Stickin' Ideas Together

In early February I was still greatly enamoured with my Christmas "urchin" necklace ( see Jan 20th posting). I put it on daily feeling extra warm and fuzzy with the knowledge that my guy had showered me with such a special gift of love. And then I lost it. I mean I physically lost my necklace. One morning, apparently the clasp wasn't fully closed, the chain released and the necklace slipped off of my neck. I was beside myself with sickness; and my better-half was using all of his energy to restrain anger-based comments from exiting his mouth. Pulling my emotions together, I retraced my steps multiple times, posted LOST signs around the neighbourhood and sent out a lot of gratitude vibes hoping a Kind Soul would return it to me.  One very long day later we received a call from a Kind Soul. A fellow Starbucks regular found my necklace on the floor near the coffee bar! English isn't his first language so he didn't know how to go about finding the necklace

Over a year ago my husband & I decided to take the plunge into the Vancouver housing market. By housing I mean house. We currently own a loft-style condo but it seems to be shrinking as the years go by. We have a 7yr old daughter so space is a precious commodity within our four walls. Since we have purchased our 1928 East Van house, we have gutted it, hired a draftsperson, a contractor and purchased stocks in Valium. But it's been worth it. In the above photo you can see my family last summer tending to the weeds that overtook this neglected lot. In this fab aerial shot, you can see the new metal roof and front windows (sills are yet to come). The stairs are staying where they are with new tile cladding and rail work. Of course the house will be painted once complete -- maybe a misty North Shore blue-gray. Time will tell. In 1928 rooms were small.  Since we are coming from loft-living, we decided to maintain that sense of space by keeping the main floor as open

OH YEAH!! Check out this inspiring book by  Betsy Greer  that I just purchased. I discovered it in a promo catalogue by local Vancouver publisher  Arsenal Pulp Pres s.  The write-up describes craftivism as follows:  Craftivism is a worldwide movement that operates at the intersection of craft and activism;  Craftivism  the book is full of inspiration for crafters who want to create works that add to the greater good.  To me, creating for the greater good is what creating is all about. I am keen on using many of the ideas in my work with school children. Encouraging them to dream, to express and "craft" their own world is are important human awarenesses. Sometimes those acts get lost in the shuffle of chores and responsibilities. I'll keep you posted on how this book plays out in my life. In the meantime, get the book. You'll love it! Keep creating. Keep craft-ivisming ~ Kathryn

Sea urchins teach 'discernment' My beloved gifted me a spectacular 'Vale' gold necklace, by the Bai sisters, for Christmas. What I first thought was a tooth-like shape, turns out to be a sea urchin spike. Needless to say I LOVE it. Of course I couldn't help researching any meaning attributed to sea urchins. In my world, there are no coincidences; therefore, there must be a mystical reason for said species to be decorating me right now. Here's what I discovered (abbreviated text. Source forgotten.. so sorry!!): Teaches discernment and the art of underlying circumstances. Slow and methodical, she shows how to maneuver with tenacity and patience.... Do you have tough exterior and soft inside? Urchin will teach this balance of rough and tender. Evolution, metamorphosis and new developments are highlighted with Sea Urchin medicine... Listen to the color of the Sea Urchin for this will aid in understanding. I found the last line curious, " listen t

Happy New Year! I am once again embarrassed that so much time has elapsed since we last chatted. It was quite a year, that 2015. I cannot say that I'm sad to see it go. However, one bright spot in the year was that my daughter, Ruby, & I participated in the Anonymous Art Show  - the North Vancouver Community Arts Council's annual fund raiser. I have attached a few snaps of our submissions. My painting can be seen on the group photo of Those-Who-Make-It-Happen (top row, second painting on the left). We had fun getting our paints out and spending some quality art-time together. Ruby was thrilled to use acrylics, as opposed to mom-friendly washable paints. If you have a hankering to gift art at Christmas, make sure you check out their site in early November to get the dates of the 2016 show. Not only will your family & friends be thrilled to receive an original canvas, but the local art community will thank you too (each canvas is $100 with $50 going to the arti