Monday, April 8, 2024
Canadian Book Review ~ In the Capital City of Autumn by Tim Bowling
Friday, April 5, 2024
Canadian Books ~ The Art of Floating by Melanie Martilla
Happy Publication to Melanie Marttila’s debut poetry collection, The Art of Floating, published by Latitude 46.
The Art of Floating is Melanie Marttila’s debut poetry collection, and a result of and testament to years of honing her craft. The collection of five sections of free verse poems is wide ranging and eclectic, bringing to life her deep connection with the earth and sky of Ontario. The aptly named collection describes her learned ability to ride the unpredictable waves of mental illness and prevent herself from drowning within it, while seeking solace in the natural world around her. These lyric poems are stunning and transportative, absorbing the reader with captivating imagery, complex diction, and highly relatable themes most pivotal in life, such as loss, grief, and hope.
The Art of Floating is an elegant and beautifully crafted debut collection of poetry by Sudbury’s Melanie Marttila. Her poems are mirrors to the tiny, often quiet, and supposedly insignificant moments in a life. In her poetic work, Marttila reminds her readers to take note of the rhythms of the natural world, inviting them to consider elements of myth, astronomy, ritual, and personal anecdote as a way of finding the poems that live in the world in both a specific and universal way. Paying attention to the supposedly small things in life, Marttila suggests, is the way in which you can enter the world—and move through it mindfully—in a truly poetic fashion.”
— Kim Fahner, author of Emptying the Ocean
@melaniemartilla
@lat46publishing
@river_street_writes
#canlit #poetry #publicationday #bookbirthday #poetrycollection #nationalpoetrymonth #poetsofig #bookishcanadians #bookstagramcanada #sudburyontario #canadianpoets #canadianpoetry #mentalhealth #endthestigma
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Canadian Books ~ Blood Belies by Ellen Chang-Richardson
Monday, April 1, 2024
Canadian Books ~ Skater Girl by Robin Pacific
Happy Publication Day to Robin Pacific and her scrappy and sensational memoir in fragments, Skater Girl! (Guernica Editions)
Skater Girl is a collection of intensely personal essays, an archaeology of the self. Robin Pacific sifts through the midden of consciousness to find shells, potsherds, a broken piece of mirror. Themes of art, spirituality and social justice run like a current through otherwise disconnected pieces and fragments, many as short as one paragraph. Further, ideas about aging, loss and mortality colour many of them. The book is about the formation of Robin Pacific's many selves, about creativity, spiritual seeking, and the dream of a more equal society.
Robin Pacific‘s work has spanned thirty years and a wide variety of media. In addition to writing personal and critical essays, she has produced artworks in a variety of media, encompassing painting, drawing, video, installations, performance, and numerous community based collaborations. Robin holds a PhD in English Literature from York University, a Masters in Theological Studies from Regis College, and a Masters in Fine Art, Creative Nonfiction, from Kings College. Skater Girl is her first full-length book
@river_street_writes
@robinpacific
@guernicaeditions
#skater #figureskater #memoir #creativenonfiction #artists #torontowriter #torontolife #canlit #canadianliterature #bookishcanadians #bookstagram #bookstagramcanada #canadianreader #canadianbooks
Monday, March 18, 2024
Canadian Book Review ~ What the Living Do by Susan E Wadds
Happy Publication Day to Susan Wadds’ debut novel, What the Living Do! (Regal House Publishing)
With equal measures of compassion and bite, What the Living Do plumbs the twisted depths of survivor's guilt and childhood trauma to grapple with the question of self-worth.
More about the book:
Sex and death consume much of thirty-seven-year-old Brett Catlin's life. Cole, ten years her junior, takes care of the former while her job disposing of roadkill addresses the latter. A cancer diagnosis causes her to question her worth, suspecting the illness is payback for the deaths of her father and sister. Thus begins a challenging journey of alternative healing that she doubts she deserves. Just as Brett surrenders to the prescribed cure, a startling discovery sends her on a more profound exploration of cause and effect. Encounters with animals, both living and dead, help her answer the question: who is worth saving?
About Susan Wadds:
Winner of the Writer’s Union of Canada’s Prose Contest in 2016, Susan Wadds’ work has appeared in The Blood pudding, Room, Quagmire, Waterwheel Review, and many more. The first two chapters of her debut novel, What The Living Do, (Regal House Publishing, 2024), won the Lazuli Group’s Prose Contest, and were published in Azure Magazine. A graduate of the Humber School for Writers, Susan is a certified Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) workshop facilitator. She lives on a quiet river in South-Central Ontario with an odd assortment of humans and cats.
@river_street_writes
@deepamwadds
@regal_house_publishing
#canlit #canadianauthors #sexualrights #reproductivehealth #reproductiverights #morality #bookstagram #bookstagramcanada #womensrights #womenwriters #womenwritingfiction #litfict #litfic #amreading #readersareleaders #bookishcanadians #bookstagram
Sunday, March 3, 2024
2024 Craft Space Organization Challenge #10 ~ Preparing for a Crop
Preparing for a Crop
Crops can be a wonderful chance for you to get caught up on pages, catch up with friends, and enjoy your hobby with other Scrapbookers who understand your obsession. But planning ahead is very important to your success – it is a proven fact that the less you bring to a crop, the more you’ll actually get done. Here are a few tips to help you prepare:
Note: I would personally pick my photos first before choosing a sketch.
Please note: I did not write this article. I don't know who did but I would like to give credit where it is due so if you know, please let me know.
Friday, March 1, 2024
Canadian Novels ~ In Sickness and In Health & Yom Kippur in a Gym by Nora Gold
Happy Publication Day to In Sickness and In Health & Yom Kippur in a Gym, the new set of novellas by award-winning author, Nora Gold!
This phenomenal book was published by Guernica Editions and is now available anywhere books are sold.
Dr. Nora Gold is the author of four acclaimed books and the winner of two Canadian Jewish Book/Literary awards, as well as praise from Alice Munro. A former professor and an activist, Gold is the editor-in-chief of the prestigious literary journal Jewish Fiction .net, which has readers in 140 countries.
About In Sickness and In Health. Lily had epilepsy as a child, so her most cherished goal has always been to be “normal”. By age 45 she has a “normal” life, including a family, friends, and an artistic career, and no one, not even her husband, knows the truth about her past. But now some cartoons she drew threaten to reveal her childhood secret, and destroy her marriage and everything she has worked so hard for. A moving novella about shame, secrets, disabilities, and the limits and power of love.
About Yom Kippur in a Gym. Five strangers at a Yom Kippur service in a gym are struggling with personal crises. Lucy can’t accept her husband’s Parkinson’s diagnosis. Ira, rejected by his lover, plans to commit suicide. Ezra is tormented by a mistake that ruined his career. Rachel worries about losing her job. Tom contemplates severing contact with his sisters. Then a medical emergency unexpectedly throws these five strangers together, and in one hour all their lives are changed in ways they would never have believed possible.
@noraannruth @river_street_writes
@guernicaeditions
#canlit #novellas #bookishcanadians #bookstagramcanada #epilepsy #yomkippur #feministliterature #canadianliterature #canadianbooks #health #wellness #disability #smallpress #litfict #litfic #canadianreader #ilovebooks
Sunday, February 25, 2024
2024 Craft Space Organization Challenge ~ #9 Books and Magazines
So I am more than ready for Challenge #9 . . .
Inspiration for scrapbook pages is everywhere. But what is the best way to organize it so that it's actually USEFUL?
First consider cutting up your magazines and idea books, and only saving the ideas that you really plan to use. Magazines and idea books that just sit on your shelves aren't really useful. It can take hours to go through your books to find the one layout you remember. Having your ideas in a condensed form, arranged in a way that makes sense to you is much more effective. If you are able to cut up your magazines, here are some ideas for arranging them:
theme (holidays, birthday, babies, pets, travel etc)
number of photos used in the layout
journaling ideas
colours
quotes
techniques
Now that you've decided how to arrange them, where do you store them? A few ideas:
* a composition book or some other kind of sketchbook: you can sketch in here and adhere page ideas into it. It's also portable, so you can take it with you to crops!
* an index card box: adhere your ideas to index cards
* idea file folders. Place your ideas inside file folders and label the index tab. Store in a portable file box. Add categories as needed.
* binder with page protectors: tuck clippings into the page protectors
If you have decided you are NOT cutting up your magazines . . .
SORT: Make sure that the magazines and books are still relevant to you. If you are holding onto magazines more than a year or two old, REALLY make sure they still interest you. Sort them into piles: KEEP, DONATE, SELL, TOSS
PURGE: Trash the TOSS pile. Arrange immediate drop-off or pick-up of the DONATE pile. Bag up and assign a price and your initials to the SELL pile.
ASSIGN: sort your magazines/books by title/date of issue, and consider storing your books and magazines down low due to their weight.
CONTAINERIZE: store in boxes or magazine holders.
EQUALIZE: Consider getting varied colours of post-it flags, and setting up categories for ideas. Each time you get a new book or magazine, flag the pages you like according to your system, so that you an easily see from the outside of your books which one might have an idea applicable to the project you are working on.
Friday, February 23, 2024
Canadian Book ~ Deviant by Patrick Grace
Happy
Publication Day to Deviant (University of Alberta Press) by poet Patrick
Grace!
Deviant traces a trajectory of queer self-discovery from childhood to adulthood, examining love, fear, grief, and the violence that men are capable of in intimate same-sex relationships. Richly engaged with the tangible and experiential, Patrick Grace’s confessional poetry captures profound, sharp emotions, tracking a journey impacted equally by beauty and by brutality. Coming-of-age identity struggles are recalled with wry wit, and dreamlike poems embrace adolescent queer love and connections as a way to cope with the fear and cruelty that can occur in gay relationships. Later poems in the collection recall vivid moments of psychological trauma and stalking and explore the bias of the justice system toward gay men.
Collecting memories, dreams, and fears about sexual identity, Deviant makes important contributions to queer coming-of-age and intimate partner violence narratives.
@thepoetpatrick
@river_street_writes
#canlit
#poetry #queerlit #queerliterature #bookishcanadians #bookstagramcanada
#canadianpoet #canadianpoetry #poets #poetsofig #poetsofinstagram
#poetrycollection #canadianliterature #literature #whattoreadnext #poetrylovers
#queerpoetry #queerpoet #canadianreaders #readersofig #canadianbooks
Sunday, February 18, 2024
2024 Craft Space Organization Challenge ~ Challenge #8 Paper Cosmetics
Challenge #8
SORT:
First go through each of these items and make sure your colours haven't expired. Are ink pads still juicy? Are lids still intact? Do paints still mix together when shaken? Are your chalks still intact enough to use? Sort all of your paper cosmetics into TOSS, KEEP, SELL, DONATE
PURGE:
Throw out the TOSS items. Bag up and assign a price and your initials to the SELL pile, and put them immediately in your garage sale box. Arrange for pick-up or drop-off of the DONATE pile.
ASSIGN:
Sort your KEEP pile into categories that make sense to you.
CONTAINERIZE:
Inks last longest when stored horizontally, upside down on a shelf, in a drawer, or maybe a cassette tape holder? Paints could be stacked on a narrow shelf, on a tiered rack, in spice racks, etc. Embossing powders, chalks and other cosmetics could be stored in well-labeled drawers or bins.
EQUALIZE:
Take a few minutes at the end of each scrapping session, when you return from a crop, or return from a shopping trip to put your paper cosmetics away where they belong.
Please share your progress on our Facebook group.
Sunday, February 11, 2024
2024 Craft Space Organization Challenge ~ #7 Embellishments
Are you ready for Challenge #7?
Embellishments are some of the easiest things to buy. Everything looks so good, and you really believe you NEED everything! Embellishments are also one of the supplies most affected by trends so careful consideration is really needed here.
It's also important to find a system that will help you store all of your embellishments in a way that won't overwhelm you, yet also is visible enough that you don't forget to USE them.
Let's S.P.A.C.E. them.
SORT:
As always, bring all of your embellishments together. Touch every piece that you have and ruthlessly sort through them, deciding what to KEEP, TOSS, SELL, DONATE.
PURGE:
Immediately throw out the TOSS pile. Bag up and assign a price and your initials to the SELL pile, and put them in the garage sale box. Set up a drop-off or pick-up of the DONATE pile.
ASSIGN:
Sort through the KEEP pile in a way that makes sense to you. Some ideas for sorting your embellishments:
1) by category (buttons, brads, alphabets, charms, etc.)
2) by colour
3) by manufacturer
4) by type (metal, acrylic), or
5) by theme
CONTAINERIZE:
Now that you've decided how to sort your embellishments, the next step is decided how to store them, and how to label them! Researching online will give you great ideas. Talk to other crafters about what ideas worked for them.
EQUALIZE:
Take a few minutes at the end of each scrapping session, when you return from a crop, or return from a shopping trip to put your embellishments away where they belong.
Please share a photo of your organized embellishments with us here.
Sunday, February 4, 2024
2024 Craft Space Organization Challenge #6 ~ Ribbons and Fibres and Washi Tape
Let's talk about Ribbons and fibres and washi tape.
SORT:
Gather together all of your ribbons and fiber, and sort them into piles: KEEP, TOSS, SELL, DONATE.
PURGE:
Throw out the TOSS pile. Immediately make arrangements for pick-up or drop-off of the DONATE pile. Bag up, and assign a price and your initials to the SELL pile, and immediately put these in your garage sale box.
ASSIGN:
Sort your KEEP pile into types/colours of fibre and ribbon. If your ribbons are in a big wrinkled mess, take time now to give everything a pressing (careful with the heat, some synthetics may melt!).
CONTAINERIZE:
Consider the space that you have, and the way that you work. Here are some ideas that work for both ribbons and fibres:
1) on those little cardboard bobbins meant for embroidery floss
2) organized by colour in big clear glass jars on a shelf
3) wound and paper clipped and stored with their coordinating embellishments
4) Cropper Hopper mini embellishment boxes and sorted by colour
5) in small ziploc bags stored in a photo box, or on a big ring
6) in sports cards organizer pages, sorted by colour and in a binder
7) wound on index cards and stored in a photo box
EQUALIZE:
Take a few minutes at the end of each scrapping session, when you return from a crop, or return from a shopping trip to put your ribbons and fibres away where they belong.
Share your progress by posting photos at in our Facebook group.
Sunday, January 28, 2024
2024 Craft Space Organization Challenge #5
Challenge #5 - Stickers, die cuts, rub ons, and swaps
PURGE:
ASSIGN:
EQUALIZE:
SWAPS
While you are busy sorting your stickers you should also sort any swaps you’ve been holding on to. Many of us have fallen victim to the lure of scrapbook swaps among local and online groups. All the hours, material, creativity, and postage costs make these items difficult to purge. But let's face it . . . not everything is YOUR style, you are NEVER going to use some of it.
SORT:
PURGE:
ASSIGN:
CONTAINERIZE:
EQUALIZE:
At one point in my scrapbooking life I participated in a ridiculous number of swaps. Not any more . . .
When you are done, please share a photo to our Facebook group showing your storage system.
Sunday, January 21, 2024
2024 Craft Room Organization Challenge ~ Challenge #4 - Tools and Adhesive
Sort:
Purge:
Assign:
Containerize:
* scissors - sharpen your scissors using a small scissor sharpener, or have them professionally done. Carefully clean the blades (I like alcohol swabs to remove sticky adhesive).
* pens - test pens and throw out the ones that are dry or don't work well.
* craft knives - change the blades.
* trimmers - clean the deck of your trimmers with a damp cloth, and a little cleanser if necessary. Replace dull blades, or cut through fine sandpaper or aluminum foil.
* Work surface - clean ink, adhesive and paint from your self-healing mats.
* Punches - to prevent punches from sticking, punch through wax paper. Problem punches may need a little lubricating oil such as sewing machine oil, then punch through scrap paper several times to remove oily residue. Dull punches can be sharpened by punching through aluminum foil or fine grade sandpaper (both right side up and upside down).
* Stamps - stamps should be cleaned after each use, but if there is a build up of ink on your stamps, you should clean them with an alcohol free baby wipe, or paper towels moistened with a mild cleanser (ammonia free/bleach free) Use a soft toothbrush to remove ink stuck in the crevices of a design. Store stamps flat, rubber side down.
* Dies and Thin Cuts
Equalize:
We have started a Facebook group as a place for us to share photos, accomplishments, encouragement, tips and tricks as we work through the Craft Room Organization Challenge.
Sunday, January 14, 2024
2024 Craft Space Organization Challenge #3
https://www.scrapbook.com/articles/organizing-and-storing-your-photos-and-negatives
Protecting your photos means making sure your hands are clean and dry. Always hold photos and negatives by the edge.
SORT: Gather together all of your photos, and sort them into categories that make sense:
TRASH (it's okay to throw out photos with bad colour, expression, composition. Why keep them? You're not going to scrapbook them)
TO SCRAPBOOK (the shots you know you are going to use)
TO STORE (photos that need to be kept, but aren't necessarily going to be going into your scrapbooks)
TO GIVE AWAY (doubles that you want to send to friends and family)
PURGE: Throw out the TRASH pile. Put the TO GIVE AWAY photos in envelopes and mail them to friends/family, or put them in your car so you can drop them off the next time you visit. Do not leave them in your studio, or they will creep back into your organized space.
ASSIGN: Sort the final two groups of photos into a system that makes sense to you:
Chronologically
Holiday/Event/Vacation
Person
CONTAINERIZE: Now it's time to decide how you want to store your photos. Perhaps you want to put your TO STORE photos in acid free envelopes or albums. Perhaps you want to put your TO SCRAPBOOK photos into photo storage boxes, or accordion folders.
EQUALIZE: Next time you get new photos from the photo processor, spend a couple of minutes and put the photos where they belong: throw out the bad shots, give away the extras, put the keepers away in their album, and sort your photos for scrapbooking into their container.
We have started a Facebook group as a place for us to share photos, accomplishments, encouragement, tips and tricks as we work through the 2024 Craft Space Organization Challenge. You are welcome to post before and after photos of your photo challenge here.
Sunday, January 7, 2024
2024 Craft Space Organization Challenge #2
Let's move on to the next challenge . . .
Did you know that a 1” high stack of patterned paper equals as many as 250 sheets of patterned paper? That’s a lot of paper. I don't know about you, but I have a lot more than 1" of paper.
So here is this week's challenge:
Your challenge this week is to S.P.A.C.E. your paper - - and I mean ALL of your paper: cardstock, patterned paper, specialty papers, and all those SCRAPS!
If you are a quilter you need to S.P.A.C.E. your fabric. A knitter -- your wool. I think you get the picture. This challenge is for everybody!
SORT:
PURGE:
ASSIGN:
I have separated out Christmas and sports papers in their own containers. The rest of my kits are stored in bankers boxes.
Another way to sort your paper is in page kits. Package matching patterned papers in a zip lock or similar bag, add matching cardstocks and embellishments to create kits. Most of my patterned papers and embellishments are sorted in this way. When the opportunity for some scrappin’ time presents, I just have to grab my tool pouch and a kit and I’m ready to go.
Do you buy a lot of paper “stacks” or kits? I don’t recommend taking them apart. They are perfect for building page kits.
Do you save your leftover scraps? Decide on a minimum size that you are willing to keep. I usually throw out anything smaller than 4 x 6”.
- vertical paper holders
- hanging vertical file folders
- wire cubes
- paper trays
- paper organizers
- bookcases with adjustable shelves
I use vertical paper holders for my cardstocks (which I personally feel I do not have enough of) and banker boxes for my page kits.
EQUALIZE:
We have started a Facebook group as a place for us to share photos, accomplishments, encouragement, tips and tricks as we work through this Challenge. When you have completed this challenge please share your photos in our challenge #2 album.
Monday, January 1, 2024
2024 Craft Space Organization Challenge #1
Several years ago I realized the only thing holding me back from taking my art seriously was me. How could anyone else take me seriously when I didn't see my self as a serious craftsperson?
I’m "only" a scrapbooker. A scrapbooker who has been developing her talent for over 25 years, who has taught others, who has written books . . . so why wasn’t I taking my skill seriously?
And then I did. I started by ordering business cards with my name and title, Paper Artist and Blogger. And my crop room became my studio. I may never become rich or famous but that doesn’t change the fact that I am an artist and what I create is very serious and very important to me.
So it is time to do a little day dreaming. What would your perfect studio look like? How would you improve what you currently work in? Start jotting down ideas and making sketches. Go through some magazines looking for ideas you think would be perfect for you. What do you need in your creative space to make you enthusiastic and and yet content?
I live in a building where we are not supposed to paint the walls. Yep, six rooms of beige. So I hang up art . . . only pieces that make me happy or give me happy memories. I have two Clark McDougall prints hung in my studio that bring me joy every time I look at them. My solution to the boring walls is art.
Look for your problem areas. Think of ways you can solve the problems. Take notes. Make sketches. Do a bit of research. Don’t think about costs yet. Don’t buy anything yet. That comes later. Just dream . . .
Today is the day to begin taking back your space so you can accomplish more and get more enjoyment out of your precious crafting time.
These challenges were originally set up for scrapbookers but they work quite well for just about any type of crafter . . . which is a good thing for me. My studio is set up for my paper crafting, quilting, stamp collection, letterboxing, knitting and crochet, writing, my hubby's leatherworking, genealogy, cross stitch, and tapestry. I need a system that works for ALL of my crafts.
The information in these challenges can help both new and veteran scrapbookers and other crafters to get organized.
Come on!! You can do it!! No shame here . . . just hope and encouragement. If I can get MY MESS fixed, ANYONE can. Just follow the challenges I'll be posting over the next 10 weeks. You can do this!!!
Take a photo of your newly scrubbed craft space and upload it to our Facebook group.
Now is the time to learn that you need S.P.A.C.E. to craft:
* Sort * Purge * Assign * Containerize * Equalize *
We're going to use this method for each and every challenge.
SORT:
Look very seriously at all your stuff and decide if you really need each item. If your answer is yes, you need to ask yourself if it belongs in your craft room. If you answer no to either question you need to PURGE it.
PURGE:
1) Throw out everything in the TRASH pile - all the ripped, broken, dried up, crumpled STUFF.
2) Bag up and assign a price and your initials to everything in the SELL pile, and put in your sale box.
3) Call the person who could use the DONATE pile, and immediately set up a time to drop off, bag it up, and hang on the door knob so it doesn't sneak back into your studio area. 4) Put the NOT IN HERE stuff where it belongs.
ASSIGN:
CONTAINERIZE:
EQUALIZE: