jack-o-lantern

Every year a form an unhealthy bond with my jack-o-lantern. When I was a kid, I'd spend the whole day planning out my perfect pumpkin face, drawing out various templates until I found the best one. After Halloween, I'd keep my jack-o-lantern in my room for a few days as a doll house of sorts, and then in the backyard to watch it decompose. I still have that strange attachment with every pumpkin every year.

holiday pack, sneak peek!

I spent the day drawing! So much fun. The result? Holiday cards featuring winter footwear: snowshoes, mukluks and ice skates. I love them. I'll sell them as sets and individually at my etsy shop. I'll keep you posted when they make it into the shop.

under the sea

*Photos by Meomi

My friend, Vicki with her partner Michael who together form the great Meomi, have recently put out a lovely book, The Octonauts. They just did a few book readings & signings in SF and soon will be doing publicity in Vancouver. This Saturday (October 28) they'll be at the Vancouver Aquarium for a reading:

Meomi will be reading at the Vancouver Aquarium : 11 am, come visit wonderful fishies and hear an octo-yarn. Free colouring pages and postcards! If anyone wants to dress up as an Octonaut for Halloween, we'll have special prizes!

They will also have a Vancouver launch party at Sophia Books on November 30, 7pm. Wine, art and paper hats! I'll be there and so should you!

Buy the book.

thank you, decor8!

Whoooo! Decor8 somehow stumbled onto my lil' etsy shop and wrote up a very nice review of my stuff!

And speaking of my shop, I should have some seasonal cards in my shop by early November. Keep your eyes peeled and start doing some shopping!!

crafty girl on a bike

My friend Kristen and her boyfriend Ryan are riding their bikes down to Mexico from Vancouver, BC. They have a travel journal at yeske.ca and on their short pitstop in Portland, OR, Kristen has decided to open an etsy shop, craftygirlonabike, to help fund their 6 month journey. My apartment has lots of quality, hand-sewn Kristen crafts and I love them all. You will too, so buy lots and help these 2 crazy bikers get to Mexico!

nouvelle vague, "dance with me"

godard's "bande a part" set to a very pretty song. nice.

going rural

One of my favorite blogs is Going-Rural. Two artists, Tyler and Serena, leave Vancouver and head to small-town Saskachewan to start a new life. They are friends of ours and I read every word, struggle and triumph with envy. Start reading from the beginning and enjoy.

thanksgiving

Ah, I love long weekends...especially when they are filled with sunshine! This past Thanksgiving weekend was perfect. Documentaries were watched at the VIFF, a Thanksgiving feast was enjoyed, a corn maze was bewildering and a pumpkin patch was visited.

Thank you.

passionate.

Trying to catch up on blog reading this morning, I stumbled upon this photo at Stilinberlin. I was so taken by it and love everything about it! Kisses in public are awesome, especially when they are of the face-cusping variety. There's something so tender and passionate in that. Of course, since this is a photo from Stilinberlin, the clothes are wonderful: her shoes, her dress, his shoes, his jeans. But there's much more to this photo for me than that. I love the little cartoony foot dangling above their heads, the mohawked boy and the little toddler in the background and of course, a bike (cuz bikes are sexy!). A little bit of morning passion before I finish up my coffee, eat the last of my coconut yogurt and hop on my bike for downtown.

books. yum!

This morning I read a short story by Alice Munro in her book, Runaway, and then I read another and another. Her writing is so beautiful and sharp that it makes me weep. I've been doing a lot of reading lately.

Toast by Nigel Slaterwas very enjoyable. I love food writers and memoirs and his memories of people and time and place are so entangled with food and tastes and smells that to share in them is decadent and delightful as the darkest chocolate cake.

I also just finished reading Garlic & Sapphires by Ruth Reichel. I've read all of her books and this one was as wonderful as her first. Her writing makes me want to visit the best restaurants and try foods as poetic as they must be in the mouth as they are on the written page. Reading her books makes me want to be a better writer and be less flippant or quick to hit "post". And I guess any book that leaves you with that feeling that you can do better, has done more than it's job.