West Coast Living

In September I moved Shibang from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Bowen Island, British Columbia. It was one of the biggest moves in distance that you can make in Canada and now we’re here on the other coast. Bowen Island has a population of about 4000, including many artists and is a 20 min ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay, which is a 20 min drive to downtown Vancouver (when the traffic’s good).

Here are some photos of the island and all of it’s natural beauty. I’m definitely inspired and in awe of how huge the trees are. Walks here are like hikes, you can see the stars at night and Vancouver is just a short distance away.

This is Bowen Island as seen on the ferry ride back at sunset.

My studio is up and running, the holiday show season is just around the corner starting with Circle Craft at The Vancouver Convention Centre next week. 

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FRED Summer in the City

FRED, located in Halifax, is a lifestyle boutique connected with the community and acting as a one stop destination for art, food, beauty and salon. Recently they started publishing a quarterly magazine, featuring local food, recipes, health, beauty & fashion. Here’s a peak at this sleek magazine available around Halifax.

In the fashion section a clutch by Shibang is styled with this perfect summer look.

If you’re in Halifax it’s worth stopping by FRED for a haircut, to try their house line of beauty products or to have a delicious latte. FRED is located at 2606 Agricola St, Halifax. www.fredbeauty.com

Halifax on a Cloudy Day

Today is June 1st and it has been a couple of weeks since I last posted something. May was a cloudy month with such few hours of sunshine you could count them. The good news is that the air is fresh and the streets, gardens and parks have colour once again. Last week I was taking some pictures of Halifax for an article I was working on and thought I’d share these photos taken around the city.

Looking down from Citadel Hill this is the town clock and the Halifax harbour behind.

This is facing the North End with the MacDonald Bridge in the background and the big purple apartment buildings that I lived in when I first moved to Halifax.

Here is the outside of the forts at Citadel Hill, a national historic site built in the 1800’s by the British to protect the city.

I love the colourful homes around the North End as well as the Victorian homes around other areas of the city.

The Hydrostone is one of my favourite areas, a hidden gem that is only one block full of great shops, cafes and restaurants. Lady Luck Boutique is located here and was the first shop to carry Shibang while I was a student.

Halifax Northwest Arm

I like sharing photos of places that I travel to but realize that I rarely show any photos of Halifax. Now that the winter deep-freeze is over some colour has started to appear and it’s enjoyable to be outside again. These photos were taken on the Northwest Arm near the Armdale Rotary. This beautiful location is only a short walk from where we live.

Holiday Schedule

I am officially on the road for the holiday season!

After a few busy months of preparation I am heading to my first Christmas Show. I now have two excellent sewers, Nicole and Carly (Costume Studies Students at Dalhousie University) working on the smaller bags. They did a wonderful job and are planning to continue with me after the holidays so that I can start working on new products.

Here is the schedule for the following month and where Shibang is available:

• Vancouver – November.17 – 21st Circle Craft
• Chicago – December. 2 – 5th One of a Kind Show
• Etsy – products ready to ship will be updated daily: Now until Dec.8th
• Stores – Restocked and new stores in Canada, USA and Germany

NSCAD Open Studio

In 2009 I graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University (NSCAD) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Earlier this month I went back for a week session of open studio where I did work that I could not otherwise have done in my home studio. The main goal was to dye lots of fleece–my favourite thing!

I ordered in a huge box filled with 25 pounds of natural wool from Prince Edward Island and by the end of the week it was transformed into vibrant new colours. Here’s a look at the process and end result, before it becomes incorporated into my new products.

In addition I designed new screens and labels which I will be introducing early September. More photos, colour names and new styles for Fall will be coming soon.