Special Delivery for Made You Look Jewellery

There are some very special new pieces that just arrived at MYL this week! Home to a wide variety of talented local jewellery designers, Made You Look is worth a day trip over to Parkdale.
You will find some of my newest watch case pendants, cufflinks, and resin pendants there!

watch case with floating watch parts and beaded Hematite details.

Brand new blue! This is the first piece available in this shimmer blue background.

These black based cufflinks contain multiple layers of winding posts & tension bars!

watch case with floating watch parts and beaded Hematite details.

Pretty pink parts! Look at all the layered mini watch parts in this resin piece!

The wine coloured base is one of my most popular sellers, it accents the cogs perfectly!

Creative Gift Ideas!

How cute is this set of vintage 70's sewing/cozy home theme embroidery? A perfect gift for that crafty, sewing, knitting or vintage loving friend on your list!

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Our Ho Ho Holiday Hours!

Look at all these hours! Starting this Monday, Arts Market will be open 7 days a week, until the 24th!
I will be at my shop every day, as usual this time of year, and look forward to seeing and meeting all of my amazing customers, old and new!

Sail Away With These Great Nautical Gift Ideas!

Much more than jewelry this holiday season, I have more vintage wares and home decor than ever before!
This very unique, near mint, blue velvet Sheffield Manicure Kit, not only contains high quality tools, but is also SHAPED LIKE A SHELL! Don't disappoint your high maintenance mermaid this holiday, make sure to get them this great utilitarian piece to make nail preening even more fun.

I have one set of these great vintage brass repousse sail boat wall hangings, and only one beautiful sweetheart themed vintage necklace with hollow, embossed double sided charms!

Things That are Purple

Let me count the gift ideas I have for you at Arts Market this holiday.. well... maybe I cant count that high. So here are a few purple items for you to peruse <3

vintage screwbacks updated to sterling silver posts make these earrings one of a kind!

Gorgeous filigree vintage bracelet with glass stones and faux turquoise seed pearls

Stunning glass and rhinestone pendant

Screwbacks no more! These vintage lovelies have been upgraded to sterling silver posts.

For the Readers and the Art Lovers Out There

Acadia Books is a marvel, a wondrous place full of treasures and inspiration. I have been both a customer and friend of Acadia for many years, and have been working with them for some time. 

The titles you can see in this post are some of recent books I have picked up that are currently available at Acadia.
I am quite certain there's no better place to go for rare, antique and contemporary art books in Toronto, and they have an incredible selection of early edition hardcover literature and an endless amount of rare and vintage art prints. I am sure there are a few names you can knock off your list there, and you can visit the beloved store kitty Michou in the process!

Black & Gold

I was so inspired by how good my mannequin, Marta looked in the gold embroidered jacket below, that I rushed to my studio that evening to make a series of minimal, elegant black and gold pieces. Using Hematite stones, onyx and found object/de constructed vintage jewelry, each piece is unique and minimal, while still making a statement. You can see the full selection at my Arts Market boutique.

Vintage Arrivals

Incredible silk jacket with golden embroidery and beaded tassels, can be yours to love!

Electric eggplant 1970's pull over dress is shiny and super chic and clearly calls for fabulous cognac leather or gold accessories.

Fresh Holidays Ahead

The time comes, as it always does eventually, that calls for a complete de and re construction of my entire space at the Leslieville Arts Market! I will be stocking the shelves with plenty of new jewelry designs, artwork and vintage arrivals, starting now, throughout the holiday season. I'll see you there, and look forward to helping you pick out the perfect gift, and wrapping it up with a tiny golden bow!

Best Unique Gift Store 2016!

A huge thank you to everyone who voted Arts Market in this years NOW Magazine Readers Choice Awards! We are thrilled to be keeping our title, with over 175 vendors between the three locations, you don't have to look much further for the ultimate local shopping experience.

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Making my Enid Hi-Fashion Glamour Doll 2016 A.D Costume

I have had my beloved Enid Doll for many years, as many years nearly, as I have been a what I would call #1 fan of Daniel Clowes work. I generally have a hard time with favorites, but when it comes to comics, his inspiration to me has not be surpassed. He is to many, a voice that helped define and articulate so accurately the authenticity in the silent marvels of the day to day, a minds eye into the most humble, neurotic and relatable characters as well as the internal monologue of the silent rebel, a rebel against rebellion and the struggle in defining yourself, for a start.
This year for Halloween, I decided I would finally get it together and create this Enid Doll costume.

I will show some pictures of the process I used, which was based on my instincts of finding and manipulating existing objects. Please comment if you have a suggestion for me about something I can do differently next time!
 

Still figuring things out here

I ended up scrapping these ears made out of rolled foam

I picked up a plastic prop football helmet, and removed the front face guard. Using craft foam, which in retrospect, should have been thicker, I cut out the mask part and smoothed it all down using duct tape.
I then after trying a few different things for the ears, I found one of those cheap hard plastic batman masks, and cut off the ears, which fit perfectly, when turned backwards onto the shape of the helmet. I also used the nose piece for structure.
The gun base is a plastic handle, turned backwards cut off of a toy dart gun, an empty bottle and a suction cup. Actual Enid Doll toys for reference.

Here the paper mache has been lovingly applied, I did also add it to the ears.

Below, I have coated both the Ray-Gun and Mask in wood filler, which was then sanded down very excruciatingly, before being painted.

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After coating the paper mache in wood filler, the Ray-Gun and Teenage Bondage Mask are ready to be sanded and painted.

Jacket painting in progress

The finished paint job. Helmet was spray painted, and gun was hand painted with acrylic.

The finished paint job. I would like to go back and add the extra texture details to the Ray-Gun, but this was my first time, and it got down to the wire for Halloween.

I also painted the back of an old jacket, because it is indeed October, and this costume required one or two, I assume, Enid approved, additions.

I made these lapel pins quickly out of printable shrink plastic. One of Daniel Clowes and the other is the EIghtball #13 cover. Usually when I make these types of pins, I like to coat them in resin, but there just wasn't time for it, as it was a last minute addition.

Outfit: the orange wool sweater is vintage, I picked it up while thrifting, as well as the skirt.
I couldn't believe how perfect the pattern was when I found this skirt. It was much too big for me and much too long so it needed some quick adjustments on the sewing machine.

Freckles.

Helmet

The finished paint job

New This Week at Arts Market

Pendants, earrings and plenty of home decor arrived at my shop this week, make sure to drop in the Leslieville Arts Market location to pick up something special for yourself, or as a gift!

Beautiful clip on earrings made into one of a kind sterling silver studs! Browse my selection of one of a kind earrings in store!

New Bone Collection Designs

Made using cruelty free Python ribs, these naturally inspired necklaces are of my most popular designs. Snag one of the newest pieces at my shop, I rarely make the same design twice!

Beautiful Bracelets

From the depths of my personal jewel archives come these lovely cuffs, one victorian, one vintage! Find these lovely pieces at my shop in the Leslieville Arts Market.

Dainty Details

New this week at my Leslievlle boutique! A sparkling Mechanical Heart and 1/2" circular pendant. Both containing layers of watch parts set over a hand painted background, throughout layers of shiny resin!

Golden, Timeless Things

The newest watch related gems, and an interesting brooch! A few of the recent arrivals at my shop in the Leslieville Arts Market located at 1114 Queen St. East!

Pocket watch winding key pendant

The most interesting brooch I have ever seen

Art Deco gold filled watch case & movement

Tigers, Gators and Others

Browse my selection of vintage brooches of all shapes and sizes at my Arts Market boutique!

Many Moons

"When you reach the moon, then?" acrylic painting and two moon abalone pendants are currently available at my shop in the Leslieville Arts Market.

Brief Rest in Restoule

Roughly 4 hours north of Toronto there is a place called Restoule. It is a place where you can swim in a private lake, a place, where nobody is anywhere around. I only spent one evening here, and had to try and rush the relaxation vibe, but overall I think it is undeniably refreshing for any amount of time. Took a few minutes to do a quick watercolour of the view from the (thankfully screened in, bug free) deck.

view from the dock

view from the porch

New Jewels at Parkdale's Made You Look!

Just a few of the colourful new pieces that you will find when you visit the amazing jewelry haven that is Made You Look Jewellery! From engagement rings, custom design or every day jewelry, they have it all. Located on Queen Street in the West end of Toronto,

This deep set rectangular watch part pendant has more layers than your average resin pendant! It is composed entirely of old golden watch parts, highlighted by the hand painted white background.

Colourful cufflinks! Summer wedding? Perfect, Always available in custom colours on request.