Happiness is a warm dog :-)

The Young Man and the Sea

A whimsical portrait of my friend Cristoval. 

Stay warm and safe out there. 

Playing for Charity

The event of the week!

Our lead man Eric, works for CRA (Canadian Revenue Agency) and each year, his work holds an idol like competition to raise money for charity.

He was nominated again this year, as were 3 other acts. The first one was a group that danced to the song 'What does the fox say?'. They looked like they had fun, and everyone had the mask of the animal they represented. 

The second singer was a man who did a karaoke of 'Jump, Jive and Wail'. He was an amazing singer, and could definitely front his own swing and jazz band. He had some solid pipes.

The third act was an older lady who did a country version of 'Shut up and Drive' and she also did an awesome job. Clearly she has done this before.

Finally it was our turn (The Billy Bishops) and we did our cover of 'Down by the Water' by the Decemberists. We were lucky enough to have the whole group including Simone be available to play.  Lady luck was on our side, and we actually snagged first place and as a whole, all of us performers raised $700.00 in donations. It was so much fun.

Here you can see how large the lobby was. It was huge and nerve wracking but a blast!

L-R
Trystan, Simone, Eric and I with our awesome trophy. Eric gets to keep it on his work desk to show it off for the year.






We had a great time, and would do it all over again. Have a great week and stay warm out there.

(VIDEO) The Billy Bishops cover Mother Mother

On the same day we did 'Down by the Water', we decided to do 'Love it Dissipates' by Mother Mother.  Again, Simone is missing from this session.  There is a percussive beat that Trystan tried out on his guitar, but ended up sounding better in real life. It was a good experiment however.

Either way, we always have fun with what we try out. Hoping to do some originals soon, as a band.

(VIDEO) The Billy Bishops cover The Decemberists

Well, we as a band have been busy trying out some new songs in the last month and hope to do a December show. We just need to sort out which venue will have us.

In this clip, we are covering a song by The Decemberists called 'Down by the Water'. This is a definite favorite of ours to play. It has a lot of energy.

Eric is on lead vocals with Trystan on guitar. Simone is missing. Enjoy.

Yearning to explore.

Here is a drawing that I am doing for my friend, Eric. His brother Christian, is a snow sculptor and had made an ice sculpture with the same theme.  The theme given to them was "think outside the box", or something similar. So he made an octopus looking through a telescope up at the stars.  I haven't seen a photo of this but I thought, that's so brilliant and whimsical.  

Eric had asked me to make him a tattoo design with the same imagery, but my own style. I was more than happy to oblige, and wanted to show you the process. I'm going to update you with this as it starts to become more finalized.  

I don't think I've enjoyed such a whimsical and storybook-like concept as an octopus longing to explore space before. So much fun. 

Old drawings, found again.

I was doing some drawing today, and found this colourful, alien girl drawing that I didn't finish. I just want to share it because I love the vivid colours and was feeling very creative that day. I think she looks smart in her pea coat. 

Such a short, skirt and high stockings, she must be cosmopolitan! 

Wedding crafts!

So I have been busy helping my friend with her wedding this past month and thought I would post some signage that I made for her. She provided the birdy cutout and I did the rest. 

I'm very excited to be a part of the bridal party this coming weekend and know it will be a great time. 

  

Stay well! 

Glad the gig is done!

ISo our gig at Hudson's went over well. The first set was so tight and everyone loved it. Excellent way to start the night. Unfortunately, the second set was sloppy and I'm a little embarrassed by it but we can always get better. 

I do hope we can do this again at other venues, it was truly a blast to do!  Also, the band name 'The low expectations' is an Aussie band, so we settled on 'The Billy Bishops'. If you don't know who he is, google him. He's an important part of Canadian history and our military :-). 

So far, we haven't found great footage to post of the music so I have one photo that has most of us in it. Eric 'Smooth Walrus' (singer), Simone 'Sticks' (drums), Trystan Kim Fung, and me, Jessica 'AngryDog'. 

Stay well everyone! 

This is practice the day before. 

Poster for Gig

Yesterday and today I made a poster for our gig this coming Sunday. Since it's actually an event for Eric and Trystan's birthdays, I just have them on it. I plan on printing them a copy and one for the show. Then I'll keep the original. I'm looking forward to their reaction. 

What do you think? 

(VIDEO clip) Wish You Were Here

Well, we're officially one week away from the gig and I am TERRIFIED but mostly excited. We had another great practice yesterday and even Simone could make it, so she is going to be adding a percussion section. The video I have posted here, however we've decided, will not have percussion. It's just one of those songs that need to remain acoustic only.

P.S. We've decided that our hobby band name will be 'The Low Expectations'.  I like it because it reminds me of 'The Platters', or 'The Supremes' or 'The Contours'.  Except you can't be disappointed with us because our name is fair warning haha! But mostly, we're all about having fun!

 

Another silly drawing :-)

The last tote. I like it a lot. Narwhals always looked funny to me. 

Sharpie Totes!

Today, I spent my time drawing pictures on some totes that Ma gave me. She uses these at work so she doesn't have to haul things back and forth from Grande Prairie. The drawings will make them easier to tell exactly who they belong to since everyone uses the same ones. 

 I have two more to do tomorrow.  Some of it is smudged, as it's tricky to draw in sharpie without mistakes. A little frustrating but I think she will like them. 

This is one tote, the tattoo tote. Just because I love flash art. 

This is the mountain tote because that's Ma's favourite place to be. 

I hope to post more tomorrow :-) Stay well! 

Practice (makes better)

Trystan on the left, with Eric, our main vocalist. 

Two weeks away!! We're so ready!

Torquoise and Pearl

After a bit a lot of yard work today, I relaxed by starting a new earring and bracelet set. I think these two colours together are rather feminine. I hope to get more colours soon as well as thread. 

Hope you're all well and have a lovely evening. 

(VIDEO) Rehearsing for Sept. gig!

Today I spent most of the day with my great friend Trystan. We have a gig at Hudson's on campus on the 1st of September for his and our other friend Eric's birthday. So this is just a little taste of what's to come. It's going to be a blast!

This is the first time I've sung with a mic, so it's different but I can quickly get used to it.  I also got to try out my new external pick up!

 This one is made by K&K Sound, which is what Bob at Mhyre's Music on 118 Avenue in Edmonton, recommended to me. It's a low cost alternative to getting a pickup installed on my existing Uke, and MUCH more affordable than buying a new Uke with a pre-installed pickup.

This piece is the one that will be the amplifier basically, and it's glued on the body, near the strings where I strum.  It uses double-sided tape so I can take it off and reuse it on another instrument if I choose to do so.

This piece is glued on with an adhesive that is easy to remove and will go towards the end of the body on the bottom of the body face. So close to where a guitars pickguard would be on the body.

I tried this one with the song we play in the video and then tried my custom, heart-shaped Uke.  The heart shape one actually had a softer sound which lent itself well to the song.  I need to get pegs installed as well as a strap, so I can play it more often, as it has a pre-existing pickup already installed. Either way, a blast to discover!

My heart-shaped Uke, which I call Nirvana (heart-shaped box), was a treat to play.  Once again, I MUST thank my Ukulele Ladies, Britt, Morgan, Simone, Rachel and Nancy for such a lovely instrument.  Plays like a dreams.

(VIDEO) Whitehorse Cover on Ukulele!

I wanted to post a new cover. This is 'Out like a Lion' by Whitehorse. They are a Canadian folk band who include Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland. I recommend everything they create. It's a fun song to do and is usually a duet with my friend Eric but I couldn't borrow him today. Hope you enjoy :)

A lovely afternoon

I've just started a bracelet for a friend and realized that I should really go get some black beading thread. Otherwise, it's a relaxing way to spend an afternoon. 

Have a good one! 

A New Blog

Well, I'm back and I am no longer 'The Flea' blog. This blog will be for me to share my arts and crafts endeavours. I have recently gotten into beading, as well as I'm getting back into moccasin making. My art room smells of buckskin and it has to be one of the most amazing and comforting scent that I know. I love it. 

And just as a starting post, here are a few recent pics to catch you up. Enjoy!

My first beaded loom bracelet. 

Jenn Rain's wedding. Cris, Jenn and I have been friends for roughly 10 years now. 

Playing Morgan in on her wedding day on the Sunshine Coast in B.C.

The cover for a book I illustrated this year.

Mel and I at her fiancées birthday. This was after Jenn's wedding, was a busy day. 

My first single earring. I restarted this about 6 times over in a 10 hour span until I finally got the technique right. I was proud of myself. 

Keith and I in Whitehorse, our favourite place and future home. 

Whitehorse is Keith's home. It's where he truly feels complete, he said. 

A fun take on Tyler Triggs. A blast to draw. 

Working on Cris' portrait as well. Slow going but not bad.