new at rockett st george

jane from rockett st. george emailed me today with a pdf full of lovely new products she wants us to know about on their online store. like this set of 6 tea time napkins (above), featuring charming line drawings of teacups, plates and cutlery. also available in a matching tablecloth.



and this festoon, which is a metre of gorgeousness made out of shells, beads and pearls. use it as a table decoration, wrap it around a candle or napkin, or dangle from a mirror (like above).



or some text wall stickers which can create an immediate impact with very little effort or mess.



and i couldn't resist these lovely pink silicone cupcake (re-usable) muffin cases. great for home baking, simply bake (up to 500 degrees F) and then wash to use again.

soapsicles!

how difficult is it going to be to stop from sinking one's teeth into these soapsicles from mahar dry goods.

mild handmade glycerin soaps with delicious scents and a foamy lather. neapolitan soapsicles have three layers just like their namesake with corresponding scents: strawberry, vanilla and chocolate!

blinks - links from the big blogs

doshi levien pillow for moroso via three layer cake



topoware tableware with a topographic theme at milan 2007 via mocoloco



marcel wanders chair via psfk from the salone del mobile in milan.

blackboard pegs

i've always been a blackboard fan. in fact i've been pondering the idea of painting my kitchen cupboards like one of the contest winners i saw on apartment therapy a couple weeks back.

in any case, when i saw these little pegs i was an instant fan. from not on the high street. these ones are magnetic, which is a double bonus.

downloadable b-day card

the industrious jessica from how about orange has come up with a in-case-of-birthday-emergency-download on her blog.

it's a printable card and envelope she designed with vines. she left a lot of white space so it won't use up an entire ink cartridge (like alot of those downloadble ones do).

great idea and thanks jessica!

modern art design exhibit

if you're in toronto this weekend there's a cool design exhibit being held at the gladstone hotel called modern art design exhibit. with exhibitors such as bookhou design, davis khounnoraj and many more.

(via bookhou at home blog)

little paper planes + rachel salomon

kelly from little paper planes who just started up her own blog recently posted about rachel salomon's paintings, which i have to agree are just beautiful. lovely colors and images.

(via little paper planes blog)
rachel salomon

fred herzog

fred herzog is a vancouver photographer who's large collection of prints are currently being showcased at the vancouver art gallery. it's almost finished, but still time to check it out if you haven't already.

his primary subjects have been images taken of urban life in vancouver, many of them, the neon signage which has long since been replaced, storefronts since torn down, and city people who walked the many streets over the past fifty years.

having taught photography at both simon fraser university and the university of british columbia, his images reveal everyday life and the beauty sometimes overlooked when you're living it. Such as the stillness in a vacant lot, the charm of a worn barber shop, and even the power of a billboard.

a fully illustrated book will accompany this exhibition of herzog's body of work.

spring at pink bathtub's

i was in the mood for something bright and cheery today and pinkbathtub's new colorful cards, buttons and tags are just the thing. bright pinks, oranges and yellows, such fresh and happy colors. my favorites, the owls and those citrus buttons!

pinkbathtub's etsy shop.

smart memory art

thanks to reader maryanne for sending in this tip about simple memory art. which is a really clever idea. they create products that inspire children to learn and laugh in unexpected places. like how about in the shower with a metamorphosis shower curtain or a periodic table. i hope they'll come out with an anatomy one! also check out their t-towels and magnets!

simplememoryart.com

bonjour aliette

some nice paintings from a poppy reader who discovered etsy through reading here. now she's very excited to open her own shop with original paintings.

aliette.etsy.com

merci aliette and bonne chance!

simply photo

i received an email from jen with her latest postcard set from simply photo. lovely colors and simplicity. they make me calm just looking at them. thanks jen!

call for papergoods submissions

hey all you national stationery show exhibitors! i'm calling for submissions. if you are attending the show and if you wish to have your cards and papergoods previewed here at poppy's beforehand, i'm taking submissions! just send me some pictures of your new stuff, along with your booth number and a link to your site and i will let the world know all about your cards! starting now! pass it on! (email: poppytalkblog@yahoo.ca)

coffee cuff tutorial

i'm taking a stab at the whiplash contest this month. it's all about cozies, and i just happened to be thinking about this idea for almost a year actually and started making them around christmas for gifts.

i keep thinking about all the energy being wasted making those paper cup sleeves one gets when you forget to bring your own coffee cup in to buy a coffee and you have to use a paper cup and the paper sleeve. i thought, even if i do use the paper cup, perhaps having one of these "cuffs" might save a few trees. better than no trees. so since i'm always forgetting my cup, (so many things to think of when you're heading out the door), maybe this cuff, if it just slips on my wrist when it's not being used, might be a better idea for me and it fits into my bag better than a thermos.

click here for my tutorial.

etsy pick of the day photo tips

dear talented etsy people!

a few tips to help being chosen for the "etsy pick of the day" if that is what you wish. your photo's are so important. so if you can take pictures in natural light with no flash, things look so better that way. another thought is your background. items look really good against grass, wood or something that will contrast with your item really well and is attractive.

also if you have artwork, photographs or papergoods, it's best to scan the images in vs. taking a picture (or both is even better).

placing an item in a setting/scene really helps too and makes it more interesting for buyers along with a close-up of the item.

when saving your pictures to upload or email or to post up on your blog, it's best to (if you are using photoshop), to select the save to web option and then choose the .jpg option and select medium under the preset section. this will reduce the size of your photo file immensely and make it appear faster on your page as well as not take up so much space. if you don't have photoshop, then changing your image size resolution to 72 pixels per inch will also help.

for other tips on product photography, you can read a tutorial by posie gets cozy. really good tips to read there.

dog and pony show

some fun cards from a fun papergoods shop called dog and pony show out of los angeles. love the handmade feel and clever words. all available online here!

hoser cozies

the canadian design resource is always a fun place to visit and when i saw these hoser cozies, by anneke van bommel i had to include them in my canadian links. (as an aside, i have finally gone through most of my posts and tagged/labeled them, so you can now click under "categories" on my sidebar for things that interest you. (e.g. canadian, felt, fonts, etc.) go crazy!)

as stated at the canadian design resource site, "these pieces playfully reflect the nostalgia and mythology of the canadian experience, using icons and materials to illustrate the shared and somewhat skewed narratives of canadiana. a graduate of nscad, and former resident in the craft studio at harbourfront centre in toronto, anneke lives and works in toronto."

blinks - links from the big blogs

video of the salone del mobile 2007 via mocoloco


the scoop blog via l.a. apartment therapy


sweet juniper's new mies van der rohe home in detriot at design sponge


cappellini from the furniture fair in milan at h & g blog

forest baby postcards

cute little forest baby postcards by terra from little big pants etsy shop. featuring macro photos of schleich plastic animals set in a forest landscape.

images from south america

some lovely black and white photos from brazil to flip through by helder machado. lots of nice close-ups of exotic flowers and if you keep going, happy children. the site is a little difficult to navigate at first, but nice pics.

sprout new arrivals

fun new arrivals from sprout home i found over the weekend.

(top) - flaura and fauna plaques
(bottom) - ceramic bird houses.

sarah hanson

loving this work by artist, sarah hanson out of london, england.

a recent grad from the University of Hertfordshire in graphic design and illustration, sarah combines traditional and digital techniques to her work using photographs, hand-drawn elements, and found ephemera.

she uses widely diversified and disparate media which somehow creates cohesive and unified pieces when brought together. this piece titled, "bread oven" creates one statement but within it I see cardboard, windows with a handwritten letter in the background, a blue sky and an image of a woman building an outdoor bread oven. all combined the warm feelings that baked bread bring. (via my post at diesel.com).

sarah hanson portfolio

times new yorker

a dirty graffiti version of the times new roman font available for free from dafont.

fly away

i keep seeing butterfly motifs everywhere i turn and in fact had collected a few links that stood out to me. one in particular was this lampshade from british-based mixko i saw this month in canadian h & h.

available in acrylic wool in white and wool felt in white pink, blue or red. available through kol kid in toronto (416) 681-0368.

wonderland retreat

i received an email from renee garner who wanted to let me know about wonderlandretreat.etsy.com, a temporary etsy shop a few crafters set up 4 days ago. the purpose of wonderland retreat is to relieve some of the medical bills accrued when their friend alison gordon (one of the uber-talented brains behind bazaar bizarre and the sampler) needed unexpected surgery; you see, alison, like many artists, doesn't have health insurance. so far they've had over 160 donations of handmade items, and raised over $2000 for alison's medical bills!

they're posting new donations constantly, and right now they have some great art pieces for the home, funky jewelry, really an
incredible assortment of crafted goodies! they're hoping everyone will stop by and check it out!

details and updates regarding alison's hospitalization and recovery can be found at:

boygirlparty's livejournal
the sampler livejournal and here
craftypod
indiefixx
westcoast crafty

d*s furniture fair coverage in milan

if you're interested in whats going on at the furniture fair in milan this week, design*sponge has got it covered.

click on to her blog at h & g as well to see more photos and full descriptions. she's listing the following trends: "naturalism (leaves, raw wood, bamboo and green), glitz & glam (which she's calling disco ball chic), handmade touches (exposed stitching, joints and details like oversized hinges and screws), geometric/faceted designs (her favorite) and yellow (mostly a pollen/chartreuse hue seen in everything from fabric to powder-coated steel chairs)."

(loving this chair from jaime hayon - photo taken by grace bonney).

mixko.net

speaking of mixko, they have their new website up, i had checked just last week looking for that butterfly lampshade and it wasn't available online yet. but now it is. along with a few other unique new items for the home.

little paper planes

a few new lovely pieces today from little paper planes. my friend rachel ordered a bunch of stuff from here one time and was pleased with the quality. i'm really drawn to horses lately, and found these two prints plus that moleskine is unique!


dead horse prints by daniel st. george



scooter moleskine journal



long shot print by craig atkinson

aaron nelson

like the lines on these soft edged pieces by local ceramist, aaron nelson. after studio practices in chicago and victoria, aaron now works from a small industrial studio in vancouver and is represented by galleries throughout north america.

aaron nelson website.

egg press mothers day

mother’s day is fast approaching, this may 13! and in time for the special day, egg press have hand-picked an assortment of letterpress mother’s day cards to choose from.

in addition, they are now offering a new collection of their favorite botanical cards, the garden collection. with patterns inspired by life in the garden, it’s a collection perfect for spring correspondence. they are also offering a spring special! to celebrate in addition of their new garden collection, they are offering one free letterpress card with purchase of any egg press favorite card collection! limit one free card per customer. offer ends may 31! check their website for details.

celebrating the life of becky westcott

when i saw the work of becky westcott in an article at mumble magazine i was immediately reminded of margaret kilgallen. i was also saddened knowing like margaret, becky too had left our world ( a few years back), but with such inspiring talent to admire. these images are from the mumble magazine article, and i felt they were so beautiful that they needed to be seen, with respect and true admiration. the article is really nice to read, written by her husband. you can read it here

twinkle kids add new cakes to menu!

twinkle-kids have come out with some new tasty treats to play with. new cakes on their menu of felt interactive cake play kits for all those little pretend bakers out there just chomping at the bit to decorate a three layered tier cake! choose from, suzani, jack in the beanstalk and the original garden cake.



they also have mini cakes now too, for perhaps to take along to a friends or a car trip. think cherry blossom, pink, green and orange confetti!



and check out these cute bacon and egg baby tees and rock, paper, scissors. to have twins or triplets! (did i just say that?)

mini home

keeping in mind that idea to one day have a cute little airstream parked in the backyard, for a studio, and then, after seeing this mini home, this could definitely be even better (actually, i could probably live in this one). click here if you can't get this one to play properly.

mini home weblog
mini home site

finn fine art

instant international art installation via marimekko of finland artist fabric panels and hanging hardware.

"hetkia/moments" (2003) by maija louekari draws the viewer into a b/w/grey urban street scene. exposed margin records title, artist's name and year.

(from cb2).

handmade nation

joy posted about this handmade nation movie yesterday.

it's going to be a documentary about the independant handmade crafters out there. take a sneak peek at you tube.

and i'm loving the hand drawn artwork! anyone know the artist?

b.c. ceramics

just a couple more pictures from the b.c. ceramics gallery, on granville island, here in vancouver. we did a little tour the other day and i loved this piece (above) by amy chan. and these beautifully glazed pastel pieces by tanya mitchell. both available at b.c. ceramics gallery.

crib notes stationery

i was so thrilled to hear that local papergoods company, cribnotes stationery now have an etsy shop! these two friends michelle jin and elizabeth gray started this small card company a while back and sell in a few stores locally, and across canada. i think these are the cutest!

they have a retro-vibe and are printed offset on 80lb creme cardstock, sized 3.5 x 5 with rounded corners.

crib notes etsy shop
crib notes web site (see more images below)

new blogs

there have been several new blogs coming out as of late, and i've been meaning to link them up and make a mention of them, and so here's a list of some notable ones i've caught up with lately.

sew green - all about eco-related crafting by 14 seasoned bloggers
bookhou at home - bookhou design blogs
how about orange - fun d.i.y. ideas and design
love it alot - shopping blog
design muse - inspiration for graphic designers and other creative types.
book by it's cover - all about books and their covers
gold school - who just tagged me on a meme i think i can actually handle: to list 7 songs i'm listening to right now:

1. so nice (summer samba), bebel gilberto
2. stop breath'n, pavement
3. the story, brandi carlile
4. shelter two, the evens
5. trail of time, the knitters
6. lost in the supermarket, the clash
7. falling awake, gary jules

i'm going to tag the above new blogs, if you wish (no pressure).

(above picture taken on granville island, near eciad)

elizabeth burritt

back from a nice spring break and thanks for visiting here! it's great to be back with a fresh outlook and new some new finds! firstly, on a recent visit to the emily carr institute of at & design's grad art show here in vancouver. i came across a beautiful ceramic vase, which if you read in a post below, i couldn't find the name of it's designer. well coincidentally i made a trip down to granville island to visit the b.c. ceramics gallery and was excited to find it's designer there being featured as april's emerging new artist. her name is elizabeth burritt and her ceramics are available through the b.c. potters guild.

using an image transfer process, she applies her urban scenic illustrations onto these elongated rectangular ceramic vases. images of power poles, barbed wire and bare trees on the smooth ceramic surface are portrayed in a way that bring beauty to something often thought of as an eye sore of the urban canvas.

b.c. potters guild and gallery, vancouver, b.c.

new art - pasquale crispino

i recently came upon the work of pasquale crispino a freelance illustrator and mulitmedia animator out of milan, italy. studying at the european institute of design, pasquale explored movement in his work using a range of different surfaces and colours using traditional and digital techniques.

there is a certain sense of naivity in this piece named, "bang bang girl" highlighting the difference between past ages to the present with inspiration from his passion of gangster movies for a sky ad. (via computer arts magazine).

pasquale can be contacted at cp1art@libero.it

coaster chain link tiles

estela from moderndose.com emailed me, introducing their new and exclusive chain links coaster collection. i thought these would be nice as a backsplash. go black & white or choose from our four yummy flavors!

made outdoor space show

i'm making a sneak appearance here (on my break, ha!) to post these pictures i just got from MADE in toronto from their outdoor space opening last week. featuring these adorable bird tents. they look so fun! dieter janssen worked with many different military camo patterns.



these coe & waito owl lights are apparantly mind blowing in person. they are approx. 8" high and give amazing light that shows through the hand carved parts of the porcelain as well as through the openings.



the "holey stump" has storage spots sized for your bottle of wine or a few bottles of beer. pink and orange versions are also available.



castor's stone stool is hand carved from a single block of stone.



also some shots of the interior show within their ancient walk-in cooler. eva and kris from tsunami glassworks came through with some amazing prototype lighting that actually raises its own wheatgrass. you just need to add a little water every few days. the wheat grass lamps were combined with some of their blade-like tube vases in grassy colours.





MADE Design Website

spring break

off for a spring break! back the week of april 16th! in the meantime here are a few of my daily reads:

design*sponge
lisa's musings
hulaseventy
crust station
apartment therapy
bloesem
oh joy
h&g blog

oh and check out the new modishoppe where owner, jena carries some of my favorite indie designer's handmade goods! see you next week!

alain bonder

i love the contrast of power and solitude portrayed in this piece titled, "ajustement instinctif" (2006) by montreal-based artist, alain bonder. he paints images or segments of bulls, horses, and humans combined with decorative flourishes in his latest works. minimalist in composition the artist uses different media, mixing charcoal with acrylics or oil. the main themes of his work is a comment on power struggles, contrasts, and the loss of human touch. he is represented in canada by galerie orange in montreal. (via my post at diesel.com).

alain bonder's website.

bookhou wall art

arounna had a sneak peak of some new stretched prints she made for the one of a kind show in toronto on her new blog, bookhou at home. they are hand printed on natural linen and stretched over canvas stretchers. and are now available online! love these! i see she has some new product over at modishoppe too!

grad art sale - eciad (part10)

the last of my pictures from the eciad grad art sale last weekend, yank and utter, digital print by jei albert hsieh



rapid change, digital print by tany duffy



raindrops, lithograph by ivan lo

blinks - links from the big blogs - (part 2)

alternative motivational posters by right brain terrain via josh spears


new cards from port2port press and camilla engman via designsponge



this crazy floor by olle (also note the green grass countertop) via mocoloco.


post from paris the bhv via apartment therapy.

grad art sale - eciad (part9)

from the eciad grad art sale last weekend, daniel oates kuhn (above) sharpie marker illustration and (below) an installation of 8000 pounds of gravel colored with pink latex paint.

grad art sale - eciad (part8)

oops, digital print by kristopher may



lost mail, screenprints by (alisa) kim

art school girl

i was thrilled to get an email from amy of artschoolgirl letting me know of her new website. right down my alley all of these screenprinted goodies, from art to journals. beautiful things!

new from not on high street

new things from notonthehighstreet.com. loving that
smooth bowl (below) by pop guru and the vintage jack cushion by angel linens.

psssssssst! modish shoppe coming today!

a little birdie told me that the highly awaited indie shop, modish shoppe by fellow blogger modish is opening later today - in just a few short hours! and, there's free shipping for the next week when they use the code "congrats44" at checkout. yay! and congratulations jena!

modish
modish shoppe

grad art sale - eciad (part7)

moret on the eciad grad art sale series with one of my very favorites this teacup, ceramic by angela chen



valley to be caught, mixed media by jenny x chan

grad art sale - eciad (part6)

ink on plywood by cindy kuo




dress - silkscreen print by jennifer macdonald

address file box

digging this address file box found at uglykitty's esty shop.

made from half a recipe box and lots and lots of recycled papers. love the cursif alphabet rub-ons.

file cards are made from magazine subscription cards, found papers and vintage travel brochures and postcards.

uglykitty's esty shop.

grad art sale - eciad (part5)

creepers, tyvek laser cut by alexandra campbell



goodluck, silkscreen by sooyeon goo

egg press spring and wedding

inspiring new styles on the presses at eggpress.com. check out their new designs [above] and they have a handful of everyday letterpress styles officially releasing later this month.

they are also very excited to announce 5 new additions to their custom wedding album. samples of new custom wedding styles are shown online. contact them for more information or check their locations listing to find participating retailers.

egg press web site.

grad art sale - eciad (part4)

more from the eciad grad art sale with this beautiful ceramic vase which i so regret that i didn't get the name of it's designer. if anyone knows, please leave a comment. thanks.



birds illustration using mixed media by elise beneteau.


balance illustration study using digital print by jeong hwa ryoo.

mini modern from absolute zero degrees

just in these adorable photos of the absolute zero degrees mini modern tableware in porcelain! they are expanding the "mini moderns" range, currently in production is the fabric and tableware. using patterns from their playtime wallpapers, they will be doing a plate and a dish and mug and a limited edition money box. available only from their site at present.



absolute zero degrees
absolute zero degrees boutique

grad art sale - eciad (part3)

one of my favorite pieces coming out of the eciad grad art sale this past weekend was this bentwood bench. student, bronwyn bailey took the idea of the art of bentwood a little further by applying a digital print to the surface. i liked the color of the sky as the background to the birds fluttering about.

artwork by brendarose

while searching for my esty pick of the day i came across the art work of brendarose. a nice take on the plywood as a canvas i've been relishing over lately. she adds another dimension by applying images onto plexiglass which is then affixed to the plywood canvase for a more 3 dimensional look.

seen here: st john's bridge

grad art sale - eciad (part2)

continuing on the eciad grad art sale posts as promised, today i will start of with the works of les ramsy, green army jacket, silkscreen on paper. unfortunately the reflection of the glass doesn't give this piece justice.

grad art sale - eciad (part1)

spring is here and with it comes the grad art show at eciad here in vancouver. over 300 works in an assortment of mediums were available to bid on saturday and i'm really excited to show you some of my favorites about 30 or more pieces that i snapped a picture of while we were there today to preview them. unfortunately none of the students have websites that i could find so no links, just keep your eyes out for yet more amazing talent coming out of this school. (or if someone does find a link, let me know).

i plan on showcasing these pieces all this upcoming week. they include screenprints, ceramics even furniture. so stay tuned, there's some exciting new things coming out of there. this first one, is by annette k. hansen. it's a collage trio printed on inkjet.