Spring HandMade Market! (Woot! Woot!)

3nd Annual Outdoor
Spring Handmade Market
May 11th & 12th, 2013 • 10:00am - 5:00pm

held at

Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery

1366 York Rd  St Davids, Ontario

Shop. Sip. Savour. 
Featuring 70+ artisans offering Jewellery, Hand-Sewn Bags, Fashion Accessories, Preserves, Natural Bath + Body Products, Original Art, Designer + Children's Clothing, Home Decor, Artisan Wood Products and Time Pieces, Leather Goods, Hand Bound Books, Live Music, Gourmet Food, Wine by the Glass and more!

Gourmet Market Fare ... 
Chef Proprietor Paul Harber and Chef de Cuisine Nathan Young are crafting a delectable menu that highlights the seasonal bounty and offerings of the local farmers in Niagara.
Also featuring food trucks El Gastronomo Vagabundo and The Tide & Vine Oyster Co.

Sip Wine While You Shop ... 
Ravine Vineyard wines available by the glass ... sip as you stroll the property and shop!

This is an outdoor tented market-stall style event. Free Parking. $2 Entry for Adults.
No pets please.

Wayzgoose!

Saturday, April 27, 2013 from 9am til 5pm

Yes, you read that correctly. The Wayzgoose, as you might know, was/is an annual feast hosted by a master printer for the workers of his (or her) printshop. The Grimsby Wayzgoose continues this tradition but with a twist. For one day a year--always the last Saturday in April--bookbinders, papermakers, printers, and other book artists alike gather to show a sample of their wares to the public and each other. This year marks the 35th anniversary of this event! Fantastic! I am honoured and thrilled to be among those participating. It is always an inspiring day and, for me, a little piece of heaven.

Isn't it Romantic?

In my winter's solace, I dream. From my dreams arises outlook. And from my outlook I take action.
Image from morgondagg.tumblr.com

Undeniably, I am a romantic at heart. And in the depths of winter, especially during this very blustery one, I naturally return to my romantic tendencies. "Oh, what a lucky spouse you must have," you might say with a wink and a sly smile. Ha ha. Well, I do give fabulous hugs. In fact, I'm known for them. But such divulgences are not the true intent of this post. The romantic tendencies of which I write follow suit with those of the great Romantic Movement of the 18th-19th Century. (Okay, here is where I need you to stay with me.) Romanticism, as described by The Oxford Companion to English Literature (rev. ed.) is in part an expression of "an extreme assertion of the self and the value of individual experience...together with the sense of the infinite and the transcendental." (Are we still good? Excellent.) Akin to my own mantra, everyone has a story worth telling and being heard. And it is with and from these experiences and stories, especially those that abound from our emotions and imagination, that we grow. In essence, the individual self and its creations matter. You matter. I matter.

And so, winter fills me with a private joy. Beyond the shovelling and re-shovelling, the piles of wet outer (and inner) clothes, and the bitingly frigid elements, I choose to see winter as a gift to myself and my sense of self. It is those same harsh weather conditions that enable me to go inside--physically indoors, yes, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually into the heart of me. Winter offers me the ever-elusive and precious opportunity to be silent and still. In this state, I become ready to listen. Introspection and intuition, those trusty allies, loyally join me in my quietude. They offer me their company, and I gratefully accept. Together we consider ideas and points of view. We take time to contemplate the books we have just read rather than becoming prey to serial speed reading. We listen, truly listen, to music—how the melodies build and recede and what the lyrics might mean. We make time to capture it all in our journal. We reflect.  From this state of recognition, I can face the next wave of consorts--possibility, determination, and risk--when they come to call, as they invariably do. These three are  more adventurous, assertive, and worldly. Were it not for the depths of winter, I might not have the wherewithal to fully appreciate their presence. Wondrously, this season of the year and my life is preparing me for the gifts they bring so I welcome them in, too. Together we will plan for the rebirth that is spring.

Holiday Handmade Market

Saturday, November 24 & Sunday, November 25, 2012

11am to 4 pm

The 2012 Christmas Handmade Market  promises to be even more wonderful than ever. Not only will it offer 80 upscale artisans, it will take place across two  neighbouring Niagara locations: Fielding Estate Winery (4020 Locust Lane, Beamsville)  AND  Good Earth Food and Wine Co. (4556 Lincoln Avenue, Beamsville).

Come out to Good Earth and enjoy the oh so delicious good food galore by Chef Michael Pasto; cider, soup, and sweets in the Schoolhouse; and the Good Wine by the glass. At Fielding Estate Winery, in addition to Fielding Estate Wine by the glass, you can savour delectable delights offered by 4 food trucks: El Gastronomo, Dobro Jesti, Tide & Vine Oyster Co, & Cupcake Diner. Yum, yum, yum, and yum!

And, for your happy (and safe) shopping convenience, ride the shuttle! Niagara Classic Transportation will be running a shuttle between the two wineries for the ridiculously low fare of $2 per person for a round trip! How great is that?! (You’re right--it’s fantastic!)

Keeping it Real

With gratitude to Design Inkarnation for bringing me to this important cause--Chab Dai Canada aims to bring an end to human trafficking and sexual exploitation through coalition building, community prevention and advocacy. Their goal is to raise $20,000 to build the Freedom Registry--a database of stakeholders combating human trafficking in Canada.

 

How you can help:

From November 15 - December 6, 2012, you can bid in an online auction to aid this noble fight. If your holiday shopping is already complete, you can simply make a donation. All details are listed at the website below. Thank you! 

http://chabdaicanadaevents.com/index.html

My Life as a Tree

With a nod to Shel Silverstein, these books are my giving trees.

I've heard it said that people are like trees. That on the outside we are the age we are, say 42 for me, but inside there are 41 other years, like rings as it were. With each year we add on another layer or ring. Thus, I definitely am a 42-year-old tree and love being that strong (when I focus), graceful (at my best), and twisting (full of glorious character) tree. Day after day I go about my business, doing whatever it is we trees do, when wham  I might be caught off-guard and am reminded full-force of those inner rings. The trigger can be something as simple as hearing a long-forgotten song, catching the scent of a particular perfume/cologne, or watching any John Hughes movie and whoops  I'm right back at the time and place of sixteen-year-old me, or perhaps at the new mother ring, or newlywed, or career woman, or student, and so on and so forth, depending on the trigger. Wherever I am, I seem to experience all the wonder and nonsense that came with that moment in time. I'm there.  I can't help it. So while I'm there, I have the option of smiling (or cringing) and letting the moment pass. Other times I prefer to savour the sensations more fully, like wearing the memory of a dream I had the night before. In this case, I often turn to my library of diaries and journals and find the book in which that specific moment of my life is recorded, as it was happening.

Of course I no longer truly exist at any of those inner layers or rings in life anymore, but the echo of them is there within me. And that's a good thing because they still have real purpose. They are there supporting me, shaping me, strengthening me, and urging me upwards. Likewise, each journal contains a piece of my story and a reason for who I am today. They are a part of my legacy. Each is irreplaceable. There is the "foolproof" locked diary from when I was 9, the romantic floral diary of my teen years, the well-thumbed travel journal from my backpacking-through-Europe adventure, and the I-can't-believe-I'm about-to-be-someone's-mother journal, to name a few. Their forms have changed as I've evolved, but their loyalty has never wavered. In some cases it is I who have abandoned them--some didn't lie open well, others had oddly spaced lines, and some just didn't feel  right. Sometimes I've strayed away from them for months and even years, expressing myself in other ways. Patiently they've awaited my return and always have welcomed me home. No questions asked. Together we become mindful of where I've been, where I am now, and where I want to be in all my tomorrows. It's no surprise then that all those journals were once trees, too.

From Canada to Asia, with Love

I hope that this token will capture wondrous adventures.

My latest book was not a commission piece nor was it created for an upcoming artisan show. This book was made entirely out of friendship, admiration, and a deep, deep respect. My Tae Kwon Do instructor (yes, you read that properly) is leaving Canada very soon, with a yet-to-be-determined return date. At this time last year, I had no idea he walked the streets of my city; but today, I am a richer person for knowing him and having learned from him. In fact, my life's trajectory has been altered significantly, in part, due to him. There are many extremely positive things that I can say about this special individual, whose inner light makes his students likewise shine, but I will respect his privacy by not doing so in this forum. Anyone who has been blessed to be his student knows whereof I speak. 

I wrapped each signature in a section of 
vintage topographical maps from our region.

Instead I can say this--I hope he knows that it was my utter joy to make something for him with him specifically in mind. I hope his own story continues joyfully and in so many wondrous ways. And I wish him safe travels wherever life may take him. Further still, may our paths cross again. Until then, we carry him in our hearts.

Tae Kwon. Thank you, Sir.