It’s hard to believe that the holidays are finally here! And as everyone prepares to take time
off from work, school or whatever they normally do, it only seemed right to dedicate this blog
post to a guy who is working hard this holiday season. So, this one is for you Santa.

There are so many different types of images of Santa and everyone seems to have
their own idea of what he looks like. Back in September, I used this idea when I started
working on my thesis about keepsakes, greeting cards and memory. I used vintage
holiday cards to make this Santa Memory Game as a bit of an experiment. It’s a take on
the classic Memory game, but here instead of matching Elmos, apples or the alphabet
you match vintage card illustrations of Santa!

The rules are simple: Everyone gets a chance to see the cards turned upright before
the game begins. The decides on a time between 10-30 seconds. (Choose the based
on age and ability.) Then flip the cards and play!

Besides being a fun game for the holidays, it was also fun to see how people’s
visual memories are different from each other. While none of us have seen the Santa
in person, we all have a pretty clear idea of what we think he looked like. I found that
people chose Santa images that looked closest to their own idea of Santa. One student
ended up with a bunch of Coca Cola Santas, while others matched all the pairs with
cartoon-like features.

Happy Hanukkah friends! And what did I get for you, you ask? Illustrations of course!

My immediate family celebrates Christmas, not Hanukkah, but our Jewish ancestors would
be proud to see my Dad cooking up Matzo Ball Soup every December 26th. And who can resist
a little gelt? Yum yum.

One of my best friends, Sarah is celebrates both Hanukkah and her birthday in December. Her birthday
party usually has a Hanukkah theme where we play with dreidels and eat Star of David cookies. This year
it will be a Hanukkah sweater party! Sarah was my inspiration and offered help to develop this illustration.

Here is the sketch and initial steps in painting as well as the finished card.

If you are in Kingston, this card is available from Dwell Boutique or Cybil Scott. Or order online in the website shop.

Enjoy the festivities!

This post is dedicated to anyone who is or ever has studied for an exam,
test or done anything worth procrastinating from.

Today, I’m writing a Research Methods exam. Enough said. Sometimes you just want to get away.
That’s the theme of this flash animation that I created for my web design course.
Click the image to watch the animation:

Let’s distract each other. What are you doing to procrastinate today?

One of my favorite blogs Decor8 sent a link to this great website called Odosketch.

Click this image to watch how this was made
On Odosketch you can create your own drawing, or just watch other people’s drawings being created.
It’s very cool. If you have the time, go check it out!

Now… back to studying.

This has been a very busy week!
All of the holiday cards are now up on the website store. Thanks to Wes Bos for the shop
make-over and the cute pink buttons! The new agendas and notebooks
will be posted in the shop very soon. But here’s a sneak peak at them, just for fun.

New notebooks and agendas. Here are two of the five new designed books.

This past weekend, I was at Plaid Tidings. The show was a big success and it was
so much fun to do! If you couldn’t make it, don’t worry…. I took pictures!

Since the show, I’ve been busy trying to turn my art studio back into a livable space.
And while its feels a bit sad having to neglect my fashion illustrations this week,
I’ve made some time to work on other projects, (including a very cool 1980s
music video that will be posted soon!)

Christmas Decor in my booth at Plaid Tidings

Cards and Books at Plaid Tidings

Being a part of these shows is so great because you can get some feedback from
shoppers and other artisans. It is also great to meet the people who are
adopting pieces. This weekend, several original pieces went to new homes
including this painting that is part of the fashion holiday card series.

Plaid Tidings is really well organized, with red carpets, draped walls, helpful volunteers,
and really yummy sweets. (Their banana bread cupcakes were amazing.) I didn’t get
around to explore the entire show, but spent my spare time coveting
Hilary Cosgrove’s adorable owl pillows and French Laundry’s
revamped, recycled, vintage designs.

Thank you to everyone who came out to see the show this weekend!

Today Plaid Tidings starts at Branksome Hall! Doors open at 5:30 tonight
at 10 Elm Ave. (Just off of Mount Pleasant at Rosedale). It’s easy to get to and
runs Saturday and Sunday from 10-4. I’ll be there with all of my new products!
Check out the Branksome Hall website for more info.

Before the show begins, I want to share one more holiday card image with you:

Most people have experienced those hectic holiday moments or at least,
they’ve seen their mothers or loved ones experience them…. Wrapping,
decorating, turkey cooking, feeling slow from too many cups of eggnog
with sugar cookies. It takes a lot to get everything looking like Christmas.
This is the inspiration for another card in my holiday series.

So I want to know… can you relate?
What do you do to relieve holiday stress?

I’ve been crushing on Jen Storey’s Dwell Boutique in Kingston for quite some time now.
And unlike some of the other things/people that I’ve crushed on, Jen has great taste
and never disappoints. And I’m not the only one who loves Dwell. This month, the
store was featured in Style At Home Magazine.

Check out the full story at: styleathome.com

Pick up this month's issue of Style At Home to read more.

Owned and operated by interior designer Jen Storey, this shop is
filled with unique and beautiful décor objects. Products range from
fabulous furniture to cute and chic objects for the little ones. It’s
also a great place to find a gift at a good price, that won’t look too
“gift-shoppy”. (Perfect for those last minute hostess/host gifts and
stocking stuffers.)

Jen has been single-handily feeding my mom’s addiction to lamps since the store opened.

Dwell offers a wide selection of products from local and Canadian
designers, including amazing crafts from Hilary Cosgrove, artwork from
Lisa McLaughlin-LaRose and paper products from me!

Here’s a little peak at some of Hilary’s work. She makes the most
incredible mobiles and adorable pillows. She’ll in a booth across
from mine at Plaid Tidings with me this weekend.

So if you’re in Kingston or visiting the city, go check out
Dwell Boutique or visit the website at dwellboutique.ca.

Everyone loves the magic of the first snowfall. And its that magic that inspired
this illustration in my new series of holiday cards… Walking in a Winter Wonderland.

We haven’t had snow yet this year in Toronto, but I did notice a layer of frost
on the grass yesterday. Last year, when I was living right in the heart of downtown
Toronto, literally facing the Eaton’s Centre, we had the most amazing snowstorm.
The whole city was empty the next morning, which really strange. That snowfall
was probably one of the most memorable for me.

This year, I’m itching for snow. And it’s not just because of the cute new
winter boots sitting in my closet. I want it to snow so that it really feels like the
holidays are coming. All of the glittering shop windows seem so out of
place in this weather.

For now, I’ll have to settle for illustrating the snow.

Painting... my favorite part.

What are your favorite winter memories?

I’ve been counting down to Christmas since August, and am now finally ready to
unleash my new cards and products! Next weekend, November 20-22nd, I’ll be
at Plaid Tidings (Show and Sale) at Branksome Hall, in Toronto. If you are looking
for something to do next weekend, come and visit my booth!

This week, I’ll be posting a sneak peak of the new line. For today, here’s a bit
of background on the inspiration for this collection.

Vintage fashion illustration, part of the inspiration for the new series of cards.

Because I’m doing my thesis research about keepsakes, greeting cards and memory,
I chose an era for these images that is both nostalgic and glamorous: the 1950s. Some
of the research got me looking at fashion illustration, typography and colour trends.

Gathering inspiration is one of my favorite parts of working on a new project. It is
also a great excuse to get out and shop. I found this adorable pop-up book at
the antique market in Kingston for $4. The book’s original owner’s name and
the date were still inscribed on the first page. She was given this as a Christmas gift
when she was 5 years old, in 1954.

This pop-up book from the 1950s has cute features, like Santa's fuzzy beard.

There's a definite Snow White look to this book.

As you can imagine, shopping can get pretty dangerous. For me, Ebay was a short-lived
obsession that ended with a purchase of about 300 Santa images. That’s when I realized
that I’d had enough. Now I just browse.

One of the 300 Santas. For some reason, this doesn't seem safe.

What I really like about some of the vintage pieces is how they use typography.
There’s so much movement and personality in words. After all the illustrations were
designed, I took a look at House Industries to get a modern take on vintage type.

House Industries Book features a modern take on vintage typefaces.

Check out the House Industries website for typographic inspiration.

Stay tuned to see how this inspiration came together!

The Inspiration: Coco Rocha

What do you like to do on Sundays?

One of my favorite things to do is to sketch. And even though I try to divorce my computer on
days off, a little digital painting can be the perfect Sunday escape.

Here’s a little sample of an illustration as it developed along the way.

The inspiration for this was beautiful (Canadian) Supermodel Coco Rocha. (It’s not hard to see
why.) I loved this photo of her. Apparently, we both like apples. Maybe we should be friends.

Coco drawing, still looking a little rough

Getting there... it took a while to decide on the coat.

Just like in real life, putting the outfit together is the best part. Creating fashion
illustrations is like playing with paper dolls. Coco is wearing my favorite
colour of the season, red.

The finished look

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been working hard to put the finishing touches on
my holiday illustrations and new products. (To be revealed VERY SOON!) While
searching for inspiration, motivation and distractions I often end up reading up
on fashion and design blogs. So, today I thought I’d share one of my very
favorites with you: My Vintage Secret.com

My Vintage Secret... a great source of fashion inspiration

Anyone who has done any vintage shopping will know that the process
can be fantastic or just plain frustrating. When you are able to find one
of those unique one-of-a-kind treasures it all feels worthwhile. But the
process of weeding through the mix of un-merchandized stock can
deter even the most diligent shoppers.

Vintage shopping can feel a bit like this

The key to making vintage shopping fun is knowing where to begin.
That’s where my latest blog crush comes in. Kaitlin Simonsen of
My Vintage Secret launched her blog just a couple of months ago,
but already she’s revealed some of the best tricks and tips that
make vintage shopping a real pleasure.

Kaitlin of My Vintage Secret

Her blog features styling ideas and store reviews. One of my favorite features is
“Thrift it”, where she takes the “must haves” from top fashion magazines and
compiles a thrifted version for her readers. And the best part is… everything
is for sale! My Vintage Secret even features a size chart, that helps to make
sense of those tough-to-fit retro shapes.

The hottest trends, thrifted for under $75!

Check your size according to this graphic and ensure the perfect fit

Reading Kaitlin’s blog is like having a personal (vintage) shopper!
Get in on the secret at myvintagesecret.com