good-ness

 

recently i spent a week out east. across the lake from toronto. in the niagara peninsula.

 

my family went back. to where we grew up. and we stayed with good friends on their acreage. and we spent lots of time together with my relatives. and especially my grandmother. we spent time mourning the death of my grandfather. and celebrating his life.

 
 
it was a trip full of mixed emotions. one that i never wanted to take. but glad i'm did. my grandfather was constant in my life. and i've only known life with him in it. i have always loved my grandfather. especially his tenderness and generosity. and after seeing all the lives he impacted and hearing their stories. i think i love him even more.

i love sewing for a purpose. for others. it motivates me. and it makes me happy.

 

my little friend turned two this week. and she loves potato heads. so i got her a new one and thought she could use a little bag to put the little pieces in. so i made one this morning before her party. fast. simple.

 and the mermaids add to the cuteness. in my opinion. 
 

random 13.

 

1. photo booths are fun. especially with nieces who have no idea what's going on.

2. every day. i miss h-kun. it's been almost six months. crazy. he should get his visa this month. whoohoo. but i don't think he will be moving her until january. boo hoo.

3. i want a prefab modern home. just a simple one. like this one. on a few acres with trees. or maybe with a great view. or both. dwell definitely helped me get hooked on these. and i am okay with that.

4. i saw paper hearts. a quirky movie. a great movie. so different than the norm.

5. i booked a ticket to japan. for christmas and new year's. for three and a half weeks. and i am a tad excited. thank you, air miles.

as soon as i saw that she was selling patterns for her amazing poppy doll. i had to jump on board. and give it a go. i had never made a doll before. luckily our friends in japan had a baby girl. sumire. and that was all the motivation i needed.

 

or so i thought. fiona did such a great job of writing instructions. and drawing diagrams. and pattern pieces. but she forgot to mention that she is the queen of patience. it took me quite a few weeks to finish the doll.

but i'm happy i did. and next time i think i will blow up the pattern pieces. and make her twice as big. which seems much easier than me trying to gain more patience.

go and buy the pattern now .and make your own. i dare you.
 
 

it's thanksgiving day here in canada. and i have been doing some thinking. about things i am thankful for. 

uninterrupted time spent with friends. and family. that my life will always be enriched by two cultures.my relationship with this cute fella even though we are still miles apart. adventurous spirits. freedom. people who invest time into others. the here and now. and the exciting future ahead. and fabric designers. of course.

i like the list h-kun just sent me. of some things he is thankful for: beautiful days recently. we are healthy. i can go surfing when i want to. i can go to canada soon. and i have a beautiful wife. 

i wonder what you're most thankful for. right now.

so. during the last of september. i turned 33.

 

last year's list was a bit of a bust. i was only able to check off thirteen and a half things. so i thought i would give it another shot. here are thirty-three things i'd like to try to do before the big 34 arrives next september:

1. paint with my sister and sister-in-law
2. meet a new blog friend
3. visit a photo booth with h-kun
4. go back to japan for a visit
5. read my great-grandpa's autobiography
6. write a haiku
7. learn to write my husband's family kanji
8. spend some time on vancouver island
9. make a blurb book
10. teach a friend to sew
11. grow my nails
12. have a sushi party
13. sew a wallet
14. do a hike or two in the nearby rocky mountains
15. re-open my etsy shop
16. take h-kun to a live hockey game
17. get a tattoo
18. learn a few new big words
19. make a king size quilt
20. go to a live concert
21. take photos of my family
22. learn a new craft
23. pay off the rest of my student loans
24. ride on a ferris wheel
25. make something using piping
26. go to italy with our good friends
27. sew a blouse
28. grow some herbs
29. make a hand woven rug
30. make granola
31. do a business plan for a creative endeavour
32. study japanese regularly
33. go to more indie films
 

my mom threw an early b-day party for me. and i got the best present ever. seriously. my four and a half month old niece did a painting for me. and i love the colours. burgundy. teal. and a touch of gold. i know what you're thinking. she's too young to paint. well, her mother, who is my sister, is ingenious. and super artistic. and i think you need to follow her lead.

she covered her kitchen table with garbage bags. placed some art paper on it with some dollops of paint. then she put some painting attire on baby joelle. wrapped her little hands in saran wrap and put some elastics around her wrists. brilliant. that is when the smearing began. yes, she tried to get her hands close to her mouth. but my sister was on the ball. the preventitive one. julie then put another piece of art paper on top joelle's painting and pressed it. peeled it apart. and voila. my birthday painting. that i need to get framed. asap. did i mention that my niece is only 4 1/2 months old? oh, i am in love. with the painting. and my niece!

 

my team leader at work asked our team members to make a vision board. for what we want our life to look like by the end of the 2020. though h-kun and i have talked about different aspects of the big picture. many times before. it is good to have them all in one place now. as a constant reminder of what we are striving for.

 

so. this is what we want our life to look like eleven years from now:
* having a family. with some kids. and possibly unschooling them.
* living in british columbia. near the ocean. or on a lake. in a ranch style home.
* owning a condo in hawaii. for holidays. and lots of surfing for h-kun.
* spending a couple of months a year in japan.
* traveling nationally. and internationally. sometimes by bicycle.
* partnering and helping lead our team at work.
* owning a small business. focused on creativity.
* doing photo sessions for my friends. and family. 
* h-kun building furniture. and selling it.
* h-kun running a guest lodge. for japanese folks. focused on being active.
* investing in our community of friends. and family.
* blessing others. abundantly.
* living our best life. authentically.

i  am looking forward to doing a new vision board every year. and watching how our goals change. or don't change. this journey is going to be a good one. for sure.

i'm curious. what is something you want to happen in your life by 2020?

the sun finally came out. so my sister and her little one and i went for a walk downtown.

to the uppercase gallery. a place i need to go to more often. it's just lovely.

 

i picked up the second issue of the uppercase magazine. i've got a subscription to it and am super happy about this. janine has done another superb job. and the contributors are just wonderful. i am in love with it. in love.

while there i picked up these huge rubberbands. my gosh. with the best designs. 

 

i think i have my sewing mojo back. finally. finally. finally. i sewed up this bag last night. i was needing something new. something with a bit of colour. something with a great print. i am so happy there is an ikea in my city. one of the only places to get beautifully designed fabric. oh, another reason to miss japan.

i need to build up a bit of creative momentum. i've been designing and sewing bags for years. so after last night's success. i came up with a little august bag project. starting saturday. if all goes well.