A day of design

I managed to get to a 'design double feature' on Saturday with Amy- we attended IDS West and then headed over to Anthropologie for the Design*Sponge book launch.  It made for a great afternoon and evening- apparently we weren't the only one's who's schedule managed to fit in both too- Janis from Pinecone Camp has some amazing photos of both events on her blog!

There were some booths that stood out to me- if you click on the photos it will link you to their websites (except for the 6th image, which I forgot to get a card from).  It was also nice to meet Zoe from Fleet Design, a ceramic artist here in the city who's path I hadn't come across yet, while also checking out a couple of furniture designers who have studios upstairs in the building from me: Kurve Studio, by Enrico Konig and Kurt Dexel. 

The Design*Sponge book launch was also a good evening connecting with people as well.  I did manage to get my book signed by Grace herself and highly recommend the book!  I ran into the duo behind Banquet who design such lovely prints, stationary and other paper goods- there really are a lot of talented people here in Vancouver!  Too many to mention without sounding like I'm name dropping- when really it was just lovely to meet them all.  It's not very often that I get out to these events with life and family and the studio keeping me so busy.  It reminded me that my 'role' as an artist and maker is more then just making and then selling my work- it's also connecting, not only with customers, but with other makers, designers, artist, photographers, and bloggers.

This week my big shipment of work leaves the studio- the packing is almost complete! I can't wait to have my studio back to 'normal'.  I'm also looking forward to taking much of Thanksgiving weekend off to celebrate birthdays and our anniversary, along with spending time with family! 

Collections: Lucky Clover Pencil Box

First off- special thanks to all the lovely mentions and comments regarding my colour wheel bottle vase photo!  One little bird, down home amy, and the Room6 blog.  Oh and then this little post from On a secret mission about 2 canadian bloggers, one being myself and one being the very talented Arounna from bookou.  It's made my week start out with a smile!

So here is another little glimpse into some of my hand-me-down art supplies.  This wooden pencil case- a lucky pencil case with all the 4 leaf clovers around it, was passed on to me by my great-aunt.  It's kind of the perfect case for Ink nibs and pens, don't you think? 

And the sweet little houses and the snow and trees, mixed in with all the different patterns, how lovely is that?  There is something about opening a box like this and pulling out the nibs that makes me want to write a letter.  You know, a real letter on nice stationary.  Using ink, because my writing looks so much better when I use a proper nib and ink. Have you ever noticed that?  Remarkable. 
I have a pen pal- I really should say 'had' because I'm notoriously bad for writing her back now, but I have had a pen pal from Germany since I was in grade 3.  We kept in touch all these years, she visited me when we were in grade 12 and I visited her in Stuttgart about 8 years ago.  I still have all her letters to me- most of which are in german, all of which were written with a real ink pen.  I'm quite certain it's my turn to write and so I think this might be a good place to start.  But where to start when it's been so long...

Blim Monthly Market- the Inside scoop!

heyday designs by Claire Madill- loving the new beaver jar!

Wikkerink Design- belts and wallets made out of recycled bicycle tires would make a great gift for Dad's for Father's Day!

I'm all for a little cupcake now and again too- Coco Cake's will be at the market!  Remember to get there early- she always sells out really quick!

So the details again:  the Blim Spring Market- happening at Heritage Hall on Main street in Vancouver, from 11-4pm.  I'll be sharing a table with the lovely Amy again and there will be lots of handmade local lovelies to be had for Mother's Day, Father's Day, weddings, gifts and more!

Blim Spring Markets

Well April is flying by and the Blim Community Market is coming up again on Sunday, April 25th from 11-4pm at the Heritage Hall in Vancouver.  Here are a few candid shots from the March Market- a new Ginko Stem Cake Plate with a sweet bird and some of the kid's line of ceramics that I've been making in the owl and bird design. 
The whole Blim experience was really refreshing for me- it was a great vibe, laid-back and friendly! It was great to connect again with people and nice to visit with Amy from down home amy, who I don't often get to see since we no longer share a studio.  We're sharing a table again in April so come by if you are in the neighbourhood! I have 2 kiln-loads of work coming out of the studio in the next 2 weeks and Mother's Day is coming up really soon...

Ahh spring! & the Blim Spring Market this Sunday!

OK I'm a sucker for spring- I'll be the first to admit it.  The minute all the flowers start blooming in my yard and in the neighbourhood I'm carrying my camera with me all over the place and taking pictures of flowers like a sunday painter. Sheesh!  They are just so lovely and it's so refreshing after winter!

I have another glaze firing to get into the kiln today and Friday will be a big shipping day, for those of you who have been patiently waiting for your order- thank you and it's coming!  For those of you on my tile frame wait-list, I am slowly making the rounds and am waiting to hear back before I get to the next person.  I have more coming out of the kiln friday so there should be lots to choose from by then (20 tiles!!).

Also: I am sharing a table with my former studio mate Amy (who now has a blog!!!) from down home amy at the Blim Community Market this coming Sunday.  There will be more 'little dahlhaus' bowls and plates done- with a little bird design and the owl design on them along with my regular work.  And Amy, well Amy has the cutest stuff, especially these new little bibs for wee ones that I will be buying for my nephew! How cute are they!

The detail:
where: heritage hall
main and 15th vancouver b.c
when: sunday march 28th
11-4pm
by donation
what:  50 vendors selling handmade goods,
tasty baking, unique vintage finds, hot food,
art objects and more…

One of a Kind: What I would have bought edition...

I went to the One of a Kind with Amy- we went last year together and both years I had to apologize for holding her up with all my visiting. It was really great to see a lot of familiar faces at the show- many faces that I see when I do other shows. Great people and good work aside, I literally marched through the place in under 2 hours, so here are my more limited picks if I actually had a wee bit more cash in the wallet:

First off, really nice to meet Ella from Little Red Caboose face to face! I did a post back in May about Ella's Matryoshka dolls- since then we've been corresponding here and there, mostly about our boys. I really love these Matryoshka dolls- they are made with such love and hand-crafted so well!
Next, it was also great to catch up with Arleigh Woods at her booth and admire her lovely paintings! Arleigh's work is a combination of a photo-transfer technique using her own photographs, painting into the image and then sometimes carving, along with encaustic. The paintings are so multi-layered and really show off a richness and depth. Her photo-transfer technique is also golden- seriously she's got that one down!!
I didn't get a chance to stop at this booth for long, but was really smitten with the Patouche cloths for kids! Her concept of every day dress up really suits my 5 year old these days, and I was really drawn to the wonderful fabrics and well-made designs! I just found out they have an etsy shop and are soon to be launching an online shop too!

There's a lot more I could have wanted to buy at the One of a Kind show this year, but for now, this is what stood out to me! I thought the show was much better than last year for many reasons, but am still not convinced that Thanksgiving weekend is a great weekend for Vancouverites. The Ferries were swamped with travelers and the roads leading out of the city were a gong-show, which makes me wonder if there were any shoppers left to come by to make it worth it for all that hard work and money dolled out to do the show. It's always tough to pick and choose your shows, and who knows, maybe next year I'll be in line to do the One of a Kind here in Vancouver, except that it will be our 15th wedding anniversary and I have a feeling that being at the show for 4 long days won't sit so well with the hubby... priorities, I tell ya!

these days

I'm working hard (yes, that's me up there...) on getting to Calgary next week and in the meantime wanted to highlight a few front pages of Etsy that I had missed last week! I love how the down home amy cloth napkin was paired with my poppy bowls- how anyone at Etsy ever knew we used to be studio mates and have always thought our work could look great on a table together is beyond me. Kind of cool, actually!
The last stream of etsy front page shots are all Poppytalk Handmade artists- the Mother's Day/Kids market is in it's last week and so far it's been a great success! I've been off to the post office every few days shipping off lovely gifts to mothers all over the US and Canada!

New work from down home amy

I had tea with Amy on friday at her new(ish) downtown studio and had to take some pictures of some of the new things she is making for the home these days! I use one of her lunch bags daily and she recently came up with a bigger version, above, with the really cute tree silkscreened on it. All the pattern designs and silkscreens are her own- based on her amazing drawings! I adore these new little baggies she's making for the up-coming Blim Market. Instead of using a ziplock bag, why not use one of these, washing it clean when it gets dirty. Perfect for the kids and their snacks too as they stand up on their own. Velcro top holds everything inside- so it would be perfect for cereal snacks, veggies, etc. See more of her work on her etsy site here.