It's a tea break for me. I am sitting outside enjoying the last days of Summer. The cicada's are buzzing so loudly around me that I swear my ears are ringing. I've been at my computer most of the day, working out some new prints for Fall. I'm very indecisive so naturally, this has taken the entire day.
It has been a strange and sad couple of days here in Canada. Yesterday, we lost a great man, Jack Layton, leader of the NDP party, the official opposition in our parliamentary system. He was a determined advocate for the environment and many marginalized groups and a shining light in our political system. Charismatic leaders like him do not come along very often, it is a great loss.
I'm going to be rolling out some themed posts on this here blog soon, if I can find the time to do this more regularly. Today I wanted to feature this amazing jewelry company from Portland, Iswas+Willbe.
What I love most about them is the way they photograph their work, in little collections of objects.
There is that reference to death, nature and mysticism in their work which seems to be apparent in a lot of places these days. I love the use of driftwood and primary shapes as well. Overall its just a refreshing display of jewelry and way of differentiating ones work on Etsy through the use of creative styling and photography.
Happy Friday Everyone! I myself have a lot of work and some play planned. I came down with a nasty cold this week which SUCKS. Lot's of orders to get through today and some school assignments. But still planning to find time to hit up the beach and The Ex on Sunday. What will you be doing to celebrate the last weeks of summer? Bye for now, Alison XO
I've been working on some new screen prints for the Fall and Christmas shows. Some of my current fabrics are very geometric in appearance, so i've been looking at a lot of geometric patterns, especially in tribal textiles and clothing.. These are some of the images inspiring me right now. I could have posted a hundred more pictures. Have a look through my Pinterest for more.
Hello!
As usual, my apologies for being MIA. I wanted to share with you a few photos from my natural dyeing experiments. I finally used up some of my dyes I bought when I was in Vancouver. I started off doing indigo. Most people would not start there, seeing as it requires fermentation and such. Most people would probably start with something simple, maybe some onion skins or some cabbage. But nooooooo. So, last Sunday afternoon, I proceeded to start my first indigo vat. You can see above, my lovely selection of natural fibres, all ready for colour.
To be honest, Maiwa sells their indigo in a kit and it was a lot simpler than I thought. I added the indigo and some lye and water to a jar and let it sit out in the sun for a few hours. You can see the interesting transformation in the photos below, changing from a blue liquid to a coppery one with a blue film as it reduces. The 'flower' on the top is a good indicator that things are working and the oxygen is reducing. What is so fascinating about dyeing with indigo is that the actual dyeing doesn't take place in the vat but once you remove the fabrics and the oxygen hits them. At this point they turn blue, like magic!
Have I mentioned how much I love neon? Actually, to be more specific, it is tribal neon that I am crazy about. Ikat and other traditional patterns in neon colours - swoon! A funny story: I made some canvas bags this summer with neon zippers and neon screen prints on them. I sold them so I went out to try to buy more neon zippers and not a single store in Toronto or Vancouver carried them. I asked my supplier where he got the first ones? Oh they were left over from the early 90's! Sooo funny. I expect they will start carrying them again in 2-3 years.
I haven't been updating my blog as much as I would like. I have been busy with some business classes i am taking, a new business venture as well as trying to get Grace Fall stuff off of the ground. I will be trying out some new products next Saturday, August 13th at a little street market called Bloorcourt. If you are in Toronto, it would be great if you stopped by!
Have a great weekend friends! XO
I read an Etsy featured seller interview with handbag designer Andi of HoakonHelga and she had this piece of advice which I thought really hit the nail on the head, for me anyways:
"Most successful Etsy shops do not come instantly. There’s a lot of trial and error involved. If things aren’t selling, you can’t just give up after a week or so. Ask yourself why things aren’t selling… price? photos? the product itself? I have gone through many evolutions on Etsy to see what works best for me, and you need to do the same thing for you. Be patient and learn who you are as an artist/designer. Try new things and learn from what’s being viewed and sold in your shop. This can take some time. I’m still figuring it out! It’s definitely not the easiest path in life, but for me I couldn’t live any other way."
This is so true. To be honest with y'all I struggle with this every day. I started my company such a long time ago and so when I returned to it a few years ago after being in school for four years, I slowly realized that what I was doing wasn't exactly in line with my current aesthetic. It has been a strange process of figuring out what I want to do and what works. Every time I diverge down a new path of experimentation (screen printing for example or natural dyeing) I am extremely hard on myself because I feel strongly that everything should connect and be cohesive and focused. It is the rigidity in me. Things are definitely growing but it is nice to know that this is 'normal' so to speak. Whenever I check out a successful Etsy seller's shop, I always go back to the first page of their sold items to see how they evolved. It is true, successful shops are not born overnight. More often than not, their pictures were lousy and they started out doing things that were/are completely different from what they are doing now, that which is making them successful. So, if you are working hard on your Etsy shop, don't lose hope! Keep experimenting and finding out what works. As she says "I couldn't live any other way". Neither could I!
XO
p.s. Happy Monday! We are having a grey rainy day here in Toronto, preceded early this morning by the wicked thunder storm we had all been waiting for, for weeks. The photo above was taken on the west coast. On a day with much work to do, it makes me happy to think of my favourite place to be. I wish you all a productive day, a happy and productive week!
I'm back! Sorry for being MIA for so long. It was a great trip, as always. I spent my first few days in Vancouver with my dear friend Vanessa and it was just divine. We walked the city, catching up, ate delicious food, the highlight of which was fish taco's and chips down in the Granville Harbour. YUM. Victoria was also awesome, I spent the first few days out in the country with my other dearest friend Lise and her beautiful family. We had a picnic down on French Beach on Canada Day - feast your eyes on this gloriousness:
God that sight makes me so happy. I love the ocean!! Every time I go back I lament the fact that I live in a city far away from all of this. Living where I do does bring its benefits but I would be amiss if I didn't say that the thought of moving back to the place I will always consider my home is always on my mind. One day!!
Other highlights included a delicious raw food meal at the new restaurant Bliss, catching up with an old friend. Making my annual trek to some of my favourite places: Re-Bar , (my faaaaaaveourite restaurant) Silk Road, (a tea house and spa wherein you can purchase some of the most incredible things), the picturesque and historic Victoria Chinatown and, of course, Value Village (or VV Boutique as I like to refer to it). I also had great times catching up with my family and saw my father for the first time in over 15 years. Yes, it was great!
While I was gone I received some more good news in that I was awarded a grant from the Ontario government to help me while I run my business over the next year. Good news! This will enable me to devote all of my time to my business ventures which is win-win for all methinks! So, since I have returned I have been busy-busy; trying to get my Fall line organized and a photo shoot happening, sewing, thinking about Christmas (yes...groan) and trying to enjoy the beauty of Summer.
I have also been buying up fabrics like crazy from Japan and beyond and received this little package in the mail upon my return. I forgot hos splendidly parcels were packaged when coming from Central Asia! More soon friends. XO.
