Aesthetic Dominion: Cartolina's Latest

I have been a fan of Cartolina for years. I am a bit of a stalker on Fiona's site, I visit hers probably more than any other blog on the net and never EVER find it to be dull. Always inspiring, sometimes to the point of ridiculousness... ever to the point of distraction. I actually live in the same town as she does, which is the sweetest little arts town in North America, so I feel very lucky to have her as a neighbour! Such talent we have here in the Koots :)


Fiona has been a busy little bee the past year... well, truth be told, I don't think she ever rests. She and her husband were the ones who opened my favourite place to have chai and a muffin, The Dominion Cafe, and although they haven't owned it for a few years it is almost the same today as it was then, which shows you that she has a good eye, excellent taste, and knows what she is doing in business. These days she is putting all of that talent into evolving her "pretty things" business, Cartolina. And by "evolve" I pretty much mean world domination.



I am not one who would jump at the first chance to marry art with something high tech, because, well I am not high tech and really don't understand any of it. I don't have a cell phone... yeeesssss... that's right, I don't own one. I had one years ago, I have gone through two actually. I never used them. I either can't keep the bloody thing charged or I have forgotten to get more time for it (the first one I got a three year plan and used it maybe ten times) and it is generally taking up space in my bag for literally no reason. If I DID have a cell phone, I would be grabbing that app I mentioned on Valentine's day. I love the idea of sending something so gorgeous in such a simple way. I love that Cartolina has taken these images that are inspired so obviously by vintage artwork and created something so modern, not only in an aesthetic sense, but also in the way they are used.


I purchased my first Cartolina card eons ago in a Nelson boutique. I didn't realize they were a local company and felt that I needed to buy it in case I couldn't find them again. I bought it solely to frame. I am delighted that she has recently made framable prints for sale in a Cartolina etsy shop. Her first etsy store! They would make gorgeous housewarming or wedding gifts.


Most recently, she teamed up with Lief, Leuk & Eigen to create the most adorable Baby Collection of announcements. They are customizable with regards to names and dates etc., and most importantly, are not the typical cutesy thing that most baby products have going on.


I adore these! They are available online at Leif, Leuk & Eigen's site.

Of course around here it goes without saying that my favourite part of the Cartolina way of doing things is making something so beautiful without losing touch with the importance of our planet. Cartolina cards are printed on recycled paper that comes with the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification. The FSC represents products produced from well-managed forests, controlled sources and recycled wood. The cards are printed with vegetable based inks and their printer was named Most Environmentally Progresive Printer in Canada for the last 5 years at the Environmental Printing Awards. Brilliant all around.

How is this for a fabulous start to Spring! I had to share this mini tipi village from Three Owls with you even though they are just hot off the sewing table. Aren't they gorgeous?




They just make me happy to look at them... and I am willing to bet that they would make pretty much the same impression in any yard or playroom. I will be eeking space out for my boys to get one (might have to fit at Grandma's till we move) as soon as possible. They come in all sizes, up to 9 feet, so I think I will be finding space for me to have one too. Remember that movie about Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz switching houses and Diaz hooks up with Jude Law and when she finally meets his daughters they live in the most fantastic fort of fairy lights and pink gauze? I am thinking that this here might be the foundation for my own pink gauzy fort. I will have to ask her if she makes them in pink :)

New Year? Bring it!

OKee Schmokee... It's calendar time!

Yes folks, you know you need one and I just found out that my sweetheart of a pal Marnie has done up a few with her adorable bears plastered all over it. Truth be told, I fell in love with Marnie's first bear before her... this is technically how we met. I saw her bear on a Christmas card she had at a show and immediately wanted him. Fast forward a wee bit to visiting my friend Kelly at her studio and lo and behold, there the bear is again with his lovely mistress Marnie... who was such a doll that I simply fell for her too. My friend said "Ohhhh... you have to watch out for Marnie! One minute she is baking you cookies... and the next... she's baking you cookies!" Well, we haven't connected on the cookie front yet, but 'tis true that she is a veritable ray of sunshine and every time I see her she is inviting me to a new show or shindig and some of them I even get to go to! I happen to know that I am now the proud owner of one of these babies, it's in the mail from Santa apparently. I know exactly where it's going and I can't wait to put it there...



Get one (or three) and check out the brilliantly cool re-engineered duds here!

SIDEBAR...
Hey, did you all know that you can now get a tab for your Facebook account that showcases your etsy site? Sellers and favourites so even if you don't have a shop, you can still post for the benefit of others. I think this just may be the coolest thing Facebook has done. Almost makes up for them plastering our accounts all over the web a few weeks ago. Almost. Anyhoo, try clicking here to get that ap... I can't guarantee anything though, I have never tried to link to one of those pages before. Let me know if it works!

So speaking of Santa (yes we were,) something nice happened to me this Christmas. I finally had my computerless streak broken and am now the proud owner of a new laptop. I might even be able to figure it out before it gets thrown out the window! Wouldn't that be nice. Suffice it to say though, that I will be back to regular posting. I try to stay away, but I know I can't...

...and the Livin' Is Easy

I have been twisting my brain into a pretzel trying to figure out what to blog about for the last little while because I have barely been around a computer and can't seem to find a thread of commonality amongst what I have running about my noggin. It just now occurs to me (my lovely friend just pointed out on the phone) that perhaps it would just be best to put a few things out there and 'empty the folder' so to speak. If this is a lifestyle blog, then perhaps a peek into how life is lived around these parts would be appropriate.

This is my summer so far.

So to begin with, my parents bought a beautiful piece of property way back in spring that backs right onto the river and although that means a healthy dose of mosquitos, it also means spending many many weekends coming out to sit about barefoot eating watermelon. Life could definitely be worse.

This is the boys' new playhouse...

The backyard

Early in June my sister and I made the nine plus hour treck to Vancouver, which is where we both grew up. She bought a new car and phoned one day to say that she wanted to drive it so she was taking my boys and I down to play tourist. If there were a way for me to describe how much of a stretch it is to imagine my sister stuck in a vehicle with a two and a six year old for over nine hours... well, let's just say I am impressed that we ALL made it home together. Eventually.

... looking for creatures

We took Rowan to the Vancouver Aquarium as we happened to be there on his sixth birthday (and it just so happened that that day is now the birthday of a certain beluga whale who was birthed while we were in attendance). We did the Stanley Park thing and snapped this pic from across the water of Vancouver's new LEED convention center with it's green living roof. In fact, we noticed that Vancouver is showing a much greener side these days, even moreso than when we lived there a decade ago. Even the info booth at the park is sporting a wildflower roof. Perhaps a bit of a facelift for the coming Olympics?

This year we made it to the Strawberry Festival at the Ashram. This amazing property is only open to the public for this one day of the year and I have always wanted to go. The building itself is built entirely for acoustics and it really is the most amazing experience to be inside. Every single whisper or footstep becomes a statement and being that it is meant to be a place of silence most of the time, it is very profound to be inside. Profound is not the word I would use to describe entering the Ashram with a two and a six year old... "enlightening" may be in there someplace however. We spent the day walking the grounds and heard people saying "even the rocks on the beach are beautiful!... do you think they were imported?" So funny.






The Factory had the Grand Opening of their new store and celebrated their second annual Day to Night Fashion Show and I did take my camera to take photos of the behind the scenes hooplah, but was too busy to actually shoot anything. These photos are random shots from others who attended...




... and in true Nelson fashion (no pun intended) there were many painted bodies in attendence...

My lovely friend Kelly's artshow...

A few more bits and pieces here and there...

and then some more relaxation in the great outdoors. It's been rough folks...

The End.

Spark Tart

On to metal...

One of our local design divas wields a mean blowtorch, taking the current popularity of metalics to a whole new level! Maintenance welder turned furniture fabricator, Kate Tupper sheds a new light (a really freakin' hot one) on the design industry with her indoor/outdoor one of a kind pieces. From a chaise to a wingback, she uses both new and found bits and bolts to create a modern take on classic shapes for a signature piece that is as sculptural as it is functional (although you might look into a lovely cushion or two as well).

Look here at Spark Tart for more...

Ciao Bella!

I am just a tiny bit obsessed with one of our local floral designers. Being from the bridal and fashion industries I have seen more than my share of gorgeous displays, but the first time I saw this girl's work at a local market I was floored. She and her sister started doing this from their home garden but then her sister left for New Zealand and the entire (two person) operation shut down. I was devastated.

BUT the phoenix has arisen... and as soon as we can properly coordinate schedules I will bring you a proper interview and whatever she is willing to divulge out of her portfolio. It's just that last night I was walking by the store and just had to take these photos before somebody ran away with this work of art. The store had closed for the day so I had to press myself and the camera right up against the window to get around the glare and then I couldn't get the entire display in. So I realize this is sort of ridiculous, but even in pieces this is just so stunning! The green balls are chestnuts before they fall, SO genius!

BEHOLD! Flora Bella...

Bigg Treasures, Little Boxes

I was stopped in my tracks a bit ago by the stunning works of Nicole Bigg being shown in the window of one of our local galleries, the Craft Connection. This wonderful space is an artist owned and operated cooperative that has recently been moved into new digs. The interior of the old stone building has been lovingly re-created to showcase a constantly updated and beautifully curated collection of pieces from a variety of local talent- textile artists, painters, metal-smiths, potters and others.

Nicole's sophisticated pieces are uniquely styled using images of natural elements etched into metal tags that are then layered onto wooden boxes. In a town where the artists reign supreme, it can sometimes be difficult to find something new, especially when it is home to such an established art school. It becomes rather like treasure hunting to find the best gem in the spoils. As well as being visually enchanting, these pieces have a tactile quality that draws you in to investigate and her tiny bugs and birds give the piece an instant personality that is a slightly dark version of pretty.

Not that I doubt my eye for style ;) but if I needed proof, the next chance I got to take my camera into the shop was less than a week later and all but three of the pieces were sold. I unfortunately am unable to show you the piece de resistance that got me all excited to begin with, but these little guys will give you a good idea of what I am talking about. Especially the darling asian inspired shadow box. If only my camera had done a better job! No doubt I will be able to show you more in the future as I am sure her success with these pieces will inspire her to continue with them. In the meantime, if you are interested in adorning yourself with a smaller but no less stunning array of her work, you can find her jewelry creations here on her website.