Bouncing

I never really got it...Trampolines.

These big ugly eye-sores in peoples yards.

BUT now I get it....

They are just plain fun fun fun.

Now I wish I had room in my yard for one!

Now I get it, ha ha.

p.s.  Back to some artwork soon, I promise!

Hot 'Hamburgur' Sandwiches

It's a common misconception that vegetarians can't enjoy the normal foods a meat eater does.

We can enjoy most of the same dishes as carnivores, we just use meat substitutes.

Like soy burger,

then we can have our own delicious version of yummies such as

Hot 'Hamburger' Sandwiches

A comfort food to boot...and healthy as you can see.

(we enjoy this dish quite often, it's one of our favourites, quick & super easy)

To Make:

Just take a package of your favourite soy burger, lately we like to use 'Yves'.

Put a smidgen of Olive Oil in your pan, cook and brown the meat for a few minutes on medium heat.

Than make a meat-free gravy.  We use Club House's brown gravy, it's vegetarian believe it or not!

Pour the gravy onto the cooked soy meat and stir and warm up well...

Than put the mixture between your favourite bread.

Serve piping hot and with lots of your favourite veggies. 

We usually do steamed carrots, brussel sprouts, green beans

and roasted red peppers with ours.

Voila!

Hot 'Hamburger' Sandwiches for the veg-heads.

You gotta try it if you've already not, you'll love it it, I am sure.

 It's been so long since I had any meat I can't promise that I remember how meat tastes, ha ha.

But I do promise that this recipe kicks butt and takes names...

and honestly, to us anyways, it's better than the meat version because it's healthier & so much yummier because being vegetarian is just living a kind life...and that suits my honey and I perfectly.

Enjoy!

Happy Fathers Day

Happy Father's Day

to the two wonderful men in my life...

My dad, whose always always there for us...

we LOVE you Dad.

and to my Bunny Honey...

he's a daddy to my heart of hearts...all of the bunnies we've shared our life with thus far.

He does it spectacularly and unlike any other...

LOVE you baby,

And Ella Luna from up above, Roo Boo, Jinster, Jaky & all of our other angels, Love Love Love you too.

XXOO

Outdoor Delights

I can't help but share more photos of all the lovelies outside currently delighting my heart and soul...

There is so much going on outside...it's beautiful.
Our backyard is so full of trees & is quite wild so there's always lots of activity.
Right now we have a family of baby raccoons living in the shed!
We can't let them stay because raccoons and bunnies just don't mix...
though Jon has agreed to not to chase them away for another couple of weeks
because right now they are really tiny & fuzzy and Oh My God SUPER CUTE!
but so small that I don't want them to get hurt...I am hoping the mama will relocate them on her own.

I'll just have to pay extra close attention to the buns when we go out into the yard.

Our lilac trees are attracting tons of butterflies.

The grey squirrel had FOUR babies,
The red squirrel had atleast two.

Ella Luna and I used to spend hours upon hours just snuggling together by the back door,

watching their silly squirrely antics...they are simply adorable.

I love the fact that I lead a life
where I can allow myself hours to just sit with house rabbits and a tea
and watch squirrel siblings wrestle amongst the tree branches
or take their very first trepidation filled steps onto the deck for tempting peanuts.

I am so glad that I make the time every day to enjoy the simple beauties in life...

I hope you can make or find the the time to do so too.

XO Mandy who is in love with her little house and yard full of creatures.



The Duck & Empathy

I am pretty upset today...

One of the court ducks was killed yesterday morning.

He was sleeping under someones car and they ran over him.

Jonathan tried to spare me the truth...he knew I'd be really upset & angry,

but I have good ears, I am good at reading body language & I had noticed

the female all alone that day and I was wondering where her partner was.

It's so so sad to see the female all alone.

Whenever they were separated, you'd hear them calling and calling for the other.

They had been coming to our court for atleast 10 years.

Every spring I looked forward to seeing them.

Every year I dreaded that something happened to them whenever they were late in arriving.

Every summer they waddled around the whole court, they were part of the neighbourhood,

everyone sort of watched out for them...

I'd run out and yell at kids or people with dogs to leave them alone when I saw they were being bothered.

All of us knew to look under and around our cars before we backed up, it was just part of summer.

And he was killed by someone visiting the court, someone who didn't know better...

He will be missed.

He was part of this worlds magic and beauty.

Sometimes people think I am overly empathetic...

but I don't want to be one of the cold-hearted of this world.

I fight this world's abrasiveness by bearing my sensitive soul...

sure it's cut to the quick and hurts alot of the time...

but I feel beauty & love and all of the sweet sweet goodness
in between even more acutely because of that.

I won't brush off something like this with a snarky little 'Well he shouldn't have been under a car'...

It's true, he shouldn't have been, BUT it's still very sad what happened, I am not ashamed to admit that.

I don't want to be numb in anyway,  I want to feel it all...

that is after all part of this journey...part of being human.

To be full of empathy and sensitivity, to feel everything fully, is a gift.

It is not a weakness...it shows strength,

because those of us willing and open to this crazy worlds rollarcoaster

looks sadness, unfairness, despair and all the other negative stuff straight on,

we take it in, we feel it and than we walk away not more brittle, not sanded down...

but preciously more aware, more in tune, more appreciative...

and that too, in my humble opinion is part of a successful journey of being human.

Empathy means:

Having the capacity to recognize feelings that are being experienced by another

sentient or semi-sentient being.

Who in the world doesn't want this ability to flow freely through them...I sure do...

Because, well one needs to have a certain amount of empathy in them so that they can feel Compassion...

and I for one, want to be a fully functioning Compassionate person....it's who I am.

...to care oodles about ducks that aren't even mine...

to shed some tears...to light some candles to wish his spirit a lovely journey to the next part...

It's like I always say, "It's Simple Part Of The Magic That Makes Me...ME".

RIP little guy...may you be waddling much faster in the next part XO.

Some Shots From The Garden

Just wanted to hop in and share some shots from the garden.

There is so much goodness and beauty out there

...ahhhh...

Hornets and Bees buzzing around, birds flocking to the deck for the recently scattered peanuts,

baby squirrels playing with their siblings in the trees,  chipmunks filling up their sweet cheeks,

the sound of lawnmowers in distant yards, the warmth of the sun, flowers bursting with colour & scent,

the gentle burbling of our water fountains, dragonflies zooming by just missing my cheek...

It's hard to be out there without Ella Luna...

especially when I see all of her burrow spots sitting there ready for more digging...

Roo doesn't want to come out with me...I am not going to force him,

right now he seems content to watch me putter around from the backdoor/deck.

But I am forcing myself to go outside because though I might not have Ella there with me anymore,

I do love our little yard and being outside with all of the

wonders and beauty of bugs, nature and flowers.

...and it's time to get my tomato & cucumber plants into their pots...

Wishing myself and all of you, a beautiful bird-song filled day full of peace.

XO Mandy & Roo



Hiding & Heart Warmth

I am still 'hiding out' to nurse my sore heart...

I am still struggling & trying to navigate my days and time without my Ella Luna...

The last 2 years has revolved completely around her...

But even when she was perfectly healthy I didn't like being without her for long, nor she from me.

Some days seem better but it's still a game of quickly side-stepping around pitfalls of despair...

The house feels empty. I feel somewhat brittle.

Part of the way I get through my losses is lots of time alone,

hiding in the house and yard, with Jon & the other buns. 

I have the luxury to do so and for that I am so grateful because it really is my way to heal.

Those very close to me know this is my way, they know I am not answering the phone,

They know not to push me because even though they may not understand it,

they know our grief is very deep...that we've lost a family member.

I am so grateful to my partner.  His strength is my strength.

I am so glad for Roo, he is my gentle giant & forever Ella's boy.

I am happy for Jin & Jaks who are being good to Roo & offering him lots of kisses on the couch & bed.

I am so grateful for my parents who cry when I cry.

I am grateful for my beautiful friends Jules, Aline, Judit & Maria,

who are patiently there for me, letting me cry or waiting gently for me if I need them.

I am so very grateful for the gentleness of complete strangers & online friends.

We've gotten so many beautiful notes expressing sympathies about our beautiful Ella Bella.

It would appear that Ella Luna was a star of sorts on my blog & many got to know her through my posts.

A couple of very special friends sent beautiful little notes through the mail
that wrapped my heart in warmth (surprises in my mailbox cheer me up no matter whats going on).

It's all been a balm to my heart.

Thank you all.

I'll get back to 'it' soon, I promise.

I just need abit more time.

Love Mandy

Ella Luna

Ella Luna is gone...

She passed away Friday night, June 2st at 2:30 am...

She lived and loved every single day of her 8.5 years with such spirit and light.

She was giving me kisses right up to the end...

And when it happened we were all having a snuggle on the bed together,

She was all stretched out, breathing slowly and I was telling her story after story...she felt very calm.

She died in my arms,
it was not an easy passing but it was quick.
She made my heart and my world grow 100 times it's normal size.

She filled every single moment and cell of my being with such immense happiness, joy and inspiration.

She was an incredible and amazing little soul...

She was my best friend,

My precious little girl...

I will miss her every single minute of every single day until the end of time.

We had an amazing life with our little spunky tough-nut and I know she had a great life with Jon & I.

Right now I can't breathe

I just don't know how to be without my Ella Luna.

But I promised her I would take extra good care of her Roo...

and I know I'll carry her beauty and love within me for always..
Instead of one heart beating in my chest, from now on I'll have two...
Hers and mine...together forever.

Run free little girl, our Ella Luna, our sweet Ella Bella, our Foo Foo....We love you forever.

The Tulip Collector

I wanted to quickly hop in today to show you a new picture.

"The Tulip Collector"

It's mostly watercolour with a bit of coloured pencil added just for some definition.

(Prints will be available at the end of this week once I get a better scan of it).



I finished it up whiles sitting on the floor beside Ella Luna...so it has extra good bunny mojo.

Jonathan and Ella both reminded me that I have to keep working

and making pictures and sharing my love of colour, etc, etc...

It's easy to hide in a little cocoon when things are sad, scary & unsure,

sometimes you have to do just that..

But other times, it's good to keep reaching out and showing your heart.

Hope you like the new picture.

I just finished up another super cute felt brooch as well, I'll show you that soon as well.

XO Mandy & Ella

Ella Bella

Our Beautiful Ella Luna is still with us,

but the last few days have been hard.

She took a turn for the worse last Thursday.

At this point we are unsure of what the problem is, it may be congestive heart failure, cancer,
kidney failure, diabetes or just old age and her precious little body slowing down.

She is looking abit better the last few hours

but we are just holding dear every single moment she's still with us,

because late last night it really did look like it was time for us to help her go.

This is all feeling impossibly hard....

I've had 6 pass on already, 5 died in my arms, 1 peacefully in his sleep...it doesn't get any easier.

The buns are my world, my babies...

and with Ella Luna, it's feeling a million times harder.

She's my baby girl...



But the time hasn't come yet...

she's still fighting...

she still wants to be here.

She lost a pound but she's eating more today,

and though she is weak, her eyes are big, beautiful & bright.

Jonathan is taking some time off of work to be with us.

One of us is always with her.

Her and Roo-Boo are snuggling it up like mad,

and she's smothering me with a million kisses.

The thought of life with out her is taking my breathe away.

Think of us and Ella...

light some candles for us...

wish us strength...

and forgive any lack of posts...

I am still getting work done, on the floor, by her side as she rests.

Ella has always been my muse and I know she likes to see her mama working away,

But aside from this quick post, my time right now belongs to my precious precious heart.

A Rabbit in Ducky Company

Ella Luna, Jonathan and I were out in the front yard enjoying a beautiful evening...

Ella was washing herself by the big tree in the middle of the yard,

She leans against the tree and it holds her up, so it's one of her favourite spots right now...



When suddenly Ella Luna said
'Heh I think we have some company....'

(Can you see who???  Look to the right of the photo)

The 'court ducks' decided to grace us with a lovely long visit.

They've been coming back to our court year after year, for about 10 years now.

They waddle around the court but usually seem to prefer the other side of the street to our side.

Ella Luna watched them...
she's never ever had the company of ducks before.

...and they watched Ella Luna...
perhaps they've never seen a black rabbit before!

Everyone got along swimmingly.

The ducks stayed with us for a couple of hours and they must have decided that they liked

the little black bunny because when we woke up this morning and looked outside

there they were, fast asleep by the tree & they've been there all day...

maybe they are waiting for Ella to go back out.

They are welcome visitors....Ella Luna says they seem like very lovely souls,

and I am extremely content to watch them waddle around our front yard

as I sit inside working on a watercolour.

Once again life delights...ahhhhh.

XO Mandy, Ella and the Court Ducks

Squirrel Stories & Antics

We always have a beautiful grey squirrel around here...
They make me so happy & are simple reminders of life's beauty.

I had a speacil little bond with a gourgeus grey girl named Chapman for years.
She would sit on my lap when I read.  She would take fruit out of my breakfast cereal in the mornings.
She would sit very silently and nearby whenever I had one of the buns in my arms on the deck,
like she wanted to be part of our little family.
I remember a certain time when our Hazel suddenly passed away...
I was outside in the yard, crying...stretched out on my belly near Hazel's favourite yard spot
and Chapman slowly walked over to me, and stretched out on her belly in the grass opposite from me,
she wasn't even a foot away and I said to her
"Chapman I am so sad, I miss Hazzy"...
and that squirrel looked at me, blinked & quietly put her head down to stare at me so gently.
We laid stretched out on the grass facing one another for some time.
It's never happened with any other squirrel, I'll never forget it, It was such a speacil experience.

Anyhow,
One day not long ago we saw the newest edition outside on the kitchen porch

and we moved in for closer inspection when we said to one another

'what the heck is she doing'...

Well apparently she was taking all of the stuffing from Jaks porch blanket

and stuffing her mouth until it was super full...

than coming back again and again until the blanket was half empty!

...

We keep a puffy blanket on the deck you see because Jaks little legs are so short, he kind of slides instead of hops down the deck stairs, so we spread out a big soft blanket over the stairs whenever we're

going down to play in the yard, so he can go up and down without getting little bunny boo-boo's!...

I guess we'll have to buy a new one this year,

for the blanket is not quite so puffy anymore, ha ha...

We let her take as much as she wanted,

Since it was no doubt being brought to her secret nest in preparations for her new little babies.

The antics and beauty of the grey squirrels never ceases to delight and enchant.
I am grateful for them.

XO Mandy and the lovely grey squirrels of our yard.

Goodies For Cheap

I am not a mall person whatsoever, 

I love thrift stores and the uniqueness that comes in the items from them,

I totally believe that 'someone else's trash is another's treasure'.

It can be the smallest little find that gets me so excited,

Like last month I found a paper doll book from Emily Martin & The Black Apple for $5

(I squealed for the whole store to hear when I came across that one, ha ha,

because I've been designing some paperdolls and I loved seeing how she presented her beautiful line).

Or recently, my heart did a giddy little flutter,

when I found these threads, including the case, for something like $2.

I love making felt goodies and I knew I could use them straight away.

The thread colours put me on cloud nine, ha ha...

and I had never seen these super handy little floss divider's before, I am hooked on them now!

And just look at this...

My heart did a happy little dance when I found this ceramic cherry pie for $3.

I already scored a giant ceramic strawberry last year for my upstairs studio, it holds my muslin...

When I saw this pie, I knew it'd be the perfect place to store other fabric goodies on the go.

(bunny hair in the upstairs studio is a constant battle after all, ha ha).

...and check out the super delicate table cloth, handmade and only $2...ahhhhh.



Have you had any awesome thrifty finds lately??

Do share.

Have a fabulous summer day...

XO Mandy

Mama's Day

I have a wonderful mom....I LOVE her SO.

Happy Mother's Day Mom.

Happy Mother's day to all of my friends out there who are mama's too...

 

And of course Happy Mother's Day to all of the animal mommy's as well

 

XXOO

I hope your all super spoiled today

(My man snuck out early this morning to bring home a massive
flower bouquet & chocolate croissants)

XO Mandy & Jonathan & The Bunnies

On My Desks

Sometimes I get in the habit of working on several pieces all at once...

usually you know that it what is happening when you've not seen new work from me in awhile.

I promised last year to not just show finished pieces

but to also offer sneak peeks into works in progress...

I don't quite know when the awkwardness of doing so has melted away, but it has and it's nice.

So here's some of what I am working on lately...

In my make-shift studio to be near Ella Luna, I am working on this lovely coloured pencil lady.

And in my upstairs studio that I share with Jin and Jaks,

I am working on this rabbit with a basket watercolour.

(the driftwood/wire piece you see hanging from my brush holder was just given to me
from my beautiful new friend Aline, who I spent a wonderful day with yesterday...
I am so happy to have it in my workspace).

I am also playing with this small 5 x7 watercolour, just for fun

& to rest my wrist in between coloured pencils time.

Whether your making something in your home, in your kitchens, in your garages or in your studios,

Wherever in the world you may be...

The buns and I really hope your heart is full, blissful & inspired.

XO Mandy and the bunnies
who have the doors thrown wide open to enjoy the beautiful wind & birdsong today.

Time Outside with Jin and Jaks!

Jaks and Jin got outside the other weekend and had a complete ball...

They made us laugh so hard with their crazy high speed frolicking and in Jaks case, spastic pop-corning.

We think we got enough video for another great 'Bunny Diverson'...

After several hours they came inside the house completely spent and napped the rest of the day, ha ha.

Time spent outside with the buns is always wonderful time...

It's stressful abit though,

there's alot out there that can hurt them so we stay very vigilant...

and now they must all get their flea meds of course...

But keeping them inside just isn't fair, not when they've been enjoying their large yards for years now...

So here's hoping it'll be a wonderful and safe summer for all,

even though the routine of summer days will change drastically for us and Ella Bella...

but she's been spending time with us in the front yard now, since she can't run away...

she watches us as we work on the gardens, etc and she seems happy with that thus far.

Hope your week is going wonderfully.

XO Mandy and Jaks and Jinny

A New Bunny Diversion - Beanie At The Cottage

I am hopping in today with a new 'Bunny Diversion' video for you.

This is the rabbit who started our addiction to the long-earred.

Our Beanie...

We recently uncovered this old footage of him enjoying his outdoor 'cottage'

and my honey made it into a new Bunny Diversion video for me.

This little guy had quite the life, ha ha.

He was very well travelled, he went with us everywhere...

he probably had more miles under his belt than many people, ha ha.

He was super hyper and crazy and happy and never sick a day in his life.

He passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 8.

We miss him everyday and are so glad he graced our life.

I hope you enjoy watching our little spaz as much as we do.

XO Mandy and our angel up above, Beanster

P.S. One of the super great Polarity/Bijou's Whimsy magnetic locket necklace sets
is now available in my own shop.

April's Newsletter

April's newsletter has just been mailed out.

If your not on my mailing list you can view it by clicking RIGHT HERE.

To sign up to receive them just CLICK RIGHT HERE.

You can subscribe or unsubscribe at anytime,

Your email address is never shared or sold,

and I only email once a month....

It is a nice way for you to keep up to date with the on-going's of my studio,

especially if you don't have time to follow my blog or join me on facebook, etc...

Hope your all having a wonderful week

& enjoying the budding trees flowers and all the freshness spring always offers.

XO Mandy

Friday Today

Today...

Today was full of time helping a sweet bun hop around...

and some time for a couple of baths and blow dry sessions as well to clean a wet little bum.

It was gentle time taken to soothe the bunny after she got stuck underneath a shelf!

(that was a new one! but something we always have to look out for now...Ella getting stuck!)

It was time in the sunlight with rabbits napping all around me and with a great book...

& time nursing a slightly sore head after spending all night last night with a really super sore one!

It was watching Ella Luna get all excited when she saw Jonathan pull in the driveway...

and Jonathan in turn smiling huge and happy to see his girlie's in the window waiting for him.

It was a day where I was delighted and surprised when my honey came home with

our favourite bread, my favourite Kefir milk and not one but

THREE bouquets of beautiful flowers for me to spread throughout our cozy home.

It was a day with delicious homemade pad thai for dinner...

a documentary on the Titanic and really great green tea I got my acupuncturist.

A day where taxes were finished up, lots of laundry was done &
the next Bijou's Whimsy newsletter made.

It was time spent on sorting vintage buttons & getting excited about future projects for them...

and it was time spent on a watercolour featuring a rabbit with a basket...

It was pretty much a spectacular day...

How was your day???

What filled your time with beauty & abundance?

XO Mandy