<![CDATA[HOME CARE AND CANINE COMPANIONSHIP IN THE COMOX VALLEY - Creative Home Blog]]>Sat, 18 Apr 2026 02:41:23 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Varnishing Owl]]>Tue, 27 Jan 2015 07:58:11 GMThttps://www.creativesimone.com/creative-home-blog/varnishing-owl
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This is the first version of some collages I'm working on. I have varnished them but am not liking how the paper reacted to the varnish so am experimenting with different papers. This is an 8x10 image on door skin. Was a lot of finicky work with glue and tweezers but fun!

]]><![CDATA[I'm becoming a yoga instructor! ]]>Thu, 30 Oct 2014 18:54:06 GMThttps://www.creativesimone.com/creative-home-blog/im-becoming-a-yoga-instructorI'm not sure when I had the idea that I could become a yoga teacher but I do remember it was only a matter of two or three days between beginning to research how to become an instructor and applying to a program that appealed to me. The morning after I applied I was accepted, and I was in my first class just 6 days later.
So far my understanding is that there are three levels of yoga trainers recognized in Canada. There are the teachers who have spent 40, 200, or 500 hours in approved studies (and often much more than that in other learning settings such as retreats). I decided to go for the 200 hour certification because I didn't think I could learn all I wanted to, enough to teach the way I'd like to teach, with anything less.
We have three text books as well as videos and of course live demonstrations and our own practice to learn from. It's a serious commitment before even before taking into account that 20 hours of classes are held over three days every two weeks, a 2.5 hour drive from my home.
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]]><![CDATA[Mini Mural]]>Fri, 24 Oct 2014 17:36:57 GMThttps://www.creativesimone.com/creative-home-blog/mini-mural
A significant portion of Cumberland's forest is due to be logged in 2016 and locals are doing as much as they can to raise funds to purchase the land so it can remain untouched. Their next fund-raising activity is an event on October 26 where mini murals painted by a variety of local artists (of all ages) will be auctioned off. A Forest Fairy will match every dollar raised so your charity dollars go a long way with this event. The murals pictured (each panel is 2'x4' on plywood) are the ones I completed for the cause. To see more murals and find out more about the cause please visit this website and like their facebook page.
]]><![CDATA[Felting Creatures]]>Thu, 16 Oct 2014 21:36:33 GMThttps://www.creativesimone.com/creative-home-blog/felting-creatures
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]]><![CDATA[October 15th, 2014]]>Wed, 15 Oct 2014 17:46:31 GMThttps://www.creativesimone.com/creative-home-blog/october-15th-2014
Today's experiment is with an enchilada recipe from this gorgeous new cookbook I found in The Blackberry Cove Marketplace in Ucluelet. Being a vegetarian of course I've been curious about vegan cooking for years but most of the recipes I came across either sounded boring (I leave the rabbit food for rabbits) or disgusting (TVP granules, Quorn, and soy cheese) or seemed to require a trip to Thailand and Africa to stock the pantry with just mushrooms that only grow on the north side of a lone tree on top of a mountain, noodles hand-made by monks, and rare spices hand-picked by trained monkeys. But this book seems full of simple recipes for practical meals that I'd actually eat and uses a lot of ingredients that I already use.
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PS I'm not going totally vegan. I'll still use some butter and milk because it tastes so darn good, I love the textures, and I know dairy farmers (and their happy cows) and processors.
]]><![CDATA[Quinoa Flour]]>Wed, 15 Oct 2014 16:54:55 GMThttps://www.creativesimone.com/creative-home-blog/quinoa-flourI found a bit of quinoa flour for 75% off so decided to give it a try. I happen to have some Greek yogurt and pumpkin puree in my freezer so I think one of my next experiments will be this recipe.
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]]><![CDATA[October 11th, 2014]]>Sat, 11 Oct 2014 21:20:53 GMThttps://www.creativesimone.com/creative-home-blog/october-11th-2014Ever wonder why logos are so basic and high contrast? Here's a great example. A group of people in the Coombs area are celebrating their western heritage and plan to bring rodeo back to the area. A daughter of one of the founding members drew an intricate grey-scale picture to use as the logo for the group. At first there was a bit of disappointment that I simplified the drawing while adding the words to turn it into a logo but they came to understand how the the more details there are in a drawing the more details are lost when it is scaled down. Since most logos need to be small enough to be used on smart phones, letter heads, and business cards, a simplified image is best. Scroll down to see the logo in two different sizes and compare details. You can find out more about the group's goals and fundraising events on their facebook page. 
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In a large scale it is easy to see quite a bit of detail.
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In a small scale we start to lose detail.
]]><![CDATA[Same shot with new colour profile. ]]>Fri, 29 Aug 2014 22:21:59 GMThttps://www.creativesimone.com/creative-home-blog/supermoon-2-new-colour-profileCompare this photo to the one below. See how much colour was being lost before? Now that I finally set this up properly let's see if I start posting more pics again ;)

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]]><![CDATA[July  Supermoon]]>Fri, 25 Jul 2014 03:52:17 GMThttps://www.creativesimone.com/creative-home-blog/july-supermoonI haven't uploaded in so long because I have yet to spend the time changing my colour profiles on my photos so for now just trust me that this web site dulls my pictures down. But at least you get to see them.
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]]><![CDATA[Picture Addiction]]>Sun, 05 Aug 2012 15:19:01 GMThttps://www.creativesimone.com/creative-home-blog/picture-addictionI've literally circled the globe three times but I just got back from two weeks in Sweden and can easily say it is now one of my favorite places on earth. I took over three thousand photos. Yes, three thousand! It will take me a while to whittle them down to about 500 to keep and about 100 to show but for now here are a few of the strangest shots which are always my favourites.
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