day Archives - Page 2 of 21

An enlightening day at the gallery…

January 12, 2019 by Amy L. 1 Comment

Inspired. That’s what I felt after visiting the Vancouver Art Gallery last weekend. My husband and I are members, so we’re free to pop in any time we like to check out the newest exhibition which is a great luxury. So much so that we may not even look into a new exhibit in that much detail in advance like we would otherwise, we’ll just head down instead to check it out in person. For some reason I wasn’t that excited about the WE: Vancouver exhibit. I figured, I live here already, and as much as I love it I’m not super interested in some kind of rah rah city pride type of thing. I found something very very different that encouraged me in more ways than one. (The Reclaimed Dress above is from Etsy shop, Adhesif.)

Seed Bombs from Visual Lingual

With the dawn of the internet, we’ve seen the rise of countless different types of sites – and I couldn’t help but wonder after visiting the exhibit, how this easy transmission of information might be changing our collective perspectives for the better. Now it’s altogether possible that the folks whose thoughts and work were on display came to these views without the internet’s helping hand, but there were three outlooks that I have heard expressed again and again by people online and by my own friends in the last couple of years that I can’t help but wonder if there is some kind of interplay there, and a really great one at that, that is making these types of views far more mainstream than they ever have been before.

Throughout this post, you’ll find handmade items that I feel fit the various themes of this post in one way or another!

Reclaimed Wood Vase from Peg and Awl

The first “manifesto” I came across in the gallery found it’s main focus in nature and architecture, and painted an enticing vision of individuals who find themselves deeply connected to the outside world in a sustainable way. If you’d like, read more here about Mari Fujita and Matthew Soules vision of a future where we commute by kayak and pluck tomatoes from our wallpaper, right here.

Next, a commentary on conscious consumption – reminding us to be in touch with what we eat and use in our day to day lives. Either by baking bread, or planting a fruit tree or any other number of things as Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon suggest here.

Reclaimed wood terrarium from Ecogro

Next stop – a display courtesy of Natalie Purschwitz, who for one year decided to wear only things she made herself. You can read more about her project here.

If you have a chance to read these manifestos or to peruse Natalie’s blog, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Are you inspired like me, or do you think these lofty ideas and ambitions are unrealistic or somehow unattainable?

Coffee Talk – part one

January 8, 2019 by Rebecca Hadfield 3 Comments

Most weekday mornings, seconds after my clock-radio switches itself on, I begin an internal debate about whether or not to get out of bed. The angel on my shoulder gently reminds me that I have venti-sized responsibilities; lunches that need to be made, bills that need to be paid and the emails waiting on my office computer that aren’t likely to answer themselves. At the same time, the devil on my shoulder presents an almost-convincing argument for staying in bed (and can usually keep me tucked snugly under the duvet for at least another 15 minutes.) I would like to say that it’s virtue that eventually rouses me, but I have to confess – it’s coffee. Just knowing that there is a fresh pot of fair-trade, organic coffee waiting for me in the kitchen gives me the little nudge I need to get into the shower and start my day. You can call a it a habit or an addiction, but I prefer to think of it as a life-long love affair with the stuff.

South African textile & graphic artist Wendren celebrates her own love of coffee in this entry on her blog. After reading her post, it came as no surprise to me to see the influence that coffee has had on the handmade goods available in her shop, The Wren. The bag pictured below, is just one of a number of beautiful accessories that Wendren creates from used coffee sacks.

[Read more…]

A pincushion for every day

January 6, 2019 by Erika Jurney 13 Comments

Check out these whimsical creations from The Daily Pincushion, and I dare you to only choose one to be your favorite.

California Dreaming…

January 4, 2019 by Amy L. 7 Comments

I did a fun and spontaneous search on etsy tonight for “summer” and this tote quickly caught my eye! La Lune Designs is based in Leavenworth, Kansas and their shop is stocked with a great assortment of bags, pendants and baby blankets.

Wondering why summer is on my mind? Well it was a beautiful sunny weekend here in Vancouver – and even though I was working the view from my window kept me smiling. But that’s not it! Both my husband and I are self-employed, meaning during our busy seasons (about 6-8 months of the year) we really put it into overdrive, so sometimes it’s tough to have time for ourselves, each other, and our friends. It’s tough but we’ve gotten used to it and for me anyways it helps me to enjoy the off-season even that much more.

Buuut I don’t think I’ve explained myself fully, and I think there’s more to this story!

Since it’s been more than a month now with no days off – we decided we should head up to Whistler (beautiful mountain town, 2 hours drive from where we live in Vancouver) in a couple weeks for a weekend getaway. Lots of relaxation, no computers, you know the drill! Now I love Whistler but we usually go there at least once or twice a year – so I figured maybe I could cook up something a bit more exciting… And I think I have!

I secretly booked us for a quick trip to La Jolla beach in California! My husband loves to surf so I think he’ll be pretty stoked when I tell him where we’re actually going. I’ve decided to let him know the day before and I know he’ll be surprised because I’m not exactly Mrs. Spontaneous! It’s a really quick trip but seeing as I have never been to California and have dreamed about it for years I’m feeling really lucky that we can go.

So lets talk surprises, I had so much fun planning this one that I think this is something I need to do for family and friends more often. I’d love to hear your stories – small and big ways you’ve surprised someone you care about!