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_

Making a Stop. Motion. Video. (a poem)

Making a Stop. Motion. Video, isn't as easy as it may seem.
Sure, you need minimal equipment,
But you need a lot of time
and commitment.

Making a Stop. Motion. Video, should require a team.
Sure, you need minimal equipment,
But you need a lot of arms
and patience.

Making a Stop. Motion. Video., means you need to focus.
Sure, you need minimal equipment
But you need no distractions
and quiet
and peace.

Making a Stop. Motion. Video, is no hocus pocus
Sure, you need minimal equipment,
But you need insight and direction
and progress.

Small, itty bitty progress,
One.   centimeter.   at.    a.    time.

Making a Stop. Motion. Video, is so much fun
Thankfully you need minimal equipment
And a few free evenings
and tea.

Making a Stop. Motion. Video, is best when it's done.
And you need no more equipment
Just a pair of two eyes
and a screen.

Making a Stop. Motion Video. I'll definately make another one.
With minimal equipment,
A camera, a ruler, two hands
and pegdolls.

Making a Stop. Motion. Video is what I'm going to do.
But say, what on earth, which story
Shall I do?

Pegdoll Records

Late February 2017, I was perched on my sofa, phone in hand while the children were asleep, softly in their beds. There, in the top right hand corner of my screen popped a notification.

"New Email - Pegdoll Records"

Huh, I thought. That seems mildly interesting. Mildly interesting, no, indeed, it was not. If this was on a scale of the cheeses, it would be placed under the category of "sharp cheddar" - a few bites and a stone's throw away from the "mild" category.

It took me a minute to thoroughly read the short but precise email. It took me a few minutes to re-read it, my eyes flickering back and forth and back and forth through the stark black letters on the piercing white background. I looked up, a dazed and quizzical look beheld my face. (I imagine. I couldn't actually see my face - for obvious reasons).

"Hubby!" I called, with sheer, childlike excitement.... "Guess what!"

The den was only a hop and a skip away, though when anyone is in the state of sheer excitement, a hop and a skip away feels more like a years of astronaut school and a trip to the moon sort of expanse, and so I hopped and skipped, a smile plastered on my face similar to that of a child whose parent just gave them not one - but two lollipops!

"Hubby!" I exclaimed, interfering with his headphones, taking one from the left ear and one out from the right, "Guess what!"

A company named Pegdoll Records wanted ME to create bespoke pegdolls for the artists signed to their label! And if it couldn't get any cooler - which it totally did - they were located in the UK!

I have to admit that after the high buzz of excitement, and when my inner childlike glee had settled, I became rather nervous. Certainly this could be quite the undertaking, and being a mother of two hooligans (whom I love dearly), I had to remind myself not to get caught up and forgo my maternal and wifely duties.

Upon further discussion with, whom I like to call, the only two people I know in the UK, I discovered that this would be a project of great possibilities. Possibilities that are more far-reaching than I ever had imagined. A new demographic, opening up to my creative side, new designs to explore, new pegdolls to create, just new, new, new!

It took over a month to iron out all the details and I finally got to work on the little pegdolls, and if you had been following me on Instagram, certainly I would have driven you up the wall, back down, across the room and through the roof crazy with all my sneaky mystery postings.

And finally, after many late nights of correspondence, painting, tea and sweets, it all came together.

Introducing:

Pegdolls of your favourite UK artists, including
EQUADOR
HIMALIA
TINY LEAVES and
BILLION ONE
Now available for purchase at www.pegdoll.com/merch

I am incredibly thankful for this opportunity presented and look forward to where this journey will lead. And hopefully, one day, I will be able to hop, skip and jump across the Atlantic and actually set foot in the UK, where oddly enough, my pegdolls have already set foot.

but then....

......stop. motion. video.........

_ steph _

Ocean Life Collection

My dearest friends can attest to the fact that I am a little too obsessed with Ocean life - as well as ships, anchors and anything else Nautical themed. Today, I forced myself to walk past a store in Fort Langley that was decorated to the nines of Nautical nicnacks and whale-embossed pillows.

One day my son will have his own room that I can decorate, and these paintings that are to follow will grace one of the walls in his own nautical-themed room :)

Prints will be available.

8x8 "Snappy Crab" - April 2017

16x11 "Whale" - April 2017

5x7 "Seahorse" - April 2017

8x10 "Just another Whale" - April 2017

The Beast

Even before all the hype of the 2017 version of Beauty and the Beast began, this is a project I have kept in the back of my mind since I began Peggies by Steph. It was only a matter of time until I took the plunge, though I hesitated for quite a while on account of the fact that it meant trying something new.

New activities don't normally scare me unless it has a chance of a royal mess up on my part, and this was one of those latter activities. I've had the clay in my drawer for years, using it here and there for small projects, but this week it called my name and I just couldn't ignore it.

I sat down with my daughter's book of Beauty and the Beast to my left, the clay and pegdoll in the center and a cup of fresh, strawberry + cream tea to my right (often mistaken for my paint water, and vice versa).

And so it began. I started the clay formation on the peg doll, and then scraped it all off and started over.... and over... and over... until FINALLY, after an hour of fussing with how on earth do I begin this head, I finally made some head-way (pun totally intended).

Belle, Before + After {Peggies by Steph 2017}

I haven't had any instruction in clay formation, but I am guessing that any artist with this medium generally has a full belt of tools at their disposal; I had a toothpick. And my right pinky.

It was a long journey of creation, destruction, frustration, delight and finally completion!

The head took 4 hours to complete from start, through multiple do-overs, to completion. His outfit took another hour, while painting belle at the same time.

Now, for Belle. Typically my peggies have very simple features, but the depth and character in the Beast certainly would not suit a pegdoll with a simple face, so Belle got a facelift. Two, actually. The first did not look bold enough, so that was scrapped and this second application followed. I hate painting eyes (hence the usual simplicity), though I am happy with how she looks now that she's placed with the Beast. They make a handsome couple.

I am really excited about how this turned out. It is always really exhilarating for me to try something new and different, and I had so much fun even despite the random bouts of frustration....


What next?

Beauty + The Beast {Peggies by Steph 2017}

Castle on a Hill

11x14" Watercolour "Castle on a Hill" - March 2017

My husband gifted me a beautiful new Winsor & Newton Watercolour palette for my birthday and I was totally itching to give them a try. They are remarkably fluid and brilliantly pigmented!

I saw a photo of this castle in Germany called "Neuschwanstein", and from the moment I saw it I wanted to give it a try - with a fairytale flair to suit my daughter's bedroom.

The original of this painting as well as prints will be available for purchase.