Sunday Sweets : Inspiration: Summer is Here!

Summer has finally arrived on the Prairies! We are surrounded by green grass, blue open sky, as well as  blossoming shrubs and pots planted full of petunias. I really have a great appreciation for this time of year and being able to enjoy the colours and the natural beauty of the great outdoors. It is Truly Inspiring! Here are a few of the images that I have taken over the last few weeks. Enjoy!

Custom T Shirts

Recently a friend asked us if we could print t-shirts for a family event. Of course we said YES!

The only hitch was that we had never really printed t-shirts before. How hard could it be, really? It is just a simple one colour shirt. The process went pretty well, but we certainly did learn a lot! Man is registration different with fabrics than it is with paper...

Our friend supplied us with the finalized artwork and t-shirts. All we had to do was print off the films, mix a custom ink colour, and print.

Dana mixed a fantastic cream colour that looked awesome on the light blue t-shirts. We did discover that printing light colours on darker shirts is a little tricky. The inks are so transparent that the colour of the shirt really affects the ink colour. Having said that she was hoping to get a real weathered kind of look, so I think that actually ended up working in our favour.

Here is how the final product turned out. Thanks Jen!

Erin Weiss Custom Dolls

This year was my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary and I decided to ask Erin of Boolah Baguette to make custom dolls. The process was pretty easy, all I had to do on my end was find a photo of my parents when they were first dating and Erin took care of the rest.
When Erin emailed us to say that the dolls were ready for pick up we were truly excited!

What is so incredible about Erin's work is the attention to the details.

With just a couple of photos emailed off and a bit of time Erin came up with the likeness of my parents when they were first dating to a tee. The details that we love are the scalloped collar, the sparkling button on the dress and the cat glasses that my mom wore. As well as the other details that we just can't say enough about which is the red tie and the sideburns that my dad fashionably sported. Her work is truly amazing and it is one of the reasons why we buy local and handmade. Thanks Erin!!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/boolahbaguette#

http://www.facebook.com/boolahbaguette

Sunday Sweets

Aesthetic Apparatus is one of our favorite design/screen printing shops around. This dynamic duo from Minneapolis do a lot of amazing design work, but they are most known for their gigposters.

And they are sweet!

Screen printing is a unique medium. There are a number of restrictions that make designing for screen printing a unique challenge. The guys from Aesthetic Apparatus understand this very well and their designs utilize the strengths of the medium to amazing effect.

They get a lot out of only a couple colours by the way they layer parts of the images and use the natural transparency of the inks to their advantage.

You can see more of their work here:
http://aestheticapparatus.com/

And if you are want to see a fun video of them printing a sweet poster for the movie "The Shining" check this out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyQemBVZJYw

Flock and Gather Winter Market

We are members of a craft group in Saskatoon called the Flock and Gather Craft Collective. The six of us got together about a year and a half ago. Among other things we organize semi annual handmade markets in Saskatoon.

You can find out more about who we are and what we do here:
http://flockandgather.blogspot.ca/search/label/about%20flock%20and%20gather

We are currently seeking applications for the Winter Handmade Market. You can check out photos from the previous shows, vendor profiles, and more on the blog. If you've never attended one of the shows or participated they really are a lot of fun.

We encourage anyone interested to apply.

For information on the application process:
http://flockandgather.blogspot.ca/2012/05/calling-all-vendors.html

For more information on Flock and Gather:
http://flockandgather.blogspot.ca/
http://www.facebook.com/flockandgather

True Knit

True Knit Art Show has two shows coming up in Regina. And they are looking for crafty folks to participate!
The dates are: Saturday September 22 and Saturday December 15.
Find more information about the shows and how to apply here:
http://www.facebook.com/trueknitartshow

Bazaart Regina

Every year the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina hosts a huge outdoor art and craft festival. If you've never been it is definitely worth checking out this Saturday June 16 from 10AM - 5PM.

There is an amazing variety of items to buy and what a great atmosphere. Find out more about Bazaart including a list of artisans here:
http://www.mackenzieartgallery-bazaart.ca/

Here are some of our favorites:

Paula Cooley

http://www.paulacooley.com/

Shauna Buck

http://shaunabuck.com/

Kristina Johnson

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Quirks-Twists-Jewelry/171350362915973