Jazzy Dyesigns by Jared -SILK!!!

So what happens when you let a 9 year old loose with some tussah silk, easter egg dye and a crock pot? If its Jared you come out with a work of art!! The picture cannot do this fiber justice -it is amazing~~~as are all his works -but this one might just stay here with me :)

Baby "Goober"

Java has to be one of the most gentle dogs I have ever met -look what she dropped in my lap this morning -we were out in the garden sitting when she plopped this into my lap Besides being covered in dog drool he is completely unharmed -can't fly though poor little thing is too young -I figure he fell out of the big tree in the neighbours yard. He sure likes worms out of the garden though He seemed completely unfazed that this thirty pound thing had scooped him up into her mouth.
Java was so proud of herself -they say labs have very gentle mouths and I can well believe it after this!
Who decided I was the new mama :)

Poor Java the oppressed!

Poor girl -Java went in to get spayed yesterday and to have her dew claws removed -one ingrows and gets infected so we opted to have both removed to help her stay healthy. She is NOT impressed with the love and care she is being shown. Can't blame the poor thing, sore, bandages that itch and this horrible collar thing to have to wear to boot! Going to be a looooonnnngggg week!

CDAA Booth pic

Here's the setup we had at the Canadian Doll Artist Association last friday/Saturday. My friend Wendy helped me hold down the fort but refuses to have her picture taken! The dolls there were incredible!

Busy Fiber Happenings :)

Well its been a busy two weeks first the Port Hope Fiber Gathering and this week the Canadian Doll Artist Association show and sale. Who knew fiber had so many beautiufl uses. Spinning, weaving and dyeing are just the tip of the iceburg. Felting both wet and needle, fusion with silk, free form creations of awesome proportions -it was so neat to see and touch it all. I also got to meet at long last Leslie Samson the lady who co-wrote Completely Angora!!! And got her seal of approval on my new German doe "Perfect" who I got from Julianna McMullan this spring. Can anything be better -well maybe the thought of getting a BLACK German from the new import lines this fall
Photos will be posted as soon as I get around to it - had a wonderful mothers day yesterday complete with breakfast in bed (burnt toast a la Jared and juice by Lindsay), lovely flowers a dozen roses in salmon and a dozen bright red tulips and new shoes -can we say completely spoiled :)
Off to re-pack teh fiber bins and do inventory now -hopping off!

A memorial of a well lived life

My son Jared (who I'm sure has been around the great wheel of life several times) is a wise and beautiful little soul. When we were talking about how we wanted to remember Scamper Jared decided we would plant a tree. A fruit tree that would bear flowers and fruit and carry on long after we're all gone. He explained to me that we needed to write wishes and memories and attach them to the tree so they could float up to heaven to her and people here would know this is Scamper's special tree. He told me "life goes on mommy and so does a tree just like our souls which go on forever. Scamper is always here with us. Her tree is part of the earth and the sky just like she is." Can you see now sometimes why I feel overwhelmed and completely incapable of being his mother.

Something actually fiber related!

I know I know shocking isn't -she actually DOES something will all the fiber she's amassed here. Today's project was finishing off a silk fusioned silk cap formed over a bowl. When dried it was embelished with handspun angora-border collie yarn for the brim with a jaunty little floral embellishement made from needle-felting and then embroidered onto the hat. Its my entry for this years St Distaff competition here -the theme this year is "St Distaff in Fashion."
I'll post a picture of my model in residence "Lindsay" later on!

Scamper July 31, 1991 - April 21, 2007

IF IT SHOULD BE

IF IT SHOULD BE THAT I GROW WEAK

AND PAIN SHOULD KEEP ME FROM MY SLEEP,

THEN YOU MUST DO WHAT MUST BE DONE

FOR THIS LAST BATTLE CANNOT BE WON.

YOU WILL BE SAD I UNDERSTAND,

DON’T LET GRIEF THEN STAY YOUR HAND.

FOR THIS DAY MORE THAN ALL THE REST,

YOUR LOVE FOR ME MUST STAND THE TEST.

WE’VE HAD SO MANY HAPPY YEARS,

WHAT IS TO COME CAN HOLD NO FEARS,

YOU’D NOT WANT ME TO SUFFER SO,

THE TIME HAS COME TO LET ME GO.

TAKE ME WHERE MY NEED THEY’LL TEND,

AND PLEASE STAY WITH ME UNTIL THE END.

HOLD ME FIRM AND SPEAK TO ME.

UNTIL MY EYES NO LONGER SEE.

I KNOW IN TIME THAT YOU WILL SEE,

THE KINDNESS THAT YOU DID FOR ME.

ALTHOUGH MY TAIL ITS LAST HAS WAVED,

FROM PAIN AND SUFFERING I’VE BEEN SAVED.

PLEASE DO NOT GRIEVE IT MUST BE YOU,

WHO HAS THIS PAINFUL THING TO DO,

WE’VE BEEN SO CLOSE, WE TWO, THESE YEARS

DON’T LET YOUR HEART HOLD BACK ITS TEARS.

FOR I AM NOW IN A BETTER PLACE,

AND WILL BE WAITING TO SEE YOUR HAPPY FACE.

SO WHEN YOU CROSS THAT FINAL BRIDGE,

LOOK FOR ME ….

I’LL BE STANDING NEXT TO THE FRIDGE.

Goodbye my friend -till we see each other again

Happy B-Day Jared!!!!!

Heehee - 9 years old and ready to rumble -bet he could take both his dad and I out on the paintball field -he's that fast! and smart too :)
Jared is my first human baby - he was extra special as I thought I'd never be blessed with children but here he is. He was due to be born on March 31st but held on, and on and on till April 16th at 11:04 pm. He came screaming into the world with both hands ready to grab hold and hang on tight.
Happy birthday Big GUY!!!!! May you be blessed on this earth for many many years and may you know as much happiness as you and your sister brought me!

Meet "Java"

Back from the Fulton NY rabbit show with lots of news and new bunnies and things. Was pleased with the comments and condition of the rabbits I brought -now if only their coats were'nt coming off!

Registered 4 rabbits including my new black NZ herdsire -love black and blue New Zealands and this boy will go nicely with that. also bought a stunning new broken red satin angora doe from Joan Hastings -the breeder who is working very hard to get these beautiful animals accepted with the ARBA.

Of course the absolute highlight of the trip was picking up our new baby "Java". Maggie and Matt of Bundaflicka Farms - http://www.maggiesfarminc.com/ graciously gave us this puppy. Isn't she stunning! There isn't a more beautiful dog in the world except for my Scamper of course! She's quickly discovering the benifits of the household -two kids to fawn attention on you, a big bed to share with two people (under the blankets of course) and two cats to chase around when the mood strikes. Scamper has decided she's to be tolerated unless she tried to take Scampers sleeping bag -she will NOT share that! Scamper is fading as the days go by -she's 15 going on 16 but its still hard to picture her not being here. I know she'll teach Java all she needs to know about this household though -she has been top dog too long to let a little thing like a puppy change that!

Brooklin ontario First show of the Season

We're back!!!! Its spring and that means rabbit shows We headed for to Brooklin yesterday with three French angoras -its spring and everybody has blown their coats! Out of 15 French we won best junior coloured doe and best senior coloured buck. We then took BOS and a leg for Windwater's Sampson our new herdsire!! Also won BOB Rhinelander with George but he was the only one there Had a great afternoon clerking for Don Haveliek the judge who is a wealth of information. There was 328 rabbits shown with 8 being rare breeds! Awesome!
Picked up an American Sable buck (very neat breed) who is getting trasported to Fulton to be swapped for a new black NZ buck .

Happy B-day to my little" girl

Well time has gotten away from me again. 5 years old -how can this be??? It seems only yesterday my baby girl arrived and now ............holy cow.
She's bright, sassy and beautiful of that I have no doubt. She's opinionated and stubborn - I have NO IDEA where that came from but she's all ours and we love her to death.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my princess!!!!

Tried to get her in motion but the only way to get a pic of this little whirlwind is to wait till she conks out!

Fibre gorgeous fibre!!

I LOVE agouti angora and here's why :) Check out the gorgeous natural colour in this french angoras coat - it spins like a DREAM! and the colours lovely!. Its that time of year again -shedding coats everywhere, a reluctant owner waiting to make sure this thaw means the weather will change for the warmer and not freeze "nekkid" bunnies -they hate the sweatshirts we made for them and chew them off. And of course the shows are just starting! Which means anybody who had a half decent coat must now decide to chew it or blow it entirely . But the fiber artist in me loves the shedding -means more fiber to spin and play with!

New Friend coming to stay!

Our good friends Maggie and Matt at Bundaflicka Farms website - http://www.maggiesfarminc.com/ are letting us have one of their rescue puppies!!! "Santa" the brindle up front is coming to live here at Cornerstone Fibres. She is a lab/rottie cross and just the thing for a household with two active children and a mom who needs a walking partner Scamper at 15 does NOT do the walking routine at all. And I'm told she'll even help me clean up the rabbit shed

Thank you so much Maggie and Matt for letting us have her -she'll be treasured! And check out Maggies new website - very cool and lots of neat fibery things on offer there!

My Xmas present at 7 weeks

Here he is in all his glory -EMMERSON my Xmas day baby -he's stunning! He already knows he's special and comes when he's called. His coat is beautiful -long and silky with a real German texture and three coats present.
Can't wait to breed him to the German girls I have here.

Happy Valentine's Day to all the loves of my life :)

Yes its's true my husband is crazy -I'll admit it You'd have to be crazy to put up with me, two kids, the mistress of all she surveys border collie aka Scamper, two cats who KNOW the house exists only for their pleasure as well as more fiber, rabbits and travel than any reasonable person should have to deal with. But does he complain?.......alright don't answer that, but I know this I am loved! And for that there is no greater blessing in my life. For 11 years now and still going strong he has been my rock, my centre of my universe and my reason for going on.
I have other loves too -the above mentioned kids both two and four legged, the business that is still more of a dream than a living , other family both near and far away as well as friends who make everyday special.
To all of you I say THANKS fro being both my friend and my support.
Happy Valentine's Day to you all!!! Smile and know that somebody thought of you today and smiled :)

Jazzy Dyesigns by Jared - GREAT news!

Jared's tuly original designs when it comes to dyeing are well know among the spinning community here but recently we have been givien a great opportunity -Jareds rovings are now being carried by the local Wool-Tyme store!! They originally were part of the needlefeltiong area but thrum knitters have also taken to his colours with a passion. I'm so proud of my soon to be 9 year old -his rovings might just pay his way to university someday
His latest creations are now dried and tagged in 4 ounce lots ready for the public.

New Babies!!!!

Yep poor little beggars are coming in the ice and snow -but they're mommas are FANTASTIC!!!! Wonderful deep nests full of fat healthy little "sqeakers" -10 arrived yesterday via Sommerhill's Calypso (registered black golden steel) out of Windwater's Sampson (broken lilac( -picture to follow -right now NOBODY is silly enough to try to take her babies away from her - she's very territorial (read welding gloves). Also had two litters of New Zealand meat bunnies =6 to one and 8 to the other.
Fiber saw the dyepot this weekend as Jared let loose with some new projects -my personal favorite involves neon food colouring :) They;re hanging to dry so the bathroom is very colourful to say the least. Also we'll soon be carrying a fabulous line of bamboo knitting needles and crochet hooks - can't wait for the big order to arrive!

For the Love of Wood

My father in law runs his own woodworking business called For the Love of Wood -and he is very talented at what he does. His workmanship is amazing. . He recently got a lathe and has taken up the beautiful art of Woodturning. He has started making drop spindles for me to carry -solid hardwood and absolutely stunning.
Here's the first three completed ones:

Butternut, Cherry and a stunning combination of Walnut,Oak and Cherry Wood striped. He also made me this exquisite little bowl out of Butternut which will be used to hold my business cards at the various shows and events we will be attending this year. If you are interested in one of the one of a kind works of art please contact us! More pictures will be added as the spindles arrive.

Lindsays pride and Joy

Well Lindsay finally got her wish -her blue/fawn harlequin mini-rex doe Echo had babies - 5 beautiful healthy babies 3 REWs and 2 blue/fawn tris. she was bred back to her dad T's BJ -registered REW 2 GC legs. The oen tri is spoken for to to a great youth breeder who is working on dilute tris actively. Now to convince somebody that they can't all stay They are awful cute though but hard to get to stay still for their photo opportunity!