This post was written by Mary Elizabeth O’Toole
The phrase take a hike has taken on an idiomatic sense of dismissal “Beat it. I’m tired of talking to you. Go away. Take a hike.”
I am using it in the more traditional sense of taking a walk, getting out and exploring. Sometimes it is just necessary to get away from what you are doing to shake off the stiffness and clear the cobwebs. Taking a hike is good for both physical and mental fitness. Continue reading Take a Hike
This post was written by Mary Elizabeth O’Toole
Increasingly my quilting preference is realistic art quilts from photos. Photography has been a hobby since I bought my first SLR camera in high school. We don’t need to discuss how many years ago that was. I have progressed from that first camera, a well-loved and well used K-100 Pentax work horse, through a series of digital cameras Continue reading Tech Tuesday: Basic Photo Editing
This post was written by Mary Elizabeth O’Toole
With the snow fast disappearing, I decided that I’d better get in another session of snow dyeing before I lost the chance for the season. I had intended to get into the city to pick up some more supplies but didn’t get the chance so I had to work with what I had around because the weather forecast was calling for more rain. I decided to experiment with what I had around the house. Continue reading WIP: Fabric Dyeing
Today’s post is written by Stephen Parsons
In an earlier post we mentioned that we had bought a laser engraver from Gearbest – our first – to supplement some of the work in our shop, notably things like small engraving tasks and marking cuts for the band saw and scroll saw. Now that we have it together, I thought it might be a good time to bring you up to speed on our success (and challenges) to date. Continue reading Tech Tuesday: The Laser
This post was written by Mary Elizabeth O’Toole
I have been trying to write my weekend post for a few days but nothing has been working. I have started a few articles. Some of wondered off on unrelated, and sadly uninspired tangents. A few have been added to my ‘need to develop’ file. Others might work for a collection of random ideas in a summary piece. A number of the promising starts just were not working for me – at least not yet. It seems that the only thing to do is let the ramblings take me where they want to go today and use this lack of creative stimulation as my starting point. Continue reading Creating Creative Inspiration
This post was written by Mary Elizabeth O’Toole
Here it is time for another tech Tuesday piece so I have been considering what I wanted to cover. This has got me thinking about how I use technology tools in my work, and about how these various tools influence my process and my projects. Continue reading Technology and Creativity
Today’s post is written by Stephen Parsons.
I have long been fascinated by the life and work of Leonardo Davinci. So, when my wife and I traveled to Italy in 2015, we sought out opportunities to explore historic sites that were connected to the maestro. This renaissance painter, sculptor, mathematician, physician, builder, inventor and philosopher (among other talents) is an inspiration to me. My own Portfolio speaks to my curiosita and interest in numerous fields inspired, in part, by Davinci and other renaissance men. But recently, I came to wonder if I (and the maestro, for that matter) are actually renaissance men, or simply suffering attention deficit? Continue reading Renaissance Man or ADD?
This post was written by Mary Elizabeth O’Toole
For this week’s work in progress, I have chosen a quilt called Holly Lane, from The Quilt Company.
I have had this one packed away for some time. I took it out to cut and complete for Christmas 2017 but I completed only one block before I had to put it aside to meet demands of client work and gifts.
I decided at that time that this would be a perfect project to work on during the cold winter months Continue reading WIP: Quilting with Kits
This post was written by Mary Elizabeth O’Toole
When you are trying to learn a new habit, or replace an old one, evidence shows us that it takes a minimum of 21 days of consecutive practice. As a former language and music teacher, I know it is more effective to learn these forms of expression with regular daily practice rather than with marathon sessions just before a lesson or performance. Continue reading Create daily
Today’s post was written by Stephen Parsons.
Warren Ervine may not look like a legend, but thirty years ago, he did something extraordinary – something that only a few Canadians will ever do. Warren ran a leg of the Olympic Torch relay for the Winter Olympics in Calgary in 1988. On February 20, during our country’s sesquicentennial birthday celebration he will relive that event at the annual Sackville Business Association Snow Days Parade with a replica of the torch that he held high in ’88. That’s where I came in… Continue reading Work in Progress: Passing the Torch
