inspiration

my friend maria teresa hernandez

is exhibiting

her drawings, encaustic painting and sculptures

at propeller

"holding the big picture

a journey in art therapy"

i am fortunate enough to be able to watch maria work during

our once a month classes together

she is a wonderful artist, person and true inspiration for me

if you get a chance, head down to 984 queen st west at  ossington

on now until september 9th

weekend fun

a wonderful weekend with my friend lu

spending time creating and eating

driving the back roads taking pictures

and watching skippy and sidney

wear each other out!!!

 p.s. yes that is the first sign of fall,

 i found several trees with changing leaves and

 a few new projects-

 a free form crochet project and some felting experiments 

clouds and reflections

last week i was down at ontario place waiting for the gates to open

bored, i started taking pictures of the clouds and their reflection in the water

what a difference a few minutes can make

as each day comes to us refreshed and anew,

 so does my gratitude renew itself daily

the breaking of the sun over the horizon

 is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world

terri guillemets

as we express our gratitude,

 we must never forget that

the highest appreciation is not to utter words,

 but to live by them

john fitzgerald kennedy

grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal

it's a way to live

attributed to jacqueline winspear

lets go to the ex!!

where did the summer go???

if you live near toronto you know that when the cne 

(canadian national exhibition aka" the ex ")

starts that there are only 3 more weekend of summer

so...lets go to the ex.......oh baby.........lets go to the ex.......

if you go during the week in the evenings you can get in for only $5

a great time to get wonderful nite shots!!

(above photos from last year)

square foot show

if you haven't already gone there is still time

the square foot show is on until this sunday

a few of my favorite artists this year

andreas schneider

heather gentleman

marina hanacek

steven crainford

lindsey kemp

and cortney stephenson

and one of my encaustic paintings

worth the drive

a few weeks ago my friend lu, (who loves to sew and makes wonderful quilts)

and i went for a country drive and ended up in jordan village

to visit a store called "stitch"

(above a birds nest sitting outside the store i altered it a bit in ps )

this store was amazing and had the best displays

i was really inspired

and i will definitely go back

now i have to dust off my machine and start playing with a few ideas

fleamarket faces

as i wondered the fleamarket this weekend

i couldn't help but notice lots of faces

redecorating

since my sofa and love seat  needed to be replace i thought it was a good time to redecorate

a lot of design stores are displaying a mix of old with new

 as i wondered along kingston road , my favorite store  had something in the window caught my eye

"if your looking for a sign this is it"

the next thing i know i was looking at fabric samples and ordering a sectional

which lead to a tv stand, table, curtains and  throw pillows

the wicker basket found at a local flea market makes a great magazine rack

and the bull's skull looks great above my fireplace

the red vase was the inspiration for an accent colour

one wall can have a huge impact!!

i love it, windsor red

it really make the white chairs pop!!

(i don't have a dining room so i'm glad the room is large enough to feature one)

the retro lamp and judy balance each other

my ladder shelf was a easy diy project (see my last post)

my next project will be a coffee table made of barn wood ,

 an old wood crate and some caster wheels

and a close up of my bulls skull, it looks like petrified wood

the curtains are so much fun, and work well with the white chairs

i love the flowered throw cushions and the tv stand will be a nice match to the coffee table

i'm so happy with my new room and really glad to see it all come together 

DIY project

since the end of april i've been in "redecorating mode"

while waiting for furniture to arrive and looking for the right accessories for my livingroon

i've been working on a DIY project

i found this wonderful ladder at antique shop for $30 and wanted to turn it into a stand with shelves

after debating several opions i found these grungy rusted tin sheets ($1 each) that worked great!!

now i have the perfect display for my brownie collection

the red kodak timer, photography notebook and letter " n "

add the finishing touches and bring the room together

(more on my new livingroom on my next post)