these are a few of my favourite things...

recently attend a class put on by the edmonton calligraphic society. barbara close guided us through two days of brush lettering and water-colour explorations. it was fantastic!

my workspace! agh!

one of the pieces I complete in the workshop

in the studio I have been listening to this and loving it! I started at the beginning and am working my way through all the episodes. he interviews a variety of people in all different mediums and different areas of experience. mark is very entertaining. go have a listen!

I accepted a commission that was totally out of my experience, but somehow I knew I could get it done and it turned out wonderful and the client was very happy with the result.

one side of the tote

on my nightstand lately I raced through "before I go to sleep" and "the art of racing in the rain". it usually takes me a long time to read through books, but these two were done in a week!

another workshop put on by the edmonton calligraphic society that I also attended recently had us playing with bleach on black etc. fun, fun, fun!

this started out as a huge piece and we broke it down

watched this TWICE already! love it! good stuff! I think the free viewing expires tomorrow so go watch NOW! very interesting and at times appalling. I would also suggest watching food, inc. as well. these films are full of good information and you take it as you wish. I did not get the impression that they were pushing anything at me, but rather educating me about what is the reality of our food these days. it amazes me looking at how my parents grew up and the food they ate and looking at them now and the shortcuts that they take when it comes to preparing meals. look at our world today and all the shortcuts and how we think that they are helping us. the question I ask myself is "are they helping me?" interesting isn't it?

and finally I just finished reading "note to self". I found out about this by listening to mark on the creative mojo show. he interviewed samara on october 20, 2010. you can listen to the past shows on the website. I just closed the cover on this one last night and thought I would share it with you. so if you would like to read this book, leave me a comment and I will pick one name on monday and send it off to you. sound kewl?

and finally if you have any fave things of your own to share add it to your comment. I would love to hear about them! wishing you a day full of sunny inspiration!

tuesday tips

thought I would share a few of my favorites as of late:

habitat for humanity - one of my goals this year was to volunteer for this organization. as luck would have it I worked on the 100th home built here in edmonton. it was an incredible experience. I met many interesting people and learned about the history of the cause. it was a hot, exhausting and fun day. find a cause and go support it!

the lion king - amazing! it brought back so many fond memories of when we used to watch the movie over and over with dan. splendid! the music was fantastic and the actors were just brilliant!

my sister's keeper - loved the book and the movie was just as good. go see it!

this is coming up quickly and this past weekend as I saw the walkers from this I was once again reminded of the fact that each and everyone one of us either has cancer or knows of someone who does. unreal! let's help find a cure! I along with my team will be walking with "our survivor" tammy.

and finally the card I picked this a.m.:

I am not limited by any past thinking. I choose my thoughts with care. I constantly have new ways of looking at my world. I am willing to change and grow.

happy tuesday!

When the dog bites, when the bee stings When I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things, And then I don't feel so bad.

-Oscar Hammerstein II-

'tis the season

here is the result of two days in the studio. holy turtle art batman! and by that I mean boy was I moving at a snails pace this week. probably why on Wednesday I found myself in bed all day and night sick as a dog. anywho this is my Christmas card for the artsy people in my life. If you know me you know that generally I don't follow rules and just go with my own flow. In this case I used canvas because we have been playing around with it a lot this year so I thought it was appropriate. Also the never ending love for "words" had me finally (never mind Laurie) pick the word "give". After all is it not the season for "giving"? Give what? you might ask (and many did). just give! In recalling last week and the times that I just gave without thinking about what I would receive it felt pretty darn good! So that is my word for this month "GIVE" and just give any way you can. A smile, a hug, a donation, a kind word, a gift to someone you might not otherwise buy for. Here is a very inspiring (no pun intended!) example of giving how kewl is that? I made a comment that I was inspired by her and would figure out a way that I could pay it forward and so the word "give" has come to mean a whole lot more than I thought it did when I picked it. No wonder it took hours!

On that note....how about the Oprah's favorite things list? I love this idea so much I came up with my own favorite thing and a lot of my favorite people are getting it for gifts this year.

Update on my uncle. he arrived and he looks so good. real good.....and healthy. best present ever is having him here for the holidays. tidying up the studio in hopes that I can get creative and make some kewl gifties for the group. ciao for now!