cheers

it is so flipping hot here today! my thermostat is reading 28 degrees. the dog and i are going to sit in front of the fan and drink this beer. (the beer is for me, too bad for her that she doesn't get any)
happy friday and enjoy your weekend!

the handsome family

last night we went to see one of my favorite bands ever, the handsome family play at the biltmore. (theresa, i thought of you, you should have been there!)
it was so fun! i had never been there before, the place really suited the show. (although i wish people wouldn't have talked so much, but what can you do when there are drinks involved.)
they played some songs from their latest album, honey moon which i like but it's not my most listened to album.


that would have to be in the air. i can't get enough of it.


through the trees is pretty great too. i think they are perfect to listen to while i'm sewing. or trying to cook or bake. or doing just about anything really.


go check them out and have a listen here.

where? vancouver

thank you to where magazine for having my new giraffe in july's shopping section!
he's on page 23, if you have a copy or you can look online here. as mentioned, there are animals for sale at favourite gifts in north vancouver and there are a few animals left at room6 in deep cove too.

i am busy making some new beavers (and a couple of giraffes, if all goes well) to post in my shop soon. hopefully they will be ready by the end of the week, but i will make a blog post mentioning when the shop update will be.

happy tuesday!

back in town

i just got back from out of town. we were in los angeles for a few days. a few very hot, fun days. we did some much needed relaxing at our hotel, a wee bit of shopping, we saw michael jackson's star (since i was there, i had to. my dad bought me the thriller album when i was 6 and played it non stop. he was my first crush), had a couple celebrity sightings and went to enjoy the views at griffith park.

on our way home, we fly through some rough weather (they said it was a thunderstorm) near seattle and the gin i was drinking made me relax enough to capture some of the aftermath. (more photos on my flickr.)

AND, we also heard this song again. can you believe it? every time we are there. EVERY time. love it.

in line with canada day......

i made these two little canadian beavers last night to give to some very special visitors here from australia. perhaps they will help pass some time on their long flight back home.



they are stuffed with 100% local wool and the fabrics are japanese imports. i really love the floral one, it reminds me of a liberty print.

happy canada day!

i love maple sugar.

(don't forget, free shipping today- to anywhere!)

a sale (of sorts)

in honor of our country's birthday tomorrow, i will be covering the shipping on all orders tomorrow, july 1st.
no matter what you buy, no matter where you live- shipping is free! just pay as you would normally, and i will refund you the shipping charges completely. whoohoo!
for one day only!

update: i've just removed the shipping charges to make it easier. no need to refund.

a good end

today was a good end to a very crappy week. it involved a drive to the north shore, picking up some new fabric, getting a new plate, and having an early, delicious barbeque dinner on our communal roof deck. a perfect beginning to a much better week (i hope).
happy sunday!

floating

when i looked out the window the other day, i saw a bundle of balloons floating by. i ran to grab my camera, they were moving so quickly. they look so tiny in these pictures.

we're back!

our ontario trip was so much fun! very, very busy but so much fun. it was so great to catch up with family and friends. we also spent a few days in toronto and were joined by my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. good times!!! lots of walking, lots of mac and cheese at the drake and some drinks were thrown in there too.
we saw an amazing surrealist exhibit at the AGO. it included painting, sculpture, jewelry and more, plus there was some incredible fabric by dali and miro.
i loved walking around queen street west and popping into so many great shops and small galleries. standouts for me were robber, magic pony (who had the coolest window display, see above) and the drake general store where i purchased the best ceramic garden gnome. thankfully he made it home in one piece.
now to catch up on my blog reading......

see you later!

i'm headed back to ontario tomorrow for a summer holiday to visit with family. it is always a crazy rush to get everything done before we go. the final (and easy tasks) are now done.
the dog is at the kennel-check
the laundry has been done-check
many emails were sent-check and now just to pack the bags.


before i go, i wanted to mention that some of my animals are now in sunny LA to take part in the swoon exhibition at the black maria gallery from june 13th to july 11th. i'm so excited!


i have used a few new fabrics for them and all of the animals i have sent are stuffed with 100% locally sourced wool. it makes them feel so great!

see you when i get back!

new bunny

this fresh little bunny was just posted in the shop.
he is made from a wool and cashmere blend and is so soft!

weekend

just a couple of highlights from the long weekend. some sketches done by our nieces who we spent alot of time with.
the first one are some animals that i like. the second were outfits designed especially for me. i'm a lucky auntie.


and an early dinner and drinks last night at the new latitude restaurant on main street. SO delicious. all of it. we ordered the soccas with shrimp, the avocado and mango salad, the charcuteries de le mer, the halibut and the cheese plate for dessert. i can't wait to go back.



how did you spend your weekend?

wood stapler

a stapler made out of wood.
i like it.


(via simple lovely. i forgot to mention that, i usually do, it was so early this morning. so...sleepy.....)

have a great weekend!

new bear

thank you everyone for the giraffe love! it's nice to hear such sweet words and comments when you try something new, especially when you see it all of it's flaws. it makes me want to keep at it and try out some other ideas floating around in my head.

speaking of new, i have just posted this new bear in the shop . i LOVE the fabric on his belly. the colors are soft and muted and yellow is probably one of my favorites. i find these bears fun to make, since i rarely use my sewing machine and all of my other animals are hand stitched.


i consider these bears to be a limited edition since the grey wool suiting i have is such a small quantity and i can't get any more of it. i have enough for maybe 15 bears? maybe? we'll see. it's too bad because i like working with it, but now it will be fun searching for replacement wool. let the hunt begin. (i wish we had more fabric shops in vancouver.)

when the urge strikes.

i haven't worked on a new pattern in, what feels like, quite some time. i've been so busy making up stock for orders and the craft fair that i haven't had the time needed to work out a new pattern.


i find that i can't really create something unless the urge strikes me. this is partly why i haven't been taking custom orders for specific animals. if i'm not feeling it, it doesn't happen. i got the urge yesterday afternoon to make a giraffe, something i've been wanting to do for a while now. so i drew out a rough sketch and started cutting. here is my finished prototype. he's a little wonky, he is a also a little top heavy. one wrong move and he's flat on his face. ha! but overall i'm fairly happy with it. a few more runs and i think he'll be more what i had in mind. plus, i'm waiting for some mustard wool to arrive that i think may be a perfect color for his body.


(more pictures here)

also exciting (for me anyway) is that he is stuffed with 100% local wool. this is something that i looked into about a year ago, but thought it may be to expensive to do. polyfill was more economical and worked just as well i thought. well, times have changed and i think the few dollars more are worth it. it's much nicer for me to use, plus i think most customers will appreciate knowing their animal is stuffed with natural fibers. i will slowly start integrating the wool stuffed animals into the shop soon, so for now customers will have a choice of stuffing.

so much fun

as the title says, the show on sunday was so much fun! being my first, i was extremely nervous beforehand. (which is why i only took a couple of shots two minutes before the doors opened, ugh, i'm still irritated i did that) so far, i've gotten used to simply popping my animals in the mail and chatting about them through email. being anonymous has felt safe to me so this was definitely pushing me out of my comfort zone.


but once the doors opened and i was settled in (and stopped sweating) i was able to relax and enjoy the experience. it was so nice to meet so many new people!! it was also a treat to meet some lovely ladies (hi ella, becka, sam) who i have gotten to know through flickr or blogging, or some just through admiring their work. on top of it all, i made out with some pretty sweet loot. some purchased, some swapped, but all really loved.


(please see more pics on my flickr and for info on where to buy)

thank you to everyone who came out and stopped to look, or took an animal home or smiled and said hi. it really made my day! and a big thank you goes out to andrea and rob who did a great job organizing an event like this. thanks guys!!

got plans?

i hope they involve coming to the got craft? show tomorrow! if you are one of the first 30 people you get a free bag filled with swag.
(click image to read all of the crafty goodness that will be there)

bears

i made some more bears for the craft fair. just five of them. i used some more of my favorite nani iro fabric and also some cute yellow animal fabric i have. plus, a great pale blue fabric i found with a giant feather on it.


i will be selling my animals at the fair for the same price they are on etsy, but in canadian dollars. so it's kinda like having a sale.
who doesn't like a sale, right?


also, i will be taking stock out of my shop as of friday may 1st to use for the fair. if you see something you like, now may be the time to grab it since i'm not sure if or when i will be posting them back in the shop.
(please drop me a line if you are interested in one of the bears you see here and won't be able to make it to the craft fair. i can always make one to post in the shop.)

phew!

okay, i need a shower now. too much information? perhaps. but i just worked up a sweat completing my very first bunting banner!!! i wanted to make one for the upcoming craft fair that i am in. so i went for it. i even made my own bias binding. (i hope i'm getting all of these terms right) the reason this is such a big deal for me is because i am not a sewer.



i just started to teach myself how to sew a couple of years ago, so this was a bit of a challenge for me. if you look closely, it's certainly not perfect, but i'm happy with how it turned out. especially considering that i did everything freehand. (except i used a really handy tool from dressew to help make the binding)




now the thought of starting a (small) quilt doesn't seem quite so daunting.

an english kitty and robots

i'm not sure if you've already seen the following clip, but i thought it was funny. and kinda creepy at the same time.



(via smitten)

also, i received a helpful email from a friend today mentioning to me about how some of the comments left in the giveaway had their complete email addresses in them, and that can make them vulnerable to spam robots. (that phrase makes me laugh, can't you just picture the robots?) but seriously, i would hate to think that anyone received spam on account of entering my giveaway. so i went ahead and removed those comments, but just know that i still appreciate each word that was typed, i just don't want you to have to deal with crappy spam. or robots.
as far as i know, it is safe to use your email address but substituting the @ with (at) and the . with (dot). if i am wrong, can someone please let me know? i don't pretend to be computer savvy by any means, and it is always helpful to learn new tips.

and the winner is.......

.......comment number 11, kirsten! i used the random number generator from random.org and as you can see it gave me the number 11. kirsten, i will be emailing you shortly to get your mailing address so i can send you your elephant.


this was way more fun then i had ever imagined it to be. i was so excited just now using the number generator! i will definitely be doing this again. a huge thank you to everyone who participated, it was really great to see some friendly faces and super great to get to know some of you who have been 'lurking'. i also really appreciated all of the sweet words of encouragement and concern. it has been a rough go lately and having your thoughts and comments really brightened my days. i never meant to be all mysterious about what has been going on, once i am feeling better i will write a post about it, but in the meantime, thanks again. your words have really meant the world to me.

be well everyone and enjoy the evening (hopefully it is spring-like where you are)
k
xo

feel like a giveaway?

here's the deal: i've been pretty bummed lately. i've been dealing with some pretty heavy stuff over the last few weeks and it's got me down. i wondered what would help lift my spirits and i realized that giving away an elephant would really cheer me up. i just made this little fella with some of my new favorite japanese fabric. i love pink and orange together. i hope you like it too!


the only thing i ask in return is that you leave a comment. it can be about anything. please say 'hi' if you've never left one before. or say 'hi' even if we chat through email all the time (or in person too). or tell me what book you are reading. or the best movie you've seen lately. anything really. and also make sure i have your email so i can contact you if you win and get your mailing address. i will randomly (thank you random.org) draw the winner one week from today, on tuesday april 14th at 5:00pm PST.



there. i'm feeling better already.

back in action

well, it seems that i needed to take an internet break. i haven't been blogging, or even reading the blogs i follow on a regular basis. i guess that distance is necessary sometimes to maintain a balance.

anyhow, i thought i would let you know what i have been working on - sewing up a storm so i am ready for the may 3rd 'got craft'. i'm very excited to be in my first ever craft fair! and i'm also pretty nervous. if you are in the vancouver area, please come by and say hello, i would love to meet you! i will be having some of each animal for sale, as well as some bears and some more hearts.



i have also been busy making my contribution to the free swag bags that will be handed out to the first 30 people through the doors. that pile that you see below are paper clips, each adorned with a button that is covered in various fabrics i use for my animals. some are japanese fabrics, others are not but they are all cute! they're a perfect way to keep all your bills in order, or to attach a photo to a letter you are mailing, etc. you get the idea.



okay, must go and sew some eyes onto a batch of hippos, please keep sunday may 3rd open to shop some handmade goodness!

i woke up hungry

sprouted grain toast
avocado
cilantro
roasted chicken
monterey jack cheese
cracked pepper

happy friday and have a good weekend!

sparkly

i just finished making this new little owl. it has yellow leaves with a sweet little red ladybug on the front. my favorite part is the single glittery, gold leaf on his right wing.

i'll be posting this one in the shop shortly.

laying low

i'm sick.
again.
ugh.

not much will be happening here for the next few days i reckon. nothing but drinking lemon tea and orange juice and wanting homemade chicken soup.

new tray

i'm seeing stars

a little while ago, i entered a giveaway for this great tote bag by sam made and look at that, i won! i've never won anything like this before, so it's all very exciting.
i love the navy and white and i'm really looking forward to using this tote in the spring to carry my magazines and books to the park, or to take shopping with me, or to use for groceries (since it is so sturdy and well made).

you can find other totes by sam at her etsy shop. thanks again sam for your generous giveaway!

(update: i've just realized that my last two post have been about stars & stripes.)

too much?

my husband thinks i have too many stripes. i disagree.

i remember working in an office about 5 or 6 years ago and a co-worker walked past my desk and said "arrggghh matey" because i was wearing a striped shirt. it obviously had no affect on me.