A field of paper poppies

I have an image in my head - the local soccer field covered in red paper poppies - made and planted by students in our community.

I approached my son's school, and the paper poppies were quickly accepted

I made a poppy, then a template, and finally an instruction sheet for the teachers:

Materials:

• Two red construction paper squares about 10cm x 10cm with petal pattern
• One black construction paper square 2.5cm x 2.5cm
• scissors
• glue
• tape
• skewer

Step 1: Cut out the petal pattern. One stays in a full piece, one is cut into four petals

Step 2: Take the attached petals. Make three accordion folds in one direction, three in the opposite direction

Step 3: Fold each petal with three accordion folds

Step 4: Glue individual petals to the solid petal, staggering them (not lined up)

Step 5: cut out a circle from the black paper & glue black circle to center of poppy

Step 7: Tape wooden skewer to back of poppy.

If you decide to forgo the accordion fold, you will still have a nice flower:

Bonus: Have students write a fallen Canadian soldier's name on the back of the poppy. Canada At War records the names of 63,322 Canadian soldiers who died in World War I, alone. In order to plant enough poppies to honor every soldier, in a school with 300 students, each child would need to make 211 poppies. 

Stools and Kitchen Chairs - Not Matchy Matchy

A friend of mine is in the market for new furniture after a whole house reno. First on the shopping list are three kitchen counter stools for the island and six chairs to use with her Crate and Barrel Avalon 45" White Table. 

Picking chairs and stools that work together in the same room feels impossible!!! Before we started online shopping, we went looking for inspiration from pinterest and the experts - blogs! I found slightly outdated counter stool round ups on pinterest, and Emily Henderson has a great piece on what chairs for what table. Except, when the kitchen table is right next to the island, what do you do? Most kitchen photos from magazines show off the table grouping or the island - so I didn't find much help there. It felt like over and over again we would find the perfect chair and then get stumped by the stool. The stool is definitely the more difficult item. I mean I was this close (*holds thumb and figure about an inch apart up to the screen*) to going matchy matchy. But I knew we could do better than that!

Here are some of the combos we came up with:

1. Silas - CB2
2. Soots - Mobilia
3. Riviera Backless - Serena & Lily
4. Lyla - EQ3
5. Germain - CB2
6. Vienna - Crate and Barrel
7. Twist - Urban Mode
8. Metal and Rattan - Williams Sonoma
9. Skol - Allmodern
10. Lace - Allmodern
11. Zariyah - Wayfair
12. Woven - Allmodern

We ended up picking chairs and stools that in no way relate to each other. The stools relate to the kitchen (more specifically the lights and drawer pulls), and the chairs are awesome on their own.  The Spenser Stool and the Lovell Chair, are both from Anthropologie (also pictured, Flint by CB2)

Thanks!
-S
(For C and Nat!)

ps. This is how you do it! Prospect Heights Kitchen by Interior Designer Louisa G. Roeder

Inspired by Grethe Wittrock

Today, my new friend Mirena and I created a backdrop for the Artbarn Raising Artists fundraiser. We used a 9'x12' drop cloth from Home Depot, acrylic paint and miscellaneous round things to stamp out this circular pattern. 

It took us all day to plan and create. We started to rush near the end since we had to pick up kids from school.

I found the inspiration for the circle via Pinterest - the work of Danish artist Grethe Wittrock.  Wittrock uses sails as canvas that she treats with print, perforations and dye.

The next step is installing grommets. Then installing the wire it will hang from at the art studio. 

(That line down the middle? The drop sheet had a seam)

Artbarn School

Shogo Okada - sold!!

Silkscreen, 21 3/4" x 16 3/4", "Lovely Day"

Ian Mackay 

Oil on Canvas, 12"x10", "Coterie I", 2017

Marina Nazarova 

Oil painting on ceramic tile, 6"x6"

Mirena Lopez Corvetto 

Oil on Canvas, 16"x20", "Home"

Sean Galbraith 

Fine Art Photography, 24"x48", framed (without glass) "Farwell-Lightwell, Detroit"

Did I pull you in with new photos of art? I really love all these works and want to own every one!

A few months ago, I joined the board of the Artbarn school. It is a small not-for-profit art school in midtown Toronto (where I've taken a bunch of drawing classes - and I am taking a print class next!). We are having a fundraiser on February 9th called 'Raising Artists' and I wanted to get the word out.

The event is a night for anyone who likes art! We are holding a live auction of a large Ken Kirkby Inukshuk painting. We will be having an art challenge with three painters: Sandra Iafrate, Catherine Shea and Jim Thierry Bravo. You have a chance to win one of their paintings for $5! Plus the evening will mark the end of the online auction (open now!) and winners will take home their new art (or if not in attendance, make arrangements to come in and pick it up)

All of the artwork above are all listed in our auction. Sean Galbraith is the photographer of the large photo in our basement. I have wanted one of Ian Mackay's block paintings since the boys were in a double stroller.* I found Marina Nazarova on etsy and then saw her amazing oil paintings! I was recently introduced to Shogo Okada's artwork and bought two of his prints before Christmas. I met Mirena at the Artbarn - she is also on the fundraising committee. I probably shouldn't highlight her painting because I really really really want to 'buy it now!'

Thank you for giving me a few minutes to plug the Artbarn! If you place a bid, win, or stop by, please let me know!


*My boys are huge now, btw! Ian used to live in my neighborhood, and we were pleasantly surprised to find his booth at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. That was years ago, when I had both boys with me! Oh and Margot Austin has blogged about Ian Mackay, too!

CLICK HERE FOR ARTBARN RAISING ARTISTS 2017 ONLINE AUCTION

Update: Shogo Okada's work sold during the first few hours! He will be showing works at the Artist Project in February, and a solo show at Will Kucey Gallery in March!

Update: We have an event website with some interesting tidbits about the artists and art in our auction!

A place for homework

It's been a while since I rearranged furniture! Today, I moved the Expedit shelves and black dresser to make room for a desk for the boys. Now I have to find a desk that works. I temporarily used the two long sides of a bookshelf on top of two Lack side tables. I like it but it's too low. I might keep the planks and find a couple of filing cabinets to go underneath.  I have a yellow and a white stokke chair to put with it.

ps yes I walked into those floating paper-mache balloons at least 1,000 times

Drawing a day

I've started a new hobby - a drawing a day. I would like to draw photo realistically, even though I lack patience and can't blend. I've got a long way to go.

Here are a few pages in my sketchbook so far. My first attempt at a light bulb was drawn from life and it is too heavy handed. For the second bulb (final photo), I followed along with a drawing video on Youtube.

I am not sure what else to say because I have a small and extra small person standing on each side of me, begging to play on the computer. I leave the pictures with you - enjoy.   

Messes

If you dropped by unexpected for coffee (no one ever does), this is what you would find: minions, hot wheels, discarded socks, books, ABCs, blue couch. Plus a mountain of clean tupperware that refuses to dry itself.

What will you do with all your free time?

This year, the kids are both at school full time, and I'm figuring out the new routine.

Everyday after I drop them off, I come upstairs to the office, and take care of my "administrative duties": fill out school forms, research products (my miele hermes vacuum bag coughed up debris again, killing the motor, I want to know why this keeps happening), shop online for the perfect Halloween costumes (race car driver and minion), print out recipes (focus on anti-inflammatory foods), book appointments with contractors and doctors, look at hundreds of bathrooms on pinterest, and update our calendar with book fairs, art shows, class schedules, and pizza lunches.

For the rest of the day, I might read, workout, walk somewhere, buy groceries, comb my hair, open all of the windows and close them again, sniff things to find out where that smell is coming from and blast the stink with vinegar or baking soda, collect half empty cups (mostly mine) and do dishes, change garbage bags, fold laundry, windex fingerprints, water plants, mow the ratty clover, put away toys, wash floors, cook, meet a friend or thrift for books.

I would like to do more than play secretary, keep house and feed my family. I want to use some of my energy beyond our circle of four people. Things will hold together, even if I spend time at class, lectures, volunteering or free events.

I've booked a continuing education class at University of Toronto and enrolled in a follow up drawing class (which starts today!). I've considered applying for a degree program, and decided that the time, stress, and scheduling conflicts are not worth a second diploma. If I already knew what second career to pursue, I would use school as a stepping stone. Self study for now - I think I can guide my learning better than an institution!

I'm looking for opportunities to volunteer in Toronto. I've searched the listings on volunteertoronto.ca but haven't connected with anything. I don't have a sense for how the volunteer market works (common positions, where people are most needed) or where I fit in. Selfishly, my goal is to enjoy the time I spend helping out. I'm interested in environmental causes - perhaps cleaning up or planting. Two organizations that caught my eye are clearcause.ca and evergreen.ca. I would volunteer to rake leaves (shovel sidewalks) for seniors, if such a cause existed. I put my name forward to help at my children's school.

So that's what I'm doing, what I want to be doing, and what I am doing about it.  From the moment I told my former employer I was stepping out of the workforce, I've expected this day, but never made a plan. Now a month in, I'm still grasping for the right answer. I want to establish a routine now that lasts until the children take their independence, then I can dive deeper into whatever not-for-profit cause, hobby, or learning path.