Arcade Fire in your Hometown?

Ok, so my hometown didn't work with this Google Chrome experiment.  But I am not surprised or disappointed.  Instead, I entered the house my daughter grew up in which is far more urban.  And voila!  A great video with an amazing song and it tied in her early childhood home in Waterdown.  Very very sweet.  Google! You are going to impress us for years to come.

source:  Wilderness Downtown.com  (Google Chrome experiment)



signed, the willow

Turtle Project

1. Print off your photo or picture on a laser printer. Inkjet won't do!

 2. Go to your neighbourhood art store and pick up some High Gloss Gel Medium.

 3. Use a palette knife to spread a thin, even layer of the gel medium on the image. Image side up, please.

 4. Wait for the gel to dry. It may take overnight and might require you to do some touching up.
5. When it's dry, spray the back of the image (paper side, not gel side) with some water from a lovely little water bottle like so.

6. Get ready to peel off the paper from the gel. You should be able to see the image has lifted onto the gel medium forming a "skin".  This is the mess you'll be left with!

7. Once you are done peeling all the paper off the back, you can paint your image from behind. *Mila* did a great job painting her turtle, the sand and it's special treat: a giant raspberry. Or is it a tiny turtle?

8. Let the paint dry and position your "skin" onto a canvas, t-shirt, jar, or even a chair! Adhere it to your item with some more gel medium.

Here's the canvas *Mila* chose.

9. Gluing it to the canvas with the gel medium.

10. Pose for a picture with your new art!

11. You may need to wait for the skin to dry again.

12. We chose to light it up with a battery packed twinkle light set from IKEA.

signed, the willow and *mila*



Summer, You Finally Arrived!

Yesssss. It is finally the steamy, bug-filled summer that we desired. Sunburns. Yipee! Jumping in the pool. Wahoo! Ice cream from Kawartha Dairy. Yay!

tree climbing

hand stand competitions

 car rides with the dog

visits to the AGO

fireworks to celebrate the end of school

wandering at Nuit Blanche North

playing mime with performing friend

pretty girls of summer

ask a stranger to take your photo

chew a stick

build a lake house for the fairies

hitch your wagon to a star

signed, the willow

Looking Forward

I see *Mila* looking forward to what she wants and needs and her adventures are so guided, so thorough and so insightful.  Often times she's my guide and leader. *love*

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Some points in our life are dark, empty, troubling.  Now, I'm in one of those points, yet I don't feel low, desperate, or disturbed.  I'm carrying on.  Reading inspirational quotes, surrounding myself with busy life: dance recitals, school events, art projects with *Mila*-girl and squeezing in valuable time with my husband of 9 years.  We have had to live our weekdays apart while he works in the city during the week.  We've "sold" our business. I'm working in Muskoka and we're reached our boiling over point.  It's a good boiling over point.  We want to be together as a family and we can't fight in this struggle any longer.  We have to piece things together.  We have to make it work and live in the same household.  So, here we go....finding our new home and places in this world.

signed, the willow