Oopsie!

OK I messed up. You could say I screwed the pooch... although many of you wouldn't say those exact words..... did I mention I'm, like, 5?

Anyway, the new Muxtape is up. Some of you mentioned the link wasn't working properly but I can assure you it is. I'm the problem. I started putting together the new muxtape last week but I didn't have enough time to finish it. So, only a couple of songs were up. Sorry!

This weeks Muxtape is inspired by the awesome weather outside. I'm thinking of dusting off my skateboard and going out... for as long as my knees and back will allow anyway..... which should be roughly half an hour. If we were back in 1988, this is the mixtape I would give you Monday morning at school.

Totally radical!!

http://hq.muxtape.com/

Aria Jewelry does it again!

Our friend Aria, who designs the jewelry collection of the same name has just released her newest collection, and it's gorgeous as usual!


The work this girl puts into sourcing her charms and other components is impressive. Never satisfied with second rate quality, she's always on a scavenger hunt for the perfect size, shape, colour, etc.


Aria is also the talented lady behind the curation of the "Idilio" exhibition which showed at HQ this past April. She organized all the artists involved, and provided the lovely jewelry which they did their painting on. A stunning show overall and a very organized curator to boot, we love that!



We also love how Aria puts in the time and energy to do dramatic photoshoots of her designs. She's been doing this since before we even had HQ, and it shows. Way to go Aria, the collection looks beautiful!



www.bijouxariajewelry.com


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Outfits of the Week: May 13/08

"Outfits Of the Week" two weeks in a row, somebody stop me I'm out of control.

The dress in the first outfit I made sold, so Tyson put together this outfit all by himself, what a guy! Dress by Homebaked Fashions (Montreal), chandelier crystal necklace by Beloved by Sophie (UK), vintage white belt, handmade leather purse by Broundoor (Montreal), vintage Salvatore Ferragamo shoes (!).


Cotton dress with pockets by Yarncraft (Montreal), necklace by Aria (Montreal), vintage black leather belt, vintage white leather mesh slingbacks.

Tuesday Morning Music

A little Tuesday morning relaxing music for you all. I know Tuesdays are not all that much better than Mondays, but a little France Gall might cheer you up! (ignore the weird music at the beginning, the song starts after a bit). Love the the slideshow, it's a bit of an homage to great hair and eyeliner.




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Colourblock my Twinkle Toes!

I've had a longstanding love with colourblocking (and I guess just colour in general) and it is spreading to my feet. We have a few cute pairs of colourblocked pumps and sandals down at HQ, so I thought I'd put them in context with a few fun pics I've saved from some of my favorite places here and there on the magical internet. Hopefully this will inspire everyone to add a little colour to their lives! All our vintage shoes at HQ are between $15 and $30 (most around $20) so there's no need to feel guilty indulging in a colourful treat!

(as usual, click on images for a bigger version)

Image at left: Cythia Rowley shot by the Facehunter
Image at right: shot by the Facehunter

Image at right: shot by the Facehunter

Image at left: Susie Bubble at her colourblocky best
Image at right: shot by the Facehunter

Image at right: shot by the Facehunter


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Mini Squid by Lady Wool

For all those aquatic life lovers out there, here's a little something to delight your senses. These guys are hand knit by local designer Mathilde Sottolicio, and we think they are just soooo cute! At about 5" long, they fit nicely in the palm of your hand.

At $20 a pop for a handknit present these little guys are great! We think they would work wonderfully as a pincushion (although some of you may squeem at the thought of putting pins in the little guy!), as a cute decoration on a present, or just as a little present for your favorite friend (kids and adults alike!)

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Outfits of the Week: May 8, 2008

Hello colour, hello sun, hello Outfits of the Week!
(as usual, click on the pics for a bigger version, gotta get in close and see those details!)

Bamboo (yes, bamboo!) top by Yarncraft (Montreal) with belt tied as neck scarf, vintage tooled leather belt, African print cotton dress by Hastings + Main (India/Africa/Montreal/Vancouver!), vintage eelskin purse with chain strap, white vintage lace up shoes (both options would be great I think!)


Madras plaid halter top by Samantha Stoncius (Montreal/Toronto), linen/cotton shorts by MX Jeans (Montreal), leather and denim "fishscale" purse by Roadkill (Montreal), Coral necklace by Nea (Montreal), turquoise tooth necklace by Liv & Lucy (Ottawa), handpainted shoes by Tyson Bodnarchuk (Montreal)

Soooo......Carla Bruni is a great singer (yes, the model)

Stumbled upon this in my wanderings, I had no idea! Oh and she's also married to French president Nicolas Sarkozy. Who knew?!

Her album "Naive" came out in 2002, so I guess everyone knew, really...

Not Your Grandmas Craft Sale!

CAUTION!!! Copious amounts of linking to awesome handmade sellers to follow:

Once again apologies to my grandma and her craft sales, but we're hauling a carload of our handmade stuff out to Ottawa for the spring version of their "Not Your Grandmas Craft Sale". Tyson will be manning a booth showcasing his amazing handpainted shoes and purses, and my log pillows, owls, pincushions and a bunch of other fun new top secret stuff. The show is THIS SATURDAY (!) so if you happen to be in Ottawa for the weekend, or live there, or have a car and want a mini road trip it's worth it.

The details are:
Where: Jack Purcell Community Center, 320 Jack Purcell Lane
When: Saturday May 10, 2008, 10am-4pm
Cost: $2 admission (plus there's yummy food usually, so bring extra for that, as well as the awesome handmade stuff. Obviously.)

Tyson will be heading out with Marc Simard of Broundoor , Elaine Ho of Roadkill and Yana Gorbulsky of Supayana, but we also happen to know that a few other Montrealers are making the trip (Mike & Devin from Furni, Serah-Marie from Worn Fashion Journal, Angela from HoneyFlower, Sam & Sara from Pin Pals, Dana from Damned Dollies and Hilary from Catchframes). "It's a Montreal jamb-o-roo!" as Tyson would say. I would say it's just plain lots of fun, so head out if you can.

If you're not able to head out to Ottawa though, stop by HQ and say hi to ME, 'cause I'll be sticking around taking care of the shop and hopefully helping many a lovely lady find a perfect summer dress for those hot summer days that are just around the corner...

For more info on the craft sale head to www.ladyfestottawa.com


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New Designs from Vanessa Moore

Hey everyone, sorry for the total lapse in blog posting, I could write out a long list of excuses which I'm sure you're dying to hear, or I could just get on with things. Let's go with the latter.

We're happy to say we just got in a few wonderful new designs from local clothing and jewelry designer Vanessa Moore. She puts a dark twist on all her designs, so here's a little something for the girl who can't get on the cupcake train.

Stretch lace, feathers and metal studs are artfully mixed together to creat luxurious (yet very comfortable) headbands, delicate fabrics are hardened and turned into earrings and brooches, and cute polka dots are turned into retro halters.



www.vanessamoore.com



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Weekly muxtape

I missed last week because I was I Winnipeg visiting my brother and his new baby. As it turns out babies are stupid and dont like mixtapes.

http://www.hq.muxtape.com/

Art Kills Texas

Art Kills Texas - Saturday May 3rd, 2008

Remember to swing by HQ this Saturday night to witness the opening of Valerie Sury's exhibit "Art Kills Texas" showcasing original paintings inspired by the bands from 2005's South by South-west concert. Starting at 6 pm and running until 11 pm join us for drinky-poo's, music and amazing art. Do you posses the music savvy to name all the bands in the exhibition, based on their attendance at SXSW and the paintings alone? We challenge you!

The show will be running for the entire month of May , so be sure to check it out 2 or 3 times. At least.

*****

http://www.valeriesury.com/

Worn Fashion Journal Slowdance Prom

Well, the sweet memories of the Worn Fashion Journal Slowdance Prom are just a glimmer in our minds. But thanks to their beautiful photo op setup, the memories can live on in technicolour! Here is just a small sampling of the decked out slowdancers. For the rest of the pics go to the Worn Journal Flickr set: Slowdance Prom

Friday Night is here!

And so is the "Alba Matters" show!

Scroll down to the post from earlier this week for all the info on this awesome colab show. It's for one night only, so stop by, have a drink and check it out. The clocks will be available in HQ and online on the Furni website afterwards, but this is the only night to revel in their digital brilliance as one plugged in group. Behold them!

www.furnicreations.com

Yanas Panties!

Hee hee, even typing the word "panties" makes me giggle a bit. Just thought I'd share with you guys a couple pics from Yana (of Supayana fame) and the ladies who took her underwear making workshop at the Etsy Labs last week.

GOOOOO Yana!!

www.supayana.etsy.com

Unkie Tysie!

So any of you who have been by the shop have probably (hopefully) noticed that it's me (Angie) here at the shop instead of Tyson who is usually here all week. Well, Tyson is visiting family in Winnipeg because his brother and sister in law had a beautiful baby girl, Violet Ash Bodnarchuk! Tysons mom took this sweet pic of Tyson and Violet, so I thought you all might like to see the little cutie (the baby, not Tyson). She's so TINY!!!

Wish I was there to see her too guys!

Happy Earth Day!

What a beautiful, sunny, happy Earth Day!

How has the last year been for you, is your brain ready to explode from hearing about how "green" everyone is becoming? I want to take a second to talk about greenwashing, just for a moment. According to my best friend Wikipedia "greenwashing" is:

Greenwash (a portmanteau of green and whitewash) is a term that is used to describe the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.[1] The term Green sheen has similarly been used to describe organisations which attempt to appear that they are adopting practices benefical to the environment.[2]

With every tv show, magazine, celebrity and company talking about "going green" it can get a little confusing. How do you know what is really and truly green? I'm no expert by any degree, but I keep my eyes and ears open, and here are 2 things that really bug me:

- Flashy or literally GREEN COLOURED packaging. Come to think of it, how can a product with packaging on which to print actually be that green at all? Yes, some items must be packaged in some way but if the packaging looks exactly the same as the old packaging, and it has a swoosh of text saying "now greener than ever!", be a wee bit suspicious.

- Magazines touting new green products that you MUST buy! (clothing, furniture, cups, shoes, etc.) While it's wonderful that these products are being made, just remember that it's excessive consumption in the first place that got us into this mess. Don't go out and replace perfectly good items. And if you do, please remember to give your old items to Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. Useable items should NEVER go in the trash!! I want to buy your old items at the Goodwill anyways!

Here's a little recap from Wikipedia on what to watch for in regards to greenwashing.

In December 2007, environmental marketing company TerraChoice gained national press coverage for releasing a study called "The Six Sins of Greenwashing," which found that 99% of 1,018 common consumer products randomly surveyed for the study were guilty of greenwashing. According to the study, the six sins of greenwashing are:

* Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off: e.g. “Energy-efficient” electronics that contain hazardous materials. 998 products and 57% of all environmental claims committed this Sin.

* Sin of No Proof: e.g. Shampoos claiming to be “certified organic,” but with no verifiable certification. 454 products and 26% of environmental claims committed this Sin.

* Sin of Vagueness: e.g. Products claiming to be 100% natural when many naturally-occurring substances are hazardous, like arsenic and formaldehyde (see appeal to nature). Seen in 196 products or 11% of environmental claims.

* Sin of Irrelevance: e.g. Products claiming to be CFC-free, even though CFCs were banned 20 years ago. This Sin was seen in 78 products and 4% of environmental claims.

* Sin of Fibbing: e.g. Products falsely claiming to be certified by an internationally recognized environmental standard like EcoLogo, Energy Star or Green Seal. Found in 10 products or less than 1% of environmental claims.

* Sin of Lesser of Two Evils: e.g. Organic cigarettes or “environmentally friendly” pesticides, This occurred in 17 products or 1% of environmental claims.[10][11]

So what's a person to do?

Well, research actually. It's your job as a consumer and human being to figure out which brands and products are good for the environment and which are not. All you have to do is actually care a bit and pay attention, and you'll start noticing hints all over the place. I good tip I read is that if your great-grandma wouldn't know what it is, it's probably not all that great for you. Obviously a few things are exceptions, but it's kind of a nice rule. Grandma didn't have saran wrap, or yogurt in a tube, or a Swiffer and she did just fine.

So what am I doing? Well, here are a few things I'm going to work on:

- Focusing on buying organic cotton for all my basics (tanks, t's, etc.) There are a lot of companies now doing organic cotton basics, so I really have no excuse. American Apparel is one of those companies, and I get most of my basics there anyways, so why not?

- Switching my bathroom towels to organic cotton or bamboo. We have 2 dogs, so our towels turn into rags pretty darn quick. Organic cotton and bamboo towels are available at many large scale retailers at this point, so again this is an easy one.

- Homemade dog food. This is really more Tyson than me. That's right, I can't even really cook good dog food. It's mostly better for our dogs, but it does reduce packaging, and is made with all natural items with no preservatives or additives. The dogs seem to like it A LOT better too.

- Buying more local produce. Food that has travelled less obviously creates fewer emissions. Now I just need to convince my fruiterie not to use styrofoam plates to put their food on. Are those things REALLY still allowed?!?!?!?

- Try convincing my local noodle place to let me use my own dishes/containers for takeout. This might be a tough one, but it would be amazing!

- Finding a brand of biodegradable doggie poop bags that I can buy in Montreal. We found some once but couldn't find them again. 'Cause really, putting biodegradable poop in bags that will not degrade or allow the poop to degrade, it's kind of stupid.

- REMEMBERING to bring my own tote bag to get groceries with. Why can't I remember!?!?!?!

- Switching more lights to CFLS, both at home and at HQ

- Switching some of my magazine subscriptions to online versions. Readymade magazine is now available online (with a subscription code). It will reduce paper, but will also reduce clutter in my house, an extra bonus.

- Convincing people that bottled water is the craziest thing in the world. I understand that you may need to buy a bottle of water when you're at some music festival or something and your hydration is at risk, and they won't let you bring in your own water, but in your office? at home? at the gym? Come on people, bring your own water!!! Does no one realize that the REASON people think we need to drink bottled water is because people think tap water is not clean enough? Because of pollution from, oh I don't know, WATER BOTTLES?!?!?!? The irony people, the irony...

- One last tip I just read is that The Home Depot is now offering FREE recycling of all your broken or dead CFL lightbulbs. This may sound like a small thing, but it is AMAZING. Not sure if everyone realizes this, but CFLs have mercury in them, so you can't just chuck them out like a regular bulb. Thank you Home Depot!

Happy Earth Day everyone, here are a few links to check out if you're interested in learning more:

Wikipedia page on Greenwashing
www.inhabitat.com
www.treehugger.com
www.re-nest.com

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Alba Matters

Um yeah, summer's here, in case you didn't realize... wow. So let's talk about something that is ski/snowboard related. PERFECT!

Seriously though, we've got an amazing last minute collab show lined up for Friday April 25th (that's in about a week and a half). Our friends at Furni got together with 20 artists to make one of kind versions of their popular "Alba" clock. The show is fresh off it's debut exhibition at the Telus "Spin" Ski and Snowboard show in Mont Tremblant and is now making at stop at HQ.


The "Alba Matters" art show will be viewable one night only, so get your butts down here!!! This art show is an initiative from Furni, a montreal based design-build studio and Rekognize, a full service design firm also based right here in Montreal. The clocks on show are both relevant and affordable (fixed price of 150$ each) with a portion of the proceeds going back to the artists themselves so come on out for a great night.

www.furnicreations.com

www.rekognizedesign.com


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Brixton hats have arrived!

Holy shit, it actually happened, spring/summer is here! I know I write about the weather a lot, I guess it's part of my prairie roots. People in Manitoba CONSTANTLY talk about the weather. All I know is that a few hours ago I was eating lunch on a terrasse and talking about vintage bathing suits. Seriously.

The Castor

On a completely less girly note, we've received our shipment of Brixton hats! I just spoke to Tyson on the phone and he assured me that they are on the shelves and looking amazing. Kick ass really. We have a few different colours of these styles kicking around in a couple of sizes. Finally, something for the guys!

The Pinch

Brixton is a collection of hats (and now belts and jackets) created as a collaboration between three southern California friends. Created in 2004, they wanted to design a line of hats inspired by the music, culture and people that surrounded them.

The Stroll

These hats are seriously amazing quality, with satin linings, grossgrain ribbon detailing, nicely woven fabric and vintage tattoo flash style illustrations on the inside linings. Serious attention to detail, which I always love.

The Hooligan

Also, Tyson has one that he treats like shit (throws it in his backpack, puts it on the dog, sits on it, etc.) and it's pulling through just fine. Tyson is the ultimate wear-test for any piece of clothing, I swear.

The Ruffian

As usual though, girls will no doubt be filching some of these hats for their own. So it goes, girls get away with wearing anything, leaving the boys in the dust.... Ha! So here's a little "girls wearing hats" style inspiration for you as well, get that style motor turning! (all images from www.facehunter.blogspot.com) Click on the images for bigger versions...

Black hats, done two very different ways

A mix of colours and patterns

AND a little style inspiration for the boys...

slick and black

A little more casual and layered up

And if I EVER catch you wearing one of the Brixton hats THIS way, I'll knock the bloody thing off your head and you will be forever banned from HQ!

www.brixtonltd.com

Mixtape in your face!

My second instalment of what will hopefuly be a weekly thing. It's finally starting to warm up, so here are a bunch of fun new and old songs that remind me of of warm times. Getready to have your face melted off by sweet Springtime jams!

http://hq.muxtape.com/

love,
tyson

Damned Dollies

It's been awhile since we mentioned the little dolls we sell at HQ made by our friend Dana De Kuyper. They're a mixture of cute and evil, and she calls them Damned Dollies. We love them. We give them to people as presents A LOT. Dana also makes amazing illustrations which she screenprints onto tees, change purses, etc. If you haven't seen these little ladies around town or in some magazines you're probably a hermit. They've appeared in Bust, Marmalade, British Vogue, Strut, Elle Quebec, enRoute, some Italian magazine, some Swedish magazine and various local papers. Dana was one of the first people we met when we moved to Montreal, and we love seeing her out and about at concerts, and of course at every craft show under the sun. Yay Dana!

Oh and for those wondering about that Jill Bliss package in the above pic, it's brand new at HQ! Jill Bliss is one of my favorite artists, you may recognize her art from some of the My Favorite Mirror "pocket mirrors" we have in the store, or from one of the coaster sets. Well, we now have a beautiful set of mini journals for sale. Cute!