we did it!

It was a perfect day, which can best be summed up as "magic."  Whenever anyone asks, that's how I describe it. We were surrounded by love and happiness - and lots of crafts! It was a handmade wedding, and I'm happy to share the details. More, soon. 

We're inviting a small group of friends & family to the wedding. But we can still share this Save the Date, far and wide. We took this photo on our recent trip to Vermont. We affectionately refer to this as our Welcome Back Kotter / Ben and Jerry's font. Full of woodsy happiness!

Drawing

Though I'm not sure I've mentioned it here before, by day I'm a volunteer coordinator. This past month, I celebrated National Volunteer Week by organizing a series of behind-the-scenes talks and tours for our volunteers. These secret tours are so much fun! After all, we're not ducking into conference rooms, but rather, conservation studios and wood shops!  This year we even got stuck in the freight elevator together (it made for a fun afternoon).

I love spending a little extra time with our volunteers, but more than anything, I love the opportunity to shed light on my talented colleagues, and the amazing work they do. It's also a chance for me to introduce a little creativity into my job. Though I have an artist's heart, most of my day is spent word-processing in a grey cubicle ... did I mention it's in the basement? Oh, the splendour! Never mind. Each year, I hand illustrate thank you cards for our speakers. And because our photocopier is old, old, old (and chews up card stock) I make them all individually. And as we don't have a colour printer, I hand paint each one, too.

wedding planning

Design cues!

Brittany Watson Jepsen, via Etsy Blogs

Martha Stewart

Simply Natural Event Planning (though I'm pretty sure this is not the original source - darn internets)

Craft and the New Economy - Best Parts

Still playing catch up, back in March I attended Craft and the New Economy, a symposium organized by the Ontario Crafts Council, Ontario College of Art and Design University, Sheridan College Crafts and Design Program, & the Haliburton School of the Arts. All heavy hitters!

My two favourite speakers: Marie O’Mahony (OCAD U, visiting professor) and Dr. Sandra Alfondy (Professor of Craft History at NSCAD University and Associate Curator of Fine Craft at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia) - my old stomping grounds!

Marie O’Mahony gave the keynote address, emphasizing the importance of good relations between craft and industry. She posited three questions: 1) Have craft and industry linked? (and if so, what is the nature of the link?); 2) Can craft rescue manufacturing from low-cost, mass-produced goods?, and, 3) Is technology becoming increasingly necessary to prevent the demise of craft. Taking a controversial line of argument, and sometimes contradicting herself, Marie had me hooked. This snippet from the Sundance feature Hearts and Crafts, profiling the artisans employed at Hermes, had me happily daydreaming.

Sandra Alfondy, a panelist, is a kindred spirit, pure and simple. Her talk paid tribute to crafters from a feminist perspective, and sent a clear message about the importance of valuing our work, so others would too. That’s the kind of discussion I hoped the conference would inspire, but it seemed a fringe point.

Overall, the symposium tried to position a new role for craft in the 21st century. This seemed more focused toward outsourcing and product-design, which left me a bit disappointed, and a bit sad. I can’t help but think that craft’s root in handmade, homesteading, self-sufficiency, and DIY is what will carry it forward.

Golly Forever!

Hello friends!

The world’s topsy-turvy at present. I have lots of good news to share! Best expressed with photo.

My sweetheart surprised me with an engagement ring, the night before my birthday, back in February. We snapped this photo just after the big moment. That’s us, underneath a viaduct at York Mills Station (a suburban area of Toronto). Not the most glamorous of locales, but surely the most romantic. It was just us, a couple of curious raccoons, and the graffiti. Urban romance! It was perfect. Check out that sparkle!

The next morning (my birthday), I awoke to diamond earrings to match.

I’m on top of the moon! The best part of being engaged is sharing the news. I just love hearing “it was only a matter of time, you two are adorable!” It makes me happy to think that love, quite literally, shines through.

We’re planning a summertime wedding in my parents’ beautiful backyard, followed by a reception at a fancy restaurant, with a lakeside view. As you can probably guess, I’m most excited about décor! We’re planning a paper theme, with lots of greenery; is that cryptic enough? I’ll share my progress as the day draws closer. Until then, it’s back to doodling ideas. – Holly xo

Working on ...

I snapped this photo last week in Grange Park; right in the heart of the city (would you believe it?) Next up: translating pine cone, with spruce tips, in wool felt. That's my kind of challenge. More, soon!

Year in Review

Is it me, or do all crafters post their year in review mid-January? Darn those handmade holidays!

I'm thankful this year for all of the crafty inspiration from friends near and far. Oh internets, what would we do without you? Here, some of my favourite projects of the year.

Welcome, 2012! I'm hunkering down with new projects and craft room bliss (once the floor is laid, and the shelves are hung). I can't wait for spaces and places for fabric scraps and sketches, wool felt pine cones and vegetable-dyed fabric fungi. There are boutonnieres on the way, and terrariums, too; shadow boxes and wall plaques. In sum, my forest fantasies are taking over.

Fabric Family

Far and away, the hit of holidays were these photo family dolls I made for my nieces. That's my sister Louise, her husband Rick, and Audrey and Violet in softie form. Audrey, three-and-a-half, was a little freaked when she opened these, but they were a hit with the grown-ups, and over time, the wee ones took to cuddling their plushy parents.



Want some? You can make them, too. I based my fabric family on a pattern found in super blogger Amy Karol's "Bend the Rules with Fabric". The toughest part of this project was tracking down an inkjet printer to print the photo faces on fabric paper (purchased from the office supply store). Turns out, ink jet printers are hard to come by. They can't be found in copy centres anymore. If you're lucky (like me) your dad has one in the basement.

Hollydays recap

Handmade presents are always my favourites. So I was happy this year to have a little time to fill my friend's stockings with gifts made with heart and hand:



First up, a (super-luxe) merino and cashmere monkey (lucky Linden!), all soft parts and cuddly. Next: Golly Manor biscotti, anise-almond and orange chocolate.

Not pictured here, two "true-to-life" wool pine cone pins, made for pair of sisters, who (I'm told) wore them to school one day, and before bed, asked if they could sport them again in the morning. There's no higher praise than that!

Woodland Wreath

Remember last year's New Year's Resolutions? Well, this year, I need to get back on the blogging horse. My writing really benefits from a daily post. That's top of mind for 2012. In the meantime, here's a little catch up from craft land (my dining room table). This weekend I bought some greenery and some teeny, tiny mushroom pics. This woodland wreath is decorating my door for December. Happy almost-Holidays!

Halloween Happiness

Our tribute to Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Wes Anderson, whose old-school stylings inspired these handmade costumes. Super analogue! I think I'll sport that fox cameo on my jean jacket.

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places." - Roald Dahl,(such a kindred spirit!)

Nuit Blanche

Oh City Mouse! You had me by the nose; your evergreen scent, perfuming Scotia Bank plaza. Your (longish) line couldn't dissuade me.


My favourite installation, by Artist Julia Hepburn, was cheeky in its placement, square in the heart of the financial district. City Mouse (and raccoon, owl, wolf and bear) was full of wonder, sentiment and nostalgia. I'm sure there's a whole other meaning here, something darker and more sinister (why else the wee sculpey figurines - all anthropomorphized fantastic Mr. Foxes, - shredding papers and calling meetings, in their business suits and cubby cubicles?) Whatever the case may be, goodness knows I love a miniature, especially a la woodland.

Fall updates

"Creating is a way to find personal achievement in something small and lovely."
- via Etsy, feature sellers Sundries and Plunder



I couldn't agree more! I'm busily working away on small wonders at present, all in the secrecy of my basement studio (i.e., the corner by the tv!)

Just as my day job ramps up (Fall is always a bit bonkers), crafting follows suit. And it's not just the turn of seasons that has me switching gears. My job is super-administrative, but an administrator, I am not! (just don't let my boss hear that). I need handwork to keep my mind active, and my heart full. At work, I've been spending lunch with my sketchbook, instead of my sandwich.

This weekend, I ran into my friend Kalpna at the Queen West Art Crawl. She had a new booth of birch trees, and it looked spectacular! I confessed that I didn't apply for City of Craft - the first time in three years that I'm not ramping up my production for a sale this holiday season. I felt a wee pang of regret. But then I remembered I had one of my *top secret* felt prototypes with me; I pulled it out of my purse, a bit rumply, but none the worse for wear. Kalpna loved it, and I was ever so glad! She put spring in my step on a cool, fall afternoon.

It can be hard to create in secret, but there is so much joy in working slowly, at one's own pace. For me, this is when new directions come.

Last night I dreamt of the woods in winter (that's a hint).

photo credit: loveliest woodland mask by Sundries and Plunder. p.s. if my sweetheart is reading this post, this would make the most excellent birthday present!

season's end harvest

Labour Day weekend and the weather feels truly September-like; windy and cool, our neighbours' laundry on the line.



We've got a garden full of green tomatoes on the vine. Teeny, tiny cherry ones, and some lovely but long-to-ripen heirloom varieties. Anyone have any ideas? I'd hate to see them wasted.

Thanks for indulging my enthusiasm for my new backyard, xo

forest fantasy

Soaking up the inspiration in our nearby urban forest, with new friends and kindred spirits.




Yes! These are real mushrooms, no photoshopping. Wee, candy-coloured gems. Isn't nature wonderful! Pure magic.

Martha meets zucchini

Golly Garden

Can it be? A month since my last post. I haven't been lazing around, if that's what you're thinking. Instead, I (meaning Me + Guy) have been attending to our growing garden. When we planted our tomato plants a little late in the season, we could never have guessed the tangled garden that now results. It's no J.E.H. MacDonald, but in our hearts, (and stomachs) it's masterpiece!

makes bunnies

I am so taken with this photo, by the talented Sonja Ahlers, sourced from her lovely blog. Sonja is well-known for her beautiful cashmere bunnies, each hand stitched with careful, precise, perfection. Her work sets a real standard. This photo captures her earlier prototype bunnies. I love photos like this, that illustrate how an artist's work develops and grows over time. I find it so comforting. When it comes to art, I think we tend to dismiss the practice makes perfect motto. Art galleries celebrate the end result, the "Artwork" - capital A. But it's often an artist's sketchbook that holds the real gems - the seeds of an idea, that germinate over time, and grow. Alright, perhaps I am taking this gardening metaphor too far ...

The secret, of course, is that it's really the work that is important, not the end result. (Put another way - the journey, not the destination!) Diligence, discipline, discovery: work leads to things! Like these, the most perfectly-perfect bunnies. (sigh) You are an inspiration, Sonja Ahlers! and my latest blog crush. Follow Sonja's blog, here.

popsicle weather

We’re experiencing an official heat wave here in the big smoke. I know that parts of the States (Hello, American friends!) are seeing temperatures soar also. According to my peg city pals, the prairies are scorching, too. What’s left to do? (besides watching the tomatoes grow ).

Make popsicles, I say. They're the easiest DIY ever, and truly impressive: the flavor combinations these days are so inspired! Like these avocado-lime pops I made on the weekend (recipe, here). Even the New York Times recently dedicated a spread, proving that popsicles are the new cupcake/sandwich cookie/cocktail/whoopie pie - Just don’t tell Starbucks. (I don’t fancy my Americano on a stick!)