Colour Geeks

I'm a colour geek. I really love how a red scarf thrown around a grey outfit can change how you feel in it. I love how a red painting over the bed creates a warmth that no radiator ever could.

Imagine my joy in discovering this new website which is a virtual smorgasborg for colour geeks: colourlovers.com!

The site is really huge, I mean, searching for colour palette suggestions gets you thousands of options, which is super useful if you are planning a project or home decor change. One great use would be to enter your exact colour that you are sure about, and then let the site suggest thousands of colour combinations based on that first colour.

The site also covers trends, has a blog, groups (where you can chat with other colour geeks), a store, palettes, patterns, textures....

I'm hooked.

Happy Hallowe'en!

I hereby petition for the apostrophe to be returned to the greeting. Why did they remove it, anyhow?

I've been terribly spotty with my posting lately, for which I must apologize. Things will be back to normal come November. Those who know me, know October is like my December...not in the Kelly Clarkson way, but in the sense that every important event of my entire year seems to fall in this month. Yay October!

To apologize, and make it up to you, I hereby present the most insanely rediculous "sexy" hallowe'en costume I've ever seen.

SEXY VADER

Catholic School Girl

I read recently in the daily National Post that Catholic Schools are beginning to phase out kilts from their uniform options. About time, I'd say~!

While there are arguements both for the removal and against, I am strongly for the removal of this option. The thing is, as innocent as a kilt may have been at one time, the sexualization of the look is rampant - from nightclub events to porn, the uniform is now drenched in a secondary meaning that has almost eclipsed the original. One could say it is the viewer that places this meaning on the wearer - but I know from my own experience that 16 year old high school girls know full well the power of what they are wearing. Britney Spears apparently knew the power too.

And while I do generally support the freedom for women to express their sexuality as they choose - I don't think they should be doing it at school. A large part of why the kilts are being phased out is an attempt to prevent them from being rolled at the waist to make them at most 6-8" in length. I've seen girls on the bus with their kilts rolled so short I can see their undies. Not exactly the 'pure' and 'innocent' look of yesteryear. As one parent in the article points out - it's quite uncomfortable for a male teacher to tell a student her skirt is too short, regardless of how obvious it is.

I also wonder about the safety of travelling to and from school in such a uniform. And really, why are girls made to wear skirts while boys wear comfortable grey slacks anyhow? While many argue that the kilt is part of 'tradition', I argue that many other things were once part of 'tradition' that are now deemed sexist, racist and intolerant. Is 'tradition' really worth arguing for anymore? We are in the modern era - and girls and boys have equal opportunity in school. Their uniforms should reflect this.

After all, it's just not okay for a young girl to go to school in anything resembling this:

Illustrator of the Month - October

Alana McCarthy is a Toronto based illustrator who works mostly in acrylic on canvas. She sells prints of her beatiful pieces on her website AlanaLand, which is definitely worth checking out; it's chock full of stunning artwork. Her work is punctuated with bright colors, strong contrast, stylized realism and unique lighting.









(I'm lucky enough to own the original of this one:)

Slut-O-Ween "Now for pre-teens too!"

These are all available in Children's sizes. Need I say more?

Girl Gamers

Any industry that is trying to build profits has a few ways of going about it. They can raise prices, or sell more, or open up a new market. Those are the basics. In consumer products, raising prices is tricky business, and selling more to an already saturated market is difficult. So, creating a new market is usally a great way to go, if it is a possibility.

It seems that video game developers decided that women were an untapped market just waiting to get into the game. 38% of gamers are now female, up 33% from 2 years ago. Personally I would assume this has a lot to do with Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but I don't have numbers to back that up at the moment. I think it is a safe assumption though, that these type of social and interactive games are what is drawing women in.

Of course numbers like these make marketing men so excited. And so, they try and develop games just for girls. And what do girls like? Why, fashion, cooking, babies and makeup, of course!! What else is there for women?

Sigh.

Enter "Imagine Babyz" (reviewed here) an "action" game for girls which is, " the first simulation game focused on caring for babies. Players take on the challenges of raising a baby throughout all stages of development and will also be able to take photos and exchange tips and clothing through a unique online component."

Ok. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure simulated baby experiences help all kinds of people. They give you those sacks of sugar in highschool family studies for a reason, right? On Degrassi it was an uncooked egg. Now I hear it's an actual life sized baby that really cries and pees. And you know, if these help girls who might be considering having a baby while they are very young to consider different options for their life, I am all for it.

What I wonder is, who on earth is going to buy a video game like this? I mean, raising a baby is hard work. Not exactly fun, like say, racecar driving or super star wrestling. Why would anyone want to simulate this as a hobby?

What is next? "Period Party Time!" "Divorce Extravaganza!" or "Train the Doggie!"? Girls like things other than those which are domestic, see? We enjoy all sorts of unique experiences.

Here is my advice for game developers: how about some female kung-fu characters? How about an all-female "Rock Band"? How about women's soccer?

How about simulating things that women actually like to do?

Sunny Choi

Canadian designer Sunny Choi is highly regarded as one of North America's leading designers of women's clothing, but she started out as an art major. Recently she has returned to her roots and has has opened a gallery in the West-Queen-West area of Toronto, and her first show is of her own work.

The brand-new Sunny Choi Gallery is at 1046 Queen Street West, Toronto. I was lucky enough to walk past it after having a few-too-many and fell in love with these wonderfully beautiful paintings. Beauty will be the theme of the gallery, and they accept submissions from both established and emerging talent. The website is worth a look, because you can view there much more fabulous work by this Canadian talent.





wow. lots of art lately!

Drink & Dream Window Shades

I've heard of artistic window shades before, but these ones from Drink & Dream are the coolest I've ever seen.

buddy holly


june & johnny


the ramones


A special mention goes out for their Salt n' Pepa salt & pepper shakers.