Getting to Know...Snapcrafty

It's a beautiful spring day today in Montreal, it's Friday, I've been drawing all day, and it's basically a fantabulous, great flowery day. What a perfect time to show you all the spring goodness that is Snapcrafty!

Snapcrafty jewelry is created from precious gems, glass, vintage lucite, plastic, and brass, copper, pewter, gunmetal, silver ox, gold, and sterling findings to create simple designs with unique contrasts, textures and colorplay. This wonderful line of delicate yet fun jewelry is made by a fabulous crafter/designer named Sandra.

Sandra studies chromosomes by day and dreams up crafts at night. Her shop, Snapcrafty.com, has just had it's first anniversary and has grown from selling fiber art to innovative jewelry and hair accessories made from thrifted vintage components and handscreened patches all incorporating elements of nature and science. Her designs have been featured in U.K.'s online magazine N.E.E.T. and can be seen in an upcoming issue of Vogue's Knit1 magazine. She lives in Michigan with her boyfriend and laborador retriever.

Snapcrafty is one of the newest members of the Headquarters family! We love her stuff, and can't wait to see you try it on and fall in love!

www.snapcrafty.com

Getting to Know...Belle Bazaar

Oh, living in Montreal...it is so lovely, it is so cultural, it is so French! Only in Montreal could someone come up with the name "Belle Bazaar" for their accessories collection. We love it!

Belle Bazaar is an adornment line created by Melissa Matos in the spring of 2005. With a passion for designing wearables, she decided to modestly launch the line to friends living in New York and Montreal, and is now available for international purchase. She uses both deconstructed vintage jewelry and handicrafts to create these original pieces. Each of the pieces are custom made. Not one is alike. She hopes you like that.

Melissa is currently finishing her BFA at Concordia University, in Montreal, Quebec, in a specialization in Fibres. Her work takes on an interdisciplinary approach, often working with installation, photography, print media, artist books, film, video and animation. On her spare time, she enjoys the fashion industry, collecting buttons, organizing her thoughts and planning graduate studies in London.

bellebazaar@hotmail.com
or by phone: 01.514.203.4778

Getting to know... Cailan Burns

Cailan creates the kind of creatures we all dream about. Except in my dreams the creatures are my best friends helping me slash my way through hordes of flesh eating zombies! "LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!!" KA-BOOM! "Phew! That was close, I shot it right between the eyes! Let's get out of here. Maybe we can find shelter in that Shopping Mall! No Zombies can get in there!"
Uhhhhh, sorry, I'm getting off topic.

Australian born artist living in Osaka, Japan.
Likes drawing, painting, making music and daydreaming about drawing,
painting and making music.
Graduated from Underdale art college in Adelaide, Australia in 1994
after four years of trying to be all conceptual and clever but ending
up drawing monsters, ghosts and furry creatures.
Since then he has worked as a freelance artist desperately trying to
avoid unemployment or dissappearing into a corporate k-hole.
He would describe his work as astral travelling with Dr Suess or like
eating mushrooms with an Ewok.

see his work at:

http://www.myspace.com/toomuchtodream

Getting to know...Charcoal Designs

If you took the cutest little lamb, and introduced it to the cutest little squirrel, and they became best friends, and the squirrel rode around on the lambs back, it still wouldn't be even close to the cuteness that is Charcoal Designs.

Charcoal Designs is an East Los Angeles Based 'Craft' Company Started by Laura Stokes with lots of help from her Boyfriend, Family and Friends. We found her stuff on Cut and Paste, and were blown away with the originality and vintage feel of the pieces. We'll be stocking all sorts of items from Charcoal designs, and hope to see those beautiful brooches, necklaces, earrings and bracelet on all the cute girls this city of Montreal has!

Check out more of Laura's designs at www.charcoaldesigns.com

Kulte of Personality

With the help of my trusty "Time Machine", I'm back at the Souk @ Sat last December. Doot-de doo, just minding my own business.... BAM!! What the fuck was that?! It's the Moly Kulte collection! It's the kind of collection that if you were to see your best friends sister or brother in them you would suddenly notice how hot they were and that you dont really care about your friend anymore. All you want to do is make out and listen to Misfits records with their sibling. They make gorgeous clothing, accessories AND paintings! To give you a better idea, here's a statement from the designers that I ripped off of their website without asking (let's hope they are good sports about it..):

"The aim of the enterprise is to blend together experience, know-how, creativity and multidisciplinary talents to create a fresh approach to fashion and design. Directed by two young artists, Moly Kulte offers an original and exclusive range of clothing, with a collection made from 70% recycled garments. The clothes are unique and could even be perceived as works of art (some of them have actually made it to canvas). The company maintains in it’s own way an art of living, encompassing all artistic disciplines that inform each creation. In other words, at Moly Kulte, we dress you from head-to-toe whilst decorating the walls of our apartment!"

To see more stuff from Moly Kulte check out:
www.molykulte.com
or their blog at:
www.molykule.blogspot.com

Getting to know... Jason Kennett

Ahhh, what can we tell you about Mr. Jason Kennett? Here are some facts about Jay that you can use as cute little anecdotes at the next gala you attend. Be ready to impress!

-He was the first sucker, eh, ah.... I mean artist, to sign up to the Headquarters
roster.
-He looks very similar to Owen Wilson, o.k. exactly.
-I made him paint 1000 screwdrivers
-I'm making him paint 1000 cassette tapes, HA!
-He was sent from the future to save mankind against the Robot Revolution.
-He has the gag reflex whenever he sees anything remotely gross. (like my dog peeing
in the snow, weird, I know)
-He can paint better than you.

Be sure to check Jays work out July 8th, 2006 at the first group exhibition "Getting To Know You" here at H.Q. You will be a better person for it.

Yay!!!! Money!!!!

Well, we'd like to announce to everyone that we are the proud winners of the "Montreal Mayors Foundation" grant, as well as a business creation grant through SAJE Montreal. Many, many thanks to everyone who helped us with our business plan and all the supporting documents, with a very special shout out to math whiz kid Spencer Borland. He stayed up into the wee hours of the night helping us crunch numbers that meant nothing to us at the time!

We'll be using the money to purchase inventory, renovate the space, and pay the freakin' rent.

And in case you can't tell why we're wearing masks in the picture, we're bank robbers, thus the money.

Getting to know... Angie Mason

I love Angies work. The creatures she creates are creepy, yet you cant help but feel sorry for them. The way they seem to stare back at you with those "I just dropped my lollypop in the dirt, would you please buy me another one?" eyes.

"Her characters are extensions of the human condition. Monstrous beings that are sad, ugly, losers who have a longing and desire for something better mixed with a hint of innocence there is an air of hope to her work. Her characters and worlds are both horrific and humorous , yet speaks of what it means to be human."

Angie has shown work all over the globe and will be taking part in H.Q.s first group exhibition "Getting to know you" July 8th, 2006.

If you want to see more of Angies work check out:
www.angiemason.com

Getting to know... Sorry You're Happy

So, we get a message from our friend Danijela telling us she has a clothing line with her friends called "Sorry You're Happy". And we're all, What the F?! Radical! And we were even more blown away when she sent us some pics (seen above, dummy) of some kick ass tops.

Sorry You’re Happy is a writer, a photographer and two illustrators. The proverbial frustrated artist-types, we looked for something to siphon our creativity energy—something that could be ours instead of our clients’. These tops were the result. At once old-fashioned and contemporary, our tops capture what it means to dress in a post-retro/ultra-modern world, if dressing today means anything at all. In any case, we love them.

Jacqui Oakley and Jen Hsieh, whose illustrations have appeared in Spin, Rolling Stone, Playgirl and Victoria’s Secret, among others, design the silkscreens. Danijela Pruginic, photographer (of such bands as the Junior Boys) and should-be fashion-designer created the patterns. Carolyn Veldstra, one of the stitchiest bitches in Southern Ontario, cursed every inch of hand-knit cuff.

Each top is the loving collaboration of the four of us: we salvage, we sew, we silkscreen and then we button it all together.

We’re sorry but you will be happy.

Please contact sorry_youre_happy@yahoo.ca

Getting to know... James Kerr

Ohh, my head still aches. If you've never had the pleasure of waking up after a chloroform induced coma count yourself extremely lucky. Maybe if you went on a month long Tequila, poutine and Dritan bender you may have a slight idea of what I'm talking about. But let me back up a little and explain.....

It all started a couple of days ago. Angie was out of town and I had been bugging some of our artists for their bios, so we could add them to our blog for your enjoyment. James Kerr had sent me these ridiculous, self indulgant, "bios" based on super heroic, fictional accounts of his former life as a vigilante in the mean streets of Gotham. Or his term in "The Nam", where he earned his 1st (of numerous) Purple Heart. Of course, I rejected these and the many others that clogged my hotmail account.

1 a.m., Friday night I hear something outside my bedroom door. I get up and walk into the halway..... nothing there. I turn around and begin to make my way back to my bed and I trip over something large and heavy. It's my dog. He doesnt budge. I fall to my knees, banging my head on the dresser, cursing the whole way. Thats when I realize, my dog, Spidey, is not moving. He's either dead or drugged. At that moment I'm being grabbed from behind. One hand with a rag, soaked in something that smells like Turpentine, covers my face and my world goes black.

I wake up several days later. My pants are unbuckled and my head is pounding. My dog is now awake but unfortunately, my house has been his toilet for the last 2 days. I also notice my computer is on and the following text is on the screen:

Introducing (Ferrari) James (Scorpion Dagger) Kerr:

The Headquarters crew have totally been in love with this sauve intellect
for a couple of years now. We met Ferrari Scorpion Dagger at the opening
of his "Art: in the key of midnight" show in New York City, where he blew
our minds a thousand times over. Not only is Ferrari Scorpion Dagger a
talented artist, he's also a international sex symbol. Enough words, let's
let his art do the talking.
Warning: you might experience orgasm.


END.

I will never know what James did to me while I was unconcious and I find comfort in knowing that. Out of fear for the safety of my self and the ones I love, I am going to leave this post up. If you see him on the street or in a dark alley, run for your life!

If you want to learn more about James Kerr check out:
www.theypf.com

Getting to know... Team Macho

This past weekend Headquarters sent thier bravest and most totally cut and ripped representative to the big city.... Toronto, to see how the other half lives and meet "Team Macho". Who or what is Team Macho? Well, it's a 5 piece art colab from Toronto (duh), who produce some pretty kick ass art as well as the running of Tigerpress Books.

Members SIGN OFF!!
Lauchie Reid, present!
Chris Buchan, present!
Nicholas Aoki, present!
Jacob Whibley, present!
G. Stephen Appleby-Barr, present!

No matter what they do, having the name "Team Macho" already makes them way cooler than you. Although, I only met 4 out of 5 Machos, so the 5th may bring the rest of them down a notch if he's like a weird Euro-trashy, turtleneck wearing, interprative dance instructor or something.

If you want more info on Team Macho check out their friends store site:
www.magic-pony.com
or
www.teammacho.com

Getting to know... Paul Zacharias

It is a known fact that all people from Winnipeg, Manitoba are beautiful. The men are burly, barrel chested hunks and the women are long legged, vixens with beautiful bird voices. And Paul is no exception. His home base is in Montreal now and we here at H.Q. are glad he's here. Paul will be taking part in Headquarters first group exhibition "Getting To Know You", running from July 8th until August 4th, 2006. He is also the first artist to have a solo show at H.Q. starting August 5th and running until August 31st, 2006. His art has been exhibited across Canada
and in the United States.
His new works are acrylic on wood, and can be read as
illustrations to The Book of Revelations, a vengeful
memoir or fairy tales to explain these times to our
children. Dont miss it as this show will go down in history as the handsomest show you've ever seen.

Getting to know... Top Shelf Productions

So, we recieved our first shipment from Top Shelf Productions today. Let me tell you,it felt like Christmas opening that box. Except, I didn't have to buy anyone else anything and my uncle Gerald wasn't video taping the whole event.... to watch at next years Christmas family gathering..... Yipes! A single tear rolled down my cheek as I emptied the contents onto the table and I said a silent prayer to myself as I hugged and kissed each book.

If you have not heard of Top Shelf before, you're stupid. Thats why we're here for you at H.Q. To educate and enlighten. Top Shelf Productions was created by Bret Warnock and Chris Staros back in 1997. It is rumored that T.S.P. has published over 150 graphic novels and comic books to date. How many have you published? Thats what I thought...... BOW TO THEM, MORTAL!!!

Some of the artists and writers they publish are:
Max Estes, Jeffrey Brown (work pictured above), Renee French, Jeremy Tinder, James Kochalka, Dan James, Rick Smith, Scott Mills, Liz Prince, Nicholas Mahler and a whole lot more.

How would Top Shelf describe what they do? With the magic of cut and paste technology, I have taken this from thier website for you to read:

"We seek only the freshest creative talent, and strive to bring you books of the utmost quality. Intriguing and thoughtful. Witty and fun. Sexy and smart. Not content to simply appeal to elitist snobs, our readers come from of all walks of life.

This is not a boys club. Girls are most certainly welcome. No matter your tastes, there is something for everyone in our fine line of comics and illustration.

Ours are Comics for The People."

So, there you have it. If you are interested in checking out and learning more about Top Shelf visit thier website:

www.topshelfcomix.com

Getting to know... F.S.U.

F.S.U. was created by Tyson Bodnarchuk to quell his roomates desire for a new pair of shoes. After his girlfriend (and H.Q. partner), Angie said "Where the hell are mine?" Tyson decided that perhaps scooping up vintage shoes and painting monsters, robots and other sci-fi/horror influenced creatures to the sexy heels may not be a bad idea. I mean lets face it.... girls are freaking shoe crazy. I'm pretty sure that if all the girls we know here at H.Q. could choose any super power, 99% of them would want to be able to make thier feet grow and shrink at will so they could wear ANY SHOE EVER MADE!!!

Also available from F.S.U. are a series of silkscreened ties! Show up on your dates doorstep wearing one of these bad boys, featuring images by Jen Storey (of The Y.P.F.) or Fred Casia and you're in for some good lovin'.

email: tealrobot@hotmail.com

Getting to know...Dumb Chauffeur

Social worker by day, designer by night, Dumb Chauffeur is the brainchild of Roy Liang, also known as the man who never sleeps. Angie met Roy many years ago in Winnipeg when he was organizing fashion shows for young local designers, himself included. We've all come a long way since then, Roy even took some time off to live in London, and since he's been back his ideas just keep getting bigger and better!

Dumb Chauffeur creations run the gamut from printed T's, to reworked toy bears, to vintage kimono/leather cushions, to amazing girls tops....I could keep going, but instead just look at the damn pics, and once we're open, come check out the store to see what new things Roy has come up with.

Getting to know... Furni

Get ready to throw out all of your cheap Ikea home furnishings. After you lay your eyes on the Furni collection, you will feel like a chump for spending 3+ hours shopping in the over-crowded, over stocked, cube mega store, just to get a mass produced lamp or coffee table that will drive you nuts trying to put together, with that stupid key-thingy tool, that always slips out of your hands and makes you go crazy!!!!! Oh, and whats the name of the model you picked up? What? You don't remember? It's because you couldn't pronounce the goddamn name, thats why you can't remember it!!!

Would you remember the name if it was named after a professional skateboarder, like "Templeton", "Mullen" or everybodies all time fave, "Kaupas"? Damn right you would!! And thats what Mike Giles and Devin Barrette did. Each piece in thier collection is named after a skater you loved or still love. And their creations are beautiful. If you don't believe us check out all of the press these guys have been getting. Uh, hello, 35 online articles published and a crapload of print articles on the way (BPM magazine, Strut, Get Connected), thank-you!!

Here at Headquarters we are more than happy to have Furni as part of our family.

Be sure to check out thier website:
www.furnicreations.com