Pile of Books

That pretty much describes how things have been the last few days, pile of books in my studio, pile of books in the shop and pile of books still left to make...

Little Buttercup

Taken at the off-leash park. The white bits in his fur are dandelion fluff.

Double Happiness in Canadian House and Home

One of my bird collages appears in this month's Canadian House and Home! The photo above is part of a story on the gorgeous home of Sappho Griffin, co-owner of the great local shop Henhouse where I sell my books and some artworks. She asked me to create a diptych for her bedroom, which was then photographed for the magazine. Thanks Sappho, for this amazing opportunity - it's so exciting to see my work in print!

For more on my bird collages, check out my flickr, and my etsy shop.

An unexpected source of bookbinding supplies...

When gluing up my books, I use a mixture of PVA and methyl cellulose. I usually order my methyl cellulose from Paper Source, but last night I discovered that I'm nearly out, and I went online to try and find a local source. Bookbinding supplies are pretty hard to come by here, and all the references that came up using Google search were for the use of methyl cellulose in drugs. After a tip from a pharmacy student who works in our office, I discovered that you can order methyl cellulose - and other non-pharmaceutical type compounds - direct from your local pharmacy. So, to make a long story short, tomorrow afternoon I will be picking up a 500 gram jar of methyl cellulose powder that was reasonably priced and will last me forever. As a true nerd, I am quite excited by this prospect. (:

And the winner is....

...drumroll please....Heather! Please send your address to trudi(at)doublehappiness.ca and I'll get your print out in the post. And, if the rest of you also want to send me your address, there will be a special runner-up (sur)prize coming your way in the near future.

I have another announcement to make. People who've read my blog for a little while know that I have a full-time day job, but - this week was my last full-time week for the rest of the summer! I'll be working part-time at the office, and part-time at home on double happiness stuff up until September. Woo hoo! I'm really excited about the possibility of working on some artwork, developing some new designs, and also doing some more mundane stuff - like giving the house a good clean and weeding the garden. I've been flat out with my business for the last year, and working all the time has started to take it's toll a little bit. So - I hope that there will also be a few opportunities for lazing in the sun, long lunches and sleep-ins. I also just want to say that I'm very lucky to work in an office where this type of arrangement is possible, so thanks to everyone there for making this happen.

Right now is not a lazy sleep-in day. Working on some custom orders with the sun streaming in through the window - but I see a walk up to the park with a certain little dog in my future.(: Have a great weekend everyone!

Things to do on a sunny day...

...lie in the grass wearing a red bandana.

Celebrating a Century...

...well, almost. In cricket, a century is when the batter gets 100 runs - at least I think this is what I've been told. Anyhow, I've got nearly 100 hearts on Etsy today - 99 to be exact - and I think this is enough cause for celebration! What I'd like to do is give away one of my (unframed) Hummingbird prints. All you have to do to be eligible is comment on this post. Anyone from anywhere who comments before midnight on Friday the 6th will be entered in the draw to win. I'll do the draw on Saturday and announce it on the blog.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who reads and comments on the blog, and anyone who has bought a piece of my work. Thanks for all your support and - good luck!

Small Business Tips from Amy Sedaris & Co.

I found this video on YouTube today. It's an ad for Office 2007, and it's probably been around for ages, but I like it. Been having a few days like this lately - where do I sign up for a team of bunnies to whip my business into shape? Sheesk, I'm trying to run a tight ship around here...

Keeping it fresh...

...or at least trying to. I've updated the sidebar on my blog with a few more of the zillion blogs I read, plus some new things I'm listening to, new shops where you can find my work, etc. I still have to do a few more updates - but I'm getting there. While I was updating, I stumbled across these beautiful Biviel shoes. I really dig them because they are a bit summerish, but could also be worn over coloured tights in the winter for a cool look. Too bad there are none left in my size!

Looking forward to the weekend and watching the mailbox for some exciting packages. More on that later...

Notes from the Studio...

I've spent most of the past couple of weeks at work in my studio. I've got a few orders to fill, and when I get into a "groove" when everything's going well, it's the best place to be. I love to listen to music and podcasts in my studio, and Shona got me into watching silly movies that you don't really have to pay attention to. So, with that in mind, here's what I've been hearing/watching:

-the soundtrack from Juno
-the new Portishead album
-since I've exhausted This American Life, I've been listening to Q - a Canadian pop culture show. I think it's great, and I love the host Jian Ghomeshi.
-I've been listening to an episode of Q featuring Los Campesinos! - I think they're good.

Feeling quite tired, going to have a cup of tea, a bit of fruit crumble and finish watching I'm Not There. Amazing performances, and for the record - I think Cate Blanchett is the best Bob Dylan.

Every girl needs a toolbox...

One of the nicest presents I got for my birthday, which was way back in February, was this toolbox from my Dad and his partner. It's taken ages for me to photograph it because I was waiting to have a clean desk, but have now realized this is never going to happen! Anyhow, this tool box is great because it opens up....

To reveal shallow drawers, like a printer's chest. I stash all my bits and pieces in here to keep them off my desk - which would be 110% messier if I didn't have this!

I think that one of the nicest things about this gift is that it's so thoughtful - something that was picked out especially for me, and I love it! The other thing that is great to me is that I think it means that my Dad really respects the work I do, and sees how important it is to me - and, to sound incredibly corny - that is a wonderful gift too.

Long Weekend

Apologies for the absence from the blog, but it's been a bit busy around here! Thanks to everyone who has placed an order, or enquired about custom work - when the post office opens tomorrow, I'm going to have a quite a few packages to send - so thank you!

But, it hasn't all been work. As my title says, it's the long weekend and we've had some fun too. Yesterday was the only sunny day of the weekend, and we went to a garden centre and bought a million (well, not quite a million, but a lot) of plants for the back garden. I have this vision of a wild, rambling English country garden, combined with a French potager. Right now, it looks a bit sparse, but once the plants fill in, it will be great. I'll get some photos when it stops raining.

We met my brother for a pubby dinner last night - it was great catching up and talking about music and movies. (Note to self - buy new Portishead album). This morning, I made this yummy Apple Puffed Pancake from Wish - kind of like a sweet Yorkshire pudding. Yum. Today, it's back to work - hopefully, a good day where I'll accomplish lots!

Oh, and in the photo above are my new summer shoes. I never thought I'd say that I'm the proud owner of metallic shoes, but I am - so there you go. (:

Japanese Paper Cutting Books

After reading a post on Sugarloop about a Japanese craft book on paper cutting that she had found on Etsy - I did a bit of my own investigation on Amazon Japan and found a treasure trove of paper cutting books (like the one above)! I want to buy them all. When I was in Sydney, I spent the better part of an afternoon at Kinokuniya checking out all the craft books. Few were on paper -lots on origami, but not the kind of paper craft I like. If anyone out there knows of any other wonderful Japanese paper crafting (esp. bookbinding) books, please let me know!

Another Cloudy-Day...

Another opportunity to play with the lightbox. This time, the subjects are my favorite pieces of (not-so) fine china.

Cloudy-Day Photography

I spent the afternoon photographing some books for a client, and some albums for my Etsy shop. Since it was a cloudy-day, I made a lightbox, which I read about on this site. It's basically just a cardboard box, with three sides cut out, you tape tissues over the holes and voila - lovely diffused light. I just used a daylight lamp that I had sitting on my desk as a light source. With all the cloudy, dark, rainy days that we get here in Nova Scotia, I think this little contraption is going to get quite a workout!

Double Happiness in Canadian Living

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that my albums were featured in the "Great Ideas" section of the June 2008 Canadian Living magazine! I'd like to extend a huge thank you to everyone at Canadian Living who put together the piece and made this possible. The photography and words are really lovely - my scan is a very poor facsmilie, you'll just have to go out and get the magazine. (; And, if you've found me via Canadian Living - welcome!

Japanese Papers

I spent this evening working on some books, and then doing some work on my website. Many people have been asking me what paper patterns my books are available in, so I put together a couple of PDFs of the papers I have in stock and uploaded here, and also provided links on my website. It's a little bit cumbersome, but it works until I have time to put up a new page on the site. And, I love seeing them here all together like this - it reminds me how beautiful all these patterns are...swoon. (:

Japanese Papers, Part Deux

More Japanese paper patterns, available on my books....

Short on the legs, long on top...

I think that's the haircut that Milo asked the groomer for. I didn't like it at first, but I'm thinking it looks pretty cute now. He's like a little bobbleheaded dog. (:

Little Blue Bird

I have to start thinking of some better titles for my artwork! This is Little Blue Bird - another chiyogami and cut paper collage, mounted on canvas. I'm really enjoying making these, and although I like the birds, I've got another idea brewing. Hope to bring you more on that soon. (: Anyhow, this little guy is now residing in my Etsy shop, if you'd like to have a look.

East Coast Sessions

I spent the weekend working in my studio and listening to East Coast Sessions on the CBC website. It's a great series, taped here in Halifax with lots of local talent. I'm especially liking the music of Jenn Grant. I saw her open for Feist a few years ago, and I've thought she was just great ever since then. I also read on her website that she paints - I'm not sure if she did her own album artwork, but I think it's lovely.

Attenborough - watch your back!

There is a new naturalist in town..hee, hee. My friend Matt (now known as "Mattenborough") took these amazing shots of birds for me in his garden in the Blue Mountains, outside of Sydney, Australia. He thought I could use them for inspiration, and he was right. I love the vibrant colour of the birds, and the contrast of their green feathers with the orangey-red japanese maple. Also, it looks like the bird is wearing some cute little glasses. I love these shots - thanks Matt!

Monday

What is it about Mondays? Things were just not going right for me in the studio this evening. I get a bit frustrated because my studio time is limited, and that makes things even worse...sigh...time for a gratuitous puppy photo, a cup of tea and a bit of chocolate. Goodnight!

Paper Shirts

Walking past the public library I saw a cool art project - paper shirts swaying in the breeze, along with a book full of secrets for everyone to write in. An anonymous way to "air your dirty laundry."

More Random Things...

I want to travel to Iceland since discovering the kooky and hilarious Iceland Socks website. A country that could come up with this fun little site is my kind of place!

I have been selling a few more things on Etsy - which is fantastic - but it also means that I've been dealing with Canada Post a bit more. I have to say - the costs of shipping things are just crazy! I sent a package via international mail today, and when I enquired how much it might cost to ship the same package to Vancouver - the cost was double! I don't understand how it can cost more to ship within my own country than it does to ship overseas. I hate to do this - but I will have to look at changing all my shipping costs on Etsy. Blah.

I've been enjoying reading the blog wikstenmade. It's author, Jenny Gordy, makes beautiful clothes and has a personal style that I find really inspiring. I really have to update my sidebar to include the great things I've been reading, coveting, watching and listening to - but my computer is about to run out of battery power, so I'll be off!

Best Purchase Evah!

I recently bought this McGill three hole paper drill - I have to say, it was the best $60 that I ever spent! This drill powers through up to 250 sheets of paper effortlessly. I recently had to make a stack of post bound albums, and this little beauty made them in half the time it would have normally taken using my old manual punch. I would recommend it to anyone who needs to punch holes in a lot of paper. It changed my life!

All about me....

I had a really busy week - I was working on a project that needed to be completed quickly, but was quite involved. It's all done, which is a great relief, and it worked out and was well recieved, which is an even bigger relief! But, this weekend finds me tired, headachy, and just worn out. So, I'm taking a break from work - it's all about me! This is what I've been up to -

-visiting my mom and nana. Just some nice relaxing family time. Milo loves it there too - especially when he gets fed pieces of molasses cookie with butter.

-shopping - got some fun things in the very tail end of the winter sales. It's still chilly here, so I'll get to wear them a bit more before spring. I can't find photos online, and I can't rouse myself to take any, but I got two cute high waisted skirts and a velvet jacket from Kensie, an amazing pair of black wide leg pants (I feel like Katherine Hepburn!), some linen-y type wide leg pants, high-waisted wide leg dark denim jeans, a coral coloured balloon sleeve cardi...now that I write it all down, it seems like heaps, but it was all on sale, and I was in a real clothing rut. I also notice that a pattern is emerging with the high waisted stuff - I have to say that I really like it, and find it a bit more flattering for me. I feel like scooping up everything high waisted I can find before this trend is over! A side note - the jeans are from Suzy Shier - a bit like the photo above. I like some of the denim stuff they have, and it's so cheap!

-a new hair cut and colour. I love the cut - my stylist is the greatest - but the colour is taking some getting used to. I did it at home, and the shade was called "Espresso Bean" - on the packet, it looked dark brown. It is black. Not a super dark black, but black all the same. I'm usually a medium-darkish brown, so this is taking some getting used to. A couple of people have said they like it - I'll keep it for a bit. Maybe I'll grow to like it.

-I want to buy a few books - Bazaar Style, The Boss of You, and Why does my dog act that way? (that little dog is an enigma wrapped in a riddle, let me tell you).

-We're having salmon for dinner. It's a little recipe that I kind of made up. The salmon is marinated in soy, honey and mustard, and I serve it with brown rice and savoy cabbage that's dressed in rice wine vinegar, sugar, lemon and a bit of mayo. I find it quite yummy (and hopefully) rejuvenating.

It's me, on Apartment Therapy!

Apartment Therapy L.A. featured my studio yesterday! And, they also made some lovely comments about my work, especially my bird collages. So - thanks to Grace and the crew at Apartment Therapy L.A.

There's one thing I have to say - the blogging community is really amazing. I just think it's so great that I'm in a small city on the east coast of Canada that is not often recognized (even in our own country) for it's rich arts and crafts community, it's culture, or it's sense of style - and people all over the world are looking at my studio and work. I have lived in big cities and travelled around the world, but this is the place that I came back to, and that I'm proud to call home. Yay - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia!

Things....

It's been a while since I last posted, but not really for lack of news. I've had a busy time, with family get togethers, a lovely greek meal with friends, a girly craft night, some shopping, a trip to the vet, and of course, working on my books and artworks. Above is some experimentation I did a while ago when I was coming up with my collages. I knew that I wanted to use Japanese paper, but wasn't sure how to define shapes without the pattern overwhelming them. Although I don't think this is entirely successful, there is something I like about it.

What else can I tell you? Martin has become the manager of my etsy shop. No one told me that selling on etsy was such an art form! I just popped my stuff in there and hoped for the best. It's a bit difficult getting noticed in such a big group of beautiful work - so Martin has been listing and re-listing my items - and it's worked! Some of my bird prints and cards are winging their way to new homes right now, and - I just think that's lovely.

Oh - and Jeu de Paumes books are now available from Yvestown. I bought one from Kinokuniya when I was in Australia, and I just love it. I think I might have to get another one - maybe Paris Brocante or Stockholm's Ateliers. I just love books about studios and shops. That reminds me, the magazine Paper, Scissors, Cloth has just put out a studio issue. There are some amazing spaces and organizational ideas in there.

So, that's what I've been up to. How about you?

Crepe Paper Birds and Flowers

My love of all things paper has been well documented here, but I must say, I have a special place in my heart for paper flowers. I love making little crepe paper cherry blossoms, and sticking them on branches with little fake birds, as you can see. So, I was really thrilled to see this month's Martha Stewart living - photo above - in which she gives instructions for making crepe paper birds. Looking forward to trying my hand at a flock of these!

Gotta lotta birds....

I've spent the last little bit updating my etsy shop with the "Little Bird" collage, as well as my bird prints and some new images of my bird cards. I took lots of new photos over the weekend in an attempt to jazz up my shop a bit. They are an improvement, but I can't say I'm totally thrilled with the results. It's really difficult to get good light here in the winter - maybe when it brightens up a bit, I'll get some better shots.

I have to say, that taking photos of my work is something that I struggle with. I'm hoping it gets better with practice - but I just can't seem to get exactly what I want. I'm no whiz at Photoshop either, so that can get frustrating too. That being said, I had lots of fun using props. Just things I have around the house - but I really think it helps people imagine how things might look in their home. My favorite "prop shot" is totally random - I placed the collage on the shelf with my teacup collection, and I really like the way it looks. Hmm...cuppa tea...sounds like a good idea right now!

By the way - isn't that the most corny title ever!

Little Bird

Over the weekend, I spent some time working on a bird collage. I wanted to try something a bit smaller - this canvas measures 4 x 5. I think he looks quite pleased with himself - checking out the buds on the tree and waiting for summer to come...like me.

Sydney Link-a-palooza

As I've said before, Sydney was so inspiring art/craft wise that I could talk about it forever. But, it's time to move on from my trip (sigh) and return to real life - so, although each of the shops/artists/designers/crafters below really warrant a post of their own, I'll just provide a link so that you can be inspired too...and, possibly spend way too much money at a few great indie shops!

Miljo (pictured above) - a Swedish design shop, but nothing like Ikea. Beautiful wallpapers, sandals and brushes were among their wares. I especially loved the mobile/installation in the middle of the shop made of paper and twigs.
Materialistic - saw this lovely stall at Paddington markets. Gorgeous hand printed fabrics.
Kjash - beautiful vintage inspired jewellery, also found at Paddington.
Feed the Dog - hand printed, hand crafted pillows and wall hangings. Another Paddington favorite. I really loved this work, and I'm kicking myself for not buying something, but there is always the etsy shop.
Kate Raffin Handbound Books - Everything about these books is hand made - the covers are even hand painted with Kate's own designs. They are really vibrant and funky! Umm, if you go to Sydney, I think you have to go to Paddington Markets because I discovered these there as well.
Bholu - Hand embroidered fabric journals, pillows and other fabric goods. A fair trade company with products designed in Australia, and produced by artisans in India.
david met nicole - a great home store with lots of vintage products. This shop was located in Surry Hills which is another great indie shopping mecca.

This is but a short list of all the great places in Sydney, but it should keep you clicking for a while! I hope to post tomorrow with some things I've been working on.

Winter Vacation Part Deux - The Beach

One of the nicest things we did on our holiday was rent a cottage in Hyams Beach for two days. It's a small village about two hours south of Sydney - I guess you can't even really call it a village - there is just one cafe/general store (which was very trendy - with amazing coffee!). Above are some old cottages on the main street of Hyams beach.
The cottage we rented was more modern, set back amongst the trees. It was very relaxing - lots of eating, drinking and flipping through the piles of Australian home decorating magazines a friend had lent me. We spent a bit of time at Iluka beach - it's a beautiful beach in a national park.
A huge expanse of white sand. And, for most of the time we were the only people there. Looking at these photos makes me wish I was back....

If you'd like to see more of my holiday photos, check out my flickr.

Paper Couture

There were so many inspiring paper related destinations that I wanted to visit in Sydney, and the main one was Paper Couture. I had heard great things about the work of the owner Jo Neville, and although the shop does not have a web presence, I had seen a photos here and there that I found inspirational and intriguing. I have to say, my visit to Paper Couture did not disappoint! Both the work and the shop were amazing.The shop has the most exquisite paper goods - from cards, to tags, to invites - so simple and so beautiful. Jo Neville incorporates lots of sewing into her designs - as in this beautiful paper chandelier... All the prints are also designed by Jo. I love the colours she used, and the gradiations of colour, and how it all looks against the gorgeously understated colour on the walls.

If you are in Sydney, I would recommend a visit to Paper Couture. I also visited lots of other lovely paper shops in Sydney, and for this I have to thank Jesse of Follow Studio. She kindly provided me with a list of great paper shops, and her blog has many inspiring images from Australian shops, cafes and designers - a must read!

Paper Couture is on 284 South Dowling Street in Paddington.

What I did on my winter vacation - part one

We spent one of our first days in Sydney at Circular Quay - site of the iconic Opera House. There are lots of other things to see there - for us there was the Museum of Contemporary Art, where we took in two amazing exhibitions by Tim Hawkinson and Shazia Sikander. While very different - Tim Hawkinson does some amazing constructions and Sikander has these intricately detailed Islamic minatures - I loved both exhibits for the way that they combined art and craft. After looking at the exhibits, we had a coffee and I bought a Camilla Engman teatowel in the museum shop. Then, we wandered around a bit and ended up at the Opera Bar having beer and sweet potato chips. Martin took one of his famous "self portrait with long arm shots" which only served to confirm that we are the palest people on the planet, well in Australia anyhow.

Nancybird

I am slowly getting over my jetlag and poring over photos and memories of our trip to Sydney. Our main reason for going was to visit family and friends - my husband is an Australian, and I lived in Sydney with him for eight years. It was fantastic seeing everyone again after four years, and we had many great times together. As an added bonus, I got to explore Sydney again, and see lots of amazing Australian art, design and craft. The nancybird wallet you see above combines both time with our family and Australian design. I admired it while on a shopping trip with my sister-in-law, and then the family bought it for me as a combined Christmas/birthday present. I love the wallet - all the fabrics are hand-printed, and it's got birds embroidered on it - what's not to like? And, everytime I use it I'll be reminded of everyone back in Sydney. So, thanks to everyone for the lovely gift, and the lovely time.

More posts on Sydney to come soon, right now it's time to go and blob with "The Darjeeling Limited." In the meantime, if you want more info on Australian design, check out the Design*Sponge guest blog by Real Living's Natalie Walton - also author of the inspiring blog daily imprint. It's been great to read more about a lot of the amazing designers I saw in Australia in Natalie's guest blog posts, and I can see daily imprint becoming a daily read.

Back

We arrived back from our trip to Sydney on Sunday night - two days later than planned due to airline delays. We had a great trip, and some wonderful visits with family and friends. And, from a craft/design perspective, Sydney (and Australia in general) is an amazing place. I'm a bit overwhelmed about how to blog about it all - and also a bit overwhelmed by jetlag - so I'll leave you for now with this view from under the Harbour Bridge.

Closing up shop

Things are beginning to wind down for me business wise prior to my holidays. I finished up some books over the weekend, and delivered my final pre-trip order today (thanks Henhouse!). I have put a notice on my website and etsy shop letting people know that I will be away. I'm looking forward to my trip, but I'm also looking forward to coming back and really getting stuck into the business of crafting - new products, maybe an etsy shop/website revamp using the great tips in this article by Suzy Jack - and especially more papercuts, I've been itching to do a few more of those.

But for now, it's so long! I will try to post from Sydney occasionally, but I'm planning to devote a lot of time to socializing, shopping, eating and drinking - so I'm not making any promises....

Sydney surfing...

I've spent part of this afternoon (quite unproductively) surfing the internet and planning my Sydney trip. I found some really cool links and sites - this one called Superfuture has reviews of lots of cool shops and cafes in Sydney, and other cities around the world. The reviews are submitted by readers, so they're totally honest and real. Another cool link I found was on the H&M website - they do all these cool city tours, and Sydney was one of them. Watching two ultra-trendy Sydney-siders strolling around the shops, cafes and clubs on Bondi Beach (above) makes me really look forward to my visit. On the artsy/craftsy side of things, there is also a one-day workshop on making resin jewellery that I'm interested in signing up for. I'm a huge fan of Dinosaur Designs, and would love to learn how to make my own pieces.

Well, between surfing the web, having tea and chocolate cake, surfing the web some more and a lovely phone chat with a friend - the afternoon now seems to be gone. And, maybe it wasn't so unproductive after all!

Now - it's time to get ready to go out to Morris East for dinner. Yum!

Don't let de boo hag ride ya...

I got a wonderful surprise yesterday - a parcel from the lovely Shona containing the planter you see above, as well as a card with one of her prints. The print is called "Don't let de boo hag ride ya" and I think it's really fitting. I have had the boo hag on my back the last little bit, sucking out all my positive energy and replacing it with negativity. Getting the card and parcel reminded me that I need to be more positive - the world isn't conspiring against me, I'm the one making myself miserable.

So, with my new mindset - rid of the boo hag - I went out shopping for the dinner party we had last night and bought some flowers to put in my beautiful new planter. The night was a great success - we enjoyed our friends and a few bottles of wine - as you can see in the "aftermath" photo. Thank you Shona - I love your gift and it came along at just the right time. ( :