La Belle Cottage

MAY   2010 -   COMMUNITY

Last month we spoke about the emergence of Spring at La Belle Cottage and how Nature is seen, heard and interacts. In biological terms, a community is a group of interacting organisms sharing an environment. In sociology, traditionally a "community" has been defined as a group of interacting people living in a common location. In this month's entry I would like to feature a vignette of my wonderful community.

I purchased my land, with a musty shack on it, back in 1996 and since then I have slowly transformed it into my home, studio and guest suite with surrounding gardens and ponds while protecting the wildlife community. Over the years as my home was being built a sense of community was building around me. When I first moved here I enjoyed quiet solitude and a place to re-think the second half of life. There is a deep yearning in every human soul for compassionate understanding from one's friends and neighbours.   I have found that sense of true community with neighbours who have come to inspire, support and care about me and my dog and without them I could not have accomplished all my creative and fibre art pursuits. We are not only a group of homes but a community of friends.

This month I wish to give you a glimpse into two homes in our little community, both are home based artisans. First, my neighbour Ron, whose fine work you are looking at. Ron is an accomplished photographer and the webmaster of this website and BLOG. He is also the creator of all of La Belle Cottage's cards, signage and product tags. Without the generosity of Ron's creative talent I would have only generic cards on very limited computer equipment. He is a kind, humble and patient man always willing to provide suggestions with a creative ability to produce the graphics that you see and I am immensely proud of the beautiful quality of his work. He has also become a warm and caring friend. Ron's photography is stunning and the pictures shown are a sampling of his camera skills.
To view more of Ron's creative talents tour his website at:

www.imaginaryimage.com

Around the corner from me is this sweet little grey bungalow with its pretty gardens. Inside this cozy nest live Libby and Larry who combine their talents to create the most wonderful and romantic Mixed Media Assemblages. They are both retired, and while Libby has health issues that would greatly limit the activity and attitude of most people, she works diligently each day on her creations.   Libby searches for recyclable treasures at the thrift shops and in Nature and with loving hands places them carefully into found boxes with poems, song sheets, feathers, branches and more before adding the tiny birdhouses Larry makes for her to create Birds in a Box. Libby hand crafts the nests, eggs and each creation is filled with love and a sprinkle of their beautiful and caring spirits before they find a new place to perch.

Ron has also created this wonderful webpage of Libby's creations and here are a few photos of her Bird in a Box creations…and her contact information for her special gifts. …

www.labellecottage.com/Bird.html

Our little community has developed a connection to each other on many levels, from greeting neighbours and visitors and their dogs as they/we walk by and to those that we have formed warm friendships with as we gather at each others homes for conversation, coffee, drinks and dinners. I have shared a glimpse of two special homes and the creative talent residing within. The word "community" is derived from the Latin communitas (cum, "with/together" + munus, "gift"). It is the dear friends, pets and families who live within these homes, coming together as neighbours, and creating the true gift of community.

Coming next month….a photographic launch of La Belle Cottages Beach House Collection signature line of handwoven throws of the Sunshine Coast, plus updates from Ron and Libby…….Namaste, Deanna B.

MARCH 2010 - FINALLY

It has taken me thirty plus years to finally allow myself to step forward and take my rightful place in my tribe of Fibre Artists. Life has been a complex dance of two steps ahead; yet my creative spirit wants to back-step to the simpler life of full on creativity, and now that time is mine.

What takes us so long to get to realize our dreams? Ambition, goals, dissatisfaction, unhappiness, business, self consciousness, or just plain fear of accomplishment. Choose one, they all have presented themselves in one way or another to me. I prefer to think that being a working mother was the main reason, but I know I added a career outside of home into the sacred mix of raising a family.

When I look back I fondly recall that the happiest year of my life was the one I had when I was able to take one year off to be with my beautiful baby daughter and my ten year old son. On her first birthday my boss hired a Nanny so that I would return to being his full time assistant. Life was never the same after that. Now that wonderful daughter is a career woman of her own making and now has limited time for her mother. Perhaps a bit of pay back or the harsh reality of expectations of women who work to contribute to the family income.

Now I am in the final day of organizing my beautiful studio, which I must travel 15 feet to each morning with my favourite ceramic mug filled with Chai tea, turning on the light, nudging the computer to offer up the morning dispatches from my friends and there sitting against a most wonderful view of Sechelt Inlet is my floor loom awaiting the shuttle to be thrown through the beautiful warp threads of another blanket for my Beach House Collection. My very lovely doberman pincher Bronwyn faithfully follows me for a quiet day on her comfy bed at the side of my loom. It is hard right now for me to step into this role of Weaver/Fibre Artist as it has been so long coming that it is intimidating to seize this new role and bring my pent up passion for creativity into being. Nothing can hold me back now, my dream time has come.

APRIL 2010 - SPRING

Spring has certainly arrived here in Paradise (aka Sandy Hook, Sechelt, B.C.). All the wonderful sounds of Nature abound like the calling of the birds beckoning their mating partner, the daily drumming of the male Pileated Woodpecker re-establishing his annual territory, and the rhythm of the tree frog as he calls out at dusk to announce his availability. That little frog will lure his mate and their eggs to the wildlife pond here (see inset photo), the woodpecker will share the habitat trees on the hillside with his bride, and the robin will gather the colourful wool thrums (photo inset) I have placed outside for nest building.

While all this magic and conception is going on outside my door and windows I am co-creating in my Fibre Arts Studio a wonderful cornucopia of colour and texture in the preparation of warps for twenty two jewel tone brushed mohair throws (see photo) for fall and winter. I have wound these "warp chains" (each creates two fringed throws) as I await a large order of beautiful off-white woolen yarns from Quebec and Peru for my Beach Cottage Collection. I have used up all this wonderful yarn available to me at this time to create the first nine hand woven signature blankets of La Belle Cottage (see photo)

I will be working with Helene Nissile a dear friend and fine cottage weaver from Powell River to produce the larger throws on her 60 inch floor loom, while I focus on my 45 inch floor loom creations. We are both anxiously awaiting the arrival of these yarns to have a full Beach Cottage Collection available for summer tourists.

Yvonne Stowell, an amazing woman of extensive fibre arts experience, the creator and operator of the now locally famous "Yurts" properly known as Fibre Works Studio and Gallery just north of Madeira Park has a special role in our Beach Cottage Collection. The striping detail in each of our pieces has been hand spun and hand dyed by Yvonne.

The collaboration with these "Ladies of the Guild" is special to me and the endurance of cottage industry on the Sunshine Coast. Being a long term member of the Sunshine Coast Spinners and Weavers Guild has provided an incredible source of mentoring, friendship and loyalty not often found in our busy society. I am deeply honoured to be in this circle of wonderful and creative women.

Today, the task at hand is to thread another three blanket warp onto my loom as I watch the rain clouds move across the wonderful view I have of Sechelt Inlet. My garden chores may beckon me strongly but on rainy days I am focused on weaving. The greenhouse is full of summer promises of beauty and food.(see photo). I sneak in each morning just after dawn to water, and plant a few more trays of organic vegetables seeds for my sustainable gardens. Soon the summer Guest Suite visitors will arrive and my need to share all that I have created in my gardens and studio with them, including the magical sounds of Nature.

Enjoy the gifts you are given each day….till next week. Hugs Deanna B. Pilling