The Artist Project Toronto

The Artist Project Toronto is scheduled to run next weekend, March 4th to 7th, in The Queen Elizabeth Building at Exhibition Place. This is a great opportunity to see and purchase the work of more than 175 talented local artists in a variety of mediums and categories. Adult tickets are available at the door ($12) or online ($10).

After browsing through the online directory, I was impressed by the scope of artists exhibiting at this event. I have gathered a few of my favourites here:

Elizabeth Dyer
Oil

Dieter Hessel
Photography

Eva Milinkovic
Glass

Ross Bonfanti
Sculpture

Anna Olszowka Khosravi
Mixed Media

For a full preview of artists who will be exhibiting at The Artist Project, follow this link.

Michael Levine: LA Fabric Source

I am just home from a week away on business to Las Vegas & Los Angeles. We managed to squeeze in one day enjoying personal pursuits, and I chose to spend a little bit of time at Michael Levine Fabric in downtown Los Angeles. There is so much fabric in stock that the retailer requires two locations: Upholstery & Drapery fabric at 919 South Maple Avenue and all other fabric across the street at 920 South Maple.


It was like walking into fabric heaven as I entered a world of bolts and bolts and bolts of fabric. This is just one aisle of printed cottons:


Unfortunately I didn't find the chinoiserie fabric I was looking for, although I did see a lot of beautiful asian designs such as these colourful Japanese prints:



Browsing Michael Levine was one of several highlights I experienced during my trip to LA, and if you're a fabric lover like me, I recommend a visit if you have the opportunity.

Will U Be Mine?

This cute little Valentine card along with several others are available to download or print from Vintage Holiday Crafts. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!

Bursting With Canadian Pride

The opening ceremony was held Friday night to kick off the 2010 Winter Olympic Games being held in Vancouver, Canada. One word: Amazing!!!

As host country, the Canadian team was the last to enter the stadium, led by flag bearer Clara Hughes. Of course it goes without saying that the Canadian athletes were wearing the best outfits!! I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of the red parkas and pom-pom toques on the podium over the next few weeks.

Go Team Canada!!

Photo courtesy of VancouverSun

Duncan Hines...More Than Cake Mix

I wasn't aware of this until tonight, but the Duncan Hines company, generally known for their cake mixes, went through a brief period during which they marketed dinnerware. The American made pieces were made by Stetson Dinnerware and bore the brand name stamp of Duncan Hines on the bottom. I discovered this little piece of history this evening at my local Value Village when I came across 6 bread and butter plates which are just the right size for a slice of cake!

This set was manufactured circa 1950, and each flower is individually hand painted - if you look closely, you'll see that no two are exactly the same (click photo to enlarge).

Read more about the history of Duncan Hines here.

Lonny Mag Issue 3

Lonny Mag's 3rd issue is due out on the virtual newsstand today!! I'm looking forward to reading up on the latest organizational tips (always one of my favourite subjects). Click on the photo below to browse through the new issue when you have the time:

Happy reading everyone!!

I Love You Craig

I think I just fell in love with a man named Craig!! Craig Newmark to be exact, the founder of the oh so popular Craigslist. In fact, he's so great I'm going to try to spend more time with him in the future. Let me tell you how we came to know each other:

In October 2008 I bought this chocolate brown and robin's egg blue area rug which looked great under my dining table...


...But when I purchased this piece of artwork in April 2009, I hung it above the white sideboard in the kitchen where the two pieces totally clashed:


In the end one of them had to go, and the poor rug has been rolled up alongside my bed for the past 10 months. Until today!! Out of sheer boredom I decided to tackle an item on my 2010 "to do" list, so I took photos of the rug and listed it for sale on Craigslist.

Check it:
Rug listed at 1:47 pm.
Received 7 responses over the following 5 hours.
Out the door at 7:30 pm, cash in hand!

Now I'm hunting around the house for other unused items I can list for sale. This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship!

Thrifting Tips

I don't think I've mentioned Value Village or Salvation Army Thrift for quite awhile. It's not that I haven't been making routine visits, but I haven't had much luck lately and this type of treasure hunting requires patience. Mind you, I did pass on an entire box full of Enoch Wedgwood Kent china selling for $25.00 at the Salvation Army Thrift Store in Peterborough. Now I see it selling on ebay for a minimum of $5 apiece. Shoulda, woulda, coulda!!

My 3 Thrifing Tips:

1. Have patience and treat each visit to the thrift shop as the next potential jackpot. Visit as often as you can, since the best items will come & go in a day.
   
2. When your instincts tell you that it's worth far more than the ticket price, buy it. Even if you don't really need it, you can always resell it on Ebay or Etsy for a tidy profit.
3. If you're debating over a piece that's tarnished and black, buy it. Tarnished pieces are always undervalued because they just don't look good. A little silver polish and elbow grease will turn your ugly duckling into a beautiful swan.
   

Found this tarnished Salt & Pepper set for $2.99:

Pulled out the Silvo:

And Presto!! Shiny silverplate:


Good luck thrifting!!

Thibaut Wallpaper & Fabrics

While searching for chinoiserie fabrics yesterday, I discovered the website for Thibaut Wallpaper & Fabrics, and I immediately fell in love!! Every collection was such a delight, and I had a hard time gathering only the photos I needed for the post. In the end, I started downloading my favourite images, and I've gathered them here for your viewing pleasure, including the pattern and collection names.

Orchid/Spring Lake

Lillian/Spring Lake

Providence/Serendipity


Marco Polo/Great Estates

Copa Cabana/Jacaranda

Newman/Gatehouse

Masquerade/Gazebo

Bayou/Waterlily


Biscayne/Laguna

Chinoiserie Fabric

I've been searching for a chinoiserie print with an aqua background for a project I'm working on, but not having much luck finding just the right fabric. Apparently, however, these fabrics do exist, and I have found some great examples online. Now I just have to figure out how to get my hands on a couple of yards.

GP&J Baker
Oriental Bird

Kravet
Hemiola

Waverly
Mandarin Prose

Thibaut

Tea House/Chinoiserie Floral

Great Estates/Marco Polo

Spring Lake/Lillian
(Yes, it's a botanical print, but so pretty!!)

Tufted Sofas

Have you ever noticed when something appealing catches your eye, you suddenly start seeing it everywhere? Recently I fell in love with a green tufted sofa which I saw in an advertisement for Plantation Design, and now I keep noticing tufted sofas in every magazine and on every website!! I'm not in the market for a sofa right now, but if I were, I would definitely be investing in a modern tufted velvet design, although this classic style also looks great in linen or leather.

Remy Sofa
Plantation Design
LOVE this one, my inspiration!!

The Moma Sofa
Urban Barn

Beverly Sofa

Williams-Sonoma Home

Baxter Sofa

Jonathan Adler

Azure Sofa
Crate & Barrel


Anson Sofa
Room & Board

Old Hickory Tannery Sofa
Horchow

Kensington Sofa

Restoration Hardware

George Smith

Chester Sofa

Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams

Designers love tufted sofas too!! Check it:

Amanda Nisbet


Kelly Wearstler


Kelly Wearstler


Miles Redd


Celerie Kemble


Living Etc.


Steven Gambrel