I have never been much for rules, but I seem to have a soft spot for rulers.

There are no unused rulers in my world. There are no junk rulers either. All the rulers that reside in my studio/office, are hardworking, steel rulers, and each one has a job.

The twelve inch ruler seen at the lower right of the photo is one I bought when I was in design school. It offers measurements in inches, agates and picas. Very much made for the publishing and design industry.  The eighteen inch ruler is even more detailed, with leading measurements as well. It is in fact, called The Publisher!

In more recent years I have had to acquire rulers with centimetres on them, but I still don’t use them as much as I use picas … old habits and training die hard … and I have spent most of my life measuring in picas, so it continues.

I love my selection of rulers. Some come with cork backing on them, so they are perfect when cutting things, they don’t slide around. Funny how they all essentially do the same thing, yet each one seems to fill a specific niche in my world. Curious and wonderful. Since each of these steel beauties is used on a regular basis, all will remain in the studio!

My doodling is becoming part of my everyday work!

I am not sure how it happened, one day I was innocently doodling on paper … then I started to think about embellishing the wooden stands for the Mandala Meditation Decks. The next thing I know, I am doodling on the stands and putting them together to form a whole new imagery. What fun!

These are 1″ stands, each done individually and then put together to become one image. Yes, I find this very, very surprising!

My fascination with pattern continues …

Pattern is a very intriguing thing. It offers more than I initially understood. It evokes memories. It connects things in ways that words don’t. It is both orderly and a tad chaotic. It is becoming a new love. It reminds me of the line my friend Rhonda shared with me, “a mistake repeated becomes a design element”, which was something she learned in a workshop many years ago. I understand that in a much deeper way now.

No idea where this is taking me, or how long it will last, but I am having a blast with it all right now!! I think the “structure” I have set up for this, a series of boxes to doodle in, is helping me to find a “voice” for this practice!

I would encourage everyone to pick up a pen or pencil and a piece of paper … and just doodle without any intention of it being anything. It’s so freeing!!!!!!!!!

Meet Carl my new manual pencil sharpener.

Or, if you are my friend Penny, he is Italian and his name is Carlos.

Yes, he has that sort of Italian sports car vibe to him, I have to admit … but he is made in the USA.

I think he’s quite a beautiful fellow and quite versatile. You can choose which sort of point you would like him to sharpen your pencils to, really pointy or stubby … I’ve never seen that before.

I am sure, if things get tough, I will be able to make money taking in pencils to sharpen … a modern version of my dear old friend Kate’s line … “you’ll have to take in stairs to wash”! This is a Scottish expression apparently.

Carl has a metal body which adds to his presence and sturdiness. He also comes with a clamp to secure him to a countertop or desk, and a generous bin for collecting shavings. I will admit, I haven’t used him as yet, I am still admiring how pristine and perfect he is. Don’t worry, he will find his way into the work flow soon enough!

Just sitting on my work table though, in all his gleaming handsomeness, he makes me smile.

And why is he named Carl, you ask? Well, that’s the company that makes him, and his name is on tattooed on his body!

NEW FROM THE STUDIO … On a Positive Note is the latest from the studio … in a new Mandala Deck and a Colouring Pack.

This is the next evolution of the work I have been doing over the past 12 years … and I have to say, the energy is palpable!

You can read more about both of the new pieces HERE.

End of year, End of decade, End of an era … and so much beginning!

I have always viewed limitations as a challenge to be mastered, even if they are not my choice. I think I learned this from my work as a graphic designer. Lofty ideas are great, but often the client wasn’t as inclined to go to the extra expense to do something unique. Budget restaints, size requirements, lack of a big picture vision have often been imposed limitations on my design work for others. So, this year of years, with its very definite limitations has helped me to really sharpen those skills in some lovely ways.

My desire to “use what I have” has certainly been thrown into high gear, and with some surprising and awesome results. Things I probably would have never entertained before, will now help me move to the next place in my work.

The one thing that is still baffling me beyond everything else is, TIME. It is slow and yet there are times it seems too fast. How did we get to the end of the second 10 years of this century? Where did that 20 years go?

And of course, as is inevitable, there is the end of an era in my family. My last blood relative of my parents generation died a few days ago at the wonderful old age of 90 … a new benchmark in our family, going back at least three generations.

These are all milestones. This year and all that happened and all that will happen from it, time marching on … spring to summer, summer to fall, fall to winter. And the passing of the baton from one generation to the next, where suddenly, I can be considered an elder. That’s really a lot for one year.

When you live with a writer, this also means you live with a reader …

My partner Mary Ann Moore maryannmoore.ca is a writer, and a voracious reader. Since she reviews books as well, we get tons of books coming into our home, pretty much every week. This is like living in a library, where you get the latest  books to check out, no waiting in line … well, except I have to wait for her to finish them first. 

There are a some really great books that arrive, and I probably wouldn’t have heard of them without my resident writer/reader, so I am very thankful! 

I also receive books as gifts …  of course. The Lost Spells written by Robert Mcfarlane, and illustrated by Jackie Morris, is one of those gifts. It is wonderful. A feast for the eyes and mind. I just pick it up and open it to any page, and there I am transported into the magic and mystery of the natural world.  You can read more about it and see some of the amazing illustrations HERE

I work my way through the pile of books a little at a time, so all of these books shown are currently in play … all at various stages.  Yup, no chance of me ever being bored or having nothing to read!! 

Uppercase Magazine has been one of my favourites for a number of years. It is a design and inspiration publication with no advertising!! And, it’s Canadian!

The very first issue I stumbled upon was Issue 17, which was all about calligraphy! I was hooked. Each issue from Publisher/Designer Janine Vangool is filled with such a wide variety of work, and is always rich with inspiration. She also produces some stunning design books.

Check Janine and Uppercase out Here

Issue #48, which is just being released now, is all about Stationary and Papergoods. I can’t wait!! This, as many of you know, is my thing. In a big way.

I am excited to share that, I will be in this issue, with my “Vestiges” Pencil Holders. Yes, I really did submit my work and was accepted. (This is something I almost never do!)

What I know for sure is, when my copy arrives, everything else will get dropped and I will grab a cup of tea and curl up and soak in all the yummy stuff that will be inside.

I am so excited!!!

Small things can make a huge difference. 

I purchased a new shower curtain for Christmas. I’ve been looking for one for months. Mary Ann was very patient with me, when I suggested we turn our old one around, so that the pattern wasn’t showing as much. I wanted something less bold, and until I found it, turning the current one around was a simple solution. But not a long-lasting one. 

While Christmas shopping, I came across this one, simply white cotton with a lovely open woven design. Simple. Elegant. I did not however know that it came with a secret superpower … it lets a beautiful light into the shower, that the old curtain blocked out. Now the shower feels spa-like. It glows. 

Yes, it is small things like this that really make me incredibly happy!

And so, we look for happiness in this year to come … 

The New Year will bring with it much anticipation and expectation for just about everyone I think. There is a thing about turning the calendar over and seeing a whole new, fresh year ahead. A sort of reset.  We don’t know what around the next bend, it’s all a big question mark, but I think the act of believing in good things can help to make good things happen. 

For me, January brings with the launch of a few new things in my world, which I am pretty excited about. Each of them seems to have spurred me on to explore other avenues as well … so perhaps this whole year will be about rolling out new things that I have discovered. 

Yes, for me the isolation has been an incubator of ideas coming to fruition. It seems to have its own momentum right at the moment … with me showing up and taking the next steps as needed. There is still much to do to get it all ready for the first of the year, but I am on it. One step at a time, no rush required. Enjoying each and every moment of the unfolding. 

I am so looking forward to sharing it all with you!