TorontoLife.com Spots Winkel!

Many thanks to the folks of TorontoLife.com for including Winkel in their Leslieville Guide. I'm not surprised that they chose to run this great shot of Hubble holding court at the back of the shop. The photographer was laughing at how he would "posed", following her camera the entire time. He's had plenty of practice in front of a lens. I think this is my favourite press photo of the shop so far.

Pulp Fiction

Last year I recommended revisiting childhood adventure books for your summer reading, but as the temperatures have soared these past couple of weeks I've been in the mood for a steamier bit of entertainment. The gem pictured above is the autobiography of Lynn Keefe, "...one of the nation's most successful women of pleasure." Apparently the book was made into a film, but I don't imagine it appearing on any Blockbuster shelves near you. Perfect read for a sunny afternoon at the beach.

Hey, Amy Winehouse! Get outta the jungle!

"...a tense and gripping drama of violence and murder which builds and builds to the most horrible, shocking climax imaginable!"

Get Tarantino on the phone, this one's right up his alley. He could even cast Winehouse in the lead as part of her inevitable comeback.

Sure, it's great to engross yourself in a critically acclaimed bestseller, but a quick fix of trash goes so well with a cold drink on a hot day.

Thanks, VIA Rail

If you're riding VIA Rail this summer, check out the article on Leslieville in the June/July issue of their onboard magazine. Many customers have mentioned the article and I finally found it on the VIA website today. Nice photo, too!

Leslieville Past

Leslieville has changed a lot in the past five years. Many old storefronts have been converted to accomodate the new businesses opening along Queen Street, and some times a bit of history is sacrificed along the way. These tin ceiling tiles were rescued from a building near Logan and Queen which is now a butcher shop. The installation of new duct work meant that the original ceiling had to be ripped out and there was no way for them to re-use the tiles.


After brushing off loose flakes of paint, I just hung one up on the wall and I love how it catches the light coming in from the door. If you're a little more formal, you could also have a simple frame made to finish the edges and you've got a great piece of original artwork that is also a bit of Leslieville history.

There are lots of ways to breathe new life into old tin tiles. Create decorative panels for the face of a counter or bar by attaching the tiles and finishing with a little trim. For an original tabletop, just inset the tiles on a board and cover with a piece of clear glass. I've also seen some interesting birdhouses made from salvaged bits of wood and trim with tin tile roofs. Below are a couple of projects for inspiration.



This cabinet gets a new life with sections of tiles cut to fit into the front door panels. The patina of the tin matches the age of the wood perfectly. Cleaned up and sealed, three tiles hung in a row make a very cool headboard. Finding a throw cushion with needlework that mimics the pattern of the tiles finishes off a great rustic modern look.

In The Pink

My cure for a week of constant rain: a pair of classic powder pink swivel tub chairs! Makes me want to put on a breezy summer dress, sip on a mojito and get a manicure. Swish, swish!

New and Noteworthy

I recently found these vintage stenopads at the estate sale of a doctor who practiced out of the basement of his house. He meticulously kept all of his office supplies including tiny boxes of index tabs, red-bordered labels, and a tin with every single one of his used pen nibs. My weakness for paper obviously extends to any type of vintage office material, but I've only kept a couple of these for myself. I love the art deco S on the cover of the one pictured above. The rest, in their limited quantity, are in the shop and ready for your very own musings and inspirations.


For those patriots in the crowd, you can't get much more Canadian than a beaver on the front cover. I still have one or two of these, but they're going fast.

The Dog is in a Blog

A few weeks ago, Christopher Jones from StyleNorth stopped by for a visit to Winkel. I was excited because I've been following his design blog for some time and was flattered that he had found my shop. He was working on a piece about retail mascots and had heard about my black pug, Hubble. Who would guess that a shopdog would be the lure to get me a spot on a great local design website? He snapped the perfect photo of Hub in his usual state, fast asleep.

Fortunately, Christopher also appreciated the oilcloth that is one of our bestsellers at Winkel, and featured it in a separate post that went up earlier today. Props also went out to Erin Leah Pryde who is the superstar-oilcloth-craftster-extraordinaire. It's amazing to see what she's created with it! Check it out here.

For whatever reason, I'm always grateful for any store publicity. Thanks, Christopher!

Leslieville Stomp

Fabulous chalkboard sign by Marla.

Yard sale season hit Leslieville in a big way yesterday with the first annual Leslieville Stomp. Thanks to the quick work of folks from The Leslieviller lots of people came out for street sales and sidewalk sales from Broadview Avenue to Leslie Street. For a last minute idea, the response was quite incredible, showing once again that part of what makes Leslieville such a great neighbourhood is the community. Many thanks to The Leslieviller and everyone for coming out to support a great event. (photos by Marla Good)

Oilcloth covered goodie table.

Blossoms

Winter is just not ready to let us go. The temperature has dipped below zero (AGAIN) and I'm desperate for some sign of spring around the corner. One of our local shops was selling apple blossom branches the other weekend--when it actually felt like spring--so I asked Marla to pick one up for the window. Pink blossoms have bloomed since then and it's a little taste of warmer weather while I'm still trudging around in hat, scarf and boots.

The branch inspired a little DIY project for Marla and her daughter Josephine who've been minding the shop during weekdays. They gathered a few fallen branches and hot glued pink, white and green tissue paper "blossoms" to the end of each branch. Delicate and rather lifelike, spring had sprung in the front window!






Once the orchard of blossoms had been created, Marla scoured the shop for all things Asian-inspired. Pottery, menus, figurines, art, and a lovely pair of lamps with a chinoiserie touch. These may have to come home with me one day.

"My little China girl says, 'Oh baby, just you shut your mouth.'"

-David Bowie

Gimme Some Lovin'

February 1st.

According to a recent survey, 75-80 percent of all Valentines are purchased by women.

Here's your two weeks notice, fellas.

Bald Guy Greetings has added two new Valentines (including the one pictured above) to his collection this year, both of which are available at Winkel. You can also order your very own Bald Guy t-shirt at www.baldguygreetings.com if you're one of his many avid fans.

Hello Lucky Valentine Coaster Cards




The weightiness of these adorable cards will let your sweetie know just how much you care. And if things don't work out, you can always use them as coasters for the many glasses of wine after the break-up.

Get Your Act Together

Santa has made his way to Florida just in time to skip all the shovelling that's happening at Winkel these days and the Christmas decor is put away for another year. Spring cleaning seems to be the order of the day and with that the urge to organize our lives.
Art School Girl, a recent addition to the independent card artistes we like to support at the shop, has this oh-so practical perpetual calendar for those of us with good intentions but not so good follow-through with calendars and day planners. You know when you buy that sassy planner to keep track of important dates, notes and numbers, but by April it's settled into some deep dark corner of your home or office, neglected until year's end when you can no longer use it. This is why I like non-committal calendars that let me fill in the days (when I'm really on top of things) and not worry about an "expiry" date at the end of the year.

The clever folks at Re-Cover Journals have added a Re-mind Planner to their recycled book cover journal selection, with fill-in-the-blank months/days as well as handy paper pouches and an address book in the back. Very together on the inside, but unique one of a kind covers taken from retired old books make sure that no two are alike. I love these!

So it's January 11th, 2009. Have you got it together?????

Happy Holidays!

Christmas day is closing in, and many last minute missions have been accomplished at Winkel. As we head into the holidays, I want to wish all of you the best of the season and thank you for supporting small and local in 2008!

Window Wonder

After a busy afternoon of Christmas shoppers, snow was falling outside, so I decided to get some more shots of the holiday window display. I'm quite pleased with it and couldn't have finished it without the help of my friends Theresa and Deb, who came out in separate shifts to bring some beauty out of the chaos.



Snowflakes, silver, and Sassy Santa hangin' out with his pinups. Vintage barware scattered about to add a little cocktail bling.


These little birds were handmade in the sixties. A few of them will be flying home with me this year.

Naughty & Nice

The highlight of having a little shop is creating a Christmas window every year. I start hatching a plan in October and try to incorporate something appropriate from my ever changing stock. These vintage calendar pinups are from the wintery months of the forties and fifties. I've hung them with silver tinsel garland and they surround my 5ft. waving Santa that I acquired last year.



I was inspired by the new Inked Holiday Cards that are new to Winkel. Saucy tattooed pinups give a sexy spin to Christmas greetings, and I love that they're made right here in Toronto, too!



The Inked collection includes greeting cards, mini card and gift tag sets. One of my favourite things for the holidays.

Holiday Wanderlust 2008

Christmas shopping at the mall can be a hectic and stressful experience, so why not stroll the neighbourhood for an evening of holiday warmth and cheer? Leslieville will be hosting the third annual Holiday Wanderlust on the evening of Thursday November 27th. Many of the local shops and galleries will be open from 6 to 10pm offering special deals and treats to ring in the shopping season.

Winkel will be screening a collection of vintage holiday specials including "Christmas with Frank and Bing" and "Johnny Cash Christmas 1976". Sweet treats and eggnog on ice to re-energize your shopping spirit, and catch a sneak peak of the new line of Winkel Kards that I've been creating exclusively for Winkel.


Naughty Santy is actually a print block from 1932. Printed with my Line-O-Scribe showcard press.

The ever popular Bald Guy Greetings are back with hysterical holiday cards, too:



I hope many of you can join us Thursday night!

Coming Soon.......

Before & After

Sad sandwich board. It has served it's purpose for just over four years at Winkel, but with the new purple and orange colour scheme it was time to freshen up. Rather than ordering up a new sign, I wanted to find a creative way to bring new life to this one--a much greener solution.



I usually have a good selection of vintage magazines at the shop, so I went through a few that were a little ragged and clipped a variety of iconic product and shopping images to create a collage border around the chalkboard painted surface.
It reflects the eclectic nature of Winkel and I get to change the message on a regular basis.

The Winkel Shrine

Since the opening of Winkel, I've accumulated many small items that make me smile and they live in the Winkel Shrine. It started with the lovely Ganesh that came from a television series I worked on before opening the shop. It's plastic rather than plaster, and many have wanted to purchase my beloved protector, but to no avail. Then the little things started being added...some are gifts from friends of Winkel, others just silly little novelties that give me a chuckle when I see them.



The Dutch girl is so wrong she's right on. Did fluorescent pink and orange replace the classic Delft blue and white?



Hey Pug! What have you done to Mr. Bill?????



The playdough representation of Hubble, the official dog of Winkel, saved from the Winkelbread house. It gets a little greasy in the summer, but I can't part with it. Buddha boy keeps an eye on things in the back.



An insipid cupid tchotchke rocks it out Gene Simmons style with a KISS makeover. The love child of the KISS Army!





Always the heartbreak in any vintage shop, the items that are NOT for sale. Why are they always the most appealing? When I eventually finish enjoying these treasures I'll send them on to a good home, but the gifts from friends will stay with the shop forever.

Valentine's Chocolate Sale

Letterpress Obsessed

First I loved paper. Then I fell for vintage cards and postcards. Fortunately, with the rediscovering of traditional arts and crafts, many people are creating lovely letterpress cards and stationery, which I frequently add to the selection of cards I sell at Winkel. One of the recent arrivals I'm very excited about is Night Owl Paper Goods.



These cards are printed on slips of sustainably harvested wood. I just want to frame and display every single one! No worries about postage handling 'cause these babies are wafer-thin enough to mail.



Another fave letterpress company is ThatSkyBlue from Montreal. Clean and colourful graphics printed on cotton paper stock that feels embossed. Fine quality cards, indeed.

I was lucky to take a letterpress workshop last fall at Kozo Studio Gallery in Toronto. We learned the basics of letterpress printing and cranked out a few of our own creations. I was hooked! A couple of weeks later I bought a vintage tabletop proof press called the "Line-O-Scribe". It's pale green punched metal and small enough to set up on my kitchen table. I've also been collecting printing blocks to start creating my own line of Winkel Kards later this year.