass. Here’s hoping it works, don’t let me down monkeys!

making…

Posted on Posted in Art, crafting, fabric1 Comment

Making: monkey quilt for Ila (out of all her old clothes… and some from each of us too).

Planning: a fabric piece out of this amazing vintage embroidery.

Excited: that I will be making an installation for Art in the Open this year with my studio mate Catherine. It was the most magical night last year, it should be fun to see it from the other side.

 

Happy Things

Posted on Posted in Art, happiness, Life1 Comment

Selling our house (!),

meeting my best friend’s baby boy,

doing paintings for adorable people.

what we’ve been doing…

Posted on Posted in Illustration2 Comments

Knocking down walls,

Painting picnic tables,

Playing with (awesome) neighbours,

Finding homes for gnomes,

Enjoying the quiet,

Cherishing moments like this,

and this.

weekend

Posted on Posted in Kids, Life2 Comments

Yesterday morning we were all lying around together when Ila looked up and smiled a great big smile and said “whole family!” Yes, whole family. There have not been a lot of moments like that lately. We have been pulled in a thousand different directions. Sometimes our kids know how to say it just right. We need to slow down, and just be together more. It’s so good when we do.

Yesterday we stopped everything, work, renovating, unpacking, garden work and just were together. It was just what we all needed. The girls fell into bed at the end of the day dirty from being outside literally all day (no baths on fun day!) and I felt more content than I have in ages. Remind me to slow down more often.

 

 

2 new custom fabric pieces

Posted on Posted in fabric, P.E.I1 Comment

 

I just finished these 2 portraits for Romina in Toronto, who is a good good friend of my dear sweet friend Mo. Romina found out about my work in a round-about way and was surprised to find out I was friends with her best friend.

When I sent these pictures to Romina, she told me she teared up a little.  I feel so lucky when I get to do one of these portraits, and even more so when I know it’s going to such an appreciative home.

Peake St Collaborations show is up!

Posted on Posted in Art, P.E.I, peake st

The show is up and it looks great!

If you have a chance stop by and take a look (the gallery is open daily 12-5), it’s such a great group of artists. The official opening is Saturday at 7:00, hope to see you all there!!

 

casting choices for the movie of my life

Posted on Posted in small fancy3 Comments

This week’s Small Fancy: Casting choices for the movie of my life.

We got a space!

Posted on Posted in Art, P.E.I, peake st

I didn’t think it was going to happen, but we got a space! There was a cancellation at the gallery@the Guild and we are booked!

It ‘s such short notice, but we still managed to get 13 pairs of artists for the show. I’m so excited and honored to help put this show together.

The amazing poster was made for us by Tyler Landry, I love it!

Job from hell, part 2.

Posted on Posted in Art, Life, small fancy

 

Small Fancy is a little late this week, but here it is. Now that I’ve thought about it more, I should have maybe drawn me waiting for the bus after work, in the dark, in Vanier, at 15. That was the worst part of this job.

I have so many of these, they might go on for a while… or maybe it is too depressing re-living all the jobs from hell. We’ll see…

here…

Posted on Posted in Life, P.E.I2 Comments

I feel like I’m finally on the other side of crazy. The sleepless nights, the planning, the worrying, the moving, the cleaning…  are over. We are in our new home, and loving it.

It’s really everything I’ve ever wanted in a home, and I’m loving it more each day.  We have big plans for this house, but won’t start anything until our other house sells. For now we are just enjoying being here, which is pretty great.

 

Farewell Fitzroy

Posted on Posted in Kids, Life, P.E.I1 Comment

The past few days have been chaotic and emotional. We packed up our lives at the house that welcomed us to this island, and have moved on.

I wasn’t expecting to feel this way, this move was my idea! I just can’t help but feel sad to leave the only home Sosi remembers, the one where Ila has lived her whole life. There are so many memories there.

Our last night in the house I was busy packing and I glanced out into the yard and saw this. My girls planting the chestnuts they had stuffed in their pockets that day from the new house, in the backyard of the old house. I don’t know what it was, my sheer exhaustion or the golden light falling on their backs but this just broke my heart.

Farewell  fifty-five Fitzroy, you have been so good to us. I hope whoever’s house you are next, they will love you as much as we do.

Charlie and the Bean.

Posted on Posted in Art, fabric

 

I just finished up these 2 custom pieces. The top one is for a little guy ‘s family I’ve done portraits of before. You can see the one I did of  his parents here.

The fabric piece is for a couple who recently moved to Chicago. I have them in front of Cloud Gate  (also know as “The Bean”) … it was hard to get a good photo of this one. I layered up different fabrics for the Bean and it’s so pretty in the sunlight. I also removed a heart before I sent it off, 4 is bad luck for the Chinese. Oops!