hold on

Everybody hurts sometimes

a beautiful & comforting song


So, hold on, hold on

sweet bee

happy graduation sweet bee  - from grade 1 to grade 2 in September - hello summer vacation !

more is more

more beautiful blooms from out and about dans the terracotta gardens here at Black Street

more is more
less is less

the more productive I become ... the more productive I become
the more creative I become ... the more creative I become
the more efficient, neat, organized I become ... the more efficient, neat, organized I become

the less I worry ... the less I worry

I don't know why this is such a revelation to me ... but it is.
Goodness leads to more goodness. Practice actually does make perfect.

Well maybe not perfect ... 'cause we do want to be invited to pool parties

but becoming better ... more confident

magic factory

 magic / circus dreams / meditating millie beehive / red lucky elephant - from the fabulous Mati Rose

It's no secret that I'm a H-U-G-E fan of Mati Rose & her joyful, expressive & gorgeous paintings. I just received her new book in the mail Daring Adventures in Paint & it is freakin' fantastic !! She and Lisa Congdon (another huge inspiration for me) also teach a great intro to painting e-course Get Your Paint On - Uh ! Huh !! I've taken it twice had a ball & learned lots both times.

I can't wait to show you some of the magic & goodness that I've been working on, top secret (for now) licensing projects / illustrations / jewellery / collagey things but soon ... very soon. We are cooking with grease here at the TTD* (Oliver, Miss D & me). So ... gotta get back to it. Great news - I found out that I can sell my new jewellery line in my etsy shop ! Hooray !! launches fallish.

Bonjour ... it's a bit of a magic factory here

oh & ps tres happy, groovin' song heard on As It Happens - CBC radio 1 (sung by a chorus of angels) les creative empire life line - last night as I was in the midst of a pm collage & paint a go-go. The Ballad of John & Yoko. Ya know I was madly chair dancin' - Shut Up !!

*Teak Topped Desk
** Creative Empire

keener

 the smoke bush at our front door ( a favourite of mine) is in bloom and completely a buzz with bees

keener - person that lives by the philosophy that

if you are who you truly were meant to be 

and you have no fear* and you live your life 

for the sole purpose you were created for, 

it brings a genuine happiness that can't be surpassed   

urban dictionary

* but ... I have a ton of fear & it's my current biggest and most challenging project - overcoming fear

battle royale

this early morning - my walk along the harbour boardwalk with sweet-as-can-be Missy Darn D.

Perfectionism may look good in his shiny shoes, 
but he’s a little bit of an asshole, 

and no one invites him to their pool parties.

Ze Frank

let all listen & watch this together

Sorry I'm so quiet. Sorry I've been missing days here at my daily blog. There's a freakin' battle royale goin' on dans my head, you know the one between Demon Girl & Madam Invincible. I have a lot on my plate and it's never a matter of can? or can't I? do it.  I have complete confidence that I can and will get all my projects done and on time (they're all deadline sensitive & honestly I do love a deadline 'cause it's a sure dither killer & those darn dithers must be eliminated ASAP). I've been doing variations of this job, successfully more or less, for a very, very long time but ...

the battle is over how freakin' fantastic can I do each piece ?  how breathtakingly perfect can each illustration be ? I'm trying to stop myself from all this excess fret, worry & anxiety - hence the battle - but I tell ya it is tough. Hey !! take this Demon Girl - merci Ze !!

So if I'm I'm kinda quiet for the next week or so ...

Bedside reading - hope it helps + this very interesting novel
Seems a suitable song for this Sunday  - Rockin ' On here at the TTD*



* teak topped desk

no nos here

some beauty found recently 'round here

knowing how you actually want to feel is the most potent form of clarity that you can have.

generating those feelings is the most creative thing you can do with your life.

Danielle LaPorte - Fire starter Sessions

And a little bit of a life consuming DIY project (if I do say so myself) so hard at times, so exhausting but also so rewarding ... completely & totally necessary. Lately I've been saying yes to practically everything. Not a no to be found. No nos here. Everything's a possible leap in the right direction, every project an opportunity, every meeting or workshop is laden with potential. Fitting in, often cramming all this exciting, time consuming goodness into my lovely little world/life has been super challenging. I have a lot on the go at the moment, commitment stuff, projects with deadlines, tight deadlines - empire building stuff - yikes ... and with absolutely no rushing allowed here at the TTD 'cause I can't stand to rush, I screw up when I rush. I forget to breath when I rush.

Danielle LaPorte, a new favourite creative coach mentor of mine, says fuhget about trying to find some balance - read her thoughts on the subject here - something I had been kinda striving for. Think

I'll leave that goal in the dust, scratch trying to find balance & maybe focus a little more on making sure I take time for me, just a little TLC each & every day... a little self care, somesweet things pour moi.

Have a rockin' fabulous weekend !

Song I love heard Monday in the LUSH store in MicMac mall - original version by Talk Talk & fantastic cover by our Gwen (Stephani)

from my happy place

gerberas bedside in the guest room - my room / hangman's beach & lighthouse as seen from York Redoubt / orange roses / ferns in Mlou's lush yard / Lauchie the king of breakfast prep / the back yard at Casa Dingle / cannon / new beautiful kitchen / a walk in the woods / Halifax harbour from high atop York Redoubt / Lauchie / another amazing breakfast / les living room / lichen / wild roses at Chester / sweet red spires of something wild / lady slippers - Nova Scotia's woodland orchid / final dinner prep - roasted potatoes, chili ginger garlic green beans, bbq steak with a cumin cocoa rub & for dessert flambé cherries with butter & Chambord over Ben & Jerry's chocolate fudge brownie chunk ice cream (shall we all say Shut ! Up !! in unison ;-) / sailboats in Chester / guest room, my room ... my happy place

The bad news is you're falling through the air,

nothing to hang on to, no parachute.

The good news is - there is no ground

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

love it !!

I spent a kinda impromptu, fabulous, 2 night stay vacation in the city (Halifax) at my favourite spa retreat, you know the one - ya huh ! I stayed at my happy place. A place where I feel only good things. Amazing & wonderful ! How lucky am I to have such a place. Monday morning I took part in a great licensing & intro to copyright/trademark law workshop especially for artists illustrators & craftspeople put on by CEED & Craft Alliance later on MLou joined fellow workshop mates (& blogging friends) Shelagh & Daina & I - hooray ! - for another delicious lunch at Mezza falafal platter s'il vous plait !