On Our Bookshelf: The Specific Ocean

               Every once in a while during the long wet, grey days of January we Vancouverites catch a break- a few much needed rays of sun and a pause in the rain! Obviously one must take full advantage of these gifts and head outside to do a bit of reading. One of our favourite books all about the Pacific Ocean is a book by the title of The Specific Ocean- a touching story of a family trip to the sea shore. Illustrations by Katty Maurey and words by Kye Maclear.

          As with all the books that make my list the illustrations in The Specific Ocean are beautiful- sensitively executed to accompany a rather esoteric moral. We relate to this story on so many levels- as Coastal People we love everything about the sea and often wish to possess it for our own- collecting small bots and pieces to bring into our home.

         I think for us this book is relatable on so many levels- the kids love the family portrayed as there is an older brother and a younger sister. They enjoy the light sarcasm and all the imaginative elements. As a parent I love that this is a story all about trying new things and respecting the environment- win win in my books!

P.S. if you get a chance check out Kye Maclear's blog- lots of inspiration as well as the story behind the story!

On Our Bookshelf

          We were so lucky to get some amazing additions to our bookshelves over the Christmas Holidays- of course we thought it would be fun to share here with everyone! Currently the most popular is Over and Under the Snow- from the same folks who brought us Up In The Garden and Down In The Dirt. My Little ones love these books as they love to read anything about nature that they can get their grubby little hands on. 

         What we all love best about Over and Under the Snow are the sensitive illustrations from artist Christopher Silas Neal. We love the way multiple story lines intersect and weave together- the girl in the snow, the animals under the snow and the biggest character of all- the seasons. Just like in our favourite gardening book the story is wrapped up with a look at all the different animals we saw through out the book- details and facts are an eight year olds favourite thing- ever!

     
          I'm not going to lie- I loved this book so much we gave several as Christmas gifts ourselves. To me there is nothing so special as a good book. I would go out on a limb and say both Up In The Garden and Down In The Dirt and Over and Under The Snow will easily become heirloom books to be passed down to the next generation.

On Our Bookshelf

          I realized that I have yet to share any summer reads- of which there have been many! A clear favourite is this lovely little story book Miss Lo received from her wee friend for her birthday- this story was clearly chosen just for her & I but the entire family enjoys it. Up In The Garden- Down In The Dirt by Kate Messner is a joy to read as well as just sit and par use the drawings.

          The story covers all of the seasons from planning in the spring to putting the garden to bed in the fall- it shows all the creatures great and small that make a garden such a diverse ecosystem. My Littles can relate to all the story lines in the book- from weather to bugs they dig it all.

        I will admit I want to live in this story- the illustrations are glorious and the words lyrical- plus gardens. A big thank you to our friends for introducing us to a new favourite- you know us so well!

Good Reads

         One of my favourite gifts to give and to get are books- I still really like to read physical books- these days they almost feel like a bit of a luxury- as is the time to sit and read. When I go on holiday I always pack a new book in the off chance that I can curl up somewhere for a few hours while someone like a Grandparent entertains my children- a rare moment for Mum. I thought I would share some of my current favourite reads- with a bit of a creative slant-  good either for you or that artist on your shopping list!

Handmade Nation- The Rise of DIY, Art,Craft and Design- a look at the rise of contemporary craft as a relevant art form. This is an interesting read filled with beautiful examples of what makers across America are making from Olympia Washington to Providence Rhode Island- this one is going in my carry on for sure! By Faythe Levine and Cortney Heimerl

Collage- Contemporary Artists Hunt and Gather, Cut and Paste, Mash Up and Transform- the follow up compendium to the Jealous Curator's best selling book Creative Block. Showcasing contemporary art from around the world this is once again a wonderful book to have one hand for inspiration and direction. By Danielle Krysa

Water Color Painting By Contemporary Artists- this book takes a look at the revival of a more traditional medium in a completely contemporary way. Featuring looks at watercolour artists methods and work- from journaling to more fashion forward work. Again this is a really beautiful book- perfect to curl up with a seek out some inspiration. By Sujean Rim

Summer Reading Club

             This Summer- at our house- has been declared the Summer of reading by the Littles- it's only natural that they catch the reading bug as both The Mr. and I are big readers- some might even call me a book worm. At any given time I usually have at least two or three books on the go- my tastes vary and are fairly all inclusive- I read a lot but am not a literary snob! With the Littles deeply immersed in our regional library's Summer reading program I thought it would be fun to talk about what books I have my nose stuck in right now!

      Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton is an old favourite- I have read this book no less than three times already but still I keep coming back to it again and again. Gabrielle writes about her relationship to food through her journey as a chef- from childhood to the kitchens of France and Greece to the experience of owning her own restaurant. She paints pictures with words of people sitting down to eat- a satisfying experience.

     Creative Block by The Jealous Curator- Danielle Krysa- this book is an extension of one of my favourite art blogs- interviews, projects and real life advice from 50 contemporary artists- including my friend and artist Jessica Bell! This book is a source of inspiration for days when I need a quick hit of creative block- busting!

     Made By Hand by Lena Corwin- this is my most recent book purchase- I had been holding out even peeking in this book at Spool Of Thread as I was saving it for the Summer! Full of projects from some of my favourite bloggers and makers this book is full of inspiration! I have already started on the boot sock pattern from Jenny Gordy- hoping they will be done by fall! Made By Hand is like Summer Camp- I sat and soaked it all in- cover to cover over our vacation!

        This is what is in my current reading stack- I'm interested dear friends what you are all reading this Summer! Please comment here- I'm always looking for some new book recommendations and I know there are some fellow book worms out there!

Focus on Sarah Clement: Illustrator

         As we all know by now there really is nothing I enjoy more than a new book- a new book with beautiful drawing is even better! Enter in a freshly illustrated book Half For You and Half For Me - re imagined nursery rhymes by Katherne Govier and illustrated with the whimsical stylings of Sarah Clement. I first met Sarah several years ago and from the very beginning could see something special lurking with in her heart and imagination.

        In Sarah's own words:

       Illustrating my first book was quite the journey. It lead my through vast terrain, through valleys of self-doubt and up to mountain peaks of creative joy. I met many characters along the way. I had been introduced to a few of them as a child, but this time I got to have a hand in shaping their personalities. There was the giant from Fee Fi Fo Fum (an angry, apron-wearing grizzly bear), Peter Peter Pumpkin eater (a Raven with a pumpkin comically balanced on his head) and Jack be nimble (a colourful gazelle, gracefully jumping over a candlestick in the African safari). There were many more and I enjoyed watching them develop into whimsical characters of their own.

This is Sarah's first time collaborating with an author on a project like this book- she claims that it pushed her out of her personal art boundaries- such as drawing people- which is something she doesn't do very often.  Stylistically the illustrations are very similar to Sarah's previous work but it is clear that she is exploring new processes particularly in backgrounds- the results are beautiful, multi dimensional visual narratives.

          This coming Saturday- April 26 2014- Sarah will be on hand at one of our favourite spots- Collage Collage for a book launch and signing. The hours are from noon until 2:00 pm- 621 Kingsway. If you can't make it to what is sure to be a stellar afternoon then check out Half For You & Half For Me over on Heather's Picks over at Indigo Books! Also be sure to check out Sarah's blog Light and Lines for a visual feast- new works in progress and just general beauty!

        I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of what looks to be a lovely little book- perfect to tuck into our travel bag and read in the car or by the shore- at Grandma's house or snuggled around the campfire. This is sure to quickly become a family favourite for the timeless nursery rhymes as much as the haunting illustrations! If you are in the neighbourhood this Saturday be sure to stop by Collage Collage and pick up your own copy of Half For You & Half For Me- be sure to get Sarah to sign it too!

photo credit: Julie Nicole

An Eerie Dearie Giveaway!

          Recently Miss Lo and I met with our dear friend Rebecca Chaperon at one of our favourite Gastown spots- Nelson The Seagull- purveyors of fine hot chocolate and coffee. We sat down for a little catch up and chat- it was inevitable that our shared love of art would come up in conversation- mainly Rebecca's exciting new alphabet book- Eerie Dearies- 26 Ways To Miss School. It is so fantastic to see a friend do so well and watch her project come to fruition over the past couple of years- from drawings and paintings to finished product.

         I have long been a huge fan of Rebecca's work- her early robots on deserted islands stand out as some of my all time favourites. Her new work is no exception- her use of colour is haunting- her subject matter walking the fine line between innocence and slightly dodgy- wayward excuses to be absent from school. Rebecca has been kind enough to offer a signed copy of her beautiful collection of 26 illustrations- to one lucky Weekdays From Scratch reader. A handful of other goodies - postcards and two signed letter prints will accompany Eerie Dearies- what a special bundle!

         Rebecca's website is also a treat- pop on over to have a look through her wonderful online shop- full of wee ice bergs- and her blog to follow what other special things she is up to- including a look at her wonderful new works! To enter into the draw simply click on the rafflecopter below and enter as many times as you can- be sure to follow Rebecca on Twitter for an easy entry!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Art and Times of Rebecca Chaperon

           Vancouver has such an amazing array of artists these days- most of whom are toiling away in their garret like studios- freezing all winter and sweltering all summer- OK well that may be a tad over exaggerate. One Vancouver artist who congers up such images of the solo artist in said garret is Rebecca Chaperon- creator of the soon to be released tome from Simply Read Books Eerie Dearies- 26 Ways To Miss School.

        I have long been a fan of Rebecca's work and have been fortunate enough to watch her grow as an artist and individual for the better part of the last decade- that is to say she is a dear friend. All that aside I am a great admirer of her work- the way she can lend a narrative to almost any scene- be it with the placement of a lock of drifting hair or the glance of a wayward school girl's eye. Rebecca tells stories through her paintings- they need no words only imagination or a bit of astral projection.

       In her own words "Eerie Dearies is an unusual book that offers a carefully crafted & alphabetized selection of twenty-six beautifully illustrated excuses for being absent from school. Faded and well-used book covers serve as compelling backgrounds to each of these delicately rendered acrylic paintings, creating an atmosphere akin to an old and dusty collection of darkly humorous myths. This bizarre and astonishing ABC book contains 26 illustrations of absent school girls in ephemeral landscapes. These intriguing figures are at once pale and wan and amusingly dramatic."

     
        Rebecca's book Eerie Dearies- 26 Ways To Miss School available for- pre order- here- the special edition pre-order comes chock full of goodies like stickers and cards. This December the Grunt Gallery is hosting an art exhibition and book signing for Eerie Dearies- it sounds like the evening will be loads of fun and school yard hi jinx - as well as the opportunity to view the twenty six illustrations together for the final time. Some of the original paintings from the book are still for sale- a few have been snapped up by folks in the know- check out Rebecca's blog for more information.

          Having watched Rebecca work on this series for quite some time now I am very excited to see the final product come together. Of course I have only seen a tiny bit of what goes into the making of a book- I know that beyond the art  Rebecca put in hours and hours of planning and work. I can only imagine what it must be like to take a book from inception through to publication- watching your little idea grow to become a tangible thing that people actually hold and read!

        We all know that I love to support local talent- I think it is important- regardless of time of year- to think about buying as close to home as possible- when you buy from a local artist or artisan you are buying a part of that person's dream- you are buying a moment- you are contributing to the world in a way no purchase at any big box store ever possibly will. So I urge you to check out Rebecca's web shop- place a pre-order for a truly wonderful book and in return get a piece of pure magic!

Spring Sewing For My Miss

       We headed to the Waterfront Skytrain Station early on Monday- initially intent on running a few errands- as we were moving through the station Miss Lo declared it her "favourite building in all of Vancouver". It gave me pause to slow down and look around at the space we were sprinting through. It is indeed a beautiful old building- epic ceilings and windows with casings so deep one could (if security allowed it) curl up for a few hours with a good book.

        Curious as to why my little Miss would pick this old train station as her "favourite building in all of Vancouver" I asked why- "because it's pink Momma"- of course how obvious! So we paused for an impromptu photo session- luckily she had her book du jour along for the ride- and as  mentioned the light was perfect -filtering through the grey sky and in through those huge windows- it was serendipitous!       

   

    While the weather is any thing but balmy out there right now we all know spring is on it's way- when it finally arrives I have no wish to be at my sewing machine- best get this business out of the way during the rainy season! This is exactly what happened Sunday afternoon when the Mr. took our kiddos into the office for a few hours- this Momma got busy and this outfit was born.

      The details of Miss Lo's outfit are a little sketchy as the dress is cobbled together from my slim knowledge of pattern drafting- it's not too tricky and yet there is no pattern I just made it up- but the fabric is from Lotta Jansdotter's 2012 line and it is a lovely soft cotton- the dress is lined with yellow cotton gingham which was scrap from another project. The awesome pants- which will now be referred to as MC Hammer pants (the kids have no idea what I'm talking about) are a Burda pattern #9493- a pair of my old jeans were re-invented into the softest pair of spring weight pants ever.

   These Littles seem to have grown each and every time we turn around- the vast majority of their closets are filled with Momma made or thrifted items. So much in this world is "marketed" towards us- kids in particular are susceptible to the latest character trends- we try and keep their clothing logo free, easy to put on, soft and simple. That's not to say you won't find any Batman shirts or pants or hats or paraphernalia in their room- it's just that we try to balance that out with quieter items- cause life is all about balance even in your closet!

p.s- brace yourself for more sewing posts in the coming weeks- I'm really excited by the discovery of some great new patterns and I want to share! If you have any sewing questions please feel free to ask- I will do my best to answer!

p.s.s- did you know you can follow Lotta Jansdotter on Facebook? Lots of inspiration and ideas to be found here!

On My Nightstand

    There are certain traits, loves or passions to every person that are constant through out their lives- for example I love coffee, sunshine and reading- I am passionate about these three things and aside from the coffee always have been. Reading informs who a person becomes- it fosters imagination and creativity- I would not be the person I am today with out the books I have read. My Mr. likes to read as well although our tastes differ immensely in literature- he really is into sci-fi escapism type books- I am really into non- fiction right now even though I do love a good novel! One thing we can always agree on is getting our kiddos involved in reading- not just bed time stories but an independent love of books- and so with out further delay is our picks for this month- AKA what's on our nightstands!

 Momma:
-Vancouver A History in Photographs by Aynsley Vogel & Dana Wyse- a photographic look at the constant changing face of our city- full of wonderful historical images and stories.
- Homegrown & Handmade by Deborah Niemann- this one is a constant reference guide for me weather I am planning seedlings or how to cast off a knitting project- basic and handy
-Handmade Home by Mark & Sally Bailey- a beautiful photo essay on living with handmade objects- a recent birthday gift full of inspiration
- Mother Earth News- an old favourite quarterly publication- chock full of practical advice an dreams of the country side

The Mr:
- The Vinyl Cafe Notebooks  by Stuart McLean- selections from fifteen years of radio show broadcasts- meditations on life to lighthearted opinions

Miss Lo:
-Mimi and Maty to the Rescue! Book 1- Rodger the Rat is on the Loose! by Brooke Smith- this is our bed time story right now- the one we are heading to her- the story is about a clever gal pet detective and her sidekick Maty the dog.
-Millie Fierce- by Jane Manning- Miss Lo's pick and her current fave about a quiet girl who longs to be noticed

The Boy:
- The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart- this is our bed time pick- about a gang of intrepid kids who must decipher clues to unravel a nefarious plot engulfing their town
- An Awesome Book! by Dallas Clayton- The Boy's current fave as it was read at his birthday party and is full of improbabilities and seemingly ridiculous scenarios- like owning matching silver ware- how crazy!

    I know I am not the only one who is fanatical about my reading- many of my friends are also book crazy- so what are you reading these days Friends? What is on your nightstand?

Portland Adventure

     Oh Friends I don't even know where to begin-we had such a weekend and it flew by just too quickly! A few weeks ago the Mr. and I decided we needed to get out of town- and yes go to a different town! We just needed a change of scenery, some inspiration- to get away- and so we decided to head to a city that is so very dear to our hearts- Portland. Back in the day ( which was a Wednesday in case anyone is wondering) the Mr. and I went on a honeymoon- we were oh so young and had no real agenda which meant no planned course of action besides having fun. On our way home from California we found ourselves at the end of our trip in Portland- and here we tarried for a few days reluctant to continue on- we loved it.

     The Mr. and I have been back a few times and so this time when we were struck by itchy feet* we decided it was high time our Littles got a taste of the magic that is Portland. We left on Friday evening and after an extensive wait at the border drove onto Burlington where we spent the night- first thing Saturday we were up and on the road to Portland. 

     Once again like with pretty much everything we do we did not have any set plans for what we wanted to see and do in Portland- two things were a priority- a Trip to Powell's Books and a stop at Voodoo Doughnuts but beyond that we were open to opportunity. So we wandered- and looked at buildings- oh the buildings- and public art- so many sculptures- and took a ride on the Street Car- might have gotten slightly lost. Mainly we just wandered around- poking into cute little shops and taking pictures of buildings- looking for coffee- just relaxing and soaking it all in.

    Of course we are pretty new to this whole travelling with kids thing- in fact this was the first trip we have taken where our end destination didn't involve staying in a house or cabin or tent- this was our first hotel based trip. We learned a few things- with kids we had to take it slowly- in the past we may have left the hotel after breakfast not to return until after dinner- not the case anymore. We expected this would happen and were prepared with snacks back at the hotel mid day. Of course we also located the nearest playground which the Littles thought was awesome- imagine having an elephant in your playground- those lucky kids in Portland!

    Lets face it- we knew the weather was not going to be balmy and so again we were prepared- when Miss Lo came up to me with icicles for fingers at the park we knew it was time to seek out some warmth- this is where the Street Car ride came in. What a good idea- we got to see parts of the city we hadn't explored as well as warm up! Also a stop into Powell's Books was a great place to get in out of the rain and oh what a treat- I could have spent the entire day and my entire allowance in there! One of my favourite Portland spots- hands down.

        To wrap up our trip we ventured out Monday morning down to Voodoo Doughnut- we had stopped the night before but the lineup was around the block and it was raining- best to come back in the morning. A clever wind was whipping up as we stepped out of the hotel- the final leaves blowing down from the trees lining our way- the rain had paused and for the most part we had the streets to ourselves- I love early morning in the city- it's like the city exists just for you! Back down to Voodoo we trekked- there was only a small lineup- donuts and coffee procured we sat munching our treats in the weak sunshine that had surely come out just to say good by to us!

       Now we are home and everyone is still all snuggled into bed- I am sitting here with my latte listening to our own city waking up for the day- my new socks still on my feet keeping the chill off- looking over the evidence of a weekend well lived. I think the sign of a good road trip is when you start talking about where you would like to go next as soon as you get home- hmmm maybe California?

* Noun 1. itchy feet- a very strong or irresistible impulse to travel

p.s - yes I did have a bacon maple donut- and yes it was life changing