New This Week

This was a super busy week on so many fronts, but I managed to finish and photograph a few new pieces that are now available on Etsy and some through Freedom Clothing Collective.
I am hoping to be able to squeeze a few more in the week to come.

Something to Look Forward to

Last week Karen and I hit the road and headed  East to visit some of our Montreal based designers and pick some of their Fall/Winter collection for Freedom. The trip was short but sweet as a pie. Not only did we get the chance to see our friends from Quebec, we also treated ourselves to some fantastic shoes by a Canadian brand Fluevog that are destined to make this transition from Summer to Fall a whole lot easier. Karen opted for a two toned pair of timeless ladylike shoes and I went with a pair of ankle boots that will match my casual fall look perfectly.
All the brands mentioned in this post (with the exception of the shoes) are available at Freedom.

Karen and her Fluevogs with a fantastically u- cycled lunch tote by Freedom Reconstructed

My Fluevogs paired up with pink Atelier b lyocell and wool tee

Checkered shirt by Betina Lou, felt and leather purse by C Comme Ca, wool hat by Julie Sinden

Bloorcourt Street Fest

During the past Saturday our store participated in the second annual Bloorcourt Street Festival. Artists and artisans from all around town occupied booths along the Bloor Street stretch to offer goods they so lovingly create. Here are a few photos from that day:

Cool shopping totes by Barbara from Sparrow Avenue

These shoulder purses are another delight that comes from Barbara's art studio

Totes by Orico

Kristen from Knotted Nest always has such happy and colourful disoplays

This framed embroidery by Knotted Nest is awesome 

Just in time for school Mule Mother has come up with new book and agenda designs

Add some spunk to you kitchen table with these fun looking salt shakers by rcboisjoli

Coming up this Saturday

Second annual Bloourcourt Street Festival is taking place this Saturday, August 18th, and we at Freedom Clothing Collective are very excited to be a part of it. So excited as the matter of fact that we are offering 20% off of, almost, our entire stock (fall merchandise excluded)!! Even Poppies at the store will be on sale.

On this occasion, Bloor Street will be closed for traffic between Dufferin Street and Montrose Avenue and will host a great number of vendors and street performers from 11AM until 10PM.

We hope that you will be able to come by and join us in celebrating our community's vibrant lifestyle.

Road Trip Follow-Up

I knew this mini roady was going to be loaded with fun, but did not expect it to be all that it was.
We got up at 5AM on Saturday morning and were on the road by 5:15. In order to save some on gas and leave a smaller footprint, we chose Kia Optima Hybrid for this trip. We left Toronto with a full tank and during our trip we only needed to gas once. The first tank lasted us for 1,150 km - quite impressive, don't you think?

2012 Kia Optima Hybrid - car that took us places

By the time we reached Columbus, OH, it was early afternoon and before checking into our hotel we wanted to see what local retailers had to offer. When I saw these New Balance shoes, I could not but take them home with me. They are not only comfortable but also my favorite color, a true winning combo.

The evening started off by meeting my friend in front of the Schmidt's Saussage House, the restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious meal, well worth the trip.

Marc and I in anticipation of our dinner

When you can't decide what to order, the easiest way is to go with the sampler plate

After treating our taste buds with local awesomeness, Marc returned to our hotel to catch up on some golf and the girls went dancing. I don't rally do that much, but when one of your best friends asks you to, you just don't say no. 

On Sunday we reloaded our car and hit the road Toronto bound. This trip was short and sweet and I can't wait for the next one to come, regardless of where it may take us.

Cheers - Ivana and I before hitting the dance floor

Taking a Roady

got this image off Pinterest, would love to credit the author, but can't seem to find who it is

yes, tomorrow and I can't wait.

It is a spontaneous thing Marc and I decided to do a week ago. We are off to Columbus, OH inspired by a food show to indulge in some beer and sausages from a local eatery. 

Coincidentally, my childhood friend, who now lives in Washington DC, and who I love spending time with will also be there. Happiness all around!

Time Flies

Pre-drilled plates waiting to become fully functional clocks

... and literally so, just last week at least 10 clocks few of our walls at Freedom Clothing Collective and into their new homes. This prompted me to start a search for a new batch as the time is approaching when I will have to direct a lot of my attention to producing crafty goodness for the One of A Kind Show that my friend and Freedom partner Karen of koocoo are participating at.

The stack of drilled plates on my kitchen counter keeps growing at a steady pace but there is still a lot more to get done.

Here are a few plates that actually made it to become clocks just this morning. My absolutely favourite one is the one with the whale - it started off by being just a plain bamboo plate. I experimented a bit with an image transfer technique and could not be happier with the end result. It was a bit labour intensive, but fun so I expect more of those come come out of my workshop soon.

This baby sold already and is on its way to Vancouver

In the Works

Before

In progress

Drawer with the woodgrain showing

Here is a little sneak preview of one of the few pieces that I am working on at the  moment. The reason this one made the cut is to show you how some unintentional mistakes can make an awesome finished look. Namely, as I was taping off the drawers to apply the white paint, I miscalculated the width and as a result, the wood grain is showing in random spots and adding that unexpected something. At first I wanted to cover it, but since every drawer seems to have the same "problem" i have decided to ignore it and make it a part of the design. Can't wait till this one is done and posted on Etsy. Hope you share my enthusiasm.

Quirky lamp

Originally I created some knick-knack candle holders from random china pieces as I was inspired by an image from the Anthropologie catalogue, but from there I decided to take it a step further and turn them into lamps - that way they are just a bit more functional. So here is the latest one, the height and the colours are just perfect and the little shade seems to fit like a glove.

New Beginnings

It has been a while and hopefully everyone is doing well, enjoying the summer and staying cool. The weather in Toronto is so hot and humid today, but who cares really, it is summer and it is supposed to be like that. Before we know it we will be missing it and wishing it back.
In the past little while I spent some time thinking as to why I have not been diligent enough to make new posts, and have realized that it stems from the fact that there are so many beautifully curated blogs out there and that I wish mine was of the same kind, but somehow it never turns out that way. But I have also decided to ignore that fact and just roll with the way I do things and there will always be someone who will want to read it and catch up on my work, so in the spirit of embracing what I just said here is a mini visual update of some of the projects that have come and gone through my hands.