focus on life–week 39–your best shot

Geez Sally, no pressure!  This week we are challenged to get snap happy and come up with a best shot.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted to take a bunch of pictures of, but all week I knew what I should take a bunch of.

So this morning I sat down in my studio, with the camera, tripod, and remote. (also with pimples, grey roots and I could keep going but I’m gonna keep just sucking it up).  I really wanted to have a picture of myself “at work” for my A Polymer Penchant etsy shop about page.  I’ve noticed how much I like seeing that little picture when I am browsing.

I took 192 photos.  The last little bunch actually had some shots I really liked but in adjusting the height of the camera I ended up with it refocusing on the foreground so the ones I like best were all too blurry to call soft focus.



Here is the “are you kidding me?” shot, half way getting up from my chair is in focus, not the 30 shots I just took sitting in it.  Damn.

I think I’ve decided I like this one best, it looks the friendliest to me



Or maybe this one that has the best light of the bunch and is a little bit odd, candid.



Or this one that I sort of like because it’s the wider shot so you can see more of the junk  supplies, nah, junk of the space.  Although I look a little irked perhaps.



And last of the final four, it’s not that different from the first one.  Except it is kind of overwhelming with STUFF. I should perhaps crop this one closer.



After almost no pictures of me on the blog, it feels weird to put up a whole bunch, but really I do think it is so nice to get to see everyone’s face online.  So one of these will have to be it, will have to be my best, flaws and all.  I’d love to have you weigh in!

More best shots at the Studio Sublime



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focus on life–week 38–a quiet moment

Earlier this week I looked up to a shocking scene.



Franklin and Roxy have each had their turn on focus on life posts before, but this deserved another go.  I don’t think I have ever seen them share a chair.  [Pardon the mess of the other chair, in the frame, it’s time for it to go so naturally it’s in the middle of the room].  Closer inspection revealed they managed to not actually touch.  The arrival of kitty number three has the normally quiet natured Roxy on edge.  Poor twelve pound girl is scared silly of the bouncy little boy who is a quarter her size.  That blue mat on the chair gets a spray of a calming pheromone spray, which seems to be helping. 

Good grief right? I know, I know, it’s all sounding very dull crazy cat lady.  But in a quiet moment a cat will always come find me for a snuggle and a lap full of happy purring cat is a beautifully relaxing thing.  They are worth their diva-ness.

Head on over to Sally’s the Studio Sublime to check out what everyone is up to.

focus on life–week 37–in motion

Hmm, having my last post late had me almost miss this one entirely! Back on track next week.

This week Sally Russick of the Studio Sublime suggested we “stretch those creative muscles and capture things in motion.”  I grabbed my iPhone and used one of the camera apps to try and shoot a slow shutter (same one we used way back) with my left hand while painting with my right.  I’m not very good at that.



I suppose this shot works as a sneak peek too since I may actually produce something for the ABS monthly challenge.  I have just a small selection of the Swellegant line that I have been meaning to try again.  My first experiment I was less than thrilled with, so I am hoping that this one turns out better.  This time I did actually read the instructions.

Lets have a spin around the group shall we?


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Almonte is flirting with me

 I had hoped to complete a piece of jewelry inspired by Ottawa to share for the Challenge of Travel, and I shared my lame excuses here.  That idea is still a good one and I think I will reboot and refresh it in time for Winterlude – which is usually in February but I swear it’s related, this is not just procrastination.

I wrote a bit about Almonte just the other day, as I was drawn to see all the goodies at Fibrefest.  I was actually in Almonte a few weeks ago with my parents and Averleigh to see a new shop Hello Yellow.  I had been planning a trip to check it out and get mum a birthday present.  I could just imagine giving it to her and explaining where I had found wonderful thing x only for her to say, “hey I wanted to go too”. So instead we made a day of it.

Here is where I show you a picture of the very thing we found.  Oops.

Here instead is a picture I stole for owner Emily’s blog where you can just make out another similar gorgeous glass pear shaped terrarium up on the shelf right where the eaves trough would go on that second home shaped shelf (the one in the background).  Ok you can barely make it out, but see all the other cool stuff, just trust me – it’s awesome.



I was also going to stop in at the Tin Barn Market but as luck would have it we were there on a Monday when they are closed.  I took a card and knew it wouldn’t be long before I was back.

After my purse was full of fresh old buttons from Fibrefest, and short on funds, I got in the car and thought hey – Tin Barn Market time! Pop that address into google maps and decided I could certainly get back out and walk the 400m.  Ah yes small town.  I spotted something I loved within 3 feet of the door.  The price was fair and it was a bit on the big side so I left it right where it stood as I explored the rest of the store.  All manner of excellent things but my money was already spoken for so I walked back to the front and just then a pair of women came in and I made space for them to enter.  They immediately spotted this same loveliness.  I stood quietly, waiting, surely they will just look a little and move on – there’s lots more to see! Nope they picked it up walked to the cash, bought it, then straight back out the door! Ah man.

Oh Almonte you tease!

I rationalized I had already spent enough on the day, and those vultures savvy shoppers must have already seen it as they didn’t look at another thing.  Who me bitter?

Today brought some great news! I have been accepted to the Handmade Harvest Holiday show, November 3rd.  I see you Almonte trying to redeem yourself.  This is a two day show with different vendors each day.  I will be there will my goodies on the Sunday.  That leaves me the Saturday to go check out all the other handmade goodness, or perhaps while the others are distracted, slip back into the Tin Barn Market.  Either way, I hope Almonte will show me some love!



Perhaps this little video will give you a taste of the show

focus on life–week 36–in two

Let’s pretend for a moment it’s Saturday and I’m sharing with you this week’s focus on life m’ok?  Sally Russick of the Studio Sublime prompted us to look for things in pairs, as they are everywhere in our lives. 

I instantly knew what picture I wanted to share and I walked past the scene going in and out of the house all week long thinking: “hmm, I should tidy a bit before taking the picture…” That never came to be.

A couple of years ago I bought an ikea cd tower, used, for next to nothing and installed it my tiny foyer to hold all of Averleigh’s shoes (and hats and mittens and so on).  I love that there are spots that she can reach and spots she can’t.  It has been a perfect solution for us to the assortment of little things by the door.  I think I can probably eek out another year or so of the footwear fitting in the little shelves. On the side there are two pink puppy dog tail hooks for her to hang her jacket and hat.  Pairs of shoes, a pair of hooks, yup right on theme.

Although the real theme of the week is that I seem to be perpetually in two minds about so many things.  I like to think I enjoy doing lots of research and weighing all options to make informed decisions.  At times though it seems that I get stuck in that indecision without even realizing it is indecision.  Then there are all the times of being in two minds about what I am doing and what I should be doing.  That’s been part of the quiet around here.

Sunday I decided to head out to Almonte, a small town about an hour away to see the sights at Fibrefest.  I hadn’t planned on going but a Saturday night chat with my mum about the day she and dad had spent there, well, I couldn’t miss out.  With a head cold starting up, I grabbed a coffee and hit the road – all by myself ! – to explore.

A whole arena of all things fibre and buttons, buttons – buttons! This collage is just one of several booths of button sellers.  It must have been a full hour that I spent combing over all these gorgeous buttons.  At one point a card I had sitting up to take a few buttons from was nabbed by another shopper, lets say about 50 years my senior, I didn’t kick up a fuss.  When the card came back my way, sure enough the only three removed from it were the ones I was after.  I decided she had great taste, and at that moment started pulling them off and keeping track of the price with my phone so I wouldn’t miss out again. 

I walked away with a great many and my favourite, the most expensive button I have ever bought, was indeed made in two pieces, how fitting.

I wonder what other twos are cropping up

It seems blogger is not cooperating today, maybe the links will come up later...

Second Annual Challenge of Travel–Staycation edition

Hello folks!  I’ve been so looking forward to creating something oh so very Ottawa for this wonderful challenge put on by Erin Prais-Hintz.  I found some great inspiration and my execution fell so short of what I had in mind I just can’t show you yet.

I’d start by telling you all about Ottawa.  I was born here, and I’ve never left.  I just moved from little bit further east when it was my own home we settled into.  I’m not done with this idea though, I am going to save all the details for when I post a completed piece I can be proud of.

Would you like a little tease?





So for the moment, I will be off to enjoy everyone else’s staycation views and inspiration while I figure out how to stop forcing it and let something good come about.


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