Looking for something to satisfy your crafty side this last weekend of April? Even if spring has been a little slow to make her presence known this year, there are plenty of shows happening across the nation to help us usher out April’s showers and bring in the May flowers.
Here are a few events going on this weekend that are definitely worth checking out! (Oh, and we hear there is some small, understated wedding that took place earlier today, but hardly anyone is taking notice of *that* Event…)
Calgary, AB: Make It! The Handmade Revolution
Make It is one of my favourite shows in our fair Prairies (coming soon to Edmonton, too!) with a wonderful range of established and emerging artists. Browse with wine in hand, and shop to the beat of local DJs – awesome! With 50+ vendors for the Calgary show this weekend (some of whom we’ve featured here at C+H in the past like Superfly Lullabies, Cloud+Lolly, Peeko Apparel and more!), you’re bound to find something you love!
197 – 1 Street SW, Calgary – Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre (free parking).
Friday, April 29: 4pm to 9pm
Saturday, April 30: 11am to 6pm
Sunday, May 1: 11am to 5pm
P.S. Don’t forget your coupon!
Calgary, AB: Spring Festival of Crafts
Calgary gets a double-whammy of crafty goodness this weekend, with the Spring Festival of Crafts event happening as well. With close to 150 vendors, the Big Four Building at Stampede Park will be full of spring inspiration! A few C+H favourites will be there as well, including Sugar Soul Studio, Stephanimals and more.
Friday, April 29th to Sunday, May 1st at the Big Four Building in Stampede Park. Map and parking details!
Friday 10 am to 9:30pm
Saturday 10 am to 6 pm
Sunday 10 am to 5 pm
Adults $5, Seniors (65+) $4, Youths (13-17) $4
Free Admission for children (12 and under)
One time admission fee – pick up your free re-entry at the show!
Milton, ON: Milton Farm Spring Craft Show
Just a short drive down the 401 from the GTA you can find Country Heritage Park, home to this weekend’s Milton Farm Spring Craft Show. Don’t let the word “farm” scare you away if your taste is not particularly country… there is lots to see for every taste and style! Over 130 exhibitors present their jewelry, clothing, indoor and outdoor decor, toys, delicious food, and more. It is a great event, in a fantastic setting, and you won’t want to miss it! The show runs from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Adult admission is $5.00 and there is plenty of free parking on site. The event will run rain or shine (many vendors are located in the historic buildings) and you can get directions here. Enjoy!
St. Catharines, ON: Brocante Lux Fashion and Art Market
The Brocante Lux is a fashion and art event, with a clothing swap too! Music, art, good food and even a swing dance demonstration all while you browse some of the best the Niagara creative scene has to offer.
Friday April 29th 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Market Square, St. Catharines
Toronto, ON: Drake Spring Market
This popular one day sale is back! Check it out at the Drake Hotel for a variety of vendors and wares.
Saturday, April 30 · 10:00am – 4:00pm
The Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen Street West, Toronto ON.
St. John, NB: Spring Craft Sale/Fundraising for Japan
Another one-day sale, this time a little further east in Saint John, New Brunswick. Come out to the Best Western Hotel to check out a selection of local artisans and help raise some money for the people and communities devastated by the March earthquake and tsunami.
Saturday, April 30 · 10:00am – 6:00pm
The Best Western Hotel
55 Major Brooks Dr ( MacCallister Shopping area ), Saint John, NB
Halifax, NS: Halifax Crafters Society Spring Flight
Over 70 of Halifax’s finest crafters will be setting up this weekend at the Olympic Centre. Abiding by their mandate to “encourage new artists and local artmaking”, this juried craft show features a blend of emerging and established local artisans. If you’ve got a few minutes, check out the Halifax Crafters blog for some lovely interviews with a few of their vendors, too.
April 30 and May 1, from 11a.m. to 6 p.m.
Olympic Centre, Halifax NS. (At the corner of Hunter and Cunard streets)
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As always, if you know of any events happening this weekend or coming up, do let us know so that we can share the good news!
Cheers to a lovely spring weekend!
~Sarah and Jennifer
In keeping with the world wide obsession with all things Royal this week, I have decided to celebrate something wholeheartedly English… Tea! I love tea, as my collection of teapots can attest, so I thought I would share a few tea related items with you today. Each would make a great gift for any upcoming wedding (even if your invite to Friday’s main event *did* get lost in the mail.. just like mine!). No vow-swapping events in your near future? You may wind up wanting one for yourself!
- What’s mine is yours? hmmm… maybe not when it comes to your favorite beverage!
<image source> This set from Vancouver’s Petrulia finds a nice balance between “couple-y” and “personal space”… love it! Also, everything in the shop is recycled/reclaimed and then given a new (and beautiful) lease on life with handpainted designs.
oooh... this would be a perfect addition to my collection!
<image source> This hand-thrown set from Chalk and Mud has such a beautiful blue colour. It would be a lovely accent to almost any kitchen.
You could say this one is just about Purr-fect... (*groan*)
<image source> This unique wavy piece is courtesy of Caroline Bousquet from Montreal. I think the shape is appealing, and the mischievous cat makes me chuckle. Caroline also has some great hand painted glass items in her shop, including this super-cute turtle that stole my heart.
No matter if you are a tea fanatic, a coffee aficionado, or a hot chocolate chugger, everyone can appreciate a little bit of style and fun when you are sipping your drink of choice!
~Jennifer
*My mother swears that the number of teapots you receive at your wedding symbolizes how many children you will have. Has anyone else heard of this before? Or is she just wishful thinking? (We got *five* at our wedding, and I treasure them… but not sure that I need a kiddo for each!)
Long weekends are always a good thing. They are even better when you can mix in some crafty goodness and handmade shopping! If you are in Southwestern Ontario or Vancouve, you have a great opportunity to satisfy your appetite for all things handmade… you won’t want to miss it!
Kitchener, ON: The 21st annual From Our Hands To Yours show takes place at the Kitchener Auditorium this Friday and Saturday. It’s a fantastic Easter tradition around K-W, and full of great local talent! Doors open at 10:oo am both days, and you can even save $1.00 on admission by printing this coupon. Not sure how to find the Aud? Directions are here. I’ll be stopping by on Friday, hope to see you there! *Insider’s Tip: make sure you get a sample of the delicious garlic spread, it will have you coming back for more, guaranteed!
Vancouver, BC: Portebello West
This monthly art market presents their Easter weekend sale! Their new location at the Creekside Recreation Centre in the Olympic Village has enough space for 90 vendors and, according to their website, has a fantastic view too :)
March 26th and 27th from 11am to 5pm
Admission: $2 for non-members.
Do you know of an event that we should be sharing with our readers? Send us an email, we’d love to spread the word…
Cheers!
~Jennifer
So, apparently, there’s a big wedding coming up next week?! Prince, Princess, royals everywhere and oh, the fashion! Prince William and Kate Middleton will be married April 29th at Westminster Abbey, and while I will admit that I haven’t paid much attention to the details, I have definitely noticed Ms. Middleton’s fabulous style.
The blue dress she wore for their engagement announcement has become a huge seller, and I’ve been seeing more press about her gorgeous choices of headwear. She is, it seems, a big fan of the fascinator.
Fascinators are headpieces that traditionally attach to the hair using a comb or a clip (but some use a headband), and are an alternative to the more traditional hats worn at important social events – like royal weddings! – or as evening wear. These delicate, fanciful headpieces most often include feathers and flowers, and add a definite punch of drama to your fanciest outfit.
In my search, I came across Vancouver’s LuLu Island Studio and Powder Blue Bijoux – both shops operated by jewelery and fashion designer Alana Belton. Her passion for beautiful materials including Swarovski crystals, silver and gold translates into really gorgeous accessories!
Make a statement on your big day.
Simply stunning!
Ivory Fascinator with French Tulle
In response to customer requests for a little more colour in her traditionally white bridal options at Powder Blue Bijoux, the LuLu Island line was created. Since I’m not currently in the market for bridal wear, I’m thrilled to see the rich peacock blues and vibrant reds that she creates for LuLu Island!
A gorgeous addition to any evening outfit! Love it!
Fuschia fabulous
Be sure to drop by Powder Blue Bijoux and LuLu Island Studio for more fabulous headpiece options – really, some drop-dead gorgeous pieces available, and she is willing to do custom adjustments as well!
Cheers,
~Sarah
P.S. Bonus points to the reader who can reference the post title, and in so doing, gets a small glimpse into my early-teen-years obsession with British music ;)
Yesterday I spent the day working at the MS Walk near my hometown. It’s a great fundraiser, and I really enjoy helping to organize the event each spring. But there is one thing that is not-so-great almost every year… the weather. Doesn’t matter if the weekend before was beautiful (it was), or the weekend after an absolute delight (it probably will be). Without fail, come Walk weekend, it will be cold, windy, possibly raining, or even hail and a mini-blizzard. This year we had a wonderful combo-pack including a little bit from all of the above. Understandably, much of the conversations after the event were about the weather, and someone was telling me how sad she was that she hadn’t thought to bring her thrummed mittens. Since I had never heard of thrummed mitts before, I had to ask what she meant. Her eyes lit up and she said that they are truly The. Warmest. Mittens. Ever.
I am told that thrumming is an East Coast tradition where raw fleece is knitted directly into the mitten. This gives it an incredibly warm lining that is even water resistant, and keeps your fingers toasty and snug in any weather. The process gives the mitts a distinctive appearance, with little “v” or heart-shaped dots spaced regularly across the whole thing.
They may not look that different from your average mitten...
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... but check out the inside! How could your fingers be cold when they are all snuggled into this?
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There are several colour options to choose from, I particularly like these brown/beige ones:
Nice and neutral
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Now it just wouldn’t be fair if the adults in the house had toasty warm hands, and the wee ones were left shivering… so of course there are thrummed baby mittens. (all together now… awwww)
Cute and cozy thumbless mitts for baby
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I know what you are thinking “Gee thanks Jenn, but where can I get some of these super fleece-powered mittens for myself?”. I found these ones at the abitofthisabitofthat Etsy shop. Lucky Maritimer’s can probably find them easily at Church Bazaars and such, but we know that there are crafty East Coast folks scattered all over the country, so ask around! You may find someone who could make you a pair, or maybe even teach you to make your own (if you are so inclined).
Oooooh, I wonder if they make thrummed socks*.. We could banish cold feet forever!
~All thawed out and ready for a new week ahead,
Jenn
*Update: Of course they do, I knew that idea was so great there was no way I was the first to think it up!
In a parallel universe, there’s a version of me living in a super-modern loft apartment somewhere in Denmark. You know, the kind where the interior decor is all white, with hits of colour here and there and no. clutter. anywhere.
Since I can’t make that my reality right now, instead I’m going to covet the work of Zoe Garred. Her line of beautifully simple and elegant “pools”, sold under the Fleet banner, is lovely. From the Fleet website:
Pools is a complete ceramic tableware collection consisting of vessels and lids that can be used in many combinations for multiple purposes.
Versatile vessels: pools can be used as bowls, vases, serving trays or anything you'd like!
Gorgeous colours!
Simplicity in a table setting
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Click here for a short stop-motion video of some of the uses that Zoe considers for her multi-functional pools and I’m sure you’ll think of more of your own!
3 weeks ago, the new Shell lamp was launched, shown below. I love it’s warm glow through the porcelain, and the low profile. Even if you don’t live in that Danish loft I dream of (or, okay, maybe a wicked warehouse conversion in Vancouver or Toronto!), wouldn’t these be fabulous as floor lights? Or tucked into a shelf for cosy mood lighting?
Lovely!
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A visit to the Fleet Objects Facebook page led to a pleasant surprise – Zoe has a new jewellery line in the works, planned to launch later this month! I look forward to seeing more of what’s ahead – the sneak peek looks gorgeous!
For more information, visit FleetObjects.com (and buy there too!), Facebook, or to shop check out Fleet on Supermarket.
Cheers,
~Sarah
P.S. Fleet Objects will be at the Make It show in Vancouver this weekend – more details in the post below :)
A couple of fantastic multi-day shows for you to check out this weekend! We love these shows because they give us a chance to support many, many small businesses in one location and add a little handmade goodness to our lives. Go forth and shop ;)
VANCOUVER: Make It!
Make It is the hottest show in the West (shows coming up in Edmonton and Calgary, too), with a great range of established and emerging artists. It doesn’t hurt that you can browse with wine in hand, and listen to the sounds of a local DJ! There’s also a silent auction with proceeds to benefit a local charity. With 90+ vendors for the Vancouver show (some of whom we’ve featured here at C+H in the past), you’re bound to find something you love!
3025 Commercial Drive, Croatian Cultural Centre, Vancouver (free parking).
Friday, April 15: 4pm to 9pm
Saturday, April 16: 11am to 6pm
Sunday, April 17: 11am to 5pm
P.S. Don’t forget your coupon!
OTTAWA: Originals Spring Craft Show
This is the 25th year of the Originals Spring Craft Show! They are celebrating with over 180 artists, great features on the main stage and a focus on “green” gifts. Which makes sense, considering Earth Day is next week! If you’re in the Ottawa are, head to Lansdowne Park for some spring shopping this weekend!
Lansdowne Park is conveniently located at 1015 Bank Street in the heart of Ottawa’s fashionable Glebe district, just minutes from downtown.
April 14 – 17, 2011
Thursday & Friday 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Update: Just heard about a couple of events going on in my own city! Edmontonians, you can browse and shop this weekend, too!
EDMONTON: Swing into Spring Shopping Extravaganza & Trade Show
When: April 17, 2011
Where: The Palace Banquet Facility – 3223 Parsons Rd. (99St.)
Cost: $2 Admission – with a portion of proceeds going to the Alzheimer Society
EDMONTON: Handmade Mafia
A great little market, with a number of C+H favourites in attendance!
Where: Strathcona Baptist Church (8318-104 Street)
When: 10:00AM Saturday, April 16th
Now that spring has arrived, if you’re anything like me, you might be looking for something… something to add a little boost of colour or a bit of change in your environment.
Well, voilà! mazizmuse|home can help! These handcrafted modern-chic pillows are a fantastic (and affordable!) way to change things up for the season. This silk appliqued tulip pillow is so vibrant and would bring a shot of warmth into any space!
Tulips always mean the arrival of spring for me!
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So graphic and lovely!
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I also really love these outdoor pillows! No April showers could keep me down if these were around…
This stripe takes me right to the beach. Summer!
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Mazizmuse is the creation of Laura Mazzerolle in Vancouver. With training in fashion design, textiles and more, she moved into interior design and is treating us to some bold home accents. For example, the graphic screenprinted black design below can be trimmed in any of 9 colours. Bam! Colour.
Aboriginal-inspired design is trimmed with vibrant colours
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To find out more about Laura’s work, you can find mazizmuse|home at these fine internet locations: Etsy shop mazizmuse|home, Facebook, Twitter and her blog!
Cheers,
~Sarah
Everyone loves a cute furry little critter. The little round bellies, the soft ears, their sweet little noses… But not everyone really wants them all living in their house. I think chipmunks are adorable, and have a well-known affection for little monkeys, but that in no way means I want one in my living room! (Good Lord, I would need a live-in maid and a lot of Prozac!). But don’t worry, you can indulge your love of precious furry faces without having to turn your home into a small zoo.
In a small town in New Brunswick you can find McBride House, home to some of the most lovable critter-types you could ever hope to see. Bella is a talented (and patient) needle felting artist, and she loves to create these fantastic fluffy friends:
oooh, the perfect finishing touch for an Easter basket!
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Introducing: Cornelius Montgomery Maximilian McBride... He *looooves* acorns. Good thing he comes with his own stash!
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With Easter fast approaching, Bella has reduced the price of all her bunny and chick sculptures by 10%… all the more reason to bring one home for the holiday!
"Little Yellow" is a bit shy, but she really likes *chick* flicks... :-)
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Wise old Owl would love to come and hang out on your bookshelf!
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- HA! “Grumpy Birds”!
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If you want to bring one of these sweet creations home to live with you, stop by the McBride House Etsy shop. You can also learn more about Bella and see new works on her blog, or drop by for a visit on Facebook.
Enjoy!
~Jennifer
P.S. I know that it is just barely spring, and Christmas is a loooong way off, but if you are a “shop-ahead” kind of person, you won’t want to miss Bella’s felted Santa sculptures, they are lovely!
Julia of Nugglemama.ca put out a call on Twitter last week for Canadian bloggers to feature on her weekly “Get to know a Canadian blogger” post… and we answered the call!
Drop by Nugglemama’s to check out her blog chock full of parenting info and stories, contests and other goodies and, if you’re so inclined, you can learn a little more about me and some of our goals for Canadian+Handmade!
Cheers,
~Sarah
