Apple cider, stilt-walkers, live music, and so much more!

Come to City Cider at Spadina Museum to witness apples be picked, pressed, heated, and served – and then taste it for yourself! Not Far From The Tree is teaming up with Spadina Museum to make this a fun-filled afternoon for all.

Higher Ground will perform on stilts, live music will be provided by The Orchards (yes they’re called The Orchards can you believe it??) and Nathan Hiltz with vocal guest, YogaRocks will do yoga for kids, and there will even be a corn roast, orchard tours and so much more.


Sunday, September 18th at 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
In the orchard at Spadina Museum (285 Spadina Road)
Rain or shine! RSVP on Facebook here.


Not Far From The Tree is a not-for-profit environmental agency that harvests residential fruit trees. They ensure all of Toronto's trees are picked, eaten and shared! Learn more about them here and get involved. Also check out their tips on preserving apples here!!

p.s. I'll be making my way there right after our polychrome silk-screening workshop that should wrap up by 3 p.m. the latest.

End of Summer Sale

It is sad to imagine that summer is ending and the recent chills at night are confirming the inevitable...

On a lighter and happier note: 

!!!!!! SALE !!!!!!
sale tags have been put on most of the Summer merchandise 

20 - 50% Off  on all those those dresses, pants, skirts, and tops you’ve been eyeing.

We are a tiny but full to the brim and we need the room badly for all the Fall goodness that is already on the way!

The sale actually started yesterday cause Jelena was just too excited, so hurry up and make in down in time to get those pieces you’ve been thinking about.
Enjoy!
Yay!

Freedom Essentials for a Fabulously Awesome Beach Vacation

I don't know about you, but Toronto summer just makes me want to fly away and swim in the ocean. So, I did: I went to a heavenly place called Turks and Caicos and swam with the fishes under me and the pelicans above me. It was absolutely magical. 

Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

Outside of the ocean, I had a little help from these Freedom items to make my vacation perfect:

 1. A pocket from Sparrow Avenue - perfect size for all the essentials like car keys (you need a car to get around in Turks and Caicos), cash, Tylenol, lip balm, eye drops and contact lenses case, etc etc. The colour blends in with the sand so if you are ever worried about leaving your stuff unattended by the beach (not really a problem where I went), you can simply bury it a little bit (I would recommend to do so by a large permanent marking so that you can find it later..) and no one would notice.

2. Skin care! While proper sun protection is a definite must, there are other little things that are also much needed in tolerating the tropical sun. Priya's lavender face scrub makes my skin less oily throughout the day. The deet-free bug repellent really saved me during my journey through the caves in Middle Caicos. Silly me, I forgot to spray some on my face and so my forehead suffers while the rest of my body was safe and sound. 

Daniel's Cafe, Middle Caicos, Turks and Caicos

3. Lyocell is a sustainable fibre made from cellulose found in wood pulp that has been harvested from tree farms. Not only that, it is extremely soft and light on your body. It was a blessing! Perfect for walks, and also to throw over your swimsuit. We have two designers working with lyocell: Kali Clothing has racerback tanks and tank dresses; Atelier B has spaghetti strap tops, v-neck tees and scoop neck blouses. I basically alternated between these tops and dresses throughout the trip.

With all these handy, I bet you'll have as smooth of a sail as I did. Bon voyage!

Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

p.s. Stay tuned for vacation report part two, all about the local artisans from the islands!

Bloorcourt Village festival

 A great collection of creative minds from all disciplines are coming to participate with a fantastic outdoor festival!

What do we know? Only that it's gonna be spectacular! But check out this site which will explain the happenings so much better, complete with a vendor list >> bloorcourt.com/arts-and-crafts-fair/marketplace

two flyers cause that's how good it's gonna be!

After you've checked out all there is to see at the festival and need to walk off some of the burgers or macaroon ice-cream sandwiches take a tree tour around the neighbourhood. I stumbled on this precious page of Toronto Tree Tours yesterday and was so happy to hear about it! "The Toronto Tree Tours tell the stories of the urban forest and the people and places it sustains."
Check out this great site about Toronto's heritage via it's trees! It's so adorable.... where do i sign up? Here >> treetours.to/dovercourt-park

The Six Swans by Jessica Del Sole

Six graceful, vibrant swans have been perching our the window space for a week now. Artist Jessica Del Sole was inspired by the Brothers Grimm's Fairy Tale, The Six Swans.

In the story, six brothers are turned into swans by their hateful step-mother. Their sister Syndee is the only person who can save them. In order to do this, she must make six sweaters out of starwort in a span of six years, during which she is not allowed to laugh or talk. These sweaters will then turn the brothers back into humans. She finished all five, and the last remained without a sleeve. All of the brothers except flew through the sweaters and was turned back into humans, with the exception of the youngest of them, whose arm remained that of a swan.

Jessica Del Sole has a wide range of experience studying and practising visual art. While completing her Undergraduate Degree at University of Toronto she studied Art History focusing on Illuminated Manuscripts of the Middle Ages. She took her studies to Barcelona, Spain, where she was able to not only study the vast array of artists that worked in the city but also develop on her own skills as a visual artist. She continued her studies in the Arts and took painting and drawing courses at York University. From there she enrolled in Seneca College's Independent Illustration Program where she was able to integrate her skills as a traditional fine artist with modern-day skills. Jessica has recently completed her Bachelor of Education from OISE/UofT.