gnome chic

Rooms are on the move again. We're 99% sure that we're digging out our basement, and soon. Which means somehow finding space around the house for everything that was in our basement. Considering my studio was down there, this has quite an impact on me.

A number of weekends ago, without any lead up, we decided to move Milo out of his crib and into Sadie's bedroom. This spontaneous decision was Jay's great idea so it meant I had no time to get emotional about it. The kids were so excited that I could easily absorb their joy. But also, I soon realized my great fortune: I was getting a room with natural light to work in. I was downright giddy at the prospect of lugging fabric and supplies up two flights of stairs. Our back bedroom regardless of it's small size, is an awesome room to be creative in.

I'll post another photo when the space is more together, but for now I had to share this amazing mushroom lamp Jay and the kids got me for my birthday specifically for this new space. There's a kids shop in Toronto called Kolkid that I adore, and I saw this lamp months ago and mentioned it to Jay (you know, in the "gee, if we ever needed a new lamp I saw this awesome mushroom one!" style of mentioning). He remembered and viola, my new studio is now perfectly gnome chic.

Of course, this is a temporary space until the basement is properly finished. The plans are big and worthy of another post (or a dozen) as the reno will take about 6 months overall (gasp). But it is totally the right decision. We love this house too much to leave it, even if it is tiny. There's simply no better place for miniature glowing mushrooms.

stitches to live by

This summer in the tiny town of Bloomfield, at a little antique shop called Dead People's Stuff, I found a sampler that I just had to have. Even though this was made from a kit, I love the tone of the saying and it seems unusual for something that looks vintage (sure, subversive cross-stitching has become popular in the last decade, but I'm used to finding sincere sentiments in older work - not something that would make me laugh). The pinks, purples and chocolate brown are pretty sweet too. We don't add much to the house these days, but it was fun to squeeze this find into the kitchen. And hey, it helps me feel way better about any indulgent baking that may occur in there.

favourite things part 2

This is only the second post about my favourite things and already there is a trend: ceramic and Canadian. It's clearly a combo I'm fond of.

So: Lotte lamps. This pair took us a few months of sourcing, involving a series of random visits to the only place in Toronto you can buy them new (there is another place where you can get refurbished vintage ones which we also visited more than once). Designed by Danish-born Canadians Gunnar and Lotte Bostlund in 1957, they are now made in the US but the original molds are still being used. Each lamp is completely handmade and the shades are fibreglass, so the quality of light is really warm and inviting (we've since picked another shade for a different lamp we had). Originally we imagined getting a matching pair, but when we finally saw them in person it didn't seem necessary because the style is so singular that all the shapes work beautifully together. Sadie told us the whole lamp searching endeavour was capital B boring, but it was so worth it to us. Great lighting = happy home.

(Though clearly we're nearing the end of including Sadie in our obsessive design journeys. At least we still have a few years left with Milo, right?)

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.