30.3.07

.tomate d'epingles. newsletter for Spring 2007

The .tomate d'epingles. newsletter for Spring 2007 was shipped on March 30th! Please find sneak peek below!

In this issue:
· what’s new? a whole lot!
· introducing the trans-Canada highway etsy team
· interview with Tanis Alexis from Tanis Alexis.com
· salvaging recycled materials

Plus, a bonus tutorial from the talented Isabelle of
Jewels in wire.

If you like, you can join the mailing list by contacting us at tomatedepingles@yahoo.com
That way, you can also take advantage of our enclosed coupon :)

Thanks for reading!

Guylaine & Isabelle





More information for the Calendar of events:

The Contact Photography Festival
Lucy Camputaro, Joseph Muscat, Michael Holland
May 1st to May 15th, 2007
Sun - Sat 1 - 5pm, or call for appointment

Opening Night: Friday, May 4, 2007 from 6-10 p.m.

Ben Navee Gallery
1111 Queen Street East
Toronto, ON M4M 1K7
416 999 1030

Exhibition Title: Perception
The constructed image is a personal journey of discovery, seeing the world from one's own unique perspective. The lens that we create facilitates this reality, the spiritual, the social, and the physical. It is from a personal reality that we construct this perception and it is this perception that translates into the image you see.


Interview with Tanis Alexis of TanisAlexis.com


Tell me a little about yourself...
My full name is Tanis Dylan Alexis Laird, my parents were both artists/designers and so I’ve had a pencil in my hand for as long as I can remember. I’m an only child -which also serves for lots of time for me to play in my imagination, you can say I’ve had a lot of practice –haha!

I attended to Victoria School of the Arts for high school in Edmonton, Alberta, which was great for a wallflower like me, I could get lost in the art building all day!
I also attended the Visual Communications/Design program at Grant MacEwan College, which taught me a lot of interesting skills. (faux finish-or spray glue & foam core- anyone?)
I’ve already dabbled in quite a few professional endeavours such as window display, painting, vinyl sign management, Christmas tree decorator, event coordinator, and film & television. I loved working in the Art Department. One of my favourite jobs was Art Dept.Trainee, I never knew what my day held with that crazy job. Film also gave me the chance to travel to Europe, and Asia, including assisting a friend with an independent documentary in Nepal.

I came out to Vancouver in 2003 where I met my best friend and love, Joseph –we now live together on the oceanfront in Port Moody where I spend a lot of my time dabbling in all things creative.
My passions lie in paint and canvas,
pen & paper,
fibre and fabric,
and I am now working toward my big dream of traveling with Joe internationally and teaching children, orphans, & young women the power of creativity, imagination, hope and love.

Oh- And I cook a mean pasta carbonara!



Tell me about your business...
I launched my
portfolio website in 2005 and begun a few different series of paintings. Most of what I painted at the time was based on my personal research about physics, quantum physics and biology. Quantum Theories
Joe & I co-curated an art show here in Vancouver last Spring. It consisted of Joe’s amazing photography prints
Photo’s By Joe Leger and my oil paintings inspired by his photography. The shows theme was water, Waist Deep-Patterns & Moods

Also during that time I had met a wonderful woman by the name of Babs Bird in London, U.K.We met over at
craftster.org and became fast online friends, Babs introduced me to the wonders of handmade felt and felt making. I fell in love! Babs is an avid needle felter and all-round crafty gal. I don’t have such patience for ‘the needle’ (big klutz with sharp objects) so I have recently fallen in love with the combination of hot water, soap, wool and the labour of love that is Wet felting. Babs and I paired up for a unique venture in etsy friendship when she asked if I wanted to help co-run her etsy shop Mwah! Creations.

We both create artistic items, collaborate through the mail and online, and generally have a synch in our own personal tastes that jive together--plus Babs has a seriously dark and wicked humour that makes me giggle n’ howl. What more could I ask for?
I love to collaborate and I enjoy the uniqueness that comes with running a business with someone you love, but you’ve never met in the real world.


What's new and exciting in your store?
It’s springtime! And so many ideas and opportunities are popping up- we’re getting more retail representation at fabulous places like Sweet Somethings Gallery, Galiano Island, B.C. & Naturally Creative in Virginia, U.S.A.
We’re also trying to have monthly specials up in our store.
Babs is needle felting up a storm over in London, including some fabulously hilarious critters and creatures. Like these..
Today’s Catch- Rare Poisonous Jellyfish
The Meh’s – A family of mediocrity
The Giant Toadstool of wonder

And I’ve been distracted with felted things to wear like my Arty Neck Wraps
Spill the Wine Dig that Girl
Hey Beautiful Baby
You’re my Rock n’ Roll Fantasy
and new drawings and collage. Blank Art Cards

Where do you find your inspiration?
I find inspiration in music. I was raised on blues, jazz and rock, so that’s grown to almost every other great element in music, funk, soul, world, afro, rock, reggae, d.j, dance, hip-hop, etc....

I find a lot of inspiration in the organic form, patterns in Nature, birds, plants, insects, sea life..
I continue to dream giant dreams, and those clouds above my head keep me moving along.
World travel, ancient cultures, I like to tell stories about things I’ve seen.

What is your favourite item? And why?
That’s a really hard question for me!
My favourite thing Babs has made has to be this -it is outrageously funny to me
YOU KILLED THE EASTER BUNNY

I am really happy with the way these
prints turned out (as seen as cards in the shop)
I print a 8x10 of one of Joe’s photos, and add pen & paint to them. I have a lot of fun with these and will be doing more soon.



What are your favourite materials?
Naturals.
Fibre- wools, veggie fibres, silks, curly locks-
Wood, glass, stone, paper,
metal, leather, plant, mineral,
recycled, reclaimed, re-loved, salvaged, vintage…

I never leave home without a black felt tip pen.

The viscosity and nature that is paint- will always run deep within me...


Can you give us a sneak peek of what's to come?

Babs tells me that she’ll be doing some more animal sculptures and creatures. They’re pretty time consuming so watch the shop grow with animals soon.
I am preparing for the coming seasons and a big move- as I purge my huge supply and materials stash, I continue to come up with one of a kind and unique items (
here) This also includes going through a massive amount of original art pieces, paintings, and collected works.
I hope to open up my archives very soon and begin listing a few rarer pieces online for a limited-time, alongside prints of all works, ready for framing.
More exciting things are happening with my artwork and prints already, but if I told you everything it would ruin the surprise! So you’ll have to keep your eyes on my news page (tanisalexis.com) or the shop to find out. And trust me, it will be exciting!


Thank you very much, Tanis!
You can check out Tanis’ portfolio of artwork & creative endeavours
here
www.tanisalexis.com
Or shop online at
www.mwahcreations.etsy.com

The complete Wall of Fame

www.dandee.etsy.com
Tell me about your shop
Dandee Original Designs is a plethora of handcrafted items mostly made from reclaimed clothing, fabrics, yarns and various embelishments. My etsy shop is loaded up with all sorts of goodies!! I try to add new items several times a week to keep it FRESH!!
Right now i've got a great deal of clothing reworked in various ways! Such as a hat and armwarmer set made from a vintage sweater and tshirt scraps, belts made from vintage ties and buttons and vintage cardigans with felt appliques! I also have a fun 1 1/4inch button three pack where you tell me your top five favorite things and i'll make you three buttons to reflect your list!!
I'm all over custom items too and am open to working with other people's ideas to make them something personalized and unique! So, keep an eye on www.dandee.etsy.com!

www.budanart.etsy.com
Where do you find your inspiration?
My inspiration is all around me. The waves of Lake Ontario crashing onto the beach in spumes of pale green on the cinnamon sand while clouds of slate pile up on the horizon... Or the golds of the sun peaking through leaves of green and amber, cool shadows of blues and purples pooling... That special time at dusk when everything is touched with rose, the green fields softer somehow, the trees dark sentinels... My inspiration is the Canadian landscape and all the wondrous colours and patterns it has to offer.


www.frostcollection.etsy.com
What's new and exciting in our shop?
This week on Etsy we will be listing some unique precious metal clay pendants. What is really cool about these pendants isn't just how they look, but the way they're made. We've incorporated some original photography and art into our silver pendants and are very pleased with the results so check us out soon to see what's new!


www.neawear.etsy.com
What's new and exciting in your etsy shop?
I recently added a few new items in my shop under the collection name Dashed. I really like this style! It's basically a choice of two colors of chains that I cut little pieces of and then I reassemble them one after the other to recreate a longer chain with a dashed pattern. I love making these items, and I think they express a very modern look!


www.kraftymomma.etsy.com
Where do you find your inspiration?
I opened my Etsy shop on January 13th, 2007 after being inspired by my daughter. I listed one set of quilted Christmas ornaments, a doll, Some flower magnets made with butternut squash seeds, an angel, a wood Burned Escher design, some painted gourds, a little kitty, a couple of bath Toy scrubbies and a nest helper.
What's a nest helper?
Let me explain where the idea came from. I had read in a quilting magazine that birds like to use bits of thread and wool when making their nests. They mentioned that birds even use dryer lint! So I would throw my thread clippings and dryer lint out onto the trees, only to have them blown away.
Out in my garden shed we had about 200 feet of rolled up green plastic coated wire snow fence that we weren't using, so I got the idea to make a little cage out of it.
I put my thread, wool & dryer lint into it and hung it in a tree.and it worked! The stuff didn't blow away anymore and I could watch the birds coming and choosing the things they wanted to use for their nests. I've put out nest helpers every spring since then and the birds seem to really appreciate them.
Well the first nest helper I listed in my Etsy shop got snatched up immediately. You can imagine my surprise when I started receiving convos asking if I was going to list some more of them. Inspired by the demand I made a bunch more, then for Valentine's Day I designed a heart-shaped Nest helper and started listing that too.
More recently I have created a new little nest building supply shop that I pre-stuff with a bunch of goodies from nature that birds love to use at nesting time. All of my nest helpers have been selling really well and have been keeping me pretty busy!
I get a fresh burst of excitement and a warm & fuzzy feeling every time I sell an item in my Etsy store. Etsy is my new "happy place"! I figure that nest helper sales will die down once spring has passed.
I do a lot of gardening in the summer time and I will surely be growing some things this summer that I can use in my crafts and to sell in my shop. Once I finish all of my pickling and preserving in the fall my shop will start filling up with a bunch of Christmas tree ornaments that I will be making during the summer months.
Christmas is my favourite time of year and is a huge inspiration in my crafting. Almost every decoration on my tree has been handmade by me using velvet, felt, ribbons, beads, wool, nuts, seeds, pinecones, grapevine, paint, polymer clay, sparkles, and lots of recycled items. My happiest day of the year is the day we put up the Christmas tree, and my saddest day is when we have to take it down. I wish Christmas could last all year long!

29.3.07

Louise Lecavalier - Québec, 28 mars 2007, 20hrs

J'y étais!
Je n'ai eu que deux cadeaux de fête cette année, des superbes
Swarovskis de ma sœur et un billet pour une création Louise Lecavalier de mon copain Guillaume .

CRÉATIONS LOUISE LECAVALIER
Chorégraphes : Benoît Lachambre, Crystal Pite et Tedd Robinson

J'ai connu Louise Lecavalier comme tout le monde, à travers
La La La Human Steps . Je l'ai d'ailleurs vu avec eux, sa dernière tournée avec Edouard Lock, et je suis tombée en amour avec elle et la danse moderne. Je suis tellement heureuse d’avoir vu Exaucé! Pour ceux qui ne sont pas fana de danse moderne, elle est la jolie blonde qui danse avec Bowie dans Fame 94.

Première partie, chorégraphie en deux morceaux distincts. Louise Lecavalier est vêtue d'un complet bleu royal et des lunettes. La scène est couverte de lutrins qu'elle utilise comme si elle est chef d'orchestre. Musique: Lone Epic de Crystal Pite. Cette chorégraphie ne m'a pas vraiment touché, surtout pas le premier acte. Je préfère la danse moderne sans accessoire, sans flafla, sans mise en scène, sans histoire. Je n'ai pas besoin d'un fil conducteur et de comprendre les émotions. Je veux voir un corps bouger de façon désordonné. Il y a eu de courts moments intenses, des sensations de bande vidéo qui joue et qu'a la console, on appuie sur pause, sur rewind, pause, rewind a plusieurs reprises, pour revoir ce bout encore et encore, ce que j'ai adoré... D'ailleurs, le mot "encore" apparaissait constamment durant ces moments. À la toute fin, une loupe de mouvements en boucle, corps distendu, cherchant nerveusement ses lunettes, se recoiffant... j'ai adoré!

Ensuite le duo Lula and the Sailor dansé avec Éric Beauchesne. C'est sans aucun doute le meilleur moment de la soirée. J'avais envie de me lever et de me lancer partout! C'était nerveux et émotif, Lecavalier comme point central en spasme et Beauchesne qui naviguait autour comme une sorte de satellite / oiseau. Enfin, plus de décor, plus d'histoire, juste la danse, la vraie, syncopée, rythmée, nouvelle, moderne. Quand les mots me manquent, c'est que c'est VRAIMENT bon!
Le dernier morceaux, “I” Is Memory de Benoît Lachambre. J’ai dit que j’adorais le minimalisme? Hum, alors il y a une limite a ce que j’aime dans le minimalisme. Cette chorégraphie commence par une éloge du non-mouvement… OK je ne suis pas critique de danse ou danseuse, je le sais, ni chorégraphe… Louise Lecavalier, je l’aime flamboyante, dans les airs, entrain de se donner des claques! Disons que j’ai eu beaucoup de difficulté a aimer ce moment de la soirée. Je vois tout à fait le processus artistique, je comprends d’ou elle vient et vers quoi elle aspire (je pense). Je peux même comprendre la complexité d’une telle chorégraphie. Mais je ne l’ai pas aimé pour autant. Elle était disloquée, quasi immobile, sans vie. La technique, la force physique, la concentration, oui. Mais était-ce stimulant ou émouvant? Non. Je dois avouer, des + 30 spectacles de danse moderne que j’ai vu, cette pièce était la plus hermétique de toutes.
Vers la fin, elle se met enfin en mouvement, et a partir de ce point, c’est merveilleux. Elle est rapide, sensuelle, syncopée, du superbe moderne! Encore cette impression du fan à la console qui rejoue en loupe ses moments préférés… cette impression est donnée aussi par la musique. Mais je dois avouer que celle-ci qui est impitoyablement mixée et bouclée, copier-coller de façon amateure, une orgie de samples empilés… D’ailleurs la musique est sans aucun doute le point le plus faible du spectacle. Il faut dire que le dernier spectacle de dans moderne que j’avais vu était Amélia, alors il était impossible de faire mieux que David Lang.
Bon voici donc la conclusion de ma carrière de critique de danse amateure :)

Merci Guillaume!

PLUS :

Le Voir
Le Soleil
Programme
Présentation

Ma prochaine étape?

La La La Human Steps !

Le Grand Théâtre de Québec est fier de présenter la nouvelle production de La La La Human Steps, ce mardi 5 juin dans la grande salle Louis-Fréchette. Choégraphe: Édouard Lock.
Rumeur : Musique de David Lang!

27.3.07

the buttons are back!

The buttons are back at .tomate d'épingles.!
Nice Spring and Summer colours to help the sun melt all this snow!


21.3.07

milestones

.tomate d'épingles. is celebrating it's one year Etsy anniversary and 100 happy customers!
Thank you so much for your support!

20.3.07

stack em up!

We just love our stacks!
We cant seem to get enough!




The source of this inspiration?
Why, sequins, of course!


Thanks, Nea!

16.3.07

the best is yet to come...

This is a TEASER!

Check out some of our new materials... this Spring and Summer will be hot!

15.3.07

nesting

new model alert!

I'm always excited when my neurons fire up and come up with new ideas... I started playing with my new beads and nested these fabulous gems in Silver wire...

This one features gorgeous robin's egg blue Chinese Turquoise nuggets on handmade Silver earwires

and this one, lucious green Jade

I now have a newfound love for all gems shapped like a nugget :)
See more pictures here

9.3.07

new items!



These are all our new items!

Most of these are in our Spring collection or our popular jewelry for men

I am particularely fond of this one

The beautifull ring and necklace set in amber and deep red beads on Copper findings was created by my sister.
The clusters reminds us of yummy blackberries...

8.3.07

masculine vibe

Lately, its all about men :)

My boyfriend is one of the rare guys I know who likes to wear jewelry... so I have a lot of fun creating new designs for him all the time!


bone fish men s charm necklace

These men's charm necklace are a collection of vintage and new beads and baubles I have acquired through the years.



The boyfriend inspired me for these : he used to wear 6or 7 necklaces at a time because he liked all the pendants... :) so i came up with a way for him to wear all of his favorite pendants, but just on one necklace string!

goldstone Kokopelli and brass

They where created with a man in mind, but would look just as stunning on a woman!

I actually have created a few like these for myself as well...


gemstones and copper

I like matching and miss-matching the old and the new, the fine and the faux, the gems and the metal, with leather, bones and feathers...

red claw and pen tip men s charm necklace


I really think the sky is the limit with this design!