What's all the Buzz about

So, I'm a bit behind on posting this one, but not so behind that you are missing out on it. If you follow me on Instagram/twitter you may have seen me posting about the Bees {& the Birds} show that had it's opening last Thursday. Well.... that show is still going on until this Sunday (May 29) so if you're in Toronto go check it out. (Graven Feathers hours for this weekend: Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. / Sunday from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m.)

A group of 38 artists coming together to use their art to help the bees.

Each of the artists participating in the show want to make a difference and help the bees. The works are bee inspired pieces that explore the role of this alchemist insect in our world. 

These artists felt their work could play a big role in raising awareness and money - offering solutions for individuals - for our community - and for our world.

That's why 10% of all show proceeds - including sales - will go to the David Suzuki Foundation's efforts to save the bees.

I was super excited and kinda nervous about the show. I committed early, then almost got cold feet. I've done plenty of craft shows, but never a gallery show. Luckily being amongst such talented folks, and my good friend (oh yeah, and the curator/organizer of the show) encouraging me and having faith in me, helped get over that insecure moment and I got my piece finished and up on that wall for opening night. It wasn't the piece I originally set out to create something entirely different, but that ended up becoming a bit of a beast and took on a completely other life (ie: something really fun for the Midsummer collection) and what came to be was the lovely Bee Keeper.

You guys know me pretty well by now, so you'll know I'm pretty much down with any kind of environmental cause. But... I'm also totally afraid of bees. Even the big fluffy bumble bees. Actually I'm kind of a wimp about anything buzzes and flies. Tenfold if it'll sting me. You haven't seen anything until you've witness my bee dance. But you know, I can get over myself to remember that these little dudes, and all pollinators, are very important to the planet and to all of us who want to continue living here. Anything that helps to bring awareness, spread the word and raise a bit of money for, I'm up for it. And since this lady got so much positive feedback I'll be doing up some smaller prints to bring with me to the TEST Midsummer Market next month. And of coarse for you non-local friends, they'll be up for sale in the shop soon!

I had a great time at the opening night, got to catch up with some old friends I haven't seen in awhile, browse through the other gorgeous pieces, make some new artist friends and honestly just be surround by good vibes. Hopefully you get a chance to make it down to see the show, or maybe you already have - if so let me know what you thought.

Happy Summer little peeps! 

{I forgot to mention that it's already officially too hot for me here in Toronto ;}

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Happy Winter and The Ice Maiden

It's here. My favourite time of the year. Winter. I'll pause while the majority of you grunt.

All done now? Good. Because while it may have snowed for about 25 minutes here in Toronto on Saturday, there is still no real sign of winter here. I'm in the minority of unhappy people, but I expect to gain some supporters once the 24th hits and people start to cry in their egg nogs that there will be no snow for Christmas.

The coming of Winter, the Winter Solstice, Midwinter... whatever you may choose to call it, tends to be overlooked a) because most people are cry babies about the cold and b) everyone is focused on Christmas. Not here at thunderpeep headquarters. This is our second favourite day of the year (the first of coarse being the celebration of my birth) And it's done up in style. Or at least I try. I have to admit I don't have as many supporters in my Midwinter celebration, but every year I try.

The Midwinter celebration is similar to it's sister Midsummer in the sense that it is a welcoming of the light. You might find that strange as it's the longest and darkest day of the year. But because it's the longest, that means after the solstice, the days actually start to get longer. And while modern society actually recognizes the 4 seasons, these celebrations date back to Viking times, and the Vikings only celebrated the 2 Summer and Winter seasons. So to them, this was the middle of winter, it was the start of the trek back to light and summer. The Vikings Midwinter feast was actually a 12 day celebration (sound familiar?) with sacrifices to the Gods, lot's of eating and drinking, the burning of a Sunwheel, and the Yule log. Now while we are all familiar with the Yule log cake (which I'm making for the first time this year) in Viking times it was a large oak log decorated with sprigs of fir, holly or yew, that they carved Runes on to while seeking protection from any misfortunes. The Viking Yule is still celebrated in some areas of the world and who knows, maybe in the future I'll make it to one. But for this year I hosted some friends for a giant smorgasbord feast. In front of my new fake fireplace. 2 days before the actual solstice. You do what you can. There is ZERO chance of snow for the changing of the season. Don't even get me started.

Now, I did promise you some Good vs. Evil fun to help ring in the season. And, that isn't necessarily going to happen. I was too busy having fun and the piece still isn't finished. BUT don't be sad, I can give you sneak peek. Or an introduction. While I was originally going to work all the pieces in the collection in a similar format, this one has taken a bit of a different direction. And, being as this is one of my all time favourite stories, we'll let it.

The next instalment is inspired by Hans Christian Andersens' the Ice Maiden. It was actually the first piece I started working on, but it's also been the most difficult to finish. There are just so many themes in the story, choosing one direction that does the story justice is a struggle. So I just decided to go with what stuck out the most to me in the story. The theme of hope and believing. While The Ice Maiden differs to the Snow White story in that it does not end with a clean and happy win for the Good side, well let's just say Evil has to patiently work for her victory. There's also a bit of a tainted love vibe. And that's all your getting for now. Except for a sneak peek at The Ice Maiden herself.

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and then you kind of end up here - part 2 of the story

just take my photo already, so I can go play!

Growing up I was rarely inside. I loved adventuring around the neighbourhood. I grew up in an era where parents let their kids run wild and loose on the streets of suburbia. I was a bit of a lone wolf too, out for my own adventures and whoever was around could tag along. But I also had no problems amusing myself.  Neither of my parents were outdoorsy folks, or really very adventurist. But my Grandma was. She was a traveller and a homebody all in one. She was truly a remarkable woman! I most definitely have her spirit in me. But the point is, I didn't grow up with summers at the cottage or camping or any of that. I camped in high school but that was more of a party away from parental supervision kind of adventure ;) But I was comfortable with being in the outdoors.

Then I moved to Vancouver right after college, after I'd gone out there for my reading week break. I started life over, in the middle of the mountains and old growth forests and ocean wildlife. I explored around those first years, before settling in Vancouver proper and I loved those times. Discovering all the little hidden spots, meeting new people, creating my own story as I went. Most of my friends went out of county to explore after college, I chose to explore my own country. And I connected and fell in love with the natural world that makes up a huge part of Canada. There is no greater peace than being lost in your own thoughts on the top of a mountain, looking over miles and miles of forest and sky and ocean. This was home to me. That sounds cheesy but it was true for me. Not everyone can disconnect like that to be able to get lost in such a large space. But it's where I'm most comfortable. Not that I'm anti-social, I just find social times harder to focus in.

One of my favourite spots on the planet - Summerland, BC

And I think you can see that in a lot of my stories and illustrations. It was such a huge part of my being, it was going to be evident in my work. That's a big part of what I related to in the Finnish shops, the use of natural elements in their work. In the years I lived out West I also saw those natural resources be sold off and cut down and disrespected. Now, while this is not a political post, it's important to know this, because I discovered something about myself after moving back to Toronto. I am 100% Tree Hugger. Yeah, I used to make fun of them. Now I realize I've always been one. Funny how that happens. And I'd forgotten that part of me after a few years back in a bigger city, where strolling through a park does not measure up to a hike in the forest. Sorry. It just doesn't. Walking through city parks reminds me how badly we maim and litter our nature. When you're deep in the forest you are completely detached from civilization. It's untouched by us. I got kind of angry. Why does no one care? Don't you want to have fresh air, and trees and clean oceans? (this would be the point I realized I really was a Tree Hugger type!) These are not issues that are of particular interest in areas of the country where you don't live side by side with nature. It's not Toronto's fault, this is a common thread within a lot of cities in Canada, and North America I'm sure.  And I want to make a point that I am not a Toronto-hater. It is what it is. It may not be for me, but it's great for a lot of people. But it could use a bit of a green make-over. We all could be reminded how to live a cleaner existence and lessen our footprint on the planet. If you've followed me for the last few months on twitter and instagram you may have seen signs of this shift. This was my personal growth. Finding that side of me again. I'm not usually one to bow to peer pressure or to follow the pack, but I found that coming back to Toronto, being around old friends, old habits started to emerge. That's all on me. That's also not Toronto's fault.  I've always been quite comfortable with who I am, sometimes a bit lost, but never unsure of myself. That's what I was feeling. Confused and unsure of what the hell I was doing anymore. That was new territory for me. But as those old friends started to fade away, and I started to gravitate more to like minded folks and find my place in a creative community I started to be me again. But that's when the thunderpeep story started to change...

packaging parties!

Small business is hard. A creative small business is hard. Not only do I run thunderpeep by myself, I also work a full time day job (affectionately referred to as Le Day Job) and make an attempt to have a social life in that spare time. This tests friendships (trust me breakups with bad friends are as important as breakups with bad boyfriends), makes trying to start new relationships a challenge (it's almost kind of a blessing being single with no kids to look after, but the boyfriend situation needs to change, at least so I can have someone to help with all those OOAK load ins ;) and planning for a future with questionable income very challenging. But any small business owner knows this, I'm preaching to the choir here. We all do it because we love it. But somewhere towards the end of 2014 I realized that I wasn't really loving it. I wasn't happy. This wasn't what I'd set out to do, and the love just wasn't there. Having come back on side with that little Tree Hugger me, I had a long look at the greenness of my own business. Was I doing the planet a favour, or was I contributing to the problem. Sure there's a place for stationery in everyday life. There are eco-friendly ways of producing and encouraging people to not just recycle but to reuse the products was also possible. At least I hoped it was possible. Cards are pretty disposable, maybe I should be making more long term pieces. Maybe I just didn't want to do it at all anymore (don't worry, this story has a happy ending)

That's when things started to go sideways. In a way, I was personally being rebranded, so shouldn't that mean that my company will move in the new direction too? Plus I turned 40, always a good time for a big life shakeup. Right??!!!

read the next chapter here!

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the year that can go away now

that was 2014 for me. Until December rolled in. 2014 was a challenging year. Both professionally and personally. But as I sit here on the first day of 2015 I remember that it's the challenges in life that truly define you. Or should I say, how you overcome those challenges is what defines you. And I feel soooo ready to get 2015 started!

If you follow me on social media (instagram is my personal fav so go follow me now because 2015 is going to be even more fun to watch play out) you'll know I took a step back and hibernated after the One of a Kind show ended. I was completely burnt out and honestly needed to digest everything before I could share it. I'm kind of introverted that way. I don't really like to share personal stuff with people, honestly even with friends (except for those handful of close ones!) And my personal life was suddenly the most interesting part of my day. Well sort of. Lot's of unexpected business stuff was playing out as well but it was all too overwhelming for this little peep.

And since I'm navigating away from Facebook I thought all of this makes for great blog content. And I do need to write more. I feel like a different person going into this year, and I want to share that journey of growth. I learned so much from others this past year, that I want to be able to share my growth with you.

Oh My God. So sappy. Not what some might be used to. But that's the way I'm rollin' these days. I'll do a post more on the challenges that were 2014, but this is New Years Day, a day to celebrate and look forward.

This year the business is moving into some very different directions. Can't tell you all of that now, but here's some fun new things.

I'm not sure if you've noticed but I have a huge green heart. I love the outdoors and yes I'm not afraid to admit I have Tree Hugger tendencies (or if we're talking winter I prefer the term Iceberg Hugger - but we're talkin trees here) I definitely feel out of sorts here in Toronto. It's not that the city doesn't do great things for the environment, but it's definitely not as much of a focus as I am used to, and what I think it should be. So not only am I making the personal pledge to do more (yes you can always do more) but thunderpeep is going green too. Not only that, I'm also pledging to do more to remind the world why the human

As of January 1st I'm switching over from the great FSC papers I've been using to a 100% Post Consumer Waste card stock for cards and any paper products will be printed on a wheat/fibre mix paper (yes I said wheat paper). Envelopes are going to eventually all be the awesome new brown bag envelopes you may have noticed I used for the Holiday cards. 100% recycled and 20% post consumer waste material. I won't be using anymore coloured envelopes. Cards sleeves are a necessary evil but I've found some that are actually certified compostable. What??!!! Yesssssssssss! So excited. All these things are great and I'm so happy with the move, but it will also bring a slight price increase, but that won't come into effect until February 1st. So head over to the online shop and stock up at the old prices ;)

I'm really excited to launch the first new collection of 2015. I'm feeling a lot of love lately. I've been spending a lot of time with some great friends and well, this single lady has a very fun new secret crush, all of which has led to some very fun new lovey cards (you know I don't really like to use that Vday word ). All this love and going green led to the naming of the new collection, The 50 Shades of Green collection. I know right! So Excited. These cards are a bit more sweet than saucy. That's just how I'm feeling these days. And they are the first cards to come out with the whole Tree Hugger treatment. I'm aiming to fully launch them the week of January 5th to give you lot's of time to get some for your special friends.

Lastly, my trip to Iceland has been postponed. But don't be sad, I'm sure not. You're going to be super excited when you hear the travel plans I have instead. And just between us, I'm now aiming to spend next New Years in Iceland so that'll still totally happen.

Oh yeah, I'm also dubbing 2015 as the year of the Trolls.

More to come…. How about you? What are your big plans for 2015?

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All sorts of excitement!

Well, the show season officially kicked off this past weekend. Along with a whole bunch of new product. Whew. It was exhausting getting here, and still so much work to be done between now and the end of the year. But Goonies never say die, right ;)

This past weekend was one of my favourite shows, the Danforth East Arts Fair. As an East Ender myself this show has has special meanings for many reasons. It's right in my neighbourhood. I have made a ton of friends at the show customers and vendors. It was my very first big 2 day outdoor tent show and has always been super successful so I tend to launch a lot of new product here. I guess we kind of share the same quirky sense of humour - and it's a great barometer for what will be popular. We are so much more twisted in the East End of town ;)

There were 2 definite hits this year, not surprisingly both dwell a bit more on that twisted side of the tracks.

Ghost Friends is officially a bestseller after selling out at #Deaf14. Now available in the Etsy shop

I keep getting requests for a new Best Friend card so i was super excited to launch this one. I mean Come On… who doesn't  want to come back and freak out all your frienemies! I love a good Ghost story and this one brought out some really interesting ones from my lovely customers. I wonder if Trolls can be ghosts?

Old Milk is Gross. Your Old Friends are not. Also now available in the Etsy shop

In my circle of friends I'm always the one who will sniff milk (or pretty much anything) to see if it's safe to consume, but do I actually sniff my friends to be sure they are still fresh enough to stay friends with? Well only my close friends will know the answer to that one (and yes someone did actually ask me if I did that over the weekend!!??) But you can let your friends know if they pass the Old Milk test with this awesome new birthday card.

There are even more awesome new products being uploaded to the Etsy shop this week, I'll showcase most of them as we head into the next show, Etsy: Made in Canada on the 27th. I'm pretty excited for this one. Not only because I got to work with my lovely ladies over at The Toronto Etsy Street Team and 416 Hustler Team on organizing the event, but because it's the first EVER nationwide event to help promote the Shop Local movement here in Canada. Etsy is really working hard to make Canadians aware of all the amazing talent here and all the incredible locally made goods so this event will see pop-up markets in 26 cities from coast to coast. If you're in Toronto you can check out our show at the MaRS building (College and University Ave) as well as our sister show over at OCAD. If not check out the MIC homepage to find a show near you (ps --> Vancouverites yours is in Robson Square, AwEsOmE!)

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Let me introduce you...

When I was younger I LOVED chain letters. I was big into penpals and letter writing though so not a huge stretch.

Then when email came along and spam was invented (you know, those friends who would forward Every Single Funny Joke/Photo etc) I absolutely hated it all. I didn't want to be sent anything that would bring on bad luck in 24 hours if I didn't pass it along or whatever crap it was spewing. Thank god those days are long gone. Or at least they can be hidden in your facebook feed ;)

So when my fellow stationery buddy Queenie of Queenie's Cards sent me an email about participating in a blog hop I instantly cringed. But then I read further and realized this was kind of like those recipe chain letters and I kind of loved those. (who else is in on starting this up with me?)

So welcome to my Blog Hop post!

As I mentioned I was tagged to participate by the uber sweet Queenie. We met a while back at a show and slowly had some email chatting before finally sitting down to chats and eats at The Wren (yes I pretty much go there with anyone and everyone!) She designs an great line of cards over at Queenie's Cards right here in Toronto. She did her first Stationery Show last spring and we're super excited to see her make a huge mark on the Stationery scene.

Check out some of my fav cards

seriously… I love to drop an F bomb in real life, but would never mail one. This card is perfect!

I still own and use a calculator. Word. Love it!

So now… on to me. I have to share some tidbits now.

1. What are you writing/working on?
At the moment I'm prepping for show season (show prep is a full time job in itself!) which starts in about 3 weeks {yikes} I'm launching the new line of stationery on the 13/14 of September at the Danforth East Arts Fair and still putting the final pieces on the Holiday line coming later this Fall. In the longer term I'm just starting on the Polar Nights Collection launching this winter (well I guess November isn't quite winter but it'll feel like it) and even more exciting = my first book. It might have Trolls. And some online workshops. And of coarse all the fabric goodness for my collaboration with Quilter Steff over at Pickled Herring Designs. Oh Yeah and OF COARSE planning my big 40th birthday party this November ;) Man, it's no wonder I have no life, when do I have time to sleep!

2. How does your work differ from others in your genre?
I think thunderpeep stands out because it's very much me and my sense of humour/adventure. The weirdest things tend to come out of my mouth, or I latch on to something someone has said to me that I totally take out of context, and most of that ends up on a card. There are some gorgeous illustrated cards out there but I really love to focus more on the typographic styling of my cards, because it really is all about that cheesy line, telling it like it is! And I love typography. 

3. Why do you create?
Oh gosh. I wouldn't know how to not create. It's just a part of me, I don't even think about it. I'm happiest when I'm lost in the world of design.

4.How does your creative process work?
I don't have a specific process, I'm a very digitally oriented so all finished artwork is created in Illustrator. sometimes I doodle out the beginnings of the design and sometimes I just get down and dirty on the computer. I have a big sketchbook that I'm constantly jotting down sayings or little ideas or doodles and when I'm looking for inspiration I just open to a random page. It's all very organic, which I love, but is sometimes a bad thing, trying to get myself to work when I'm just not feeling it is really tough.

Now, let me introduce you to amazing creative spirits that I'm better for knowing.

First up is Ele from Minouette. I first met Ele through the Toronto Etsy Street Team, she's our Captain. A couple of years back I was invited to become a Leader on the team and I've been able to get to know her a bit better working on various team events (including the upcoming Etsy: Made in Canada show - are you coming?) and now I'm honoured to share a bit of her with you. 

Ele combines her artistic side with her scientific side (because she's also a Marine Geophysicis who's lead an incredibly interesting life so far) in creating lino block prints, fabrics and other goodies.

Magic in Antartica

Polar Bears and Aurora Borealis, 2 of my favourite things

combining Art with Scientific Women - Florence Nightingale

My next uber cool and creative friend is Katie from Heart's Haven. I also met Katie through the Toronto Etsy Street Team and we quickly became show buddies! Katie's an East Coaster at heart, with a whimsical spirit, maker of lovely recycled wears, screenprinted beings and loves greyhounds! Plus her Grandma sounds like the second most awesome grandma ever (no one person alive is as cool as mine was) Here are some of the pieces I love from her collection.

Free the Bears! I'm patiently waiting for cool mornings to be able to wear my Bear infinity scarf

Greyhounds and scarf and skin! I'm loving this fuscia

with every broken heart we should become more adventurous - quote from her page not mine!

And to end this gorgeous Blog Hop Post I thought I'd share one last thing that inspires me. Since I'm planning my first vacation in what feels like forever (in celebration of my 40th Birthday) to one of the most magical places on the planet, I thought I'd share one of the insanely creative Lyric videos by my fav of fav bands Of Monsters and Men. If I could live in this video I would!

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Midsummer… is coming

It's been a bit of a struggle to get this years collection together, and to be honest it's still a bit of a disaster zone over here, but I can see the light at the end of the fox hole and the new (although maybe a bit small) Midsummer 2014 collection is looking awesome.

And… I'm super excited because this year I actually have an event on the actual first day of summer (that's how us North Americans refer to Midsummer). This year I'll be launching the first bits of the Midsummer collection down at the Leslieville Arts Market. The Leslieville Wanderlust is putting on it's Lemonfest event to welcome in Summer (and to mark the end of street construction the past few weeks) and hopefully drinking loads of lemonade (have I mentioned it's my favourite - although usually with a little something extra added in;)

I'll be posting all sorts of fun sneak peeks over the next 2 weeks so be sure you follow thunderpeep on instagram and twitter!

Any big plans for your Midsummer weekend?

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Mothers Day cards

So, what do you think? You have noticed the make-over… right? I finally decided to fold the website and blog into one site, too much trying to maintain them both. And time is something that I seem to have very little of these days. So now, everything you need to know about thunderpeep is all right here. Links to both shops and all the social media outlets I hand out at.

I can't claim all the credit for this great looking page though. I got the template from one of Canada's great bloggers and designers Wonder Forest. Check out her site, the blog is fun to follow and she's got a great shop full of all sorts of blogging tools to make you look oh-so-swank! And her blog is super pretty.

Now on to some thunderpeep news. The new Mothers Day card is up the shop already, but I thought I should give it a bit of promo over here, since it's pretty awesome. I'm not particularly close to my mother, so this particular occasion was never really an easy one for me to design for. But this one was inspired by one of my good friends, who's quite cheeky and her mom has been known to give it back even cheekier. I love their relationship and I knew this particular saying was probably one she's said to her mom at some point - or would say. What's even more awesome is when she visited me at OOAK recently and saw the card she automatically bought one for her mom. She said it was "totally something I would say". Inspiration comes from all the little nooks and crannies of your life.

for the Best Sons and Daughters in the Universe!

Last years design is also still available in the shop!

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New adventures

OOAK Spring 2014: I never got a full finished booth shot (bad me) / The Home print from the calendar was a hit / Ferdinand the Fox and I filled up on yummy lemonade

Yesterday was my first full day of NOTHING. I slept in (waking up at 7 is still sleeping in if you went to bed at 9:30 the night before, right?) lounged and tidied up and napped and lounged and watched crappy movies.

It was really nice. Sometimes you just need nothing days, and I needed that one. So much has been happening lately, and still so much more to come. It can all be overwhelming at times. But so exciting that I can really only mellow for one day then I get itchin' to get back on the wagon and get shit done.

That's where I am today, as I work on the new To Do list, that is much more complex than I anticipated. The Midsummer Collection is starting to take shape and I'm pretty excited about it. It's going to expand into some new (well not so new - more like reborn) pieces, there's a a book all about Trolls, there's a pretty freaking awesome collaboration with my good friend Quilter Steff and I've already got Christmas back on the list. What the….??? Yep, seems June is when all your favourite card selling stores want to take a peep at the Holiday collections.

Crazy. Right?

But I figure that gives me July to kick back and plan my big trip next year. And other BIG adventures. And to figure out how the heck I'm going to fit in a big 40th shindig one week before the Holiday One of a Kind show.

Small Business never stops plotting and creating and planning and conquering. I know this because I'm just finishing up Arlene Dickenson's "All In". Highly recommend it to anyone and everyone on an entrepreneurial path, or even for those who have crazy entrepreneur friends and loved ones.

Don't forget to follow me over on Instagram (thunderpeep) for all the sneak peeks and if you want to share your card giving or card receiving adventures tag your pics with #thunderpeep and I might just share it with all my peeps! I'm all about sharing the love (and non-love ;)

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Hey, where'd you go?

Ok, so the lead up to this One of a Kind Show was probably the most chaotic. Life just hasn't slowed down, and to be honest burnout is starting to set in. It makes me a bit sad that all the things I had planned for the show couldn't get finished. But this is the reality of running a small business solo. Only so many hats I can wear, and the Michelle hat has been neglected a bit lately, so a rest period is long overdue.

But don't be sad. Rest time = super creative time. And all those things that are boiling around in my head will be created and this Midsummer we'll be having one kick ass parté!!! And you know that I'll be sharing the process here on the blog and on Instagram (stop laughing I really will be blogging about the road to this years Midsummer collection)

For now, if you're in the Toronto area come on down to visit me at the One of a Kind show. I'll be hawking my stationery goodness in Booth N06 (this Wednesday to Sunday at the Direct Energy Centre)

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the lost art of handwriting

You remember those books you got in elementary school, the ones with all the lines to help you practice your letters with? I still love those books, and they've become even more useful to me know as I've taken on the task of learning Modern Calligraphy. I found this amazing class through Skillshare (what you DON'T know about Skillshare -> go look now!) I really want to start working more hand lettering into my work so need to up my skills.

January has been a tough month. Still trying to reclaim all the spent energy from the Holiday. It seems that sometimes once you stop and take a moment it can be hard to get back into a groove. At least for me. And so many distractions!

I've got a couple of new collaborations in the works that have helped to get the creative juices flowing. And all this time spent getting the house & studio back in order were accompanied by great tunes. I love just putting random music on and was getting bored of my same old itunes selection, so I headed over to Songza (if you don't know it you must check it out) Being that I love most things Nordic and Scandinavian I decided to search to see if there was anything under either of those categories. Gold Mine! I found this amazing Scandinavian Folk mix. I'm not really a fan of any one specific genre and really the only folk I like is the more modern Of Monsters and Men and Mumford and Sons style. So I was a bit skeptical, but it also listed Bjork on the playlist and I love her quirky tunes.

One thing I do tend to lean towards in my music is dark and moody lyrics. Might surprise some, considering the style of a lot of my work, but there it is. Along those lines I found a couple of great new bands that are great for working to, just getting lost in the words and melodies, so I thought I'd share them.

First up is First Aid Kit, a Swedish girly duo. So pretty and moody and you just kind of want to lay in the grass and stare at the clouds all day music. Did I really just say that???? Listen for yourself

Next up is the adorable Jens Lekman, who is also Swedish but his record label is called "Secretly Canadian" so you have to love it for that even if you don't like his music ;) He's a bit more pop jazz??? Not sure what to call him, but he's cheeky and I like it. He's got a song called "Some Dandruff on Your Shoulder", of course I'm going to like him!

He doesn't seem to have any videos that I can find so this will have to do. Turns out this was actually on the Whip It soundtrack (bonus points for that because that movie was rad - still trying to bring that word back ;) And he may remind you of a certain British singer…. 

It seems with all this Swedish music being thrown into my universe I may have to actually add it to my big 40th birthday trip itinerary. 

Any new tunes you've recently discovered that you want to share?

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hey there!

So much has been happening for usually slow January. You will notice the blog looks a wee bit different today, it's undergoing a bit of a facelift. Not quite fully functioning at the moment, but it'll get there. And we'll all have a fun as we get there :) So first thing, the super sweet Ashley over at chic.toronto did a feature on thunderpeep today and it's fantastic. It's a funny thing, seeing yourself through someone else. But the most exciting part… there's a super fine giveaway happening on the post so GO check it out. You could win!

A couple of super exciting collaborations are in the works, I can't quite tell you about them yet, but hopefully by early February I can spill the beans. It SO hard not to say anything!

The Spring One of a Kind show is coming up really fast… and this marks a bit new step for thunderpeep. A big booth. Like a mini storefront. Scary or exciting or perhaps a bit of both. I'm starting work on the booth now and you know there'll be sneak peaks up on Instagram as it's being constructed. Lucky for me I have an incredibly talented co-worker who is quite versed in carpentry and has offered her assistance. The ideas for all the new designs are slowly being worked on, some of the Midsummer collection will launch at the show with the rest being debuted at Midsummer in June.

For now let's all bundle up and enjoy the winter weather!

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one more show coming up...

I posted about some of the incredibly talented Toronto Etsy Street Team members who were at One of a Kind with me last week. Well this week I'd like to share a bit about our upcoming show. Our First Ever Christmas Marketplace. Saturday, December 14th we'll be hosting a small and intimate affair down around Kensington Market (we're actually at the Church of Saint Stephen-in-the-Fields at College and Bellevue Ave). You may remember that I mentioned I was one of the leaders, and that means one of my responsibilites is creating our awesome graphics. Being as this show was in a church, I wanted to create a bit of a throw-back look to the days of Church basement craft shows (we've come a long way from those days haven't we?) so of coarse I had to give it a Christmas Sweater look - also because I did a lot of research into Fair Isle designs for the Polar Nights collection so my brain was already there!

Here's the lookbook, you can browse through the vendors and hopefully we'll see you there on the 14th.

Oh yeah, Santa Claus is going to be making a surprise visit too. Although I guess it's not much of a surprise if I just posted it eh?

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TEST @ OOAK

I talk a lot about Teams on Etsy, I'm a huge fan of them. I'm a huge fan of community really. Being around other like-minded creatives (or whatever your interests/business is) is one of the best things for my soul. To chit chat about business, creative projects, listening to what others are up to, being able to swap stories good and bad... it all aids in our growth as humans and as business people.

I'm lucky enough to be part of one incredible team through etsy, the Toronto Etsy Street Team (TEST), and extra honoured that I can also say I'm one of the leaders. The group is full of so many talented people, and I've made some incredible friendships through the team. You may remember hearing about our Team show last June and our first ever Christmas show coming up on December 14th.

At this years One of a Kind show you'll be able to find more than a handful of TEST members and I thought I'd take the chance to show off some of them here, with you, so you can meet some of the amazing talent in Toronto.

1. Avril Loreti

2. Candiware

3. Carolyn Draws

4. Crywolf Clothing

5. Domistyle Aprons

6. Inspired Art Prints

7. Kempton Jones

8. Kid Icarus

9. Handmades by Rovena

10. Simple Smiles

11. MagPrint

12. Westlake Designs

and of coarse thunderpeep designs... but you know all about me ;)

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Shop the neighbourhood

Saturday, November 30th is Shop The Neighbourhood - all across the country. Well really this can translate to any city in any country. But I don't know all the local shops in most other countries. So I'm going to list the ones I do know {and love}

If you're in and around Toronto here's some local shops for you to check out:
Artisans at Work - Danforth East
Arts Market - Leslieville & College/Ossington area
Beadle - Dundas West / Brockton Village
Freedom Clothing Collective
Labour of Love - Cabbagetown
Len - Danforth East

If you're in Hamilton, Ontario the Made by Hand show is holding it's Christmas Show featuring all sorts of fantastic vendors from all over Hamilton and the GTA.

Halifax, Nova Scotia
Dots & Loops
Halifax Crafters Society Winter Market

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Fiddleheads Kids Shop

Vancouver, British Columbia
Bird on a Wire Creations
Blim
Front & Co.
Oscar's Art Books {be forewarned you might get sucked into this store for hours ;}
Regional Assembly of Text

Feel free to share any of your favourite local shops in the comments!

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The weekend has been all wrapped up!

Wow, even I can't believe how quickly this month has gone by! This was the first weekend in the last year of my 30's (yes my birthday on Wednesday saw me turn 39 - holy crap) It's the last weekend before the One of a Kind show. Saturday was our first snowfall this season, it didn't last long but it's still awesomely frigid here! I finally have my living room back as the packing station was itself packed away, and all my stock is boxed are ready for move in on Wednesday. Lot's more happened in the past 24 days but honestly I don't even remember half of it, it's been such a whirlwind!

I started putting the final (and best) parts of the booth together. And man, is it looking sweet. I can't believe it looks pretty much the way it did in my head.







































If you're in the Toronto area, come on down to the show to see the final booth, it's pretty fun! If not you'll get the whole post show wrap in a couple of weeks. I have some fun posts all ready to go during the show too.

I went searching and searching for a specific video for today's post. Unfortunately this one's an oldie (but goodie) so there's only audio. In honour of our first snowfall, this is one of my favourite Holiday songs. Because I love snow. And marshmallows. And sweethearts.

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Weekend Rap

I had the opportunity to hang out and catch up with some of my crafty circle friends this Saturday and it was exactly the medicine I needed. I am truly blessed to know some extraordinary women who run creative businesses, all different mediums, at all different stages of their business. All inspiring and encouraging. I wasn't sure, when I first moved back to Toronto from Vancouver, if this was going to be the case.

I"m less than 2 weeks from a crucial time for my business and it's been a tough couple of weeks, for the business and on a personal level. But as I sit here typing on Sunday evening I feel like I could kick the crap out of anything the universe throws me.

But enough of the Dr. Phil moments. Friday I got to hang out with the Roses at Ikea. I love that place. I may have to cut out the Swedish dinners from now on (yeah, Ikea is most definitely NOT a gluten free friendly eatery!) But all my booth building necessities were acquire and some salty licorice seemed to have fallen into my cart as well (I can't leave Swedishland without some sort of treat ;) and the building of thunderpeep arcticland has started. Guys.... I am SO excited for you to see the finished product. Ao psyched about this display!

So, I'm on schedule. The product is all packed. I feel ready. I know I still have a ton to get done. But this is going to be the best Christmas season ever.

There's a couple of really fun posts coming up this week, to help kick off your Holiday shopping - that is if you haven't already started. Maybe some more extra ones as I'm feeling guilty about last weeks lack of posts.

Now... I've been saving this one for a few weeks, but now that the Christmas show season has started I figure it's safe. It's a bit more Solstice oriented and pretty funny.... enjoy!

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Holiday Well Wishes

It's finally all ready to go. The 2013 Holiday Collection that is. This one is smaller than previous years, but there's more variety, and one product I'm SUPER excited about. (all products available online here)

The Cards

2 new designs... all in good Holiday Fun! (seriously, what IS the point of a naughty list?)

Don't want to write out a bunch of cards? No worries... we've got Gift Tags!

2 designs - both come in packs of 8 tags!

This year we've even got GIFT Wrap 

2 designs to choose from. Will come packaged with 4 sheets - for the Wreath design you'll get 2 of each colour

(sorry kiddos, this one will only be available at the One of a Kind Show and select stores in Toronto)

and the big top secret piece... ready made Letters to Santa!

I've had this one up my sleeve for awhile. And it was all hush hush, you never know who's watching, and I couldn't find anyone doing anything similar - I wanted to keep it that way ;)

You can sit down with the kids, help them fill out all the info the Big Guy needs to know to fill his Big Bag of Gifts before liftoff on December 24th. Fold the letter in and use the awesome stickers to seal it shut. And if you live in the US or Canada you can just drop that letter into the mailbox (yeah, Santa is such a Rockstar you don't need postage to mail him a letter) FUN all around! I was excited to be able to design some stickers to go along with the set, what kid (or some grown ups I now) doesn't love stickers. I wish they could have been scratch and sniff, but we'll have to work up to that one!

So, I'm almost all ready for the Holiday rush now. Just need to finish off the Polar Nights collection, which will be the centrepiece of the One of a Kind booth. *hint... I stuck a bit closer to home with my inspiration, it seems our Arctic was in need of some serious protection ;) Look for the launch later on November 3rd.

*Order any of the Holiday goodies during the month of October and you'll get Free Shipping (blog readers this one is just for you because you've been so patient with me lately) use the coupon code BLOGXMAS at etsy checkout. Hooray for Free Shipping! There are also some of last years cards still up in the shop, and they are part of the Free Shipping deal as well.

PS. As this is Thanksgiving Weekend here in Canada tomorrow is a Holiday (yay for an extra day to sleep in) so the Weekend Rap will come to you first thing Tuesday morning!

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I spent the weekend in the park

This past weekend was one of my favourite outdoor events of the year. No, I take that back. It IS my favourite. I live in the East end of Toronto, just off the Danforth (remember the Taste of Danforth madness?) and a bit farther east from my place is East Lynn Park. Home to the East Lynn Farmers Market, which I learned is put on by the very same folks who put on the Danforth East Arts Fair.

Outdoor shows have always made me uneasy. Rain and dampness are the arch nemesis of paper goods (and I don't really like them either) But DEAF, in the 5 years it's been running, has always been blessed with good weather. Have I said how much I love this show already? Anyhow, this year was my second year participating, I had some great expectations, but I was also looking forward to hanging out with some of my crafty buddies and getting some facetime with my giggling customers. It was a long summer of creating and packaging and plotting, not enough socializing. 

it's amazing what you can fit into a Mazda3 - into a 10x10 tent - what treats you can hide behind your display!

This weekend was well worth the wait. Eastenders are extremely engaged shoppers. They're always interested in you and your story, the story behind the products. That's golden for a creator. You know whatever it is you are selling is going on to a good home. And they have the sense of humour to hang in the thunderpeep tent (although listening to a mom explain the new Marriage card to her 10 year old son was a bit awkward, until she just said "one day you'll have a wife and understand" - loved them!)

hello baby goodbye sleep card is in the show now! Catnip ball is available at Lynn's Lids shop

Saturday was gorgeous and sunny (although a bit chilly in the shade of my tent) and tons of locals came out to play in the park and browse all the awesome vendors. it was a perfect day in the East End. Sunday was a bit more overcast, but it was still warm and a surprising number of dogs in the park. It was a fun break from all the cute babies the day before. The East End is really family oriented, not a surprise then that the new Hello Baby card (in Lavendar) was the big seller of the weekend. Do I know my Eastenders or what?!

high fives for this best t-shirt of the weekend! Goodies from Heart's Haven & LureArts Pottery!

I didn't get a chance to do a whole lot of shopping unfortunately. I did wander a bit when the moment arose, and ordered myself a new iphone case (custom made too) from the super fun Dolalee and picked up a felted catnip ball for the critters upstairs, from my booth neighbour Lynn's Lids.

Now the focus is all on the Holiday rush and One of a Kind Show. I'm also starting a newsletter (shocking I know) I wanted to do an actual mailout one, but no one wants to give me their address. Weird, right? If you want in on the email version you can email me your email address and I'll add you in, first one is due out beginning of November. If you want me to mail you a physical copy... I'm still game ;)

How was your weekend?

Now, it's Monday you know. So I'm obliged to provide a soundtrack to your day. There's no particular theme, I wish I could have gotten some video of one of the musicians playing in the park this weekend. But that didn't happen so you get some Smashing Pumpkins since they are currently playing at Casa Peeps at the moment! Happy Monday peeps :)

To note.... I just discovered that one of my friends has one of those fun little video cameras that are so popular these days. Perhaps so silly thunderpeep videos to come?

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life's big moments

Blog September Challenge for today: Describe a distinct moment when your life took a turn.

This one is so easy. 

boxes everywhere! all boxes were numbered, with a list of everything packed in each box:) I'm so efficient

In March of 2011 I packed up my life in Vancouver and moved my ass back to Toronto (yeah 16 years earlier I took the train across the country and settled in Vancouver ). I left a job that was pretty much my dream job (due to the fact that no one reads newspaper or magazines anymore - not just because I felt like it), a great group of friends (who will always be my friends), and those mountains. Oh.... those mountains. I won't sugar coat it. It was hard. Really hard. It still is hard. There still isn't a week that goes by that I don't miss Vancouver. Not to knock Toronto, but I'm an outdoorsy lady. I live for forest adventures. But the opportunity came up to make a change, something I knew I needed to do. And I may not have a dream job anymore, but I'm creating my own new dream job in thunderpeep. And it's all mine. It's evolved so much in the past 2 years, so much more than I could have anticipated. And I've met some amazing new friends that have helped me grow as a person and find my Toronto self. I don't have regrets... but I know I'll make it back to the beautiful West Coast eventually. Just not tomorrow.

the last days in my sunny Vancouver apartment. I had a view of those mountains. I miss that apartment...

Have you made any big changes or big moves in your life?

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