vancouver: car-free day

we took a stroll up main street today and caught up with friends & folks at the car-free day festival and blim craft market. sweater (and coat) weather in june aside, a great day all around!

 

 

 

 

 

t is for tiny

i've recently taken on a new role as the designer-in-residence at tiny, an adorable little shop at the recently-renovated river market in new westminster. tiny carries a curated collection of specialty foods and whimsical crafts made by artisans from around british columbia. some of my favourites:

cards and dutch birthday calendars from the beautiful project

sesamo bianco, white chocolate sesame from cocoa nymph

the cutest resin bottlecap and tile magnets from firefly notes

and of course, tiny is carrying my line. i'm happy to be working on my craft while at the store - i love a chance to spread out on the tables and answer questions about what i'm making. 

last weekend i started a new batch of tooth fairy pillow kits and this week i'm working on new smiling felt pins and barrettes. next week i hope to haul in my sewing machine and get down to business! 

stop in for a visit the next time you're in the area. 

all wrapped up!

the holiday craft show season of 2010 is officially done for me!  with shows almost every weekend for the last month it has been a busy season.

on saturday i did the excitingly-named nice balls xmas sale at little mountain gallery on east 26th in vancouver's mid-main neighbourhood.  it's a very cool art and music space and the show united a good selection of hip vancouver crafters. put on by melanie of a farmer's daughter, we had good music, were well-stocked with mind-meltingly delicious treats made by elisha of sweet valentines high tea catering, had awesome vintage clothes from melanie of sassy vintage and many great makers.

and sunday wrapped up the season with the artsy fartsy craft market at the carousel theatre on granville island.  it was a first-time event and a fundraiser for youth theatre. it was also a good chance for me to do some of my own christmas shopping - i am woefully under-prepared this year.  favourites were the sewing kits made by sam of sammade (and i had to treat myself to one of her awesome buttery-soft gold leather pencil cases!), the beautiful environmentally-conscious paper goodies from note + emote and i couldn't help squeeing at the super-cute gnomes and creatures from jocelan at cutesypoo.  i love buying local and handmade, and am even happier giving or enjoying something knowing about the person and process behind the product.

 

a big thank you to everyone who visited these events, who has cheered me on and supported me and all the talented local crafters this year.  and thanks so much to all the fellow makers for continuing to inspire me, for sharing tips and techniques, and for working together to create a vibrant and welcoming handmade community.

2010 has definitely been one of transition for me and i am looking forward to some big changes in 2011 - stay tuned!

got craft awesomeness

thank you to everyone who dropped by the fantastic got craft event on sunday!  it was my first time as a vendor at the holiday show and man, it did not disappoint. some events are more fun on the shopping side of the table but not the case on sunday. from the long line of folks who started queuing at 6am to get a much-coveted swag bag to the round of closing applause from the other vendors, it was a blast.

 

 

i managed to finally start my christmas shopping there too, so bonus! i have never thought of myself as a terribly last-minute shopper but for the past few weeks i seem to have run into every person in the lower mainland who is comfortably reclining on their satisfied laurels on top of a heap of gifts. having started, i now feel a little more like a functional adult! of course my finds are still a secret...

and for myself, since i can't resist, i got a swell caboose tee from locomotive clothing and traded the lovely valerie of cabin + cub for a beautiful woodburned birdie panel. have wanted to add a piece from her collection to my den wall forever. trades rock! so does winning - free morrocan mint lipgloss from the awesome folks at olive bath & body for completing a scavenger hunt they tossed up on twitter. 

and thank you to a few wonderful craft-loving folks who mentioned hudsonny in their got craft reviews. check out these lovely blogs by other talented local folks. many thanks to carli of the terrific blog stitch rabbit, shalyn of ars gratia artis and yukirat of vancouver portraits who did an adorable sketch of me at the table - so cute!

and in case you missed it, here's a great time-lapse video taken at the spring show. it shows the entire day's set-up, craft event and tear-down in two minutes!  

Got Craft from blueolive on Vimeo.

emily carr student art sale

i stopped by the emily carr student art sale today after my relief printmaking class let out. there were lots of great things left by the time i rolled by (on the last day of the three-day event) - prints, original art, ceramics and sculpture, as well as some jewelery and wearable pieces. while there were finds at every price point, sadly my favourite things were a bit out of my yard-sale budget! i didn't even see the tag on this piece, but i covet it. doesn't everyone need a fixed gear bike complete with knitted cozy?

i'm alive!

you can now find my gnomes at the super-cute brand-new dilly dally kids on commercial drive here in vancouver!

owner claire hutch runs the cutest place. it's beautiful inside, full of inspiring fun stuff - i really wanted to travel back in time to kindergarten just being there!

(also, post serves purpose to prove that i'm still alive.  october was busy and interesting.  keep tuned in - rejigging ahead and news about holiday events!)

grand opening: spool of thread

had to swing past the fab new sewing lounge spool of thread today for their official grand opening.

i'm sure i wasn't alone in singing "hallelujah!" from the corner of fraser and 15th! there is much to sing about: a shop full of hand-picked fabrics and a space where you can drop in and sew by the hour - six machines, room to move, tools of the trade and a welcoming, bright, modern atmosphere. they offer classes too, from sewing 101 to a variety of project-specific workshops. and looking at the row of gleaming machines, i had such an urge to hold a crafternoon in the space!

of course, i had to leave with a little something... cream fabric with aqua dashes for the back of a quilt-in-the-making and some lovely hatched charcoal fabric - possibly, hopefully a skirt for yours truly. or many dresses for little girls. ;-) i suspect i will be going back for more very soon, and a class to boot.

covet, covet, covet

i stopped for a peek today at the local blim craft market and spotted many lovely locals who will also be at next week's got craft? event. one of my many favourites?

loved, coveted, drooled over the beautiful ceramics and jewelery by claire madill of hey day - particularly the awesome vintage jar series. i love them all! there's something about the contrast - the essential usefulness and practicality of the jars against the clean, modern finish. they're porcelain, slipcast using molds taken from the original vintage glass jars. lined with a shiny clear glaze, they're functional as well! especially love the beaver jars!

barefoot for the holidays

i am so, so, so excited to share the news - my stuffed creatures are for sale locally in barefoot contessa, the fab vancouver boutiques located on main street and on commercial drive!

my gnomes, tooth fairy pillows, bunnies and drooling kerchiefs are all there and were specially made just for the shops.they're all nestled amongst the other lovely items - i adore the way the kids sections of the stores are displayed. this is the display in the main street shop

they're up in time for christmas - actually, they were there a few weeks ago, but man alive it's been a busy few weeks and my blogging is catching up! there's only a week of shopping time left, so if you're looking for something fun for the baby, kid or child-at-heart in your life, stop by and adopt one! ;-) i'm sure you'll find loads to fill their (and your) stockings while shopping - the stores are heavenly and filled with lovely treats of all sorts - fashion, jewelery and trinkets galore, many from local and independent designers.

happy shopping!

one of a kind - you must go!

just got back from a stroll through the delightful one of a kind vancouver show. it was my first year making the trip - in the past i've somehow missed it for one reason or another - and it was well worth a visit! it's on for the rest of the weekend - all day saturday (10-9) and sunday (10-5) at the vancouver convention centre (the original site, under the five sails). tickets are $10, or $8 if you buy online and there really is something for everyone.

there was everything from jewelery to fashion, foods and home decor, art and of course my favourite - paper goods and eccentric little creations.

i should have taken photos of all the amazing displays but i always feel kind of conspicuous! thankfully i worked up the nerve to ask permission to snag some photos of these favourites:

the fab hobsnobs booth featured the work of jeannette of the beautiful project, valerie of cabin & cub and sasha of track & field. i loved the way their pieces complimented each other and the simplicity of their display really let their work take centre stage, as it deserves. if you're looking for a beautiful gift, cheeky card or little treasure for yourself it's a one-stop shop right there! i especially love the holiday cards, the collage and woodburned wall panels, the laptop bags and the little bird pins.

i fell in absolute love with the dresses, hooded caps and capes for wee girls at the patouche booth. meticulously crafted and beautifully displayed, the clothes are a dream - definitely the kind that become heirloom pieces. i'm not in the mood for more babies, but the girl clothes would almost make it worthwhile! the small-batch clothes are getting a lot of press, and there's a great interview with creator kessa over at make something.

and i spotted (and sniffed) the most delicious-smelling premium natural skin care products from matter company. i really loved their mama & baby range - gorgeous products infused with essential oils and made with ingredients such as shea butter and beeswax.

just a few of the many other favourites that i didn't get photos for were the organic linen baby slings & nursing covers from toronto-based ollie go lightly, the whimsical creations from roxypop and little red caboose and amazing work from the emily carr university of art + design.

and if all that isn't enough - there's fudge! mmm... going to dig into mine now. maple! i'm hoping to go back tomorrow or sunday to pick up a few things i didn't get a chance to go back for today. once we ran out of crackers it was time to hit the dusty trails... good news though - your admission is good all weekend!

vancouver by day

was leaving the park today when i spotted these folks. something about the pink bicycle perked at the ready and the two of them making out on top of that dry grassy hill where the sky turns to nothingness with the fringe of the city behind them... making out in broad daylight just made me smile. ahh, summer love.

buttons!

if you're in the vancouver area and in need of some vintage buttons, have i got the store for you.

button button just reopened! their new gastown location is a cute little place, tucked up on the second floor of a heritage building at 318 homer street.

first of all, i could barely get over my excitement when i first stepped in the door; they have pound bags of fun buttons for $4! and there's every kind of vintage button you could ask for - wood, glass, abelone, plastic and bakelite, rhinestone and more - displayed in adorable yellow drawers, shelves and tables. they even have organized-by-colour drawers of orphan buttons for just ten cents each. where on earth can you get anything for ten cents nowadays?

i don't collect buttons - i buy them to use in projects like coffee cozies, barrettes and plushies, but i can definitely see how one can get started down the road to amassing a huge collection...