Hide-N-Seek

"Hide-N-Seek"

(Photograph, 2006)

    The sun is shining and my friends are calling to come outside and play! 

Who can resist a classic game like Hide and Go Seek? 

   

    As I am still making time each day to sit and work on my Elderberry Hedge paintings, life is getting busy again at school and home so time is snip-its at best...  Until I get next installment ready for post I thought it would be fun to post some of my photographs from over the years that have become favourites.

    "Hide-N-Seek" is a photo from a series of 'staged' photos that I took one summer day using beautiful plush bunnies and bears that I gathered together while my girls were babies... This scene reminds me of the TV series "Old Bear Stories" based on the books written by Jane Hissey - toys as alive as you or I. 

   

    ♥ Cath-

Happy Mother's Day!!

"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all."

    A wonderful Mother's Day wish to Mom and Mother-In-Law... One of the most cherished things I know about both my Mom and Mother-In-Law is that I know without a doubt they will both be worshipping God today in their respective communities and I along with them.  I will spend some quiet time today thanking God for them and all they have have brought to my life! 

    My Mom is always there for me - she has taught me (along with Dad) first and foremost to love God and commit my life wholly to Him. I'm blessed by their example! She passed down her ability to draw, her love of baking (and substiting ingredients!!) and I love her beyond words!!

    My Mother-In-Law just kept loving me through my "growing up years" after I married her eldest son - looking back, I'm grateful for that and I really cherish our relationship now because of her determination then!

May our heavenly Father whom we worship today and each day bless these wonderful women!!

♥ Cath-

(Proverbs 31:26-29)

"It's a pencil to paper, brainstorming thing."

    Filling my sketchbook with drawings and thoughts is like a conversation with a new friend.... you don't learn everything there is to know about them but you usually learn a lot of information in a quick, concise manner.

  Elderberry Hedge Bake Shop Brainstorm

(Sketchbook page, scanned)   



Bake Shop Brainstorm - Breakthrough!

(Sketchbook page, scanned)

    The above images are bits of "conversation" I had with one of the residents of Elderberry Hedge.... when I first met her, I didn't even know her name but after a little conversing I realized I was talking to Bonny, the bright and cheerful resident baker of The Bonny Baker: Bakery and Cafe...  

   

    ♥ Cath- 

    P.S. The title that says it all!  I visited with a friend for coffee in the first week of April and during our conversation she encouraged me to begin a blog.  While discussing this pursuit she came out with this gem of a statement, "Sometimes it's a pencil to paper, brainstorming thing." ~ I ♥ that!!   
    I told her that that statement would make an awesome blog name... as you can see I didn't end up going with it, but I knew without a doubt that I would use it in a blog and that I would give her full credit for it too.  Kim Rempel - thank you for your constant encouragement and enthusiasm!!  I have three words to describe Kim: IN - SPIR - ING!!  Check out Kim's blog: Eat Drink Paint

  

Elderberry Hedge Schoolhouse

"Elderberry Hedge Schoolhouse"

(Watercolour, 7x10")

    Every growing village needs a place for young minds to explore and advance under the tutelage of a wise and learned member of the village.  Elderberry Hedge is no different.  The young from far and near gather daily to learn with Mr. MacKinnley as he instructs them in all subjects: math, languages, history, geography, and the arts.

    Mr. Mackinnley, like Edward, seems to have had his profession marked out for him from the time he was just a fledgling. Fortunately our Mr. MacKinnley studied and grew and soon discovered that he, like his family members before him, had been blessed with a natural ability to learn and to teach.

    Rising with the sun each morning our village teacher gets out for "a good stretch of the wings" followed by a hearty breakfast.  Then the lovely flight over the village to the schoolhouse where he will go through his morning routine of dusting and polishing the windows. With only an hour left before classes are to begin for the day he settles down at his large desk to look over his lesson plan.

    Finally, it is time. Stepping out into the sunlight of the morning with bell in hand, Mr MacKinnley announces the start of the day for his students.  Quickly lining up outside the doors, they are greeted with a warm and friendly smile from their teacher - today is going to be another wonderful day of learning! 

♥ Cath- 

As a deer...

"As a deer pants for the water, so my soul pants for You, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."

Psalm 41:1-2

    ♥ Cath-

    Whenever I look at this photo I imagine a deer timidly coming out of the brush to drink in the cool waters, so it always makes me think of the bible verse I included above. ♥

    I took this photo in 2005 during a visit to my parents home in Bancroft, ON.... this is a calm resting place after the rushing of the water through Egan Chute. Egan Chute is located along the York River, east of Bancroft on Hwy 28.

   

   

An Interruption...

We interrupt our normally scheduled blog for this important message:

I met Toronto-based author/illustrator extraodinaire Kevin Sylvester today!!!

Wooo-Hoooo!!!

The first two books in the Neil Flambe series by Kevin Sylvester. 

    The third installment (Neil Flambe and the Crusader's Curse) hit bookstores only yesterday unbeknownst to me - I didn't know when it was going to be published seeing as I had heard that the publishing company handling the first two books went bankrupt.  Luckily for all fans of the Neil Flambe series Simon & Shuster Canada picked it up and is running with it!! Yeah!!

    

    I went with my oldest daughter to a DSBN sponsored Silver Birch Book Conference today in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It was a day full of workshops, key-note speakers and lots of kids - everywhere!!  The first workshop I attended was 'Cartooning with Kevin' in which Kevin Sylvester took students through the "inner workings" of creating a doodle - brilliant!  He is a crazy-talented artist who encouraged the kids to just relax and draw - keep your hand loose and moving - who cares if there are "a million extra lines" in the drawing, that's what gives it energy - keeps the eye moving!  Another great point he made was to layer up with unexpected 'jokes' and add interest to your drawings. Basically, he encouraged the kids to not ever give up on a drawing - just keep addig to it!  AWESOME!!  

   

     Before finishing the workshop he went around the room and drew and autographed an original doodle for each student. He gave them the choice between a dog, cat, dragon, and a penguin with a mohawk. Yep, you read that correctly!  

 

    My daughter choose a dog (it was before the penguin came into play!)...

  

Dog Doodle, signed

    Okay, my geek is showing now because I stood in line to get the first two Neil Flambe books signed and doodled by Mr. Sylvester - and yes, I photographed them to post here - see below!

    I am quick to forgive him for spelling my name incorrectly each time because he is an extremely generous man to sit for well over an hour and not just sign his name in his books but to personalize, doodle, and sign each book for everyone in line! 

   

 

       I got two li'l Neil doodles!! 

     The teacher I attended the conference with is going to seriously look into getting Mr. Sylvester to bring his wit and talent to our school for a presentation sometime very soon!  Yeah!!

    All in all a great and inspiring day!!

♥ Cath-

P.S. My regualar scheduled blog (which was written to post today) will be posted on Monday.

After meeting such an amazingly talented author and illustrator who is also very down-to-earth and

funny I couldn't help but be inspired to dedicate today's blogspot to him! : ) 

Elderberry Hedge: The Crow's Nest

"The Crow's Nest"

(Watercolour, 7x10")

    Edward is the sleek and dapper crow who owns the beautiful jewellry shop in Elderberry Hedge.  Edward not only sells beautiful jewellry, he is a skilled gemologist and fine metalsmith crafting custom pieces for the discerning customer.

    The study and interest in gemology and fine metals has been passed down through many generations of Edward's family.  Known to have an outstanding ability to spot pieces of fine metal and jewels just about anywhere, Edward has many family members working as scouts and buyers for the world's leading jewellry houses.  Others have been hired over the years by wealthy patrons to guard and maintain personal jewel collections.  Edward has said that a distant cousin of his still lives in the famed Tower of London, guarding the Queen's jewels.

♥ Cath-