Most items on my wishlist lately are articles of kids’ clothing. Adrienne’s a lot of fun to buy for! I won’t add those here, but I will mention a few things that I would like purchase or have recently purchased in April. Something that I’ve been looking forward to is a special issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors on art studios and spaces. I love seeing how other people have organized their creative spaces and am getting ideas on how I can better arrange my stuff. I finally found a copy yesterday and have been pouring over each page even since. It’s inspiring me to show more of my craft space, so stay tuned for that. I might get the chance to even make a video of it tomorrow, if everything goes according to plan.

Speaking of magazines, I really would love to get my hands on the first issue of Stampington’s Art Journaling magazine. They have long since sold out and are working on the next issue. The new one is coming out in September, so watch for that in an upcoming wishlist entry! My loving mother bought me the issue of their Artful Blogging magazine that features Dina Wakley. I love her work and didn’t want to miss it. So, it’s waiting for me in Canada. I love my mom!

Another item that I’ve been wanting is a large scalloped circle punch. They never seem to be the right size whenever I see them in the store. Now that I think I’ve found the right size, it’s just a matter of ordering it.

I’m also excited to see Kelly Rae Roberts’ new website. I wouldn’t mind her book “Taking Flight” either, but now I’m just getting greedy!

After selling some craft and baby things, I’ve been using the extra cash to purchase some of the items that have been on my wishlist for quite some time. I have signed up for 3 more courses and have finally purchased a few yards of Amy Butler fabric. Take a look, it’s gorgeous! It’s going to make the sweetest toddler dresses! To see more of my daughter’s future wardrobe, check out the most recent entry on her blog.

Now, I’m looking around to see what else I can sell so I can keep buying the rest of the stuff on my wishlist!

Another obsession of mine is crows. There’s something about them that I just love to watch, whether they are on the ground, in a tree, or in flight. The picture below shows when my love for them began. We were visiting London, circa 1983, when we happened upon this crow in a park. I’m so happy that my mother caught this moment on film. I was so proud of myself for getting so close to him. He didn’t flinch as I got closer. He was watching me, waiting for me to feed him, I’m sure. I thought if he wasn’t scared, I wasn’t going to be scared either. And so it began…

One of my favourite poems to teach in my English classes is “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe. It has everything a poem should: lost love, an unstable main character, and a misunderstood element that makes everything else fall apart. I love watching my students figure out that the narrator is falling deeper and deeper into insanity solely based on his own fear. Plus, it’s nicely written too. The word “nevermore” is key, which is why I used it in my most recent art journal page. It says everything, by leaving it open for interpretation.

My love for all things crow can’t be shown all at once, since there are too many more future posts and journal pages to fill. So, I will leave my favourite movie (The Crow), our mutual love for all things shiny, and my crow superstitions for another time.