From Garbage to Great Buns: OOAK Artist Profiles

Art
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This is me … looking into the Cinderella Garbage display case (upside down) of  … transfixed.

Cinderella Garbage.

Cinderella Garbage stones fused with gemstones.

Cinderella Garbage makes jewelery out of trash.

Cinderella Garbage makes beautiful pieces of wearable art out of trash.

You’ve heard of rags to riches and ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.’ Well, the artists behind Cinderella Garbage have literally  turned garbage into gems with their line of gorgeous jewels.

To be honest, I don’t entirely understand how it works, but the idea of taking waste and making it into something new and shiny appeals to me on so many levels. This graphic helps shed some light on the process (assuming you speak French – which I do).

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This graphic helps shed some light on the process.

I was fascinated to see the truly brilliant items at this year’s show, some of the most conversation-worthy pieces I’ve ever seen. Engagement ring anyone? Rat necklace?

For details on her process and more about her line of jewelery, visit:  http://www.cinderellagarbage.com/CG_2_O5KT.html

Now for something completely different: Kiriki Press’ embroidery, by Michelle Galletta. Based in Toronto, Kiriki Press has a line of totally adorable embroidery starter kits and ready made embroidered items. Eeep, they sure are cute.

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Little Fox – Kiriki Press.

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Owl by Kiriki Press.

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The whole gang.

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DIY kits.

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Feeling crafty?

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Not much needs to be said – the products speak for themselves. They are too cute and if you’re looking for a new hobby, stitch away!

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Check out their full range of products on Etsy at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/kirikipress?ref=l2-shop-info-avatar

Visit them on the web at http://www.kirikipress.com/index.html

Still in the textiles department, Paula Gonzalez’s textile and home decor line – Phaulet. 

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I want to bury myself in a pile of tropical pillows and pretend I’m in Tahiti.

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The colours were just incredible and the large floral prints and oversized flora and fauna made me giddy. 

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Imagine one of these gorgeous pillows on a crisp while quilted bedspread.

Her online shop http://www.phaulet.com/ features some of the following, very cool items:

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Throw pillow by Phaulet

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Textiles by Phaulet

OOAK describes her work as, “old illustrations… mixed to create very unique and unconventional art-pieces to wear and decorate spaces.” I’m definitely going to be looking to add some of her work to my house next show!

A cool clutch is definitely within reach at Heather Scott’s booth for Rock & Roll Romantic. Here the reversible handbags, in a variety of colours, were hard to choose from. With so many finishes and colour combos, picking just one was a hard decision!

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Get your hands on the handbags from Rock & Roll Romantic!

Splattered effect.

Splattered effect.

Pretty painted pouches!

Pretty painted pouches!

For more details, check out https://www.facebook.com/ROCKANDROLLROMANTIC

Last, butttttt certainly not least, get your behind into some of these supremely stylish leggings and ‘sweats’. At Skinny Sweats, the motto “Lazy, Sexy, Cool” makes perfect sense and who can’t get behind a line of crazy comfortable pants that make your buns look fantastic?

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Amazing printed and solid pants.

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Get into these hot pants.

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Double take: these bottoms come in two styles, both will make your legs look ready to party.

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Lazy as you can get.

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A cheeky motto, to be sure, but I’m liking their vibe!

Check out all their collections and consider how good you’d look in all of them! http://www.skinnysweats.com/FW12-Collection-Page-4.html

The artist profiles will keep on coming for the foreseeable future. Support local and show these artists some love!

KonMari Continues

DIY
The purses have been purged.

The purses have been purged.

And I suppose the Christmas gift bag is apropos – it has been a gift to ourselves to free up more space. After purging (aka de-cluttering) our shoes, we moved on to purses and jewellery. We’ve made two hundred bucks. The photo, above, is of the bags full of bags that we unloaded from our life. So many of the items have been making us laugh. Why are we holding onto this stuff? It’s easier to poke fun at my wife. She’s Jamaican. We both know she’s Jamaican; why does she need 12 different logo emblazoned bags, t-shirts, sandals and picture frames that remind her – she’s Jamaican. And the colours don’t really go with our scheme.

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There is a certain fun to deciding, consciously, to get rid of things. It feels like taking control. Bye-bye, Jamaica totes – we’ll totes miss you.

Anything that wasn’t purchased by the consignment shop is going to be put into the clothing swap I’m hosting, then everything not taken – goes to a charity donation drop-off center. I am feeling lighter.

The shelf looks so tidy with the clutches nestled nicely against each other - visible and so much more likely to get used!

The shelf looks so tidy with the clutches nestled nicely against each other – visible and so much more likely to get used!

I’m holding off on reading the next chapters of Marie Kondo’s book – anticipating that as I head into the basement I will need to bolster myself (for moral and spiritual support) as I attack the symbolic depths of my past – journals from my year abroad in Brazil, musical instruments I no longer play. Sports paraphernalia. Assorted strange and random, useful and useless items.