Of the marvelous

Hurray it’s truly here! The big smile on my face says it all. The warm weather has finally arrived and planted its feet firmly into the ground. I remember that sunny day when everyone came out of their collective caves. People were definitely under dressed, but hey, we were all happy and the smiles were infectious. Here I am modeling my new Abbey Road design downtown in one of Toronto's many graffiti alleys.

With all the beautiful weather outside I've been a bit distracted, who can blame me.
Fortunately the natural light streaming in the southern windows of our studio has spurred on my creativity.

I've just finished a gorgeous new edition of Gwendolyne Hairbands for the shop. I love hair bands, but I always had difficulty finding the proper fit and selection was limited. So, last year I created my own.

This year my customers are telling me "hair bands are in". Well I personally didn't think they were ever out, at least not for me. Perhaps it's my long hair. In the Summer, I don't like how the heat can build up at the back of my neck. A Hair band helps to keep me cool. After a swim a hair band keeps the wet hair off my face.
A good hair band can be a great Summer accessory.

Some of my new Hair band designs have miniature vignettes of fabric appliques and antique buttons. They were a lot of fun to make, and are a thrill to see on my customers. Here is Andrea, new to Toronto from the East coast. She was happy to have her Hair band choice custom sized for her on the spot. It is so nice to offer those extras to my customers when I can. We ended up talking about the acting scene in T.O.


As a farewell gift, I gave Shihoko this hair band and best wishes for her journey back home. She is a lovely Japanese woman who worked in our building’s cafe this past year.

My son Aaron and his wife Catalina are teaching English in Japan. On this spring day they visit the temple at Nara and feed the deer who roam freely all year round. Notice the hat.

Over last several weeks there has been a real buzz about the environment here in Canada. It's great to watch this fertile seed grow in our collective conscious. Together we are a powerful force that can stand up and effect change. Wake up that sleepy giant and let's strive for a better world. Last weekend the Green Living Show was happening in T.O. It was exciting to see a show about alternate lifestyle choices become a platform where politicians and environmentalists duke it out for social change. Kudos to David Suzuki for standing up for the environment. Instead of going to the show we decided to venture out and appreciate nature first hand.
We packed a picnic and off we rode to the Leslie Spit; an amazing natural resource and one of our favorite spots in the city.

It was a day full of wonderful surprises. Like ourselves many people were out enjoying the Spit, on bicycle or on foot. So were all the flora and fauna. I have never experienced so many wonderful creatures on one day. It was a special gift for us, to see more. Here is a rabbit passing by William as he was resting on a timber cut down by the beavers teeth.


This quick video William took of me sums up our Sunday outing the best!