My Sharpie Penned Wood Shoes

I finally completed my wood shoes brought from Holland by Bryan's mom a year ago this month! They've been waiting in the closet until the spirit moved me. I tend to mess things up if I force the art. First I did a sketch of how I might  like them. Then   varied it  once I got started. It really enjoyed doing these!

Now if only I had the guts to wear them out. I may use them for

short car rides. I'm worried they're a little too noisy for a big lady to wear.

I would have been all over these shoes when I was young, anything different

was my motto! I loved the attention then, not so much now!

I may just fill them with something fun and stick them in the powder room!

Any ideas what I could put in them other than my feet?

I used a fine point and regular black sharpie pen.

If I  tire of them I'll gesso them and paint with  acrylics!

I may varnish these  later....I want to live with them a bit first.

Originally I was hoping to  paint them purple , then sharpie over that...but it

ruins the pens and they don't last as long. Any ideas what would work over acrylics?

Sunday Scribblings " Source"

My daughters childhood collection of trolls!

Posted to break the tension of a serious subject!

This weeks prompt for Sunday scribblings is "Source" which appropriately fits with a subject dear to my heart. Media needs to be accurate when covering stories about mental illness. Surmising only re-victimizes the casualties!

I have a difficult time with medias depiction of mental illness. Rarely do they accurately speak for the victims subjected to bullying by mentally ill. Blame perpetrated on the casualties is beyond reasoning. Anyone who's lived with those inflicted knows the struggle a family faces. Walking on constant egg shells in fear of exacerbating the escalating unpredictable moods. Learning the game of appeasement at a very young age, or in a new marriage, while fearing ongoing degradation.

Instead it’s only the derelict types on skid row portrayed as the worst case scenario. Or a celebrity caught behaving badly during a high profile incident, which is usually sloughed off as substance abuse. Often the functioning ones fall through the cracks, finding co-dependants who rescue and protect them. Undetected, with age, the illness progresses and intensifies until even the co-dependant is unable to corral or contend with it! A quiet voice of reasoning after an episode becomes a stalemate. The co-dependant is threatened to now become another victim instead of an ally.

 Sadly it can takes years for co-dependants to recognize the actuality of Mental illness. In the meantime they usually suffer insurmountable abuse. That’s why media should stop exploiting the casualties of mental illness and focus on going to the source. Frustrated Families can suffer quietly along with mentally ill relatives for years before finding a pittance of peace or relief surrounding the illness. Often terrified of retribution if they expose the truth! That's why it's so important for media to understand this subject in all it's complexities!

A Family Scathed

 

Oh yes it’s a disease

Characterized

by highs and lows

Where anger repels

Those in it’s midst

Branded forever

The flock is

Unable to escape

Permanently burnt

Memories

Of havoc

And ramifications

Stamped on their psyche

Self medicating

A damning factor

Escalates

Tirades

Forcing appeasement

Fortitude

Surrender

Exploitation

Terror arises

Then sinks

Into crevices

where festering

Scars are

Embedded

On the

Soul

Awaiting

The villans

Next

Episode

Who knew!

Does life just get quirkier as we get older? Or do WE get quirkier? And damn it, when did I turn into my mother? At twenty  I was so  quick to share all my complaints about  mom to a dear friend. We compared all our mothers follies. Guess what? Now thirty years later we  both share our mother's follies. I can't remember the last time I checked the window tracks in my house to see how clean they are. Bet my friend  hasn't either.

Who friggin cares....if you don't see them they aren't there. What kind of an idiot was I?  Running around with a Q-TIP cleaning grunge from window sills! Did anyone every say to me " Wow you have the cleanest tracks in town....what a good house keeper you are?" No they never did! Just like they never said wow what a clean floor you always have, when I washed it every single night before bed. Just so my child could  drag   grass off her trampoline onto the floor the very next day!  


Who is the real fool I wonder...? Yes that might be me!! Cooking in a hot house for years, trying to keep life perfect when it was far from it! Now I do what I want, and I like it a lot better....But oh man, does someone want to send a housekeeper my way so I can have another game of scrabble?

My New Glasses!

Do I look scary in this photo? Well it looks a lot scarier if you saw the whole picture. I'm awaiting the growth of the nasty bangs I chopped away at. They make me look ready for the home! Actually I just wanted to show you my new fuchsia vogue glasses, (Thank-you for abundance,) They're more the color of this font, than in the picture! I scored half price Progressives, and a pair of prescription's sunglasses as well!

Imagine they have paisleys on them too! It's not very clear here, but there are shiny crystals, and little silver studs embedded in the arm.  Did you know I wanted to name a daughter Paisley from the time I was ten years old, but the child's father wouldn't let me!! So Pepper it is!

I got my glasses at sears, they had a fantastic deal where costco had nothing I liked. Did you know you can order really cheap glasses online at Zenni Optical too... I'm on the search for a black pair now. And some more funky art  glasses. Ones that scream " This lady is definitely an Artist!!" or a nutcase....either way they'll be bold.

 If you look on the inside arm of your glasses it will tell you all the numbers you need other than the prescription, which you can get from your health care provider. I need a 15 for the bridge and a 135 for the arm, then I like about a 50mm wide lens, and a 30 high to accommodate the progressive lens. You also need the pd or pupil distance which you usually find on your prescription or ask your optometrist.   My PD is 58. So there you have it.... you can order a pair for as low as eight bucks. My son in law ordered three pairs of prescription sunglasses for 60 something dollars two years ago and they came in this tacky little box from overseas....  He's still wearing them I'll let you know what I get!  Have a great day!

A little  chocolate Cafe, just one of the 

little surprises  on this quaint little Island.

As we exited the ferry we were greeted by

small tables of local vendors, selling their precious wares!

 

I bought the most amazing olive and rosemary bread, a baguette and a croissant.

Scrumptious is an understatement for that yeasty goodness!

We used slices of the Olive one for gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches

 that we won't soon forget!

We've yet to try the imported blueberry tea I bought, 

which smells delightful!

 

Dogs pleasantly amble around with their owners. Old  hippies, yuppies on a quest,

artists, and writers  inhabit this quiet little town too. It's an interesting mix of

good energy, with a few lost souls sprinkled throughout!

It's peaceful, and friendly. With arty little shops to wander

through.

  Candiana art can be found in the most unexpected corners.

 

It's a fifteen minute ferry ride from Horseshoe bay.

With the morning bustle at the local coffee shops

I was a bit surprised at the very few people in the local park.

I often wonder if people have forgotten how to just BE........

If you ever want a place to just BE,

Bowen Island is the perfect spot for that!

Plus you can soak up the beauty that is

British Columbia while your at it!

The whole day I felt like I was experiencing a Leonard Cohen song!

Painted Shoes

I've sadly neglected my blog, never sure where to jump in again. So I'm sharing a pair of black leather wedge style sandals I revamped. I am very redundant in my shoe wear of late. I need to feel steady on my feet with my bad knee. Plus I find wedgies more comfortable...not the bum floss wedge of course,  the wedge  shoe.  In person the shoes are shinier with the purple a denser shade.This is my way of putting the old me into my same old, same old shoes!

I first gessoed the shoes, then painted them with acrylic

paint. I let them dry overnight and put three coats of water

based varnish on them!

  I sketched on the gessoed shoe with sharpy pen,

but deviated from the original plan as the painting progressed!

 

Now Happytiler has happy feet!

Ps....my toes go to the end when I'm standing.....just sayin!

Oh and my quilted  summer jacket sort of matches too.....

Since we painted our living room gypsy pink, I have missed my fushia

walls, and find myself gravitating to that color to wear instead!

Sparky Moments

A photo taken on Saturday from the Lonsdale Quay

overlooking the Vancouver harbor, while eating lunch!

Today my friend asked, “what are some of your sparkly moments?“ Great question! Forces you to reflect about the simple beauty in life.



When I’m sitting on my computer and handed a fresh coffee through the rungs of stairs going up to the loft. It’s still such a wonderful surprise even though it’s done with some regularity. It makes me feel loved and appreciated.


Another sparkly moment happens when I get to drive my car with all the windows open, even the moon roof I thought I didn’t want, and blast some tunes…. It’s childish I know, but It makes me feel free with the music pounding into my chest. I love it! My daughter has bad allergies, so opening the window in summer is a luxury when she’s there!


I’ve heard from two good friends this week. It’s been a long while since we’ve chatted or hooked up. Knowing they even thought to shoot me an email, or call was such a sparkly feeling! Having dinner with one of them tonight to catch up is very exciting!