Making my way back...

Slowly getting back into the groove of blogging - regular blogging, that is. It seems when I was writing every day, there would be countless things I'd find to blog about, and now I'm always looking for a topic. Habit, I guess.

Earlier in the summer I was interviewed by a fellow Montrealer and blogger, Pamela of "oh, little bird!" for Toronto Craft Alert, which is a great blog on all things and events crafty in the Toronto and nearby areas. She asked some great questions, so I was pretty rambly in my responses. Anyway, to read the interview, have a little peek here.

A theme that has run through my blog has been my mom and the hard time I had losing her in June 2006. Wow, it's been two years now and everything around that three months of her being in hospital is still fresh in my mind. I've gained a little more perspective though, with the amazing life she lived for 79 years and 7 months leading up to her stroke far outweighing the 3 months of hardship. Although I still get weepy (I don't think I'll ever shake that) and I haven't been able to take apart a couple of the photo collages my sibs and I put together for her funeral, I'm more often able to smile and laugh at the happy memories. One of the things we loved so much about her was her kookiness and how easily she laughed.

Here she is at her 75th birthday, complete with Silly String, which she thought was a hoot. She would have been 82 today. Happy Birthday Mom (^_^)

My tail between my legs...

Hullo.

It's me, yes, it's me!

Thank-you all for letting me know I've been missed! You know how you leave something for sooo long, it's overwhelming to go back to it, and it seems too far gone to make it right again, anyway? I guess that's how I can best describe the shabby treatment of my blog and blog readers. I will no longer make any promises about writing every day or even every week, but will do my best not to let 3 months go by without a peep of news!

I'll just get right to it. The summer has been great, although we've not had ideal summer weather here in Montreal. Lots of rain, and cooler than average, which is fine for me who wilts and gets cranky in the humid heat.

Arashi Daiko, the Japanese drumming group I'm a member of, along with my hubby, JF (you remember him), has done over 20 shows since I last wrote in May; it's been a busy, taiko-filled summer. We're looking forward to settling down to our regular hard training this fall in preparation for the group's 25th anniversary concert next March. The television show that we were featured in aired in July, and it was pretty good. Strange to see us on tv, but fun!

Part of the televised "live" concert filmed at the end of May. That's me on the far right, arms in the air, with the demented, googly eyes... (click on it, you'll see what I mean)

Craft-wise, the summer has been busy, productive, and very good sales-wise, yaaaaay!

CraftMafiaMontreal's Fringe Bazaar back in June went pretty well, and although there weren't a ton of people, sales were good. I did Vancouver's Powell Street Festival at the beginning of August, which was just as fabulous as it was last year! Sooo many people, sales were great, and the food was delish! What made it even better this year was my sister, Nancy, from Edmonton who met me in Vancouver with her handmade baby slippers, bags and pearl jewellery, and who was my neighbouring seller at the festival - we had so much fun! We visited our brother there (he's already planning for our visit next year) and then went to visit another brother on Vancouver Island. All in all a wonderful trip.

Part of my display at the festival

Wee little hounds in their yukata and happi - too cute!

Fresh, heavenly yaki-manju... waited until the last few hours of the festival to get my mitts on this!

Last week-end was Matsuri Japon, a Japanese festival in the Old Port of Montreal, where I was also selling. The weather was perfect (one of the only good weekends all summer) and the turnout was great. Also great for me sales-wise. Online sales this summer were painfully slow (non-existant), so these good shows helped a lot!

Other exciting news - my things are going to be in a brand new shop, Artistri, opening in a couple of weeks. Can't wait to see what it looks like! I'll keep you up to date on that - I swear!

I think I'll stop there, since I don't to freak anyone out... or bore you with too much stuff. Fall is looking to be busy too, so I'll have lots to write about - back again soon!