many of you know that we’ve been sold out of these lovely messengers for quite a while now. not anymore!

On Halloween weekend, Ayan (3 years old) and I got up, costumed ourselves, and instead of going to a party or having brunch, we headed out to Wallspace Gallery where the lovely Carmella Karijo Rother was busily teaching the neighbourhood kids how to felt.

Now, I’m sure many of you know Wallspace Gallery and can appreciate what a wonderful space it is to begin with. Add felting kiddies and a bit of face painting (by NSCAD grads too, no regular face painting here). And then add the tantalizing and textured  work of Nava Waxman.

It was almost too wonderful and stimulating all at once. I wanted to get my sleeping bag and camp out there so the feeling of creativity and serenity wouldn’t escape. Luckily for them, my sleeping bag wasn’t nearby.

If you haven’t yet checked out Nava Waxman: Mapping A World Beyond Reason at Wallspace, go soon because this opportunity to see her gloriously unusual pieces ends next week!

Thanks wallspace, for a wonderful afternoon!

Sometimes our designers make convertible pieces that are so creative and fun that I just can’t imagine not buying them and this is really one of those times!

What is it? A scarf, a wrap, a cardi? The most perfect Christmas gift ever?

Yes, yes, yes…and yes!  (I’ve already put one on hold for myself and one for my mom!)

We have carried this button wrap for a few months now and we loved it a lot.  Recently, however, the designer sent us a video of the many ways you can wear it and when I popped into flock yesterday afternoon I found a bunch of girls – with Laura and Emily right in the middle – staring mesmerized at the mini digital frame she sent, trying the wraps on, laughing and messing around (there were guffaws)!

p.s. the scarves are bamboo and wool…yummmmy!

we just got these lovely new felted wrist warmers and today just happens to be the perfect day to wear them! i love how you can still grip your bike handle, hold your keys and tie your kiddie’s shoes without taking your mittens on and off all the time!

the funny thing about these lovelies is that people love them even more once the weather gets too chilly to wear them outside…weird? not at all, they are an essential accessory to a daily job at the good ‘ol government of canada!

keep your wrists warm (and the rest of your body toasty) while you sit at your desk this winter, happily typing away.  at $20, they also make great gifts! each pair is handmade with love in ottawa.

a few weeks ago i was complaining about the lack of brooches in our shops. after all, how else are you supposed to spice up that black/grey/brown winter coat?

i’m not saying that dark colours don’t have major benefits (after all, they are super-sleek and also hide mud splashes well), i’m just saying that dark, dark and more dark is drab, drab and seriously drab.

quick, inexpensive fix? try these lovely, colourful (and plentiful!) brooches from local ladies twiss & weber, $8-$14, they are guaranteed to perk up any winter staple! (-:

so….i know it’s not going to make me very popular to talk about something that i just bought which is lovely and fun and sure to bring great joy to the guests who filter through my living room…and then say that nobody can have said piece of loveliness except me.  but that’s what i’m going to do today.

i bought this great piece of fabric art, stretched over canvas, at flock yesterday.  it was a one of a kind piece, handmade by the lovely robyn of shibang design.  robyn is an amazing fiber artist, art-educated at NSCAD, and her work is a complex and beautiful collage of fabric, thread, tuile and various other bright and unusual pieces. i have one of her clutches and one of her laptop sleeves (which garners a lot of attention every time i pull it out at a cafe).  this is the first time robyn has ever sent us a piece to lovingly adorn a wall.  and i bought it.

so robyn…you can’t leave all of the special people who read this blog without canvas wrapped fibre art of their own. right? right.  please send us some more love!

xoxo

bridget.

as many of you know, i’m not much of an afternoon blogger.  i tend to get up early in the morning, go into the shop when it’s calm and quiet and wandering around looking at all of the pretty things.  i then usually find something that makes me smile, take a pic of it, and share it with all of you.

today though, my day got off to an early start, followed by much chaos (surrounding the impending de-stash which is getting crazier, better and more exciting by the minute) so i didn’t have a moment to stop, think and share.

then i ran into christina who excitedly showed me pics of a new collection of jewellery we just received! sheena hand casts her jewellery using bits of vintage lace. isn’t that lovely?  these pieces are so unique, i can’t wait to go into the shops and see them in person.  maybe i’ll see you there!

xoxo

bridget.

for those of you who loved laura fauquier’s mini collection this past spring, you’ll be happy to hear that she’s doing it again!  this super cute a-line skirt has the sweetest pocket details – tiny pieces of laura’s own weaving!  we only have 4 of them, drop by this weekend!

this morning i was waiting in my yard for a fridge to be delivered. since my house is a bit off the beaten track (really, it doesn’t front on a street), i had to flag down the big moving truck so it would be able to find me.  this only took about 10 minutes, but since it was early in the morning and i wasn’t quite yet dressed for the day, i was freeeeezing!  from this moment forward it’s going to be leggings, boots, arm warmers and a scarf – i mean it!

so, having now made the commitment now to dressing in a seasonally appropriate way, i thought i should back it up with some purchasing. this morning, i’m headed to the shop and i will be buying one of these lovely and fun, uber interesting, handmade in montreal, boiled wool scarves!  we have them at both shops, in a number of great colours – and i love how they make a statement!  and, in my case, the statement is: look out fall, here i come!

i’ll be the first to admit that i’m a bit of a pack-rat.  i always saw it as a unique trait that showed just how crazy and creative i was (both valued qualities in my mind).  i was one of those people who could use any material, any recycling…basically any old scrap of anything…to create something beautiful.  my ability to do this was often applauded (mostly by my mother, i realize now), but since i got married and bought a house (teeny tiny house), the overflow of stuff from my studio had begun to be a sore point.  mostly for my husband. and sometimes even for me (this morning i tripped over a 4×6 foot canvas on my way to the bathroom).

after polling a few people, i realized that this was a problem faced by every artist/designer i knew, so i made a decision: this year FALL is going to be the new SPRING…as in SPRING CLEANING our studios!

and so the great crafting de-stash was born!

from Nov 1st-14th, the gallery space at Flock will be full of crafting supplies for sale, the result of de-cluttering by over 20 of our designers! there will be all kinds of things up for grabs…beads, tools, fabric, paint, dyes, yarn, bags, buttons, findings, ink…and everything will be priced so you wouldn’t dare think of leaving it on the shelf! (-:

it’s a classic win-win: help our designers clean out their studios, and end up with designer quality crafting goodies at ridiculous prices – mark the date on your calendar, and prepare to hunt – you never know what you might find!