storecupboard survivor

Yes, it's one of those 'what the heck are we having for dinner tonight?' evenings.

In my larder I have some tins of tomatoes and some pasta, some rice and some noodles.
In my fridge is a bag of baby aubergines which need using up, some left over salsa and tamale pie filling (which also need using up). I also have some mozzarella, a salami sausage, a bottle of white wine and a can of non-alcoholic beer.

So what can I make with these incredible ingredients?

PS: tonight's a vegetarian night too.
PPS: I really cannot be bothered with all this domestic goddess stuff either - the rewards are terrible.

today .......

got up at 7.30am and joined the wee guy for breakfast (yesterday's failure of blueberry waffles are still guarding the breadcrock - had porrige)

caught up with internet stuff (Etsybitch) and emails

left the house just after 9am, posted an Etsy order off to a buyer and then went to the gym where i ran for 22 minutes, cycled for 10 minutes then found out my weight had gone up since last week (water retention??). my goal of weight loss by my birthday is in serious jeopardy

home again to pick up swim gear then headed off to park at the rec centre. wrangled/walked along the Inlet Trail to Rocky Point and the outdoor swim pool. sat under a huge umbrella while the wee guy splashed his way thru a lesson (he's almost swimming now - so proud). finished one cuff and a pair of wire crochet earrings while waiting. one mum saw my work and liked it. am still not brazen enough to hand out business cards (but i should!) - will get ebb and flo URL tattoo instead.

walked back to the car, home for (small) lunch (rescued the bread out from under the failed blueberry things).

hitched the bike rack to the car, loaded bike and wee guy then set off for http://www.secretcycles.ca/ for a bike fitting. alas! my frame is too small for me so Scott is going to try make it as comfortable as possible without cranking my neck so much that my vertigo is induced. leave bike at shop (yahoo - no wrestling with the bike rack again!).

home for quiet time (me = internet, tidying studio, thinking aimlessly about dinner; him = a Bob the Builder video and amateur town planning with his fisher price people)

listed some new items - fantastic handmade earwires with daisy cabs and some lovely fresh sterling silver daisy earrings

oven on at 5pm, dinner in oven at 5.30pm-ish

meet daddy off the bus ('that's my daddy, the one with the bald head and the white jacket') - such excitement.

feed family. tidy up after family. storytime in bed.

goodnight kisses

blog, email replies .....

...and that's what i did today!

it's sale time this evening!

Does anyone not know about the Saturday night specials available on Etsy?

It's when a bunch of sellers band together and promote sales in their shops which are only available for a limited time ie. Saturday night.

It was started originally by willowglass, who sells the most amazing fused glass supplies and creations. There is a thread here for the shops taking part in this promotion and a thread here for chatting (pssst! it also contains a list of shops with SNS secrets in place too).

Confused? see the SNS blog for further info

and without more ado, here are my specials for the evening ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday Night Specials (running August 2nd 5pm until 6am 3^rd August EST)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

at ebbandflo BOGO - buy one, get one at half price (discount applies to the less expensive item).

Further items will be discounted by 25% off. Just mention “SNS” in your message to seller during checkout then wait until I send a revised PayPal invoice.

at pomomamadesign Free shipping in North America on orders of two or more items (shipping at domestic rates for international buyers). Just mention “SNS” in your notes to seller at checkout and wait for the revised invoice in your email inbox!

Happy shopping!

more from my neighbourhood

The Sea-to-Sky highway between Vancouver and Whistler is closed due to an incredible rock slide near Porteau Cove.


There are some sobering pictures of the area and a clip of some of the news coverage.










Amazingly no one was injured although a bus was travelling thru the area at the time. The road looks like being closed thru the BC Day weekend though there are alternatives! Another road route via Duffy Lake takes a mere 7 hours or you could charter a helicopter or two, or even a plane to skip over the debris!





PS: In the picture above, the building on the cliff face is the BC Mining Museum at Britannia Beach, one time home of the X Files film unit for a few episodes.

marine girl heads off for her cycle ride

marine girl heads off for her cycle, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Well, I did it!

I completed the Divas' Triathlon held in North Vancouver on Sunday, and in a time only a minute or so slower than my first attempt at it four years ago.

So I've only been training for it since May (started swimming again in mid April following viral labyrinthitis), my training comprised only two sessions a week and I had only been out once on my road bike - I'm amazed with myself!

My boys (DH and the wee guy) were out in force to support me, and feed me danish pastries at the finish. It pissed down with rain for almost the whole race.

The run was possibly the worst part of the race for me. My swim times are crap anyway but I managed to complete 740m in under 20 minutes (yay). The bike course is hilly but I captured my fastest time ever (in the rain and on a bike I hardly know - go figure). The cycling was completed in torrential rain so by the time I set out on the run my feet weighted 10 times more than usual cos of the amount of rainwater in each shoe. So my 5k was a long 34 minutes - v slow.

But I enjoyed it all. I don't have time to train for anything more than a sprint tri but I do welcome the variety involved.

... and it's good to feel like I have the energy for it all!

how about a view of where i live (from a cycle commuter's point of view)!

His route starts from Barnet Highway and continues in along Murray/Clark towards Ioco. It's the same alarming route my husband takes on his bike commute every day!!

Yikes!

tuttie frutti small flower detail

tuttie frutti small flower detail, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

spent the whole afternoon editing photographs of pieces to list

my eyes are now crossing and i need chocolate!


silver wire crochet cuff with glass hoops and acrylic flower beads

cute and funky?

cute and funky, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

hmmm?

oh how i hate posing for a full pic - bleh! i was going for 'coy' but only the hair behaved (thanks Jennyfer)


well it's my cycling outfit! there's a pair of padded cycling shorts hidden under the mini skirt (otherwise you would not see me in something so brief)

but today was a Very Good Day - i went out on my road bike for the first time this year since losing my sense of balance in January. i felt fine and was less intimidated by the bike than usual (which is A Good Thing since i'm competing in a triathlon this sunday and need to be speedy on this bike).

i spent an hour this morning whizzing along the Inlet Trail and only came a cropper on one hill thru Not Having Fucking Clue About The Gears. a very nice gentleman offered to give me a push. thank you sir! it's the best offer i've had in quite a while!


... and then i went back to being a mummy.

square with nautilus bud

square with nautilus bud, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

I've just completed a run of metalworking, testing the limits of my trusty creme brulee torch and soldering capabilities.

While this piece isn't an incredibly technical example of what I can now accomplish at my home bench set up, I'm very pleased with it as I've had the idea in my head for some time now.

This copper pendant comes from a series I've called "Bud", inspired by the bud of wire mesh sprouting fromt he centre of the domed metal square. This particular one is a nautilus since it makes a spiral shape.

OK so the only metalworking comes from some drilling to create the holes for the wire and the hammering in a dapping block to smooth the dome. But I'm extraordinarily proud of my soldered copper hanging loop on the reverse and it looks pretty darn cool hanging from a cable steel necklace too!

Three versions, copper Nautilus, copper bud and sterling pearl bud are for sale in my Etsy shop right now!

my first bamboo!

my first bamboo!, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

i ma now the proud (and time starved) owner of a Wacom bamboo pen pad


i might learn how to use it properly too

but till then here's a flower!

night terrors

Interesting thread on Etsy this afternoon about sleep paralysis.

all set for another craft fair

Summer has well and truly arrived here in Lower Mainland (just in time for Canada Day yay!) so ebb and flo summer goodies will be making a local appearance at the Mommies on Main craft fair weekend in Vancouver BC.

Check out the awesome flyer on the left and have a peek at who's selling by visiting the website too.

I've got a frothy concoction of summery wire crochet in blues, lime and pink to complete your summer wardrobe and will be introducing some of my newer metalwork pieces, inlcuding the fine silver artclay 'ebb' range.

Drop by and say 'Hi' if you're in the area. Admission is only $2 (children are free) with a dollar of that going to YWCA programs for single moms.

PS: Let's hope this summery weather is here to stay for a while, I'm getting tired of rain!

what does ebbandflo sound like?

making art clay slip or paste
Originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama

Well, you know what her fingers look like - so play the video and find out what her voice sounds like!

Here I'm crushing (or recycling) a piece of dried art clay silver for my slip or paste jar. Nothing is ever wasted in the art clay world, even dust can be collected from filing and added to the slip jar.

From here, the slip can be used to 'glue' on bails or help embed wire into a design, to fill in cracks once a piece is dry or to cover a leaf or seedpod in paste as seen in this finished piece.

For instructions on how to complete this similar project see Tammy Powley's excellent new book, Picture Yourself Creating Metal Clay Jewelry . Tammy is also selling some of her gorgeous fine silver creations in her new Etsy Crafty Princess shop,

poppies by the cottage

poppies by the cottage, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

another picnicked photo from flickr

(but aren't holidays always meant to be so much more colourful than real life?

let's go fly a kite

let's go fly a kite, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

A rare picture - me on holiday.

Rare because I'm usually in charge of the camera (and mr ebb rarely takes photos of me, or rarely takes pics of me which i would make public) (but not for those reasons oh ye gutter dweller).

PS: I am not saluting or trying some strange yoga pose - I'm flying the world's most unbalanced pocket kite in a fairly stiff breeze. And it won't stay up!*

Still having a great holiday.


*Oh gutter-minded one - grow up!

BC ferries in Active Pass

BC ferries in Active Pass, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

still on holiday and still relaxing!

passing the time either hiking, eating, swimming or giggling over the latest etsybitch post

nice to check in every now and then to see that the Etsy world keeps turning in its wacky little orbit while I'm offline.

making a splash

making a splash, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

It was warm enough to spend the afternoon in the pool. The wee guy perfected his diving and splashing routine, and mr. ebb tanned the baldness that covers the top of his head.

He is now a beacon of light and I will probably get no sleep tonight.*

So far (day one and counting) the holiday is going well. We're staying in a gorgeous little cottage on a cliff above Otter Bay. This morning we went to the local farmers' market (where everything for sale is maked, baked or growed on Pender Island) to stock up on yummy goat cheese from Iona Farms and delicious Polish cheesecake from Ewa.

Sadly, the bottle of red wine is no more.
Even more sadly, the chocolate cake vanished in a trail of crumbs last night.

I've started knitting a stripey jumper for the wee guy's bear, expect to see progress reports every now and then.



* This will be light-induced, glowing skull insomnia rather than any other kind of insomnia that ye of filthy minds are thinking of.

wine and chocolate = on holiday

wine and chocolate = on holiday, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

At last, I'm on holiday.

Normal service will not be resumed for a while but meanwhile stay tuned for some vacation posting.

Bon appetit.

slainte

so not a domestic goddess

so not a domestic goddess, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

... or possible Kali in her destructive form?

this is what happens when you twice bake peaches!

= toffee

I hope my dishwasher can get the resulting goo off.

gluten-free rich chocolate cake

Just finished making this as a birthday cake for Mr. ebb and thought I would share it with you. It's gluten free since the flour is replaced with ground almonds.

ingredients;
9oz plain chocolate
6oz butter or marg
4oz caster (fine) sugar)
7oz ground almonds
4 eggs, separated
5 tbsp apricot conserve

Preheat oven to 350F/180C/gas 4
Grease and line an 8½ inch cake tin (spring form if poss).
Melt 6oz of the chocolate.
Cream 4oz of the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, then combine with the ground almonds, egg yolks and melted chocolate.
Whisk egg whites until stiff and fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the tin and bake for 50-55 minutes until firm to the touch.
Leave for a few minutes in the tin then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
Coat top of cake with apricot conserve.
Melt remaining butter and chocolate together. Beat smooth and coat top of cake, allowing mixture to run down the sides.

Bon appetit!

if you have a spare female elephant beetle ....

..... please get in touch with Linton Zoo in the UK.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7433077.stm

Thank you

withered flower

withered flower, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

for a new series of sentimental cards "thinking of you ....." which are along the same lines as the abysmal fridge poetry series ie. a thinly veiled insult

other cards in the series will feature a dying ornamental pepper plant (from the "i tried but it died" gardening series), cat poo (!) and some mould from my aquarium.

no home should be without a set (eventually)

faberge earrings

faberge earrings, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

in copper wire crochet and fabulous freshwater pearls

now for sale here.

Yes, I've finally opened my Big Cartel shop - and it was incredibly easy. I loaded a banner, store avatar and a couple of products all in two hours with very little scrabbling around for information or help.

... and it looks quite sweet, with the same kind of minimal uncluttered look that I love about Etsy (but without the hassle, politics, policies, frustrations, etc. which I hate).

The matching cuff is for sale here.

Wh faberge?
The first faberge cuff I made was for a charity auction. When I checked the photograph the first thought which sprang to mind was how much like a bejewelled faberge egg it looked .... and the name stuck!

reflections part 1

reflections part 1, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

..... or my quest to photograph my shiny projects (or push me into making everything with a matte finish) continues!

I took these using a masked off flash (used an opaque piece of white plastic over the flash bulb). Turned to the side, this method worked as there was very little glare back into the lens and more of the copper fusing detail is apparent.


When I tried the same thing in my very primitive white box (ahem, it's not yet even a box but I'm working on it!) the flash really bounced back - either mask out the flash more or work on another work around methinks!

sterling silver posts with fused copper inlay and facetted glass dangles (not quite for sale yet - must get off my butt and list some pieces!)

studio reorganisation - this is where I work

studio reorganisation, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

... and I'm hoping this leads to better productivity.
Ho ho ho!

I've taken away the huge tower which overshadowed my computer desk and made some more accessible storage.

I can dream I suppose!

In reality I'm up to my armpits in trying to sort out credit card processing for pomo mama design. The last craft fair I took part in hammered home that my realistic pricing is now out of the 'cash in pocket' bracket and into the 'need to use plastic' department (at least I'm hoping that's what it is!). I've been wading thru merchant agreements, deciphering contracts, sourcing knucklebusters and searching for low cost chequing accounts. I think I'm ready to take the next step.

Wish me luck!

yay for babysitters!

We finally found a babysitter for the wee guy.

correction: we were finally brave enough to get a babysitter for our wee guy

in translation: Mr. ebb and I finally went out on a date to the movies together to watch something other than Charlotte's Web (which was a great movie BTW - I've never cried over a spider before) or Happy Feet (also a good movie but with no pecs to drool over).

... and what did we choose to go see? It was a close run competition between the new Indiana Jones movie and another unfeasible fantasy fest

Marvel comics won out in the end, and quite rightly too!




... and the wee guy adores his babysitter (thank you C if you are reading this!) so much that on the morning after her first visit he scoured the house looking for her and was inconsolable at not finding her!

i need help!!

wear your heart on your sleeve, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

How do I photograph objects with a very high shine on their surface without getting reflections?

I am at my wit's end.

(nice cufflinks though eh? made these for my husband. they are domed sterling silver discs with a littel freehand heart cut out of each one. the chain link and toggle bar are soldered to the reverse, suitable for single or double cuffs. i want to make more of these but i HATE photographing them!)

summer has arrived at the PoMo water park

summer has arrived at the PoMo water park, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

... and about bl**dy time too (tho' rain is forecast for later today! tsk)

If Aunty B is reading this blog, the water park was warmer today than it was for your visit at the end of last June.

hear, hear!

swimming with daddy, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

OK - it's near the end of May and I thought it was time to bore you with a hearing update.

I'm still deaf in my right ear but am happy (?) to report that the tinnitus is so varied that I am never bored. My everyday life is accompanied by all manner of whistles, pings, metallic clicks and 'whoosh' noises in addition to the almost constant "post concert ringing in the ears" which at times is as soothing as a roaring torrent.

I fell out of bed a few mornings ago so my balance is still a bit off too.

Otherwise I am slowly getting used to it. I'm learning to turn my good ear to the conversation. I'm learning that I will miss conversation on my right. And I made my first, "Excuse me but I'm deaf!" statement to explain why I was not such a gibbering idiot for not following someone's chat. This last incident took place in the ladies communal shower at the swim pool and there is quite frankly a limit to which I will lean in to a conversation with a fellow naked bather!

I have however shaken off the post viral fatigue mostly and have rediscovered swimming. I swim 800m once a week, while the wee guy is in the excellent childcare, and am slowly getting fitter. One delightful discovery is that with my head under water both ears seem equally deaf. So once a week now I just dive into my zone and meditate and all is right in my world!

fine silver daisy earrings

fine silver daisy earrings, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

i loathe and detest photographing shiney things

just chillin'

200405, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

normal service will be resumed shortly

Life at ebb and flo mansions has been quiet and relaxed since the last craft fair. There's been a brief flurry of activity to felt a pair of wristwarmers and mail them out for pa, and then to finish off some goods to take in to Devil May Wear for the summer season (and they're going today). Other than that life is quiet ...

...... but not unproductive .......

..... pomo mama design will be selling at the mommies on main craft fair in mid July so I'll be crafting up some more wire crochet and fine silver goodies for the locals.

happy mother's day

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, I got my very bestest Mother's Day present ever. My wee guy was allowed out of hospital for the first time since his birth. Life had been such a shambles for the previous 2 weeks that no special card had been bought and no pretty presetn had been wrapped but still the little baby I 'unwrapped' when we got home was the most amazing present I have ever seen in my whole life. Instead of driving home from the hospital with an unfilled babyseat strapped in the back (and we were starting to think about removing it because it was too harsh a reminder) we set off that morning with a sleepy little boy in the back, checking every 5s that we had fastened all the clips etc.

... and so started the real business of parentship, with no nurses or doctors around to rely on. Just the two of us plus our new wee guy .... and mercifully it's been that way ever since (with a few of the usual paediatric hiccups along the way of course!)

Happy Mother's Day!

oh, and PS: we made it thru all of the birthday parties yesterday, and lasted for the whole of the evening house party (with bouncy castle) too! Thanks to everyone involved in our extremely busy day!

whew! weekend

sterling silver and glass birthstone pendant, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

This weekend is a weekend of birthday parties - 3 in total! plus a bout of tot tumbling to start it all off. We have one noisy playcentre party then a quieter clay making session and end up with a house party (I'm hoping we make it to the house party this evening as then I won't have to think about dinner!)

I will be incredibly grateful to make it to Mother's Day tomorrow.

details: pierced sterling silver disc with freeform heart on a sterling dangle with a glass flower and carnelian centre (one of the birthstones for May)
the recipient's name is stamped on the other side of the pendant and the whole thing is reversible
please contact me if you would like one custom made

, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

End results - 4 sales and 1 caramel apple martini,
covered my table fee and made some good new contacts.

End results - 4 sales and 1 caramel apple martini, covered my table fee and made some good new contacts.

End results - 4 sales and 1 caramel apple martini, covered my table fee and made some good new contacts., originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

End results - 4 sales and 1 caramel apple martini,
covered my table fee and made some good new contacts.

, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Whoopee! Made a sale!

Whoopee! Made a sale!

Whoopee! Made a sale!, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Whoopee! Made a sale!

, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Aaaargh! Still no sales

Aaaargh! Still no sales

Aaaargh! Still no sales, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Aaaargh! Still no sales

, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Ready 2 go! Craft fair about 2 start.

Ready 2 go! Craft fair about 2 start.

Ready 2 go! Craft fair about 2 start., originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Ready 2 go! Craft fair about 2 start.

, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Marine building Vancouver

Marine building Vancouver

Marine building Vancouver, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Marine building Vancouver

design-a-day d30 and SPT 1st May

design-a-day d30 and SPT 1st May, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

I thought I would end my design-a-day challenge with a bang! and submit a photo to SPT (self portrait Thursday) too.

This is MY beachcomber necklace, in copper (cos I loves copper) and incorporating vintage beads from old necklaces which belonged to both of my grandmothers.

The main part of the necklace was finished yesterday and the copper links hammered and tumbled last night. This morning I attached the ultrasuede cords to complete.

I'm so pleased I managed to make it thru this challenge, of designing and making and documenting something each day. Since I usually craft everyday and had a craft fair to produce stock for it wasn't too hard, but I found the documenting ie. photography bit more challenging. SOmetimes there's just not enough free time to photo and upload.

Sigh!

The complete set of April's designs is available for viewing in its own photo set and I think when I get some time I'll do something fancy with it on flickr!