30 April, 2008

tord boontje






whimsical designer tord boontje does it again, creating a brilliant handcrafted kitchenware collection. made by artisan communities in brazil, colombia and guatemala, the collection is an effort in sustainable design commissioned by artecnica. i love the simplistic design and global cause.

28 April, 2008

murakami

tan tan bo (2001)
still shot from the animated short planting the seeds
DOB in strange forest (1999)
glorious colour and bold wit, japanese artist takashi murakami's work is riveting. beginning this month from april 5 july 13, 2008 the brooklyn museum is featuring a retrospective of more than 90 pieces of murakami's earlier work. the prolific artist, coined the andy warhol of japan creates sculptures, animations, wallpaper and paintings that spin disney icons like mickey mouse (reincarnated as his famous Mr. DOB) and other innocuous pop culture motifs of their head. with the desire to create art "that makes your mind go blank, that leaves you gaping" murakami's work is an explosion of dizzying pattern and detail that just might be surrealism at its best.

23 April, 2008

spring design

went to print with this design yesterday for our new girls puff tee. our spring line will soon be available online - stay tuned!

22 April, 2008

colour wonder


olivia used crayola's colour wonder to create these lovely drawings. love the expressive eyes!

18 April, 2008

invite

olivia received this gorgeous handmade birthday invitation from her friend jada. love the finger painted hair and fins. happy weekend!

17 April, 2008

pitchfork tv

loving jamie lidell right now... little bit of feel good

love music videos, hate ads and the inane comments that often come along with the view? - then pitchfork tv is for you. launched april 7th, the brainchild of indie site pitchfork media, pitchfork tv aims to provide indie videos without the fluff. plain old video viewing, imagine that!

14 April, 2008

on the street



i have always been fascinated with graffiti. its rawness and immediacy make for an intriguing medium which is why i always feel compelled to take some shots of the art when i see it. the above images were taken while cycling over the weekend.
when it comes to guerrilla art, perhaps the best and certainly most acclaimed artist is banksy whose work has sold for some $500,000. while known for his satirical pieces and outrageous stunts (in august/september 2006, he replaced up to 500 copies of paris hilton's debut CD, paris, in 48 different UK record stores with his own cover art and remixes. music tracks were given titles such as "why am i famous?", "what have i done?" and "what am i for?") banksy's real identity it unknown. a master of discretion and wit, banksy has left an indelible and exciting mark on art culture.
march 2008, banksy's most recent piece follows gordon brown's warning that retailer's may have to cut down on plastic bag production.

11 April, 2008

lower east side

when i checked out the sartorialist this morning i couldn't resist posting this image. not only is the girl featured oh so wayward, but the pic is shot on rivington st. nyc, in the lower east side - wayne's favourite spot in the big apple and a locale reminiscent of great memories with great people. coincidentally, the buzz in toronto's culinary circle this week is that local haute chef susur lee will be leaving hog town to set up shop in the lower east side in the upcoming months. while many are up in arms at the loss of such great talent and the closing of susur (the reasonably priced lee will remain open), other supporters wish susur bon chance in a high stakes game.

09 April, 2008

postcards


i love collecting postcards from industry, places or friends. as a colour addict, i always gravitate to cards that are intensely bright, but interesting design also catches my eye. here are just a few of my favourites.

07 April, 2008

chairs

i am having a chair dilemma. i am looking for a multi-purpose chair that will sit at the head of my dining table, yet can be dragged about anywhere in the space. ideally, the chair would be hot pink, streamlined and fashioned with teeny wheels. while my dream chairs include a vintage saarinen tulip chair and the mustard yellow goodform (featured below), my budget demands this ikea version - at least it's bright red!

goodform office chair at past present future

louis ghost armchair at desgin within reach

saarineen executuve chair with wood legs at knoll

oliver chair + armchair at style garage

eero saarinen tulip chair from hive modern

design lines

i introduced olivia to paint shop pro yesterday and she came up with some quirky graphics. this one is hands-down my favourite.

03 April, 2008

at the moment, i love...



yesterday we went out to source fabric for some design inspiration and found some gorgeous patterns. check out kaffe fassett's brilliant palette above and amy butler's modern design with a vintage twist. you can purchase fabric from both designer's by visiting their websites and finding a local or online retailer. my favourite is the fuchsia and mustard yolk pattern featured below- all i need now is a chair to refurbish!




ann dodson

there is a gallery up the road from wayne's parents home in barbados, on the wall, that we frequently walk to. the paintings that hang there burst with an intensity that you would expect from a tropical locale. one of my favourite artists featured there is ann dodson. her boldly colourful work of landscapes, markets and locals perfectly reflects the complexity and simplicity of the island. a gorgeous piece of dodson's hangs in my in-laws home- rolling hills, teeny trees and a patchwork of homes, reminiscent of an enchanted village.

02 April, 2008

psst...

SPRING FAIR
here's our shout out to the 1st annual spring fair hosted by the mompreneur magazine
April 6th, 2008
10-4pm
The Distillery District, 55 Mill Street, Toronto
ADMISSION IS FREE

come by and see us!

01 April, 2008

etsy finds

esty is always a great place to find original goodies. check out some highlights from this morning's hunt. nothing says spring like a couple of birds and these are too cute-
bliss and her bebe by cookoorikoo
kitschy magnet bottlecaps by the nook

rather appropriate at the moment-
april showers notecards by stickinthemud
sweet spring print by lilymoon

greenchairpress letterpress painting

a mdaisleymoffit original painting when you crave a burst of colour