departure

tiger makes three, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

After what seems like a whirlwind of a summer already, the Wee Guy and I are finally in Scotland on holiday. So far we've been to day camp, been to and taught at art camp, sailed at sailing camp and enjoyed the PNE .... and there's still almost two months of summer vacation ahead.

And yes, I did complete my 32 day design-a-day challenge before flying off.

fallen

fall front, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Yes, I appear to have fallen off the blogging bandwagon again. There are only so many hours in a day and the Wee Guy takes up most of them. Yesterday I managed to cram in an exciting scrubbing of all toilets in the house (there are four, all encrusted with missed jets of urine from the outwardly plumbed members of the household!).

But, for those of you struggling with an artist statement (yes, that includes me too today) try these links for some inspiration and some fun.

Etsy in Raincity ... today!

some of Vancouver's finest!

Another exciting Vancouver craft moment following hard on the heels of Andrea and Rob's Got Craft premier of Faythe Levine's Handmade Nation last week.

Etsy (Anda, Maria and Matt) will be hosting a meet and greet this evening - see you there!

PS: hoping there will be more than myself and the lovely Smeeta at this Vancouver sellers meet up! (not that Smeeta isn't great company for coffee!)

rabbit week apparently

Ms B Pig, still at dinner, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

.... but no one's noticed round here!
Since I'm allergic to the hoppy fuzzy things we are all about the guinea pig at home otehrwise I'd be a constant wheezy, lacrimose wreck (rather than a seasonal wheezy, lacrimose wreck - fie on you, hayfever!).

So here's a cute guin pic to celebrate bunny week.

tonight, for one night only .....

d13/32 - silver daisy chain, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Faythe Levine's documentary, Handmade Nation is screening tonight in Vancouver (check out my previous blog post here for a sneak peek).
Andrea and Rob, the amazing Got Craft dynamic duo have also arranged for an artisan market showcasing local designers and their wares. It will be anexciting night, with the film maker in attendance for a Q&A session at the end.

... ahem (nervous cough) - I'll be there too with my ebbandflo goodies, including the new daisy chain seen above. It's an opera-length necklace of blue Czech glass pearls nestled in handmade wire crochet flower petals. It's a little bit delicate, a little bit summery and a very much girly girly.

I'd love someone to come test drive it for me!
PS: there's a version with gold flowers around too!

Etsy IN Vancouver

some of the amazing Vancouver BC team members who helped with suggestions

Yes, you read it right! Etsy (Matt, Maria and Anda) is visiting Vancouver.
Luckily the team forum is up and running so gathering suggestions on where to visit, where to meet and what to see was indeed a cinch thanks to the helpful sellers featured above (and more!).
So Vancouver Etsy sellers - put down July 14th in your diary and get thinking up all those burning questions you wanted to ask.
It will also make a great team meet up (and we haven't had one of those in a while).

entire day devoted to chocolate?

previous encounter with the great uberfood

Yes, it's Chocolate Day - first of many occasions on which an excuse is provided for indulgence. US National Chocolate Day arrives on October 28th but there is also a World Chocolate Day in September.

Although there is, IMHO, no excuse required for having a nibble year round it's a great reassurance that on at least 3 days a year chocolate eating is actually sanctioned.

Bon appetit!

PS: Wee Guy and I will be making choc chip muffins this evening in celebration.

the end of portable crafting?

al fresco kitchen - one stir fry coming up!

Is this the end of portable crafting?

I waved the Wee Guy off on the bus for his first day at camp this morning (it was peeing down with rain of course). He looked tiny as he trotted to the back of the bus under the weight of his huge backpack. Seems like only yesterday that 30 minutes in childminding at the gym was The Big Thing and now I'm waving him off (him = all excited, me = basket case trying not to let him see how emotional this whole deal is to me) for an entire day without me.

The reason I started portable crafting was so that I had something to do in the brief snatches of time when I was ministering to his needs, whether it was at home (crafts needed to be contained and organised) or out in the park (crafts had to be contained and portable).

With him out of the house for an entire day, there is no need for such meticulous portability. I can craft when and where I want to ... and for me my studio is the most handy as all my supplies are here. This week is just a taster of the freedom that fulltime school will bring in the Fall.

But I'm used to it now. Knitting in public or crocheting with wire at the local coffee shop hold no terrors for me. I enjoy meeting the stares and explaining what I am doing. I've met some interesting people and had inspiring conversations.

You will still see me crafting portably around Tri City long after the need has evaportated!

PS: Yes, I wept like a baby when I got home after this morning's drop off.

Faith Levine's Handmade Nation comes to Vancouver!

simple glass and amethyst pendant on sterling silver and ribbon
After my tent blew away I'm sticking to indoor vending for a while. You can catch ebb and flo goodies next at the Vancouver premier of Handmade Nation hosted by Got Craft at the Rio Theatre on Broadway at Commercial on July 9th.
See you there!

fish are friends not food week - supplies saturday

handmade supplies from the Etsy Supplies - Handmade by the Seller flickr group

In honour of "fish are friends not food week" - get crafting, not netting!

followers friday

me and her

Suddenly, it seems, this blog has a number of followers. Thank you and welcome. I'm trying to keep up with an interesting blog schedule but as you've no doubt notice Life Occasionally Gets In The Way.

I thought I'd start saying howdy to some of you brave souls who publicly acknowledge they read my blog entries, and first up is my lil' sis. She's known as Honeybeedz in the Etsy community and lives back in the country of my birth (so I don't see her very often :( ). But she does blog ..... occasionally ...... so I can (occasionally) find out what she's been up to. She does amazing bead weaves, sea glass wiring and celtic knotting, all of which is genuinely scottish. What she doesn't do is blog at length.

1. Celtic connections necklace 2, 2. Beaded flower pendants - detail, 3. Seaglass and copper, 4. Celtic knots

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

Happy Canada Day!

art clay silver maple leaf tutorial slide show

Happy Canada Day!
I'll see all you local revellers at Lafarge Lake in Coquitlam where I will be listening to Bobs and Lolo and selling my wares (in a tent behind the Evergreen Centre!).