He had spied the little lake and the boat with a patchwork sail from atop the rugged hill. It hardly moved, stirred occasionally by a faint current or a nudging fish. No wind stirred the little vessel as it gently sought out the far side of the grassy lake edge. On the other side, he thought he could see a chair, or a coach. It was as if the walls of the house had vanished, leaving its contents cold and open on the mossy bank. The green reeds slashing wetly against his leather boots as he followed the fen trail to the lake. Faintly, a voice rose from the water. It sang a sweet and sorrowful strain, a song without words. A hand dipped into the water from over the boat’s varnished edge. A white finger conjured a fairy ring of ripples in the water. The wind came up to turn the boat slowly clockwise, revealing pale face and a cascade of red hair. Gray eyes looked up, expressionless. The mud laid claim to his boots as he stood still amongst the reeds. Her hand stayed in the water, her eyes cool, the song steady.

bluebells, pleasure

a charming face from Martha Stewart; the June bluebells in my garden.

fall fashion 2008

Ahh, my favourite thing to do in the summer... look at all the Pre-Fall shows!

I usually scan through every designer on www.style.com and pick out the images that I like, and that I think I can adapt (affordability, find-ability). Except for Burberry Prorsum, I am unscrupulous when it comes to changing favourites. At the moment, I'm really liking the colours and fabrics of Oscar de la Renta. The swing skirt is adorable, and flattering. Floral patterns are lighthearted and a little unusual for autumn, especially done in a floaty dress paired with knits.

Black tights! I know, they have been around for ages, but I feel like I'm finally getting the message. And slightly crafty, almost homely patterns (very popular on Vancouver Island, so they'll be easy to find!).

Don't forget to enjoy summer, Robin. It'll be gone before you know it! Still, it's nice to dream.

i love you

st.annes, beacon hill

tuesday is the new saturday

l'art textile et la toilette du ancien régime

Grubber Alain, Ancien Régime 1795, Exposition Catalogue (Abegg-Stiftung Riggisberg, 1989)

The University of Victoria, my Alma Matter, has a stupendously under-rated library. Between classes I would wander the three floors and discover dusty, leather-bound gems. One such gem is the exposition catalogue for a mysterious textile show from 1989. Although I haven't looked very hard, I can't seem to figure out where the show was held. It also doesn't help that the tiny book is written solely in French and German. My translation skills are fledgling in the former, and non-existent in the latter.

Luckily, the full colour pictures make up for any textual loss:

I hope to use these at some point in my drawings, or an embroidery. I don't know yet!

sketchbook

These are old sketches from Country Living UK, done in when I lived in Scotland for the summer (last year, Aberdeen, didn't really count as summer). I drew so much there. I can't wait to get my hands on the UK magazine, it's much better than the American one!

peach tart

The top is the full (thought not a rich) version of the card I did for my friend Melina, and a detail. Peach cream tart, from Martha Stewart... I'm going to have to find a way to take better pictures of my work! My scanner is rubbish, so that's not an option. Hmm...

It's not quite as hot in Victoria as these pictures might portray. These are from last year, and from August. Today, the weather is that strange foggy summer, when the sky is white and the air is muggy. I'm not much of a photographer, but I like to go out sometimes to take photos, especially of my neighbourhood. In August the grass dies, turning golden. The tree leaves become crisp and silvery. The light is warm and lazy, marking the setting of summer.

Unlike now, when it can't make its mind up to be glorious or defeatist!

food, marvelous food

I'll probably be making these into cards at some point. Mmm even though I'm off baking at the moment, these make me want to purchase whipping cream and roll out a sweet crust. These pictures were also my contribution to the UVic Visual Arts graduating student's art book, "H*T SH*T. These, and the country living piece. They were tiny in the book, but I'm happy anyways.

Gallery of Fashion 1794

Months spent in the throws of ribbon-pinning and flower-afixing, this piece is the product of spending too much time in antique shops and Chintz & Company. Other than being an explosion of notions, it is actually a direct replication of a drawing I found in a book about fashion plates, called (wouldn't you know it) Gallery of Fashion 1794. There you are.



I loved the feeling of disappearing into the minute stitching and folding velvet while I worked.

a country living

Exclusively pencil crayons. images from Country Living Magazine UK. I am just about her... minus the perfect house. I have a tiger's eye ring, not a blue stone, and my dress is black, not white.