West Elm and Etsy's love-in

Hey there. Yep, I know I've been barely hanging around here recently (I'm blaming it on a combo of being blisteringly busy with work, travelling to both New York and Chicago within the past couple of weeks, oh, and getting kinda sick too), but here's something that you guys can really sink your teeth into>>>

West Elm's Toronto store will be hosting an Etsy We Heart Handmade Art pop-up event curated by Fieldguided - that's her smashing carryall pictured below - which'll feature a slew of other local Etsy craftspeople, as well as promising both drinks and tunes. I was in the store yesterday and they were being busy bees getting prepped and clearing space for what promises to be a very busy Saturday. All the deets are below, and yep, Bookhou (a local design fave of mine) will be there with lots of gorgeous gear, including the pillows and artwork pictured below, too.

I'm hoping to make it, but might be entirely exhausted after participating in our mega local neighbourhood yard sale (shout out to everyone who lives in The Pocket!).

Rainbow rabbits, and other stuff

I have been so behind the 8 ball this week. You know how it is, you come back from vacation and there's a traffic jam of work to wade through. Well, that went out the window yesterday morning as I took time out to check in on the just-opened One of A Kind show.

There was scads of great stuff to see, so here are just a few faves from me. First up, the incredibly sweet felt creatures from Cristina Larsen of Textile Platypus, who makes the felt, hand-dyes it, then stitches each little fellow by hand. Next, Lost Nation had fun with their Humane Antlers as well as these cool carved moustaches. I totally heart all of the hemp and organic linen tea towels from Freshly Printed, their snow-shoe design was a standout for me. Menswear brand Identity stepped out of t-shirts and into these screenprinted wool blanket pillows. More great tea towels, of course from the lovely Avril Loreti (whose calendar tea towel is a certified blog hit!). And finally, an '&' pillow craftily made from vintage clothing by Hilary Cosgrove.

Have nothing in your house...

Before you freak, I'm not suggesting you chuck everything out and live a minimalist (and rather dull) life. No, it's the first part of my fave William Morris quote - more on that here - and the subject of illustrator James Brown's latest work, a poster printed for the V&A museum in the UK. My sister managed to catch up with James recently to interview him for her blog Blink London, so if you'd like to learn more click here. He's quite the interesting chap, having designed prints for both Levis and Louis Vuitton. Oh, and I've also included another of my faves, his Hats print, which I would love to have hanging on my wall sometime. To get your hands on one of James' prints, check out his General Pattern Print Shop.

A sweet bonjour from San Fran

Happy Tuesday folks! Well, if you weren't feeling happy before, you certainly will have at least a twinge of the jollies after checking out the work of multi-disciplinary designer Chloe Fleury (who's work I came across on Daily Imprint). Originally from France, Chloe hopped the pond and now calls San Francisco home. Check out her series called The place i live, which was inspired by the love of her adopted city. The set of 3D posters have caused such a stir that she's been swamped with requests from people trying to buy them. Sadly, they're not up for grabs, just part of Chloe exploring her creative process, which is also inspired by cats, cupcakes and fashion. Now there's a girl after my own heart. Check out her portfolio here, and follow along on her French girl in San Fran adventures on her blog here. Oh, and yes, that's Chloe in the last shot with the pink paper ice cream!

In praise of knots

The Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs was jam packed during the recent Coachella fest (click here to see the arty goings on over on Poppytalk), but I'm wondering, did anyone stop to check out the hotel's cool macramé installation? The knot-tastic curtain was created by designer Michael Schmidt - who's perhaps better known for his wardrobe work with the likes of Gaga, Fergie and Madonna - out of about a mile of cotton rope. And why not? It's definitely high time for macramé to come out of the dusty 70's craft closet and be re-imagined for today. To show that there's a bit of a thing happening with cord, rope and knots, take a look at Urban Outfitter's Beaded Treasures pillow as well as the rather stunning Pleats-Pleats sofa by young Swedish design and architecture studio, Imaginary Office. [Images 1,3: courtesy Michael Schmidt]

Craft in kind

Okay peeps, have you been to the One of a Kind show yet? I took a super fast runthrough the other day and saw some great stuff, and will be finding time over the next couple of days to head back to grab a few things. The show is such a part of the Holiday season for me, and a wander through always puts me in the mood (let alone sampling all the shortbread). So, if you need any more convincing, just check out the vignettes below - which I can totally tell were shot at photographer Michael Alberstat's studio - and are crammed with lots of cool crafted One of a Kind gear.

Feeling that 70's craft

My other half is pretty good with a ball of wool and knitting needles. Me, not so much. So, as the days get shorter and there's more time to sit by the fire I've decided to take on a classic bit of craftery. I discovered it in the 1978 edition of Better Homes and Gardens Complete Book of Knitting, Crochet & Embroidery. It's a hefty vintage book with quite the slew of ideas, many of which would get you arrested if you even stepped out the front door wearing one (see-through butterfly crochet tank top anyone?). But hey, I'm up for the challenge and have decided to go for an embroidered pillow project that could look very cool. Take a look below at the cover of the book - love that canary yellow! - and beneath that there's pattern for the project, called the Flower Bed Pillow. I think it could be a lovely addition to our fucshia sofa in, maybe, a combo of plums, pinks and greys. What do you think? If you fancy your own copy of the book, check out eBay here.

Stooled out?

Have you had it with this mania for stools, ceramic and otherwise? They're kind of all over the place right now which makes me think that we might have had enough, but, as of yet, there seems to be no stopping them. In the last day or so I've fairly tripped over stools in faceted glossy white and metallic, a pewter glazed tree stump (roots n' all), and Asian influenced fretwork. And now there's these ones, totally hitting that ethnic craft vibe, with an intricate chasework pattern wrapped all over the surface in v. on-trend copper and a perennially safe nickel. Big plus with this design is the fact that the top flips off to reveal storage beneath. Whadya say, could you do with a couple hanging about? Punched metal stools, Graham & Green.

Speedy Gonzales

Yesterday I had to make like Speedy Gonzales and run around town like nobody's business. My day started well enough, with a preview of the just-opened One of A Kind show in Toronto, except, rather than a leisurely stroll I only had 20 minutes to check it out before my next appointment. Gah! Needless to say, I'll be going back to have a proper poke around (more cool stuff to come).

Here's one thing that definitely caught my eye as I was dashing about - These are the hot and fresh hand-painted Splatter Morph Pads by Montreal firm, Schleeh Design. I'm bananas about well-designed paper goods, and I just loved the loose and splashy colours - very Pop!

  

Joe's glass floats

Every now and then I'm in touch with a craftsperson who's work I totally admire, and that's the case with LA-based glass blower and designer Joe Cariati. I included his swell-egant glass decanters in a recent Trendwatch feature for Canadian House & Home and, since our theme was Mad Men, they were a perfect fit. Joe kindly took a couple of minutes to tell me about his work, influences and style:

"If I had to choose one word to describe my style it would be 'Air'! I love to inflate, or blow the glass. Too often I see glass that is squelched by heaviness and weight. A great Italian master alerted me to the "feeling" that the glass has when the material is blown extremely thinly. I agree! The quality of the work transforms instantly. It is my hope that the viewer also has an experience, perhaps like re-discovering something that you are familiar with, but seeing it in a new light.

Weight, light transmission and overall clean lines are really what my glass is about. I'd love to see it float off the table at times...and it's extremely difficult to execute this quality in terms of technique which I find very exciting, it keeps me engaged in the process....

In terms of design, I do choose to work off mid-century wine decanters, but these are hardly replications. I feel that they are more paying homage to a great tradition that the glass houses flexed in the States in the 50's and 60's. My lines are a lot more simple, my colors, well, elegant and contemporary to say the least...

There's a lot of action in the process of glassblowing, and it's this process or action that drives my work. Engaging in this heavy amount of action - glassblowing - has also shaped my designs. I'm not a "fussy" glass blower, I cannot stand to spend time on surface decoration or frilly techniques. For me, the purity and process of glassblowing is constant, there are no breaks, no time to rest, no lull. So, with that, my approach is Clean, Pure, Simple and More. That is the M.O. of my company..."

Take a look below at some of Joe's work, and see more here; his glassware is available exclusively in Toronto at Hollace Cluny, and the lamps are a (gorgeous) brand new venture with Swank Lighting. [Image 1, 2: Phillip John Cybulski]

   

 

  

Light and composition

The last time I saw photographer Michael Graydon was just before Christmas, in the grip of a pretty evil snowstorm, when we worked on this feature for Report on Business Magazine. I always enjoy working with him (he has such a calm and thoughtful point of view, and a beautiful way with light and composition) so I thought it would be fun to post some of his work. The five shots below represent just a smidge of what he's done, so make sure to check out more from his portfolio here; in fact, I'm happy to say that some of the work we've done together over the years is there.

The first four shots were seen in Canadian House & Home (that's ceramic artist, Jennifer Graham pictured in #4), and the last - but by no means least - is from Canadian Family.