Hi, my name is Aprile and I love 100 ideas , 1001 journals , alphabets , altered books , animals , anthropologie , antiques , architecture , art , art galleries , australia , autumn , beauty , bird nests , birds , books , bookstores , boots , bunnies , butterflies , buttons , calligraphy , cameras , cards , cats , ceramics , clothing , collaboration , collage , collecting , collections , confetti , contrast , craft shows , crafts , dada , decor8 , design , design for mankind , dictionaries , diy , doing anything but homework , drawing , dresses , dried flowers , editorial design , embroidery , ephemera , equestrian things , eric carle , etsy , events , experimentation , fall , fashion , fashion illustration , female vocalists , festivals , film , flickr , flowers , fortune cookies , french , fyodor , gardening , giveaways , gray , hand-lettering , handmade , handmade nation , happiness , hearts , henry darger , history , home sweet home , illustration , inner beauty , inspiration , interior design , interviews , japan , jenny lewis , jewellery , jill barber , jory , junk , kara walker , keri smith , korean style , kraft paper , leaves , lens flare , letterpress , life , linens , lists , london , love letters , lula , lykke li , magazines , maira kalman , making art , making books , making friends , making things , maps , milk , moustaches , museums , music , my apartment , my mom , Nana , nature , nice days , notepads , odds & ends , old architecture , our apartment , outsider art , owls , packaging , paint pens , paper , papercutting , paris , photo corners , photobooths , photography , picnics , pillows , pink , poppytalk , quotes , rain , relaxation , ribbons , royalty , scrapbooks , seasons , seattle , second-hand stores , sewing , shopping , shops , shows , simplicity , sleep , snow , softness , spring , starting fresh , stationery , style , subtlety , suitcases , sweden , textiles , thao nguyen , the 1970s , the industrial era , the internet , the language of flowers , the paper place , the past , the uk , the woods , the workroom , thesis , thesis cut&paste , toronto , travel , tumblr , twigs , twitter , typewriters , typography , uppercase , vacations , videos , vintage , vintage books , vintage catalogues , walks , wallpaper , wood , wooden spools , words , zakka , zines , & blogging.

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07/20/10

japanese dress class

Posted by Aprile on 2010.07.20:

So, finally... I took some pictures of my dress from the Japanese Dress Book class at the workroom! I kind of love it. I think I was the most beginner sewer there, but I picked the most complicated dress (pleating? buttons?!) which is a very Aprile thing to do. I am so glad I did though, because I learned some really important basics, and I have since even altered another dress I had but didn't fit me well.

I always assume I can do anything (and I'm rarely proved wrong, hehe) but I couldn't have done this awesome dress without Karyn's wonderful help. Also, the fabric I picked is so nice, it's Japanese (theme fitting) and has some little pinecone like things on it. I've decided this is my winter dress--it's a light cotton but it's long sleeves and length and the print make it a bit wintery.

(Some pretty details).

(Gathering at the neckline).

The dresses all of us made fit quite large, as they apparently wear them in Japan... Plenty of altering was needed to make it look less sack-like. Mine was perfect in the front, but I brought the back in with some shirring. Turned out well I think. I took a look at the dresses in my closet, and it turns out all of my shirt dresses pretty much have shirring. Who knew!

So now I think my sewing machine and I are a little more friendly, and hopefully I will have some ambition to make some more dresses. Or anything really. New hobby!

The best part is that I think I can do it again, and I can whole wardrobe of clones of these dresses if I really wanted. (I'm not going to do that). I actually already have the next pattern picked out and fabric purchased...

I found sort of randomly this 1940's floral print gray cotton in the TheresaMarieRose etsy shop, so beautiful. It's quite similar to the Japanese fabric I used (gray + floral print), but the print is much bigger and brighter, and it's quite summery. The gray is brighter as well. It was kind of a steal at $8 a yard! And the dress I am going to make with it is the one of the cover. Excited!

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05/28/10

real life + natural lives

Posted by Aprile on 2010.05.28:

I know I know, it's been ages since I posted last. I sort of shy away from blogging when I'm struggling a bit in real life. I haven't done any art or design work in a while, for example. It's hard graduating! Definitely much harder than I expected.

I am now faced with the seemingly impossible task of finding a job, and I feel like I might have to give up the dream of getting one I will actually enjoy (whatever that may be, I'm not sure). I've been working (in retail still) and it's hard to find a job while you are already working somewhere. Where am I supposed to find the time to finish my portfolio? How will I even schedule interviews? It's not that rough, I just feel like I'm giving up on my dreams a bit.

And for the most part, I haven't done anything lately that is worth posting about. I just eat, sleep, and work mostly. I know this is what comes with graduating and finally being finished school, and faced with real life. I did think, however, that I was pretty tough and could handle anything... Stupid school.

So when I was working on my thesis, I was too busy to post about the things I was doing and making, and now that it's over, I haven't done or made anything. So I am sharing with you today a project that I completed recently, one that was almost a year in the works, called Natural Living. I shared it with you a while ago here, but you know how it is when things turn out completely differently than you intended at first. And I think I love the outcome!

For this project, I had the pleasure of accepting submissions from Chelsea Fuss of Frolic!, Karin Eriksson of manos, Nikole Herriot of Herriot Grace, Nicole Haga of The Habit of Being, Penny Elizabeth Neil of Sparrow Salvage, Theresa Lynn Holley aka simplemoth, Caroline Thibault aka semiplume, Liane Tyrrel of Enhabiten, and Alyssa Zygmunt of Brooklyn Rehab.

Here's a blurb: Natural Living is a self-directed editorial project about having an environmental lifestyle, whether you live in the country or in the city. I interviewed 8 creative people who pursue photography as a hobby or a career, and chose beautiful photos from their everyday lives to share. (from my new website, which I am still working on)

Hope you like the book! I have recently been directed towards publishing by a few people, and it is something I've considered. But I still don't know! I do like books...
Sorry for the rant!
xo

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04/11/10

dis•po•si•tion (thesis 2010)

Posted by Aprile on 2010.04.11:

It has been a really long sleepless week...! I can honestly say I'm finished this time, though I have a few other things to finish up. I'm so excited for regular life again, school really is not my thing. I can't wait until I can work on my own projects without feeling guilty about not doing homework. I have this HUGE list of things to do when I am finally out of here... And I'm excited about that.

Meanwhile, here is one of my books to go along with those displays I showed you. There is another book, and yet another (a process book). They are quite lovely and I'll take a picture of them soon (they have presentations to give and places to be)! I have my final presentation tomorrow which of course I haven't prepared for very well. I planned on being prepared but once those books were printed I was just finished...

Hope you like this book, it's my favourite! The photographs are self-portraits from Chelsea Jade, aren't they amazing? They really make the book extra beautiful!

(There are some imperfections in the digital version because it was compressed, but I assure you the books are p-e-r-f-e-c-t. Yay)!

P.S. Thank you for all the lovely comments on my last thesis post, it's so nice to know what people think! xoxo

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04/ 4/10

oh my goodness here we go

Posted by Aprile on 2010.04.04:

I am ALMOST done. That is, the 3D aspect of my project. Kitty likes it, what do you think? I have pared down all of the pictures to these few, but I really need a good camera to take some pictures with. My little Sony Cybershot is not all that high quality.

It's a really good day today. We woke up to the CBC playing "Heartbroken" by Meaghan Smith, and we've been whistling the tune all day long. It's so spring-y and nice outside too! Too bad I'm inside working on my project... Instead of having picnics... Or even Easter food!

I've posted a couple photos here, but there rest are on Flickr. Let me know what you think, really! I am too immersed in the project to really know what's going on...













More on Flickr.

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04/ 1/10

getting it all down on paper

Posted by Aprile on 2010.04.01:

Hello! I've been at my computer constantly lately, but a lot of my websites are banned—because I am a super procrastinator (this counts as procrastinating, probably) I had to block bad time wasters, so I have all the time I need to work on my thesis! Which is due in a week and a half (Ahhh!). I'm having a hard time getting all of my thoughts out of my head and onto paper (or the screen!)



Currently, our living room is out of commission and it is now my woodshop. Stuff everywhere, little workshops for painting and gluing and nailing. I will hopefully have my displays done (at least 3 out of 4) in the next day or two. They are coming along quite nicely and I keep finding more props and things to outfit them with!

This is my attempt to take a photo of my new leather jacket, which is so atypical for a leather jacket (in style). No zippers or accents, but there is a but of pleating at the back, soo nice! And the colour is a grayish brownish, with a fake sweater collar and sleeves. I am in love.

It's kind of too warm right now for leather jackets, though I am NOT disappointed! We're going to have a picnic lunch tomorrow!

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03/29/10

sm2

Posted by Aprile on 2010.03.29:

When spring and summer start to roll around I have Japanese clothing on the brain again! Cotton and linen, light colours and layers (I have pale skin and burn easily, so summer layering is my friend), it's just all so beautiful!

In January picked up some clothing magazines (I don't know what you would call them—they are a mix between a fashion magazine and a styling catalogue) from Kinokuniya Bookstore in Seattle. They were from this store called SM2, and they are quite inspiring—so inspiring I bought 4 different issues! They were all for Fall and Winter, so it just occurred to me to check for their new Spring stuff, and isn't it wonderful?

I love the detail in the accessories, and I think I'll attempt to make a similar bag—I would have bought one but they are sold out!

What has also sparked me thinking about Japan again is that our friends John and Juli (of Kitka) are off to Japan for two weeks scouting out new designers for their store, Mjölk, and meeting some favourites! I am so jealous but I can't wait to see what they come across (and blog about)! We sent them off with a great big dinner at Guu Izukaya, which they posted about here, so I won't repeat. But it was so nice, and we will definitely be going there again!



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03/15/10

continuous bloom

Posted by Aprile on 2010.03.15:

Hello! Hello spring! It's raining like crazy here but at least it's not snowing... I haven't made any new collages in a long time, I keep convincing myself that it's procrastinating and I should be doing something else. Yet, I am still never doing the thing that I am supposed to be doing. Surprise surprise. So I decided to just let myself do what I wanted to do.

I have been experimenting with some new stuff lately, everyone loved the paper folds I used for the "gray" series, and I kind of like them too so I am working them into this next collection. I think the white space helps with the otherwise very green backgrounds. I am working on green dividers, found in the Better Homes and Gardens book from the 50s—I bought two of the same book at Goodwill, just for the dividers.

I am still working on my thesis, and also going stir crazy with dreams of gardening. We're embarking on a huge gardening project this summer, even though we don't have a yard! It will be a hydroponic window farm, for herbs and lettuces. So excited.

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03/ 5/10

raymond meeks

Posted by Aprile on 2010.03.05:

A little of something I'm currently inspired by—though I'm kind of at an inspiration overload place because of all the "research" I'm doing for my thesis... the artist books of Raymond Meeks are so beautiful, I love the simplicity and nuances of colour in them. I want to achieve something equally as nuance-y. It's just so nice.

Thanks Jen, from Simply Photo (where I found him!)

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02/16/10

long overdue...

Posted by Aprile on 2010.02.16:

Yay! I received my copy of UPPERCASE magazine in the mail last week (it was actually just sitting on my doorstep for two days while I was away so I'm glad nobody stole it!) I am honoured to be a part of Janine's amazing creation, there are so many talented artists involved. A little piece of my paper collection was featured—my library cards and pockets—and they look quite nice in print. Like I said, I was blown away by this issue and I am looking forward to future issues!

Also, it's nice to be a page after dawbis, who I have definitely talked about before with her blog Lovely Paper. Her paper collections are a constant inspiration to me!

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02/ 9/10

get to work!

Posted by Aprile on 2010.02.09:

I've been working hard lately, but it's mostly fun cut and paste work. I created four models of what the final project will look like (approximately). It feels like I've accomplished a lot by doing this but there is still so much left to do! I had fun with this though, and I used my glue gun for the first time in a long time. Above is one of my inspiration clipboards. Still wondering what it's all about? In due time... in due time.

(Oh and I've been making messes, too).

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