Happy Birthday Gavin!

Hmmm, ten kids with bows and arrows. Sounds like a recipe for eerie bloodshed fitting the night before Halloween. But it was a bunch of rambunctious boys with a great archery leader and they were safe and had loads of fun. Gavin turned 8 years old this week and the kids were quite impressive hitting the targets and balloons at the archery range for his birthday party. A real highlight of the party was the fabulous hockey cake. It was 24 cupcakes gathered together and iced as a cake with root beer icing. It was so delicious! The boys had 2 cupcakes each and were still asking for more. If you need a fabulous cake for your event check out Rhonda's Cakes. She does everything from fun delicious kids cakes to elaborate designs for any occasion.

Quote - Heather Bishop

When I started thinking about famous Manitobans a few popped into my head immediately. The usual writers, actors, singers, athletes and politicians. Of course the mayoral candidates were first on my mind with the pending election and Mayor Sam Katz came through with the first quote. That was wonderful.

Most recently I started thinking about famous people who have made a difference in my life personally and Heather Bishop is one of those good, good people. She is an independent Canadian folk singer/songwriter based in Manitoba, as well as a feminist movement leader, an artist and a teacher. She is just a solid, grounded, nice person through and through. Here is her quote for an 8 year old kid.

"Always stop in life and listen to what's in your heart and then follow it. Never fear telling your own truth, for it is your truth and will be yours for your entire life. Remember that you are perfect just as you are. And when you grow up, keep that part of you that is still a little kid very close to you and let that kid out to play as often as you can. Love others but most importantly, love yourself - gently and fully." - Heather Bishop

Thanks Heather...you are pure sweetness.

The Silk Giraffe for Baby Declan

This adorable baby quilt is one of my favourite private commissions that I have created to date. I made it for a good friend to give as a shower gift and it was such a fun idea. We focussed on the colour scheme and style of the layette that the couple had already purchased for the baby's room and made a quilt that would fit right in. Not only was it fun to make, but it turned out quite nicely and the couple have been giving me rave reviews. They immediately tucked it away to avoid damage or baby goo of any kind and soon decided they wanted it on display on the wall. I added a quick hanging sleeve and now they are all set. They sent me this adorable photo of baby Declan lying on the quilt. Congratulations to Daniel and Leslie and welcome to the world little one!

Sock Puppet!

Ahhh, I love those wonderful ladies of the Fibre Art Network. I just returned from the most inspiring retreat. I'll be posting thoughts and a few photos over the next few days. When I come back from a wonderful Fibre Art retreat, I've missed my family so much that we often jump deep into a fun project together. Today it was a sock puppet. He is fun, silly and very talkative. Hmmm, sounds just like Gavin. So we had to name Gavin's new sock puppet! I suggested Stinker, but Gavin promised that he wouldn't be a stinky sock because he'd give him a shower every day. He named him Charlie Sock.

Mayor Sam Katz!

Like a hot cup of my favourite mango tea from Organza Market my mind has been brewing with all kinds of fun ideas lately. So getting back to the famous Manitobans giving "Advice for An 8 Year Old Kid," I have received my first response!

I am thrilled to announce that Mayor Sam Katz has submitted his quote, so here it is:

"All of my life my mother showed me that no matter how good I was at something, there was always room for improvement. If I came home with a 90% grade on a test, she'd ask what happened to the other 10%?"
-Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz

I was hopeful, but wondering if I would get any response from famous Manitobans, so this just goes to show me and everyone out there....if you have the courage to put your idea out to the universe, it just may happen!

Thanks Sam!

Amazing Art Quilters for such a good cause

I just spent the evening at a wonderful quilt exhibition. The art quilts in this exhibit have been created by Canadian fibre artists on the theme of “Turning the Tide. . . One Ripple at a Time”. The art quilts will be auctioned in Victoria in March 2011 and, through the Stephen Lewis Foundation, the proceeds will assist in supporting grandmothers in Africa caring for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The speaker Maria Box has a heartwarming story and some amazing talent. She uses second hand clothing to make everything from flowers to whales and people. She shared many of her interesting techniques and inspired us all. Here's a photo of one of the amazing pieces of art in the show.

Manitoban famous athletes

I just received 2 entries for famous Manitobans... Jonathan Toews and John Montgomery. Excellent choices!

I checked out Jonathan Toews on wikipedia and his hockey career is most impressive. I'd love to see what bit of advice he has for an 8 year old.

Jon Montgomery is of course the Manitoban skeleton racer winning gold at the 2010 Olympics. A hard-core Canadian for sure.

Send me more....

Famous Manitobans!

Well, I have sent out my first 2 queries to the top 2 mayoral candidates. I am very hopeful that they will consider this a positive, lighthearted challenge to come up with a great quote. I have received a "we got your message" reply from the Wasylycia-Leis team saying they have sent the message to her, so that sounds positive.

I have also received a few suggestions of famous Manitobans to try. Among them are Lynn Johnston the cartoonist (For Better or Worse) but it turns out she is from BC and then Ontario, so not a Manitoban. I've also decided to contact Theresa Oswald the Minister of Health because she is brilliant and wonderful, and Heather Bishop, the singer/songwriter and fabulous Manitoba artist.

I can't wait to hear all of your suggestions. Don't be shy! I want your vote for a famous Manitoban. It doesn't have to be all dignified and wonderful. I'm talking famous, not favourite. Perhaps someone who is infamous would contribute a very compelling quote.

Inspiration

I've been thinking again about that fun idea of accumulating advice for an 8 year old kid. I truly believe people should follow their dreams and live the life they've imagined and I think it would be fun to gather ideas and share them with my son. I gathered quotes from neighbors on my street and got a few good ones. And then I put it out to my friends and family and got a few more. But I'm just not satisfied. Maybe it's too personal for everyone. Maybe these people are feeling too known to me. I've surprised them into silence with my unusual request. Now is the time to go out on a limb and hit the people who have a voice in the community. So, here it is folks...I am now collecting quotes from famous Manitobans on "Advice For an 8 Year Old Kid."

So drop me a comment! I would love to know who is your favorite Manitoban. I have friends in the arts, in music, in education, in politics and more. So please let me know who you'd love to hear a quote from and I'll do my best to track them down and see what they have to say.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stuff my son says!

I always think I'm so young until my son reminds me otherwise. Today Gavin called his friend but had to leave a message. He told us his friend said he would be home. My husband said, "maybe he's playing outside and they can't hear the phone." Gavin said, "why don't they have the phone with them?" My husband said, "maybe they don't have a portable phone." My son said, "you mean they have the phone with the numbers and the circles that you spin around?" We laughed and explained that it probably wasn't a rotary phone, but that phones used to be attached to the walls and you couldn't walk around with them. He said, "you mean you just stood there?" He thought that was so funny.

Whoa, its been a while!

Once in a while you come across a person who just does what they love and does it well. Today I saw a hip young singer and pianist perform. Her name is Amber Epp. I only caught a few songs, but she was fabulous. Her voice was sweet and smoky and she really had a fresh new sound swinging from jazz to latin with ease. She has the attitude, the talent and and the happy demeanor that audiences love. If you love jazz, or even if you don't, you should check her out at the Park Theatre in Winnipeg on Oct. 24th. To find out more about Amber Epp check her out online.