Whimsy.

I wore a hat to work on Friday.

While it drew confusion ("What is that?") and tons of ribbing from my all-male office-mates (nothing new, really), it actually means I must be in a good mood. And I stayed that way, even after they drew this comparison:

I'm prone to flights of whimsy, and I might be in the midst of one of those. There's something about hats.

(cue nostalgia, switch to italics.)

I feel like watching The Wizard of Oz with my sister in footed onesie-pajamas and fast-forwarding (y'know, 'cause we're watching it on VHS) to all of the singing parts. LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS!

I want to play with My Little Ponies and Puffalumps. Eat Kraft Dinner with cut-up hot dogs (veggie, of course). Make greeting cards with glitter-glue. Giggle incessantly.

I want to collect Jem & The Holograms stickers and trade them for Jelly Bellys and Lip Smackers.

But I'll just rely on my imagination. I suspect that such behaviour would be very unbecoming in a girl of 30-ish, yeah? In some ways, I never managed to grow up. Playing adult, though, can get exhausting (I've never considered myself a full-fledged grown up. When do you know? Is there an initiation? A sign?).

So, while I'm stuck (mostly) abiding by societal guidelines for my almost-adult age bracket, I'll never stop secretly playing make-believe. Like my never-shed baby-fat, I think I just haven't yet shaken that last little bit of my childhood sense of wonder. Sure I'm cynical and crotchety like 90% of the time, but there's still some frolic left in this girl.

In an homage to my fits-of-giggles mood this week, I've plucked a little whimsy from my favourites on Etsy.

Great finds inspired by: dollhouses, dress-up, fairy tales, birthday wishes, sing-a-long, innocence + lime popsicles.

  

What IS this magical little place? (Terrarium, Sea & Asters $25)

 

  Big, bigger, biggest! (Jye big hair bow $35)


Trade'ya for your skipping rope. (Lemon Citrus lip balm set $22)

I need this. I have NO place to put it. No place at all. But I need this. (oversized 'W' by Hinsvik $125)

Oh, hello yourself. (necklace by Piano Bench Designs $47)

Dapper. P.S. These lovely folks also make pillows that look like cherry pies! And PB&J sammies! (Diffration Fiber $26)

All-time favorite scent: grapefruit. Do they still make scratch n' sniff stickers? Confession: I really clicked on this listing for the miniature dog. Lovely attention-to-detail on the product styling! (Prunella Soap  $6.75)

Wee pony! Of my very, very own! Oh, my sister would have DIED for this. I would have made her sooo jealous. (Royal Mint $75)

Washi tape forever and ever. (Pretty Tape $4.50)

Mom had a tin just like this, but maybe without the knob. Often it held cookies. (The Magic Attic
$20)

Matcha marshmallows. Mmmmmmmmm! (Fusion Sweets $10)

Wha? Rings made from SKATEBOARDS? Man I could have snagged a real stud in middle school with this baby. (Seven Ply $22)

Well, OK, off to do big girl things. Like making dinner for my husband and paying bills. Not quite as fun, I'm sure.

handmade heaven

I'm all aflutter. 

I was handpicked by Etsy to be one of five Toronto designers to showcase wares at a holiday sale at West Elm next month. Wow. I wasn't actually ready to do any shows this year, but for this, I can make miracles happen. My definition of "miracles": all-nighters, bribing hubby to pull crafting duty and sustaining stress-related injuries/ulcers while I bite off more than I can chew. This ain't 34th Street. Magical, yeah? Depending on my success at the show, I may end up with heaps of stock... which could actually mean that I might (just barely) squeeze in a wholesale deal before Christmas. See? Deadlines are good for me (aside from the ulcer part).

Yet still, here I am: blogging instead of sewing.

In the spirit of handmade (a spirit I'm summoning a lot these days), I'm sharing some of my recent Etsy faves - handmade and vintage wonders from little vendors (like me!) all over the globe.

While my last picks revolved around mustard hues and cozy textiles, I'm getting a little darker this time: It must be the weather. And the early-setting sun. I'm nestling in for hibernation (ahhh, if only!) and this is my gear.

• rust, wool, capes, dreams, woodlands, photographic memories •

 just for show. too hipster or what? (brando's funky finds $30)

 i believe in fancy panties. (hopeless $65)

travel itch. (hunt and found $58)

 dog obsession. always. (photo by Lucy Snowe $20)

 oh beautiful tweed camera bag, where WERE you when I needed you. see what you've put me through? (Mari Forssell/Stash $189)

 dreamy, nostalgic fear. (protostar prints $11)

 mmmm, man-smell. (Roots Soap Co. $25)

 i could live in the woods forever. if only i had this uniform. (Cape, Stray Cat Studio - $65)

 whimsy. (silk purse, sow's ear $15)

baby-fever seeps into blog-land again. my kids will obviously wear orange plaid hooded capes. they will be peculiar. inevitably. (by April Scott - $55)

My future. (Photo by Amanda Keaton $30)

stomp. (Ann Marino booties - Mountain Meadow Vintage $65)

---

Oh, and come see me, won't you? At my show in December, remember? West Elm, Liberty Village, Toronto - December 1st, 6pm.

etsy-love!

[ photos via Le Animalé, Happiknits & Shutterography on Etsy ]

I sold 5 items on Etsy this week - it's a good week that way! My only issue with Etsy, as Regretsy has amply demonstrated, no curation means that the floodgates are wide open to bad, bad art. So, finding great things on Etsy tends to require a little digging.

Listen: it's worth it.

Not only am I a seller on Etsy, but I also do a fair bit of shopping on it too. Ususally my shop earnings just get rolled back into Etsy in some way, whether I'm buying fabric yardage and supplies, an amazing vintage necklace, or a cute illustrated print. I love supporting fellow small biz owners.

Yesterday, I was perusing my "Favorites" on Etsy - just a collection of things that I've hearted over the past couple of months, and page no. 1 looked almost intentionally curated. It could almost be a treasury of it's own... mmm, making Etsy treasuries - one of my favourite time-wasters.

Themes were definitely emerging: I'm obviously loving mustard this season. Anything in that rich earthy yellow has been catching my eye these days. Also, season-appropriate chunky knits, of course. Cozy-times.

OK, these hearts are too good not to share:

 natural wool hand-crocheted leg warmers ($30) by donkey & lemon

 

 royal tenenbaums poster by adam juresko

 fine art photo print ($20) by karin A photography

 le animale fox earrings $30

OMG pennants by rank & file $18.50

 pom-pom flowers ($12.50) by steph loves ben

 

 kelsey genna 'beatrice' dress $190

umbu sewing pattern chandelier $200

chunky cowl scarf ($80) by happiknits

 french bulldog print by shutterography $18

 

dandyrions fox sweater $55

Raindrops on roses, yo.

( print by Tender Beasts on Etsy )

 
I'm good, I'm good.

See: I've cycled through my woman-time and the six (seven?) levels of grief regarding the bad news (still a secret, though I've told like 18 people now) and I've perked up like my partially-dehydrated houseplants when I remember to water them. Which, by the way, is rarely. But, now my metaphor doesn't work. I'm usually perky. Much UNlike my houseplants. Gah. (Trying not to delete and rewrite. Must. Keep. Writing.)

This sole houseplant is surviving/thriving (somehow). Much like me. (Stop)

I'm bouncing around like myself in new shoes today. These:

But if you were aware of my "Buy Nothing Month" pact with Alex (well, now you are), don't worry: they were purchased last week and just arrived in the mail. Segue: We bought a couch. I could say that we needed one, but not in the way you need, say, water. Or air. But in the same way I need a new winter scarf: the old one is tattered and sorta embarrassing. It was the black spot/sheep in our decor transformation (4 years of on-a-dime DIY blood-n'-sweat). We didn't have the money but it was 70% off and we couldn't wait. Alas, to justify it, we are currently suffering through self-imposed "Buy Nothing Month". Toilet paper and TTC tokens and groceries are exempt. We're even allowing movie rentals, in the event that we watch everything worth watching on Netflix (we have).

Inhale.

I hold my breath while typing.

So, I can't shop, but it's not preventing me from looking. And maybe filling my virtual shopping cart. And maybe hovering a shaky hand over my wallet. But no. We need to pull up our socks. I have baby fever and I told Alex that I want to be preggers in less than 2 years (my mother is, at this very moment, jumping around and popping corks and buying a crib). Whoa.

My sister says that the best part of my blog is that I can never stay on topic. Happy, Jill-mu?

OK, back on track. Yes. I started a "3 Things" theme a while back and planned weekly posts of my top three loves of the week. Flaked out. Then I figured I'd re-brand it as a "Favourite Things" (Sound of Music-themed) weekly post, because being bound to finding exactly 3 things was stifling. I bailed on that too. But maybe a loosely bi-weekly/when-I-feel-like-it schedule will work for me.

Today, I feel like it.

Here are a few of my brand-new very favourite things!

1. DIY Muppets!

Whaaaaaaat? THIS IS THE BEST THING. EVER. OF ALL TIME. Alex is grumpy about it because he can't get a beard AND hair on the same Muppet. But he should suck it up because THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER. Also, he loves Muppets as much as I do. Which is a lot.

2. Dog Print Leggings (and pretty much everything in the Qoo Qoo Etsy shop)

I obviously need these. I am obviously not crazy enough about my dogs. Your dogs. Any dogs, really. I bought a locket last week. It has two slots for photos. Alex didn't make the cut. DOGS IN BOTH SIDES! Everything by Qoo Qoo is so bloody cute. "Buy Nothing Month", you are my arch nemesis. 

3. Ryan Gosling/Polygamy

 

We saw Drive last night. (Another exemption: it was our anniversary. GET OFF MY BACK!). While the film wasn't totally my thing (Art House meets Slasher. Meh.), it was beautifully shot and is TWO HOURS OF DREAMY! Oh, Ryan Gosling. Stop being so damn melt-y. I'll even give up Jason Schwartzman AND Adrian Brody AND James McEvoy for you.

Not since my chest-pain inducing crush on every member of NKOTB (except Danny) some 20 years ago have I felt so utterly heart-smashed over a perfect stranger. And I'm married. Inappropriate, what!? But somehow, as every hetero woman in the world can attest: it's unavoidable. Disclaimer: this is clearly Wonderland and has no impact on my real-life man-crush/house-husband. Though, I have contemplated polygamy-friendly states for our next move. 

I fear for the safety of his next GF. Selena Gomez, much? Ravenous 30-somethings are perhaps more dangerous that their pre-teen counterparts.

4. Dogs jumping rope!

No. I stand corrected. THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER. Maybe I can buy the Qoo Qoo leggings and teach my dogs to jump rope with me and we jump rope together (avec leggings)? Maybe Qoo Qoo will make me custom leggings with the head of "Mayonnaise", the world-record rope-jumping dog (complete with pink/blue ears) as a repeating pattern? Maybe they can make matching leggings for my jump-roping dogs? Maybe Alex will leave me and I will become the dog equivalent to the crazy cat lady. (Don't leave me)

[ Photos via: Pinterest, FAO Schwartz, Guinness World Records, Etsy, Qoo Qoo, Aldo, Tender Beasts, Urban Home, Me ]

Pleather & Lace?

*swoon* 

Beauty or cruelty? [ Christopher Kane dress ]

This is weird. I've been acting as somewhat of an unlikely mentor to a friend who has gone vegetarian in the past year. Unlikely? Yeah, well, I'm a pretty terrible vegetarian. I've learned to adapt in an omnivores' world by flying under the radar: picking things off of pizza, not being fussy about non-meat/meat fraternizing in the pan, playing dumb in the face of poutine (gravy, what?) and taking care of myself food-wise (quietly). I've also been a part-time fish eater, more to make life easier with my fully supportive, yet fully meat-eating husband. Role model material I am NOT.

Then, the question.

My newbie-veg friend asked: "What's your stance on leather?"

Jekyll, meet Hyde. My animal-loving, eco-conscious, (mostly)-vegetarian self does not always agree with my style-crazed, clothes-loving, shop-happy self. They are contradictory. They clash in a resulting ulcer-inducing turmoil. The ever-present inner-struggle: what IS my stance on leather?? I grappled with this for a while, and here is my (wavering) conclusion:

The challenge wasn't in replacing leather with other materials - there are enough options out there. My concern was environmental. I'm as much an advocate of animal rights as I am a steadfast environmentalist (OK, I'm not the best example of either, but I care about both very much). My issue with the alternatives (PVC, pleather, etc.) is that in a lot of cases, they are an environmental nightmare to produce and they never break down in landfills. And, leather substitutes crack and peel easily, forcing me to buy more. I hate waste.

My new-ish shopping philosophy is to "buy less, buy better" so that items last and I am not contributing as much by-product. I try to buy ethically as much as possible - supporting local/handmade, choosing natural/orga materials, snapping up secondhands. Problem: it can be expensive and the options are limited. And I'm prone to last-minute panic shopping.

My veg-dyed green Roots purse is still amazing and I've had it for 4 years. Same with my Canadian-made Jeanne Lottie purse. Also leather. I buy a lot of rubber/canvas shoes in the summer, but nothing beats the real deal for boots & bags. I went the matt+nat route for a while but the peeling and cracking led to too many replacements. That said, it's probably one of the best vegan accessories companies (and Canadian to boot) if you can live with the negative aspects of faux-leather.

The PVC graveyard:

[ RIP old girls...and Nataraj, too :( ]

(Ahhhh. I forget to breathe when I'm rambling defensively.)

Does it make me a very good vegetarian? No. But it's a compromise that I can live with. I can sleep at night (mostly). Do I REALLY need to sacrifice my beliefs in the name of fashion, though. Even if my solution IS (somewhat) eco-conscious?

Well, no.

I admit that I can be smarter about my choices. Here are three no-compromise-necessary style picks that appease both of my starkly different selves. Peace is restored in the galaxy!

1. OlsenHaus Faux leather, in my mind, has become unfairly synonymous with poor quality. This is not at all the case with vegan brand OlsenHaus. I've loved their quirky styles in the past, and I am equally smitten with this season's line-up:

2. Ashley Watson 'Flicker' bag. An even better compromise: recycled leather! Smart design-types are hooking up with manufacturers to turn industrial scrap from say, furniture making, into accessories, etc. Win-win. (In my old bag-making days, I'd do the same with leather from thrift-store skirts.)

3. Etsy, of course. The handmade aspect has a feel-good-ness about it that kinda overrides guilt about pesticide-heavy cotton and animal hides. But there's also a ton of great eco-fashion here too. And totally non-granola. I love this skirt by Toronto-based Simone's Rose (yay, local) - it's organic and super adorbs.