spring at MADE (sneak peek)

MADE welcomes spring with a new installation and the launch of their outdoor space. opening, april 5th at MADE in toronto.

a collection of furniture and accessories that explore areas of sustainability; multifunciton; a fresh look at some traditional skills and forms; and the beauty found in nature.

included, a camouflage house for birds created by architect dieter janssen and a delicate observation of owls, slip cast in porcelain as oil lamps by coe and waito. a cedar table constructed by co-owner, shaun moore with ready made saw-horse brackets and incorporating an historical design element with a twist.

holtz and metal present 'is' the ideal source deck chair - an exploratory foray by two furniture designers and an arborist into local level sustainability. also, 'holey stump', a log which has been drilled through providing a combination of storage and seating or table surface for both indoors and outdoors by patrick turner of studio thout.

there's so much more and i look forward to the MADE people sending some close-ups as soon as they have them.

race away

love this race rocking chair from retrouvius.com.

designed in 1948 by ernest race, a steel rod rocking chair with reclaimed hardwood arm rests and upholstered seat and cushion. the upholstery is removable so the chair may be left outside if desired.

race furniture, the original manufacturers, have recently put these back into production exclusively for retrouvius.

retrouvius.com.
(via decor8).

the regional assembly of text - in video

i've always talked about this store from almost the beginning i started this blog. and now you can check out the regional assembly of text (in video) too, by watching an episode of living vancouver, a local cbc show featuring things about town. (just click on one of the above links).

flip flop

love the colors, love the patterns. summer where are you?

i don't normally talk about footwear here, but i just couldn't resist these havaianas seen at free people today.

free people

issue containers

functional vs dysfunctional. that's the list of products from toronto-based glass designer, sally mccubbin on her site. the issue containers (seen here) are a perfect example of dysfunctional design. as explained for this design on her site, these non functional containers are themed by the dysfunctions of our social container. iconic imagery implies issues like gender roles, war, and monoculturalism.

sally sells in her shop online and out of the harbourfront center glass studio in toronto.



sally mccubbin
(found via inspirational styles blog).

trunkt goods

new from trunkt ceramic tags, bowls and mugs from circa ceramics; and silkscreen wooden panel prints by dolan geiman.

bears and branches

these are so great. love the doodle-y doilies on in this pink branch print by sk8ordiehard etsy shop. (to only be able to doodle that way).

if you can't like me, you can try coloring her ciy bear with your own special color scheme. comes with 2 scented markers for colorful inspiration. no pressure to use them though, looks cool black and white. the image is 3 1/2' x 4" on heavy cardstock.

sk8ordiehard etsy shop

blinks - links from the big blogs

timpins (a spoof on timbits - donut holes from canadian donutmakers tim hortons) by nate archer. via moco loco


fred's snap-a-party, do-it-yourself place setting. via moco loco


lee stanlier's front door storage system from yanko design via apartment therapy.


cathrine kullberg's norwegian forest lights using thin birch strips. via design*sponge.

lightly padded

totally digging these new woven-felt slip covers from bludot that was sent today in their recent newsletter.

for their chair chair, these lightly padded accessories make them look so inviting.

bludot.com

dang! those crafty devils

dang! love the word, and even more, the gocco'd card found at the pacific northwest's crafty devils. designed by vice & vision. and this ipod case, brown leather with aqua screenprint.

hob snobs

(taken from my post at beyond robson this past sunday)

i first came across the works of hob snobs last summer at paper-ya down in granville Island. hob snobs is a vancouver-based art & design collective with a love of craft. they make a charming, eclectic, and fashionable mix of items for the home, closet and everyday living. from journals to ties, everything is handmade with a unique canadian influence.

hob snobs includes sasha barry (track and field designs), heather emery (pudding products), carley hodgkinson (hodgkinson design), and valerie thai (cabin + cub design).

from valerie thai (cabin.etsy.com)

random Images + thoughts journal (above photo) - (craft coloured lined journals featuring actual recycled clippings of vintage books and paper on the covers. each one is one of a kind. a ribbon bookmark is also included to keep track of your random
ideas + thoughts).



wood pencil case - (Each box features a woodburned design, with an added surprise inside. designs include bird + cracked egg, squirrel + nut, and mouse + flower).

from heather emery (pudding products):



refurbished men’s tie - (vintage ties are hand stencilled and embroidered with a variety of flora and fauna motifs. available at motherland and devil may wear art & fashion emporium - retail $40-60)



sort of fancy barrettes - (fibrous and fluffy barrettes in a wide variety of colors and styles. available at devil may wear art & fashion emporium and chickpea - retail $10-15).



stencilled pencil bag - (hand stencilled images on pre-fab bags. owls, tigers, and airplanes, to name a few. available at bookmark @ vpl and furniture salad, 4055 macdonald st, van. 604.732.7712- retail $16-18)

from sasha barry (trackandfielddesigns.etsy.com)



chickadee brooches and owl brooches - (a lovely selection of little silkscreened chickadee brooches and hand sewn owl brooches to brighten your day. no two are alike! *these pins are currently the "product of the month" at the petri
dish here in Vancouver!!! - there are some wonderful photos on the website: thepetridish.ca.



screenprinted chickadee prints - (sweet little chickadees to decorate your walls. silkscreened on felt. assorted colours); screenprinted squirrels and deer pencil cases.

you can watch some of their works on living vancouver from cbc where they are featured at a local store, the petri dish.

unfortunately the wonderful and talented carley has not sent any images at press time so I may have to post about her soon!

hobsnob's website

70's lettering

nice 70's signage video from the electric company for alphabet crazed people. (thanks for the tip terra!)

dart good idea

i thought this was such a brilliant way to present or hang art. found at bittersweet genevieve's blog, she used this idea for an art installation she had at the regional assembly of text. i asked if i could snitch her images to show here. i featured her work in january at d's guest blog. she now has some handbags over at collective in edmonton.

owls and the letter "q"

gosia, from blue bell bazaar emailed me yesterday with a stash of new goodies she's going to have for sale at her etsy shop. and i instantly zoomed in on that bowling pin and the letter "q"! and of course who couldn't resist a turquoise owl.

blue bell bazaar

johanna basford

beautiful wallpapers and lampshades by scottish designer, johanna basford. all of her bespoke wallpapers are first hand-drawn, then traditionally screenprinted in her aberdeenshire studio.

johanna basford's website

spring/summer journals

new spring journals from the people at five and a half. they've chosen their favorite original photographs, printed them in fade-proof ink on canvas paper covers, filled them up with sugarcane and recycled papers, and added an inside back pocket.

five and a half is celebrating their first birthday, and to add to the festivities, every journal purchase comes with a recollected paper bundle -- a package stuffed with patterned, textured, colored, plain, artist, handmade, japanese, aged papers; vintage postcards and envelopes; and other bits and pieces of ephemera.

alicia neal

i'm really loving the work of philadelphia-based artist, alicia neal. majoring in illustration at the university of the arts in philadelphia, alicia graduated with a bfa in 2005. she currently is exhibiting her work in two shows; one is a large illustration themed group show called across the sea at the f.u.e.l. gallery and the other at the chapterhouse cafe & gallery, both in the philadelphia area.

i included her in my postings over at diesel this week. click here to read.


alicia neal's website

talva designs

tal waldman of talva design is an artist and designer based in paris. i immediately loved her wallpapers when she emailed me with her designs. with a background in architecture and subsequently art, she continues to explore intersections between art and design within the beauty of space. the artist wallpaper (click artist wall under collections) sold on the site (comes in limited signed and numbered series). her work not only includes wallpaper but also decorative objects, textiles and furniture. talva design website

the art of hand-lettering

a demonstration on the art of hand-lettering a sign.

living vancouver

if you're wondering what this part of the world looks like (especially at this rainy time of year), watch this episode of vancouver living. host, jennifer burke takes us on a hike in deep cove (an outskirt of vancouver). (click on the link to view).

treats and treasure prints

love this linoprint by marieke from treats and treasures. she now has these lovely pieces up for sale and you can see them at her flickr site and then email her to order. (via designsponge and bloesem).

angel d'amico prints

one of my favorite new artists as of late is chicago-based, angel d'amico who i recently featured at diesel this week. too bad this piece sold in a flash yesterday, but she has some other great works for sale at her etsy shop that are worthy of a look.

angel d'amico web site

hanging pearl lamp

loving this 100% felt die-cut (waste material) natural white shade from canadian felter, felt studio.

well known for their bags, container nests and journals locally, they are now moving into the home decor realm starting with their log tote last year and along with a few furniture pieces and now this hanging pearl lamp.

available exclusively through eurolite.com.

yellows and oranges

i'm loving the yellows and oranges here, a definite new favorite from california's lisa solomon. a new piece she just sent over to the richard levy gallery. i'm really looking forward to the launch of her new prints which i hope to have a sneak preview of soon along with a continuation of an interview we did back in january for design*sponge's guest blog.

congratulations & thank you h&g!

congratulations to design*sponge and her contribution to house and garden's launch of a new site yesterday. grace will be running and blogging a new section on the h&g website, called, trends + shopping and already i can see it's going to be another one of those daily haunts full of all the great finds she so amazingly seeks out in addition to her own site.

(and a huge thank you, to h&g and grace for including me on house & garden's sites we love section (under blogs)! that was so unexpected and such a thrill to be amongst such great company! how cool!)

leigh wells

speaking of handlettering! some beautiful examples from illustrator, leigh wells out of san francisco. she creates images for advertising, design, publishing and editorial clients. her work has been recognized by major organizations such as the aiga and the society of illustrators as well as appearing in several volumes of american illustration and in communication arts illustration annuals. no doubt.

chiara banfi & vinyl adhesive

loving this exhibition by chiara banfi featured at brasil inspired. a local of sao paulo, she takes adhesive vinyl and turns them into elegant drawings. she also works with photography, music and performance.

a graduate of faap university of são paulo, she recently completed her residency at gasworks, a space consisted of a gallery and a dozen studios which allow foreign artists to work in london for a period of three months. since its creation in 94, the programme has hosted over 100 artists from 50 different countries world-wide.

e-mail: banfichiara@yahoo.com.br

polaroid postcards

love these polaroid postcards maditi is now selling in her etsy shop!

6 of her favorite polaroids turned into 12 polaroid postcards: to send, to keep, to frame and to enjoy! or i'm thinking, a wall of polaroids!

maditi's etsy shop

urban exhibit at rose and radish

rose and radish who nearly a year ago underwent a transformation from high-end florist into floral and design gallery have a new exhibition, URBAN. featuring designs inspired by metropolitan settings the new collection is composed of conceptual lighting by industreal, elegant hering berlin place settings, architectural steel tables from blu dot, and surface designs by erika wakerly.

along with the launch of the URBAN show, rose and radish is starting a project called the sixty forty print club. a different artist will be chosen to create a signed, limited-edition print based on each new show’s theme. this artwork will be extra-special because all the profits will be split sixty forty between the artist and a selected non-profit organization. for URBAN, the print artist is kate durkin, who also created a graffiti-inspired mural in the gallery; and the hamilton family center will receive the donation to help them continue their work in assisting homeless families. the prints will be launched for sale online, roseandradish.com, on march 20th and displayed in the gallery for the show’s duration.

rose and radish stays true to its vision by utilizing a gallery format, displaying design objects as true objets d’art. the boutique gallery, located in hayes valley, reveals a different themed show about every three months. after the duration of the exhibit, the gallery space is cleared, repainted, relit, and restocked with an entirely new selection of products. items from past shows are available in a beautifully designed web-store, roseandradish.com.

pinhole camera tutorials

i'm definitely addng this one to my tutorials links! photojojo has a "make-it-yourself" on pin-hole cameras today out of paper, altoid mint tins (my favorite) and spam cans (crazy tasty!). i've always wanted to do this, and those tins ones will definitely hold out in the april showers!

dirkon pinhole paper camera
minty cam
spamera
photojojo

come up to my room

my latest diesel post, come up to my room features young canadian designers/artists at the annual alternative design exhibition at the gladstone hotel in toronto during the toronto interior design show week. i've included it here for you to read, since there's so many amazing canadian designs to read about:

In it's fourth year, Come Up to My Room is an annual design exhibition held in the century old Gladstone Hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the same time as Toronto's Interior Design Show.

This year it was held February 23 - 25, 2007 and featured the works of innovative, Canadian designers/artists who were invited to transform the Gladstone's twelve second floor rooms into installations.

The exhibition showcased the following Canadian designers/artists:

Magic Pony - knitted mushrooms
Studio Exit
Coe and Waito - porcelain jellyfish.
Bruno Billio
Castor Design
Covello Reesor: Cristina Covello and Andrew Reesor – Graduates of Sheridan College Furniture Design
2X2 - Two room installations presented by Motherbrand - Canadian Woods stamp series, a Canadiana quilt

CURATED PROJECTS:
MADE - Hybrids milk crate installation inspired by chinoisery
Rob Southcott - twisty back chairs, made of plywood.
Josh Hall
Christina Zeidler
Gorbet Design
Koma Designs & Gallery's Jamie Cheveldeyoff
Terence Cooke
Deanne Lehtinen

Some images of the installations can be seen at Mocoloco and the Gladstone Hotel (Toronto) Pool at flickr.

(Update: more pictures from the gladstone hotel here).

stephanie nance

(Accompanying karaoke tune: Mungo Jerry's In the Summertime):

Camping trailers and polka dots, just a few of my favorite things! So when i saw these paintings by Austin, Texas native, Stephanie Nance I was instantly a fan!

With a Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio art (ceramics) from Texas State University, Stephanie is drawn towards art she can use, from jewelry to pieces to hang above your dining table, she enjoys the intimate and tactile experience which has become a strong element in her work. And if you get a chance, click on her shop, for some very fun bags!

rhonna re-found

i happened upon rhonna designs this week (which i'm so glad i re-found btw), i lost track of her temporarily. she's back with a very cool new site and some lovely new digital kits for downloading, like this butterfly kisses frame kit! perfect for your blog, cards, wall art, digital photo album, or any other fun little art project you have going on. she even has polaroid frames and the (pink one) i'm eyeing. so glad to have re-found this treasure trove!

vintage etsy

some favorites i picked out of the vintage section at etsy today. there are always such amazing finds there and these are still up for grabs!

vintage letters from bluebellebazaar
barn owl wooden laquered dish from wundercabinet
tv set viewmaster style vintage viewer from joules
cake stand from illusiveswan
vintage 50s fortune napkin dispenser metal sign from covetablecuriosities
60's duelling cowboys pendant from covetablecuriosities

spring etsy finds

it's my last post at emma's blogg today and i left there with a few picks from etsy. it was a fun week, finding things to post about, and i thank emma for inviting me there. the above pictures are all etsy picks and you can read where to find them at her blog.

new jasna pieces

local ceramic artist, jasna sokolovic has some new pieces including new tiles and beautiful ceramic jewelry which can be purchased at her online shop or at her studio, located at 1375 Railspur Alley, Granville Island, Vancouver B.C., Canada.

read more about her work in my latest article at beyond robson

jasnart.com

winning swedish design comes to vancouver

guest blogging at sweden's emma's blogg is rather timely so i found out when i received an email today from her, about the current exhibition, design s - award winning swedish design being held here in vancouver at the pendulum gallery, march 12 - march 31, 2007.

the swedish society of crafts and design, the advertising association of sweden, and the swedish industrial design foundation created the swedish design award to single out designers and companies who have contributed to today's advancements in the design field. the design projects in this exhibition ranged from industrial design to furniture, textiles and graphic design.

this touring exhibition aims to demonstrate that good design can lead to better communication, better business, better functionality and better sustainability.

(see emma's blogg for pictures of my favorites).

eclecto pockets & pouches

whilst trolling the internet, looking for canadian content (cancon as us canadians call it), i lucked out when i hit calgary's uppercase shop, as they had just uploaded these truly fabulous eclecto pouches and pockets! i instantly emailed janine and asked her if i could snitch a couple photos. she was so nice to send some special pictures just for this. made from a selection of vintage papers each one is hand sewn by janine herself. the pouches are 7.75" x 4.5" x 1.325" and the pockets are 4" x 2.75" (great for holding credit cards). get them before they no doubtedly may sell out!