the 2011 rikrak handmade Christmas stocking collection LAUNCH!

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woohoo!
just 2 months today until CHRISTMAS!!

so... let's celebrate with  ... the official launch of my rikrak 2011 HOLIDAY stocking collection!

lots of lovely new favourites for you.

+ all those classic rikrak faves, too!

and on now, for a limited time... custom colour stockings... you choose the style and colours, and i create them JUST FOR YOU at no extra cost!

yay!

AND ... 

just until 11pm EST on oct.27th, 

use the coupon code 

* 2011LAUNCH * 

for 20% off YOUR ENTIRE ORDER.

(please note: 

retro ornaments not included 

in this offer) 

thanks again.

hope you'll come visit my rikrak etsy shop throughout the day to see the full 2011 collection!

{ps: gotta fave? i'd love to hear!}

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change

personalized bus scroll/ destinations canvas by TransitDesign

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welcome welcome to transition day where i live.

we're celebrating the labour day long weekend. 

behind us summer. 

ahead of us autumn.

tomorrow school starts + new routines + another new journey continues. 

where is your next adventure taking you these days?

how are you feeling about the transitions of life?

how are you feeling about tomorrows these days? 

refreshed? nervous? excited? invigorated? scared?

all of the above?

happy change to those of you embracing it/ within it /emerging from it.

change can be such a scary + wonderful thing all at once, can't it?

here's to things new, nicies.

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the art of moving

inspiring moving art:

row one
Moxiedoll + Toxicguineapigs + OrangeFriendly
row two
minifrenchie + daymaker
row three
virginiakraljevic + matteart + simplyhue
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big monday morning news here at the rikrak home, nicies.
... we're moving!
... this week!

we love our wonderful home and neighbourhood here in beautiful ottawa.
it's been a fabulous place for us to grow & explore & love.

and we love our wonderful NEW home and town, too.
at least for a little while. we're moving closer to toronto.
delightfully closer to our lovely families. we're so very very thrilled about that!

i survey the scene for you:
boxes packed floor to ceiling... everywhere.
corrugated cardboard my new best friend.
sifting and sorting and packing and unpacking.
nostalgic grins, smiles, laughs, teary goodbyes, hugs at every turn.

good-heavens - i'm a moving-mess! :)

it's the gamut of emotion here. i'll be honest... i've become a terrible mover.

i fluctuate between that great feeling of going thru our things, feeling refreshed by donating all of the STUFF we no longer need {isn't that a GREAT thing?!} and obsessively being sentimental over every little thing.

yes... i'm a nostalgic hoarder.

i am so nostalgic about every scrap of paper that has ever meant something (me: "ah, look honey... it's our receipt for dishsoap that we bought 5 years ago . . it has something spilled on it.. but we'd better save that nonetheless!"), and each & every piece of little rikrak's art (no matter how teeny tiny or 3-dimentionally massive) : each a masterpiece, of course!

indeed it's two steps forward, 9 steps back as we try to sort thru, package up, donate donate donate and more.

but over the past few weeks of packing i've become {slightly? a little bit?} better at prioritizing what STUFF is really important from what is just plain MORE STUFF.

so that's a very good thing, indeed.

packing is such a good metaphor for life isn't it? we'll get thru this time of weeding out, keeping what's important, re-discovering and re-prioritizing. and we very much look forward to the adventure ahead!

{on another packing note: i've discovered numerous unopened boxes in our storage room of late that are marked *TBS* ( that's my moving-shorthand for "to be sorted*- my brilliant cataloging term for last minute boxes!) ... "TBS 2003."

yes.. .i packed that box in 2003, never opened it since. good golly.

i hearby VOW not to have any TBS 2010 boxes this move, nicies! {stay tuned to see if i make it!}

"to be sorted" pretty much sums things up here! moving can be such a fine art, can't it?}

how do you tackle packing up and moving on?
wise tips you'd like to share?
surely you'd love to share YOUR ART OF MOVING!
hands-up if you're a sentimental hoarder?

hugs, lovelies.
here's to great new things ahead.
... off to sort.

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7 great new-to-me ontario artists

love love love lucky jackson's textile work!

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isn't it fun to go to an Art show and discover inspiring new-to-you Artists?

good heavens yes!

a couple weeks ago i covered the New Art Festival in my lovely Ottawa for a great new online Arts journal: OttawaTonite.com

you can read the full article here.

it was a superfun task to meet some fabulous new-to-me artists for the story, and i thought you might like a chance to visit them, too!
just click on each image to head over to their fabulous sites!

yay ontario artists - making amazing things!

have some fave new-to-you Artists you've seen at a show or festival lately?

have you ever been REALLY excited to meet a certain Artist at a show?

i'd love to hear!

{all images by me: rikrak}

fabulous paper maker beth levin

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brilliant muralist daniel bombardier
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eco steel sculpture duo dog bite steel
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the fabulous GNAG children's workshops

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intreguing scluptor leah hamilton
(leah_hamil@hotmail.com)

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fabulous glass & textile artist sarah hallman
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what i'm working on: eco.art

oh gosh. i'm a lucky lady. thanks so much to all of the well-wishing nicies last week who encouraged me in my little new project shyness! what great cheerleaders you all are! i really appreciate it.

well.. here we go! i've launched the first few pieces, as part of my new eco. art series titled . the handmade week . : 35 original, one.of.a.kind vintage fabric & paper stitch collages.

this little project brings together some of my crazy loves in life: days + shapes + scraps = rikrak joy! first, i'll admit it: i'm in love with the days of the week. i've always been fascinated by days, and always felt as though each day of the week has it's own little family of characteristics, ways of being, and tones. ever feel like that? and i'm in love with geometric shapes... *sigh* ... and you might already know of my obsession with vintage fabrics scraps. this project is a reunion of those loves.

in . the handmade week ., there are 7 different repurposed colour-way families, incorporating meaningful & beautiful little scraps of some of my favourite vintage fabrics i've collected over the years. each collage is 3-dimensional, textured & layered. the works are stitched onto museum quality Arches Infinity papers. here's a glimpse @ monday & thursday:

above. from the family : mondays :

one thursday , from the rikrak series . a handmade week .

two mondays , from the rikrak series . a handmade week .

stay tuned for more!
and thanks again, nicies! special thanks to my wonderful wonderful brother for inspiring it from the beginning! isn't trying something new refreshing (and challenging!)?

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feeling shy

w.i.p. by rikrak

i'm feeling a wee bit shy today. i've been working on a few secret little projects ... and it seems like it's time to stop being so hush*hush on one of them.

now... i'm a super lucky soul. i don't too often feel very shy. quite private? most certainly.
a worrier? usually!
sometimes quiet? sometimes.
but not too shy too often. but i certainly am today!

i don't mind talking about my shyness on a secret project. i think a good secret project will be brimming over with fun emotions! let's embrace new feelings! i just mind actually putting the finishing touches on things... cause hey - then the new thing is an actual thing! eek!

i set myself some new rikraky goals this year:

• writing a blog to challenge my crazy non-writerly skills... it's on! (and hey - i was SUPER nervous about that - thanks for your help!)
  

• working on some other still-to-be secret rikraky plans... check!

• working on some new kinds of rikrak goodies a wee bit outside of my usual realm; to challenge myself a little bit .... tada!

do you have some secret little projects in the works? how are you feelin' about them? feel shy about crafting sometimes? here's a peek @ secret project #1... stay tuned!

w.i.p. by rikrak

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