Adjusting to new circumstances … and finding joy.

The settling in to our new home is essentially complete. Aside from a few things still to hang, we are functioning much the way we did in our old place. One change that we made was to drop cable tv from our world, which was a big decision, but one we are happy with, for sure. In place of tv, we will grab videos from the library, or watch online stuff from CBC Gem , BritBox or Knowledge Network. It does cut down on the hours spent watching stuff.

Lately we wanted to watch a series on DVD that we got from the library, so I hooked up the whole tv/stereo thing in anticipation … only to find that our DVD player has died, or at least become unwilling to play with or for us anymore.

The solution was to truck on in to my studio and use my computer for our viewing pleasure. Turns out, this has been a wonderful experience. It’s cozy like a den. It feels very comfy, much more so than the larger livingroom for viewing.

So, I have decided, at least for now, that we don’t need to replace the DVD player … we can do just fine with our new circumstances!

I think we are going to have to name our new place,
The Hummingbird Ranch.

 I don’t know how many we have, but there is a constant coming and going of Anna and Rufous Hummers from the feeder, which has to be replenished frequently. Who knew the smallest bird on the planet could drink so much sugar water?

And why do we feed these little wild things white sugar? Don’t know the answers, but do know they are loving it.

What fabulous little beings they are to watch! I want to know more about them, so I have ordered about 6 books from the library to become more knowledgable about this wee creatures.

I have a book about the about the attributes of animals, as told by some First Nations in North America … and the hummingbird is JOY.

This is inspiring me to think more about joy.

For many years I have had this wonderful piece by Diane Kremmer. The series is called: “If Hummingbirds Wore Helmets” and this particular one is “Egyptian”.  I can certainly say that this piece has brought me joy each and every day …. as well as a definite smile to my heart.

 A small art tool with some very big potential.

I have recently discovered that Avery, the company that makes labels, is branching out in to some new products, and they have caught my attention.

This one is Clear Static Cling Labels. Size: 8.5 x 11″

Essentially, they allow you to make a sign to put up anywhere, and remove without damage. WHAT? This is too cool ….

I am drawn to the clear ones, although they do have white ones as well. But the clear ones means that whatever background you put it on, will show through!! How neat is THAT?

I admit, I have not tried them yet, because I just don’t know what I want to put on them, or where I want to use them, but I do know they are useful.

I love the way industry is now accommodating small business in their products, making it easier for people to customize their look and feel.

I think this product has a lot of potential applications, and look forward to sharing what I finally do with my package of eight sheets!

It’s been a week of opening and reawakening on so many levels. 

It’s been a good week of getting things in motion. I didn’t really understand how much I hadn’t been able to tend to, until I was able to tend to it again.

I am back in flow in a new way. Ideas are percolating and things are getting done.

Today I scooped up two small side tables to refine, and I look forward to what they might become.

There are a few new projects in the works  – early stages for sure, but moving nonetheless!

Wishing you a week of steady forward motion!

~sarah

The first pieces completed in the new studio! Ready for their new homes.

The table, named Mie, came from friend who no longer needed her. She is a lovely size, and as it turns out, underneath the dark stain of a typical Bombay Company piece, the grain of the wood was quite wonderful. I left it natural, with just a light stain to emphasize the beauty of the grain. She has very sweet feet too!

The other piece, also from the Bombay Company, was an antique store find. Of course I see it as a writing box, but apparently it is called a memory box. Beautifully finished inside in black velvet.

Both pieces chose my custom red paint, which I mentioned last time. Yes, I do like this colour on them!

Fewer, Better Things was recently brought to my attention again. I pondered getting it several years ago, and resisted … but then when it resurfaced, I paid attention, and I know why. It’s quite wonderful and it tells me that other people think about, appreciate and respect things the way I do.

Of course, the book itself, being about the quality of things, is beautifully presented and lovely to hold. The paper used inside is soft and generous in your fingers. For me, it completes the experience of what I am reading.

In the chapter Communities of Respect, Adamson says, “People often speak of the ‘tacit knowledge’ of craftsmanship, and for good reason. What happens when a maker, a tool, and a material come together is difficult to grasp from the outside, because it is intuitive and embodied.” YES, exactly!

In The Contact Zone, I loved this description: “… when we ignore our material environment, we are essentially forgetting who we are and where we came from. If we divorce ourselves from our collective memory of a place, we alienate ourselves from our surroundings and from people alike, choosing isolation over group identity.” I think we are all starting to understand this concept more fully afte the past few years of forced islolation.

The subtitle, which is actually set above the title is: The Hidden Wisdom of Objects. All in all, a very mindful read.

Fewer, Better Things
Glenn Adamson
Bloomsbury Publishing
2018

Making your own stickers … any way you want!

I create my own clear stickers for packaging. The reason I like clear is, they don’t “stick out” as much, they blend with their background. 

I first started using them as return address labels, because the white labels just look hidious. 

Now I use them to create a variety of stickers that I can use in a wide range of ways. 

First I start with Avery Full Sheet Clear labels, this allows me to make any size or shape I want, and mix it up if I want to. 

Since this materials works in both laser and inkjet, the fun is available to anyone!

How could you use this technique? And what might you put on your stickers?

I love to find new ways to use things I already have.

Discovering a new use for my white Posca® markers was such fun, as was the clear stickers to enhance my mail. Learning new ways to work with things I have excites and energizes me. It must be why I watch people make things all the time online. Just to see how they go about it inspires me, even if they are working in a material that I never use.

It doesn’t matter what you work with, I think it is more important to know how you work. Are you in flow with your materials and process? It is something I learned from drawing and painting mandalas for so many years. Every single one I do teaches me something about what I am doing and why I am doing it.

May you have a rich and inspired week of discovery!

~sarah

HOUSEHOLD TIPS, I didn’t know.

There are many new things in our new home, things that we have never had before. Stainless steel appliances, a glasstop stove, and granite countertops. Yes, I know, very shishshee … but my point is one of a more practical nature. Cleaning them. 

Whoever thought any of these surfaces were a great idea of a kitchen, must never do their own cleaning! All of these surfaces are what I would refer to as “high maintenance”.

All of that being said, I can now confirm that buying the specialty cleaning products for these surfaces does make a difference! I am now sure that the previous tenants didn’t use the proper cleaners, because when I did get them and cleaned the surfaces, they suddenly looked brand new!

I know, it’s a small thing, but having a fresh and well maintained home is important to me. I like things to work well and look good … but believe me, not in a fussy way!

Mixing up some red paint. 

I love red paint, but it’s not easy to find just the right shade of red most of the time. Yes, I have this shade in my head, and every time I try to mix it, I get sort of close, or I get something surprising that I like. 

You see, I never learned colour mixing in school, I still have never really learned it. For me, it’s all trial and error. But I have had some great discoveries along the way. Somehow I love not being too attached to outcome … but letting the element of surprise enter the studio and have fun with me!

This week, I mixed up a batch of red metallic paint that ended up being the basis for three pieces in the studio. 

I find it particularly fabulous to layer reds. For some reason it is just a colour that get better and better. 

The studio continues to evolve, and feel like “home”.

Funny how in this move, some of the furniture pieces I used to use a long time ago, have come back to me. There is a long pine side-board table that belonged to my sister Anne. She had it, I had it, she had it, my sister-in-law had it for awhile, I had it again … then Mary Ann had it for most of the past 17 years … and now, it’s the centrepiece of my new studio. It is a hardworking, everyday table, and I am loving it. 

There is also the 1920s writing desk, make of quarter-sawn oak, that I used for so many years. It also found it’s way to be used by Mary Ann for the last several years … now it is back to being my computer desk once again. 

These two pieces are among my favourites, and it is somehow very comforting to be using them again. Like hanging out with old friends everyday. 

Wishing you a wonder and delight-filled week ahead, reconnecting to things that make you feel really good!

~sarah

Although I am trying to take pictures of birds, I am not that successful. I feel quite lucky to have captured this Stellar’s Jay grabbing a snack.  I am enjoying the rhythm of the birds, they seem to come at certain times of the day, and that feels very comforting. 

I stumbled across this amazing “bookazine” in the bookstore a little over a month ago, and I am still enjoying it tremendously.

Handværk decoration comes from Denmark, and this one is the English edtion. Each article is about somone doing work by hand. in this issue I have, there are articles on hand made lampshades; textile design; jewelery, mosaics, traditional wallpaper making; a cabinetmaker; costume work; fabric repair, a tattoo artist, and a delightful collection of other things. It is very inspiring!

I am loving it because it reflects my own desire and practice to work with my hands, do things with intention and not rush. It is about getting in touch with all the senses and aspects of your chosen work.

To get a visit inside really old factories making traditional wallpaper is fascinating. I love their intentional decision making about each aspect, from the inks to the paper surface, Ulricehamn’s Wallpaper Factory, (Ulricehmns Tapetfabrik) wants to improve the quality of their work, they look toward collaboration with others, and are dedicated to sustainability in both materials, deposal and in the new people they bring onboard.

In a world where so much is mass manufactured, and faster is seen as better, this bookazine is reminding me that those concepts couldn’t be further from the truth!

haandwaerkbookazine.com

And here, for your desktop pleasure, I offer you some calendar wisdom. You can click on it to upload and then use it as your desktop!

Also … my calendar tells me that April is a very big month of great things to celebrate … it all starts off with being National Poetry Month!

On the 2nd you can celebrate International Pillow Fight Day (please use soft pillows).

Don’t miss International Moment of Laughter Day on the 14th and Erasure Day on the 15th.

We end the month with two of my favourites, on the 28th, World Pay-It-Forward Day, and on the 30th, World Indie Bookstore Day!

What a wonderful month to celebrate!

This week finds me back in full swing in my new studio … four pieces on the go, on the painting side of things … and more ideas for non-paint projects. 

I was reminded this past week how important it is that we are aware of our own energy. I knew mine was low and a bit disconnected for a wee bit too long, but when it came back, suddenly my work started to sell again. I became “visible” in the world, just as if I had walked through a doorway and into another room.

Having experienced this before, it didn’t surprise me, but rather it reminded me how much I need to be connected to a larger picture.

Here’s wishing you a joyous and connected week ahead, filled with pithy conversations about what’s happening in your life!

~sarah

There has also been the excitement of seeing our belongings with a fresh new mind. We have now unpacked everything and are at the stage of deciding where the art might go on the walls. Since this space is very different from our last home, everything we have looks new, and needs to be considered differently. It is very exciting. 

As I settle in to a new space and routine here, I wrote myself a note, which is now posted in the studio. This is helping me to move gently through this stage of things. Every day feels like I am starting fresh, which has its advantages and disadvantages.

I try to approach it with a sense of wonder.

In order to stir things up in my head, I have participated in a few online workshops on a variety of art methods that I do not currently utilize. From surface pattern design to creating in a sketchbook with watercolours, my idea is to gain a new perspective and different ideas by looking in different places. My strolls in the garden also help me to see things in a new way … pattern, texture, relationships, time of the year … how each thing connects to the other. 

Looking for ideas in a variety of odd places is a wonderful way to wake up your senses, and offer you a new approach to your work. Never underestimate the power of pen on paper!

As I write this, my furry friend Squeak, seen in my arms, has yet to return home. He disappeared two days after we moved. We miss him so much!

Everyday I hold space and hope that he will find his way back to us, so that I can share this new and amazing world with him.

May this week offer small wonders that make a big impression!

~sarah