Revisionist History

Update: I decided to go see it on a whim.

I misread the dates and thought the final performance was yesterday.

I enjoyed it. I laughed so hard at one point that I had to wipe tears away. I have an absurd sense of humour.

I really would have been interested to see this play at the fringe festival. An accident of history? Hysterical. To bad I only noticed it yesterday afternoon. Darn.

ATC night & hot women

Another large turnout last night! I adore ATC night and hate that I have to show up late on occasion.

Happy Birthday to Ludgera! Shall we sing one more time?

Thanks to Katie for making cupcakes. Yummy! (recipe was from Martha Stewart cookbook - I checked. :))

Welcome to the group - Florence and Suzan.

Participants for this month were:
Traders: Jacqui, Suzan, Florence, Martha, June, Marissa, Jolanta, Susan V., Barb, Kris, Diana and Cori
Observers: Colette, Daniza

Waving hi to Ray! It was a pleasure to meet you. Martha you never told me he had an accent.

Susan W., Sarah, Myrn, Beverley and Joanne we missed you.

Hot Women ATCs

My interpretation of tonight's exchange. Pretty tame women if you ask me. lol. I've kept the images posted here PG rated. I have others that are a little bit more racy.




Due Date: 13Jul07
Theme: Hot women
Supplies used:
Images: American Picture Gallery CD, bingo card
Paper: various cardstock (European Paper, Club Scrap)

A little progress

I made a (very) small dent in the pile of paper to cut up. It killed my cutting blade though.

Whilst sorting through my stash - I rediscovered these items. I think they are fun.

Snip, Slice and toss

I've decided to make my life easier. At least where ATCs are concerned.

I have loads and loads of 8 1/2 x 11 paper that I will likely never use for scrapbooking.

My solution?

It's all being sliced up for my ATC stash box.

Yep, it's all going in. Paper, embellishments, ephemera... All that good stuff.

Hopefully this will make me a little bit more prolific.

Now I just need to find the perfect box....

July Christmas Card Exchange

After class the Card Exchange group met for the big reveal.
As you can likely guess from the post title, this month's theme was Christmas.

I finally remembered to ask the ladies if they minded me posting their cards. I'd always felt bad about posting without asking first. It seems impolite.
You can click on the photo to view more detail for the last three exchanges. Enjoy!

I even stepped out of my comfort zone and submitted a less than perfect (IMHO) card for the store wall. Last night I was upset with it but today I embraced my mistake. I even think its kinda cool now.

Christmas in July

My very first ever Card Extravaganza was divine.

We were so spoiled today, it was like Christmas morning! Generous extra goodies (thanks Carmi&Elizabeth) and sweet home baked treats (thanks June!).

I kept up with the rest of the class for the most part. I think they heard a starters pistol I didn't. lol. These ladies didn't mess around and were quick to finish each card.

I think it helps if you understand all the directions. I admit it, sometimes I just nod my head and dive right in.

I love before and after pictures. I neglected to take the 'before' photo but this one is just after everyone cleared out for lunch.

More details and photos in the next few days.

Card Exchange - Christmas

Here is my submission for this month's card exchange group.

My better half's response was 'That's a CHRISTMAS card?".

I was going for something 'different'. It's different alright.

Must sleep soon! My ride to the Christmas Card Extravaganza will be here in less than 8 hours. Yikes!

More outbound ATCs

Paint chip swap ATC's

I've been busy getting ATCs ready for upcoming swaps.

Here are two from the paint chip swap.

I got out my sewing machine for this swap. Progress! It only took me 25 minutes to put in the bobbin this time. lol.

ATCs zoom right through the machine. I need driving lessons for my sewing machine. Evidently I need to practice more.

I find it a challenge to add embellishments to my work. I add them and hope for the best! I'd rather have the 'knack' for adding just the right thing.

Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day to our American neighbours!

I might be *little* crazy....

I just couldn't resist signing up for this skinny book swap. I know it will make me obsessive for a few months. lol.

I think it is the size that I find so intriguing.

I really enjoyed working (even if it stressed me out) on my circle fatbook. Of course, after the fact I would have done things quite differently today. Ahh, live and learn.

I'm nervous but excited about it. I'll keep you posted.

Happy Canada Day!!!!

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Enjoy the long weekend!!!

Stamp Camp Mania!

What a fabulous day! It was billed as a "day dedicated for stampers to do what they love best - stamp!!"

It was that and oh so, so, so much more! Fun, lots of laughter, shopping, drama (thanks to Marissa unfortunately) and many friends dropping by.

It was a small group - Tina, Marissa, Lise, Jennifer, June and myself - also (at times) astonishingly quiet!

Much deserved thanks to Barb and Sarah for hosting such a wonderful day.
Tony contributed as tasty lunch (note to self: must ask for vegetarian sandwich option next time.)

As usual I packed waaaaay more than I could ever use. My main focus was to create multiple backgrounds for some upcoming commitments. I brought everything but the paper to create those backgrounds!

I did play with a Vintage Ephemera stamp set I purchased from Phillip from Lazar Studio Works. It stamps beautifully - you can always expect a quality product from this company. In fact, it might even be the first unmounted stamp sets I ever purchased.

The make and take by Sarah featured a new twinkling H2O product called Radiant Rain and the very fun featured stamp of the month 'Whimsy Flower" by Sunshine Designs.

June completed her ATC's for the next club meeting!

I had emailed Martha earlier in the day and asked her to stop by. I knew she was planning to work on several art commitments - so I was unsure if she could stop by. She happened to be in the neighborhood shopping for new shoes and then popped in to say hello.

Barb would like to start holding these every couple of months. I say bring it on!

The luxury of the written word

I was recently fortunate enough to obtain copies of past RSM articles written by Susan Williamson.

The only good part of my tedious daily commute is the fact that I can read uninterrupted. I finally remembered to pack these articles last week. I was enthralled. Seriously. She has a knack for drawing you in and generously sharing her experiences. Her pieces are well written, thoughtful, insightful (is that a word?) and inspiring.

I really enjoy her writing (RSM is a 'must' buy if she has written an article) and I am eagerly awaiting her upcoming book.

Artistic nudes versus well nude

The local ATC group's upcoming theme for July is "Hot Women".

I didn't think that I owned any images that fit this criteria. So I started searching the net, I do not recommend using the phrase 'hot women' in google image search. lol.

I finally ended up purchasing some digital images from e-Bay. My better half is highly amused by this recent purchase. He gleefully says I bought PORN.

I prefer to think that I purchased a collection of 'artistic' nudes (versus just plain nude.)

They arrived early this week - encased in brown and white paper wrapping. Yes, that's his laughter you hear. Well, at least I know customs didn't open it.

How I really feel about the TTC

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is my main source of transportation. Unless of course I am fortunate to have an actual car ride. (yes, you may insert the mental image of a dog hanging it's head out the window. Satisfied?)

You've only hear the bad.

I use transit almost every single day. I really can't complain about the service if I consider the entire picture.

The customer service department has been wonderful (and appalled) about the entire 'situation'. I am awaiting the resolution (in writing!). I feel a tiny bit bad about reporting him, even if he deserved it.

I'm still so angry that I'm tempted to actually write a letter to Adam Giambrone.

Wait wasn't I supposed to be saying something nice?

Here we go again

My son and I had a great time at the island yesterday. Really he would go every single day.

Getting there was a bit of a challenge. My son's left hand got caught in the elevator door at Broadview Station. (of course we were on the other side of the door.)

Thankfully I was able to pry his fingers from between the two sliding doors. We exited the elevator and I inspected his fingers on the westbound platform. Purple-red, swollen and scraped skin. Plus lots of tears.

I decided to take him back to the collector's booth to report the incident and obtain first-aid.

The TTC collectors response? Indifference. Our conversation went like this.

"My son just got his fingers caught in the elevator door."

"What do you expect me to do?" he replied.

I gave him a strange/annoyed look. "Do you have any ice?"

"Now, why would I have that?" he replied in a sarcastic tone.

I just stared at him stunned. "I'd like first-aid for my son. Do you have a first-aid kit?"

"Yes, I can only give you a couple of band-aids. I can't do anything else." he said shrugging.

Now I'm getting angry. "I'd like to file a report. "

"You can call 393-INFO on Monday to file a report."

"No, I'd like to file an accident report today."

"You can call 393-INFO on to file a report."

"That's it? Those supervisors over there at the streetcar platform can't help me?"

"No, they can't."

"Will someone answer my call at that number today?"

"Yup." he replied in a bored tone.

I left the station. I walked around the corner to the McDonald's where they were kind enough to give us ice and genuine concern for my son's well being.

I bought a yogurt to distract him while I applied the ice to his fingers (only moderately successful). I also called the TTC to report the incident. I was assured by Arlene that someone would call me on Monday morning to take my report.

My son had understandably tender fingers, but he seemed to be returning to his normal self. Now about 15-25 minutes have passed since we left in search of ice. We head back to the station.

Same collector. My son helps me swipe my metropass and I start to proceed with my son through the turnstile. The collector stops us. He now wants me to pay a fare for my son to get back into the station. (It wasn't an issue for this same collector when we entered the first time.)

"You want me to pay for my son?" I ask incredulously.

"Children over 2 need to pay to use the transit system" he responds with a smirk.

I am beyond angry. I purchase more children's tickets, deposit one and ask for his name.

"13552" rolled off his tongue effortlessly. I suspect it's been requested a lot.

Happy Father's Day

Happy (late) Father's Day!

An island kind of guy

We promised our son that he could go to the Island on Sunday.

He loves the island.

Without fail he asks to go every single week.

The little daredevil begged to go on the dragon roller coaster. And he liked it.

Me? Not so much.

Hanging with The Hive

Yup, we picked a name for our group. Finally.

Our 'official' name is The ATC Hive. Just so long as we don't get called the 'hives'.

Huge turnout tonight - I thought it would be a small group tonight. Go figure.

Susan W. was kind enough to consent to let me photograph and publish her ATC haul tonight.

Welcome Kris and Colette!

Participants for this month were:

Traders: Diana, Marissa, Barb, Sarah, Ludgera, Susan V. June, Kris, Susan W. and Colette
Observers: Martha, Daniza, Jolanta, Beverley and Cori

Due Date: 08June07
Theme: Italy
Supplies used - NONE. I did not make any. Bad girl! I regret it now - the ladies made some w * o * n * d * e * r * f * u * l ATCs.

Jacqui, Myrn and Joanne we missed you.

Seeing dots

I've been hard at work on my 20 page polka dot circle book that needs to be out by this weekend.

Here are some of the pages. Have a look and let me know what you think.

They still need some work!

Sushi

I have a new favorite place for sushi. It was discovered by happy accident last Sunday afternoon.

I'm pleased to say that the food and service was excellent.

My son is one of the new criteria I use when assessing a restaurant.

I am not one of those parents that expect you to adore my child on sight.

My son is expected to behave in public venues such as a restaurant. Unlike most parents I will leave if he is to disruptive.

The fact remains that some restaurants and their staff are much more child savvy than others.

Our waitress even fashioned training chopsticks for him with the addition of rolled paper and an elastic band. He was thrilled and so proud. He did very well considering that he was using them for the very first time and new experiences can be frustrating for a hungry toddler.

Her attention to detail and wonderful service made me a customer for life.

We went again last night (minus one) and it was yummy!

kindness of a stranger

My day was discouraging. Just one of those days.

I feel indifference is the norm in the city I live in so I'm always touched by simple kindness.

You can never underestimate the impact of kindness to another person.

Today someone held two doors open for me while I was struggling to manage a toddler and several packages. I could tell she thought it wasn't any big deal.

It meant a lot to me.

Thwarted by a small metal object Part 2

I finally called a local sewing shop and essentially begged for help.

The gentlemen who took my call was really nice (considering it's store policy not to provide this type of assistance unless you purchased your machine from them.) and at last help!

He finally let me bring the machine into the store tonight. It took 10 seconds for him to put in the bobbin.

Did I ever feel stupid.

O.K. next step. Putting thread on the bobbin and threading the machine...easy right?

Thwarted by a small metal object

It just looks benign.

I assure you it's not.

I am embarrassed to admit that I can't figure out how to put the bobbin in my sewing machine.

I keep doing it wrong.

Which becomes immediately evident.

My final attempt of the evening resulted in the loud bang, accompanied by a grinding noise because it was now jammed. I peered closer and realized that the needle was bent.

Oooops. Not that way.

Island picnic

My very first picnic in Toronto. My guys took me to the island for Mother's Day.

I chose a spot right by the water. It was cold, damp and hostile birds attended.

In other words, it was perfect.

Happy Mother's Day!

For All That You Have Given Me

For all that you have given me,
I can return but love. For you
Bound up the wounds I did not see
And gave me hopes and passions new.

I can return but love for you,
Whose unmoved faith my heart did move,
And gave me hopes and passions new,
And loved me till I turned to love.

Whose unmoved faith did my heart move?
The mother of my heart, not blood,
Who loved me till I turned to love.
And I became the soul I would.

The mother of my heart, not blood,
Bound up the wounds I did not see.
And I became the soul I would
For all that you have given me.

~ Nicholas Gordon


I love you Mom.

Royalty

It was the theme for the ATC group for May.

Recall the sparkly post? It was my tiara - all the way from the UK.

Yes, I wore it on the subway (made more sense than carrying it in my hand) and I did get some strange looks. lol.

I was surprised by the number of people who had no reaction. I guess I was just another 'weirdo' on the transit system.

I was disappointed that no one else wore a tiara. They all forgot.

Participants for this month were: Beverley, Susan V., Sarah, Jolanta, Martha, Jacqui, Diana and Joanne. Marissa dropped off her ATCs at the store but we were unable to locate them. :(
Thank you to all who I traded with.

Due Date: 11May07
Theme: Royalty
Supplies used - Paper: Glossy cardstock (unknown)
Ink: Jacquard - Versafine - Royal Blue, Crimson Red Adirondack - Eggplant, Slate
Transparency: Staples - ink jet
Images: Classy 'n Smart, Dance Smartly, Flaming Page, Horometer, Kennedy Road, Kingarive, Nijinksy, Northnette, Vice Regent, Victoria Park
Tissue: white
Matte Medium: Liquitex

Susan W., Mryn, Ludgera, Marissa and June we missed you.

So not in the 'zone'

I need to learn to just go with my 'gut' about the cards I create.

Design-wise everything that could go wrong did go wrong for this month's submission. I won't even bother showing you the reject designs. They are hideous.

I did learn what not to do from this experience. lol.

Soooooo I scrapped them all at 5AM this morning and came up with this instead.

I hope the ladies aren't disappointed with my very simple submission.

Fun eye candy

A new ATC book. I've been waiting impatiently all week long.

1000 Artist Trading Cards byy Patricia Bolton (editor-in-chief of Cloth Paper Scissors & Quilting Arts) finally arrived today.

Let me be frank.

It is NOT as glorious as the Artist Trading Card Workshop by Bernie Berlin.

It is a nice coffee table style book. The layout is dry - it reminds me of a catalog. I may keep it for the wonderful mixed media (fabric/sewing) ATC inspiration.

Thanks for the great gift hon! Love ya.

sparkle, sparkly, sparkling

It came in the mail today!

I can't wait for ATC night.

Crazy? Who me?

Absolutely.

I want gold eyelets

I want gold eyelets, simple gold eyelets. Yet they near impossible to find.

They must be passe.

Star book!!!!!!!

Here is my star book. It's going to be a quote book when completed. Just for me.

I spent a leisurely afternoon (well when my teacher wasn't cracking the whip - she knows me to well...) at BizzyB with Marissa and Karen.

I loved, loved, loved this class. I even let myself fold the paper without a bone folder. Trust me when I say I wanted to go buy a bone folder.

I had difficulty stitching the signatures together. I did it wrong in every way possible.

I undid my stitches many times. I needed a sticker to mark the top. Really it would have helped.

I still need to add the final pages. I decided that the original colour (goldenrod) no longer worked once I added my cover. Once I have the measurement I can cut my paper.

Thanks to Marissa for a fun, uplifting class.

Thanks to Karen for taking the class photo and the perfect gold ribbon.

picnic

I've always wanted to go on a picnic in one of the many Toronto parks.

This year am I going to.

Now I'll need to find the perfect picnic basket. Any suggestions?

gel-à-tins update

**** Final update **** April 27

It arrived by expedited post the next day.

**** Update 3 **** April 26

It's in the mail!

**** Update on the update **** April 24

I sent an email to the customer service team and I got an answer.

They have a file open for me without any contact information as it was not properly recorded during our initial call.

Apparently they were back ordered on this stamp set but did not realize it until the next day.

Let's see if it arrives soon.


*** Orignal Post *** April 19

I wish I had one about my defective stamp set.

Not cool anymore.

Much ado about nothing

I chuckled today about the "outage". The ensuing hysterics were amusing.

Some quotes I especially enjoyed were:

“I started freaking out,” he said. “I started taking it apart. Turning it off. Turning it on. I took the battery out and cleaned it on my shirt. I was running around my hotel like a freak. It’s very sad. I love this thing.” (My mouth is still hanging open)

"We're 14 hours into no Blackberry, so you can imagine how things are" (Um, no life?)

"It's been a challenging day because I'm missing things left and right. That's not fun." (OK, a little slack - maybe it really was important)

"I felt like my left arm had been amputated" (I sincerely doubt it)

"vulnerable and uncomfortable" (poor baby - there, there) & "caused him to miss a breakfast appointment with a colleague" (Uh, phone call? The phone still worked!)

Perhaps if my livelihood depended on immediate communication my response would be quite different. I would have also got myself to a computer if it was that critical.

Don't get me wrong I love my crackberry. Particularly the fact that when I get mail I know it'll be someone I want to hear from.

achievable

Consult
not your fears but your
hopes and your dreams.

Think
not about your frustrations
but about unfulfilled
potential.

Concern yourself
not with what you tried
and failed in,
but with what it is still
possible

for you to do.

- Pope John XXIII

Spring at ATC Night

I made to the meeting almost on time.

Participants for this month were: Ludgera, Susan V., Diana, Marissa, Jacqui, Martha, Daniza and Sarah.

Thank you to all who I traded with.

This time I did bring my camera, however, I neglected to check if the battery was charged. Foiled again.

I completed my ATCs at 6AM Friday morning. I awoke at 5AM feeling guilty that I was planning to show up empty handed.

Due Date: 13APR07
Theme: Spring

Supplies used -
Paper: Cardstock (unknown)
Ink: Jacquard - Castaway (Clear), Versafine - Onyx Black
Stamps: PSX, Inkadinkado

Shamefully, I did not even complete my own side swap. I plead exhaustion. I promise I will have a self-portrait ATC for trade next month.

Martha brought a stash of goodies from Artfest. I admit I had a touch of envy.

Susan W., Mryn, Beverley and June we missed you.

It was suggested that tiaras should be worn at the next meeting. I concur.

Castaway!!!

I love the look of bleach stamping, however, I was reluctant to use bleach with my own stamps. I figured I would eventually get around to taking a class.

The advert for the new Castaway stamp pad immediately caught my eye - bleach stamping effect without the bleach. Interesting. I eagerly anticipated it's arrival in a local store.

A women saw that I was planning to purchase the stamp pad and casually shared her personal experience. Her opinion after taking a class was that the product was sub-par. Summary = Very smelly, smokey and very inconsistent results.

Based on this new information, I sadly put the stamp pad back on the shelf. I'd notice it everytime I'd go back and wonder if it was really that bad.

Thankfully that changed this weekend! I not only bought the stamp pad - I bought re-inkers too.

Play day

Yesterday was fun.

We started out by searching fruitlessly for the right bank machine. Then onto more important things like COFFEE and visiting Carmi at the show.

A quick bite to eat and then we were off to ASD in Bolton to attend:

1. a stamp of the month demo (which I only listened to - there was shopping to do)

2. participate in a card exchange (see - I'm not a mass hallucination)

3. a castaway bleach stamping class with Kelley Grace

Here's one of the cards I made in class. I wasn't even the last person to finish my card! Woohoo. That's gotta be a first.

Then I came home and discovered my better half made meatloaf and creamy twice baked potatoes for supper. I'm pretty sure there was another vegetable but I don't recall. Yum!

gel-à-tins

I've been a fan of this stamp company since I first discovered them. I'm an even bigger fan now.

Several months back whilst shamelessly shopping over someone else's shoulder at a local lss. I saw, loved and acquired an 0h-so-pretty set called Flourish.

I couldn't wait to try it out at home. I wasn't that pleased with the end result - the image just seemed indistinct. I just assumed it was me and put the set away for another day.

I was struggling to complete my cards when this set caught my eye again. No matter what I did I just couldn't get a crisp image from any stamp in the entire set. Maybe it wasn't just me.

I'm pleased to say that their customer service is awesome. I called and left a message with a brief description of the problem. I figured I'd hear back the next day. I was wrong. They (Wendy) called me back within 1 hour. A replacement set will be in the mail by tomorrow.

How cool is that?

Waitin until the very last minute...

You may recall that I had an idea for my upcoming card exchange?

Well, it sucked on paper. Yes, really. It was sooo much better in my head.

But just after midnight inspiration struck!