Scenes From A Weekend

Thursday night, dinner with my husband at OSF. We love their BamBam Shrimp. So nice to not have to cook after a long commute to UBC. I had an interview with a doctor/professor who is here from the UK to learn about the Health Mentors program and see if it's something that can implement in their country to better the education of their health care professionals. It was a fascinating conversation and I'll be interested in hearing what the outcome is. Amazing to think Health Mentors here are potentially having an impact on the future of health care in the UK!

Friday: We were up and out early to Granville Island since this was the only day forcasted as sunny this weekend and we wanted to spend as much of it outdoors as possible. Indy got a good walk, I got to shoot some photographs, (Don'tcha just love this graffiti?) and we all got to lunch in the sunshine. It felt so good to soak up some vitamin D! The innumerable ornamental cherry trees that are so common here are thick with blooms. Their branches are hanging low they are so loaded.

Of course what's a trip to Granville Island without a wee bit of retail therapy? I discovered that The Cloth Shop has moved to the island-not sure why I hadn't noticed it there before...granted, it is tucked away on a back corner, so it's not entirely obvious. Anyway, they have evolved into a store that is carrying mostly modern style fabrics! I had to have this piece which seemed so collage-y to me. It kind of looks red in this photo, but it's actually a very vibrant orange. I even love the salvage! Really, I wanted to buy more, but I'll visit again next time I'm out there.

I've been looking for these stamps for awhile now and happened to spot it at Paper Ya yesterday. $14 for this charming set.

Too cute! I like that it reminds me of pictures from a 1950's reader.

I made granola from scratch yesterday afternoon. I had some for brekki this morning. It was delicious. 

Today I am taking my husband to this amazing Italian grocery I just found out about and then I am meeting a friend for coffee on Commercial Drive. (A trendy/funky part of town.) It's already been a busy weekend and it's only Saturday! I see a nap in my future!

P.S. Some exciting news is *almost* read to share...stay tuned!

Birthday Weekend

So...Saturday, the 22nd was my birthday. Unfortunately it didn't turn out quite like I'd planned. Friday night, our car's "Service Engine Soon" light came on. (What does "soon" mean, anyway?) We ran it in to the mechanic for a diagnostic first thing Saturday morning and the news was not good-we had to shell out over $660 in repairs. OUCH! Happy birthday to me.

In the afternoon, we met up with my son and his girlfriend and went to see Non-Stop with Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore and the woman who plays Mary on Downton Abbey, Michelle Dockery. It was actually really good-we didn't know who the bad guys are until the very end. It kept all of us guessing.

Afterwards, we went out for dinner and then home for Tiramisu cake.

Sunday morning, I spent the morning shopping for art supplies with my birthday money. I love paper, so these were the three I had to have.

I am taking a 6 week painting course that begins soon, so I wanted to pick up a few new stencils. Here are the ones I chose: 

This one is by Stencil Girl, which is my friend Mary Beth Shaw. So wonderful to see her having success! I would have bought more from her line, but this was the only stencil they had of hers.

I also popped into a dollar store to get an charger adapter for my husband's iPod and came across this chipboard set. I bought it for the pencils.

I also popped by the fabric store and fell in love with the fabric on the left. This is going to make me a really nice journal!

I spent the afternoon with my best friend, seeing another movie. It was nice to get out for a bit-I've been feeling pretty bad since the beginning of the year  (which is why I've been a bit quiet) and am currently totally deaf in my good ear. I've got medicine and go back to see my doc tomorrow. If it's not resolved, then it will mean an emergency trip to an ENT. I'd like to avoid that.

My friend Andrea, who was guiding a visually impaired skier at the Sochi Paralympics said she's sent me something for my birthday. My bet's it's something from Russia! I can't wait to see what it is!

Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes. xo

From the Magic Mailbox

 A couple weeks ago, I posted about this amazing fabric that enchanted me so. It was printed with vintage Viewfinder reels, something that spoke deeply to me from my childhood.

I manage to track down a shop on Etsy (how I love Etsy!) that was selling it and ordered myself a delicious half yard. Then, as I do most times, I forgot all about it. That is, until this week while watching the horror of what was happening in Japan unfold and it suddenly, it dawned on me that my order was coming from a sweet woman named Frances, who lives in Tokyo.

I logged onto Etsy, not knowing what I would find when I got to her shop, but hoping that somehow I would be able to know if she was okay. I am happy to report that she and her family are fine. They have left Tokyo for now and are staying with friends in the West.

I sent her an email to let her know I was thinking about her and everyone in Japan and praying for their safety. I offered her words of encouragement and told her that the world is in awe with the exceptional grace and dignity with which the Japanese people are handling such a chaotic and frightening situations-there is no rioting or looting, everyone is being patient and helping one another as much as they can. I told her that we care and that we are sending help via the relief agencies.

And within an hour of sending that message, the fabric she had mailed out before life in Japan changed forever, arrived.  I will always think of her when I see that fabric, whatever I make from it.

The Canadian Red Cross

is accepting donations to aid the relief efforts for  

both New Zealand and Japan

You can make a donation here.

 I haven't a decent segue from that into this, so bear with me! The magic mailbox was chock full of goodies this week. Everything came at once. I'd ordered this really cool roll of tape about 3 weeks ago and I am so glad I did. It's a substantial roll and I really loved the print. I'll be using it in my RODs.

 Also, last month, Teesha had free shipping on all orders, (which is the kind of intel you get from being on her mailing list!) so my husband said I could order some goodies as my Valentine's present. (Thanks sweetie!) I've long been coveting Teesha's 4 journal book set, so those were the first things that went into my cart.

 They are so yummy! They measure just slightly larger than 1/2 fold, so they are pretty much zine size and full colour, 40 pages each. MMMM!!

 Here are the 4 books. It's the kind of thing you can pour over for hours and always see something new.

This is one of my most fav pages, for obvious reasons-DOGS!! I remember seeing this image and falling in love with it even before I really knew who Teesha was. Funny to think I loved her art long before I'd ever met her or gone to Artfest!

I also ordered a few pieces of rubber I wanted and a couple collage sheets. I debated buying her post card set and then for some crazy reason, didn't. Silly me! If you're interested in checking out her work, you can find her shop here.

Off to peruse those journal books!