Saturday, October 30, 2021

Canadian Music ~ Buddy MacMaster


Hugh Alan "Buddy" MacMaster CM ONS was a Canadian fiddler. He performed and recorded both locally and internationally, and was regarded as an expert on the tradition and lore of Cape Breton fiddle music.

MacMaster was born in 1924 into a Gaelic-speaking home in Timmins, Ontario to John Duncan MacMaster and Sarah Agnes MacDonald MacMaster. The family was originally from Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, and in 1928 they returned to Cape Breton to settle in the town of Judique. MacMaster's father played the fiddle, but his mother sang to him from birth, lilting with a Gaelic inflection peculiar to the area. At an early age, MacMaster began to play the fiddle. At age 12, he had his first public performance at an amateur hour in Port Hood, Nova Scotia, and at age 14 he played his first professional gig at a square dance in the nearby town of Troy.

McMaster continued to play nights at square dances across Nova Scotia, while taking on a career as a station agent and telegrapher for the Canadian National Railway to support himself and his family. In 1943, he made his first radio broadcast from the town of Antigonish, Nova Scotia in 1948. In the 1970s, he played regularly on CBC Television's Ceilidh show. After his retirement from the railroad in 1988, he went on to play full-time as a professional musician, often accompanied by piano. He continued to play music of mainly Scottish origin, supplemented with traditional Cape Breton and Nova Scotia tunes, and gained an international reputation, touring in Europe and the United States. He was one of the first Cape Breton fiddlers to be asked to teach in Scotland.

In 2005 he recorded an album with his niece, fiddler Natalie McMaster.

MacMaster died at his home in Judique, Nova Scotia on August 20, 2014. He was 89. (Wikipedia)




Thursday, October 28, 2021

101 Interesting Facts About Canada ~ Nanaimo BC holds an annual bathtub race . . .

 


If you've ever thought about bathtub racing, Nanaimo is the place to go . . . Since the inaugral race of 1967, the City of Nanaimo has been home to the Great International World Championship Bathtub Race and Nanaimo Marine Festival. To learn more, go to https://www.bathtubbing.com/

Journal Prompt 28 Oct 2021 ~ Exercise

 


What is your favourite way to exercise?


Wednesday, October 27, 2021

A Taste of Canada ~ Poutine Rapee


According to Wikipedia, Poutine râpée is a traditional Acadian dish that in its most common form consists of a boiled potato dumpling with a pork filling; it is usually prepared with a mixture of grated and mashed potato.

Some versions of the dish call for the dumpling to be boiled on its own for several hours.

Because of the time it takes to prepare poutine râpée, it is generally regarded as a special occasion meal, especially popular during the holidays. White or brown sugar, maple syrup or fruit preserves may accompany the dish.

Journal Prompt 27 Oct 2021 ~ Gratitude

 


Name the one thing you are most grateful for in your life at this moment.


Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Book Review ~ A Corpse in Shining Armour by Caro Peacock


I sped right through A Corpse in Shining Armour.  It was a very light, fun book to read.  Set in Victorian England, Liberty Lane is a bright young lady who earns her keep by solving mysteries for the likes of Benjamin Disraeli, who refers to her as a "private intelligencer".

The plot is full of twists and turns and gives a glimpse of Victorian life, which may or may not be accurate, but sure seems real.

When Lord Brinkburn is near death, his wife suddenly announces that the oldest son, Stephen, cannot inherit because he is illegitimate.  Liberty is hired to find out if it is true and if not, why Lady Brinkburn says he is.  Things get very confusing when the corpse of Lord Brinkburn's right hand man is found stuffed in a set of armour.

This is a bright, tricky read and I think I shall be reading more tales of Liberty Lane very soon.

Journal Prompt 26 October 2021~ Smile


Write about something that made you smile today.




Close to my Heart ~ Colour Combinations

Color Combinations Made Easy with an Updated Close To My Heart Color Wheel!

Color Combinations Made Easy #closetomyheart #ctmh #loveofcolor #loveofcolour #colorcombinations #colourcombinations #wildberry #ctmhwildberry #monochromatic #analogous #complementary #splitcomplementary #triadic #doublecomplementary #colortheory #colourtheory #colorwheel #colourwheel #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking

At Close To My Heart, we absolutely love color! A great palette is the foundation for great artwork, and has an unparalleled ability to inspire, energize, and soothe. We recently launched our new Core Products catalog and, with it, eight new colors that were added to our exclusive color palette, including Color of the Year, Wild Berry!

Color Combinations Made Easy #closetomyheart #ctmh #loveofcolor #loveofcolour #colorcombinations #colourcombinations #wildberry #ctmhwildberry #monochromatic #analogous #complementary #splitcomplementary #triadic #doublecomplementary #colortheory #colourtheory #colorwheel #colourwheel #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking

Today we’re going to show you how to create beautiful artwork using this statement color in three different color combinations. To get started, we’ve arranged the Close To My Heart color palette into a color wheel. Choosing colors for your artwork can be easy when you’re working with the right tools—and that includes the best color options!

Color Combinations Made Easy #closetomyheart #ctmh #loveofcolor #loveofcolour #colorcombinations #colourcombinations #wildberry #ctmhwildberry #monochromatic #analogous #complementary #splitcomplementary #triadic #doublecomplementary #colortheory #colourtheory #colorwheel #colourwheel #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking

***Keep in mind that our exclusive colors are made up of much more complex tones, shades, and hues than how they are categorized on the simplified color wheel offered above. As you reference and use this source, know that it is not 100% confining. As you become more familiar with what makes colors work together visually, you’ll find that this color wheel is very flexible.***

Download your very own color wheel, here.

(Here for Australia/New Zealand)

The Wild Berry color combinations we’re sharing today are reminiscent of what you would see in our Love of Color how-to book series. Each two-page spread focuses on one exclusive color from our palette shown in three different pieces of artwork, each in a unique color scheme. You’ll never second-guess your color choices again with this inspirational guide!

Color Combinations Made Easy #closetomyheart #ctmh #loveofcolor #loveofcolour #colorcombinations #colourcombinations #wildberry #ctmhwildberry #monochromatic #analogous #complementary #splitcomplementary #triadic #doublecomplementary #colortheory #colourtheory #colorwheel #colourwheel #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking

In this first example, see how Wild Berry beautifully works together with SapphireLagoonMint, and Sundance. With Wild Berry as the dominant color, the yellow-orange, blue, and blue-green shades create gorgeous complementary elements, tying the entire piece together.

In these next cards, we combined Wild Berry once again with Lagoon and Mint, and then with Nectarine and Scarlet. Wild Berry acts as an accent color in the standard size card and dominates in the slimline card. We can give you all the color combinations, but in the end it’s up to you to decide how much of each color you want to use and how to balance your artwork. You can use the same color combination to create several pieces of art but they do not have to look or feel the same! (Isn’t color amazing?!)

Color Combinations Made Easy #closetomyheart #ctmh #loveofcolor #loveofcolour #colorcombinations #colourcombinations #wildberry #ctmhwildberry #monochromatic #analogous #complementary #splitcomplementary #triadic #doublecomplementary #colortheory #colourtheory #colorwheel #colourwheel #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking

For our final combination, we paired Wild Berry with AvocadoBlack, and Charcoal.

Color Combinations Made Easy #closetomyheart #ctmh #loveofcolor #loveofcolour #colorcombinations #colourcombinations #wildberry #ctmhwildberry #monochromatic #analogous #complementary #splitcomplementary #triadic #doublecomplementary #colortheory #colourtheory #colorwheel #colourwheel #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking

If you look at Wild Berry and Avocado on our color wheel, you’ll notice that these two colors are opposite each other, which means they are complementary! We incorporated the neutral tones of black and charcoal for accents, but this is really a complementary color scheme in disguise!

If you’d like to learn more about color theory, or if you’re in need of a simple refresher, revisit a few of our previous posts we’ve published on this blog:

Monochromatic and Analogous Colors

Complementary Colors and How to Use Them

Using Split-complementary Colors

Triadic Color Combinations

Double Complementary Color Schemes

Once you get these basics down, creating your own color combinations will be a breeze! In the meantime, or if color theory just isn’t your thing, look to our Love of Color series as your ultimate color guide for creating perfectly balanced color combinations!

Saturday, October 23, 2021

Canadian Music ~ Buck 65


Richard Terfry (born March 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Buck 65, is a Canadian alternative hip hop artist. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country, rock, folk and avant-garde influences.

Buck 65 has used a number of other stage names including Johnny Rockwell, Stinkin' Rich, Haslam, and Uncle Climax. These pseudonyms typically represent different characters in his raps (as in Uncle Climax, Johnny Rockwell and Stinkin' Rich) or different aspects of Buck's creativity.

Aside from a performance on July 10, 2018 at a tribute concert for the late Anticon Records co-founder Brendon Whitney aka Alias, Buck 65 was on indefinite musical hiatus from October 2015 until early 2020. In May 2020, Controller 7 released a new album, featuring Buck 65 on vocals and DJ scratches.

Rich Terfry aka Buck 65 currently hosts the Drive program on CBC Music Radio, Monday through Friday from 3:30pm to 7pm EST. In the summer period of 2021, he also hosts Deep Dive on CBC Radio One as a replacement for the now cancelled Vinyl Tap, where classic pop music albums are played in their entirety with their historical context discussed.



Friday, October 22, 2021

Thursday, October 21, 2021

101 Interesting Facts About Canada ~ Fastest Tidal Surge in the World

 

BC is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful provinces in the country. It’s chock full of amazing natural wonders and untouched wilderness. While beautiful, these spaces can also have an extremely powerful and somewhat terrifying side that reminds us just how intense nature is. A space that reminds us of that is Tremble Island, an island that literally trembles from the force of the water that surrounds it.

This tiny island is located at the narrow entrance to Seymour Inlet which just so happens to have the fastest tidal surge in the world. This body of water is called the Nakwakto Rapids and is located near Mount Waddington. The current races past the island at speeds of 16-22 knots making it nearly inaccessible for boats. In fact, there is only a three-minute window throughout the day where a boat can safely approach the island. Crazy right?

https://curiocity.com/this-tiny-bc-island-literally-shakes-because-its-tucked-in-the-fastest-tidal-surge-in-the-world/



Journal Prompt 21 Oct 2021 ~ Secret Talent

 


Do you have a secret talent you are hiding?


Wednesday, October 20, 2021

A Taste of Canada ~ Montreal Smoked Meat

 




Although the preparation method may be similar to New York pastrami, Montreal smoked meat is cured in seasoning with more cracked peppercorns and savoury flavourings, such as coriander, garlic, and mustard seeds, and significantly less sugar. The recipe for Montreal steak seasoning is based on the seasoning mixture for Montreal smoked meat.

Montreal smoked meat is made with variable-fat brisket, whereas pastrami is more commonly made with the fat-marbled navel/plate cut. Montreal smoked meat is typically served in the form of a light-rye bread sandwich accompanied with yellow mustard. While some Montreal smoked meat is brine-cured like corned beef, with spices applied later, many smoked meat establishments prefer dry-curing directly with salt and spices.

The origins of Montreal smoked meat are uncertain and likely unresolvable. Many have laid claims to the creation or introduction of smoked meat into Montreal. Regardless, all of these stories indicate the creators are of the Jewish Diaspora from Romania or Eastern Europe:

Some point to Benjamin Kravitz, who founded Bens De Luxe Delicatessen & Restaurant in 1910, as the introducer of Montreal smoked meat. According to the Kravitz family, he used a brisket-curing method he recalled being practised by Lithuanian farmers. His first smoked meat sandwiches were made and sold from his wife's fruit and candy store.

According to Eiran Harris, a Montreal historian, Herman Rees Roth from New York may have created the first smoked meat sandwich in 1908, selling them from his deli, the British American Delicatessen Store.

In another claim by Bill Brownstein, the smoked meat was brought over in 1902 by Itzak Rudman, who was an accomplished salami and smoked meat maker who had a shop on de Bullion Street (formerly Cadieux Street).

In yet another possibility, a butcher by the name of Aaron Sanft who arrived from Iași, Romania, in 1884 founded Montreal's first kosher butcher and likely made smoked meat in the Romanian style similar 

An atypical smoked meat sandwich topped with Swiss cheese, served with coleslaw, French fries and one quarter of a pickle. Generally, the authentic version of the sandwich would not include cheese given kosher dietary restrictions on mixing meat with dairy.
Warm Montreal smoked meat is always sliced by hand to maintain its form, since doing so with a meat slicer would cause the tender meat to disintegrate. Whole briskets are kept steaming and sliced up on demand when ordered in the restaurant to maintain its temperature.


Journal Prompt 20 Oct 2021 ~ Three Wishes


What would you do if you were granted three wishes?

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Journal Prompt 19 Oct 2021 ~ Priorities

 


Name the three biggest priorities in your life right now.



Design Strategies for Scrapbookers

 It's finally here . . . updated information and new projects . . . workshops will be booking soon!

Design Strategies for Scrapbookers

Design Strategies for Scrapbookers

Second Edition

ByPam Hedden

Usually printed in 3 - 5 business days
I used to teach a series of classes to help scrapbookers improve their layouts with some interesting techniques and strategies. I haven’t taught it for quite a while, years in fact, but a group of past students asked if I would be willing to teach the program as a refresher for them as well as for scrappers who had never taken the course before. I agreed. After all, how much work would there be? All I had to do was find my notes to refresh my memory. I quickly realized that my notes were seriously out of date. Change comes so quickly to the scrapbooking world and I was going to have to do the necessary research and rewrite the entire program to reflect the new products and ideas that so many scrapbookers have embraced. This book is the result. I hope it will inspire you to create many beautiful layouts.
Design Strategies for Scrapbookers, Second Edition

Design Strategies for Scrapbookers, Second Edition

Black & White

ByPam Hedden



Design Strategies for Scrapbooking Teachers Manual

Design Strategies for Scrapbooking Teachers Manual

2nd Edition

ByPam Hedden


Design Strategies for Scrapbookers Teachers' Manual

Design Strategies for Scrapbookers Teachers' Manual

Black & White Edition

ByPam Hedden


Design Strategies for Scrapbookers

Design Strategies for Scrapbookers

Teachers Manual

By

Pam Hedden


Paperback


CAD 20.00


       

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert



For daring to peer into the heart of an adulteress and enumerate its contents with profound dispassion, the author of Madame Bovary was tried for "offenses against morality and religion." What shocks us today about Flaubert's devastatingly realized tale of a young woman destroyed by the reckless pursuit of her romantic dreams is its pure artistry: the poise of its narrative structure, the opulence of its prose (marvelously captured in the English translation of Francis Steegmuller), and its creation of a world whose minor figures are as vital as its doomed heroine. In reading Madame Bovary, one experiences a work that remains genuinely revolutionary almost a century and a half after its creation. - Publisher


Madame Bovary, when it was first published in 1857, was considered very shocking.  It is not nearly as shocking in our time but still a gorgeously written story of an immature and romantic woman who is trying so hard to find everything she had dreamed of as a child.  Her quest for romance and passion ends up destroying the husband who has loved her no matter what and finally destroying herself.  A great cautionary tale of the times with a valid truth for today.

I have read this book more than once and truly enjoy it.

It is listed as the 10th greatest fiction book of all time according to http://thegreatestbooks.org/?page=1.

This book is also on the following lists:
22nd on The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List (The Observer)
110 Best Books: The Perfect Library (The Telegraph)
Top 100 Works in World Literature (Norwegian Book Clubs, with the Norwegian Nobel Institute)
7th on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
50 Greatest Books of All Time (Globe and Mail)
2nd on The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time (The Top 10 (Book))

Madame Bovary is a must read for anyone who loves the beauty of words.

Monday, October 18, 2021

Close To My Heart ~ The New Core Catalogue is out!!!

 A Look Inside the New Annual Core Products Catalog!

There are so many reasons to love fall, and one of our favorites is the release of our new annual Core Products Catalog! From day one of this beautiful catalog, hundreds of new Close To My Heart items and fresh ideas have been readily available and within your grasps!

We are as committed as ever to our promise of being there to “show you how,” including providing the right tools and products, whatever your crafting goals may be. So—let’s take a closer look at a few new things happening in our Core Products Catalog!

PAPER COLLECTIONS

We have SEVEN new pattern paper collections themed and designed for year-round use!

As You Grow: Refresh your creative spirit with this bundle of joy! The soft, nostalgic colors and designs of the As You Grow collection are enough to bring back fond memories of simpler times.

Smarty Pants: Featuring patterns and designs most all of us recognize, the Smarty Pants collection captures the essence of school days past, present, and future.

Love Story: The elegant designs and romantic colors of the Love Story collection will help tell your story in the colors you wish to share it. Available in ToffeeMink, and Black, these pattern papers and stickers are perfect for your special occasion!

(The As You Grow, Smarty Pants, and Love Story collections include an optional coordinating sticker sheet, a coordinating cardstock pack, Picture My Life™ pocket cards, and stamp sets with coordinating Thin Cuts!)

Textures: Add the textures of everyday items to your crafting palette with this collection of patterned papers!

Wood Grain: We can’t get enough of the natural look these realistic Wood Grain patterns have to offer!

Noteworthy: Make a permanent record with these noteworthy pattern papers! Each sheet features the pattern on a white background on one side and on an aged looking background on the other.

Rose Gold Foil Patterns: Add rich accents to any artwork using these beautiful rose gold foil pattern papers.

THIN CUTS

If die-cutting is your thing, then you will be pleasantly surprised by what we’ve got in store in the Core Products Catalog! We’ve got fun shaped cards, slimline card front designs, tabs, tags, dimensional flowers, and tons more!

(Backpack CardLayered FlowersSquare Windows SlimlineBuildable TagsCircle Windows SlimlinePurse CardCupcake Card)

BUDDIES STAMPS + THIN CUTS

We’ve expanded our Besties’ friends circle and are happy to introduce the Buddies Stamp + Thin Cuts! Meet JoeyIsaacIan, and Ezra!

EMBELLISHMENTS

No crafting project is complete without a few finishing touches, like shimmer trims, ribbons, loose gems, and acrylic shapes (to list a few 😉). Here’s a small sampling of what you’ll find in our Core Products Catalog:

(Capri Shimmer TrimRose Gold Shimmer TrimWild Berry Stitched RibbonCandy Apple Loose GemsMulberry Loose GemsClear Loose GemsGrape Loose GemsLagoon Loose GemsWhite Acrylic StarsWood FlowersWood ArrowsWhite Acrylic HeartsWood BracketsBlack Acrylic AlphabetWhite Acrylic Numbers, Primary Sprinkles, Pastel Mini Circles, Pink Mini Hearts, Wild Berry DotsWild Berry Flower SequinsWild Berry Glitter Gems)

JOURNALING PENS

LePen™: Journal and sketch your way through your memories with the vivid colors of these smooth journaling pens. (Available in RedPinkCoral PinkOlive GreenJade GreenTealBlueNavyFluorescent Violet, and Sepia.)

STENCILS

We’ve got so many new stencils for you to try! Above is just a small sampling of what you can create with a few of the designs, if you rotate the stencil or flip it over. And, for the first time, we now have stencils especially designed to fit the front of standard size card!

DIGITAL ART

We’ve added 16 new digital, downloadable SVG files, to our digital art library! View all fo these new digital designs, here.

TOOLS

Pickup Tool: Picking up small embellishments is now easier than ever with these handy, paper-covered wax sticks! Simply sharpen the ends to a point and use to pick up small accents of all sorts!

Quickie Glue™ Pen: Is it a pen? Is it glue? Why not both?! This literal glue pen is ideal for securely attaching all of those smaller pieces to your artwork.

Adhesive Tape: Use this double sided permanent tape to mount photos, documents, and all sorts of things to your projects. The red backing makes it easy to see on the paper, and get’s removed when you are ready to expose the adhesive on that side of the tape.

Adhesive Sheets: We carry 12″ x 12″, double-sided, adhesive sheets! There are so many uses for these sheets, one of which is to make die-cut stickers. Watch the video below to see how!

NEW COLORS

We’ve added several new colors to our exclusive color palette this month! Our favorite, and Color of the Year, is this beautiful berry hue, Wild Berry! Keep a sharp eye out for it throughout the coming year, and you’ll find hints of Wild Berry in a wide variety of our new products. (To see what other new colors we have in store, talk to your Close To My Heart Maker or take a look at our exclusive color palette in our Core Products Catalog.)

CRAFT WITH HEART™ CARDMAKING KIT

It’s officially fall, and that means that there’s a new Craft with Heart™ cardmaking kit available, now and through the end of December!

Each kit includes materials to make a set of 24 beautiful, handmade cards, that come together in minutes thanks to pre-printed card bases, die-cut shapes, and more. Each delivery also includes an exclusive My Acrylix® stamp set, complete with a stamping block and mini ink pad, so you’ll have the tools you need to create your cards just the way you want them. Keep up with all the occasions in your life with a Craft with Heart™ cardmaking subscription!

Friends, this is just a small sampling of our many, many new products. Make sure to visit with your Close To My Heart Maker to see all that we have in store for you this coming year, or explore our Core Products Catalog online, here.

Happy crafting! 😘