With Grace

Grace comes into the soul, as the morning sun into the world; first a dawning, then a light; and at last the sun in his full and excellent brightness. Thomas Adams (1612-1653)  

Last summer the day after my birthday I lost my best friend Grace, a 15 year old boarder collie. She was my muse and my best friend and my constant companion. It took me weeks before I could tell the rest of my family and friends that she was gone, it felt like a part of me disappeared. We were lucky to have another dog, Boo also is a boarder collie. However, Boo was not the musing type and was very independent. My heart ached for another muse but I was not ready for another dog. I knew when I was ready one would show up. And luckily one did find his way to me and our family. Animatch an adoption site was having a "meet and great" at a popular antique market (Finnigans, in Hudson, Quebec). It was love at first sight and I have to say everyone was surprised with who choose us. He was not a boarder collie or a big dog which has always been my first love, but a small, feisty terrier. Wally is a Norfolk terrier and is a perfect muse. It has been a couple of months since we got Wally and my heart is full again, while I miss Grace everyday, I am so grateful for for the time I had with her. She is never very far from me and I think she would approve of Wally's attitude and most of all his ability for musing...

Wally musing...

Wally (who is never more than 2 feet away from me), making sure I do a good job

Wally helping with photography

Copper Cuff Bracelet - Chimera

Spring has Sprung!

Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night.  Rainer Maria Rilke

I've been really busy with my regular job which is a graphic designer and illustrator. I'm working on some interesting projects but, I can't wait to get back to Crazy Fox. We have a couple of shows coming up towards the end of spring and I need to get working on that! Crazy Fox makes my heart sing and I can't wait to get creating again!!!! The weather here in Eastern Ontario has been incredible. This is the warmest spring that I can remember ever having and we are breaking all kinds of records. Normally the temperature for spring is from 3 to 7C (41 degree F) and this past week we have been hitting 24 to 26C (78 degree F). This is our normal summer weather! Needless to say it is hard to get anything done when it is this nice outside. This weekend, I'm taking a break from my regular work, hopefully the weather will stay warm and I can get some new photos up on etsy. Have a GREAT weekend!

Lacing Cat - Spring 2011

Where does the name Crazy Fox come from????

There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid.    L. FRANK BAUM, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

People often ask where the name Crazy Fox Came from... In the spring of 2009 we noticed a fox cub in our area. The tiny fox was always by itself so we assumed it had been orphaned. This little fox was starving and searching for food. We would see him all over the village night and day which is unusual for foxes. We saw him running through hay fields, chasing bugs, sleeping on porches and even on the steps of our local general store. One day we went out our back door and he was in the garden, my husband held out his hand, the fox walked up, checked him out then leapt after a butterfly. He had no FEAR. We started calling him “Crazy Fox”. Every time I went out the house I would look for Crazy Fox, he stayed around all summer and into the fall. In January 2010, I opened an Etsy shop and wanted a unique name, a reflection of how I felt. Crazy Fox Studio was the obvious choice, to me it meant to move forward without fear, even if some people may think you are a little crazy!

Top Right: Boo and I on our daily walk. Bottom Right: Wally

Gypsy LOVE

"Those who dance are called insane by those who don't hear the music." Eddie Vedder

I love everything Gypsy! Gypsies draws inspiration from  nature, texture and color. Gypsies have had a glamorous image for writers and artists, evoking ideas of freedom, passion, mystery, and a life close to nature. I try create this imagery at Crazy Fox.  Bright colors, embroidery, textures, textiles and romance. I hope the Crazy Fox inspires other kindred wanderers to dance to their own beat, follow their own hearts and set their own trend lines to a place where fashion and passion unite.

Embroidered Cuff Bracelet - Boho Gypsy

Gypsy Love - Pinterest

This little Piggy went to the market....

I never post work from my full-time job as a designer/illustrator but I was out shopping and I spotted these puzzles I did in a store and forgot about how much I liked them. Often when I'm working on a freelance job there are tight deadlines and I end up rushing and when the job is done I never really give it much thought. Mostly because production is done overseas and it usually is 8-10 months before I see the end result and also because I'm working on the next RUSH. These puzzles were done for Pierre Belvédère a toy company based out of Montreal. I love working for them, they are the best clients in the world. I hand sketched these first then did the final illustrations in Illustrator.

Little Red Riding Hood

3 Little Piggies

Goldilocks and the 3 Bears

Pinterest - Dream Studio

Imagine flipping through a magazine and seeing a great picture of the perfect studio, the perfect shade of blue or the next craft you want to try! Pinterest lets you pin a picture of something you're interested in on a virtual wall and it is addicting!!!  Think of it as a digital scrapbook or bulletin board to post pictures of things you love. If you find something interesting on someone else's Pinterest page, you can "repin" it, which is the equivalent to Facebook's "likes" or Twitter's "retweets." You can also comment things others have pinned on their walls.

you can find these images here

This spring, I plan on redesigning my studio, I'll be posting images of the process on this blog. Here is the first step of my "Dream Studio"...

Don’t Lose your Marbles...

Kids have been playing marbles for thousands of years. It’s likely your parents and even your grandparents were playing marbles when they were young.

The first marbles, used for play, were just small pebbles or balls made from natural clay. The succeeding materials used for marbles were china, real marble, and glass. They were all handmade until the year 1848 brought the invention of the marble scissor by a German glass blower, which made production much easier.

The 1950’s saw the marble extravaganza. Also, the cat’s eye marble was created by injecting colored glass in a regular marble. Various effects were achieved with the use of different colored glass and different shapes or swirls.

These days, marbles have become such an important part of culture that they are not merely toys but also miniature art pieces. Regardless of where they began, marbles are a simple yet fascinating toy that brings out the child or collector in many of us.

All the marbles used in Crazy Fox necklaces are vintage, they may even be the same marbles your grandparents played with.

Vintage Marble Necklace - Skye - SOLD

Vintage Marble Necklace - Rain