Christmas Gratitude

I think about other people & other families a lot at this time of year
not all of us are embraced by big beautiful families...
not everyone is all cozy and snug within holiday sparkle and cheer.
Some of us face the holidays with great sadness,
some will be saying goodbye to loved ones & will be facing a New Years all alone...
For me, it's important to remember that because it makes me so much more grateful
for the family that I do have and for the cheer and beauty that does surround me.

 





  



 

 

So as much as we miss Teela & Frenwyck, which is like mad,
(and as we watch dear ones spend this Christmas for the last time ever with their loved ones)
we're still feeling so so grateful & embraced by each other & for the long-eared family we've made,
it might not be a normal family in everyone else's books but for us it is and it's everything.

We're enjoying a house decked out in red ribbons, twinkle lights & poinsettias
and I am truly hoping so hard everyone out there finds kindness and beauty
and compassion and warmth in some lovely way or another, no matter how small.

Well I will be taking a blog break really soon...
but I hope you'll join me for the rest of the week until than
XOXO



Handmade Art Cards

I made a big batch of art cards recently.  They are a lot of work & a bit hard on the body

with all the bending over for precise cutting & folding & glittering all by hand but it's worth it...

I'll show you the lovely shop where these end up in another post.

 

 

(I included a picture of Teela & I on the backs of quite of few as my way of remembering my girl).

Don't forget, you can get art cards in my shop & I am happy to make cards from any of my images,

so if you want an image but don't see it as a card, you just have to ask and I'll gladly make it for ya.



Pink Xmas, Pink Heart

We were going to skip Christmas this year, because of Teela
but than we realized that wasn't very fair to the other sweet buns who like the sparkly lights etc.

 

So we got the studio tree up first, it's for Henrie, Elsie & Misa to gaze upon & dream under.

 

 

It's full of favorite ornaments and hand-made love, like this felt one from my friend Deb Dunn.

 

and this sweetness from my rabbit loving and creative pal Michelle from the Raspberry Rabbits...

 

(Henrie had to pop out of the blanket to supervise the decorating of course!)

 

and this gorgeouness from my animal loving kindred friend Natascha Rieper

 

life is hard...it knocks us down many many many times doesn't it, especially as you get older...

 

So you've gotta put up sweet pink trees, treat your pink heart kindly

& eat pretty macaroons with honeyed cocoas as often as possible!



Lovely Leisel

Now everyone I want you to meet another special little lady...

Yep, that's right, we adopted not one little bun but two!

We've named this lovely lady

Leisel

She is 3.5 years old and was desperately in need of a good home

having been at the shelter for 4 long months.

 

 

She was unlikely to be adopted anytime soon because she has what we bunny experts

call 'An Attitude Problem" but really she's just misunderstood I think.

She was biting shelter volunteers so she was sent to a foster home for a spell

to get a shelter break but she was pretty grumpy with her foster parent too &
I think she only go grumpier once she was back at the shelter.

We knew what we were getting into...the shelter knows that we know how to handle problem buns.

We are after all our very own 'Island Of Misfit Toys'!!!

 

She is a complete sweetheart.

Sure she has some attitude but already we can see that that stems down to her really she just

wanting constant attention and constant snuggles...and food for her very hungry little tum.

She is super aware of where we are at all times and she just wants to follow us wherever we go.

She doesn't popcorn but she sure does zoom like crazy.

And she's already found a favourite spot...all stretched out on the coffee table, ha ha!

We are hoping that she'll bond with Yuuji but we'll see...bonding is a tricky thing all around!

 

 

When my hon bun fell in love with Misa online, he also fell for Leisel...

and despite my worrying "oh babe, maybe we should just adopt one..."

he was the one who was insistent that it was the right thing to bring both girls home.

So we leaped into love, in honor of Teela and in honor of all the others present and past

and we already can't imagine either girl not being here.

 

I hope you all will continue to join us on our bunniful journey,

I hope to show you these two new lovely ladies personalities as they grow into our family & lives

and I hope that we're inspiring people out there to go to a shelter to adopt animals

because it's hard yes but it's also amazing and so beyond beautifully amazing.

Wanna Colour Some Bells

I hope your taking time to relax amidst all the holiday craziness...

I made sure to sit long enough to conjure up a fun holiday colouring page...
 

 

It goes out tomorrow afternoon with my next studio news edition...

if you'd like it and future pages of mine just sign up to Keep In Touch.

Meet Misa

Everyone I want you to meet somebunny very special

a cute as a button cutie pie...

Misa

(pronounced like 'Me-Sa')

 

We adopted her from the Toronto Humane Society just over a week ago...

I didn't tell anyone right away because it was feeling tender & raw

(especially cause her face is so like Teela's)

yet it's been so wonderful and warm and amazing at the exact same time...

We wanted to just sit within it all, just us two, with her, for a short spell before telling anyone.

 

 

She was so scared, timid, shy, shaking in a corner, not friendly nor easy-going

like a lot of the other buns there at the shelter and I admit I was nervous when I first met her,

she was by far the most skittish rabbit yet but I reminded myself that she must have been

feeling so unwanted and so very displaced and confused,

she was at a shelter before the THS too, poor girl, being bounced around is never easy for a bun.

 

But she's doing such a good job settling into her new home already,

she's calmed down immensely, the shaking has stopped,

she's snuggly & sweet and loves to be kissed and smothered with love

(however picking up is not allowed right now).

She already wants to be friends with Henrie & Elsie and flips herself over

onto her back constantly for them (which is a sign of friendship from 1 bun to another).

She has a voracious appetite so much so that

we have to sit with her when she eats because she eats so fast she chokes!

She is super duper insanely soft and super duper insanely sweet...she melts our hearts

 

Adopting so soon after Teela wasn't on my radar at all,

but my honey saw this little love and told me that he thought we should consider adopting again

and my heart warmed to the idea right away, especially when I saw how eager he was.

And if I've learnt anything from my sunshine girl Teela & from this newest baby,

it's that life is short, we have to do what makes us happiest and

we should fall in love

as often as we possibly can.

 

Join me Friday, I have somebunny else that I want you to meet!!!



Snowy Slowness

It's a snowy stormy grey week...

 

 

I am slowly getting back into the groove of the studio...slowly...

 

All I feel like drawing are bunnies right now, so that's what I am doing, like this newest pair.

The Coloring Studio Winter Issue

I am so tickled happy to have 3 of my coloring pages

in The Coloring Studio's Winter issue.

 

  

You can see a little glimpse of one of my pieces on the cover

behind the elephant colouring page...

 

My watercolour of "The Owl & The Key"

is 1 of 2 'completed project' articles

 

Which means that you not only get the coloring page fun

but I also get to tell you how I created the image step by step.

 

 

 And they featured my "Leaping Into Gratitude" as a completed project article too which I am so glad

about cause it's one of my favorite works as it's story holds a special place in my heart.

 

There is some coloring fun for everyone in this issue with so many different themes & styles,

such a lovely collection of coloring fun to be had (and talk about a nice Xmas gift).

 

The paper is so nice and thick and smooth which makes for the best coloring experience.

I hope you'll check it out...this third colouring page of mine is in the issue too...

 

The issue is on stands now or available online.

Thanks oodles to Stampington & the super sweet editor Jana, who is so lovely to chat & work with.



XOXO

Happy Birthday to my amazing amazing guy...

(if I could give him one gift, it would be to take away the soreness in his heart)

 

 

There are not enough words my love...

so I'll just say Happy Birthday and that I love you more than anything in this world

XO

Snug Weekend

Hope your having a cozy weekend...

 

 

All snuggled with your favorite souls.

The Covered Bridge

So when we first bought our first little home together,

we made this covered bridge, just the two of us,

it was quite the feat, making it just us two but we did for two reasons...

because my honey is a sweetheart and knows that I've always loved covered bridges

and because we needed a strategically placed structure to give us privacy when on our back deck.

 

 

 

Well this past season it needed quite a bit of TLC and we wanted to take care of it

because we both just love it still all these 14 some years later...

not just because of it's functionality but because it's a constant,
solid reminder to us of what we can achieve together.

It needed new footings, new braces, a good sanding, a brand new roof and
a brand new coat of paint and with all that done, it's looking wonderful again...

We'll be taking care of it together again in another 14 years if we're lucky.

It Would Have Been Her Day

I know I may seem normal, I am back to instagraming, to blogging (not quite to the studios yet)

and no doubt there is beauty and love ricocheting off the walls in our little home...

but there's still a massive hole, that we have to mostly try our best

to ignore right now for self-preservation,

if we don't we'll fall into it's gaping all consuming black despairing depths...

so we're doing our best to concentrate on all that love bouncing around us still.

 

 

Today would have been her 4 year homecoming...

on this day 4 years ago we adopted her, our first shelter baby, our sunshine, our Tee-Tee & baby girl.

She was only 5...she should have lived another 5 at least...she was so healthy, until she was not.

I miss absolutely every thing about her, so much so that I can't breathe and I feel weak in the knees.

Especially our nightly snuggles...without them, without her, I am not 100% me.

I miss you baby girl. Forever.

Cutting Here & There

I am not fully back into my studio yet...

for one reason you know, for another you'll know later.

 

 

but I have been dabbling with cutting lino, just in little tender-hearted bits here and there,

here's one in progress.



Seed Collection

Do you collect seeds from your gardens?

I do, every single year, I take cuttings from every plant...enough to share if I want to.

 

 

I don't know if I'll manage to grow anything from them,

but there was something satisfying, cozy and warm just in the possibility of it!