Oh Girl...

Okay, a last one for tonight. But this is really funny...

13 Songs in My Head

Inspired by Geneviève...

A song I've listened to again and again and I'm never tired of listening:
Hallelujah –Rufus Wainwright

A song that makes me go back to when I was 18:
How Soon Is Now –The Smiths

A song that I associate with my first love:
Sunglasses at Night –Corey Hart

A song that instantly makes me feel happy:
How Far We’ve Come –Matchbox 20

A song that makes me cry:
Breathe Me –Sia

A song that makes me laugh:
Flagpole Sitta –Harvey Danger

A song that lets off steam:
Breaking the Habit –Linkin Park

A song that makes me want to dance:
Please Don’t Stop the Music -Rhianna

A song to listen to with your lover:
I Want You –Holly Cole

A song I'm a little ashamed (but not too much) of listening to :
Way Back Into Love –Hugh Grant [feat. Haley Bennett]

A song to listen to while doing housekeeping:
Big Time Sensuality -Björk

A song representing my mood today
Jump -Madonna

A song I listen to quite a lot these days:(and that it always on my mind !):
Out of Our Head -Sheryl Crow

Multi-tasking Creativity

I've been tagged by Guylaine who was herself tagged by Marie-Chantale.

Here's the question to answer:

"How can you, as a creative person, find the right balance in doing many projects simultaneously? How do you manage to complete many projects while keeping a healthy body and mind?"

Wow, the million dollar question...
I think I am some kind of Miss Organization. It sometimes hinders creativity but it also has advantages. I always handle many projects at the same time. Some are professional, others are more personal. I have many notebooks for many different projects, one for my collages, one for my daily writing, another for drawing, one for my creative lists, another I use when I mix drawing and writing (my creative journal). Enough. But I have more, really! Maybe it's due to my passion for notebooks. Or just because, as I wrote earlier, I'm Miss Organization.

I'm into sewing? Well I have an armoire for my fabrics, my threads are in a special container, my accessories in another one. I can put away and take back all my stuff quickly. That way I don't feel overwhelmed by all the stuff laid out everywhere in my «room». The great thing now is that when I'm in the middle of a long-term project I deal much better with a messy room than I was 2-3 years ago. As a child I always had to put away ALL my stuff when I stopped doing something even if it was not finished and wanted to continue later on. My tolerance level is now quite high with my daughters and their «in progress» work. Of course, that means their bedrooms are messy, that you have to be very creative to find a spot to sit down in the basement, but hey, living with two very creative teenagers is so wonderful...

I am also very lucky to have low-maintenance children (I know, this doesn't sound very mommy-like, but you'd be surprised...), which means I don't run too much. The fact that my husband is also a very creative man in his own areas (technologies, woodwork) is also a plus. He understands that I have my girly stuff to do. My man also cooks our meals. All of them... I have a lot of time on my hands, lucky me.

Guylaine mentioned she enjoyed process more than product. For many of my projects, I feel the same. Just the fact of doing something creative, I feel so good. It can take me hours to do a little tiny weeny something, I don't mind because the time spent doing it was so great.

For me, having many creative projects to deal with at the same time means that I'm never bored. That's the way it goes with my work. I have many dossiers to deal with (which are creative in a way since I have to produce, elaborate...) and I can go from one to another depending on my mood or my agenda. I love working like that, it's far from a daily routine.

So, according to the instructions, I shall tag 5 people...
What about Andrea, Ani, Emily, Pénélope and Yannick?

Encore...

I am officially a business woman! I am spending lots of time creating stuff for the «encore...» collection, all sorts of bags, aprons and many more other items to come. The problem is not with the ideas, it's the lack of time! Sales will be done online at first, my sweet hubby is working on the server at the moment, it should not take too long...

Here are two of my last tote bags, just a little preview for Manon who is desperate because she was not my first official customer :-) I made many more bags, but I keep a little mystery until the site is ready.

I am so addicted, that Monday evening when I put away all my stuff for the week (hey I still have a full time job!), I felt a little blue. Last evening, I couldn't resist anymore, I decided to sew a little more, a present for a lovely little mademoiselle.

As soon as the site is ready, I'll post the address. I am very excited about all this, me, an entrepreneur? Well, dahhhh!

Many many thanks to Claude, Alizée, Miranda, Tanja, Manon, Brigitte, Cathy and Anne for your support. If I am sewing with such a great big smile, it's a little because of you!

Creative Journal, Being a Mother

Months go by, winter is getting a little tired and baby Mateo takes more and more space in her mother's womb. Last night, that mother lead a wonderful creative writing workshop especially made for mothers. She wanted to be surrounded by maternal vibes since she is going to have her baby in a couple of weeks. Great reflections, varied experiences, moving moments, becoming a mother is such a big event. Being a mom is definitely long term contract, the most beautiful contract of all, the most gratifying and the one with the best pay ever. Thanks to all the mothers who were there, the atmosphere was so pleasant. Thanks for revealing yourself, your experience.

A last thank you to the gorgeous Tanja who (everyone will agree with me) is an exceptional human being (okay, now I'm crying, again...), a glowing woman who often gives us the missing little push we need to be ourselves, to be true, to be a woman, to vibe to the rhythm of the great things around us.

I wish you the best and even better! xx

Flowers?

Noon, a call from a florist: Will I be home this afternoon for a delivery? Well, hum, yes, between two texts to read and three e-mails to reply to... Who's the mystery sender? Today's not my birthday, my husband hasn't done anything naughty that would require flowers as an apology (he's so perfect...), okay, I had an extraordinary success and sold many of my handmade bags (6!), but receiving flowers for that?

No, I couldn't guess. Really. It was impossible to guess. The flowers are from my boss, an exceptional woman with whom work is a pleasure. Always. The timing is funny, yesterday I kept myself from stopping at a flower shop (I'm trying to save money for a project I have)... Well here are my flowers!

Thanks Anne, this is really nice. Darn tears...

13 Songs Playing via my iTunes

Parlez-vous français?

These too are very funny...
Thanks Tanya for sharing

Happy March 8th to All Women!

A very happy day to all women...

I love this song by Sheryl Crow where she says:
I say all the women stand up, say yes to themselves
Teach your children best you can

Let every man bow to the best in himself
We're not killing any more
We're the wisest ones, everybody listen
'Cause you can't fight this feeling any more, oh anymore

Dove, for the Chickens

You remember the Dove clip «Evolution» that showed us how ads were produced for fashion, beauty products?

Well, chickens are also victims of the big bad Photoshop!

Foster Farms: Transformation
by hourigan

Friday: Pens & Markers

Because I'm using a laptop most of the time doesn't mean I don't write «by hand» anymore, on the contrary. I have an impressive amount of notebooks in which I write all sorts of things. For work, my notebook is a real mess, hurray!*

To make my notebooks (and my little messages & post-its) more attracting, I use different colors of pens. I also use markers for a change. I like the splashes of color, the energy it gives, the happiness that results from the writing, it shows a little who I am and it feels good.

So for this last day of green week (thanks Emily for the great idea), here are my green pens and markers on polka dot paper. Polka dot is another of my passions, one day, maybe, we'll do the polka dot week...

*In general I am a neat freak, but I'm healing from it little by little, learning to let go, that's the reason for the «hurray».

Thursday: Eyes

I was wondering where I could find some green was around me and then BAM: My eyes! I see them everyday when I put on some make-up (oh very little make-up, but still) but I don't look at them anymore. Like an old couple who forgets to say how much they care about one another.

No way... Let's change that right away: «Good morning my beautiful green eyes how are you this morning? Did you sleep well? You did and it shows: no trace of puffiness, a glowing brilliance, even maybe a little je-ne-sais-quoi».

There are ads on TV saying you must take good care of your eyes by visiting an optometrist for a regular exam, etc. etc. etc. But taking care also means appreciating them, telling them we love them, that life would be so sad without them. Eyes have feelings too, you know. So love them, protect them and thank them. Today :-)

Wednesday: Jewelry

I'm not the kind of girl who wears a lot of jewelry, but in the summer, I enjoy bracelets. I have many of them in different colors, different shades. In wintertime, with the long sleeves, the coats, I don't wear any, not comfortable enough. And for me, comfort is essential (that's why I rarely wear skirts, with the tights, you know... grrr...).

A friend of mine is sales manager for an artist from the region of Québec who creates wonderful jewelry. I have two of her rings and a few pendants, like this one. They look like candies, don't you think?

Tuesday: Piano

Well, weather's definitely not nice, no possibility of any green sprouts poking anywhere (unless, under the snow banks...?). No way I can compete with wonderful exterior photos taken by my green week friends living in warmer areas. In Québec, in March, it's still winter (even with the warmer temperature of the last 2 days: 28F). I live my green week from the inside of my home, instead.

Next to my work table, is the piano. Green. Yes, yes, a green piano. Originally, when my parents bought it (some thirty years ago), it was brown. Dark. Very dark. Not really nice. First metamorphose: it was painted in yellow/beige to better fit my parents' living room decor.

The piano followed me when I move out and from yellow, I brought it to its second metamorphose (hurray for green!), almost 8 years ago.

Since last summer, I've been dreaming of painting it again. Metamorphose number three: white... A minor detail, I will have to peel off a few layers of paint before going on with the white. Big project. I wanted to do it last summer. Didn't do it. Maybe this summer then?

Monday: Beans

Ok, no way I'm going to find anything green outside today with this awful weather! So for day 1 of Emily' green week, here's a souvenir from Marché Jean-Talon. The displays are really wonderful there, colorful, appetizing. Who wants beans, who wants beans?