unexpected repeating pattern

a stack of screenprinting squeegees in the textiles office at nscad.

spring!

i'm probably jumping the gun [we all do, i think], but it feels like spring is arriving here in halifax. i've been sick with bronchitis, so to cheer myself up i went for a walk up to the hydrostone area, to one of my favorite places, halifax seed co.

it's always a bit risky going there, as i always spend more than i've planned to. it is just so hard to resist the little plastic stakes for writing seedling names on, and all of those seed packets, especially on the first warm sunny day when all the snow piles are melting and revealing all of the stuff they've held all winter. i've decided to forgo most of the flowers that i usually grow, in favour of more vegetables.

i went to halifax seed really for just one thing, a product called 'the pot maker'.



it's a genius little piece of equipment, and i've wanted one for a few years but just never got around to it for some reason. you can make all the little pots for growing your seeds in, and then transplant the whole bio-degradable pot to the garden, without disturbing the roots. a little like those brown pulpy pots that are also sold all over the place, but you don't have to re-purchase every year. and it's fun to use. i sat on the livingroom floor all night watching jeopardy and csi and whatever else was on, and making little pots out of newspaper. i found that if i made the paper about twice as long as suggested, the pots were stronger due to the thicker walls. if you're not in halifax, this great tool is available at lee valley, though it's a few dollars more there.

inspirations

i saw this snow on the windshield of a car at falkland & maynard streets while walking to nscad very early on tuesday morning, and thought that it made getting out of bed at a ridiculous hour very worthwhile. i've never seen anything like it - just incredible.

back home in the east

i am home in halifax now for more than a week, and i've received an email asking me if i'd fallen off the face of the earth. i've been busy getting my classes back on track and organizing the upcoming halifax crafters show, april 26 & 27. oh, i'm also filling orders and battling a bit of bronchitis.

the show, as usual, was great fun. above is a picture of my booth, and little peeks at my fantastic neighbours, fawn ceramics and artech glass. it was good to make new friends as well as see those that i already know, customers and artisans alike. thanks to all those who've emailed me pictures of your lovely children in my clothing, the website is [again] in the works.

below is a shot of some of the decals i put on the floor of my booth, they were not as hard to pull up as i had feared.