Welcome to YAC

Welcome to YAC

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i blame the weather change

I am starving all the time right now...totally blame the weather change!

yummy - eggplant lasanga

With losing weight, I am starting to become obsessed with food...in a much healthier way than before! Before eating looked like: as much as I wanted as long as it was delicious...and processed/packaged food was ok as long as it was quick and yummy.

Now: i am just obsessed with what people are eating, new ways of cooking, new foods and HOW to make things.

So I have to confess. Up until this point in my life, I have never bought an eggplant. I have tried it a few times, but never have I prepared it.

So i bought an eggplant. For a few days, I tossed and turned. I asked a few people how they prepare eggplant. I looked up recipes at www.sparkpeople.com...I do what I do best...THINK. Until eventually I thought, this eggplant may go bad (and now, wouldn't that be a sad story to tell everyone!)

How I ended up preparing it...was. I wanted to make an eggplant paremsian (I have had it prepared this way before---delicious) however, i didn't want to bread it. So...I prepared an eggplant lasanga!!

I fried the eggplant before using it....(apparently frying is good for eggplant..who knew?) Anyhow. I fried it in an olive oil. lightly.

Then I used the eggplant in place of noodles.

The sauce was crushed tomatoes, with garlic, spinach, red peppers, mushrooms, soy-ground-round and a dash of feta cheese. Topped with low-fat marble cheese.

Bake in the oven. and you have one delicious and yummy meal. I am salivating just thinking of it. It was so good, I shared it with my roomate!

career

My dream career:

A book reviewer!! I could read books day and night. How divine? The drawback would be when I had to read books I don't love.

I was reading the book" Love in a time of Cholera". And while the book and the writing is good, I hate the premise. Perhaps I'm over the whole serendipitious love thing, or maybe even a bit cynical. The whole entire book (ok, the whole half of a book I read) was devoted to two people who were 'soulmates' and tried to live their life apart. Each part of the book the other would be unhappy with their decisions to be apart of the other. OI OI OI. really? A whole book belly aching about the lost love of their life......I guess I want to believe that there are number of people out there that I could match and marry. Its not some kind of one-for-one debauchery. Rather, it's a type or traits that are matched. I also found it disheartening that two people would choice to live without the other, yet be miserable and do nothing about it.

Then again, maybe I am missing a major premise around the book......so I ditched it to read "the house I first believed' by Wally Lamb. So far. I am in love.....it's about the Columbine Slayings. I'm on page 78 and thus far can't peel it away from me.

progress.

It's funny how everyday i read blogs, but only once every 2 weeks do I think to update my blog.

My life is very full at the moment. It's kinda like the jiffy oven-top popcorn. when you see it overflowing and it's almost ready to burst. and almost ready to burst in such a delicious way.

Speaking of delicious. I have lost 10 pounds. 10 healthy pounds. I started working on health on July 18th. And today - September 12th I am down 10 pounds. Not too bad. Somedays I feel like this is the progress of a turtle....but the turtle eventually gets to the destination right? I have been walking a lot in the evenings that I am home, so I feel very bonded to Jack and to my neighbourhood.

The Toronto Clothing Show preperations are coming along quite nicely. I say i need to do every show with a pack of amigos. It certainly makes the lead up a lot LESS stressful. I mean, the Toronto Clothing show itself is pretty daunting to me. As up to now - i have only participated in festivals (and outdoor festivals) so being inside at a large convention hall (or the Better Living Centre at the Exhibition) puts a whole new feel to the game. So its really nice to have a slew of amigos to rely on. The other thing it does, is help us PLAN things better. When I set up my own booth - I often wait on the most important aspect (set and marketing) so it's nice to have it all set up and ready. now. I am working on packaging (so Carmi's post here was great!) and inventory. Resin is oozing from my ying-yang....not too mention i have encapsuled Jack and Jeff's DNA a little too much! I am starting to see little jack and jeff hairs everywhere...that means the studio needs a good vacccuum!

Off to read a bit - -- imagine that? A full and active life and I am reading a FICTION book. Life is grand.

community classes

I am looking for artists or talented people that would like to share their skills and talents with others! I am hosting some classes in my local community (Bloor and Lansdowne) and need some poeple who would like to share their talent with others. Your skill/talent can be anything...knitting, guitar, painting, etc.

Want to teach? contact me billijo.cox@gmail.com

The Toronto Clothing Show

I am starting preparing for my next shows. This year, I will be at the Toronto Clothing Show, with the WiseDaughters. There is a collective of 5 artists that are showing under the Wisedaughters umbrella.

The show is from September 25th - 27th at the better living centre at the Exhibition Place. (195 Princess Boulveard)

my manifesto

I started a private blog (it may become public one day). but it's a tracking of my weight loss progress online. I am posting my actual weight weekly (which is why it's private) Yowsers!

But the really great thing that I did for my website was complete my manifesto. Here it is. I love it.

bJO's Manifesto

I am a woman. An artist. A lover. I make jewelry. resin. and other adornments.

I believe in happily ever now before happily ever after.

I love the internet; the blogosphere; the twitterverse; the flickrdom. I love Google and google everything.

I spend a wallop of my time overwhelmed and swallowed up by the relentlessness of time.

I believe everyone should have a creative outlet to let their inner child out.

I become obsessed with learning about different lifestyles and the way people live.

I am at my peak when I am learning new things.

I’ve never been more happy than when I am outdoors with friends and my four legged companion.

When my cheeks hurt so bad its like they’ve done a thousands sit-ups, I know its been a great day.

I grew up believing everyone finds their happy ending and that true love and excitement are birthrights.

I love dancing in my living room.

I talk to my dog/cat like they are the Buddha.

I root for the underdog and care passionately about preserving the good that makes us human.

I wish all of us women could rest unwavering in the sureness of our worth, daily.

I am attracted to people who dream big.

Sometimes I love drinking too much wine.

I believe in magic. ghosts and love.

I am intrigued by ‘a deeper truth’.

My friends find comfort in that I am the last to judge and the first to smile.

Silliness is a virtue, somewhere.

I believe everything happens for a reason and its up to you to determine what that reason is.

Reading for hours is like lingering all afternoon in bed with a lover.

Happiness is a choice, and anything less is stubborn procrastination.

My feeling is that life is meant to be lived big, bold, and wonderfully.

I am a foodie.

I achieve to make the world a better place than when I found it.

Inspiration comes from action

an update. It's funny how I feel if I am not doing art, I shouldn't be contributing to my blog.

I am inventing a new possibility of having my blog reflect what I am doing in my life, this includes art...but is not limited to just art. Stay tuned.

So just WHAT have I been up too if it's not art?

Well. I have been getting very inspired. I visited a cottage for 4 days with some very dear friends. I actually wrote family then backtracked. they aren't my bio family, but rather my created family. hm. created family rawks.

I have been working on my health. I have a commitment through my self expression and leadership program to lose 20 lbs in 4 months and to be fully self expressed in my life. Self expressed thus far has meant when something doesn't go how I expected, or I am upset, I have actually been saying something. I have had 2 revolutionary conversations in expressing myself, just today! it's mind blowing how I have lived my life for so many years afraid of expressing myself. I didn't want people 'not to like' me. so i would walk away, totally not be expressed, but would vent to others about the actions (and almost lack of my own actions). So far--self expression is rocking. I am enjoying the ease and freedom I have.

And on the first commitment of losing 20lbs. I am down 8 already! In just 3 weeks. 8 pounds. It feels great. the words that are really hitting me right now is Inspiration comes from action. I am in action around my weight and am so inspired.

I think that might be my new motto : Inspiration comes from action.....

etsy

It sure has been awhile since i have updated my etsy store!! I am putting up some images now, and just realized that they are all too big! I need to go and resize all 120 pictures.

In the meantime. My first resin necklace has been added. It's Fred Flinstone!

www.etsy.com/bjodesigns

new art projects are so inspiring

it is a rainy Sunday morning and I have no commitments!

I get so inspired by new art. taking on projects that aren't my usual...like perhaps today I will paint. or collage. both of those really bring out my creativity.

I am so excited! Happy Sunday and Happy pride!

catching up on the internet

I am a libra and I enjoy balance. Sometimes, I find that things get a bit off balance. Like, before attending a show I will produce and work in my studio way more than work on the internet (PR), accounting, filing, working on my etsy store, posting on my blog etc. This week I hope to update my world wide web presence along with prepping for my mastermind group on Friday.

This will help balance me out.

big on bloor meets rain

its' finally here. the big on bloor festival. I had friends come over last night and help finish the packaging on all the resin pieces.

The forecast says rain, rain and more rain. Ugh. i have been eloquently singing 'rain rain go away, and come again another day'. I know that it will deter some people from coming to the festival.

I have 30 minutes before I need to start packing. I have been up for 5 hours, drank 2 glasses of coke zero and downed some cheesies. YEs. Festivals make me nervous and I turn into a teenager. It's somewhat suiting as most of my stuff is now geared to the 'teens'.

If you can brave the rain...stop by and see me! Big on bloor festival. I am located at bloor and Duffierin. The event runs from 1pm - 9pm.

Hope to see yoU!

Big on Bloor

My blog seems to be last priority these days. With my website in "revamping' mode. I really should focus more on my blog.

I have been spending a tone of time in my studio these days. Big on Bloor is just around the corner, or rather, just a week away!! oi. 

Here are the details

Big on Bloor Festival. Starts at Christie and goes all the way down to Lansdowne. Its a pretty big stretch of Bloor street! My booth will be EAST at DUFFERIN. 

The festival runs from 1pm - 9pm.

At the show I will be 80% resin.  Preparing resin peices is so different than in the past preparing a beaded line. Beading often I could leave things and on a weekend spend hours prepping...however, because resin takes so long to cure, I actually can't spend hours and hours working on things. It's odd. and gives me a bit of uneasiness.  The good thing is that I haven't been leaving displays and packaging until the end (like usual) because I would be so focused on making product. So that's good.

Between my new job, my classes at U of T and this big on bloor festival, it's no wonder I haven't been posting on my blog :) 

camera shopping

what kind of artist doesn't have a camera? 

ok. ok. let me re-phrase. what kind of artist who is trying to sell her stuff online, breaks her camera?!  *arm shoots up in the air*. yes. That's me. An artist who hasn't updated her etsy store, in. um. a few months. and who hopes that those really great resin pieces that are sitting in the basement will somehow find a paporatzi to take its photos! hm. I wonder how I can manage that.

In the mean time. This girl is in business for a new camera. I am still learning about all the 'cool' functions...but who's kidding who. I need it to take close up photos and have the ability to take clear photos. That's it.....

long weekend fun

this May long weekend has been filled with some home time and catching up with some long over due projects (like visiting friends and getting a hair cut)

Tonight I got a new hair due. It's a shortie. I actually feel like myself in this hair cut. 

School Girl

This week I starting my Post-Grad certificate in Project Management at U of T. I am excited and really nervous. It's been so long since I have been in a class (outside of a art/craft class!). Like, I have books and assignments and everything! I have since hired my dog walker full time. That's the kind of commitment this cert is taking. I will be complete in December and able to apply for my Project Management Designation.

While it seems like my crafty business is going to be put on hold, I doubt that will happen! As my product is now available at wise daughters, many doors and opportunties seem to be opening up for me. Not only are things moving out the door VERY quickly (and I dont' even have my website live right now) but opportunities to teach not to mention Summer Festivals. So while I am taking classes, my studio time won't hinder. I am clear of that.

Happy Mothers Day! I went home today to spend the day in Brantford, with my sisters who are moms,' their children and my mom. I had a gorgeous day full of conversation, laughs, coffees and BBQ goodness. It was a splendid day.

Resin works

Just when you thought I was sitting on the couch all day eating bon bons! 

I now have RESIN jewelry available at the Wise Daughters store in Toronto (Dundas Street West)

Check out their website & head on in to pick up some bJo designs Jewelry!

http://www.wisedaughters.com/

all this new inspiration

and I am terribly sick! I can't believe that on Friday morning, of a long weekend, I wake up with swollen lymph glands, a terribly sore throat, and is completely congested. Didn't I JUST get over a cold? like, really! For the life of me I am amazed at how sick I keep getting. I am praying that the worst of it is over. Last night wasn't the best night i have ever had. At one point I had garlic cloves in my ear, topped with olive oil surrounding my ear (a home remedy which actually worked for me!)  

Yesterday I had some great friends come over and steal jack for a few hours. He was nice and exhausted when they brought him home! It was the best.  SO yesterday I spent the day in bed and the majority of today as well. I did venture out of the house to walk jack for about 20 minutes today. I feel so bad, the weather is so nice. and I am in bed, sleeping or reading (not too much reading is getting done as I drift in and out).  

My mom works at a health clinic and gets some VIP treatment in Brantford. So while I am visiting for Easter, my mom is going to take me to the clinic to get rid of the earache. 

Until then, I haven't worked on anything but healing my body.  I also think that yoga needs to be re-introduced to my life. It's amazing how a little tender loving destressor really makes a difference.

can you hear it?

its the sound of me being inspired!!

I cleaned out the studio. Ordered new resin moulds. New images. and have a new mac to play with images for my resin line! woooa. So excited.

I decided I am having 2 distinct lines. I enjoy resin, so why deprive myself of the pop-art/kitchy craft? not to mention, they are really inspiring to create.

I will also move forward with the urban professional line. My previous line has diverted from the professional somewhat...however, I need new accessories! and if I do...so do others! so I am back. My mothers day (yes, just short of 4 weeks away) will be released next week...with some uber trendy urban professional gear! I work in the heart of the fashion district and am thoroughly impressed with the style sense of my other-fashion district-colleagues. So this is my new inspiration. 

I can't wait to share.......