me-ow

Ok, do you sometimes find yourself stumbling across something odd that you feel the need to take a picture of? Well, I felt compelled to take a pic of this cougar when I bumped into him.... he was the perfect model too... holding that pawing pose, well, indefinitely. And, just to alleviate anyone's possible concern, this was in a nature and science centre, so I am going to assume it had died of natural causes. Me-ow.

ps. don't forget to enter my giveaway here!

september giveaway! - win a 5 x 7" print!

A little late this month... but I didn't forget! Hope you are in the home decor kind of mood, since this month I am giving away one free signed limited edition 5 x 7" print of you choice. Yes, that's right... you get to pick the limited edition print that you want from my shop. I know you're dancing on the spot right now as you read this... right?

Enter to win by posting a comment telling me which is your favorite print (you can see them all in my etsy shop here) and where you would hang it... perhaps the kitchen? baby's room? the library in your east wing? or gift wrapping room? (hey, the Spelling's had one). I'll make a random draw from the fabulous trophy cup on Monday, October 5th. Please remember to include some contact info (etsy shop, blog, website, or e.mail address) and please only one entry per person.

Good luck and be sure to check back next Monday to see if you won!

mini mushrooms

On one of our forest hikes, we came across this teeny tiny cluster of mushrooms at a base of a giant old tree. It reminded me so much of Alice in Wonderland, I couldn't resist and had to snap a pic. Okay, so a cheesy joke to accompany this photo:

Q: What did one mushrrom say to the other mushroom at the party?

A: You're a fun guy!

Yes, feel free to groan and roll your eyes at the joke... I don't know why, but it makes me snicker every time. 

ps. my September giveaway starts this Monday!

tofino time

As promised, some pics of Tofino today from our trip this past weekend... see, Canada isn't just the great white north after all... we do have sun, sand and surf here on the west coast... heehee.

We went for some lovely walks on the sandy beaches (wow, that sounds like a personals' ad cliché).
There was a mystery structure/sculpture someone had built on the beach... no entry way into it though. Hmmm... maybe it's a giant game of Jenga?
There were quite a lot of people surfing that day... unfortunately, not including us (so, yes, that is a stranger in the photo). We are still trying to get stronger at swimming before attempting to surf... but I have put it on my list as one of the things I want to learn.
Here is the view of the Pacific Ocean with crashing waves and all... apparently the waves get larger as winter gets near, which makes for some good storm watching... but that will have to be a future trip. Will post another batch of photos soon!

ps. stay tuned for my September giveaway this coming Monday!

island bound

This past weekend, we ventured on a family trip to Vancouver Island (Tofino to be exact)... took a lot of pics, so I will post them in batches over the next few days. Sit back, relax, and enjoy...
This is the view from the ferry deck.... there were a lot of Poseidon Adventure and Titanic jokes from all the family, while we were enjoying the ride... I'm positive we got the stink eye from some people around us.
From the ferry, it is about a 4 hour drive to Tofino, so we stopped on the way in Coombs, a small little town with cute, and some odd, shops. So if you are in the market for giant cement lawn sculptures, you might want to stop here.
This one was my favorite... I don't think dragging it onto the ferry and then having this on our apartment balcony (the entire balcony) was an option though. So, alas,the psychotic owl family statue had to stay.

Here is a shot of the Coombs Old Country Market, one of the coolest markets ever... you will see why in the next picture.
Ok, so the market is known for their grassy roof that houses goats. Yes, you read right... there are cute little goats that walk around and graze on the grassy roof. There is even a little house for them up there as well.
And here is a close-up shot of one of the little fellas... I think he was looking at the apple tree that was in the distance, either that or he has got the modeling for tourists thing down. Ok, so I haven't posted any pics of Tofino yet... to be continued!

poppytalk handmade: mixed tape

Some exciting news this month! I am participating in Poppytalk Handmade, an online marketplace featuring a compilation of all things handmade and vintage for this autumn season. There are lots of goodies to see from an international group of sellers... everything from art, jewelry, stationary, and gifts (although, good luck not trying to buy some things for yourself!). Come and visit me and some of the other lovely shops here until October 16th!

Also, thanks to Gina for featuring one of my notebooks on her cute blog 3 little owls!

first day of autumn

Today is the first day of fall! One of my fave things in the autumn is seeing all the pretty leaves change colours... and when no one is looking, shuffling and jumping through big piles of them (sorry to everyone that was raking... I tried to jump in an orderly fashion... heehee). Have a happy autumn day!

pumpkin seed pesto

I ran out of pine nuts to make pesto, so I used toasted green pumpkin seeds (pepitas) instead... and the result? It was really yummy! I didn't actually follow an exact recipe... just blended together the seeds, a big bunch of basil, a garlic clove, some olives, parmesan and olive oil... oh yes and topped the whole dish with crumbled goat cheese (cause anything with goat cheese on it is yum) and ta-da!... dinner is served. Maybe I will try toasted almonds next time.... hmmmm.

black comedy

On Wednesday night, my sister and I attended the opening of Black Comedy: An Enlightening Farce, a play at the Stanley Theatre. About a struggling artist who "borrows" his neighbor's antique furniture to impress his fiancée's visiting stern father, the fiascos start to happen once a fuse is blown and the power goes out. I loved the fact that the play takes place in the dark, until the fuse is blown, in which time the stage is lit up (so the audience gets to watch everything as if the characters were stumbling around in the dark)... it was super cute. The only drawback of the play (which wasn't really the play), was the stranger next to my sister who we nicknamed "the loud guffaw-er" ... seriously... do you ever notice when you are watching tv, and sometimes there is a laugh from the audience laugh track that seems way louder and badly timed?... well... this was the guy! Despite my sister going deaf in that ear, the show was really good... definitely check it out if you get the chance! (photo: Emily Cooper)

an apple a day...

A fruit-y post today... this time of some pretty apple orchards that we had driven past last week. (Yes, it was pretty much "Stop the car, I want to take some pictures of the apples!") Not sure what kind of apples these were... they looked a bit red/purple in color... (and no, I didn't sneak one... they were a bit too large to sneak and, I believe it was a private apple farm... er... plus the road was a tad busy too, so I chickened out). I am on my quest now to try and find a u-pick orchard... I have never gone apple picking before, so it's on the top of my list of autumn-y things to do. Mmm... now I can't stop thinking about apple pies, apple pancakes, apple crumble...

on to toronto!

An update today on the Smile On Your Brother art show. The show is now on its way to Livestock in Toronto (September 25th - 27th) after some great showings in Vancouver, Calgary and Saskatoon (pics above). So, if you are in the neighborhood, stop on by and check it out! It's also heading to Montreal and Quebec City (see here for dates).

My hubs, Roger and I had collaborated under his Crooked Walker label to create a woodburned owl skate deck for the show. If you look real close in some of the photos, you'll be able to pick it out... a bit "Where's Waldo", I know... but I'm feeling like a proud parent that makes you look at the hundreds of kids photos jammed into a fold-out wallet... except, in this case it's a skate deck, and... er, there are only 3 photos.

pretty pine cone

It feels a bit more fall-y today, so why not a fall-y image? My husband took this pretty pic while we were venturing out into the woods, enjoying the crisp cool air and taking photos... there were tons of them scattered all around our feet. Now I am regretting not gathering a bunch and having them displayed in our home... it could have made a nice fancy-schmancy Martha-inspired table arrangement in a pretty bowl... argh, don't you hate when these things pop into your head afterwards? 

last day of pool

The official last day of outdoor swimming for us was yesterday - Kitsilano pool is now closed for the season... so now it does feel like summer is officially over... sigh. We managed to get to the pool quite a few times over the season, and I am glad to say we have actually improved at swimming!! I managed to swim the whole length this time non-stop (137 metres/150 yards)... which is big news, if you saw me at the beginning of this season flailing about, gasping for air. Until next year for the big 'ol pool.

ps. swing by Akane Designs's blog to check out the feature on Cabin + Cub, and enter the giveaway we are having over there too! Thanks Christina!

collage: capturing deer

I love taking photos... and the hubby, well he loves it even more than I do. We are saving up to try and get a Nikon SLR camera (dreamy sigh)... that is high on our wish list right now. I get giddy just thinking of having one. Can you imagine how many deer I could capture with a Nikon in my hands ?... the answer is lots. Let me know what you shoot with and how you find it! Happy Weekend!

red, red wine

Some more photos today from our camping trip this past long weekend... but with a bit of a grape-y twist. So being very non-traditional campers, we decided to spend a day doing wine tours (the Okanagan is really well known for their wines here - there are tons you can tour)... here are some of the photos before they got blurry, hiccup.... 

These are the vineyards at Quail's Gate Winery... there was even a small segment that we were allowed to walk through. I admit, I sneakingly picked a grape and ate it, and it was yummy.

Some grape-y goodness. Not sure what kind, but I will assume they are for the reds.

Here is a shot of the pyramid at Summerhill Pyramid Winery... wha? pyramid, you ask? Yes, they have a scaled down version of a pyramid on top of a big hill (looks to be about 5 or 6 stories high?) where they age the wine inside... very new age-y, but it does seem to make for some good sippin.
Hmmm... are my photos getting blurrier?

These last two shots are at Mission Hill Winery, one of the larger wineries in BC... they have beautiful grounds... almost felt like we left the country and woke up in Italy... oh wait, reality set in, we were actually camping... hee hee.

camping labyrinth

This past long weekend, we had our camping adventure at Fintry Provincial Park just outside of Kelowna. And as a sign of the last summer days, we endured scattered rainfall as well as thundershowers and high gusts of wind (oh yes, a tent's best friend). Miraculously, timed like clockwork, it mostly rained during the nights while we were asleep, and while we ventured on our day trips away from the site (we did a bunch of wine and vineyard tours, which I will be posting pics of tomorrow!). Anyhoo, here are a few pics at the site, which was lakeside... there was also a labyrinth at the campground(?) as well some historical buildings (sorry no pics, but hey... can you beat the labyrinth?).

collage: schoolyard bird fight

We just got back yesterday from our long weekend camping trip in the Okanagan... (I'll post those photos tomorrow)! Today is officially the first day of school here... but seeing as how I'm not in school any more, I thought it still would be suiting to have at least a school themed collage posted. Well, ok, technically this one is more of a schoolyard fight theme, than purely a school theme... but the fight is amongst the birds and not the kids, and it's more of a verbal disagreement than a true battle of the birds.

Since we were away for a few days, also wanted to share some features from the weekend... thanks to Koralee for featuring my mini cards on her blog Bluebird Notes and Bri for posting one of my collages on her blog the craft begins.

flower power

It's the last few days before Labour Day, which always feels to me like the end of summer... sigh (insert dreamy flashback of all my summer moments here). Is it just me, or did this summer just fly by? Anyhoo, feels like a perfect day to enjoy some of the summer blooms before they all start to slowly wilt away. These were taken this past week at Queen Elizabeth Park. I always get the urge to pick per-ty flowers when I see bunches of them together (don't worry, I actually didn't), but was just as happy to snap some pics instead. Hope everyone has a happy long weekend!

painting panels

Oh where did August go?!! Somehow, I am feeling a bit behind on my production for the craft fairs this year. And with one of the bigger shows soon approaching in October (One of a Kind Vancouver), I am having to ramp up production big time. For the last few evenings this week, I have been busy painting small wooden panels for my woodburnings... 100 small ones painted so far... 150 more to go. And then it will be burn, burn, burn time. I am not in a state of panic just yet... but perhaps check back in a week or so and it will be a different story!

collage: man training birds

I love birds and things with birdy images on them, but oddly enough, I don't ever want to own a bird. The thought of a bird being in a cage all the time is a bit sad to me. I have met a couple of people who let their birds fly freely around their houses, but that idea sort of creeps me out too... let's just say there was bird seed, feathers and... er, other unpleasant matter strewn about at this place, and I was hesitant to sit down anywhere. I think I will just stick to admiring birds from afar.

ps. two feature mentions today - thanks to The Jealous Curator for doing a post on my collages and Laura at Bright, Bold, And Beautiful for featuring my little woodburned birdy.

summer fair

Some more pics today from our time spent at the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) on the weekend. We tried to take some video and pics while we were on the rides, but they are a tad unflattering... lots of me screaming and with my eyes closed... so you won't be seeing those. Some of our highlights... riding the corkscrew coaster (I realize I forgot to take a pic of it), eating mini doughnuts, seeing the Superdogs show, bumping in the bumper cars, getting queasy on the tilt-o-whirl, seeing the farm animals (yesterday's post) and even winning a few small prizes playing carnival games.