new at rockett st george

jane from rockett st. george emailed me today with a pdf full of lovely new products she wants us to know about on their online store. like this set of 6 tea time napkins (above), featuring charming line drawings of teacups, plates and cutlery. also available in a matching tablecloth.



and this festoon, which is a metre of gorgeousness made out of shells, beads and pearls. use it as a table decoration, wrap it around a candle or napkin, or dangle from a mirror (like above).



or some text wall stickers which can create an immediate impact with very little effort or mess.



and i couldn't resist these lovely pink silicone cupcake (re-usable) muffin cases. great for home baking, simply bake (up to 500 degrees F) and then wash to use again.

soapsicles!

how difficult is it going to be to stop from sinking one's teeth into these soapsicles from mahar dry goods.

mild handmade glycerin soaps with delicious scents and a foamy lather. neapolitan soapsicles have three layers just like their namesake with corresponding scents: strawberry, vanilla and chocolate!

blinks - links from the big blogs

doshi levien pillow for moroso via three layer cake



topoware tableware with a topographic theme at milan 2007 via mocoloco



marcel wanders chair via psfk from the salone del mobile in milan.

blackboard pegs

i've always been a blackboard fan. in fact i've been pondering the idea of painting my kitchen cupboards like one of the contest winners i saw on apartment therapy a couple weeks back.

in any case, when i saw these little pegs i was an instant fan. from not on the high street. these ones are magnetic, which is a double bonus.

downloadable b-day card

the industrious jessica from how about orange has come up with a in-case-of-birthday-emergency-download on her blog.

it's a printable card and envelope she designed with vines. she left a lot of white space so it won't use up an entire ink cartridge (like alot of those downloadble ones do).

great idea and thanks jessica!

modern art design exhibit

if you're in toronto this weekend there's a cool design exhibit being held at the gladstone hotel called modern art design exhibit. with exhibitors such as bookhou design, davis khounnoraj and many more.

(via bookhou at home blog)

little paper planes + rachel salomon

kelly from little paper planes who just started up her own blog recently posted about rachel salomon's paintings, which i have to agree are just beautiful. lovely colors and images.

(via little paper planes blog)
rachel salomon

fred herzog

fred herzog is a vancouver photographer who's large collection of prints are currently being showcased at the vancouver art gallery. it's almost finished, but still time to check it out if you haven't already.

his primary subjects have been images taken of urban life in vancouver, many of them, the neon signage which has long since been replaced, storefronts since torn down, and city people who walked the many streets over the past fifty years.

having taught photography at both simon fraser university and the university of british columbia, his images reveal everyday life and the beauty sometimes overlooked when you're living it. Such as the stillness in a vacant lot, the charm of a worn barber shop, and even the power of a billboard.

a fully illustrated book will accompany this exhibition of herzog's body of work.

spring at pink bathtub's

i was in the mood for something bright and cheery today and pinkbathtub's new colorful cards, buttons and tags are just the thing. bright pinks, oranges and yellows, such fresh and happy colors. my favorites, the owls and those citrus buttons!

pinkbathtub's etsy shop.

smart memory art

thanks to reader maryanne for sending in this tip about simple memory art. which is a really clever idea. they create products that inspire children to learn and laugh in unexpected places. like how about in the shower with a metamorphosis shower curtain or a periodic table. i hope they'll come out with an anatomy one! also check out their t-towels and magnets!

simplememoryart.com

bonjour aliette

some nice paintings from a poppy reader who discovered etsy through reading here. now she's very excited to open her own shop with original paintings.

aliette.etsy.com

merci aliette and bonne chance!

simply photo

i received an email from jen with her latest postcard set from simply photo. lovely colors and simplicity. they make me calm just looking at them. thanks jen!

call for papergoods submissions

hey all you national stationery show exhibitors! i'm calling for submissions. if you are attending the show and if you wish to have your cards and papergoods previewed here at poppy's beforehand, i'm taking submissions! just send me some pictures of your new stuff, along with your booth number and a link to your site and i will let the world know all about your cards! starting now! pass it on! (email: poppytalkblog@yahoo.ca)

coffee cuff tutorial

i'm taking a stab at the whiplash contest this month. it's all about cozies, and i just happened to be thinking about this idea for almost a year actually and started making them around christmas for gifts.

i keep thinking about all the energy being wasted making those paper cup sleeves one gets when you forget to bring your own coffee cup in to buy a coffee and you have to use a paper cup and the paper sleeve. i thought, even if i do use the paper cup, perhaps having one of these "cuffs" might save a few trees. better than no trees. so since i'm always forgetting my cup, (so many things to think of when you're heading out the door), maybe this cuff, if it just slips on my wrist when it's not being used, might be a better idea for me and it fits into my bag better than a thermos.

click here for my tutorial.

etsy pick of the day photo tips

dear talented etsy people!

a few tips to help being chosen for the "etsy pick of the day" if that is what you wish. your photo's are so important. so if you can take pictures in natural light with no flash, things look so better that way. another thought is your background. items look really good against grass, wood or something that will contrast with your item really well and is attractive.

also if you have artwork, photographs or papergoods, it's best to scan the images in vs. taking a picture (or both is even better).

placing an item in a setting/scene really helps too and makes it more interesting for buyers along with a close-up of the item.

when saving your pictures to upload or email or to post up on your blog, it's best to (if you are using photoshop), to select the save to web option and then choose the .jpg option and select medium under the preset section. this will reduce the size of your photo file immensely and make it appear faster on your page as well as not take up so much space. if you don't have photoshop, then changing your image size resolution to 72 pixels per inch will also help.

for other tips on product photography, you can read a tutorial by posie gets cozy. really good tips to read there.

dog and pony show

some fun cards from a fun papergoods shop called dog and pony show out of los angeles. love the handmade feel and clever words. all available online here!

hoser cozies

the canadian design resource is always a fun place to visit and when i saw these hoser cozies, by anneke van bommel i had to include them in my canadian links. (as an aside, i have finally gone through most of my posts and tagged/labeled them, so you can now click under "categories" on my sidebar for things that interest you. (e.g. canadian, felt, fonts, etc.) go crazy!)

as stated at the canadian design resource site, "these pieces playfully reflect the nostalgia and mythology of the canadian experience, using icons and materials to illustrate the shared and somewhat skewed narratives of canadiana. a graduate of nscad, and former resident in the craft studio at harbourfront centre in toronto, anneke lives and works in toronto."

blinks - links from the big blogs

video of the salone del mobile 2007 via mocoloco


the scoop blog via l.a. apartment therapy


sweet juniper's new mies van der rohe home in detriot at design sponge


cappellini from the furniture fair in milan at h & g blog

forest baby postcards

cute little forest baby postcards by terra from little big pants etsy shop. featuring macro photos of schleich plastic animals set in a forest landscape.

images from south america

some lovely black and white photos from brazil to flip through by helder machado. lots of nice close-ups of exotic flowers and if you keep going, happy children. the site is a little difficult to navigate at first, but nice pics.

sprout new arrivals

fun new arrivals from sprout home i found over the weekend.

(top) - flaura and fauna plaques
(bottom) - ceramic bird houses.

sarah hanson

loving this work by artist, sarah hanson out of london, england.

a recent grad from the University of Hertfordshire in graphic design and illustration, sarah combines traditional and digital techniques to her work using photographs, hand-drawn elements, and found ephemera.

she uses widely diversified and disparate media which somehow creates cohesive and unified pieces when brought together. this piece titled, "bread oven" creates one statement but within it I see cardboard, windows with a handwritten letter in the background, a blue sky and an image of a woman building an outdoor bread oven. all combined the warm feelings that baked bread bring. (via my post at diesel.com).

sarah hanson portfolio

times new yorker

a dirty graffiti version of the times new roman font available for free from dafont.

fly away

i keep seeing butterfly motifs everywhere i turn and in fact had collected a few links that stood out to me. one in particular was this lampshade from british-based mixko i saw this month in canadian h & h.

available in acrylic wool in white and wool felt in white pink, blue or red. available through kol kid in toronto (416) 681-0368.

d*s furniture fair coverage in milan

if you're interested in whats going on at the furniture fair in milan this week, design*sponge has got it covered.

click on to her blog at h & g as well to see more photos and full descriptions. she's listing the following trends: "naturalism (leaves, raw wood, bamboo and green), glitz & glam (which she's calling disco ball chic), handmade touches (exposed stitching, joints and details like oversized hinges and screws), geometric/faceted designs (her favorite) and yellow (mostly a pollen/chartreuse hue seen in everything from fabric to powder-coated steel chairs)."

(loving this chair from jaime hayon - photo taken by grace bonney).

wonderland retreat

i received an email from renee garner who wanted to let me know about wonderlandretreat.etsy.com, a temporary etsy shop a few crafters set up 4 days ago. the purpose of wonderland retreat is to relieve some of the medical bills accrued when their friend alison gordon (one of the uber-talented brains behind bazaar bizarre and the sampler) needed unexpected surgery; you see, alison, like many artists, doesn't have health insurance. so far they've had over 160 donations of handmade items, and raised over $2000 for alison's medical bills!

they're posting new donations constantly, and right now they have some great art pieces for the home, funky jewelry, really an
incredible assortment of crafted goodies! they're hoping everyone will stop by and check it out!

details and updates regarding alison's hospitalization and recovery can be found at:

boygirlparty's livejournal
the sampler livejournal and here
craftypod
indiefixx
westcoast crafty

mixko.net

speaking of mixko, they have their new website up, i had checked just last week looking for that butterfly lampshade and it wasn't available online yet. but now it is. along with a few other unique new items for the home.

little paper planes

a few new lovely pieces today from little paper planes. my friend rachel ordered a bunch of stuff from here one time and was pleased with the quality. i'm really drawn to horses lately, and found these two prints plus that moleskine is unique!


dead horse prints by daniel st. george



scooter moleskine journal



long shot print by craig atkinson

aaron nelson

like the lines on these soft edged pieces by local ceramist, aaron nelson. after studio practices in chicago and victoria, aaron now works from a small industrial studio in vancouver and is represented by galleries throughout north america.

aaron nelson website.

egg press mothers day

mother’s day is fast approaching, this may 13! and in time for the special day, egg press have hand-picked an assortment of letterpress mother’s day cards to choose from.

in addition, they are now offering a new collection of their favorite botanical cards, the garden collection. with patterns inspired by life in the garden, it’s a collection perfect for spring correspondence. they are also offering a spring special! to celebrate in addition of their new garden collection, they are offering one free letterpress card with purchase of any egg press favorite card collection! limit one free card per customer. offer ends may 31! check their website for details.

celebrating the life of becky westcott

when i saw the work of becky westcott in an article at mumble magazine i was immediately reminded of margaret kilgallen. i was also saddened knowing like margaret, becky too had left our world ( a few years back), but with such inspiring talent to admire. these images are from the mumble magazine article, and i felt they were so beautiful that they needed to be seen, with respect and true admiration. the article is really nice to read, written by her husband. you can read it here

twinkle kids add new cakes to menu!

twinkle-kids have come out with some new tasty treats to play with. new cakes on their menu of felt interactive cake play kits for all those little pretend bakers out there just chomping at the bit to decorate a three layered tier cake! choose from, suzani, jack in the beanstalk and the original garden cake.



they also have mini cakes now too, for perhaps to take along to a friends or a car trip. think cherry blossom, pink, green and orange confetti!



and check out these cute bacon and egg baby tees and rock, paper, scissors. to have twins or triplets! (did i just say that?)