Saturday, October 30, 2010

Carving the Perfect Pumpkin

Carving a pumpkin can be a creative and fun activity for halloween. The search for the right pumpkin can also be made into a fun family activity. I found these great instructional clips which I hope will help you crave up some pumpkins of your own.

Creative Pumpkin Carving Ideas : How to Start Carving a Pumpkin - Expert Village

Visit Better Homes and Gardens for more great carving tips and FREE Printable Stencils. Enjoy and have a fun and safe Halloween!


Monday, October 25, 2010

Profile: Dr. Cheryl Cottle

Dr. Cheryl Cottle is an educator, researcher and business development consultant with over twenty years of experience. She holds a doctorate in education, a masters of science in IT and a bachelor of arts in english. She has worked with individuals, organizations, boards of education and businesses to transform and enhance their objectives.

Dr. Cheryl Cottle (left) and Yvette-Michelle Cottle Darby

Dr. Cottle is not only academic in her skills, but also artistic and fashion savvy. She has also been a long time supporter of Verona Collections, fashion accessories and design company. In the past she has assisted with the development of the business and is the educational consultant for Crafted Spaces.

Silk hand painted evening purse (shown centre)
Illustrated and painted by Dr. Cottle
PHOTO COURTESY OF VERONA COLLECTIONS

This Fall/Winter season Dr. Cottle will also be rejoining the creative team of Verona Collections, where she will be designing a collection of hand painted and silk screen patterns for the company's Spring /Summer 2011 Silk Evening Purse Collection. Dr. Cottle's creative talents have been put to work before at Verona Collections and her ornate hand painted floral vines have adorned its' evening purses before. We look forward to seeing the new designs in the Spring and will feature them when they become available.

You can join her highly motivational and inspiring women's business development and networking group: CPC Women in Business. Through this group Dr. Cottle motivates and inspires and provides other women entrepreneurs with an opportunity to network with other like minded women. Women share their experiences and assist each other in building their respective business ventures.

Dr. Cottle's list of business development services include: Strategic Planning, Technology Training, Social Media Marketing, Website Design and Development, Business Planning, Coaching and Mentoring. For more information about Dr. Cottle and Cottle's Professional Consulting, please visit www.drcottle.com

She is also my Mom :-) xoxoxo

Monday, October 18, 2010

Shop Review: Lady Mosquito

Walking down the trendy Queen Street West area of Toronto is always a delight. There is never a dull moment and you are generally guaranteed to find something to temp your senses. Little bistros, galleries, specialty shops, and a character or two are part of this urban landscape. Queen West is a must-see area of Toronto.

Over the years, the area has seen countless changes and continues to reinvent itself. This past weekend Crafted Spaces had the pleasure of visiting Lady Mosquito, a quaint little gallery boutique that has just celebrated its one year anniversary. This unique, one-of-a-kind selection of handbags, jewellery and other fashion accessories are vibrant and well crafted. Director, Cynthia Villegas took the time to chat with us and share the details behind the featured collections.

Cynthia Villegas, Director

In 2008, Cynthia a native of Peru who has been living in Canada for several years; embarked on her entrepreneurial journey, importing the amazing creations of some very talented individuals. The designs are vibrant and eco friendly.

Cocktail purses created with recycled materials
Click here to view workshop images

"I wanted to bring to Canada designs created by some creative designers from Peru."

The store therefore features Peruvian designers exclusively, adding to its uniqueness. Cynthia also indicated that she travels regularly to Peru and meets with the designers, visits their production sites, and . . .

"try to co-ordinate very closely with them to decide what products will best suit the international market."

The final product is a great mix of designs that complement each other and combines traditional elements with modern design.


Capsula Purses
Click here to view workshop images


Necklace produced with sustainably harvested Tagua seeds
from the Amazon rainforest

The service is warm and friendly, and the shop is well put together with many of the displays crafted by Cynthia herself. Lady Mosquito is located just west of Queen and Ossington on the north side. To find out more about Lady Mosquito and its' amazing selection of designs visit the website for store hours, features on the designers, and an opportunity to shop online.

For more information on Lady Mosquito visit www.ladymosquito.ca or call 1 647-344-3266

1020 Queen Street West,
Toronto, Ontario

Thursday, October 14, 2010

A Splash of Colour

We have been working towards reorganizing and decorating our studio space. After looking at tons of fabric swatches and paint chips we have decided to go with two shades of pink. No BIG surprise; however, finding just the right pink took some time. Follow us as we recreate our creative space.
What do you think about the colours we have chosen?
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