Easter weekend recap

Hi everyone, how was your Easter weekend?Mine was lovely round here. Very quiet and calm, sunny and relaxing.I took Sunday to myself and did a bit of catch-up on reading. You know what I do? I get magazines thinking, "This looks lovely, I'd love to read it." and then never actually get round to reading it! Like this Kinfolk from last year! (still haven't read that Bella Grace magazine I won some time ago) So I took the afternoon to sit down and read thru a few magazines and I really enjoyed it.Blessed quiet round here too. The duplex next door has had a stop work order placed on it. I'm afraid this may have been partly my fault because I called the city to complain about my fences being knocked down...after I didn't get anywhere with the builders...but also partly for the absolutely hazardous site they've managed to create with piles and piles of junk all over the site and up against the fences.Morgan's not complaining though; she hates the construction.Speaking of this neighbourhood changing, and speaking of city noise, I went to see a country acreage for sale with the intention of figuring out if I might possibly move to the country. This two million dollar property would be a practical even trade for my Van city house and I completely fell in love with the old barn. I did love it all, except for the house. The house needs too much work. If it had been about $400K cheaper, it might have been a real consideration. Still, the possibility of me moving out of the city is stronger than ever.Spring is really and truly here now. All the flowers are coming. It's such a joy. Day by day more and more growth in the garden. This sunny week ahead of us should really transform everything.While out in the country I took a walk on the beach where there was a TV show filming. The film crew put up these cool balloons and parked cars with California license plates everywhere. There also were newspaper boxes with "Manhattan Boardwalk" signs on them. No idea what that was all about. Oh, and a blue carpet to the beach. There was a long blue carpet and a stand with orchids. Probably a good $500 worth of cut orchids beautifully displayed.Then there was the beach. Very little comes close to the beauty of the beach. I love the ocean.And, while I was out in that neck of the Lower Mainland woods, (so to speak), I stopped in to visit The Stewart Farm This is a little heritage farmstead with the perfect house, the perfect view, the perfect sea-side location, the perfect barn and even the perfect apple orchard. Now if I could only move in here...or find similar within my price range.Walking around Stewart Farm I saw their neat and organised veggie beds. I better get out there into my own garden today and get to work on mine.Back home from my country outing and not much has changed...lol.Hope you've had a lovely Easter. Let me know what you did so I can come visit you and have a look. :D

A lunch with Jonathan, Chantal and Megababy

I can't even begin to tell you how much I was looking forward to today, but I can tell you that one of the biggest reasons was that I got to drive out and see my son and his family. Our baby Asher is now two weeks old and this is not only the second time I got to hold him, but also the first time my mother, his great-grandmother, got to see him in person.I picked my mom up, (she lives halfway between us), and drove out to my son's house, where we were greeted by Butters, Jon and Chantal's puggle. He's such a funny little guy.And then I got to hold Asher.He's changed so much in his two weeks of life so far.He's had a bit of a RH negative/positive problem and a bit of jaundice, but he's much better now, and he's just so beautiful.Mom and I stopped on the way for some hot roast chicken and some potato salad, fresh veggies, baguette and a fruit flan. That seemed like the best plan. That way no one had to cook and run around and we all just got to maximise the time we had with each other.We chatted and toured the house, (the kids are trying to complete their renos), toured the garden, (now that's where I can lend a hand), and just snuggled the megababy.Too soon it was time to go; I think Butters looks very sorry to see us leave. I'm so glad we had the chance to drive out to see the kids. Hope to see them soon again. :D

Happy Easter this Good Friday, and I'm back

Hi everyone, I hope you're about to have a wonderful long bank holiday weekend. I know I will because I get to go visit our Megababy tomorrow. So looking forward to seeing our new little grandson.It's been a bit of a week of adjustments round here and mainly because life is a bit different with Chloe being in Japan. I miss our girl, but am happy to report that she's adjusted to her new life and loves it there, (even if she thinks her flat is a bit squishy), and, hopefully, a new blog post from her is imminent.It's also been a solid week of rain and leaden gloom...which hasn't helped lift any moods, but today it's sunny so much better for everyone.I've been a bit of a recluse this week up in my studio making postcards to send to Chloe, but yesterday I cleaned up all the collage materials...after 40 odd postcards...and vacuumed the carpet, and today I get back to work in a no nonsense way. Time to make a bunch more paintings and send them "out there" into the world, INCLUDING THE ETSY STORE, which I know I've been ignoring. Today I really enjoyed painting these nuthatches on the Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet music book cover, and have a 1919 National Geographic cover I'm looking forward to painting something on. Maybe it's time to go for other interesting documents. I also started an American robin and two chickadees.I've loved making all those post cards though, and can;t wait to show you all, but we just have to wait a while till they make their way to Japan. I want C to see them first. The first two were sent without post codes or apartment numbers though, so we shall see if they get there...lol. Figuring out an address in Japanese Kanji is interesting. :D But I do like writing drawing the intricate calligraphy.In the meantime, I'm getting ready for the third therapy journal course and a brand new course teaching painting techniques on old documents. Oh, and the garden...there's always the garden. Oh, and yoga. It's really high time I got back into that yoga studio!Have a lovely weekend everyone and I'll show you photos of our baby Ash next time. :D

Hello from Sunday night

Happy first day of spring to everyone on my half of the old globe.Today I got the most amazing chance to try to paint some Ukrainian Easter eggs with my friend Jane.I've never tried this method...even though I'm Czech and technically so close that it's almost silly, but there you are. You all probably already know I paint Easter eggs but totally differently, (look here), so I was really interested to find out about the Pysanky method.Look at all these beautiful and intricate eggs. Jane made most of these and she displays them in a large glass bowl. They look so beautiful all together.The idea for this is to use a wax applicator called a kistka and some coloured bee's wax (so you can see your line) and work in a batik fashion drawing with the wax and dipping the egg into layers of dye baths.As you can see from this...my first egg...I'm absolutely hopeless at straight lines. :DSo we worked our way around two eggs, working on one while the second was dye bathing, and it's amazing how there is a chemical formula of sorts to these dyes. For example, if I was to paint something red, and then put blue paint on it, I'd get purple. But not with these dyes. The green can dye the egg a true green over red! Amazing.After the final colour for my eggs, which was black, the eggs were pretty caked with wax and looking rather unglamorous.But then Jane put them on scrunched up aluminum foil nests and into a warm toaster oven, and in a few minutes the wax began to melt off.Then I wiped off the melted wax with a paper towel.Look at how the eggs turned out. I'm thrilled with them.Now all that's left is to gently punch holes on either end and blow the contents out. Then I can lacquer them and add them to our Easter branch.Thank you so much Jane. This was tons of fun. :D

An impromptu evening round the iPad

Last night a couple of Chloe's girlfriends decided to come over to see her one last time before Japan.This morphed, as these things tend to do, into seven 20-somethings for supper. :DI love it!There was so much talk and laughter, nice food, chocolate cupcakes and tea for afters, games, and the iPad and iPencil.Since I got the iPencil, we've only really drawn something in the notes app, so, not wanting to try to find a last minute drawing app, we opened a new note, and passed the iPad and pencil around.And everyone drew, and we chatted and caught up.Would you like to see what the note ended up looking like?Here it is:I printed out a copy for Chloe to take with her to Japan, and several more for everyone who wanted one. :D

hello from Sunday night, and a goodbye

Hi everyone!Well, what a surprise weekend.We have a new family member. Please meet Asher Neal Roth, my brand new grandson, baby Mega.As his wonderful mother Chantal says, Megababy decided he wanted to be a Pisces and not an Aries like he was supposed to be.Lucky for us. We're so in love.And, lucky for Chloe because Chloe is leaving on Wednesday for Japan and will be away for 6 months and up to a year.Chloe's already had a giant going away party with her friends, which lasted till 4am as only 20-something parties can last, but this weekend we had an open house for the rest of us who know the value of our sleep! And had some friends and family stop by.So we cleaned the house, baked a glazed ham and made some yummy potato salad.Baked a brie and some banana bread, bought chocolate croissants made a pot of tea, and opened a few bottles of wine.Friends and family came and said goodbye all evening.Whew! What a wonderful and long weekend. :DWe'll miss our Chloe, won't we? But she promises to get her blog going full speed so we won't miss a thing. :D

Some unusual and sexy finds from out and about in the city

These days are so very packed with things to do before Chloe leaves for Japan that we hardly have a moment, but the other day we found ourselves with a couple free hours on one of our favourite parts of town.As usual, when we get here, we stop in at Cafe Calabria. This is the most excellent coffee shop and restaurant, and, also the longest family owned cafe in all of Vancouver. I love it here. I love the family. I feel like family when I'm here, and I've been coming here since I was a teen. Chloe, her whole life, and, although I don't really drink coffee, I must say that the only coffee I've ever had in town was made right here and made by Frank.While we were here we couldn't resist a peek at Mintage just across the street.Mintage is a vintage and antique clothing and lovely little accessories store.I found this amazing lunch box! How wonderful would it be to take your lunch to work in this every day? Chloe found some red cut-off Daisy Duke shorts, but they were really ridiculously short up the leg, so she didn't feel comfy in them and may not have been entirely appropriate for Japan. But they were very sexy.And now we think we might want some antlers to hang the bras from! :D But really, wouldn't that be cool in a bathroom... if you have the space and if you hand-wash your knickers. :DWe walked past this lovely tea invitation at a little place on the way, but we already stopped for our tea at Cafe Calabria, so decided on adventure now.I was after The Wild Unknown tarot and one of the two places which stock it is out this way, so we stopped by at this little boutique: Vincent Park.We've never been to this little boutique and we both loved it. It's such a gorgeous mix of narrow, tall open space, vintage Canadiana and exquisite clothing. And look at those sexy mid-century chairs and that coffee table. I want that coffee table!I also want that old pull-down map so I can paint on it! (Oh, and the flannel jammies)(Oh, and the moccasins!)Walked past another coffee shop with these beautiful benches out front. You can just see a pigeon looking for a handout under one of those sexy benches and so we threw him a generous piece of our coconut macaroon.We had to leave this side of town and drive back closer to home for an appointment. I decided to have my hearing checked after the radiation treatment, and am happy to report that my hearing is unaffected and completely within all normal parameters.Chloe said that she's been wanting to visit a little store close by, but far enough out of the way that we just never get there. I said let's go then. This is the Oracle Emporium. A wonderful little store of crystals and prayer flags, yoga clothing and general karmic energy.And, while I loved looking around, I couldn't help looking down! Look at this gorgeous floor!It's a plain cement floor, painted, stencilled, decoupaged, and varnished. Isn't it the most fabulous thing in the world? I think I want to do that in my garage.I think we will definitely be back. Look at this life-sized dragon! I'd love to have him swimming thru my house.Also, there is the most gorgeous carved Ganesha and one of the happiest Buddhas I've seen there.And, for the Medusa, there amazing goggles. I sent them to Robbie to see if he liked them and he loved them to bits. Wouldn't he look just right behind the wheel of Medusa wearing these? I think so. :D

A baby shower for Chantal

As most of you already know, my son and his beautiful girl are having a baby boy.This Sunday Chantal's sister and mother threw her a wonderful baby shower.Kerstie planned a little with Chantal's sister Janine, and brought her collection of beautiful vintage supplies for serving plates and decorations.I love Kerstie's supply of vintage children's blocks and her handmade cork board.Here are my girls. Doesn't Chantal look beautiful? She has about three weeks to go before baby boy arrives.There were 20+ people, friends and family, to help celebrate and Kerstin, Chloe and I met some family for the first time.People brought so many lovely gifts.There were some fun games.And in with the happy helium balloons was this one special Care Bears balloon, which was last inflated at Chantal's birth. Chantal's father kept it all these years.Kerstie made this beautiful transfer of our new baby boy's ultrasound mounted on a piece of silver piece of driftwood.And she also brought Chantal this vintage trunk for their new home.I can't believe my baby is having a baby. This was Jonathan 34 years ago.I wonder what my fourth grandchild will look like. :D

Hello from Sunday night, the our little girls are here edition

Hello from over here on Sunday night everyone.We've had an amazing, fun, but tiring weekend.One wonderful bit of news is that Kerstie brought our little girls for a visit.Luckily the rain stayed away and we did a little gardening and a lot of playing. All three have a lingering cold, so we mostly just stayed at home.In one of the thrift stores we found a cabbage patch kid born in 1982, the same year as Kers, with red hair like Isla, so we bought her. I washed her by hand...mainly because I wanted to preserve her and also because I read that sometimes the 1980s hair colour can leach...and then hung her up to dry. Practical...that's me. Everyone said she looks creepy like that, but what are you gonna do? :D

Drawing Challenge: Leap

Hi everyone,Welcome to this week's drawing challenge: leap.Sorry about the slightly later post today; I'll try to get my act together for future weeks and post early Pacific time if I'm hosting.You know, I really feel like leaping into art...into everything I don't really know how to do, and just doing it!And this week I took up printing a bit more seriously.I was looking at a lino cut I started about two years ago, and I thought, darn it anyway, I'ma finish it!My problem with linocuts...especially complicated linocuts...is that I see it in my head, but it doesn't translate so well to my hand. The result is that I tend to carve away the positive and keep the negative space to print.I printed a rough black ink on white paper print to see what I got, and the result was pretty dismal for all that work!Have to flip my brain around.And carving took about five hours!It's hard for me to believe I blew it with this one.But all is not lost.I thought that, if I carved away the positive, I should just print a negative of it. A white ink on a black background! So I went down to see my good friends at my favourite art supply store, Opus Art, and got some great advice about printable black papers.And then, this afternoon I was at Art Mania where Chloe works, and while Chloe was printing up some of her student's projects......I mixed up some inks.I have a very limited amount of inks and I don't like any of the colours by themselves. But I do like mixing the colours to see what I get.Look at that! Isn't that magic?Soon this block turned into five nice prints.While Chloe was writing instructions to tomorrow's crew, I literally watched paint dry!And, later this evening at home, these are the best three out of the five.So come on and leap into the deep end of the ocean of art. Try something, persevere, master it after the first thousand tries...lol...kidding, but only just. It doesn't have to be brilliant, it just has to make you happy. :DCome join in and take the leap this leap year. :D[inlinkz_linkup id=613863 mode=1]