Day 36/365
Wordless Wednesday 12.11.14
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Day 36/365
Tag Archives: printmaking
In the Round ll
Day 32/365
On thursday I had the pleasure of attending the opening reception of ‘In the Round ll’, a group show at Graven Feather here in Toronto. If you haven’t heard of this show, there are over 150 artists participating, all producing art on a set of three, 5″ birch disks.
Once on the wall, it makes for a stunning display of rows and rows of artwork. I love how everyone interpreted the use of the circles differently, creating a beautiful diversity of 2D and 3D pieces.
While I wasn’t able to participate this year, it’s always fun to attend this annual show and see the beautiful works of fellow artists. And as usual, the pieces submitted were all spectacular!
The show runs for the month of November, go here for more info.
Wordless Wednesday 22.10.14
Day 15/365
A New Adventure
If you’ve been following my blog posts lately, you will already know that there has been some exciting news for Sprouts Press! Well, there’s more. That’s right, Sprouts Press has started a new adventure; we’ve joined the ranks of many other talented artists and artisans selling their work in the popular Toronto shop: Arts Market on College! Yay!! I couldn’t be happier with this decision and look forward to seeing what the future brings.
This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while now, but wasn’t able to until recently. If I’m going to be honest I must admit that doubt made an appearance once (or twice, maybe) when a little voice in my head asked ‘what on earth are you doing!?!’. But I got over that, put the first coat of paint on my space, measured out where my shelving would go (shelves that my dad made a long time ago, before I was born, that I re-finished) and really felt a sense of accomplishment. When it was all done and everything was in place and displayed just as I wanted, it was a truly great feeling!
If you’re in the area, stop by and check it out at 846 College Street, Toronto. There is probably something for everyone at the Arts Market; stationery, home decor, vintage, flora/plants, clothing, jewellery, you name it!
Even though all my pieces are there and up for sale, this is a soft opening. Stay tuned for the dates of the ‘official’ opening, coming soon.
ps. I tried something new and made a short video about setting up my space! I will upload it to social media and provide a link.
Your two cents
As you may already know, I’m taking some time to build the business side of Sprouts Press. I think it’s an important part of being sustainable and growing to meet my (many) book-tastic goals!
With that in mind, I’ve put together a little survey to gather some market research.
Yay for surveys!!
If you have a few spare minutes, I’d love to get your input. It’s a total of ten questions and shouldn’t take longer that 7 minutes or so.
Click here to see what it’s all about and give your two cents.
Thank you!
Summer Sunset Market
Some fun on a Thursday evening; I’ll be vending my hand bound journals, book themed jewellery and hand printed fabric items at the first Toronto Indie Arts Market ‘Summer Sunset Series’!! Come out after dinner for an evening stroll and stop by the Gladstone Hotel for a drink and to soak up the handmade wares in the Ballroom.
We’ll be there from 7pm till 11pm and admission is FREE!
In the Works
Hello everyone, just wanted to post a quick note to say Hello and let you know that I’m still around! My apologies for the radio silence lately, but there are a lot of exciting things in the works! I cannot spill the beans just yet, but soon!
In the meantime, a big Thank You is in order for everyone who has come out to support me at the various shows, workshops and fairs that I’ve been participating in lately. This weekend I was at the Small Press & Literary Festival by Toronto Indie Arts Market and the Annual Printmaking Fair at the Cambridge Galleries, where there were so many talented printmakers. When at shows, it’s always so nice to see a familiar face and meet someone in real life that I’ve been chatting with online! If you haven’t had a chance to check out one of the many artisan/maker/book arts fairs/craft shows I participate in, check out the Upcoming Shows section on my site. And keep your eyes peeled on the Workshops section for upcoming bookbinding classes that I will be teaching.
In the online world, I was a featured artisan earlier this month over at Small Batch Magazine! It’s a wonderful and eloquently written piece that really captures the drive and satisfaction of being a maker in the modern world. I’m proud to be featured on this all-Canadian website that profiles makers and artisans, something I’ve been looking forward to for a while. I encourage you to take a read and check out their website (it’ll be worth your time, I promise). Otherwise, if you’re interested in what I’m making in the studio, new items are being posted to my Etsy shop on a fairly regular basis these days.
Springtime Renewal
I thought it was about time to formally introduce my latest project; Hay Fever Hankies. I know some of you have seen them on my social media, in my Etsy shop and maybe you’ve even seen them in person at a market or fair! I’d like to share a bit more about these little gems and show you where they come from, what they’re made of and all about.
This is a product that is proudly made from reclaimed materials. This means that each edition or collection will be different, depending on what fabrics are available and most appropriate for the season.
You may remember the first collection of Hay Fever Hankies, as pictured above: crisp white fabric with imagery in summer colours.
This time around I decided to change things up and refresh my original idea. I started with fabric in four springtime tones: Mocha, White, Pistachio and Grass Green and kept the images in a neutral grey. When looking for fabric I always hunt for 100% cotton, no scratchy fabrics! 
The prints are lino cuts based on my sketches of local plants: Timothy/Hay, Ragweed and Crowsfoot. These are printed onto the fabric using water-based earth friendly inks. They are heat set, sewn by me and then pre-washed.
I really like how the Crowsfoot turned out. Since the printing is done by hand, each handkerchief is a bit different, giving uniqueness and character to each.
If you’re into getting outside in springtime, check out my Upcoming Shows to snap up some hankies of your own! This saturday, April 26 2014, I’ll be at the Wayzgoose in Grimsby! Otherwise, they’re available online here.
Ps. You may have noticed that the prints on the Grass Green fabric seemed to have disappeared. This isn’t your imagination, I’ve decided they have a different purpose than hankies . . . this is all I’m saying for now, so stay tuned!
Saturday April 12 I’ll be at the Toronto Indie Arts Market!
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Next!
It’s been two weeks since the One of a Kind show started, and I feel I’m as rested as I’m going to be. So much awaits that I cannot sit still for long. I’m talking about things like new projects, re-vamped designs and SPRING!! (I will admit, I’ve got both my winter and spring jackets out. I’m just not quite convinced I won’t need the winter one at least once more). 
I’ve got some re-vamped goodies in the works, just in time for spring: new Hayfever Hankies! Yup, they’re back and just in time, too! This batch will be available in white, pistachio, grass green and mocha. It comes in three lino cut designs, the usual suspects of hayfever; ragweed, timothy/hay and crowsfoot. Look in the ‘Handprinted Fabric Items’ section of my online Etsy shop in the next few days.
I’m also slowly but surely getting some of the brand new designs you may have seen at the One of a Kind show up in my Etsy shop. To keep up to date on this, follow my facebook or other social media feeds here.
Meanwhile, if you’re in Toronto I’ve got two shows this weekend, check out the Upcoming Shows section of my site for details!
Sprouts Press 