creator | lara scarr

i am a big fan of lara scarr. i've written about her here, here and also here. in her latest stroke of creative genius, she has designed a beautiful magazine as part of a graphic design school project. i'm incredibly disappointed that this beautiful little book is not a real product - it looks amazing! an issue dedicated to to handiwork and crafts, kraftwork is highly designed with an intense focus on type, digital collage and composition. oh and the best part - she featured me and my shop! (click the last image for a larger expansion).

art vs. art | aimee van drimmelen vs. leah giberson

i recently saw these pieces by leah giberson on lisa congdon's blog and immediately thought of illustrations by aimee van drimmelen.

aimee's simple watercolour renditions of lawn chairs remind me of summer parties. the chairs laid out, waiting for sitters, and then later half-heartedly packed up. the colours look tasty too - the yellow bleeding through orange into red makes me salivate for an icy summer treat.

leah's chairs give me the feeling that the sitter has left their seat only momentarily. perhaps they popped up for a quick dip in the pool, or to pull something off the barbecue.

all of them remind me of the lawn chairs from my youth, some in my nana's backyard, some outside hotel rooms near the beach. but which representation do i like better? (this is tough!!). but if you were to force me to choose - i would want to hang aimee's work on my walls.*

aimee van drimmelen

leah giberson

* and soon i will! i was lucky enough to stop by an aimee van drimmelen "sketchbook sale." i picked up some beautiful pieces including this bear.

snail mail | two from france!

in the past few weeks i've received some really lovely washi tape mail! the first is from riley, my australian pen pal in the states. i love this "bright idea" text she found. at least i think she found it...if she drew it than my mine is officially blown! lol. the second piece is from my good friend kristy, who incidentally is in town. which is perfect because although her letter was full of lovely compliments about myself, there was no info about her life!

finally, i received a number of postcards - one from toronto and...get this, two from france!

patience made | stationery sets

two years ago i began creating the mail art challenge. i compiled all of the bits and pieces that i had collected and couldn't bear to throw away. people seemed to love it! they created some beautiful pieces and sent me their photos with pride!

but now the mail art stationery set is all grown up. i've curated the pieces a little more closely and this is the result:

shop stationery sets

creator | rifle paper co.

so here's the thing...after nine months of working at the papery, i've become a bit of a stationery snob. i like to see things that are unique and creative! it's hard to see the same things in every store when i know how many talented handmade artists are out there. but sometimes things become popular because they are so unique and creative that everyone loves it!

rifle paper co. is a huge stationery company. you can reference this list to discover just how many stores it is sold in. when i was on my west coast road trip (i.e. my one week stationery haul) i bought at least four different rifle paper co. products! (many of which can be seen below) but earlier today i read an mini interview with anna bond (the creator) in frankie and i was tickled by her. we share many of the same thoughts about stationery and note cards.

when asked "how do you walk the line between a cheesy hallmark greeting and being memorable?" bond responded "all of our cards are blank on the inside. there's never a cheesy poem or something to just sign your name under. i love that, because i think a personal note from the sender is always the best way."

i couldn't agree more!

here are some of my favourite picks:

art | andrea burgay

i am 100% in love with this artwork by andrea burgay. i've always been attracted to pieces that contain the infamous "mixed media" moniker. in fact, when i think about it...i don't think i own any art that is composed of only paint!

andrea burgay's collages are highly organic and full of surprises. pay close attention to the last image which shows the way the shapes come alive and seem to crawl right off the canvas. 

musings | starting and finishing

last week i completed my first day at a new gallery. and today is my last day at the papery. starting and finishing have never been something i enjoyed - maybe that's why i have a never ending to do list!

i hate starting new jobs. of course there is the excitement and the honour of being chosen. but for about three weeks I feel totally helpless. you can't answer questions, or find products. you don't know how to busy yourself during downtimes or how to give yourself tasks. i'm always just wishing i could jump in at the two month mark and know everything already!

i don't love finishing either. it's always a bit sad and it usually means change. and it definitely takes me awhile to get used to change!

i guess i would rather always be in the middle of something...working on something interesting and creative and inspiring...

it's a wonder then why i've chosen the field of art. a career which will consist of constantly starting exhibitions, taking them down and changing to a new one!

snail mail | crafty foxes and mother's day mail

i've sent out a lot of great mail recently (and received some too but i'll save that for next week!)

a crafty postcard for a friend - i bought this card at the beautiful museum of contemporary craft in portland.

a long overdue letter for a friend in calgary who just came back from an adventure with a broken pelvis!

an awesome cd from our roadtrip which i sent to a friend in ontario (my husband didn't like it, but she did!)

mother's day cards for my mom, my mother in love and my lovely aunt keke.

patience made | mr. yen inspired bridal shower invites

my best friend anne-marie is getting married in august. and i'm planning her bridal shower so obviously i wanted to do something special with the invitations. i racked my brain trying to think of ideas because i wanted to send something that could act as a little piece of art. the type of thing that people might hesitate to throw out. i've been pretty obsessed with looking at papercuts lately - especially those of mr. yen. when i found this tutorial of his i knew what i was going to do. i think he used the typography classic "Aa" because it's the beginning of the alphabet - but you can see how it worked flawlessly in this situation. mr. yen...my fingers hurt but a big thank-you all the same for allowing us use of this beautiful template.

here are images of my process:

so that's how the invites looked but then the one i sent to the bride included a frame and was wrapped as you see below (with the cuts offs as packing materials!)