The Perfection Trap

Perfection is a favourite blogging topic and unfortunately it is all too true and too easily to fall into! Sometimes we're waiting for the perfect time to do something, or the perfect amount of skills or money, the perfect person, the perfect job...the list can go on!

The trouble with the perfection trap is that one spends too much time and energy on making something perfect instead of enjoying the experience. Perfection is a great way to not get things finished either :p Recently I found myself caught up in the perfection trap while painting some mirrors. I bought a bunch of wood mirrors to paint and couldn't decide if I should make one yellow and orange or yellow and brown. The solution was to make both colours!

The orange one gave me a lot of trouble, almost from the start. I bought a shade that I thought would be heavy enough, but it wasn't. It didn't cover the light pencil lines and barely covered the yellow base. I tried adding red to bulk it up. The mixture looked great when wet, but dull when dry. I painted the same areas over and over and then I started to fret about some areas that were starting to look too thick. Ugh!! I was getting frustrated because it wasn't turning out perfect enough. The brown one was much more trouble free, so when the time came to seal it, the orange one was sealed too, warts and all. That way I couldn't work on it anymore!






But one has to be kind to themselves. Few people would notice the orange mirror's flaws. And it is a handmade item, not made by a machine. Flaws are inherent, no? And I bet whoever takes the mirror home won't notice at all. The contrast of the colours and the delightful theme outshines the tiny imperfections. The bird silhouette itself is from an imperfect photo of a sparrow I took in Banff in 2009. He was catching flies and moving too fast. I guess that's another reason not to dismiss imperfection so readily :-)

Cherry Crunch

I turned on the stove today for the first time in months - it seems most dinners this summer came from the deli or we ate out, which I did not mind at all. It was nice to actually make something and almost complete another goal on my Mission 101 list. The goal is to make five recipes from the Home Christian Cookbook, a tome of 1960s vintage Mennonite recipes. So far I have made Company Casserole, apple cumble, another casserole which I can't quite remember and now cherry crunch, which is actually a little different from the apple crumble. It was good because I was able to "pantry shop" instead of having to buy more ingredients and it was a quick way to use up a bag of frozen berries real fast!

1 cup flour 1 cup brown sugar 1/8 tsp of salt 1 cup oatmeal 1/2 cup soft butter 3 cups cherries Mix all but fruit till crumbly. Put 1/2 of the mixture in a greased pan. Pour thickened or ready mix fruit over crumbs. Spread remainder of crumb mixture over top of fruit. Bake 30 minutes at 350. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. (Blueberry, apple or other fruits may be used). Attributed to Mrs. Kenneth Nightengale, Copeland, Kansas. I took three pictures of the delicious dessert, and couldn't decide which to use, so be sure to check the other two out on Flickr.

Blog Backlog #2 - Clean the basement!

From February to May I undertook a gargantuan task - I cleaned the basement, fully completely, and my husband even got into the spirit by e-cycling some old computers. I can't believe we found 300 cubic square feet of space in our house! Blue cart recycling helped a lot, and I said goodbye to boxes of old magazines! I pared down my craft supplies and well, I'm always proud of the nice stuff that I can give to the Salvation Army. A lot of people see thrift stores as their dumping ground, but an old desk, at least four boxes of clothes and a lot of books and household items have hopefully found a second life. Here's another secret - the less stuff you have, the less time you spend looking after it!

Although I was happy last summer when I cleaned up my art space, I wasn't completely happy with it and found a better arrangement once all that stuff was gone! And naturally I captured it on video for posterity.

Blog Backlog #1 - Third Place!

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! I feel like I have hardly been home with the farmer's market, travelling and when I am home, I'm trying to get through virtual piles of photos. Here's one I couldn't wait to re-take - third prize in the colored pencil and pastel drawings, western theme class at the Calgary Stampede Arts and Crafts Showcase. First place was a more traditional use of pastel, a portrait of a pioneer man. The second was a calf. When you enter, you have no idea if you have won something, so I was just thrilled to get a ribbon! The framing was chosen for me by Studio Todorovic via Ted Harrison Framing in Art Central, Calgary. Of course, big props goes to Jess for the use of Sunny and Sabre's likenesses :-)

What will I do next year? I better think of something quick!! A year seems like a long time, but it really isn't.

Test post!

I have a new cellphone, a Nexus One which is Google's phone. I just downloaded an app for Blogger.

So this isn't too boring, there had been a break in the rain and I'll actually get to trim the flowerbeds. It's been so long I might need a machete!

I will be at the Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmer's Market tomorrow too. Shine on, Mr. Sun!

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Third Time's The Charm!

I have so many things to blog about that I really need to get around to writing them all up! My friend Noela Jewelry finally had a nice day at the Farmer's Market. It didn't rain, and the wind kicked up just a bit. I almost wish I had something more sturdy to sell, like things made out of horseshoes! I could have used a few to keep the tablecloth down. Anyway, it was nice to sell a lot more cards and magnets this time. There was also live music too and a lot more produce available than in June.

Here are some pictures my table before the tent arrived. I still don't have a proper picture of everything...it's just so easy to get busy with customers and hanging on to stuff. The mirror on the far side is something new for me. If it sells, I may make more. Our next time at the fair is July 21st from 3:30-7:30 at the Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Centre, so come out and say hi if you can! Or just wave from the interwebs :-)

Writer's Block: Where I Want to Be

Livejournal has a daily writer's block question and sometimes I find they really jog my memory! Today's question is What was your childhood dream? Did you ever accomplish it?

My childhood dream was to be a jockey. I never wanted to be a ballerina or a princess or anything like that. Suffice to say, I haven't achieved that dream despite being short enough - alas, I wouldn't make the weight requirement! The last remnant of that dream faded around Grade 9 or 10. Before my family moved to Calgary, I seriously thought about attending Olds College for their Equine Science or Exercise Rider and Jockey program. Alberta has a thriving horse industry and if the new Balzac racetrack ever gets built, it will have two major racetracks.

But my parents favoured career plans that were more practical and less dirty, so I never did have the encouragement in that area either. I practically grew up at Northlands Park, which was my Dad's way of babysitting us when Mom worked weekends or evenings. It was great, if a little odd - we could run around wherever we wanted, there were always fries after the eighth race and there were horses to watch! There was never a shortage of Dad's friends who doted on my brother and I as well. Like bowling, an afternoon at the racetrack seems like an antiquated hobby.

Naturally, I loved The Black Stallion as well. I wish I could find it, but I have a Grade 1 drawing of me riding The Black. It's such an adorable picture - I love kid's art - but it's a picture I keep finding and losing over the years. The next time I find it, I promise to scan it in!