i spy a polar bear

i've been dying to share these little buckets with you since I sent them off a few weeks ago, and now's the time! i first 'met' laurie wisbrun of scarlet fig quite a while ago, when i discovered her adorable digitally printed fabrics, birdies + chairs. laurie has come a long way since then, with a few more limited release digital collections, two fabric collections with robert kaufman, and a book on the way this fall.

i was delighted when laurie asked if i would make a few of my peekaboo naturals buckets with her latest digital prints, polar bear dots. i think the little bears look so sweet, offering their posies from inside the peekaboo. i love them so much, i've tucked some away for my next holiday collection. i'll have to see if i can wait that long!

the two medium buckets will be making their home at laurie's place in austin, but we thought it would be really fun to offer a mini bucket to one of our lovely readers. i've found that this small size is quite versatile, from office supply storage to kids' small toys to collecting tiny mittens in the winter! if you'd like to join the giveaway, head on over to laurie's blog, comments are open until saturday morning. good luck!

a grand giveaway.

do you remember these lovelies? back in the summer, my super talented friend jan of daisy janie asked me if i would make some sample peekaboo buckets with her organic fabric line, geo grand. of course, i was delighted, even a little giddy! this is the result of our collaboration, and off they went to pennsylvania to live with jan in her home studio.

fast forward a few months, and jan was prepping for her international quilt market debut, where she was set to reveal her newest organic fabric line, shades of grey. i was completely honoured when jan asked if she could take my buckets with her to market to display in her booth. if you haven't seen jan's blog post about her quilt market experience, you should definitely have a look. not only is the booth to-die-for gorgeous, but jan's story is inspiring and uplifting. she also won the award for best new exhibitor! awesome. i am so excited for her as she grows + nourishes her business. jan is definitely headed for huge things, and an amazing ride.

anyhow, this week, jan has been having a week full of giveaways on her blog. she is generously doling out some of the samples that made up her booth display at quilt market, and our nesting buckets are among the goodies up for grabs today!

it's super simple to enter, just leave a comment here on this post, and you're in. but wait! i do ask one favour. i'd love to hear what you would do with these buckets, if you won. can you think of a spot for them in your house, or what you'd store in them? be creative!

the giveaway is open until sunday november 21, 8pm eastern time. jan + i will pick one winner, to be revealed on monday.

:: edit - congrats to dani, who has won the nesting peekaboo buckets! ::

now that you're all pumped for giveaways, you should head on over to the daisy janie blog, where jan's giving away even more goodies.

and that's not all! another incredible talent, laura of pansy maiden, is giving away a stunning handbag that she made for jan.

so there you go, three giveaways today! good luck :)

circle craft :: in fashion

yesterday marked the opening of the 2010 circle craft christmas market here in vancouver. it's actually been several years since i've been able to get to circle craft. my husband + i used to make it there every year, but since i started my business, it's been way more difficult. it falls right in the middle of my busiest time of year, where i'm literally glued to my sewing machine. this year, however, i was able to get out and see some of the fresh new vendors.

i thought i'd share a few posts about my favourite things, beginning with some of the fashion + accessories. over the years, the fashion being shown at circle craft has definitely made the jump to being more modern + forward, often ecological, and definitely in tune with my style. here are a few of my faves.

images via wildhagenwear.com

i'll preface this by saying that i totally love hats. i would probably be happy to wear one every day. these hats by wildhagen out of toronto are absolutely incredible. it's hard to say, but i think my favourite is the top left, called the arctic fox. all the hats are very fashionable, beautifully made [in canada!], completely unique, and gorgeous. i'll take one of each, please. also, if i could look as good in said hats as the models, that would be great.

images via lilikoiclothing.com

also fun were the clothes from lilikoi. screenprinted illustrations on great looking tops, dresses, skirts, and bags. all sustainably + ethically handmade in canada, to boot. i especially love the inga top, shown above left in black with a fun skyline print.

images via shibangdesigns.com

i thought these cosmetic bags by shibang designs were simply gorgeous. layers of boldly coloured textile + thread adorn the simple pouches + bags, giving them a unique, fresh look. now i'm wishing i'd gone back and bought a couple for gifts, they were fantastic! designer robyn stevens studied textile arts at capilano university right here in north van, and then went on to complete a bfa at the nova scotia college of art and design. i definitely have my eye on that textiles program, i've heard that it is amazing.

one other textile artist i must mention in this post is designer jill harrop and her studio, heartfelt. her clothing, shawls, and scarves are fairly traded and then beautifully yet minimally embellished by the artist, with needle felted wool. the subtle colours woven into these natural textiles are just so lovely. i also love her philosophy on sustainably managed, minimal impact clothing. inspiring! visit her website to have a look at some images and find out more.

today is the day

first things first, i'd like to thank everyone for the lovely + kind comments on this post. i appreciate every little note, and every sweet word. i'm so so happy that you like my new line of goodies -- i'm pretty excited about them, myself! now if only i could craft more time to get a move on with them. i'd love to have them listed in my shop by the beginning of june, but i'm just not sure...lots to do! in the meantime, if you simply can't live without your very own peek-a-boo naturals before they make it to the shop, just fire an email my way and we can figure it out.

now, for a winner! i wish i could give one to everyone, wouldn't that be fun? let's see what the random number generator told me...

congratulations, nyla! you've won a mini peek-a-boo naturals bucket!

now it just so happens that nyla is someone i've recently met over on twitter. she is a super talented interior designer, and someone whose work i just love. her style is totally up my alley. check out this gorgeous media unit she recently designed for her basement. walnut beauty!! nyla was also just featured in western living magazine, for the work she did on a calgary home. i absolutely love this house. the pops of turquoise amid the neutral backdrop. modern + sleek finishes. furnishings that perfectly balance contemporary + traditional design. that fireplace, those stairs, the master bath. wow! i'm in awe. nice work nyla!

nyla mentioned that she loves the ocean palette, so this little blue-y bucket will be making it's way to her home next week. thanks for your comment, nyla, i hope you enjoy it!

lovely address file

oh, my. look at what my mailman brought me yesterday! i am beyond excited about this. sharilyn over at lovely design makes the most beautiful address files, and i have wanted one for a very long time. i'm a huge fan of sharilyn's style and aesthetic, and have shown pics of her covetable studio here before. the lovely design blog is a delight, too. every now and again sharilyn holds a giveaway for an address file on her blog, and guess who won this time? i could hardly believe it when she let me know. so so excited.

of course, the wrapping and packaging was impeccable. from the cute mailing label to the handmade recycled paper shred [so pretty!], card enclosure in a glassine envelope + bonus mini tags. i love how sharilyn wraps the file itself. she uses what look like old science textbook pages, taping them together and wrapping it with perfect precision. and the file. oh, the file. stocked with a pretty rainbow of coloured index cards, ready for me to write all my most important addresses. i can't wait to fill it up.

if you're looking for a beautiful address file with handmade vintage appeal, look here. you won't be disappointed.

thanks, sharilyn, it is absolutely gorgeous.

feeling lucky!

this morning i woke up to a fabulous surprise. i won a giveaway over at inkspot workshop!! i'm so excited, i have never won a giveaway, and this one is fantastic. i get to spend $50 at stacy's gorgeous stationery shop [i've talked about inkspot workshop before, i love her work] plus a most decadent sounding body balm + spritzer from sweet petula. i hadn't visited sweet petula's shop before, but i'm so glad i have now, the offerings look just gorgeous. i'm a sucker for yummy smelling + prettily packaged bath goods. anyhow, i'm feeling very lucky today. what a great way to start a monday!

one more thing. i've finished my shop update, head on over to check it out!

may giveaway day :: denim lace tote

well, i was going to wait till i reached my 100th post to have my first giveaway, but sew, mama, sew organized the 'may giveaway day' [may 27], so i decided this was the perfect opportunity to jump in! welcome to everyone visiting my blog for the first time [and to you return visitors too!]. i hope you'll have a look around, and come back again some time. and so, without any further ado, i give you the first smidgebox designs giveaway.

this little tote is functional and stylish, small enough not to weigh you down with stuff, but big enough for your necessities. perfect for quick trips + lunch dates + coffee on the seawall. denim exterior with the smidgebox signature peek-a-boo applique. two sweet cotton prints. divided interior pockets and a key clip to keep you organized.

details :: if you'd like to enter, there's just one thing i ask. please visit my shop, and tell me your favourite item. easy peasy. i love getting feedback from this awesome community, and can't wait to hear from you!! make sure you leave me some way of contacting you, whether your name is linked to your shop/blog id, or if not, kindly put your email in the comment. *some of the blogger profiles i see are blocked or have no email info! don't forget i need to get in touch with you if you win!*

i will keep the comments open until sunday may 31, 5pm pacific time. this gives you a whopping five days to enter. only one entry per person, please.

i will be announcing a random winner on june 1st. stay tuned + good luck!!