The most amazing thing!

One of my favourite experiences in life, is that unexpected and deeply fulfilling interaction with someone I just met...those connections that make you pause and remember that we ARE the same, in our desires, pain and love...

Yesterday, as I was stocking my space with two new pieces, I had such an encounter, and the fact that it centered around my art made it all the more profound.

After placing the embroidery on my shelf, I had gone over to chat with another artist, and noticed a lady was at my display looking at my wares.  A minute later she came up to me, and asked with tears in her eyes, "Did you make this?"  She was holding the "You are enough" canvas in her hands.  I told her I did, and started to tear up too!  I hugged her, as she went on to thank me and as tears rolled down her cheeks.  I had to know why these words touched her so deeply, and she told me that her dear friend had just left an abusive relationship.  This gift was the perfect thing for her at this pivotal time in her life.  I was so touched that a message I embroidered (let's face it~ I made it to remind myself!) could resonate so deeply and actually make a difference for other people.  THIS is why making art is so incredibly satisfying....!

My intention now is continue making these Mirror Messages, with various uplifting words on them, so we can be reminded of our greatness, our capacity to make a difference, and to shine our bright lights!

Ho ho stockings!

So, the other day I accidently ordered some natural cotton lining instead of cotton batting from my upholstery supplier...and it's turned out to be a happy mistake!  I am absolutely loving this material, in it's raw and simple state.  And since Christmas is upon us, I thought I would get busy and create some stockings out of it, while using bits & pieces of colourful fabrics to add contrast and colour.

I really appreciate the natural touch of cotton, and naturally, they are available at the Arts Market, 1114 Queen St. E!

it's hard to tell that the one on the end is a beautiful green velvet and soooo soft!

I took these ones to the next level by making them reversible.

How perfect is this fabric for a candy-cane?! :)

Pillow Heaven

Yes, the title says it all: I am in pillow heaven!

For weeks now, I've been staring at the stack of blank feather-filled pillow inserts in my studio, and they've been staring back at me, just begging for me to make them some new clothes.  I'll admit it- I had big plans for these pillows, and I think I was intimidated by how amazing I knew they could be...so I avoided the task altogether.

Saturday night was the night.  I was finally prepared to dive into the challenge of pillow-dressing.  I told myself, "Jac, nothing is permanent!  If they don't meet your expectations, no one will ever have to know!"  That thought did the trick.  I started playing with some luxurious fabrics, and after a few snips and a few stitches, I ended up with these beauties!

soft linen back

As much as I am in love with them,  these pillows are available for adoption at the Arts Market.

Zip it!

I am discovering that one of my favourite things to UPLIFT is a perfectly good fabric sample.  I think the reward for me is the fact that I am rescuing one more piece of fabric that has been classified as "discontinued" (read: useless) by those in the business of making/selling/buying fabric.  I love that I can intercept these little lovelies as they are on their way to a landfill, and give them a second chance at life!

And so I have been busy making zippered pouches which can be made to carry anything you want zipped up in your bag, like make-up, pencil crayons, or all your $100 bills!

Here are the samples as I get them: bright, colourful and full of potential!

And here they are ready to protect your personal things.

Even the inside is exciting!

Another favourite thing of mine is being true to my mission statement:

"Redeeming wholeness from bits & pieces"

I had retrieved small pieces of this beautiful black velvet and linen fabric from an upholsterer who had cut the fabric into strips meant for piping, but as too many were cut, he had no use for them.  Lucky for me!  I brought them home just knowing I could make them into something...but what?

Today, after stitching some bits & pieces together for fun, I realized they wanted to be zippered pouches, and I am happy to announce that we are in love:

Even the inside is sexy, as I used a black faux snake-skin lining.

All these items and more are available at my Uplift space at the Arts Market in Leslieville, Toronto.

Tapestry bag

For as long as I can remember, the word "tapestry" has been one of my favourites, because for me it conjures richness, earthiness, artistry and beauty.  I was lucky to get my hands on an expired sample book of tapestry-like fabrics and, naturally, I thought to make purses from them.  Here is the prototype bag.  Though I am happy with the shape and feel, I do realize it's missing an adornment to magnify it's beauty, and so the brainstorming session in underway as to how to improve this bag.  Even though it's a 'work in progress',  I love it enough as it is to share it with you...enjoy!

front

back

Stay tuned for the next development of the Tapestry bag~!

Tote Bag (I really had to hold myself back from saying Tote-ally awesome bag ;)

Let me just take a moment to express how grateful I am that all this wonderful fabric has found a home with me.  In fact, I am so in love with so much of it, and since every remnant I have is one of a kind, at times I am hesitant to make it into something because once it's gone, it's gone!  This is particularly true of this plaid fabric I've had with me for a while.  It finally spoke loudly enough for me to hear that it wanted to be useful as well as pretty, and so I sewed it into a lovely bag.  I am thrilled with the result!

Arts Market

So today was the day!

I have not posted any new creations lately because all my time has been occupied with preparing for an  upcoming deadline which came today...

....I moved into my space at the Arts Market in Leslieville!!!

It's a very cool art collective, located at 1114 Queen St. E, that provides artisans with a permanent space  to showcase their creations all year round.

I am so excited about having this opportunity to kick-start my new business.  Knowing I will meet interesting people I can learn from and be inspired by thrills me.  And the vibe is so fantastic.  I spent a few hours installing my booth, and took some photos of the progression.  It is far from finished, but I will show you what's happened so far!

The before picture.  I stole the shelving unit from my kitchen~ just for now! 

Started with some pillows....loving how my tags are looking!

The after with my tote bags made from fabric sample books.

I'm really excited to enjoy the evolution of the space, the art, and myself...!

The Arts Market is open Wed-Fri 12-6, Sat and Sun 11-6.  Come check out how awesome it is.

Like wine? Me too.

My boyfriend does too!  (Who doesn't really?)

Anyway, over a period of time, he amassed a lovely collection of memories whilst sharing exquisite bottles of wine...and corks.  He handed them over to me knowing I would make something with them and so I did!  Ready for it...?  I made a CORKBOARD!  Super original, I know. ;)  We recently moved into a home which provides me with my very own work studio, and I was in need of a place to pin my inspirational finds right where I could see them and draw from them.

Using a basic white glue, I placed (what were once) single corks beside one another and fixed them into permanent relationships!  As the line of my corks grew longer, I realized I would need a way to support them on the backside.  Originally, I intended to use a strip of wood, and have been waiting to find the right piece.  Today my patience for waiting ran out, and I used some corset boning I had lying around.  Once I had affixed it to the back of the corks with tacks, I nailed it to the wall and took a picture...see?

Luckily, I have many friends who somehow manage to produce lots of single corks ;) and so I will continue to make more and more boards to hang images that inspire me to create, while I sip on some wine.

A rare beauty!

As soon as this chair was dropped off at the shop, I wished I would be the one to get to give it a make-over.  The fabric it was wearing was disproportionately ugly to how beautiful the chair actually is, and I knew that with a little love, it could be a stunner.

Anyway, I got my wish and here is the finished product:

Say what you will about the fabric- I know it's not for everyone- but I doubt I would ever hear you say you've seen a chair like this before!

A bedroom beauty!

This piece just goes to show how something so simple can have a very pleasing impact.  The woman who brought this chair in told us she was putting it in her bedroom, which had a very serene feel.  She chose an organic linen to contrast with the off-white frame of the chair.  Alas, I have no pics of the outside back to show that it is open to expose the linen.  I had great pleasure working on this chair and she expressed great joy in the result!

Two-tone challenge!

One random day at work, I was assigned to this chair.  It was a particularly interesting challenge because the client had chosen two very different fabrics for the inside and outside of the chair.  The inside was a lovely wool houndstooth which was a pleasure to work with. The outside was a much thinner fabric, AND a pattern- two elements that make a task more difficult for any upholsterer.

With the helping hand of my boss, I got the job done and here are the final pics:

My very second upholstery gig!

My dear friend Brittany has the most adorable patio set....well, NOW she does.  In order for it to go from "potentially awesome" to awesome, she had me do her chairs in a vibrant salmon fabric that she selected.

Before: (pretty cute, right?)

Once I stripped down the chair I discovered that the wood was rotten due to water seepage.  That's my supervisor in the background making sure I do a good job.

I had a friend make some wood circles for me, and got to stapling that fabric down!  Here is the finished pair:

My very first upholstery gig!

Friends of my boyfriend came over to our home one day for a party, and as soon as they learned I am into upholstery, they requested that I do two chairs!   They own a laundromat, and had purchased two chairs to provide more seating for the people using their services.  After going out to Home Depot and investing in my very own compressor and staple gun, I was ready to say YES and take on the job.  I thought it best to choose fabric that could withstand anything, and so we chose some fun vinyl in two different colours.

Here is the before picture:

Clearly, there was nowhere to go but up!  And for my first job, I was pleased that anything I did would only make an improvement...;)

And after:

The biggest challenge for me was to upholster a fairly stiff vinyl onto curved arms and a curved inside back.  But with some perserverance and a lot of cursing at the chair, it all came together beautifully!
I eventually went back to add some accent tacks to the chairs, and now they are extra spiffy!

Here they are in action at the laundromat:

What to do with old fabric sample books?!

Make a one-of-a kind bag!

My boss was about to throw a book of beautiful velvet samples into the garbage when I said. "Waaaaaaaaaait! I can DO something with that- I know I can!"

Here it is:

It's lovingly lined with lots of pockets and very very very soft!

The chair I fell in love with!

Let me just explain something to you.

While working at an upholstery shop, one is exposed to all kinds of furniture in various states of being.  Regardless of, how should I put this...physically challenged (read: ugly) the item is, the goal remains the same: to give each piece the best possible make-over so that the client is pleased with the results.  I sure have seen my share of unattractive furniture and worked with some poor fabric choices.  To each his own, after all.  But what an absolute treat it is to work on a chair that actually makes me happy to be alive.  Let me introduce you to the chair that stole my heart:

WARNING: she is naked in the first picture so get your IDs ready

She's almost dressed...

TaDAAAAAAA!!!!  Isn't she beautiful?!

It took everything I had to not hold this chair hostage from its rightful owner.  In fact, when she came to pick up the chair, she was so happy with the "chair-lift" that she told me more about it.  It originally belonged to her grandfather and was one of the last remaining pieces of his estate.  After hearing this story, I reluctantly handed the chair over, but not without asking if I could come visit it occasionally. ;)

Mark your words!

It was also this past winter that I began making my own unique brand of bookmarks, using recycled beads and baubles that I found...first I had three, then I had too many to count!

Uplifting embroidery!

It was around this time, back January of 2012, that I began experimenting with embroidery as a way to express uplifting messages such as...

Don't you just love how those apple seeds come together to make a heart?!
Inspired by the seeds, I decided to try my hand at a tree: