authors for indies day at type books

On Saturday, May 2, one of our favourite local bookstores, Type, will be participating in Authors for Indies Day at their Queen West location. Authors will be in the shop for discussions, and Type will also host readings throughout the day. It’s basically a love-in for independent bookstores. I used to love visiting all the independents in the city, and now most of them are gone (RIP Pages, Britnell’s, Lichtman’s, etc. Even the Dufferin Mall had a WH Smith in it once upon a time, which of course isn’t an independent but shows you that we used to have a lot more bookstores).

You can read more about Authors for Indies Day here.

As part of the celebrations, we created a limited edition tote for Type, which will only be available at the event (Leanne Shapton also designed one, which is exciting!). This was a really fun one to design, as I was able to look to my very first love, books, for inspiration. We ended up going with the title of the incredible Flannery O’Connor short story “Everything That Rises Must Converge.” I recently (not an English major over here!) discovered that the title of the story was taken from another story, “Omega Point” by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and it made me appreciate it all the more: “Remain true to yourself, but move ever upward toward greater consciousness and greater love! At the summit you will find yourselves united with all those who, from every direction, have made the same ascent. For everything that rises must converge.”

If you’re in Toronto, I hope you’ll make it out and show Type some love!

fieldguided for garmentory, round 2

About a year ago, I created some wallpapers for Garmentory, a website that allows you to shop the racks of various independent clothing shops and designers. I’m happy to share that we’ve done it again this year! Geoff and I have also done a little Q&A with them, on the first page of their newly-launched magazine.

I went with Beyoncé this time around, because my love of her shows no sign of abating. The wallpapers are available here. They’re sized for iPhones and iPads but I imagine they would work on other devices as well!

wildcraft

I recently came across a relatively new line of all-natural, small-batch skincare based out of Toronto, Wildcraft. I always get so excited when I have the opportunity to try new products that align with my desire to use products that are made of as few ingredients as possible, without any synthetic ones. I’ve been reading the book Skin Cleanse and it’s been really affirming my commitment to natural beauty!

From Laura, part of the team behind Wildcraft:

Our focus is on designing healthy, plant and mineral based skin care from recipes that are minimalistic and ingredients that are local (vs exotic) where possible. We do this in an effort to create products that are a bit more accessible (price wise) than the average handmade skin care line. Within the small-batch / natural skin care world our brand is definitely more basics than lux, however, the majority of our ingredients are organic and everything is beautifully created by my partner Jessica. We truly believe in the healing powers of these types of products and want as many people to be able to access them as possible. It has, therefore, always been our top priority to create products that the average girl (or dude) can justify spending her hard earned toonies on!

Over the past few weeks I’ve been using the Geranium Orange Blossom Toner, the Face Serum, the Geranium Orange Blossom Face Cream (I use this one as an overnight cream), and the Chamomile Honey Makeup Remover, and my skin has been glowy and soft. Even though I know better than to touch my face, I can’t help it! I particularly love the makeup remover. It’s small enough to bring with me on all my ClassPass adventures. I carry it in a pouch with some cotton pads and remove my makeup before I sweat it all off and it has the chance to seep into my pores. Afterwards I’ll splash on some toner, especially if I’m visiting a workout space that doesn’t have a shower.

You can find Wildcraft through their online shop, or at Health Hut.