coveting these days

i'm really liking the mix of bold colour with brass + copper toned metals in the jewelry i've been coveting lately. not that i'd wear them all together, but i think they'd bring a welcome punch to a simple t-shirt and jeans.

top :: honey comb w/ neon colored bracelet :: cyclical industry

middle :: arrow ring - copper and dipped rubber - seafoam :: miju

bottom :: the helsinki series in turquoise - modern geometric necklace :: iswas + willbe

my vancouver.

second beach

burrard street bridge, from granville island

dundarave beach

grouse mountain

mosquito creek park

vancouver skyline, from my 'hood

panorama park, deep cove

cates park

capilano canyon

cleveland dam

vancouver skyline, from lonsdale quay

{my vancouver. my heart}

there's a reason i've been waxing poetic about vancouver of late. beyond the obvious, that is, that i absolutely love this city. in may, my little family will be moving to victoria. not too far, and very beautiful in its own right. but my heart will remain here, at least until i can give a piece of it to victoria. i will miss my city and all that it holds. but the time has come to move along, for now, for a while.
this will mean some slight changes around here. we have a mountain of stuff to accomplish before we go, with the house + with life itself. moving is tough! in so many ways. but i will keep myself attuned to the new doors and windows that will open for us, and i know there will be many.

vancouver will always be my home, and we will return, one day.

little monkey

this sweet little monkey blanket was whisked away to a new baby last week. it was fun to come up with a colour palette to suit a monkey design -- i thought these shades of purple, mauve and magenta worked really well with brown for the monkey's face, instead of the more common bubblegum pink + brown combo.

my city

vancouver.

british columbia love :: poppy & pinecone

my city

neighbourhoods.

vancouver, poster in stanley park green :: ork posters

my city

love this skyline.

vancouver, british columbia - city skyline series :: architette studios

my city

map pillow.

vancouver vintage map cushion cover :: my bearded pigeon

my city

my heart.

vancouver map art poster :: mr city printing

skinny laminx

it must have mentioned it before, but i think it's worth repeating -- i'm a huge fan of skinny laminx. i pretty much adore everything that designer + artist heather moore creates. such beautiful prints, i sigh every time i look.

this pretty little number {top} is coming home to my house, soon. i think it will be the perfect pop of fresh colour for spring. it is right around the corner, isn't it?

i also have some yardage of the cloud birds print {in granny smith, above} which i am going to make into a couple lumbar pillows for our master bedroom. we need a great accent colour in our white + birch + pale grey room, and this is definitely what i'm after.

have you ever seen the amazing upholstery work done with heather's fabrics? here are some gorgeous chairs with her iconic orla fabric. i die. someday i'd love to do a bold patterned reupholstery of a piece in our living room. dreaming...

images via skinny laminx

in haus press

these sweet letterpress offerings from in haus press are tugging at my heartstrings.

i love the idea of tiny monogrammed notecards. perfect for those little notes to say hello. i think the arrow letters {bottom} are divine.

images via in haus press

little wooden villages

i am completely smitten by these little wooden town art sculptures by the haunted hollow tree on etsy. i think they are simply perfect. in fact, i think the whole shop is fantastic.

images via the haunted hollow tree

shop sneak peeks

a little peek at what is to come when i reopen my shop later this week.

i'm rather fond of the fabric combination below. the outside oslo fabrics by jessica jones are some of my new favourites. so gorgeous! i was tempted to keep this one for myself, but into the shop it will go.

i had intended to reopen on the weekend, but the weather has been very uncooperative, and i haven't had the chance to photograph all my new things. it looks like we've got a stretch of sun coming up starting tomorrow {fingers crossed!}, so i will plow through these photos and try to stock up a little before i open my virtual doors. i hope you'll swing by to check out the shop once it's ready!

starting another year

and another year older. january 1, 2012 -- still those same bright smiles.

{you may notice that my little man still has a big gap up top like the pics below. he knocked his front top teeth out a year and a half ago in a scooter accident. ouch! the dentist says the adult teeth are fine and will grow in when they're good + ready}

twenty eleven

the lights of my life! it's been a long year full of many ups and downs, but still an amazing time watching these two grow. i took these photos january 1 2011. i'll be sure to snap a few tomorrow to see how they've changed.

as for me, i'm looking forward to a year full of growth. we have some potentially big changes in store, and i'm also looking at ramping up my little business throughout the year. i have big plans for smidgebox! first up, back to more regular postings in this space.

here's to 2012 -- happy new year, friends.

made in bulk

some musings on making my handmade items en masse...

i trim all my seams by hand, to avoid bulk. at curves, i cut small notches so that the seams lie flat when they're turned the right way out. it only takes a couple of minutes for each piece, but when you're making 35 stockings at a time, that adds up! look at all those scraps!

something you may not know, when i stitch my peek-a-boos, i use at least three different thread colours for each, and i stitch around and around. i like the way it picks up on all the colours in the fabric, and creates a nice depth in the stitching. in order to keep the stitches looking clean from the outside, i hand-tie and knot the beginning and end of each pair of threads on the underside of the fabric. that's at least 6 pairs per peek-a-boo.

all stress-points are double or triple-stitched. then, on each seam, i run a zigzag stitch to prevent fraying. this means i stitch each seam two, three, or four times.

components for 35 stockings! that's 35 strips for hanging the stocking, attached to 35 cuffs, each one carefully ironed, then triple-stitched for extra-heavy stuffing of goodies.

the first batch of finished stockings. just a peek, mind you, i can't give away everything!

these are just a few thoughts that have crossed my mind as i've been preparing for the One of a Kind Show. i don't normally work in bulk, but this past month, i've made more than 70 mini buckets, a dozen tote bags, 35 stockings, and much more. these steps that take only 2 to 5 minutes, such as trimming or finishing a seam to make sure it doesn't fray, don't normally cross my mind as i do them. but when you multiply that by 35, well then a good chunk of time has gone by. i don't cut corners or look for shortcuts that could negatively impact the finished product.

when i make an item, my aim is to ensure quality every step of the way. besides using quality materials and equipment, this includes accurate cutting, careful stitching, trimming and finishing of seams, ironing at every step, and precise finishing touches on every piece.

this is not meant to be a sermon, but rather my musings on working in bulk while maintaining quality. it's the reason i [and other makers all over the world] try to put a reasonable price* on our efforts, our designs, our work. this is not a $10 polyester stocking from walmart that may last a year or two. this is a one-of-a-kind handmade heirloom christmas stocking, with carefully chosen fabrics, stitched with care so that you can stuff it full to the brim, creating warm and happy memories for many generations to come.

*by reasonable, i do mean that i am aiming to be paid a fair wage, not only for my time and effort, but for the quality and design of each piece.