One of a Kind Spring 2012

I was lucky enough to be invited to the One of a Kind Spring show on this weekend at the Direct Energy Centre.  It was a media breakfast and we were treated to a one-of-a-kind breakfast from raw food restaurant Cruda Cafe.  From juices to muffins, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, and scrambled-tofu enchiladas, it was all raw (nothing heated or cooked in any way) and very fresh.  The lemon-poppy seed muffins pictured above were divine.

After breakfast I roamed the aisles with my blogger buddies.  Of course, we all have similar taste and ended up stopping for photos at the same booths.  The images below were the sorely tested my mission to "admire not acquire" - especially the handwoven blanket from New Brunswick (1).

1. Megely Weaving (J-21) from Drummond NB - Those two blanket hanging had me hovering...

2. heyday design (E-29) from Vancouver - I have loved these since I saw them at Granville Island a few years ago

3. MoonRox (Q-32) from Toronto - they had the best brass-and-bright-colours jewellery.

4. Mara Minuzzo (I-36) from Caledon - I loved these paintings of Lego figures for the boys' rooms

5. Atelier b (K-36) from Montreal - I admire them every time I see them at OOAK, this skirt looks so perfect for spring.

A few other pieces caught my eye, including:

1. & 2. Good Wishes Quilts (H-34) from Kelowna - I have a weakness for hedgehogs and love that pillow for a kid's bed.

3. & 4. eikcam ceramics from Vancouver (N-08) - such pretty, simple things and I love the porcelain keys.

Hamilton's Jenna Rose (I-16) is always a favourite, especially those cloud and bird pillows above and that sea-faring bag...hoo boy I love that one!

This photo isn't great, but I did love the photos and the booth of Images of This and That (F-39), especially that YYZ one and the Boys are Awesome print.

In terms of booths, Sharalee and I were discussing how important the merchandizing is - it can make the difference between stopping to look and drifting on.  There were a few booths that stood out with their merchandizing, including the ones below:

Avril's booth (L-05) is like a burst of sunshine in the un-naturally lit cave that is a convention centre.

Patouche's booth was beautifully decorated with adorable fabric trees and cute little manequins. 

I think my favourite booth was this spare, beautifully-lit, and exquisitely-merchandized booth by Renaud from Ateliers Des Cent-Ans (H-06).  Sharalee and I stopped to admire this oasis of a space, and when Renaud handed us his card we became drooling paper geeks (or at least I did - Sharalee is much more sophisticated. :) )  His cards are about 1/16'' thick (I measured) and are beautifully letter-pressed.  They are heaven in a business card, and show the exacting and careful thought that goes into his art.

The show is lovely and exhausting as always, and is on until April 1 at the Direct Energy Centre.  I would love to hear your favourite booths!  Here are some round-ups from Lindsay and Vanessa - I did warn you we have similar taste! :)