musings | coffee

this post is not going to be deep, or insightful. i mean, it's titled "coffee" for goodness sakes! okay, confession time: i don't like coffee. i want to like it, i really really do, but i just don't. and for me, that's often a bit of a problem.

coffee is more than just a drink. it's an invitation, a sense of comfort, camaraderie and friendship. it's a new beginning and sometimes an end. it brings people together, and lends itself to habit and routine.

but i would rather just have a bottle of water or a glass of grape juice (truly, the world needs more grape juice). and before you suggest it, i don't really like tea either. i mean, it's fine, i'll drink a cup of classic orange pekoe with lots of milk and sugar - but it doesn't do much for me.

the thing is, "do you want to meet for coffee" is probably the next most common cliche saying after "how's about this weather!?" one time i had a work meeting with someone i hadn't yet met in person. so we met at a coffee shop and in order to refrain from feeling awkward and fidgety, i knew i had to order something. on the menu they had 20 different coffee types and two teas. i ordered a tea and my goodness - it was so disgusting! but of course i didn't want to be rude or weird and so i had to keep sipping at it and trying not to cringe each time.

and i totally feel like i'm lying when i say "let's go for coffee" and then we get there and i don't have a coffee. but saying something else like "want to meet for hot chocolate" seems so random, juvenile and downright distracting. or on the other side of the coin, if i invite a friend for coffee, just as another way of asking her to hang out, she'll know i don't drink it and immediately ask "do you like coffee now??" and then we have to have a whole Conversation about it.

geez louise! i wonder if this is how people in england feel who don't like tea.

snail mail | paris, postage and a surprise!

these two incoming pieces of mail are very special. it's clear by looking at them just how much time the writers spent decorating the envelopes. the first is a package inspired by my friend shawna's recent trip to paris. she collected and collaged images of paintings that can be found in france. she also included for me a set of vintage european postage!

this second piece was a total surprise because i didn't find it till weeks later. i was sorting through some papers on my desk and voila! this random, brightly coloured letter from someone named ashley popped up! i have no idea how i missed it when i brought in the mail but i sure had fun opening and going through it!

creator | bones and things

yesterday i was looking at linocuts in a gallery and it reminded me of these ones i had seen on etsy. bones and things shop offers a lot of beautiful things but these "woodland sleepers" prints warm the cockles of my heart. the way the artist presents them curled up and cozy makes me want to have a little nap in the fetal position myself!

visit bones and things shop

musings | asking for things

i wouldn't say that i am weak, or feeble, or that i don't ask for what i want. but i do think there is a real difference between telling my husband that i don't want frozen corn for dinner (blech, i don't think i'll ever get on board with the taste of frozen veggies), and inviting the bc minister of arts, culture and recreation to the festival i am planning. because those are two very different kinds of "asks." but i did both of those this week, whereas a year or two ago i could only have managed the former.

i'm not quite sure what changed in me. though i can probably pinpoint one occurrence and two influences in my life that led to my new-found confidence. in 2011 i was working at a job that made me very very unhappy. i suddenly decided (i don't know why it took so long), that i would find something else. and with a bit of effort i did. i always "set my mind to something" without realizing it. i'm a pretty dedicated and motivated individual. but i think that was the first time i became conscious of my own power to change.

the two people who have influenced me on this subject are my father and my boss of three years. my father has always been really supportive. he tells me not to be embarrassed when i need to be firm, and to stand up for myself. this is such a lame example, but it has always stuck with me: when i was in highschool, i told my father about how we had to ask to go to the washroom and sometimes if the class was in the middle of something, the teacher would say no. my father looked me straight in the eye and said "Katie, if you ever have to go to the washroom, just go. if anyone has a problem with that, tell them to talk to me." It was a minor issue, but i felt supported and justified. whenever i need advice on how i can be stronger or more confident, i call my dad. however, i think because he is my father, he kind of lets me off (just a little) because he doesn't want me to be too uncomfortable.

my boss however, has no such qualms. and because i work for him, i have to do what he asks. which as it turns out, has been a good thing. when i first met him, i was a little frightened at his sense of assertion. i could see that he had strong opinions, and knew how to stand his ground (being a lawyer will do that to you). sometimes it was hard to get across my own thoughts. but as i quickly learned, strong people respond to strength. which meant i had to be more assertive too. it was only when i was full confident in what i was saying that he would value my opinions and take me seriously. over the years he has taught me how to ask for things that i never would have dreamed off (big favours! large discounts! things for free!). and the most surprising thing, is that if i am somewhat reasonable, and not impolite, people often acquiesce.

all of this has been very helpful this past year when it came to planning this arts festival. i notoriously hate networking. i never understood meeting someone under fake pretenses in order to get something from them. but what i've discovered is that it doesn't have to be fake (you can genuinely like them!) and when you are passionate enough about something, suddenly you are not afraid to ask for things. i'm no pro, don't get me wrong. i still feel sick at the thought of having to ask for something. but they say that if it makes you a bit fearful, it'd probably worth it. and i agree. i've come along way recently - and it has opened so many doors. i've met amazing people, been offered wonderful opportunities...and i'm having a lot of fun!

patience made | new stationery sets / mail art packs

i've created more mail art packs of collected goodies. my favourites are the bright pink and the water themed blue one. i just love making these. plus it makes me feel less guilty about all of the wonderful stationery pieces i normally keep squirrelled away.

shop isavirtue sets

snail mail | postcards

i find that when i want to connect with someone, but i'm too busy to send them a letter, a postcard is the perfect solution. i don't totally chintz out however...i like to put more than a few words. in fact...i take up all the space available on the card! then i add some postage, and pop it in the mail!

my postcard collection is growing big time...it's my new obsession! (i'm just going to throw this out there, send me postcards).

i found this adorable gem at the contemporary museum of craft in portland (love that place!!!) the text is letterpressed on to the map.

 this is the last note in the series of "advice" pieces i've been sending to my friend who is getting married next month.

 this card, a mock 1930's vintage flash card, was too perfect for my father. i used to sing this song "little lamb" but i would stick my tongue out whenever i said "lamb" and he teased me about it for years.

 i love love love this little mr. mitten postcard from the regional assembly of text. i thought my younger brother would get a kick out of it.

this is a beautiful piece of mail art from my friend kristy in toronto. it was so much fun to open and her sarcasm had me laughing the whole time i read it.

patience made | single greetings

i've never quite known what to call these, but essentially, they are my solution to the "greeting card." without the greeting card. these greetings don't come in a group like the rest of my stationery items, but they come with just enough for you to write one short and sweet, or longer and heartfelt greeting. one envelope + two sheets of writing paper...the perfect "hello, i just wanted to say hi."

art | p. williams

jon always makes me watch these "mayday" shows about airplanes that fail mid air. i keep telling him that if he doesn't change the channel, he is going to be hard-pressed to ever get me on an airplane again. to me the horrible thought of crashing is always at the tippy top of my brain while flying.

but these beautiful works by p. williams make the mayhem of air traffic and the frightening possibility of going down...kind of beautiful no? the swashes of brightly coloured paint over the airplane and the swath of flames or clouds is so graceful! plus, the series is called "cluster f***" - a term which i absolutely adore but almost never feel comfortable using out loud.

looking through past series of work, it seems like p. williams is more of an installation artist - but i think these graphic drawings are headed more in the right 'direction.'

musings | when is too much too much?

yesterday i had the day off. sort of. just one day off this week and so in the days leading up to it i started to fantasize about how i would spend it. i decided it would be a "just me" day downtown. i had planned to wander through the galleries, linger at the library and maybe even go for a kayak in the inner harbour.

but as the day off moved closer, i started to add in a task here and there in order to feel more productive. and before i knew it, my whole day was full of errands. so i ended up taking etsy orders to the post office, delivering some gifts, organizing a newspaper ad, cashing my pay depositing festival cheques...
and the strange thing is that i think i did it on purpose! i think i like to be busy and to feel productive. at what cost? well it's hard to tell until i become so overwhelmed i have some sort of breakdown.

so my question is when does too much become too much to handle? for me it's very much about the festival. i keep telling myself, after the festival, i'll relax. after the festival, i'll eat better. after the festival i'll sleep more. after after after...but knowing me, after the festival i'll become bored and just fill my time with something else.

what are your secrets for relaxing? for minimizing your workload, for saying no to new projects and refraining from multi-tasking?

snail mail | orchids

in this letter to my friend magdalyn, i spoke about how writing a letter to someone is kind of like having a conversation with them. i always sign off feeling somewhat renewed - not just because i've let out all of my thoughts and worries, but also because i feel as if i've just spent time with a good friend.

patience made | neon encouragement

omg i am such a brat!! what is it about summer that finds us distracted and away from the computer. goodness knows i'm not out biking riding or playing softball or something. nope...you'll find me at work, out on the balcony catching some rays, or curled up on the couch crafting the days aways.

when i was in portland i bought some pretty sweet neon embossing powder. i'm loving the way it looks on these isavirtue journals:

snail mail | narwhals and swag

see the image below? that's a beautiful little gift of national stationery show goodies i received my my lovely regional assembly of text bossies (their word, not mine!) all i've ever wanted is to go to the national stationery show in new york...and grab handfuls of delicious paper product. i hope to share some of it in future letters to friends. though maybe not the confetti POP...it seems that one could explode at any time!

oh, i also wrote some letters last week - one to a new penpal, one to a good friend who moved away, and a list of humourous career options for my darling auntie.