Gone Fishin’…….

I’ve been taking a bit of a break the last couple of weeks, and been enjoying a few activities….Grand Slam of Curling (I love to curl!), a “new-old” shop opening for the Workroom- a staple for more than a decade and a half for all things stitchy in Toronto (now in Sprucedale too!)- and a flying visit to The Artist Project, to see my good friend Carolina Reis and her exhibit (I love a good hummingbird!- check her work out, I’m sure you would too!).

Catching the ladies doing their stuff on the ice! Watching four simultaneous games is challenging, but there were some really amazing shots. I’m always so inspired watching good curling!

Me and my bestie on the bus to Sprucedale- with Carolanne Graham, quilter extraordinaire photo bombing in the background! (I’m such a Toronto-ite, I had to look up where we were going as we were leaving Toronto! Turns out it’s a lovely place:).

Carolina doing her thing at the Artist Project. I saw so many other inspiring artists when I was there, but I was too busy experiencing them to document anything!

What do you do to recharge and re-invigorate your creativity? As a small business, I wear all the hats, and I find it really difficult sometimes to make time in my life to get out and about, but every once and a while I have to make an extra effort to do so, because I know how important these things are to keep me going. How about you?

Not this week........

Sadly, I’m feeling the pressures of my workload this week, and don’t have anything very interestiang to say. So here are some pretty colours for you.

Sterling silver M pendants with needled felt. I’m still obsessed with these forms, so expect to see more of them in the future!!

Have a good weekend, whatever you are doing!

It's the Season! Come be festive with me!

While I’m busy making away in the studio (both in Roncy, and my home textile station), it is the season of good cheer, and I’m feeling it this year, in a way I haven’t in years!

Proof of Christmas in my heart this December :)

If you’re at loose ends tomorrow, come join us at the Jewel Envy studio in Roncy for some festive cheer! That’s right! Friday December 8th, 2023 from 5pm-10pm, a gaggle of goldsmiths (including Moi) will be ready to greet you at Jewel Envy to partake in some cheer, treats, and gemstone surprises as we celebrate another year in business making gorgeous jewellery for all of you. I’m really looking forward to some of the activities, myself! There will be drinks, nibbles, and lots of fun. Please RSVP via the button so we can cater properly! (After all, we wouldn’t want to run out of * gasp * refreshments!) See you there!

Wondering what I'm getting up to?

It’s been awhile since I talked about anything textile on here, so here’s a small snippet! I’m working on a new kilt in the MacKay Modern tartan. If you don’t know, tartan is defined as: (Scottish Gaelic: breacan [ˈpɾʲɛxkən]) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours, forming simple or complex rectangular patterns. Some are a relatively simple pattern, and some are very complex, sometimes because they are derived from blending two older patterns. And the colour combinations can get pretty interesting! I think one of the cool things about tartan is that it is, in some senses, still a living thing. There is a registry for tartan, and any one who wants to design a new one, can, and then register it. Of course, it’s not quite that simple, but what a great concept!

MacKay Modern tartan

Make it stand out

MacKay Clan crest

I’m looking forward to a bit of sewing! Check back in a few weeks to see the final product(s)!

Want your very own heritage kilt?

Want to learn how to make your very own heritage, hand-stitched kilt? Sign up to take a workshop with me in March.

Treat yourself with this special opportunity

I’d like to tell you a short-ish story about a colleague and his family, as well as the opportunity to buy jewellery and help a family in need at the same time!

My colleague at Jewel Envy, Shafiq Sarwari, is a talented, kind, and hardworking goldsmith and lapidarist (he cuts and polishes stones) who came to Canada in 2016, escaping the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Now Shafiq’s family is in peril. After their actions as collaborators with the US armed forces during their residence in Afghanistan, they had to flee to Pakistan, leaving everything behind in order to survive. Currently, they are refugees in Pakistan, but can’t stay there indefinitely.

Including parents, siblings and nieces/nephews, there are seven adults and five children who are being sponsored to come to Canada.  The adults are all highly educated, and eager to contribute to life in Canada, but the financial requirements for them to come through the government refugee sponsorship program are pretty hefty.  There is a Group of Five who have committed to sponsoring this special family group, with a goal of raising $120 000 to support them through their first year in Canada.

As a group, I and my colleagues (past and present) at Jewel Envy are doing a fundraising event to support our valued colleague.  This is an online auction for jewellery that is open now, until early June.

Although the goldsmiths have been given the opportunity to receive part of the payment for any of their individual pieces sold, I have elected to donate my pieces in their entirety. The great thing about the auction is that there is such a range of prices and styles, you’re sure to find something to suit you!

Amethyst and sterling silver necklace

Please help me support my amazing colleague, Shafiq, in making it possible for his family to start a new life free of fear and persecution by (either, or both!):

• Bidding generously on the auction items (it is also possible to donate through this platform. To save the processing fees charged by the platform, feel free to contact Jewel Envy- info@jewelevny.ca - to find out how to contribute directly to the sponsorship fund.)

• Please share the auction with your friends, family, and network. If everyone contributes just a fraction of what they can, we’ll reach our goal.

Citrine and sterling silver pendant on a snake chain

If you are interested in other events that are going to occur to support this special initiative, I’d love to hear from you!  Email, and let me know!

New Profile on The Node.

New Profile
If you don't know about my background in science yet, you will by the time you read this profile on me! The Node is the community site for and by developmental and stem cell biologists.  One of the regular features of the website is a SciArt pofile, and I'm so pleased they agreed to have me on in March.  You'll find out a bit more about me, and the impetus behind my work, as well as a special science custom design that I did.  

Viva Las Vegas

So, happy new year! I don’t mind admitting that I bid 2022 goodbye fairly easily. It wasn’t the easiest of years for me, personally. I did sneak away in November for a brief trip, though, to Las Vegas.

We saw Cirque de Soleil’s Oh, which was amazing (It was also the first time I’ve seen Cirque de Soleil!). There were a couple of times I almost thought they were going to miss the water! They didn’t, of course.

I strayed away from the Strip to investigate the Art District, which is mainly grafitti, and a lot of cool building murals. Again, not quite what I was expecting, but it was an experience.

I admit, it’s not really my cup of tea, but I’d never been before, and it’s good to see things once. It’s a sensory overload, sights, sounds…..it was interesting, though!

The Botanical Garden display at the Bellagio was pretty cool, although not quite what I expected!

And cake…..from a vending machine! Loved it!

Anyway, I saw lots of other things too, but I think this is enough for now! I don’t think I feel a burning desire to go back, but it was good to go once, and I really valued the time away from Toronto and reality for a few days!!

What have you done recently that filled that need to get away from it all? Drop me a line, and tell me about it!

Is it time for a break yet?

So, it’s not quite time to shut down yet, but I admit that I’ve run out of steam for the year. I guess, not surprisingly after the year I’ve had, which has included, death in the family, personal health issues, dental issues, cat health issues, parental moving issues, work issues, and the final straw, losing water (and consequently heating) due to a severely leaking pipe, and various issues associated with trying to get it fixed.

Poorly Kitty in question—Twiglet, aka Piglet, Wiglet, and the brown unmentionable

It’s not all bleak, thankfully, Twig is doing alright now, even though she has some ongoing issues, the parental is safely in the new place, I’ve got new plans for work, and we (yay!) have water and heating again.

BUT, I think it’s safe to say that I would like to turn the page on this year, and I am hopeful that next year will be better. I saw something recently about how the holiday season can be very difficult for people (which I can totally understand), and that you should hope that the holidays are gentle. So my wish for you, if you can’t have a happy holiday, is that you definitely have a gentle one.

Twiglet, Pan (my other cat), and I wish you all the best.

Signing off until the new year, when hopefully I will be upping my blog game!!

-Robin

St. Andrew's Society, and discount

Starting a business is always challenging, particularly when you return from away and are trying to get things up and running from a stand still. Four years ago, I returned to Toronto from the UK with the intention of establishing my artist practice in jewellery, and kiltmaking. I had a plan (because I can only split my attention so many ways at once!): I’d concentrate on getting one side set up, and then work on the other. Serendipity ended up dictating that jewellery got the lionshare of my attention first!

Fast forward to 2020, and the new year, which included plans to start trying to develop the kiltmaking aspect of my business more. Well, we all know what happened then…..and, like alot of people, I fell into abit of a covid black hole. Fast forward again, and here we are moving toward the end of 2022. Amongst the activities I’ve done this year, is to joing the St. Andrew’s Society of Toronto. Apart from conncecting with people of Scottish descent, they have a charitable aspect that I admire, and hope to become more involved with in the future.

In the meantime, I’m happy to announce that I am partnering with the St. Andrew’s Society of Toronto to offer it’s members a 10% discount off my products and services. Keep your ears up for exciting news about this in the next few weeks!

And….if you love all things Scottish, I recommend visiting the society’s website, as they have a pretty exciting calendar of social events! Hope to see you at some of them:).

-Robin

I got a grant!

As you may know, I used to be a research scientist. Part of my old career was writing grants for money to do research. Since I like to use all my skills (and it’s always nice to get the money and recognition that writing a successful grant brings!), I’ve turned my hand to start writing applications for grants, for exhibitions….for anything I think will bring me more exposure, and that I feel I will benefit from, really.

And…I’m pleased to say that I’ve received my first arts grant from the Ontario Arts Council! It’s a grant that supports (retrospectively) my participation in the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (which I participated in person for the first time this year!).

So, what does this mean for me? Well, first of all, I’m grateful to receive support from the OAC. For an emerging artist (which I am), it’s a big deal to me. It’s some money to help me defray the cost of exhibiting (these shows can be pretty pricey, and when you’re new, you don’t necessarily sell much until people get to “know” you), which is great. And, hopefully, it will lead to other things! But we’ll see.

It also means that if you peruse the website, you should notice that I’ve added a new logo to the footer of the pages, indicating that I’ve received support from the OAC. This is important, to help publicise that the OAC is an active supporter of artists, and bring attention to it’s work from the general public. If you don’t know what they’re about, I encourage you to visit their website and explore this a bit!

In the meantime, I’m back to the salt mines!