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!