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.

drawings

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

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!

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.

drawings

love these pastel drawings that olivia did over the weekend. sweet and subtle.

dance party

we've be away in the country for the past week soaking up the snow. i thought i would post these pics of some fabulous dance shots that were taken before we left.

self portrait

glancing over olivia's film from barbados, there seemed to be a pervasive theme running throughout-herself. in this hyper-digital age, it seems that olivia has become hyper aware of the modern looking glass.

leaf art

olivia created these leaf designs while sitting on a patio in barbados. love the simplicity.

sand-skrit

there really is nothing quite like sinking your feet into warm sand, a feeling of utter calmness can only result. after spending two weeks in such a blissful state, i'm ready to tackle the rest of what winter has to offer.

more bajan pics tomorrow!

happy to be moi

i think this says it all.

fairytale

olivia loves the "beat" of this song, i like what it has to say. check out sara bareilles new cd little voice for more great music.

new design

here is a design that we just completed for spring. we're working to play on the word apex. any feedback would be great!

crafts

image courtesy of whip up.net
i recieved a link this morning (thanks jo!) to a excellent blog, whip up that features handcrafted goodies. this month their focus in on crafts for kids. check it out here and get some inspiration!

moi

olivia came home yesterday with this picture crumpled in her book bag. the moi made it a keeper! have a fabulous weekend.

olivia's view

i thought that i would share some pics that olivia took while we were travelling in august. love the unadulterated perspective and haphazard variety.

etch-a-sketch

over the holidays we discovered buried in the pump room at the cottage, olivia's old etch-a-sketch. virtually on its last limbs, having suffered from broken stamping tools and imploded magnetic bits, this great toy relic proved its worth. the kids lost interest somewhere between hand faces and backward writing competitions, but the adults were kept entertained for hours!

ed emberley

ed emberley's make a world drawing book is possibly the best craft book i have ever purchased for olivia. we spent yesterday afternoon creating minature animals, buildings and people - hours of fun. check out the cover image for a glimpse of the objects you can learn to draw. emberley uses simple shapes (rectangles, circles, dots) as the building blocks for each drawing, so kids can easily follow each step. a fantastic gift idea!

(instantly addictive - if i can draw these anyone can!)

girl power

courtesy of goawayparis.com
in a world of britney spears' and paris hilton's, it appears that young girls aspire for sexual provocativeness, rather than the intellectual kind. amelia hill of the observer, writes that "today's girls prefer to look sexy rather than be clever". citing numerous examples within popular culture, hill's argument rests upon the findings from a new book by carol platt liebau, prude: how the sex-obsessed culture damages girls, in which liebau says that " 'popular culture is undermining girls' sense of worth in their most vulnerable, formative years'" thereby destroying any remnants of a feminism. from scant pieces of clothing to audacious music videos, female sexuality is glorified and sensationalized. liebau's book attempts to put into perspective this hyper-sexualization of young girls, where she explains that " 'today there exists a status quo in which almost everything seems focused on what's going on 'below the waist'." this concept of exploiting female sexuality is not a new one, but perhaps this is the first time that girls themselves are willing participants. because of the glorification of female sexuality, young girls feel a sense of empowerment when they respond to and in turn become sex icons. in light of the alarming issues delineated in both hill's article and liebau's book, it appears that it is now paramount that we redirect young girls’ misguided concepts about sexuality and refocus their aspirations to become realized rather than sexualized.