Butikofer Blog

crafting with cat hair

adrienne — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:05:15 +0000

A real book! I think I would like it better if it was about crafting with your cat, but this is intriguing. I wonder what the projects are- a hair ball, maybe?

Seems like a good excuse to start hoarding cat hair, because “I might need it someday”.

Available on Amazon!

january sale

adrienne — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:30:02 +0000

Click to shop Butikofer Handmade Goods

Click to shop adriennebutikofer on Etsy

Click to shop caninja on Etsy

Hello 2012! Big sale happening right now on my webstore Butikofer Handmade Goods, and Etsy. Everything already marked down so no coupon required. Prices may vary slightly because they are listed in different currencies and that’s just the way it goes. Most items are one of kind, or last sizes. It’s so hard to let go, but I must. Bye Bye.

a new year

adrienne — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:45:04 +0000

Well, well, well. If it isn’t 2012.

I have to say that I had a really hard time with 2011. It just didn’t feel natural. Whenever I had to date something, I always had to think about it. I naturally wanted to write 2012. So here we are, right where we (me, anyway) are supposed to be.

Resolutions- for better or worse, in no particular order. As trivial as I want. As typical as they come.

1) Drink more water. Five or six years runnning. Still terrible at it.

2) Wear my hair down more. This is not a metaphor. I am a pony tail loving lady. I never, ever wear my hair down and if I really want to rock my current fashion aesthetic of gypsy rocker earth mother witch then having my hair down would really help. It bothers me though, so this is definitely something I need to get over. And wouldn’t you know it, I just put my hair in a pony tail because I started thinking about how annoying it is.

3) Organize my life. Or continue to strive for an organized life, as it stares me in the face, taunting me, telling me I’m a hoarder.

4) Maaaayyybee try to be a little healthier. Big maybe. I eat whatever I want and I don’t exercise. Oops, did I just say that out loud? How shameful. Maybe I’ll cut out a bit of sugar and do a 20 minute shred or something. We’ll see. I heard that the best way to stick to a diet is to not talk about it. So that’s the last you’ll hear from me!

5) Try to squeeze in some me time. You know, take an occasional yoga class, get an occasional manicure. Right now I’m happy if I get to have a shower every 2 or 3 days. A daily shower even seems like too much to ask so I know I’m pushing it on this one. We’ve all heard it a thousand times before- a happy mommy equals a happy family, but, ummm, I am happy! I have what I would consider to be, a beautiful life. I ask of nothing. I’m flabby and under maintained and have greasy hair but I’m pretty damn happy. So whatever.

6) I want to get another tattoo this year. Because, why not? I like my tats. Haha, what a lame thing to say.

7) Get a cheap guitar and learn how to play a little. Loenne and I sit around and sing together, like, a lot. It would be fun if there was a guitar in the mix. And there are also all these beautiful songs that I love to listen to and sing along with that would be awesome to know how to play, for my own enjoyment. I will try to be discreet so I don’t annoy anyone.

8 ) Continue on with my domestic aspirations. Rock it in the garden. Train the vines over the pergola. Do more canning. Bake bread.

9) Get a vitamix. My Mom has one and was really demonstrating it’s prowess in the kitchen over the holidays. What a cool tool.

10) Market my business outside my social circle. Like, duh, right?

11) Blog more! Blogging makes me happy! In some strange way, albeit onesided, it makes me feel connected to . . . something, not sure what. It adds a fun dimension to my somewhat isolated suburban life.

12) Keep on keepin on. Continue to strive forward in my life, action all the way. Continue to live a joyful life with my kids, free from irony and sarcasm. Blog like no one is reading, sing like I’m just singing, live life in an unaffected way. Assume nothing, because to assume makes an ass out of u and me, haha.. Ask questions, learn with humility. Grace!

Theeeeeee eennnnnnnnnd. (Sung, with arm flourishes)

stained glass dress

adrienne — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:58:20 +0000

I am trying out a new blog format- the video blog! I thought it would be interesting to be able to talk about some of my past work, as I mentioned previosly, I am trying to purge and organize my studio, I have a lot of pieces that I have no idea what to do with. This is one of those.

This was a one take video, and I should have organized my thoughts before hand. If I cared, I would have done it again but that is not what this is about. So when I’m saying, people would go to church to worship. . . things, but now people just worship . . things.. yeah, you know what I am trying to say, right? The concept was basically a critique of modern day religion, or what people choose to worship, what is important. I obviously chose the golden arches in my original sketch as an example of a typical global pervasive brand that haters like to hate. So ridiculous.

Conclusion: As I said at the end of the video- “I am pretty impressed with the construction. . . but, it’s still stupid.”

Stay or go?: Undecided. Light skirt contraption definitely goes.

Note: I don’t have a picture of this on a model! Too bad.

Note: I recall attending the competition, already kind of hating my dress. There was a girl getting her model ready beside me and she had done this beautiful, wearable dress loosely inspired by the humble copper penny. And I was like, oh, snap! It was one of those moments when there is a whoosh of a million thoughts and suddenly you have a clear understanding of something you knew not before. At that moment I knew that her dress was fashion, and mine was something else. Mine was so literal, that it was crossing the border of hokey. It was a taste lesson, for sure.

Please tell me what you think! of the dress, of the video format, of my shoes, about the last time you took a big Mac and rubbed it all over your body . . . oh yeahhh.

caninja in the news

adrienne — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:35:32 +0000

Caninja was featured online at Toronto Life as one of the 10 picks for the Distillery Toronto Christmas Market! Cool beans! They spelled my name wrong but perhaps it’s easier to pronounce properly with this new spelling, so I think I might change it. Here is the article online.

Caninja was also included in an article in The Grid about Clothing Brand Experiment’s Pop Up Shop, where the Caninja is for sale. Here is the article online.

Two for two, baby! Two Toronto retail locations for Caninja this season, and two corresponding articles. I like these odds. Winning!

Perhaps now you’re finally convinced of Caninja’s infinite coolness? Also available online, with free shipping until 2012!

coffee filter dress

adrienne — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:10:16 +0000

I am in the trenches of cleaning out my basement and studio right now. I have reconciled to parting ways with a lot of my old projects, and the weirdness that I used to make and wear when I was a student designer. As a way of preservation and letting go, I will be blogging about them before sending them to their appropriate graves.

Above is a photo of a coffee filter dress that I made for a recycled materials fashion show in 2001, the summer after my first year of fashion school. I worked as a barista at the time, and me and all the other baristas at Le Cafe in London, ON saved the used coffee filters. She is a bride, the necklace was supposed to represent coffee beans. The dress had a collapsed square coffee filter silhouette.

The photo was taken by me on a vintage SLR with black and white film. It looks much older than it is.

FGI Sample Sale

adrienne — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:11:00 +0000

I will be here Friday and Saturday, selling most of what I have in stock. So if you are in Toronto, do come and check it out.

Open to the public. No admission!
Friday, December 2, 2011
12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Saturday, December 3, 2011
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Cash, Visa, Mastercard & Interac accepted. Participating designers include FGI members:
Women’s wear: Aime M. Project, Marika Brose, Adrienne Butikofer, David Dixon, Florsfashion, Carrie Hayes, Thien Le, LOVAS, Andrew Majtenyi
Luxury outerwear: Sentaler Studio
Jewellery: Jewellery by Karen, Kristen Laborde, Pangea Collection, Peru Productions
Bags, fur & accessories: Rue Pigalle, My Wild
Menswear: Killigrew, Off the Cuff Resale Designer Menswear
Confections: Saxon Chocolates, FGI Bake Sale
Skincare: Soya Boutique.com

the depressing truth

adrienne — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:52:16 +0000

No matter how much I practise or how hard I try, I will never be able to sew as fast as this bottle of glue.

I give up.

cyber weekend sale

adrienne — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 04:50:55 +0000

In the spirit of black friday and cyber monday,

Everything on Butikofer Handmade Goods is on sale this weekend starting Thursday and ending at the last breath of Monday.

20% off with the coupon code

holiday20

PLUS

Free Shipping in Canada.

Everything you order will definitely arrive in time for Christmas giving delights.

Yippee!

murmuration

adrienne — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 02:49:10 +0000

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

This took my breath away. I often see spellbinding flocks of birds along highway 400 north of Toronto. Nothing like this, though.