tania howells

I printed these little suits last night for the afformentioned baby shower. I was really pleased with how they turned out! Especially the boy at the top. (excuse the poor photos!) These are 3 new designs I have for this season. I hope to get them on a pile of stuff. I got a few other bits and bobs including this awesome owly suit ( are these called "onesies"??) at H&M. (close up!) I stood there staring at it and thinking it was so cute and how can I justify buying this when I don't have a baby? Then I remembered the baby shower. However, taking it out of the bag this morning I thought perhaps it wouldn't hurt just to keep it for myself for now. It can be seen as inspritaional material! Plus it looks rather adorable hanging over by the door. Decision made! It's mine.

Have a great weekend everyone! Mine is going to be busy- Tonight I am hosting a crafty night for my girlfriends, very small affair, casual dress. Saturday Paul's mum and step dad come over for "fake Thanksgiving" and stay the night. ( real Thanksgiving is next weekend ) We are having a crash course in turkey prep and cooking- I better take that sucker out to defrost. Then Sunday afternoon is of course , baby shower time.

<- a few new links over there!

WIP thursday

Button factory!

Thanks so much for all those sweet comments about the book and the hat! (BTW Kerrie, that is your gorgeous Hip Knits silk yarn again! LOVE it. :)) I should post more knitting as I have about 3 projects in the wings- an easy scarf, a half done xmas stocking - to try and learn sock knitting- and I really want to try a sweater of some kind! Oh yeah, and ofcourse the jess hutch rabbit who has a body now but only one arm and no legs! Oh the hardship for rabbits these days.

The links for the crafters companion book are all ok now, so you can see the list of mucho talented contributors. And I figured out a variation on the code to put that button on my sidebar for pre-ordering till Oct 12!

:)

baby hat revisted

I have a baby shower to go to this weekend so I knit this little hat. One of my oldest friends is expecting her first baby! Wow. I have known her and Eva both since we were 5 years old.

wa-hoo-hoo!

I have kept mum about this for a whole year! I am thrilled and exited, honored- STOKED to have been asked by Anna to be a part of this book. Would you just look at the AMAZING women who are also involved! I can't quite believe I am included. :) aw shucks, it's awesome.

The nice part is it is available for pre-order at only $19.95 USD, shipping included!That seems really cheap to me, and it is only until October 12. Of course, I will have soon conveniently located a button on the sidebar there, as I am sure all of us contributors have. You won't be allowed to forget at this rate! We'll be shouting it from the rooftops!
:)

More playing around on the old wacom tablet. This boy will become a silkscreen - just the outline. I coated screens and exposed one this weekend and when I coud not wash it out I realised it was probably old and expired. The bottle said it lasts 4 months- oops! So I went off on my bike and got some more which I worked with today and ahh- it washed out in a few minutes. Thats the stuff. Now how to use up the whole jar in 4 months?

illustration friday - phobia

Oh the horror! Phobia of knitting swatches, of the stitches falling off the needle, of being wrapped up and tripped by the yarn. Life is full of danger and trouble! Run!
The Illustration Friday website has become so profesh! I haven't particpated in ages and wanted to take it up again. We'll see how long I can keep it up!
This was one of the not included images for the forthcoming book for Interweave Press. (YAY!) I did a different version where the stitches did not look as though they would fall off at any second.

A few weeks ago Karina gave us this funny book. Thanks Karina, it's so cute! It is full of useful information and pictures. Someone has even highlighted important parts like this- "If a lovebird gets a hold of your finger and bites you, gently press against the corners of its mandibles." Yes, that is something I would want to remember. This picture is scary though. I wouldn't let my lovebird near this man.

the great grape debacle of 2006

The granny next door has a grape arbor and gave me PILES of grapes, so I decied to go all martha and make jelly. Little did I know, as I happily boiled them last night, that an outrageous smell was being generated. Only when Paul arrived home into the fog of it, did I realise what I had done. I went outside and came back in again. Sure enough, the smell was pretty awful. Needless to say the grape juice, lovely as it was, got poured away and no jelly was made. Sad really. Paul even has a cold and found the smell shocking. I was going to make spaghetti squash for dinner and found that all the seeds inside had sprouted. I assumed this meant you can't eat it, though I am probably wrong. So I made regular pasta. Despite all these annoyances I later sewed a birdy on a sweater I have. It turned out a bit too chunky ( like an overweight pidgeon perhaps ) on the stretchy fabric, but gave the desired effect of sprucing up the plain sweater.

and then there were buttons

They turned out pretty cool! Maybe I will take them to see if Sarah at The Rage in Kensington can sell some. She is the only shop carrying my buttons and they seem to sell pretty well there.

I ♥ bank envelopes.

I have been collecting these for years. I love the crazy patterns they put in bank security envelopes. I haven't really known what I would do with them- perhaps scan each one and use them as filler pattern in photoshop? This morning I thought I might make a pile of buttons out of them. The Christmas craft show season is getting close and I am not in the same making frenzy of years past due to the pile of client work I have luckily got recently. Still, I think I will do one or two shows this year beacuse I do so enjoy making stuff. Once I get going, I will be glad I did. I have a few sketches to turn into new silkscreens. I found 3 big frames in the trash which are perfect for some of them. I also might get cracking on a new xmas card image...One of my lame excuses for feeling slow to start is that my favorite zipper store has closed and moved to a tiresomely far off location. So have many other of my favorite fabric shops due to rising rents in the area they were. I imagine I can find a few zippers elsewhere though!

Paul and I went to this last night.

Though we did not stay for the awards part, the interview part was lots of fun. Seth and Chester Brown are old friends and so the chat was funny and familiar as they razzed each other about silly things as well as talked about their creative processes. I love both of their work so it was a treat to see them in person. Check out Seth's new book Wimbledon Green. It is so beautifully done and the story is so cute and readable. They have it at my library, so if you are in Toronto, you can place a hold on it! I just loved it.

Some flickr friday Favorites for you!

This and this - beautiful tees from Iris.

Lizette's great workspace.

Looking forkitchen inspiration.

Canaries! Everywhere!

I can't decide if I am utterly appalled or vaguely entertained by Borat. Either way, I am scarred for life.

Leaves for good measure.

Miriam's pretty tree pins.

Have a great weekend everyone!

shrug/slouch - what do you call these things?

Whatever they are called, I made one over the weekend. I had grabbed 2 sweaters at the value village ( got a discount too because they had a hole each! ) and only one felted. That is the body part and the little flower detail part. The other one was great for the edges. It's a good in between thingy, for when it is too warm for proper sweaters, but still a bit chilly on your shoulders. Fuzzy little detail parts. Also, my new groovy butterfly chair cover came! I ordered it on EBAY and I am quite pleased. It is not as deep as my red one, which was torn in so many places, but it is way sturdier. I plan to use it inside during the winter for reading in - or knitting ofcourse, but I will need to find a wee rug for it. Now that we have wooden floors, this chairs feet will make horrible dents everywhere so it needs its own companion rug! A partner in crime.

I had forgotten Myra said she was sending me something to thank me for doing the mail swap button, and when my surprise came, I did a little dance in the kitchen! All these goodies- that's a funny pom pom animal making kit! This cool book about knitting with your fingers! Who knew you could do that? (ISBN - 4-529-03434-8) There is a really cute shawl I want to try. I love this book! But the piece de resistance, the absolute best part is this pouch. The skill! The craftswomanship! It is AMAZING!! I love it. It is so creative and cute, I am amazed at how she managed to make the eyes actual tiny circles. Whenever I try and sew a circle, it get all blobby and wierd. It is so beautifully made- have I gushed enough? I could go on- Thank you Myra- I think I got the better end of this stick in this trade-wow!

flickr friday favorites

I really enjoy clicking through other people fav's like on Mecozy.Here are some of mine!

This one reminds me of late summer- now. I love this time of year. I wish I was in the country laying in the grass.

How can they be so cute?? I remember the feeling of being so cozy in something, you wear it all the time.

Mmmm dumplings- another dim sum planned for Sunday.

I used to watch this show, Jeremy all the time as a kid. Still know the song to it.

Happy smiling dog.

Safe corner.

Guninea pigs!! Everywhere!

Living the good life.

Ahhh Friday. I feel so glad to have finished my book project and I actually have a spa afternoon planned tommorow!! Oh the decadence. I am going here and I can't wait. Then tommorow night we are going to see The Sadies who rock so hard. I am looking for a little dancing, a little drinking and a little carrying on, country style. Hear some tracks here.

PS- finally wrote something on my about page.

it's a disease

Advertising works on me! Amazon Japan sent me an email to tell me this book is now out.

Can you guess what I rushed to do? Yes, I ordered it pronto. I didn't want it to be lonely so I also ordered this book.

It must be older because I was able to order it super cheap as a used copy.
I did only recently get this book which is lovely lovely. However, my lack of babies makes me slightly less into it. Kitchens turn me on, what can I say? Especially now that I have my own. Our kitchen is in good condition, it just is not the condition I might choose if I was a millionaire. The first thing we can do is get new cupboard door handles for our oak cupboards which I am told are really good so I am trying to love them. I might love them more under a coat of white paint, but that is for later when I have more energy. We did however, put the white round table in there two weeks ago and put the grey rectangular melamine (?) fifties one in the basement, which made all the difference to the mood of the kitchen. I would also love to get a snazzy quiet energy efficient fridge that didn't buzz and hum all the time when you are trying to fashionably sit reading the paper, having your tea. Oh, and a stove that doesn't need to to be lit with a match on three of the four burners. Good enough is good enough, however and I am quite content with things for now.

cautiously optimistic

A test paper from my working on the images for the book, which is...done! Though of course I say this cautiously, just in case. I did so many images, so many roughs and a number re-do's that I won't be fully convinced until the fed ex guy comes tommorow and I don't have them here to look through and re-check over and over. phew!
Over the time I have been working on it, I have had tons of little things I meant to post- sites I found, links to stuff etc, but they slipped from my brain as fast as they appeared! I am looking forward now to making some stuff for the xmas season and maybe do a couple of shows. But for now I am basking in my yearly realization that it is September and I don't have to go to school!! It never gets old- I am thrilled.
yay!

Things I did this weekend.

♥plucked a few little tomatoes and lined them along the window

♥yummy brunch at Maggies
♥ sat and watched Paul get all his hair cut off and look super cute
♥scored a cozy red blanket at VV
♥felted a pink sweater to craft with later
♥made a skirt out of some old jeans I never wore
♥ read the paper
♥did laundry
♥made a yummy dinner (ate it two nights in a row)
♥got groceries with Paul

♥admired lovely new plate L got me as a housewarming gift

♥slept in a bit
♥english muffin with jam
♥enjoyed having S over for coffee this afternoon ( labour day monday!
♥loving reading "Anybody Out There?" by Marian Keyes with cat on my lap
♥saw "Prairie Home Companion" with Paul and Sam at the Bloor cinema and had a fresh bit of exitement at being in a real old movie theatre now that they are almost all closed.
♥ate buttery popcorn
♥enjoyed biking home in the cool evening streets
♥had a coconut bubble tea without the bubbles
♥worked on some difficult drawings for the book
♥had a hot bath

WIP friday

My desk, a week before the illustrations for this book are due. I am having some trouble with the last couple of complicated drawings so wish me luck!! I am looking into booking a morning at a - wait for it- SPA, the Saturday after the deadline. How posh! I have never ever done that and because Paul is taking a week off to go to the film festival, I deserve a treat too. This here is not my work in progress, but my co-workers and I liked the way these boxes looked on the table. It is piles of negatives in pretty little sleeves inside the nicest archival boxes. Oh order, so pleasing.