Tuesday, September 30, 2008

30 Things in 30 Day - #21 - Harvest Rainwater

This is a new idea to me. I mean, I do know that people collect rain water. And it makes sense. I just never really thought much about it. I am always excited to learn new things and if you search the internet for "Harvesting Rainwater" you will find quite a bit if information. Harvested rainwater can be used to water your plants, both indoors and in your outdoor containers, as well as for lawns and gardens. Rain barrels are simple receptacles that collect water during rainy times, that can be used during dry times. It is best to place your barrel where there is some run off, such as under your home's gutter. You can store your harvested water in a large rain barrel. Rain water is soft, which plants like best, and it doesn't contain chemicals like chlorine or fluoride. This water can also be used for cooking, cleaning, or drinking, if properly treated.


Some people take great pride in decorating their rain barrels so they are true works of art. Here are some tips on how to. Have fun!

30 Things in 30 Days - #21 - Compost Your Waste

Monday, September 29, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #20 - Wash in Cold & Line Dry

Did you know that if you switch to cold water for all your laundry you can save 80% of the energy you use on washing? That is amazing! Switching to biodegradeable, non toxic powder is also a good step. I posted about Claudia's Choices, the soap I use, here. Hanging your clothes to dry is also a wise move, plus they smell so darn fresh. I live in a townhouse and there is a rule against drying lines. I smell a protest coming, I am just hoping that since I live in a very environmentally conscience community that they will come to their senses without my prodding. Stay tuned...

For more environmentally friendly laundry tips, check out this article by Annie Bond.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #19 - Ditch Your Desktop

I JUST found out about this (what am I living under a rock?!). If you use a lap top instead of a desktop computer you will reduce your energy consumption by 3/4! Wow! Of course, you should power down your laptop at the end of the day. And I have to add that I didn't want to quit using my desktop but ever since I bought a laptop after Christmas I hardly ever turn my desktop on. I love being able to work anywhere.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #18 - Take a Bath

I touched on this in the last post, but taking a bath instead of a shower CAN save water IF you take long showers like I do. I have read that the average shower is 4 minutes long.... hmmmmmmm, I would say my average shower is 10 - 15 minutes long! I am not proud if it, it is the most wasteful thing I do. The length of my shower depends on whether I am shaving, washing my hair, etc. I have previously stated that showers are a sinful treat for me, and I really over do them. The average bathtub holds 180 - 200 liters of water when full. A standard shower head dispenses 20 - 60 liters of water a minute. A low flow shower head dispenses 10 - 15 liters of water a minute. Here is a good way to decided if a shower or a bath is best for you.

"If you’d like to test the amount of water wasted yourself, here’s an experiment you could try at home. Put the plug in the bathtub next time you take a shower (but not a stand-alone shower as you might spill over the lower shower wall). After you've showered, examine how much the tub filled up. If there is less water than you would usually have in a bath, then you will probably save money by taking a shower instead of a bath.

The Environment Agency, however, would recommend short showers, not baths. Based on its latest research, it proclaims that a 5-minute shower uses about a third of the water of a bath and can save 50 litres every time." by Ray Dobson, the managing Director of WD Bathrooms based in Sheffield, UK.

Personally I believe in the restorative powers of water. Look at all the cultures that have public baths, saunas, therapeutic pools. A bath can be relaxing to mind and body. And bath time is a great time for young families to spend time together. Since having my daughter over two years ago, I now take a bath every other day, with her vs the daily shower I took alone before. We have a fun time bonding, and we save water. Yah to that! It is a long way from the military style showers I have been forced to take as a guest of family friends who will remain nameless but I am truly trying to curb my long, hot shower addiction.

Friday, September 26, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #17 - Low Flow Shower Head

I LOVE to shower! It is one of my sinful delights. In order to keep my water usage in check, which easily is double that of my husband, I have started taking baths with my 2 year old, but additionally we have a low flow shower head. And low flow doesn't mean low pressure. In fact, we have lower water pressure in our current home than in our past home and our shower head has regulated it perfectly. And we have a really big head so that it is like showering under a rain shower....oooooohhhhhh so nice! Now that it is chilling down outside for the evening, I may need to go warm up under my shower head. Maybe I can get my husband interested and we can shower together to save water...

Thursday, September 25, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #16 - Check Your Tires

Keep your tires properly inflated. This will help your car to run more efficiently which in turn will produce less harmful emissions, and use less gas. I don't know what more to say. Simple!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #15 - Recharge Your Batteries

Buy a battery recharger. Batteries are not combustible, due to dangerous metals they contain. This also makes them dangerous for landfills. Rechargeable batteries will pay for themselves over a lifetime.

One other simple way I have reduced the battery usage in our home is to limit the amount of battery powered items we use. Our daughter has very few battery powered items. This has resulted from careful selection of toys and asking the grandparents to buy her toys that don't have batteries.

So Much To Do, So Darn Little Time...

I miss my blog. Things have been insane, all in a good way, aside from some colds around our house. I hope to have more time to write soon.

I have been editing photos from 17 photo shoots I had in Ottawa this summer. I am done with editing and uploading to online galleries, now I am working on building the albums for each of my clients. Here is just one of my favorite images from the shoots. What an adorably cheeky little lady!



In addition to that I am working two days a week at my friend's shop, Silver Spoon. It is an awesome job that I look forward to. I can bring my little one, since it is a children's shop, and the owner had a 3 year old of her own. His name is, of course, Silver. Here is a photo of two peas in a pod, hanging out at the shop. Admit it, you wanna ride an elephant, too :)



Aside from that, I have been preparing for my teaching my fall community courses, through the town of Banff. The first one started last Thursday night. It is Basic Digital Photography for ages 12 - 14. My class is small, all girls, and really fun. I forget sometimes how much I prefer to teach kids. Even the "difficult" ages most people dread. Kids are so much more open to new ways of thinking and seeing. And they are not as hard on themselves as adults. Adults let failure paralyze them. Kids just have fun experimenting. I hope to take some fun shots to share this week.

Next week, I am teaching a Lunch and Learn course to town of Banff Employees, on blogging. They have a public staff blog that they need help getting off the ground. I am going in to try to inspire everyone to give it a shot. I am looking forward to it.

I am also start teaching next Monday for the Banff After School Club. I will teach recycled art! Yippee! At one point I was to be teaching weekly but then sadly it was not in the program budget so it was changed to once a month. I was really sad so I mentioned to both the program coordinator for the program and the program coordinator for the Town that I would love to write for a grant, with their backing, to pay for my "position". They put their heads together and came up with a plan of their own that now has me teaching weekly, at least through the end of the year! On Monday we will make puzzles using old books that someone donated to the Club.

Lastly, I have been preparing for my upcoming solo show at the Banff Public Library, for the month of October. I will reveal more in upcoming posts but lets just say it involves Polaroid film and double exposures...

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #14 - Farmer's Markets

In our part of the country, winter is just around the corner, but there is still time to buy locally from area farmer's markets. Squash, pumpkin, arugula, cabbage, spinach, bush beans, beets, and broccoli should all still be available. Many Farmer's Markets carry organic produce but not all do so ask questions. And it is always fun to try something new, so check out what is available. Support your local farmers and save on the energy that is used to ship items from afar.

I seem to have pumpkins on the brain so here is a recipe for Mexican Pumpkin Soup:
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups mashed or pureed pumpkin
1 16-ounce can chili beans
1 tablespoons oregano
pinch of cayenne or other red pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
5 red potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large onion chopped
1 tbsp. seeded diced jalapeño
1/3 cup soy milk
cilantro or parsley

Heat a large pot. Sauté most of the onions (reserve a few for garnish) and the garlic over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add in the broth, pumpkin, chili beans, jalapeño, and potatoes. Stir in the oregano, cayenne, and cumin. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.

Simmer for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the soy milk and serve immediately garnished with cilantro or parsley and onion (and extra diced jalapeño, if desired).

Check here from some more healthy pumpkin recipes.

Monday, September 22, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #13 - Walk Somewhere

Just do it. Put one foot in front of the other, breathe deep, and break a sweat. It will help save energy AND do wonders for your personal health. Stop being lazy, get off your butt, go outside!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #12 - Turn Off the Lights


Yes, we can all hear our parents, "If I have told you once, I have told you a thousand times, turn off the light when you leave a room!" Well, like so many things, they were right. I must admit that once I moved out on my own I may have left the lights on a time or two just for spite... Luckily, I have matured :) or I think I have... anyway, turn off lights in rooms you aren't in (or anyone else is in for that matter). It is the easiest thing I can think of to save energy. For more info on energy conservation and some fun freebies go to FLICK OFF.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #11 - French Press Coffee Maker


I will try to make this the last post about coffee. If you love java but don't want to use a method that uses a filter, even if it is a reusable one, then a French Press is the way to go. Here is a Wikipedia post that tell you all about them. And a CoffeeGeek post on how to use them. I have talked with several people who have use these for decades, and the only negative was that the glass sleeve can break, but they are re placeable and recycleable. And the person who mentioned this said only once in 30 years had they had to replace it. Check it out...

Friday, September 19, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #10 - Reusable Coffee Filters

While I am on a coffee kick (see the last couple posts) I may as well mention something I already posted about here. Reusable coffee filters. If you use a coffee maker, please consider getting a reusabl basket filter. They are available at all department stores, drug stores, and hardware stores. I really don't understand why someone would want to pay for filters when for about $6 - $7 they can buy a reusable one an help our environment. I don't usually use a coffee maker, I make coffee one cup at a time using a Melitta One Cup Cone, which costs about $6 in Canada but only $2.99 on their US Site. I just set it on top of my cup and pour hot water from a kettle into it. They also have one that you can use on a traditional carafe that makes 6 cups. There are reusable cotton filters available for these. I wish they were not made out of plastic as we all know how long that sticks around. But, my wish may have been answered as I see that they make a porcelain 6 cup coffee maker! Wow! That's awesome!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #9 - Coffee Cup Cozy


Ok, so when first saw that people were making these, I thought it would only encourage people to use disposable coffee cups. I was against them. But, then I thought, not everyone is in a position to carry a travel mug all the time, and these cozies can fit in your pocket or purse, and at least you won't need to use a cardboard cozy at the coffee shop. They are called everything from coffee corset to coffee sweater, like this cute little red deer from ThinkingMama.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #8 - Bring Your Own Coffee Cup

I was reading in our local paper that the council has looked at outlawing one time coffee cups but have decided against it at this time. I live in Banff, where they are always looking into ways to reduce waste, and they have stellar organics and regular recycling programs. Because it is a resort community, so the mayor argued that many people don't bring a coffee mug with them. Now, I personally do travel with a coffee mug and water bottle, but it is true that many people don't, especially with the airline bans on liquids. However, Toronto has proposed a ban or to at least tax the offending cups. If a business doesn't want to pay to carry a better alternative to say styrofoam, they can pay a tax...

Do you have a reusable coffee mug? There are some really cool ones out there. From stainless steel to the Vincent Van Gogh Starry Sky one I have. Just search your local coffee shops or search on Google or Etsy under "travel mugs". This one is my favorite from LittleDebbieDoos!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #7 - Reusable Produce Bags

I need to get out my sewing machine. I am not very good at sewing but I think a perfect project to get me practicing would be to make reusable produce bags. I am always surprised when I go looking for these in stores and don't find them. I just had a lightning bolt tonight that you could use the mesh lingerie bags that people use for laundering their unmentionables in the washing machine. However, these bags are quite fancy with their zippers, and possibly a bit heavy on a produce scale. Check out these options on Etsy from The June Bride (simple, lovely bags), Fickle Faerie (who has color choices), and AMK Designs (who supplies a super cute and useful storage bag with hers). Sales must be exploding because a couple of months ago there was only one shop making that I knew of making these on Etsy. She could not keep up with the demand. I better get out my machine...

Monday, September 15, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #6 - Reusable Lunch Bag Options

Remember when we had lunch boxes as kids? That was soooo great! I always loved picking mine out when my old one had become worn out, cracked, or otherwise unusable. Kids are so hard on their stuff! I actually recently purchased a Snoopy lunch box that was probably from when I was a kid. It was $2 at a thrift store and I could not resist. It will probably hold letters or other odds and ends in my studio, but it got me thinking about lunch options...

I wrote about the ultra cool reusable lunch options by Laptop Lunches, here. And I mentioned Binski Studios in the post below that relates to reusable shopping bags. It was while I was researching for that post that I found this awesome Design Your Own lunch tote, which uses gorgeous Amy Butler fabric. Check it out! Your lunch tote won't be like anyone else's.



And if you really want to be unique, how about this $75 vintage French yellow and black enamel lunch box from Eurolux Antiques.



I LOVE this see through lunch box, from Five Petals Red, and what a great price! If it is sold it is because I bought it!



And if it is a vintage cartoon lunch box you are after just go to Etsy and search lunch box under the vintage category. Pee Wee Herman, Rainbow Brite, The Partridge Family, they are all here! Come on, ditch your plastic shopping bag or paper lunch bag, find something reusable that you really love so you will look forward to bringing your lunch from home AND you will help our environment.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #5 - Reusable Shopping Bags

What simpler way to help our environment then to start using reusable shopping bags? There are soooooo many options from the utilitarian, walking advertisement bags from your local grocery store to absolutely lovely and fashionable bags such as the ones made by my friend's sister-in-laws at Skeeda to this insulated beauty from Binski Studio. Oh, and my friend, Sheasy, recommended Chico bags which you can fold up and stick in your purse when not using. This will certainly be a plus for those people who forget their bags at home or in their trunk. Don't worry, it happens to all of us!

I have blogged on at length about reusable shopping bags. For more info and statistics please see my other posts here and here.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #4 - No More Bottled Water

This week we purchased an under the sink water filter so we can drink our tap water rather than buying bottled water or using a water cooler. Bottled water produces so much waste! And we had our water cooler for 5 years and while it was great that we could refill the 5 gallon plastic bottles, I am not sure about the toxicity of those bottles, not to mention I think I only ever cleaned the sucker TWICE in 5 years! Yes, that is gross, but I have to tell you that putting bleach solution through it and then tasting it for 1-2 giant bottles afterward put me off cleaning it. Then, I saw that Health Canada tested water coolers and says you should put that solution through EVERY time you replace a bottle, which is probably overboard, but is not even close to what I was doing. It all gaves me the hebbee geebees. Plus we live in beautiful Banff, in the Canadian Rockies, and our local water, aside from the mild chlorine taste, is awesome water. We installed a filter to get rid of the taste, and presto, I feel much better about the water I drink. I drink A LOT of water and would have to say that if I ever get cancer I will blame it on the plastic commercial water bottles and Nalgene bottles I toted around for years. Sheesh. When did drinking water get so complicated...

It is best to use aluminum water bottles for resuable bottles. I use Klean Kanteen but Sigg is another good brand.

Here is an article on recent trends in bottled water consumption. And here is a great list of answers to common questions about bottled water, such as can bottled water be manufactured from tap water?

I have heard that many municipalities are no longer using water coolers because they stand behind their local water and want employees to drink it. I can't vouch for all the towns but many do have good water systems and for those that do, good choice!

If you live in a rental and can't install a filter system you could consider a pitcher system like Brita.

Friday, September 12, 2008

30 Things in 30 Days - #3 - Borrow instead of Buying

I wrote a bit about my love of the library in this post. Libraries are wonderful both in making knowledge accessible to all and in allowing people to save money and our environment by borrowing things they would normally buy. Libraries have books, magazines, DVDs and videos, and CDs. That covers reading, watching films and TV shows, and music. Nice! And most libraries I know, even our independent library in Banff, have the ability to order whatever you are looking for from another library if they don't have it.

There are also toy lending libraries in many towns, usually at a local community playgroup, where children can borrow toys rather than having to buy them. When it comes to large plastic toys like kitchens and work benches, this is definitely a great way to help the landfills.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Shocking Pink Treasury



Ok, so I have been making other things but I need to get to the scanner and have not had time. Anyway, I was in a Photographers of Etsy team meeting tonight and decided to try for a treasury while in the chat room and I got one. It has been ages! I think I have the bug again...

POE Blog



I would like to thank Ann Wilkinson for featuring this image as one of the images to illustrate her Photographer of Etsy Blog post on Iceland. My husband and I went to Iceland in 2003 for our honeymoon and I think EVERYONE should go there, it is AMAZING!

30 Things in 30 Days - #2 - CF Lightbulbs

Hmmm, I had started to write a post about this awhile back but never completed it. Number two in our simple ways to go green is to change out your current light bulbs for compact fluorescents when they burn out. This is a quick and easy way to save both money and energy. An old fashioned light bulb spends a lot of energy creating heat, where as CFLs convert most of their energy to light. They use up to 75% less energy and can last for 10,000 hours instead of 1,500. So, if you get sticker shock when you see the price of CFLs, check the package for the facts, and you will be pleasantly surprised. This site says that by replacing one 75 watt bulb for a 25 watt CFL you can save up to $83 over the lifetime of the bulb. Wow! That will add up AND help the environment.

On a side note, my town, Banff, Alberta, Canada, has volunteers going from home to home, for Project Porchlight. These fine people are giving of their time to give a free CFL to each household, in fact, they came to my house twice, and I hope that once people try these bulbs that they will indeed make the switch. There website has info on recycling CFLs. These bulbs should not be thrown in the garbage but need to be disposed of properly, due to a very small amount of mercury (less than a tooth filling or watch battery) in the bulbs. If a bulb breaks just sweep it up, put it in a safe container, and dispose of it where you dispose of batteries and spray paint cans.

My wish is that eventually companies will just quit making things that waste energy, deplete the ozone layer, or are toxic, etc.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Light Leaks Submission



Well, I hate to admit it, but the night I was supposed to upload my submission to Light Leaks, for their upcoming Polaroid issue, I put my daughter to bed and promptly fell asleep. Since I do respect the rules that people write for submissions, I would usually not have submitted the following day, but I just had to. I love Light Leaks, they are a Canadian publication dedicated to low fidelity photography, and I would be so happy to be featured in it's pages... Here was my submission, which I have posted here before. It is a double exposure made using Spectra film.

30 Things in 30 Days - #1 - Cloths Not Paper Towels

Since I seem to have limited time to post lately, and since people seem to keep asking me, "Can one person really make a difference" (OF COURSE THEY CAN!!), I have decided to commit the next 30 days to 30 simple posts on ways you can make a difference for our environment.

Today's "Thing" is to start using cloths instead of paper towels. We have a stack of dish and baby washcloths that we use to wipe up spills, wash the windows and mirrors, clean the counter tops and other surfaces, basically for anything you would use a paper towel for. In fact, about the only time I use a paper towel is when I need to line a bowl to put bacon on top of. And since I have been a vegetarian for the past 22 years, that is not often. On a side note, does anyone out there know of an environmentally friendly way to dispose of bacon grease? My family does eat bacon, and we pour the grease in a jar and then throw the jar away, which makes me feel guilty. Is it ok to scoop the grease into the trash once it has solidified? I would imagine that is fine... anyway, we also use baby washcloths to wipe my daughter's bum when we change her diaper. The only time we use disposable wipes is when we are out and about, which means we only buy the refill packs for the original plastic tub a couple of times a year. Give it a try. It will take some getting used to, but it becomes a habit to use and launder cloths. And if you buy paper towels, buy 100% recycled paper towels. And please make sure to recycle the packaging so as not to repeat the irony you see here in this picture I snapped while out on a walk recently...

Victory for Victory!!

I received an AWESOME email today from my friend, Maureen, who works for the Victory Thrift Shop in Canmore. I give 10% of my Etsy sales to their Jacket Frost Fund which supplies winter clothing to children in the area who are in need. We live in a very expensive part of Canada and many service workers who live and work in the area find it very hard to make ends meet. I recently brought a check to the fund and on Saturday there was a fundraiser in the community during which they raised $6,320!!! That is AMAZING! I contributed only a small part to that but I am so thrilled at how much was raised!! Just thinking of all those cozy kiddos gives me the warm fuzzies :)

Sunday, September 7, 2008

A Reusable Coffee Filters, FINALLY...

I knew they were out there, I just had not hunted one down. I had searched on the internet but only came up more confused as to which type to buy. Let me back up... I was not looking for a reusable coffee filter for a coffee maker, I have had one of those for years. The kind that is plastic with copper mesh, they are great, but they don't work on the coffee maker I use during the week, my melitta. My Melitta is a plastic manual drip brewer which is super easy to use. We started using them after spending 6 weeks in Costa Rica and seeing the coffee "sock" that people there used to make coffee. I love to make coffee this way and unless we need to make coffee for two (in which case we use the french press which doesn't use filters) or more (in which case we use our electric coffee maker and the copper mesh filter) it is how I do it. The thing about it that had me feeling guilty is that you end up using one paper filter for one cup of coffee. I bought the kind that are unbleached paper but I wanted to find something reusable. From what I had read online many of the options people had tried had been messy or left sediment in the bottom of the cup, or just didn't last long. The one I bought I found at Nutter's Health Food Store in Canmore. It is by Nature's Best and the filter was made in Golden, BC, about 1 1/2 hours from here where a friend of ours lives. Cool! The only thing is they don't have a website but if anyone is interested I can let you know the mailing address or can buy one for you. They are only $2.99! And they claim to last "hundreds" of times. You rinse them under the tap (after I put as much of the coffee grounds as I can in the compost container) and then you can let it dry or can reuse it right away. It is made of 100% unbleached cotton. The coffee tastes great and there is no sediment. It does come in a plastic bag but it is recyclable plastic. It says I should soak it once a month in 2 cups of hot water with 2 teaspoons of baking soda, but that I should never use detergent or bleach or wash it in the washing machine. I am very happy! Off to have a cup of joe...

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Laptops Lunches

I was struck down by a nasty virus over the weekend that left me weak and light headed for the several days. It is a bit of a joke around our household that I am a super hero because I never get sick but not so with this illness. My husband had it a week before, as did friends and co-workers. For now, our two year old is the super hero....


So, I missed posting about this BEFORE all the kidlets went back to school this week. Now that summer is over, it is time to hit the books, and getting back to school means having to pack lunches. Parents these days are putting a lot of thought into the types of containers their children eat and drink from. Since the announcement that popular Nalgene water bottles contain toxic bisphenol A, the health concerns over our non-disposable food container choices have been a hot topic. One good option I can present to you is Laptop Lunches. These lunch boxes are a bento style system, common in Asian countries.

"Laptop Lunches are American-style bento boxes designed to help families pack nutritious, environment-friendly lunches for school, work, and travel. Our sustainable lunch containers--which come with a book of healthy lunch ideas and lunchmaking recipes--are reusable, recyclable, and dishwasher safe. Our lunchboxes do not contain phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), or lead." Laptop Lunches Web Site

The company was started by two on-the-go, health-conscious moms, in California. The site contains TONS of photos of peoples' lunches in Laptop Lunches lunch boxes. As someone who loves to photograph my food, I think this is so fun! You can also sign up for a newsletter, view all the places they have been heralded (including Whole Earth and Green Teacher Magazines), and you can check out their lunch ideas (including clever ways to use left overs). They also carry several sizes of stainless steel thermoses for soup, noodles, and hot drinks.

For those of you in Canmore/Banff, you can get Laptop Lunchboxes and thermoses at Silver Spoon Children's Boutique. Give Pam or I a call at 403.678.6777.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Blog Feature: Get Art Now


Thanks to FB Smith, for featuring me on his blog today. I appreciate the things he had to say about my work. I think it was this image on my Etsy site that made him check out my work...

Monday, September 1, 2008

Morag, My Dollar Store Doll


January, while in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, teaching a digital travel photography course, I answered a call for submissions for a project called Dollar Store Doll Makeover. I love to search online for submissions that require work to be made with Polaroid film. How thrilled I was to find one that combined dolls and Polaroid! Not only that but the woman who is curating the project, Pamela Klaffke, lives in Calgary and I have since met and befriended her. I look forward to collaborating on future projects with her. This weekend, she was able to get the dolls up online, including Morag, my doll. Each doll has a before and after picture and a short story to go with it. Very cool concept and a fun project to have participated in. It has inspired me to start a collaborative project of my own someday...