Heureuse Saint-Jean-Baptiste!

From my eldest daughter, who was born in Gatineau, Quebec, "Heureuse Saint-Jean-Baptiste, tout le monde!" To our friends in Quebec, we hope that you all had fun celebrating the Fête Nationale (National Holiday).

Summer at Last... or 365 Days With Kiddos - #33 - Go to the Beach

...although it is cold and rainy as I write this. The girls and I were in Canmore about 5 PM, where I share a booth at the Thursday market with a group of nine artists, and as we took down the booth, the sun was shining. No sooner had we all gone to leave when the skies opened up and let loose. I got off the highway and turned around when the hail started and decided we would be better off having pizza in Canmore before heading back to Banff. It was the right choice since the power was out when we got home.

But YESTERDAY, the day after the solstice, we had the most glorious summery day. It was soooo nice that we headed to Cascade Pond to frolic with friends. The sunshine felt good on my back, I even got a bit too much. And the sight of the kiddos, in various states of undress, laughing and playing in the sand, was wonderful on the senses.

I even shot an image that today was shared online on the blog Toemail. As my toes emerged from months of being trapped in my shoes, I decided to make a photograph for them. I LOVE feet, but if you are phobic you may not see the appeal. The website features photographs of peoples' feet in various locations around the world. You would be astounded by the variety of images that can be produced using this simple concept. It is brilliant! And a nice way to record for all to see that we did, indeed, have one real day of summer here in the Rocky mountains...

National Aboriginal Day at the Banff Centre- June 21st, 2011

Yesterday, I facilitated a mask making workshop at the Banff Centre, as part of an event they were hosting for National Aboriginal Day. Prior to story telling by award-winning writer Richard Van Camp of the Dogrib Nation in the Northwest Territories, people of all ages made masks. While adult mostly chose the masks with an aboriginal theme, the kids were most drawn to the butterfly and moth templates. I made sure everyone had what they needed and helped where I could but they just dove in and created with abandon. The time flew by and fun was had by all. My only regret was that I could not stay for the story telling as I had to teach at an evening event...

So many choices...

This one reminds me of a super hero...

Before...

After... My favourite adult mask.

These sequins and this glitter all belonged to ONE little girl...

This one was my favourite kid's mask.

What a lovely, colourful, afternoon...

ArtsPeak Studio Tour 2011

What an amazing weekend! I am still on cloud nine. I was asked awhile back by the Edge Gallery in Canmore, to be part of the Canmore ArtsPeak Art Festival, by being part of their leg of the studio tour. David and Kathy Foxcroft, who run Edge Gallery, have some of my Polaroid transfers in their gallery, and I was part of a group show there last summer. David creates amazing collages and I have had some good conversations with him about art. He and Kathy were introduced to me by my talented (and amazing) friend, Barb Fyvie, whom I met when I took part in an exquisite corpse art collaboration in 2009. You know those people who just make you smile when you think about them? Anyway, I jumped at the chance to be part of the studio tour, both because of the fun I was sure to have, and because my hubby was available for the weekend, and it would mean 6 solid hours, TWO DAYS IN A ROW, of child free art making. Now you all know how much I LOVE my kiddos, and making art with them, but sometimes, Mama needs her time alone...

Our studios were in Silver Creek in Canmore. They are units that are for sale, and they have both a living space, and a studio/retail space. Very cool, and if Andre and I were empty-nesters, I would jump at the chance to live in a home where I could also have a studio and gallery. The Edge Gallery is one of these units, as is the Virginia Ann Hemingson Art Gallery. The ones we were in were bare bones, large, light filled spaces with plenty of wall space for exhibiting our work. I must say that I am not the best display person, so I just hung all my work salon style and set up my table to work on. But, fellow artists, Larissa McLean, and Annie M. Froese, effortlessly TRANSFORMED their space into a garden of colour. I have no idea how they did it. They travelled all the way from High River to be there, and they opened the doors to their van and a garden came pouring out! I wish I would have taken pictures... hopefully they took some!

On Saturday, I had my space all to myself, which was heavenly. Not that I didn't want a neighbour, but I am just as happy to be alone as I am to social. Barb, who was participating in the weekend, as one of the en plein air painters at the gallery, greeted me and helped me to set up. I was super excited for the demos I would be giving. On 10:30 AM each day, I "formally" demonstrated Polaroid transfer, and at 2:30 PM, Polaroid emulsion lifts. That is what I was scheduled to do in the newspaper advertisement, but I worked all day in both processes, as people gathered around to watch. Many were very interested, maybe because of my enthusiasm. I am so passionate about making art, any kind of art, but Polaroid processes are my old friends. You know the ones who you don't have to see for a long time, but when you finally do you just fall back into step like no time has passed? I could make a Polaroid transfer in my sleep. And after years of teaching the process, it was fun to demonstrate it for an audience that was just there to listen and watch. I have never actually done that. And I printed several images that I have never tried before.

One Sunday, my studio mate joined me. I was excited all morning to meet her. Shannon Williamson, from Calgary, works in encaustic. I couldn't wait to pick her brain. She was so so lovely from the moment I met her, and her husband, Doug. Doug, went off to oil paint, en plein air, and Shannon gave an encaustic demonstration for most of the day. And patiently answered my questions. I learned a great deal, both about encaustic, and about pricing my work, since Shannon works at Wallace Galleries in Calgary. I have been an artist my whole life, but pricing is still such a sticky issue... I am grateful to Shannon for her generosity, both in teaching me, and in purchasing some of my work. I look forward to seeing her again.

I was really surprised by the turn out on Sunday as opposed to Saturday. And it was busiest at the end of the say on Sunday, which is not common in weekend shows I have done. I had more sales than I anticipated and I gave 20% of that to Mountain Arts for next year's festival. I was not look at this as a selling opportunity, mostly as time to work, to meet other artists, and to learn a thing or two.

And speaking of meeting other artists, I also briefly met Lucie Bause, of Canmore, whose Portal XII, just became Canmore's newest public art piece. And Karin Millson, of Calgary, whose demonstration, entitled "Sewing Machine Abuse" caught my eye the minute I saw it advertised in the newspaper. Unfortunately, I was so busy all weekend that I never did get to go and learn from her, but I plan to pay her a visit. And I also plan to visit Larissa and Annie in High River. I would like to photograph the beautiful Larissa in the wonderful Victorian hats and clothing that she owns, among her colourful gardens, and to see Annie's gallery. Maybe I will make the trip with the one person I met this weekend whom I have been waiting to meet. Sometimes, there is a person that EVERYONE I know seems to ask me if I know. And I don't know them. And it shocks everyone... well, that person walked right in to my studio at the end of the day. Her husband had seen my demos the day before, but since she was giving a workshop in bookmaking(the legal kind) she had not been with him. I recognized him from the day before. And the minute this woman started talking I KNEW who she was. I had been waiting to meet her. AND not 10 minutes before, I had been talking about her with my new friend, Adrienne Lawlor, whom I had exchanged emails with but whom I accidently met in person that day... the woman whom I am quite sure I will be making a lot of art with is Dea Fischer. Things happen when they do for a reason... and I always approach each art experience with an open mind, because I just never know what is going to happen... and that is my favourite part about every day.

Feature Article in the Banff Crag & Canyon about my current show "Kitchen Poetry & Various Randomosity"

Thank you for the great article, Corrie!

Kitchen Poetry & Various Randomosity
By Corrie DiManno
The Banff Crag and Canyon

The Real Housewives of Banff are not like the ones seen on television.

They push Chariot Carriers and don't apply makeup every day. And sometimes, they opt to leave their kitchen a mess so there's time for a hike. But the chaos happening on the countertops isn't always dirty plates or used pans, because as Banff artist/mother/wife Tiffany Teske describes this housewife common to the valley, she's surrounded by artwork for her latest show called Kitchen Poetry & Various Randomosity. (In fact, the kitchen table ends up being the best workspace for her in the whole house because there's a big window that casts natural light onto the tabletop that's tall enough for her to stand next to while working on either culinary or crafty creations.)

This collection, which will be on display at Wild Flour Café for the month of June, has elements of motherhood, food, and domesticity. For example, Teske has covered silverware with feathers, beads, and poems, referring to these sets of forks, knives, and spoons as books. A white egg speckled with brown spots rests in the bowl of an antique spoon with the words "remember, feed the birds" written on the handle. Another says, "mama loves you baby."

There is also a canvas covered in a recipe for Mexican orange candies from a vintage cookbook as the background. A chef with the label "connoisseur" across his hat sits inside in the lid of a heart-shaped chocolate box. Opposite of the chef is the other half of the box, but the sweet treats that once occupied the wrappings have been replaced with porcelain doll heads. The text underneath ironically reads, "Henri was notorious for devouring women."

Teske said she has a preoccupation with the traditional tasks and roles a woman has in the home, and often it reminds her of her grandmother and her mother.

"I never would have thought I was a domestic person," Teske said. "But for me, it's more about creating things than being domestic."

The theme of a kitchen comes through in most of the pieces too, which makes sense because Teske's own blog is called Art, Food, and Motherhood.

"I love food — all kinds of food — and I love trying new food. I also like how everyone gravitates to a kitchen: parties happen in kitchens, neighbours, friends, family, and conversation all kind of centre around a kitchen."

(She's not kidding. Topics like: American politics, religion, Oprah, Facebook status updates, the military, and her home childbirth all came up during the interview in her kitchen.)

Just as Teske used to help her grandmother in the kitchen when she was younger (not so much her mother, who would usually tell her to go play while she cooked) now she has two helpers in the kitchen — daughters Quinlyn, 5, and Emmanuelle, 2.

"At this point in my life, my art is about motherhood, nurturing, and nesting," Teske said. "Sometimes with the day-to-day life it's hard to fit art in, but I try to integrate it into every day life."

In Teske's kitchen there is a banner with the word happy that stretches across the sink. It's leftover from New Year's, but for some reason the family didn't take down the first word.

Corrie@thecrag.ca

Vintage Find & Inspiration - Child's Vintage Animal Quilt

We recently visited family in Minneapolis. While spending a glorious weekend at my sister Lisa's house, our daughters slept under this adorable vintage handmade quilt. Lisa's dad married my mom when I was 19, so I have never seen this child's quilt. I thought I would share it with all of you, as inspiration for your next children's project. These cuddly critters would look cute on curtains, appliqued onto t-shirts, painted on a bedroom wall, doodled and framed, the possibilities are endless...

...enjoy, and please let me know if you use these in a project. I would be happy to feature it here.

Magnet Winner in the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway

Wow, I had 191 entries in my giveaway! That is awesome! In order to win I asked entrants to "please leave me a comment below telling me the name and URL of your favourite blog. If you don't have a favourite blog then please tell me the name of your favourite craft book, children's book, or cookbook." Most people did indeed tell me their favourites and I have been having a ball looking at the blogs and have made a list of books to find at the library. Thanks to everyone so much!

Also, I was asked for my source for the images on the bird magnets. The vintage bird engravings are available through Piddix.

I used to have this magnet project here on my blog, but I wrote a tutorial for another blog that wanted me to only write for them. They have not posted the tutorial yet but I will link to it here when they do.

Ok, so now, the winner of my giveaway... Esther! Her favourite blog is Superlative Sewing. I have sent you an email, Esther, so you can claim your prize! Thanks to everyone who entered...

Blog Giveaway - Sew Mama Sew

It has been awhile since I hosted a giveaway... Two years ago I hosted one in conjunction with Sew Mama Sew's annual giveaway, but last year I missed it. This year I remembered! If you are a fan of giveaways I encourage you to go to the Sew Mama Sew blog for your chance to win HUNDREDS of wonderful handmade items as well as supplies. Many items being given away are sewn but many more are not. There truly is something for everyone.

As for my giveaway, I am offering a dozen handmade bottle cap magnets featuring vintage illustrations of birds, like ones pictured above. I am also offering 24 pre cut images and instructions on how to make your own bottle cap magnets. If you are the winner you will be asked whether you would like to receive Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Western, kaleidoscope, or environmentally themed images. You will need to supply your own bottle caps, adhesive and magnets for completing your magnet project. These magnets make great gifts, as they can be personalized. They are also a great way to save some bottle caps from the landfill while giving them a second life as something useful.

In order to win please leave me a comment below telling me the name and URL of your favorite blog. If you don't have a favorite blog then please tell me the name of your favorite craft book, children's book, or cookbook. Please include your email address so I can notify you if you are the winner (if you do not want to leave your email address please check back on May 26th to see if you are the winner). You must enter by 11:59 PM on May 25th. If you would like a second chance to win, please Twitter about my giveaway. If you like my blog, please consider becoming a follower, but this is not required for a chance to win. On midnight of May 25th I will draw a winner using a random number generator. Your magnets will be shipped on May 30th. I am willing to ship this prize internationally. Thanks very much for visiting my blog... good luck!

365 Days With Kiddos - #32 - Play Hopscotch

Can you believe that in our neck of the woods it is still snowing once and awhile? When we are lucky enough to have bare, dry pavement we like to play hopscotch. The combination of sidewalk chalk, numbers, and exercise make for educational and giggle-inducing fun. Hopscotch screams childhood to me, so I was surprised to learn that it was originally used as a military training exercise during the early Roman Empire in ancient Britain. Wearing field packs while clad in full armour, the foot soldiers took the games seriously in an effort to improve their foot work. Apparently the courts were over 100 feet long, something that might be fun to replicate someday. I can see giving that a whirl on the sidewalks of Banff with a bunch of local kids. Why stop at 100 feet, let's make it 1000! Anyway, children began to mimic the soldiers by drawing their own boards, making up rules, and soon all of Europe was in on the fun.

All you and your kids need to make a board is a piece of chalk. You can even make your own using the sidewalk chalk tutorial I wrote for Craftbits. Your grid can be whatever combination of single and double (side by side) squares you like. You can check here for some images to inspire you. One variation we like to use is to write letters instead of numbers inside our squares.

Here are the rules to hopscotch, for players of two or more, thanks to mmesichaskville by Amazon.
1. Draw a hopscotch pattern on the ground or use masking tape on a floor and number each square in order. Each player has a marker such as a stone, shell, bean bag, etc.
2. Stand at the beginning and toss your marker in the first square. Hop over square 1 (you must skip any square that has a marker in it) to square 2.
3. Hop through the grid on one foot unless there are two squares side-by-side, then you jump landing with one foot in each square.
4. Hop to the end, jump and turn around 180° without leaving the grid, and hop back.
5. Pause in square 2 to pick up the marker, and out.
6. Toss the marker in square 2, hop through the same way, then square 3 and so on.

You're out if:
• Your marker fails to land in the right square.
• You hop on a space that has a marker in it.
• You step on a line.
• You lose your balance when bending over to pick up the marker and put a second hand or foot down or hop outside the grid.
• You hop into a single space with both feet.

You then place your marker in the square where you will resume playing and the next player begins.

The player who is the first to hop all the way through the grid wins. I try to minimize the competition among my kids so we focus more on the fun than on who is the winner.

Do you and your kids play hopscotch? Do you play it using the rules above or do you have your own variations? Please leave a comment below if you want to share how your family likes to play...

365 Days With Kiddos - #31 - Jump into Puddles

Time to jump back into blogging with both feet. I feel badly that I have not been writing on a regular basis. Life is like that, eh? My mind is often on my blog but it is not always possible to make the time to write. I have been creating a lot of new art and have been travelling to see family all month. I saw one of my good friends last week and she had some nice things to say both about my blog and about 365 Days With Kiddos. It is time to add some more...

#31 - Jump into Puddles. Go ahead. Jump in with both feet. Put on your Wellies, rain boots, rubber boots, whatever you and the kiddos call them, and go jump in a puddle. If it is warm enough, go barefoot. If you are like us, there are many puddles around from the melting snow. Or you may have to wait until after a rain storm. Rather than dread the rain welcome it as it turns everything green and waters the gardens. Then, jump, splash, and play in the puddles!

Come on, Moms and Dads, Grandmas and Grandpas, get in the puddles with your kiddos, instead of telling them to stay out of them. Pretend that you are walking on water, or play a game that depends upon the size of the puddle, such as pretending to a frog crossing a big lake, or to be a large animal stepping over ponds. Watch your child experience pure joy as they splash knowing that it is ok. Turn a leaf into a boat. Throw pebbles into the puddle. Experiment with nature items to see if they sink or if they float. Talk about the water. There will be plenty of giggles, and when you are all done, go inside, have a warm bath, and draw a picture of the fun you had, or maybe write poem.

How do you have fun in puddles? I would love to hear your ideas. Please leave a comment below.

Before I sign off, here are a few good books about puddles...


Mud Puddle was the first book ever written by Robert Munsch.