CMI:TAKING THE FLOOR

Cover Magazine Ad Campaign Photo Shoot

2012-02-15T14:00:00.001-08:00

#13 Platinum - Art Day Collection

Earlier this week, we held a photo shoot at the Klaus by Nienkamper showroom in downtown Toronto. The space was bright, open and displayd pieces from Klaus' modern furniture collection as props on the set. The photos were taken by commercial photographer, Chris Harrison, and will be developed into a full-page ad in the next isue of Cover, a magazine for modern carpet & textile for interiors. The ad will feature one of the carpets from our Art Day Collection and will promote Fiorza Tappeti, a one of a kind rug exhibit during Milan's Design Week, April 17-22. We have been invited as part of a select group to showcase two of our carpets at the show, which is promising to revolutionize the contemporary carpet design world. The showroom exhibit is taking place in the Brera Design District, an area brimming with avant-garde galleries and fresh new designers. If you are planning on attending Milan Design Week this Spring, be sure to stop by the Galleria Giacomo Manounkian Noseda to see our beautiful designs on display!

Klaus by Nienkamper

300 King St. E.

Toronto, On, Canada

M5A 1K4

Monday - Friday 10 am - 6 pm

Saturday 11 am - 5 pm

Forza Tappeti

Piazza San Simpliciano, 2

Angolo Piazza Paolo VI

20121 Milan

10 am- 8 pm

tx: style design challenge 2012

2012-02-02T14:03:00.001-08:00

The CMI team has been busy creating new designs and corresponding inspiration boards for the tx: style design challenge 2012. Mannington Commercial, sponsors of the contest, are looking for new inspirational patterns and are developing the winning design into a full carpet collection! They are also sending the lucky finalists on a trip to New York, Chicago or Milan. Help the team by voting for your favourite designs at tx:style. The finalists are chosen based on online comments and your votes, so vote often! There will also be a panel of judges so feel free to give us some positive feedback. New designs are being added daily!

You have until February 19th to get your votes in!

Ange

Carol

Tiffany

Leah

Elizabeth

Donna

DOMOTEX 2012: Custom Design in, Mass Production out! Hanover Jan 14-17

2012-01-31T14:32:00.000-08:00

DOMOTEX was a great success for Creative Matters Inc., with approximately 45,000 visitors at the 4-day trade show; we had a large amount of exposure. We were one of 1,371 exhibitors showcasing designs from around the world and because more than half the guests were from abroad, we had an opportunity to present our products to a global audience. The main theme of the event for 2012 was customized living so we had no problem fitting in! It was fabulous to see flooring and textile play such a significant role in interior decorating: carpets have become works of art and are making statements on their own! We’re back in the office and have recovered from jet lag – fresh ideas inspired by the international trends seen at DOMOTEX should be expected in our next collection!

Souk Deluxe - Selected Carpet Design

2012-01-06T11:42:00.000-08:00

Souk Deluxe is a juried exhibition showcasing high-quality hand-made carpets from companies presenting modern designs. Selected carpets are displayed at Domotex Germany for buyers and industry members to view so they are able to experience the latest innovative products and techniques that designers are experimenting with. This is a great way to get an overview of the carpet industry and see the latest trends. If you are heading to Domotex Germany 2012 this year, be sure to check out the Souk Deluxe show.

Creative Matters was accepted and is exhibiting Art Day Carpets Hand-Knotted #74 and Kilim #111.

Art Day VI

2012-01-03T14:12:00.002-08:00

The year is off to a great start for the CMI team with our first Art Day of 2012! It was all about creating designs with light and shadow. With transparent found objects we experimented with lighting to cast interesting shadows onto waiting blank pages. We then traced the shadows with different mediums: thick & thin markers, acrylic paint, crayons, india ink, oil pastels, chalk...etc. The resulting patterns have already been scanned into our computers and are ready for our designers to develop them into new and original carpet designs.

(Art Day VI instructions by Tiffany)

We had our first art day in January 2011 and after this first session we set a goal for ourselves to design 500 new carpet concepts by the end of the year. We are proud to announce that on December 23, 2011 we designed "Concept 500" which means we reached our goal! We are very proud of our 500 concepts and are excited to have fresh designs to add to our archive. Some of these ideas became our new line that we will be launching in Germany at Domotex next week.

(The CMI team hard at work creating)

(Maddy creating some interesting shapes & shadows)

We have decided this year to set a goal to create another 500 new concepts by the end of the year. We did it last year and are more than confident we will make it again this year!

To view more photos please visit our Facebook Gallery for Art Day VI!
To view our "art day" line see our website www.creativemattersinc.com

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T06:58:00.001-08:00

Wishing everyone a happy holiday, and a prosperous and peaceful 2012. From The Creative Matters Team - Carol, Donna, Abbey, Ange, Ana, Elizabeth, Erin, Jane, Julie, Leah, Maddy, Tiffany.

(photos from the children at Hamro Ghar - Goodweave Home for rescued children, after "Art Day")

Art Day Excitement!

2011-12-21T12:47:00.000-08:00

As the year closes we are getting ready for the holidays and preparing for the Domotex exhibition in Germany in January 2012. The new "Art Day" collection is well under way in Kathmandu.

(103 - Graffiti on the loom)

(123 - Platinum on the loom and almost completed)

(13 - Platinum on the loom)

We are excited about the new line, a preview was seen in New York in September to great enthusiasm. We look forward to seeing some of the rugs in larger format.

We wish everyone a healthy and prosperous 2012.

Cover Modern Carpets & Textiles For Interiors Winter 2011

2011-12-13T14:30:00.000-08:00

We were delighted to be featured in COVER Magazine "Creative thinking" (Winter 2011). Katie Loux really caught the spirit of Creative Matters in the article - the excitement of our team, our passion for textiles and specifically rug design.

Donna and I have been building Creative Matters for almost 25 years now, and it's wonderful to get this recognition in one of our very favourite magazines.

Creative Matters is happy to donate a rug for a silent auction on behalf of Vitanova

2011-11-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

The Vitanova Foundation is a Woodbridge-based, non-profit corporation chartered by the Province of Ontario and a registered Canadian charity that provides a range of addiction-related services to individuals, families, and the community at large, all at no charge---services that include education, prevention, assessment, treatment, rehabilitation, shelter and aftercare.

For the past 23 years "Friends of Vitanova" have organized a special event and silent auction to help raise money for their Foundation. The 24th Annual Event is being held on Sunday November 27, 2011 at Da Vinci Banquet Hall (5732 Hwy. #7 Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada). Reception & Antipasto Bar 4:00pm and Dinner 5:00pm (Cash Bar). This celebration requires a reservation to attend, to purchase tickets please visit the Vitanova Foundation (Tickets: Adults $100.00, Children (12 & under) $40.00).

(photo of our donated carpet)

We chose this charity as we like to support our local community as well as our international ones (as we do through our partnerships with GoodWeave and Label Step in Nepal and India). In all cases we understand the need to help families through difficult times.

The rug we have donated is 4' x 6' handknotted custom one-of-a- kind carpet. For this we specified wool and viscose, and had it made in India. The viscose pattern shimmers like silk and was inspired by curvilinear metal railings with a playful chain link border. The sheen of the viscose offers a sparkling element next to the richness of the wool.

Don't miss this opportunity to support a great cause, enjoy the "Friends of Vitanova" event on November 27th and bid on some wonderful donations.

Textile Museum of Canada Fundraising - ReDesign 2011

2011-11-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

(The CMI team with the winning bidder of our chair)

What a great night! The Gladstone Hotel was packed with makers, designers, and supporters of the textile museum. We were delighted to be involved with our chair "From the Ground Up". When we got our chair from the textile museum, it's simplicity and unusual orange red/black combination had us start where we always do - from the ground up. We designed a custom carpet with gradation of black through to the orange/red tone and finished the rug with a single "button" a raised puff of wool. The chair has been painted so the legs blend into the carpet for one seamless entity.

(Our finished chair photo Credit: Jill Kitchener)

The silent auction had the room filled with people hovering near their favourite chairs (we were delighted that a number of people bid on ours!) and by 8:45 the bell rang and the chairs all found new homes. Here is the link to see some of the photos of other chairs that had been redesigned - from cutting up the chair into pieces and stringing it on the wall like a necklace to romantic writing embroidered on the seat ("I will always love you") and lovely crocheted fabric attached to the back of the chair.

(Abbey with the chair she won, "Sketch for Quilt Number Seven" by Grant Heaps)

(Maddy with the chair she won, "The Component Parts of a Lazy Chair" by Georgia Dickie)

It was a great triumph. We were delighted to be invited and wish the Textile Museum of Canada ongoing success.

Another tradeshow this month, this time it's Toronto's IIDEX

2011-09-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

We took part in the 2011 IIDEX/NEOCON tradeshow in Toronto this year. Our focus was on the custom design aspect of our business and also taking the opportunity to educate our visitors on the hand making process of carpets. We are happy to announce the show was a success! We mingled with a lot of incredible people and are very proud of our lovely booth.

A little tour of our booth - We had two large flatscreen tvs displaying a lengthy slideshow of the many custom rugs we've produced over the years. In front of our booth you can see our lovely ottoman covered in CMI samples.

The inside walls tell the story of how our rugs are made, from the dying of the yarns to the hand-weaving or hand-tufting process. We created large "unfinished" samples to hang on our walls, they were a big hit! Some of our visitors liked them so much they wanted to buy them.

We also had some tools on display used by the weavers in India and Nepal, Carol and Donna brought them back from their last trip in August.

And of course we had many drawers filled with beautiful samples to show off to our visitors.

September has been a busy but very rewarding month with the participation in the New York International Carpet Show and IIDEX. We were delighted by the feedback we received from both shows and are looking forward to DOMOTEX 2012 in a couple of months.

Our first time at the New York International Carpet Show!

2011-09-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

This september we participated at the New York International Carpet Show for the first time and it was a great success. Our new "Art Day" line was received very enthusiastically from our established retailers as well as new retailers. Our customers loved the description of the design process we took with the art day line and the carpets that have been produced are exceptional (Every 6 weeks at CMI we close the office for a few hours and we all create art, the design team, the book keeper and the receptionist too! The art day line is a culmination of all the efforts, reinterpreted by the design team into our newest collection).

We have exhibited two types of carpet - the hand knotted cut pile wool and silk, and the flat woven kilim's in wool and metallic yarn.

Art Day with the Kids in Kathmandu, Nepal!

2011-09-01T07:16:00.000-07:00

Every year Creative Matters hosts an art day with the children at Hamro Ghar in Nepal. These children have been rescued from the weaving looms in Nepal, a part of GoodWeave's initiative to end child labour and offer education. CMI has supported GoodWeave for a number of years but we also like to give directly to those children who have been taken advantage of. We do what we know well, support through creativity.

Once again, as every year, the children are enthusiastic hard workers who show tremendous creativity and artistry.

We began with life drawing, children painting each other in active poses including Krishna!

Then we moved on to a lesson on colour mixing as many had never used paint before. Then they painted large paintings of their favourite animals and their favourite holiday.

An obvious favoured holiday is the upcoming one "Dashain", where huge bamboo swings are built for the children to play on... the paintings caught the excitement of that holiday. As for animals...giraffes, tigers, elephants, peacocks, cats and birds.

We love to support GoodWeave, they are doing good work in Nepal by saving children from labour, giving them an education and generally improving the lives of the weavers. Donna and I were delighted to have the opportunity once again to spend time with these wonderful children. We thank the staff at Hamro Ghar who were so supportive.

- Carol Sebert

Hot and beautiful India!!!

2011-08-29T09:16:00.000-07:00

Donna and I have enjoyed our time in India, as always. The colours, the people, the food, the hustle and bustle... all wonderful. To see our carpets in production we drive about an hour from Varanasi, one of the holiest cities in India where the Ganges flows and many take their morning prayers. We drive past rice paddies where women are tending the fields - such a beautiful image - their colourful sarees in a field of lush green, to a small village who's name translates to "where important people live".

Our rugs all look amazing, the custom hand tufted pieces and the brand new kilims which we will be unveiling in New York in a few weeks, as a portion of our "art day" line.

Next stop Kathmandu!

- Carol Sebert

A New Year, A New Collection!

2011-04-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

It seems like it was just last week that the CMI team stepped off the plane from Hannover where they presented our newest collection Terra, and we’re already immersed in developing another new line of hand-knotted carpets for a new collection. Our team is ever expanding and this year we decided to take a fresh approach to creating a collection by creating 2 series’ of hand-painted and hand-drawn markings as inspiration for our new pieces.

In a field where we can easily utilize the computer and Wacom tablet as our tool of choice, we made the decision to “return to our roots” so to speak, and pick up a paintbrush. We chose to flex our artistic muscles with a series of “art days” where the entire team (office managers and accountant included) participated in intensive 3-hour sessions of painting, drawing and general mark making. And the results were fabulous!

We worked with different grounds like mulberry paper (wet and dry), watercolour paper and news print and covered them in India ink, charcoal,wax and paint. It was messy and brilliant and resulted in over 230 paintings and drawings. From there we collectively created 168 working concepts and were able to whittle these down to a collection of 7.

Now we’re on to the sampling process and with eager anticipation await their arrival! Creative Matters hopes to launch our still unnamed collection at the New York International Carpet Show and then at Domotex 2012. Times are changing and interesting things are happening at our little studio on Annette Street. Stay tuned!

We're Back!!

2011-02-10T06:40:00.000-08:00

Carol, Donna, Ange and Abbey are back in the office and thrilled to have completed a 5th successful year at Domotex in Hannover, Germany. We launched our new Terra Collection at the show, which ran from January 15 – 18, to much enthusiasm from new and returning customers. The Terra Collection, with designs originating from the heirlooms of the Earth, speaks of inspirations from ice flows to mountain peaks, aspirations and nomadic encounters. The mood of each new rug engages in the vestiges that surround us, in their pure, simplistic forms.

Wish speaks to celestial motifs, along with microscope elements with the lightest colour of silk sparkling on the wool background. Bang is a delicate burst of fine silk rays that create a mesmerizing asymmetrical pattern. Offering a combination of high and low, silk and wool piles, Nomadic Glam is a dramatic glamorous take on a tribal-style design.

Filament shows a delicate interweave that will suit contemporary and more traditional spaces and Reflection is a contemplative variation on a stripe motif. Damask offers a non-traditional take on the ever classic design style.

As always, our Aerial Collection was also well received by all with faithful favourites still catching the eyes of passers-by. The sophisticated combination of lush Chinese silk and intricate design of such classics as Scratch, French Wire, Nova and Rory continue to attract our customer both local and abroad.

Germany is always such an inspiring show for the Creative Matters team and seems to renew us with new energy to create. As we work our way through the sometimes-dreary month of February, we find ourselves churning with new ideas for Domotex 2012. Over the next few months the team will be working through a series of creative workshops to cultivate new ideas and artworks to translate into our beautiful hand-knotted rugs.

Talk soon!

Warm Holiday Wishes from Creative Matters

2010-12-22T10:37:00.000-08:00

Creative and Cooperative

2010-11-25T11:04:00.000-08:00

Another trip to India and Nepal, and another wonderful workshop at "Hamro Ghar" in Kathmandu. This is the home where children live and go to school, children who have been rescued from forced labour in carpet mills.

Knowing how tricky it was to get supplies in Kathmandu, from my experience with last year's workshop, we brought chicken wire, glue and paint from Canada. We showed the kids how the chicken wire could be shaped in to any three dimensional shape that they could imagine. This would serve as the armature of the their sculpture before being covered by newspaper dipped in glue. With little prompting the children were shaping fish, peacocks, soccer balls, bowls, one boy saw the twist in the chicken wire with the cut ends of the metal and made a snake with a forked tongue....a brilliant creative visual leap. Once the paper strips were applied the sculptures were left to dry. Over the weekend we left glue and some wire for the children to work on their own. They moved on to making more personal items...hats and purses!

We returned a few days later for the painting portion of the workshop. With a quick lesson on colour theory (blue + yellow = green) the kids threw themselves into painting the sculptures. Without a lot of guidance or influence they were painting black and white soccer balls, fish with colourful scales, purses and hats with patterns, and one boy did an incredible self-portrait.

The children also had a cooperative nature. They would help each other mix colours. One child began the ambitious project of a peacock and a number of friends joined in to help. Once finished they were happy to share their sculptures, the soccer balls were kicked around, hats were shared, and generally there was delight in each others' work.

Creative and cooperative, what a combination!

We hope that within GoodWeave's future initiatives, this talent and generous spirit can be tapped and encouraged. We would like to see the artistry and craftsmanship that is required in rug making be taught to the children so this craft will become a respected field in which to work.

Namaste,
Carol

Have a Seat! (For a good cause)

2010-09-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

"There are an estimated 10,000 people on any given day here in the GTA who are homeless or living in shelters and without support. It is incredibly difficult for many of these individuals to rise above these circumstances and move forward into positive change...Furniture Bank has been able to help good people who find themselves in bad situations through donations for eleven years. By supplying them with furniture and household goods we change their lives and provide the necessary resources to live in a more dignified manner."
- www.furniturebank.org

Creative Matters is excited to announce that we will be participating in an event to raise awareness and funds for the Furniture Bank, a non-profit organization in Toronto that works to provide furniture and household goods to low-income families in the city. In 2009 the Furniture Bank helped over 2,000 families create a furnished home with dignity and this year, they hope to impact 2,400 families.

The event is called Chair Affair, and will showcase the designs of local artists donating their talents and their time to create works of art with ordinary chairs from the Furniture Bank warehouse warehouse. Twenty-nine chairs will be showcased in a silent auction with five of these special chairs being auctioned live.

After much brainstorming and collaboration between the entire team, our chair has been completed and shipped off to the lovely folks at the Furniture Bank in anticipation of the Affair on Thursday October 21st at the Steam Whistle Brewery. Tickets for the event can be purchased here.

Although we can't show you the finished product, here's a couple of before shots of our chair and some insight into our inspiration for the piece. We hope you like it and we hope to see you there!

"The concept for this chair was born from the natural approach that Creative Matters takes when embarking on any new rug design project that we receive.

Each Creative Matters client presents a blank canvas – in this case, a chair. Our aim is to present a beautiful and luxurious product to our client by taking care to work through the processes of design which result in the finest end product available.

"Our chair is upholstered with fine linen and 100% silk rug pieces that were hand-woven in Nepal. The stitching is a whimsical element that represents the early stages of our design process where we sketch concepts or motifs for visual direction. The beautiful fabrics, golden-hued wooden legs, and Dupioni silk buttons are all pieces of inspiration that a client may give us to work from. These elements, delicately layered together, create a very personalized story that reflects how Creative Matters works, in the form of a luxurious, hand-made chair."

Stay tuned for the grand unveiling and help support the Furniture Bank!

CMI, Keeping Kids Warm Next Winter

2010-07-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

Creative Matters has always been determined to instill socially conscious practices in regard to the creation of their rugs. The weavers who make the rugs, in the many countries where they are woven, are adult artisans. Along with Creative Matters’ insistence that all the rugs from Nepal be child labour free, we’re always looking for ways to expand our focus beyond the walls of the factories. On Thursday June 6th we took it one step further by hosting a coat drive in an effort to send warm clothing and outerwear to the street children in Kathmandu. Michael Pourvakil and his team at Weavers Art Contemporary, generously hosted the evening in their beautiful Designers Walk showroom.

As a regular visitor to the city, CMI co-founder, Carol Sebert gets to see the beautiful parts of this South Asian country but also some of the darker images Kathmandu holds. She says:

"While in Nepal last November, I saw a number of kids living on the streets. It gets cold in Kathmandu in the winter and kids are forced to sleep next to dogs to stay warm. I was struck by this tragic existence and wanted to make a difference.”

According to UNICEF, "Street living children are children who may have lost their families through war or illness, or have been abandoned because they had become too much of a burden, or else ran away from their abusive, dysfunctional, poverty-stricken families and now live alone on the streets. Many poor children are struggling for survival out in the streets, sleeping on makeshift cardboard mattresses in main cities like Kathmandu.”

Our event was a success, raising awareness and collecting over 100 coats to send to Kathmandu with the help of Child Welfare Scheme, U.K.- Nepal who will aid in the distribution of the coats and ensure that the outerwear gets to those in need. Our CWS representative, Jeremy Southon wrote to us this morning with his distribution game plan,

“ We will have them delivered to one of your suppliers so that they can clear it through customs as I will be managing distribution in Kathmandu…Once the clothes have arrived I should put together a clear distribution plan for your approval and then get the clothes distributed in early December when the cold season starts.”

We look forward to an update from Jeremy in the coming months. A special thanks for the huge efforts put forth by staff and students of Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton Catholic Secondary School, Toronto, for taking up our plight and gathering a great number of coats and outerwear. We also warmly thank friends and neighbors of Creative Matters for their donations as well.

Unbridled Enthusiasm

2009-11-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Creative Matters!

Carol and Ana returned this past weekend from their trip to Nepal. Carol managed to steal a few hours from her busy trip, to visit the Goodweave site where children are taken after being rescued from forced labour in carpet mills. While she was there, she taught an art class for the 33 students who are living there at the moment. After she left, Carol sent the most uplifting email from Nepal - very inspiring! I had to share:

I had such a fun day I felt I had to report right away.

I went to the home where the kids live at Rugmark/Goodweave today with paper, paints (house paint tinted yellow pink and blue) black ink and paintbrushes. The kids were really excited that we were going to have an afternoon of art. I began with them all up on the roof of their home, as it was a gloriously sunny day. We sat in a big circle and started with the ink and did life drawing, which of course, was absolutely hilarious. I got one of them to model and at first they were shy and their poses a bit dull, but one by one (I guess I had about 15 models by the end) the poses became more elaborate. There were lots of judo-like poses by the boys and tiger-like poses from the girls. They all just leapt into painting with marvelous abandon!

I then had them take the black and white paintings and add colour. By this time, the paint was starting to get all over the place, including in my hair as it was quite a flurry - paint pots were spilling, what with 33 kids exuberantly painting... but they were so into it, and so incredibly focused. I've done workshops like this before and there are generally a few goofballs that really can be disruptive, but not these kids - they worked really hard.

After about an hour I wanted to do one larger piece. I wanted them to try working larger so the full sheet that was 24”x36”. I instructed them to paint themselves in a setting that they liked and WOW, the results were amazing. Many of them did houses with the Himalayas in the background with clouds in the sky and big suns. One boy painted the RugMark house that they all currently live in with him on the roof flying a kite; another boy drew himself as almost a cartoon superman type figure in a charming landscape. Gorgeous work. And they were so proud of themselves - I couldn't take enough pictures of them holding their artworks, it was absolutely lovely.

A touching moment was when one girl, who had just arrived the day before, who was too shy to do anything but watch finally picked up a paintbrush (well I may have put it in her hand). She did a lovely figure painting all pinks and blues. You could just sense her feeling more settled and part of the group. The warden and I were both really pleased to see that.

Namaste,

Carol

Good-bye summer...

2009-08-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

It’s been a busy Spring/Summer season at Creative Matters. The month of April saw our fearless leaders trek back to Nepal for almost 2 weeks to visit our mills, weavers, spinners and washers. Quality control is of the utmost importance to CMI and this is how we ensure beautiful carpets and samples. This brief chance to speak with the mill owners and weavers is best opportunity to mesh our visions and instructions, maintaining this strong partnership and that produces our custom carpets and our Aerial Collection.

After all of the work is done, on those long Nepalese days, Carol and Donna manage to find some spare moments to decompress. This comes back to us in the form of their beautiful photography that tells us at the studio in Toronto, a million stories.

May, June and July have provided busy days filled with artworks and colour-matching, samples and carpet installations. One of the most exciting events was the installation of the beautiful lobby carpet at the Soho Grand Hotel in New York.

The sleek new design lends itself beautifully to the chic, luxurious vibe that the Soho seems to float on. And working with Studio Sofield is always a pleasure (especially when the results are this beautiful!)

Now our water-logged summer seems to be in her home stretch as we look forward with anticipation and excitement to our next steps for 2009. Samples of the new additions to the Aerial Collection are trickling in and the buzz is starting to build as we look forward to Domotex 2010. Granted, the big day for Germany is in January, but we at Creative Matters know how fast time flies. This year the team will truly be taking pieces of Canada with them overseas – but that’s all that I’m going to give away.

If you want to see what I’m talking about, you’ll have to meet Creative Matters in Hanover for the launch...

Creative Matters Immersed in “Contemporary Culture”

2009-04-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

Last night the Creative Matters team was delighted attend the celebration of the newly renovated 3rd location of Weavers Art in Toronto. Michael Pourvakil and his team launched Weavers Art – Contemporary Culture last night at 162 Bedford Rd., in Designers Walk Building 3.

Contemporary Culture is showcasing hand-knotted, silk and wool luxury carpets by a handful of international designers such as Emma Gardner, Lapchi and New Moon, and perhaps, most excitingly, yours truly - Creative Matters. Pause for applause. – Thank-you.

The beautiful open-concept showroom exudes luxury with it’s high ceiling, cream wall colour and seductive lighting. I must say, we felt right at home...and so do our rugs!

If you get the chance, go and have a look - you'll be floored. ;)

Cheers,
Erin

There's something in the air...

2009-03-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung in the Creative Matters studio, the sun is shining and thankfully, there is no more snow on the ground in Toronto (knock on wood). We’ve all been super-busy with various new projects and we can hardly believe that it’s almost the end of March! It seems that we have a million things on the go - ok, maybe just a hundred - but the there’s a buzz in the air and we like it.

The design team has been working hard on new additions to the Aerial Collection (some are in the sampling stages) and we’ve been toying with the idea of adding a second collection to our Creative Matters line of carpets, with a completely different look and feel. That’s under lock and key at the moment so, stay tuned to see what we come up with! Trust me, it’s going to be great.

We’re also excited to be in the throws of planning an event in April with the lovely people at Modern Weave to celebrate our successful collaboration and creative merging of the minds, if you will. Modern Weave, along with their sister store Weavers Art, carry our entire Aerial Collection of wool and silk carpets in various sizes and colourways. They are continually supportive of what we do and they have a breath-taking showroom so if you haven’t seen our carpets in the flesh (or fibre) head to King Street East for a peek. For those of you in the trade, visit one of 3 Weavers Art locations in Designers Walk or on Davenport Road or Bedford Road all in Toronto (see the website for details).

I know it’s short but hopefully this post piques your interest. Before you know it, the season of bare feet will be upon us – what better time for a wool and silk carpet, hmmm? The carpet above has some nice Spring appeal - nothing like a bright, cheerful botanical to freshen things up. (You can check out this one in the December 2008 The World of Interiors, December 2008 article "Made for Manhattan" with Studio Sofield)

Talk soon,
Erin.

...and the winner is!

2009-02-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

Well, the votes are in and the people have spoken! Creative Matters is tops in design according to the Domotex visitors who voted at floorforum this year. As I mentioned before, floorforum is an area in Hall 3 (where our stand lived) "devoted to trends in the modern carpets and textile floor coverings industry." This year the area was divided into 3 categories - design, structure and colour - and Creative Matters displayed 3 of our best, Rory-Platinum, Polarize-Ice and Pepe-Gold, in the category of design. Pretty great, right? This is a photo of the floorforum area- it was quite impressive. You'll notice Ana in the bottom right, striking a pose.

So now for the best part - we won! That's right - Best Liked by Visitors in the Category of Design! We're thrilled and totally flattered to have been chosen, on an international stage, as best design, by the people in the trade who buy our rugs. Just as a refresher, I give you Rory Platinum, our winning rug:

Additionally, Creative Matters was honoured to have, once again, been short-listed for a Carpet Design Award for Best Modern Design. The judges included some of the most recognizable names in the industry, including Matthew Bourne of Christopher Farr Contemporary Rugs and internationally exhibited textile designer Kate Blee. These awards are organized by the great people at Modern Carpet and Textiles/Hali Magazines whose magazine we love! Check it out.

Needless to say, the Creative Matters team left Germany on quite a high. We did a little survey find out just which carpets received the most attention. And the survey says! - Scratch Ice. For your viewing enjoyment-

Now it's back to the drawing board for us - the wheels are turning and I think you should be very excited (and intrigued) as to what we come up with next. I'll keep you posted.

Stay warm - spring's just around the corner, I promise.
Erin

Home Sweet (and cold) Home

2009-01-22T09:26:00.000-08:00

We're back! The Domotex team is slowly trickling back into Canada, buzzing with excitement - let's face it, we had a great (and very successful) time. This show was great - so many stories and so little time! In the next series of entries, we'll fill you in - we know you're curious. Let's start with our arrival...

Ana and I landed in Germany on Wednesday, January 14th and went straight to the Deutsche Messe, where the show was being held. Running on sheer adrenaline and 3hrs sleep, we excited to see how the booth looked...and it was beautiful and glamourous and we were extatic! Our massive crate, containing our goods and supplies was there too - things were falling into place nicely...all we needed now were the rugs. We held our breath and waited and finally the rugs arrived (direct from Nepal)...looking terrific.

We did our best to lay the ground work for the next day which included vaccuuming and hanging the carpets and setting up the rest of the booth and then decided that this long day was beginning to give up its fight. Our trip to the hotel was fairly smooth, although I must admit, my brain was working in overdrive to remember exactly where the little inn was located.

The next day we were back at the Messe at 9 and Carol and Donna arrived just after noon. We got to work, turning our canvas into art, hanging carpets and setting up shop. We delivered our carpet to "floorforum", an area devoted to trends in the modern carpets and textile floor coverings industry was designed internationally renowned designer Ulf Moritz. This year the categories were reserved for design, structure and colour. Creative Matters was selected to contribute 3 entries this year - all under the category of "design". Throughout the show, visitors were invited to vote for their favourite - a "peoples choice" award, if you will - and who better to choose the best carpet? :)

Next up - deliver Nova Platinum - our Carpet Design Award nominated master-piece. It must have been quite a site...4 Canadian women traipsing through 4 separate halls, lugging 80 square feet of pure wool and silk, in what appeared to be a little carpet train. After a slight detour, we found our destination in Hall 15 and left our CDA hopeful in the capable hands of Hali/Modern. Sorry, no pics of this area - highly secure and classified, just the way we like it. Trust me, Nova Platinum looked gooooood on its own little personal stage.

The next day the Domotex team arrived at the booth ready to work , reconnect and meet new faces - our neighbors for the next 5 days. We were excited about our beautiful booth and our prospects with the new Aerial Collection. You'll have to stay tuned for the results of the awards!

Until then -
Tschus!

Erin

Our bags are packed and we're INCREDIBLY excited to go!

2009-01-12T07:05:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Gutes Neues Jahr!

It's January 2009! We're packing our bags/crates/boxes for Domotex in Hanover, Germany in preparation for our international launch of the additional pieces to our Aerial Collection.
Domotex is one of the largest carpet focused trade shows in the world, featuring a diverse range of offerings, presented by some 1,350 exhibitors from 60 different nations.

And here's an exciting tidbit - we've received news that we are short listed for an award! We're crossing our fingers. In the words of the organizers:

"These awards are given for innovative design, creativity and quality in the handmade carpet sector. The CDA are the benchmark for this industry and the place to showcase new trends".

As well, 3 of our rugs have been chosen for "floorforum", designed by the internationally renowned designer Ulf Moritz. This is an area of the show that is reserved to showcase trend and innovation in the carpet design field and we're delighted and flattered to be a part of it. Again in the words of the organizers:

The theme is "less is more", and the focus here is on the natural, tactile quality of textured carpets, which bring warmth and feeling to any room with their subdued colours, restful patterns and their suitability for any setting. Dramatic textures and natural textiles are seen from a new angle here in a sensitively staged display.

Carol, Donna, Erin and Ana, will be welcoming international visitors to our booth in Hall 3 Stand 54, and look forward to positive feedback for the Aerial Collection. It is an amazing fair with every type of carpet imaginable, available from vendors worldwide. We look forward to sharing our experiences and the information on new innovative products upon our return. If we get a second, we'll try to post some pics and info while we're there!

See you! auf Wiedersehen!

Happy 20th Birthday Creative Matters!!

2008-11-21T09:10:00.000-08:00

What a flurry of activity November has afforded Creative Matters! More than a week after our 20th Anniversary Gala Fundraiser, I finally have a chance to sit down and write about our fantastic night.

First of all, we’re 20! Happy Birthday Creative Matters! Congratulations to Carol and Donna for such a great feat – and here’s to 20 more, right? So, the night went off without a hitch and we saw just over 500 people come through our event at Gallery 345 to help us celebrate. Our long and arduous hours of installing the show, that saw the whole staff (and some of their parents!?) hammering and hanging, sweeping and cleaning, paid off. The gallery was transformed from a very promising canvas into a feast for the eyes (and hearts!) that displayed our new collection of hand-knotted carpets as well as a retrospective of 20 years worth of CMI designs and photographs.

One of the other big highlights of the evening was the unveiling of Hariti, the responsible, luxury rug that was created as a fund-raising piece that will be raffled to benefit RugMark. RugMark, as you know, works to end illegal child labor in the carpet industry in South Asia and offers educational opportunities to children who are rescued from carpet mills. The carpet is stunning and we sold a ton of raffle tickets. We’re nearing our goal but we’re still not there – so buy buy buy! You still have 13 days left! I can't even tell you what an opportunity this is - the chance to win a hand knotted, one-of-a-kind, wool and silk carpet - for $25!

In addition to all of this we finally had the opportunity to meet a RugMark representative, in the flesh! Heather Joseph, RugMark’s Development Officer (who is lovely) flew in from Washington, D.C. She came and spoke and worked the room to spread the word. And as a special treat, Heather was joined by Robin Romano, the talented photographer (and amazing speaker) who shot the Faces of Freedom show that hung at Gallery 345 in conjunction with Floored to be 20. The photos were breath taking and we were so happy that they could share in our celebration.

Great big thank-yous to everyone who helped to make our party perfect! Stay tuned for more party pics on our next post "The Guest List".

Stay warm (curled up on a wool carpet)!
Erin

Memories of Nepal...

2008-10-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

With the RugMark Raffle well underway, many of you may be curious as to the origins of the carpet Hariti. We know that it was inspired by a photograph taken by Carol while on her first visit to Nepal and that the name translates as "Protectress of Children" in Tibetan. When asked about the photo and her trip to South Asia, Carol spoke about her feelings and memories from that sunny say in October 2000:

"The inspiration for our rug Hariti was taken from a photo I took in Kathmandu at Durbar Square in October 2000. It was my first trip to Nepal and I was overcome by the spiritual connectedness of the country and the people.

This photo of a child in the temple area surrounded by the pigeons was a thrilling moment. The cooing of the pigeons, the relative quiet in the temple area and then stepping out to the mayhem of the street, foreign yet oddly familiar. People confirming their beliefs in the temple, turning the prayer wheels, lighting candles, oddly similar to going to church in Canada.

I'm so happy that the rug has been made and has the beautiful energy that reminds me of that October journey." - Carol Sebert

There you have it. The finished carpet is absolutely breath taking - and so are the photos but, you have to see it in person. Hariti will be hanging at Gallery 345 from November 13th to 15th as a part of our 20th Anniversary gallery show, Floored to be 20. Tickets are available by visiting the RugMark website. All proceeds go to support this great cause to end child labour in South Asian carpet mills. Thanks in advance for your support!

Just a little reminder...

2008-10-10T07:33:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone!

The countdown is on to win Hariti, Tibetan for “Protectress of Children”, an original and responsible, luxury rug designed by Creative Matters.

All proceeds from the raffle go directly to RugMark, a non-profit organization working to end child labour in South East Asia. The cost of only two tickets ($50.00) offers a child a full year of education.

If you have already purchased a ticket for Hariti, here is a great photo of the hand made wool and silk area rug, graced by furniture courtesy of Klaus by Nienkamper.

Visit the Creative Matters blog for the inspiration and progress of this journey. Send a child to school, give an opportunity for an educated future and hope to win Hariti.

Click Here to Purchase your Ticket for Hariti!

Have a great weekend and keeping checking in for more updates!
Erin

Cover Story

2008-10-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

We were delighted to see one of our projects on the cover of October 2008 Metropolitan Home this month titled "Asian Fusion". Working with the talented Shamir Shah on this Soho apartment, we assisted on textures and offered suggestions on some of the natural fibers. Needless to say, the rug was woven at one of our RugMark certified mills in Nepal. The striped rug was a combination of wool, hemp and silks in browns and gold tones with a bright persimmon accent.

Beautiful photos, beautiful magazine - here are a few shots of the residence and carpet taken by Met photographer Antoine Bootz.

Hariti Coverage!

2008-09-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Over the past week or so, we've been getting some good responses to our cause as "Hariti" takes centre stage.

Arren Williams, who has kindly posted us on his blog, is a freelance stylist, editor and trend reporter. His work can be seen regularly in the National Post, Flare and Canada's top decor mags. Arren is also a regular guest expert on Citytv's CityLine.

http://www.arrenwilliams.com/blog/2008/9/10/good-cause-good-design.html

We were also highlighted in the National Post's Home section this past Saturday:

http://www.nationalpost.com/life/homes/story.html?id=788114

We'll keep updating you as more coverage comes in!

The Big Day is Here!

2008-09-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, this is Donna Hastings and I am pleased to let you know that on our trip to Nepal a few weeks ago, Carol and I saw the completed "Hariti". It makes a strong statement, which we love. The colours are vibrant and rich, and current with the trend to more colourful living spaces. It could make a dramatic statement to the home or office and I can imagine it surrounded by rich maroons and corals on the walls and furniture. Handspun Tibetan yarn with silk details just make it sparkle!

As of today the raffle tickets for Hariti are available for sale. Just click here to purchase tickets via a secure donation system through RugMark, powered by Groundspring. The tickets are $25 each, 5 for $100, or 12 for $200. Now is your chance to make a difference. It's amazing that only $50.00, the price of 2 tickets will cover the costs of sending 1 child to school for a year!

Creative Matters is proud to support such a worthy cause, and offer the opportunity for you to win a custom designed rug.

Namaste,

Donna

Letters to Canada Pt.1

2008-09-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce that Carol and Donna arrived home unscathed, albeit a bit late from their cross continent journey to South Asia. A "Storm Signal 9" typhoon called Nuri decided that she was going to swing by the Hong Kong airport where the ladies had a stopover, and wreak a little havoc. During their extended stay they took the time to write some great emails while the images were still fresh in their heads. Over the next few days we'll be sharing some of these writings and beautiful photos in preparation for September 8th (this Monday!) when raffle tickets officially go on sale, for a chance to win Hariti. As I mentioned before, she's all finished and we have photos...but you can't see those yet - you'll have to wait until Monday! In the meantime, here's some food for thought:

Donna and I went to the RugMark facilities today to see with our own eyes where the children are living who have been rescued from the looms and factories in Kathmandu. It's a four storey building with a large playground that was, unfortunately, not usable at the time. It's rainy season here in Nepal so full of puddles, but one can imagine great games of soccer taking place. Many of the residents are young boys, as they are the more valuable child workers because they are strong at a young age. However, there are a number of girls here.

We were introduced to one lovely young girl, probably around the age of 11, who had been rescued just the day before. She had already woven 2 rugs but now has a chance for an education and a better life. She was not yet dressed in the uniform that all the children wear, a maroon shirt with navy pants. Boys and girls alike wear the same.

We toured all the facilities, from the bedrooms, which look a little like what we have in summer camp. There are bunk-beds in each room with around 10 beds in per space. The rooms were very clean and very tidy, the blankets all rolled up at the head of each bed with the pillow, shoes carefully lined up at the door. There's a cupboard for additional clothing, but these children do not have any personal items.

School books for studying were on some of the beds, rest time for some includes math review. There is a library where the children all meditate for half an hour each day, then can read and enjoy quieter games. The kitchen, which had delicious smells wafting through, was staffed by a number of women, and there was a room adjacent that was the dining hall. In total there are about 40 children at this facility.

In the kitchen however, there were 5 older boys who had gone through the program at RugMark, had completed their Grade 12 level and now have sponsors for university in Kathmandu. It looked like they'd returned for a homecooked meal!

The three classrooms are simple with schoolbooks, tables and benches and a blackboard. The children are fast tracked to grade three level and depending on their competency they either continue on for the potential of university education with help from sponsors or are trained for vocational work such as carpentry.

We discussed with the managers about the cost of each student's education, and for around $50.00/ year they recieve their uniforms, school books and education. That works out to two tickets for the raffle of Hariti. Imagine, 2 tickets sends a child to school for one year! It was a great tour and wonderful to see the facilities. We are delighted to see first hand the great work being done by RugMark and feel so good about contributing directly to helping the children.

Namaste, Carol and Donna

Yarn Spinning 101

2008-08-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday Everyone! I can barely believe that its the end of the week AND that, as we speak, Carol and Donna are in the sky, flying home from Nepal. They sound like they have some pretty amazing stories to tell. This is a little excerpt from an email from the ladies about their visit to the factory that produces the yarn for our carpets. Sounds like Carol and Donna had a little lesson in spinning yarn (and when we get those picture, I'll be sure to post them!) :)

On Tuesday we were able to visit a factory where the hand carding and hand-spinning of the beautiful Tibetan yarn takes place. After watching the skilled women who turn a pile of fluff into weaving yarn we tried our hand at it. Now, having seen it, first hand, we appreciate much more, the skill of the spinners. By hand they feed the yarn onto a simple spinning wheel. It is their shear skill and manipulation of the yarn that determines the fineness of the wool, super fine (like sewing thread) for 200 knot construction, a little thicker for 100 knot, thicker still for 60 knot. Incredible! We had quite a few laughs as Donna and I produced lumpy, broken, completely unusable yarn.

The group went on to explain all the ways the yarn can be spun. Most commercially and quickly is by using the spinning wheel. But we were also shown very simple ways that work too, like using a pencil, then using a spinning top that the shepherds use in the fields while tending their sheep. One of the women then showed us her Tibetan traditional robe that was woven from very fine hand spun yarn. Part of theTibetan costume is an apron of multi coloured stripes woven on narrow looms (6" wide) and sewn together. She showed us her tradtional piece, still well in use.

When the yarn comes in to be spun, it arrives from the hill stations in packages. It gets sorted into piles of white best yarn (from the underbelly of the sheep), to brown yarn (from the back) and to yarn that cannot be used (from behind the head). The best yarn is silky and smooth, and can be dyed to any colour. The brown yarn is good for flecky rugs and is also smooth but cannot be used for clean colours.

The wool from the back of the neck is like the white hairs on our heads - it's dead and has no lanolin or softness at all. The yarn is then washed and dried in the open air. Generally on the roof of the houses, which looks like a blanket of snow, even with icicles of wool dripping off the edge roof.

This is just one aspect of the many skilled portions of what goes into the hand made rugs we order. Every time I come to the Nepal I find I learn more and further appreciate the craftsmanship and detail that goes into our rugs.

See you Monday!
Carol and Donna

Check back soon for more stories and photos from the trip!
Have a great weekend!
Erin

Postcards from Nepal...

2008-08-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

The following is an email from Carol - straight from South Asia. We've all been sitting on the edge of our seats, waiting to see photos of Hariti on the loom. When Carol and Donna arrived in Nepal they had a huge surprise waiting. Read on:

Nepal never ceases to amaze.

Donna and I went to the carpet mills today. Theoretically rainy season but the rain seems to conveniently fall at night and the days are glorious with some sun and then huge clouds rolling over the Himalayas to blanket Kathmandu valley. Driving in Kathmandu is exciting. Quite frequently a cow will interrupt traffic and it is a terrible crime to hit a cow as they are holy. If they decide to stop and lie down in the middle of the highway, so be it. It's hard to describe the loose relaxed driving style in Kathmandu. There are traffic police at particularly busy intersections, which helps a lot, but otherwise one just moves through the traffic flow and magically it seems to work. Donna and I dart across the street, we clearly have not
mastered the relaxed manner.

We saw Hariti today for the first time. It's fantastic - the colours in the silk and wool just dance off the floor. The weavers at the factory, who made the rug, were intrigued with the concept that a photo from here (Nepal) was turned into a design and then a 6' x 9' rug. The translation from photo to artwork and now to finished rug is really exciting. The gleam from the broach that the child was wearing in the photo really sparkles in the finished piece. It was expected that Hariti would be in mid-production, upon our arrival. We could have been dreaming it but, were the weavers were so intrigued about production of this exciting rug that they finished it in half the time?

That's all for now,
gotta go and meet Dawa,
Cheers,
Carol

Stay tuned for more from Nepal. We're all so curious about Hariti...maybe they can squeeze her
into their carry-on?

Until next time,
Erin

Extra, extra, read all about it!

2008-07-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

It’s been a busy summer, thus far, here at Creative Matters. We’re not sure where these precious days have gone but, here we are on this hazy July morning, working hard on the new additions to our Aerial Collection and on our November gallery show. Did she just say November??? Yes she did! Did I mention that we’re still working on our regular custom design projects? And starting to cultivate ideas for the Domotex show in Hanover….and so it goes.

So, what better day for a little bit of summer excitement than today, to see Creative Matters splashed over a full page (L3 to be exact) of the Living section in the Toronto Star. It’s a great article called "Rug Designers at Top of Pile" by Star columnist Barbara Turnbull, who graced our office in early June to speak to Carol and Donna about just what it is that we do. Barbara chats with the ladies about design, colour, what we’re up to now and about Creative Matters’ impressive 20-year mark. It's a great read and a great photo (thanks to Keith Beaty at the Toronto Star).

http://www.thestar.com/living/Shopping/article/461414#Comments

Stay tuned for more updates on Hariti – we hope to show off some photos soon, after the ladies return from their trek to Nepal in August.

Enjoy the sun!
(and buy more carpets!)

Erin

Carol Takes the Mic

2008-06-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

VERY EARLY last week I, Carol Sebert, had the exciting experience of going to the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) for a live radio interview with Andy Barrie on Metro Morning. I had been contacted to talk about Creative Matters and RugMark and our efforts to end child labour in carpet mills in Asia. For those non radio listeners, or those folks that may not listen to morning radio, Metro Morning is the preeminent morning radio show in Toronto and Andy Barrie is the most listened to interviewer within the GTA for the morning spot.

So I was terrified.

I drove downtown, arrived at 5:30 - there were no coffee shops open (not even Starbucks)!?, so there I sat, in the lobby of the CBC building fretting, until 5:50 when I was asked to show up. I was constantly reading my notes, getting the facts and figures memorized about child labour in carpet mills and the political upheavals in Nepal. I felt like I was in high school getting ready for a big exam and just like an exam, they reminded me that I couldn't read from my notes - sigh.

They kindly gave me my first question before I entered the recording studio. I go blank. I have to call my business partner Donna to get her input. Yup, 6:00 a.m., but she's a trooper and she's up ready to listen. I realize that I don't know what else Andy is going to ask and now the veil of fear starts to overcome me.

Anyway, I go into the studio, Andy and I have a little chat while the news is being reported (somewhere else in the huge CBC building), he's inquiring about websites and cruises our site while he asks me a few questions. Then the fellow tells me how close to be to the microphone (around 7") and I'm frozen in position ready to roll.

Cue the sound, Andy gives the intro, and we chat for a few minutes. Andy asks me about child labour in Asia, if I'd witnessed it, and I had to say no - but I'm not so naive to think that just because I'd been there it wasn't possibly happening. This is why we're so excited to be working with Rugmark. I explain how the mills put on the labels that are carefully monitored and each number can be traced to the loom and weavers who made it. How the inspectors go into the mills unannounced to ensure there is no child labour and our initiative of Hariti and the raffle are explained matter-of-factly.

Doing our part to end child labour, and ensuring that our rugs are made under sound working conditions has become really important to me. I'm thrilled to be able to tell our clients that the rugs they get are made by adult weavers. It feels so rewarding to be able to provide good employment not only in Canada with the great team that I work with, but as well, to the weavers in Nepal.

All in all it was an extremely exciting opportunity to be on the radio show I listen to every morning.

Afterwards - I had to go home for a nap.

-Carol

Photographer: Romano / Stolen Childhoods (courtesy of RugMark)

Live, On Air with Creative Matters!

2008-06-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

We’ve had an exciting week so far, here at 532 Annette! Our press release announcing the Hariti rug went off without any major hitches and now we’ve officially announced to the world that she will be raffled off in honor of World Day Against Child Labour. For those of you who don’t know, tomorrow is the official calendar day to mark this event. As mentioned before, all of the proceeds from the raffle will go directly to RugMark, (our favorite charitable organization) and one lucky person will get give Hariti a new home.

Now some more exciting news! To educate Canadian listeners (and beyond) about this important day and cause, Carol has been asked to speak live on CBC Metro Morning News (99.1 FM). She will be talking about the existence of child labour in some of the carpet factories in South Asia and how our commitment to the RugMark cause is working to end the problem. She’s very excited to be speaking with Andy Barrie and the 6:15 AM time slot (ouch) doesn’t seem to faze her as much as it fazes me! The whole CMI team has enthusiastically agreed that they are going to get up bright and early to listen live…right guys? Guys?

For those of you who miss the alarm, check out the Metro Morning archive to hear about the great things that Creative Matters and RugMark are doing.

http://www.cbc.ca/metromorning/

Until next time!
Erin

The Birth of “Hariti”

2008-06-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

Here starts the journey of a beautiful idea. Hi all, it’s Ana Cunningham signing on to say a few words about the beginnings of this remarkable project. I remember the moment when Carol announced the name of rug….Hariti, the Protectress of Children. To be honest, I still get goose bumps when I hear it. Being a new mother myself, this project holds deep meaning for me. What I’ve learned through my own experience is that the instincts that come with motherhood are simple; to love, nurture and protect, which is what all children, all over the world truly need and deserve…plain and simple.

As you may have noticed in the last entry, we posted the photo of which the design was inspired by. There were a few alternate design routes we almost took during the concept stage. I’ll be posting those, along with other pics of the process just so you can get a better idea of how we searched and found Hariti.

She, along with her mission, have already made her way into my heart. I’m certain her crusade will be felt worldwide. It feels good to know that we are one step closer to making this a thing of the past….until then, let’s spread the word and unite in this worthy cause.

* * *

For us, rug design is to take our own western aesthetics and have them interpreted in the exquisite age old craft of rug making. The dichotomy that takes place when east meets west is what makes this process so distinct. The rug is a result of two cultures coming together - both using their own sense of style in a combined synergistic approach.

Initial Concept:

Hariti - Final Concept:

Here is a selection of yarn tufts, used in the Hariti rug, inspired by the vibrant colours often seen on the streets of Nepal.

The first samples arrive…a very exciting part of the process as this is where we make the adjustments to ensure our vision is met for the final rug.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by our blog. Check again soon for the next update on Hariti.

Introducing…

2008-06-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the “official” Creative Matters blog, narrated today, by me, Erin DeMille. Creative Matters is a custom carpet design and manufacturing company situated in the West end of Toronto. We’re a hidden gem actually. Let me give you the low down on us.

Creative Matters is owned by a couple of brilliant and talented women. They set out “to be responsible for the most exceptional custom made carpets possible, utilizing the highest principles of design and production standards, in the spirit of excellence, professionalism and integrity.” Well, 20 years and thousands of beautiful custom carpets later, Donna Hastings and Carol Sebert are still at it, breaking designers hearts everywhere they go.

That’s why you’re here, actually, reading this little blog. Exciting things are happening here, in celebration of our 20th birthday. Last week, Carol and Donna were excited to officially announce their participation as a Licensed Importer and member of RugMark, a nonprofit based in Washington who works relentlessly to end child labour in the carpet industry and raise awareness of this hideous problem.

Basically, a portion of the proceeds of our hand-knotted rugs helps to fund the amazing work RugMark does in increasing consumer (and world) awareness and seriously addressing the issue of child labour in the carpet industry. In addition to this, our membership ensures that a portion of our sales goes towards the education and rehabilitation of former child weavers.

And what is a 20th birthday, without a party? So, to celebrate life, design, beautiful carpets and beautiful causes, we here at CMI have decided to create a rug. Along their travels to Nepal, Carol and Donna have documented their experiences with lovely photos of the country, the people and their stunning art of hand-knotted carpet making.

One of these photos, of a young Tibetan girl, is the inspiration for a beautiful hand-knotted, silk and wool carpet. The rug, entitled Hariti (Tibetan for “protectress of children”), will be featured in this year’s annual RugMark raffle to raise money for the organization’s mission. Of course, it will be certified child-labour-free by RugMark and 100% of the proceeds will donated to the plight.

Over the next 5 months, the team will be updating the blog. During the rug’s two-month creation we’ll be posting progress reports and images, following Hariti on her journey from Nepal to her new home – that is yet to be revealed…maybe your livingroom? Raffle tickets will go on sale in early September. Stay tuned…