THE TOTE - TAN

The Tote - now available in the Scout & Catalogue online shop.

SWATCHES

Yesterday was a good mail day - not only did I received the replacement part for my sewing machine but 9 new dye colours also arrived. It was pretty much Scout & Catalogue Christmas. Here are some swatches of my new palette. You never really know how procion dyes will turn out - it varies so much from fabric to fabric and water temperature when dying but this new batch definitely has some potential. I can't wait to get them in action...

KINETIC YOUTH

A great tumblr - kinetic youth.(Thanks Rob for the recommend.)

STUDDED TRIANGLE

A new zipper pouch design in the Scout & Catalogue online shop...

TWEET TWEET

Holy Twitter-land! I finally took the plunge and opened a Twitter account for Scout & Catalogue. I find the idea of sharing witty 144 character sound bites multiple times a day totally intimidating so if you have any Twitter suggestions let me know! Follow me at @scout_catalogue...

STUDS!

I recently found some upholstery fabric in a thrift store and thought it would be perfect for an oversized studded clutch loosely based on one that my mom had in the 70's. My first crack at it is available in the Scout & Catalogue etsy store...

ME GUSTA

All things I love - found on a meandering wander through the web yesterday.

Oh how I miss my tan.

(source: knightcat and weird friends)

THE WANDERER

My leather sewing machine is still out of commission so there will be a flood of scarves in the shop this week. Back in stock is The Wanderer Scarf in grey.

ROCKAWAY TACO

Rockaway Taco, A Selby Film from the selby on Vimeo.]

When V and I were living in Mexico we thought it would be fun to open up a taco stand and serve good food to the surf community in Sayulita. We never got around to it but at the time I stumbled on some photos of Rockaway Taco in New York and wanted our taco stand to have a similar look and feel. This morning I woke up to find that The Selby has produced a video about Rockaway Taco and I fell in love with the shop and lifestyle once again.

ME GUSTA

I love this oversized leather satchel with (what looks like) a Guatemalan fabric panel.

More images here.

COLOUR

The colour is beginning to change. I went for a walk in the country with friends to see the beginning of a very bright and cheery Autumn.

THE HOLIDAY GIFT PARTY

I will be participating in an early bird holiday gift party this November 4th with five other lovely vendors. I will continue to write about it as the event unfolds including letting you all know who the other retailers will be. If you are in the Toronto area you should stop in!

VISIT MEXICO

People constantly ask me if I felt safe living in Mexico and the response is always the same - 'If you use your natural common sense you have no need to worry'. It is sad to hear how often Mexico is slagged in the media as an unsafe place to visit, especially with so much of their economy based on our tourism dollars, when in reality the majority of people and places are warm and welcoming. The reporter Linda Ellerbee has a similar perspective living both in Vallarta and in New York:

'The U.S. media tend to lump all of Mexico into one big bad bowl. Talking about drug violence in Mexico without naming a state or city where this is taking place is rather like looking at the horror of Katrina and saying, "Damn. Did you know the U.S. is under water?" or reporting on the shootings at Columbine or the bombing of the Federal building in Oklahoma City by saying that kids all over the U.S. are shooting their classmates and all the grownups are blowing up buildings. The recent rise in violence in Mexico has mostly occurred in a few states, and especially along the border. It is real, but it does not describe an entire country.'

To read the whole article click here (and make Mexico your next vacation destination!).

A COMPOSTING JOURNEY

While we were living in Mexico V and I were constantly trying to wrap our heads around living in a city that didn't recycle or compost. We were always trying to find unique new uses for old glass jars and cans and even started throwing our compost-able waste into the jungle behind our home just to keep it out of the landfill. Now that we've returned to Canada we are overjoyed to have weekly recycling and (new to us) weekly apartment compost pick-up! For those of you that live in cities that haven't jumped on the urban composting program you should check out my friend Chad's blog about a new apartment composting technology. Chad is spending 6 months chronicling his adventures with 'the red dragon' - a small, apartment friendly (not pictured above), composting device from Korea. So far the results seem pretty outstanding and I can't wait to learn more as the weeks unfold...

Check it out for yourself on 'A Composting Journey'.

YARD SALE UPDATE

Two new blazers in the YARD SALE by Scout & Catalogue shop!

You almost wouldn't guess I spend my days in tights and giant old shirts that I can get dye and bleach all over...

FLICKR LOVE

I've been following Michelle Arcila on Flickr for a few years now - I love how she captures everyday spaces, transforming them into something unique and beautiful.

THE STORM - SOFT PURPLE

A new colour of The Storm cotton scarf now available in the Scout & Catalogue store.

**My sewing machine is on the fritz making it impossible to sew leather. Expect more leather bags next week once the replacement part makes its way from California to my door.**

STICKERS

We finally got our printer set up and as a result Scout & Catalogue packaging has become a touch more professional. Fun with laser stickers!

BLACK MARKET BABY

Perfection.

Buy Black Market Baby's Navajo cloak here.

KITTENS!

We spent the weekend at a friends farm and at the neighboring farm there were kittens. We visited them every day and think we might just drive back next week to adopt one for ourselves...

S&C PHOTOSHOOT

A new leopard print Scavenger Series Cotton Tote (available in the Scout & Catalogue store) and some selects from my shoot today.

Am spending the weekend up at a farm so will be back and posting on Monday. Happy Weekend!

THE TOTE - BLACK

I finally made it to the leather shop the other day and have sewn my first black, super soft, leather tote. Classic and perfect for lugging back to school books...

Check it out in the Scout & Catalogue online shop!

NATURAL DYEING

I just signed up for a natural dyeing course at The Workroom - a sewing and craft shop right here in Parkdale. Dyeing for me has always been a trial and error process and it will be great to learn how you are 'supposed' to execute different techniques. I'm loving the soft palette you achieve when dying with minerals, plants and other natural items...

SHAKE IT LIKE A POLAROID PICTURE

I spent some time today trying to develop a new style for my Scout & Catalogue photography and I think I've stumbled onto something good. I only had a chance to shoot a few before the sun went down but I think I'll continue tomorrow in this same vein. I hope you like!