favourite things part 1

As my making pace slows down, I'm spending a bit more time noticing the things in my home that inspire me. And so begins a tiny little series where I write about these things. It's like Show and Tell for adults, with a heavy focus on handmade goodness.

So for Part 1, two handmade vases by Heydey Design. My inner country self loves old mason jars (I mean, what can't you store in a mason jar?  Could buttons look any better than inside vintage glass?) These vases were cast from old Canadian mason jars in the most perfect, most ivory porcelain. Most of the finish is matte, but the inside and the outer threading has been glazed, giving a wonderful change in surface. I would have fallen in love with these vases at first sight, but what makes them even more special is that they were handcrafted by a childhood friend. Oh, and I don't even consider them vases - they really are sculpture, and they sit proudly on our shelf, not a flower stem in sight. Claire Madill, the artist behind Heydey Design, studied ceramics at Emily Carr in Vancouver and now creates sculpture and jewelry inspired by vintage housewares. It's an ingenious pairing, and I'm still trying to figure out the perfect knit garment to showcase one of her buttons.

The fact that Claire and I share a bunch of embarrassing highschool stories together is simply a bonus. Her work is awesome, and for anyone in Toronto, Heydey is part of Bent Out of Shape: Canadian Design from 1945 to Present at the Design Exchange right now.