DEADWEIGHT

DAMN WRIGHT.

2012-01-15T17:11:00.009-05:00

Spent a large part of this weekend with good friends, taking photos and eating prop cheese. Then the rest chained to my laptop. The end result? Falcowright's shop is now live! Check out the lookbook on our new website for more pictures! YEAH.

This is the first time I've ever helped plan a photo shoot of any kind, and it turned out way better than Danielle and I had imagined. All thanks to Tim's expert camera wrangling and Shayna's whole being a knockout thing, of course. Hot damn!

That last photo up there of Danielle and I only begins to illustrate how happy we are to have made it through the weekend without any major setbacks. Big ups to my partner in crime - you're the best.

LATELY.

2012-01-13T13:57:00.002-05:00

After the ridiculously wordy last post, here are a few quiet pictures from this week: printed some packaging for Falconwright, picked up some wool to attempt a scarf (black, of course), and begun setting up my home studio.

NOTES ON A NEW YEAR.

2012-01-05T15:56:00.004-05:00

Welcome to day 5 of 2012. I'm typically slow to digest time in general. And the whole hype surrounding the end of the year (sorting through the best and worst moments of our lives, ranking and listing them in order, etc) always leaves me feeling a little weird. But I will attempt to embrace that sort of business this year with the awesome power of LISTS! Incredibly wordy lists.

Cool Stuff From 2011:

1. Kept myself busy with Deadweight. Took on design jobs (City Of Craft, album art, etc), did a series of illustrations for my first national publication (The Walrus), sent cards to some cool shops and Etsy orders all over the place (hitting the 100+ sales milestone in my shop!), started a line of leather goods with a good pal (Falconwright), and generally become more focused and comfortable with my design style. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me this past year - it means a lot!

2. Challenged myself to try to be less reserved (attempting to tweet and blog more, however lame, was part of this exercise). A happy bonus of this attempt was meeting some really cool new pals. I also joined Facebook this year, one million years after everybody else in the world, and guess what? I don't hate it!

3. Upped my spice tolerance in foods (ha). I will continue this mission by using the ridiculously hot (but totally delicious) sauce my friend Shayna gave me for Christmas.

4. Went camping for the first time and loved it. Can't wait to go again. #bears

5. Started a savings account. The important word being started. It's truly embarrassing how little I have in there, but it's a start.

6. Did something fun for Halloween. Finally.

10 Goals For 2012:

1. Be less distracted by the Internet/TV/my phone and more focused on the company of the people around me and the tasks at hand. Sometimes I see people hanging out together and someone is on their phone and I'm like "ewww," but then I realize I am just as guilty of doing that exact same thing.

2. Build onto my current tattoo, then add another to the mix. Frivolous and fun.

3. Don't dwell on sad feelings. To anyone who reads this blog, I likely appear to be a pretty happy person, and I am, but I also struggle with a pervasive sense of sadness that always seems to lurk around me at all times (oh, and I tend to be a bit dramatic at times - can you tell?!!). I don't really plan to start airing that business out around here, but it can be a struggle. Life feels long and hard to me a lot of the time, despite all the great/wonderful/exciting/inspiring things all around me. I'd like to spend more time focusing on all of that good stuff, and wasting much less time on the other stuff. But I'd also like to use this as a bigger source of inspiration for my work - make more meaningful illustration/print stuff and less greeting cards! How did I even begin making greeting cards? It's a mystery....

4. Cook more! Sounds simple enough, but it's hard to execute when you tend to busy yourself to a point of ridiculousness. I hope to make time for cooking, like I make time for everything else. I've started with this soup, a recommendation of Danielle's, and it's impressive. If you make it, you will not be unhappy about it.

5. Continue learning new things. I start a ceramics class this month and I can't wait. Other things I'd like to learn: how to use illustrator, how to use a sewing machine, how to knit, flexibility, everything.

6. Seriously consider a new career path. I have a day job on top of this design stuff. It's not realistic for me to quit my job and do this full time, but on the other hand it's not desirable for me to continue spending 8 hours a day doing something that isn't challenging or inspiring me. That being said, part two of this goal is to take my day job for what it is at the time being - a very reliable way to pay my bills and put food on my table - and stop feeling so entitled about deserving anything else. It takes time to figure out where you want to be in life, right? So many people have a job they don't like, and so many of them likely do not complain about them endlessly (and those people might have kids, or responsibilities that are much larger than my own). I think it's good to remind myself that things aren't half bad and nobody really likes the sound of an alarm clock in the morning.

7. Make more music. My first artistic love/pursuit/hobby was making music. I went to college for music production, and I moved to Toronto to work in a post production studio. Until I almost immediately quit because talking about gear bores me beyond belief (as did recording voice overs for commercials and the shitty starting salary/work hours). I was also 22 when I up and quit that job - so I certainly wasn't thinking clearly. I still make music with my band, and we do plan to release some music this year (which I'm pretty pumped about!), but I don't put nearly as much time into it as I would have liked to last year. Home recording 2012.....bring it on.

8. Be a better friend/partner/person. I have a really wonderful network of excellent people all around me. And a dude that always makes sure I have full glasses of water and cheesies. For someone with very little family in her life, my friends are invaluable to me, and I want to let them know that ALL THE TIME. But not too much, because that would be annoying to them. "Alright, alright, we get it!"

9. Plan a trip. Somewhere, anywhere.

10. Hit a home run. Mark my words - this is the year!

Honourable Mentions: win the lottery and buy a cottage and move there forever, learn to tolerate cilantro so I can go out for more Mexican food, draw people more often, collaborate with Caitlyn, build a better backyard garden and DO NOT let the tomatoes take over again, enjoy salad (jokes!), spend time with more dogs, go to more Jays games, curb my mild ocd tendencies by learning to trust ovens and alarm clocks and door locks, buy more records.

Ok, that was all terribly indulgent! But I guess my friends can now say "Sandi, you are totally letting your tomatoes take over - I thought you said you wouldn't let that happen again? Liar!!!"

I'm looking forward to 2012. I hope you are too. Let the games begin.

ART CRUSH: STACEY ROZICH

2012-01-01T12:23:00.003-05:00

My friend Tim got me this incredible Stacey Rozich print for Christmas. So good. Rozich is a Seattle based illustrator/designer and all of her work is excellent. Lots of angles, shapes, colours, and dark horned characters. She also animated characters for The Shrine/An Argument video by Fleet Foxes. If you haven't seen it already, it's definitely worth a viewing. The visuals really compliment the song - the whole thing feels very haunting and rich.

The Shrine / An Argument from Sean Pecknold on Vimeo.

GRAB BAG.

2011-12-21T10:27:00.002-05:00

Christmas snuck up on me again. It always does! Back in November I made a vow to get all my Christmas stuff done (mainly shopping) by December first. Yeah right, Falconer. But now these dudes are hanging out on our clashing, slightly crooked Christmas tree and the holiday magic is happening. Man, did Dennis ever hit a home run when he got these guys last year!

I recently did a few design elements for Yule Britannia. Elizabeth makes delicious treats: figgy pudding, sticky caramel sauce, ginger cookies, spiced sweet nuts, etc! She delivered some treats to me at City of Craft this year (sweetheart) and it was all incredible. Available at The Mercantile on Roncesvalles.

Scenes From The Basement: 1. New rolls of leather to cut and print - dark grey, smokey grey, black, mint, plum, and cream! 2. Making peachy messes. 3. Compiling test sheets full of various patterns and colours (for future Falconwright wrapping?). I love the way these test sheets are layering up, all chaotic but still kinda pretty. Maybe the kind of pretty that only a mother could love, but still.

And speaking of Falconwright, you could win all 3 of these items by leaving a comment on this blog post by Friday December the 23rd at midnight. A winner will be drawn on Saturday the 24th!

THE WALRUS.

2011-12-16T11:17:00.004-05:00

Cover = not by me. Just posting a photo to show you what the current issue looks like!

Fun News Alert: I've got some illustrations in the new issue of The Walrus! The special winter double issue is out now. #whoa This assignment was really awesome to work on. The digital output enabled me to experiment with my illustration style a bit, and it was a big honour to be involved with such an A+ publication! Thanks, Jen. And thanks to Shayna for excitedly picking me up a copy (pro friend). These are a few pics of the actual magazine & a few bigger originals that are also in there for a different view. 10 years ago, I would have laughed for hours if someone told me that I'd be masquerading as an illustrator/designer (in my spare time) at this point in my life. What. The. Heck. Life is truly full of adventures.

Feeling pretty weird about constantly writing "look what I did!" or "look what I made!" or "look at meeee!" all the time. But this is an accurate look at what my life has been like lately. Making stuff, doing things, printing away. I've bought a lot of cool stuff lately, from awesome artists, that I'd love to tell you about - but a bunch of those beautiful things are Christmas presents, and I don't want to go ruining the surprise, right? Maybe it's time for a little things-I've-had-my-eye-on post soon. There's never a lack of things I don't need, but totally want, to talk about. I'm sure you can relate.

DEAR DIARY: CITY OF CRAFT.

2011-12-14T10:46:00.005-05:00

All photos by Celine Kim.

I had a really great time at City of Craft this past weekend! The weeks leading up to this event were a little hectic (to say the least), but sooo worth the effort. Big ups to my continuously supportive and helpful pals. A lot of work goes into a weekend like this, and it's inspiring to see so many people coming together to make something happen. The vendors were excellent, of course, and it's heartwarming to see a roomful of people supporting their community in this way.

Danielle and I were blown away by the positive reaction to Falconwright. We definitely have less stock left over than we imagined we might, so we've decided to create a new collection of items and release it (blacks! greys!) in mid-January. We're feeling very pumped for future pouches/purses/etc. Stay tuned...

Celine was there taking lots of beautiful photos. She even managed to get one of me not clowning it up or giving the camera a weird face as per usual. For a full tour of the weekend, check out the full collection of photos she took here. In the second last photo up there, you can even spot a couple of my favourite ladies from The Concord Learning Annex (ha!) shopping away.

And now a peek at a few of the treasures I adopted...

Black braided chunky headband by goodnight, day. This is a seriously comfortable piece of knitted head wear. Full ear coverage and totally comfortable. Check out all of Tara-Lynn's stuff here (such great styling too!).

Shannon Gerard's book Unspent Love or, Things I Wish I Told You.

And a slew of excellent greeting cards from the always charming Petra C (individually packaged cards? what!), and a new local fave Gezellig Studio.

THIS WEEKEND: CITY OF CRAFT.

2011-12-09T11:00:00.003-05:00

City Of Craft is this weekend. THIS WEEKEND.

Above is my poster design for the event! Though I had no part in organizing this annual shindig, selecting vendors, or doing any of the administrative voodoo that Becky has to deal with, I have been involved in the design year round (one small element), and feel like this weekend is wrapping up something that's been on my mind in one way or another for quite some time. Feelings! I can't believe how much positive feedback I've gotten about the design this year, and I am so happy that so many of you have enjoyed it. Sweethearts all over the place.

It's been a predictably crazy week around these parts and all of my attempts to get on this blog and sound off about last weekends amazing Handmade Holiday event, all the Falconwright printing I've been doing, the amazing screen printed version of this poster that Kid Icarus printed, or the beauty tote bags that Shannon, Roisin, Becky and I printed up have gone unwritten. But in lieu of these GHOST POSTS, I can tell you that Danielle and I will have more Falconwright change purses and pouches available (including some metallic GOLD printing and 4 very special large GREY clutches!) just in time for the weekend.

There's also a large chance that I'll be bankrupt after this weekend because there are so many amazing things available that I'd like to pick up for myself. Seriously, the sheer volume of talented people who will be at City Of Craft this weekend is ridiculous. Hope to see you there!

MILK & COFFEE & LEATHER.

2011-12-01T09:51:00.001-05:00

2 new small prints: milk & coffee! I personally prefer cream in my coffee, but cream print doesn't quite have the same ring to it. And this marks the end of my holiday fair screen printing marathon. Still lots of organizing to do, but tonight I celebrate by eating a truly ridiculous number of dumplings!

Also, check out the headbands and bangles Danielle & I added to our small army of Falconwright goods! Maybe my zigzag headband will help conquer my fear of going bang-less in public?

ODDS & SODS.

2011-11-29T11:20:00.003-05:00

My printing muscles have been getting a workout lately. I've also been posting a lot lately - I'll probably never blog as much as I will/have this past couple of weeks, ha. The time before Holiday shows can be a grind, but they definitely motivate me to make new things. And I really need that push, ya know? For you Toronto folks looking for handmade goods - A Handmade Holiday is Saturday Decemeber 3rd (this weekend!) and City of Craft runs December 10th and 11th! There will be a ton of excellent craftspeople in attendence at both of these events, and I'm definitely looking forward to picking up a few things I've had my eyes on...

I wanted to thank you for the kind, enthusiastic response to Danielle and I's new project: Falconwright. Thank you to Lemonade, Where The Lovely Things Are, Kylin Untitled, and The Shiny Squirrel for posting about it. And thank you for all the kind comments and interest regarding an eventual shop launch (we're so pleasantly surprised). I've been busy making us tags and bags and business cards, while Danielle has been making our stock of headbands and a few bangles (photos to come!).

Speaking of business cards, to ease up on some of my screen printing load I decided to get business cards printed up. These feature bits and pieces of an illustration (from a series) that you'll soon see in The Walrus (yeah!).

In other news, my band is currently recording new songs and making a couple of videos. But in the meantime, you can download (or stream) the album we put out last year via Bandcamp or Facebook for FREE. If you're not ready for Christmas carols, and you've been itching for some nervous, dramatic rock music in your life - look no further? Mostly loud jams on here, but there are a few quieter tracks too. Thanks to NXeW and our twittering Wavelength pals for helping to spread the word. For all the record lovers in the house, we still have this guy available on vinyl too.

Speaking of rabbit's feet - Charlotte sent me this lucky little foot in honour of the above mentioned album. Sweetheart, right?

And lastly, I finally cleaned up the backyard garden that I greatly neglected at the end of the season. Planted some garlic and and shut it down. I will treat you better next year, garden. We will spend more time together. I swear.

SPACE JAM.

2011-11-28T09:54:00.001-05:00

A while back, my friend Shayna suggested that I make a larger print version of my Over The Moon card. That is what I originally sat down to do with this, but then it turned into something else entirely! A bit symbolic, a bit spacey, a bit geometric, and maybe a bit influenced by my recent viewing of Melancholia(?). It measures 9X12! Yup, the eleventh hour pre Holiday craft fair frenzy is in full effect.

TAKE ME BACK.

2011-11-24T12:40:00.000-05:00

My very favourite moment of 2011 (so far) was hanging out on a rock with my pals while camping, watching the sun set, beer in hand, fantasizing about how amazing it would be to see something like this every night. No, I don't really get out of the city very often, ha.

I decided to try my hand at some cmyk screen printing to recreate this moment. I made this one specifically for those friends (hi Rob/Tim/Lee - surprise?!!) but I will have a few extra copies at upcoming holiday fairs for any other sappy sunset-on-the-water lovers in the house. I'm sure any trained pro in this type of printing would see a bunch of flaws (I was totally flying by the seat of my pants here!), but I really enjoy the way it looks. And though it's outside of my usual style, I definitely look forward to more photo printing experiments in the future.

IT'S A WRAP.

2011-11-20T17:50:00.010-05:00

Despite what these unseasonal temperature fluctuations might have us believe, Christmas is approaching. This year, I've decided to try my hand at some wrapping paper! It's roughly 16X22inches on brown kraft stock. Maybe you'd like to disguise your books, jewellery boxes, sweaters, tins of treats, or lumps of coal in black and green trees with rustic jute twine? If so, I will have a small supply of these at A Handmade Holiday & City Of Craft!

Last night, I wrapped a whack of twine while watching Beginners. Enjoyable movie! After this Holiday madness is over, I am going to watch/catch up on an incredible number of movies. It's gonna be awesome.

FALCONWRIGHT.

2011-11-17T09:42:00.003-05:00

News! I've been working on a collaboration with my pal Danielle (maker of excellent necklaces and manipulator of thread) and today we get to do something exciting: show you a bit of what we've been working on! Falconwright (a hybrid of both of our last names: Falconer & Wright) is a line of small screen printed leather items: clutches, change purses, and a few other things still in the works (hairbands, etc). Danielle and I will both have some things with us at upcoming craft shows where Deadweight and Caboto will be tabelling, and an online shop will soon follow. This is a really fun jumping off point for us, and perhaps you'll see us making larger pieces in the future? Please pop over to our blog to check out more pics and information!

PRINTING AT HOME.

2011-11-08T11:16:00.001-05:00

A few people have recently asked me for advice on printing at home. This is for you! And also for all the process lovers in the house. Full disclosure: I am a fairly impatient person, and I tend to learn how to do things hastily. I taught myself how to screen print using various online tutorials, so I'm sure I prepare and print in ways that could be considered less than perfect by someone more skilled and seasoned. But I do screen print at home regardless, with favourable results(!), and so can you.

Dear Shannon: did you know that YOU actually taught me how to screen print? And that this is largely a re-telling of your tutorial because that's the process I learned from? Thanks for putting together such a bang up explanation! You should check it out. My version here is like a cover song.

I live in a one bedroom apartment. My ability to stay neat and orderly is pretty atrocious these days. If you live with someone, you'll be lucky if they are as understanding as my boyfriend Dennis is about big messes and piles of paper. I definitely don't have a studio worthy of showcasing on any pretty this-is-where-I-work websites. You won't find any bright windows or perfectly painted white floors here! Frankly, I don't have the money to make a private space look impressive (I'd rather spend my cash on food and drinks and pants instead of saving it like a responsible person). I do though, have a serviceable laundry room with very low ceilings. As you can surely tell from these photos, lighting is a real problem down there, but it works. To highlight the dungeon-ness of this printing lair, I took photos in fuzzy black and white. Don't be afraid.

Invest in what you'll definitely need: a screen, a squeegee, a table, some hinge clamps, a light bulb, some cleaning supplies, an apron (or paint friendly clothes), paper, paint, and some magic erasers. We'll come back to this, but magic erasers are my cheapo solution to power washers. No slave to any bald men in particular, the generic brand from any drugstore works just fine.

I just invested in a new third screen, but I've had my first two screens for years. If you wash them well, you can reuse them a lot. I buy aluminum framed screens, because the one time I tried to make my own was a complete disaster. I mean, for $45 bucks you've got a well made screen you can use for a really long time and won't warp. My hands just do not have the power (or patience) to pull mesh that tightly.

It's helpful to have a table that you can drill the hinge clamps right into, but in a pinch you could drill them into a plank of wood that you'd put on top of a table. If you want to be able to put it out of the way between uses, and you're not looking to print anything too big, this is an alternative option.

I use the photo emulsion method. There are a couple other ways you can do this, with drawing fluid or stencils, but I prefer the reliable clarity of photo emulsion. Coat your screen. You do not need a scoop coater. I'm sure they're very nice to use, but I just use my squeegee to coat my screens. A few swipes on each side and it's good to go. Then I pop my screen in a dark closet to dry. Don't worry about coating your screen in the pitch dark. While the emulsion is still wet it can handle a bit of light, but then its safe place to rest is in the dark. I've always found that letting my screens dry overnight produces the best results when burning later. Screen printing is all about trial and error when you start out, and this is something I've stuck to based on previous failures. You'll develop your own little rules and rituals. And you'll make mistakes and have epiphanies too!

Design something you want to print. I draw, then scan, then manipulate my images in Photoshop. Then I print out my negatives onto white sheets of regular printer paper. Much cheaper than transparencies! I use vegetable oil to make the white parts "transparent." It's cheap and dirty and it works. The light source will harden the emulsion in the white/clear areas and the black areas will get washed out later.

When your image and screen are ready to go it's time to burn. I put my screen on top of a table that has a desk style lamp attached to it on top of a black garbage bag. I think I do this backwards (burning on the back side instead of the print side) but as a creature of routine, I've just kept doing it that way. Put a piece of glass over top of your images to keep them pressed flat onto the screen (I use a cheap pane of glass from one of those big clip frames). Place your bulb above. I use a criminally low wattage light bulb at the moment that takes forever to burn. General laziness has prevented me from buying a new one (also? cheapness). The wattage of your light bulb will determine the length of time you need to have your screen under the light source. And the size of your screen will determine how far away your light sources needs to be (mine's about 18 inches). Now, turn on the light and burn your screen! You might want to write down when you need to wash it or use a timer - because being fairly precise about your time here is important. If you over or under expose, you will have to start over. And that's not fun at all.

When your screen is done burning it's time to wash it out.

How I Wash Out Without A Power Washer: Take your screen to the shower or a laundry room wash basin. I pour water over both sides of the screen and allow it to sit for a minute, to soften the areas I want to wash out. Then I wet a magic eraser and scrub the back of my screen. Then I flip my screen over and do the same on the front. I've found that the magic eraser is the only thing that really gets all the emulsion out (magical fibers maybe?). Don't over scrub, but don't be too precious about it either - if you're screen is properly exposed then you're not going to scrub out anything you don't want to. As I mentioned above, I've used the same screens over and over for years and this eraser hasn't degraded them. When I've finished washing and wiping I hold it up to some light and see if I've missed any little spots of emulsion and make sure to take care of them. Now, set it aside to dry.

After your screen is dry you are ready to print. Finally, right?! This point is the last time your table might be clean and orderly. Accept it. Move forward. As you can see from this photo, if space permits, I burn multiple images onto the screens surface and tape off the areas I don't want to be printing with packing tape. Note: If you do not want to expose your own screens, you can look into getting them exposed for you at your local screen printing shop.

Get your paint ready. Above I am mixing the perfect moon-y grey. With a butter knife. I use Speedball inks and various other generic acrylics. There are different brands out there, and all serious printers could surely talk your ear off about why one is better than the other. I'm cool with the range and availability of Speedball inks.

Flood your screen with paint and start printing! Rinse and repeat. Getting steady, consistent prints (the right pressure and a good angle) takes a bit of practice. You've got black paint under your fingernails. Maybe you're enjoying a cold beverage? If you're wondering why you just didn't invest in a fancy digital printer, this is surely not the hobby for you. Always flood the screen with paint between pulls - letting paint dry in your screen is not going to make you a happy printer because your print will degrade as time passes and it will be hard to clean later on.

To line up my print layers I use another low tech method - transparencies! I also wash these and reuse again and again. Tape one side of the transparency to the table to keep it firmly in place. Then flip it out of the way for each print. If I'm printing the first layer, I will sometimes place it with the transparency and then use coloured tape to tape around it, thus eliminating the need to flip the transparency for every layer. But I always use the transparency for lining up every layer after the first one - because attempting to be precise is cool. Though small imperfections can turn into cool looking accidents too.

No drying rack? No problem! I use a table. This can prove interesting when you're printing a run of 500 CD cases, and in that case I enlist the floor. And my bed. And every other available surface. But paint dries fairly quickly, and by the time I've covered my table, I'm generally able to double stack.

You've finished printing. Congratulations! Doesn't it look amazing? Like nothing an inkjet printer could ever spit out, right? Unfortunately, it's time to clean up. I put the extra paint back into the container and use a trusty moist j-cloth to wipe down the screen. In fact, I always keep a small bowl of water and a j-cloth at the ready when I'm printing for clean ups. Then I take the screen to my washing area, spray on some emulsion remover, let it sit for a minute, and then scrub it down with my trusty magic eraser. Rinse, let dry, and you're ready to do it all over again.

There's a bit of romance in a lengthy process like printing. There are so many little steps. It's frustrating. It takes time. It's dirty. But I think that's why I enjoy it. You see something you're making come together one step at a time. You can feel it in your back and arms. I like the smell of photo emulsion. I have to tame my careless side and focus. Sometimes you leave the house and don't realize you still have paint on your arms and hands. Or maybe you start wearing an ugly magnetic bracelet your co-worker gave you because between all the hours spent on the computer and screen printing, your arms are furious with you. And you think it kind of works, which is weird. And most importantly, you keep doing it.

Should you want a more detailed, professional look into the world of screen printing, I highly recommend Print Liberation's book The Screen Printing Primer. It's a really helpful read with lots of good looking photos. My run through here is more of a general overview - there are still things you'll need to figure out if you want to start printing yourself, and this book (or the link to Shannon's tutorial at the top) would both be helpful tools! You might also be able to take a course or workshop in your area.

And lastly, hang in there! Because it might take you a few tries before you get the hang of things. Everything worth doing takes work, right?

Meow.

DESIGNLINES.

2011-11-03T10:25:00.001-04:00

Do you need to write your best friend (or archenemy) a special note? Uphold your important distinction as best gift wrapper of all time? Well, Designlines Magazine did a piece on Toronto stationary, gift wrap, and gift tags in their latest issue just for you (available free at various spots around the city - I picked mine up at Bay Bloor Radio). Shot at Open Studios, the article features one of my Hello cards, as well as plenty of good stuff from local faves: Kid Icarus, Send More Mail, Katie Muth, Genvieve Jodouin, Snap & Tumble, Misanthrope Specialty Co, and more!

BOO.

2011-10-31T08:38:00.005-04:00

I'm a big fan of Halloween. People who go all out on their lawns with tacky decorations or jump out of bushes to scare unsuspecting trick or treaters? I admire the dedication to good times these people possess. But for the past couple of years, I've definitely copped out on the holiday. Didn't go out, didn't make a costume. So this year I made up for it by throwing a party, and man, did my guests ever deliver with their amazing costumes! We played scary music in a foggy basement, conjured evil spirits, spilled drinks - it was just what the doctor ordered. For my costume, I tried my hand at a little paper mache (inspired by my favourite dancing pumpkin man, of course). Even Dennis, who doesn't often participate in the whole costume thing, exposed the scary devil within.

Happy Halloween!

CITY OF CRAFT + CANZINE

2011-10-25T10:23:00.004-04:00

Dropped by Canzine this weekend. A bit on the claustrophobic/congested side, but there was definitely a lot of great stuff to check out/eat/drink/purchase/lust after. And the venue was cool too. I left with one neat thing I can't show you because it's going to be a gift for someone who reads this blog (shhhh!). But I also picked up some coffee from Big Smoke Coffee Co, and this little linocut print to remind myself that while my current schedule might be running me into the ground a bit, it's jammed full of enjoyable stuff and everything is ok. I would love to give the artist credit, but she didn't have anything with her name on it (and I have a terrible memory). My friend Tim and I also enjoyed mini beef sliders from West Side Beef Co via the Toronto Underground Market. Delicious! And lastly, if you came to Canzine too, then you probably got a piece of my latest City Of Craft work in your bag - a shiny new postcard! Details for everyone, details for all.

Guess what! You can like Deadweight on Facebook now. If you're into that sort of thing. OMG. I'm no longer obsolete and living in the dark...

CHARMED.

2011-10-14T09:35:00.001-04:00

Photo by Sweetie Pie Press.

I recently had the pleasure of designing a set of artist series pins for The Sweetie Pie Press called CHARMS. A watchful all-knowing eye, a wishbone, a lucky rabbit's foot, a mystical gemstone, and a couple of arrows (possibly dipped in persuasive love potions?). This set of 5 pins is available now in her Etsy shop! I should have a few copies at approaching local holiday shows too. Need protection from wrongdoers, evil spirits, curses, and all other kinds of odd, spirit-y foolishness? Look no further!

ART CRUSH: ELIZABETH GRAEBER

2011-10-04T10:42:00.006-04:00

Elizabeth Graeber is an illustrator from Washington making nice rough around the edges work. Scratchy lines, watercolours, cool bikes, and great faces. I'd been checking out her shop, admiring her wide selection of goods, when I impulse bought An Illustrated Guide To Cocktails. My friend Tim's been drinking whiskey a lot more often these days, and I'm taste testing here and there in an attempt to develop an appreciation. Expand the horizons beyond lazily uncapping a beer, ya know? Though I certainly plan to continue doing that too... An Illustrated Guide To Cocktails (writing by Orr Shtuhl and drawing by Graeber) "tells the tales of the heyday of cocktails, from the origin of the margarita to the grandeur of the first celebrity bartender with some modern twists. Along the way, this fun, handheld guide is dabbled with beautiful illustrations and, of course, recipes." A little history, some excellent visuals, and delicious instructions? Yes please.

A few more recent crushes can be found in this Etsy treasury: Bad Ritual.

And why does Blogger keep denying me my text and font colour choices? This is not Arial. Those black links are not all peachy. This is not my beautiful house.

LATELY.

2011-09-23T10:47:00.002-04:00

Random Moments From September (so far): 1. The giant, ravenous, popcorn eating fish of Canada's Wonderland. 2. My sister worked her shift in a bar, took a 3am Greyhound bus to Toronto from London, and then went to Canada's Wonderland in the morning. Her dedication to having a good time is impressive. Healthy breakfast choices for under-slept sisters? Funnel cake. 3. Prize winning country pumpkins. Other notable prize winning categories? Best Scarecrow, Best Darned Sock, Best Decorated T-Shirt, Biggest Carrot, etc. Note: My crew of babes did not agree with a lot of the judges calls. 4. Taking in a demolition derby on the steepest, bumpiest hill known to man. MC'd by a verbose, purple haired grandma. 5. Pink clouds. 6. Roadside tart shop scores (which were not long for this world). 7. Food and beer tickets. 8. I'm kind of in love with a weed smoking Australian man-dog. 9. The TGB Travelling Family Band. More here. & 10. The Port Hope Fall Fair Midway.

It would appear that when I'm not holed up on my computer these days, I'm at amusement parks and fairs. Sounds good to me.

SEPTEMBER STUFF.

2011-09-20T21:29:00.001-04:00

Lately: 1. A new City of Craft ad for Worn Fashion Journal. 2. A header for the blog a few pals and I started about re-reading the Christopher Pike novels of our youth. No posts yet, but lots of intense analysis coming soon?!! 3 & 4 & 5. Listed some printed tank tops and a wishbone print in the shop!

YEN MAGAZINE

2011-09-14T09:16:00.004-04:00

After checking in at a couple local magazine depots, I finally got my paws on a copy of Yen (Australia). This marks Deadweight's first magazine appearance (fun!), and I'm stoked to have been included in such a neat one, all full of pretty ladies and good stuff.

COTTAGE LIFE.

2011-09-02T12:04:00.000-04:00

This is the last of my August lake porn shots, I swear. Last weekend I went up to a cottage with my bandmates and a few of our favourite partners in crime. We listened to copious amounts of classic rock radio, floated in the lake, drank beers, played a rousing game of Apples to Apples, hypothesised about what the loud shirtless dudes at the cottage next to ours were doing, and lit up some marshmallows. There was a surprise fireworks show across the lake one night which seemed to happen shortly after discussing how much we wished we had brought fireworks - magic! And last but not least, on the morning of our departure we woke up to Nigel's note and accomplishment - somehow he managed to put together this snake cube brain teaser thing that tested the patience of a few of us over the course of the weekend. We looked it up online and watched a torso and hands put it together on youtube, only to have the end shot reveal a 12 year old boy. See ya next year, summer.

ZINE DREAM: ARTIFACTS.

2011-09-02T10:49:00.000-04:00

Behold! A couple artifacts from Zine Dream...

Screen printed stickers and a poster from the happiest girl in the room, Eunice Luk. Mischievous raspberry? Yes please. Check out her blog and Fantasy Camp for more.

And I spent the day beside a champion of black and white image manipulation, Raymond Biesenger. Who also plays music in the band The Famines. His pamphlet How To Book A Maybe Successful Tour For A Band That Hasn't Received Hype on Pitchfork, etc is a useful read for bands that want to book their own tours, and an entertaining read with good reminders for any band that has planned their own tour. Lots of good looking art stuff worthy of peeping in his shop too.

ART CRUSH: LET'S SWAP IT & MIKE PERRY.

2011-08-29T10:44:00.000-04:00

Have you checked out Let's Swap it? It's a cool idea: a place where artists and designers can swap art for free. There is always one featured item up for swap (an edition of prints, etc). If you like what's up for grabs, you can submit what you'd like to trade (anything!), and the artist will choose the swaps they are interested in. I recently swapped with Mike Perry for this big, bright geometric print! Connecting with artists I like is always a total pleasure. Follow their twitter feed for updates on new swaps.

APPLY TO CITY OF CRAFT.

2011-08-26T11:28:00.001-04:00

Pssst...the deadline to apply for City Of Craft is coming up on August the 31st!
That's 5 more application friendly days for all the detail-fanatics in the house.

EAST COAST LIVING.

2011-08-26T10:15:00.001-04:00

The second half of my vacation was spent small towning it up in Sackville, New Brunswick. Dennis' family lives just outside the main drag. Take a walk in his hood and you'll find barns, covered bridges, and hay rolls. Though the highway is close, it's refreshingly quiet out there at night (no upstairs neighbours practicing metal riffs or having Monday night ragers!). We ate at one of Dennis' old places of employment (Pizza Delight), and I tried fried clams and scallops at a seafood place decorated with a ridiculous number of fake flowers and butterflies (weird). We saw movies, read books, went cosmic bowling, hung out with the cat (Frank), chilled out at a cottage on the ocean for a day, and generally moved pretty slow. That recipe up there is Dennis' grandma's handwriting - her squares a fixture at every meal (along with her beets and mustard pickles).

THINGS FOR TOMORROW.

2011-08-20T18:57:00.006-04:00

Tomorrow is Zine Dream 4 at The Tranzac! As per usual, I did not get around to putting together a finished zine (I'm starting to think this might be an impossible task for me!), but I did manage to put together a couple new things today. The eleventh hour is my hour.

1. Some weird, colourful wishbone prints. To bring more luck and magic into your life. Perhaps you could rip the print in half with your loved ones on Thanksgiving?

2. I printed a pattern onto 6 different vintage silky tanks and tees (one of a kind styles). I picked up all these tops when I was on vacation in New Brunswick. #exotic I will even iron them.

See you tomorrow!

CAMP LIFE.

2011-08-19T10:58:00.001-04:00

Week one of my vacation was spent doing a very foreign activity (for me) - camping. I never went camping with my family when I was younger, and classic outdoorsy things (besides drinking in the backyard) were not a big part of our summer schedule. I did spent a lot of time outside in my various neighbourhoods as a youth, but never really in anything you could classify as wilderness (some fishing, the beach, etc). So I got in the van with my pals Rob, Lee, and Tim and headed to Killbear to test my ability to sleep in tents, fend off mosquitoes, and jump in lakes. The verdict? It was awesome. It would appear that I mainly took photos of sunsets and water, because like a typical city dweller, that shit makes me dizzy and jealous. Swimming in the quiet lake 3 times a day was such a treat. Imagine living in a house on the water? Hello new life goal - nice to meet you. If you're going to go camping for the first time, it's helpful to go with someone who knows everything (aka Lee Rose: Master Of Camp Life). She reinvented my perception of what "camp food" means - burritos, pasta, pancakes, etc. And for a little excitement, we almost had a run in with a bear. Grade: A+.

ART CRUSH: JOHN MALTA.

2011-08-18T11:14:00.001-04:00

I recently participated in a sweet mail swap with US illustrator John Malta. As you can see here, he does amazing things with colour, texture, lizards, prickly plant life, envelopes, and shaky text. My new well dressed mini lizard painting and the refreshment lover on the tote are both A+. He also makes necklace charms, like this shade sporting cactus (series also includes: melting pizza, bones, big gulps, etc). Check out his website for more! And for those of you not quite ready to usher in the fall with open arms (like me), he's got some sharp summer party shirts in his shop.

ZINE DREAM 4.

2011-08-15T11:42:00.001-04:00

Logo by Steph D.
Zine Dream: Facebook / Site

Mark your calendars, cancel your plans: Zine Dream 4 is fast approaching! This annual event is filled to the brim with cool comics, books, music, zines, hand made crafts, prints, and more. Zine Dream is one of my favourite annual Toronto events because there's tons of interesting stuff to check out, and they've got a good casual atmosphere thing going on. And if you're so inclined, you can also enjoy a cold one as you browse! I'm gonna try my best to see if I can come up with a new thing or two before the week is out - the heat is on.

Zine Dream 4
The Tranzac (292 Brunswick Ave)
Sunday August 21st
12-5pm
PWYC

GONE FISHING...

2011-07-31T19:22:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow marks the beginning of a two week leave of absence from Toronto life. In other words? VACATION TIME. I'm already scheming about all the things I want to work on when I get back, but until then I am going to be embracing the joys of camping, relaxing on the East Coast, and neglecting computers. Yes!

A few random moments from late July: 1. Printing t-shirts in the dungeon for one of my softball teams. The Rebels have been taking a bit of a beating this year, but spirits remain HIGH. 2. Re-printed a whack of cards which are now available at Nouvelle Nouvelle in Vancouver and Press: Works On Paper in San Francisco! 3. Treats from Whitney (an all-star third basewoman). 4. Important ingredients for my favourite mixed drink of the summer. 5. An amazing new triangle/pyramid necklace handmade by Danielle. Been wearing this guy all the time. & 6. 3D glasses for some very old school (aka ghetto) 3D visuals at The Toronto Underground Cinema.

Lastly, if you're in Toronto on Saturday August the 13th check out The Bloorcourt Arts And Crafts Streetfair Marketplace that Jen put together. Vendor list: here!

ART CRUSH: ROB HODGSON

2011-07-30T22:05:00.000-04:00

This Rob Hodgson graveyard print taunted me from my Etsy favourites list for quite some time. You know when you see something and you're immediately in love with it and kinda jealous at the same time? Well, this one can now haunt me from the comfort of my home. It's the perfect mix of pretty and spooky. What a beauty!

Rob Hodgson is an illustrator from Bristol. Check out his excellent work here: website / shop / blog

PROGRESS REPORT: GARDEN.

2011-07-19T10:25:00.003-04:00

The haphazard fences protecting my two garden boxes look a little intense, and they're kind of a pain to navigate around, but a family of raccoons frequently tramp through my yard like they own the place. Scrambling up the fence in a line 5 deep, hanging out under my deck, making their noises. Watching the little guys learn how to climb fences and get their sneak on is actually kind of cute though...

So, I've worked through my lettuce and done some replanting. Been harvesting radishes and beans. Made some pesto from the basil. I hate being all growing food is cool blah blah blah boring blahhhhh, but it kind of is. Jalapenos and tomatoes are popping up all over the place. Chard, kale, and cucumbers are coming along too. And there are even a couple pumpkin plants in the very back of the yard. It's a (mini) jungle out there!

Fact: tomato leaves are hands down one of my favourite smells. If I go in the backyard, feeling up the tomato plants is job one.

FRIDAY NIGHT SIGHTS.

2011-07-11T10:21:00.001-04:00

I've kind of been kind of missing in action on the design and printing front lately - been busy the past couple of weeks soaking up the summer, doing some music stuff, and generally avoiding excessive extra curricular computer use. But there are some things going on behind the scenes - reprints, general scheming, and maybe a collab with a friend? In the meantime here's a more extensive peek into where I've been spending Friday nights lately...

We recently moved into a new practice space on tha East side. Dennis' band practices here too. Highlights include (but are not limited to): the crazy doll lamp, the old Babydolls sign, The Notorious B.I.G., the yarn installation from a past show, the woodsy mural, the guy that rides through the halls on his homemade electric bike, and the old school piano. I don't think we'll end every practice with a trip to McDonalds, but sometimes you just need to have a heavy dose of sugar and salt, ya know?!

ART CRUSH: LUKE BEST

2011-06-28T09:45:00.000-04:00

Double sided cards that tell the tale of a dangerous journey... One dedicated, agile man and one brave, spider killing woman risk their lives to retrieve perfect tokens of love - one precious rock and one special little tree. To the top of the mountains and to the bottom of the oceans, people. I plan to frame these guys and hang them up in my claustrophobic bedroom. Off-kilter lines get me every time.

Luke Best is an artist from London UK. His catalogue of work, style, and colour choices are all super excellent. Inspiring stuff!

GARDEN PARTY.

2011-06-14T10:26:00.003-04:00

Slices From The Past Few Days: Garden Edition.

1. This gnome resides in one of my herb/flower boxes. He's my urban scarecrow. He guards against squirrels, raccoons, and keeps shit generally real. Full lips, two teeth, and an attitude. 2. Patio flowers and other newly planted things that I hope will grow. That chair and table were left by the previous tenants - score. 3. My pal Shayna on our overcast day trip to St. Jacobs market. She's like a flower, but instead a human woman I like to eat poutine with. 4. Flower stand at St. Jacobs Market. I bought a truly impressive assortment of delicious food stuff that day. And enjoyed one of my faves - a pickle on a stick. 5. One of my garden boxes. Things are actually growing! I feel like gardening, while time consuming and kind of unexpectedly expensive at times, makes me feel awe in the same way I did when I was a kid. Like, I'm shocked to watch plants actually grow. My faith in not killing things around me is generally very low, ha.

COOL LOCALS: KID ICARUS.

2011-06-10T09:48:00.003-04:00

kid icarus // the screen printing duo from stillmotion on Vimeo.

Just dropped off a boatload of cards at Kid Icarus. If you live in Toronto and haven't stopped by the shop yet, you should definitely add a visit to your future destinations list. They've got a wide selection of handmade goods/screen printing supplies, are enthusiastic supporters of all kinds of makers/designers/etc, and they also offer screen printing services (which you'll see happening right in the store). Michael and Bianca recently celebrated Kid Icarus' 4th anniversary, and this gorgeous video by StillMotion gives you a great peek into what they're all about.

WE HEART HANDMADE.

2011-06-08T09:55:00.002-04:00

The We Heart Handmade event this past weekend was a hit. Thanks so much to everyone involved: Etsy, West Elm, Anabela, Mildred's Temple Kitchen. And thanks to all the cool people that came out to eat snacks, hang out, and support independent makers of all kinds. As per usual I completely forgot I had a camera in my bag, so this photo of my talk show style comfort zone was punked from Fieldguided's blog (they actually used their camera - pros). It was really great of West Elm to join forces with Etsy and promote independent makers in their store.

Check out Fieldguided's post about the event for a more thorough visual documentation. Also: Beaux Mondes, Wicked & Weird, and West Elm.

By some small miracle, I only came home with one souvenir. I was incredibly tempted by a necklace by Big Tinsel and a backpack by the super charming Wool, Leather, and Wood - mark those things down on my items to procure in the future list. I did pick up this peachy pouch by Scout & Catalogue though. That's one hot summer pouch. All of Bre's stuff was excellent.

Also thanks to Shayna, Tallulah, and Rob for loitering like pros on the couch with me for the majority of the day. You guys are the best. And to those of you who said hello or introduced themselves - it was nice to meet you.

FLOWER POWER.

2011-06-02T10:02:00.003-04:00

New things: brightly coloured floral cards (from the Acid Trip Flower Shop?) and mountain/cave pattern postcard packs. Made these guys for the Etsy/West Elm pop-up this Saturday. What's with all the intense colour? Must be feeling the summer vibes.

This weekend is going to be nuts. Nuts in such a great way though! Playing a show on Friday, reppin' at the Etsy/West Elm event on Saturday, attending my pals wedding brunch on Sunday, and playing softball on Sunday/Monday nights. Does anyone have any recommendations for maintaining energy that don't require sleeping at home, sleeping at my day job, chilling out, or eating well? Please forward all suggestions to sandiisgoingcrazy@gmail.com (not really!).

Anyhow, I hope to meet/hang out with some of your nice faces this weekend at West Elm! Please say hello and we will enjoy each others company and talk about things. Potential topics include (but are not limited to): screen printing, Etsy, Toronto, the weather, your favourite beers, what you can't stand the smell of (me: coconut oil and cilantro), summer trips, home remedies, family secrets, and what I'm sure will be your impeccable sense of style. Until then!

THE WEEKEND THAT WAS.

2011-05-30T10:18:00.003-04:00

Started off this weekend in band mode with a practice on Friday and a recording session on Saturday. Two new songs recorded: Fine Lines & Magical Thinking. Pretty stoked to finish these two.

On Saturday evening I finally started to get my garden together. I'm not typically a handy person (I'm way too hasty and impatient for all that fine measuring), but I actually managed to put something together that will work. I think.

Unpictured: a late night card printing session for the upcoming Etsy/West Elm event! My basement printing dungeon is absolutely terrible for photo taking - gotta get some light up in there.

Ghost Cat with her weird, translucent grey coat dropped by while I was building on Saturday. I love when she visits/hangs out/forcibly enters my home. Cabbagetown is full of free roaming felines.

Sunday morning I got one 3X6 square foot gardening box fully assembled and planted, and the second one in the works. I had to put this large wire fence up because my yard is a haven for squirrels, raccoons, and cats. I bet this won't stop them (and it looks a little intense), but I've gotta protect those peppers and tomatoes of the future. Operation Backyard Oasis is officially underway.

And this weekend ended like every other weekend this summer will be ended - by playing with my Sunday night softball team The Rebels. This team is comprised of a lot of Steamwhistle employees, who bring a lot of Steamwhistle to the game - so the good times tend to roll with these guys...

ETSY + WEST ELM POP-UP.

2011-05-20T09:17:00.008-04:00

Looking to spend an afternoon perusing the wares of local TO Etsy sellers, refreshing yourself with drinks, satisfying yourself with snacks, enjoying good company, and window shopping (or shopping for real) for your home? Well, Etsy and West Elm have paired up and organized a pop up event (something they've done in other cities) with the curation assistance of local taste master/maker of romantic goods extraordinaire, Fieldguided.

You can RSVP here or via the Facebook page. You don't have to RSVP to attend, but this does give West Elm an idea of how many drinks and snacks to have available. I don't know the full list of participants, but I hear that Scout & Catalogue, Big Tinsel, Bookhou, and Fieldguided will be there (me too). Sounds good, right? Hope to see you there!

HEBREW LESSONS.

2011-05-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

I just finished up my latest (and largest) project yet! Designing and printing 500 cds for Fine Canadian Forces. Thank you to Rob for all the printing help (a new master of squeegee wrangling!) and to Rob, Dennis, and Tim for such expert assembly assistance. I've got myself a bit of a repetitive strain thing going down and I couldn't have done this without the help of my extra supportive, super helpful pals. Best dudes. I'm definitely happy with the way things turned out, and as always, it was quite the learning experience. My bias is huge, but screen printing just slays digital printing every single time!

A WITCHES BREW (OF INFORMATION).

2011-05-16T20:49:00.009-04:00

Here is my latest fiery promotional item for City Of Craft announcing event dates and encouraging applications. Kid Icarus did an excellent job printing up a huge pile of these guys. The cauldron will be bubbling all summer long - make sure to apply by August 31st!

And though I did my best to keep my paws out of my purse this weekend, I did manage to adopt some things at The Spring Trunk Show this past Sunday at The Workroom: a new summer jean shirt and zine from Lemonade, a birthday card by Petra, and some postcards by Kid Icarus. Good hangs, good snacks, good times.

ART CRUSH: CHARLOTTE FARMER

2011-05-11T10:30:00.000-04:00

Charlotte Farmer is a UK illustrator/screen printer (with super excellent handwriting) who describes her work as a combination of low tech printing methods, small intense detail, contrasted with mistakes, imperfections & a bit of more gestural mark making.

Via the magic of the web, Charlotte and I recently crossed paths, and a couple weeks ago I got some excellent mail. Above you will see my sweet new jazz guy tote, a fantastic hello postcard, and the bright stripey bag things came in. I've definitely got a thing for scratchy drawing and screen printing that's intentionally imperfect and full of texture, and Charlotte really hits the mark on this! I grabbed a few images from her website & blog below for your perusal - aren't the snow globes amazing?

Cat Tote

No Bulls Were Harmed In The Making Of This Print, Ole.

Teabag Teatowel

Kate & Wills Teatowel

Jane Hearts Isambard

MARKETING.

2011-05-07T18:00:00.001-04:00

A few photos from The Drake Spring Market. Thanks to everyone involved for such a great day.
After (what felt like) weeks of rain, it was such a relief to see clear skies.

Petra's excellent gocco cards and a simple, genius display idea: boxes with chalkboard paint!
FYI: Petra will be selling her pouches and cards at The Spring Trunk Show next weekend.

One of the best parts of any outdoor event? Dogs. Look at this guy!

Mini donuts review? A++.

This apron is currently for sale at The Drake General Store. I designed the image and they printed it up and hand dyed (!!!) the fabric. Need a luck promoting gift for that messy, culinary adventurist in your life?

SYCAMORE STREET PRESS Q&A.

2011-05-05T16:47:00.006-04:00

I recently answered a few questions for Sycamore Street Press for their MONTH OF PAPER.
Sycamore Street Press makes letterpress cards, prints, invitations, and more.
Check out their extensive collection of letterpress goodies here.
Thanks Eva!

DRAKE SPRING MARKET.

2011-04-26T10:20:00.001-04:00

Looking to go treasure hunting this weekend? Come down to the Drake Spring Market on Saturday from 10 - 4. There will be a mixed bag of items for sale: antiques, handmade jewelry/cards/prints, flowers/plants, furniture, and more. The Drake describes the event as hotel auction meets good old fashioned garage sale. I'll be there! Petra will be there too. My fingers are all crossed for sunny weather.

HOOD CATS.

2011-04-18T10:40:00.002-04:00

A couple neighbourhood cats have come to visit recently. My favourite? Cow Cat. She's much less skittish than Ghost Cat. I really hope she comes back often, as I am in dire need of some cat love.

WELCOME TO YOUR CARLSBERG YEARS?

2011-04-04T20:16:00.014-04:00

I turned 30 last week. Nuts! In honour of this numeric milestone, I hosted a double birthday party for myself and one of the greatest ladies I know. Aging Aries unite! I neglected my camera entirely, as I was too busy chatting away and eating. Very important party business. As you can see here, Amy (who excels in all aspects of ingredient manipulation) made us two cakes. Two! Carrot for Shayna, and vanilla (with a brownie in the middle) for me. I've really lucked out in the friends making me amazing cakes department over the past couple of years (see: last year). Dennis and I have been hard at work trying to conquer the leftovers. With hard work and determination, we just might succeed. Thanks for the great night pals.

THE WAIT IS OVER.

2011-03-31T16:30:00.003-04:00

The 2011 baseball season starts today, with the Blue Jays playing their first game tomorrow. For Dennis and I (and our baseball loving pals) that's very good news! The wait is over. Yes, that umbrella is indeed a ridiculously large Jays hat. And yes, I love emotionally manipulative, totally over the top sports commercials that feature all of my favourite men.

Nothing signals the start of spring quite like the beginning of baseball season (though the cold, grey conditions I see outside right now are doing nothing to back that statement up!). I eagerly anticipate trips to the dome, Sportsnet monopolising our TV, and the soothing sound of Jerry Howarth on the radio (hello friends).

KICKSTART-HER.

2011-03-30T09:19:00.005-04:00

Check out this video for Becky's Kickstarter project: The Sweetie Pie Press 2011 Summer Craft Tour. Do you like helping awesome people continue to do cool things? Do you also like getting rewards in the process? Because donating money and recieving a reward in return is a pretty awesome kind of multi-tasking. Check out her page to get all the details!

I NEED A REMEDY.

2011-03-29T21:48:00.002-04:00

Been enjoying a quiet night at home and the celebration issue of Remedy. Anne Zimmerman's story is making me want to attempt the churros con chocolate recipe, but there's no way I'm attempting that kind of culinary feat right now (add it to the ever expanding kitchen experiments of the future list). Remedy is a sweet little publication. A year in the making, Remedy Quarterly started as an idea amongst friends. That home remedies, and by association home cooking and recipes, are as comforting to share and read about as they are to actually consume. My sudden interest in a dessert I've never had before is a testament to the truth of that statement.

ART CRUSH: CAROLINE GAEDECHENS.

2011-03-22T19:51:00.013-04:00

Today I came home to a couple of prints I ordered by Carloline Gaedechens via Tiny Showcase. The Wolves & The Village. The text in The Wolves translates to "as soon as the wolves had eaten the siblings they became human." I love them. Check out her Etsy shop for more spooky, textured, mysterious, excellent work!

******************************************************************
A couple of other things:

A small selection of my cards are now available at The Drake General Store in Toronto, and The Hach in Vancouver!

And I just wanted to say thanks to anyone who's written about my stuff, stopped by this blog, or reached out in some way lately on the web or in person. I am so appreciative of your kindness, time, and (contagious) enthusiasm. Thanks!

STICKS AND STEAK.

2011-03-15T22:27:00.000-04:00

Two random slices of life:

1. Steak and eggs at The Bellevue with Melodie. Scalloped potatoes with breakfast? Yes please.

2. Something I'm pretty stoked about? Learning to play drums for a new musical endeavor with some lady pals. We had our first practice on Saturday! Dennis gave me some air drumming lessons at home to prepare. Pretty cool.

LA BELLE PROVINCE.

2011-03-09T13:45:00.005-05:00

Good times at Puces Pop this past weekend. Met lots of nice people and enjoyed a totally gluttonous amount of food stuff. The quality of vendors was top notch - I had to exercise some serious restraint in the purchasing department to keep my trip budget under control. Big ups to those that braved the crappy weather to come down to the event, and thanks so much to all the kind folks who stopped by my table to adopt a card/print/poster. I really enjoyed hearing people casually switch between French to English to French mid-conversation - bilingual envy.

As per usual I forgot my camera's memory card in my printer, so here are a few photos (taken at home) of the things I smuggled back. Plus a few cellphone style snack shots for good measure.

A sweet Bow-lo tie from Norwegian Wood. Great stuff.

A plant I can't kill (finally, almost everything green in my house is dying) by Shannon, and a couple wooden cards by The Misanthrope Specialty Co (bottom one's for Dennis so it's a secret).

Homemade sweets by Dinette Nationale. It's a miracle those caramels even made it home.

Screen printed fancy shrub poster by French Fourch. These guys had lots of great prints, books, shirts, etc.

Pork tacos by Grumman 78. Basil instead of cilantro = major score.
I second my friend Tim's observation - Toronto needs more portable tacos!

Cinnamon sugar donut by Jane Donut. Also enjoyed the salted caramel donut.
Also ate a boat load of cupcakes via my generous neighbour.

There is so much stuff I didn't get photos of. Like the venue. And my fellow vendors. And the amazing ghosty screen prints with glow in the dark ink by the lady who's name I'm totally forgetting. Her stuff was awesome and I regret not picking up a print.

Rob and I also enjoyed pickles and sandwiches at Schwartz's, a meat feast at Au Pied De Cochon (my birthday came early this year - thanks Rob!), a mandatory poutine session, and many delicious brews. Trips are all about the food, or maybe that's just the perspective of gluttons like us. So be it!

HEAD OUT ON THE HIGHWAY.

2011-03-03T19:24:00.012-05:00

Artwork by PinPals

Puces POP
March 5 & 6 | 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Free entry | L’Eglise St-Enfant Jesus | 5039, St-Dominique (at St-Joseph)

Hitting the road early tomorrow to enjoy a day in Montreal before the Puces Pop portion of our weekend adventure begins! Can't wait to take a break from the glitz and glamour that is office life, meet some new faces, and spend all my money on handmade goods and food. Bonsoir.

ODDS AND SODS.

2011-02-27T20:48:00.007-05:00

1. New pink and orange pattern cards.
2. Ghetto "business" cards made out of paper scraps.
3. Eight bags filled with various DW odds and sods: prints, cards, envelopes, etc.
4. You know these cellophane bag thingys? So clingy, so annoying.
5. And the paint madness continued....

Spent more time this weekend preparing stuff for Puces Pop. Big ups to Dennis for tolerating the piles of paper, pens, bags, and various supplies all over the house! It's definitely been a bit of a DW warzone around here lately. This girl knows nothing of feng shui...

Also - thanks to Melodie for posting some photos from night one of Wavelength's Eleven Fest. Good times!

NOMOI KORU

2011-02-27T20:03:00.006-05:00

I've never been much of a jewelry wearer. I somehow managed to avoid getting my ears pierced all these years, and rings just provide me with an endless target for fidgeting. But necklaces are another story, and one of my recent faves is definitely Finland's Nomoi Koru. Her stuff is bold, geometric, and not too delicate looking - all right up my alley. I bought the triangle guy above a while back, wore it all the time, and then decided to expand my collection with the stone fringe beauty in the middle. Then, because the Internet is amazing, I connected with Maarit (Nomoi Koru jewelry maker extraordinaire) via Etsy and we decided to do a surprise mail exchange. That is how I ended up with this new tote bag and lovely bracelet. I love them, Maarit! Check out her shop here.

FAMILY DAY FOR LIFE.

2011-02-22T11:20:00.001-05:00

Some photos from the past few days: brand new hello cards with bright fluorescent envelopes, glove prints in new colours, packages ready for mailing, dry dirty paint hands, and my friend Lee's delicious homemade lime birthday cake.

Trying to maintain some sort of balance between jobs, hobbies, and everything else has felt tricky lately. But in lieu of ample down time, February has totally FLOWN by, so that's something. Dear spring: come on already, let's do this!

I spent a great deal of time this long weekend (much to the chagrin of my upper extremities) printing up stuff for DW's first ever road trip! I will be taking part in the March edition of Puces Pop next month, pimping out mini prints and awkward conversation for all! Check out the vendor list. I'm really looking forward to a weekend road trip adventure with my good pal Rob. If anyone has any recommendations for good places for us to eat and drink while in Montreal, I'd love to know your faves!

WAVELENGTH: FOR POSTERITY AND MORE.

2011-02-14T16:45:00.003-05:00

Poster by Derek Ma

It's that time of the year: Wavelength Anniversary time! 5 nights, 5 venues, 22 bands. My band (as well as Dennis' band) help kick off night number 1 this Wednesday at The Boat - details here. Wavelength have some other programming in store too - studio sessions, a speaker series, and their first ever poster show!

Details from the site:

Wavelength: For Posterity
Poster artwork from the Wavelength music series 2000-2010
Music Gallery — Fellowship Room — 197 John St.
Open during concert hours — Feb. 17 to April 3

Wavelength has been an important point of interface between the indie and experimental/new music scenes since its early days, when Michael Snow first screened his 1986 film of the same name alongside a program of local improvisers — music then rarely heard in a club environment. Since 2003, Wavelength has presented one night of its annual, multi-night February anniversary Festivals at the Music Gallery, Toronto’s Centre for Creative Music.

Poster artwork has been a key element in the Wavelength identity, especially around the anniversaries. This exhibition displays some of the most memorable promotional posters of the series’ first decade. Contributing artists include: Seripop, The Complaint Department, Trip Print Press, Deadweight and Derek Ma.

LOVE IS A PAGE OF ALF HEADS.

2011-02-14T11:15:00.001-05:00

You know how every kid seems to have that one character they learn how to draw really well? Mine was some unfamous hippo. Dennis' was Alf. This year I made a somewhat weird Valentine's request: that Dennis draw me some Alf heads. Mainly because every now and then he'll draw one and it never fails to crack me up. Despite the ridiculousness of the request, he totally delivered. I snuck this photo of him while he was hard at work - drawing a totally crazy number of heads, with the computer firmly locked to sports scores. It's impossible for me not to laugh when I think about him drawing this for me.

Happy Valentine's Day, guys.

LOVE CITY.

2011-02-09T18:16:00.005-05:00

Here is my singular picture from Love & Rummage. You'd almost think I bring my camera around with me just because I like the extra weight. But check out that big smile on The Arthur - so good, right? Thankfully other people actually use their digital (and analog) image capturing devices, so there are more photos here: Karyn from The Workroom, City Of Craft Flickr Group, Celine Kim for Toronto Craft Alert.

The verdict? Sunday was a total hit. This local craft community has been so warm and welcoming - it's all very inspiring and encouraging for this gal. So thanks to everyone that crammed into The Workroom on Sunday. Thanks for picking stuff up from my trunk and having good senses of humour. And thanks to all the people involved for such quality curation, excellent hangs, and inspiring wares.

After the event I went to my friend Tim's annual Superbowl party, ate all of his food, made plenty of jokes at The Black Eyed Peas expense, and nearly fell asleep on his couch. A+ day.

Some artifacts I went home with:

Triangle pouch and notebook by Bookhou, stamp packages by Send More Mail, and a ceramic love medallion by Krystal Speck.

I also managed to pick up the Toronto print I'd been coveting by Fieldguided. Perhaps this will remind me to get to the Island more often? I also adopted one of their tote bags - bold, romantic Kate Bush lyrical references? Yes please.

NIGHTTIME IS THE RIGHT TIME.

2011-02-05T15:14:00.006-05:00

Over The Moon card version 2.0. Now with the night sky! A last minute edition for tomorrow.
These guys are big - lots of room to declare all your deepest, most important thoughts and feelings.

FOLDED AND STAPLED.

2011-02-03T22:11:00.007-05:00

New things printed and packaged for Sunday: hello postcards and some seriously sun kissed snowbirds.

LOVE BIRDS.

2011-01-29T20:45:00.012-05:00

It's like looking into the future, right Dennis? Except that in the future you'd certainly still have glasses, and we'd never be dressed this fancy for any reason whatsoever.

Getting into Valentine's mode for the upcoming Love and Rummage event. Despite the fact that this month flew by at mind bending record speeds, I'm still trying to make something new. Enter these scowling love birds!

Some details: Love and Rummage is next Sunday. Check out the lineup! And really, what better way to spend some time after your Sunday brunches or before your Superbowl parties then by heading to The Workroom? There will be a mini bunting workshop and free gift bags to the first 25 shoppers. And if you need to be sold any further - yes, there will be snacks.

GO GREEN.

2011-01-24T09:57:00.006-05:00

Last night Becky got herself into nocturnal alteration mode, and re-built a website with her website building hands! A midnight makeover seems oddly fitting, don't you think? Check out my stab at City Of Craft's new online identity here: website and blog! Lots of Wicked Witch of The West inspired green going on.

SUPER ART.

2011-01-21T20:34:00.008-05:00

Are you looking for a new favourite band? Well, call off your perilous search parties because BRUISED KNEES is it. My partner in crime plays in this band, and they are excellent. These photos were snapped at a show they had last weekend at their practice space. A forest mural? Yes please.

CITY OF (WITCH) CRAFT.

2011-01-18T21:40:00.004-05:00

I've been meaning to tell you about something exciting. I have the honour of being the designated designer/manipulator of imagery for 2011's installment of City Of Craft! Check out Becky's very nice post about it here.

I expect that all the things I'm hopelessly fixated on will make their presence known: witchy imagery, objects of perceived luck or fortune, scrappy text, slightly askew lines/shapes, miscellaneous magic, and more. Stay tuned!

HOMETOWN HANGABLES.

2011-01-15T13:41:00.007-05:00

Check out today's Globe and Mail for an article on the aesthetic allure of Toronto centric poster art!
Features conversation with Dave Murray, Ian Gillies, and Doublenaut.

YOU'RE TEARING ME APART, LISA.

2011-01-01T20:24:00.008-05:00

Dear 2011,

Hello. How are you feeling this morning? I think we celebrated your arrival pretty well this year: a big dinner with some friends, copious amounts of wine, ice cream and waffle sandwiches, two bottles of champagne, and a late night viewing of The Room. We left the heavy partying to some of your more feverish followers (we saw some of them on the TTC on our way home and it looks like they did you proud!), but I think watching one of the worst films ever made with some pals was a pretty great homage to the passing of time too. It definitely had more flair than 2010's home style pizza party. Let's hope that your year long reign is a good one.

-Sandi.

Happy New Year everyone!

SHOPPING IS COOL?

2010-12-27T13:28:00.006-05:00

THE ETSY SHOP IS BACK IN ACTION.

CITY OF CRAFT: THE HAUL.

2010-12-26T17:05:00.002-05:00

A generous collection of Trip Print Press prints. Letterpress goodness abound.

A tote bag, card, and notebook by the super charming Lemonade.

On top of the books you can see one of Tara Bursey's index fingers hanging out with a vile of shredded money by Sweetie Pie Press.

This creepy face was made by ceramics manipulator extraordinaire Julie Moon. I also scored one of her ceramic hearts, but it got wrapped up and unwrapped by a dear pal of mine. Trust me though, it's gorgeous.

Gocco greeting card goodness by the Petra C.

A collection of paper greetings by Genevieve Jodouin and Heing Tang. I am officially armed for any occasion.

A couple sets of awesome artist series pin sets by City Of Craft-master Sweetie Pie Press. Featuring a crew of great faces by Sara Guindon and a trio of dreamy kitties by Sarah McNeil.

A piece of art by The Maple Ridge. Unicorns are a-holes. Truth speaking.

I was lucky to win a raffle too. Some wrapping paper, power line printed fabric by Bespoke Uprising, a bag by Anatomy of a Skirt, and Shortcomings by Adriane Tomine. Seriously.

And I didn't get this Doublenaut print at COC, but they were there selling prints and tshirts. D and I just put this up in our home, and I thought it deserved a mention here because it looks so good.

There was tons of other great things I could have easily purchased (like the gold tooth necklaces by Old Weston - those were amazing) but one has to cut themselves off somewhere, right? Right.

ONE FOR THE BOOKS.

2010-12-25T11:46:00.010-05:00

Turkey, drinks, pals, pie, and Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman.
Another fantastic Christmas Eve celebration indeed.
Happy Holidays to you!

BOOM - THERE GOES YOUR BRAIN.

2010-12-21T21:21:00.008-05:00

Photo above by Sweetie Pie Press

I only managed to take a couple photos at City of Craft this past weekend. I'm getting pretty lazy about documenting events lately - what gives, Falconer? Too busy talking to people, eating poutine, drinking coffee, and making faces I guess. Thankfully there's a flickr group you can visit if you want to feel like you were there. You should really check it out, because the place looked fantastic. Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by, said hello, or adopted something from my table. Props go out to all the dedicated people who make this event happen. And high fives to all the inspiring, talented makers in the house - Christmas definitely came early this year (photographic evidence of all the loot I scored to follow).

NOW IS THE TIME.

2010-12-17T10:44:00.020-05:00

Photo via City Of Craft

Dudes! If you come to City Of Craft this weekend (which you obviously should) you will be branded with my handwriting upon arrival. Becky made these sweet stamps via an envelope I sent her last year. How fun is that?

I went to a mall today (a mall!) and it was definitely not an enjoyable experience. The Theatre Centre would surely be a much more comfortable, friendly place to buy your last minute Christmas gifts, right? There are definitely no swag bags at the mall. Total no brainer!

TIME MANAGEMENT.

2010-12-13T21:09:00.006-05:00

SO ON.

HE WAS MADE OF SNOW BUT THE CHILDREN KNOW...

2010-12-12T12:51:00.010-05:00

Dennis went on a mission yesterday: to find us decorations for our barren tree. And man did he ever deliver! I like my Christmas trees like I like my jack-o-lanterns - old school, sorta tacky, and colourful in mood. Nothing fussy or too matchy allowed. When I was young, we had this milk maid-ish lady made from a clothes pin that always used to grace the tops of our Christmas trees. There was no holiday significance to her, she wasn't seasonally dressed, she had no affiliations to religious figures or fat men, and I don't know where she came from - but she did became a bit of a Falconer tradition. This snowman's head, currently sitting on top of our modest balsam, is just begging for annual tree topper status. He's got that over the top cuteness that could become slightly unnerving under certain circumstances (aka he's perfect).

CRAFTS, CHURCHES, COFFEE.

2010-12-06T20:34:00.011-05:00

I can't even count the number of times I've brought my camera somewhere, only to find that I've left my memory card in my printer from whenever I last uploaded photos. So, here are 3 random phone photos from A Handmade Holiday this past weekend. That little cupcake from Cora's Kitchen was definitely a strong A+.

Thanks so much to everyone who came out and said hello! The folks at Kid Icarus and Sewing School did a great job making the place look and feel great. I don't know why I always get so nervous about these things - I sat beside some excellent people, and really enjoyed chatting with them all day.

Next up: City Of Craft.

CARD SHARK.

2010-12-02T22:59:00.003-05:00

GREETINGS FROM THE BASEMENT.

2010-11-29T10:05:00.006-05:00

Looking for handmade goods to give to all your favourite friends and family members this holiday season? Check out these two craft shows coming soon: A Handmade Holiday & City Of Craft! They each include a diverse list of impressive makers. I dare you to leave either event empty handed.

As per usual I've left everything to the last minute (you can't teach this old dog new tricks!) but pressure tends to be a fairly decent motivator for me. At times. My new apartment has a laundry room that I've commandeered as a screen printing shelter. It's a little low in the ceiling, but having a door to close on all the messes I make is a pretty great development indeed.

A HANDMADE HOLIDAY.

2010-11-25T21:06:00.006-05:00

A promotional video for A Handmade Holiday by My City Lives.

A YEAR'S SUPPLY....

2010-11-18T08:41:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow we release our record, A Year's Supply of Rabbit's Feet. So you know I'm going to get a little sentimental about it here. This record took us quite some time to make, and I'm really happy with how it turned out in the end. My bandmates/pals and I took our sweet time, trying to make an improvement while still maintaining some of our roughness. We experimented a little bit by adding some piano, a little violin, and a few expertly played dollar store windtubes (ha). And we were able to accomplish a long time goal of ours by pressing it to vinyl. Anyone that's been in a band before can appreciate how much patience is required for long term projects, but at the same time how fun and rewarding it can be to work with others towards a common goal. And at the risk of sounding like a total sap (who cares!) I really enjoy making music with these guys (and taking breaks from making music to drink beers, play darts, sit on picnic tables, eat pizzas, light fireworks, etc).

A couple reviews: here and here (thank you).

AQUA & YELLOW.

2010-11-10T21:08:00.006-05:00

WITCHY WOMAN.

2010-10-27T19:19:00.004-04:00

It's been a while since I've made one of these.
Gotta dust off the pencils and scanner for such special occasions!
Current likes: witches, fortune tellers, and slightly askew text.

ELEVEN

2010-10-21T11:47:00.004-04:00

11 songs for October.

BROOKLYN DIARY.

2010-10-20T21:35:00.006-04:00

Currently enjoying my copy of Brooklyn Diary. It takes a look inside the daily lives of twenty-one Brooklyn artists, documented by ten different photographers. It would have been fun to have this book when I was in Brooklyn this summer. Interesting profiles, useful recommendations, and no shortage of beautiful photography. I was particularly excited to find a peek into Tim Harrington (Les Savy Fav!) and his families home in Williamsburg. Definitely interested in checking out more books by Lines & Shapes in the future.

LAYERS.

2010-10-19T12:00:00.002-04:00

New homestead hangables: this screen printed poster by Burlesque of North America. It's big and gorgeous in real life. I love the furrowed brows, the green green grass, and all that top right Rococo text business. Inspired.

1976.

2010-10-18T09:18:00.004-04:00

Happy Birthday Louis.

GUINNESS CAKE.

2010-10-17T17:46:00.004-04:00

Recent adventures in baking: this recipe from Katie Quinn Davies.

Her blog has such gorgeous food pornography photography.

CABIN #6.

2010-10-05T09:00:00.002-04:00

This past weekend was ladies weekend. We drove up to Lake On The Mountain in Prince Edward County - a small grouping of cabins where they also brew their own beer! Crisp fall air and coffee on the lake = the best. I made some rustic looking graham crackers for smores (my obsession with recipes from Smitten Kitchen is apparently never ending). As you can see from the look in her eyes, Whitney was a master of marshmallow manipulation. Besides enjoying the gorgeous scenery, we watched a movie at the local theatre (The Town), bought vegetables from a farm using the honour system (amazing), locked ourselves out of our cabin (to be expected), played an exciting game of Personal Preferences (do you prefer kiwis or injections?), and bought copious amounts of baked goods for the ride home. Though I do love Toronto, I constantly fantasize about moving to a cottage or to the country (a practice I'm sure is common to all city dwellers at one time or another). I think it's safe to say that we've got a new tradition on our hands.

WEB TREATS: INK MAGIC

2010-10-01T09:25:00.000-04:00

Found Via Poppytalk

Have you ever wondered how ink is made? Here is an interesting and rather stunning short film about how ink is made at The Printing Ink Company. Produced by Vepo Studios. I love how it's made type pieces - especially when they're so gorgeous and feature dramatic piano scores!

FORWARD MOVING

2010-09-21T20:38:00.012-04:00

We dropped our record off this week. In about a month or so it should return to us all pressed and printed and real. Yes! In honour of this overdue occasion, we've posted two new songs here: Curses and Dead Ends

(CAMERA) PHONING IT IN.

2010-09-14T21:57:00.010-04:00

Random Moments #1537 and 1538 . . . coffee in the park and darts at the bar.
I read up on the rules for darts today. Lesson learned? We did not follow the rules.
Currently feeling that familiar end of summer / start of fall shift. Bring on the cardigans.

DO YOU WANT TO GO FASTER?

2010-09-07T19:39:00.002-04:00

I love fairs. The flashing lights, the artery clogging food, the tacky plush prizes, the pushy game masters, the cover bands playing Bruce Springsteen songs in the Budweiser band shell - all of it. My sister came to visit me this past weekend and we got the opportunity to partake in one of our favourite family traditions - The Zipper. Long gone are the days of me voluntarily putting myself into ride after ride, but this one is still a must. To pass on it would be criminal. My sister (who has always been the more daring of the two of us) is a cart shaker and always tries to her best to freak me out. My only disappointment of the night was not coming across the deep fried butter (whoa!). And to continue with the apparent theme of our weekend - overpriced beers, overcast skies, and overindulgent food - we also went to a Jays game. It was nice to see you, little sis.