hi everyone!

what a weekend of snow we had, I love how the snow makes everything just that more special this time of year.  during the break I was working on a few new prints and bag designs, this new one called the pocket bag - in the bows pattern is my absolute new favourite! I love how the length can be adjusted by repositioning the knots and it can also be removed altogether so that it can be used as a pouch.  this designed was inspired by early nineteenth-century pockets.

I will be showing you more work this week with the new patterns, as well at the end of the week I will have a set sale of tea towel seconds and the drop cloth pouches.

have a safe and joyous ringing in of the new year, we have so much to be grateful for this past year - we are happy to be entering our eleventh year of business - how amazing is that!

have a happy new year friends! xxa

both shops are back online - I got a lot of emails from folks asking and I thought getting back to work as usual always makes me feel better.  more new work to show you next week! but for now here are a couple of new tea towels perching bird and wave.

have a fantastic weekend friends! we are going to take the kids tobogganing - I hope we are all well enough to go, I'm excited to use our wood sleigh.

xxa

I wish I didn't feel miserable so that I can stay on track with some work - it's almost like my body is forcing me to take it easy, but my mind is racing with all the work that needs to get caught up with.  my inventory is pretty low and I need to get enough work on the go before I reopen the online shops.  I will have some new drop cloth pouches (sized around 5 x 5 in.) - pretty much my favourite things. I love how each is different and one of a kind and no two are alike.

a peek at a new print

we also got tons of snow, love it!

I hope you had a nice little break - we left my in-laws early, all of us being sick - I did my best avoiding getting sick during the craft shows, here's a few highlights - the kids are hilarious - such little hams.

thank you so much for all your support and love

happy holidays to you and yours!!

before I left for montreal I wanted a flat pouch for myself to carry my things in.  this vees flat pouch is such a nice size to put the smaller things in and I can just throw it in my backpack. I'm really enjoying using the little leather snap pouch to carry my credit cards and money, they sold out at puces pop -  I am hoping to have some time to make more and use up my remnant leather stash. lately these days have been about making and experimenting and no definite production schedule which is kind of a nice change.  we are winding down and I am so happy I slowed down everything so that I could catch my breath.

I started this piece during the one of a kind show - sewing the pieces together by hand and enjoying the accumulative process with the cotton and linen pieces. it's going to be a wall hanging approx. two feet squared.  I am hoping to do a lot of hand sewing and embroidering on the surface during my break.  I am exhibiting this piece in a vitrine case at the harbourfront centre as part of a group exhibit in january.  this wall hanging makes a reference to landscape.

even though the online shop is closed and the craft shows have finished, we are still working away in the studio, working on new designs and finishing up work that got neglected.  In an attempt to make the shop look festive the kids and I unraveled yards of twinkly lights and spread them on the stage in the front window, they love it.  I got this lovely skirt from atelier b at puces pop, the squares are laser cut and the lining is a comfy black lycra - next time I will show a photo of me modelling it.  next to handmade goods j and I love giving books as gifts. this one we got for one of our nephews and it put a smile on my face - the illustrations are so fun and the title had a bit of an inside joke for us.

I wish I can take j and the kids with me to the craft shows, but I know it wouldn't be too exciting for the kids.  they're always excited to see what little trinkets or gifts I bring them back. piper's hair is finally growing in, there were times I was worried that her hair would be forever wispy.

I'm back from an amazing visit to montreal - thank you so much for coming to visit - we got so much love and we are definitely back next year!  I got in an hour ago and I am already working on projects that got neglected during craft show craziness - the brick and mortar shop is open - j told me it was a busy weekend and I will try to restock the shop with as much goods as I can - we will be open till dec. 23rd.

the giveaway winner is MARY - congrats! email me with your shipping address and I will get them out to you soon - I was so happy to see these note cards sell so quickly in montreal - I will get them up in the online shop soon.

some highlights from my weekend via instagram

big hugs to you all - have a great start to your week! xxa

by the time you read this I will probably already be in montreal

I have never worked so quickly - last night there was things moving in lightning speed and it all got done with the help of j and my mom - phew.

so I can just enjoy the ride now.

so I wanted to share with you a new project - I love the images on the calendar that I do and I felt that I had to turn a selected few into blank greeting cards, these are so stunning and they will be sold as a set of six with kraft paper envelopes and in a small drawstring bag (I will post them for sale in the shop next week). I will have a small amount for sale at puces pop this weekend, but I thought I would do a little giveaway.  please leave me a comment and I will announce a winner on monday.

come visit me at puces pop this weekend! and if I don't see you have a fantastic weekend friends.

xxa

 

during craft show madness, I didn't have time to take photos of some of the new bags I was selling, one of them being the stones pattern in the zipper tote style.  I think this combo and pattern is so lovely and the stones pattern is definitely a new favourite of mine.

one of the many conversations I had with customers at the show was how you should make work that you would wear or use in your everyday.  if you try to be something your not - your true potential doesn't shine through, I strongly believe that you can only count on your own aesthetic and your own ideas - when you venture elsewhere you lose a bit of who you really are.

tomorrow is a giveaway for some new goods I will be selling soon in the shop.  another day of hammering and pressing and I am ready for montreal!

geninne visiting, the studio through her eyes - so much fun we had

and take a look at this video 

I hope you can join us for this fun one day workshop with crown flora studio and myself

details over here

even though the online shops have closed down, you can still come visit us at the brick & mortar shop - here's some lovely things that you will find, new ornaments by emily hamill and jenny clark. so much love and care put into these beautiful pieces.

thank you to everyone who visited piper and lliam at city of craft - and thanks to becky and her team for pulling off another successful show (apparently it's the 6th year) - the show was put on in three spaces on queen west and the crowds were a plenty.  lliam was a bit shy at first from all the compliments, but eventually he got a bit more confident and chatted with customers.  I think a lot of people were kinda amazed by their talent at such a young age (piper was the youngest vendor).  they were pretty close to selling out and only came home with a few prints and a handful of buttons.  later today is  a trip to the lego store :-)

I hope your weekend was fun - one more last push today to get orders out and the rest of the week I will be making more work for puces pop on the weekend. adam and I are leaving for montreal friday at 5am - the puces pop show this year is three days and we need to get there early enough to have time to check into our hotel and set-up for the show.

have a great monday! xxa

children's art has a magical quality to it,  a quality that doesn't have the overthinking that adults work tends to have. there's a freedom that is truly unmatched.  I am so proud of the hard work these kids put into this small collection for the city of craft show this weekend.  there will be fantastic badges, a limited amount of tote bags and small pouches.  I really hope you will have a chance to drop by and say "hi"

I'm sad to see my friend geninne leave canada, spending face time with each other is so wonderful. I met both geninne and margie on the internet reading their blogs and following their work and our friendships with each other is filled with mutal admiration and respect.  so refreshing to put your energy into friendships that are real.

I also wanted to end the week saying thank you for a wonderful year of support, I know some of you were disappointed that the online shops closed abruptly - the amount of orders that came in were a bit overwhelming and I started to panic.  everyone wants their orders for the holidays and I didn't think it was fair to those who already placed their orders to have any added delay.  I promise when we open we will offer new and exciting work - more limited editions, more sales, and possibly more clothing type items.

I'm really excited to also do a bit of loafing during the holidays

have a wonderful weekend friends - thanks for visiting!

xxa

yesterday I spent the day hanging out with a great friend,who lended a hand in my daily production

a visit to the gallery to see some beautiful art and

the most amazing little ships

beautiful architecture

slowing down for a pick me up 

 of course a visit to j's bench

and yummy ramen noodles in a cozy space to end the day and another trip with some great people, I'm one lucky girl :-)

all the bags are now in the shop - for a few days only and both online shops will be closed from december 7 - january 1, for a much needed break.

we can no longer ship for holiday deliver to places outside of canada and the u.s. - and with u.s. orders you will need to ship it via expedited service, so please indicate faster shipping in the "note to seller" section and we will send you a paypal invoice for the additional charges.

the city of craft show is days away and the studio is buzzing with activity

the LL+P line is in full swing.