My pretty board

I've been snowboarding for about 2.5 years now. I learnt for the first time 5 years ago, but it wasn't until I met James that I started going on a consistent basis. Last year I broke my wrist snowboarding, but I was back at it soon after the cast was off - just with wrist guards now hehe. I also acquired a helmet this year - because better safe than sorry! And, it doesn't fall off like a hat, and keeps my head toasty and warm :) Next year's 'investment' I think will be better snowpants; since right now I'm using a 20$ pair hehe. I would like to have a pair that works better with the sport.

I haven't been able to snowboard as much this year as past years since moving to Sudbury this year. I went to Blue Mountain in Collingwood for the first time last night, and how I missed it! I had a pass last year, and we went all the time. There's a little hill in Sudbury that I haven't been to yet, but the snowboard itch is pretty big now, so I may just be heading over there every now and then.
My board is a K2 Moment - some of it's proceeds support breast cancer research and support (K2 is a really good company for this. My bike was also from them, and proceeds from that went towards Breast Cancer research / support as well!). I love it! It's such a beautiful board. And, I know you can't see it, but there are swirls of shimmer all over it. My bindings are Burton and are pink and white and match my board wonderfully :) I tried looking for pictures of them, but couldn't find any.

Sketch 1

I've decided that I'm going to try and do a sketch a day. I might not be able to post them all right away, but they will be posted. This idea purely sprung from procrastination from studying, but all artists need to practice their skills, and drawing is not necessarily my strongest point. So it can only help me. :)


This drawing is from a card that my friend, Anita, sent me :) It said on the card, "The key to any successful disguise is to blend into your surroundings", and then the inside said, "I wish your surroundings were closer to my surroundings". We went to university together, but now we're not even in the same country anymore :( This card lives on my monitor (I have an old school one hehe). And so, I thought that it would make the perfect first drawing :)

And thus, I claim really no creative procession to this 'idea' / piece. But part of learning art is coping - old masters would copy to get feels of technique and ideas. So it's not wrong, especially since I'm not claiming it as my own. But, I'm not going to start 'copying' works of other artists...only the big ones - who mostly are dead - or from pictures that I randomly find. If you see anything you don't like, please let me know :)

The nose is a little wonky - I was never good at them anyways lol. And the cute little boy on the card looks a lot cuter and younger than he does here. Oh well. It's only sketch no. 1. It can only go up from here :)

Etsy Love: bridgemanstudios

White and aqua vase

This white and aqua vase by bridgemanstudios is so refreshing. I love the colour palette used on it. It would be perfect for wild flowers in the spring and summer, big enough to be able to hold a nice handful of them!

It would also look perfect in my room on my nightstand. But that's just an innocent observation :)

Etsy Love: GoodStuff Naturally

Strawberries and Cream - Soap

This strawberries and cream soap by GoodStuffNaturally, is a great Valentine's gift for a loved one, or a friend. Or, maybe get it for yourself, it sounds delicious!

This Etsy shop, based in Clarkson, is fresh for 2009, just recently joining a couple weeks ago. They are a very environmentally savvy shop, using biodegradable packaging where possible and creating natural, chemical and preservative free soaps. They also offer body polish, bath bombs and face masks just to name a few.

ArtFire

Today I joined ArtFire. They currently have a promotion, where you can join for $7 a month (instead of $20/month). That's lower than my Etsy fees (not complaining about Etsy fees, they are definitely worth it); but I figured it would be a good investment. And if it doesn't work after a couple of months, it's not a big deal. And, going to a new venue is always a good idea, just to spread the love around, although I think most of the people on ArtFire are also on Etsy. Fingers crossed!

My ArtFire shop: http://Jellybeans.artfire.com

A Delicious Dinner!

I made this delicious dinner last night - it was so good; and pretty good for you too! It was Parmesan crusted tilapia fillets, with lemony beans. The whole thing took no more than 20 minutes.

I love cheese, so the Parmesan was perfect, and the fish was great with it. And the beans - how I love my vegetables! I cooked them, so that they still had a little bit of crunch, I'm not a fan of soggy beans. And then the lemon added a little kick, and gave it a nice fresh taste.

I think I'll be having this more often...Mmmm...maybe tonight again, hrm....

A girl can dream...

As I promised in my last post...I 'window-shopped' on Etsy, and found things that I think would go well with my room; but mostly with my new linens :)

First is this lovely silhouette drawing, by finalidesign. I think a duo would be lovely, in nice wood grain frames. A little girl (like this one) and a little boy.

Of course, these silhouettes are better when they have meaning, so they would have to be from real pictures. Another interesting idea, would be to have a kitty and a puppy silhouette; those would look stunning too!

I am a all time fan of Andrew Daniels work. I knew I would find something that would something that would fit my room nicely, and alas, I did! This Fire Flower print has the lovely blues that are also on my linens, but with a nice splash of colour.

They would also match my old linens, if ever I wanted to switch them up again. I'm counting my pennies towards a piece of his work! My biggest problem is deciding which one...

The vintage-ness of esoule is just too much to pass up!

This vintage look, 2 Lambs print is simply adorable. Esoule also creates photoboxes - with this on a photobox, it would sit perfectly on my nightstand.




I love sculpture. My problem is, that I can never choose. And I can never find the perfect place for it - and sculpture deserves a perfect place.

This abstracted piece by AliBArt, called Pure is beautiful :)

I had to include this little stature as well, Skinny Cat 3, by justme4112.

It looks so much like my baby, Oreo. Except that Oreo is a little rounder. I would look lovely on my dresser.

This pillow by joom, Red Hummingbird with Eucalyptus, is a nice little burst of colour for my room; the little kick that keeps it bright and cheery, without being too overwhelming. It also goes well with the artwork.

The square size is perfect, and I don't think I could ask for a better deep red without starting to go into burgundy.



Now...if only I could buy them all; then my room would be complete :)

Impulse buying at it's best!

I didn't mean to buy these. They were definitely an impulse purchase. There I was...just walking in the mall, and just happened to pass by this expensive linens store...with a huge "$20 Only!" sign over linens: for queen-size duvet cover and pillow cases! I couldn't not look now, could I?...and they're practical, right?

Here's Oreo, relishing in new linens to cover with his fluff. I just adore this design...I was using it for my website before too. I'm a sucker for those swirly, flower, 'Victorian' designs.

Also, I don't really have a queen-sized bed; so there is no need for jealously hehe. I got the duvet from Santa two years ago, and I asked for a Queen size, you know - if ever I got one. But mostly, I just like having lots of blankets to roll around in.

Now, since I'm in a new bedroom anyways (from moving a couple weeks ago)...I get to completely redesign it. I have a few ides. I'm going to look on Etsy, and put together a post about items that I think would go well with it.

I can't wait to sleep in these tonight!

A very productive weekend...

I completed two paintings this weekend :) I also cleaned my studio, and put together my bed (I was sleeping on the floor with just a mattress), and I finally got around to unpacking all my clothes - I was just living off of what was already out hehe. Plus, I did all my homework. All in all, a mighty productive weekend! And, I get to finish it off tonight with a new episode of Heartland :)

Mamma's Boy - Watercolor painting on watercolor paper.
I had noticed that I didn't have many pieces with little boys in it - most likely since I'm a girl, so I know best about the Daughter-parent experiences. But for those with cute little boys, this one's for you :)

Nourish Love - Watercolor painting set of two painting on watercolor paper.

I think this is my favourite of the year so far (yes, I know...I'm only three paintings into this year). It's also, my first two piece painting! I don't know why I didn't think of this concept before! And, I have an excellent idea of how to turn this into beautiful stationery...only time will tell.

The final Valentine's Day Cards...

These are the final Valentine Day cards being created this year. They are on a lovely texture, heavy watercolor paper. Since I only had two sets of watercolor paper cards (and it would take too long for a new order to arrive), the "Love You" glitter cards will, unfortunately not have a watercolour counterpart - for now.

These cards, along with the glitter series, come with the most delicious brown chocolate envelopes! They are just so rich, and the perfect compliment. Since these here are watercolor, there is only one of each available.

i like you - watercolor stationery

i (heart) you - watercolor stationery

I won't lie...these cards were in store earlier...but the pictures were not so pretty, so I didn't want to blog about them until I had taken prettier ones :)

A Sparkly Valentine's

I've finished my little collection of sparkly, glitter Valentine's for this year. The collection has three different designs:

I (heart) you - glitter stationery on card


Love you - glitter stationery on card


i like you - glitter stationery on card

Now, the reason only one of the listing, I like you, has those cute candy hearts and the rest do not, is because, unfortunately - I ate them all before the other cards were done *blushes* I should have known that would happen hehe.

I love the glitter, and the idea for these cards came to me at Christmas time, when I made cards for my friends.

New Painting: Flower Dust

So I completed a new painting amongst the unpacking of my apartment and the packing of orders!

"Flower Dust" - watercolour on paper.

Originally, I had called the painting, Fairy Dust, when I listed it this past evening. But then, as I was updating my shop, I realized that I already had a painting named Fairy Dust, so it had to change; silly me.

I've also released the first piece of my Valentine's Day collection for this year:

"I Like You Sparking Valentine's Day Stationery"

I glittered the Christmas cards that I gave out this year, and so I thought I would create a limited edition series of these cute glittered cards; only 5 of each design will be available. I have another design in process, using "I Love You". I'm not sure yet if there will be a third.

A watercolor version of the designs are soon to follow, and stationery made from that design will not be a limited run. Although, sparkles are almost always more fun :)

I will definitely have a nice busy weekend ahead of me. A messy, sparkly one at that!

And one last, last note! Don't forget about my winter sale right now, there are some great deals on seasonal and non-seasonal items! :)

Sale Time! Out with the Old, In with the New!

The new year is the perfect time for new beginnings. After moving again after coming to Sudbury four months ago (I'm still in the same city, just a different apartment building), I realized how much still I was trucking around with me. I had to change my printer services when I moved to Sudbury, but I was still carrying around items from the last printer.

I want to completely flush them out, so I decided to have a super Winter Sale (also known as my, Out with the old, In with the new sale)! Also included are winter items that are still left in stock (from my newer printers).

These sale prices will only remain as items are in stock, please see my shop to see what is available. I might be adding more items this weekend as I progress through my unpacking.

Once they gone, they're gone!

Christmas Love!

I finally got the internet to work - my silly brother didn't install the router properly, gah. Anywho, here's some Christmas! I don't have a lot, but I have some :)

Oreo hiding under the tree, at least this year he didn't try to jump in it.

Full Frontal of the tree; Silver and Gold was the theme.

A detail of some of the ornaments. The bells were my favourite, and the disco-ball looking ones sprinkled little flecks of light all over the room during the day :)

I'm Back!

So I'm back up in Sudbury now. I've been really busy packing up orders made while I was away and unpacking and reorganizing my life :)

I'll have pictures to send you once my new apartment is all set up, it's a little bit of a mess now with all the boxes and such. But I really like, and I have a studio now! So that's a little exciting! And I'm excited to be reunited with my paint brushes after such a long, long break. I also have a friend who lives on my floor, so that's exciting too! (She has a couple snakes and one's bright orange, and she has the cutest little pooch = she's as cool as you can get!)

Our Internet is a little finicky at the apartment right now - there's always something that does work hehe - so I won't be able to post about my holidays just yet, I'm using it just as I need it; but I have pictures, and they are coming! And, I can go on the Internet at my college - so I'm still connected to the world!

I'm off to check up on my fav blogs, so until later, ciao!

Smiles back at you!

I saw this cute little pocket mirror on Etsy that I thought I would share, isn't it adorable?

"Beaver Pocket Mirror" by SparklePaw

I will be back later this week with updates from my holidays and my big move :)