Local Frills

Local fashion designer and dressmaker Samantha Stoncius graduated from LaSalle's fashion program last year and has been busy getting her name on the T.O. scene by participating in charity fashion events and most recently, the Clothing Show.

Since this is the season of frilly dresses (prom, weddings, showers, etc...) it's a wonderful time to show photos of Samantha's recent runway presentation at the Clothing Show.

Her dresses are available online at Etsy or in the city at The Rage (2 Kensington) and Nathalie-Roze & Co. (1015 Queen St. E). However, if you have something else in mind, she can design something for you from scratch - a great idea for bridesmaids >>

Lunacy Glass @ One of a Kind Show

After arriving at the Direct Energy Centre for the One of a Kind Show and Sale, I headed for the very first aisle to make my way through the entire show. Right off the hop, the multitude of colorful beads at the tiny Lunacy Glass booth emanated a vibrancy that caused bunches of ladies to stop and look!

From her studio in Tweed, Ontario, self-taught lampwork beader Lucie Kovarova-Weir melts and shapes glass into fruits, bats, cats, hearts and bees. There are the sweetest little blue birds hanging from chains and bracelets of bony skeletons; pirates adorn glass rings and fairies on earrings. [We fell in love with the fruit necklace (pictured above) but unfortunately not the $900 price:(]

At the time of publishing, the lunacybeads.com website is currently being re-designed but you can see Lucie's beads on her Etsy site >>

Baggage Handbags Toronto

Everyone loves a great deal but there are some things worth shelling out an extra couple of bucks for. A great, classic handbag, purse or tote is one of those things that can last a lifetime (or at least a long time) without losing its lure.

Baggage Handbags is a line of succulent handbags made from 100% recycled leather ranging in price from $100-$200. I think this is a deal considering the hand-made quality and all the work that goes into creating and assembling each bag!

While still in fashion design school at George Brown, designer and entrepreneur Ashley Phillips started Baggage Handbags as a summer business (after graduating from Ryerson's architecture program). Now that her line is sold at least 10 shops on the continent, as well as on her Etsy website, I'm sure all Ashley's free time (after her day job) is spent making hand bags!

As an independent local designer who is managing all aspects of her business (sales, media, mktg, etc...), I asked her about the process and time it takes to complete a bag:

"Step 1 is designing the patterns for the bags. We only have five different styles at the moment, and each one took a different length of time me to develop. It’s really a trial and error thing, and many hours went into each one.

Step 2 is finding the (leather) jackets – This can take up to one or two hours per bag when you include getting in the car or on the subway and riding out to a Value Village or vintage shop.

Step 3 is preparing the jacket, tracing the pattern and cutting out the cotton lining and the leather for each bag. This takes about one hour.

Step 4 is actually sewing the bag, and hand weaving the strap, which I do myself, and this can take one to two hours depending on the style.

When we’re not designing or sewing, we spend a lot of our time scouring thrift stores or vintage shops looking for great leather jackets to recycle into our bags. We try to incorporate many of the unique features of these jackets into our designs. Because of these unique materials, no two handbags are the same."

In Toronto, you can find Baggage at: Distill, 55 Mill Street, building #47
Propaganda, 686 Yonge Street and Nathalie-Roze & Co., 1015 Queen St. East.

klutch

klutch bags, handmade in Toronto, keep business simple by offering only a few styles of well crafted, beautifully lined clutches that are "not to be carried, but to be worn".

Toronto designers Victoria Selano and Sonia Pinto craft their limited run clutches out of leather, Italian silk and natural linen with magnetic closures and hand straps to make carrying even easier.

The district is long and lean, the savoy small, while the metropolitan has curved edges ($100-$165). klutch bags may not be cheap, but this kind of classic quality will last a life time (and besides, being style savvy is not cheap)!

Available online at Shopgirls (new online boutique) or for the same price point at their Etsy shop klutchbags.etsy.com

Etsy: Crafting Cupcakes!

Of course by now we're all aware that cupcakes are a sweeping global trend. People are paying $3 for two wee bites of deliciousness; they're wearing the colorful cups on clothing and crafters are knitting, painting and molding faux petite-gateaux.

We LOVE these Etsy finds and could have easily spent many more hours going through hundreds of pages of cupcake crafts - not only original and hand-made, but affordable!

LilyBaySoap
Soaps handmade from scratch using mostly all-natural ingredients and vegan friendly. Yummy scents include vanilla, blueberry, raspberry, etc...$4.25 each (+ $2 shipping)

JooJoo Polymer Clay
Mini magnet cupcakes with strong magnets on the bottom to decorate appliances or anywhere else you think of. Many choices. $15 for 3.

Frosting Couture
"Sweet to the Bone" hat with beaded wool felt cupcake. Many other yummy fashions mostly for kids. $18

Etsy: Visions of Spring

Although all the fashion magazines are packed with SPRING collections and colors, the snow in Toronto just won't let up! Warm weather clothes and strappy footwear in bright hues and monocramatic shades, the trends of the upcoming season, decorate shop windows - while we continue to bundle up in heavy coats and salt-stained boots:(
Etsy, the uber-shopping site for global crafters, is a fabulous spot for some inspirational sunshine and great deals on new accessories and clothing for every season!

These are some fun local finds. All items are one-of-a-kind originals so its essential to check back often!

1. Charlene Serdan Designs
Beads, beautiful rocks and jewels crafted into timeless accessories. Shown: A cluster of czech glass beads and turquoise on sterling earwires. Length of the dangle 1.6". $22

2. Picnicbybarbfeldman.etsy.com
Fun, affordable polymer clay shaped into lemon pie, birthday cake and salmon and lox! Brunch plate brooch, 1 1/4" $14.

3. Elizaveta Yankelovich a.k.a. Kameleon
Eye-catching, eccentric necklaces made-up of toys, lego, sunglasses and hair rollers...! Elizaveta will be showcasing at [FAT]. BoBBLes neckwear $34 plus $6 shipping