I think I posted last year about our front yard makeover, which was one of the most long-awaited and much-needed home improvement projects in our house. For 10 long years, our front yard had been an embarrassing wasteland (thanks to crappy landscaping from the original builder combined with the previous owner’s and our gardening incompetence), so to have it turned into a beautiful garden over night was incredible. Because it was designed with my skill level in mind, maintenance has been relatively pain-free; a question of occasional watering and regular weeding. As soon as the project had wrapped up last year, I knew we would need to do the same for the back yard.

The back yard was an even sadder story than the front. It had been even more neglected (and barren to begin with) over the years, especially after the crappy original deck had to be pulled down. We rarely spent any time out there. We had 3 good trees, and otherwise a whole lot of nothing. Or, to be more precise, weeds slowly taking over the poor quality grass that the builder had put in. Some time ago, my husband had built a shed, but its location was poorly thought out. All in all, a very sad state of affairs.

The deck rebuild ended up being delayed by about 18 months due to supply; we were sent deficient material and it took a long time (and threats of litigation) to wrangle replacements from the supplier. Additionally, because my husband was doing the work, it progressed slowly — between work and life in a pandemic, there just wasn’t a lot of time and energy to devote to it.

However, we did get lucky with our landscape company having an unexpected gap in their schedule earlier this year. We had the opportunity to have them come in and do their work on the yard ahead of the original plan, which gave us a headstart on the summer. Most of the work was completed by late June. The design was prepared by the owner based on our input and preferences: minimize the grass area, keep things simple to maintain, go for a classical vibe. At the last minute I decided to switch the focal point from a fountain to a statue. It was the right decision, but it did create some additional unforeseen complications. Who knew that larger sized statues are difficult to come by in Canada if you’re not looking to spend tens of thousands of dollars to import something from the US or UK? Well, not me. I also had a specific statue style in mind, which made things more difficult. Long story short, we ended up with a statue that isn’t as nice as I had hoped (that was before I had any sense of how much nice ones would cost) but is the right size and has the right vibe. Her face is a bit of Monet — to quote from the movie Clueless — but that’s okay because she fits in really well otherwise.

I absolutely love the tile work on the stone patio. It is such a standout feature and extends the “living space” well into the yard. I am looking forward to some en plein air dinner parties in the future.

There is still work remaining to be finished on the deck, and the fence needs to be painted, but otherwise our back yard is fully transformed. Sitting on the deck in the evenings, enjoying the warm weather and listening to the birds, has been one of my favourite contemplative exercises in recent months. We also got to make use of the space to host an outdoor birthday party for our son in July, and recently a clothing swap for me (more on that next week!). With everything going on, having this little oasis has been wonderful.

My lessons learned from this project reflect things I already kinda knew. It’s important to know one’s strengths and weaknesses; some things are better left to professionals. [My husband’s work on the deck is incredible. On the flip side, he has no talent for landscaping. Moving literal tons of earth is also much easier with a crew and heavy duty machinery.] Things will always take longer than expected. There will always be contingencies. It’s important to set reasonable expectations from the beginning (I failed with this on the statue front). Real life is nothing like HGTV. Sigh.

Stay tuned next week to see how the back yard was used for my clothing swap.

Teenage Rebellion

Last week was hard, and by Friday, I was not interested in any of it. Since I’m no longer a teenager, sulking in my room wasn’t an option, so I did the next best (available) thing and wore a “no f*cks given” outfit. I’ve been dying to take this BCBG harness belt for a spin ever since I hunted it down on Poshmark. Harness belt has been near the top of my “to buy” list since Timmy Chalamet walked the Oscars red carpet in that bejewelled version a few years ago; a desire that was reinforced when I saw this Alexander McQueen runway look:

All in all, I’m pretty happy with how this turned out, and it was a cool outfit to wear (just at home) on a crappy day.

Coordinating

You may remember that I bought this Marni skirt on ebay last year because it matched my much loved top that I thrifted years ago. It was a steal of a deal … until I got it and realized that it did not fit my hips at all. [Long story short: the listing only gave the waist measurement, which fit me, but not the hips and I forgot to ask. The skirt turned out to be a tube, basically, but without any stretch to it, and I am definitely a pear shape so no bueno.] Eventually, I asked a friend for a favour, and she helped me get the skirt tailored. A strip of black fabric was added on each side, which gave me the extra 4 inches or so of width that I needed; due to the pattern, the strips look almost intentional, so it works. I’m very happy to finally be able to wear the coordinating look.

Summer Floral

I am ready for fall, sartorially speaking. I miss my sweaters, my wool skirts, my coats, my boots. I miss layering. However, I’m also not ready to give up backyard patio season. Ah, the struggle is real. Meanwhile, I guess I better make the most of the remaining warm weather. This was a cute outfit – even my husband said so. Repeatedly. He rarely has comments to make on my outfits (unless he can tease me, which is like his Olympic sport), but he couldn’t stop remarking on this one. Maybe it was something in the water that day. Maybe he just really really likes short dresses 😉

Last month, I attended my first craft/art show and sale with a small group of local artists at a pop-up venue in downtown Edmonton. It was a low-key event, which felt like a safe environment both in relation to the pandemic and my general state of mind; everyone involved in the event and those who attended were friendly, kind, and supportive, which made the whole thing a fun experience. I was able to sell quite a few of my jewelry and embroidery pieces, and met some truly wonderful folks in the process — I am so honoured that they chose to take my art into their homes/lives. I remain constantly in doubt over the quality/worth of my work, but this experience did help me to see that there is something there which others may appreciate.

In general, however, the last couple of months have been very difficult for me which has impacted my creative output. I try to make space and time for art, in some measure, every day because it helps my mental health even at its lowest ebb. I have lots of ideas, and have been replenishing my supplies, but progress has been slow. That’s okay. I’m working on being easier on myself in all areas of life, including this.

Here are a few recent and not so recent pieces.

I am continuing to explore abstract patterns via embroidery:

I also completed an embroidery commission — a necklace bib for someone who loves irises and the colour purple:

For upcycled jewelry, I made a few new pieces — some for myself, some for sale. I was able to sort out my clay supply and build up a small inventory of good quality stones, but now I am struggling a bit with my supply of jewelry findings, as the thrift stores seemed to have dried up lately.

These last three pieces were all made from bits of this same Stella & Dot necklace:

I’ve been toying with the idea of organizing some kind of “stitch and bitch” club — having a small group of folks gather together (in my backyard or a similar outdoor venue) to work on craft projects, exchange ideas and tips, host “how to” sessions (taking turns to demonstrate our specialties to each other), and socialize a bit. It may be getting late in the season for outdoor gatherings, but I think it might be a fun thing to try to do as long as the weather permits. If this is something you’ve done before, I would love to hear your thoughts, tips and general ideas.