Etsy: Made in Canada

I'm so excited for the weekend. This Saturday is the Etsy: Made in Canada show and I am thrilled to be participating in Toronto's pop-up.
I'll be selling my handmade toys, needle felting and accessories at the MaRS Discovery District 10am - 6pm.
Check out this year's vendors in the EtsyMIC Toronto Lookbook.
And please check out my Etsy Shop  to see what I'll have, plus there will be some special products exclusive to this show.
Be sure to get to the show early. The first 100 guests will receive a jam-packed swag bag full of goodies made by the vendors!

I've made a special run of greeting cards for the swag bags, featuring my cute-infused surface designs.
Come by and say hi!

Shows & Events!

I'm pretty excited to announce Leikey Designs will be at two shows coming up in the fall.

First stop...

ETSY: Made In Canada
Sat Sept 26th
The hugely popular show returns this year @ the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto.
Check out the Leikey table for new exclusive pieces and of course all your favourites too.
Admission is free to this show. And The Etsy Made in Canada is happening all over Canada this day so check out your local market!

Next stop...



OOAK Christmas Show
Dec 1 - 6th
That's right! I'm back at the OOAK show for my 4th round! This year, I've graduated from Rising Stars to my very own big booth! Don't forget, there are two cycles to this show. First cycle is Nov 26 - 30th. I'll be at the show for the second half from Dec 1 - 6th.
Come by and say hi!

Looking forward to seeing you at the show!

Getting Ready for the show

Just a little under three weeks away until the One Of A Kind Christmas show. 
Busy prepping and making for the show. I'll have a variety of stuffed toys, brooches and needle-felted goodies available at the show, including many of your favourites from my Etsy shop. 
This will be my second OOAK show vendor experience and my first Christmas show experience, as a vendor. 
Very excited and nervous at the same time. 
Hope to see you at the show.

Stay tuned for a giveaway coming up next week where you could win two tickets to the show!!!

For now, back to work.

 Here's a sneak peek of what's in store for the OOAK Christmas show...

*

*cat not for sale

New Stockists

Did you know Leikey Design products are now available in stores?

Not just online, Leikey Designs Toys can be found in these fine Brick & Mortar shops in
Toronto, Hamilton & Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

Canoe Paper & Gift Co.

233 Locke St. S, Hamilton, ON

canoeonlocke.com

Dots & Loops

183 Lincoln Street, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

dotsandloops.ca

Scout 

405 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, ON

iheartscout.com

I'm grateful to these stockists for their support and hope you will check them out to see all the wonderful goodies & gifts they have in store!

One Of A Kind Online

With the One Of A Kind Show growing every year, it seemed only natural to expand online to reach a global audience.

Leikey Designs is very excited to announce it's involvement in the One Of A Kind Online shop, bringing the unique handmade goods you'll find at the shows, to you 365 days a year!

Many of the artisans we look forward to at the Spring and Christmas shows, you'll find year round on the new site, so you won't have to wait!

Many of the popular products Leikey Designs sold at this year's Spring Show will be available in the online shop. Take a look here

The One Of a Kind Online Shop officially launches today to shoppers around the world.
Happy shopping! 

Leaves Of Trees Headquarters Opens May 1st

You're invited to join us @ Leaves of Trees store opening tomorrow!

We're officially open May 1st 

177 Queen St. East, Toronto.
10:00am - 6:00pm

Bonus: Opening day, receive a free gift with purchase!

What is Leaves of Trees?

Roohi Qureshi is the modern-apothecary behind Leaves of Trees, a luxe artisanal skin & hair care line.
Leaves of Trees products are organic and ethically made, formulated and handmade by Roohi herself in small batches.

What's in store?

Lotions, lip balms, soaps, scrubs, Lainey Gossip fave deodorant and Argan Oils.
All products are made using argan oil sourced from a women's co-operative in Morocco where the oil is extracted the traditional way, by hand!

Shop opens for business May 1st.
With regular hours:
Tuesday - Saturday 10am  - 6pm

Stop by and say hi and try out the products while you're there. 

Unikati Pop-Up @ Leaves Of Trees HQ

This weekend (Friday/Saturday)

Unikati & Co. will be having their first ever Pop-Up Sale 

at the Leaves of Trees HQ

177 Queen St. East, Toronto

Unikati & Co. 

Is a well-curated online shop dedicated to ethically, one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted goods 

from all over the world. 

The lovely and sweet founders, Leila & Dina, have gathered a bevy of beautiful, unique pieces for sale this weekend, including some exclusive items and you should check it out!

Bonus: You can grab some of your favourite goodies, at the pop-up, from 

Leaves of Trees & Leikey Designs 


Unikati Pop Up Sale
Friday April 25th 12pm - 8pm

Saturday April 26th 10am - 6pm 

See you there!

Felted Bunnies

Easter's almost here!

I'm very excited to finally have these little felted bunnies available in my Etsy Shop.
After their huge success at the One Of A Kind Spring Show, they're now available to ship internationally.
These handmade bunnies are made from soft sheep's wool and needle-felted into their cute little forms.
Hop on over to the shop to check them out and get yours quick.

Giveaway Time!

Productions is in full swing here, getting ready for the One Of A Kind Spring Show.

I'm so excited for the show I want you to be there too! 

I'm giving away 2 tickets to the show 

so you and a friend can check out all the springtime talent and visit me of course! 

To enter to win these tickets...

1. Click here and follow the link to my instagram

2. Follow the instructions and you're entered. 

3. A winner will be chosen at random and announced Monday March 17th. 

Bonus:

Follow me on...

Twitter:

@LeikeyDesigns

Facebook:

facebook.com/leikeydesigns

Instagram:

@LeikeyDesigns

Etsy:

leikey.etsy.com

Pinterest:

pinterest.com/leikey

to find out about more giveaways and news of upcoming shows. 

Good Luck!

OOAK Spring 2014

Leikey Designs is starting off with a bang this year, with a booth at the 

One Of A Kind Spring Show 

at the Direct Energy Building, Toronto. 

March 26 - 30th
Booth K20Q

Check out the Canadian artisans and springtime goodness 

the OOAK show has to offer and

click here for a special Promo Code to receive $1 off admission when you order your tickets online. 

Buy online and skip the line!

Find me at my booth in the special Spring Show exclusive, Etsy Section. 

Follow me on twitter @LeikeyDesigns and Facebook for updates and special promotion dealies. 

Check out my online shop here  for a sneak peek of what's in store at the show. 

See you at the show! 

Hashtag Pop Up

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to let you know, this weekend will be your last chance to grab some Leikey Designs goodness for your holiday gifts.

I'm participating in two markets this weekend

first ....

Leaves of Trees HQ 

Opening Pop Up Sale 

177 Queen St. E

Toronto

Dec 19 - 23 (that's right Thursday - Monday!)

Second....

Art Cave 

Arts & Crafts Holiday Show & Sale

155 Lamb Ave. 

Toronto

Dec 21 - 22

for more info visit the site! 

Art Cave

Happy holidays and hope to see you there :D

Craft Show season is upon us!

Oh hi there,

A long awaited update for you...
Working on a bunch of little projects right now and as we dive into the holiday season....Yep That's Right... Craft Show season...

So this year,  I switched gears and did a lot more workshops than craft shows, and am happy to report I'll be participating in a couple shows just in time for the holidays.

First up...

Dec 7th 

Needlework

Hamilton

Back by popular demand...

Needlework's, Holiday needle felting workshop, where we are making ornaments. 

A one stop shop to make some handmade holiday gifts and decor. 

Second up...

Dec 7th & 8th 
Maker's Cartel
@The Foundery, Toronto
The 2nd annual Maker's Cartel show! A great event showcasing locally grown makers.
Happening
Dec 7th 11am - 8pm
Dec 8th 11am - 6pm


And third...

Dec 12 - 15
401 Artisans Marketplace 
@ 401 Richmond st W, Toronto
This is the 21st annual holiday market at the historical artist hub.
I'm happy to say this is my 3rd year participating in this show and looking forward to seeing some familiar faces this year like...
the creative sisters behind Very Big Cat studio.

Admission is FREE
Show dates and hours are....

December 12 - 15, 2013

Thursday 11:00 am - 9:00 pm Friday 11:00 am - 8:00 pm Saturday 11:00 am - 6:00 pm Sunday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm Hope to see you at one or all of these events!

Hamilton Arts Awards 2013

It's clearly been a while since my last post.
Happy to say, it's been a busy summer with workshops, weddings and work for the most part.

The next few posts will be photo updates of the things I've been up to including, new designs, custom orders, awards show and more.... enjoy!

First up Hamilton Arts Awards night! 
Photos generously provided by City of Hamilton Arts Awards.

I was pleased and humbled to be apart of the fabulous annual Hamilton Arts Awards this year.
Lots of friendly faces from HCA and Beehive Collective; creative people like local visual artists collective HAVN who put on a hypnotic projection installation that set a buzz and transformed the space and atmosphere of the venue; delicious food and beats by DJ Gary Buttrum. Needless to say, it was a pretty great time.

Aswell, the three animal heads you know and love mixed and mingled with the awards night guests. The heads were worn by three wonderful members and actors of the theatre company. The three chatted with guests, stumbled and made awkward encounters all around the venue. It was a great experience to see the heads in action, and to see the guests interact with them.

Photo provided by
Photographer John Rennison
of The Hamilton Spec

A great big thank you to organizers Stephanie & Jen, City of Hamilton and Hamilton Arts Council, Theatre Aquarius, our actors and photographers from the night! 

Art in Transit

Over the next two weeks see my work in the Art in Transit exhibition, across Canada. 

From Jan. 14th - 27th 

in shopping centers all over the country

My animals heads as photographed by the best, Owen Deveney  

along with Andrea Vander kooij's photographs of her amazing skills in knitting, 

will be apart of  "Hard Twist: Greatest Hits" 

curated by Chris Mitchell & Helena Frei 

and Art in Transit, an ad/exhibition program 

with Pattison OneStop Network digital display billboards.

Read about the Art in Transit program and more about the artists involved 

in this Thursdays issue of  the Metro Newspaper 

or get it online here. 

Find out where to view the exhibition here

+

Make sure to see
Hard Twist 7: Touch Me, Feel Me

before we pack it all up on Sun Jan 27th. 

On now @ The Gladstone Hotel, Queen West, Toronto

3rd & 4th Floor. 

Try on a felted beard made by yours truly and post it on twitter #HardTwist

+

Owen has just posted a mountain of wonderful shots 

sharing them with us via Flickr. 

Please stop by and check them out here.

enjoy!

Update: Jan 16th 2013

News about the Art in Transit program landed on the west coast.

read Vancouver's online new source Straight.com 

for all the details. 

News & Events!

Hey have you check out the News & Events page lately?
I have a few things happening this month just in time for the holidays like...

Artisans Marketplace @ 401 Richmond, Toronto
On this weekend
Saturday 11am - 6pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm
Free Admission!

Hard Twist 7: Touch Me, Feel Me

On now until January 27th @ Gladstone Hotel, Toronto

Opening daily 12pm - 5pm

Free Admission

Intro to Needle-felting: Holiday Ornaments 

Dec 15th 1-4pm @ Needlework  in Hamilton

Catch me at one or all of these events this month! 

And don't forget to stop by the shop for the cutest holiday gifts or our 

new print shop for our Animal Collective prints!! 

Hard Twist 7: Touch Me, Feel Me

Join us for Hard Twist 7: Touch Me, Feel Me, opening November 1st.

 An exhibition of textile works set on evoking your emotions and inviting you to interact. A rare opportunity to touch the art and experience an exhibition like no other. 

Hard Twist is an annual juried textile exhibition that takes place at the historic Gladstone Hotel in downtown Toronto. 

Opening reception for Hard Twist is Nov. 1st 6pm - 9pm. 

Exhibition runs Nov 1st - Jan 27th on the 3rd and 4th floor of the hotel. 

Hotel is open daily + Free admission for gallery visitors. 

This year, I will be presenting some new pieces. I invite you to snap photos wearing and posing.

So make sure to bring your camera and ready those instagram apps! 

K + O Photo | New Shop

You may have noticed this little badge hanging out on the side of this blog ------------------>
 and wondered why it suddenly appeared and what it had to do with anything. Well ....

new K+O Photo logo click here and jump to our new shop!

Owen and I have decided to share our photographic series and collaborations with you and the world, extending accessibility to those who may not have the chance to visit exhibitions we participate in.

Part of the Animal Collective installation includes a series of narative photographs featuring each of the heads, taken somewhere near or around Lake Ontario. Up until recently, these prints were only available to purchase through galleries or directly contacting us.

We have selected just 5 photos, for now, to open our shop.
Prints are available in 3 sizes (12x18, 16x20, 24x36) and printed on incomparable and supa-fancy Hahnemuehle Photo Rag fine art paper. 

Prints are available to purchase online at our new shop 

                                  through Big Cartel. 

We're calling the collaboration K+O Photo. 

News & Events - Drake Spring Market

Weekends were made for this! 

 Photo source: Drake Hotel Flickr page

The Drake Hotel in Toronto will be holding their FREE spring market this weekend - 

Saturday May 5th from 10am - 4pm.  

But I haven't even gotten to the best part. The Drake will be selling their goods - vintage treasures and unique finds. Plus they've assembled a collection of stunning local artisans to sell their goods as well. 

Find me there this weekend selling my own lot, some new work and exclusive pieces that are not available online! 

Will see you there! 

Drake Hotel events page

1150 Queen St. West, Toronto. 

More photos from last years event here on their Flickr page!

Back from the show!

Tis the season to be crazy busy.

 Just wrapped up my final craft show of the year, the 401 Artisans Marketplace at 401 Richmond, in Toronto. What a wonderful event!

401 Invitation to Holiday Market- Owen's photo of my Fox Knot ring was featured on!

I had the fortunate opportunity to meet some wonderful vendors from the show like: Sigrid Natural Skin Care, She Said Jewelry, Numero Seis, Chrys Designs, She-She Hats, Holly Febbraro, Leaves of Trees and Simple Smiles.

Cara of She Said Jewelry - Handcrafted feather accessories

It was her first show! See the wooden display cabinet? She made that!

(photo by Roohi of Leaves of Trees, from her FB page)

Pictured: Alejandra of Numero Seis (handcrafted statement jewelry featuring professionally scouted exotic findings, metals and one of a kind beads)
Infront: Sigrid Natural Skin Care - luxurious handcrafted creams, balms, masks & mists grown and harvested by hand in the Ottawa Valley.  
(photo by Sigrid of Sigrid's Natural Skin Care)

Leaves of Trees - Stunning naturally dyed silk scarves and natural soaps and lip balms.

Artist Roohi also designs/prints her own labels!

(photos by Roohi from her FB page)

ma teeny booth - working on some knitting
(photo by Owen)

last day
(photo by Owen)

Please checking out their sites and stores as they sell some of the best locally handmade products I've come across.

As well as 401, I also participated in the pieceWORK & Hard Twist shows at the Gladstone Hotel, Toronto. Sadly I didn't get any pictures during. But head down there are see for yourself.
If you haven't already been to Hard Twist this year, please do. Not just to see my felted animal heads, but to see the crazy talented collection of artists work! The theme this year was Obsession and it's evident as soon as you walk in. We're a seriously obsessed group of artists!

Here is a little peek of my favourite piece in the show...

(photos by Meghan Macdonald from her website.
Check out her website to see photos from her collections)

Artist Meghan Macdonald

Title: What Remains

Technique: Meticulous Machine Embroidered Sculptures

Such incredible work. Meghan has spent the better part of year or two building this collection of embroidered familiar artifacts. If you're planning to go to the show, this piece is worth the trip alone!

The show is free and located on the 3rd & 4th floor of the Gladstone Hotel. 

Exhibition hours are 12pm - 5pm. 

Exhibition is on until Jan 29th. 

Tell your friends!