October 31, 2012

Jamie

I'm so glad the power came back on so that we could record stART yesterday! How fun that we showed up in costume! I loved sharing Halloween with you both in that way - and oh, the laughter! I'm thrilled that we have this project together. ((bighugs))

Shannon
Happy Halloween Everyone!! I'm so exciting, Halloween is totally one of my favourite holidays of the entire year and I'm looking forward to pumpkin carving, movie watching, a harvesty dinner and awesome company :)

Suzie

Yesterday was all about hanging out with you two and I just had to share a photo of the brain slug I was talking about. Feel free to use the photo in the post!

Have an amazing Halloween together tonight! I think I might just rest and watch spooky stuff. We're supposed to get bad weather and honestly, I am just to exhausted this year to do much. For the first time, I am nervous about the next year ahead and almost afraid. I just hope that the changes coming for us are good ones.

October 30, 2012

Jamie

Cozy inside with a cup of tea while the winds howled and rain lashed under the Full Harvest Moon, I made my dreamboard. And luckily, I managed to complete it before the power went out! I hope that all of that energy infuses this board with some magical mojo. It's quite a different board for me - lots of golden tones and that crazy colourful robo-gril up top left. I think there's some playfulness, adventure and a nice sense of home.

Shannon

I'm double-picturing today as the first pic is my attempt to capture something, anything of the storm but we didn't really get much until it was dark.  But it did get grim & rainy during the day so there is that.  I also wanted to share that I finished The Deadliest Catch Season 2 on the weekend and it was really good (and wow, they weather through *so much*, it was a rough winter for 'em).  I still hope to see all the seasons up to and including Season 7 before the new on starts in the spring, I continue to find it inspiring as well as a very interesting look at business and team work in extremely trying, dangerous and high-stakes circumstances.

Suzie

I am still in the Hal-Con universe right now. Yesterday our photographs taken with the stars showed up on Hal-Con's site which is great because I wanted to write my post about Brian Downey today and now I can include getting my picture with him.

This year we made a big effort to meet the stars. Some photo ops were free, some weren't. Regardless, I was shocked at how much fun it was getting to meet everyone. I am so glad we did it!

October 29, 2012

Jamie

I am on a mission to find "a place for everything" and have everything "in its place." I am most challenged in this arena when it comes to papers. I pulled all my piles together and sorted them into subject areas and am working on a truly usable file system so that I can be on top of information from my business to our home. I made great progress this weekend. And on top of that, I hemmed two pairs of pants. Woot!

Shannon

Nothing like getting in the holiday spirit with spending some time in WoW playing in all the Halloween fun.  I love the fun-spirited nature of the quests, like getting a pet box or being turned into different creatures and characters and at this moment I was a little black cat.  This pic turned out way fuzzier than I expected, but that's my character as a cat.

Suzie

What a weekend we had! OMG, it was just the best. There are so many amazing moments to share but here is the costume contest video. I thought Reg did great and he got an honourable Khhhaaaannnn!!! Award, LOL. I'm going to spend the next week doing posts and resting. And NOTHING else.

October 26, 2012

Jamie

Halloween is definitely starting to make an appearance in our neighbourhood! It's fun to walk around. You never know what you might see. Boo!

Shannon

I've been enjoying working with my pencil crayons recently, especially exploring colour and how the pencils interact with each other to create new colours.  I've done a few pages like this and I think I could do them over and over and over again.  And I probably will!

October 25, 2012

Jamie

Poor little Jinx went to the vet yesterday. You can see on her face how glad she was to go. The good news is that her blood pressure is doing great and that generally she seems to be doing well, particularly for being 17 (!!!) years old. We're still waiting on blood test results but hoping they'll be good as well and that our poor little boo doesn't have to head back to the vet anytime soon!

October 24, 2012

Jamie

I'm so glad that we could all be together at Creativity Coffee yesterday. What fun!! The energy was so awesome - so much generosity, sharing and inspiration. I am absolutely doing this again! It warmed my heart :)

Shannon
Hanging out at Jamie's Creativity Coffee yesterday! Was a lot of fun and very inspiring :)

Suzie

Here is the toad I mentioned, isn't he cute?! He is going to love our homemade cemetery this Halloween. Toads are supposed to be good luck so let's hope a big toad is even luckier!

October 23, 2012

Jamie

Tried a new recipe last night - Canadian Living's Leek & Potato Soup. I had to use Beef Broth which turned it the colour of gravy (and truthfully made it taste a little like gravy too!) but it was delicious! A very creamy soup for a soup that has no cream or milk in it at all! I love trying out new recipes now and again. This one's a keeper.

Shannon

I had a nice relaxing farmers lunch yesterday.  I often have this combo fo food during lunch and afternoon, but yesterday I decided to set it out and really savour it, which was much nicer experience!

Suzie

It seems to be high tech week for me! I did an interview with Recipe to Riches contender Jay Keary yesterday. We had some tech issues and there is a little echo from me on his computer but I am happy with how it went. My stomach wasn't as much in knots as it usually is. Could this mean I am actually getting used to doing interviews?!

October 22, 2012

(Photo from left to right: Jamie, Jenn, Chris, Danette, Kim, Amy)

Jamie

This weekend my dear friends Kim and Amy, the Red Tent Sisters, celebrated the shifting of their business from a retail store to a new adventure. Our entire art picnic crew was there to raise a glass. Jenn and Danette pulled together a big treat for all of us: a t-shirt in honour of our art picnic Tuesdays! What a treat :)

Shannon

Did some art supply shopping on the weekend and I'm loving my new pencil sharpener which kind of looks like and alien but I keep thinking it's a frog.  Works pretty well.  Nothing like feeding it through the EYES!

Suzie

Halloween chaos is here! I finally had some time on the weekend to make some treats but realized all my props were in the furnace room. Had to dig them all out and bring them upstairs. I am not good with mess but we need this stuff in a week anyway!

October 21, 2012: Rewind

Jamie

Looking back at Halloween! I love this picture - me doing camo-makeup for Shannon as she goes out to be a commando! Tough girls and makeup - hehe.

October 20, 2012

Jamie

What a treat!! Suzie, thank you so much for sending this wonderful photos as Halloween goodies. I had such a good time looking at all these beautiful reminders of our family history. These are a real treasure. I so appreciate your thoughtfulness and just couldn't stop smiling as I looked through them all. Thank you!

Suzie

Here I am innocently doing an intro to my third lesson of my cooking school, unaware that it was going to be one big $%(* up. Time to get creative Suzie!

October 19, 2012

Shannon

On this weeks episode of stART I said I was going to clean out my tickler file.  I haven't done that yet, but I did take a 'before' picture, which is the colourful mess above!

Suzie

I had forgotten I had to walk all the way out to the bank last week to sign papers. We finally had a bright day so I went yesterday. I figured since I was there I would stop by my thrift store one last time before winter comes. I piled up on sweaters and even bought a peach hoodie that I adore. I got a giant cutting board that I am going to use for baking and foodie photos.

October 18, 2012

Jamie

I spent the day not only prepping this workshop to offer for the first time virtually but also signing up for and using the technology I'm going to try! I think I've been stymied by that tech step for months but once I started refining the program and creating the visuals, I had an amazing, creative time! Then I got a bit nervous because this is a big step into what I'm thinking is the next direction for Jamie Ridler Studios - lots more classes!

Suzie

I had figured out online that the store Lawtons was a great place to go for makeup. Considering I could never get anyone to help me when I went to Shoppers, I thought I would give their competition a try. I discovered they also had this big line of Halloween makeup, nail polish....!!!

When I took the photo a woman did come to talk to me. I am sure she wasn't happy with me taking it so I just asked her about this line of makeup and told her I was looking for a base for my eyelids. That got her in problem solving mode and she helped me a ton! BTW, I bought the eye makeup kit on the top left. It comes with stencils but I just loved the cool glittery colours. Every day is Halloween for me! Plus, this will be great for Hal-Con.

October 17, 2012

Jamie

Off to Tanya's to co-work, through the cool rain and the red leaves. It's amazing the beauty of the day even when it feels rather uncomfortable. Still, it's makes it doubly nice to step into a cozy home with a dear friend and a cuppa coffee.

Shannon

More sharing of the clothing awesomeness, this shirt was definitely the creme of the crop.  I've always been a fan of the flannel, and realized recently that all my flannel shirts were actually too worn to wear (and I'll wear stuff that's pretty freaking worn!).  It felt like mine the moment I put it one.  Soft, warm and ...fuzzy... just like the picture!

Suzie

My day was all about the stART sisters! I even got most of the videos done, just need to export and upload now. I really love not only recording this with you two (which is so much fun it's ridiculous) but turning our discussions into video is a blast. So glad we can share the fun with everyone.

October 16, 2012

Jamie

The highlight of yesterday was really getting such a beautiful message from my intuitive friend about the interloper. The minute I read her interpretation of events, I just felt, yes, that's exactly it, and I felt at peace. I'm still in a story with this little guy and it's a story that holds learning, love and independence.

Shannon

I was so excited to get my package of clothes from Old Navy yesterday.  Recently I went through all my clothes which is often a really great clearing experience, but this time I realized that there wasn't actually much in the drawers.  Of course after clearing it even more, that left room for... more!  And then there was a sale, and well, I dove in to add back some key pieces.  It was so exciting to check everything out and see how it all fits in.  So exciting!

Suzie

I got my flu shot at the medical clinic above the Superstore yesterday and they held me hostage for 15 minutes to make sure I would not have an adverse reaction. Then I went and did a huge grocery shop, then realized as time went on that with my new arm pain that it was not the smartest idea I have had. Taking a cab home though, was.

These are two big things to have gotten out of the way for me. I am hoping now to feel less stressed about appointments and realized to have food at home.

October 15, 2012

Jamie

I loved this triptych at 401 Richmond on the way to The Inner Garden where I spent the weekend at a workshop with Mark Silver. I think I'll be processing for a while all that was shared and that came up in this weekend of learning. Mark is bringing such love and goodness into the world. I certainly brought that into the room. People were moved beyond measure and deeply committed to a new way of doing business. I was on my own journey, not the least of which was what it meant to be in familiar places, the Annex and Spadina and Bloor, to Chinatown to Queen West to the Grange, to the Art Gallery to U of T. I walked by, through, in it all and felt such longing in my heart. This weekend, I felt a lot of longing.

Shannon

It always amazes me the uncanny power cats have to in a moment when you look away, they find your clothes/books/paper/bag that is left for an instant, and curl up and get all cozy happy on it and look as if they have been there for hours.  Thank goodness I don't get precious with clothes....

Suzie

Yesterday Reg and are friends headed out to the valley to finally witness the giant pumpkin race in Windsor! It was so cold and the event took quite a while to get started, Reg went back to the car to get me a chair and a wool blanket which helped a lot. It is clear that even though I bundled up, my time outdoors is coming to an end until late spring next year. It was fun but I am grateful to be getting my flu shot today! I am determined to stay healthy and warm this winter.

October 14, 2012

Jamie

This rewind is about 3 years old - me and the art picnic ladies all dressed up at at Danette's Halloween party! I loved being a horse this year! Looking at this now, I wonder if something in me knew that I'd be leading a retreat with horses in the future! Amazing!

Suzie

This was our last Halloween while living out in Victoria. I was on my own, Reg was on course and I was very hopeful about the future. It is really dawning on me that this will probably be our last Halloween owning our own home in Nova Scotia. If we move to a condo, that's it. No more giving out candy.

We would get over 100 kids at this place on Halloween. It truly was the greatest neighbourhood I have ever lived in. I miss it every day. But it is time to start thinking about the future, not the past. Only took me five years.

October 13, 2012

Jamie

Yesterday my weekend workshop with Mark Silver began. It was a treat to head downtown and be back in my old Queen Street neighbourhood, not to mention to spend a couple of hours with sincere, heart-full people sharing, or preparing to share, their work in the world. Mark is a blessing and I've been moved by his work for years. It's so lovely to be learning "how every act of business can be an act of love" from him.

Suzie

Now I know I am not the most decorative foodie out there but I thought this spider web was pretty darn cool that I made on Friday. Until Reg wondered if the web was cheese! Actually, it's coloured candy melts. I feel like I have been fighting off a cold and I get my flu shot next week so after making these I lay down for the rest of the afternoon. But at least I got something done!

October 12, 2012

Jamie

It's a little overwhelming how many of my day's pictures could look just like this! I'm at a workshop starting tonight with the amazing Mark Silver and so my to-dos are slam-dunk packed this week. I've been up at 6:00 most mornings to really try and make great progress while my mind was fresh. Yesterday I'm so glad creating the vid for stART was on my list. I had so much fun and was delighted to get it up on our YouTube channel! Hopefully we'll get the time limit lifted soon and can host everything there!

Suzie

Yesterday on my walk. So nice to see the sun!

October 11, 2012

Jamie 

One of the amazing women who comes to Art Picnic was describing how she's started to keep an Intention Journal. She writes down her intentions daily, also asking the Universe for help in bringing what she's written to life. I've decided to try something similar and am already finding it a powerful practice. On the first page I addressed the practice to who I am writing to, kind of an invocation. And then, as you open the book, on the right I write my intentions/prayers/wishes and on the left I put a beautiful picture, like an offering. So far, I love it.

Suzie

Yes, I spent yesterday going to Ripsters and dressing up to make this video. They are the store with the dancing cow outside. I love this store and know that the "Man" has moved into our hood to take over and so I really wanted to support them because their store truly has the Halloween spirit and they are there all year, which must be a challenge. I bought my white wig there and got some silver body glitter for Hal-Con.

I hope you like the in joke, "It's worth the drive to Lower Sackville." I thought it was a funny Toronto reference.

October 10, 2012

Jamie

Yesterday I had an absolutely lovely time catching up with my dear friend Tara. We met at the much-loved Crema coffee shop in the Junction, a cool neighbourhood that I have never been to before! It was a perfect fall day and so great to chat about our creative lives, our businesses, what we notice in the online world. Tara helped me design my website when I launched (omg) 3 years ago!

Suzie

Nothing cheers me up on a cold day walking a mile to get to the bus stop to go to yet another doctor's appointment than seeing a dancing cow in front of a Halloween shop. Ripsters rocks! 

October 9, 2012

Jamie

We had a wonderfully lazy day yesterday but I suddenly felt the urge to be productive and went through one shelf in my closet, the one filled with jewellery and my memory box. It was amazing to me how my jewellery told the story of my life and how my memory box moved me. The knitted bells from Mrs. Brewster are the oldest things I have of mine. The keys to our old house. My pink sunglasses and ribbon ponytails from my Imogen Nation costume. A pencil with grandma's name engraved on it. So many treasures! It was so fun to explore.

Shannon

It's just about a week in and I've been really enjoying the 31 Days of Horror, and a few days in I started to make these little accompanying title cards to have so I could differentiate the videos from one another.  I've been really enjoying doing them, getting a sense of the film and what would represent it, would it be simple or complicated, etc.  Tons of fun!  And more work... lol

Suzie

Yesterday we had a whole day at home which is very rare these days so we spent it working on our Hal-Con costumes. I used a silver pen to write the names of all our favourite shows all over the pants in the style of the shows' logos. I kept going until my silver fabric pen ran out of paint and Reg worked until he ran out of spray fabric paint. Off to Michaels we go!