Brooklyn, Brooklyn, take me in.

Sometimes, the best gifts are the ones you never expect.
The ones that surprise, amaze and delight you in ways you could never imagine.

I've been so busy in preparation for my (just wrapped) destination Lunenburg wedding that my blog, vintage shop and other obligations were feeling a little, errr, lonely....they needed more of my time.

Usually, the best gifts are the gifts of time and experiences....and at the end of May,
my brother in law gave me and my partner an unexpected, amazing gift...a gift of time
together to re-connect before our upcoming wedding.

He told us to stay in his loft in Bushwick which would be empty for a while...."Someone needs to enjoy the space, right??"  

It was an amazing chance to reconnect, to actually sit down together and focus on all of the excitement and anticipation, while exploring lots of new restaurants, vintage shops and art galleries in New York.

We started our trip off at the famous Roberta's pizza in Bushwick, on a warm day on the patio, to escape the wood ovens blazing inside....The Lil' Stinker pizza and some side snacks, olives and bread, paired with a Other Half Forever Ever IPA were a delicious welcome to the city.  The Momofuku trifecta was also achieved with a visit to the extraordinary noodle bar, the ice cream shop and the Sushi shack.  

We explored Soho, Little Italy, Greenwich Village and other parts of the city, but always found ourselves saying, let's go back to Brooklyn!

Bushwick was so much fun to explore, and there are so many amazing places to check out, we didn't really want to leave.  From Tuttis to Beacons Closet, the Momo Sushi Shack, the taquerias for soft tacos and the secret bar without a name, we spent our days blissed out on a food and shopping adventure.

Spring Wedding Floral Inspiration

The Spring weather has finally arrived, and the transition was sudden and explosive.  Toronto's magnolias exploded, spring blooms erupted across the city, and the trees and hedges seemed to bud and green overnight.

It certainly seems to have collectively brightened moods...steps seem lighter, people quicker to smile now that the weather is much more pleasant.

It's been busy past few weeks, working on wedding rings, custom grad jewellery projects and mothers day presents.  It's been fun to work on these pieces and share in a tiny way with people these celebrations and special moments, that they are so excited about...the energy is pretty inspiring!

I've been planning the details of my upcoming wedding, and it's truly been so much more work than I had planned....working out the details has been fun, and challenging.  Thought I'd share some of my floral inspiration, I'm thinking blush pinks, white florals, wildflowers and lots of greenery.  And I'm really liking the cascading bouquet idea, pretty wild and playful which will compliment the ocean side farm location.  

It's totally a diy affair for the most part, so we'll be taking care of the florals, and will be testing out some of our ideas before the big day...I'll be visiting the flower markets in the next few weeks to test out some of these ideas :)

Spring Jewellery Launch...The Gold Rings

The sun sparkle on silent waters
Collecting beach glass by the oceans edge
The haze of summer
Exhaling.


The Spring/Summer 2015 launch continues, with this series of minimalist gold stacking and hammered rings.  These pair really well with the neckpieces that are soon to come, inspired by the soft, opaque quality of beach glass, and the cottage collections of these holiday treasures as they accumulate on your bedside table.

I wanted to make some timeless gold stacking rings that can be paired with your old favorites, or worn alone, in a warm yellow gold to celebrate the return of the sun, and the longer days to come.

Beach images via: thisisglamorous, Studded Hearts and Oh, Pioneer.

All jewellery designs and images Anneke van Bommel.

Spring Jewellery Launch...the Silver Rings

I'm really hoping for warmer weather, and bare summer shoulders.  I can't wait for long, lazy days, sangria on the patio and road trips.  But for now, I've been dreaming of Spring, and wanted to share my Spring launch with you.

I'll be rolling out the new work over the next few weeks, and I don't know about you, but one of the sure signs of Spring for me is when I can leave my gloves at home.  And those bare hands need some bold statement rings....Enjoy!

All are available in my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/touchthedutch

The Artwork of Talwst. Miniature scale. Massive Impact.

My friend, Swati posted an amazing photo and link to my facebook page to which I immediately responded..."WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?!!!!!"....initially drawn to the scale of the work, and the fact that the artwork is housed in beautiful, turn of the century jewellery boxes, the content then began to reveal itself.


This imaginative and fantastical body of work that provoked an all caps response, is by Toronto based, Trinidadian born, Canadian artist, Talwst. 


Talwst exploits and explores themes of marginalization, humour, human history and art history in his work.  His work explores these themes both whimsically and imaginatively, without sacrificing the gravity of the content.  In fact, the humour of the work is what really drew me in and had me both laughing out loud and moved to tears by the interiors of these miniature worlds.


Like a stage production, set at the point of the climax in the drama: the curtain lifts, as each jewellery box illustrates a tale of intrigue, romance, hilarity and heartbreak.


Many of the political pieces become precious Memento mori objects that honour and illuminate tragic moments in recent history that while reference art history, will also, I feel become a part of art history.  I am so inspired and excited that he is making this very important work.


Take a look at his work below, check out his website, and if you're in the GTA,
check out his exhibition at The Mississauga Art Gallery, which opens soon, and this statement by the curator of his "Minimized Histories: Marginalization and Unrest".


Check out this article in The Guardian, where Talwst describes the stories behind many of his most popular pieces.  And check out this curatorial statement of the artist's most recent exhibition, which opens next week, at the Art Gallery of Mississauga.

"Inspired by the unflinching scenes of Goya’s Disasters of War etchings, TALWST turns his meta-referential, pop-culture and art-history laden Infinity series into a searing indictment of the elision of narratives of people of colour and marginalized communities, particularly of those raised in protest or activism. Where previously his miniature dioramas in antique ring boxes featured pop-culture icons Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s cavorting in front of Pontormo’s Deposition from the Cross, this new body of work sees Frida Kahlo meet Missing 43 protesters in Mexico as TALWST subverts the bright street scenes of Enser’s Christ’s Entry into Brussels. Through his work, TALWST forces us to direct intense focus and consideration on the stories of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, missing and murdered indigenous women, among others, and the implications of these narratives in our purportedly post-racial, post-colonial world." 

Kendra Ainsworth

After Tom, After Kim, After Acid. 2014.

Shunga. 2014

Places We Can Go. 2014

Frolic. 2014

 

El Torero. 2014

Olympia Are you Ready? 2009

Execution of Michael Brown.

Kirk and the money shot. 2010

Por que? 2015.

Space Family Rothschild. 2014.

All photos belong to Talwst.