The Paper Place

Here are the photos of our visit to The Paper Place.
I was like a cat in a fishery :)
The cherry on the cake was to spot my Galison 'Thank You' cards in the shop!
Oh! I almost forgot that I ate my first ever macaron from Nadège,
across the street from The Paper Place.
We had the salted caramel and it was delicious!
Thank you Margie for being such a wonderful tour guide.

Flea Market Treasures

A few treasures I scored
at the Sunday St. Lawrence flea market :)

Saint-Armand

On top of all the wonderful memories I brought back with me
from my trip to Canada, I also brought back amazing art supplies.
Margie took Sonia & me to visit The Paper Place on Queen St.
I bought a whole stack of Canadian 100% recycled handmade paper sheets from Saint-Armand in all sorts of lovely dark colors, beautiful japanese washi tape,
inkpads, waxed linen thread, etc...
I'll show you some photos of our visit to the gorgeous shop on my next post.
I'm already working on a new collage using a purple sheet!

Margie's Magical Garden

I have a really hard time finding words to describe
how beautiful my friend Margie is inside and out.
I think the wild exquisiteness of her garden is a perfect reflection of her.
I hope you are inspired by all of this as much as I was.
I left a little piece of my ♥heart♥ in Ontario..
Love you M. Lets meet again soon, eh? :)

To Dye For...

On Monday we had a 'dye party' in Margie's backyard and it was magical.
Margie, Sonia, Arounna and Barbara transformed their fabric
using natural dyes while I made them my husband Manolo's famous guacamole.
I'll post the recipe soon!
Read more about our fun filled day here and here.

Workshop At Bookhou 2011

Hand carved stamps workshop at Bookhou in Toronto, ON.
I was blessed with the most wonderful group of creative, talented women.
I loved spending time with each one of you.
Thank you for welcoming me with open arms and so much love.
Music: "The Littlest Birds" by The Be Good Tanyas

Gushfest

I'm back at my home sweet home after a beautiful time in Canada!
Here are just a few photos I took of Arounna's studio & shop at Bookhou.
Not only is she ridiculously talented and prolific
but she is also very warm, sweet, down to earth and super friendly.
Meeting her, John and their beautiful children was a real delight!
When I grow up I want to be just like Arounna!

Canada here I come!

I'm off to Ontario tomorrow and I'll be tweeting my trip!
Follow me at: http://www.twitter.com/geninnesart
I'm finally meeting Arounna and Sonia and seeing my dear friend Margie again :)
What a treat!
Thank you so much to all of you that signed up for the Workshop on Saturday!
I'm really looking forward to meeting all of you!
We are having a closing reception of the Winged Migration show
at Bookhou on friday july 22nd from 6 to 9 pm.
Do come by to say hello if you're in the neighborhood :)

Mani

Gave myself a "geninne" manicure ahead of my trip to Canada this Thursday :)

Wearable Art

I'm working on something really fun for my shop!
Each of these 2 x 2 inch squares with my original paintings will be transformed
into one of a kind of wearable art when I'm done embroidering
& adding some details on them...stay tuned.

Update: Oops! I forgot to mention the little squares are iron-ons.
I used 100% linen and a Strathmore iron-on sheet.

In print!

My 13 year old son Daniel's awesome portrait of Margie's Lord Byron
(gray kitty with yellow eyes)
made it into Issue 10 of Uppercase Magazine!
Words cannot describe how proud I am of him :)

Collecting Nature

I love to collect little bits of nature and display them around our home.
They are a constant source of inspiration for my artwork.

Last week I found the most perfect glass box to display some of my beloved treasues.

My growing collection of Margie rocks
living together with a few that I've covered with her very easy to follow instructions

Seedpod canoes (as I call them) filled with little bits of wonder
that I gather on walks and some that have traveled from all over the world
as gifts from my most generous friends.
The gorgeous background of this photo is a painting on wood panel called "Black Cactus" that I bought from my very talented friend Tiel in Australia.

Summer Storms

Quick watercolor sketch on gray recycled paper
inspired by stormy gray summer skies that make colors seem brighter.

Dark & Stormy

I'm giving my favorite old t-shirt a new life with an iron-on of my elephant
with embroidery on top. I used a Strathmore iron-on sheet.

I love how the stormy sky blended with the color of our blue house a few days ago.
We're finally in the rainy season and everything is turning
into the most gorgeous shade of green.