Finished

…and no missing pieces

I started this puzzle over a year ago. I put it aside rolled in a piece of black felt but it was always in sight. Back in January I unrolled it and put it at the far end of the kitchen table.

Darlene Kulig is one of my favourite local artists and she is the mother of two former students. She has had some of her paintings made into jigsaw puzzles and this is one of them.

When I started to continue with this puzzle I had barely finished the perimeter.

Two nights ago I finally finished this 1000 piece puzzle. It took me a month to finish it but I persevered and the best part was that all the pieces were there.

Judy’s Photo Challenge – The Numbers Game

today’s number is 230

Thanks to Judy Dykstra-Brown for hosting The Numbers Game https://judydykstrabrown.com/2026/01/19/the-numbers-game-108-please-play-along/

Today’s number pulled up photos from my past as a little girl, my granddaughters, flowers, views from High Park, art, my husband after a bike mishap and my son’s balcony garden in London.

Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Journal

thanks to Sue W and Gerry C for hostting Weekly Prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2026/01/17/weekly-prompts-weekend-challenge-journal/

Before Christmas I treated myself to a brand new journal. I purchased it at the Holiday Market from a lovely woman who makes these journals by hand. Each one was different, using a variety of papers and fabric. My husband gifted me a beautiful Lamy fountain pen so I’ve been experimenting with it in this book. To be honest with you I’m very bad at keeping journals going for more than a month but because of its small size I can see carrying it around with me and taking it with me when I travel. My goal is not to tackle it every day but to at least open it once a week or when I’m inspired to add something to it.

Play Along With Judy

thanks to Judy Dykstra-Brown for hosting the Numbers Game https://judydykstrabrown.com/2026/01/12/https-judydykstrabrown-com-2026-01-05-the-numbers-game-107-please-play-along-jan-12-2026/

Today’s number is 229. Just type it into your photo search box and see what comes up. Here is what I found.

Happy New Year

no New Year’s resolutions

Just making the best of every day. In the past I’ve tried making resolutions that were too ambitious. For example, I used to set a goal of making art every day. As soon as I missed two or three days in a row I felt like I had failed and instead of getting joy out of making art it became a chore. So this year I’m hoping to do one thing a day that brings me joy.

Yesterday I read my first book of the year. It’s a children’s book but I highly recommend it to anyone from 8 to 88.

Charlie Mackesy is both author and illustrator. The book is full of inspirational quotes and I know that I will be going back throughout the year to lift up my mood and stir my creative juices. I like Mackesy’s loose style of drawing so I picked up my fountain pen and opened my new journal. I wrote down my first quote and copied one of the illustrations.

Other things that bring me joy are walking, taking photos, baking, crafting, spending time with friends and family, travelling, going to the cottage and making art.

My one goal this year is to share my joy with you!

Judy’s Numbers Challenge

this week’s number is 227

This week’s number brings back memories of a visit to the High Park Zoo, an art exhibit at the ROM, a day at the opera with my good friend, LInda, several of my art projects from years ago, friends and family, photos from my retirement party and pictures from the cottage.

The Cute and Christmasy Factor

the reason why my husband’s cards outsold mine

Kevin is very talented and had a lot of fun creating our annual Christmas cards but he also made numerous other images that had a winter or Christmas theme. Here are some of the images that I had printed and made into greeting cards.