Divine Inspiration

Not dead

2008-08-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

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!

Mas, Por Favor

2008-08-08T10:21:00.001-07:00

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!)

Jen's Clutch

2008-08-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

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

On My Desk...

2008-08-07T16:06:00.000-07:00

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....

Happy BC Day!

2008-08-05T22:51:00.001-07:00

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.

Pincushion Love

2008-08-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

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

Want a pretty blog layout?

2008-08-03T09:47:00.001-07:00

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

Friday Five

2008-08-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

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.

Just had to share...

2008-08-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

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!

Things that could live at my house...

2008-07-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

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]

Stitchin' Time

2008-07-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

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!

To Be of Use - Marge Piercy

2008-07-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

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.

Final Stitches

2008-07-28T19:39:00.001-07:00

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!

Friday Five

2008-07-25T12:01:00.000-07:00

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)

Guerrilla Greywater

2008-07-24T13:29:00.001-07:00

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.

Adventure to Discovery Island

2008-07-23T17:29:00.000-07:00

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!

On Hanna's Desk...

2008-07-23T14:42:00.001-07:00

In which Hanna wants to live in the dirt

2008-07-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

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:

On Hanna's Desk...

2008-07-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

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!

Strawberry Fields

2008-07-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

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!

Hooray for sunburns!

2008-07-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

So I spent yesterday at a local organic farm and greenhouse. The Painted Turtle, our local art gallery/shop organized an event. Pretty much artists were to come out, do some art, sell some work, and in the end donate the piece we finished to a silent auction to support the art's community in Creston. Only about 6 of us showed up, but we had a good time and I got an excellent sunburn on my leg. Just one leg. And just one part of the leg, but man it hurts.

So I set up my table:

Started off in the shade but the sun chased after me. Eventually a couple of the ladies dragged me (happily) over to their tent where I had some shade and company. We got more people through than I had feared (no one came for the first hour or so) and in the end I sold two magnetic paper dolls, a mini print and two bird toys. Toys shaped like birds. Not toys for birds. I had to clarify that. More on the birds later.

I donated and owl toy and an owl print to the auction, but here's what I was working on out there:

My paints are in storage for the summer and oils take too long anyway, so I went for embroidery. I sketched it out and then stitched freehand while looking at the sketch. I'm pretty pleased with it as it's my first real embroidery project. Now I just need to learn some stitches...

Any suggestions as to what I should do with it?

Oh, aaand I sold my first Etsy item yesterday, hooray!

Something Blue!

2008-07-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

Sam's wedding was all blue. Blue dresses, necklaces, and of course candy!

I loved it. She placed little dishes of blue candy on every table. It sucked setting it out...because too much of it made it to my belly. Yum Yum.

The favours were homemade fudge with blue hearts tied on.

So cute.

Cute Freebie

2008-07-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

You can download these adorable bookplates by Emily Martin (The Black Apple) for free at CraftSanity. You can enjoy the podcast while you print them onto sticker paper and then? Cuter books for all!

On Hanna's Desk...

2008-07-09T20:31:00.000-07:00

Domestic Bliss - a work in progress

On My Desk...

2008-07-09T11:36:00.001-07:00

My desk is going to look pretty bare for the next bit. While coming back from Calgary I was late getting to my plane, it left at 6:20- I got to the airport at 6:05. So all my luggage that was suppose to be checked because it has 'dangerous goods' had to come on board. That means all my cosmetics were confiscated (because we all know that Giovanni Organic Shampoo & Conditioner might actually be a bomb!) Besides my pretty-products they took all my jewelry tools. All of them. Needlenose, flatnose, cutters, wire straightener, crimper, roundnose... gone. And it'll cost me over $200 to replace everything. I got a great deal on them since I was working at Beadworld when I bought them, but now I don't and will have to pay full price.

I know they're 'just things' that can be replaced, but I sure can't afford to replace them anytime soon.

Calgary's Airport stole my creativity.

Wedding Bliss

2008-07-08T13:22:00.001-07:00

I've been MIA for the past week - it was my best friend Sam's wedding on Saturday, in Old's, Alberta. The day was perfect, bright and sunny, a little breeze, and plenty of friends, old and new.

Weddings are sooo emotional for me....but I didn't cry! *Self high five* I was an emotional train wreck at mine, this time I was determined to keep it together. There were some tears when we were dressing, but I kept my composure through the ceremony. I was told I was smiling "too much." Figure that.

The dresses were great, I was nervous about mine, but with a lot of duct tape it (mostly) stayed up. I made the jewelry and had toooonss of compliments on it. *second self high five*.

That's me on the right. We all looked so hot!

Purse Tutorials

2008-07-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

So I've decided to make a little pouch for my little camera. I have a case for it but it's kinda big so I just end up throwing the camera in my purse. My purse is a scary place...no place for a poor defensless camera. I've spent some time looking up tutorials to figure out what I need to do. Tragically I can't find the one tutorial I'm looking for...because I apparently didn't bookmark it. Anyway, because I love to share, here's some good looking tutorials for the sewers (or wannabe sewers like me) among you. I'll keep you posted on my progress!

Lola's Angel Bag Tutorial:

Zippered Wristlet Tutorial from AficanKelli

Easy Change Purse Tutorial by splityarn

Change Purse Tutorial by Viteen

Rather Cheeky Wristlet at U-handbag

Juliet Turnaround

2008-07-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

For my portfolio:

Friday Five

2008-07-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

On the downside I have a cold...but on the plus side it is currently only 26 degrees...which is pretty close to perfect.

1)Yuki by Wunderkind. I am totally stalking this shop now. I want one of these ribbon spools. Okay I want three.

2)Beautiful mushroom cards by Wiley Valentine(via design sponge)

3) Fantastic pottery by Aida Dirse. (via Oh Joy)

4)Send a smile with this little octopus by Isabell's Umbrella.

5)This is Doug, he's Nicole Brinkham's latest pillow monster.

On Hanna's Desk...

2008-07-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

Working on a new character in a bit of a new style. This is Juliet :)

Poop is Inspiring...

2008-07-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

So I know this blog is suppose to be more about green living, crafty, DIY fun...but there are exciting big picture solutions out there that I need to share. Big picture solutions are inspiring to me. Solutions using poop. We live in an global world facing unprecedented changes in climate and we need to work together to solve them! And everyone poops. Let's use it.

This is a 25 minute video of a presentation by Stephen Salter, a Professional Engineer, who is a part of the Integrated Resource Recovery Team who prepared a report for the Province of BC using the Capital Regional District (13 municipalities on Southern Vancouver Island) as a case study for resource recovery. It's based off real examples from Sweden.

Oh yea. The background on poop and Victoria? We dump it straight into the ocean. Some see it as a problem. Other not. The fact is that it's a wasted resource.

Video from [here]

After you watch the clip, you'll see it's about more than just poop (but that's the best part). It's about being smarter with how we deal with waste. It takes so much energy to do things like grow food and heat homes. But what if we could take the left over energy from the food, use the compost to create energy, and use that to heat our homes. Kinda makes sense, eh?

OooOh! And on that 'eh?' note: HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Introducing Mei

2008-06-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

So this is Mei, she's my first workable doll prototype. She's got a few little things I'll change for the next prototype...but she's still pretty cute and therefore worth sharing. I made her by designing her in photoshop, then printing off onto cotton treated with Bubble Jet Set 2000. She's machine washable! More dolliness to come, I promise you :)

Friday Five!

2008-06-27T22:07:00.001-07:00

It's so hot

I might die

of the hot

1) Look at these cute Wallflowers by Urban Outfitters. Pretty Pretty. (via ohdeedoh)

2)Beautiful tableware by Lisa Neimeth . I like to think that if I bought these my birder husband would think it money well spent...(via Bloesem)

3)Grouchy Pot by Jennifer Nesbitt.

4)Doileez by Modern Twist. Cool doilies? Never say never! (via Design*Sponge)

5)Run quick and buy a dollypop from Loopsies, they're going fast!

I heart trees.

2008-06-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

I'm doing research on Urban Forest Management Plans at work and came across a couple of tree quotes I want to share.

Tree density may be a better indication of the health and livability of our cities than population density ~ Henry Arnold

It is difficult to realize how great a part of all that is cheerful and delightful in the recollections of our own life is associated with trees. - Wilson Flagg

Other people love trees too! Check them out!

Amazing work of sexy art! Bird Tree Corset via here

Pretty Tree Earrings by Jorgensen Studio on Etsy

This Tree Lamp can come live at my house anytime!

Delightful print by Amy Rice

This list wouldn't be complete without inspiration from The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, one of my favourite books as a child (and still now!)

On My Plate...

2008-06-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

Last night was one of those nights...you know, the one when you look at the clock and realize it's 10pm already. And all I'd ate all day was some toast and leftovers for lunch. Plus my cupboards are looking pretty bare. That is where a fabulous cook book called Everyone Can Cook Midweek Meals by Eric Akis comes in. Eric is a local author..well, local to me - here in Victoria.

This is his delicious Quick Tomato Soup with Pesto and Feta, I made up a grilled cheese sandwich (two for my other half) and some cucumber. Presto! (or Pesto! haha!)

Am I allowed to tell you what's in it? Is there copyright against stuff like this? Well, I'll tell you anyways because it's so darn good & easy.

::1:: Saute a medium chopped onion and 2 cloves garlic in olive oil until tender

::1.b.:: If you're making grilled cheese sandwiches start cutting cheese, buttering bread and gettin them in a frying pan here.

::2:: Stir in 2T tomato paste & 2T flour, cook for 1-2 minutes over med heat. While stirring that mixture add 2 cups chicken stock (I looove this Not-Bullion stuff I have, I mix it with water and it's MSG free)

::3:: Add 28oz can of diced tomatoes, 1/2t sugar, and 3T pesto. Bring to a simmer and it go for 10 mins

Then the recipe says to puree the soup...but I was (a) lazy and didn't feel like food processing it and (b) like chunky soups. So go ahead and puree it...I loved it chunky. If you puree it then put it back on the stove and bring it to a simmer again.

::4:: Done! Serve in bowls, crumble some feta on top. I didn't have feta, so I stirred in a spoonful of Ricotta cheese. Yum!

My days of Campbells tomato soup are over. Plus the soup takes basically just as long as making grilled cheese sandwiches.

Love it.

On Hanna's Desk...

2008-06-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

Okay so this is my bookshelves not my desk, but this is what I'm working on right now...second prototype of my doll. The first prototype never made it to completion but it wasn't a total loss because George (the fluffy Persian/Siamese cross that rules our house) looooves little doll limbs. He pulls legs off the table and scampers around the house with them. It's pretty funny.

Hmm, so the pieces have been tweaked, reprinted, and I'm off to Nelson today for family/shopping time where I will wash these puppies up in my aunt's machine (ours is a front loader...not enough water). So hopefully I'll be able to show you some progress by Friday!

Hope you have a warm sunny summer day in your part of the world!

Clothes Blowing in the Wind

2008-06-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

Did you know that 90% of energy required for washing laundry is just heating the water? [see fact here]

Simple solution: Wash your clothes in cold water! I haven't been washing my clothes in warm water for years...and they're all still doing okay. Although, I use a natural laundry detergent that dissolves best in warm water, so I dissolve the detergent in some warm water first and toss it in.

Dryers require a butt load of energy too... and aren't necessary on sunny and windy days. So save yourself some money, save the planet energy and get outside and enjoy the sun!

What? Don't have a yard or a clothesline? Check out Clothes Drying Sans Energy for some brilliant ideas... like this... [via here]

3 Pretty Children's Illustrations

2008-06-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

To make you happy today:

Rain by Lorena Alvarez Gómez

boceto Lectura by Carlos Vélez

Teaparty by Anne Pätzke

Re-Brand

2008-06-21T13:47:00.000-07:00

New logo for my webpages and to watermark photos:

And spent some time making my signature look nicer than it really was for my art:

A Dolly Friday Five

2008-06-20T19:02:00.001-07:00

Mmmm, spent all day working on a new doll. Very exciting stuff. Here's some of my inspiration:

1) Kissing Dolls by Imperfections {are beautiful} (via Bloesem

2)Sophie by Black Apple.

3) Every single doll Hillary Lang has ever made.

4) Pippa and Posie by One Red Robin

5) Lolly Dolly Lottie by Little Dear

Fabric Covered Canvases

2008-06-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

An easy, cheap, fun, bright decorating idea!

Hanna, Val and I were on Salt Spring Island at the begining of May and came across a quilting store...we walked in and there was a wall of Amy Butler. I walked out spending $45 in fat quarters. Happy Jen.

So Hanna came up with the brilliant idea of covering them with canvas. I love it.

[See tutorial here]

I used some of my other fabric on this project.

This makes a dingy basement suite a little better... bit by bit...

Leave it to Beaver

2008-06-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

So this is a stuffed beaver I made for my cousin's beautiful new baby boy. I love him. The baby too.

On Jen's Plate...

2008-06-18T08:34:00.000-07:00

Mmm, I made the yummiest, easiest, awesomest dinner Tuesday night. I worked from home Tuesday afternoon (I love my job) so I made a lamb roast (thanks Jim & Val!) and paired it with Couscous Grilled Vegatables and Lodsa Herb Salad from Jamie Oliver's The Naked Chef Takes Off. On the roast I poured some Chilean red wine (brought back from Chile - *sigh*) and chopped up a bunch of fresh herbs (thyme, basil, rosemary, savory...) rubbed them on the lamb leg. Then I roasted it for an hour and half.

Simple.

Bliss.

Apron Love

2008-06-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

While in South America I dreamed about crafting. Constantly. My hands were so itching to do something - anything. Making an apron was high on my priority list. For no other reason than wanting a pretty splash of colour and something practical in my kitchen.

I wanted to pass along the apron love and show you delightful ones from crafters on Etsy. (I don't have a picture of mine yet. Sheesh, Jen!)

The BELLA Vintage Inspired Blue Owl Full Apron by Boojiboo. $28.75

The aptly named Singing Squirrel apron by snappyshop. $38. Please go read her descriptions and check out her other aprons... such a witty woman!

For you moms-to-be and newly-momma's *ahem* Barb there is the adorable (and of course in Amy Butler fabric) Lady Madonna Maternity Apron by momomadeit. $36.50

This just made my heart melt. Not only does pinksugarclothing have an adorable daughter, but she's dressed in the cutest apron dress! $25

Don't want to buy one already made? Eager to make your own? Try Sewbettie for a basic apron pattern. $5

Heart. Jen.

The Bluebird of Happiness is Sitting on my Head

2008-06-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

Well I'm still off in Oregon, but here's a quick little Illo I did up before I left.

A Very Etsy Friday Five

2008-06-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

1) Hedgehog Spring Gocco Print by Sepia Lepus

2) Bird and Bloom Necklace by Joanna Rutter

3)Cute Button Magnets by Skin and Tonic Too

4)Beautiful Crochet Hoop Earrings by Tania Nova Chrochet

5)Adorable Yetiness by Plants and Animals

Inspiration

2008-06-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

I found this off a site from a young man I met at Gaining Ground Summit.

Also off that site I found this: amazing projects happening in Portland Oregon - I hope Hanna and Craig see some cool stuff!!

Onwards and Portlandwards

2008-06-12T09:58:00.001-07:00

I (Hanna) am off to Portland for a week to hang out with my husband's family. Many of whom I have never met. Yeees. I have some posts scheduled to amuse you in my absence...but I won't actually be around.

Have a nice week!

On Jen's Desk...

2008-06-11T22:51:00.000-07:00

I'm making jewelery for my best friend Sam's wedding on July 5th. So that's me. In my dress and necklace.

Next I have to make 6 pairs of earrings.

Plus 5 more necklaces. Oh, and three bracelets.

I'm stoked - I mean, what an honour! Thanks Sam!

On Hanna's Desk...

2008-06-11T21:12:00.001-07:00

I'm working on a bag made out of an old pillowcase. The pocket is tragically a bit small to tuck the bag into...but I embroidered it pretty, that must count for something?

Happy Kitchen!

2008-06-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Ugh. I'm embarrassed to have this picture of me up...twice. But the before & after needs to be shown.

So a big thanks to Hanna for making my cupboards pretty and for inspiring the green & orange theme (not that I need much prodding to have more green and orange in my life). Basically the trick with a hideous kitchen is to embrace it.

Ugly. Sad. Uninspiring to cook in. Blahhhh.

TaDa! I bought some cute orange pot holders (The Bay $6 each), made a colourful apron (more to come later on that project), new tea towels (thanks Val), and green cream and sugar container (Value Village $6). I sewed a valance that matches my apron and took some of my glass jars out of the pantry and onto the shelf. Oh, and I painted some clothes pins and stuck magnets onto them to hold recipe cards.

Commissioness

2008-06-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

Just finished this commission for Mirtika. It was a bit of a long haul (more detailed than I usually do) but I'm happy with the result and so is she :) She's a writer, in case it's not obvious.

Sketchy Sunday

2008-06-08T20:37:00.001-07:00

Friday Five

2008-06-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

So I'm feeling productive as I finished some art and sewed a cute toy today. Can't show you the toy until it's born though. Wouldn't want to ruin the.. er...baby's surprise.

1)Turtle shower timer. They're for kids, but I'd take one. I'm all for short showers but sometimes when I'm sleepy I forget that...(via re-nest)

2)Family Pillow. I guess you pick the characters that most resemble your family and they make you a pillow. I don't know who in my family has bunny ears... (via Black*Eiffel)

3)PURE furniture design by Ami McKay. I love these, her furniture has lovely lines, custom embroidery and is eco-friendly. When I'm rich I'm getting me one of her chairs. (via d*sponge)

4)Pretty Jasmine Pattern Clutch by Moxie & Oliver (via Rare Bird Finds)

5)Gâteau Dish Set. The idea is that you can just stack it up and store it on your counter. It's very pretty. I would probably bump into it and break all my dishes though... (via The Kitchn)

2008-06-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

Look it's me...at two...tragically I look older than two but what can you do. This is an example for the kids commissions I'll be offering through my Etsy shop (coming soon to a..er...computer near you).

On My Desk...

2008-06-05T23:29:00.000-07:00

Whew. What a crazy week. Recap, anyone?

Last Thursday: Crashed my bike. At full speed. Bloody knuckles, knees, stomach. Grapefruit size bruise on my thigh. Still have it one week later.

Friday: Worked from home (too injured to get to work). Day before Green Livng Expo. Stressed! Did not sleep that night. For real.

Saturday: Green Living Expo. Huge success! All positive responses and requests to do it next year.

Sunday: Younger brother Brian visiting. Fun times.

Monday: Day off. Volunteer with Bike to Work Week. 6:30am. Then, errands. Errands. Errands.

Tuesday: Just a day in the office. But another sleepless night. Why?!

Wednesday: Volunteer BTWW, 6:30am - 8:45. Work until 5:30. Celebration dinner for Gaining Ground (*psst* check out the Video Recordings on the site - amazing speakers!). Didn't get home until 10pm.

Today: Chill day in the office. Forum on Integrated Water Resource Management. So Cool! Buuuut home at 10:30.

And that is why this post is up at almost midnight.

Post. Oh right.... On my desk.

It's not really on my desk. It's keeping stuff off my desk, actually. But it is organizing my craft stuff. Pretty. Mmmm, I heart Amy Butler.

I still need to finish, clearly. I mac taced one of the boxes. I don't know if I should paint the others or mactac them. And I plan on making pretty labels for them. (we seem to post alot about mactac...it's not that i really want all this plastic in my life...)

On My Desk...

2008-06-04T15:42:00.000-07:00

Here's what's on my desk today. Meet Astrid, the magnetic paper doll! She's one of the projects I'm working on for my upcoming Etsy shop.

Crochet Necklace

2008-06-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

I wear my crocheted necklace more than any other necklace. It's lightweight, simple yet interesting and matches my outfit almost every day.

Now I shall share my secret...

You will need:
* 4 or 5 different kinds of seed beads (size 6 is my favourite for this project, mix up rounds with cubes or triangles)
* 6 4mm bicone Swarovski crystals
* 6 yards bonded nylon cord
* 4.5mm crochet hook
* #12 flexible eye needle

Time: 2 hours-ish. It all depends on your stringing patience and crochet abilities.

: Step 1 :
Take pretty beads and mix together!

: Step 2 :
Start Stringing. I use a flexible eye needle to string the beads with.
I strung about 1/2 a meter of beads (1.5 feet)

: Step 3 :
Do a chain stitch and slide a bead up every time.

: Step 4 :
Once your necklace is long enough (mine wraps around my neck 3 times), take the ends and attach beadtips. Don't just tie knots--this is much prettier and it's easy!

How to use beadtips: string the beadtip (as shown), tie a knot into the 'cup' making sure it's right up tight! Tie a second knot, trim ends and close the cup. Presto!

: Step 4 : Add clasp

TaDa!

How to prettify your ugly cupboards

2008-06-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

This is Jen. Jen is sad. Why is Jen sad? Probably because her kitchen is soooo ugly. Actually her whole basement suite is rather tragic. Thus begins our mission to make Jen's kitchen cute! (please note that Jen is not sad because of the cookie. I made that cookie and it is awesome). Our first project was to liven up her sad little cupboards.

For this project you will need the following:
- White mactac
- coloured mactac
- a good craft knife (you can use scissors, but the knife is easier)
- a pen
- a ruler
- a cutting surface (I used a cardboard box)

First off cut a strip of white mactac that is slightly wider than your cupboard. On the back, draw a fun design. Yes I'm an artist but you too can draw a design like this. Just draw some bumps like a preschooler's cloud. Or leaves.

Cut out the design. Keep the outline piece, not the cutout piece.

Slowly and carefully apply the white design to your coloured mactac. Use the ruler to push it flat as you go. It's best to unpeel it a bit at a time to avoid a mess. Mactac does not peel happily off of mactac, believe me.

When you are done, it should look something like this. You might be thinking that it would be easier to just cut the design out of the coloured mactac and stick the white behind it. It is not easier. It is death. It made me want to stab things with my craft knife.

Now, cutting through both layers of mactac, trim the top so that you have an outline of about a centimetre. It's hard to explain...so look at the picture.

Okay, so your cupboard decal is created. Look at it for a moment and enjoy. Now stick it on the cupboard. Make sure you line it up carefully, then apply it a little bit at a time, again using the ruler to press it down as you go. If you screw up, just peel it off a bit and then try again, it should peel off really easily.

Then trim the edges by holding the ruler along the edge of the cupboard and running the knife down the ruler. This is much easier then trying to measure it ahead of time and line it up.

Repeat for remaining cupboards! I also did some circles. For fun.

And there you go. It's not going to turn your kitchen into solid cherry and chrome, but it sure brightens things up. And doesn't harm the cupboards if you're renting.

We also got some new tea towels. Hung a mirror on the opposite wall and replaced the box of salt with a cute salt bowl. Oh and we bought tins by buying really gross cookies at chinatown so that we could put utensils in them. Jen is much happier in her kitchen now.

Asparagus Pickles

2008-06-01T17:11:00.000-07:00

Now I'm not setting out to turn this into a food blog, but I'm very exciting to be learning all about gardening and canning this summer. I love food a lot. And the more I learn about the food I buy at the store the more it freaks me out. So I will be posting some of my food adventures for you all to share in.

This week my mother and I bought 20 pounds of gorgeous fresh asparagus. It was a mixed batch and we sorted out the thick and thin stalks. The thick tops got blanched and frozen, the thin tops got pickled. The middles were half pureed for soup (and I have invented a wooonderful asparagus soup by the way) and half chopped up fairly small and then blanched and frozen. The woody ends were boiled down for stock and canned with a dash of olive oil and a minced clove of garlic. That's a whole lot of asparagus love!

If you are thinking "asparagus pickles...intriguing!" then read on for the recipe.

10 pounds of asparagus makes 6 quarts of pickles.

First each jar gets 1 clump of dill, 4 cloves of garlic and 1 small jalapeno.

Then you pack as much asparagus in as you can manage. We put a mark on the cutting board to make it easier to cut the asparagus to the right length.

While you are doing this, you should have a pot on the stove with your brine boiling in it. The brine includes 4 cups of vinegar , 10 cups of water and 1 cup pickling salt.

Once your jar is full of asparagus, pour the brine in until it is full up to the top of the body of the jar. Then make sure the top of the jar is completely clean (or it won't seal) and put the lid on. The lids should be in a small pot of boiling water to soften the seals. Once the lid is on and screwed shut with a ring the jars go into the canner.

The canner needs to have enough water to cover all the jars (we can fit 7 quart jars in ours). Bring the water to a roiling boil and let it boil for a few minutes (5 or so). Then remove the jars and wait to hear the pops as the jars seal. They should pop in the first few minutes, but a couple of ours took their time.

Huzzah, spicy asparagus pickles for all! You should give them a try, they are very yummy and a fun addition to the ho hum pickle dish.

Friday Five

2008-05-30T11:18:00.001-07:00

So life is starting to settle down. I'm working on some web design projects as well as getting some things ready to start my Etsy shop. This afternoon I'm canning pickled asparagus with my mom so that should be fun. I'm also going to blanch and freeze a bunch to put in pasta this winter.

Every Friday I like to wander around the internet and share the prettiness with you...here's what I found today:

1)Masquerade speakers...they look like art hanging on the wall! You can get them done with your own photos. Pretty cool I say.

2)Check out this gorgeous pink teapot by Vessels & Wares on Etsy.

3)Plant Me Pets look like little plastic toys, but you plant them headfirst in the ground and they grow into plants! They're made with bio-degradable latex with seeds inside.

4)fun Cast Iron Twig Skewers from World Market.

5)I didn't think you could make old plastic bottles look this good but when Michelle Brand reuses them they look like a bunch of flowers. (via AT)

Green Buildings

2008-05-29T16:28:00.001-07:00

Everyone wants their family to live somewhere healthy. But most homes are full of toxic chemicals, made using ill-building practices that harm the earth, and cost a fortune to heat and cool.

Well what if you used the earth as a building material, situated your house for optimal solar heating and it was beautiful.

There are examples of this happening all over the world - here's a sneak peak at a few of my favourites.

This couple Gord and Ann live on Vancouver Island and have started EcoSense, whose philosophy is that a home and all its systems should mimic the beauty and function of the natural world.

I love love love Rammed Earth houses! Hanna, Val and I saw one while wondering around on Salt Spring Island at the begining of May. Terra Firma is a company based on Salt Spring!

Dockside Green is being built here in Victoria, BC. It's a leading design for LEED Neighbourhood. The project is being done in a number of phases, with the first, Synergy completed and ready for moving in Feb '09.

Your house needs paint of course! An eco-house wouldn't use any smelly toxic regular paint - it would use Milk Paint! I just found out about Milk Paint this morning, a woman selling it called about being a vendor in the Green Living Expo this weekend.

Green building makes me happy. I want to be a home designer one day.

Heart!

DIY Window Fun

2008-05-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

Tools Needed
-Contact Paper (like MacTac). I used a frosted glass look. My design used 3/4m.
-Pencil
-Measuring Tape
-Scissors or Craft Knife
-Window Cleaner
-Credit Card

1) Find a boring window. Look how boring my window is. And it's a townhouse, which makes it all the more tragic. I like to stand out a bit.

2) Spread the Contact Paper out on a table, backing side up. Use the pencil to draw the design you want. I chose bamboo because it's just a really easy set of shapes. If you aren't the artsy fartsy type, you could trace a design or use a stencil. A stencil would work really well. Use the measuring tape naturally to make sure that your amazing design will fit well.

3) Cut the shapes out. If you are afraid that you'll get them mixed up you can number them, or stick them up as you go. I used scissors, but next time I'm going to try harder to find my pretty craft knife. Hard on the hand with all the cutting.

4) Clean the window, we will be sticking them on the inside of the window, but I cleaned both sides because the outside was nasty. Please ignore the streaks in the photos, geez, flash makes them look a lot worse.

5) Unpeel the bottom of the first shape and carefully stick it to the window. Then use the credit card to smooth the rest of it down to avoid bubbles. The backing will push off as you go. Repeat with the remaining shapes.

6) Enjoy your pretty window! Boring no more!

Oh hey look, it's me :) Hiiii. And I actually did one stalk on the other window too, but it didn't photograph well through the screen.

Hi from Hanna

2008-05-27T10:20:00.000-07:00

As Jen sweetly introduced herself I guess I should too. I'm 26, and have been a lifeguard since I was 17. This summer I'm taking a leave of absence to focus on my freelance illustration and web design work, as well as open up an Etsy shop. I'm able to do this because my husband (who's a student) has a summer job in Creston, where my parents live. And we live in a motor home on their farm for the summer. So the bills are low, I'm learning to garden and getting a chance to make some money off of what I love. It's a good summer.

I've been drawing all my life, and doing digital art and graphic design for 11 years. I'm also an amateur photography, make jewelry and and learning to sew. I loooove food (tragically) and thus love cooking.

Green tea lattes are my favourite thing.

Hola!

2008-05-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

So I was planning on taking pictures of my projects. But my camera was stolen while travelling in South America this past March- with both of my memory cards. And no, it wasn't a llama who stole it. But I can't even use my husbands camera since there's no memory card. Lame-O. So I'll just write instead and hope to buy a new camera off this pay cheque.

And instead of pictures, I'll give words....

Well to start, my pay cheques come from a small environment consulting firm in Victoria, BC. It's my summer coop job, I'm a 3rd year Geography student. After graduating I want get into sustainable community development (or at least that's the plan this week)! I spent last Thursday to Saturday volunteering at the Gaining Ground Summit, here in Victoria. It's a conference all about sustainable urban design - just people trying to make the world a greener place. Love it.

Besides school/work I also love to craft. Making jewelry, sewing, knitting, crotcheting... I've been sewing an apron, it's a slow work in progress. It's almost done, I just need to sew on the sash, ruffle and put darts in the top. It's kinda 50's housewife meets dorky, crafty, giggly Jen. Pictures to come with camera and/or memory card.

I also love this Green Living revolution. Green life makes lovely people happy and healthy. My Green Living goal this summer is to support local farms by going to U-Picks and Farmers Markets. It's all about the 100 Mile Diet - the authors lived in Vancouver, BC, so there is no reason I can't do my darndest! I'm helping organize the first Green Living Expo, in Colwood (just outside of Vic). It's this Saturday *ahhhh* and so much to do still! I'm stoked, the event is going to be fabulous.

Heart, Jen.

Sketchy Sunday

2008-05-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

Here's what I'm currently working on. Too many projects!

Subscriptions

2008-04-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon!

Contact Us

2008-04-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

Feel free to contact us anytime about the blog. Hanna is also available to do freelance illustration and graphic design work.

Contact Jen: comer.jen @ gmail.com

Contact Hanna: hannasandvig @ gmail.com

(Remove spaces in the addresses)

About Divine Inspiration

2008-04-20T16:41:00.000-07:00

Hanna and Jen are friends who were lucky enough to become sisters. We love to create pretty things, and are in unofficial competition with a couple of friends as to who will be the best modern domestic goddess (Hanna wins at cooking but Jen has her beat in sewing and canning...). We are Christians who are passionate about taking care of God's creation as well as creating and sharing beautiful things (because we have Divine Inspiration!)

Jen Comer is a geography major at the University of Victoria, as is her husband (Hanna's brother). She is a jewelry designer who loves to sew creations of her own devising. She has a cat named Lelu who loves cheese.

Jewelry Portfolio | Etsy

Hanna Sandvig is an illustrator and graphic designer based in the Kootenays (currently Creston). She loves photography, cooking, beading and has recently started sewing. She also reads (possibly too much) and is tragically addicted to watching tv while she works (darn that addictive Grey's Anatomy). She is a part time lifeguard to pay the bills until her husband finishes school.

Portfolio | Etsy | Flickr

Tutorial Index

2008-04-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

Our Tutorials:
DIY Window Decals
MacTac Cupboard Decals
Crochet Necklace

Tutorial Links:
Fabric as Art

Lola's Angel Bag Tutorial:
Zippered Wristlet
Easy Change Purse Tutorial

Change Purse Tutorial

Rather Cheeky Wristlet