First One Of A Kind Show in the bag!

Well the 4 days of confinement to our 10x10' booth at the Vancouver One Of A Kind show are over and done! And what a fun experience this show turned out to be! Met some great local shoppers, made some great business connections and many new friends! Here are some photos of our booth:

Thanks for our awesome signage, Chris!

And thats a wrap! Clean up time!

DON'T FORGET!!! There's less than a week left at the Local-E pop up shop in Gastown! Come on in for a visit and some last minute Christmas shopping until Sunday, December 18th! Then that's it! Don't miss out on some truly amazing and unique gift ideas from some of Vancouver's talented clothing and accessory designers!

J xo

the calm before the storm...

So this is it! One of A Kind is finally here (starts tomorrow) and we are ready to rock & roll! Last night we were able to load in our gear, paint our walls and prepare our booth for vendors....now all we need to do is add our garments and sell, sell, sell!!!! For those of you in Vancouver, please come visit us in Booth E47! Here's a sneak peak at our booth from last night's set up...stay tuned for more photos when it's all complete:

E47: mortar & pestle apparel and Little Houses Clothing

One Of A Kind will be held at Vancouver Convention Centre West...you know, that really rad building downtown with the white sails on top? Kind of a landmark? Ya? This building will be packed from tomorrow through Sunday with hoards of frenzied Christmas shoppers.... so come and join 'em! Support your  local artisans!!!

J xo

December Event Listings!

Woah. It's the 2nd of December. This may go down in history as the fastest year ever...I swear it was February a couple of hours ago...
Here's what's happening in the next few weeks that will, I'm sure, make for another blurry month:

(1) Today is the Opening Day of our "Local-E" pop up shop in charming Gastown! Thirteen local designers, including yours truly, have collaborated to create this unique (and adorable!) little shop which will be open everyday until the 18th and will offer shoppers a taste of some designs from Vancouver's talented fashion and accessory designers. I know I have a biased opinion...but I think this could likely be the best place to buy local fare in Vancouver this Christmas season. So come on down and spend some money! Support local and get festive!

11 to 7pm daily   235B Cambie Street

(2) One Of A Kind Vancouver runs next week, from the 8th of December to the 11th. Shanah Flodstrom, from Little Houses Clothing, and I will be sharing a booth at this event and look forward the excitement (and most likely mass chaos) that will arise from the over 20,000 Christmas shoppers expected to attend the show! I'm not great at math, but that seems like quite a large number of folks in one building. Let's just hope that they all have a more pleasant and patient disposition than the frantic and frenzied shoppers of Black Friday in the US last week...I don't want to have to bear spray anyone...Anyhow, we'll be in Booth E47 if you can make it down! Bring your wallets, please and thanks. And any Christmas baking you may have...

Happy shopping everyone! 

J xo

Welcome to the world, Matilda Wyn!!!!

My good friend Mackenzie just gave birth to a perfect baby girl this morning! 6lbs 9oz of perfection! Mama and baby are healthy and happy!

Welcome baby Matilda!!! I can't wait to meet you and those little round cheeks!!! LOVE!

Support local this Christmas season!

Hello all!

This December marks a very busy month for me as I'm involved in the One of A Kind event from December 8 to 11th and have recently joined up with 9 other Vancouver designers to open a pop up shop in Gastown for three weeks! Whoa! I'm planning on skipping out on sleep, keeping up with personal hygiene and regular eating until the end of the year as it seems there's just no time!!!! Ok, fine...I'll stay on top of all things aforementioned but I'm expecting December to be an incredibly busy (yet amazing!) month.

So, if you're in Vancouver over the next few weeks, catch up with mortar & pestle apparel, along with Little Houses Clothing, at the One of A Kind show from December 8th to 11th at the Vancouver Convention Centre West.

The pop up shop, local-E, will be open from December 2nd to 18th and will be located at 235B Cambie Street. There are 10 extremely talented designers who have teamed up to provide you with a cozy little shop where you will be able to find all your Christmas gifts, drink some cider and meet the designers behind your favourite local labels. You can find more info on the shop on our FB page here.

through this door, you'll find some sweet xmas gifts dec 2-18th!

Confucius says, "Support local talent! Shop local and good things will come to you and yours!"

J xo

This is dedicated to the one I love...

I feel like blogging about Chris today. In addition to being able to make science happen all day at work, build vintage motorbikes from scratch in his spare time, and be an incredibly supportive boyfriend, Chris also plays in two bands: Two Towns and LEGS. Check 'em out:

This is a link to a music video made for LEGS "gypsy woman"...produced/directed by Pretty Dead.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHlgAynRe4c

Two Towns also released a tape back in June with Green Burrito Records! Yay for cassettes!

One way to get your cat to hate your guts...

Give it a bath. Poor Hank got a little wet last night and was not impressed...

PRESS!!!!!

My personal list of nostalgic firsts, like those of most people,  include first lost tooth, first kiss, first car, first boyfriend/girlfriend, the list goes on.....This week, I'm adding another first to my list: FIRST PRESS!
Hallelujah! A few months ago I was contacted by TURN Magazine, based in New York and Chicago, as they offered me some press in both their online and print Anniversary Edition magazine! I have Page 14 all to myself!! You can visit their website here and here's a sneak peek of the cover:

fresh air...

A few weeks ago I had mentioned that Chris and I took a road-trip to Alberta to have a visit with an old friend and attend a wedding in Calgary...here are some photos from that little adventure:

Congratulations Kyle & Jesa!!! XO

Here are some photos from our time spent with Hugh in Lundbreck:

Shelagh! Best. Dog. Ever.

Shelagh and I went on an adventure with Chris.

Chris and I visited Lundbreck Falls. Stunning  ~50M year old surprise in the middle of the foothills.

I miss views like this...

An illustration of Hugh from the early 80s.

Hugh, Chris and I went to Twin Butte to watch some live music...too bad we missed "The F Holes"...ha!

Huh?

Early morning stroll down to see the horses

Prairies. sigh...

We hung out with Hugh at feeding time!

Hugh's horses are lovingly named: Drifter, Marshall and "ol' Dum Dum"

J xo

Seriously? This cat is amazing...

                        Hank and Chris spent some time in full cuddle mode last night. Adorable.

Ladies and Gentlemen...meet Hank!

We've added 4 furry legs to our family! This is Hank and we've recently adopted him and couldn't be more excited about him! It's hard to go to work and leave this little guy alone all day...

his favourite hiding place!

Why Fall is the best season...

The crisp, fresh air in the mornings, leaves in all shades of yellow and orange crunching under your shoes, the smell of baking with cinnamon and spices.....all of these things can only mean one thing: Fall is here!
Its finally beginning to feel like Fall here in Vancouver. Its chilly but sunny, the colours outside are changing, and I've been craving stew and every kind of baking for the last week straight.

Since my last post I've done the following things:
1. Turned 28. Enjoyed a house full of close friends, plenty of wine, tons of baked goods and other sweets (including candy apples, thanks to Allie!), some delicious gluten-free birthday cake, and shared tons of laughs with those I love.

2. Went on a road trip to Alberta with my love. We stayed at an old friends place in the Crowsnest Pass for two nights, attended a beautiful wedding in Calgary (congrats again to Kyle & Jesa!), spent a few hours at the Ship with my brother (not enough time, though), caught up with good friends, and returned to Vancouver exhausted but delighted to have had a mini breather from the crazy life I've been leading recently!
3. Spent an amazing week last week with one of my besties, the beautiful and awe-inspiring, Jennie Rutz. Jennie and I went through high school in Drumheller but, since graduation, have only been able to spend little slices of time together as she moved to Toronto and I moved to Calgary....then, last year, Jennie moved across the pond to Italy! So we really needed a few days together to get all caught up on the last few years of our lives! Jennie spent the week with us at our home, came to the studio with me all week (I even put her to work a little bit, sorry Jennie!) and I, very sadly, had to say good-bye to her yesterday at the airport. Thank you, Jennie, for spending the time with me! I love you so much and you are such an inspiration. And thanks for baking with me! Mom, we made gluten-free cinnamon buns!

4. Landed a really great opportunity to show my Spring/Summer 2012 Collection at VFW on November 4th! I'm really nervous but equally as excited to show this collection to the local media/press and this gives me a chance to show Vancouver what I've been up to! I've even added a few new garments that will be exclusives for the show! Here's hoping everything runs smoothly from here on in! Less than 2 weeks until show time! Go here to learn more about VFW which runs from Nov 1 to 6th!

Giddy up go! as my dad would say...

J xo

Ramblings on a rainy Sunday afternoon...

What a weird day it is today...We were startled to wake up to what felt like a monsoon this morning around 7am...and it hasn't really let up...rain and gale-force winds....gross. So much for a lazy Sunday afternoon on the patio, as I'd planned. So, I've nestled into my tiny apartment, dug out my Gordon Lightfoot records, and have made some blueberry banana muffins to keep me warm and cozy. Chris is off racing his dirt bike at the dunes in Richmond and I don't envy his current state of muddiness at all.

So, this wind. It did something rather funny earlier...I'm in my kitchen and I hear a smash from outside on the patio...turns out the wind blew over one of 5 clay pots of geraniums I had perched up on a ledge. Completely obliterated the pot and left a muddy pile of wilted geranium shrapnel all over my patio. Now this is quite funny to me (and my mom is really going to appreciate this). And, for the rest of you readers, here's the backstory to all this: See, I hate geraniums. I really think they're quite dumb. They smell funny, they're ugly, they never quite look "right"...well mine don't anyhow... And when Chris and I acquired this apartment a month and a half ago, the landlord left about 20 outdoor plants and 10 indoor plants for us to take care of. Amazing. I love love love tending to them and its my little chance at putting my green thumb to use once in a while. But these dang geraniums just have been a real eye-sore since the get-go. No matter how nice I am, how meticulously I dead-head their little leaves and brown bits off, they just are impossible to keep alive and healthy. So I've had a stand-off, if you will, with these pathetic plants for the last two weeks or so. In other words, I may have been "forgetting" to water them, etc...hoping they'll just take a hint and wilt away already...BUT THEN today when Mother Nature took it upon herself to destroy one of them for me, doing what I've wanted to do for the last 6 weeks, the strangest thing happened: I actually feel sorry for this little plant!!! Its just in such a sorry state of disrepair out there all wet and soggy! Well now what the heck am I going to do?

oh no!!!

Do I find a new clay pot, pack it all back up and hope it'll flower again once or twice before the really yucky Fall weather creeps in? Or just get a garbage bag, thank the Heavens for stepping in, and throw it out once and for all....hmmm.... This predicament will be pondered upon while I single-handedly eat all these muffins that just came out of the oven...

Yum! Thanks to mom & Lynda for our awesome collection of Le Creuset!

So that's my Sunday. Rants about my house plants and baking. And Gordon Lightfoot.

babe.

Thanks for reading!
J xo

Why I love what I do...

Hello everybody!

It feels like it has been many moons since my last confession...I mean post...So much has been happening lately I don't even know where to begin in order to get caught up!

Firstly, Chris and I are now settled into our cozy and, I must say, incredibly adorable apartment. It's so lovely to share a space with my best friend. Sap, sap, sap...but I don't care. We've been painting and are planning on tackling some DIY projects this weekend too! Ever thought of suspending an old door or window from the ceiling in order to make a pots and pans hanging rack? We have. Just sayin'.

And work has been a constant buzz of Fall/Winter production mixed in with a photo shoot this past Sunday. Super duper fun times. I'll get to that in a minute...

My adorable cousin Nic will be coming to Vancouver to stay with us for a couple of days this weekend as he passes through on his way to Australia! International man of mystery, that kid. I can't wait for stories from his adventures to come.

AND my mom and Tom are coming to visit us in September!!!!! I can't WAIT!! So I'm working my arse off in attempt to free my schedule a little bit this upcoming month so I can drink wine and eat Tom's famous pizzas, tell stories, laugh and cry.... It'll be divine. I just wish there was a way to sneak Dion into this little visit too...Its hard to sneak a ginger anywhere, though. ha!

Ok, onto the main event: My Spring/Summer photo shoot. This took place on Sunday and it really brought me back to the fundamentals of why I do what I do. I was so blown away by my talented friends and how they made a somewhat ordinary and modest clothing collection turn into an editorial-type spread that would make Grace Coddington blush. Here's how it went...

I was honoured to get to work with the strikingly gorgeous, Cecilia Willmer again for this shoot. She modelled for my Fall/Winter shoot back in April and I was crossing my fingers that she would say yes to helping me out again this time around! Turns out she was excited to work with me again too! She fits my clothes like a glove and her effortless beauty and professionalism made this shoot so spectacular. I also had the privilege of working with Jamie Mann, a local Vancouver-based photographer who completely blew my mind with his creativity in his shots and his enthusiasm was infectious all afternoon. Jamie was "gifted" to me (let's say) from my cousin Nic and this was one of the best gifts I could've received. You can check out more of Jamie's spectacular work here.

The making of this shoot wouldn't have been at all possible without the help of two lovely women: Lindsey Rose, who is quickly becoming a really great friend (and she's also my hair stylist), and Nell Gagan, who I worked with on my last shoot and I cannot get enough of her laugh. It's a window rattler, for sure. Lindsey and Nell transformed Cecilia into a perfect Audrey Hepburn-inspired model I had asked for. Check out Lindsey's blog here and, if you happen to be downtown Vancouver any time soon and require a MAC makeover or product, that's where you'll find Nell!

I am so grateful for the help of my friends and can't thank them enough for their support and dedication to making this shoot possible...and on a Sunday! Their day off! I'm so so lucky.

We shot at the quaint Le Marche St.George. A lovely Parisienne-inspired cafe and shop tucked into a colourful little neighbourhood just off Main Street. A place where you can sit all day in the sun and sip cafe, indulge on fresh-baked pastries and buy heirloom varietals of local, organic produce. Simply divine.

Well, that pretty much brings us up to speed! This week features me cutting and cutting and cutting. Production is really hard on the hands...

And because you've read through all that text...you deserve a sneak peek from the shoot:

J xo

Thanks TURNMagazine!!

I just a nice surprise I had this Friday afternoon! Thanks to Etsy, TURNMagazine was able to find me and has featured the Pine Shorts from my F/W collection in their online site! They're a quarterly magazine with a home base in both New York and Chicago.

To check out this post, visit: http://www.turnmagonline.com/post/8601147348/one-of-the-dopest-back-to-school-girls-ever-she

Congratulations Lesley!!

I received some amazing news on Sunday: one of my oldest and most cherished friends, Lesley, is engaged!!! I can't express how sincerely happy I am for her and her husband-to-be, Joel. Congratulations you two! I'm so excited for your life together! Check out this beautiful ring!!!

gettin' greasy

So Friday night was crazy fun. Ryan, the newest member of the Nightfighters, was given his patch on Friday and we all celebrated with a good ol' greasy shop party....complete with karaoke, some minor nudity and many, many beer. Oh ya, it was actaully supposed to be a bar stocking party (in order to stock the newly built bar at the shop)....however, there may need to be a "restocking" party now as I'm afraid most of the hard bar disappeared in a hurry. Here are a few of the PG-13 pictures from that night:

Katrina - the most stylish bartender of the evening (note the bra/vest combo)

Dennis: Apostle by day, Karaoke God by night.

Darren trying to win over the Nicole with his slurry singing skills

Kyle & his cute lady

Shanah & Riff. Love at first sight.

Kyle's boogey-free nose

Mr. Curtis Douglas