Monday, June 27, 2011

Curtains, Grad Dress, Cabins and Preparations

Hello brothers and sisters, another week has come to a close which also means another week has just begun :D :D :D This past week I spent a ton of time sewing new garments for Folk fest and Fringe fest and of course finishing up custom orders for friends.


This photo is of curtains I made for my friend Dan.


Dan recently bought a house and wanted black out curtains, I think they turned out wonderful. More photos will be coming :)If you want custom curtains for your home please call 204 791 4547 or email info@lennardtaylor.com



Jazz Festival ended this week which lead into the MEME (electronic music) festival. They brought in the coolest trailer/bar I have ever come in contact with. It was a double wide very long trailer which had lounge chairs and flat screen TVs. On top of that "literally" was a roof deck patio where you could have a smoke and a beer in the tree tops. It was FANTASTIC!!!! If you look to the right hand side of the stage you will see it. I know I know right now you are thinking, "this is the best photo you took of it...geez" SORRY, my bad!!!!



A few weeks ago I told you about this grad dress that Alex and I were making, well I put the finishing touches on it this week and gave it to the girl. Unfortunately she was unable to pick it up so her mummmzzzzie did. I cannot wait to get the "good" photos of her. When I do, I'll post them again because I think she will look stunning in this garment.
This new technique of fraying the edges really turned out great!
Not going to lie tho, I really wanted to oil paint on this dress, she wouldn't let me :(


After a long week of work I was lucky enough to go out to a friends cabin for Saturday and Sunday. This is the Guertin families AMAZING boathouse or what I like to call the spa getaway. On the right hand side of it you will see a wooden box which is the sauna, on roof deck is a hot tub, on the left had side is the slide and obviously the diving board speaks for itself!!!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!


This is the rooftop patio, equipped with the most amazing furniture you've ever sat on, I mean this stuff is sooo comfy I wish I had it in my house!!! Keep the visual of the islands in your mind for a little later in the post :)


I thought I got a picture of all of us in the boat but I guess I messed up, I somehow missed Jackie in the photo!!!! Sorry Apple Jacks


Sunday was coming to a close which meant time to go home, Jackie and I had to pack up the water toys we played with. The rain was pouring down with all its might so we dressed up in some gear and ventured out. When we were finishing putting away the last paddle boat, the sky really opened up and dumped down! We stood under the boathouse and watched the beauty that was in front of us morph (remember the islands) their green trees were enhanced by the white backdrop of the intense rain which made it feel mythical and surreal because you could not see anything past them. The rain blanketed the lake and transformed it into a playground of dancing raindrops. Its very hard to explain the beauty that we saw in that moment but we both felt very lucky to experience it!



It was nice to get away after working 12 hour days in the past week. Why am I working so hard you might ask? Well I'm trying to prepare as much clothing "and myself" for selling at the Winnipeg Folk Festival and then the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. I will be clearing out all my stock so be sure to come see me early if you want some of my clothing made with love :D

I will continue my journey down this road we call life and I promise to enjoy and bring love to whomever I meet.

Be well my friends, I'll write next Monday :)

Monday, June 20, 2011

Riots, Beauty, Disgrace, Honour & Pants

Another weeks flys by, another Monday post is made :) I hope you enjoy friends



These two pairs were made for Dave of French Kings Clothing, check them out at http://frenchkingsclothing.com/clothing.html



This pair of Lennard Taylor's have been well worn by a client who is a carpenter, I did a few patch jobs for him here and there. I thought think they look rad, Frost stitching rocks!



The sky...delightful formations


Game 7 of the Stanly cup playoffs was on Wednesday of last week which saw the Boston Bruins win the cup. Don't get me wrong I was definitely cheering for Vancouver like any good Canadian would, however lets face it they got out played. Congratulations to Boston on a hard fought cup!!! Well that's what Vancouver-its should have said, instead they rioted
I was shown this photo and thought it expressed a very depressing day for Canada. After the Game in Vancouver the streets were turned back several hundred years as a civilized city was turned into the cave man era of simple smash and destroy. It saddened my heart deeply as i watched the images streaming the Internet. Not only was Vancouver's image portrayed around the world as violent, criminal and idiotic, the rest of Canada was thrown into the mix as well. Our country has always been seen as one of peace and love and now is looked at completely different. I've always believed that our Nation has a real chance to step up to the plate and show the rest of the world how one can live in peace, prosperity and be green. Now I'm sure we can still do this but we all have lost some ground so please do me a favour and do something extra nice for someone today :D



Jazz Festival started this past Friday, I hope you made it out to a show or two :)


I traveled out to Brandon, along the way I saw a biggggg train and snapped a quick shot of it. Isn't it funny how many of the products we use travel to us on trains, yet when we buy them we rarely think where they have come from. Take an extra moment to think about where your products are coming from.
Brandon as well as many other places were hit really hard by flooding this year. The barricades are still up....the water still pools over many peoples lands.

This is the main road into Brandon...Scary...


Once in Brandon I paid a little visit to Krystle's Dad Jacks War room.

Krystle's Dad is absolutely obsessed with the first and second World Wars, and for that I thank him. I got a few moments to really take in all the gems that he has on the walls. It moved my spirit looking at all the war blades and helmets that had clear signs of battle on them. Its hard for many of us to understand what these brave men went through to give us our freedom. Perhaps its because we are so naturalized from all the video games and movies we see that we don't think it would be so bad. One item caught my eye in particular, a boyonet, I don't know what it was but it put me in the war, in the trenches. Try and put yourself on the front line, dirty, smelly, your hands shaking with fear as you hear bombs drop and bullets zing overheard, your commanding officer gives the order to put your bayonet on your rifle because the enemy is going to get close, REAL CLOSE. Your not going to have a chance to reload your weapon, your about to kill another man with your bare hands using only a rifle as a blunt object. My eyes are dripping with tears as I write this, wow what they must have gone through....I dare you to try closing your eyes and really thinking how you would react, try for only a moment to feel what they must have felt for a long time. If you know of, or know personally a veteran give them the honour they deserve, call and thank them for the service they did the world, thank them for your life of peace.


A beautiful display of the sky at its finest...

This weeks post was a hard one to write, lots of emotion poured out of my being. I hope you felt what I was talking about, I hope we together can make this world a better place. It starts with one of us helping another, it starts with us friends :)

have a truly wonderful week, I'll write you next Monday :)

Love

Monday, June 13, 2011

Shorts, Pants, Rivers, Bistro

Another Monday comes around and another blog post is created :) I really enjoy putting something up on the first day of the week, its a slow start to what always becomes a busy week...


I made a few pairs of cut off jean shorts for a friend, of course I made all the pants from scratch and added some funky pocket linings for him. They came out really sharp!



Patchwork denim with controlled stitch



Saw these little guys chilling by the river, I watched them for a while. It must be nice to chill all day and play in the water...



I ride my bicycle in the park on waterfront drive and always wonder what they will do with this river police structure. Its been sitting vacant for a REALLY long time and has one of the best views in the city!!! I would like to see it turn into a funky lounge/restaurant, although it will probably just turn into a Salisbury house...



The construction is coming along nicely on the new red river campus culinary building. Check out what they did to the side of the building where the fringe market used to be!!!! I'm not a fan of the bricks they used in the pillars, but its not done yet so we will see what the final product is like!



Prairie grasssssssss



I was nominated this year for the Winnipeg Arts Council "on the rise" award. They announced with winners at a lunch with the mayor, to which the mayor didn't even show up...knob...Anyways when I came up the escalator I saw these three putting on a very good show!!!



The luncheon was at the Fairmont hotel, lots of people attended. Sadly I didn't win but a big CONGRATULATIONS to the winners!!!! Keep up the great work friends :D




Prairie grass

I made this bag custom for one of my clients who has a blackberry tablet thinger, it has a pouch just for that and a zipper pouch for his wallet and keys. The bag goes over the shoulder and sits just around his hip. It can also be shortened in two seconds to sit underneath his arm if he comes into a dodgy neighborhood where he wants it snug :)




Frost Stitching

Funky pockets :)


This lovable guy is Steve owner of Steves Bistro which is at 3123 Portage Ave. I swear it has the best tzakiki EVER!!!! If your hungry go see him because the portions are HUGE and the atmosphere in the place is FANTASTIC!!!


Sunday was beautiful wasn't it?!?!?! Krystle and I woke up and decided to ride our bicycles to get some breakfast. It was a perfect ride with perfect weather! Doesn't she look cute with her helmet :D
Last but not least, the sunsets that we have in Winnipeg are some of the best I've experienced. You can go to Mexico, pay to see a sunset on a boat and be disappointed because you've seen better here in the peg. Next time the sky turns that purple, pink, orange, take a second to reflect and enjoy its beauty.


Thanks for reading another post, I hope you enjoyed :)
see you next Monday

Monday, June 6, 2011

Two weeks crammed into one post

Hello friends,

Sorry I couldn't post last Monday, I was in BC visiting my sister, brother in law and the little rascals they call their kids. I then went to spend a few days with my grandmother who doesn't have internet, hence the no post.


I had a very early flight so when I arrived I just chilled with my nephew Ben, look out ladies he is going to be a heart breaker.



Meet Jake, my new nephew!!! adorable little guy!!!



Saturday the 26th was the champions league final between Barcelona and Manchester United!!! My buddy Kevin took me to Manchester United supporters club at the lamplighter bar in Gastown. The crowd was fantastic however Barcelona controlled most of the game and deserved the 3-1 victory.



I love riding the subway/skytrain. I don't understand who was in charge of city planning here in Winnipeg. Whoever it was should have put one of these in the ground so we didn't have to stand in the freezing cold weather!!



Flowers of Vancouver, simply stunning



Robbbbbbbbbeeeeeeee, this is a necklace that keeps playing the disappearing act, perhaps the robot is alive...either way I'm glad he's back in my life :D



Took a walk with my granny at willows beach in Victoria, it was a cloudy day but the wind was very light and the air was warm. We stopped at a bench for a little rest, this was the view.



GRANNY :D This is her, 84 years old and still motoring around this world! She has the cutest little Swiss accent which is blunt as hell, if you look like shit she'll be the first to tell you!!! too funny! She wont let me take pictures of her on the count of her wrinkles however i think they tell the story of her life.



This is the view from my room at grannys, notice the stag eating the plants in the front yard? He had to walk up 22 stairs and jump up 3 feet to get to this point!!! I was very impressed!



My nephew Ben always wants to play me in footy, he's going to be a star!!!



I thought these two were cute, having a cup of coffee first thing down at the harbor. We will all be lucky to get to this stage in our lives with the ones we love :)




Granny knits sooooo fast!!! the picture below was made in a couple hours!!!! I've been begging her for years to teach me how she knits, she refuses saying boys aren't meant to knit. What kind of shit is that?



This is one of several play structures for little kids down on the water, BC kids are soooooooooooooooooo lucky!!!!



Nanimo bar and cappuccino...nothing better



I thought this was an interesting design technique in the side of a building in Victoria. They have made a garden on a wall....I want to see buildings completely covered in this process!!!



This statue in downtown Vic is holding a full wine glass on a public bench...are they promoting public drinking?



Now this is a first for real estate, a string holding a for rent sign from a building...innovative



This little diddy is a puzzling work of art on the hostel. That old looking crest is actually completely made of icing sugar, I shit you not. I was and still am amazed!



This was a sign on one of the buses I took, it made me feel good about riding the bus. Good ad


Arbutus trees have wonderful colours!!!



Granny looking out over the rec center and water, she really has an delightful place to live


Just before I left for home Jake really came to life, I got some smiles :D



Morning of leaving grannies I was greeted by the children of that stud with the antlers, I watched the two children graze on the flowers of the complex. It warms my heart knowing that animals can still thrive in all our communities.



Saturday night back in Winnipeg I went to my buddy Robals comedy show at the park theater. WOW I have not laughed that hard in a long time!!! 9 comedians took the stage and made my face and stomach hurt from laughing so hard!!! I strongly suggest if/when he has another show, you all attend!!!


Well that's all I have to post for you this week, now back to work cutting, sewing and living. I hope you all are well,
much love