Bits and Pieces

Filling my home with happy things.

I needed something bright to cheer me up last week, so I popped into the new floral shop, I Fiore, across the street from White Elephant and owner Beverly was nice enough to give me some forsythia free of charge because it was on it's way out. Forsythia is one of my favourite blooms, and I was really touched by her gesture. She has such a lovely shop with thoughtful, modern and beautiful arrangements, and it's an undeniably pleasant addition to the neighbourhood.

The branches are definitely on their way out, but I am partial to the beauty in decay and the blossoms are still a vibrant yellow. It brightens up the gloomiest of days.

Mike and I recently did some design and programming work for Victoire's blog. They wanted a fresh and clean new look and asked us to lend a hand, which we were more than happy to do. I won't take much credit, as Mike did most of the work designing all of the elements - I just put them in their proper place when he was done. We were all pretty happy with how it turned out and as a token of Katie and Regine's appreciation they sent both Mike and I a pair of Manitobah Mukluk moccasins. Oh man, they are just the best thing ever. I have always wanted a really luxurious pair of house slippers, but could never justify the cost. My mind has been changed. If you're the same way, I'm telling you that they are totally worth it. TOTALLY. I never want to take them off.

It's also really great that they are an Aboriginally owned Canadian company, and all of their pieces are handcrafted. If you're interested in a pair for yourself Victoire can hook you up!

Kate made this lavender filled satchel for me, and embroidered an "H" on it. She grew the lavender herself and naturally dyed the material with logwood. It now hangs on the door to my studio, which I spend a lot of time in these days, trying to be creative and to make things with my hands. It's a really special reminder of a friend who I find ultra inspiring.

I couldn't resist picking up this cute string of pearls succulent to add to my ever growing houseplants collection. I think I may be able to say that I finally have a green thumb. Or at least it's not as black as it once was. I really love this little guy.

A couple of weeks ago I made the trip to visit Iroqrafts based on Tara's suggestion. I was not disappointed. I walked around with so many things in my hands for so long - porcupine quills, a horse tail, a fox face, the wing of a duck. It was a treasure trove for a collector of natural curiosities such as myself. I ended up only coming home with one thing, and that was splurging on this angora goat mohair pelt. Philip Sparks Fall 2011 collection really got me obsessed all throughout last autumn and winter with big sheepskin accessories. I originally bought it with the intent of making myself a collar for my coat, but with winter coming to an end, I didn't have the heart to cut into it. Maybe next year, but until then it will sit in our living room floor and honestly, it really ties the room together.

I've slowly but surely been working away at my Daisychain Alphabet Sampler. It's nice to work on a piece that requires a little more discipline and straightforward outline than my own creations. I'm happy with how it's turning out, and appreciative for all the practice it's giving me in regards to certain stitches. French knots all over the place!

I really love White Elephant. But I also really love my home. It's my favourite place to be, and I'm lucky to be able to spend so much time there. I hope all of your homes are happy too.

I Promised Baby Goats...

... and baby goats you will receive!

While we were in Phoenix we visited the Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium. I'm pretty sure this was supposed to be an activity mostly for the children, but I promise you the person who got the most enjoyment out of it was me. Well me, and maybe Doug's sister.

Goat Party. Party of 4.

There was a small petting zoo inside, filled with BABY GOATS. It was also filled with deer and adult goats, but they were kind of frightening so let's focus on the babies. There was no one around to tell us what you could and couldn't do, so Doug really needed to talk me out of slipping a baby goat into my bag to bring back as a souvenir for the shop.

I know I'm smiling in that picture, but I was actually in the middle of a mild panic attack.  We decided to feed the goats (with the provided food) and things got serious. A goat swarming is not my favorite thing in the world. Do you see that Deer eating both of our sweaters? That thing didn't stop. Doug's sister, on the right, has a hole in her shirt as a result.  Her sweet little baby seemed to be doing a-ok though. After that it was about time to visit some other animals.

TURTLES. Ok fine, Tortoises. Whatever. They were super amazing, and you were allowed to get all up close and personal with them. There was no one supervising this area, so potentially I could have brought Hollie a giant turtle home too, but there was a sign that advised us not to sit on them. Good idea.

Arguably the highlight of the day might have been the Giraffe Feeding Station. Yup, that's right. What gets you kicked out of African Lion Safari is perfectly acceptable here. Giraffe tongues are gross. They are black, super long and bendy, and rough like sandpaper. Still, I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to let one wrap around my hand.

While we're here, do you see the fence made of wooden posts in the background of this picture? That was all that was keeping the giraffes enclosed from the rest of the zoo. A three foot high fence, for a 20 foot tall animal sounds about right to me.

If you're ever out Phoenix way, I highly recommend a stop to this zoo. What makes it the best really is its complete and utter lack of safety or security measures. Do you want to pet that Rhinoceros? Go ahead! There's no one around to tell you not too, and he's only separated from you by a 3 foot high wall. Impalas can jump 40 feet in the air you say? Better surround them with a wall that goes no higher than your waist. Want to pet a kangaroo? Don't do it... those things are mean.

Arizona or Bust

So, Arizona is kind of pretty I guess. Oh man, it's almost impossible for me to type that sentence without including a big "NOT!!!!" at the end. Arizona is beautiful.  Crazy Beautiful. Crazy/Beautiful.  The landscape changes where ever you go, but there are always plenty of Cacti to keep you staring.

We went for 5 days to spend some time with Doug's rather large family. Well, large for my standards. In total there were 16 of us staying in one house, which included five lovely children under five.  Hearing those numbers going in, I was pretty overwhelmed, but I can honestly say it was a really laid back, lovely time.  McGinns, you're ok in my book!

I took a ton of pictures. There were so many amazing things to see and do that trying to blog about this trip was a little overwhelming. I decided to focus this post on just two places we visited.... Sedona and the Grand Canyon.  If you have to see anything in the Southwest, this is a pretty good start.

On on first full day there we drove to Sedona.  Before I left, my friend Jeremy had described Sedona as "being on Mars" and he was totally right. It was like being on crazy/beautiful Mars, complete with spiritual vortexes.

This rock behind us is Bell Rock.  Actually, it's behind and under us in this picture, since we had already climbed up pretty far at this point. From the ground it was really hard to get a decent shot of its magnitude, but if you google it you can get a better view.  After most of the children had tired out and needed to head back home for naps, Doug and I, his brother Arlo and wife Megan got to stay and hike around.  Climb to the top of Bell Rock you say? Well sure.

This is after a pretty amazing hike to the top. I know it looks like Doug is peeing in that first picture, but I promise you he isn't.  The sun was just starting to set when we got to the top, and we had just enough time for some quick shots before  it was time to scramble down, or be left on the top of a pointy rock in the Arizona desert, just us and some coyotes.

On Day 2 Doug and I woke up super early to make the almost four hour drive to the Grand Canyon.  We decided to take a less touristy route to the Canyon, which meant driving through more desert and a Navajo reserve.  We stopped for something called Navajo tacos, which I recommend everyone tries once in their life.  I also got to see some adorable wild dogs, that Doug wouldn't let me feed my remaining tacos to. What gives Doug?

 I was so excited about visiting the Grand Canyon leading up to the trip that once we were in Arizona, I started to get nervous I had built it up too much. What if it wasn't as good as I wanted to be?  Hey guys, guess what? THE GRAND CANYON REALLY IS THAT AWESOME.

Yup.

Once we arrived in Grand Canyon park, we decided on the South Kaibab Trail Hike, because the Internet had told us that was the best one. Internet, you never lead me astray. 

The trail was amazing, the views unreal.  The trail itself didn't seem scary, but every time I looked back at where we had come from, saw the trail narrowly winding down the side of the canyon walls, I kind of gulped a little bit.

The hike was 3 miles long and the first half was entirely down hill. That meant that the 1.5 miles we had to walk back once we reached our destination was all uphill.  The elevation change from the beginning of the trail to our stopping point was 1200 feet, which meant we would be climbing that on the way back. Fun times.   I'll admit here that when we got to the almost-end of the trail, and saw those switchbacks in the picture below, I had a mild panic attack. Send in the mules I thought, I'm done.

Seriously. Do you see those tiny people climbing the trail on the right? Do you see the way the trail winds back and forth along the canyon rim?  What you don't see is me sitting down just after this picture was taken, refusing to look up until I got my shit together.

Grand Canyon, you made a fool out of me.

Later this week: Arizona zoo featuring BABY GOATS.

Love Love Love

I told you blogging would fall to the wayside while Jane was away. She was in sunny Phoenix, Arizona and I was back here in Hamilton being walloped with the worst chest cold that I've experienced in years. Somehow I still managed to be incredibly productive. A new window display (which I'm not all that happy with) and an entire revamp of the store. Acute bronchitis be damned, I needed to spruce things up for the loveliest of love filled days. 

We've got lots of new Valentine's cards in from Fugu Fugu Press, Wit & Whistle and Rifle Paper Co. Boy-girl love, girl-girl love, boy-boy love. We've got it all for you and your lover.

Not to mention a selection of the sweetest vintage Valentines around.

This is one of my favourite new pieces that we've got in store. These hand crafted sterling silver mitten lariat necklace are made by our dear friend Erica Barta. Ever since we opened, we've been begging her to make us some. They are so delicate, and the red string that they hang from is such a sentimental touch.

She recently completed a jewelry residency in Montreal, and on her way back to BC left us with three of these precious pieces. I won't lie, I'm a little jealous already of the three lucky ladies of Hamilton who will get to call these their own.

A new batch of everyone's favourite mittens from Things By Slo. With super sweet hearts hand stitched on them for your sweetheart.

The Pin Pals continues to be one of our favourite artist that we carry. Probably because they keep hitting it out of the park with amazingly intricate pieces like these cross stitched brooches. Go ahead, wear your heart on your sleeve.

It's a little embarrassing how many Hand & Shadow pieces that I own myself. I can't get over Georgie's beautiful prints and colour variations. We've got in a new scarves, including a brand new snake print which is to die for. Each of her prints are done in a bleach print paste, so they never fade. Just like how your love will never fade.

I also made an executive financial decision while Jane was away. I decided to get posters printed for our event with Sartoria. We're so in love with the design that Mike came up with for this, and I wanted to share it around town. Man, he did a great job, didn't he? Plus, we were super happy to be able to get them printed by Tom at Copy Dog in his new location at Homegrown Hamilton. He's the best print guy we've ever met in our entire lives. Truth.

You can come and check out all these sweet pieces tonight at Art Crawl, where we'll be hosting our Show and Tell with Sartoria. So if none of these tickle your fancy, maybe a pair of custom longjohns made right on the spot for your sweetie will. And make sure to check out Needlework's grand opening just down the street. I haven't been this excited about an Art Crawl in a long time. I hope you're excited too.

Making Headlines

We've got a lot of exciting news to share today. Really, all of these things should each have their own blog post dedicated to them, but I am JUST SO EXCITED to share it all, and I can't wait to slowly reveal each one every couple of days. I'm impatient like that. Plus, Jane just left for Arizona, leaving me to man the shop all by myself until next week, which means blogging might fall to the wayside.

First up, we've got Art Crawl in a week. Normally, we wouldn't be talking about it quite so early, but...

Sartoria is coming to town! We are thrilled to be hosting another Show and Tell event in the shop, and couldn't be more excited that Sara Torrie of Sartoria will be joining us with a brand new selection of her cashmere and merino underpinnings, as well as her sewing machine ready to sew custom longjohns on the spot for you or your sweetheart. Nothing says love like wanting to keep your honey warm and cozy all night long.

You can get more details about the event here. And don't worry, we'll remind you about it a million times before next Friday.

Just down the street from us at 174 James Street North, Needlework's grand opening party will be in full swing. Jane and I have been looking forward to this for MONTHS. The other day they posted a blog about a fabric shipment that came in and it finally hit me that this was actually happening. That there will actually be a resource downtown for beautiful and contemporary fabric and notions. Not to mention a creative workspace to boot! My heart grew a couple of sizes just thinking about it. Make sure you stop in and wish these two lovely ladies all the best in their new endeavour. It's going to change the face of downtown Hamilton. Believe me.


Remember when we hosted that intimate acoustic performance from Hands & Teeth a couple of weeks ago? Well our good friend, Russell Gibbs came out and shot some video of their set. I can't get over Natasha's soulful voice, and Russell's skills make the shop look so dreamy. We know so many talented people, it's crazy.

And last, but certainly not least, we have to take a moment today to wish our dear friend Kieran the happiest of birthdays. I won't embarrass him by revealing exactly what age he's turning, but it's a pretty big milestone. Kieran is one of our best friends, always dropping everything to lend a hand. Kieran was the first person we met in the community, and his passion and dedication to this (sometimes) uphill battle that we are fighting in trying to make the downtown core a more livable place is awe inspiring. He never gives up. And he always does the right thing.

He's humble and modest, and loves nothing more than a good shout-out. So here's to you, Kieran. Many happy returns. White Elephant loves you.

Happy Friday to you all!

Crossroads

On Friday I'm headed to Phoenix, Arizona for 5 days with Doug and his family.  We're only going to be a few hours away from the Grand Canyon, and that's pretty much #1 on my list of things to do. I find it almost impossible to look at pictures of it without dying to be there, immediately. Look at it. No seriously, LOOK at it.

I can't wait for the weather (even though if feels like spring in Hamilton today), and the landscapes. I'm planning to do lots of hiking. Is there anything else we should do? I don't really know anything at all about Phoenix. Got some hot tips? Let me know!

In the meantime, Hollie and the lovely interns will be manning the fort. We also have a pretty exciting announcement coming up about February's art crawl.  As a reminder, Needlework will be celebrating their grand opening during art crawl night, so it's already going to be super mega awesome. We have something up our sleeves to make it even more awesome, if possible, so stay tuned!


(pictures via here and here and here)

Rare Hands Good

January days are slow and peaceful here. But, as always, we've got new stuff coming in. And all local, y'all!

Ok, so our newest line Rare Specimens is something that I'm really excited about. Jane, on the other hand, is bashful about it. That's probably because she's the maker behind these natural mineral accessories.

Jane has always dabbled in jewelry making, but it's hard to find the time for our crafty side, right? I'm really thrilled that she's motivated about it again, because I mean, look at these earrings. They're lovely.

Eleven years ago during March Break Jane and I went to Florida. With her dad. It was one of the defining moments of our friendship, as road trips tend to be. While we were there, we combed the beach looking for "rare specimens" to bring home with us. As Jane is interested in using natural materials, the name is a nod to that. So obviously, I like that a lot.

Yay for Jane!

This past weekend, our store was home to an intimate acoustic performance from Toronto band Hands & Teeth, in anticipation of the release of their first full length album Hunting Season. They left a limited number of copies at the store, and if how fast their EP Enjoy Your Lifestyle sold here were any indication, these will go fast too. The album design was actually done by our friend and bandmate Adam, and I am really smitten by it. Just a really awesome and talented bunch of people to support all around.

We're super excited to now be stocking Good Night, Day knits. Knit here in Hamilton by Tara-Lynn, these sweet pieces are luxurious and super soft and warm. All of her designs are named after different small towns in Ontario, and it's such a genius and heartwarming idea.

Jane and I are both in love with the dip-dyed Meaford Cowl. We just can't seem to get a photo that will do it justice. The colour variations are so subtle, yet so very stunning.

I gave Jane the camera for this one and instructed her "more cowl, less face." If this were a school assignment and I were the teacher, I'd probably give her 40% on her composition. But, she tried. She should stick to jewelry making.

18 Days

Internet, meet Kate & Liz.  If they look familiar, it may be because you recognize them from one of the zillion other things these girls do.  Like running Knit Nights at The Brain, planning craft fairs, making amazing installation walls for school projects, running beautifully curated vintage shops, working for Jenna Rose, and so much more. These ladies are dynamos. That's a word right?

Anyway, they have a new project up their sleeves, and it's going to be pretty damn exciting.  In 18 days, at the February Art Crawl, they will be celebrating the grand opening of Needlework.

Needlework is going to be a fabric + creative workspace, with all sorts of amazing fabric, super interesting classes, sew by the hour facilities, patterns, books and more.  It's going to be awesome, so mark your calendars. In the meantime, you can follow along with their progress over here on Kate's Blog, or over at their new website, I Love Needlework.

February 10th: super awesome things happening.

(photos from kate the hunter)

Hands & Teeth: Live at White Elephant

Did we ever tell you our dear old friend AK is in the band Hands & Teeth?  Did we ever tell you that the band Hands & Teeth is awesome? Both of these things are 100 % true.

These guys say they are a "rock and roll band from Toronto with a particular penchant for vocal harmonies", I say they are super effing cool. Cool enough that I'm pretty sure that our dear old friend who is in the band  is going to become a full on rock star any day now.  We're excited for this, but mostly so we can say "we knew him when...."

Anyway, Hands & Teeth just put out a new album, Hunting Season, and it's great. If you don't believe me you can listen to it yourself over at exclaim where the whole thing is streaming.  Or, better yet, you can come see them play this Saturday at White Elephant, for free.  They'll be at the shop at 3pm, promoting their new album and their show later that night at Casbah with a lovely little White Elephant set.   It's going to be good.

To repeat: Hands & Teeth. Playing live. 3pm. Saturday January 21st.

Back At It

Last week was kind of a write-off. Post holiday blues. But we're back in the swing of things over at the shop and online. Tons of stunning new pieces over at Ainslie Wood Co. (and hey, have you checked out our lookbook?) I died a little on the inside when I found that white tiered lace dress.

Over at the bricks and mortar, tonight is the first Art Crawl of 2012. You can check out the rundown over at H Mag. We'll hope to see you there.