Sunday 20 June 2010

Fearful Summitry

St. Lawrence Market was its usual self this Saturday, but we're bracing for whatever upheaval the G20 Summit next weekend will wreak. I hear the police have suggested to the farmers in the North Market that they may prefer to cancel their trips into town next Saturday, since highway travel will be made more interesting/challenging by the eighty-odd motorcades scheduled. A nearby bank has received a shipment of plywood with which to barricade its windows. Sheesh...

All the excitement will be taking place some distance west of the Market, except for the big pen they've built for the detainees from Queen's Park, and the downtown convention centre. That's southeast of the Market, along Eastern Avenue, in case you're planning to storm the barricades. Alons, enfants de la patrie...

Frankly, it's all too much to contemplate for me. I will not be at the Market next Saturday. I will be back Saturday, July 3 (barring monsoons) as usual.

Anyhoo, back to yesterday. It was quite nice, especially after the weather made a commitment to behave and the sun came out to stay. Nice people from near and far came by, as usual. I didn't get nearly as much work done as I'd planned to, as usual.

Salome Cordeiro had a table nearby, as she often does. She is as multi-talented artist who lends a hand to the same folks I do. So we're stablemates. Or something. Salome was selling some fabulous creatures she's made, "scalarags and sock imps", at least some of which were very, ahem, cheeky.

Amy (left) and Jocelyn gracing a brace of hair clips.








Emma-Rose, looking lovely in her aptly chosen hairband.













From the left we have Jane, Sydney, Lauren and Casey, four charming girls.







Salome and a bevy of her creatures. Please note that the sock she is holding up was made from a pair of kids' socks. A tiny thing made into a teeny thing.








Cheeky devil!

Sunday 13 June 2010

Woof

If you like dogs, and lots of 'em, Woofstock is the place for you. Dogs and people were abundantly represented at St. Lawrence Market this Saturday, grey skies notwithstanding. From Great Danes to teacup Yorkies, from "naked" to costumed, it was a regular pup-apalooza. The skies finally opened mid-afternoon, right about the time we would be packing up, anyway. The event carried on today (Sunday) as well, which was rain-free. Hope everyone who went had fun, and all their shots.

A few brave souls wandered off the beaten path of Front and Market Streets to find me toward the back of the Park and make my day worthwhile, millinerilly speaking.

My shots (photographic) were limited, as all my camera batteries died. Even the spares. Here are the few I did manage to get.

These doggies, Kelsey and Quin, are staying at the King Edward Hotel, giving new meaning to the expression, "it's a dog's life."






Sandra in her new grey Trilby. Which was modeled earlier by...





Zoe, with Kayla and Donna.









Corinne looks quite dashing in her new peacock-trimmed chapeau with the bead and sequin motifs. And Michelle took home a grey silk calla lily headband.

This dachshund is Mila. She came back dressed in a centipede costume.

Monday 7 June 2010

Amnesia Day

Whew! It's been a busy week. On Monday, as previously posted, I went to the Dundas museum to see the glorious hats display. The next day I went to Lake Simcoe to visit a client, who happens to be my best friend's mum. A delightful afternoon. Gorgeous weather again, but the lake was too cold to get wet in. I hope to rectify that when I bring the completed hat that was commissioned. More busyness ensued, millinery and non, then before I knew it, it was Saturday and I was back to the Market once again.

I blame all this for me being too ditzy to write down the names of two of my photo subjects. If they see this, I hope they will be so kind as to email me so I can put their names next to their photos.

It was another good day, thanks to all the lovely people who bought hats or accessories for themselves or their sisters or daughters. There was a lot of love in evidence, very heart-cockle-warming. And what goes around, comes around.


What a little cutie.















This anitpodean elfin sophisticate's name eludes me. If she sees this, I do hope she'll email me to refresh my memory.









Katherine, right, bought her twin sister Libby the hairband she is wearing. The lime green silk looks great with Libby's colouring.








Melody's mother, in a matching outfit, bought her this hat. They were on their fifth annual Girls Trip, with other girls of their family, where they get together to visit new places and spend some quality time. Because life is short!




Next week at St. Lawrence Market it's Woofstock. If you likes you some pooches, come on down!

Wednesday 2 June 2010

Museum Millinery -- Act Now!

My millinery colleagues, David and Sheila, and I used our mutual day off this Monday to visit the museum in Dundas, Ontario, where hats were on display. Sheila had told us about the guest curator, Norma Shephard, and her Mobile Hat Museum some time ago, so we jumped at the chance to go see Finishing Touch: The Milliners’ Art & The Hatters’ Trade while the jumping was good.

It was a gorgeous day, and the town of Dundas, next door to Hamilton, was just beautiful. We poked about the main street and had a lovely lunch before visiting the tiny, perfect museum, where admission is by donation.

We made a beeline for the hat display, and spent a very fast hour ooh-ing and aah-ing over Ms. Shephard's collection. It was wonderful, and truly exceeded our expectations. I don't want to tell you everything we saw and loved and wanted to try to make ourselves -- I want you to go see it for yourself. Time is of the essence; the display is ending June 13.