Simplify 2014

 

We are on a road less travelled, a path less glitzy than those chosen by many of our peers. We’ve spent the last year and a half watching our values slowly shift and now? Now we’re ready to get down to the nitty gritty and really change how we live. Why not really examine our values, particularly at this time of year when our perspective has been skewed by glossy marketing campaigns and an insatiable need to buy, buy, buy. Why not choose to reject so much of what society has taught us is necessary, desirable, important. Why not hold ourselves accountable and quit making excuses for not achieving our goals, for not living the way we really want. Why not just choose less, just the most important things, and leave the rest.

These are the questions we’ve been pondering over the last year and a half, even more so in the last few weeks. I really think we can choose to live in a way that’s just different. Maybe less convenient and less “fancy” but perhaps more fulfilling. We have some financial goals we’d like to reach by this time next year and reaching those goals will require a fairly radical shift in our spending and saving patterns. I’m excited about it, actually. Its going to be challenging in many ways, but we’re up for it.

So the word for the coming year is SIMPLIFY. Strip it down to the essential and enjoy that.

My first order of business has been to evaluate my Etsy shop and this blog. I love painting, I love writing. I don’t love selling. I love sharing my work but I don’t love all the time and money that has to go into an Etsy shop in order for people to see it, never mind to generate actual sales. When I think about why I want to sell my art its so that I have the motivation to paint more, its to share it at an affordable price, to be a part of a culture of local, handmade and unique art. I like my work and I think others like it too, but I’m not willing to slave away at a computer for hours every day in the hopes that I’ll get a few sales here and there.

So, I’m going to strip it down to the essentials. Just this blog and my Facebook page. I’ll share my new work, the story behind it and the price and people can order directly from me. So much better.

Since I’ve already got quite a few items listed on Etsy, I’ve decided to offer a discount on all items in the shop until the listings expire or everything sells out. Just enter the coupon code SIMPLIFY2014 on checkout.

Here’s to a year of simplicity and loving what really matters.

All I wanted was a book, and Christmas threw up on me..

 

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I ventured out to the mall last weekend to pick up a last-minute birthday gift for my mom, bracing myself for the inevitable crush of holiday glitz. Sure enough, the bookstore was absolutely packed with people, most of whom looked harried and stressed and some, downright grumpy. “It’s November”, I thought.  What was everyone so frantic about?

In the last few years, as we’ve downsized and simplified our lives and our possessions, our values have shifted. At times, I find myself feeling at odds with the world out there. Not too long ago, I too would have spent hours at the mall from early November until Christmas Eve, pushing through throngs of bustling shoppers to find the perfect “stuff” to buy for my family and friends. It was what the holidays were about. Now it just seems silly to me. Are those frowning people really thinking about the people they are buying for? Are they trying to meet some arbitrary spending amount so they’ll feel like they’ve given “enough”? Do we even know what this season is all about anymore?

I’m not religious, but I do celebrate Christmas, and it can be hard to find meaning in the holiday season when you’re not focused on either the religious or the material aspects of the time. It was easy for me to be cynical that day in the bookstore. I’m just getting sick of all the crap out there, and the drive to consume all of that crap, and the need to part with our money to do so. Trying to think of lists of things I “need” for people to buy for me when really, I have everything and more that I could ever want. Finding a way to create a bigger meaning for my kids when my four-year-old already states definitively that his favorite part of Christmas is “all the new toys”.

This is the first Christmas where many of the gifts I give will be handmade. Crocheted infinity scarves and homemade foot scrub for the kids’ teachers at school. Paintings for a relative who has just bought her first home, along with crocheted dish cloths (‘cause they are the best dish cloths, everyone knows that!). Those that aren’t made by me will be purchased with care and real consideration for the recipient, rather than with the amount of money spent, mostly from local artisans or shops. This knowledge makes it easier for me to brave the crowds and the jarring marketing campaigns, imploring me to “buy, buy, buy!” Its allowing me to sink into the real meaning of the holiday season which for me, is family and love. That’s it. Simple.

Be careful out there, and kind. Remember that the stuff doesn’t really matter in the end, the people do. And when you do buy, buy local, buy handmade.

Tis the season!

 

Its that time of year again. My self-imposed Christmas moratorium ends the day after Remembrance Day, when I start perusing Etsy for all manner of fun Christmas items. Here are a few that caught my eye this week:

How cute are those hats? Look at the ears!

I love the vintage feel of this card

I love simple wrapping these days. My favourite way to wrap Christmas gifts is with brown kraft paper and colorful twine like this!

I love this sweet advent calendar. Tiny ornaments, little treats, small toys – you can put all kinds of fun stuff in there for your little one.

1, 2 , 3, 4

Happy Friday!

Printables now in the shop!

 

I’m really excited to be offering printables in my shop. Now, instead of having to buy the original art or a physical print, you can purchase the digital file of some of my work.  Each item includes one instant download and you can print it as many times as you like on your own or through a print shop! I’ve purchased printables before on Etsy, and it’s a wonderful and affordable way to buy art. I’m hoping to include some holiday designs as well as cards and tags very soon. Enjoy!

That time my bra strap popped off in front of a famous yoga teacher

Before I jump right into something, I like to mull it over for awhile. So, when I first discovered Ashtanga yoga, a challenging and authentic style of yoga which has not made its way out here to the suburbs yet, I first started practicing at home. It was love at first Surya Namaskar. I wanted to find a teacher of my own, because lineage and the student-teacher relationship is so very important in Ashtanga. I combed the interwebz and found the perfect studio in the city, 45 minutes away, and decided that I’d go and check it out.

And then I waited a year. I was so intimidated by this place, by how famous the teacher is, by my own limitations, that I just couldn’t bring myself to go. Last week, I finally jumped in feet first.

It was amazing. I was starstruck in meeting the teacher, who is world-renown and yet super sweet and welcoming. He asked me to start the series while he watched and there, during my first forward bend, in the presence of a yoga rockstar, my sports bra strap popped off and flailed about wildly. And then the other one popped off.  The only possible way to fix it would have been to whip off my top and try and reattach both straps. Clearly, not an option. And so, I stuffed the straps into my cleavage and carried on, attempting to regain whatever shreds of my wounded dignity remained.

It must have been the atmosphere, the practice, the breathing. On another day I would have wished for the earth to swallow me whole after a scene like that. I took this in stride. I smiled, shrugged and just kept going and I had the best yoga practice of my life. I was pushed beyond what I thought I was capable of, surrounded by amazing individuals practicing at their own level of ability and inspiring me to keep learning.

Yoga has so much to teach me, and this lesson of rolling with the punches was a great start to a new practice with a new teacher. I can’t wait to go back.

1 Cast Iron Pan–3 Crappy Pans = Simplicity

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One of the biggest causes of clutter in our house (aside from tools, ahem) is kitchen “stuff”. We are much better than we used to be at resisting the urge to continually add to the mess, and we are redefining what is a necessity in our kitchen, but we still have too much.

We recently took advantage of a local sale and purchased a beautiful cast iron pan. I love that its so well made, durable and will last us forever (as long as we take good care of it). I also love that we were able to replace three pans that weren’t working so well by buying this one item. So, while we did make what would seem to be another "extra" purchase”, my pots and pans drawer is much less crowded now. And instead of 3 crappy pans, I now have one beautiful pan.

I love paring down and simplifying.

Smile, breathe and go slowly

My house? Not all that clean today. And I’m cool with that (sort of). I’m trying very hard to be mindful in how I spend my time, and as always I’m in search for balance between Getting Things Done and just enjoying my life. Doing that, without feeling guilty for either having a messy house or potentially missing out on my kids' childhoods, has proven to be very challenging. I’m getting there.
Today was not an overly productive day. The cold I’ve been fighting stuck around and nagged me, the littlest seems to be teething and wanted to cry and/or sleep all day and I had to run into work to fill out some paperwork. Rather than get too overwhelmed by the lack of time I had to run around and do errands I just puttered around the house a bit and on a whim, brought out my acrylic paints and some panels I had lying around.
 
(Last Day In Nova Scotia & Wheat Kings and Pretty Things, both available in my shop)
Acrylics are fun for me because unlike my style using watercolors, I like to be free and impulsive. I just grabbed my palette knives and tried to use images in my mind from the past to inspire some paintings. Last Day In Nova Scotia comes from the day my roommates took me to the ocean on my last night before moving from Halifax back to Ontario. I’ll never forget the sky, the sea, the sand and the smells and I’ve carried them with me for the last 9 years. I miss Nova Scotia and my wonderful friends there, every day. Wheat Kings and Pretty Things is my mind’s image of the prairies. I was born in Edmonton and while I haven’t spent much time out west since we moved when I was a preschooler, the big sky and golden fields of the prairies has always been hauntingly beautiful to me.
 
(View from My Bedroom Window & Just Landed in Alberta)
I like using palette knives and the thick, rich texture of impasto technique when doing an acrylic painting. I like the challenge of giving the viewer a strong sense of my inspiration and subject matter while allowing them enough room to make their own interpretation, drawing on their own memories and experiences.  I was nervous about putting abstract acrylics up in the shop, but I decided to go for it. I’m having fun exploring this familiar medium and hopefully my customers will enjoy the results.

(Driving Up The 101 To The Valley)
So, while I didn’t Get Much Done in the domestic sense today, I did have a wonderful day playing around with paints during the littlest’s naptime, playing outside when he was awake and visiting with some coworkers. Good enough for me.

Ithaca Children’s Garden

On the recommendation of some friends, we decided to stay a few nights in Ithaca, NY on our way home from Boston last month. This town in the Finger Lakes area of NY state was like a little slice of heaven for us; we loved the rolling hills and beautiful vistas, the delicious food and craft beer, interesting little independent shops, friendly people and this wonderful permaculture children’s garden.
  
We took the boys to the garden on our first morning in Ithaca and had an amazing time enjoying the beautiful sunshine and exploring the area.  We are big fans of permaculture and our own garden is designed based on its principles, so it was wonderful to see a public space devoted to such a sustainable and beautiful way to grow food.

It’s a tasting garden, and our kids are well-acquainted with eating their way through our yard, so we enjoyed sampling what was ripe and ready. I so wish that we could have taken advantage of some of their children’s educational programs while we were there. It warms my heart to know that its so accessible for the youngest generation to learn about gardening, permaculture and why its so important to change our current practices in order to avoid complete environmental degradation.
 
We’ll definitely be back in Ithaca soon, hopefully next year, and I hope to spend some more time in this lovely garden. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Society6

I’m so excited about some of the new items in my Society6 shop! Pillows, iphone cases, note cards, art prints. Check them out! Free shipping until Sunday!

I Can Pickle That

 

If you don’t watch Portlandia, you simply must start. This is one of my favourite sketches from the show and today, I’m pickling anything and everything, including green beans, turnips, jalapenos, pickles (duh) and lacto-fermented salsa. I’m trying not to salivate in anticipation of all the fermented goodness we’ll soon enjoy.

Treasury Features

I feel very fortunate to have had two Etsy Treasury features in one day!

Timea curated a lovely treasury of primary colors here, and PaperWhiskers curated this adorable collection of animal-themed items for a nursery!

Thank you both!

New in the Society6 Shop

 

Hello! Just wanted to let you know that pillows, iphone cases and skins, greeting cards and t-shirts are now available in my Society6 shop for select designs. New designs will be added soon

 

Also, free shipping is available on select items in my Society6 shop until September 22, so take advantage!

Robin On a Branch and a Butterfly Wing

Inspired by the birds we see at the feeder outside our kitchen window every morning. This little guy is up in the shop tonight. He’s a favourite of mine

The butterflies in our garden this summer inspired this gorgeous painting below. I love the multi-coloured wing and, although its hard to see in this picture, there's some sparkly gold ink on those wings as well. Its in the shop tonight too.

Did you know that Boston is awesome?

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I've always heard Boston is an amazing city to visit, but I was really blown away by the friendly people, the delicious seafood, canolis and beer, the markets, the history, the architecture, the green space - everything. We just got back last week from our family vacation to Boston and Ithaca (don't even get me started on how awesome Ithaca is) and we've been getting back in the groove all this week. I'm gearing up for a little guy's 4th birthday party we're hosting this weekend, so I haven't been able to paint as much as I'd like. I did drop off a few things at the printers today, so there should be some new prints in the shop soon.

For now, a few things to remember if you're ever in Boston.

Mike's Pastry for a canoli. Try the amaretto.  Try not to make dirty noises while eating it.

Union Oyster House. The oldest restaurant in the States and such delicious food.

Sam Adams Oktoberfest beer, if you're there in the fall. Also try some Dogfish Head.  Just drink all the beer. Trust me.

Parish Cafe. I had the lobster roll and yummmmmmmm.

Don't miss the New England Aquarium, the Freedom Trail, Boston Common (the kids loved the frog pond!), Back Bay and the USS Constitution.

All in all, it was a great trip. Boston is actually a very kid-friendly city and easy to get around, although next time I think I'd like to visit sans children. So as to facilitate more of that beer drinking.

Pelicans, eating local and an evening in the garden

 
The kids and I had a lovely day at the zoo with some friends yesterday. The weather was perfect and the company was fabulous. These pelicans caught my eye, roaming around the penguin habitat. I think I’ll use them as inspiration for some upcoming paintings.

I just love eating straight from the garden. Last night I sauteed homegrown zucchini and pattypan squash in butter, added some salt and pepper and garnished it with tons of fresh basil and mint, also from our garden. So delicious.
 
Last night we sat out on the deck, quietly drinking beer and each doing our own thing. I brought out my little watercolour sketchbook and started playing around, looking to the garden in front of me for inspiration.

Garden inspiration

I love looking in the garden for creative inspiration. These bachelor buttons are a favourite of the boys – the big one likes to pick them to give to me with a shy smile lighting up his face and the little one likes to rip them to shreds while squealing with delight. I love the vibrant purples and blues against the green backdrop of kale, chard and wormwood.

Birds of a feather

      

In a moment of brilliance, Jay installed a bird feeder outside our kitchen window this spring and ever since, we’ve been treated to the comings and goings of a wide variety of feathered friends all day long. The kids love watching the birds while they eat their breakfast. Our 4 year old knows the names of each of them, thanks to a wonderful bird guide we picked up at Lee Valley.

Our little bird feeder has inspired me to do some feather paintings and illustrations, available now in the shop. I love experimenting with the endless combinations of pattern and color.

     

Welcome to Hurlingham Road!

What is Hurlingham Road, you ask?

This is the real Hurlingham Road in London, England:


I guess you could say its where my story begins, because this is where my dad grew up during WWII. Its where his family held each other together through tougher times than I can even imagine and its where I snapped this photo, during a trip back to the UK in 2008. Although I grew up here in Canada, I feel very connected to this place and its history. Hurlingham Road is as much a part of me as the desire to capture the beauty of the world around me through art. So, when it came time to choose a name for my Etsy shop, Hurlingham Road Studio seemed to be the perfect fit.

In my little shop I sell original watercolor paintings and illustrations as well as archival prints. I hope that you’ll pop by and take a peek sometime. In this space, I hope to share a little bit of my inspiration and thoughts with you. Enjoy!