Don't Forget! Bows and Arrows this Sunday!

It's Official ! The media has picked up a hot scoop (because we emailed them)! Bows and Arrows this Sunday at the shop! Lovely acoustic music up on the stage in the window, party hats and apple cider all for your  listening pleasure! Oh yeah and the newest addition to the line-up- a DIY photobooth with a golden glitter backdrop! So everyone had better dress up cowboys and indians style and show the camera what you got (take a cue from this chick)! Exclamation !!!!!!!

image via coco+kelley- my new favourite blog

To get you in the spirit

Please please PLEASE listen to This American Life's A Very Special Sedaris Christmas. I own the book (Holidays on Ice), but in this podcast there are a few of the stories recited by David Sedaris himself, as well as Julia Sweeney and Matt Malloy. Absolutely hysterical, and so friggin rude. Just like all of your Christmas memories.

New IMM Living

Today in the store I am crafting up a store to distract me from the fact that I made and awesome order WEEKS ago and I just got a call saying that it's stuck at customs. What is this, the stone ages? Anyway, feast your eyes upon this little treasure that will be hanging around the store (whenever he can get past those toughs at customs that is...)

This little cruet will be sure to please anyone (who is radical) on your gift list.

This makes me want Christmas

I am officially decorating the house starting tonight. I have had this image saved on my computer since last Christmas, and I still love it. Non red and white, clean and fresh Christmas decorating is right up my alley. Hyacinths in a bowl and candle light-perfect! I am going to go out on a limb here and assume that these people are Scandinavian, because they sure know how to do the holidays right. For more beautiful holiday decorating ideas check this out.

image via designsponge

lovely homemade green paper oversized ornaments that I will be making for the store for sure:

via living etc

Reasons I Love Toronto

1.T+T Market

2.Sneaky Dee's Nachos and Wings dates

before

after (come on we aren't total pigs)

Right across the road from Sneaky Dee's!

This is just down the street naturally. Didn't you know he was from Toronto? Fun Fact!

3. This:

On being famous...

So I have all of my National Posts stacked up in the back room like a total geek. I'm not sure what to do with them. Sadly I will probably end up using them to stuff bags here at the store. Just when I had come to terms with getting media attention and not letting my head get so big that I was forced to go out and buy a dog for my purse, I got a call from some photographer asking when was a good time for them to come in and shoot the store. Out of the blue. An awesome magazine. Not just shoot the store though, no no, shoot ME in the store. I was instructed by the writer who interviewed me to break out my sexy gear (direct quote!) to wear to work on the day of the shoot. So that day is today, in 45 minutes from now someone is supposed to be coming in to take my picture, and what did I decide was sexy you ask? Oh just my mom yoga jeans and a pussy bow shirt that has been in a dry cleaning bag since before I was pregnant. So yeah, I look like a damn mom from the 80s. Not a sexy one either. Like a red haired Angela Bower. Now they are going to be here in half an hour and I have croissant crumbs all over my top. It's a hard life guys.

I just came across this beautiful blog called 'A Collection a Day' by Lisa Congdon. It is only up until the end of December so catch it before it disappears. This is a blog that literally documents a collection a day for a full year  is very inspiring and makes me wish I had someway to store and organize all of the things I come across that I want to keep but think 'I can't have another piece of paper or nick nack around the house or I will rip my hair out'. Maybe I could take after Lisa and photograph things but then give them away after? How awesome would it be to receive a whole collection of something as a birthday present? 

Diana Mini

I got my first roll of Diana mini film developed this morning before work. If you are a loser like me, here is a hot tip- Walmart opens at 7am on Sundays so you can get stuff done BEFORE going to work. They also have one hour photo developing and they can burn your photos onto a disk so you have the best of the digital AND analogue worlds.

the fog with double exposure

 plain fog with crap on the lens...

uncropped square photo

double exposure! 

Oscar thought the camera was a toy and was quite upset that I wouldn't give it to him. My next roll   I will be a lot more familiar with the camera, and I think I am going to buy some slide film for cross processing.  I'm really excited for the good times that Diana and I are going to be having. For more Diana inspiration, check out the new Fieldguided shop, chock full of beautiful Toronto-centric shots. I bought the Toronto skyline print, and I adore the Toronto island swan shot with the Diana mini in half frame mode. On a non photographic note, if anyone out there loves me they will buy me the 'thunder in our hearts' tote.

Red Canoe!

A big time Red Canoe order just got delivered to the store and has finally made it's way onto the shelves. The one item I had time to photograph today was the CBC Radio-Canada THUNDERBOLT Tech Kit Bag. Yes, Thunderbolt. Want to be a radical Mom? Buy this as your kid's overnight bag! Badass.

CBC Thunderbolt Kit Bag $129

National Post

Just a regular Friday over here at Russet and Empire... our Friday article in THE NATIONAL POST is online so you know, whatever...


EXCEPT OPPOSITE! Please pick up a copy of the Saturday Post! There is an amazing article written by Nathalie Atkinson. I can't even express how excited I am right now! I have been bombarding every person I have ever met with emails, tweets, facebook posts, faxes, and pigeon couriers. Read it HERE.

BOWS AND ARROWS

Cozy times here on Sunday November 28th! Cowboys-n-Indians themed matinee! Performances by Hands&Teeth, Tender Lion ,and Mothers of Brides. Vintage party hats, warm drinks+snacks, and dreamy music in the afternoon. Can you think of something better to do on a Sunday? This is the first in a series of events that I hope to have at the store, so please come out and let me know what you think! You can RSVP right here.

Working Breakfast

Good morning everyone! I'm fueling up with a healthy breakfast at the shop so I can be in tip top shape to receive a big delivery this afternoon from Red Canoe! I will also be posting a VERY special announcement this afternoon (I'll give you a hint- it involves partying).  Be sure to check back later on!

Great Lakes Wrapping Paper

New in the store Kid Icarus Great Lakes Wrapping Paper! In sets of three sheets with beautiful matching satin ribbon for only $10, there is no excuse to buy those horrible dollarama bags this Christmas (don't even TRY and deny it). Hand printed here in Toronto, this is a beautiful product that I am very proud to have in the store.

Glitter and Gold

So much is going on in the store right now, lots of new stuff coming in, and a new addition to the Russet and Empire team (the amazing Leah who posted here a while ago). We also OFFICIALLY are carrying magazines now! I just got our first shipment from LMPI; Elle Decoration UK.  I haven't allowed myself to leaf through it yet. We are also carrying prints by moimoi design, I posted about the White Squirrels, but I didn't let you know about the Genius Contstruction print! Embossed and debossed honeycomb pattern with GOLDEN honey.


With all of these new products in the store, I thought I would do a mini-roundup of all the new gold items in the store to brighten up this dreary Friday.

Genius Construction

Limited Edition Prints, $150

Lovely gold necklaces, made in Niagara-on-the-Lake ON. That's a real acorn inside!

Necklaces, $45-$65

Lucky Gold-leafed Horseshoe, $37

WE TAKE VISA AND DEBIT!!!!

FINALLY.  IT WAS A FIASCO, BUT NOW IT'S OVER. THANK GOD.

NEW Moimoi Design Prints

I am extremely excited to announce that we have started carrying Lucky White Squirrel prints from Moimoi Design! 


You might have seen the Lucky White Squirrel Prints at The White Squirrel Cafe by Trinity Bellwoods Park (where the white squirrels live naturally). The White Squirrel prints  are a limited edition set that documents  the albino squirrel phenomenon in Toronto, documenting why it is so lucky to spot a white squirrel.  The first print, a tree network diagram, illustrates the mix of genes it takes to create albino progeny from a pair of squirrels each carrying the recessive gene for albinism. The second, in real numbers, illustrates squirrel for squirrel the 1:20,000 odds that this would occur. 


 It is hard to get full sized photos of the posters that show all of the detail so I have included some close up images.

Lucky White Squirrel Prints $80/set