A rock 'n' roll and crafty weekend

Occasionally, my husband and I have our very own crafty days. We don't have kids, but some would think we do. The image above might be why. Those toadstools really did look like a Smurf house. Makes me smile.

This past weekend, besides trick or treating with our nieces, nephews and a few good friends, we got crafty. Rob worked on his upcoming show at Public, and I worked on a series of Christmas cards.  

For one of my cards, I painted and papered my birdhouses, and made festive wreathes to adorn their front door pegs. If a bird did indeed decorate for Christmas they would most certainly use snow berries, twigs, and tiny conifer cones, wouldn't they? Rob and I hiked into a nearby forest to shoot them. The light was low and so pretty. I'll show the finished cards later this week.


Rob's got another show coming up at Public Lounge in Vancouver, opening November 8th. It's called Fragments in RPM - "A new exhibition of prints and poster remnants, exploring musical memory and the visual attachment we give to sounds." If you're in Vancouver, go and check it out!


Now, back to painting my kitchen. I'm making quite a mess.

Fright Fest

From Christmas to Halloween. So much can change in a week. I do love a good "scary" movie with lots of mayhem and suspense, but no slashing. Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street and Saw (all 5 or 6 of them), to name a few, are unwatchable (new word). 

It's Fright Fest this week, on a certain movie channel, so I thought I'd list a few of my favourites, partly because of how they look. Very stylish. The photography, sets, costumes, are pretty spectacular in these particular films, even if you don't like this genre.  Do you have a favourite horror movie? Do tell.

Rosemary's Baby 1968. Love her pixie cut, sweet little outfits, sets, and her neighbours. Ruth Gordon is amazing as Minnie Castevet.

The Birds 1963. The hair, suit and all those crows. Spectacular. Edith Head was the costume designer for Tippi Hedren. I love Edith.


Ahh, the Innocents 1961. I think this is my favourite film out of this bunch. Deborah Kerr is fabulous, as are the spooky children. Martin Stephens, who plays Miles, is especially spooky.

 

Heather Cameron and I shot this story for Gardening Life with the help of Kate Keeler, my nephew Jake and sister Debbie, a couple of years ago. We set up a movie screen in amongst Heather's blueberry shrubs. Naturally, we had to feature The Birds. 

Happy Halloween!

Deck the Halls

I can't believe how fast this past week has gone. Where did it go? Since my last post, I've worked with my friend Heather on web images for Missing Goat, shot a bathroom with Nancy Riesco for House and Home. (yes, I have a glamorous life), and finally wrapped up my new promo piece (merci, Rob).

As we head into the weekend, I thought I'd get you all into the "deck the halls" spirit. This lovely home is featured in the current Canadian House and Home magazine. I shot this story last Christmas.  How time flies. Homeowner, Darci, is co-owner of the Cross , a beautiful home store here in Vancouver. They have recently launched their new website and online shop.

By the way, thanks so much to all of you lovely bloggers for your helpful hints regarding my "upholstery fairy" post. It's all underway, so I'll be posting the makeovers soon.  Looking forward to catching up with all of your blogs, over the weekend!

There is no such thing as an upholstery fairy

I've been thinking of painting the living/kitchen area of our home. I say this, but I probably won't get around to it until the new year, at the earliest.  This is the frustrating part of my job as a lifestyle and interiors photographer.  Too many options and sensory overload, so it's difficult (for a person like me) to make that final decision. Yikes.

This problem has really been driven home by a few items languishing in our garage. One of the many items is a chair (above) that I've been wanting to reupholster for over a year. Unfortunately, I've learned that there is no upholstery fairy that will take care of this for me. Dreams shattered. Same goes for the shadeless vintage lamp (below), and the piles of fabric that I've collected. You never know when you might want to make a cushion or a sweet bistro curtain. I have never made either. 

I almost forgot all the wallpaper (see some of the "collection" below). Speaking of wallpaper. Is it too hideous to paper a wall that is dangerously close to a toilet? When boys pee.... well, you know. I would love to cover one tiny wall, in our powder room, with vintage Japanese wallpaper. Hmmm.

To wrap up, I'm hoping that now that I've put it out there, I will have to tackle these little projects. Fingers crossed.  

Shadeless lamp.

Dust covered, new and vintage wallpaper.

Thankful

We're heading into a long weekend here in Canada. It's Thanksgiving. I love this time of year. Nothing but heaps of stuffing, cranberries, stuffing, sweet potatoes (soaked in maple syrup), and stuffing.  A true carb delight. 

My post purchase doubts have kicked in a bit this week (thanks to blasted Ebay!), so I have felt like a greedy guts. I'd like to remedy it a bit, by declaring my thankfulness for a few things in my life. I'll try not to be deeply mushy, or too wordy!

I'm very thankful for....

My husband, friends and family here in Vancouver and Australia.  

Having 13 years with our fabulous dog Plugger.  He passed away this summer. We really miss him.

Plugger

The lovely people that have purchased some of my prints over the last week. Pictured below is the Chinatown series and a couple of Fallen Ladies.

Having a roof over my head is pretty good too.

Speaking of having a roof over my head...

 

If you live in Vancouver, check out gratitudeweek.org and please donate. Their slogan is "Give a dollar. Give a damn". If you live here, you know we have an unacceptable homeless problem. For a rich city like Vancouver, this should not be happening. It's bunk. With the Olympics coming, it can only get worse.

Another fabulous organization, you all might like to check out, is kiva.org. 

As a wedding gift, for my brother and his wife, my family lent money to a lovely woman, in Honduras, so she could open up a beauty salon.  The money was repaid in just a few months. It's a fascinating site to go through. Please take a look. I'm about to donate to a man that simply needs a couple of goats. 

Have a great weekend! Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

 

Jingle Bells

A couple of magazines have asked me for Christmas stories recently. I guess it is that time of year. One magazine expressed an interest in a story I shot 3 years ago. The Noel kids, above, were part of the story. We shot it at the home of Robin and Chris, owners of a fantastic shop called Stepback. It did get me thinking about the Christmas cards I do every year. Do you have to say Happy Holidays now? I celebrate Christmas, so I'm going with that.

This image was taken on a snowy, sunny November day.

I documented this Christmas tree farm, then popped a deer into the picture (thanks Rob!)

I love food and frocks that fit

I had a food shoot the other day.  Love shooting food, and it's great to get to eat what you shoot. This time around it was for Latitude, in Vancouver.  I've included a few pics.  They'll make you hungry.



On a final weekend note.....I bought my Comrags dress!  Can't wait to receive it.  I actually have shoes that, I think, will go perfectly well with it.  Yes? No? Have fabulous weekend!