summer night market

Every year, there is a huge Summer Night Market (previously called Richmond Night Market) that happens each weekend from May to October. Located in an odd industrial part of town, the place is packed full of booths selling a vast array of goods - sunglasses, kawaii stationary (the weirder the character and worse the english translations the better), asian DVDs, ankle socks with japanese cartoon characters (can you beat 5 pairs for $10!), ninja swords (you never know when you might need one)... and the list goes on and on. The best part of the market though, are the food stalls... which is probably why they are always packed! We wolfed down some bbq lamb skewers, deep fried tofu, as well as some chinese dumplings (shown above with some hot chilli sauce)... and still had room for some bubble tea too! Yes, it was a bit of a gluttonous day... I did turn down the mini donuts though... so there was some will power that day. 

mixtape

I love mix tapes, and I love creating new illustrations... so, I excitedly entered a few entries into Social Designer's Mixtape t-shirt competition. A portion of the t-shirt sales of the chosen winning design will benefit the Chez Panisse Foundation. If you like some of my designs and want to see one on a lovely t-shirt, come and vote for them here, here, here, here (each link will take you to each illustration and its description). Thanks! I am crossing my fingers!!!

here comes the sun

If you don't already know, I am a huuuge fan of the video game Rock Band. Yes, that's right... I have my own red Vic Firth drum sticks and everything (still working on the drumstick twirl, btw). So when I heard that Rock Band will be releasing a Beatles edition this September (09.09.09), I squealed in giddy delight. Even if you aren't a video game fan, but love the Beatles, watch the amazing trailer... it's beautiful and really well done. Watch it here. Wooohoo... I can't wait to be Ringo!

it's a sloth, if you're wondering

We visited the Vancouver Aquarium recently to visit our old friend the tropical sloth (I don't think it has a name?). Took awhile to spot it, since it was hiding way up high among the tree blossoms. I tried to get the best photo I could... waited and waited, and then it occurred to me that.. oh yah, it's a sloth... it's going to take forever to move and turn to even face me. So short of poking it with a stick (which is not allowed of course), I would have had to wait a long long time in that tropical heat. So this is the resulting photo... a mysterious fur ball in some branches... I am not even sure which side is the head... I think the top?

collage: girl and balloons

Happy sunny day = balloon collage day! There is a bit of a heat wave going on in Vancouver right now, so it has been sunny and bright for the last little while with temperatures creeping higher and higher. I think all this extra vitamin D is making me a little giddy (I hope it's not actually sun stroke). All this good weather is almost making me forget it's a regular monday morning... I may actually forgo the coffee... 

ask alice

Two names that will guarantee that I am going to watch this movie: Tim Burton and Johnny Depp! The official trailer for Tim Burton's adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic tale has been released! Set to be in theaters in March 2010 (I know... a very long wait) the Disney pic includes Johnny (yes, let's go on a first name basis here) as The Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as The White Queen and Crispin Glover as The Knave of Hearts. I am a big fan of the dark and beautiful Burton films, so am really excited about this one (yes, I am hopping on the spot, I'm that excited). Watch the fabulous trailer here... guaranteed you will be hopping up and down too!

production nerves - part 2

In my attempt to alleviate my production nerves for the upcoming craft shows this fall and winter, I have been trying to chip away at making a bit of inventory, so that I don't drive myself crazy this year with my last minute-ness. Made some great headway this week - managed to glue all the vintage images I had cut out onto the first batch of notebook covers (last count was about 100 books - if these don't sell, I will have a problem)... next step will be to stitch borders around the images with my sewing machine. The sewing part is easy (it's just straight lines)... it seems my problem is always trying to get the tension right and just threading the darn machine... arghhh! This is what happens when a non-sewer tries to sew!

theeeyyyy'rrreee heeeeeerrreee!

Finally! After months (and what felt like years) of waiting, some of our tomatoes are ready to eat. This one is #3, #1 and 2 have already been devoured. Of course they are taking it upon themselves to ripen one at a time so we have been enjoying them in salads, since cooking one tomato seems really sad. I am so glad we are not farmers... at the slow rate we're going we would have had to declare our own famine and starve to death. Also threw in a pic of my herb garden, since the oregano seems to be blossoming and the flowers look really cute.

collage: woman and bird

Lately there have been an abundant number of cute little bird songs that I have been hearing in our neighborhood. They were probably always there, but I just have been noticing them more now that I work from home and all my windows and doors are open (it's friggin hot here right now!). Unfortunately, I am so horrible at identifying birds by their songs... I have no idea what most of them are.... the only easy one I can pick out is my least favorite - the annoying voices of the crow family who sometimes like to visit at early morning hours (and generally on weekends). 

ps. thank you to Xenia for featuring one of my woodburnings in her affordable treats segment on her blog found paper co. today! And thank you to Audrey of Audrey's Country Crafts for giving me a blog award as well. Thanks!

who you gonna call?

In the summer in Vancouver (as well as locations across BC), there are free outdoor movie nights that happen all over the city. On the Sunday, we headed downtown to Yaletown with our picinic blanket to catch Ghostbusters and it was so much fun! It was already packed when we got there (mostly with big kids like us, perhaps a little nostalgic for the 80s movie and wanting a dose of Bill Murray), but we managed to nab a little grassy patch. My fave part was when the whole audience chanted "Ghostbusters!" every time it came up in the song... it was so cute!

ps. I tried to nab pics of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, but in our excitement, the pic was too blurry and it made him look scary.

his name is frederick

Wow! Over 120 entries for the latest July giveaway! The bird battle was in full force!

And who might the winner be and what is the little bird's name? The random draw was made this morning from our fancy schmancy trophy cup (by my husband Roger) and the winner of the fabulous prize is... Tahni Candelaria  (blog: and we must learn to hope). Congratulations Tahni! She has named the little fella Frederick! Frederick is flying his way down to you soon!

Thanks again to everyone who entered the giveaway and came up with such creative names. If I ever happen to get a real bird, I will have some great name ideas to choose from... heehee, but yes... living in condo, a real bird would be a bad idea. Stay tuned for another giveaway next month! Can't reveal what it is yet... have to keep it a surprise! ;)

the bear up there

I love the neighborhood we live in (Mount Pleasant, aka South Main). One of the best things, I find, is discovering the weird quirks and oddities in the area. Which brings us to the giant 7 foot tall chrome bear statue that sits on top of the roof of a local optometrist's office. I walk by it quite often, and one day I noticed they had given him a new pair of shades!... makes sense.

collage: the ultra shy squirrel

Shhhhh... be very very quiet and limit any quick movements, since this little fella is ultra shy and timid. He is so bashful in fact, that he is going to hide behind his bushy tail when you try to say hello.

Oh and he also wants to remind everyone that there are only three days left in the giveaway, so come on by and enter for your chance to win. Happy Friday!

production nerves

The promo cards for the big One of a Kind Vancouver show and sale are here, and I was delighted to see that my kraft + vintage paper notebooks are featured smack dab in the middle of the card (between the model in the white sweater and the boy with the balloons). Yes, the pic is tiny, but I am soooooo putting this up on my fridge.

Hmm... then it dawned on me, I have to get cracking on making a whole bunch of notebooks for the show and not leave it until the 11th hour. (I haven't even started making my woodburning inventory yet...eep!) This will be the first large trade/craft fair (as in convention centre large) for me and I am suuuuuper nervous... ok, that is an understatement... I am extremely freaked out. In my nervous panic, I went into a bit of a production frenzy yesterday and started cutting out tons of images for the book covers. I figure if I make stuff gradually over the summer, it will be less daunting and scary. Hope my theory proves true.

Also, another bit of good news, Bess of english muffin, featured some of my woodburnings on her cute blog, the english muffin... thanks Bess!! ;)

etsy hits vancouver!

Ok, I am a bit of an Etsy fanatic, so when I heard that they were rolling into town as part of their Etsy West Coast Tour, I was super excited! Went to a coffee house beforehand to meet some of the crafty lady posse (the usual suspects - Track and Field and The Beautiful Project), where we all got a chance to meet Jan from Poppytalk as well as Etsy's Maria (the CEO) and Anda - all such nice and lovely ladies! At the meet up at Cambrian Hall, Maria and Anda were joined by Matt, where they all gave a little talk and had Q &A, while the rest of us nibbled on snacks.

One of my fave things of the event was meeting and seeing all the faces behind all the local etsy shops and blogs; we all got to wear name tags, so that made things much easier (a big Hi to everyone I met yesterday!!). Oh yah, and I also scored this cute souvenir scarf from the event! I will frame it and hang it on my wall and never wash it... ok... kidding... I'm not that fanatical, but I am happy I got one... woop woop! The tour is continuing on to Portland and San Fran, so check it out if you can!

collage: roller skate girl and bird

One life skill, if you can call it that, that I have never properly learned is how to roller skate. As a kid, I remember going to a few tortuous birthday parties at the local Stardust - an old roller rink here, that is now long gone. I would spend most of the time on the floor and very rarely on my feet, while everyone else seemed to do loopy-di-loops in crazy circles backwards (yes, at the time I was sooo jealous!) Fast forward a decade when I briefly tried rollerblading... um yah, not for me... I never learned how to stop properly and managed to injure myself on a small handicap ramp... enough said.

Oh, and if you haven't already.. stop on by and enter my July giveaway! ;)

july giveaway - win a woodburned bird!

It's that time of month again... as in giveaway time... woop woop! Win this cute little red woodburned art panel for your lovely home. How cute would it look adorning your wall and bringing you smiles every day. ;)

Enter to win by posting a comment telling me what name you would give this little birdy... tweet tweet... it's going to be a battle of the bird names. I'll make a random draw from the fabulous trophy cup on Monday, July 20th. Please remember to include some contact info (etsy shop, blog, website, or e.mail address) and please only one entry per person.

Good luck everyone, and be sure to check back to see if you won!

blushing tomato

While watering my tomato plant yesterday, I was excited to see that one of the little green fellas is starting to ripen... I lifted up the leaf and it looked like it was blushing to see me... tee-hee. Oh, I can't wait until fresh red tomatoes... impatient me will have to wait for the other dozen to start reddening too (maybe if I stop looking at them, they will redden faster). Also thought I'd post a pic of some fresh peas (from a local farm, not our garden), since they are one of my fave summertime treats. Happy weekend everyone!

ps. my July giveaway is coming up this Monday!

handmade nation!

Two of my fave things merged into one - documentary film + crafting! Yesterday night was the premiere of Faythe Levine's Handmade Nation in Vancouver, and it was fantastic! I was lucky enough to be one of the early ticket holders and scored myself a swag bag of little goodies... one of the items was a cute embroidery pattern from Sublime Stitching (who did what you see above)... score! (I am doing the pumping fist right now). Got to hang out with some of the other crafty ladies (Sasha of Track and Field and Jeannette of The Beautiful Project), indulge in one of coco cake cupcakes' sweet treats while browsing the wares of the other vendors and the cute photo booth. So fun! Be sure to check out the flick, when you can... it's so inspiring!

ps. also wanted to thank Eva for featuring some of my collages on her cute blog oh smile! Oh, and check back soon, since my July giveaway is coming up this Monday!

mystery owl 2

Last week, I posted a pic of a collaborative art project that I am working on with my hubby Roger... so I thought I would post another little teaser pic (can't reveal what it is yet!). So the woodburned owl has evolved a bit since then... we added some shading, a hint of colour, as well some awesome skull patterns to stand in as feathers. Owls, skulls... oh what could it be? Intrigued aren't you? I will post a reveal soon when it's done! 

ps. my July giveaway is coming up this Monday!

collage girls in shower

Sounds geeky, but I love checking out my Google Analytics once in awhile to see the list of strange search keywords people type in and that end up at this website. Here are 5 great ones for this week and my 2 cents (*please note that I kept their original spellings intact, to keep their integrity)... oh and the old 90s collage is just for visual accompaniment (I thought its randomness matches well with this odd list):

1. collage girls in shower (also: collage girl in water, collage girls photo while rain danc, collagegirls.com)

It must be such a disappointment for anyone typing these words in and finding actual collages made by a girl, rather than a bunch of "college" girls having showers. I think it must be seen as punishment for poor spellers looking for a good time. And to anyone who did type that in and is still reading or following this blog... thanks?!

2. girls loves balloons

Yes they do.

3. abut a beaver

Not sure what to make of this one... could be innocent and the person forgot the "o" in "abut"... or could be creepy and the person forgot the extra "t" in "but" and space after the first "a"

4. art therapy rain cloud

This sounds amazing... I want to find this magical cloud too. 

5. george strombopolous' garden

Ok, I am a big fan of George Strombopolous (from The Hour) and so awesome that he has a garden. George, if that was you googling - I love your show - hmm.. but I guess you wouldn't be googling yourself and your garden, so never mind... but if you are... I'm a big fan!

These are just a few of the many strange keywords... the list could go on awhile... so I will post some more soon!

tayberries are here!

Perhaps you were like me and asking what the heck is a tayberry? We went raspberry picking on the weekend, and whilst picking noticed a sign for Tayberrries... turns out that they aren't mutant long raspberries (as I was calling them), but a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry... and they are soooo good! Noticing that no one else in the field seemed very interested, we went to town... realizing pretty quickly why not a lot of people like to pick them... argh.. can the bushes be any thornier? At times I had to make sure my red stained fingers were from the fruit and not from the constant slivers I was getting. Anyhoo, after an hour of stealthy ninja-like picking maneuvers we managed to get a big bucket of them... and it was sooo worth it! 

collage: feeding the foxes

Once when we were at Stanley Park here in Vancouver, we observed a group of tourists feeding and taking pictures of raccoons. A woman held out some doritos in her hand and the raccoon hissed (horror movie style) and snatched them from her... and she laughed!... um.. ever hear of rabies, lady?... not so funny. Their tour bus driver, who also saw that this was happening too, thankfully told them to stop. Not sure what will happen to this guy in the collage... perhaps I should have made this one a two parter... the first one where he has an arm, and the second one without.

etsy map update

I started my etsy map before discovering google analytics a year later. Even though it's not as accurate as the google one, I kept it up, since I love how it looks (and love sticking the colourful pins in it each time there is a new sale in my little etsy shop... woohoo! It has grown a bit since I last posted about it too!). The only draw back is I only have a large map of North America... and some of my sales have been in other places around the world... I will have to come up with either mini map insets... or perhaps, now I have an excuse to buy a giant globe!

ps. Happy July 4th to everyone in the U.S.! ;)

you make me feel

Recently I had the exciting opportunity of creating the artwork for Canadian country music singer Jessie Farrell and her new single. Not only did I get to do the artwork for the single, but I also got to do the artwork for the cute animated ecard that you can send to your friends, lovers, spouses, family... or whoever in your life. To experience the interactive illustration/ecard click on www.jessiefarrell.com and then click on the "Send Ecard" button - rolling over bits of the carnival picture will reveal little animations! And oh, you don't have to send an ecard to see the little animations... but why not share it eh? (Shameless plug, I know). And of course, best of all,  listen to Jessie's new cute song too!

mystery owl

I am working on a collaborative art project with my hubby Roger... and while it is still not finished, and I can't reveal what the project is (yes, I am being annoyingly vague)... I thought I'd share a detailed shot of a portion of it. So now you know there is a burned owl involved! Will update soon and have the "reveal" once it's done! In the meantime, I will keep it mysterious... hoot hoot hoot!

happy canada day!

Hip - hip - hooray!... Happy Canada Day everyone! A little red and white collage today to celebrate. We will be dressing up today like Canadian Mounties and eating maple syrup, and bacon while glugging beer... just kidding!! (Although I could go for some bacon right now). It's sunny today and we have the day off, so we are off for a nice bike ride... perhaps will check out some of the celebratory events happening around town. It already feels like Friday and its only Wednesday... yay!