[i] LoveLife

Deal.

Holy smack. Friday snuck up on me and here it is. SO much happened this week - it was incredible.

First off...

This is the artwork for today's draw. I'm drawing at 9am by using some kind of space-ship-science-random-number-generator from Excel that Dan swears by. He's an accountant/auditor/smarty-pants who works in a big scary office so I just plain old believe him. Back to the art... this piece was inspired by three pregnant ladies that I saw at the mall. They were laughing and chatting and looking so pretty. The piece is pencil crayon and graphite and measures 6.3 x 9.7 inches. It actually looks a lot better in person... but, you will just have to see for yourself when you win. I'll announce that at 9am today. THANKS for all of the comments... wow. That was so cool. SO cool.

So many people asking about pencil crayons...

You can do many, many interesting things with pencil crayons. Prismacolors are a little smoother than say Derwent (who also makes a coloured pencil). I like to colour on top of photos (laser prints actually - pencil crayon doesn't work over glossy photos well). This is Dan & I last summer.

This picture - I scribbled on quickly. It drops out the background and kind of gives an artsy dimension. I like doing this. It's my favourite really-quick technique. (You might recognize these cute models...) Kind of interesting, too...

If you're into digital scrapbooking you can overlay onto patterned paper. OR if you're not a digital scrapbooker - you can transfer your laser print right onto the paper and THEN colour on it. Very edgy-scrapbookerish. I am not a HUGE fan of this yet... but, I'm experimenting a lot with patterned papers.

Oh - how the possibilities are endless. Really, my best advice - get a good pack o'pencil crayons (your local art store will carry them and so does Michaels) and rip into them and go nuts. There's nothing you can do wrong. Nobody's grading you. Let your inner artist OUT. YOU are the expert of YOUR pencil crayons. Go crazy.

Couple tips for working with pencil crayons:

1. Don't drop them. Every time you drop a pencil the pigment or "lead" inside breaks. You will get AGITATED - I mean SO FRICKIN' mad when your pencil keeps breaking off.
2. Dont' leave them on the backwindow of your car. The heat will do something scientifically nutso to the "lead" and the consistency turns TERRIBLE. YOU WILL BE SO FRICKIN' MAD when your pencils start acting strange and harbouring little sharp bits.
3. There are two ways to sharpen a pencil. You will notice that many pencil sharpeners have two holes. Use whichever hole gets you a nice point with the LEAST AMOUNT OF "LEAD" SHOWING. The longer and more exposed the point - the easier it will break. AND YOU WILL BE SO FRICKIN' MAD if your pencil keeps breaking and you keep sharpening it too far and it keeps breaking and you keep sharpening it too far and... SEE?
4. Don't let your dog near them. For some reason, pencil crayons (which are made of pigment and a wax emulsifier and WOOD) are tasty to dogs. They think they are sticks? The pencils will, HOWEVER, break inside the casings if chewed by a dog and when you go to use them, the toothe-marked ditties will BREAK AND YOU WILL BE SO FRICKIN' MAD.

Speaking of dogs... This is CRASH. Actually, this is Crash doing a lo-five - his best trick. He's a pure bred gorilla border collie mix. No, he's not. He's a brindle Boxer who is quite possibly the coolest dog ever. He doesn't make a sound other than a snort here and there and he's just a laid-back lover-of-life. He turns 4 years old on Sunday. People always ask me why he's named Crash - and I tell them, "because it's the best warning I can give ya".

In other aspects of good life... We had a fondue last night. Yes, we did. For no good reason at all other than it sounded fine. It was. Spontaneous fondue for two. TOO cool. Crack out those fondue pots for some good times - even for two. It doesn't have to be a party. Go on, FONDUE!

Today: I'm having breakfast with Jackie, Farrah & Cole Koop. Cool. We are scheduling morning dates so that we can keep up with each other and not let life get too busy to hang out. Cole is only three months old so I'm looking forward to getting to know him better. THEN, Dan and I are heading out to Rivers, Manitoba to see his grandparents, Peggy & Kaz Rudniski. We are staying overnight on their farm and challenging them to some dominoes. Word ALSO has it that Kaz has a fiddle for Dan. All that means - ROAD TRIP! Awesome. Before that, I want to work on a LoveLife and a couple of other things.

COMMENTS... Wow. I can't tell you how cool that was. Really. We had a record breaking 70 comments in one day!! Holy Macarena! Did you see that Ali got 1300 comments yesterday for her draw? Wow. DOUBLE WOW. Way to go Ali! I'm certainly not out there to compete with Ali - she's amazing. I think that life is a fun-day competition with yourself... and let me tell you that this week - I totally kicked my own ASS in the comment department. Radical.

Let's do it again. ALL COMMENTS ENTERED between 9am today and 9am NEXT Friday will be entered in a draw for a LoveLife surprise package. Could be a book. Could be a couple of magnets. Could be a print. It's a surprise. ALL COMMENTS LEFT BETWEEN 9am today and 9am NEXT FRIDAY are entered in a draw for a LoveLife package. They can be on any of the posts of the week (including today). Good luck!

**
9am UPDATE: DRAW WINNER OF THE "AND SO THEY SAID..." ARTWORK IS: Jenny Rebecca If you are JENNY REBECCA - congratulations! You are the new owner of some art! Today is your lucky day. Please get me your address so I can send this out to you.

**

It's the weekend... Have a good one. I'll post when we're back from the farm. And GO.

Explosion...

Wow. Thursday. Too cool. This week blew by. Thursday is normally the day that I spend creating LoveLife and being 'OUT-OF-THE-OFFICE ' (big quotation marks here) and into the paints and colours and things I really like to keep me occupied.

Wow again. I think that I've fallen into a comment vortex!!! Bravo to you ALL! Look at all the comments yesterday. It's very cool. Thanks for the encouragements and the total inspiration from the interaction. Love that. Totally appreciate every single person that stopped by and left their mark. Too cool. (Last night we picked up this trophy at Value Village. We are going to retrofit this bad boy for our domino tournament on the weekend. Booyah!)

The WHO'S WHO of Scrapbooking? Really? Check out which non-scrapbooker made it onto the list yesterday.... click here.

Yesterday was full. Literally, the comment flurry was making me nervous! Crash and I took a breather from the afternoon to wander around the neighborhood and stretch our legs. Spring is taking over. We found this chair in the middle of a grey day and an empty lot. Totally perfect. Little bit indoors - little bit outdoors. I spend the entire soggy journey LOOKING at shapes and colours.

A lot of people ask me where I find my inspiration... everywhere. Literally every place I look. I had a great art teacher that gave me an assignment once that made a tremendous impact on me. If you look at a child's drawing of a house - it's usually a icon. It's usually a square with a triangle roof and bunch of windows. It's rarely a bi-level split or a brick duplex or an apartment. We draw what we KNOW - before we draw what we SEE. The assignment was encouraging us to break everything down into shape and colour - seeing patterns and textures instead of faces or places. The whole world looked different after that class.

Yesterday, we tracked down a painting of mine that had gotten our from under our radar. After my art show. See here. One of the purchased paintings got picked up before we could document it. Yesterday, we finally got it back so we could take it for high resolution photography. Whew. For a while, it was like there was a piece of the puzzle missing. VERY glad to know the where abouts now. I kind of felt like a mother duck that lost a duckling. The collection was in bits and pieces...

This painting is from the For Some Reason It's Always About The Shoes collection. It was revealed on March 8, 2007 and you can read about it here. It feels SO GOOD to have put everything into the collection - and have it turn out so successfully.

Tie Poll 101 winner! Number 4 was the landslide victor in this poll. THANKS SO MUCH. I'm headed to pick this one up for Dan's collection today!

On our travels yesterday we found another amazing assortment of ties. Please take Tie Poll 201. If I showed up at your house RIGHT NOW - would I be able to find anything like this? Which one is MOST horrid?

Today: I have to do a few errands. I have to stop at the Post Office and the University. I need to finish the pencil crayon mixed media piece for the comment draw tomorrow morning. I need to do LoveLife. I want to paint. I have a couple of drafts of the new website to go over. I'm getting some jobs ready for BETH who is doing her work practicum at iDeaMonsters (my design studio) for the next 3 weeks. WHEW!

COMMENTS. Ok. THE COMMENTS WERE THROUGH THE ROOF!!! You guys must really want that art! Wow. I love it. AND, I have to admit that it was really, really exciting and overwhelming to log on this morning and see 70 comments. Thank you. To everyone - thank you. I better shape up and get my A game ready for you. I'm honoured you were here. No joke. Triple arm pump to you all. Thanks, thanks, thanks.

ALL COMMENTS LEFT UNTIL 9am Friday (tomorrow) are entered into a draw for an original mixed media piece of art - by me. Kal Barteski. Comments-a-go-go! Again.

Okay. Let's do this. Let's GO.

Wow.

Seriously. What was that?? Wow. Yesterday was a pretty cool day all around. Not only did Ali Edwards link to this blog, but so did Donna Downey. Seriously! That was some pretty amazing coincidences at work. I don't even have enough words to tell you how much it totally overwhelmed my poor little heart. Lots of new visitors here. LOTS. About a couple of thousand new ones. Wow. Wow & welcome.

Pencil crayons were the hot topic yesterday. I use them a LOT. I use them for everyday drawing - see here. And here. And here for a couple of examples... I also use them to add a soft and unique texture. As above & below. Above: shadow box from Claudine Hellmuth's class. I like the contrast of chaos & control in the background and foreground. I like roughing up the perfect stuff. I like just letting the pencils do their thing.

In Ali's class - for our Evolution journal - I used pencil crayons to mess up the pages and add some detail and interest. I LIKE craziness. I LIKE imperfections... It took me a really long time to realize and sink into just letting what happens - HAPPEN. In my paintings and in my moments. Whatever happens is whatever was supposed to happen. I like the colour and vibrancy of pencil crayons. Triple Arm Pump to everyone who wrote in saying they love and use pencil crayons too. What is the difference between Prismacolor and the rest of them? The "feel" and blend-ability. Haven't tried them? Try it. Go crazy.

I've started experimenting with scrapbook papers and colouring on top of them. Taking their structure and perfection and adding my own fingerprint. I'm big on that: leave your mark. Make yourself unique. In whatever way feels good to do that... Be yourself and add yourself to whatever you do.

Yesterday was also very cool because I got a surprise package in the mail from Frank & Joci in California. They sent me a box of shells as a thank you for me sending them a batch of LoveLife magnets that they were looking for. I love, love, love shells. Especially abalone shells. Thanks so much you guys! I love them all. The textures, the colours, the coolness of it all.

LoveLife magnets are kind of cool, too. They are available at select giftstores throughout North America and are produced and distributed by a company called Cedar Mountain Studios.

Dan and I did a little shopping for spring. He's a great dressin' man - but he wanted a little refresher. When we got to the ties - he wanted help and I was a little scared to give him advice because I like unique and colourful and I like to make a statement. I didn't want to send the poor guy into work looking like he had a circus around his neck. The ties looked so much like scrapbook papers I was taken with them all. What's your take on these ties? Which one should win the Tie Poll?

While at the store - we found a VERY cool knight's helmut or metal hat or whatever they might have called it back then. Noggin' Protector. Dan put it on and we had a few laughs.

Ha. But, not nearly as many laughs as we had when he couldn't get it off. Seriously! It nearly came down to scanning his head for the price and wearing the contraption to the nearest metal cutter. Or butter shop! HA HA. Too funny.

Today: I have some work to do. I am also working on a pencil crayon/mixed media piece for the draw on Friday at 9am. I also want to PAINT. I should put away my art supplies from the weekend... Looks like a smooth day ahead.

Happy Birthday Susan Fehr & Dean Leith. Celebrate!

COMMENTS: OH. MY. GOODNESS. You all rock so much it's awesome. Yesterday's comments were so fun! Every comment left between now and this Friday at 9am (left on any post from this week!) is entered into a draw for a piece of my original art. I'll even ship it out to you at my cost! I love the comments. I love hearing from people. Let's connect and be interactive. I will reply to each and every one - just give me a little bit of time. Thanks for visiting and thanks for posting and just plain old THANKS. I love it.

And one more thing... Ali, Donna - THANKS. Really. Thanks.

Let's GO.

Coloured coincidence...

Too cool. I would call this a delicious coincidence... I'm working away in my favourite medium - pencil crayons - and miles and miles away Ali posts about them. Cool. Cool coincidence. I love it when life does that. You might call them coloured pencils... They have long been a close favourite to paint - and have become a signature style that I use often.

I only use Prismacolor brand pencil crayons and I use them with a vengeance. Last weekend, at ARTistry2007 I was using them to colour over scrapbook papers to add a little bullet-proof-positive-attitude of my own style.

Tomorrow - I might just post entirely in pencil crayon... Check back.

Change is coming...

I love this time of year. It's still morning, but the sun is shining bright and warm. Already. It's amazing just how much snow has melted in the last few days alone... I can see the deck! We don't have tulips or anything blooming yet - but, the mountains of snow are turning into small hills of dirt and that's always a good spring sign. Spring.

I'm feeling pretty inspired from the weekend. Still. Just inspired in general these days. Seems the last three months have been filled to the brim - fuller than I would have imagined of MAKING. Painting, crafting, building, learning. It's made a HUGE difference in me already. I feel like I woke back up. I'm not alright with letting life just plug along filled with status quo. That's not me. I don't really care how much money I make - but, I really, really, really care how much I feel FILLED by what I do during the days. Dan said it the other day - he misses coming home after I've been painting all day and seeing the pieces and the projects and the creativity and the time. Because you can tell that this is what I love to do. I got many comments yesterday about people being inspired when they come to this blog - I'm not doing that on purpose... this is just what I love to do. Truthfully, I don't know how to do much else... I'm only good at following my heart.

Now, that I'm reminded how much I like creating and painting... the other things I've been filling my time with - are becoming pale by comparison. That's good. I think that's alright - because I'm sensing a better direction to go in. I'm definitely feeling the 'unrest' needed to propel change. It's cool. It's time to change and it's time to GO.

The new site is nearly secured. Finally. Wow. That took a ridiculously long time. Looks like there's still nothing up on kalbarteski.com... but, the domain is registered and all things are ready for files. That's on the burner this week, too. RESTRUCTURING of websites. Ick.

Today: I have ads and other things to do for people/clients. That's alright, I guess. I have commitments to fill and bits and pieces to finish before I can take new career directions with a clear conscience. That's cool. The sun is shining so I want to get outside for a walk.

Tonight: patio furniture shopping! Last fall, Dan built a pretty sweet deck that we didn't get a chance to use for too long before the snow fell. This year is the Year of da Deck. I feel a Corona season coming on!

Comments... WOW. Yesterday was a radical day for comments! 19. Keep it up. I have a question for you... would you prefer that I reply in my post to your comments - or personally to you in email?  Let me know - because I never know what would be cooler. You tell me what you want. Do you want challenges? Ideas? Techniques? What do you want to find here - besides cool pics and good Dan stories?

AMANDA asked if I had any books I turned to for inspiration... Not really. I devour magazines - all kinds. When I feel creatively empty - I walk through the mall - I love the perfume counters. Go out and look at the store signage and the colours on display... You can tell a lot about colour and pattern trends by doing that. I'd like to say that I grab coffee and wander through art galleries and libraries... but, I don't. BUT I should. When I'm not feeling inspired - I just let it go and get out into the world... because there's always something inspiring to see out there.

I forgot to post this yesterday. Dan has been an ultra-cool supportive guy by helping me research the scrapbook industry. He likes Donna Downey. SO. I had her sign a piece of his sandpaper I had with me in Vancouver. Too cool. They both loved (which I thought was pretty wicked).

Alright... lets GO.

Back in black...

I'm home! I'm home with lots of new ideas floating around in my head from the weekend in Vancouver. Vancouver itself was a rainy place, but everything else there was a very cool collection of times and friends.

I was in Vancouver attending a conference called ARTistry 2007. It was a scrapbooker get together. Why did I go? I've been watching the scrapbooking world from a distance wondering if there was a place for me. What better way than to spend time with the "rock stars" of their industry. (That's what a guy at the conference centre called them.) Ali Edwards. Donna Downey. Claudine Hellmuth. Those were my favourites and when I heard they would all be together in Vancouver it seems like all signs pointed to giving this a try. So I went.

Ali Edwards was my first class and it was so much fun. This was by far the hardest class of the weekend because there was lots to do and think about. We made what she calls an Evolution journal. They all turned out beautifully and meeting Ali was good. She's nicer, more real, and funnier than I expected. She even recognized me! I came away from the class with confidence and wishing that she lived closer because she's just exactly the kind of person I could see myself being good friends with. (Probably everyone says this - because she is just that way.)

Day 2 was Donna Downey. I was pretty sure that after Ali - all of the other instructors would be let downs so I went in with a bit of hesitation. WRONG. Donna was cool, too. She's an entertainer and she's lively and funny and she had the class comfortable and plugging away at our projects. We made a portfolio and a Remember journal ring. This was the easiest day of the weekend because it was like a puzzle - building, folding, drilling, and sticking things where we were told. It was like a bunch of friends hanging out and the opportunity to meet and chat with Donna was very cool. She already had my LoveLife book! Holy Cow! I have lots and lots and lots to say about our conversation - but, I'll keep it to this: VERY COOL. She's a smart lady and I have a feeling that I can help her with something. LOVED that she was as excited about that as I am.

Claudine Hellmuth was hilarious. She's an artist. She is so much fun to watch and learn from. In her class, we made some shadow boxes using the Poppets style that she has invented. They were fun and turned out very, very cute. I really enjoyed this day, too.

What I learned from the weekend... I AM NOT A SCRAPBOOKER. It actually feels really good to acknowledge that and say it out loud. I met some fabulous people and I would be up for getting together again to craft away. I had a lot of fun and I definitely got pushed out of my comfort zone and totally enjoyed the work and crafting of it all... Why am I not a SCRAPBOOKER? I'm not sure yet... I think it cemented for me that I am an artist. I like making things - all kinds of things - all the time. I'm a little bit scrapbooker - little bit pencil crayon girl - little bit painter - little bit illustrator - little bit writer... you see where I'm going with that?? I loved making things this weekend. I especially loved that the instructors were cool with me using my pencil crayons and paints to put a totally individual spin on everything. I'll elaborate another day...

Overall - the weekend was terrific. Too cool. It reminded me to shake it up - get dirty - get out of your ruts and get into other things. I loved that everyone welcomed me and accepted me and encouraged me. Scrapbookers are good people. You heard it here.

I was lucky enough to stay with Bonnie Holtslag and her family. Her sister Sally and her Mom Heather. THANKS GUYS. I am overwhelmed by their generousity. They drove me an hour to class everyday. Picked me up. Fed me. Gave me a place to sleep and kept me entertained in the evenings... it was very, very cool. Holtslags & Stranges are good people, too. Thank you so much.

Too cool. Check out the women I talked about here. Ali Edwards. Donna Downey. Claudine Hellmuth. Go to their blogs - be inspired - start documenting and cherishing your lives. Try scrapbooking. If you were a scrapbooker in the classes this weekend - keep in contact with me and let's all just keep the circles spreading. Life & all things cool. Thanks a million.

I'm really glad to be back. I missed Dan like crazy - it's so cool to get out of your comfort zone and into a new perspective... quadrupled the appreciation and love. (I think I'm still high from all the glue this weekend). I love everything that goes on in our home. I love this life.

Today: Ads and a promo book. Regular work. Boo. The wheels are turning and I'm really, really close to refining how I spend my days. More about that later, too. I REALLY WANT TO PAINT!! I'm so inspired from the weekend. I want to play with all of the new papers and tools I learned about...

Chrissy: I went to the class alone. I was totally a loner - I went without knowing anyone. But, that's how I roll. It ROCKED. It's good to go without a safety net because it forces you to MEET more people that way.

COMMENTS... I want them! I'm drawing on Friday at 9am for a piece of my original art. All comments left on this blog between now and then will be entered. You get as many chances as comments you leave. Ask me questions. Give me feedback. Tell me jokes. Whatever - it's all good. Connect with me - that's what I really like. This week's art is going to be cool.

Have a great day. It's good to be back - because I'm ready to GO.

Evolution.

Cool. Hey from Vancouver. Aloha. I have a pretty solid wi-fi connection from the Art Centre in Richmond, but it's not letting me post any of the very cool pictures I have taken. Baby Cash. Vancouver. Totem poles and the East Coast Indian art. I love the ocean. I love rocks. Wet rocks. I don't really like traffic - but I'm not complaninig because I've been chaufferred around like queen. THANK YOU BONNIE!

Still not certain I'm a scrapbooker. Seriously. I havent' actually been in an art class in a million years. The people are very, very nice. The book we are working on today is VERY unscrapbookish. It's cool.

Oh, and in case you were wondering - Ali is very, very cool.

Bang Cooober

Today's the day. I'm packing up and jetting out to Vancouver, BC. I love traveling days. I love flying. I love airports. I LOVE getting away. I'm really excited and even a wee bit nervous about the conference.

I blew some serious holes in my favourite pair of Keen shoes. I've had them for years so it was kinda sad. They were getting ratty and I needed a new pair anyways... so I headed to the mall yesterday and frantically ran from store to store with no luck. I just want a pair of run around shoes that are a little bit fun. I went home disappointed. Believe it or not Dan is quite possibly the best shopper in the world. So, he packed me up and we headed to a different mall. First pair of shoes he found - I loved. Mostly because they're BullBoxer and they are CAMOUFLAGE. What kind of gorilla scrapper doesn't love camo? I thought that was a perfect fit for my BLACK SHEEP RENEGADE SCRAP trip. Thanks Dan.

We went out for dinner, too. Where? The Spicy Noodle House for some Mooshi, of course. I think this is my favourite restaurant right now. They are fast, delicious and real. They are also in an underground location on Osborne Street... kind of mysterious! Does anyone have a Mooshi pancake recipe? Please send it over.

Then we battled it out on the Trivial Pursuit board. I never really liked this game before - but, it's Dan's favourite of all time - so I gave it another chance. Guess what - I had so much fun!! I lost in a bad way - but, that's how I roll... I always lose at board games. I'm okay with it. Trivial Pursuit is no dominoes - but, it was fun. Really fun. And really nice to just kick back and spend time together.

WE. THREW. OUT. OUR. TV. Sometimes, I have to say that slowly for people because they just don't get it. Yeah, when we moved in together we decided to get rid of the televisions. For a couple of reasons: first, we are pretty busy and didn't watch much and second, didn't want it to become what we did every night. It's easy to get sucked into TV. Do we miss them? Not at all. Sometimes, for old times sake - we sit facing the wall in comatose silence... I'm kidding. We talk, we play, we cook together, we get outside, we participate in life other than television. I think that's alright. I can't tell you what's on Grey's Anatomy these days, but, I can tell you about the state of the sunset.

I got a VERY nice surprise in the mail yesterday. Thanks Michelle & Adriana. They are the owners of TiberRiver and they dropped off a beautiful card and a gift certificate for a facial with Melissa and another gift certificate for Cornelia Bean. Thanks! Thank you very, very much. I totally appreciate that. They were giving thanks for the photos that I took of their store for a feature in Western Living magazine. They were in a jam and needed something ASAP. Tiber River - you are welcome. If you're not familiar with their store - go check it out. It's beautiful. (They must have a truly wonderful designer!)  ;)

I forgot to post this picture... which probably means I forgot to thank my mom, my aunt, and my grandma for coming out this way for the art show. I really like the conversation this picture shows... Thanks guys. It meant a lot to me that you made the long trip to supprt me. Sorry I didn't post this before.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS! We sold our first book to Denmark today! That's really cool. LoveLife is making it across the ocean... Sygne, I'm going to pack your book up today. Thank you. Thank you so much for the order! THIS BLOG IS BEING READ IN JAPAN! Thanks for the comment Ian Clark - hope you're enjoying your trip. We were just wondering about you over dinner - and then you sent over a comment. Too cool. Thanks a million... I appreciate you.

One more bit of gratitude today...
This guy is pretty terrific. I'm not gonna get mushy or risk tarnishing his bad-boy-for-life image. I know you might even be rolling your eyes at the sheer number of Dan pictures on this blog already... So I will just say this: I waited a really long time for what I had no idea would be this good. I am grateful for that every single day. Without exception.

Today: I need to pack the zillions of craftsy-paintsy-artsy supplies that the weekend calls for. I gotta find photos and stuff Xacto knives and glue into some kind of airline-safe cases. I leave at 3pm and I'm really excited.

I'll try to post from VAN, but I can't guarantee it. I will be busy taking photos and being in the moment at a SCRAP-extravaganza. I'll be back on Monday for certain, but I'll have my laptop and will try my best. Bonnie, Cash, and Sally - see you in a couple of hours! (WestJet flight 781)

This is the BLACK SHEEP RENEGADE SCRAPPER signing out. Have a great weekend and Go.

T minus 1...

Hey Wednesday. Yikes. Wednesday came fast this week. We didn't hit the gym this morning - because my hip is hurting from the last two days. No worries - now that I remember how much I like being at the gym - I plan on getting there early tomorrow. I just didn't want to over do it and be in pain all weekend.

I gave the slow cooker a whirl yesterday and it was pretty good. Hmmm... I would like some more recipes because for the first shot I just hucked a bunch of junk into this magical pot. A beef roast. A can of mushroom soup. A couple of heads of garlic. Some salt & pepper. Some worchestershire sauce. A bunch of chopped up yams. Some canned mushrooms. Some other spices. Done. While it was cooking I did a little dance and played a pan flute - which I think helped a lot. It came out looking like dog food - but, when served up with a nice piece of sourdough bread was marvelous. Surprise! It was pretty tasty. I'm ready to move up in the difficulty scale. Please send me your recipes!

These darn white tulips on my window sill just keep making me smile. Through every stage of their visit here - they are beautiful.

Seems that without an art show to talk about - my blog is going seriously down hill. I'm just blabbing on about nothing - (slowcooking?? Really?). I'm still waiting on the web guys to send me the codes for my new site - so I have nothing to report on kalbarteski.com. I'm getting impatient. I have received most of the files for the shoes - so I can post the images and start taking orders for prints and wall plaques. I have a line of vegetables and fruits ready to get painting for a fall show. I'm still struggling with "WHO I AM AND WHAT I'M DOING" as more and more and more design jobs keep popping up. I'm having trouble with it because I wanted to use this year to paint.... and I did for 2 months. And now, I'm feeling guilty and taking the design stuff I was trying not to get buried under. I'm sure I will get it sorted. I knew it wasn't going to be easy or open & shut... My little brother Kam posted a great quote the other day...

"There are only two words that will always lead you to success. Those words are yes and no. Undoubtedly, you’ve mastered saying yes. So start practicing saying no. Your goals depend on it! - Jack Canfield

This quote was funny to me because when we were kids - on road trips my dad would play hours and hours of motivational speakers on tape instead of music. By the time I was 12 and Kam was 8 - we could recite Jack Canfield and Harvey MacKay and their teachings. We thought this was good fodder for our eventual careers in stand-up comedy - but, now I think it was pretty key in why we turned out so weird. ;) (thanks Dad!)

I'm heading west on a big plane to the big city of Vancouver tomorrow. I love the west coast for a visit. I registered for a conference called ARTistry 2007. It sounds really great - a day with Ali Edwards. A day with Donna Downey. A day with Claudine Hellmuth. Super cool artists with lots to teach me. I'm pumped. I'll be staying with Sally Strange and her sister Bonnie Holtslag and BABY CASH (visiting from Winnipeg! WHooo Hoooo!). Now that those arrangements are in gear I kind of wish I was going for longer so that we could all just hang out and shop and explore the city for great pictures. I would like to get some fresh air and new things to look at... We will have the evenings for that and during the day - I will be stuffing my head with a lot of scrapbooking ideas. EEEP! I'm still not sure if I even like scrapbooking.

Speaking of that - Dan and I went in search of the supplies on my scrapbooking class list and decided that I will be the black sheep renegade of the scrapworld. It was going to cost me an arm and a leg to get all of the things on the list... like a square punch? I'm certain I can use my scissors to cut out a square and save myself the $30. Things like that. I will be (much to my delight) sporting OLD SCHOOL techniques and tools - doing things the way they did in the olden days - cutting by HAND! No CROPODILE for this Life Artist. I'm heading in without the required tools and I'll just make it work because that's how I roll.

Today: Charity Program. Wash clothes. Pack. I NEED TO PAINT. Seriously, it's become like a need instead of a want. That's pretty cool. I feel a little like I'm in the middle of a transformation... which I guess I am.

THANKS. I loved all the comments yesterday. I loved the ideas behind keeping my name. I'm going to go with Kal Barteski Kostenchuk, but you can call me Alphabet Soup if you want! Barteski will actually become my middle name instead of just a super long last name. Double names work so nicely when it's stuff like Brown Miller. or Smith Black. Simple names.... I will still paint as Kal Barteski. Write as Kal Barteski. Do LoveLife as Kal Barteski. Live as Kal Kostenchuk. Hey, maybe I'll change it up every now and again just to keep it fresh.

ALSO... a super, super big TRIPLE ARM PUMP to Dana (MamaGoddess) and her 'kidlets' for adopting the TRIPLE ARM PUMP energy and spreading it out. Dana, your comment made me laugh out loud and I love it! Dan laughed, too!

TRIPLE ARM PUMP everybody (even you Dad!) and GO.

Fast or Slow...

Chalk up another day at the gym! 2 in a row. Yes, we were there bright and early this morning - and we WALKED TO THE GYM, too. That's big. Well, that's actually not that big - it's about 7 blocks away, but it's the start of a better habit than driving. Good.

We hit the mall yesterday for an extravaganza of opposites. Fast. Slow.

We got some FAST new runners last night. I don't know about Dan - but, I was feeling pretty speedy in my flashy new wheels. My gym life has been pretty frustrating for the past year and a bit. I cracked my pelvis two summers ago and the damage from that has affected the muscles in my core. Badly. Working out hurts and the small steps to recovery are SO small it's discouraging... Not working out hurts, too and it's big giant steps to an overweight and unhappy gal. I used to be really fast. Now, I'm slow.

At the mall, we also picked up a slow-cooker crock-pot idea with some of the ULTRA generous gift cards we received from our wedding reception. (HEY - the Thank you Cards are on the top of my list!) I have no clue how to use this machine, but I am going to make something delicious in it tonight. SLOW has been up for discussion a lot these days around here as we are trying to simplify and slow the speed of life. In Praise of Slow by Carl Honore is a book that we've been chatting about (cool Canadian author)... it talks about working slower, cooking slower - living slower and appreciating and enjoying more. Less email and cell phone and over scheduling. Perfect. If anyone has a sniff what to do with a slowcooker or any good recipe suggestions - I'm all ears! Send them over!

So welcome to the friendly debate around here this week... which is better - FAST? or SLOW? Dan has only one speed - VERY, VERY FAST. NASCAR  actually. I have two speeds - LIGHTNING and TURTLE. I can move at the speed of light - but, I can also refrain from moving at all. Dan - not so much. He's a Chinese Beaver - always poking around, building, moving, sweating, finding, making stuff, running around...

Which got me thinking about our rituals. Rituals has been a buzz word on blogs this week. Even Ali was talking about it, too. Life and rituals have been slowly forming around here since August. One of my favourite new rituals, since having met Dan, is having coffee together in the morning. It's a treat for me to be able to spend some time sitting at the table, talking about nothing and news - having a cup of coffee together before the day starts... That's special to me.

Which got me thinking about a topic that's been on my mind a lot lately, too. What's in a name? And should I change mine - now that I'm married? What if I want to? What about my art and career? I think I know what I'll do... because, really - what's in a name anyways?

Today: I have a logo and a charity program to get done. I have a slow-cooker to conquer. I have some crackers and blue cheese with sweet chili sauce to devour at lunch time... I have a pretty good life and I know it.

What's the best part of your day? Tell me... and go!