Friday, 5 July 2013

All on their way

Just finished a custom order stroller blanket for a woman who belongs to a dog walking club and wanted to make her co-walker something for her soon to be baby (sex unknown).  I was given permission to go free reign on this item except for the colours which are soft greys, creams, and yellows.  The customer also conveniently sent me a pix of the pup.  The next morning I woke up with this inspiration, imagining what a little person will see when they join their mommy on the dog walk experience.

Super loved doing this project!!!!

CJP All rights reserved
Drawing 
CJP All rights reserved


Painting
CJP All rights reserved

Stitching
CJP All rights reserved
 
Personalizing - copied from a pix of their dog
CJP All rights reserved

Add a little story line
CJP All rights reserved
A completed piece
CJP All rights reserved

ALL ON THEIR WAY
birdies flapping
puppies wagging
babies strolling
people walking
all on their way
 
                                   ~ constancejoyplett ~
 
Commissions on variations of this item are welcome.  Convo me you-me@telus.net if you are interested.  This quilt and artwork is an original design.  All rights reserved.  CJP constancejoyplett

Monday, 17 June 2013

Car Free Day Vancouver

Last February my artist daughter asked me if I wanted to try out selling at a craft fair.  She has many dreamy items that she has created with her original art and just can't seem to keep those creative juices couped up, so she's always making fabulous items and writing the most clever things and sometimes adding a cartoon which makes it clever sweet.  I'd never ever thought I'd be on the opposite side of a craft fair.  I have gone to a couple but not enough to think I knew what to do. 

After a couple of failed deadline attempts she signs us up for one with a company named Blim and since the craft fair is non juried so you are an automatic 'in' if you pay your peso's for your table on time.  I mildly procrastinated, not really landing on where I wanted to go with my items so I kept second guessing what I wanted to do until a week before the event and then I began to sew like a fiend.

Come June 16, we head out together with the help of a fabulous son-in-law find our designated space indicated by a 6 foot table with Rebekah Joy written on a piece of tape.  We set up our tent and begin to lay out our wares.  What an amazing introduction to behind the table.  Apparently the whole neighbourhood was invited along with their pets and babies in tow.

Craft Fair: 1st attempt has me thinking about another.  Just maybe.  It was such a good start.  Beautiful weather and people watching to die for!  Crowds and Crowds of people for miles.  It was 'A 21 block festival composed of several mini-festivals, over a dozen community supported stages with dozens of bands, a full kids zone and other kids activities throughout the site.'  And my artist and I were a teeny part of this huge party!  2013... Vancouver's 6th annual 'Car Free Day' event.  Who knew?  It's possible I've been in the suburbs far too long!

And the left overs from our sale?  Check out the new best seller item on the street now in the shop with more to come!

Wednesday, 5 June 2013

Mary, Mary how does your Garden Grow?

Last April there were a couple of wonderful days strung together.  So beautiful and sunny I headed out the door to my flower garden.  Thrilled with a head start I vowed I would keep it up.  Just the light weeding regularly should be very manageable.  The rains came and I'm a big baby so I didn't go out in the cold. 

It's an all white garden... do you see those nasty little buttercups secretly looking sweet and unassuming but weaving their way around my plants in their pythony way.  Grrrrrr.....  no yellow allowed!
I didn't think of my camera until I had already dug out the left quadrant
so you have to imagine yellowy specks suffocating the greenery

Three hours later

Caught this in the morning so the sun is just coming up on the right.
So much better don't you think?

White roses, white candy tuft, white foxgloves, white hydrangeas.  Each year I add just one more white.  A clean garden and mowed lawn always make me feel good.  A happy place.  So thankful for it.

Friday, 31 May 2013

Fresh little DragonEaters

Just refreshing my shop and putting a few special orders in there too.  Two little DragonEater bibs with wings and all.  Giving the Angel-wings a little competition.

 
 
 

Monday, 27 May 2013

Remember the post about 'To Boston With Love'?

Remember this post about the 'To Boston With Love' opportunity that I participated in?
 
Well, it was installed in the Modern Fine Arts, Boston Museum this past weekend and looks amazing!!!  The total number on contributors was 1756 from all around the world!  The dreamer of this little endeavour was Berene Campbell from Vancouver and a member of the Vancouver Modern Quilter's Guild of which I also belong. I happen to be #27.  They are up to 70 members now and will be celebrating their third birthday in June.  Or should I say 'we are celebrating?'  It's time I belong.
 
We heard the story of how it all started from a simple little dream... yes a real dream that Berene had just after the Boston Marathon bombing that she explains about here.  Recap (not nearly as interesting as Berene's)... she dreamt that she had made a little flag and sent it to Boston.  When she woke up she realised that this was a really special idea but she didn't know anyone in Boston so she connected with the movers and shakers at the VMQG and they knew of a woman named Amy Friend.  A hook up happened... some emails were sent giving dimensions and some specifics and the clarification that absolutely anyone could make a flag.  I'm still a bit nervous about joining in the challenges at the VMQG but thought this was a really good cause and I could only do my best.  So my angel wing applique was born and created and delivered.  Through a series of events which I won't explain here, it turned out that the MFA Boston was willing to have these flags in the museum as an installation that would go up the Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend and the day that the Boston marathon participants who had not been able to finish the marathon because of the bombings were invited to come back to the city to complete their run.  One blog posting about the invitation to make flags led to another and another and wrapped it's cyber arms around the world ending with Berene and Amy laden with 1756 flags and heading into the museum with the huge task of dreaming up how to install.  Many of us hooked up to both of their instagram feeds and watched the consistent postings of the progression of the installation. 
 
My flag contribution looked like this close up.
 
 
Below is part of the installation and if you look really, really close you will see a red square and in the centre of that square is my flag... breathing distance from a genuine Chihuley - the glass tree  called "Lime Green Icicle Tower" in the Shapiro Family Courtyard.    I can see my flag quivering with excitement! This installation will be up until July 07.


 
 

Friday, 17 May 2013

Prayin' for me

Someone was praying for me today.  I felt it in my bones and between my shoulders. It was not a day of crisis or extra distress... no outstanding reason.  My task was simple.  To sew little blankets for little bodies somewhere in a country where these items will be cherished gifts that never will be repaid.  Someone was praying for me today as I chose threads, and stitches, and pressed each cover slowly with a steam iron.  No loud applause, no banner in the sky.  I just knew that Jesus walked in with a chisel in his hand, glanced my way, and smiled.  I think His asks sometimes have this resonance of peace.  Assurance that while I delight in this simple effort, He is carving out the universe with the same calmness.  Confidence in what the right thing it is to do.  Someone was praying for me today.  His presence gave assurance that though many things have been lost because of pride, of poor decisions, of politics mistaken for godly leading will never be lost on Him.  He does not need the platform. He does not need the noise.   Someone was praying for me today.  Asking on my behalf.  I don't want to leave today.





Saturday, 11 May 2013

Poetry

 
Psalm 124:7&8
A Psalm of Ascent!
 
We escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap.
The trap is broken, and we are free!
Our help is from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
 
"It is sad, to me, that any should trust the Lord with their souls and yet they cannot trust Him for their daily bread, or for help in their daily trials! This must not be! If the Lord has given our soul so great an escape, depend upon it, He will take care of our bodies. He that gave us Jesus will give us food and raiment and let us be content."