So here we are on the last day of 2011. In my part of Central Ontario, it seems as though winter has just arrived and I for one am thankful for that. If you don’t make friends with snow, it can be a very long winter.

At the beginning of this year, I had a wake up call with my health and over the course of this year, I shed 23 lbs. I have maintained this and it is my intention moving into 2012 to continue to better my health, diet and exercise program. Some might say that this sounds like a New Year’s resolution but in actual fact it is a commitment to myself that I intend to keep. I have an awesome family and we are looking forward to working together to maintaining excellent health.

2011 has been an interesting year. I managed to continue down the path of continuing to combine my ceramic work with metal. I did take a course in Haliburton, Ontario that I was quite disappointed with and in the end decided to cut my loses and move on to where I wanted to be.  I discovered Gillian Batcher’s “Jewel Envy” in Toronto http://jewelenvy.ca/ and spent a day with Kathryn Rebecca http://www.kathrynrebecca.com/?page_id=153 and had a enjoyable and informative day.

We managed to go to Quebec for a week to the Laurentian mountains and it is truly a part of Canada that I would like to go back to and further explore.

This autumn, I had an overnight in Toronto with my family and managed to squeeze in going to the “One of a Kind” show and also to the “Distillery District” http://www.thedistillerydistrict.com/ It was wonderful to feel inspired by so many wonderful Canadian Artists.

I have some new ideas for work in the upcoming year and I will look forward to sharing them with you.

All in all, I would have to say that 2011 was a good year. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported my work. I think that buying handmade reconnects us with our deep connection to what matters in life and supports our local economies. I wish you the very best in 2012.

I love autumn and watching the weather change. All the leaves are changing on the trees and the dying away is immenent. For those of us who live in this four season landscape, it is a time for pulling and re-examining even hiburnating. This is also true of our lives on a continuous basis. As the moon cycles come and go, l believe that how we feel about everything around us.

I love to watch the moon and usually without looking at the calendar, I know what point the cycle is it. It has always seemed to be a very powerful force in my life.

When we are on a new moon cycle, it is good time to have an awareness of new is coming into your life and what their needs and expectations are of you. This is considered a lower energy time. A time for the completion of old tasks and activities and the preparation for new ones.
Everything is considered to be in a lull at this time, life energy, emotions and physiological activity. It is often thought not the best time to start new projects but it may represent the end of a cycle with a new project or job coming up. So in essence the ending of something in preparation for the beginning of something new.

When we are in a new moon to second quarter cycle, also known as a waxing moon, this is a positive time to get things done. Thoughts are best focused on the creation and starting of things. Easiest to think of it from a farming perspective. Waxing is a time for planting and growing.

In the second quarter cycle which is where we are today, this often a turning point in a situation, project or idea. I know from experience that this seems to be the point where my energy picks up and I am able to bring a project to completion.

A waxing gibbous moon means to slowly increase and the intensity increases at this point just before the Full Moon Cycle. Listening skills tend to be less evident and people get more engaged and focused during this time.

We don’t have a full moon until the 10th of November. Do you pay attention to the moon and your energy levels? I have a lot to get completed before a show that I am having this month, so I am going to see if my energy gets pushed up a notch to get everything done.

I love autumn and watching the weather change. All the leaves are changing on the trees and the dying away is immenent. For those of us who live in this four season landscape, it is a time for pulling and re-examining even hiburnating. This is also true of our lives on a continuous basis. As the moon cycles come and go, l believe that how we feel about everything around us.

I love to watch the moon and usually without looking at the calendar, I know what point the cycle is it. It has always seemed to be a very powerful force in my life.

When we are on a new moon cycle, it is good time to have an awareness of new is coming into your life and what their needs and expectations are of you. This is considered a lower energy time. A time for the completion of old tasks and activities and the preparation for new ones.
Everything is considered to be in a lull at this time, life energy, emotions and physiological activity. It is often thought not the best time to start new projects but it may represent the end of a cycle with a new project or job coming up. So in essence the ending of something in preparation for the beginning of something new.

When we are in a new moon to second quarter cycle, also known as a waxing moon, this is a positive time to get things done. Thoughts are best focused on the creation and starting of things. Easiest to think of it from a farming perspective. Waxing is a time for planting and growing.

In the second quarter cycle which is where we are today, this often a turning point in a situation, project or idea. I know from experience that this seems to be the point where my energy picks up and I am able to bring a project to completion.

A waxing gibbous moon means to slowly increase and the intensity increases at this point just before the Full Moon Cycle. Listening skills tend to be less evident and people get more engaged and focused during this time.

We don’t have a full moon until the 10th of November. Do you pay attention to the moon and your energy levels? I have a lot to get completed before a show that I am having this month, so I am going to see if my energy gets pushed up a notch to get everything done.

I have been continuing to work on pendants pieces for my extra shop. I wanted to use put images on these pieces that are meaningful to me. One of icons that spoke to me in Canadian culture is the Inukshuk.

Inukshuk (singular), meaning “likeness of a person” in Inuktitut (the Inuit language) is a stone figure made by the Inuit. The plural is inuksuit. The Inuit make inuksuit in different forms and for different purposes: to show directions to travelers, to warn of impending danger, to mark a place of respect, or to act as helpers in the hunting of caribou.
The Inuksuk is so common across the Arctic that they have become a distinctive feature of the region. The Inukshuk is simply a pile of stones arranged in the shape of a human being.

The Inuit and Tuniit (inuit from Cape Dorset) used the Inuksuk to mark trails, indicate caches of food, the location of of nearby settlements and the location of good places to hunt or fish. 

At one time, the Inuit built inukshuit in long lines on each side of the Caribou trail. The woman and children would hide behind the inukshuk until the caribou herd came between the lines. The women and children would stand and start making noise and the caribou wold start running in straight lines to avoid the people on both sides. The inukshuk made it look like there were many people. The caribou would then run right to the end of the trail were they would be killed by the hunters.

The Inukshuk symbolizes the fortitude & determination of the Inuit. The Inuksuk though made of inanimate rock embodies the spirit and persistence of the Inuit who live and flourish in one of the worlds harshest environments.

Inukshuk represents strength, leadership and motivation.

I have started a new shop on Etsy to deal with my uncontrollable urge to make buttons, pendants and beads.

In the coming days and weeks, I will be posting lots of items. Currently I have so many ideas for pieces that I cannot keep up. You can check my new shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/jansonpotteryextra

I will also be posting some finished pieces of jewellery that I am working on so stay tuned for updates. Have an awesome Saturday!