Colour your world

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Summer is in full bloom, school's out and the kids are frolicking. We have already experienced some wonderful moments ourselves. I do love how our city of Toronto is such a magnet for great musical talent in the summer. The best part of it?... the fun's all outside. William and I have been enjoying the Harbourfront concert stage, where free music events hit center stage every weekend. Our taste in music is adventurous, so we appreciate the many different styles and cultures on the program. We've enjoyed many a moonlit serenade while dancing under the stars. It's a lot cooler down by the lake.

Our most exciting concert to date featured a 10 piece Afro Soul group from New York called the Budos Band. Tremendous live energy and a great new CD too.

On another day we came across a colorful display of the multi- cultured creativity our city offers. It's so great that Toronto celebrates its diversity. In the end we learn more about each other and that's why we live together peacefully. What a beautiful day!

My son Aaron and his wife Catalina have been living in Japan this past year. This photo illustrates the true beauty of the Japanese cherry blossom.


It's so nice to see a Gwendolyne Hat underneath these magnificent blooms and on the head of my wonderful daughter- in- law.

It was a honour for me to be one of the judges at this year's Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition held in the Nathans Philips Square. I was very lucky to meet some very creative artists and I enjoyed this opportunity to talk with them about their art. In the end I got to choose who I thought to be the "Best" and the "Honourable Mention" in the Fiber Media category. Fourteen years ago I was the recipient for Best in Fiber, so for me this was a full circle. I got to pass the torch on to someone else. It is great to see how many new artists have embraced this tradition. For centuries it was a cherished creative outlet amongst women. I’m so happy to watch this passion continue to grow.

It may be hot outside but in the studio we are busy preparing for the cold. It takes 8 long diligent months to create my new winter collection. We had a lot of fun this past month building the 2007 edition of my Boucle Scarves.

Here I am working with my talented assistant Jessica. Each scarve's fringe is created from international designer yarns. Like an artist's palette the yarns are stored different colour containers to make the colour selection more accessible.

The yarns are then cut and hand laid one by one at each end and then sewn in later. Like a painting each fringe is a unique combination of colour and texture. As a child it was always the fringe that made me enjoy my winter scarfs. So I produce these not only to provide terrific winter warmth but also to offer my clients that splash of color to inspire their winter days.



I realized this weekend that our intentions create the wonderful world we get to experience. All you have to do is open your mind and life will unfold. By making a simple plan, to get outside on our bikes, with a picnic in our baskets, we laid a path to the most magical day.

The surprises that await you are always just around the corner. It is all about timing and whether we are ready to recognize the gift! You're only as lucky as you want to be. So lift your wings and soar like a bird, then sing out loud and spread that joy forward.

Embrace simple pleasure

These last winter weeks have been very challenging and exciting as I have produced a new winter hat design that will surely bring many new smiles to my customers. My best design work has always been created in the season to which the hat is best worn. Recently my new design "The Nadia" was perfected. The construction of this hat requires a lot patience because I create the band design with hand sewing. Over the years I have grown to enjoy hand sewing. When I stitch I become one with time, I become grounded in the present, and do not feel the need, to hurry. My concentration is rewarded by the beauty of the furs butting up against each other.

Akin to hand sewing is knitting. Twenty years ago I worked in Romi Wools, a yarn shop here in Toronto. If you ever have a chance to visit, I truly recommend you to go there one day. Romni Wools is a knitters paradise here in Toronto. When I worked there, it was my Moms generation that kept the craft alive. Today with the renewed interest, a whole new generation of knitting is becoming established. Knitting collectives are popping up all over our city. I am thrilled to see this movement.

My friend Carolyn Barnett has made her passion of knitting a very big part of her life. She inspired me to begin this blog last August. Here we are last summer at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition.

In life and business today the drive for quick solutions, and short cuts are celebrated and awarded by our contemporaries. There is a higher financial return for this sped up pace. I believe we carry this mentality into our lives. We validate how good the day is by how much we accomplished. Are these ideas sinking into our consciousness? Are we aware of the residual thinking patterns we create when we incorporate those thoughts into our lives on a regular basis? Is this torch being passed onto our children? In the Thesaurus some synonyms for consciousness are: sensibility, carefulness, mindfulness, recognition, and regard. These words best describe the experience I have when I hand stitch. They also describe for me a way of life that would allow our lives to be filled with great joy and gratefulness.

It is a good to embrace the simple pleasures of life, to slow down, and absorb the unfolding nature our life is directing us by. Our minds will get filled with a greater positive feeling to carry us throughout the day with the recognition of our abundance. I will add that when I place myself in this awareness, I experience a greater physical, emotional and spiritual sensation throughout my body.

I highly recommend the book You can heal your life by author/healer Louise L. Hays.
I recieved a copy for my birthday this year from a dear friend. I read a chapter once every morning till I finished the book. Her words were so positive and insightful about our thinking patterns. The book lifted my spirits even higher and gave me new tools to use for personal growth. Like the hats I make for people, this book is a keeper to use and read many times over. Instead of passing it along, I intend to cherish this book gift and inspire others to get a copy.