pipes - not so good for your health, but great in artwork

i'm always finding and falling in love with new artwork featuring quizzical animals smoking pipes. maybe pipes are the new owl? ;-)

so i love this print from wayne pate featuring a nautical (think beachcombers) seagull smoking a pipe and wearing gum boots. love his fisherman-meets-frenchman sweater!

i also love this merman print - beards! fish tails! berets and striped sweaters!

both are large, poster-sized silk-screened prints and at $35 each they're a steal. i really need more wall space in here!

diving whale family print

i couldn't resist ordering this lovely 2nd edition woodcut print of a diving family of whales from tugboat printshop of pittsburgh. it's part of their woodcut series "the deep blue sea" and i fell in love in a second.

the three deep-blue whales reminded me of our little trio family. there's something about the number three; my favourite high-school english literature teacher, mr. newbigging, used to say that three is a magical number. i see threes everywhere, sneaking up on me like little ambassadors of the number world. it seems a good family size number too - one that really requires participation from each member, like a shaky three-legged stool!

the artists behind the brand are paul roden + valerie lueth. their prints are all limited editions and actual prints, not digital reproductions. their pieces are "100% original drawings that are hand-drawn, hand-carved and hand-printed on archival paper in our in-house printshop". how cool is that?

you can buy it - and many other awesome prints - online through their website or in their etsy shop.

lovely mondays: for all your chalkboard needs

they're black, so they go with everything! chalkboards and chalkboard-inspired art from etsy, clockwise, from top left:

chalkboard alphabet limited edition print from the small object. and check out maker sarah neuburger's the small object site for more small, adorable and all 'round loveliness!

embroidery hoop chalkboard - cameo boy edition from the local bliss in a teacup. love! a 10" embroidery hoop with lovely cameo outline on chalkboard, it can be used as art or as a chalkboard too - it comes with chalk and a little wipe to clean up your dusty scribblings. check out the vancouver-based duo's delightful blog for more.

whale chalkboard from perennial favourite suddenly it's real!. for more on the duo behind the shop, check out their site or their etsy featured seller interview from a little ways back.

victorian-style vinyl wall decal from spell it out designs. this adhesive vinyl wall decal can take your messages and doodles in chalk and then poof - remove it from your wall when you're moving along.

lovely mondays: for the gents

found on etsy: some cool, original loot for your favourite guy (or, you know, yourself if you are one!). clockwise, from top left:

the one-of-a-kind pirate book belt buckle from maxinedear features a section of the cover of an amazing old children's book . the buckle is pewter and the image is protected with a thick layer of resin. it will fit either a 1 1/2" or 1 3/4" belt. check out their hand-dyed & distressed belts too, while you're at it.

pilotdesign's mod honeycomb wall clock would look terrific in the office or just about anywhere. the honeycomb patterned lattice made of mdf measures 11" x 12.25" and the cut-outs cast cool shadows on the wall throughout the day. check out his other awesome designs, like the splat kendo bamboo clock.

man panties!!! need i say more? these were too fun to resist. orange crush man panties by the very cool ruffeoheartslilsnoty were made from scraps left over from of their clothing production combined with the elastic rescued from a defunct belt factory. check out this how-to video if case you're inclined to make your own (undies part at about 4 minutes in)...

this titanium and rosewood wedding ring by zoeanddoyle is something special, alright. it's hand made from a solid piece of rosewood, bonded together with satin finished titanium - a naturally hypo-allergenic metal that's , light, and very comfortable to wear. and, in case "wedding ring" might be the just words that send him running for the nearest bus, you can tell him it's a hip man ring, no strings attached... ;-)

baby-palooza: the yaletown baby + toddler fair

the yaletown baby + toddler fair today was a great experience. i didn't know what to expect - it was the first time for the event and it was unlike anything i'd been to before. aimed at moms and moms-to-be (i should say parents and parents-to-be, but honestly, mostly moms), it was a full-on baby-palooza! babies, babies, babies! so many cute wee folk in one room.

and it was strange (in the best sense!) to see the moms-to-be walking the room with their lovely round bellies. pregnant ladies always seem so much more glowy when you're looking at them, compared to being one! ;-) it seems like both a hundred years ago and yet just the other day that i was expecting cole and wondering why on earth i supposedly 'needed' so many little scraps of fabric that were all intended for apparently vastly different uses. oh, this was back when i contemplated ironing cole's freshly laundered onesies and pj's as i tucked them in his dresser. ha!

the event was a terrific opportunity to meet other crafty folk and lovers of all things handmade. i absolutely loved the dresses from dolly n' boo - so adorable! they were so beautifully displayed and definitely got me to contemplating how i could fit a dress on cole as some kind of unisex tunic. ;-) i think i'd better stick to gifting to the little girls that i know... also loved the plush blankets from superfly lullabies - their cozy minky-backed blankets are terrific. the bras from honeymilk designs were so fantastic that i didn't even realize at first they were nursing bras! now that is a feat of herculean proportions (and, le sigh, they came in my size!).

and of course there was my little table!

i still feel most in my element in craft events geared more towards an etsy-loving crowd, but this was a great experience. many thanks to carrie for the massive amount of work she put into this event.