s t i t c h f a c e

New blog for me

2011-02-28T10:35:00.001-05:00

Well I've slowly been tinkering away at making a new blog. After putzing around with it for a while, I'm now ready to share! If you're interested in following my own personal musings about crafting, geeking and the like, you will be able to find me at Bathurst. I'll still pop in here from time to time to give you Stitchface related updates but will be regularly posting over there. Hope to see you there (bathurst.blogspot.com).

Open for business!

2011-01-28T15:02:00.000-05:00

Oh- that was a long break on here.... Oy! The shop is open once again with a few guys for sale!

Little Things

2010-03-24T16:19:00.009-04:00

Things have happened lately that have really got me thinking about all the little things that make me happy. Like sending mail to a buddy...

Or hilarious names on maps...

or random ephemera that appears in vintage rummage like this ration tab...

or lovely handmade lace...

Or home baked anything- scones are my fav!

What are some little things that are making you smile lately?

Felted Fun

2010-03-12T12:34:00.001-05:00

Here are two cute felted bear heads I made recently sitting on top of a bike I embroidered back when I was first learning. The bear heads remind me of curling rocks- how Canadian :)

Shop Update

2010-03-10T15:05:00.001-05:00

Hooray! New friends have been added to the shop! This little black beauty and her buddies are waiting for new homes...

Don't Forget

2010-03-09T10:16:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I need to be reminded....

Quilted

2010-03-08T08:20:00.006-05:00

As I've blogged about before, I love vintage linens. Love them. And as we all know, the cream of the crop are vintage quilts. I have a very,very lovely mom who picks them up for me when she spots them. I have a little collection but it's growing. I feel that quilts give a bedroom an instant cozy factor that makes you want to curl up in bed with a book and cup of tea.

The one pictured in the middle and on my bed is entirely sewn by hand and blows by mind by how much work went into putting it all together. It's sort of sad that many people out there discard these labours of love but it is to my advantage because you can buy them for a song. The one pictured on my bed was actually a dollar. Seriously. I have never attempted making a quilt (by machine no less) because the amount of work is so daunting. It's on my life list of things to do.

On a related quilting note, The Textile Museum here in Toronto has an amaaazing collection of quilts on display as part of their Kaleidescope exhibition until the end of the month- some pics of the exhibition can be seen here.

Felted

2010-02-26T15:52:00.001-05:00

So I bought the things to start needle felting last week and am tooootally hooked! This is the first little thing I made and can't get over how satisfying the whole process is. This goofy squirrel will have lots of new felted friends in no time :)

Basketball Get Your Groove Back

2010-02-19T16:11:00.008-05:00

One of my best friends had really great free tickets to see a basketball game this week and brought Mike and I along. I am really not a sports fan but I actually had an amazing time. The players are so precise and move almost like (giant) ballerinas.

This song (called "Basketball Get Your Groove Back") has been stuck in my head ever since (Deerhoof is one of my fav bands). The video is totally weird so consider yourself warned...

Up North

2010-02-17T14:26:00.006-05:00

Although I am a true city convert I lovelovelove getting away once and a while. We went up north to the country for some R&R and I feel refreshed. I did lots of shopping for antiques (secret: you score the best things in small towns) and I went to my first auction sale which was really cool. Here are some pics from my wonderful weekend in the country.

And also- I heart you

2010-02-12T11:25:00.002-05:00

I hit 5000 hearts today on Etsy! I can't even believe that many people have seen my work... What a wonderful Valentine's gift :)

Happy Halloween of Love

2010-02-12T08:38:00.004-05:00

Happy-Happy-Valentine's day to you and yours this weekend! Mike and I will be spending it in the most romantic way- with my parents :) We're taking off for a weekend in the country to visit my family (who call Valentine's the title of this post). Whatever you do, I hope that you are with friends and family you love and that you get to eat something heart-shaped!

2010-02-11T19:30:00.002-05:00

(Pssssst! New kitties are posted in the shop....)

Under the Big Top

2010-02-10T15:27:00.003-05:00

I had to share this aaaaamazing trapeze girl by Mary's Granddaughter. The circus obsession continues...

Feel the Local Love

2010-02-08T10:09:00.009-05:00

Toronto is a city ooozing with creative talent. I thought I would spread the creative love that is going on here in this city with some Valentine's inspired picks from lovely locals here in Toronto. Enjoy!

Modern (and tech savy) love birds from greasychickenface

Perfect little bag for your Valentine's date night from lines by davis

Avril Loreti's hilarious nostalgic love note hanky

Real Love Heart Beads from Tank Studio

Extra sweet kitty valentine from Beside Herself

Horror Kitty

2010-02-08T08:23:00.007-05:00

Along with being a craft maniac, I'm a huge sci-fi horror movie buff.
I know, I know- my obsession with cute seems incompatible with my love of totally bizarro and gross out movies. It's sort of the ying to my yang or something like that. Plus- crafting and sci-fi both fit comfortably in the 'geek' category so I guess they're not that different... I'm a good date for a guy to bring to the movies because I will never make them take me to a rom-com. Ever.

Mike and I watched the above Japanese movie called House this weekend and it was truly weird in the best way. After reading around for more info on this movie, I had to share the cover art because it combines cuteness with creepiness. Plot Spoiler- this kitty Snowflake is up to no good.

Pardon me for being mushy...

2010-02-05T12:32:00.005-05:00

... but today Mike and I are celebrating 5 years together-yipppeeeee! This picture is from when we first started dating and this little tulip grew beside the first apartment we ever shared (we met as room mates and secretly dated for a while- scandal!). Mike worked at a photo lab and gave me a large print of this little flower. I melted. Sigh....

Happy anniversary sweetie :)

Stay Gold Pony Boy

2010-02-05T11:37:00.001-05:00

Yep. I made more. And I love them. These ones will be up for sale in the shop sometime today.

In Praise of Doodling

2010-02-03T08:35:00.005-05:00

I love to doodle. I do it all the time. When I was in school, the margins of all my note books were filled with people, swirls and flowers. Although I always hid it from my teachers, I love that doodlers everywhere have now been vindicated by studies proving that drawing actually helps you pay attention. I love the goofy things that are created on the page when you are just drawing without thinking about it too much. They always look a bit rough and unfinished but wonderful ideas come out when you aren't over analyzing.

Last night I went to (finally!) see Fantastic Mr. Fox and it was everything I wanted it to be (see it!!). I came home and doodled these goofy bouncing moles after being inspired by the wonderful world of tiny woodland animals. They make me happy.

Dreaming of Flowers

2010-02-02T08:02:00.005-05:00

Hand-stitched fleurs to help remember that spring will come- eventually. If you can't tell from my recent posts, the crappy weather has definitely been a drag around here but looking through my vintage linen stash always makes me smile.

Urban Wildlife

2010-01-31T16:46:00.005-05:00

A snap shot of a hawk visiting the big city, spotted across the street from my house.

My Little Pony

2010-01-28T16:42:00.006-05:00

I made her yesterday and I love her so much it hurts. She's very little and can fit in the palm of your hand. I have dibs on this one but more will be coming soon...

Big Food

2010-01-27T09:43:00.009-05:00

It's been grey here in Toronto for what feels like forever. Mid-January is always a killer in Canada. If the weather where you are is as gross as it is here than hopefully you will smile like I did when I saw the giant hamburger pillow set from Not Today on Etsy

It totally reminded me of this giant soft hamburger sculpture that used to be on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario here in the city. Alas- the giant sculpture by Claes Oldenburg is in storage (via my google searching I actually found a facebook group devoted to bringing it back) but below is a pic of it for your enjoyment (via here).

(I have to warn you though- don't google giant hamburgers. Trust me.)

Simplify

2010-01-25T10:56:00.000-05:00

So Mike and I have decided to try to actually start living by some of our new year's resolutions this week (I know- we're cheating by starting so late). We resolved to stop watching tv, read more, cook more, go out more and I'm even going to have a "facebookless february" (a big step for me :D). They're little steps but hopefully they will have a big impact. Wish me luck!!

Bears with Big Noses...

2010-01-23T12:54:00.000-05:00

... are in the shop- go check 'em out!

The Poppies!

2010-01-20T09:56:00.000-05:00

The wonderful art and design blog Poppytalk is giving out awards to all your favourite handmade peeps and Stitchface has been nominated in the Handmade Crafter category-Yippee!! Vote here!

Little Circus

2010-01-19T08:55:00.000-05:00

A teenie tiny elephant I made on the weekend- a part of my recent obsession with circus things.

Lacy Shop Update

2010-01-17T17:10:00.000-05:00

New animals in the shop! Over the holidays I was given lots and lots and lots of antique handmade lace and doilies and have used some of my new stash on these cuties. I know I'm biased but I love their formal fanciness! Check out the shop for all these lacy sweeties...

Cleaning and Messing

2010-01-15T18:15:00.000-05:00

I've been doing a little blog rearranging this week to remove the cluttered look and finally have it where I like it. For now. Although I'm cleaning up the blog, I'm aiming to make this a messy, creative weekend in my home. Above is a picture of where I do most of my sewing (an older shot of my workspace) but I guarantee you it will not stay this orderly for long....

Bunny Bouquet

2010-01-13T15:11:00.000-05:00

My very good friend gave me a set of these lovely handmade ceramic napkin rings. I love them but am without a set of cloth napkins so until I get some I've been fiddling around with them, trying to find an alternate purpose for them. This is what I came up with. A bouquet of bunny ears is a little bizarre but it made me giggle.

Circus Inspiration

2010-01-11T13:35:00.000-05:00

As a treat to myself, I picked up (an abridged and cheaper version of) The Circus: 1870-1950 and couldn't be happier with my little splurge. Although the book is packed with really interesting insights into the boom and bust of the circus scene in America, the images in the book are what make it truly amazing. From photographs of the side show acts to the incredibly detailed (and exaggerated) bills for shows, the book contains so many fantastic images that it's hard to not be seduced by the glamour, scandal and drama of the circus. Here is some eye-candy from its pages...

Craft Time!

2010-01-11T10:45:00.001-05:00

I love it when a craft experiment turns out fabulous. I've needed a clock for my house for ages and have had no luck finding one that I really loved so I decided to make one. The clock above is made out of out of some beautiful moss green wool felt and an awesome vintage metal embroidery hoop. I'm also really digging the cross-stitch look right now so I've been practicing my stitchery skills. I'm thinking of making more of these for the shop- what do you think??

Aaaaaaand we're back!

2010-01-08T07:52:00.000-05:00

I've missed you. I'm so sorry I left for so long. I guess I never wanted my vacation to end. It was great- I ate loads of delicious food and played lots with my friends and family. I hope that your holiday was just as lovely.

Yesterday was my birthday and I am now (*gasp*) 27 years old. Yowza. I had a lovely day, again eating lots of food and playing with my buds. Mike bought me some new snow kicking winter boots and the extra sweet hand carved wooden animals above. He even wrapped it up so beautifully that I had to share- what boy wraps like this honestly?? My animals are from Bluebird Handmade here in the city, where they also sell some Stitchface friends. This week they were featured in Now Magazine and they included Stitchface in their staff picks. Very, very, very exciting to see my little friends in print! The issue also came out yesterday so it was like they knew it was my birthday.

After a busy holiday season Stitchface is now open again on Etsy and I will be making many new friends. I'm glad to be back :D

Happy Holidays Blogland!

2009-12-21T14:07:00.000-05:00

I'm off on my holidays travels for the next couple weeks! My shop will be closed until the new year so that I can have the merriest of Christmases. Hope that all of you have a wonderful holiday and I'll see you in the new year!!

Smile

2009-12-18T15:36:00.000-05:00

This video made me so happy that I had to share- happy weekend :)

Flat Bunnies

2009-12-14T07:59:00.000-05:00

I'm spending my day sewing up bunnies, bunnies and more bunnies so I thought I'd share this pic of some of them being created. It's going to be a cold, wet, rainy day here in Toronto so being chained to my sewing machine won't deflate me (hahaha).

Also- if you live in Toronto, you can now find my little animals at Kid Icarus in Kensington Market and Bluebird Handmade in the Annex. Both of these shops offer beautifully curated collections of handmade goods and I am beyond thrilled to be included on their shelves!

Urban Craft Life and Urban Wild Life

2009-12-09T10:24:00.000-05:00

Here's a pic from my show on the weekend where I met so many fabulous Toronto crafters. Thanks to everyone who came out and supported handmade in the t.dot!

I also have to share this pic that Mike snapped on Sunday morning from our apartment window. These 2 parking enforcement officers encountered this chubby raccoon who wouldn't go away-he just kept sniffing around the cars looking for some tasty garbage. They seemed quite puzzled about what to do with this animal friend and the one officer armed himself with a window scraper. Eventually they coaxed him into the back yards behind our house where many, many raccoons live.

Phew!

2009-12-07T10:07:00.000-05:00

After busily sewing for shows and the Christmas parcel deadlines I finally have some time to breathe. Yesterday I was so happy to finally make something that is just for me- Christmas decorations for our tiny tree! I made a pretty bunting garland out of teenie chiyogami paper scraps I hoard, pearl ornaments and a hand sewn felt star. I feel more festive already!

Hooray Uppercase!

2009-12-02T17:51:00.001-05:00

Janine Vangool is the amazing creative force behind the Uppercase Galley and Magazine located in Calgary. I had the pleasure of being included in the Stitch show at her gallery a few months back (which was a super exciting experience for me as it was my very first show!). Today she was a guest curator in the Etsy Storque and she was so kind to mention my Plum Perfect Bear in her picks. Hooray!

Uppercase magazine is a fabulous mixture of crafty and artsy awesomeness and I have been itching for a subscription! I have a birthday next month so I'll drop some not so subtle hints. You can check out more about Uppercase here.

No Snow...

2009-11-30T09:48:00.000-05:00

I found out today that this has been the first November ever that Toronto has not had snow fall. It's coming though so I thought I'd share this last pic of the ground not covered in the white stuff.

Craft Show

2009-11-27T16:38:00.000-05:00

I've been very busy preparing for a craft show I'm doing next weekend. If you live in the Toronto area you should plan on visiting the Winter Fling: a Craft Thing show! There are going to be some awesome tdot crafters selling their wares there plus sweets and music. I haven't really been in many craft shows and am so excited to meet the makers in my town. Hoooray! Check out their website for more info :D

Nature in the City

2009-11-25T08:18:00.000-05:00

A last glimpse of a city squirrel before they hide away for the winter. In Toronto they are absolutely gigantic because they have so much to eat. My boyfriend is totally grossed out by them (they're everywhere and he thinks they're like rats with bushy tails) but I like them. Have you ever heard a squirrel call? It's a high pitched squack that gives me the giggles everytime.

Sister Love

2009-11-23T19:12:00.000-05:00

This weekend one of my lovely sisters came to visit me in the city. She lives in Ottawa but I think I have a big city convert. If you've never visited Toronto you should. You might never leave.

More....

2009-11-21T16:45:00.000-05:00

More antlers- but this time on a kitty. Find her in my shop.

Antlers

2009-11-16T12:24:00.000-05:00

Can you tell I am getting anxious about Christmas???? You can find this guy newly listed in my shop.

Parade!

2009-11-15T11:18:00.001-05:00

After a very, very busy week Mike and I are having a leisurely day that includes going to watch the Santa Clause Parade here in Toronto this afternoon. In our search for info about the parade today, I came across this awesome pic of the parade from 1918 and had to share it. I'm hoping that the mobs of people today won't be this thick...

New Friends

2009-11-10T09:18:00.000-05:00

This sweetie is newly listed in my shop along with some other friends. I'm busy sewing trying to make many new animals for the next couple weeks. All the attention that my sewing machine has been receiving has made her very happy!

Fall Pics

2009-11-09T15:35:00.000-05:00

Toronto had the most beautiful fall weather this weekend so my boyfriend Mike and I ran around snapping pictures with our new camera. Ah-mazing! I had one of those 'gee- life is pretty great' weekends filled with t-shirt weather, lattes, movies and music so I hope the feeling carries on throughout the week too!

Mail Call

2009-11-06T11:51:00.000-05:00

I love mail. I love writing letters with a really good black pen, packing up a parcel and finding cool stamps, envelopes and stationary. Receiving mail is just as wonderful. The sense of permanence that a letter has is so satisfying- a million times better than a regular old email. So when my friend Lori of the lovely blog automatism started up the Benevolent Postcard Society I was over the moon. Basically the project is like pen pals for grown ups- you send a postcard at the beginning of every month and you receive one too. Over 250 people from all over the world are involved in the project and at the end Lori plans on publishing a book. So fun!

Above is the great vintage postcard I received in October. Below is the postcard that I sent this month to Chicago that I made with some awesome vintage stamps. You can find out more about the Benevolent Postcard Society at the blog. Happy weekend!

Bunny Love

2009-11-05T13:55:00.000-05:00

Thought I would share this sweet custom order I just made. Cute overload.

Oh Happy Day!

2009-11-04T13:39:00.000-05:00

Now that Halloween is over Christmas is a full go. Holiday merchandising goes into full swing and the red and green comes out everywhere. I have to admit that I get caught up in it every year. As soon as I see my first decoration in a store window, I am hooked. Do you have holiday fever yet? If you don't yet, you will soon...

I am horrible about waiting until Christmas for gift giving. Every year I sneak around to find out what my gifts are. I find all the hiding spots and figure out all the hints. Even when there aren't hints, I manage to find out what I'm getting. I give people their gifts before the actual day because I can't wait to see them open them. I guess that makes me a little bit of a jerk but I'm a lovable one so it's ok.

This year is no exception for my impatience. We decided this year we would forgo loads of littler gifts to get one thing that we have both been coveting for ages- a new camera!! Hoooooray! As soon as I saw the red and green I knew I couldn't wait to get it until December 25th so we reasoned that we needed it now and we got it yesterday. I looooove it! I haven't figured out all the bells and whistles that it has to offer but I'm working on it. I've taken a few photos and they look awesome! I plan on sharing some on here as soon as I get the hang of it but though I'd share the one above. My bears are going to look so amazing- Yippee!

Shop Update!

2009-11-03T12:50:00.000-05:00

I've done a big shop update today with lots of bunnies, kitties and bears- hooray! This kitten is probably my favorite of the bunch. I have such a soft spot for the ones with goofy, exaggerated faces. Hope she'll go to a nice new home...

Halloweenie Craftin' Time!

2009-10-31T16:04:00.001-04:00

I love Halloween- really what person who loves to make things doesn't? It's the best time of year to make those things you've always wanted to make but never had a reason to. I even could convince my boyfriend to help me make something and we carved the totally gross pumpkin above.

I usually make costumes for comedic value but this year I wanted the old school horror factor (with laughter on the side). Inspired this year by the movie Trick 'R Treat I wanted to make a creepy handmade paper mache mask. There is something about a handmade mask that is soooo much scarier than one of the plastic store bought varieties. So from a cheapie goalie mask, newspaper and some masking tape, I now have a pretty awesome blood sucking costume!

Happy Halloween everyone- hope your night is candy filled and full of fright!!!

When it Rains it Pours

2009-10-21T15:49:00.000-04:00

Today is the first of a long line of Fall rainy days here in Toronto- a perfect day for getting down to creating. But before I get to sewing, I thought I'd toot my own horn and let you know about another lovely post in the Etsy Storque with my Sweet Bear (above) and a post on my friend Lori's fabulous blog automatism.
I think it's going to be a nice rainy season ;)

Back to the Grind

2009-10-20T14:30:00.000-04:00

This month has been a me month.
I have taken a little time away from my crafting station to do a bit of traveling for the past few weeks. Part of my trip was for work and I went to Puces Pop craft show in Montreal. It was work in the loosest sense of the word because I had such an awesome time! So many wonderful crafters were there and it was in a cool part of the city I'd never been in before. I can't stop dreaming about the amazing coffee I had from Cafe Olympico across the street from the show... mmmm.....

Part of my trip was to visit my good friend who lives in the mountains of British Columbia which was equally as amazing. She lives smack in the middle of a mountain range on an inlet to the Pacific ocean. The above picture is of the mountains near her home. So beautiful!

Now I'm back in my home here in Toronto and feeling the crunch after taking off for so long. However I got a wonderful surprise when I saw my face (the top picture) in the Etsy Storque! Eeeeeee! Better get back to my sewing machine!

Well Hi There....

2009-10-20T11:02:00.000-04:00

Hello! My name is Danielle and I make things. This is my little blog where I hope to share my adventures in crafting. If you've found this blog it's probably because you like crafting too- so let's be buds.

These days I mostly make cute things and sell them at my shop Stitchface. Most days I'm sewing or thinking of sewing or procrastinating from sewing. Sometimes I draw. Some times I tinker with tools. A lot of my waking hours are spent thinking about how things are made and how I can make them.

I hope you enjoy reading my creative ramblings and come back to visit me soon!