August 15, 2024

Welcome to my blog for my international store! www.sharondawn.biz . Here I will share updates on new products, unique designs and things to look forward to. I will also include news on other details that you may be interested in about projects that I work on outside of this website. 

August 16, 2024

Welcome to the soft launch of my international store, www.sharondawn.biz. You will find collections for clothing, accessories, footwear & home decor. Designs are created with photography, graphic collages, painting and various other techniques. I will also be creating one-of-a-kind & limited edition items as well and will be adding them over time. As I build my collections, I will be making video montages of creativity & the final designs of various items. If you have any questions about the creative design process and customization, feel free to contact me at the following email. sharon@sharondawn.biz

August 17, 2024

In the summer of 2023, I launched another online shop which I am in the process of a shop design and inventory revamp, www.sharondawn.com. When you take a look at the designs there, you will see some similar themes, styles and images to some of my new designs here at www.sharondawn.biz. My other website is more focused on a Canadian audience, but I am in the process of expanding to the US and international markets. If you ever see anything there that you are interested in, please feel free to visit that shop or contact me to discuss purchasing options that are convenient for you. You can reach me at the following email address. sharon@sharondawn.com

August 18, 2024

In the spring of 2024, I started an external blog outside of any of my stores. This blog is a home of creative updates outside of any of my online stores or any marketplaces that I am a part of. Since I have more than one online shop and I am expanding in other areas, my lifestyle blog will be a hub of various details of my creativity and places that you can buy my variety of merch. sharondawnlifestyle.blogspot.com/

August 19, 2024

I love vintage, antiques and treasures from the past. I especially appreciate vintage phonographs, radios, typewriters, phones, brass sculptures, tableware, apparel, jewellery and classic cars. You will see these themes in various images of my designs and collections reflecting this aesthetic on my other stores and marketplaces that I offer my merch. 

August 20, 2024

My teenage dream was to own a classic car like the ones I would see sunbathing in farmers fields and on the streets of tiny towns in the prairies. Cherished cars still owned by the original owner, cars inherited by grandchildren, cars on show at classic car shows. I admired every classic car my brother drove home, mainly the VW bug and VW van. My first interest outside of that was in an MG discovered on a winter stroll with my father and brother. The second was a classic parked in front of my Dad's friends' property that I would admire everytime we would go to our second garden on his friends' property. My Dad had a brilliant sparkle blue classic Valiant which we all cherished. It was tough, strong and travelled the northern terrain like a jeep over rocky roads and washboard. As I saw my best friend buy her first cute vintage Pinto, I held on to the dream as I knew I would travel to go to design school. As years passed my love for classics continued with an appreciation for cars such as the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, Jaguar, Volvo, Saab, Impala and many other Chevy cars. My adoration for the classics is always there. When you see an owner of a classic driving with their family on a Sunday, or these gorgeous cars casually passing by on any summer day, they simply take your breathe away. Real cars with character live on in the hearts of those who want to hold on the sentimental connection with these beauties. Kudos to those who restore and care for those gems from the past.

August 21, 2024

Throughout time I have started a few collections of vintage treasures such as typewriters, a phonograph, radios, dishware and sewing machines. My most fav collection is my beloved typewriters. My first favorite typewriter is a wonderful mint blue Italian typewriter which was passed to me by my Mom. This typewriter was cherished by my family. I have great memories of playing with my nieces and nephews typing away and jamming the keys. Later on in my teens I enjoyed typing romantisized poetry about France. Since then I acquired a few more typewriters of varying styles. I have always appreciated the clickety clack, the ring of the bell and the character of these little machines of communication. This mint blue typewriter has been my first muse.

August 22, 2024

I have always loved the rich history of the phonograph and gramophones. I was fortunate to purchase a stunning phonograph from my neighbour. I photographed this beauty and I always loved this image of the heavy chrome. This phonograph has been my second muse.

August 23, 2024

Music has always been an inspiration for me. I would play my parents records, my brothers vinyl and my sister & her husbands collection. My mother loved Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and artists that sang about heartbreak. My brother indulged in folk, reggae, the Guess Who and other rockers. My sister and her husband collected rock, where I listened to the Police, Elvis, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. When I was in school I would save up my money to go on music shopping sprees every month. I enjoyed music from Britain. My collection grew every month. Later when I went to concerts I saw artists such as Robert Gordon, El Vez, Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithful, The Ramones, Huevos Rancheros, Misfits and the list goes on and on. I wanted to learn how to play an instument, but didn't pick up an instrument until later. My first instument was a guitar and then the drums. With a soprano voice I studied opera and played in a few bands. I was fortunate to play some venues on Queen Street and in New York. I enjoyed working in a few record shops and was thrilled by the adventure of going to CBGB, Tower Records in New York and Bleeker Street Bob's in Manhattan. Since then I was a dj and host for various performances, autograph sessions and events. I was part of a music marketing and promotions team and was always passionate about various genres of music. For me it was never about a singular genre, but more about the passion, soul, angst, peace or catharsis expressed. With my dj role I had the pleasure of hosting performances and autograph sessions for Herbie Hancock and Red Hot Chili Peppers. This collage is a reflection of some of my experiences and a mash up of sentimental items and images collected over time. These items have been encorporated into an art piece created for an art show challenging artists to create using recycled or repurposed materials. This collage is entitled My Music Diary. You will see clippings from various music memorabilia, album covers, a bass drum skin, snare drum accessories, guitar picks, opera sheet music, images of phonographs & microphones and much more. The back has guitar strings and colorful wires from an fx pedal now used as the collage frame hanger on the back. This collage accompanied a diary which described some of my favorite musical moments, concerts and my appreciation of many genres of music.

August 24, 2024

My first thrift shop visit was in a small prairie town. The shop was on the other side of town, and in an area I did not venture to very often. Noone was there except for me and the shop owner. I remember the packed double stacked racks and the bright yellowish light. This was a new adventure for me and an unpopular choice in my town. I searched the racks until I picked a brown fringed suede jacket and a kelly green cardigan which must have been owned by someone's Grandpa. When I moved to Toronto for fashion school, my first job was working for a vintage shop which later I became the manager. Later on I became a vintage clothing buyer for their stores, other stores across Canada and a variety of clients across the US, UK, Japan and  Australia. I would wake up at dawn and get ready for a day of treasure hunting. Finding vintage collegiate jackets, sports jerseys, Levi's, suede skirts, patterned scarves, flowy dresses and much more. The fabrics, textures, colors and diverse vintage styles were like hunting for trufffles in an Italian forest or mining for captivating quartz in an underground mine. These long exhausting days searching for these textile gems were thrilling. Since then I have created one-of-a-kind apparel & home decor items using vintage materials and sometimes upcycle while merging new textiles and vintage materials & details. You will see more of this at my home studio store. There I am still archiving all of my unique items fabricated with vintage buttons, unique zips and other nostalgic detailing. www.sharondawn.com

August 25, 2024

One of my most enjoyable passions is photography. I snap pics till I get the shot that makes me content. I enjoy photographs of vintage cars, architecture, antiques, floral compositions and landscapes. I like looking at things with a different perspective and finding beauty in the unexpected. It could be a tail light, the curve of a bumper, the chrome on a phonograph. a small detail in an architectural masterpiece or the breathtaking hue of a flower.

August 26, 2024

I have always been passionate about all forms of art especially painting, illustration & sculpture. Some of my favorite artists, photographers, architects & sculptors are Gustav Klimt, Camille Claudel, Salvador Dali, Frank Gehry, Rodin, Edward Burtynsky, the Group of 7 and I could go on and on. I have had a great appreciation and admiration of the personal exploration of self when you dig down deep and let go of your ego to take a risk and just play with paint or other artistic mediums without premeditation. I love the feel of a paint brush in hand on a large canvas. The authentic state of mind that is hard to reach to allow yourself to channel whatever it is that you need to while travelling through that portal of expression. I have excelled in fashion illustration and tried my hand at life drawing, but for now I prefer the trials and tribulations of the emotional expressions of color. Approaching the canvas with an empty mind and no direction. Just simply seeing where the paint brush takes me and where the paint allows me to take it. I do not want to take it too seriously. But, I do want to appreciate the experience for what it is. After many creative blocks, I want to go in a few other directions. But, I am willing to take is slow and see where it evolves. Here is just a sliver of some of my experimentations with paint. I am looking forward to sharing more. In the photo here you will see images of the paintings entitled Spring, Galaxy, Angel and Motivation. I see these paintings every day, sometimes I forget that they are even there, but they are a part of me and the journey that I am on.

August 27, 2024

Some of my designs are experimentations of various styles & a pop of colour. I like to create a mashup that catches your eye, stimulates the mind and is an escape from everyday life. With graphic design and digital collage I challenge myself to create something new, a little different and something that will take you to another place with a bit of visual poetry or a splash of text.