Reduce, Reuse, Recycle...

I am a little bit excited.  We have finished the sun dried tomatoes...
 

 
...and the 4L jar of pickles.  I have had my eye on this 4L jar for rice ever since we bought the pickles.  Our current rice jar is only 2L and it doesn't hold nearly enough.  They are both soaking in soap and water and then sea salt and water to remove any of the odors of the previous occupants.

We collect our glass jars (and the plastic ones as well) and fill the small ones with lovely scented spices...

...and the big ones with grains and beans, pasta and flour and sugar.

It's one little way that we can reduce the amount of waste (even though these can be recycled) in our world.  As well, it saves us from needing to buy canisters or from seeing a pantry full of plastic bags.

What do you do in your kitchen?

The Pleasures of Home

It was a rainy spring day, but I wanted to make sure I captured how simple and peaceful the apartment was this morning.  I love taking photos in the morning light before my busy days get going.  I want to make an effort to do this every day.  Harmony reigned in the apartment today.

A New Look

Spring is officially here.  I wanted a fresh, clean look, so I changed my blog banner.  My old banner was perfect for winter, but is a bit heavy for spring.  In case you are just checking in here for the first time, my old banner looked like this:

Photo and banner by me.

I may return to it next winter, but for now, WELCOME, SPRING!!!

Market Photos, Part II

Here are more of the photos I took with me to the River Market last Saturday.  I hope you like them.  If you are interested in purchasing, join me at the Westminster Quay in New Westminster on Saturday, April 2nd.  If you can't make it, you can comment on this post and we can sort something out.

Exotic Travel

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Market Photos, Part I

I can't believe it's already been a week since my first Royally Crafty Market at the New West Quay.  I am looking forward to the next one!  Here are some of the photos I took with me to sell at the market.  See anything you like?  I'll be back at the market on April 2nd or you can leave a comment on this post and I'll get back to you.

Enjoy!

Scrumptious Food

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

To Market, To Market

Yesterday, I was at the Royally Crafty Market at the River Market at the Westminster Quay.  It was a wonderful.  It was the first chance that I have had to market and sell my photography.  There were so many fascinating vendors with unique and beautiful items to sell.  There was so much to see that I did not want the day to end.  Here are a few of the highlights from my day.  I can't wait until April 2nd, when we hold the next market.

There were tables lining the outer walls of the high-ceilinged room.  My table was in a row in the middle and had a roof, handy metal poles (which I leaned photos against) and a chalk board-painted sign space, which was fortuitous as I don't have a sign!

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

I had a hard time displaying my larger framed pictures.  The wooden holders I bought weren't very sturdy and as a result, my photos took two falls - one major - and it took a while to sort out the look of the table.  I settled with using the wooden holders to hold two pictures (as seen above) and laying two down on the other side, so that if a picture fell, there wouldn't be a domino effect.  Luckily, they stayed up after their first two falls.  Phew!

I was very impressed with all of the items on display at the market.  Each and every artisan had pored their hearts souls into their work, and it showed.  I felt honoured to be included.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

There was live music for half of the day and it added to the vibe.  It is lovely to fill a cavernous room with music.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

These cute and cuddly owls were made by my new friend Sandy.  They are adorable and made using her own pattern!

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

The previous two pictures were taken at Sarah's table.  She is another friend I was lucky to make.  She makes stunning sun catchers and mobiles.  I couldn't stop staring at them.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

I am glad I met Margaret.  She makes the loveliest tea-pot cozies and aprons, as seen above.  I was not a vendor at the time of the February market, but my husband and I were taking a walk and stumbled upon it in progress.  Margaret told me everything there was to tell about being a vendor and she told me who to get in contact with to get my own table.  Thank you, Margaret.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

This little guy was not involved in the market, but I came across him on my walk home.  It was a very good day.

A New Path

Photo by me.

After featuring my work at the Royally Crafty Market today and listening to the good advice of some of my family members, I have decided to change the focus of this blog a tiny bit.  From this point on, I am only going to feature my own photography on here.  I am going to keep this space sacred to my art and to work that I've produced.  I am also removing the posts featuring pictures that were not taken by me, such as those on interior design or decorating.  This will be my new photography challenge!

Royally Crafty Market

I'm going to be here tomorrow:

Photo by me.

I have a table at the Royally Crafty Market at the River Market at New Westminster Quay.  I am going to be selling my photographs there from 11am - 3pm.  I am so excited for this chance to have a venue to showcase my work.  The Royally Crafty Market has a lot to offer.  There are people who make lovely jewelry and other hand wrought items, knit goods, painters and, of course, moi!  There is also live music and a very funky vibe on offer. 

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

I hope to see all of you there!