Spring Spring Spring

I recently sourced some super soft, super pretty suede's in, you guessed it, pretty pastels. (and some other magnificent colors.) I will be introducing some new little clutch's and bags in the shop in a few weeks using some of them. I love the palette's in all of these photos, they have been inspiring me. All of the links can be found via my Pinterest.

Sorry for the such long blog hiatus. It has been a logistical sort of affair, I just re-designed my new website and was planning to switch everything over but in the end, have decided to stay with this site for blogging. So, we are staying put, with a bit of a facelift.

I am currently hanging out on the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a few days, enjoying some Atlantic ocean therapy and warmer temps, than in Canada at least. It has been a welcome respite and a good opportunity for me to get some behind the scenes work done, like designing a new website which will be launching later this month. Stay tuned, I will be updating this here blog much more frequently from now on. xo, a

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

I adore this print by Wesley Bird, called Wander. I found it via Creature Comforts but believe you can purchase it here. 

The work continues...

Holiday Eye Candy

Source: etsy.com via karyn on Pinterest

Source: 2clics.blogspot.com via Ez on Pinterest

Source: happyserendipity.com via Ez on Pinterest

Source: frolic-blog.com via Ez on Pinterest

Source: acreativemint.typepad.com via Ez on Pinterest

Source: witanddelight.tumblr.com via Ez on Pinterest

Source: room269.tumblr.com via Ez on Pinterest

Source: luxefinds.com via Ez on Pinterest

Hi Friends,
It is the final stretch of work and shows, I can hardly believe it. Two more shows and many many orders to get out this week. It has gone by pretty quickly. I'm taking a little dinner break and thought I would throw some eye candy at you as I haven't posted in a while. Some pretty holiday imagery and ideas, all from my Pinterest account. xo, a

The Latest

I have crawled out from under my piles so I can give you the heads up of all the great craft events coming up as well as some other Grace Design news bits. First, here is a listing of all of the craft events I will be at in the next four weeks. The photo above outlines the Fab 4, that is, the most fabulous four indie craft shows in Toronto where you will find a positively amazing selection of creativity and stellar gifts for everyone on your list, including you! I will be at 2 of these 4 shows, the Kid Icarus show and Movies and Makers. But I guarantee that if you visit any of these shows you will not be disappointed. The other two that I will not be at, but I highly recommend are Crafternoon Tea and City of Craft.

This weekend I will be at The Good Earth Winery for the Handmade Market. You may remember the gorgeous photos from the Spring show I exhibited at, outdoors in the vineyard when everything was blossoming. I have such fond memories of that show and that place, I am pretty stoked to get back out to wine country, even if it is winter. Nothing goes better than wine and shopping so should be a good one. A few days later I will be in the CBC building, all day Wednesday, Nov 30th. You can find me in the Atrium so if you work in or near the financial district and need a dose of colour and creativity then come and say hello.


The following Saturday I will be at St. Stephen's in Kensington Market for the Kid Icarus Handmade Holiday one day show. (Dec 3rd) This will be a good one! Highly recommended! If you come early you might be able to score one of Kid Icarus's grab bags which, if you have ever seen their luscious paper goods, you will understand why these loot bags are so coveted.


The following weekend you will find me in the Artisans Marketplace at 401 Richmond building in Toronto, Dec 8-11th, in the long hallways just outside of Swipe Books. This show runs all day Thursday-Sunday and goes till late each evening. There will be art studio tours running through the building and it is a great place to gallery hop and check out this historic centre for art and creativity.


Finally, last, but certainly not least, is one of my personal faves, Movies and Makers, put on by the most delightful Ms. Lisa Pijuan-Nomura. Held inside a movie theatre in the Beaches, it is a total blast! It was my fave show last year. It is so fun, the lineup is awesome and there will be cupcakes!! All day Saturday Dec 17th.


I know that was a real mouthful. If you're trying to wrap your head around all of that information well, try sewing for it! Things have been insane around here but I like it that way. To pile on more of the crazy, I have am having a big Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale in my Etsy shop, on now until next Monday Nov 28th. Many things have already been marked down and I will be adding new items throughout the next few days.


I really hope to see some of you at some of these shows. If giftmas gets you down, try handmade! Seriously, when you buy handmade you are supporting individuals, not corporations and helping people like me have financial independence while fostering creativity and local economies. It really is the perfect antidote to the commercialization of all that is going on over at the mall. Hope to see you there! XO

My Street

Autumn finally hit Toronto. The leaves didn't change colour until about a week ago, now they are falling fast. But what a magnificent week it has been! We have had a few bright sunny and mild days, gorgeous early sunsets and colour on the trees that is unbelievable. When I open my curtains in the morning I just marvel at the beauty of it. The above photo is my street, outside my apartment. I wish my photo did the trees more justice.


It has been a magnificent week in other ways too! I have been floored with the response I've been getting on Etsy lately so if you are a new reader - hi! A few Etsy emails, a homepage cut and a bit of blog exposure and kapow - its busy again. These are exciting times.


A few shameless self promotional things:
• I am going to be having another last minute photo shoot next week as many of the bags have been selling fast. I would really like to hear if there are any specific things you would like to see. For example, if you loved the naturally dyed bags but wish they came in a foldover clutch style or you love a certain fabric but wish it came in a shoulder bag etc then let me know! I have a few days to pull it all together and I am open to your feedback.

• Tomorrow I am going to announce a giveaway on my Facebook page. This is the first of several I will be having over the next few weeks I think so stay tuned.

• In two weeks my busy Christmas craft show roster begins. I would be amiss if I didn't mention that I am a little freaked out by this. I will post a listing of the shows in a week or so.

• If you haven't yet joined my mailing list then come onboard! I am offering a 15% discount until Nov 20th for new subscribers. Also, you will be the first to hear the details of the upcoming sale. You can join by entering your email over here ----------------------------->


That's about it in my world for now. I guess the official day to start marketing for Christmas is Nov 1st now? I walked into a Starbucks next to my place and everything was red. Geez. Though I must admit, I am kind of excited to have my first eggnog latte of the season. Yum. Let's hold onto Autumn a bit longer shall we?


X

Sale!

A little pre announcement: starting Nov 23rd and running until Nov 28th, I will be having a big sale in my Etsy shop. I have so much older inventory in boxes here in my studio and it just needs to go. So, that being said, I will be selling off many cute things and mostly everything will be under $30. Cute little obi pouch's and cosmetic bags, clutch handbags and purse's. Also some one off experiments, samples and prototypes. I really want to clear space so I will be pricing it all to sell. I will post more info closer to the date but just wanted to give my readers a pre-heads up!


I hope you have all had a fantastic and festive Halloween weekend! Mine was great, I dressed up as Kali, the Hindu goddess and I do believe it was a hit. I will post pictures later in the week. Much much work to be done now as Christmas is around the corner so entries may be a bit sparse but I will keep you posted on events coming up and such. Enjoy your week! XO

Mantra

If I am a hedonist, then this is definitely my mantra. I found this on Flickr the other day and am printing it out large and posting over my desk. I wish I knew who made it, as I would buy a print but alas, it is anonymous for now...