Wall hangings

Here we go! The first words of my blog. I have been contemplating starting a blog for a long time, though thinking about something and taking action can be two very different things. My plan is for my writing to focus mostly on design and decor but also expand into things I am doing in my life and with my life. As a physiotherapist, I have an obvious interest in fitness and exercise, I also enjoy fashion, photography and architecture. I want to focus as much as possible on Canadian content and makers. I love home grown artists and items, and thus would like to highlight them. My style right now is somewhere between mid century modern meets boho meets eclectic. I am married to my high school sweetheart and have 2 children, who are my heart and soul.

With that, let's get started! In this post I want to talk about wall hangings. Every year, for about 10 years, I go to the Great Glebe Garage sale in Ottawa. It is honestly a day I look forward to all year long. I arrive at 6:30/7am and usually stay until about noon, or until my feet give out - whichever comes first! About 3 years ago, I purchased this large wall hanging. I loved it right away. I think I paid $8 for it.

I called it macramé, but macramé is made with cotton cord, and this is made with wool. Parts of it look more woven then knotted as in macramé. It is the kind of item that is almost ugly, but cool ugly! A few of my design loving friends did not agree with me at all and it became an ongoing joke. I remember my one friend saying, "It's yarn on a stick. I don't get it."

Coincidentally, over the next 6 months I noticed more and more macramé on the design blogs I follow. "I knew it was cool", I thought to myself, but teasing did not end! My love of wall hangings has expanded a bit since then. I've learned that there is weaving, embroidery and tapestries amongst others, and these all take a tremendous amount of skill to create.Items such as these are now very mainstream. You can find machine-made ones at Target, West Elm, and Homesense to name a few. Some are pretty cute.

For those interested in a more authentic, hand-made piece, there are two artists I have been lusting after on IG. The first is Allyson Rousseau, a fiber artist and designer out of Montreal. This is one of her pieces that I adore:

(photo courtesy of Allyson Rousseau)

She has been featured at local art studios such as Studio Sixty Six and Wall Space Gallery. Her work is simple and clean, and I am super drawn to it. Hers is the kind of pieces where hanging two or three together would look amazing, or each is strong enough that it can stand on its own.

The other artist I want to highlight is Judit Just. Hailing originally from Barcelona and now living in North Carolina, her work is super colourful, and I LOVE colour. Check these out! Aren't they gorgeous?!

(photo courtesy of Judit Just)

Her pieces make you want to reach out and pet them; they really scream to be touched (though I would let my kids touch it once then NEVER again!). 

So for now, I will hold onto my GGG find. As I save for one of the above pieces, I may substitute an off the shelf find, but I really think you can't substitute for the quality and craftsmanship of those mentioned above. 

Do you have a favourite wall hanging?  What do you think about the resurgence in popularity?  Yay or nay? Let me know in the comments below.