Life Around Here Lately

The family favourite meal.

Crazy how fast the days fly by!  Why doesn't winter go this fast?  Even though we are waking up earlier and still going to bed late there just doesn't seem to be enough time in a day.  The days have been cool here except for a few really hot days here and there, (Those are 'lets make the most of this and go to the beach' days!) and the nights have been chilly with lots of blankets.  Sleeping here has had its challenges with a 2 year old that has decided she really doesn't need sleep!  I don't share the same view.  Still making runs to the bathroom with a look out for any wild animals.  I was sure that there was a family of wild cats outside the RV the other night!  Actually I saw one!! Steve said it was just a cat.  I got thinking it could have been a lynx? YIKES!!!!

After a not so refreshing nights sleep it's best we don't do a lot of chatting first thing in the morning!  Meals at the picnic table have become a new thing for us.   It saves me sweeping the floor a million times in a day. Squirrels seem to love picking up after my kids.  In fact one got a whole jelly filled donut the other day.  Our main staple has become toast, BBQ grilled cheese, hot dogs, and of coarse an all time favorite of kraft dinner!  Life is simple and although I like that it still is an adjustment.  It really makes me see how comfortable we are back home and how much we really have. To even think that a lot of the world has so much less than what we have here at he RV has really got me thinking a lot about poverty and ways of helping the poor. (Perhaps A new dream awakening in me connected to funtastical studios).



With me still working hard on my creations, taking time out to explore this area is a must.  We are situated in a really nice spot with lovely towns, cities, beaches and a large art community! We took some time out and explored a beautiful old building that has been converted into art studios and a gallery (another dream within).  It was really inspiring for both me and Steve to see and chat with other artists and to see their work.  I love to see other artists creating from what is inside of them!  It's so very unique!

There is still so much more to see and experience.  I just hope we have enough time!  The next two weeks here at the camp will be busy ones as it is family camp.   Campers are beginning to roll in now and soon there will be lots and lots of people to chat with and making life so much more enjoyable!  So for now I will continue working the RV makeover.  I feel like we have only made a small dent into what we are doing but little by little we will get there.

Exploring new places.

Really cool art studios and gallery.

This sums up a dream I would love to do.

Taking time to smell the flowers.

Hand Painted Curtains for the RV

After hours upon hours of painting I have finished two very large curtain panels for the RV!!  I have really enjoyed painting them so I decided to show you the steps involved and materials used in order to paint and design your very own curtains if you so choose.

Step One: Bleached 100% cotton seems to work really well for painting with fabric paint. I have also tried unbleached cotton but didn't like it as much.  The colours seem to pop a little more on the white material.  I had envisioned a picture of a sheet all nicely folded but lets get real, I am staying in an RV with three kids so nothing is really folded.  It's best to pre-wash and iron your material before starting.

The scrunched up blank canvas

Step two: Draw out your design or picture that you would like on the curtain.  You can pre-draw this out and pre-plan your colour scheme as well.  I have found for the kind of designs that I am doing I prefer to wing it.  I use a black sharpie fabric paint pen.  There are other paint pens out there, but I just really love the sharpies.  They have a nice edge to them and don't bleed.  I also will use coloured fabric paint pens for smaller areas.  I have found using a paint pen on larger areas begins to look a bit streaky and will burn out your pen really quickly.

Sharpie Fabric stained paint pens

Step Three: Once the design is fully drawn out I begin to paint.  It's kind of like colouring in a colouring book!  Be sure to stay in the lines.  I usually have a colour scheme in mind before I begin.  This one I used lots of colour but mainly the primary and secondary colours.  I wanted it really colourful because the RV is completely white.  So when you are selecting paint for your fabric it is good to have fabric paint.  I have not found any really great paint here in Canada but recommend a fabric paint from South Africa called Magic Moments.  However, that may be more work than what you are willing to do because you have to order it and have it shipped.  So you can also use screen ink for fabric.  You will also need to purchase a reducer to thin it out a bit!  I don't recommend water as it will cause your paint to bleed and run all over the material. So I use tons of reducer because I like to blend the paint.  If you are blending colours it is always best to first apply the lightest colour and then blend the darker colour into it.  Otherwise it will be very streaky!

Step Four: Use good firm brushes.  I find a soft brush doesn't allow you to really do a scrubbing motion that you need to do to work the paint into the fabric.  It took me a little to get used to this because I find when I use acrylics I prefer a different brush all together.  If you don't work the paint into the fabric you will notice that parts of fabric come through and this will especially show up in the light.

Step Five: After I have painted my fabric I go over the whole thing again with my black sharpie fabric paint pen.  It makes it pop even more and overs up any areas where paint may have been on the lines.

Step Six: It is important to heat set your paint.  So give it a day or two to dry and then iron the back of the curtain.  You will need to apply heat to one area for a few minutes.  After doing this I would still wait a few day's before washing.  If you can, it is best to hand wash but if you are washing in a machine use a gentle cycle.  I have had it happen before where I didn't heat set my fabric good enough and when I pulled my fabric out of the machine there wasn't much left to what I had painted!

And there you have it!  Custom painted curtains!  One of a kind and Funtastical!  These are going to fit in the RV just GREAT!  If you have any questions feel free to contact me.  Happy painting!

The next project matching pillow cases

Hello Local Community

Anna on the way back to the RV.

A good street to be on.

It's been a full week up here at the RV with lots going on.  We got to explore the town a little more and realized how quaint and nice it really is.  The people here are so friendly that it's hard not to feel at home here.  We stumbled upon the weekly farmers market and the kids loved it with free ice cream and the fireman offering tours of the firetruck and free fireman's hats.  The kids were more than excited.  I love to check out farmers markets from any town!  I love to see all the vendors and the neat and unique things that you can find only at a farmers market.  Most unique product I came across this week was Earl grey + rhubarb + vanilla jam.  This lady made the most awesome pepper jellies and jams with a full line like I have never seen before.

Today was an action packed day as I participated in the local Art in the Park.  There were about 27 artists out for the event along with musicians and even children dancers.  Steve and I and the kids had a blast!  The kids were in their element as they hit the craft table.  After 10 more colouring pages and cupcakes they were somewhat finished.  Steve and I tag teamed manning my display.  It was an amazing experience as we got to connect with so many different people!  I had wonderful feedback and made some sales!  We got more informed about the town and got a better feel for the people here.  There is a real sense of community here and it was refreshing to see how the artists were all supporting one another and were very encouraging with each other!  I love that!  My favourite comment today: 'When I walked into your tent it was like light everywhere!'  That made me smile!  I also chuckled at how one man described my art: Dr.Suess meets Pippy Longstocking meets Sargent Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band.  The world is full of interesting people which makes life so interesting and fun!

The setup begins for Art in the Park.

So creatively I have been continuing with my curtains which are taking a little longer than I thought (surprise, surprise) and Steve and I and the kids went on a stick hunt, looking for the perfect stick to make a doodle tree with (which has totally inspired me for Christmas!).  After walking in the bush with a million mosquitoes and one tired little girl in a wagon, we found a tree which I then painted up for a display for the show with doodle sticks and clams which make very nice sounding wind chimes.
Life up here is good!

The hunt for the doodle tree.

First step: paint the tree white then apply coloured paint.

Next step: using a paint marker and start doodling.

Defining lines.

Drilling small holes in the clams to hang in the doodle tree.

Doodle sticks making a great wind chime.

Reality Strikes

I awoke this morning to the tapping of rain on the RV.  Yep, a campers dream... rain!  Last week we were at the lake in a cottage living in what seems like luxery now as I am faced with the reality of living in an RV. with three little kids.  Oh the fun of racing through the trees in the middle of the night to get to the camp bathroom while dodging the glowing eyes (did I mention I have a fear of mostly all animals), the boiling of water in order to have hot water, the living out of a bin of rolled up clothing, and the multiple mosquitoe bites that keep little Anna scratching and screaming most of the night.

Knowing we are here for the summer has hit me with a bit of culture shock today.  I am sure in a day or two I will get over it.  Don't get me wrong, I really love it up here and I will admit I kind of did wake up on the wrong side of the bed (especially since my son had taken my side).  I took a drive into the small town we are staying in and was overwhelmed by how friendly the people are!  I found an art store/gallery (hello art supplies). I felt so at home as I also found out that they are having art/music in the park this weekend, which I will be participating in.

Here at the camp I managed to find a little nook to create in.  It really is a perfact spot although I'm not sure if I can use it the whole time we are up here.  But for now I have laid out my material that Steve has so amazingly sewed into curtains!  Did I mention that my husband has a hidden gift?  He can sew. So for now he is my seamstress.  I'm not sure what the male term for that is... Mr. seamstress?

I had a great afternoon experementing with fabric markers, fabric paint, and fabric spray paint.  I must say that there is no fabric paint like the stuff I used in South Africa! I'm in need of a shipment of that.  I love how my curatins are taking shape with lots of funtastical designs and colours.  They really are one of a kind.  They will take hours of work but I am enjoying it and hoping to finish the first panel tomorrow (unless the beach calls our names).  Hmmm tomorrow's forecast... rain!

As for the progress on the RV, the painting is done!  Yay!! Approximately 20 hours of Steve painting... well mostly cutting!  Wow, who would have thought such a little space could take so long.  Next step is the curtains because right now there are none and the sun rises around 6:00 a.m.  Not to mention I am tired of changing behind the closet door.  Little by little we are getting there!

Living out of a box.

My little helper likes doing dishes outside.

                                                                      Mr. Seamstress discovering his fine ability.

The rainy day craft box.

I have given up trying to keep my supplies away from the kids as they love to get into them.

The nook here at the camp.  It's a perfect place to paint.

Getting my inspiration from my doodles and designing curtains.

Combination of fabric markers and fabric paint.

FUN! Bbut this is time consuming!

Taking Time At the Lake

Sitting with Papa learning how to fish

There is something about getting away form your regular routine and surroundings that just does you good!  So after a short time away from our home I am feeling encouraged, refreshed and much more relaxed.  Sigh!  It's been about time. An invitation to the family cottage took us on a little road trip in a different direction from the RV for a few days.  More packing and sorting and I managed to jam into our small overcrowed car a few art projects with me (mainly the book), and once again way too many clothes.  I planned on trying to find balance between work and relaxing and fun!  My on-going battle. Even though I did do some work I found that the time at the cottage was a time to take and relax as we enjoyed time with the kids and family. We had the joy of going through some really nice art galleries and I felt inspired!  This is a favourite pass-time of mine and combined with the morning prayer walks on the beach and three smiling little kids splashing in the water, I was in a happy place.

Treasures from the beach!

Wild Flowers

This collection of shells kept the kids occupied for a few hours.  They already have big plans for them involving glue, paint, and most definitely glitter!

Roasting marshmallows over a hot fire!

I am not much of a reader (except for children's picture books), but this week up at the lake I packed a book that I haven't read in years and I am so glad I did.  The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson!  It has been exactly what I have needed.  It tells a story of  a man name Ordinary who is unhappy living in the land of familiar, doing his usual job everyday.  A feather is left for him from the dream giver and he realizes he has been given a dream.  To sum it up, he makes the choice to pursue the dream and you begin to go on a journey with him as he faces the ups and downs of stepping into a dream.  I seemed to relate to so much in the book and felt encouraged when I came to the chapter called wasteland.  I think it's easy to feel like what you are doing is a waste of time when you don't see much happening, or just a little trickle here or there.  But I soon realized it is in the wasteland that what you believe is really tested and your character is truly built.  You make the choice to keep going or to turn back.  Thankfully, wasteland is only one land that you go through and after walking through it there is a brighter land in site.  So I personally make the choice in my heart to keep going and keep pursuing my dream, enjoying the journey on the way and realizing nothing is truly wasted.

The BIG hill! The climb upward felt like the climb to the dream.