A reflection of good taste

Mardi-Bras is delighted to announce the latest generous donation to our silent auction from an anonymous donor.

This piece, Floating Table with Cup, is by Mark Manchester, who is a key grip and amateur photographer.

According to Mark, this photograph was taken using a Pentax 750z digital camera while working on the set of Being Erica, during the summer of 2008. The picture was cropped and slightly colour amended in iPhoto before being printed on an Epson R280 printer.


Mark writes: "The interest to me at the time was the number of reflected elements visible. The table is reflected in the window of the building that was a location for our television show. The building across the street which acts as a background was being lit by reflections of sunlight hitting our building. The green and black squares shown are the reflection of the building we were in. The cup in the foreground is also the cup on the table.

"As a key grip, I play a role in the lighting of a set. Light, shadow and reflections all fascinate me and create a richness of texture which helps become that temporary world for the actors and storytellers. On occasion I will record an interesting image as I see it. Lucky for me the sets have been lit by a talented team of professionals... I merely take advantage of proximity."

Don't be so modest, Mark! This is a beautiful fleeting moment that has been captured forever by someone who noticed it and the resulting masterpiece will be treasured by a lucky bidder in our silent auction.

Thank you very much to our generous anonymous donor!

Keeping in touch

Further to an earlier blog post, we can now tell you about Dave Staffen of Send Out Cards' other donation to the Mardi-Bras silent auction.

Dave is donating a $25 greeting card account to our silent auction. The lucky bidder will have access to the Send Out Cards system for one year and they will receive enough points to send out 10 greeting cards or 20 postcards. They will also be able to personalize the inside of each card with a picture or a message of their own. Send Out Cards features more than 16,000 cards, which you send from your computer through the post to a friend or family member. Your recipient gets a physical card from you that they will treasure.












Plus for every new account that Dave sets up in the next 12 months, he will donate $5 to the Cancer Society in memory of his family member who passed away from breast cancer.

Thank you so much Dave Staffen of Send Out Cards!

The Super Bowl ain't got nothin' on our halftime show!

Hooray! We recently got confirmation that we will have a wonderful halftime show during the Mardi-Bras parade -- which is less than two weeks away!

Keeping with our celebration of the human body, we have a belly dancer to entertain our many guests as a break during the runaway section of the show. Kristina Shea is a professional belly dancer from Burlington, who will dazzle and delight you with her belly dancing skills.

We look forward to Kristina's performance and know that you will enjoy it as much as we will!

Sci Feye Candy is Back!

Sarah Cresswell of Sci Feye Candy is officially back for her second Mardi-Bras as an artist and generous sponsor!

Along with this year's fabulous creation Sarah is donating one of her super-handy leg-holster bags as seen in her accessories gallery. (I love mine, makes you feel like Lara Croft.)

Based in Scarborough, Sarah works on a custom order basis and from the looks of her website, she can make just about anything you can imagine! Sarah started Sci Feye Candy after graduating from the Fashion Techniques and Design program at George Brown College. In addition to getting Sci Feye Candy up and running, Sarah currently works part-time at Plastik Wrap in Toronto.







Thank you so much Sarah of Sci Feye Candy!

Taking the High Road

The wonderful people at High Road Communications Toronto, have very generously donated a collection of DVDs to our raffle and silent auction!

We won't give away the titles, but this is a really nice collection with a lot of variety!

High Road is a Communications and PR firm. According to their mission statement; "It’s about the passion to drive your company onward. We shape innovative communications strategies for your brand. And we deliver on them."

This is not the first time High Road has given to the community. Recently one of their CEOs, Mia Wedgbury, created and contributed a piece of art to the Sketch auction. Sketch is a Toronto art studio devoted to street youth.

Thank you so much High Road Communications!

Nails By Natalie

Nails By Natalie of Toronto has very generously donated gift certificates for two people to enjoy a manicure and pedicure!

After all, the only thing better than a mani and pedi is enjoying them with your favourite person!
This pair of gift certificates will be added to our grand prize raffle so you'll have to be at the show to win them! If you just can't wait that long you can book your appointment with Nails By Natalie at 14 Isabella St., Toronto (416) 961-nail (6245).

Thank You So much Nails By Natalie!

Suddenly, I could use a Mai Tai

Our latest addition to the Mardi-Bras show comes from Wendy Aaltomaa of Thunder Bay.

Without giving away too much, Wendy's theme has us all thinking of warm breezes, sunsets, ukulele music and sipping on something frosty and fruity while digging your toes into the hot sand.

Wendy is a graphic designer and as a good Northern Ontario girl, she enjoys fishing, hiking, camping, scrapbooking and spending time with her cats. This fall, she and her husband are looking forward to the birth of the first new addition to their family!

Wendy would like to dedicate her lovely creation to all breast cancer patients and survivors.

Thank you and Congratulations Wendy!

We're officially coast to coast!

Today, Mardi-Bras got it first Mardi-Bras Bra from the East Coast, and our second out-of-province submission. This lovely piece of art -- yes, it's a bra, but it's a lovely one-of-a-kind creation -- is from our talented Bra Artistian, Sarah O'Malley of Halifax! It's a really beauty and continues the high standard for Mardi-Bras Bra submissions we have received so far! Thanks Sarah!

Just 15 days to go!

Fifth Avenue Jewelry

Mardi-Bras is pleased to announce the addition of another generous sponsor to our silent auction!

Heather Faulkner, independent jeweler with the Fifth Avenue Collection has donated some lovely pieces for your bidding pleasure!

Heather chose a business opportunity with Fifth Avenue after deciding to stay home with her children. She needed a flexible business plan that allowed her to get out and socialize while stabilizing her income. Fifth Avenue fit the bill!

You can find the full catalog at Heather's website. While you're there you can book a show and if you choose to become a VIP customer, shipping is free on orders of $50 or more!

Thank you so much Heather of Fifth Avenue Jewelry!

The Bras are coming in fast and fantastic!

We at Mardi Bras are thrilled to announce that another wonderful Mardi-Bras Bra has been received!

This lovely creation is from Bra Artistian Karen Killbride. Karen is a classically trained animator and illustrator. Her career includes credits with Disney and Warner feature animation. Presently, Karen’s time is occupied with her wonderful family and job, yet she still manages to squeeze in a little time to be creative!

Karen dedicates her Bra, as always, to Heather and Jodi, who are at the top of her list. Then, to the memory of darling Michelle and the future her tiny children face without her.

Thanks to Karen Killbride for her superb creation which is sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Our first out-of-province Mardi-Bras Bra

We are over the moon to announce that we just got our first out-of-province Mardi-Bras Bra from Deanna Partridge-David of Deedeebird Art & Illustration. Deanna took part in last year's event and we are truly delighted to have her back again.

The bra, which came all the way from British Columbia, looks great. We'd love to show it to you, we really, really would. But that would spoil the surprise. It is gorgeous! Do you want to see it? Well, you'll have to come to Mardi-Bras on July 10th to see it and all the other fantastic Mardi-Bras Bras from our talented Bra Artistians.

Deanna dedicates her wonderful creation to Ruth, her husband's aunt. Ruth is a breast cancer survivor who is participating in studies to further breast cancer research. Good for Ruth and for Deanna!

Thanks to Deanna of Deedeebird Art & Illustration for her excellent creation which is sure to be a crowd favourite!

22 Days to Go!

The date for Mardi-Bras is drawing nearer and nearer! July 10th is going to be so much fun!

The planning, the tiny details, and behind-the-scenes programming for Mardi-Bras' second fund-raising event are well under way. We have lots of models (but could do with a few more fabulous ladies!); lots of wonderful bras are coming in, including out-of-province creations; more wonderful sponsors who know a good thing when they see it; great artists donating their time and talent to help us raise money with the silent auction in the fight against breast cancer and a few surprises up our sleeves to make the evening a magical and memorable event. You'll have so much fun!

Just 22 days to go!

Janac Sportswear

Mardi-Bras would like to turn our spotlight on Janac Sportswear for this blog post.

Janac Sportswear was launched about 10 years ago when Janet Cockburn couldn't find a good sports bra to wear after having a mastectomy. Janac Sportswear, a Canadian company, fills an ever-growing need to help breast cancer survivors feel good about their body-image. The company has two products -- various styles of sports bras for women who have undergone mastectomies, and Been-A-Boob, a prosthesis that acts like a breast, which is also available in various shapes and sizes.

As we all could guess in a fight with cancer, every bit of morale counts and Janac Sportswear fills an important need for breast cancer survivors to feel good about themselves.

How tweet!

Mardi-Bras is now on Twitter. Follow the adventures of Mammy Gram's girls as they put together the social event of the season!

A generous anonymous gift!

Mardi-Bras is pleased to announce its latest donation to our silent auction, a $50 gift certificate which will be honoured at either Klaxon Howl or Delphic. This very generous donation has been made anonymously.

Klaxon Howl is location at 694r Queen Street, West (rear entrance) and Delphic can be found at 706 Queen Street, West, at Manning Avenue, just west of Bathurst Street in Toronto. Klaxon Howl, according to its blog spot, draws its inspirations for its clothing lines from the spirit and icons of the past, creating unique clothing with a nostalgic, ardent feel. Toronto Life’s review of Delphic describes its fashion line as current streetwear that is classic enough to last, the shop also carries some women’s wear and jewellery.

Thank you very much to our very generous anonymous donor!

Kookaburra Laughing Productions Presents A Very Special Guest Artist.

Seven-year-old Kalyna Kuzyk was only two when her Mumma was diagnosed with breast cancer. Although she doesn't remember too much about that time, Kalyna understands how breast cancer has affected her Mumma's life. Proving that little people can do great things, Miss Kuzyk decided to paint one of her magical birds on wood and donate it to Mardi-Bras to help raise money to end breast cancer. In her spare time Miss Kuzyk loves to read novels, write stories, paint unique, colourful birds, "do" art, and trains six hours a week in competitive gymnastics. Kalyna hopes her bird entitled Marcellus, the Slicker Chicken raises "at least $40, if that's not too much" at Mardi-Bras. Let's not disappoint this budding philanthropist!

Mardi-Bras on Facebook

Lisa Farinaccio of Cherrylicious, and one of our own Mardi-Bra artists has graciously gone to the trouble of setting up a Facebook event page for us! Please feel free to invite your entire friends list and share with everyone you know!

Share on Facebook

We'll have a (basket) ball!

Mardi-Bras is proud to announce its two latest submissions to our silent auction: a fine-looking basketball and jersey, both signed by the Harlem Globetrotters! These two exciting items were kindly donated to our silent auction by Dave Staffen of Send Out Cards.









Send Out Cards features more than 16,000 cards, which you send from your computer through the post to a friend or family member. Your recipient gets a physical card from you that they will treasure. Send Out Cards has more than 500 Christmas cards and over 200 Hallowe'en cards! You can also design your own one-of-a-kind card when you want to let that one-of-a-kind person know that you are thinking of them. Dave invites you to visit the website to send a free card.

A future post to our Mardi-Bras blog will be about Dave's other generous donation to our silent auction and more information about his company, Send Out Cards.

Thank you so much Dave Staffen of Send Out Cards!

Fuzzy fun!

Banjo Puppets has once again added some fuzz and fun to the Mardi-Bras silent auction! We are the proud temporary custodians of three little puppets, who are all eagerly waiting for new homes! The puppets donated by Banjo Puppets for last year's silent auction were a hit and more than one person was sad not to go home with one of the adorable critters. (They are very trainable!)

Banjo Puppets is a Toronto-based company, which makes fabulous hand-crafted puppets that have been featured on television, in music videos, on live stage and in festivals.


Joel even made us a Mardi-Bras exclusive. She is so glittery, drag queens would think she's a bit much. We've named her Zsa Zsa. Won't you consider giving a home to one of these wonderful puppets?


Thanks so much to Banjo Puppets!

An old-fashioned way to beat breast cancer

Jamie Pratt has donated two handmade books to the Mardi-Bras silent auction!

Several years ago Jamie took a course on bookbinding and has subsequently bound dozens and dozens of books; both old volumes with worn bindings, which required some loving care to once more become treasured objects and new books made from blank pages. Jamie is currently rebinding an early 19th-century set of Samuel Johnson's works. After rebinding each volume in the set, Jamie is reading it, so by the end he will have read all of Johnson's papers, introductions, essays, novels, etc.

The two books Jamie has donated to Mardi-Bras are purse/pocket size and have blank papers which are perfect for jotting down thoughts, recording journal entries or for drawings.

Thanks so much to Jamie Pratt!

The Bata Shoe Museum helps us take a step towards curing breast cancer

The Bata Shoe Museum, one of Toronto's great museums, has kindly donated a Family Pass to Mardi-Bras' silent auction!

The Bata Shoe Museum features a one-of-a-kind collection; shoes from all walks of life! The Museum has tens of thousands of boots, mules, slippers, clogs, pumps, sandals, etc. Each one has a fascinating story, such as shoes worn by Elton John, ballerina Karen Kain, or "lotus" shoes for bound feet once considered the high of beauty for women in China. The collection of the Museum spans the globe and 4,500 years of history!

The Museum also features a charming section about how shoes have played a role in children's literature over the centuries. (Where would Cinderella be without her shoes?)

Thank you so much to the Bata Shoe Museum!

All Dressed Returns!

Our latest contribution to the Mardi-Bras silent auction recently arrived from Arlen of All Dressed couture!

Like last year, it's another gorgeous handmade scarf, using a silk blend velvet lined with 100% silk charmeuse and chiffon. She does the burn out pattern by hand and as always, her work is absolutely flawless.

All Dressed is Arlen's own label. She is an accomplished couture with an education in historical costume and can handle any kind of special request. Arlen has created everything from original costumes for bands, film, television to tiny puppets and enormous mascots, and replicas for those of us with a taste for authentic Hallowe'en costumes. She also handles custom-fit corsetry, bridal and evening wear.











Thank you so much Arlen of All Dressed!

It was in the cards

Mardi-Bras is delighted to have our tarot card reader return from last year's event.

Since childhood, Leanne has felt a special calling to the imaginative power of archetype, and has devoted much time and study in her adult life to further understand the mysteries of our universal story. She considers the time she spends reading the cards as a spiritual practice, intended to shine a light on situations in our lives that can confound us if we do not recognize the richness and complexities that surround our circumstances.

Please spend some time with Leanne and the tarot to help us beat breast cancer at Mardi-Bras!