Sneak Preview

I just found out that a new Anthropologie store is opening up in Calgary. I am so thrilled! I am hoping that a few ring holders will be distributed here for the opening in Nov/Dec 2010. Here is a sneak peek of one of my favorite vintage saucer designs that will make it home with someone new very soon.

 
 

The Big Send Off

Today was the big, big day when the first 150 ring holders were shipped off to Anthropologie. Yay! I am thrilled and excited and completely exhausted!

 
 

Baby Boxes

There is a baby boom where I work. Four of my colleagues are about to head off on maternity leave so the rest of the girls held a baby shower. One of the ideas was to give ‘well wishes’ to the new moms. We needed something to hold the small notes/cards. So, my friend Natalija and I dressed up store bought boxes from Michaels with trims and bits and bobs. It was so much fun and so easy to do!

 
 

Shoegazing

Uppercase magazine has a call out for entries called Shoegazing; basically, cool shots of your feet. Unfortunately, I had a technical difficulty while I was in Paris and ALL of my images are the lowest of low res. So tragic! Anyways, here are a few shots of my feet just to say ‘I was here!’

My feet at Marie Antoinettes little palace.

My feet at Sacra Couer.
 
 

Mr. Pepper

Here is a sneak preview of the bits and pieces that will make up Mr. Pepper. Amy has been little miss speedy and Mr. Pepper is on his way in the mail and should be here any day now. Can’t wait!

 
 

BEADS 2010 Magazine

I just received my latest issue of BEADS 2010 magazine in the mail. And a BIG thank-you goes out to Danielle Fox, the editor of the magazine who requested to include my ring holder design in the Cool Organization pages.



 
 

Amy Flynn’s Fobots

In the latest issue of Flea Market Style, I discovered the amazing work of Amy Flynn. Based out of Raleigh, North Carolina, she makes Fobots; the combination of Found – Object – Robot.

Using forgotten objects that you would find deep in the junk drawer or Dad’s old tool box, she brings Fobots to life with their funky hats and quirky expressions.

Amy mainly sells her creations through various art festivals around the United States. Anthropologie (my dream store!) also carry’s her unique and one-of-a-kind Fobots online (as well, they were featured in the November catalog).

Amy’s eclectic work of Fobots have even had their moment of fame when they were used in an episode of Ugly Betty. How cool is that?!

Amy also does custom orders so I am thrilled that she has accepted to make me my very own Fobot with select pieces from my junk collection. The inspiration comes from an old Watkins Black Pepper can from my childhood. My dad loved his black pepper so this is a keepsake in memory of him.

Stay tuned for a sneak peak into the goodies that are going to make my fobot, Mr. Pepper.

 
 

Beauty Rings True

For those of you who cannot get your hands on an actual Stephen magazine, you can read the entire article here. Thanks to Anna of the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts for giving me permission to post it to my blog. Read on and enjoy!

STEPHEN:  How did you come up with the idea of ring-holders? 
Paige Smith:  I had taken a sabbatical from my full-time “real” job with an intention just to play. I got onto the idea of making jewellery holders. I started with bigger ones shaped like figures, then I simplified them to the base and saucer. 
S:  What role does style play in your life? 
PS:  Style to me is beauty. I just want to be surrounded by beautiful things. I want to be in love with the things in my life, like a person in love with a necklace they wear. It makes them feel good — and that to me, is style. 
S:  What is your personal style? 
PS:  Eclectic. Only because I’m a designer — and I love too much. I can love everything from classical to hip and modern. I don’t define myself by one style and I don’t think I ever could.
One constant for me is… vintage. Growing up, my parents were collectors in their own way —nothing was ever new, everything was old and I hated it (laughs). But now, that’s my roots, where I come from and that’s where I feel most at home. I live in a modern condo, but I have random collections of journals, writings, letters, antique buttons, etc. I’m all about mixing the old with the new. 
S:  Do you think style is important to arts and culture in Calgary? How do you find your style plays into your experience of arts and culture? 
PS:  I find that sometimes, in your own city, you can get stuck in your own little bubble and then when you go somewhere new, you’re so excited — everything is so cool and new!
But we forget that there are so many cool things going on right here in our city. It takes being open to things you might not normally be open to. It gives you more — being open to the power of “yes”. It’s so important. Say yes to it all. 
S:  Do you have a style icon? 
PS:  I can’t narrow it down to just one…though a while ago there was an Oprah show on “women who make beautiful things,” and I thought — I want to be a woman who makes beautiful things! I started collecting papers and photos of beautiful things in binders, so it’s impossible to narrow it down to just one person, or one medium.
It’s all about the creative process for me. [It’s about] how that person infuses the creative process into their life. It’s not a separate thing for me. There’s a real art to that. 
My style inspiration is beauty but I also find beauty in things that people would probably not find beautiful. I went to art school and went through dark and angst-filled days, so maybe that’s where that comes from. (laughs)
 
 

Stephen Magazine

In the latest issue of Stephen magazine, published by the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts in Calgary, I was interviewed by Anna Blaxley. I met Anna at the Make It craft show last year where I was selling my ring holders. She said she was looking for people who had great style and she thought I would be a great fit. Really? Me? I was flattered.

Being my very first interview (ever!), I was not sure what to expect. I kept thinking “I wish I had been given a cheat sheet of the questions” before meeting with her so that I could have had witty and intelligent responses already lined up and ready to go. It was so hard to think that fast. But it was fun!
 
 

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