Lisbon Love Affair

When I was a kid, I was surrounded by a large, boisterous, opinionated, group of great food lovers. 

Emotions running on high most times with passion being a staple part of the normal atmosphere. 

Laughter and tears, often at the same time. 

Never a dull moment. 

It used to drive me a little up the wall when I was a kid.

Trying to find a corner to hide in just to get a moment of peace. 

I'm talking about growing up in a Portuguese family. 

If you have one, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

It's funny how the things that drive you crazy can end up being the exact same things you get nostalgic about when you become a grown up.

I guess that's why I stayed away from visiting Lisbon right away...

I knew I was going to be in for an all around REAL experience the moment I arrived...  

Lisbon is pretty magical

Part of what made our stay so incredibly special was staying in a

sweet little space called the Art Attic. 

A cozy space hosted by an amazing visual artist named Antje Webber, who has an impeccable 

flair for decor. A perfect mixture of romance, modernism and nostalgic qualities.

View of the Tagus River from the Art Attic

For anyone travelling to Lisbon, I highly recommend booking the Art Attic, located in the heart of the Alfama district which is the oldest neighborhood in Lisbon.

https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/14819660

Little did I know before choosing this area to stay in that there exists a 

GIANT Flea Market called the Feira da Ladra

 I walked away with a jackpot of vintage buttons

SWOON <3

In the same neighborhood is an AMAZING little shop called 

Amores de Toquio 

http://amoresdetoquio.blogspot.ca/

Isabel Tomás is the designer behind Amores de Toquio. 

Most of her designs are handmade, some of the fabrics and jewelry 

are laser cut with very cool designs. 

Her creations are also inspired by Japanese elements and aesthetics. 

Some of the details and fabrics had an up-cycled edge, which I really appreciated being as how I am a fellow up-cycler.

It was super cool having an artist for a host like Antje who was so kind to introduce me to some of her other creative pals like Isabel. 

I walked away with this awesome laser cut, geometric swallow pendant

LOVE IT!

I really could write multiple blogs about all of the AMAZING discoveries we found while in Lisbon. 

I was only there for 9 days but really managed to cram a tonne of ground work exploring this truly diverse city. 

One place that I made a point to go to before leaving Lisbon was an award winning shop 

called A Vida Portuguesa which translates as The Portuguese Life.

Everything in this shop is super authentic and proudly made in Portugal with a rich history and major nostalgic quality about what it means to live a Portuguese life.

A Vida Portuguesa believes that objects are capable of telling extraordinary and revealing stories. 

It's about the people of this land and their peculiar tastes, about a society and its context, about a history that is after all a common identity. The objects are magical in that they awaken sensations and memories within the Portuguese way of living.
THIS place REALLY tugged away at the heart strings of memory lane...

Check out the website filled with great regional products which can be purchased directly online. The website is full of intrigue and has a lot of interesting historical tid-bits about the Portuguese way.

http://www.avidaportuguesa.com/

I literally spent hours in this shop and I wanted EVERYTHING.

I walked off with some tasty treats & mementos for friends and family.

On my last morning in Lisbon, my host Antje gifted me with a book of her beautiful art post cards and I'm looking forward to putting them into frames to add to the growing vignette I have at home. 

When I left she was working on some really cool Shadow boxes (many of the objects she boasted finding at the Feira de Ladra Flea  market I mentioned earlier!) 

I really enjoy seeing what she's working on through her Instagram page @antjeweberart these days...

Something tells me I'll be back to the motherland again one day...

Until then...

CHEERS! xo

Gifting Local is the Gift that Keeps on Giving...

I've been self employed and running my own business for well over a decade now and I can tell you as rewarding as it is to be your own boss, it's a path less chosen for reason. Being a self employed designer (or self employed anything really) presents a a slough of daily challenges.

I think the biggest of those challenges is consistently educating the mainstream on the differences between handmade, slow culture which at it's heart is about quality over quantity versus mass produced, cheaply made products found at big box chain stores.

Fortunately I have had many opportunities to be in both local & national media speaking about our handmade eco friendly process and how much more interesting and better quality buying from a local artist or designer actually is...

Adhesif Clothing  can be found in at least a dozen artisan markets annually which is a great way to show our work in the public and to discuss these topics ones to one.

Vancouver Eco Fashion Week 2012

Shiny Fuzzy Muddy Show 2015

The Nifty for Fifty Sale 2016

What I hear from a lot of people is that they would like to support sustainable and locally made more but have a difficult time knowing where to start and to this I do sympathize. The little guy doesn't often get over shadowed by all the H&M's and Wallmarts of the world so even tough it seems like we don't exist we really do...

We're fortunate

that in Vancouver, BC we actually have a slough of local events that cater to the

indie-handmade scene. All you need to do is look at your local newspapers like The West Ender or the Georgia Straight newspaper and you can find loads of advertisements for art markets and craft fairs, Especially this time of year.

Alternatively if you find a local boutique or artisan you like all you have to do is go to their website. Many of them do participate at local art and design fairs and will have a list of the events they can be found at. Once you go to one fair you will be opened to another world of indie talent. Have a look at our website to see some of the events we were just involved in and new ones coming in 2017

http://www.adhesifclothing.com/events/

There's also a lot of great publications that specifically highlight the work of indie

designers and artists like Belle Armoire Magazine based out of the U.S which we've been published in multiple times...

Another amazing resource is LOCO BC

http://locobc.com/

LOCO BC is a non-profit local business alliance working to strengthen communities, grow the local economy and build strong, sustainable businesses by encouraging a shift in local purchasing by consumers, businesses and institutions/government. 

Their work is predicated on the belief that economic sustainability, along with social and environmental sustainability forms the bedrock of healthy and resilient communities. 

LOCO BC encourages purchasers to buy from B.C.-based companies, and to buy B.C. goods and services based on a shared commitment to strong communities, a healthy environment, meaningful employment and fair trade practices.

Back in 2011 we had the pleasure of having a joint interview with the West Ender Newspaper and the founder of LOCO BC, Amy Robinson for Vancouver Eco Fashion Week.

Now that Christmas is fast approaching and we are all in GO Mode I would encourage you to consider supporting locally made products and services this holiday season. The reasons why supporting local is so much better than the run of the mill are really endless. 

Whether it's the originality & quality or the impeccable customer service provided by having a personalized experience with an artist or merchant, you decide. What ever the reason, I guarantee you it's the gift that keeps on giving!

The Adhesif Clothing shop will be open for another 5 more days before we take our annual holiday break. Be sure to stop by and check out all of our amazing local offerings for your last minute Christmas gifts this season.

Adhesif Clothing 2202 Main Street Vancouver, BC 

Shop:604.568.4905 

 Hours~ Tues-Sat 11-7 Sun 12-5 Monday Closed 

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and a great start in 2017!

Adhesif 

xo

Etsy Winter Market + Shiny Fuzzy Muddy

Etsy Vancouver Winter Market

THIS WEEKEND!

Saturday Dec 3rd & Sunday Dec 4th

This two-day event will feature over 80 Etsy Vancouver vendors, awesome crafts and goodies, and Etsy enthusiasts from all over lower mainland.

Find Adhesif Clothing at booth A4

We are bringing a sweet selection of cozy up-cycled accessories like our Fingerless Mittens made from reclaimed cashmere + lambswool

Plus we will have some of our other popular winter designs + accessories up for grabs like
our upcycled reversible wrap scarf and cozy Mini Capes!

The Shipyards Christmas Festival at Shipbuilders’ Square will be happening this same weekend.

On Saturday, December 3rd from 5-8pm, the square will be transformed into a winter wonderland, filled with the sound of music, carols and the inviting smell of free warm coffee and rich hot chocolate!

Next Up...

Shiny Fuzzy Muddy 

Our Last holiday Market of the 2016!

We saved the best for last! 

We have a special selection of designs we've been curating just for our final holiday market of the year including our most popular winter designs as well as select designs from our Fall-Winter 2016 Collection.

Adhesif Clothing Boutique Holiday Notice

Please note we will be taking our annual holiday break starting
December 22nd 2016

reopening on January 10th 2017.

Take advantage of holiday shopping in the vibrant Mount Pleasant community with an amazing selection of one-of-a-kind local offerings to chose from handmade by local designers and artists

Adhesif Clothing 2202

(Directly on the corner of 6th Ave)

Main Street Vancouver, BC

Shop:604.568.4905

Hours~ Tues-Sat 11-7

Sun 12-5

Monday Closed

Web www.adhesifclothing.com

Blog adhesifclothing.blogspot.ca

Twitter @adhesifclothing

Facebook adhesifclothing

Instagram adhesifclothing

BIG NEWS + Holiday Markets

It's that time of year again!

Since Spring of this year, we've been working on a tantalizing selection of our popular one-of-a-kind up-cycled sweaters, capes, vests, coats and so much more for our first holiday market of the year!

Circle Craft opens in just 2 weeks!

After 11 years, this event is our longest running show and as such we have 3 full racks of never before seen designs just for this event!

Find us at CORNER BOOTH #443 

(down the main center aisle)

So mark your calendar for the biggest holiday market of the year featuring

hundreds of artists from across Canada.

Follow this link to buy tickets and for more show info

http://circlecraftmarket.net

So now for some REALLY BIG news!!

This will be the last Fall-Winter season to shop for Adhesif Clothing designs

at our current physical retail location.

We're brimming with SO MUCH amazing local + Canadian offerings right now so you should definitely 

make Adhesif Clothing one of your shopping destinations this holiday season.

No time for sad faces, this isn't a goodbye but a hello to new beginnings! 

We embrace change and it's apart of our every day journey.

We are looking forward to having a more flexible schedule

so we can continue to be the innovative + creative minds that we are.

The new direction happens in the Spring of 2017 where we will be operating by appointment only

in a brand new TBA location.

We have been so very grateful for having the opportunity to be apart of the super hip 

Mount Pleasant community for the last 6 years!

With that said you can rest assured that we have many NEW exciting projects in the makes that we're SUPER EXCITED to share with you in the new year

so

stay tuned...

On that note do keep in mind we have 200+ one-of-a-kind items up for grabs on our Etsy shop right now and we're posting new items bi-weekly!

https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/adhesifclothing

Last but not least here's a list of the additional holiday shows

you can find Adhesif Clothing at this November and December...

Hope to see you at one of our winter markets or in the shop over the season

Love

Adhesif XO