I fear Fear

I'm really into suns & sunshine at the moment - I so love Photoshop & creating my own library of clipart

I fear Fear. & I fear Fear is winning.

Fear & I have been adversaries for as long as I can remember. I had my first real anxiety attack in 8th grade in front of a whole class of my junior high school peers - ya huh !! it was way down hill from there, Fear was like a turtleneck I wore everyday from then on. Somehow I managed to get through junior high school relatively unscathed, then onto high school where I begged each individual teacher (3 years x 5 or 6 = do the math) at the beginning of each year to NOT make me read aloud, give a speech or make a presentation - please I begged of them, just let me sit here, try to learn something and be invisible. Please ! Most complied.

The purpose of life is to be defeated by greater
and greater things. Rainer Maria Rilke

I didn't go to art school 'til I was 23, considered at that ripe old age, a mature student. I loved NSCAD (my art school) instantly, felt like a born again Christian must feel - I had found my place, I had indeed been saved, but not sadly from fear. Fear still lurked, clung, taunted & terrorized me. Still I made it through 5+ years and 2 degrees - Fine Art & Design because I couldn't make up my mind between the 2, that & I loved (and wanted to take) pretty much every course they had on offer.

I've lived all over the place Halifax, Fredericton, Moncton, Calgary, Montreal, Toronto & enjoyed some high powered, high responsibility jobs (in title anyway  Art Director, Creative Director) and finally ended up happily working/living in my current little village by the sea. I've travelled to exotic and exciting places Paris, China, NYC, LA, Taiwan - I even lived in London on an art college exchange for 4 months. Yet I am here to tell you without a doubt in my mind that I have been afraid of all of it. When I look back at the events of my life I can never believe that I lived them, or how I possibly survived. I believe partly what has saved me, what has always made me brave enough was I couldn't (still can't) bear to miss out on something exciting, an opportunity, a chance, a new experience. Curiosity is a natural enemy of Fear.

This is what the things can teach us: to fall, patiently to trust our heaviness. Even a bird has to do that before he can fly. Rainer Maria Rilke

Sadly it feels like, as I grow older, my insecurities, worries & fears all get bigger & stronger. It has new weapons I can't deal with. It's overcoming me, it's smothering me. I feel like Fear is winning. I feel like maybe I'm giving up. My 2 biggest fears at the moment are Winnie's impending death, I know it's soon ... she's very frail, but I have no idea how soon, so I watch her like a hawk, monitoring everything (poops, pees, quantity of food, her gait, her sleep, her breathing, her personality) 24/7 which as you can imagine is exhausting. I'm not sure what it is I fear so much about her death. Of course I'll miss her terribly, I'll feel deep grief. I already feel it. I am super prepared & I've been there, I know those feelings well & I survived them again & again - so what's the Fear ? My other huge Fear is moving away from 29 Black Street. When I say that I know many of you are like "well why move ? stay there for heaven's sake ! we don't want you to move" But you see ... I want to move, we want to move, I can't wait to move, I need more, want more life in my life & we both want much less in terms of stuff, square footage, acreage. The reasons for moving are all agreed upon, decided, it's very positive - a done deal, signed, sealed - there is no turning back ... yet I feel terrified. I'm terrified because I can't picture it, even though I've been wishing, dreaming & manifesting up a storm what, where & how our new tiny life will be (in meticulous detail, trust me).

I think I get sad & fear confused or maybe they are the same thing. I feel sad and feeling sad makes me feel afraid.

sweet salvation(s)

from less archives - Oliver (in his office attire) + library books + my journal … hot face clothes & other sweet salvations & Anne Lamott who I am currently madly in love with

I have a lot of faith. But I am also afraid a lot, and have no real certainty about anything. I remembered something Father Tom had told me--that the opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns.

Anne Lamott

comfort cat  & supreme office mate

rolling in the

another original child collage is leaving the nest & off to the lovely lands of Denmark - merci !

deep ... deep, very deep
It took me awhile to really hear the ache in this song
& now I can't hear anything else

There's a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark
Finally I can see you crystal clear
Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your ship bare

The scars of your love remind me of us
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
The scars of your love, they leave me breathless
I can't help feeling
We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
You had my heart inside of your hand
(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
And you played it to the beat
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)

Baby, I have no story to be told
But I've heard one of you

We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart inside your hand
and you played it to the beat

Adele

todays haunting earworm

a new palette

love sweet love - 8 x 10 giclee print of original collage, ink + gouache - Susan Black


Don't think about making art, just get it done.
Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love or hate it.
While they are deciding make even more art.

Andy Warhol

What I love about what I've been doing lately is I'm never sure what the end result will be - I start with a small thumbnail sketch & an idea of a colour palette but stuff happens along the way ... sometime really good things, sometimes regretful - but always helping hone the craft of it all.

I'm really loving this new bright pink, oranges + yellow colour palette.

more new things

earl, rosalia + harriet - 10 x 8 giclee print of original collage {ink + gouache} - Susan Black


love lives here No.2 - 8 x 10 giclee print of original collage {ink + gouache} - Susan Black


henry, frank + roman - 10 x 8 giclee print of original collage {ink + gouache} - Susan Black



love you for like ever No.3 - 10 x 8 giclee print of original collage drawing - Susan Black

OK - here's the thing

the more I do,
the more I want to do*

that's why I've always loved that expression - action = motivation = more action - before I came across that saying I was completely guilty of waiting for inspiration to hit me, for la muse of motivation (enemy of procrastination) to bonk me on the head with her giant magic wand to stir in me some get-up-&-go juice - I wasted a lot of time waiting for her. But if you begin, anything, chances are when you're a few minutes into it - she'll show up. So begin, just begin ... it works for me*

I don't want to stop. I feel slightly hostile (on occasion) toward activities or persons requiring me to break away from my current, happy, creative craze. I feel driven. I feel passionate. Don't get me wrong - if I were to allow myself to critique almost everything I make, everything I do - I'd have plenty of negatives to say I should have done this, wish I hadn't done that, well that entire thing was a big ol' waste of time but I don't really ever go there. I just decide what's up next.

Every single thing you do teaches you something.
Every little thing you do pulls you forward, in some way,
into the next thing & in my experience lately, that next thing,
is always something just a little bit bigger & a little bit better.

* unfortunately this magic spell does not, at this time work with housecleaning activities (with the exceptions of bed making, laundry doing & fridge tidying?) - where are those 7 mute, invisible valets when ya need them ?

c & c

Love Lives Here - 8x10 giclee print on 400gm watercolour paper - Susan Black

calm & creative
cormorants* & cosmos
courage & chocolate
confident & content

mind you I've barely left 29 Black Street, which suits my junior agoraphobic nature just fine.

Well I sure am rockin' on this mid August following my mantra of calm & creative. I have so many new ideas for my creative empire (& etsy shop), well ... I can hardly stand it. I'm not allowing myself to over think things, putting all the emphasis on the doing. Doing, doing, doing. If something doesn't turn out exactly how I might have hoped & planned (in intricate, meticulous freakin' detail) in my head - oh well, scan it, list it & I'll create another version, or on to the next item on the ever growing list of creative ideas I must do. I'm having such a hard time pulling myself away from the TTD** which is such a fantastic feeling.

p & p - prolific & productive - hooray me !!

* When the cormorant appears in our life as a message, it is a reminder for us to dive in to what we have been hesitating about. The cormorant teaches us how to dive into the waters of life creatively especially if we wish a new birth.

**TTD - teak topped desk

faith + will

Dora, Brittany + Charles - 10x8 giclee print on 400gm watercolour paper - Susan Black

It’s about feeling the fear and/or impatience and moving forward anyway.
What you want, wants you…so walk in faith and claim it.

from Cancer's weekly Tarotscope found here

What do I want ? what do I want ?? yikes. I want for so little yet I want for so much. You can't get what you want unless you're clear on what it is you want. Food for thought while cuttin'& pastin' here at the TTD ... not too much thought ... 'cause that darn thought can get me into trouble. I think we're goin' stick with more faith, less thought - more will, less try

Owls, owls, owls - 14 new little collage owls all matted + packaged up as Lil' Art Cards in my etsy shop. This next 2 weeks is etsy shop a-go-go for me. New giclee prints, new original collages & I'm beginning work on 4 new 2012 calendars including a small OWL wall calendar with 12 of my favourite little collage owls - stay tuned for much more. We're cruisin' & all is calm & creative ;-)


Hugo, Joshua + Morella - 10x8 giclee print on 400gm watercolour paper - Susan Black

fish truck friday 5

perfect summer supper - sea trout with lemon, chives & garlic with farmers market vegetables

new potatoes, green & yellow beans, carrots & sugar snap peas all from the farmers market

Lemon Chive Garlic Oil

1 large lemon - juice + finely minced zest
1/4 - 1/2 cup good olive oil
2-3 large garlic cloves
a big bunch of finely minced chives

Spread this mixture over thin fish fillets, broil or barbecue 5-12 minutes

and more owls


please meet Dora & Richmond - collage, gouache & ink - Susan Black

owls, art + bee

Stan & Harriet, Charles & Cecile, Brittany & Flora - collage, gouache & ink - Susan Black

& the cure for trying ... doing ... of course.

Ate my 2 frogs early on in the morning. 2 phone calls that were causing me mild angst + anxiety. Once again stories created in my ever vivid imagination, then on to creating collage owls through the day until bedtime. I'm busy working on lots of new stuff for my etsy shop - including calendars, calendars, calendars including 2 new poster calendars, at least one large wall calendar (perhaps 12 inspirational typography collages) and one mini owl wall calendar + lots, lots more.

My little collage owls, especially this print of Hugo, Joshua + Morella have been a huge etsy hit for me. These guys will be available for sale this weekend in my shop as matted 5x7 Lil Art Cards (avec envelope). Today & tomorrow whats on the to-do list ? - owls. Many more owls ! Uh Huh :)

Also doing some blog reno. I'm in the process of editing & simplifying my category/label section. My books will be moving to fantastic book site Good Reads with a link, and more general dusting & sparkling ... hey it's almost the new year - September. Have a breakfast date this morning and later today art class with my pal B. hooray !!! Owls, breakfast, art & Bee - it's a very good day

thrilling

a poster I did this week for our local shelter's big annual fundraising telethon

The shelter where almost all my kids were adopted from - Jake in '95, Missy D in 2000, Gus & Oliver as sweet baby kittens in 2006 and our newest addition Miss Piper Belle.

blessed, blest, blissful, blithe, can't complain, captivated, cheerful, chipper, chirpy, content, contented, convivial, delighted, ecstatic, elated, exultant, flying high, gay, glad, gleeful, gratified, intoxicated, jolly, joyful, joyous, jubilant, laughing, light, lively, looking good, merry, mirthful, on cloud none, overjoyed, peaceful, peppy, perky, playful, pleasant, pleased, sparkling, sunny, thrilled, tickled, tickled pink, up, upbeat, walking on air ...

I wake now, each early morning, thrilled. I am so wonderfully happy I can hardly stand it. In my social travels around this little village - to the grocery store, to the fantastic new hairdresser or to the dentist for a filling - I've been noticing lately everyone seems to be responding to me in a new and bigger way. I've always considered myself to be a fairly well liked, friendly, dare I even say an out going gal about town but lately it's as if I've been tattooed with happiness. It's written on my face, I'm glowing with a strange and beckoning aura. I'll admit I have to stop myself when asked How are you Susan ? or So ... what's new with you ? from doing cartwheels and jumping up and down and singing. Spinning & twirling and smiling like my best girl Missy D. Rejoicing.
But ... no calisthenics appear needed - it's like people can see through to my big, beautiful secret when they look at me, when they speak to me. They beam and smile and laugh at me -
everyone seems to sense my thrilling.

I've got it bad.

I start the day, each early morning (5:15 am) with my big cream coloured favourite Starbuck's mug filled with perfectly brewed coffee (triple milk and half a sugar if it were a Timmie's order) in my bed tucked in with my cordless phone where I listen to the (too many to count) archived messages from my cowboy. It seems I add one new sweet message daily to the growing pile of recorded love and he and I, thankfully, have at least one long live chat daily.

Yesterday that girl phoned me from Thailand - Hooray ! she who I love with all my heart. It's the first time she and I have talked since all this goodness began. She's been keeping up with my crazy new life by reading les blog. I said to her You are going to love him ! and she replied instantly I already do.

I'm super, super busy here at the TTD - M. Universe is testing me, I know it. She is saying to herself I wonder, just how much goodness can that designer gal stand ?

Bring it on ! I reply.
Merci, Merci, Merci !!

more cake ...

Chocolate Fudge Mint Ice Cream Cake - Uh Huh !!

Uh Huh !! and a few of my favourite cooking, baking, food blogs (many of which have been featured in my blog of the week over the past 2 years) a special request from our friend Vicki in Dallas. A list I will soon add permanently to my side bar ' cause who doesn't love a great food blog ?? But first, wisdom from our Julia and more cake ...

Moderation. Small helpings.
Sample a little bit of everything.
These are the secrets of happiness and good health.

Julia Child

I've been dreaming about this cake a lot lately which means I'm afraid that I'm gonna have to make it soon 'cause you know one of our favourite live-by motto's is deny thyself nothing. This cake was my one of my grandmother *Flo's tres easy but kinda showy dinner party desserts. Put it together early in the day, toss it in the freezer and forget about it.

Les Instructions

You'll need an angel food cake 1. - made from scratch, bake a boxed cake mix or buy a pre-made angel food cake from your grocery store. Carefully slice the very top of the cake off with a serrated bread knife, removing the crust like outer bit. Take a skewer, I would use the larger metal grilling skewer type and generously, but carefully poke holes down into the cake. Liberally pour creme de menthe 3.
(1 cup I would guess - maybe more) all over the top of the cake guiding it into and down these newly poked holes. Fill the centre hole of the angel food cake with softened premium vanilla ice cream 2. (or flavour of your choice). Pop the cake into the freezer for 30 mins (this will firm up the cake a bit making it easier to slather with frosting. Remove and frost the entire cake with a thick, tres generous layer of chocolate fudge frosting 4. (again home made is best but pre-made frosting is fast and easy). Return cake to the freezer and freeze well for several hours. Allow to thaw on counter 15-20 mins before serving.

As I'm writing this I'm thinking a coffee liqueur or an orange liqueur would be great substitutions for the creme de menthe. I myself am very much a chocolate - mint kinda girl. Or raspberry liqueur garnished with a tumble of fresh raspberries. Hmmm ... the possibilities are indeed endless.

* Flo - my grandmother an amazing inspiring woman, full of love, an artist, and a fantastic cook who was still having dinner parties for 8-10 people well into her 80's

les favourite food blogs and not in any way a complete list

matt bites
david lebovitz
dorie greenspan
smitten kitchen
delicious days
travelers lunchbox
milk eggs chocolate
the karmic kitchen
bake & shake
joy the baker
bread & honey
101 cookbooks
bakerella
homesick texan - especially for Vicki
joanne weir
everyday food
seven spoons
joy of baking
epicurious
chow hound
good bite

+ 50 of the world's best food blogs


les ingredients avec sous chef extraordinnaire - the Dude

books

Dude !

I created this little spot illustration yesterday (while my current piles of urgent, important and should-dos sat nearby waiting patiently). I made it to place in my sidebar above a new books read in 2009 section - I feel like I'm on a bit of a reading kick once again (thank goodness) and I wanted to keep track of those books in an effort to see my books read list grow. I'm challenging myself to read as many books as possible this year. It's most often painfully slow for me to get through a book because I almost always only read at bed time* and the activity of reading lulls me to sleep almost instantaneously - a few pages a night was my norm but lately that's changed - seems I'm in new bedtime rhythm and it's more like a few chapters each night. I'm half way through Wally Lamb's new book The Hour I First Believed - a 750 page tome set around the Columbine high school shootings, made even more thought provoking & compelling for me because of my recent and ongoing stint volunteering at our own little village high school.

The week of slumpdom continues on ... first up - tidy this messy teak topped desk.

* with the exception of my weekly Sunday 2-5pm goof off & nap/read time slot



What ? It's break time ! and I'm just sittin' here for a spell dans my box

lewis & clark

Lewis and Clark 1804 by L. Edward Fisher

In 1802 Jefferson had sent ministers to France, offering to buy New Orleans, the vital port at the mouth of the Mississippi River. But instead, Napoleon Bonaparte, preparing for another war with England, had made a counteroffer: he would sell the entire Louisiana Territory, all 820,000 square miles, to the United States for $15 million. It was a sum nearly twice the federal budget, and although he questioned his own constitutional authority in doing so, Jefferson readily agreed. For just three cents and acre, the President more than doubled the size of his country with a single stroke of his pen.

At least on paper, half of the west now belonged to the Unites States. But as Lewis left Washington on July 5 to join Clark and proceed to the eastern shore of the Mississippi to make final preparations for their long journey, no one knew for sure what Thomas Jefferson had just bought.

Lewis & Clark -The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns

I've had to put Garp aside for awhile because this new bedside thriller I'd had on order arrived Thursday at our little village library. The lavishly illustrated companion book to the Ken Burns PBS documentary Lewis & Clark and their amazing journey of exploration. It's an inter library loan coming from a library somewhere else in Nova Scotia meaning I can only have it for 3 weeks with no renewals. It's absolutely chock full of amazing paintings, illustrations and maps from that time period, historical photographs and is peppered through out with reproduction pages from their journals ... as many as 50 unique and tres diverse native peoples called this grand place home at that time. Can you imagine the spectacular beauty the Corps of Discovery would have come across - all those lands and wildlife untouched and unspoiled - pre white man ... it must have seemed truly incredible.

We were now about to penetrate a country at least two thousand miles in width, on which the foot of civilized man had never trodden; the good or evil it had in store for us was for experiment yet to determine ... [yet] entertaining as I do, the most confident hope of succeeding in a voyage which had formed a da[r]ling project of mine for the last ten years, I could but esteem this moment of my departure as among the most happy of my life.

Meriwether Lewis
from his journal April 7 1805

octopus

octopus

The project I'm currently working on has a strong based in historical ornament and style bent to it and as a result I've had to do a lot of research. I do have a fine collection of books from Dover Publications - as far as I know the premier place for inexpensive, copyright free, historic style & design reference material. Google, of course, is also a best friend and I've spent much of this particular project scanning, hunting & searching for both reference and inspiration. A fantastic sight I found ages ago, I can't remember where but thankfully I bookmarked, has the most incredible assortment of historic clip art - check it out here.

I love this particular octopus - animal totem meaning - intelligence & camouflage

Housekeeping is not a strong point with Octopus totem people. Wink. Perhaps I've finally found my true totem - that darn team of valets are still away on holiday and we're having company next weekend (guess who - uh huh, uh huh - that girl is returning). Yikes ! all I've been thinking about is what we'll have to eat, what will I cook ?? - I'm planning to make this for our breakfasts of (clutter) champions and she's mentioned - let's have fun-due since it is Valentine's day !! pshaw, we'll say, to those 4 food groups.

It's all mild (hooray) and dripping this early morning and Missy D and I have gotta get a goin' and start this most favourite day of the week. Sunday ... Sun-yeah !

Drawing, drawing, drawing.

and hey !! it's Darwin's birthday ...
scroll down and listen to a few of the tunes from Darwin the musical

inspired again

giraffe - love you forever

The very first in what I hope & plan to be a vast series of sweet animal inspired children's art or art for the child at heart. Since my day job consists of mostly drawing the cute, the sweet and the dear and so many of those ideas and drawings (some very good) simply fall by the way side and get left behind gathering dust - so I've decided to dust a few of them off, get out my gang of assorted (couldn't live without them) black drawing pens, sit here at the teak topped desk and relish in my long time love of the doodling. This Mama giraffe & baby- available now in les etsy shop - measures 9x6 and is printed on an 8.5x11 sheet of super heavy, super smooth bright white Cougar 130lb stock. Each print can be customized (see picture below) at no extra cost by simply leaving me a message when purchasing. I can't wait to begin drawing the next in the series ... I'm hoping later today.

I am SO inspired by the many, many creative people that I find while trolling around the amazing lands of blog & worlds of etsy. I don't know if many of you take the time to do a little exploring in these lands ... if not I would highly suggest you give it a try because it is totally mind blowing ... the talent that lives out there. If I'm feeling a little draggy, a little slumpy I just take myself to the land of etsy or I take time to visit a few of the incredibly creative blogs that I haunt (and hunt for) on a regular basis and magically my draggy slump begins to dissolve ... and those darn ol' creative juices begin to flow. And speaking of Creative Empire building (which as you know is my tip top goal) I've chosen The Black Apple again for my blog of the week - because she is simply - a genius, so so talented and so inspiring to me ... and to many others.

There is a perfect blanket of fresh soft snow down, that airy dusty snow - the kind that reminds you of pretend snow - movie snow. Miss D and I will blaze a new trail with our foot and paw steps this early morning.

mice

red owl

Simple and gorgeous prints from Sugarloop - her blog and etsy shop

Well the mice that try to share this old brick house with us have not been faring so well. I admittedly, and a tad self righteously I confess, am normally shocked and appalled to hear about people using mouse traps - how terrible and cruel ... and then I think about Gus & Oliver, or cats in general and I have to ask myself which is worse. Death swiftly and suddenly or the slow torturous hunt and terrifying death by cat? I would prefer no killing. Period. No death ... swift or lingering. That's all I'm going to say. I find it very upsetting ... death of any variety.

Masterpiece Theatre tonight on PBS is playing part 1 of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles 10 - midnight Atlantic time. I for one will be cuing up the VCR


jungle boogie blue


pink grapefruit owl & pussycat

peace

lavender peace - 8.5 x 11 art print

Yawn. Lately I have been sleeping like a baby - which is so fantastic. My days have been full, busy and fun which I truly believe is how life is supposed to be. Days spent mostly here at the teak topped desk following my bliss and slowly, step-by-step working toward building that darn ol' CE (creative empire) which I began building, in earnest, this year. Stopping only for breaks to lure a few ocelots out of hiding, make myself a snack, or to walk around this little village in darkness with my best girl Winn, to stroll and to stop and wait (while she enjoys her intense sniffing business) and stare up at the clear evening sky and the billions and zillions of stars or to gaze out into the harbour, the water so still and calm it shines like glass and feel so thankful for the life that I'm living.

My dance card continues to fill up this week. I'm finishing up all the technical/production drawings for this last big bunch of frames (39 in total), a lunch date out tomorrow with a friend at the little seafood spot that sits smack on the water's edge a few miles away along the coast, more tech drawings to do, and finally some free time to spend catching up with a little tidying and a few organizational chores.

I stopped yesterday to see my printer guy Carl in town and what a sweet, extremely helpful man he is. I've ordered new paper and new envelpopes for both my cards and my illustration prints. Incredible beautiful paper, super heavy, super smooth 130 lb cougar bright white and a new bright white larger size envelope. This new lavender peace print is printed on the new paper and also watch soon for some 5x7 greeting cards with envelopes also printed on this new paper. Sigh. This etsy stuff is SO much fun.

6 new photographic prints also in la shop. A larger size, 8x10 ready for framing and all 6 from my collection series - I love to gather and collect things on my walks, bring them home with me, spread them out on a white background in natural light and photograph them - always with the help of my trusted photography assistant Mr. Sweet himself Oliver.


things I found on the beach 24/09/08 - 8 x 10 photographic print


striped pebbles No. 1 - 8 x 10 photographic print

holiday card {No.2}

a three dog winter wish

Don't you love {french brackets} ? - that & ampersands.

Holiday card No. 2 was inspired by our many, many wonderful winter walks at the golf course - just me and my pack of three - Emma Jane Louise Em, Jake (you know him also as Noodle) and Winnie who has so many alternate names it's a bit hard to keep track - but our current favourite seems to be Miss D. (that would be Dixon - Miss Winnie Dixon).

This card is also 4.75 x 4.75, printed on heavy, smooth, bright white stock, inside reads wishing you joy and each card comes with a perfect 5 x 5 red envelope in a cellophane sleeve and ships in a sturdy card mailer. $ 4.00 US per card and if you buy 4 I'll throw in the 5th free ! (photos later tonight with la shop update).

Also look for 5 new 8 x 10 photographic prints ready for framing and a new surprise 8.5 x 11 illustration print that I'm quite tickled about.

I'm going to town today - literally. I have two appointments and a billion zillion errands to run, big shopping and provisions to lay in, in time for the upcoming holiday season. I really don't enjoy driving that much so I end up waiting and when I finally do decide to make the 40 min. trip to town I'm usually laden down with places to go and people to see. Such is today's itinerary. So ...it's back to the nest this early morning with my coffee, Miss D, pen and paper. A detailed list avec la stop-by-stop plan must be made.

I can't wait, honestly, to return here - back to my teak topped desk. Sigh

holiday cards {No.1}

red on a white ground

Better late than never ... as they say.

These holiday greeting cards will be in the shop late tomorrow evening and I promise to ship any cards purchased out promptly the next day ... as I do realize it is late-ish in the season to be shopping for holiday cards. These 4.75 x 4.75 cards are printed on heavy smooth bright white stock, inside each card reads peace on earth and each card comes with a perfect 5 x 5 red envelope in a cellophane sleeve and ships in a sturdy card mailer. Two styles available - red on a white ground (above) and white on a green ground (below) $ 4.00 US per card and if you buy 4 I'll throw in the 5th free ! (photos tomorrow with shop update).

It's miserable here this morning. It's chilly and absolutely pouring rain. The scent of patchouli, lemon & orange is wafting around the second floor of this old house, that and the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Sigh. Another busy day is just beginning here at the teak topped desk at 29 Black Street.

hey ... the hearts and berries made the cut after all ...


white on a green ground

thrilled (again)

love you - card design #4

First up, I am thrilled (to pieces) this morning because my good things come collage print was shown & mentioned on my absolute favourite design blog Poppytalk. You can check out me - there - here. Wink. I won a give away (bonus !) that she was having - 81 entries - and she took the time to come and check out 29 Black Street including my etsy shop. Now you can't tell me that M. Universe didn't have something to do with this.

Hey ! who doesn't love cabbage rolls ? I love cabbage rolls although I am usually deterred from making them as they are kinda fussy and time consuming to make. This recipe however is for cabbage rolls ... pas de rolls. Uh Huh. Simple, easy and delicious. Adapted from this little's village's home & school fundraising cookbook.

Cabbage Roll Casserole

3 cups chopped cabbage
1/2 cup brown rice
2 onions chopped
1 lb ground meat (I used 1/2lb chicken and 1/2 lb beef)
1 large leek chopped (optional - I had leek gifts that needed to be used)
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 cup of chicken broth
2 tbsps. brown sugar
1 tsp. italian blend seasoning
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8th - 1/4 tsp. ground cloves (to taste)
a good pinch freshly ground nutmeg

Saute onions (and leek) in a bit of oil until translucent remove from pan and put aside. Brown meat in the same pan, add brown sugar and spices. Stir until sugar melts, add tomatoes, raw cabbage and raw rice, onions and leeks. Stir until everything is mixed well and pile into a large casserole. pour chicken broth into all the nooks and crannies.(with a lid or cover tightly with foil). Pour chicken broth into all the nooks and crannies. Cover (with lid or tight foil) and bake in a 350 oven for 1 - 1 1/2 hrs or until rice is cooked. * I think next time I would pre-cook the rice and then bake the casserole for 30 -40 mins as I found the cabbage was almost overcooked with the long cooking time. It's delicious and the cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar are what really make it ... says she.

Enjoy.


thanks - card design #5