TED

TED.com is a must for those of us who love ideas and want to spread them. check out sir ken robinson's quandary on: do schools kill creativity? hmm, if only we were encouraged to colour outside of the lines.

alex cuba

enjoy alex cuba's tu boca lo quita. currently residing in b.c., alex is hailed as the new voice of cuba; his sound is soulful, easy and perfect for summer - yum!

poppies

on a walk in my neighbourhood i spotted these gorgeous orange poppies. what could be more lovely?

wendy nichol

brooklyn based designer wendy nichol creates unique jewellery pieces worth their weight in gold. earrings, cuffs and rings are individually crafted to ensure quality and originality. you can purchase wendy's stunning baubles online, or at retailers across the globe.

time to get inspired

i've been utterly uninspired lately, which could be a result of the miserable rainy and cold weather in t.o., so i thought that i would write a post about a company that was one of my original inspirations for this blog. ecojot is a superb stationary line that uses 100% recycled paper and is made from 100% post-consumer waste. with gorgeous design, created by my friend carolyn and brilliant colour, you cannot go wrong when choosing ecojot to write.

ikea hacker

loving all things ikea, i was thrilled when a friend told me about the blog ikea hacker which transforms plain old ikea stuff into original and innovative pieces - like the portfolio featured above which is fashioned out of two ribba frames, gorgeous patricia fabric and some additional hardware. say yes, to great ideas!

hilary hitchcock

vacant

hopscotch 2
open 4th

i love checking out poppytalk handmade for artists. this photography by hilary hitchcock is stunning - especially love the first two transfers.

in my garden

peach tree

cherry blossom

fritillary

parrot tulip

i am sorry that my postings have been rather sporadic as of late, i promise to get back on track. i thought that i would snap some images of my garden in bloom. it is in its glory in spring!

intermezzo

i had to post this piece of music from composer pietro mascagni's cavalleria rusticana. soaring, majestic and melancholy - turn up the volume, if you will.

drawings

here are some drawings by olivia and her friend lily. love the intense colour and detail. until monday...have a lovely weekend!

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.

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.

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!

colour wonder

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

invite

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!