Monsters You Should Know is a delightful little book chock full of monsters from around the world that you may or may not know. I’m a big fan of folklore and legends, so I knew I had to get my hand on this book. It’s a beautiful hardcover book with full colour illustrations by Emma SanCartier. Inside there are 17 monsters brought to life with charming illustrations. (more…)
This year was a huge one for me. I got married (!!), went on a honeymoon, and moved into one of my favourite areas of the city. I take so many photos, maybe more than ever before. I have photos on my cell phone and digital camera, photos that people sent me of my wedding, photos of my honeymoon and so much more. What I don’t have are tangible photos. I used to print my photos and put them in an album, but I don’t do that anymore. What if my laptop crashes and I lose all my photos? I’ve tried to make a goal for myself to print some photos, but I’ve definitely fallen behind this year.
Enter Chatbooks. Chatbooks gets it. Thanks to their super easy system, making your memories last forever in a pretty photobook is a breeze. I made my first Chatbook to celebrate my trip to Japan a couple of years ago. It was simple to do: I downloaded the Chatbook app, and was able to select my favourite photos to be published into a cute little book. It was a fast way to show off my trip and fit easily in my purse. I was hooked! (more…)
Rifle Paper Co and Le Sportsac have joined together on a collection of tote bags, cosmetic cases and more. I’m so excited about this collaboration! Rifle Paper is one of my favourite designers, so I’m really happy that I can buy these adorable prints as a bag! (more…)
Anda loves Coarsegold Online, the massively-multiplayer role playing game that she spends most of her free time on. It’s a place where she can be a leader, a fighter, a hero. It’s a place where she can meet people from all over the world, and make friends. Gaming is, for Anda, entirely a good thing. (more…)
I’ve been a fan of Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki ever since their first graphic novel, Skim. Jillian forever endeared herself to me for drawing Scarborough in her novel in such a beautiful way.
Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki are seriously talented cousins. Mariko writes the story and Jillian illustrates. In This One Summer, they’ve perfectly captured the quintessential Canadian cottage experience.
This One Summer deals with some pretty heavy topics in a lazy Ontario cottage town. Julia enjoys typical cottage activities like hanging out with her friend, crushing on boys, going swimming and watching terrifying horror movies.
However, she’s also dealing with the fact that her parents seem to be getting further apart each day, and her mother is distant. Her friend is a little younger than her, and Julie is starting to mature faster than her. Even the teenager that she has a crush on has major issues to deal with. It all comes together in a dramatic climax.
It’s beautiful to see Jillian’s stunning brushwork and curling speech bubbles. She’s such a talented illustrator, and whenever these cousins pair together there’s bound to be magic.
La Butte, Arts de France, is a charming shop in downtown Moncton. Filled to the brim with delicate, hand painted porcelain, this shop is one of a kind.
Each peice is hand painted on Limoges china from France and kiln fired several times by artist Isabelle Lafargue. “You have to respect the colours,” she told me. If you don’t fire them in order, you can ruin the colours. If you mix red and yellow, but don’t fire it properly, you won’t get orange. Each colour has to be fired at a specific temperature. You start with the highest temperature and then work your way down. I love her work station! Isn’t it inspiring?
Isabelle Lafargue is from the French islands, and has been drawing and painting since she was little. She took an intesive course with a famous French porcelain artist to learn this ancient technique. Since then, she has moved to New Brunwsick and runs her studio with her husband.
The shop is filled with plates, mugs and platters. My favourite pieces were these beautiful fish made with paint and platinum.
You can visit the store in downtown Moncton, or you can order online. You can also order custom pieces!
La Butte is located at 886 Main St, in Moncton New Brunswick.
I had no idea that Gemma Correll was going to be at the Magic Pony until I glanced at my Twitter feed. I’m so glad I was able to go to the opening of her illustration show!
Gemma is a British illustrator that draws adorable comics about her outfits, cats, and pug dogs. She is very talented, and also very nice! I was lucky to meet her and have her sign a book for me. Gemma has illustrations on display and has created some fun merchandise that’s for sale. She’s also done adorable drawings on the walls with marker.
The Mr. Pickles Fan Club, is at the Magic Pony until May. 11th. Don’t miss out to see her cute drawings in the flesh!
The Magic Pony, 680 Queen St W, Toronto, ON
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