beauty in a box

In my last post I talked about how much I love the covers on old books and I wanted to talk about another collection I keep, that of old suitcases...I had this old thing I had found in the Sally Ann that I loved and when I started traveling to craft fairs I decided to show off the old beauty and bring her along as luggage...It never got confused with all the other black suitcases and once I started adding vintage travel stickers she became quite a character...I often wondered where else the old girl had been and what stories lay in her lining...On my 40th birthday a dear friend gave me his moms sturdy little cream number with kelly green trim which dates from the 40's...well I got hooked and have since adopted a few more. They sit in my studio containing art supplies and are ready and willing to come along on short trips...my first beauty is a bit too fragile in her elder years to go on any airplane trips but comes along camping in the van or on girly weekends...They definitely DON'T make these like they use to..

craftsmanship...

I love old books and I suppose I am judging a book by its cover when I talk about craftsmanship...it seems in days of yor people designed books differently. There were no dust covers and instead allot of them had these beautiful illustrated pictures or relief drawings stamped into the cloth...one of my favorite things to do is to poke around the book section of the second hand stores and see what treasures I can find...here are a few of my treasures which I keep in a little row on top of my sideboard...its a small art piece honoring a time gone by when book design and book binding were perhaps a bit more involved than it is now...I know there are many gorgeous books out there being published but it's just not the same...finding one of these lovely spines on a dusty row of used books is always a treat.

the shameless art of self promotion

As a self employed artist I am always trying to find ways of "getting the word out" about my latest creations. One way is to keep posting new items on etsy.com. This is the most wonderful site for everything handmade and for the artist to sell their things for a very minimal cost to a vast audience around the world. If you like to see original and an incredible variety of arts and crafts as well as supplies to make your own I strongly encourage you to check this site out....as long as we're on the subject...pictured here are a few of the items in my 'shop' and for an insiders tip I will tell you that this weekend and until Monday March 17th I will be having a 'no shipping charge sale'. Yes this is in honor of St Patrick's day AND my upcoming trip with my dad to Ireland to visit my daughter whom I haven't seen in nearly a year...Its also been a lifelong dream of myself and my dads to visit the motherland (his mom was from Belfast). Oh to fulfill a dream! I love when that happens! Anyway I will be posting the sale staring on Thursday March 12th on my etsy page but just convo me there and tell me you saw it on my blog first...cheers and may the road rise up to meet you darlin'

Hidden stories...

Just down the road from my house there is a 300 acre property that used to be some rich guys hunting lodge who graciously donated it to Scouts Canada. It now houses a variety of cabins, bunk houses and common kitchen buildings. There are some beautiful trails in there around the lake and quite often Griffin and I go on walk abouts for hours exploring...I have this thing where if I see an interesting bend in the road or a path leading off the beaten track, I just have to explore it. This is where I came across these amazing carvings in the woods...who are they? who carved them? My sad fantasy is the lonely old woodsman who lost his wife and child in a tragic accident and has immortalized them in wood...my happy fantasy is some farmer who used to take his afternoon break in there with a beer and some carving tools...I also love when I find old fence posts and rusty barbed wire...signs of an old farm or homestead..some exploring...maybe find an old dump in the woods with some depression era broken dishes or old glass bottles..you just never know what you're going to find on the path less traveled.

Frost is art...

During our crazy winters there was many a photographic opportunity to take advantage of..snow and frost make everything look so magical and peaceful...even the windows of my van one morning were covered in this amazing frost...I must have taken 40 pictures! Then there was those peaceful mornings in the sleeping garden where every shadow was so gentle and still...

slacker

Well I've decided to really try to keep up with this blog. Reading others blogs and finding inspiration is really what its all about isn't it? We have to keep our mental health going strong.....hmm so whats new...well we had one hell of a winter here in B.C and especially for us on the west coast. As many people are aware we like to brag about our sub tropical winters here so when we were blessed with a white Christmas, it was all anyone could talk about! I mean really, it was BIG news! Well Christmas came and went but the white didn't go anywhere. Those of us who love to see the snow were getting a bit tired of it by the beginning of January until finally it started to melt away and it actually felt like spring again....not so fast amigo...we got more rain in one day than some places in Africa get in a decade. It came flooding through the barn and left the goats stranded on a little hay island in their stall...THEN we got more snow...not too bad this time and its now starting to feel like spring with the snowdrops coming up and the birds singing their little hearts out....the one thing I loved though with the snow was the quiet of it all out here in the country. Griffin and I would go walking in the 100 acre wood and find only the tell tale foot prints of mice, birds, deer and rabbits, not to mention the odd bear paw print since they don't really hibernate here....anyway thats the weather view from here..

Back on track...sort of...

Well it doesn't take long to see that your blog is out of date...the holidays are winding down although there is still a few birthdays (mine included) to come in the next month so that tends to expand the fun, food and drink...I spent some time on Valdez Island over the new year. This is one of the southern Gulf Island of B.C and once an important First Nations camp for hundreds if not more years. In the winter there is allot of movement on the beach with the wind and water and therefore things are constantly being turned over in the shells and sand and if you're lucky enough you might find an artifact or two...I found this harpoon tip and cobalt trade bead while walking on the beach. Irma found a very rare bone carving of a human figure...who knows how old these things are or who the craftsperson was but to find them after all this time is always a thrill...to be a fly on the wall to know the stories of the pieces and where they fit in the history...I suppose all that can be done is appreciate them for their hand made beauty and put them with my other treasures...happy new year...