Sketch: Girl on streetcar

Bike News: Beatrice Stolen (gasp!) + new shop in the hood!

Through tears (just kidding) I announce that my trusty companion Beatrice was stolen from me today in broad daylight. Yes the horror. Below is one of the last pictures I took of her in front of a brand new bike shop Blacksmith Cycle which is just about to open down the street! (1101 Queen St. West). Bike geeks -that's you Steve + Graeme- read all about it here. I've been peeking in as they've been working on the space and can tell it's gonna be beeyooteeful. There is a blackboard wall + an espresso bar. (!!)

But back to Beatrice...
It is a sad day + I feel a loss. Condolences can be left in the comments section.
xx

Online interior design magazines take off!

Connected to my post yesterday on Matchbook magazine + company.... see this Globe and Mail article.

Press: Matchbook magazine

Yesterday Matchbook magazine featured some of my Dorothy Draper furniture sketches in their Daily Spark section. Matchbook is the latest online lifestyle magazine to launch (following in the fabulous footsteps of Lonny, Covet Garden and Rue). It was founded by Katie Armour + Jane Lilly Warren and aims to "celebrate the classics - shaken and stirred". Is full of lots of swoon worthy stuff. Take a look here. (I know, I know .. how the hell does anyone get any work done?)

Upcoming date with Lourdes Sanchez

Close up of Lourdes' whale pillow at West Elm

Back in February I wrote a post about Brooklyn based textile designer Lourdes Sanchez. Lourdes has collaborated with tons of great companies including Kate spade, Pottery Barn and most recently for West Elm. (If you visit the store right now you'll see her gorgeous work featured on pillows, rugs + prints through out the store) Thrilled to report that I'll be meeting up with Lourdes in New York in May for an interview and peek at her studio. Check back then for notes + pics from our meeting!

Bill Cunningham New York

Going to see this tonight. Can't wait.
ps. love Agyness Deyn's style in upper left corner.

A birdie for spring

Lovely

Wow in keeping with the map documentary I'm watching...
This morning I found this amazing Paris map as wallpaper made by Canadian company Roll Out.

Really nice dinner party

Food served:
Homemade quiche, lentil + wild rice salad and pecan pie

Important topics discussed:
The rise of ebook sales
Fran Lebowitz
Memory foam mattresses

Inspiration: Michelle Adams of Lonny magazine

Michelle giving an apt tour on the kate spade blog
She's a smart + stylish gal who knows her design history

My latest inspirational woman is Michelle Adams, Editor in Chief of Lonny magazine. Michelle's apt was featured on the kate spade blog a couple weeks ago and after viewing it I zipped around the web learning more about her. Michelle worked at Domino magazine (RIP Domino!) before launching Lonny in October 2009 with photographer Patrick Cline. Since it's launch it's become wildly popular and has recently spawned a new online magazine Trad Home. A new feature I love in Lonny is their History of Style page which offers a crash course in Design history. (This month it's Louis XIV style)
A woman who aims to educate her readers and encourages knowledge of design history gets top marks in my books! Inspirational.

Making a custom print Part 5

Spreading the ink on with a spatula

And lift!: First layer complete.

On Friday I headed back to halo halo print studio to begin screening the custom print for Paul Buckley of Penguin. I completed the first orange layer.

ps. Halo Halo was founded in 2009 by artist Jeff Garcia. In addition to creating his own work and teaching the best silk screen workshops in the city Jeff also prints for an impressive list of companies including Virginia Johnson. Impressive no?

Good Advice: Create for yourself

From Today's Globe + Mail
Lorne Michaels to Tina Fey: "Never make a movie that you yourself wouldn’t want to see"

This can be extended to "Never make a dress that you wouldn't wear .... or art that you wouldn't hang on your own wall" etc etc.

This way of thinking is connected to Kate Spade's comment "I stared making purses because I couldn't find one that I liked"
and
Gary Hustwit on Helvetica "I made the documentary that I wanted to see"

Inspiration: Designer + Scholar Ilse Crawford

via Margot Austin's blog found a great little film about Ilse Crawford
Some gems:
"Design amplifies our experience" and
"Benches are great because they make everyone at the table equal"

She definitely belongs under the label People I'd love to work with.

Sketch: More pen + ink vases

These are based on Delft Blue pitchers and vases.

Inspiration: The Beauty of Maps

I'm watching an amazing documentary called the The Beauty of Maps which is a 4 part BBC series.
Found via swiss miss.

Through it discovered British artist Grayson Perry.
Here he is describing his Map of Nowhere from 2008


Love this - his ingredients of the Individual
Note how small talent is in relation to Confidence and Lady Luck. :-)
Wish I thought of that.

Inspiring visitors: Janice Lindsay + daughter Caroline

Colour expert + writer Janice Lindsay and lovely daughter Caroline


Janice's book

Yesterday Colour and design expert Janice Lindsay paid a visit to my studio along with her daughter Caroline who writes a blog called The Good.

In addition to colour consulting + interior design Janice also writes for many publications including House + Home and The Globe + Mail. For me it was both thrilling + comforting to be around someone who is just as obsessed about colour as I am - maybe even a titch more so!

Janice has written a fantastic book called All about colour. In it she draws upon history, science and interior design to elucidate the wonderous mysteries of colour and to explain it's effect on everyday life. Highly recommended for all you designers out there and "anyone who loves colour or thinks they might if they could just figure out how it works!"

Wire organizer thingy installed

On the weekend my wonderful, very handy neighbour Calder helped me install my
wire-hallway-organizer thingy that I purchased last summer in Montreal. Am very happy with the results. It provides a place for keys, bag, coat, + bike helmet plus chargers and other electrical doohickeys tucked away in the black baskets.
In his first book Apt therapy Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan writes about the importance of a 'landing strip' in one's home and I now feel I have a highly functional one!

Checkered socks

Liz Kingstone: Style mentor!

Liz showing me her latest favourite Decor book:
A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of A Misspent Life by Mary Randolph Carter
(Apologies for blurry photo!)

Over wine I admire Liz's latest creative endeavour:
Livingroom chair decorated by her son Henry with pink fabric markers!

The same corner when shot for Wish magazine in December 09.
(Also featured on Poppytalk here)
In typical Liz fashion she has switched up the space in every way including changing up all art work + furniture and painting the victorian pine floors white!
(My Big orange scissor print has moved upstairs and is now flipped horizontally over a pull out couch!)

On the weekend I had a visit with my friend + total style mentor Liz Kingstone.
(I originally mentioned Liz + her husband Steve Brearton here back in 09 when their fabulous house was featured in Wish magazine)
I met Liz years ago when I was living in Cabbagetown and was immediately blown away by her fearless attitude toward decorating. She's a woman who is not afraid to paint her hallway bright pink, knit her own 10 foot high curtains or rearrange her entire livingroom whenever the mood strikes! (The fact that she does this all while also teaching, designing jewelry and raising 3 boys has always left me a bit awe struck)
A visit with Liz is always complete balm for the soul and style inspiration.

When in Doubt... Paint it Black

Before - Ick.


After - Slick!

I felt my front door just wasn't working - especially with the grey painted walls - so last night I painted it black. Kim advised me to also paint the trim and it was great advice - really worked.
If you've got an unloved chair or book shelf sitting around... consider giving it new life with a coat of black paint. Hits of black can really anchor a room.

Sketch: Avivi at her laptop

Uppercase Directory

Front Cover

My Entry

The Uppercase Directory of Illustration is now available. Above is my page.
Congrats to Janine (Vangool) for putting the book together so beautifully.

Words to live by....

Have been struggling with a bunch of stuff lately.
Wrote this quote out tonight. I plan to enlarge it to 6 feet and post on my wall!

New Spring shoes

Do we like these shoes?

Good. Cuz I bought them.
Found at one of my favourite shoe stores: Scarpino at 311 Queen St. West.

New Work: Drawings for Target

Back in the fall Target commissioned me to do some line drawings for their Earth month website. Art director Amy Eian combined them with photography and they are now live on the site.
Fun fact: This is the fourth time I have been asked to draw an Arne Jacobsen egg chair. Have also drawn them for Style at Home, the LCBO and Italian design week. Thought that kinda funny. Since I'm taking a history of furniture course can't resist telling you that this chair was originally designed for a hotel in Copenhagen in 1958. (Trust me this will come in handy one day)

Making a custom print Step 4

Today I brought the 2 black + white files (which I had created here ) and brought them down to Midtown Reproductions to be enlarged and then copied onto mylar.
Here they are - enlarged to 30" high.
(FYI To make a screen your image needs to transferred onto either vellum, mylar or acetate)


While I was here I also enlarged 3 Victorian advertising cuts of a fork, knife and spoon up to 4 ft high! Don't they look great? I think I may make them into a print for my kitchen.
The midtown guy has such a cute smile on. I think he likes them too.

Here the images on mylar (called film) are wrapped up and ready to be taken home on Beatrice (my bike).
ps. I kinda hope Paul Buckley is reading this to see how many steps are involved in making a custom print! Kinda doubt it. :-)