Probably pancakes, but who knows at this point?

I am trying to remember what the H I was making when I made this mess here.

Pancakes maybe?

I DO like that I have left a freshly tumbled bangle AND the tumbler in amongst the FOOD items as well as literally piled everything on top of my clean dishes in the corner.

Foodsafe would be having a heart attack.

Well, maybe not a heart attack.  Let's be serious.  Other than the steel shot filled tumbler mixed with a chemical compound to clean metal this is all food grade.

:)

Janalopes!!

 I am so in love with this Janalope stamp. 

I stamped WAAY more than I needed to, since I only made a litter of 4 creatures this past run.
But let me tell you how satisfying it is to press that stamp onto the cards and pull it away to see THIS!

 

It's really satisfying is what I will tell you.

In honor of the season I made a litter of cats and rabbits and one cat in a rabbit suit.

All modeled after Sonny's original Stanley Cat.

This is Stanley cat in a Rabbit Suit.

  

Obviously.

And this is Stanley Cat in Chesterfield Mint.

(I KNOW!  I couldn't help myself.  Literally when I stuffed him up I was all" Seriously Chesterfield Mint??  Where have you been all my life??)

They all have lower back tattoos, because they are rebellious like that.
Plus COME ON how cute is that?

And they are all at Hip Baby on Johnson Street now if you need to meet them in person.
(there is also a stripey blue Stanley Cat and Rupert Rabbit chilling over there as well.)

You Are My Wild

Have you seen this project??  It's 14 photographers who have documented how they see their children weekly.

So Lovely!

Check out the site here

Toddler Tuesdays :: Baby books make me cry

I am not even joking.

We were given a copy of "I Love You Forever" when Sonny was born and I CAN NOT make it through even half way before turning into a blubbering mess.  WEEPING MESS.

Half way is generous actually.

The last few nights we've started a new bedtime thing where Sonny and I will sit in a big pile of pillows and sheepskins that I set up in front of his bookshelf as a cozy reading area.

I should say that I have set it up as a cozy reading area and that HE is more interested in throwing the books all over and then throwing his animals all over the pillows Fight to the Death style.

I'm working on the cozy nook part.

BUT LAST NIGHT!  We were laying in our cozy pile reading books and I asked him to pick out one last one and OF COURSE he grabs this one.
"Berk n Force Mama.  Berk N Force"

I'm all Whaat??  OH!  BACK AND FORTH... as in "she rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth..."  SOB SOB SOB!


I made it until the boy is a teenager before the waterworks started.
Sonny actually looked over at me like "what is GOING ON with you tonight??"

It was amazing.

getting ready for the week ahead!

I'm sitting here in front of my computer, looking at my list of "Things To Blog" and I am totally impressed that NONE of the prep work for ANY of them was completed this week!

Literally none of it. 

And to be totally fair I have actually had to take some time out of the studio this week due to an awesome detox reaction that has FOR REAL made my right hand a mess of blisters.

EWWW gross!

Yeah don't I know it.

It's finally starting to heal up to the point where I can kind of do stuff, like laundry, dinner and general day to day things.  But I worked on a pair of Mini Barnacle earrings (I would totally show pictures IF I ONLY COULD!) for a friend's birthday this week and it was all I could do to finish them.

It's so weird!

But.  It could be worse, and they are mending so I am just doing my best as we go.

So I am going to sign off here, and go take some pictures with my NEW IPHONE
(honestly, I don't know why I held out for so long) of some stamps that I carved up for a workshop that I did a few weeks back and I'll even take a picture of MYSELF (whaaat!) wearing a sample for another workshop THAT YOU CAN TOTALLY SIGN UP FOR coming up in a couple weeks.

We're stamping scarves!  You get to keep it!  Seriously, go check out Poppet's spring line up of workshops RIGHT NOW!

Oh How Pinteresting! :: Spring Rides

I am SO into riding my bike with Sonny.
I say that like we've EVER been out together on a bike.  Because we HAVE NOT.

But.  We.  Will.

I don't actually in reality have a bike right now.  Le Beasty-clette had to be mercifully put out to pasture last summer after languishing in the open car port the WHOLE time I was pregnant.

If you read this blog on the regular, you will be able to count on your fingers that Sonny is 2 soon.

???!!!

Anyway, poor old weird Beasty-clette is no more and I am on the look out for an adult trike.
Yeah that's right.  I still want one.

And I am going to put a kid seat on the front so Sonny and I can take our morning adventures to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL of AWESOME.

Like these fine examples of family riding found via Pinterest.

OH HOW PINTERESTING!

 

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One day little buddy.

(I am trying to decide if I should ask for a trike for my birthday...it's not until the end of the summer, but then we could ride next year for sure!)

Toddler Tuesdays :: First time on the Ferry

We took a family trip off the island for the first time.

That might be all the news I can share here.  It was a Big Deal!
We don't get the chance to do trips away very often around here, with school and work schedules being as hectic as they are.  But we planned ahead for Geoff's reading break to take a night away.

AN OVERNIGHT TRIP WITH TODDLER.

Not so bad actually.  I was anticipating it being Much Worse, but other than two days without napping, in which he became somehow more intensely himself... does that make sense?
(He's usually pretty gregarious and friendly, and he just got louder and friendlier.)  It was easy peasy!

It was great.  We got to see some friends who we haven't seen in two years and we also got to visit with our old Vancouver Landlady and take a peek through the old apartment!  So fun!

Plus there is this funny little set up on the Ferries now with a climbing boat and a big TV in the corner.  Sonny got hooked on Thomas the Tank Engine for a while.

xo

Custom Bangles

I couple of weeks ago I made up these silver bangles as custom orders.
A very sweet Family Bangle with three loved names...
A custom Flock of Birds bangle...
And the first sample Ouroboros ring, which I shared last week.

xo

Floating Gold's Fantastic Cowl

I feel like this could be a super hero name.

Or at least the name of their super powered utility cape.

And frankly, this cowl kind of manages to do that in reality.
I am not even joking when I tell you that you can wear this cowl, which is seemingly JUST A TUBE-ISH SKIRT weirdo thing when you look at it on the hanger.  But it's SO MUCH MORE!

"What do I do with it??" is what we hear at markets a lot.

And then the ever lovely Angie and I go into our routine.
"Let me show you!" I'll say, and then proceed to wear it 7 DIFFERENT WAYS.

(This is Nora.  She's absolutely lovely)

I'm only sharing three today, because I think that you should go over to Floating Gold's blog post to check it out... here

And let me just say that I have this cream one AND the blue one and they are so soft and cozy and VERSATILE. 
(I'm actually wearing my cream one right now. RIGHT NOW!!)

Oh How Pinteresting!

My lovely friend Sarah was telling me about how her husband likes to tease her about pinterest.
Geoff does too, but I can't blame him because nearly ALL of my free time is spent oogling over there.

This is not a lot, but here's an example of what I mean... So, Sonny has just gone down to sleep, there is a PILE of dishes/laundry/inventory/whatever-more-important-thing-I-should-be-doing piling up on a counter somewhere but I literally flop into the computer chair and stare blissfully at some beautiful things on pinterest for a half hour or so.  Every Day.

It's not ME TIME so much as it is a few quiet moments to myself to let my brain shut off after a long day.

And I have been thinking about Features here on ye ol' blog and Sarah's "oh how PINTERESTING!" popped into my head.

So I am thinking that I will make this a regular feature, I'll share some of the beautiful images that I am pinning, (be warned, it's a lot of haircuts) and that will be that.

What do you think?

You could pop onto pinterest yourself and check out what I'm pinning too, I'm over there as Jana May!
Janamade


So without further Ado

Oh, How Pinteresting!

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Honestly I did not intend to do a hair post!  But I have been staring at these pictures a lot lately because I'm getting my hair cut tonight and I am thinking of reintroducing the Asymetrical Shorty Bangs!

I have realized that while I love the look of the all one length on others, I really need to respect my lifestyle and it currently does not include a daily hair dryer.

Seriously.

So.  Going to get my face cut out of my hair and embrace curls again!

YES!!

How gorgeous is Alison Sudol by the way??

Battle of The Broccoli Stalk

It all began simply enough, as these things often do.

We were having Noodles and Broccoli for lunch.  (I am not really sure why I am capitalizing it but whatever.  Go with me)  Nice spiral noodles, cooked in chicken broth YEAH I KNOW! with some really lovely organic brocolini... all mixed together with some garlic, butter, and a little nutritional yeast for a little extra "cheesiness."  (Sonny and I can't have dairy you see)  Oh, and hemp hearts.

DELICIOUS.

Well.  SOMEONE, ahem Sonny, happily eats all the noodles... carefully extracting anything green from each one before eating it.  Adorable.

Then the demands for more noodles begin.

"eat your broccoli please"
no    noodles.

"Eat some broccoli and we'll talk about it"

mmmmmno.

"That's fine, but you aren't going to eat anything else until you eat some broccoli"

Now ensues the perfect strategy, consisting of alternating whines, pleads, crying and the brightest eyes you've ever seen while he switches gears in a second and coyly throws some
"Hi Mama"s at me.

It's AMAZING.

He actually flirts with me under his lashes, big bright eyes smiling, trying to CATCH ME UNAWARES before super sweetly asking for more noodles!

45 minutes we did this.

Forty Five Minutes. (do you know what I could get DONE AROUND HERE IN 45 minutes??  A LOT that's what.)

I am in no way underestimating his stubborness.  Because it is NOTHING compared to mine.

NOTHING!

I calmly sat in my chair at the table with him, trying desperately to maintain a poker face while he cajoled, pleaded, flirted and demanded noodles.  At one point he broke into song.

All of the broccoli was dropped, quite pointedly I might add, onto the floor.  All the while maintaining eye contact with me.

That's fine kid.

You are going to get all that cold broccoli for dinner.

Toddler Tuesdays :: BEACH!

I feel like these pictures speak for themselves.
xo

Barnacles Giveaway!

That's right all you lovely folks out there!  You read that correctly.
I am hosting a giveaway over on my facebook page!

I am looking to increase my "like"s over there and when it reaches 250 I am giving away a pair of Copper Barnacle Earrings! 

These are the original Copper Barnacle earrings.... they are about 1" across and hag from sterling silver posts.

entirely made by hand by me!

Please pop over there and like Janamade Jewellery & Design on Facebook and you are automatically entered to win!

Winner will be chosen at random once we reach 250.

Tell your friends! Tell your neighbors!
(you don't have to actually, you can just like it your own sweet self!)

Thank you so much!
xox

Beautiful Paper Planners

I am completely dependent on my calendar.  I write everything down in it and even then I still manage to miss things and forget things.  I spent $35 on a moleskine for this year (WHY MOLESKINE?? Why so much?     I still bought the bloody thing.    Anyway)

I just discovered THESE via Lady I Swear by All the Flowers and I am trying SO HARD to not order a new one because OH!  These are SO NICE!

 I would pick one of these two covers I think.

Oh they are so good.  And I will DEFINITELY order one for next year.

All images from Julia Kostreva

Anemone Earrings

I started this series before Christmas but didn't get a chance to take any pictures before the Season took over and I sold them all!

Sterling Silver, Copper and 14k Yellow gold in each one.
Available in both Shops!
$98

Toddler Tuesdays :: FISH!

Here on the island we have a little Aquarium that is home to a variety of molluscs, shellfish and fish.
Our Boy Sonny is a big fan of animals and so getting him out there to check it out was a no brainer.

They have a Toddler activity hour, that we missed by 15 minutes naturally, every Tuesday.  I was sold on the annual pass however so we'll go back again soon!

He was so sweet this trip, there was a little girl we met who is exactly one month younger than him and he made sure that once they and officially met that he held her hand and showed her around!

(picture him reaching for her hands, over and over saying "HANDS!" and dragging her around.  She finally had to put a stop to it and politely push him away... but we were chatting with her Mom and they have grandparents in our neighborhood so hopefully we'll run into them again at the park nearby)

I buy these for me

Mom Confession Time.

I would pick up one of these animals for Sonny Every Time I went out.

But we are trying to maintain an existence of simplicity around here and if I DID, then we would be OVER RUN with animals.

(as it is I sneak a couple into the house here and there anyway)

Check out the collection here

My own Ouroboros

I was struck with inspiration a little while ago for this Sly little Lady.
 

I had ordered a little extra silver for a couple of commission bracelets that I just finished, and while I was working on them, I was quietly thinking about her.

I have been meaning to get back into casting, but I would really like to work with someone local, and I haven't heard back from any of the contacts that I had yet, so I decided to try fabricating her by hand.

Which is kind of crazy.  Especially if I am going to put her into production.

But it was SO FUN to figure it out and to build her from flat stock.

She is sterling silver with 14k yellow gold eyes.

I hand stamped all of her scales (part of the I-might-be-crazy process)
She even has a bottom jaw to bite her own tail with.

What I came to realize about this design is that no two will be the same.  By fabricating her by hand, each scale will be different, each face will have it's own character, each little snake with be her own self.

Which I think is pretty sweet.  And you would get to carry her with you on your adventures.

"The Ouroboros often represents self reflexivity or cyclicality, especially in the sense of something constantly re-creating itself, the eternal return, and other things perceived as cycles that begin anew as soon as they end (compare with phoenix). It can also represent the idea of primordial unity related to something existing in or persisting from the beginning with such force or qualities it cannot be extinguished."  wikipedia