April 16, 2010 of 365 : my new kitty made by stitch face

I had been planning for weeks to buy myself a new bunny from Stitch Face at the Spring Trunk Show. Somehow this little cute kitty stuck out in the crowd and ended up coming home with me. I just couldn’t resist the grey plaid and crochet scarf. Her name is ‘Bunny’, so it actually works out!

March 28, 2010 of 365 : cottontail bunny made by claire milne

This was actually a really sad day for me. My Uncle Pat had passed away very early in the morning, surrounded by many of my family members in the hospital. I went to Quilt Sunday for some crafty comfort and dear Claire gave me this darling bunny gift. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I’ve named her, ‘Cottontail’, from one of my favourite stories, “Peter Rabbit”. Her tail is actually felted wool, but I think this is okay. Thank you, Claire! This bunny is very special to me.

Claire will be at the Spring Trunk Show this Sunday. Cross your fingers that she’ll be bringing some more bunny friends!

I was surprisingly restrained with my retail spending on this trip. Usually I view a trip to New York as a ‘free pass’ to spend like crazy. I tried really hard to find a new pair of jeans, but nothing was quite right. I very rarely get out these days to go shopping, and even still I just found myself making mental notes for ideas I wanted to try making for myself.

When we were at Erie Basin, Andrew saw this pair of vintage earrings that caught his eye. He had me try them on and we both loved them, so he gave them to me as a gift! Just looking at these earrings makes me imagine all kinds of wonderful stories of where they have been.

I bought a Mango Butter soap from Saipua. I can’t wait for my current soap to run out!

I finally bought a ‘Found My Animal‘ leash for Maisy. I almost bought one on our last trip to New York, but didn’t. Then I saw this photo on the Sartorialist – it kinda looks like me and Maisy. (Now I just need to make a cute blue layered dress) I was so happy to find that they had them at Smith & Butler. The concept behind Found My Animal is really great. They are trying to raise awareness and money for adopting animals. Each accessory they make is numbered to indicate how many animals have been helped by their products.

I bought a stack of Fine & Raw chocolate bars as gifts. (and a couple for myself) I love their packaging and couldn’t resist the one with the Fafi artwork. (I LOVE her) That bar has dried wild blueberries in it – YUM.

The last morning we were there I went on a solo mission to B&J Fabric. When I want a little ‘fix’ of NYC fabric shopping, B&J is my best bet. It’s so well lit, organized and not too big. I’ve really been liking checks, gingham and plaids recently. The navy blue fabric is linen with gold thread detail. I imagine this future dress will have a cute yoke or perhaps bib front. The purple and grey plaid is cotton shirting and I’m not sure just yet what that will turn into. Hopefully I’ll be showing you real soon!

365 : crochet necklace

These are the vintage tins I picked up a couple weeks ago at St. Lawrence. The graphics and colour palette on the cigarette tin are so awesome. I have not idea what I’ll put in this tin, as it is very slim. I couldn’t resist picking up the orange nesting tins from Japan because they are so fetching and in perfect condition. I don’t think they were ever even used!

Here are a some links to distract you on a Monday.

• a tree ring print, the real deal
• most amazing home. swiss, of course
• i love chocolate & peppermint together, especially in cookie form
• ‘mitten‘ is the cutest!
• very excited about Gayla’s new book – Grow Great Grub and the book launch party!
• all summer long, i didn’t make any ice cream. now that it’s winter, i’m thinking – magic vanilla ice cream
• embroidery & wood, two things i love, especially together
• eva is solar dyeing and it’s incredibly interesting (wheels are turning!)
• japanese online shop, “billet” = zakka overload
• a new blog to love (via a blog i already love)
• i need to start a fabric diary, this one is amazing
• i REALLY like this industrial chandelier
• free origami wrap sweater pattern from uniform studio!
• this pygmy hedgehog is the crazy cutest thing!!
• learn something new everyday (via swissmiss)
• very cool lights made from used spray paint cans
• thinking about making vanilla bean rice pudding
• awesom-est bike accessories

365 : recycled newspaper shoes

It was really cold & sunny. It snowed a little flurry. I wore my new shoes for the first time.

I ordered these shoes for myself just before Christmas. They arrived via my friend Michelle who lives in Michigan, but were too big. Sigh. This is the trouble with ordering shoes online! I shipped them back and they mailed me the correct size. I finally got to wear them for the first time yesterday. I wore them indoors only and just stepped outside for a second to snap this shot with the snow.

I love them. They are made with three and half pages of newspaper folded and woven together. And they are grey.

Here it is. My handmade cedar jewellery box from Andrew. Designed to sit atop my teak dresser, the box is three feet long. The lid is divided into three sections of varying lengths. The smallest section is meant for jewellery I wear often and is placed on the right since I am right handed. The lid is also designed to fit snug on top and has a felt lining down the side. The top of the box beneath the lid is lined with a single piece of felt that runs up the sides and across the bottom. When the lid is put back in place, the cedar brushing on felt makes such a lovely soft sound. There are seven compartments inside that allow me to divide my treasures into little collections and categories. I can’t help but marvel at all the thoughtful details and care that went into making this gorgeous box.

One of my favourite features is the delicious cedar smell everytime I peek inside.

365 : bunny shadow

I’m fascinated by the morning shadows and light as the sun rises and moves across the sky.

365 : on top of my dresser

This photo gives you a bit of a sneak peek of my handmade Christmas gift from Andrew. It’s a gorgeous cedar jewelry box with grey wool felt lining. What you see is only a fraction of it, as it is about three feet long. The poor daytime lighting has prevented me from getting good detailed shots that show it off properly, but I’m working on it!

Also in this photo:

address file by lovely design
ceramic vase by nesting emily
crochet stone by resurrection fern
‘judy’ silkscreen print by alanna cavanagh
bunny drawing by sarah mcneil
wood + thread artwork by rosalyn faustino
benjamin bunny by old weston handmade wonders

I got a surprise addition to my bunny family on Sunday. The lovely Kalpna dropped by with a beautifully packaged gift, complete with mini pinecones and my initial stamped on the bag. Inside was a very special bunny, his name is Benjamin. Isn’t he handsome?

Benjamin is a fall bunny, as you can see. Dressed up in his fall sweater and striped scarf, he was ready for an adventure on Monday with the perfect autumn weather we were having. We went off to High Park to check out the fall colours, run through the leaves and then to Sorauren Park to see the annual pumpkin parade.

Kalpna is a regular at our trunk shows, so you may have seen the adorable crochet bears she makes. I’ve been dropping “not so subtle” hints for the last while that those bears might easily become a bunny, which would be perfect for my bunny fetish/collection.

The thing with bunnies is that they tend to multiply, so I’m pretty sure you might be able to pick up one of your own darlings at an upcoming holiday craft fair. Kalpna will be vending at Winter Fling and City of Craft in December.