tania howells

Check out this great idea!! *Joy's designer interviews* It is So interesting to read about how the French Bull line happened and is happening. Really inspiring! Thanks Joy, what a brilliant idea.

On Saturday night I spent the entire night working on henry the bear from Jess's book. It was a lovely snowy day and at one point while I was in the middle of a row, Paul yelled from the living room "Come in here you gotta see this! You don't want to miss it!" At first I thought it was two leaves but it was really a seagull standing on the skylight! How cute! Paul got a good picture from below and our necks got sore staring at it waiting for it to peck our window which it did twice. Then it flew away. That was a great moment.

People are so nice. A woman named Therese bought a coloring book for herself to color in and to use as embroidery patterns. Here is her work which she sent to me as a gift! Isn't it so great? I am trying to figure out what to use it for. It would be lovely just in a frame or patched onto a bag or jean jacket maybe?
♥ thank you Therese!

Paul and I are in no way ready to buy a house. We don't have enough cashola, but this cute teeny place went back up on the market. It was for sale last year and we liked it then. It is just around the corner from us now. It is literally micro-small and they want $325 000. We wanted to go have a peek and found out it has 4 offers already and will certainly go for above asking, to be sold tonight ! The market here is mental. Oh well, it is a more of a relief really. I wonder if we ever will be able to become home owners and be horribly in debt forever and ever? I hope so.

PS: pay a visit to this cute blog! French Toast Cake

illustration friday - small

*click to enlarge!*

I was rummaging around in some old papers and found this little picture. I must have done it 5-7 years ago, I can't remember! It is good for illustration friday this week though. *small* I have been so out of the habit of doing drawings lately what with all the making of stuff for xmas. I have warm thoughts of a cozy new year where I will do more of these drawings again. It is a mentality of inwardness and stillness that I need to do them and currently I am so all over the place filling orders, folding cards ( more just in from my printer-yay! ) and general holiday making plans and prep. Soon there will be the xmas dinners and parties at work! I love them, a couple are free food and there will be big fat shrimp to eat...And then after Dec 11, I can just be Christmassy. Thats the last crafty show.

I am happily receiving all the cards I have been drooling over! I got my Kingpod cards (previous batch) They are BEAUTIFUL! Then today I received my pack of Rosa's wonderful cards. I just love how graphic and simple they are. I already have had Hillary's patchwork cards in my mitts for a few day now. I don't actually plan to SEND many of them out, they are too pretty! Some are for gifts though. My mum will LOVE the kingpod ones.

PS,
happy thanksgiving to all you Americans out there! Would someone mail me a turkey leg? haha...kidding.

Lentil spinach curry

Ok, this LOOKS disgusting but it is actually very yummy and healthy. I thought in the spirit of Laural's fabulous recipe posts, I would post one of my favorite dinners. I have shaved it down to the fastest possible prep due to utter laziness. I now use a brick of frozen spinach instead of fresh but you can use both or either.

*lentil spinach curry*
1 can of lentils, drained
1 can of tomato paste
1 brick of frozen spinach, defrosted.
1 cup of veggie or other stock
1 onion, diced
2-4 cloves garlic, diced
splash of olive oil
sprinkle of wostershire sauce at the end
spoonful of pataks curry paste or whatever curry flavoring you like.
serve with brown rice

Chop up onions and garlic and saute in olive oil.
Put on rice to cook while all this is happening
Add in lentils, stock and spinach
then add tomato paste. ( you can use half a can if you don't like it too strong, I use it all because I know the other half can will rot in my fridge )
stir it up and let it bubble away for a while on low-ish
add curry paste and a sprinkle of wostershire sauce ( is it veggie? don't know...)

It is ready when your rice is done!

I like to sprinkle it with parmesan cheese which makes no sense curry wise, but tastes good.
A blob of mango chutney on the side is nice too.
This recipe also works nicely with, say, squash, cauliflower or any other veg you have looking to be eaten.

My sites back up!
Say, does anyone have any ideas of what to give my brother for Christmas?
I want to buy it online and with paypal.
I was totally exited about the Threadless sale
It's awesome, but no paypal payments. I am being kinda cheap, but what the heck.
Anything star wars, film-y or boyish. I am thinking a tee shirt maybe is the best bet...
Any thoughts greatly appreciated! Please leave a comment.
;)
thanks!

ooh yum!

I got my trade in the mail from Anna! There was some talk of something felted and I didn't dare think I might be lucky enough to get something like this but I did! Plus jingle bells, a cute lamb card, deluxe chocolate (mm), a great little notepad, some neat underground stickers, and a pretty xmas tree fabric! I love it all, it is so me. Look at the cute pouch. It's so nice and colourful! Anna, please forgive me, I am behind! I am brewing ideas for my trade back though and once I get all this craft show business under control, I look forward to having some time to be making a little something. Thank- you, it's all so pretty!! I loved getting a package that jingled when I shook it- :)

In other news, my site seems to be down! It is a scooby do mystery and I have contacted my host. It means no shopping for now, but that is just as well. I only have 8 packs of Christmas cards left and I need to save them for the next craft show on Thursday Dec 1. In the end, today I decided to order more cards so by Tuesday things should be back to normal and there will be too many cards! That's ok though because I had none left for me to send out. There is always next year too. I sold the leftover cards from last year at this past show. That was handy. Phew. All that left me feeling a bit anxious and stressed, figuring out if it's worth it to get more cards, doing the math, the site down blah blah. It's silly what small details sometimes get me all frazzled. Now it is dealt with (partially) and I can inform my body that it can cease feeling anxious. Begin NOW.

I had been meaning to post this picture I took a few weeks ago on a gorgeous sunny fall day. It is in the Grange park on my walk to work and it was just so pretty and sunny.

I have been laughing about Hannah's sock monkey for a day now. Not because he is too funny looking - he's cute! But because of his jaunty little Tam o'shanter! What a word! I hadn't heard it since I was a kid, and all last night I was shouting at Paul "don't forget your Tam o'shanter! It's cold!" or "hey! I can't seem to find my Tam'o shanter!" Or my favorite "It's TAM O" SHANTER TIME!"
sigh.
good times.
It has become apparent that Weldy needs a tam o'shanter.

I made a hat!
This time it's for me to wear and wore it I did. It itches. I think I will sew in a polar fleece liner. It is schoeller stahl wonder wool (half wool half acrylic) with some icelandic Lett-Lopi on top where I ran out of the other stuff. Of course I couldn't resist a litttle niblet on top and I am very pleased with the spiraly top where it decreases. Yay for learning new skills!

Paul thanks you for all the birthday wishes! "HIS DAY" on friday was fun. The bowling was tiny and cute, I found a pretty shirt at value villlage and we saw "Walk the Line" which I really liked. Who cares if it was described as a "chick flick with an edge" by the snotty paper. Joaquin was sexy and Reese is cool. Plus the MUSIC! Come on, awesome.

Saturday was the Crafternoon Tea show. It was so great. Man, Toronto has some groovy ladies making beautiful things! Chatting again to Laural and Kim was lovely! It was hard not to spend all my money, but I managed not to because I got too sleepy by the end. Besides I am pretty sure a lot of the same people will be at the next show I am in at the Gladstone on Dec 1. And there I will spend because there will be beer.

The weather is getting colder and if Simmy the raindrop were outside he'd be snow. That's why he looks so pleased to be cozy and warm inside.
I am still feeling a bit off but I will hobble into work for my earlier Thursday shift today I think. (I have to fill in my timecard!) After a good cup of ginger tea with honey that is! And some more caldo verde soup from my neighbor granny downstairs. She's awesome!
I always feel a bit cheeky staying off work, even if I am sick, which is silly. Must be that good old Catholic guilt, though I am not Catholic. My mum must have gotten enough from the nuns to pass on to me. Besides, I am using a vacation day tommorow which seems cheeky. Paul's birthday is Saturday and I have my craft show ( the cheek of me! ) so we are pretending his birthday is friday. Going out for brunch and then to a big untapped goodwill, then bowling at a fabled bowling alley in the east end that is said to be the same as it was in the 60's. Then dinner of course. I created a monster when I declared that all of May was my birthday MONTH. He is really milking the birthday thing! It's been birthday birthday birthday since November 1! Getting a taste of my own medicine, that'll teach me. We have already shaken on next year being just the day, perhaps the weekend for birthdays. hee hee.
love ya sweetie! Happy birthday!

quality knitting

Here is a building I pass every day on my way to work. I never really loooked at it before, but now I picture inside is a hive of busy rabbits knitting up the cutest little wooly hats and scarves...or perhaps just underpaid immigrant workers... I hope they are treated nice in the quality knitting building.
Anyway, I am busily scoring and folding cards and making buttons. Today I am feeling inexplicably queasy (don't worry, it's not that) but I am aiming to head to work at 3:00. Hope that isn't a dumb idea. (no I am staying home- I have a very wee fever! sheesh.)
I'll have some bland soup for lunch.
Some groovy xmas presents have been rolling in!
I got my adorable cards from Hillary. I love them. One set for me and one as a gift ofcourse.
Some really awesome acrylic poured pins from Blissen which I don't see there anymore, must have got the last one! Checkout her amazing new jellyfish and undersea stuff! drool.
I also got a tee from Evil Kitty for a friend I think might like it.
This is way better than the mall.

Thanks for letting me know about the Christmas card image not working on some browsers! I think I have remedied the situation now. Thank goodness for comments or I would never have noticed-
:)

and here it is...

...my new Christmas card! Some birdies (surprise surprise) doing some holiday beak clacking up in the tree. You can look at it or buy it here. The card is 100% recycled paper this year and the colors are slightly more muted in real life. They go for $10.00 plus shipping and you get 8 cards and envelopes.

It is Friday! I didn't have to go to work today because it is Remembrance day. I know I know, we are the only company who get this day off other than government. It's awesome! Without fail every year at 11:00 when I hear those bagpipes on the radio and some guy giving a speech about the veterans who gave their lives for our freedom, I get all choked up. Especially when I think that we have not evolved at all and are still in the killing business to this day. Sad. I spent the morning vacuuming like mad - these cats shed up a sweaters worth of fluff I swear. Lunch time I got to see the baby again! My good pal came by with the sweetie and he is big now! So babyish at nearly 4 months. I got to snuggle him and make funny faces to see him laugh. I was lonesome when they went home so I lit a candle to keep me company and added my card to the shop as well as beefed up my archives page just for the heck of it.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend!
xo
tania

felt balls - my new best friend

Oh why didn't I know how easy these are to make? I haven't made any YET ofcourse, but now I totally am going to. The necklace on the left is one I bought from a local artist years ago ( no website, forgot name! ) and I love it and then these puffs I got at my last craft sale. The picture on the right here is from Martha of course which I found here via here! Phew. Anyway, my point being, I LOVE FELT BALLS. I always have and they always seemed like some mysteriously magically formed thing, but now I see that even I could make some. You don't have to live in the sky with zero gravity and a special rainbow colored sheep. ♥ exitement!♥

from the vault wednesdays

I do a lot of filing at work, and when I get to putting away a picture of Deborah Messing, I get the treat and absolute joy of finding this picture again. I always forget about it and when I see it I laugh myself silly. This is Shep Messing. Behold. Isn't it precious? The hair, the smile, the soccer ball, the NAME. They don't make 'em like this anymore. Oh dear. I just googled him and found that there are indeed nude pictures of him. Why does that not surprise me? Luckily I have to pay to see them, and I am not that curious. He was a goalkeep in the 70's.
He just brings to mind that whole Slap shot, old time hockey, reckless 70's vibe that delights me. Slapshot by the way, is an awesome movie if you have a hankering for some old fashioned mullets and hockey scraps. Where else can you see a young paul newman in an all leather suit? OH! And check it out! The wives, knitting!

This year, I am trying to do all my xmas shopping online, preferably with paypal! Ofcourse, I ended up getting myself a little something early- this awesome t-shirt from Talla. I have been admiring it for ages and when I saw it was on super sale, well, you know. It came today! A few days ago I got my brilliant knitting book from Jess. i *LOVE* it. It is just so impressive and cool! Neither of these thing are going to be wrapped up and put under the tree of course. Lets just call it "essentials". I needed them both! I really did.

Here is a cozy catty picture of the bear I have been working on. He is pretty cute! Just don't tell him he looks like a cat, he is rather sensitive about it. He thinks the boy cat is a bear.

This is a lump, er , flower I made on sunday while drinking a cup of tea and listening to Writers and company on CBC.

It came from this --- ---magazine which is circulating in our at work knitting group. I think it may work better with some finer less lumpy wool. This is some pretty hand dyed and spun wool of my mum's, I think from Peru years ago. There are some neat little things in this magazine and I want to try and make a nicer flower. They would be ideal Christmas gifts.

The weekend was good and Dim sum was awesome as usual. It was a special one because Karina and hubby Jason were in town and Karina invited Krissy and hubby Paul! Todd came too which was a good because I have not seen him in ages- hi Todd! Sunday I got a pile of things silkscreend and ready to go. I hope there is good stuff on tv tonight because I have to iron it all next - snore.

My Christmas cards are at the printer and are poised to be for sale! I will ofcourse let you know when it happens.

My computer did a wierd thing today - it went to sleep like normal and then I could not wake it up! Then its inner fan thing started to whirr like crazy and I still couldn't wake it up. I eventually called the store and he said I have to bring it in if it does it again and to unplug it. Horrors. I did and re started it and it seems ok again. I am afraid to let it go to sleep in case it (whisper) dies...please stay normal little guy! I need you! and you cost me an arm and a leg!!

grumble

I did all these birdie stamps with my ink pen and this new ink I got. I am sure I have used it before, rapidograph ink, and it says plain as day - "waterproof - for use on paper and film". Well, I ask you, does that look waterproof? No! So I am going to pop by a store and get a new ink and do all those guys again, I guess. grumble. You know when you have a bit of a cold and everything just takes too long and you can't quite get yourself organised? When you have to return to the back door three times - once to make sure it is locked, a second to pump up the bike tires because you forgot the first time and a third because you left your sunglasses on the box by the door. AND! I haven't even kept up my "doing Illustration Friday each week" promise either...next week... All is not doom and gloom of course. I am quite pleased with our Christmas stamps this year! A cheerful snowman, and in the light, he has a layer of shimmery snowflakes over him. A special bonus is round snowflake stickers to use to decorate things with. How nice! I always want to save my cute new stamps, but there are always things I need to mail. One year I went to a philatectic ( is that right? ) fair and was so exited to see all the stamps. You could buy sheets of 100!! So I needn't be sad to mail away the stamps I like, I can always find them again at a stamp shop or fair.

So how about a list... I am really liking Mati rose's grateful friday idea. I also saw a similar idea on another frequented blog, which I forget now of course... UPDATE! It was Jenny's blog! Thanks for reminding me Krissy!

grateful for...

&hearts friday &hearts sleeping in a bit &hearts the at work knitters ( we met again yesterday! ) &hearts its not a bad cold really &hearts dim sum with friends tommorw &hearts Paul &hearts unseasonably warm temperatures

Ok, that cold is slowing down my brain, more later!

❉❉❉❉❉❉have a great weekend! ❉❉❉❉❉❉❉

shop update!

I had a burst of energy today and updated my somewhat neglected shop! You will find little bird pincushions, a new denim zippy pouch, little stuffed things and an actual tee shirt just in time for winter!
You may recognise my birdy print because I use it all the time.

In other news, my throat seems better today! I swear garlic is a wonder drug. I won't speak too soon though, just in case. I am still drinking a ton of OJ and I grated raw garlic into a burrito for lunch - better buy some minty gum I think.

I am going in to factory mode around here for the upcoming holiday shows! It's always fun to see piles of one thing, and very satisfying. I like doing one step of a bunch of things and then the next step. You can see the list of shows I am going to be participating in here on my main page. The button for crafternoon tea up on the right here- sometimes it shows up and sometimes its a big white box - baffling, I don't know why!

I was tagged by Kim to do the 20 things thing-
You can see the whole thing here!
I will be whimp and not tag anyone, but please tag yourself! booo, I know I know! But I woke up with a scratchy throat and am feeling withdrawn and sleepy. I am hoping to chase it away with a litre of orange juice, garlic toast and chicken noodle soup for lunch. Paul and I went out for breakfast today to celebrate the start of his birthday month! He is very exited, even though the concert "Video Games Live!" was mysteriously cancelled. No explanation or anything. We were really looking forward to hearing the music for pac man played by an orchestra with the game graphics in the background...we will have to find some other special birthday treat for him later this month.