Recap + Etsy Holiday Pop-Up Shop

So, The One of a Kind Show wrapped up yesterday. Mon dieu, what a marathon. And, surprise, surprise, I am now sick. I couldn't be happier with everything though - how the show went, the fact that it is over and all of the amazing new cool stuff I traded for on the last day. Pictured above are two beautiful screen prints on wood by Unik. Gorgeous gorgeous solid wood cutting board by my pal Jana at Swaine and a super awesome Hudson's Bay pillow with appropriate monarchy print by Identity. Such talent, these folks. Sorry my photos do not do them full justice. Thank you to everyone that came by, supported me and said hi. I am sincerely touched by all the support and positive feedback.

And now, an exciting announcement which, for some reason, I have neglected to mention until now. I am heading to NYC tomorrow! You may have heard, the word on the street - Etsy is doing a surprise Holiday Pop Up Shop in Soho.  It opened last week and goes on until next Saturday. And yes, yours truly was invited to come down and produce my bags on site for a few days. I am not entirely sure what to expect but I do know that there is a glorious big shop component complete with peeps like me making stuff on site to buy as well as daily workshops and bands playing at night. I am beside myself with excitement. Now if only I could ditch this sore throat routine. In any case, I will be taking photos like crazy and blogging when I can so stay tuned. Can't wait!!

One of a Kind Show

I am at The One of a Kind show (still) for five more days. It is going well, albeit exhausting. A few shots from the booth. I had the shelves made especially for the show by my friend Richard Perri and I am very happy with them. Seeing everything out and displayed in this way is really helping me imagine what a Grace store might look like. It's funny, the fabrics I use are almost exclusively from Japan; vintage kimono's. Yet, they all have a decidedly Southwestern feel to them. I find that cross cultural similarity fascinating. I didn't think about this when I sourced out terrariums and antlers (that sort of look like bones) to use for my display but now when I see everything together, find that there is a real desert feel here. It is funny, I don't always have a conscious concept in my mind, it is just totally intuitive but then when I see everything together I realize how it all comes together in a cohesive theme. Anyways, I am there until Sunday, open late every night. (even until 11pm on Thursday if that's your thing!) Hope you can come by!

Day to Day - Update

Whew things here just got very very busy. The exciting thing is that there are a whole new slew of shops that will now be carrying the line so you can now buy in person. I post all of our stockists on the site so as those orders go out I will be posting links to the shops. I am already sold out of several of the Fall fabrics which is throwing me for a loop - I didn't think they would sell out so fast. The above photos show some Jiometori totes in production and a huge pile of scarves in indigo and cutch bark. This weekend will be about catching up on some design projects - some new Fall pieces (better late than never) and hopefully some relaxing time with family and friends before a very busy period of production next week. Have a great weekend everyone! XO

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.

Etsy Meetup

Toronto Meetup from Etsy Inc. on Vimeo.

You may recall me talking about the Etsy meetup I spoke at a few weeks ago. The first video, documenting the evening came out today. You can spot me in the blue dress and blonde hair, haha. There is another video coming out in a few weeks that shows me being interviewed along with a few other makers. It was a really fun night, such a beautiful venue and so many like minded creative people under one roof. I am really looking forward to more events like this.

Day to Day - Update

 

 

A few things, 'round these parts:


1. I pulled out some new and some old favourite fabrics the other day for a new bag I am working on, The JaJou. I uploaded a few prototypes into the shop and will upload more later this week. I really like this bag and I am keeping it exclusive to my Etsy shop so as to keep the price low. I am also planning a major update in the next two weeks if my plans for a photo shoot all go according to plan next week. I will keep you posted.


2.Last Friday I was a speaker at an event that Etsy held here in Toronto. This photo is of me being filmed by the Etsy film crew. It was a crazy experience and I was very nervous in the days leading up to it but, in the end, all turned out great, I think. I will see the footage in the next day or so.I think the video will air on the Etsy blog in about two weeks. Again, I will link to it here when it does.


3. Blurry photo of a stack of a selection of my huge collection of textiles. I was cleaning out old boxes and thought all my blankets and carpets looked so nice when all stacked up together.


4. Went to a wedding on the weekend on The Toronto Islands. The bride is Jamaican and there was a huge Caribbean contingent with steel drums for music, great food and of course, the best music to dance too. Such a fun time...