Promo: Etsy Lookbook

 

Etsy produced this beautiful lookbook for their Spring promotional efforts and I was lucky enough to be featured in it, along with a few of my compadres, Mary Burrows of MB Art Studios and Alexx Boisjoili of RCBoisjoli Ceramics.

Now if only the weather in Canada could channel the sunny optimism of this lookbook...

Etsy Featured Seller

I am so very excited to announce that I am an Etsy featured seller this week! You can check out the full interview by clicking here.

Brooklyn Flea

So this happened. I had a chance to check out a big New York trade show last week called NY Now which was vast, and interesting. I was able to wander the city quite a bit, scouting out new shops, sourcing fabrics and the like. I was pretty excited to check out the Brooklyn Flea Market because, as I have mentioned before, the only thing I enjoy more than sourcing fabrics is shopping for vintage clothing. If you follow me over on Instagram you would have seen some of the most incredible vintage clothing shops I hit in Williamsburg. A little pricy but always cool to scout in new cities. I didn't find the flea to be all that different from the Toronto equivalent - The Junction Flea. Ok, maybe slightly better. Plus you get to look out at the iconic Manhattan skyline as you shop. Anyways, expect a few NY themed posts in the next few days as I scour through all the photos I took.

Also, I guess the trip was fairly fruitful in that I DID in fact score some wicked fabrics. AND, I am currently working hard on the Fall collection which, with any luck, will be available in a weeks time.

Ok back to work for me. Hope you are all enjoying your week!!

P.S. There is a new section in the shop - AS IS. It is where I will be putting all the bags that have minor little flaws - a common occurrance when working with antique fabrics. All still very lovely but MUCh easier on the wallet. Check them out here!

Sale Time

The sale is on now in the shop, ongoing until tomorrow (Friday) at midnight. Amongst all the gold related items I have added a few other items including this bag. Only two left! Sad to see all these amazing textiles come and go but now you can enjoy them. Head on over to the shop to see what's left!

Press: Etsy

Etsy has a new venture in the works - Etsy Wholesale. I can't wait to see how this all unfolds as right now it is still in the Beta phase. The possibilities seem endless and it is really exciting. They launched a new tumblr/blog recently and I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of their featured vendors. You can check out the interview here. The blog is shaping up to be pretty awesome with some great business articles. Happy Monday!

The Stella Clutch

I just uploaded a few new clutch bags to the shop. I really heart these three fabrics big time, especially that little tie dye number on the bottom. Only two available in each fabric so get 'em while they're hot!

Weekend Recap

I was at City of Craft on the weekend and it was a great weekend. Well, let's be honest. It snowed here on Saturday morning. It was a really cold few days and we are all sick and tired of this nonsense. But, inside it was positively Springlike with Sakura blossoms dotting the ceiling and the sun poured in magnificently through the lovely stained glass of this beautiful church hall.

Overall I was really really happy with the show. It was fun to hang out with friends and chat with customers - new and old. I really appreciate all the lovely and encouraging feedback so if you are reading - thank you! I only got word that I was doing the show last Friday so I had exactly one week to prepare. I realized something though. I kind of laid off the shows in the past year because they can be pretty miserable, truth be told. Often there is a lot of schlepping and if you are not selling anything then it is the worst. Thus, I spend the majority of my time in production mode, filling orders for stores. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely grateful for this priviledge. But, I remembered how much joy and excitement preparing for shows brings me - it gives me a chance to try out a small run of a new product or idea and take it straight to market without worrying about photo shoots and such. It allows me to be creative in that way along with the fun of planning a display and packaging ideas. So if anything, it was a reminder to me to make sure I nurture that aspect of running my business, always trying out new product ideas and yes, maybe even incorporating a few more shows here and there.

In any case, hope you had a great weekend and start to your week. I will be posting a slew of new pouch's in the shop in the next day or so so stay tuned!

Welcome, Spring!

Our Spring Collection is now available in the SHOP!

Pop-Up Sale!

We're having a sale, oh ya! 40% off in the Etsy shop for 3 days. We are making space for the new Spring stuff that will be hitting the shop next Friday, March 15th. You can get in on the action with coupon code SPRINGFEVER13 in the shop. Ongoing until this Friday, March 8th until midnight.

The Four Directions

 I designed these scarves last November as a little experiment in textile design and digital printing. I was really happy with how they turned out. I guess you guys are too because I only have one left in each color! I likely won't be making these again but hopefully trying out some new experiments in textile design this year. You can grab those last ones in the Etsy shop!

More from New York

 

So Etsy finally posted about the Pop-Up shop on their blog and posted their photos on Flickr and ya, I am still riding the vibes of this good times event. Seeing the photos was like re-living the experience and I just love how experiences become so much richer with time in memory, don't you?

I was really happy to see a few photos of my work station so I could post here as that was what is was all about for me. Also, wanted to show you a few photos from the last night, the big party that ensued with The Letterman Gospel Choir as that was one of the highlights for me. Also, that adorable girl with the blonde hair and the wings on her little gold shoes on stage? That's Jessie, the genius behind this whole event.

All photos were taken by Sarah Kerens. You can view all of them in the Etsy Photo Labs photo stream on Flickr here.

New York Part 1 - Etsy Holiday Pop Up Shop

 

Annnnnd here I am, finally reporting on important life events, several weeks after the fact. Sorry! As you know, regular blogging is not my forte. I have to break this momentous trip into two, maybe more parts. So many grainy Instagram photos to share, ya know? So, here we go, Etsy! 

I should preface this entry by explaining how this all came about. Etsy contacted me a few weeks back and said they were doing this pop up shop over the holidays and would I like to be a guest artist and come down to NYC. The idea is that they would carry some of my bags in the shop but my main responsibility while there would actually be to be on site, making bags, not actually selling them so people who came by could see more of the connection of the handmade items they were buying and talk to the individual behind the goods.

The day leading up to my arrival was intense and stressful. I tore down from OOAK show and then had 24 hours to get settled and then packed up for NYC. Then, all of my supplies and materials got held up in customs, surprise surprise. US customs has issues with textiles, can't image why. So, the most horrible possibility flashed before my eyes as I was racing in a cab through Queens early Tuesday morning chatting with Mike from Fedex. That is, the possibility that all of my materials might be rejected and sent back to Canada and I would then have to go on a manhunt across Manhattan in search of kimono's to save face and still make the bags I had been invited to come down and make. Luckily it all worked out and my materials arrived at the same time as I did on Wednesday morning. In another stroke of luck, the flu I had been fighting magically disappeared on Wednesday morning and all was suddenly right with the world.

The shop itself was nothing short of amazing, no surprises there. Huge, spacious, right in the heart of Soho, nestled in between Dior and Costume National was this monster of a space (by NYC standards anyways). It took me a few days to really absorb all of the details because it really was just that, a remarkable, beautiful space with every gorgeous detail attended to. There were shopping areas, a barber, seating areas, a large area for workshops, a stage where bands played every day, a giant swing in the middle of the shop, artists in the window creating art and us, the featured Etsy artists making our stuff on site each day. One of my favourite things was seeing Etsy's interpretaion of my company - the little cards with doodles of my bags on them and the big Grace Design sign hanging above my workspace.

Every day was pretty fun, so much going on around us all the time. The first day I met Chad, the CEO of Etsy and was involved with some interviews with MSNBC. I also met the editor of Lucky magazine which was pretty freakin' awesome. Some really great bands - one of my faves was Jem Club. Also, The Letterman Gospel Choir! Reggie Watts was hilarious and there were some great workshops too. (Hello, wreath making with the editor of Design Sponge anyone?) The whole week was intense and a whirlwind and I am still processing it. I can't even believe I was chosen, what an honour and an awesome opportunity. Thanks Etsy!!

Day to Day: Update

Apologies for the lack of updates, as per usual. Clearly, I am not capable of managing a blog on a daily basis. What is going on around here is the maximum enjoyment of summer. Every day has been feeling like an adventure lately, lot's of time in the sun, swimming in the lake, visits to cottages, music festivals, steppin' out in fun colourful dresses. I can't believe it is almost the end of July. Summer, slow down, please!

Introducing...

I revealed on Instagram and Facebook last week that I had been working on this new bag and on Friday just posted it to the shop. It is called The Jiometori Bag, fancy way of saying geometry in Japanese. For some time now I have been thinking about ways to use the fabrics that I love but in a large bag that can be useful and durable. I recently purchased a yukata kimono, that is, a summer kimono made from a thick cotton. It seemed perfect for this kind of thing. I am really happy with how it turned out with the leather and the various straps. The inside is lined with very thick canvas and has a big pocket with a zipper closure.

My intention was to try out this one and see how the response was. If all goes well then I will be introducing some new canvas bags for fall, similar but in my own textile pattern designs! I hope I can have these ready for late August, we'll see how the production and fabric printing process develops.