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)

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

an apple a day

I don't think Buy Nothing Month is supposed to be over, but it did last a good two (maybe three) weeks at least. At least. Sigh, we lack self-discipline. 

Despite spending money when we shouldn't, today was amazing.

Alex and I and a rented Toyota hit the road for some adventurin' on this perfect October day. We picked apples. We breathed in farm smells. We scavenged through antique treasures. We pretended to scope out real estate. We sipped lattes. We almost never came back.

Oh, and it was the most amazing opportunity to put my new toy to the test! My iPhone 4s came in the mail Friday and it did not disappoint. My DSLR barely left the car the entire trip. Here are a few snaps from our day-trip, shot entirely on a phone. A phone!

Apples, by Apple:

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

Instagram'd.

 I was the last person on earth (or at least at work) to get an iPhone. And at that, it was a hand-me-down. (No wait, Alex still has a Motorola Razr, so at least I'm the tech-savviest person in my house.)

So please just let me be excited about Instagram. Still. Yawnsville, right? But no, have you really tried to take a cool photo on your Blackberry? At least one that is immediately post-worthy? Not possible. So, in June, I retired my perfectly decent Curve (which I am in turn handing down to Miss. Oliveah), and became an iPhone-r for life. I was an easy convert, already being an Apple girl.

I just didn't know how much I would love it. 

So I'm anxiously awaiting the new model and hanging onto this still-better-than-Blackberry iPhone 3G (with fully disintegrated mute button and barely-working home button) in the meantime. Super excited to explore more photo apps once I have a phone with more guts!

I used Instagram a lot this summer - just you WAIT until I have front AND rear facing cameras - and realized that the result captured a nice little snapshot of my summer. Gotta say, I'm hauling my DSLR around a lot less these days...

Just wanted to share the highlights:

mojitos • puppies • music • friends near/far • sewing • antique scavenging • 

brunch • new shoes • poolside lounging • babies • cottages • coffee • travel • hubby dates • 

beers • reading • stopping to smell the roses... err, tiger lilies

Natural Habitat.

Jessica came over last week for photos, Thai noodle soup and good convo. I'm happy that I put in the time to mull over how I wanted the photos to look - what sides of me I wanted captured. Our photo session was quick - shot on location in my itty-bitty apartment - and successful.

I'm thrilled to have current professional shots of myself! All of my online spaces (Facebook, Twitter, About.Me, Dudley & Bea, and this blog) could use a serious design overhaul, anyway.

Check out some of the best shots from the day:

About face!

I'm finally getting some honest-to-goodness portraits of myself! The lovely Jessica Blaine Smith will be shooting me soon and I'm pretty excited. While re-designing my blog yesterday I realized that I had no decent shots of myself that weren't taken:

A. on my wedding day, or

B. when I was much younger and skinnier, or

C. when I was blonde

Even then, the pickins are slim.

Now I'm tasked with figuring out how I want to be represented. As I've discovered, while scouring the w-w-w for inspiration, it's not quite as simple as it sounds. It boils down to: who am I? And, as we all know, I'm in that newly-dubbed-adult what-am-I-doing-with-my-life meltdown phase and answering that question leaves a lump in my throat. 

I think I'm many things, though. Conflicting things. Like, sometimes I'm a vixen (OK, in my mind). Sometimes, a prudish, awkward, bookish aunt-type. Other times, I am effervescent, wide-eyed, prone to silliness and giggle-fits. I simultaneously like manicures and hiking. Martinis and back-country camping. Lace camisoles and rubber boots.

I waver between all of the versions of me.

So, how can a photo capture that? And let's not forget how terribly un-photogenic I am! The day I married Alex, I seemed to catch the right light. Or maybe it was the photographer. Or maybe, I was just so happy and natural. I wish I'd bottled that. I love these shots from that day:

But how do I want to be captured when I'm not swelling with matrimonial bliss? I've gathered inspiration, and if Jessica can keep up with me, I hope we can capture the shapeshifting beast that I am.

Just like the must-have list I gave to our wedding photog, I have a few desired outcomes for the shoot.

#1. "Studio" shots: me in my new work space. Colourful and appropriate for, say, an "About me" page on my website. Smiling, confident, fun. With dogs? Here is some inspiration:

#2. Head and body shots that are whimsical, energetic and fresh. Laughing, jumping. Good for profile pics and avatars on FB, Twitter, my blog etc.

#3. A few fashion-y shots for my blog. Some B&W. Sexy, maybe? Cool, if I can pull that off...

Photos via: JB Smith Photography, JCrew, About.Me, Twitter, Design*Sponge, Anthropologie, Rocket Betty, OnceWed, Rockstar Diaries, Refinery 29, Elle Moss, and Etsy