Category: Life

A little Sprout of love

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We weren’t expecting to get a new doggie so fast…. but the universe sent us this little one.  If there is anything I’ve learned in all my years… it’s when the stars align and things seem right, they usually are.

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So we took the leap and welcomed this little corgi puppy into our lives. He has been nothing short (hee hee) of magical.  He is making us all  feel so much better. We all still miss Gerty so much, but the happiness is now back in our house.

(His name is Sprout. Inspired by the amazing series “Korgi” by Christian Slade.)

Little Gerty

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Last Sunday we lost our little Gerty.

Anyone who met her knew what a sweet dog she was. She was pure love. Alway happy, always ready for fun. On our walks so many people would smile at her as they walked by. More than once, people have yelled from passing cars  what a cute dog she was. She didn’t have a bad bone in her body.

She was my constant companion, and I couldn’t have dreamed of a better one. She brought a smile to my face every single day. Just looking at her instantly made my heart happy. She slept with Ila every night, she was her best friend.

Our house is so painfully quiet, all I see is the hole she has left.  We all loved her with all our hearts and miss her so badly.

Gerty, you were the best girl.

Discover Charlottetown 2015 Activity Guide.

Posted on Posted in Illustration, Ilustration

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I have some spot illustrations scattered throughout the current Discover Charlottetown Activity Guide. You can find it all around town or you can request one from the Discover Charlottetown website.

G! magazine interview

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I was interviewed by the PEIWBA in this month’s G! magazine. You can read it online here.

 

Stay True

Posted on Posted in Art, happiness, homeschool, Kids, Life5 Comments

 

This keychain arrived in my mailbox last September. A thoughtful and timely gift from my dear friend Mia.

There have been some big changes around here. Changes I would never would have expected. I’m not someone who is particularly good with changes… but these 2 words have kept me going. Stay True.

This gift arrived just as we were taking Ila out of school. We couldn’t ignore anymore that it was not a place for her. She was anxious, angry, and just an all around mess. The whole family was a mess. It felt like we were falling apart trying to keep her together.

My head wanted her to stay in school. What would people think? How would I get my work done? Why is my child so different than all the rest? My heart told me something all together different. It told me to go get her and take her home… and keep her home. It told me to believe in her. I chose to listen to my heart.

Nearly 6 months later she has blossomed like I would have never imagined. Her little true happy self is shining through. A day does not pass that I don’t believe 100% that we did the right thing.

The thing that has surprised me the most is that I’m happier too. Happier than I’ve ever been. Yes, it’s a crazy amount of work.  I’m exhausted, but my heart sings every day.  I go to my studio to work every night, and I also work on weekends. I feel like I’m getting even more work done now. This may be because when I do have time to work, I can focus clearly. I’m not always torn… worrying about her.

In January Sosi decided to start homeschooling too. I think she saw how happy Ila and I were and wanted to join in.  So, here we are homeschooling both kids. If you would have told me this last year I would have have thought you were crazy. It feels right though, like this is the life we were always meant to be living.

I feel incredibly lucky to have a flexible job that can work around this. Life and work feel like one thing now, not separate things pulling me in two different directions.

So, I guess we’re officially out of the homeschool closet.

Stay true (it feels great!).

 

 

summertime self portrait

Posted on Posted in Art, Kids, Life

 

I just finished this self portrait for the upcoming “I, Defined” Peake St Group show. This is pretty much how I feel all summer. We are one little unit. If I did a self portrait any other time of the year, I probably wouldn’t have my children growing out of my neck.

new rooms

Posted on Posted in Kids, Life

 

Our girls have been sharing a room for quite a few years now.  It has been good. They love being together and find a lot of comfort in each other.

But recently I have also been noticing that it has been a little harder for Sosi than Ila… I could see in her face that she could use a little quiet oasis of her own at times.

So while we were away on a recent trip to Ottawa, Paul got busy. They each have their own little space now and the change has been seamless.

 

They have loved decorating their own spaces. My heart was bursting by Sosi’s choice of my art (exclusively) for her walls.

Ila was all about the displaying of her (disturbing large) collection of stuffies.

They still are close, and the first thing they do in the morning is go in to the other’s room… but now they just have a place to go when they need some space. I hope it helps to bring them even closer.

 

Charlottetown map!

Posted on Posted in Ilustration, P.E.I

This is the project that I have been so excited to share here… but couldn’t, until now!

 

I was asked by Discover Charlottetown to create an illustrated walking map of Charlottetown. It will be used for their activity guide, as a tear-away walking map and a larger version will also be displayed in 8 kiosks around town (pics to come soon!).

I was completely intimated by this project, and debated about taking it on. Then one day I had a light bulb moment. This is the kind of job I want to be doing, dream of doing! So I put my fears aside and dove in. I hope locals find it depicts Charlotetown well, and that it lures visitors to explore… but mostly I hope my love for this beautiful town shines through.

(Postcard versions of this map and my PEI map will be available for sale soon. I’ll keep you posted!)

 

winter hybernation

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

I’ve been super busy with an exciting project that I can’t wait to share here. I was hesitant to take it on at first. I worried I wouldn’t be able to do it the justice it deserved. After some soul searching I decided it was just too good an opportunity to pass up… and dove in.

It was an insane amount of work… but it made me realize something. You can’t find out how great you can be if you don’t give yourself the chance. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and I’m so happy with how it turned out. (Here’s a little sneak peek!)

 

Besides working like crazy I’ve been busy trying to cope with winter. It’s such a challenging time of year. The cold, the darkness… the never ending-ness!

Here are a few things that help us get through winter.

Lots of super cuddling.

Lots of awesome drawing.

Try and get outside as much as possible.

If you see a sunbeam, stop everything and soak it up.

 

 

 

Valentine’s Day Stickers!

Posted on Posted in Art, Ilustration, Kids1 Comment

 

This is was a dream job for me. I love hearts, they are my favourite. Designing 2 pages of heart stickers….. my new favourite!

You can find them in the current issue of American Girl magazine.

P.S Click here to see a super cute ecard made with these drawings (just press play).

December Brain

Posted on Posted in Art, knitting, Life2 Comments

 

Sorry for the epic silence here… December sort of ate me up!

First we had a certain special someone turn 5! I have to say, 5 is suiting her very finely. She will always be my fire-y girl, but she’s definitely turned a corner.

We’ve had many storms… and so much snow. It’s been kind of crazy.

Then I started thinking about Christmas…

We wanted to try and make this a homemade Christmas. We made a very strong effort to not buy things, but rather make things. It felt so good. I find it so easy to get caught up in all the craziness… slowing it down and making things made it so much more enjoyable, for all of us.

This year  I decided to knit everyone thrum mittens for Christmas… I probably should have started this much sooner.

I made newborn thrums,

toddler thrums,

thrums for 8 year olds… and many many more. I didn’t get them all done sadly. Next year I will plan better… don’t we all say that every year?

 

I was busy with sneaky presents for friends from said friend’s husbands.

I got an email from Sosi’s teacher saying she saw the larger version of this painting in a shop. She told me it immediately made her think of a teacher holding her students. I loved that description so much I thought she needed to have a copy. So I made prints for all the teachers. This will be my teacher gift from now on. 🙂

I made this fabric piece for my very sweet husband. I thought it was a great gift until I got his present. He made a video of all my family and friends telling me what they love about me. It was the most beautiful gift I’ve ever received.

Christmas was lovely…

and as always it’s all over too soon. I’m so  looking  forward to getting back to work and starting the New Year. Before that tho, we have a few more holidays days together. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, full of rest and much love. xo

 

 

 

inside

Posted on Posted in Life

 

It’s that time of year when we move the green inside for the winter. I’m finally at a place in my life where I can handle taking care of plants again, it’s very exciting!!

noisy poems trailer

Posted on Posted in Ilustration, Kids1 Comment

The lovely Cynthia Nugent was so kind to make this trailer for Noisy Poems. It is so wonderful to see my little characters running around!! Click here or on the image to see the trailer.

knitting=happiness

Posted on Posted in Kids, knitting1 Comment

 

It’s not often I get asked to knit something by my children. So when Ila brought a favourite baby sweater to me the other day and asked me to “make the sleeves longer” my heart just about burst out of my chest.

There hasn’t been a lot of knitting happening in my life these days. My hands are full from juggling so many other things. This little project reminded me how happy knitting always makes me. I’m already planning my next project. Life is much better when there is a project on the needles!

 

 

40

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It’s been a big week. I turned 40 (!). My parents treated me to a trip to Ottawa and Montreal, a turning 40 victory tour of sorts. I got to see so many people I love, it was wonderful. Before I went on the trip I painted my studio. It was so nice to come back to… I’m feeling like a very lucky lady.

 

end of summer

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

 

I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how sudden the end of summer is. One minute my children are  tanned and happy and always around, then suddenly there’s a chill in the air and I’m missing them like crazy.