The cottage and the lake are where I get most of my inspiration. My husband and I have been coming up to the Kawartha Lakes area for 16 years. Our cottage is our escape from the everyday hustle of living in the suburbs of Toronto. It has also been a wonderful way to raise our daughter and be together as a family. I love to watch the big pine trees sway and the light dance across the water. Being immersed in nature, season after season is simply amazing. The lake has given me so much inspiration and my creative process has been greatly influenced by my time there. The lakes and the beautiful ..read more

I discovered punchneedle on a vacation. After years as a maker of quilts, folk art painting, constructing willow interior and exterior home decor pieces, it was the craft of punching that sparked a passion inside me. My desire to share this craft with others has grown. I have always felt that we are all creative beings and only limited by our imaginations. So much of our creative confidence seems to fade as we grow older. I like to draw that creative being out of the students I teach. The jump from beginner to advanced punch artist is only a few projects away! Our Last Hike Rug is a punchnee ..read more

The word grace has several different meanings, the one I think of most when I chose to hook it was “courteous goodwill”, for that is something we all need at times. This year I have thought a lot about the word grace, and I have tried to carry the thought with me. It reminds me not to be short tempered, inconsiderate, or intolerant of minor things. Mind you, I don’t always get it right. When I don’t get it right, I have this word hanging around my studio to remind myself of my misdemeanours. It’s quite helpful having a word to carry around with you as you go about your life. Even more so if ..read more

When I sat down to think about words of gratitude and wisdom, I couldn’t nail down just one. The past two years have been hard for everyone, but there were many things that I was grateful for during this time and the words in my design reflect this. I always count home, family, and friends as the things I am most grateful for and during covid staying healthy was topmost on everyone’s minds. Working all through Covid as a frontline pharmacist was at times very stressful, and my creative pursuits such as quilting, punchneedle, and embroidery helped me to balance my mind and emotions. We lost t ..read more

Trees are nature’s lungs each having its own unique shape and patterns. They play a big part in our lives and the ecosystem. They provide shelter, shade, food, and wood for our homes as well habitat for insects, birds, and animals. Their roots cling to the earth and the branches reach for the sky, moving with every breeze. Trees change with the seasons and the patterns they provide are infinite. As in all nature there’s an order and pattern if we look carefully. Read more in our Issue 55. Sharon Johnston collectorsgalleryofart.com The post Summer in the Forest appeared first on ANPTmag ..read more

It wasn’t supposed to be this way; we weren’t supposed to fall in love. We, the hardened travelers of remote islands and empty seacoasts, were supposed to be repelled by a fairground city given over to the hordes. And yet, like the many millions before us, of course we swooned. How mistaken we were to think we would be immune to the work of centuries of masters; how wrong we were to think that the number of footsteps before ours should matter. We bathed in the energy that comes of having the eyes of the world upon you, and we relaxed in the peaceful alleys and byways that were surprisingly e ..read more

Sheep are the natural subject for hooked mats made with wool. This little design is more playful than realistic because the wooly part of the sheep is outlined in bright colours. The faces are hooked simply in solid black. The landscape is a mixture of soft medium to light greens highlighted with the same colours I used to outline the sheep. When you hook the landscape, hook it in organic lines rather than straight lines because this will make the land look more natural. Add a few bits of light blue or any floral colour with greens. This will give depth and interest to the land underneath th ..read more

A favourite pair of shoes left by the door tells a host of things about the personality of the owner. I was intrigued by a David Hockney painting on the cover of the New Yorker magazine depicting two pairs of shoes on a mat by the wall. I thought it would be interesting to do a kind of self-portrait using my favourite shoes which have accompanied me on many adventures over last 10 years. Read more in our Issue 51. Christine Walker Bird www.birdbraindesigns.ca The post Red Shoes appeared first on ANPTmag ..read more

Rug Hooking can be an almost meditative activity. One falls into a meditative rhythm pulling the loops up through the backing, watching as a beautiful design evolves. What better way to further the connection between our artistic process and our spirituality than by hooking a beautiful lotus flower? Long a symbol of spiritual enlightenment, the lotus flower is a unique blossom. Its roots grow in mud and it retreats every night into murky river water. However, every day it miraculously rises from the muck and re-blooms with clean, fresh petals. In the same way, we can collect simple, natural ..read more

Sometimes the beauty of a craft is in the materials used rather than intricate design details. Hooking a basket-topper with colourful sari silk ribbon and textured yarn is a quick project that packs a beautiful punch! It can be hooked and put together in only a couple of days for that kick of instant gratification. Read more in our Issue 46. Designed by Dawn Liu-Smyth Owner of Heartfelt Fibre Arts, Toronto www.heartfeltfibrearts.com The post Hooking a Colourful Basket-topper appeared first on ANPTmag ..read more