and,

an attempt to grab creativity amidst the chaos.

My paintings always like visitors at www3.telus.net/galen/art



Tuesday, October 15, 2013

"G" is for Grumpy, Grey, Garland, Goof

I'm playing along with Katy from
No Big Dill as she
Sew's All 26 letters of the alphabet.
Today is "G"


Grumpy:


That's right G-R-U-M-P-Y!!

My littlest one makes the WORST/ BEST
pissed at the world- stink eye faces.
Ever,


This one is totally light weight
and she was joking.
She is,
perhaps like a lot of the youngest ones,
determined, bossy and...loud!

She wakes up early and yells out a list of demands.

"BANANA, COLOURING, MILK, READ-A-BOOK"
And no matter how calmly, and constructively
I say things like:
"Inside voice,
 please, thank you, 
gentle voice, don't wake your sisters etc."

She gets louder and more surly
and more drunk-biker-at-a-meat-draw.

It's really a force to reckon with.
Hostage takers be warned: skip this one.

Nonetheless,
the kid deserves some pants :)

Grey:
I'm burning through this flannel.
Cozy, sooo soft. More from Anna Maria Horner's
LOU LOU line


Garland:
This fabric is called
"Flower go round"


And Goof.
Can you see it?

I took one sewing class
 and what the instructor swore
& I should have learned
is stop sewing after 10pm-
because mistakes happen.


These I stitched up waaay past that deadline.
Thus: the pockets are completely not symmetrical.
I tried to balance things with the little girl patch.
But whoops. GOOF!


One of Yu's favorite books remains
Happy Baby, Sad Baby.
On her pocket tag you can flip from a grouch
to a happy kid.
I am not afraid to use a visual aid!!


When she's not making stink face at the world,


She's quite the


charmer.


And, that's why the crotchety old man expressions
 are so incongruous and effective


Here she looks like an angel skipping through the grass.

However,
It's equally possible she just eye gouged a senior citizen
and that's their purse she's running to the pawn shop with.  




Well...not this time.


Have you ever seen such an innocent ?!

You've been warned.






Wednesday, October 9, 2013

"F" is for Fabulous Functional Flannel

I'm playing along with Katy from No Big Dill
as she Sews all 26
letters of the alphabet.

Today I'm posting on "F"


 Funky,


Fabulous



Fashion Forward
(ok I'm pushing it a little)


Functional


Flowered


Flannel!!!


The Blur
would not stop for snaps today.


We did a little gardening in the brand new poo.
2.7 cubic yards of fresh compost
that I shoveled into our new garden.


Apparently I smell bad enough to make
Nu's hair fly up.


But aren't these babies worth it?


Although I loved Nu's last pants for cuteness,
she has very sensitive skin
and the IKEA canvas fabric I used
was too rough for this wiggler.


I mean if she's not doing this:


she's definitely doing this:


So what could be softer than
sweet
sweet
flannel?


The fabric is LOU LOU
by Anna Maria Horner
and called "In The Clearing"


Since Tangles and I were clearing
out the garden,
and we continue to clear out the
neighbours with our
odoriferous compost,
it seemed apt.


Now back to twinkle toes,
and the next chase scene
called: With the Hope of  Brushing Teeth.



Dream on.


Saturday, October 5, 2013

No Slackin' in these Slacks

Back with a KA-POW!
 
 
 
I made some pants for the middle one
(Nu)
 
 
It's still swing time in these parts.
 
And never before was there a kid
who needed knee pads on her pants...
 
before she even puts them on.
 

 
 
Because with swinging comes
MUCH
flopping.
 
 
 
And,
never before was there a girl
who loved pink more.
 
So pink knee patches for Nu.
 
 
(Here she is paused for less than a second
 thinking reverentially about the greatness of pink)
 
 
These knees have been taking a beating lately.


 
And as always with Nu's raison d'etre
racing into the world
involves lots of wipe outs.

 
So too have treasure pockets become vital
for this Magpie.

 
Everything is maximum volume now
she is 4.

 
She's always way ahead racing into the future.
 
 
Happily she still pauses at life's crossings
to let her sister catch up.
 
 
And boy, is Yu game to try!
 
 
Now that Pu is back at school
this gruesome twosome have more time together.
 
 
Their cahoots are pretty cute.
 

 
Suddenly the newly 4 year old
is trying leadership.
 

 
And although the tiny one thinks she's
always in charge.
She snuggles in for an invented story
 
 
Or takes time to learn the nuance in the scribble.
 
 
If I were to source the Magic Eight Ball
for a prediction on this 3rd girl in the 3 pack:
 
I'd say she's being well tutored at the knee of
the wildest one

 
And riding off
 in her own unique way
with a similar take-a-bite-out-of-life
verve

 
Oh 3-pack.
You're swell!!




And,
if you are looking for something awesome to do
check out www.nobigdill.com as Katy
sews through the alphabet.

I might try a letter or two...



 

Sunday, September 22, 2013

These are very important in my life.
 
 
 
What?!?
Fair question.
 
They are trigger point massage balls.
My Osteopath swore by them,
and I love/hate/love her for it.
 
You lie on them,
it's a little Ouchy, I confess.
But they are also a little bit of magic.
 
 
So,
 I lie on them almost every night.
Either side of the spine,
thigh, back, neck...
I have yet to try eyeballs,
but it's only a matter of time.
 
Nonetheless, admit it:
If you saw these on someone's
bedside table...
wouldn't you raise an eyebrow?
 
And so:
 
(worst photo ever taken)
 
I made this!
 
(Second worst photo ever taken)
 
It's a little pocket sack that tucks
under your mattress.
It could hold a book,
an Ipad, whatever you want right there.
 
Or in my case,
it could discreetly store my
curiosity provoking orbs of glee.
 
...well there's no getting away from
that line.
 
(Imagine the other ones I spared
you from).
 
 
 
 

Hey! I have a blog!!

It's not like I forgot about you sweet reader.
So faithful, so true.
It's really not you...
It's me.
 
And although that sounds like
the worst break up line...
 
I'm doing the opposite.
I'd like to renew our vows.
 
You see,
I didn't forget about YOU,
but I did forget a little about me.
 
And how important doing something,
even something tiny,
possibly meaningless
in the creative realm,
is essential to my "ME-ness".
 
Since our big move,
and sorting 3 Little's out with
school and getting off one board
and onto another, and, and...
 
I've been having a rough patch.
 
My creative space has been fortified with boxes
and my inner space his been screaming
loudly.
 
 Every window of time I have
 I've been filling
with "important stuff"
(Snarf)
 
Well, that sucked.
 
So, even though these silly little
table shower caps are
seemingly insignificant...
 
 
And, they involved very little skill
or creativity:
 
They got my inner MacGyver,
My deep seeded MacGyver's Lovechild self
smiling again.
 
They solved a little problem
with a little funk.
And, that feels gooood.
 
They also got me coming back
to you to say "Hi"
 
Let's never fight like this again!