That's Me!

My current direction of professional self-improvement is working on hand-lettering. So I did some, and oh look! it says Vanderwel, that's me. :D So I made a quick iphone background that I know the other half of these Vanderwels is going to love.

Going to the Ocean!

Next week, I'm going to the ocean! My hubby and I are travelling down the Oregon coast  to go to prison. No really, our final destination is Alcatraz in San Francisco, the only place Dwayne REALLY wanted to go. In all honesty, I'm not super stoked to go into a dark creepy prison, but I get it. It was the show (badly done as it was...) that got him hooked. It was also probably the show that gave me that creepy feeling I get when I think about visiting there...!

We compromised by him agreeing we could end our trip at the Seattle Zoo (hmm, who could have requested that one?) Although now that I think about it, I'm not sure we'll have time. Either way though, spending a week travelling beside the ocean will be wonderful enough!! 

On monday I was gripped by the need to finally make something of the canvas I have had sitting in the spare room for a few months. I went home and started with some of my favourite colours and some paintings I was inspired by, and ended up with this! Something tells me I'm more excited than I realized about travelling to the ocean!

Catch The Sun

My life as a Nikon owner (bought my D7000 yesterday!) started with an end:

I've been asked a few times why I chose Nikon over Canon. To me, the debate is so "Mac vs PC." The reasons I have for choosing Nikon over Canon are not as significant as the reasons that I chose to buy a new camera. My experience with Canon vs Nikon isn't fair to compare: a low end Canon vs. a mid-range Nikon. My Rebel was so not cutting it anymore, and I found myself more inclined to leave it at home than return with photos I wasn't happy with. My experience was too advanced for my tools! I was ready for a new camera and Nikon had what I was looking for. (if budget was no issue I'd buy a D4 and spend every waking minute snapping photos, but it kinda is an issue so I went for a mid-range camera body)

I'm not "pro" with thousands of dollars worth of gear and experience with all kinds of lenses and camera bodies! And even those guys say "its a matter of preference!" Yes, there are a few things that Nikon does better than Canon (and vice versa I'm sure), including off-camera flash co-ordination, which is something I love and have really enjoyed learning about. So when I save up some more, I'm excited to be able to dive in deeper. Thats the only concrete reason I have for choosing Nikon. 

Other than that...it kinda feels like I finally found the perfect pair of pants. It just fits!

Simple.

some people are really good at being succinct. I am not. But I will try, because really, its simple. 

Recently everything changed for me when I realized, like really UNDERSTOOD, that life is much much richer when you think about others rather than yourself. We're all much more selfish than we realize. The next time you feel unworthy, awkward, ugly, or like a failure, just STOP, and find someone to serve. Nothing makes you feel worse about yourself than dwelling on the fact that you feel bad about yourself. The truth is: you are NOT any of those things. You are incredibly valued and loved by your creator! The only way you will understand that in your heart, in the midst of feeling the complete opposite, is to start living like you're worth it so you can see the proof. Focus on others, and eventually you'll look back and see the sunrise.

...was that ok to say? 

June Insights Magazine: What's over the hill?

Another favourite! I feel so, well, happy when I think about this issue. I think its the colours. I somehow pulled of the "bright for summer" look I was going for in the June issue, even though the weather here didn't really participate. I shared some photos of my fun cover project back while I was working on it, because I just couldn't keep it in! Click HERE to see the full digital issue and read the articles. Or just get the cliff notes version below, with some of my favourite images.

Dresser Up!

I can't help trying to be witty with blog posts - I really cant. (key word "trying"). I was also reminded today that I can't help correcting people when they get dates and details wrong. I don't MEAN to be the verbal highlighter, but I just can't keep it in! I'm not even an editor. Or a writer.

What I AM, is really into trying new DIY and craft ideas. Over the past 4 months or so (?) Dwayne and I finally did something I've always wanted to do. Refinished a piece of furniture! We picked up this awesome dresser/hutch at MCC for a steal with big dreams of refinishing it and putting it in the kitchen under the window. It was just the right size and in good shape! Easy, right? welll...

I really regret not taking enough "before" pictures, because you really don't get the full glory of its natural state from the two instagram shots below:

It has 9 drawers and was a nice cherry red stain (ew!) with awesome farmhouse knocker knobs, which it turns out, are very hard to replace! They don't make knobs like they used to...with 2 holes 1.75 inches apart...

The trim pieces on the drawers were one of our favourite features of the dresser, but it turns out they make sanding a bit more difficult. So lesson number one was that sanding is HARD. And also, don't sand too hard because sometimes what looks like real wood is actually a veneer... (the top got worn down a bit too far in some places). We used a belt sander for some parts, a hand sander for others, and even did it by hand for the detailed pieces. Before starting I learned to always sand with the grain, and start with a heavier paper then finish with a finer one to smooth it down.

Once we had it all sanded down we picked out some stain! We went for promising sounding Ebony, in spite of how hard it was to see the samples at home depot, which they have nailed up high and out of reach. We just guessed at a brand, basically based on the colour choices. We picked up a top coat as well, and some rags and brushes.

The we got back to work! This was the funnest part, because it was EASY compared to sanding. Lesson number two was if you leave your furniture outside while staining, be sure to wipe off the collection of pollen and dust that collects before starting a new coat...(it all worked out lol).

On to lesson number three! um...the top coat says to sand in between layers, but that might actually take your stain off...so just go with one layer and write a blog post in a year about how it held up.

Lesson number four, which could have come earlier, is that knobs are actually quite hard to find. There are lots of options, but if you're dealing with two holes, you'll find that standard sizes these days aren't the same as they used to be. But, shopping online is definitely your best bet, and you may end up with an awesome knob that just barely works. Use Ship Happens, it will save you exactly 16 dollars in shipping.

Lesson number five? what is it? Refinishing projects are WORTH IT! we saved money, did something together, and have a one of a kind piece that fits exactly what we needed!

Lesson number six: anything you leave on the ground is considered fair game during kitten play time. (which is basically all the time)

Using my hands

I always use my hands. I've had nightmares about losing them, because I'd have to be one of those (amazing!) people who learns to paint with their toes, or draw with their mouth — I don't think I could keep it all inside me.

Projects like this make me especially thankful for my hands though, because I don't think I'd ever master using an exacto with my feet. Hard enough with fingers, thank you! This month brought about a new opportunity to try out a new technique and be a bit more tactile than my usual computer-based artwork. I've been so inspired lately by the paper work of Owen Gildersleeve that when I found myself stumped for a photoshoot, I decided to take one from his book and make my ideal location! kinda. I love how this combines THREE of my loves, photography, illustration, AND crafting! Creating a scene in 3D (reminds me of the shadow boxes of yesteryear) opens up a new dimension of storytelling! I don't think this will be my last work of paper. yay!

Here are some "production shots", stay tuned for the completed piece on the cover of the June 2012 Insights magazine! (don't forget, if you're in Canada you can sign up to get it for free! And if you used to get it but stopped...that's because you didn't call to renew, silly. So just sign up again, OK?)