Northbrook Designs

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

Even dragonflies rock to the beat of Satellite Radio

A Lady Beetles Life

2009-07-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

When we first got our home we started redoing the garden as it had been so overgrown with trees, roses, shrubs and you name it. It was virtually dying because there was to much garden for the size of the property. We got busy and had things taken out and once that was done, of course the next thing was to bring life back to the garden. The thing that was obviously missing, were ladybugs or as I call them, lady beetles.

We got a ladybug lure to attract them and sure enough before we knew it, we had lady beetles of all different colours. The familiar orange ones, but also yellow pink red and black ones. So pretty... I didn't have my digital camera at the time, but I found these images online. Over the years we haven't see as many lady beetles, so it's time for a new lure for next year. Here's a link to read up on those if you're interested for your own garden. Continue below these images for more about these sweet little bugs/beetles.

I wonder how many of you would recognize a ladybug's offspring to be. They might surprize you if you've seen them and thought they were a spider of sorts. I wondered years ago what these were and decided they should not be killed, a hunch told me to leave them be. So I investigated and found I was right to do that. This is what I spotted and wondered what the heck kind of spider is this. These are the lady beetle larvae. They will feed on aphids until it's time to go to their next stage. Can you see the aphid on the left side of the leaf. Click the image to get a larger view. Recognize them now ?!?!

Once it's time to go to the cocoon, this is what they will morph into next. Even after watering the garden it still hung on...;o) Good thing...

And finally, they will be reborn into what we recognize as our little ladybug/beetle. Next year I hope to have more variety. It was quite exciting as a gardener to see all those different colours of lady beetles when all along I thought they only came in one colour, so I will be impatiently waiting to see what we are blessed with next year...

Bees bees and more bees !!!

2009-07-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

Do you watch bees? I do. I don't like having them nest around my house, but sometimes that's okay to. We have Orchard Mason bees and 3 almost full bee houses of them. They're wonderful bees to watch. They will buzz all around you but will not sting, so you can just stand right next to their houses and watch what they do. They are only around from about March to the end of June. Their main function is to hatch out, pollinated everything in sight, gather pollen and bring it back to the bee house, off load it in the house, lay an egg and seal up a small space and repeat over and over.

If you live in an area that they are found, you might think they are blue bottle flies because they look very much like that. But, don't kill them thinking they're a fly. Here's a link to learn more about them. Bee Diverse is located here on the west coast of Canada, in the Vancouver area. (the following pictures are not mine, I found them online for purposes of this post - Except for - the picture of the yellow jacket building the nest and the red hot pokers, those are my own pictures.)

One type of been we've had tons of this year, are these guys. This particular nest was about 2" around, and about the 6th or 7th attempt to build. We keep finding them, knocking them down and they keep rebuilding. Sneaky to, you have to really pay attention because they will go into places that they figured out you don't go near every day. I pretty much had to hold the camera upside down under the eaves and just kept clicking because I couldn't dare to put my face under there for fear of being stung. So I just kept clicking until I got a decent picture. He was watching to....

We also have assorted friendly bees that we leave alone, like the honey bees. We have Hover Flies, which aren't flies, but tiny friendly bees that serve a good purpose in the garden. Tiny to, you hardly see them.

One thing we discovered is that we have a Bumblebee nest, or did have until the season has now ended for them to reproduce. I saw a bumble going into this bush of Red Hot Pokers right at the ground level and thought....Hmmmm.

So I poked at it and suddenly hear a very loud buzzing sound of what sounded like hundreds of bees.

Best to walk away and leave them alone. We once had a bumble bee house on the post right there and I guess now they just continue to come back. I wouldn't be surprized if they've been there for a couple of years and I never noticed. I'll just pull the dry grassy bits out when I clean up and so glad that I didn't start doing that in the spring.The dry grass stays until winter clean up. So if you see bees, (except the stinging kind) don't swat them away, they are good for your garden and will give your fruit trees a boost. We have to tie up our peach tree branches until the fruit is ready or they will break from so much fruit... ;o)

Round Robin Elf

2009-07-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

Last night was our doll club meeting. What a busy busy meeting. Lots of club business, then the Show and Share part for anyone who brought in a doll to talk about it. Then we did the big reveal of our Round Robin Elves. It started in March and am I ever glad I joined the club when I did so I was able to participate in this. What an amazing and magical display of elves.

I feel so privileged to be part of this group. They are so active, creative and the program committee comes up with ideas consistently to keep us on our toes. After the elves were displayed we then had a demonstration using Paverpol. Now perhaps I will actually use what I have, wouldn't that be a good thing.... I thought you might like to see my elf before and after shots.

So here is the before. His name is Fhin.

I had no idea what to expect when I made him up in these colours, but look at what happened. From head to toe, he's embellished and looking so adorable. I love pan flutes, so how perfect that one of the ladies made this for him. And check out the nails and bling....he even has toe rings. The hair set the whole thing in motion I think.

See the creative use of silk cocoons. And inside them are rolls of sheet music....Charming, absolutely charming.

But at this point Fhin has said "enough of the camera already" and has decided to just simply ignore me and turn away from the lens..... I hope you enjoy him and if you'd like to see the rest of the elves in the round robin, please click here......

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

Michael Joseph Jackson - Your Fans Will Never Forget You

My Tribute to Michael Jackson

2009-07-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

Full Name: Michael Joseph Jackson
Birth Place: Gary, Indiana, USA
August 29, 1958 - June 25th, 2009

Seldom does a person you've never even met, touch you as Michael Jackson did. He was a one of a kind, a man of so many faces, endless talent, and someone who retreated behind the gates of his beloved Neverland Ranch to find his solitude, away from the rest of the world. We can never really know what his world was like. A difficult life from start to finish, but we his fans, will only remember those moments that brought us joy.

For a photo montage of Michaels life, click here.

The enormity of Michael Jacksons contributions is only now being felt after he has left us. One example of his spirit. Michael at one time owned the publishing rights to all of Little Richards music. Little Richard was literally tossed aside by those who had the rights to his music until Michael got a hold of them. He gave those rights back to Little Richard as a gift. He could have asked for money and lots of it, but he didn't, he simply gave them back to Little Richard. Unheard of generosity in the music world.

There is no one that will ever be able to recreate the talent that was Michael. He was deservedly "The King of Pop". Others will come and go, but none will ever replace Michael in our lives. His immense talent, his visions the way he kept you wanting for more, will never be recreated. If there is someone out there who hasn't seen his video's, and that's hard to imagine, just follow this link.

The Official Michael Jackson You Tube site

My absolute favourite video of course has to be Thriller, followed by Billie Jean, Beat It and so many more. The choreography in all his video's and stage performances alone is to admired, his dancing and his unique voice that never cracked as it should have when he reached maturity. Flawless to the end in everything he did, sadly we will never see what else he would have done with his talent.

I once was in a nightclub at the military base in San Diego. I was up dancing to Billy Jean. I happened to look across the room and standing there was the spitting image of Michael wearing the same outfit he wore in Thriller. When I looked again, he was gone. Of course I'm sure it was a look alike, but for that split second it felt like it was the man himself. That was a thrill even if only a look alike.

Another side of Michael Jackson, his respect for our planet. When I first watched Earth Song I was taken aback at the sheer power in the message, and moved to tears at the intensity of his performance. Be sure to read the messages at the end of the videos.

Earth Song

Heal the World

We Are the World

There are so many sides to this man that most people simply cannot see. A perfection driven man on stage and by all accounts a complete change to a softer and gentler man in private. I will always be able to remember him through everything he created for us, his fans, who could never get enough. No matter what others will say, they will never ever be able to change my respect for him as an entertainer, a musician who broke through boundary after boundary and always did his best to give his fans what they craved.

Today is a Memorial to you that will be viewed around the world, a send off few will receive. May you rest in peace now Michael, we will never forget you. You have left us with something magical to remember you by in numbers to high to count. You gave us everything you had and we thank you.

A sewing day!!!

2009-07-06T09:44:00.000-07:00

Early last week my friend Andrea and I were complaining that our closets are looking like early attic, late cellar. Our combined comments were something like "I'm sick of my clothes, and I'm sick of seeing myself in the same thing over and over". So I piped up and said....Well you own a fabric store and you're closed on Sundays so lets have a personal sewing day this Sunday. So we did. The Sidewalk sale was going on in Sidney as well, so I suggested she throw open her doors and see what happens. One or two sales is better than no sales, and she did get a couple of sales. We started at 11 and I left at about 4.

I managed to get 4 things mostly done. I only brought my serger so the finishing was done at home on my regular machine. I finished them last night and am happy this morning to be able to go to my closet and have more choices. We are going to do this again because we both thoroughly enjoyed it. My amount of sewing might be reduced to one or two items over time, but as long as I'm coming in with new and tossing old, it's all good. So here's what I did.

A pair of black track pants out of fleece...nothing exciting, but essential. A blue/tourquise top made with T-shirt knit, and a two piece outfit made from rayon. All the fabrics were from her store, brought in by others as trades. Such a great concept having the new and traded fabrics. I also have a picture below of some fabric for a top and pants outfit. The blouse will be a rayon, the pants linen type fabric, I can hear my skin saying "YES". I have a passion for soft and silky type fabrics, they always feel so comfortable. I also added a picture of a top I made a couple of weeks ago, also in a T-shirt knit. I am going to be to tops what Emelda Marcos was to shoes. The pattern for the tops and pants this time are from Stretch and Sew # 5235 Easy tops and pants. The top with the shoulder pieces is a Stretch and Sew # 334 Nautical Tops.

Harold Without Maude

2009-07-04T17:58:00.000-07:00

I went out at 7 this morning to water the garden before the heat of the day started, and I found this little guy wandering ever so painfully slowly across the yard. I right away flashed the name Harold through my head, and so he is Harold. No Maude in sight, perhaps he was on his way to her ??? I found this description on Wikipedia, it's my silly sense of humour I suppose, but I felt perhaps this Harold was making a run for it....away from mother dearest and her preset life plans for him...

"Harold and Maude is a 1971 cult classic film directed by Hal Ashby. The film, featuring slapstick, dark humor, and existentialist drama, revolves around the exploits of a morbid young man – Harold (played by Bud Cort) – who drifts away from the life that his detached mother prescribes for him, as he develops a relationship with septuagenarian Maude (played by Ruth Gordon)."

I felt Harold might meet his demise with a lawnmower or heavy foot, as he wandered aimlessly across the lawn so I moved him to a safer location. Most people I suppose would have had a moment of silence and finished him off, but I couldn't do it....so he will live in my flower pot and disappear in the night to some other dark mysterious place. Good luck Harold !!!

If you click on the pictures you will get much more detail especially the first picture.

Tyvek possibilities

2009-07-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

Last week when Julie McCullough was here, Terry (who organized the workshop) and I, took Julie to the Sidney street market. For those who don't live in the area, Sidney is to small to be a city(thankfully), it's a town, but a town that really works to support local business and artisans. Every summer we have a street market and it's quite exciting to see how many people come and from a fair distance. The market takes up about 6 blocks of the main street every Thurs. evening rain or shine.

While we were browsing all the different stands Terry and I discovered a woman who makes tote bags and clothing with Tyvek. Anyone who creates mixed media art would see these things as an artists palette. Of course you can't heat treat these bags or garments as you would normally do with Tyvek because you would ruin them, but you can certainly do any number of other artistic treatments to them including using your Tyvek scraps from other projects to create some artistic effect. You can paint on these just like any other surface, including her Tyvek clothing. The information that comes with them includes this, Comfortable, Compact and Durable, Wind Water and Stain Resistant and Paintable.

I took her information and went to see her the other day, so that I could spend a little more time talking to her without the hussle bussle of shoppers. What I ended up buying were two of her tote bags. One of them measures approx. 23" X 23", the other one is called her Opera Bag and measures approx. 27" X 16". When I catch up with a few projects here, I will spend some time thinking of how to embellish these bags and in the meantime, I think I will also visit her at the market before it's over at the end of August and pick up on of her Anoraks. It will be perfect for those evening walks. If you would like to see all of Joan's products, click here.

Her products are simple effective and very reasonably priced. To mail them, next to nothing, they are packaged in small plastic bags and weight about as much as a feather. Here are two pictures of the totes. I think they're perfect and will be used to take my dolls to meetings and for those days when one must shop. Tell me that as an artist, these don't excite your palette. ;o)))

Wordless Wednesday "Innocence"

2009-07-01T14:51:00.001-07:00

Julie McCullough Workshop

2009-06-28T21:35:00.000-07:00

Our doll club hosted Julie McCullough this past Thurs. and Fri.

Each doll that was being made in class had it's own unique expression, so cute. Even though Julie's pattern looked fairly basic it was quite interesting how each one grew into it's own theme and Julie encouraged us to do that. Her idea with her designs, is to make them as basic as possible, the doll makers can then treat them like a blank canvas to embellish to our hearts desire.

It was a lively class to say the least. She came to teach her newest design, The Bird of Paradise and Elf Rider, but at the same time she also worked with us on the Crone (The Secret Keeper pattern) and the Crow Crone (Stick Figure). So she had 3 different classes going on at once, but it went well. Everyone in the class is very good at working along without to much trouble, so it wasn't a stressful event for the teacher.

The ladies in this club are lots of fun and there's high energy at all times. What I really enjoy is the sharing of information but also we try each others trims and things on each others dolls to help get the best look for everyone's dolls. Julie was enjoying herself and I think quite surprized at how we all worked along and still managed to gab our heads off the whole time.

This is how far I am with my Crone. She's quite the youngster just now, so I am calling her a Crone in training as she's not really old enough or wise enough to be a Crone yet and all the wisdom and experience the title comes with. She has a fair bit to be done on her, but I don't have to have her completed until the doll club meeting in August, so yay....more time to give her special attention. She will have some embellishments befitting her training to become the Crone of the Forest. She will have a robe to keep warm because a forest can be chilly if you're not prepared. I will have her ready to go soon so stay tuned...

It's Fairy Day

2009-06-24T09:24:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Fairy Day, a day that began with Jessica Galbreth, fairy artist, founder of Fairy Day. It's a day to celebrate all things Fairy like and Magical. Follow the links below the image to the main fairy site and below that a link to a free cross stitch design for this special day.

Fairy Day

Heaven and Earth Free Design for Fairy Day

Cedar Waxwings

2009-06-22T08:07:00.001-07:00

The other day we were out for a walk after dinner. It was a nice evening, not to hot, perfect for a walk. I tend to look down a lot when I walk, perhaps in hopes of finding a fortune. This time it wasn't a fortune but a good thing I was. I was a step ahead of hubby and saw something on the ground and yelled "STOP". He stopped short of putting his next step down, phew....

There sitting on the ground was a bird that I hadn't noticed around here before. It wasn't moving and was so still I didn't know if it was real or a floral display kind of bird. I bent down to take a look, it didn't move, so I picked it up. I wanted to see if it was hurt, but it appeared to be okay. It let me move it around, spread out it's wings to check for feather damage, nothing.

I set about looking him over for his markings. What a beautiful bird and so calm. The tips of his feathers were bright red and looked like they had been dipped in dimensional paint because the spots were raised, not blended into the wings. I didn't know if it was a pet or not, so I checked with a nearby house, but no it wasn't. After being christened a couple of times by him, I realized it was a wild bird due to the berry stains... No big deal.

I saw the area he must have come from, so I took a little walk and tried to release him. I took my hand away and he just sat there, not moving. I tried to lift him off my finger but he seemed to want to be held so I held him close to me. Then he moved onto my shoulder where I finally took him from and placed him in a safe place to recuperate. When we got home out came the wild bird book to see if we could identify him. We did and discovered from reading the information, that the poor thing was drunk. They gorge themselves on berries and when they've had enough they are so drunk they just sit around until they pretty much sober up... To funny. Was so glad I decided to leave him where he was but out of harms way until he regained his senses.... Here's what he looks like. Didn't have my camera with us, but this is a wonderful picture I found online, and here is a site to read more about him incase he's one that might visit your area. Isn't he gorgeous.

Art Doll Challenge

2009-06-19T05:54:00.001-07:00

The sign ups have begun for the ADO 4 Elements Challenge. Click on the picture for the details. There's no right or wrong in a challenge, it's all about the challenge, so why not give it a try.

Wordless Wednesday - "Come on, I dare you"

2009-06-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

Jean Bernard Wings Class - Free

2009-06-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

Look at what Jean Bernard is offering. Aren't they gorgeous. This is a free class for making these beautiful wings. Follow this link to join her class.

Jean Bernard Free Wings Class

African Themed Doll

2009-06-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

We had our doll club meeting last night, and those who made them, brought in their dolls for the African Theme challenge. There were some amazing dolls and such a lot of variety. This was my entry. She is a Julie McCullough design, entitled, "The Muse". Description follows below.

The instructions called for FME (free motion embroidery) on the robe, but I just dug into my beads and just starting beaded with abandon. I followed the patterns in the fabric in a free form way.

The head dress takes in the three fabrics I used, the robe, the lining made with silk and the cotton headdress, and finished off with some beading. The beads around her neck are a variety of big and small, ceramic and bone. I found some tooth shaped beads on eBay. The medallion in the center I found at Michaels and thought it went so well with her theme.

The base is made of 2 wooden coasters, a small wooden door knob and a small wooden mini plate. Then I trimmed it with gold soutache and wrapped the gold soutache around the post and finished it with a vintage button and some metal beads. The only thing I didn't do well was her nose. For some reason her nose insisted on being crooked and thankfully when you see her in real life, it's not so obvious. Had I continued to take it out and restitch it yet again I would have developed holes in the fabric, so I left well enough alone.

Wordless Wednesday "What a Feast"

2009-06-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Sooke in pictures - part 3 and final

2009-06-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

Search as I may, I cannot find a blog or web site to show more of A.J. (Allen Wesley Johnson's) artwork. Maybe someone reading this will have more luck than me. His murals are truly amazing and I hope, like me, you have developed a better appreciation of the air brush artist. They definitely have a place in the art world contrary to what others might think....

Here is the last installment of his artwork......

Sooke in pictures - Part 2

2009-06-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

The name Sooke comes from our First Nations people and in their language is spelled T'Sou-ke. I must go to the Sooke Museum and learn more about how Sooke developed. I grew up on the south island, but not in this area. I lived in Victoria and Sooke was a place we went in the summer to camp, go the potholes to swim and just enjoy the solitude of the forest. More information can be found here:

Sooke Museum Sooke Potholes

and now on to the pictures for today.

Sooke in Pictures - Part 1

2009-06-07T21:58:00.000-07:00

We went on a farm tour today out in Sooke, which is on the west side of the island from us. It remains a very rural area and still retains much of the charm of days gone by. I will post a few pictures later in the week of the farm areas, I didn't take a lot, I spent more time looking instead of snapping. I did however take a set of pictures that I will spread out over 3 posts of something else.

After going to two of the farms, we decided to take a lunch break and go to Mom's Cafe. I haven't been there since I was about 17 and didn't even know until last week that it's still there. It definitely is not a victim of the recession, busy as busy can be, just as I remember it. A small place with a huge following. Food that has that wonderful home made taste. I restrained myself and did not indulge myself in lemon meringue pie and good thing. The people across from us had it and the meringue was easily 6" tall. I overheard the waitress say that they use a dozen eggs making the meringue...YIKES !!!! no wonder it's so big.... ;o)))

When we came out I looked across the street and was stopped in my tracks by the most amazing artwork. I had to decide if what I was seeing was posters attached to the walls or were they murals. They are absolutely brilliant. You have to imagine the walls being a normal height of perhaps 12' or so. They tell the story of the history of how Sooke developed and the families that settled in the area, dating back to the 1860's.

I'm sorry the pictures of all the little boxes of information that were painted beside each picture aren't clear enough to read, but I'm sure you can appreciate and follow along in your minds eye how things were. The murals have been created from vintage pictures. The artist, those that assisted him and the source of the photo's are as follows. I've had discussions in the past with others who paint as to whether air brushing is art or not. I am a listener in that debate having no experience with it what so ever, but after seeing these I have to say I would side with those who feel air brushing is as much an art form as any other.

Here are the first images for today including the painting above which is also air brushed and appears on the wall. The way the murals are done are just so creative. It's like looking at an old photo album and I had to actually touch the borders to convince myself it's all painted, and not 3 dimensional.

Stay tuned for tomorrow, I will post another group of photos.

First Bouquet

2009-06-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

The first of my flowers for cutting are ready now. This is my first bouquet of the season. It has white peonies, a taffy coloured rose, a violet/purple iris and purple wild geraniums... The perfume from the peonies is lovely, but not overpowering to bring the flowers indoors. The lilacs wouldn't have lasted in the house, the fragrance was just to strong. I was smelling lilacs all over the yard and people passing by were stopping to sniff.....

And here is a closeup of the white peony. There is a delicate trim of burgundy on the edges, in place and just a stroke of that here and there toward the center.. And below is a close up of the wild geranium, the rose and the iris...

Pink and Orange Make Peach

2009-06-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

Crazy subject line right.... Yeah I know. But it'll make sense when I show you what I mean. My poppies have been blooming for a couple of weeks now and of course, snap snap snap with the camera. This one is the first to bloom. These are the usual size poppy which are about 4" across and are the most familiar of the poppies.... I will show larger ones in another post later on as I'm waiting for another one to bloom. They don't bloom on command, darn it anyway...

So that's the Orange part of the subject line. Now this is the Pink part... This is my favourite one...sorry Orange poppy, but it's true, I love my Pink one..You can click on the pictures to see them bigger and more beautiful.

And now the Peach part. I planted the Orange and Pink poppies together and that's all I planted together a few years ago. Mother Nature in her infinite wisdom created a third colour combination for me. I went out yesterday morning and this greeted me. It's the offspring of these two. Please say hello to Peach...Isn't she pretty. Some serious cross pollinating has been going on in that raised bed.

To finish, I do tend to see the world in a comical way. I took this picture of a Pink poppy as it was halfway to showing it's beauty and the first thing that came to mind was, "all I need is my sharpie to draw a smile on there and my paper clay to make a nose, and maybe some white paint to make the sparkle dots for the eyes". The things that I think of scare me sometimes, or I'm sleep deprived from the mini heat wave we just had....;o)))

The 5 P's of Creativity

2009-06-04T15:16:00.001-07:00

I have no idea who the author of this is, and attempts by the person I received it from to find the author, have also failed. Should these be your comments, email me and I will be happy to give you the credit. (I found the image online, it wasn't part of the 5 P's)

I thought this was such a great set of P's, I had to share it with you all. Enjoy...

The 5 P's for creative people

1. Passion. Love what you do; have enthusiasm and excitement for every part of the process. Equalize the unpleasant by giving it the same attention as the pleasant.

2. Play. Be open to approaching the usual, customary, or repetitive tasks you face in a new way. Kids do this with ease: just watch them use an empty cardboard box.

3. Practice. It is important to master your craft through repetition. Once you've done something many times, you'll have the confidence to do it well every time you do it.

4. Patience. Trust yourself to go through a series of tasks in the amount of time each task requires. Sometimes, it is better to finish well than to finish fast.

5. Perseverance. Don't stop when you hit a bump in the road. Commit to finding a way to solve a problem in your own timeframe, and don't abandon it entirely.

The Lilac Robe

2009-06-04T07:12:00.000-07:00

This is just a quickie post to show you the robe is done. It's so soft and cuddly. Right now we're having a mini heat wave here on the west coast of Canada, so not good for wearing soft and cuddly robes, but I'll be ready for that next rainy morning.. !!!

Now I have to get the pattern ready for my Hoffman entry. Onward and upward to the next project.