12 Trees Of Christmas

Every year, the Gardiner Museum celebrates Christmas with the display of 12 Christmas Trees designed by well known Canadian designers here in Toronto. This year, the 12 Christmas Trees celebrates the The Joy Of Creativity by presenting 12 contemporary and modern designs of the Christmas Trees. The displays may shock you as they deviated from the traditional Christmas trees that we are so familiar to see during this Christmas season. But we always keep an open mind and welcome these modern designs as it stretches our imagination. 

 
Christmas Tree designed by Jennifer Carter, Hermes Canada President using opened umbrellas made with Hermes silk.

 
The Aquarian Water Bearer designed by Sophie DeFrancesca. This is a very symbolic Christmas tree made from hand sculpted wire mesh, resin and paint. The water flowing out from the vessel forms a Christmas tree, symbolically washing away the past. 

 
Crowning Glory Christmas Tree. 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Golden Angel designed by Susanne Shaw from Holt Renfrew. This Christmas tree was made from torn pages of Reader's Digest magazines. 

 

 

 

My favourite activity in the museum was this year's Christmas tree outside the museum (see above photo) where we can write our own Christmas message through the ceramic plates given to us then displayed under the tree. Reading the messages on display, there was a common Christmas message of peace, love and joy for this season.

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12 Trees: The Toronto Edition

 Now we begin our Christmas Edition here on the Blog. Presenting here the 12 Trees The Toronto Edition currently on exhibit at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto. This has become an annual Christmas event in the Museum featuring 12 Trees designed with annual theme. This year, the Trees were designed by 12 well known Toronto designers featuring the different areas of our City. Viewing the decorated Christmas Trees was like touring around Toronto featuring the diverse areas and characteristics of our dear City. The exhibit is showing now till December 14th. Check these out as they may give you an inspiration in decorating your own Tree. Have you started decorating your home for this coming Christmas season? Here are some Christmas Tree inspirations. 

 Unique In The World, designed by the Museum featuring the ceramic Christmas decors sold in the Museum Shop.

 The Gardiner Museum is known as the Ceramic Museum in Toronto.

 The Furry Friends Of Forest Hill.

 Forest Hill is the one of oldest and richest neighbourhood in Toronto. In this area, we find huge Georgian style mansions. This tree featured the neighbourhood with the mansions, the local coffee cafe living side by side with its furry friends especially the infamous Raccoon Santa.

 

 This is one of my favourite trees. So elegantly designed by Teatro Verde. I loved how they designed the Tree starting from the bottom then going up by grouping all of the bronze decor at the bottom, then the white decor, the pinks and pastel colours and ending on the top with the golden decors. 

 It's All Greek To Me, featuring Danforth Avenue which is the Greektown here in Toronto.

 Northern Lights designed by my favourite Department Store here in Toronto, Holt Renfrew. 

Next week, I will feature their Christmas windows with the same title, Northern Lights.

 The Tree was designed with white doves, owl, golden and silver balls. Can you spot me?

 Dragons and Fauna, featuring Toronto's Chinatown.

 This Tree in red, green and gold featured some Chinese dragons, crackers and flowers.

 Hockey Town, of course, Toronto is a hockey town.

 Toronto is the centre of hockey especially during our long winter season. 

 A Steampunk Christmas, featuring Toronto's Distillery District. 

The decor features mechanical designs which can be found in the Industrial buildings in the Distillery District.

 

 Bright Lights, Big City,  celebrates the Mirvish Village neighbourhood known for the big lights of the discount store, Honest Ed's. 

 I love the festive decor of this Tree with balloons, trumpets, champagne flutes and musical notes.

 This Tree was designed by the famous Toronto Interior Designers, Stephen and Chris.

Lastly, don't forget to leave a note for Santa with your special request for this Christmas. 

Happy decorating for this Christmas Season!

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A Spring Florals Celebration

Spring is finally here in Toronto! To celebrate the arrival of Spring in the City, the Gardiner Museum had a special exhibit last weekend only from May 3 to 5 titled Spring Awakening: Gardiner In Bloom. The Top 10 Floral Designers in the City were invited to create their special floral creations inspired by the Ceramic Collections in the Museum. The Gardiner Museum is the only Museum in Canada dedicated to the exhibition of Ceramics from all over the World. They have ceramic collections there from the Aztec, England, European,  Ancient Chinese and Japanese among others. On a lovely, sunny and warm Saturday morning, we ventured over to the Museum to view these spectacular floral  installations alongside Ceramic Art objects from the Museum.  

1. Ball and Wedge by Bruno Duarte
Fresh Florals Creations

A ball of carnations inspired by the Art Balls on the main entrance of the Museum.

Inspiration is around us at all times, even in the simplest of ways. 
We just need to open ourselves to it.
- Bruno Duarte

2. Exotic orchids designed by Bella Jackson from Floral Fetish was inspired by the Aztec statues displayed in the Museum. 

3. Margaret Taylor and Sue Clarkson from the The Garden Club of Toronto were inspired by this ceramic object titled Septet 4. Their floral design used calla lillies, Carnations, orchids and Baby's Breath. 

4. This is a mother and daughter team: Phyllis Lill & Marilyn Lill  from the Lilium Floral Studio. 

Their Floral Creation was titled Temptation with Fruit & Flowers inspired by this Ceramic plate depicting Adam & Eve with the Temptation Tree. They used green apples, Yellow chrysanthemums and yellow roses to complete their creation. 

5. This piece was titled The Tree of Life by Michael Renaud from Horticultural Design Inc. He used exotic orchids here in purple which he formed into balls with the smiling Buddha in the middle.

Michael was inspired by the Oriental Jar with flower pom poms in purple, red and orange in this Floral creation.

6. Rosemary Little Jeffares of Quince Flowers called her floral creation Paper Cup Tower For a Spring Tea Party which was inspired by the colours  of the Meissen Tea and Coffee Service above.

7. Lidia Tacconelli from Fiori Floral Design called her Floral creation Optimism which was inspired by an English porcelain vase with yellow, white, brown and gold colours depicting a Pastoral scene.

 The wonderful yellows reflect the yellows that are prominent in the English Gardens during spring. 
Yellow being a symbol of enlightenment, happiness and promise of a positive future. 
- Lidia Tacconelli

8. Bert Browne from EarthWork Floral Design created these Floral Arrangements located in the Rotunda surrounded by the display of Harlequin ceramic statues.

The Harlequin ceramic statue circa 1770-1780 was created by William Duesbury. Bert was inspired by the colourful costume of the Harlequin and its comedic pose to create these Floral Arrangements.

9. Lastly, Joseph Delarge of Ecostems, proudly calls itself Toronto's only environmentally and socially sustainable Flower Shop created this floral masterpiece. This piece was inspired by the White Ceramic nest (above) created by Cheryl Ann Thomas.  As you can see from the photo above, the nest was filled with hydrangeas and freesias.
 
Joseph's Flower Shop sell all of these flowers and floral arrangements grown locally and organically from Toronto. In this piece, he used hydrangeas, freesias, orchids, branches, dead wood, barks and vines. Only when broken apart that we see its true beauty.

Joseph Delarge described this piece and Spring in Toronto the best:
Gatherings of spring flowers that represent the colourful eggs of spring 
that can be found in the nests of wild birds all over Toronto this time of year.

Thank you for joining me on this Floral Spring Tour in our City of Toronto.

Here in North America, we are celebrating Mother's Day this weekend!


Happy Mother's Day to all the dearest Mums! 

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