resurrection fern

sneak peak at the latest fall fashions on the glideway

WARNING :  This post may be hazardous to your health and well being if you are allergic to seeing small, wonderful, adorable little creatures dressed up in the cutest little handmade outfits. 

Fern did a little fashion show for us yesterday. He has become so famous this past year I do hope he doesn't hop on a plane to Paris , London or even sunny Mexico and chooses to come live indoors here for the winter. He is a free garden snail so in the end it is his decision.

With brown being the new black this year the acorn ensemble was quite a hit with the celebrity audience. I have heard that the orders are pouring in since this magazine hit the news stands. 

curbside rescue operation

Picture a beautiful summer night and an after dinner walk where you notice that someone has placed some interesting old furniture out on the side walk of one of the busiest and not very pedestrian friendly streets in your town, A street that only during the late hours of the night or early hours of the morning you can actually risk parking on for a few minutes. Picture going out close to midnight to rescue a piece of furniture that has great potential only to realize that it won't fit in the small honda civic and that you loaned the car it would fit in to your daughter to drive out to Nova Scotia. At least the drawers fit in the car so you load them up and drive them a few blocks home. But what use are the drawers without the dresser to place them in. You look around your home for strong able bodies and realize they are all snug in bed. You remember the dresser has coaster wheels so you walk back to see if perhaps you could push it up the hill and around the block. You attempt this only to realize the wheels and the dresser being probably around 100 years old they no longer roll. Not the sort of person to give up I decided then and there that no matter how heavy this old solid wood dresser was I was going to carry it home. Three able bodied gentlemen passed me on the street, chuckling wildly but did they offer to assist a damsel in distress carrying a very heavy piece of furniture. Oh no they didn't!! I think that this only made me stronger and home I went. It wasn't until daylight broke next morning that I could actually see clearly why my arm muscles ached. I washed it, sanded down a few little rough patches and carried it up to the porch. It has amazing solid glass handles on the top drawer but the other ones are missing. I will try to find replicas. It is very well constructed with dove tailing and I love the curves in the top. It was worth the late night work out.

I have already used it's lovely distressed surface for some photography.

So this post is dedicated to all you furniture rescue heroes out there. I would love to hear some of your stories if you would like to share. The giveaway prize for today is my little superhero flying pig I made in the spring as kind of a softie version of tongue and cheek humour concerning swine flu. She is knitted with handspun wool with natural carded wool stuffing and embroidered pink linen wings. She is quite adorable. Leave a comment for a chance to win. I will draw a name at the end of the week. I have actually extended all of this weeks giveaway posts until the end of the week so please go ahead one or two posts and leave a comment. 

More giveaways , some of a musical sort everyday this week to celebrate the beginning of September and back to school.

If yeast cells can sing then why not mushrooms

I was playing around photographing the mushrooms and making spore prints last weekend when I made this picture.

I used some vintage sheet music I had found at a rummage sale last spring.  I thought it especially funny how it said animato and at least one of the mushrooms above that bar is an amanita. Okay, maybe only I see the humour in that. 

What this photograph reminded me of was an article I had read about how yeast cells sing. The cell walls (plants, fungi and yeast cells have those) vibrate at a frequency of about 1000 times per second and that equates to a sound about two octaves above middle C. It is not audible to the human ear (thank goodness) unless amplified greatly. What did you think of that little audio clip of the singing yeast cell? It reminds me of outer space or the deep ocean.

So do you think different mushroom cells vibrate at different frequencies and those sing in harmony? I will let you ponder that question as I show you some more members of the forest symphonic choir.

That was the barbershop quartet.

The Von Mushroomtrappe family singers.

This post isn't finished until the big coral fungi sings and announces the winner of the "too cute" post giveaway of a crochet covered stone. 

The winner is Maiz . I want to thank each and everyone of you who took the time to leave a comment. They have recharged me in so many ways. When ever I have any self doubt about what I am trying to do here and I am sure there will be days I will I can always come here. I wish I could send stones to you all.  I can give you this, a most amazing stone I found on the weekend on a trail I don't often walk. I took a picture of it and then left just where it was. 

the Aristocats

Scales and Arpeggios

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This is my first sing along post :)

Do mi so do do so mi do
Do mi so do do so mi do

Ev'ry truly cultured music student knows
You must learn your scales and your arpeggios

Bring the music ringing from your chest
And not your nose

While you do your scales and your arpeggios

If you're faithful to your daily practicing
You will find you're progress is encouraging

Do mi so mi do mi so mi fa la so it goes
When you do your scales and your arpeggios

Do mi so do do so mi do
Do mi so do do so mi do

Though at first it seems as though it doesn't show
Like a tree, agility will bloom and grow

If you're smart, you'll learn by heart
What ev'ry artist knows:

You must sing your scales
And your arpeggios

Small but Not Insignificant

                     "For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love." 
                                                         --  Carl Sagan 

Wishing you all peace and love this holiday season.

It is only when you slow down and open your eyes, ears and mind wide open that you will truly see the miracles that surround each and every one of you. 

ps You can read about one of my families traditions on the IndieFixx blog if you like.

happy accidents

You see if Arwen hadn't knocked over my backdrop for the little kitchen photography session I never would have noticed what lovely shadows the pinecones were making yesterday afternoon. They really made me smile. I think I have everything ready for the opening of my etsy shop tomorrow. It will open at 4pm eastern standard time.

Snail Mail

What, no tutorial today. That's right I think I finally ran out of tutorial steam today and anyway I have some other wonderful things I want to tell you about. I don't think I have told you enough times how I love snail mail. I was getting some recently received envelopes together this evening and it occurred to me that I should have taken a picture of my snail friends delivering some mail but alas they are sleeping now and they work hard all day and deserve some rest. I have this picture to show you instead of the first parcel I want to tell you about. I have admired the art of Geninne ever since I first came across it on etsy last year but it was only a few months ago that I got to know this wonderful artist in a more personal way when she left me a few very kind comments on flickr and my here about the crocheted stones. We decided to do a little trade , a custom watercolor of a bird and a sunflower on a vintage postcard for a few crocheted natural objects. I was so excited when I got the large envelope in the mail and even more so when I opened it and saw the beautifully wrapped envelope. I love her style. It is so natural and yet refined. I have told her that I would love for her husband to build me a home on a large piece of canadian wilderness sometime in the future. Inside the envelope was a watercolor painting that I love ever so much and two sets of cards and even some postcards of her bird series. Geninne posted a few pictures to me of some of my items in her home. They seem to fit in so well with her artful decorating. The next snail mail was from Cathy Cullis who has been a swap/ trade partner of mine regularly over this past year. We usually trade hand spun yarn or vintage fabric but this time she sent me this painting of hers that was one of the first in the series she did of doll like characters. I love it dearly and can't wait to frame it and hang it in my creative space. I sent her some vintage fabrics, trims and buttons and no sooner had she gotten the parcel that she was already sewing a doll out of the yellow striped fabric that came from a damaged vintage apron. She is so clever. The last of the snail mails I want to share with you came from Los Angeles, California, the home of my very dear friend Elsita Mora. Her husband, William Horberg was in Toronto this month for the toronto international film festival and I delivered a parcel to his hotel filled with some small gifts for Elsita and the children . According to Elsita the children were delighted and Natalie , her sweet and beautiful daughter started asking many questions about me. She then drew me some absolutely fantastic pictures involving, you guessed it , snails and dictated a story to her mom for me as well. She is so creative, talented and insightful, just like her parents. Here is what I mean. And the moral of the story according to Natalie, the philosopher is: "If you have a snail take care of it and make sure that you don't lose it." A very important message in environmental stewardship as well. Now I think she gets her excellent writing skills from her father and her artistic talent from her mom. Her beauty, well I will let you decide on that one :) Elsita sent me a print that just about made me cry it was so touching. It is titled Margie and her two green friends. I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me. Elsita has been very busy with some special projects and also more importantly with her son starting school . I know I am not the only one that misses reading her blog but the good news is that she will be back in a couple of weeks. There you have it, no tutorial today just loads of wonderful things to share and using the words of a very special young girl I would like to say that what I have learned is that if you have a friend, take care of them and make sure that you don't lose them.

How to Whittle Gnomes From Fallen Branches : a Tutorial

And now for something completely different , my first wood carving tutorial ever. I am sure some of you might be wondering why I would even attempt such a thing after my run in with a rotary cutter blogged about previously but I guess I like to live dangerously. This is actually something I made quite a while ago and was reminded about when I came across my daughter's whittling tools a few months ago while looking through some boxes.  The gnomes or tomten are really easy to make and they are something your children could paint or draw the faces on. I wouldn't recommend giving them the wood and sharp knives and then going out for a few hours. An older child may be able to do this with CLOSE ADULT SUPERVISION  and close proximity to a doctor or nurse who can do sutures. All kidding aside here is what you could make. Materials: A branch about 1.5 to 2 cm in diameter cut into 2 to 3 cm long logs ( please use a fallen branch and don't remove it from a living tree), some carving knives or a sharp knife like a jack knife will work, paints, a pencil . 1. If your branch is not cut you need to saw it into small logs or have some one else do this part. 2. With your wood carving knife whittle one end until it comes to a point. This takes time so put on some good whittling music or whittle with company. It can be very relaxing seeing those little bits of wood shavings coming off your knife. Always whittle away from your self and never close to another person or pet. 3. Now score a line where you want your beard outline ( gnomes have beards !!!) and then whittle the surface above the score line to remove the bark from that area. 4. Now paint the hat of the gnome in a bright cheerful color that would make any gnome proud. I used watercolor paint but you could use whatever you have. You could even use a colored pencil or marker if that was all you had. 5. Draw a little face with pencil . Keep it simple . I make all my gnomes happy little guys. Add little rosy cheeks with paint or a red colored pencil. That is how its done. I bet you will want to make your own little rainbow of gnomes to spread joy. Did you know that gnomes are idolized in iceland so much so that they build special gnome crossings in the roads in certain areas. So sweet!! I had just a little bit of fun after dinner this evening photographing this gang of seven before the sun set of this the first day of Autumn. Enjoy the pictures.

Cool Enough

This morning I woke up early and it was cool enough, for sweaters that is. The first morning in months that I founds myself snuggled up in my duvet and the tip of my nose was cool to the touch. I went downstairs, fed Arwen and Edgar ( our kitties ), put on a pot of freshly ground organic coffee and turned on the gas stove in the corner of the kitchen for the first time in months. I went back upstairs and found my favorite grey cords, purple t-shirt, the fabulous hand knit ( by my sister Helen) sweater and a pair of hand knit wool socks. I ate deliciously warm oatmeal by the fire and watched the sun come up over the neighboring homes and trees. I thought about walking in the woods last night with my husband and all the amazing mushrooms we saw. I have never seen such a large variety and quantity of mushrooms in this area. It was obviously a fantastic summer for decomposition since that is how mushrooms derive their nutrients since they don't have chloroplasts like most other plants. These are my favorite pictures from our walk. It was about one hour before the sun set so the light was really fantastic for photography. The meadows were covered with purple asters and yellow goldenrod and I would have loved to just sit there and watch the sun set but we didn't bring a flash light and the woods are very dark and dense in places. The treasured find of the walk was this very large solitary mushroom that was about 8 inches in diameter and was dripping with a clear sticky substance. I thought it might be a species called slippery jack but it doesn't look like the one in my field guide book. It was as perfect a mushroom as any I had ever seen. Wouldn't that make a great seat for some fairy folk. Speaking of fairy tales I was thinking of the elves and the shoemaker story and making little sweaters when I found my fingers making a different sort of shape with the wool. Do they remind you of anything? Something you might have seen quite a few times if you have been reading this blog for a while. I am not going to keep you in suspense this time. You remember my dear little friends. They were feeling quite cold yesterday and thinking of going into hibernation until they tried on their colorful little sweaters. I have at least 3 small knitting project tutorials for you this week. You might want to find some needles ( a set of 4 double pointed 4.5-5.5mm needles would work for all of them ) and some wool ( noro kureyon or something of similar thickness) so you can knit along. None of these projects takes more than one hour and they require only basic knitting skills. They make great little hand made gifts. If you have never knitted why not learn now. Go to the library and take out a basic knitting book or better yet go to your local wool shop and ask about beginner classes. LATE BREAKING NEWS BULLETIN : I just received this in my flickr mail. Congrats you are a finalist in the Indie Fixx Craft-Off. The voting period lasts from September 7th to September 15th 11:59 am EST. More info on how to vote can be found here. indiefixx.com/2008/09/07/vote-for-your-favorite-indie-fixx-craft-off-entry/ I have two entries in amongst the fine line up of finalists. Please cast your vote :)

Spider Fighting and Ninja Nanny

I heard a wonderful story on the radio this weekend of how a grandmother in Winnipeg was the victim of an attempted car jacking . She was stopped at a red light when a "young punk", her words opened the door of her car and attempted to pull her out of her vehicle. She said she knew she couldn't fight back with strength or size so she had to use her brain. She looked around in her car to see what she had to fight back and saw the very hot cup of coffee in her holder. She acted quickly and flung it at the criminal and hit him bang on. He fled the scene and she celebrated her victory with her grandchildren later that day. They nicknamed her Ninja Granny.
I was thinking about this story about how wisdom that comes with age and experience won over strength and aggression when I observed a similar drama unfolding in my backyard garden involving a gang of small, energetic spiders attacking a large , older, slower orb spider. I counted at least 4 in the gang of attackers. They came from all directions mounting their attack with speed , spider fists out . The older spider hardly moved at all but waited for exactly the right moment and then with a sudden , brief burst of energy , succumbed her attackers , one at a time and proceeded to wrap them so they would no longer threaten her or her web. The whole event took over an hour and I tried to get photographs but the angle and light was not on my side. I also shot a very short video that I will link to at the end of the post. Your children might find it amusing and it might lead to a discussion about bullying and gangs. Two examples for the start of the new school year of brains winning over brawn.

If you want to see the action you can watch this little video clip I posted on flickr. http://flickr.com/photos/12967142@N05/2820610819/