tree silhouettes

I got inspired on one of my walks the other day to start taking pics of the tree tops from below... they make such pretty silhouettes against the winter sky... they brighten my day, even if it is grey out. One thing I noticed is that strangers love to stop and take notice of what you are photographing... I think I disappointed quite a few people after they looked up and spotted no sign of a bird, or spectacular "happening" up in the tree. Yes... I am just taking pics of the tree itself, lady... sorry to disappoint. Not sure what to do with these pictures yet... maybe there is a start of an art piece here... not sure.

ps. Just wanted to put out some thanks: to Liz for featuring some Cabin + Cub items on her lovely blog Ambette, Adrienne for featuring my squirrel panel as one of her fancy faves on her cute blog Studio Haus, and Mortira for including my little wooden gift tag set in her sunshine-y post on Inspirational Beading. Many thanks ladies!

dark dark musical

Last week, Roger and I attended the Arts Club Theatre Company opening of the play Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe, part of this year's Push Festival (International Performing Arts Festival). Presented as a musical fable for adults, the play was packed full of gorgeous goth inspired costumes (think Tim Burton meets Vivienne Westwood), creative sets and props, and a dark story line following the fictional tragic life story of Edgar Allan Poe.

It dawned on me while we were sitting in the audience that this was the third musical I had seen this year. (Ok, I am including 2009 here, so I don't actually mean 3 musicals in January... that would be scary). Anyways, that is a record for me, considering I am not a huge fan of musicals... I sometimes/often get a little weirded out when there is all singing and no dialogue. Hmmm... maybe I'm softening. Nahhhh... I think I would still squirm at Cats.

Photo by Sean McLennan

valentine cards are here

Remember Valentine's Day in elementary school?.... ahh, those were the days. My mom made me write one to everyone in the class... even if I thought a few of the boys were "icky". As a kid, it was such a dilemma to find the right little card in the punch-out Valentine's book that just said "Happy Valentine's Day" without giving off the message of "I like you". They should have made one that said... "Happy Valentine's, classmate. My mom made me send this."

Well... on a related note...I have brought back some card designs in time for Valentine's Day! Two designs available... one with heart and branches and the other with Mr. Squirrel and acorn heart. Both designs are printed on heavy rich archival matte paper with Ultrachrome K3 archival inks... and they are blank inside... so you can personalize your message as love-dovey, or not as lovey-dovey as you like. Check them out in the etsy shop here.

sublime collaboration

I am a huge fan of Sublime Stitching, so when I was asked if I wanted to contribute a "woodburning how-to" using one of Jenny's famous patterns, I was thrilled!!! (Yes, there was some dancing on the spot and spontaneous robot and running man maneuvers that happened that day... um, apologies for possibly implanting that visual in your brain). I think the results turned out quite well. Check out the step-by-step on how to woodburn a mini-cutting board here... there are simple pics and instructions. Also check out the post about the cutting board on Sublime Stitching's blog here. Happy burning!

who is the thirstiest? the winner is...

Hooray.... over 120 entries for the January giveaway... you all must be real thirsty, battling it out over these coasters.! To make the official draw, all the names were printed and dropped into the ultra tacky trophy cup, and one name was randomly drawn this morning by my husband Roger. He mixed and shuffled like a true pro and drew one name. And... the winner is..... Bonzai Beadwear! Congrats! And what will be gracing her lovely coasters?

"I would put a cafe mocha on them, I like to mix a package of hot chocolate with my coffee." That sounds really yummy, I should have made part of the prize package a mandatory invitation to get invited to share the winner's drink of choice... there are four coasters in the set after all. ;)

Thanks again to everyone who entered! And don't fret if you didn't win and are holding your drinks in your hands, thinking of the rings left on your coaster-less table ... there will be another giveaway in February!

lazy sunday and bloggy awards (part 2)

Lazy Sunday today... I think a good day to take it easy and mill around.. maybe craft if I can muster up enough energy. Perhaps even take a neighbourhood stroll to see what other spring things are blooming.

Also, sort of a second part of yesterday's post today too, since I was so lazy yesterday... a happy thanks to Allison at Ami Designs for passing on the Sunshine Award. And cheerful thanks to Jacki of Christie Cottage for passing on the Kreativ Blogger Award.

ps. don't forget to enter the January giveaway... last day to enter is today! We will draw the winner and announce it tomorrow morning!

bloggy awards - part 1

Ok, so I need to mention two wonderful blogs who have passed along a lovely blog award lately. A happy thanks to Beecher at P.S. House and Kate from Kate and Oli for the Happy 101 Blog Award. (Rules: List 10 things that make you happy, tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day. For those 10 bloggers who get the award, you then link back to my blog and create your list of things that make you happy).

Here are 10 things that make me happy:

1. the Bun in the oven

2. my hubby Roger (he will blush when he reads this)

3. making and crafting things, of course!

4. a warm cup of tea sweetened with milk and honey. I am craving one right now.

5. cooking and experimenting with recipes (although, only happy when they turn out)

6. a sunny autumn day with falling colourful leaves

7. travelling to far and away places, although short closer trips make me happy too

8. my shiny red lowrider bicycle - all the kids on the block turn their heads when they see it!

9. sleeping in on the weekends in warm puffy blankets

10. snowboarding on a perfect day, although this will have to wait until next year now that I have Bun

And to pass this on to 10 lovely blogs that make me happy when I read them... do visit them, they are all very sweet!

1. elaphantine

2. coco cake

3. Hiving Out

4. Dandy Bread and Candy

5. Teal and Gold

6. Rosy Revolver

7. I Love Handmade

8. Gallery 32

9.Pocket Carnival

10. Bluebird Notes

sport re-imagined

So many of you may have heard of this little thing called the Winter Olympic Games that are coming to Vancouver? Lot's of exciting events are happening around town, both official and non.official... so I thought I would share an art exhibition that my hubby Roger is participating in.

With over ten other artists, he will be showcasing some of his work at "Sport Re-Imagined" at the Leigh Square Community Arts Village in Port Coquitlam from January 21 - March 21. I will post some pics of his work when we snap some at the opening night in February... these are some pieces by some of the other artists that will be in the show. Hope you can check out the show!

A description of the show: "Sport Re-imagined is a group exhibition showcasing artists whose work challenges, re-imagines, and reinterprets sport and the paraphernalia and constructs that surround it. Artists ask the viewer to envision familiar objects with a new perspective: robots made of bicycle parts, skis transformed into furniture, tents and rugby shirts altered into couture dresses or skateboard decks that look like abstract paintings. Other works emphasize the physical and bodily exertion of sport; the potential energy in our bones and muscles."

January 21 - March 21

Opening Reception: Tuesday, February 16 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Leigh Square Community Arts Village, 2253 Leigh Square, Port Coquitlam
FREE ADMISSION.

ps. don't forget to enter the January giveaway... last day to enter is Sunday!

custom birdie

Tweet tweet... just finished a custom woodburning order and shipped it out the other day... thought I would do a little show and tell... ta-da! This is one of the styles that I offer personalized names on... you can see all the styles in my etsy shop here. This little birdie is off to a happy home!

ps. don't forget to enter the January giveaway!

yellow surprise

On my daily walk yesterday, I stumbled upon this bright yellow flowering tree/bush... a nice break from the all the surrounding bare trees and grey sky. Not sure what this plant is... my botany identification skills are very minimal to non-existant. Anyone have a clue? Anyways, thought it was a good pick me up for the mid week blahs. ;)

ps. don't forget to enter the January giveaway!

museum of anthropology

What to do when it is raining and hum drum on the weekend... well, we headed to the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, my favourite museum in Vancouver. You could literally spend hours in there exploring their collection - my favourites being the late 19the and early 20th century First Nations sculptures and totem poles in the Great Hall (middle photo), Haida artist Bill Reid's sculpture "The Raven and the First Men" (top photo), as well as the outdoor exhibits (bottom photo). The museum is finishing up their visible storage collection... basically a huge exhibition gallery with tons of pull-out drawers and display cases of thousands of artifacts... so we can't wait to go back once that opens.

ps. don't forget to enter the January giveaway!

january giveaway! - win a cork coaster set!

It's a brand new year, so time for a brand new giveaway! Hooray! One lucky winner this month will win a lovely Branch and Blossom Coaster Set.... oooooh.... ahhhhhh. You are totally imagining these adorning your coffee table aren't you? Oh, how you could rest all your yummy thirst quenching drinks on these babies... now you really really want these don't you?

Well, enter to win by posting a comment telling me what type of drink you would put on your brand new fancy coaster... would it be a cozy cup of tea? A fruity blender drink in a coconut shell with mini umbrellas and fancy straws? Scotch on the rocks? Or maybe a skim decaf soy mocha no whip with sprinkles... oh so much to choose from.. it's making me thirsty!

I'll make a random draw from the golden trophy cup on Monday, January 25th... so check back to see if you won! Please remember to include some sort of contact info (etsy shop, blog, website, or e.mail address) and please only one entry per person. Good luck, and may the thirstiest one win!

many many thanks!

Roger and I just wanted to thank all our bloggy friends for all your positive comments and messages for our upcoming little Bun! Warm hugs to you all!

And since I am on the topic of "Thanks" today, I thought I would share some of the press and features that have happened lately. So first off... the Cabin + Cub Desk Calendar was featured in The Storque's Etsy Finds yesterday... woohoo!

Also wanted to thank the following blogs for posting a great word for Cabin + Cub these past few weeks! Do check them out:

· Kelly for featuring the calendar on her cute blog Kiirey

· Kersey for featuring some of my work on her lovely blog made by matchgirl

· Ann for featuring the calendar on her darling blog A Beautiful Party

· Lani for featuring the calendar on her adorable blog Objects of Affection

· Chaucee for featuring the calendar on on her inspiring blog The Searched and Found

· Samantha for featuring a collage on her pretty blog the experts agree

ps. the first giveaway for 2010 happens this coming Monday, so be sure to swing by and enter!!

meet little bun

Exciting news to share today... Roger and I would like you to officially meet our little Bun. She/he will be making an appearance this coming June 3rd. This will be our first little Bun, so we are very excited (er, and not to mention giddy, and nervous, and freaked out as well!). Bun was really wriggly that day (our second ultrasound), so we were unable to get a nice profile shot... so head shot it will be... here is Bun at 19 weeks. So yes, to everyone who thought I was packing on the holiday pounds (and were too polite to say anything), it has all been for good reason. :)

itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot... umbrella?

Weather forecast for this week... rain, rain and more rain. Wow... I am so jealous of everyone who is having snow-y times right now... I truly think Jack Frost forgot about us this week here in Vancouver. I got this cute white and yellow polka dot umbrella to make my rainy walks a little more cheery... unfortunately, it is literally a bit "itsy bitsy teenie weenie" since my umbrella-holding arm always still seems to get wet while I am under it.... sigh... but hard to stay mad, when you are standing under fun and sunny polka dots.

olympics are coming

If you haven't already heard the 2010 winter olympics are coming to Vancouver, in fact they are about one month away. We don't actually have tickets to see any of the events (they were a tad pricey... some upwards of $200/ticket per person for the more popular sports - i.e hockey and ice skating), so Roger and I will hopefully be checking out the other Olympic budget-friendly related festivities around town. This is a shot of one of the venues (I believe curling) as they prepare for the big event... ok, it is a shot of the fence, so you can't really see the venue... but now you are even more intrigued aren't you.

frosty days

Oh when will these cold days come to and end... I woke up freezing this morning, so had to turn on the gas fireplace (once again) and make a hot cup of tea. Roger took this lovely photo yesterday on his way to work... so I thought I would share. Hopefully the upcoming days will start to warm up.... brrrrrrrrr. Hope everyone has a happy weekend!

ps. Also wanted thank Janell for including one of my rainy day collages on her blog MooneysMusings!

collage: caramel friends

It has been awhile since I have posted a new collage... so why not today? I thought this one would be appropriate this morning, since I am slowly packing up our house of the leftover holiday things (yes, a little late... but tree chipping isn't until this weekend, so we have left things up)... the tree decorations are coming down, stockings unhung, wreath stored away... and caramel apples fed to the baby birds. Okay, I am kidding about the last part, I'm not actually feeding caramel to birds... so please don't get all PETA on me... it is just a collage. Now I have to go and break the news to Mr. Christmas Tree about the upcoming chipping party.

booked up for winter

As promised, I am sharing some of the lovely books I received over the holidays (all of them from Roger, except the one on the far left). It is a random lot... but a peak into my love for all kinds of books, and perhaps my odd personality and likes. My hubby sure knows me well. ;)

1. First up, is "The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma" by Trenton Lee Stewart. Ok, so I admit, I love reading young adult books, and young reader books. And now that the Harry Potter series has long been finished, I have moved onto this series (this one is the third in the series)... the Twilight series will have to wait.

2. "Hot Hot Hot! Cooking with Fire and Spice!" by Paul Gayler. So I guess you now know we like spicy food. I think this book is a hint from Roger for me to cook up more spicy things. Oh caliente!

3. "+0086:Beijing Cool" by Timezone 8. Jam packed with photos of street fashion from Beijing, China... this book is so fun to look at. Lots of great outfits, art, and visual and graphic eye candy.

4. "Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip" by Tove Jannsson. Love this one. It is a series of comics, originally published in Sweden, of a family of white round hippo-like characters who have many adventures... (I am really shortening it here, since I could go on and on)... but the illustrations and stories are very sweet.

5. "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold. Ok, so this one was technically from a friend for my birthday (in October)... but I am finally getting around to reading it now, so I am including it in the pile. Only half way through so far... and I need to finish it before the film comes out and changes the version I have in my brain.

Looks like I am "booked" up for the winter! Sorry... I couldn't resist that bad pun.

we are bookworms

Roger and I love books... we actually gave each other quite a few books over the holidays as gifts (will post some neat ones I got tomorrow!). Which leads me now to one of my new year's resolutions... to try and organize our overflowing book shelves. If I could build a library in the west wing of our home I would, but reality is we live in a 2 bedroom condo... so I think we are going to have to try and get creative with this "organizing" thing.

art exchange

Finally back from the holiday break! Hope everyone feels well rested! Wanted to share with you something I received over the holidays. I was invited by Belinda at gretchenmist to participate in an art exchange email project a little while ago, and I received my first art piece in the mail! (The idea is each participant receives several pieces of art in the mail from random artists). Thank you to Dennis Stein for sending me this lovely photo! (Sorry there was no web address included with the package for me to link to). Kind of exciting to receive artwork from unexpected people and places... hopefully there will be a few more!

ps. also wanted to thank Kevin at I Love Handmade for featuring one of my collages, Heather at Heather King Photography and Miranda at Hudsonny for featuring my calendar over the holidays. Many thanks!!!