• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

BirdBrain Designs

  • Home
  • contact
  • online store
  • Instagram
  • Leather Gallery
  • hooked rugs gallery

Archives for August 2016

Lake Wes lighthouse

August 30, 2016 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

Lake W lighthouse aug 2016

Here is a sketch done this week of the lighthouse on our lake in Eastern Ontario. The lighthouse was constructed in the 1930’s and has been a reliable guide around the point for many years. Apparently, it was originally designed  to generate electricity, not as a navigational aid.  And the rumour persists that both Henry Ford and Thomas Edison stayed at the lighthouse cottage.

Whatever the stories about its past, the lighthouse still stands proudly, a unique marker at the entrance to the main part of the lake. It embodies the lake history and traditions and no matter how many times we pass, and that is often because the lake is 80% water-access even today, gives a sense of stability and well-being.

As for the sketch, I am experimenting with a Japanese brush pen which uses carbon ink cartridges. I’m liking it for the very darks, but in small doses.

Filed Under: cottage, sketching

3 more 121 day bags

August 29, 2016 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

The 121 is a new design which you saw first here. We’ve been road-testing the first two and they have proved themselves great day bags. They are big enough for wallet, phone, notebook and other essentials and yet light enough to sling over your shoulder for a day out. I am finally back in the studio for a few days and here are three more in scrumptious colours. Each of these bags is made from a leather remnant, so each is truly one-of-a-kind. Mocha, denim and emerald.

Each bag is 9.5″ wide, 8″ tall and 1.5″ deep. They have a flap lined in contrasting leather which snaps shut with a magnetic closure and a narrow black leather cross-body strap which can be knotted to shorten. Inside each has a great lining–you can just see the fuchsia dot fabric peaking out of the denim leather bag in the last photo–with a pocket for phone or credit cards.

I’m making these bags and a few others for a show in November, but if you’ve fallen in love with one, just contact me. 🙂

G121 3

G121 3a

G121 3b

G121 denim

Filed Under: bags and purses

sketching the iconic lighthouse

August 21, 2016 by Birdbrain 1 Comment

We’re home from our week in Portland but I still have a couple of sketches to share. We spent last Thursday morning at the Portland Head Lighthouse. It is situated in a beautiful park with lots of walking trails and an excellent small museum. It was glorious weather and I had a chance to sketch the lighthouse from both sides. There were other sketchers there as well. This is a much loved and much sketched landmark and it was a pleasure to take part in a long tradition.portland head ighthouse 1

porltand head lighthouse2

Filed Under: Uncategorized

a trip away

August 18, 2016 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

We have been travelling this week, to a favourite city and a new one. On the way we stopped in a book store for maps and I happened on How to Sketch People by Matt Pagett for such a sale price that I could not resist. And it is a perfect find to begin a trip where I hoped to push myself to sketch more. On the first pages he states his view of sketching: A sketch, as opposed to a drawing, its close cousin, can be characterized by a rapid yet considered execution, an instinctive response to a subject, a certain roughness, life caught on the fly.  And on the next page: …the moment I stop to look and think about what I see, it always comes with a mixture of surprise and relief. All the inner brain workings now relate to the outer world, and within that newly created space is some kind of harmony. It seemed a kind of permission and encouragement for my rough and wonky sketches. An invitation to harmony.

Se here they are. The first a 5 pm sketch in Montpelier VT after a long day of driving. The sun was still lovely on the Unitarian Church. Monteplier has so many wonderful buildings. I hope to catch more on the way home.montpelier

These photos are taken with my phone, so not the best. From Montpelier we made our way to Portland. I fell in love with the Custom House in the old port. Its stately towers can be seen from the water and from much of the city. The view from the front…

custom house 1

The back…

custom house back

And a quick sketch from a bench on the street while practising capturing people walking by…custom house sketch

And a double page sketch of the wharf behind the fish store and a couple of sketches made while eating a lobster roll. The lobster disappeared too quickly to sketch!

double page

Filed Under: Uncategorized

new marimekko tote

August 13, 2016 by Birdbrain 2 Comments

Here is a new coated cotton tote in the Raanu pattern–a series of bright stripes in red, yellow, green and black. This is one of my favourite Markmekko prints because it looks great in all four seasons and, of course, the coated cotton wipes clean with a damp cloth.

This tote has a black leather base and wide leather carry handles with a 12 inch drop. It closes with a durable metal zipper with a leather pull tab. Inside it is lined in dark denim with an orange waxed canvas double zippered pocket and a large canvas pocket with birdbrain graphics. The tote measures 17″ wide, 14″ tall and the base is 5″ deep. This is a great bag to carry all you need for work or for the weekend.marim 2

marim 1

marim int

Filed Under: Uncategorized

hooked on lake views

August 11, 2016 by Birdbrain 4 Comments

Here are a few small mats I’ve been working on inspired by my summer on our lake. The terrain is rugged with rocks in beautiful colours–it is the Pre-Cambrian shield after all– and tenacious pines bending out over the water. These pieces combine wool strips left over from other projects, as well as  yarn and fleece.  It’s a great joy to sit on the verandah, listen to the water lapping, the loons calling and hook the views around me.
2 pines

lake scenes

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Crows’ Choice finished

August 4, 2016 by Birdbrain 8 Comments

I took a great rug hooking course this month in borders with Wendie Scott Davies. (Read here to see one of the things that happened at rug school and you will get an idea about how much fun we had.) At any rate, we were to bring the centre of a rug to class and spend the week designing and hooking a border. I started with this and over the last month have finished what I am now calling Crows’ Choice. It’s interesting how a rug develops. We had some discussion about whether this tree and branches are actually a border–I think they are, but just to fulfill obligations, I put a single line around the outside to create a ‘real true’ border.

The crows represent the two voices in my head: the one on the left critical and cautious, the one of the right full of ideas and ready to take a chance. They have an ongoing battle while I work my way through any creative project. The tree? Well trees represent many things, I’ll leave that to you. And the leaves are the ideas and creative projects, 13 of them, my key number.

I really enjoyed working through this process of hooking what is in my head. And whether that trunk and those branches make a border, I’ll leave that up to you as well. Finished hooked piece is 30″ x 17″ and once it cools down, (the weather, not the rug) I’ll dye some yarn in the same yellow for whipping.

crows' choice

Filed Under: Hooking

Primary Sidebar

Available in Store


melon pouch 1

Archives

  • October 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • January 2020
  • August 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework