About This Site

Hi & Welcome

My name is Fran and this site is my personal blog. Here I enjoy recording and sharing my crafting, sewing and techie projects and ideas. Since I also love finding great Canadian sewing and crafting sources, I keep all my lists updated here.

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”

Carl Sagan

In addition to my lists, you may also see my blog posts about a lot of different things that interest me or that I’m in the process of making or learning. I like to record my makes and thoughts about them here. You are welcome to come along for the ride.

My main interests (at the moment) are making textile things, sublimation projects, building and maintaining websites, like this one, and enjoying my family.

About Me

I am retired from the Canadian federal government. Married to a limey import, we have two incredible and interesting grown children. On August 20, 2020, we welcomed a little girl, Rhea, into our hearts and we now proudly have the fabulous titles of Grandma and Granddad! Then, excitedly, on September 21, 2023, our 2nd grand child, Persephone (Percy), was born.

My husband and I also share our days with our current Boston Terrier named Tuppence, Second-of-her-Name. We love all dogs, but most especially our lovely Boston Terriers.

Finally, for those of you that have got this far, I wanted to note (if it isn’t already obvious) that this is not a business or money making venture for me. I do not monetize this site with google ads or affiliate links.

You can, however, support my efforts by putting a huge smile on my face with a comment on a post or an email to add a Canadian resource or just say hi.

Stay in Touch

First, feel free to follow me on Instagram,

You can sign up for my newsletter, but I may stop doing that soon (let me know if you think I should continue). It generally includes a roundup of my list updates and any new content on my blog. The sign-up form for it is at the bottom of this page.

Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll come back soon.

But Really, Tell me more … (said nobody?)

I have always had a ton of hobbies. Seems I am forever reaching for a next new or different project. For years I focused primarily on computers, software, internet coding and latest technologies. In 2017, I accidentally sewed something rather more adventurous than the usual essential repairs. I surprised myself and found I REALLY enjoyed it ( I know, late bloomer!). Since then, I have been sewing almost constantly and I still get such a kick out of finishing a project. My mum would be shocked! So, really I’m just a sewing newbie.

In late 2023, as I reflected on my next project, I thought I would crochet something for the grands, like that ubiquitous mermaid tail blanket. After watching several YouTube videos, I started the project. I soon realized that I actually couldn’t crochet, but I could learn. Same thing happened for my foray into knitting. Shortly after I started into the yarn hobbies, I discovered the Ravelry site and what an incredible resource it is. I think I really like this knitting lark and it is mobile too so I can take it with me where I go!

Sewing and knitting are skills that take a ton of practice and practical knowledge, but there is also so technical much to learn: types and sizes of needles, threads, yarns, fabric composition, standards, different sewing machines. Enough information to warm the cold hard core of any techie’s heart.

My Domain Name

And I am a techie at heart.

I made my first website around 1998 (MoonShadows) on Geocities, a free website host where I learned HTML and more. Eventually, I was a Community Leader (CL) in the Science Fiction Neighbourhood called Area 51 when Geocities closed. I was hooked though and moved to paid hosting and bought my domain name, wicks.ca, the first of many, in 2001.

The wicks.ca website has gone through many iterations since then. For years, I hand-coded every line in HTML using Allaire’s Homesite software. Eventually I upped my game with browser-side JavaScript and then moved into server-side scripting with MySQL and PHP. I used to provide website development services to friends, family and a few clients and along the way became proficient with Adobe’s Photoshop and Illustrator and hundreds of software programs in support of my habit.

In those early days, I laughed in the face of those new all-in-one packages like WordPress or Drupal as any “real” website developer would. I write my own code thank you very much! However, as the technology evolved, I had to break out of these habits and face the truth: WordPress had grown into this incredible functional and flexible CMS – all free! Further, I had enough skill to pop open the hood and see what the code was doing and that became a good game too.

At my last check, there were 60,283 WordPress plugins to add endless functionality and customization! In 2022, 43% of all websites on the internet are using WordPress. So, I moved on and dug deep into WordPress. Now, years later, I can still say that WordPress is the best way for anyone, coder and non-coders alike, to build a website today.

Oh, I use and highly recommend Web Host Canada for hosting and domain registration in Canada. They have their servers IN CANADA. This means we are not subject to another country’s laws of data collection. They run green too. Sure, sure, sure, Fran, you may say, all that is great, but I have a business to run. Well, they also have super fast servers, great pricing and even their support is incredible – in both official languages. Seriously, they are a great choice among so many hosting companies.