Just busy,

Monday I drew this guy (the bird on his head is a wilsons warbler.


Tuesday I helped my aunt for the opening day of her shop, and got my moo stickers in the mail!


Wednesday I worked on three storage bag things (still working...that one's the closest to done but isn't yet)



Thursday I built 1 1/2 websites:

Also I read all of Breaking Dawn, I was gonna wait for the paperback but it was so cheap in hardcover and I just couldn't resist. If you're a fan of the series you'll be very happy with how she ended it, that was one crazy book. Crazy.

and today I started prototyping for Mei's friend Elliot. Apparently he's taller...


And later today? Olympics time!

Posted by Hanna at 11:54 AM 3 comments  

Labels: Our Projects

Just adding another to Hanna's fabulous post on pincushion love.

Found via Mixed Plate. You can buy this guy on My Imaginary Boyfriend (sorry, not a tutorial!)

Posted by Jen at 10:21 AM 0 comments  

This is a finished one...for me. I had to test it right? This is numero tres (three). I made one before Christmas, but it was stolen with all my stuff in South America. I made a new one a few weeks ago with a ribbon for wrist strap, but the ribbon broke. So this is the third attempt with a sturdier ribbon for the wrist. But it's still not quite right (see the fraying). This next batch will use bias tape, I think that will be a success *cross fingers*.

These are the perfect size for my life. It fits my phone (which is my music too), bus pass, credit card, cash...well, not cash because I never have any....


*******

On an alternate topic, Joel (husband dearest) found some fun new music by some guy in Finland who refers to himself as i-troll. Check him out on myspace. He sings about transportation, living in a forest collective, and other fun things like that. He's a little off-beat but I kinda enjoy it :-P

Posted by Jen at 4:10 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Love for Others, Our Projects

Ooops! Wednesday came and went and I forgot to post this.

I'm making clutches. I have about 10 on the go. What am I going to do with them, you ask? I do not know... sell them? Give them away? Give away to our readers?? Oooh, did your ears perk up? Stay tuuunnneed....

Posted by Jen at 4:06 PM 3 comments  

Labels: Our Projects

Yippie for living in beautiful Victoria BC. I don't know what the celebrations were like elsewhere in the province, but here they were fantabulous!

I had a great weekend, I just like to share:

Friday - went on a date with husband dearest. Kinda weird...we don't really go on dates, because well, they cost money and staying home playing Wii is free. But dates are fun :)

Saturday - raspberry picking, farmers markets, bake-extravaganza with a rad friend (we made chocolate chip zucchini bread, bran muffins, rhubarb crisp, and granola...and froze raspberries and blueberries - happy freezer!)

Sunday - lounge day around the house. I followed the Change Purse Tutorial that Hanna posted here. Pictures to come tomorrow.

Monday - Woot Woot! BC Day! Our wonderful tax payer dollars set me up for a free day of fun down at the legislature buildings! Sarah McLachlan and Feist played! I loved Feist before and now I looovee her more. She had this delightful shadow art going on in the background. I couldn't take my eyes off it! Check it out on youtube.

Anywhoo...what did you all get up to??

Oh - and a new random fact for you folk: the first proposed BC flag had the Union Jack and sun flipped (sun on top). That idea was sent to the British, but they were unimpressed because it could be interpreted as the sun setting on the British Empire. I heard about it in the legislature and it's discussed here.

Posted by Jen at 10:51 PM 0 comments  

Wanna make a new pincushion? I know I do, my poor hedgehog seems to lie on his side like fabric roadkill and it's just tragic. But which one to make? Can I have too many pincushions?

Flower pincushions by Anna Maria Horner


Square pincushions by Heather Bailey


And some flickr love:
Swirly sweater cupcake Pincushions by PhaedraPhoenix:



Scrap Pincushions by bugsandfishes


Indygo junction pincushion by The Purl Bee



Pink flowers pincushion by verybigjen

Posted by Hanna at 7:43 PM 1 comments  

Labels: Love for Others, Tutorials

Hanna is poor and is running low on books again. So here's the deal, if you'd like a new blog layout (either for blogger or wordpress) drop me a comment or email me (hannasandvig @ gmail.com...remove spaces). The charge is $50 in Amazon or Chapters online gift cards. That includes a simple layout and installation. A simple layout includes a banner which either a photo, a simple illustration or a design, the background and of course text colours. If you want something complicated, we can talk prices.

Here's a couple examples:

Is Bliss Like This?

The Lister Family

My Previous Layout 1

My Previous Layout 2

Posted by Hanna at 9:47 AM 0 comments  

1)Look, Amy Butler has wrapping paper! And paper tableware! And it's all recycled/recyclable/soy ink goodness! Have I mentioned my undying love for Amy Butler? Because it just grew a little. (via Decor8)


2)Ladybug Robot Pouch! By Anatomy of a Skirt. Craig has forbidden me to ever buy this...dunno why...


3)Organic Porcelain Shapes by Elsita. Strangely compelling. In a vegetably way.


4)Fireweed is just one of the beautiful paper creations by Jude Miller Flowers. (via Oh Joy!)


5)Beautiful hand block printed fabric by Junecraft.

Posted by Hanna at 4:09 PM 1 comments  

Labels: Friday Five, Love for Others

Wow! I fell in love with this floor when I saw it on Blissfulb. They're done by Transparent House.

When I have a house I want floors like this.

Okay....enough distraction. Bad Jen! Back to work!

Posted by Jen at 3:30 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Love for Others

First of all, this Hang on Outlet makes so much sense! I'm not sure how it helps save energy...maybe because you'd be inspired to unplug your stuff? [via productdose]


This would actually live in my purse. I'd never use take out cutlery again! [via econscious market]


Aaand this can't live in my house until I have a baby. But when I do they'll have a rad nursery- hopefully from Dwell Studio [via Design Public]


*sigh* if only it wasn't $3,000. Beautiful Bamboo Stagger Shelf [also via Design Public]


Okay, perhaps this Stink Tree Coffee Table shouldn't live in my house... well not unless it had a glass top because I'd probably spill my coffee on it. But I heart it anyways. [via 3rings]

Posted by Jen at 8:05 AM 2 comments  

Labels: Green Living, Love for Others

So my aunt is opening a fabric and yarn store next week and I've been doing her design work. Here's the sign and her business cards. Website will be up when her store opens and I've done some other bits and pieces. She likes the design and so do I!

Posted by Hanna at 10:19 PM 1 comments  

Labels: Our Projects

I'm not usually a poet kinda girl, but this one really inspires me.



To Be of Use

The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half-submerged balls.

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.

The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.

Marge Piercy


The picture is from our travels in Bolivia. I love the shot.

Posted by Jen at 4:45 PM 0 comments  

This is a website I designed the graphics for and Karl coded. Final Stitches is a long arm quilting service, so if you have the urge to make a nice big quilt, do up the top and they can quilt it for you!

Posted by Hanna at 7:39 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Love for Others, Our Projects

1)Adorable ceramics at Pepe and Friends, I love how these are cute and whimsical, but not too precious. This is Rif and Raf, the salt and pepper set. (via the kitchn)



2)Pin Strip Set by Shim and Sons. So this is a fabric covered pin board with four covered tacks, very cute, my office wants it :P



3)Cuuuute Products by artist Shinzi Katoh (via Oh Joy). She even has fabric!



4)Have I blogged about how much I love j.m.aranez's peg bears? Also this one is in fabric by Lara Cameron who I adore.


5) My life is a constant battle between knowing that giftwrap is wasteful but really really loving it. A lot. Heidi's is soooo pretty. (via HWTM)

Posted by Hanna at 12:01 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Friday Five

This post has been inspired from Apartment Therapy Re-Nest's post on Kill Your Plumbing. (And yes, I borrowed their photo too!)

I always turn off the tap while brushing my teeth, washing my hands, etc. And I've recently started filling a mason jar with water while I'm waiting for it to get warm enough to wash my face, and then use that water on my plants. But I can do more!

Here in Victoria, we pipe all of our grey and black water out to the ocean. All grey and black water means is the water that's from your sinks (grey) and from your toilet (black). I won't even get into the ecological consequences of having everything we put down our drain going into the ocean - that's for another day. (If you want to know more, check out POOP: People Opposed to Outfall Polution for some good info). But just the sheer fact that water going down the drain has (a) not being touched by anything (ie, waiting for warm water to come) or (b) has been used to wash hands or dishes (using biodegradable soap, of course!). Those hardly justify -in my mind- the idea that this water is useless now.

So my question is why are we wasting this water? There are severe water shortages happening globally, but here in Canada we feel so disconnected from those issues. I suppose it's because we hold an estimated 20% of the fresh, accessible water in the world. Which means we should take action now and use our water more wisely!

How?

I want to put in a Guerrilla Greywater system in my home -- they have a specific page for renters too. There's a woman I know who's disconnected her kitchen and bathroom plumbing so the water drains into a bucket that she uses to water her plants and lawn. Providing you're not washing anything toxic, plants and soil naturally breakdown the chemicals in that water. Regardless, it's Reducing and Reusing!

And that my friends, is something we all need to get better at doing.

Posted by Jen at 1:29 PM 0 comments  

Yaarrr! I think I should wear an eye patch when landing on Discovery Island- if I were a pirate I'd hide my loot there. (Psst, random fact: did you know pirates wear an eye patch so they can go inside without needing time for their eye to adjust to the dark- they just switch the patch to the other eye! True Fact - Mythbusters said so!)

Anywhoo. Discovery Island. It was swell. I brought out all my readings and notebook for this course I'm taking...and forgot a pen. And no one else had one. I'm taking an intensive course on Community Research Methods. It's 13 weeks of material crammed into one loooong week. Me? Stressed...just a little.... I spent 12 hours at the school yesterday. Ugh.

Back to Discovery. I love it there. We go every year with a rad friend who has a tinnnny tin boat. It takes a couple of trips to get us all there.

Joel was having fun playing with his new lens I bought him for a late birthday present. (I spilt water on my new camera at Sam's wedding, the optical lens is shot.)

I really feel like I'm having a string of bad luck. Bad luck comes in 3's right? 1. Jewelry tools confiscated 2. Broke camera 3. Stressed? Does that count? Am I waiting for one more?

See this is what happens when I don't post for a week. I have too many random thoughts when I do post.

Pictures - Enjoy!

Posted by Jen at 5:29 PM 2 comments  

Posted by Hanna at 2:42 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Sketches

Sorry about the absence, which on my part has to do with busyness laziness and distraction :P. Can't speak for Jen but I think she was camping.

So I've been reading The Hand Sculpted House by Ianto Evans, well my mom took it out from the library and I hijacked it. Anyway it's good times. I'm very interested in cob building for a few reasons:

- They are cool looking in a hippie way. Which makes me think they could be cool in a Hanna way as well.

- You can design and build them yourself. No machines, no contractor. I mean it might take a while, but people do it.

- They are wonderfully energy efficient.

- Did I mention I would design it myself? Hello window seats in every room!

- Cheap like dirt. Ahahahaha. Well except the the dirt part. By which I mean land.

- They are well suited to our climate of snow and rainness in BC, which many other natural methods of building are not.

Anyway, it's catching on in BC (because we're a bunch of hippies out here) and you can actually attend a weeklong workshop on Mayne Island and learn how to do it. Which would be helpful. Also people in BC have managed to get building permits. As opposed to the advice in the book which is to build in the woods so THE MAN can't find you. Erm, no thanks.

Here's some Cobby inspiration for all of you who think I'm nuts and need convincing:

- A cob house on Mayne Island:


- A house on Cortes Island:


- Photos of this house near Victoria being built:

-And here's some cottages done by Cobworks, the company in Mayne through their workshops:

Posted by Hanna at 4:26 PM 1 comments  

Labels: Green Living

Birdies!






I drew them up on the computer, printed them onto cotton and presto! I kind of love them a lot. But I'm willing to part with a few, you can buy them on my Etsy Shop as well as my magnetic paper dolls and some prints. More prints to come!

I'm also still working on the sketch I showed you last week as well as refinishing some furniture. Fun times!

Posted by Hanna at 3:13 PM 2 comments  

Labels: Our Projects

Photo from Flickr

I had a delightful weekend...and I too, got sunburned. Gosh Hanna, when will we learn?! I have a nice v-shaped burn on my back and some (more) pink on my chest. I now have a mini bottle of sunscreen that I'm keeping in my purse.

My friend, Megan & I went strawberry picking at Dan's Farm , which about 25 mins from Victoria. Whew- that was a good workout for the legs! I picked a flat of berries, which took about an hour and was only $35! Then we drove around to other farms in the area (there are tons! See Island Farms Fresh if you're coming over to Vancouver Island). I also picked up some plants that will (hopefully) survive in my dungeon of a basement suite, some Wildflower Babes Honey, and a lavender bunch for my bathroom. Mmmmm. Then another friend, Heather & I, washed, sliced and froze the strawberries on waxed paper trays Sunday night.

With my strawberries I'm now making shakes every morning. I decided that drinking two (large) cups of coffee pre-food every morning wasn't doing much for my metabolism. So for the past 2 mornings I've made Joel (hubby) and I shakes using:
* 2c. strawberries
* 1 frozen banana
* 2c. natural yogurt
* 1c. tofu
* 1t. honey

I put it in my coffee mug and drink it when I get to work (45 minute commute) and it's still cold and delicious!

I can't wait for raspberries and blueberries to start in the next couple of weeks!

Posted by Jen at 9:17 AM 0 comments