Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

For Dr. S. <3 span=""> The sweetest and funniest doctor out there. Even with all the awkwardness of the appointments while being pregnant and postpartum, by the end of the 10 minutes he always has me in non-literal stitches. He has been my monthly, biweekly and weekly companion through each of my pregnancies and finally got to be at the end zone with baby Nathan (something I hoped and prayed for this time around since he missed both of my other deliveries). I sincerely hope he never retires because I doubt I would ever find such a gem in the medical field ever again. He knows this. Also - no, you may not have his contact information... I'm not sharing. ;) In this picture are treasured keepsakes from all three of my babes. Chances are, if you have been seen in the Langley Maternity clinic at some point, you have been blessed with his caring hand as well. And if you have, you know exactly who I am talking about.  This painting was done with Winsor and Newton watercolours on Arches hot pressed paper. 

A Spacegirl, A Goblin and A Mighty Jack

I received an adorable request one afternoon from the my little four year old daughter that I could not refuse:

"Mommy," she spoke sweetly, "Mommy, can you make me a Zita the Spacegirl?"

"Why, yes! Yes, I can!"

Ben Hatke is undoubtedly our favourite author in our household. His stories and illustrations are completely out of this world. They surpass any book we have ever taken out of the library, so much so, that when they must be returned, it's not just my four year old daughter who is upset, but her parents as well.

With Ben Hatke's permission, Peggies by Steph is releasing a 

L I M I T E D   E D I T I O N 

of Hatke inspired pegdoll characters. 

Buy his book, request them from the library and get familiar with these characters. The will take over the world in popularity. They are THAT good.

 

Get to know Hatke : http://www.benhatke.com/

Breathe, just Breathe

Everyone has a story of their first kiss.

Some are cute and delightful. Others are slobbery and squid-like. Eugh.

I remember watching Ever After as a new teen, peering through the spaced between the fingers that were supposed to be closing my eyes, thinking - eugh, why do they kiss like that - that's so weird!

.... and then I grew up.

Ever After has always been a classic in my book. My friend K and I just rewatched it last night and OOO'd and Awwww'd all over again. And then the "breathe" scene came (you'll know what I am talking about if you've watched the movie) and BAM. We saw it. The dress Drew Barrymore, or Danielle de Barbarac wore in that scene is so incredibly intricate and beautiful, we literally couldn't contain ourselves.

This dress shall forever remain my favorite project, until I write that it's been upstaged - it'll take a dress of royal proportions to beat this one though!

I give thee "Breathe" - Ever After

The Swan Princess

My childhood was filled with muddy boots, messy hair and tree climbs. Occasionally, though, I got spoiled and was allowed to watch the crackly, static-y, bunny-eared Television!

On one particular day, when my parents were out gallivanting in the ol' stomping grounds of The Netherlands, our babysitter sat us (my siblings and I) down in front of the Tele' while she had work to attend to. We each got a package of skittles (that we did not have to share), and got to watch a full-length movie. That was epic.

I had the purple, berry package of skittles, and we watched:

 THE SWAN PRINCESS. 

We ended up watching that movie SO many times that summer that my sister and I could sing all the words off by heart! And since we shared a bunk bed, chances are we were singing them in our sleep too - duets are fun!

The one awesome part of being a parent, is being able to re-watch all the movies you grew up with and experience them all over again. My daughter isn't old enough to watch The Swan Princess, thanks to Rothbart, but I am just itching for that day! For now, we just listen to the soundtrack on Spotify, and play with Swan Princess Pegdolls:

Also, fun fact : My little childhood crush in Grade One was also named Derrick. 

The Pegphantom of the Pegopera

Well, I have successfully completed my bucketlist. Sure, there were only two items on it (I may need to work on that), but completed - it is.

Back in March of this year, my BFF, K, announced that Phantom of the Opera was coming to Vancouver! K & I have gone to lots of shows together, and it had always been on our mind that if POTO ever came to the city, we would go.

So, July of this year, we, and our friend C sat excitedly inside the Queen Elizabeth Theater, filling our eyes with the most mesmerizing show we have seen yet!

The set, the actors, the singing! AH. I just can't even write a blog post to capture just how amazingly amazing it was.

So. In light of all the excitement, I give you... .The Pegphantom of the Pegopera.

These will be available on ETSY. Just click the "SHOP" button at the top of the page.

Fisgard Lighthouse, Fort Rodd Hill - Victoria BC

Every person has a dream; a bucket list.

Mine? #2 on my list was to see a lighthouse up close and personal. To wind myself up the spiral stairs and look abroad for approaching ships.

Finally. July 2017, at 26 years old, my dream became a reality.

This painting is inspired by my fulfilled dream. Fisgard Lighthouse, Fort Rodd Hill - Victoria, BC, Canada.

Not only did this particular trip give me the most picturesque lighthouse I have ever seen, but it was who I shared the trip with.

And apart from the fact that the spiral stairs were locked away from me, this trip was epic. The lighthouse was epic, and I have one thing crossed off my bucket list.

"Tiny Leaves"

Sometimes, while I am browsing the ol' interwebs, I come across what can only be described as a lightbulb. 

Yes, a liiiiiightbuuuuuulb, and yes, that was said in the tone of Gru from Despicable Me.

Let's continue. 

A lightbulb - A photo or shot of video that captures my inner artistic desires and quite literally makes me say outloud :

"liiiiiightbuuuuulbbbb" (still in the tone of Gru).  

If the effects of a lightbulb moment lasts over a few night's sleep, I will pack up the two creatures of fun in the morning, buckle them in the car, make a quick stop in Opus to purchase a canvas, race home, get through the rest of the day on an anticipation high, put the children to bed and PAINT!

This week, it was of an artist named "Tiny Leaves". I came across a beautiful photo done by the talented photographer Suzanne Nolan, who kindly granted me the permission to do an acrylic rendition of the photograph.

This is by far my largest painting yet, stretching over a canvas of 24" x 48". It was an incredible challenge and was painted to the tune of Tiny Leave's entire collection on Spotify. If you have not heard his music before, I greatly encourage you to sit back, grab a cup of tea and relax. My current favourite tracks include You'll Be Okay, Dust and Shed Abroad.

Look out, Josh Groban, I may have a new background musician whilst painting, and his name is

T I N Y    L E A V E S. 

"Tiny Leaves" - Acrylic on Stretched Canvas - 24"x48"

and in case you were wondering what this painting would look like on top of your couch, here is a rendition :

_steph_