No more apologies...I promise!

It has been a difficult week...and Hubby #1, the regular wonderful man that he always is, bought me a bunch of bee-utiful flowers to brighten my mood. Could the timing be more appropriate? I think not.

There have been a few things on my mind that attribute to my blues, but I don't really want to go into it here because it's personal and I don't think many would be interested in hearing me ramble on about it anyways.
But I will say that work has a huge part of it. Kay and I talk often about our day jobs or I should say "careers", even though in many ways it has become a job. We are both unhappy and looking for a new path. We just need to encourage each other enough to take the next big step! I know we can do it.

I'm so inspired by everything I read on the blogs out there - creative folks living the lives they were meant to lead. Also, listening to Jennifer's podcast this week was just so wonderful - exactly what I needed to hear. And so much encouragement in her final words as she read a snippet of Dr. Suess' "Oh the places you'll go". Yes, change is difficult and always necessary. What a cliche...I'm sure Hubby Hubberson will love to tear into that one!

I've also got a lot of nervous energy welling up in me. I'm acting a little erratic lately; somewhat obsessive about blogging and commenting, and blogging some more. I think I'm just wound up about our vacation coming up in 8 days! Gosh, I'm so unbelievably nervous and excited all at the same time. Hubby and I were discussing my blog over a pint and some pizza last night - and we had this conversation...

Hubby: you have to stop apologizing on your blog
Sally: But I don't want to offend anyone! Otherwise they won't come back...
Hubby: Stop apologizing - you are cluttering up your space
Sally: Sigh...but -
Hubby: Stop apologizing. It is your space and your voice. No need to apologize.
Sally: ...

He so has a point here. Where would I be without Mr. Hubby? He makes me a stronger person and helps me maintain my true self. All that and he can make me bust a gut laughing for hours with a wickedly dry sense of humour. Some days I wonder... how did I ever get so lucky!

So, there you have it folks. No more apologies and for this next week I'm going to focus on knitting more of these swatches to take my mind off my blogging OCD. I'm going to start knitting a tea cozy for my mom when I get back from Europe and I need to brush up on colour knitting skills.

Illustration Friday {Phobia}

Social Phobia (as stated here): the fear and anxiety of being judged and evaluated negatively by other people, leading to feelings of inadequacy, embarrassment, humiliation, and depression.

I'm not saying I feel this extreme in every social setting, but in the worst situations it is pretty close. Does anyone else look for the closest exit when they are at a big party?

This is the first time I've used Photoshop to "doctor" my illustration. I sort of feel like I've cheated...not my best work, but here it is!

Dad wins the Prize for Best Kitchen Storage

There is so much going on here, but I just couldn't contain myself. I am sitting here early on a Sunday morning so I can get this post up before everyone comes over for brunch. All because I must share this object of beauty with everyone. I am the luckiest girl in the world right now and I am overwhelmed!
Here she stands in all her glory!

The idea of this project surfaced over a year ago as my Dad was settling into retirement and taking up a long awaiting hobbie in woodworking. Of course, I had to get my nose in there and see if he would build us something. And since he was more than willing, I drafted up some ideas from designs I found in magazines and websites. The main idea of this design was hidden storage and clean lines. I love organized spaces, and even though my own home is usually cluttered with miscellaneous piles of stuff all over, I still have the goal to one day have a perfect place for everything. I know this may be a bit unrealistic since my personality has the tendancy to chaos, but that doesn't mean I won't try!

Look at this interior, I have a liquor cabinet! How very grown up :)

I must say that I am completely blown away by how close the final product is to my original concept. Here are my original designs that I did from home on some lame educational version of Maya (please try to ignore the awful watermarks!).


Dad has really outdone himself with this project. You should see the drawers! No more Ikea crap drawers that fall apart after 2 months - oh no, these are high quality, smooth as silk, hardwood drawers. Yes, I am gushing, I know...but I can't help it, I'm totally overwhelmed.

Thank-you Dad!! Thank-you a million times!

Catching up with Cupcakes

Well, another week has almost gone by and things just don't seem to get any less busy around here. The parental units have been visiting since last week, so most of our time has been spent visiting and catching up. Every night my mom has been making the most amazing dinners - I'm so glad she has happily taken over in the kitchen. I've forgotten what it is like to come home to dinner already made. What a treat! And they have been keeping busy busy around our place - painting rooms, fixing shelves, installing pot racks, and the list just keeps on growing! I can't believe how lucky I am! Oh, and how could I forget the highlight of this visit: my most talented father has built us a *beautiful* kitchen armoir that I am still in awe of every day I come down the stairs. This is defenitely an heirloom! It is truly spectacular and I will post more about it next week, complete with pictures and more on our collaboration.

In the meantime, here is a little of the craftiness going on around here. Not much time to draw (hence the lack of participation in illustration friday), but since we visit every evening, it has been great opportunity to work on more crafty goods. Yes, here is one of the cupcakes I've been working on. Aren't they sweet? Zero calories, zero fat, zero perservatives and they'll never go bad :)

Now off I go to watch Survivor with the family!

Aviatophobia: the fear of flying

22 days until our big vacation and I'm becoming overwhelmed by my fear of flying. It's not like I haven't flown before - we usually get on a plane at least twice a year to go out east and visit the family. But that doesn't stop me from losing sleep over my paranoia of a plane crash or a laptop explosion (have you heard about those sony batteries?) or even worse a terrorist threat. The flight from Vancouver to Heathrow is 9 hours, then we have to make a connection to Munich. Ug...my stomach is in knots already just thinking about how long I will have to endure sitting in a tin can thousands of feet above land. So, to help me prepare, I thought I would try some art therapy.
Here are my major fears: crashing into the ocean or exploding in the sky. Both are equally horrifying to me - although falling from the plane without a parachute sometimes takes the cake. I am a nervous mess when we land and I'm even worse when we take off. There is something just completely unnatural about humans wanting to fly in the air. So why do I put myself through this??

And the new restrictions do nothing but feed my anxiety. To top it off, I am clausterphobic and during our trip to the Dominican last year I had a bit of a breakdown halfway through the flight. I felt like the walls were closing in and everyone was breathing in my face. That was horrible - imagine everyone in the cabin asleep while I was locked in the teeny tiny bathroom trying to catch my breath. What a nightmare!! But now there is no extra comforts to soothe me... no water, no chapstick, no knitting?? Well, ok, the knitting has been banned for a long time - but it would do wonders for my nervous energy. The only solution here is to knock myself out completely - unconscious. Seriously. I don't know how else I'm going to last!
I wish with all my might that Europe was only a lazy afternoon river boat ride away. Please note the calm water, the blue sky, and the narrow river where green grass is just a hop and skip away from the boat. This is the proper way for humans to travel...if only travel were this easy.
Well, it would be way cool if someone would hurry up and invent the star trek transporter. That would solve all my problems with travel. Sigh...
Until then, I will just breathe and pray...breathe and pray. I can do this, people fly every day! Just breathe. Think about Oktoberfest, castles, French pastries and Van Gogh...it is so totally worth it!

A Sweater for Kale

This is such a rare occurance in my knitting experiences that I had to post these pictures with just a tiny bit of pride - a sweater made by yours truly that actually looks wearable! I am so pleasantly surprised with the way this one turned out - a little cable cardi for my nephew in Alberta. He turned 2 years old over Labour Day weekend (yes, we are late sending this to him...fortunately this has become the norm for us and the family now expects us to send stuff fashionably belated.) But I'm just about to send it off to him and I hope that it keeps him cozy all winter - it sure does get cold in Alberta! And look at this perfect hoodie - complete with cute little tassel which I'm sure will be ripped off within a week of wearing it.

In other Sally updates, our European Adventure is only 23 days away now! I've been dreaming of Oktoberfest beer and Parisian pastries - we can hardly contain ourselves! Today we headed out to Vancouver to seek out durable backpacks and happened to pass by a huge rummage sale at the United Church down the street. Of course I had to make hubby hubberson stop so I could nose around. And what did I find among tables of old typewriters, glassware and knick knacks? 2 full bages of yarn for a loonie each! What a steal. I know they are all little leftovers from some grandmas stash - not really enough to make a sweater or pair of socks, but I love the variety of colours and weight. I can make many many cupcakes with all the colours (more on cupcakes later...they are in progress right now!). I must say, I cannot pass up yarn of any kind. It is a hopeless addiction!

Issues with Blogger Comments?

Since I've upgraded to the new beta Blogger template, I've noticed errors with giving and receiving comments. These are known issues with blogger; unfortunately, I didn't do much homework on the subject before upgrading. My normal reaction of getting really excited about something and jumping right in before researching was inevitable with switching to beta blogger. Now, I must deal with it. So, here are some work arounds that they have posted on the "Outstanding Issues" beta blogger page:

For those with current blogger accounts:

Users are seeing errors when posting comments with current Blogger accounts to blogs on the new version of Blogger in beta. Until we fix this, the workaround is to preview the comment before publishing. (You only need to preview once per account.)

For those who have switched to the beta blogger account:

Users who have switched to Blogger in beta will not be able to login to comment on blogs that have not switched. Commenting using the “anonymous” or “other” options will still work.

If I hear of any updates I'll post them, but it sounds like this will be a work around for the next while.



Until then, I'll leave you with this colour exploration that I did in my first year of art school many moons ago. The season is just beginning to change over here and I am looking forward to seeing the leaves change colour. (Oil and pressed leaves on Rag paper).
Happy Friday everyone!

Illustration Friday {Farm}

At the time it seemed like a genius idea for the farm animals to run away and join the circus - the fame, the fortune, the glamour! Somehow, it just didn't turn out the way they planned and they aren't so sure anymore. Although, it looks like the barn mice have finally found their true calling :)

My Newest Friends

Got my camera back and I'm absolutely trigger happy! I'd like to introduce you to my new friends, Wee Bunny and Pointy Kitty! I found the patterns at Wee Wonderfuls and finally had time to make them. They are both meant to be gifts, but the pointy kitty is a bit wobbly and not so well made since it was my first go at it, so I think he will stay with me. I can't quite figure out how to attach the head properly. Any advice?


Here's the cushion cover I finished ages ago...and the little rascals just couldn't stay out of the picture!

I'm a Happy Blogger

I just discovered the latest beta blogger and *yay*, I can now change up my template simply by clicking some nice GUI windows and adding stuff. Finally, the solution to those of us who lack the computer language brain cells. I am totally pathetic when it comes to any HTML. I think my brain just goes to mush when I look at the text and I'm sure that my eyes completely glaze over. I've gone to my happy place and hopefully I don't start to drool.

Anyways, the other day I came across this helpful article about starting a craft blog and found it mighty useful. One of the author's suggestions was to have a profile and post an "about" page. So, with the happy new blog options, I've finally added one! There is a link in the right margin, but you can also click here to learn more about me :)

Illustration Friday {Safe}

Babies always look safest when they are in their mother's arms.