BC Craft Fairs

$10 for 2 Tickets to Christmas at Hycroft – Winter Wonderland ($20 Value)

2010-11-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

Hey there's a crafty deal out there -- If you are planning on going to Christmas at Hycroft then this one's for you!

It's 2 for 1 admission but only available for the next 4 days -- I'm in -- anyone else?

Check it out $10 for 2 Tickets to Christmas at Hycroft – Winter Wonderland ($20 Value)

Calendar updates

2010-10-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

First of all I want to say thanks for all your support. For those of you who don't know me, I have been going through a very stressful time in my personal life and everyone has been very supportive (and patient) with me.

Now on to fun stuff -- Check out the website calendar -- I've been busy updating it with all the upcoming shows and there are a lot of them! This is going to be one busy fall and holiday season! Yay! I will be updating the call for artist section in the next few days so check back if you are still looking for opportunities to sell.

I am going to endeavour to blog about the shows that I attend and would love to add your reviews, comments and pics to both shows that I have written about and the ones that I don't make it to. Believe it or not people read this blog and even listen to what is posted! :)

As always -- please send me any info on events I have missed -- especially if you live in Northern BC or on the Island -- I just don't get as much info from those areas and the shows are not as widely advertised.

Oh and if you have an item that you would like featured in the local artists slide show section send me your photos and a link to your website and I would be more than happy to add them to the gallery!

Famer's Markets

2010-08-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

So who has been to a farmers market recently? Were there any crafts there? Any worth selling at?

I've had several e-mails asking me if I know of any good places to market crafts right now. I have passed a few Farmers Markets in the last few weeks but never seem to have the time to stop and browse.

Would love to hear which ones you guys have been visiting and what you think of them. I am thinking of planning a Farmer's market marathon in a couple of weekends where I'll visit a whole bunch in one day.

Are there any I should make a point of visiting? I look forward to hearing what you guys think!

Phew -- finally back!

2010-06-20T15:49:00.000-07:00

So last time I posted I was on my way to 2 craft shows in one day. Make it Vancouver and Got Craft (I'll let you know how they were in a separate post). I made it to those shows and then that eve I got really sick.

I have been fighting health issues for a ling time now and am really frustrated with the mainstream health system. I get sick, doc gives me a medicine to make it better but can't tell me why I keep getting sick in the first place. I've had 3 courses of antibiotics in 4 months. So I decided to take things into my own hands and went to a natural path. I am so glad I did! Apparently all the issues I have stem from food allergies! Who knew? So I await the tests to see exactly which foods I am allergic to. The natural path has told me I have to cut out all caffeine. Those of you who know me, know I don't like chocolate of coffee (gasp -- its true) but I have a serious Coke Zero addiction. It has been a long several weeks!

I have started taking the supplements that were given to me and cut out all drinks but water and I am slowly starting to feel better. So I decided to update the website as it was long overdue . . . . fast-forward to next disaster!

In our new house I have set up a wireless network. Everything has been going smoothly since we moved in until I sat down to update the website and I couldn't get an Internet connection. I am pretty tech-savy but I couldn't figure it out. So I called our friend Gord (who has a mobile computer company) to come and help. He fixed it. I came home checked my e-mails and lost the connection -- couldn't get it back. Gord came again (poor Gord). He fixed it. It went down again. He came back -- he worked some new magic on it and here I am -- keeping my finger crossed! Unfortunately during the reconfiguration I lost the settings to access the website. I really should have written them down somewhere! Oh well -- I finally figured it out and the website is now updated and has a bunch of new calls for entry and craft fairs listed. The summer is looking very good for us crafty people! Thank you for all the great e-mails letting me know what's coming up -- I promise I wasn't ignoring you -- I was just having serious problems!

So stay tuned -- I will post about my visits to Got Craft and Make it Vancouver as well as the progress on my new crafting room.

Oh and I am looking for some new pics of local crafts to feature on the website so if you have a good pic of your work send it on over so I can showcase it!

Till next time,

Tamsin

Make it! Vancouver

2010-04-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

Pretty psyched about going to Make it! Vancouver this weekend.

Its been a long time since those Christmas craft fairs and I am in withdrawl! Hope to see some of you out there -- and as always will blog about the event after I visit.

Looking forward to being inspired and hoping it will kick start me into getting my craft room in the new house set up. I've been googling images of other craft rooms for ideas and trying to decide if I want to revamp furniture on Craigslist to my needs or if I want to go to Ikea and have a "new" room custom made -- oh the choices! What do you all have as a crafting space? Any must haves that I might have not considered?

St Thomas Aquinas Jury date -- date correction

2010-04-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks you to reader Melanie O'Donnell of Forget Me Not Arts for pointing out that the Jury date for the St Thomas Aquinas Christmas Market is APRIL 10th -- not the 17th as I had on the calendar -- so if you are planning on submitting for the Jury please make note of the correct date!

Wedding Guest Book

2010-02-05T12:55:00.000-08:00

I just found pictures of a guest book I made as a gift for my friend who got married last year so I uploaded them to the BC Craft Fairs Facebook page.

I made the book from double-sided scrapbooking paper and used a Bind-it-All to bind it. I then took pictures at the reception and printed them with a portable printer (which only cost $50). I had prepared white cards and brought some gel pens so I had each couple/ guest write a short note to the wedding couple and attached it next to the picture of that person.

The bride was so touched by the gift it made her cry -- and made me feel pretty darn good!

New Blog Look & Lots of Updates to the Website

2010-01-30T14:28:00.000-08:00

The holidays are gone and so its time for a fresh look for the Blog!

The last 3 weeks have been a long haul in my personal life as I worked my but off to make our house beautiful for sale. We put in a new kitchen (with slate tiles laid/ installed by yours truly), had the inside totally painted, new slate in the entry, updated the main bathroom, new lino in the ensuite, new towel bars, toilet paper holders, mirrors and a POD full of clutter. It all paid off though as this last Tues we had 9 parties with their realtors through and we accepted an offer for asking +100 on Wed night. Now to find a house to move into!

Now that I can breathe again, I just spent a couple of hours (OK 5 h+ hours) updating the calls for entry page and the calendar page on the website. There are a ton of calls for entries and some of the winter craft fairs have jury dates fast approaching -- it never stops!

So I am back to contemplating my entries and deciding which crafts I will sell this year, would love to hear what all your plans are for the upcoming craft season!

Happy crafting,

T

Art of Craft

2010-01-14T08:22:00.000-08:00

I am very sorry to have missed the opening of the Art of Craft at the Vancouver Museum last night but was able to live vicariously through Poppytalk who gave a great overview of the event. Mosey on over to
Poppytalk's Blog and take a look - truly inspiring!

Totally off Topic

2010-01-11T08:48:00.000-08:00

We've decided to sell our house and move into something a bit bigger (with a dedicated crafting space !!!) So I have taken the week off work, rented a POD, hired painters to paint the inside of the house and ordered a new kitchen -- all to be done by the end of January.
The POD will temporarily house all the stuff that is currently in the garage. In going through and pacing all of it I have come to the realization that I could hold my own craft fair with all the supplies that I have stashed. I apparently really like to shop at the dollar store and have found so many treasures it’s going to be a long time before I set foot in a dollar store again.
I'll be back to report on packing progress -- please let me know if you see any ads for craft shows around about as I will not be sourcing them out quite as diligently and can use all the help I can get.
Till later

T

Spring entries

2009-12-30T18:52:00.000-08:00

One of my New Years resolutions is to get back into selling at shows instead of just visiting them.

How do you organize for the upcoming deadlines? I have never entered a juried show and am a little intimidated. I've been looking at the calendar and see that many of the deadlines are in just a couple of months away. So I know I need to get organized. Do all juried shows need a plan of how you'll set up your display? Can I just sketch this or do they need photos? Hmmm -- so much to consider!

So I am back to the age old question -- which ones do I enter?

Should I only concentrate on a few crafts or should I make a sampling of all my crafts?

Here's some questions for you guys -- do you get tired of only making one type of craft and does it become a chore? Or do you love your craft so much that it's always rewarding to make it? I need to FOCUS!!! I have made so many different crafts -- and sold many different crafts that I am having a really hard time narrowing it down.

Just to name a few that I have made and sold:

Glass light boxes
Covered notebooks
Totes made from fused plastic
Mosaics (large abstract broken tile)
Sock monkeys
Various types of beaded jewellry (too many vendors of that so that's definatley out)
Notebooks made from LP covers
Stained glass

Oh and in the works are baby onesies made from upcycled Rock T shirts -- not to mention the masses of repurposed felt I have on hand from felting sweaters . . . ( got a bit obsessed :)

So I have to make some decisions (not my strongest point) and get going -- anyone wanna be an my inspiration buddy? I need someone to keep me on track!

Until next time -- T.

Shiny Fuzzy Muddy

2009-12-15T21:46:00.000-08:00

The Shiny Fuzzy Muddy show on Sunday was in the Heritage Hall on Main and had some awesome talent. The venue is quite small but this show was less full than the one I attended at the same venue last weekend. I appreciated that the vendors were more spread out and the atmosphere was nice and cozy without feeling cramped. It was very busy but not too crowded and admission was free as is street parking. What else can a craft-show-shopper ask for :) The organizers of this event invite a select number of artisans and they did a fabulous job again this time. Here are a few of my favorites:

Caroline Miller makes beautiful jewelry and copper items. I really liked the items with the plexi inserts and the text behind them. If I hadn't already bought a pendant at the Portobello show I think I would have splurged on one of these!

I had a chance to chat with Heather who is the creative force behind Dahlhaus and admire her ceramics up close. They look even better in person than online! I especially love her signature poppy line which can be purchased online or in the new BC artist showcase store at Vancouver International Airport.

Heather sells out of her stuff really quickly so if you see her and you are admiring her product, snap it up because it will be gone when you come back!

I was absolutely intrigued by the pendants, rings and brooches from Erin Dolman "Under Glass" series. They are whimsical miniature tableaus done in precious metals. The craftsmanship and attention to detail is incredible!

Lastly I had a chance to speak to artist Mark Atomos Pilon and besides being a very talented artist who has exhibited all over North America, he is a super nice guy who is a wealth of information about how to ship things across the world.

Mark's work is influenced by the 50's and 60's and is described as "post-pop". I don't know what I would call it but it's very cool and well worth a look.

Check out his website at: http://cycloptic.com/atomos/Mark_Atomos_Pilon.html

I'm sure I missed something or someone but hopefully I have given you a taste of 2 great shows. Would love to hear any comments you have.

Wow!

2009-12-13T19:36:00.000-08:00

I was so impressed with both Portobello West and the Shiny Fuzzy Muddy shows today. You may have seen me roaming around I was wearing my new Cookie Monster sweatshirt and got tons of compliments on it! Both shows were really busy and there was such a huge variety of things to look at (and buy;) ).

I started at Portobello West and although it is usually busy it seemed busier than normal today. For those of you who have never been, its near the red flea market at Terminal and Main, in the Rocky Mountaineer Station building. The event has good signage, parking is free and it's just $2 to get in. This is a higher-end indie-style event that showcases a lot of local takent. With a great mix of art, clothing and functional pieces the show appeals to a wide audience. I was happy to see some of my favorite artists as well as lots of new artists.

As I was getting ready to leave the house this morning, I was admiring a pendant I had bought from DAL a couple of years ago and was just thinking that I hadn't run into DAL designs for some time. And guess who I saw at Portobello? DAL designs! Unfortunately they were busy when I passed by their table and I didn't get a chance to chat with Dori Luthy-Harrison who is the creative force behind DAL. I just love the pendant I have by her (see below). If you get a chance visit her etsy store at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/doralita

THE RAVE 'N' IRON are a favorite of mine and have to admit that I indulged in a dragonfly pendant from them. I just love their stuff and couldn't resist the temptation

Isn't it pretty?

I was happy to see that Shi Studio was also there and they have a brand new line! It combines the art work of local artist April Lacheur and the beautiful style of Shi Studios. I am always impressed with her work.

I spent some time admiring the work of artist Mikel Lefler who is the creative force behind Bijoux du Monde

These sterling silver pieces are all made with the wings of butterflies and are absolutely stunning! Anyone who is looking for that special Christmas gift couldn't go wrong with something form this line!

I was also really impressed with the jewelry of Beata Kacy and of Soigne

The rustic finish of the pieces is something that really appeals to me.

I hadn't seen fiveleft before and am so impressed by the beautiful finishes that he gives to the leather. They are all vegetable dyes and he uses various found objects to distress the leather resulting in unique textures and designs.

I may just have found my new wallet -- for when my current one gives up the ghost . . .

On my way out I stopped to say hi to Thyrza Segal of Plantscapes who makes such cool terrariums. I saw her work last weekend ( see last week's blog ) and didn't get a chance to introduce myself. I really enjoyed my chat with her and she hinted that in the new year she will be offering classes teaching others to make these beautiful creations. I for one would love to organize a group to get together and learn this! I can just see that my place is going to be full of terrariums -- but they are so pretty and whimsical that I need to learn how to make these!

I also had a chance to meet Laura Bucci whose work I have admired for ages and whose button I adapted into the logo for the BC Craft Fairs website. She is truly a gifted crafter and I look forward to seeing her at Got Craft in the spring!

I will end here and be back either tonight or tomorrow to blog about Shiny Fuzzy Muddy -- just as much to tell you about from that one!

Off see what's being created

2009-12-13T11:40:00.000-08:00

I'm off to Portoblello West and Shiny, Fuzzy, Muddy to take in some more inspiration. (see the BC Craft Fairs Calendar for details). I really wanted to go to the 24th North American Native Art & Craft Fair but don't think I'll be able to squeeze it in. (would love to hear about it if you make it there!)

It's snowing out here in Coquitlam -- so pretty -- just hope it stays pretty and not too crazy on the streets!

Happy crafting and shopping,

T.

Tutorials posted to Facebook

2009-12-09T23:32:00.000-08:00

I came across a couple of really cute tutorial -- check out BC Craft Fairs on Facebook where I've posted their pics and links to the instructions to make them.

Marathon of Craft Fairs Today!

2009-12-06T21:38:00.000-08:00

We might just have set a new record today! My sister and I visited 4 craft fairs in 4 hours and made it home before 4. Today we went to the Delbrook Craft Fair, Deck the Hall Xmas Craft Fair, Got Craft and the Klahanie Holiday Market -- impressed? -- I sure am! All the events were so different from each other so I'll try to capture their "essence" here . . .

Delbrook Craft Fair
This annual craft fair is well advertised, parking is free and admission is only $1. The fair takes place in the Delbrook Community Centre and fills both gyms. Attendance was pretty good but not as busy as some of the other shows this weekend. I liked the fact that there was live music and that the lighting wasn't as harsh as in some gymnasiums. They also had a child care area which was much appreciated. All in all, there was a wide range of crafts ranging from baked goods to outdoor sculptures.

I really liked Jennifer Conway's display and loved her pendants.

Visit her on her blog at : http://jenniferconway.blogspot.com/

I also was intrigued with Orange Wire Art. Annet Holierhoek has made some beautiful sculptures using a substance called Paverpol which is "an environmentally safe textile hardener that freezes fabric drapes and shapes in rock hard form and can be used both indoors and out." She is giving some upcoming workshops soon and I may just have to go to one! Take a look at some of her work:

"From T-shirt to garden statue"

I am hooked!

Here a couple of pics of the 2 Delbrook Gyms:

Deck the Hall Xmas Craft Fair

This fair is held in the beautiful Heritage Hall. There were not really any street signs except for the sign right over the door itself. Fortunately I had good directions. The first thing we noticed was that they had a doggy day care just as you came in. There were some pretty adorable pups in there! We really liked the Christmas chicken hand stamp we got when we paid our $2 admission.

I found this to be a more artisan type fair with high quality items produced by "professional" crafters. It was pretty busy and the atmosphere was very festive. I was able to put some faces to names and had the pleasure of meeting Anabella whose pendants I have featured on the BC Craft Fairs Website and are also available in her Etsy store.

I also loved the handmade ceramic buttons that Melissa Hume and Niki Holmes had for sale at their Pottery and Paint table. Unfortunately they don't have any pics on their website of the buttons but I bet they'd send me some if I e-mailed them!

Jazziewear had the cutest baby hats and crocheted baby mary janes -- I especially liked the sock monkey hat!

I had a great chat with Froma who makes the most incredible jewelry. She doesn't have a website or e-mail address but click here for a scan of her business card. Her jewelry looks so substantial but is amazingly lightweight. It is truly beautiful.

The added bonus to this craft fair was that Urban Source is just a couple of stores down. Ever since I found them online I have been dying to go and see for myself and I wasn't disappointed. I will have to go back and explore further but I was very impressed with the short visit we had time for. For those of you not familiar with Urban Source I will endeavor to blog about them later in the week.

Got Craft
There were no street signs for this and only a small sign on the door indicating that we had found the right spot so we were very surprised to see how busy it was when we got through the door. It was hopping -- and I do not exaggerate when I say that people were pressed around the tables making it necessary to wait several minutes before I was able to get a look at some of the displays. The DJ was a nice touch and really added to the energy of the event. The vendors here are all extremely professional but I would say this was definitely a craft fair and not as high-end artsy as the Heritage Hall.

I am very happy to announce that I am the proud new owner of an elephant made by Kate of Tiny Warbler. My elephant looks just like this one but her ears are green instead of orange. She is adorable
It was a hard choice between her bunny and the elephant but the elephant won out :) I have been coveting her items since discovering her on Etsy and have featured a couple of her items on the BC Craft Fairs website.

I saw Alison from District Thirty but she was so busy I couldn't get close to say hi -- glad to see you were making lots of moola Alison!

I was also very impressed with Plantscapes. Thyrza Segal has created so many intriguing and unique terrariums and has added whimsical little figurines in them. I have added some pics from the website here but in my opinion they just don't do the terrariums justice -- they have to be seen in person!

Klahanie Holiday Market
Finally we stopped at the Klahanie Holiday Market which is close to home for me. This was a nice relaxed fair with about 10 vendors.

I had a great chat with several vendors and

purchased a very cute puppet from Terri Boschman of City Creations .

Teri also volunteers at JustPotters Studio through JustWork Economic Initiative which "provide[s] studio space, instruction, support, and employment opportunities for people in the neighbourhood who, due to economic or social barriers, have no access to a creative space." The pottery items were beautiful and would make a great present while supporting a struggling artist.

Pottery can be purchased at several locations listed on their website or online at their etsy store.

I was also able to stop by and put a face to Nat from AdoreByNat and admire her lovley cards. If I was having a baby I would so want to send out her cards as birth announcments. She also has a great selection of holiday and birthday card!

That's it for this weekend of crafty adventures!

Buckingham Elementary and Poirier Community Center

2009-12-05T18:22:00.000-08:00

I was able to make it to 2 shows today Buckingham Elementary and Poirier Community Center.

Buckingham Elementary
This was a cute community craft fair held in the school gym. Street signs were great, parking and admission was free. Worth stopping by if you are in the area. I had a very nice conversation with a lady who makes sock monkies (my newest obsession) and stained glass -- unfortunately I didn't catch her name but her sock monkies are the best dressed monkies around!

Poirier Community Center
This is a must-go-to for anyone who enjoys craft fairs! The street signs were not the best but parking is plentiful and free and admission is just $2. This fair goes on for ages and just when you think you've seen it all you'll discover another room full of more treats. I enjoyed meeting and speaking to so many artists -- here are some of them:

Ingrid Davitt
Ingrid does first nations glass etchings on glass pieces. Although she doesn't have a website, her items can been see on display at the Blackberry Gallery in Port Moody or you can e-mail her at: davitt@telus.net. Her work is absolutely beautiful!

Shuswap Bags

This was a very busy booth and unfortunately I did not get a chance to speak to Nadia who was busy making sales. Her etsy site has some adorable bags and wristlet straps for sale or swing by one of the craft fairs she is at to pick one up. Here are a few pics of her work:

Corene's Critters

I had so much fun talking to Corene and she let me snap a couple pictures of her adorable button creations. Several customers said that they buy a broach from her every year and you can surely see why.

To contact Corene please click here for an image of her business card.

Invoke by Kristi Molnar

Kristi is a photographer and has taken her work a step farther by creating jewelry from her images. Her breathtaking photos are adhered to glass and created into a pendant. Visit her website to see her work -- I don't know how anyone could choose just one!

Vintage Love by Adrianne Kulling

Fun "funky objects with a nostalgic flair" Adrianne makes lightswitch plates and magnets with nostalgic images on them. I was very impressed with the quality of these plates (made from stainless steel and many layers of varnish) and they were packaged very professionally. I am trying to decide who I should give one to! Oh and there is a whole line of pride items as well! http://www.vintagelove.ca/

The last artist I will mention is

Roxanne Gagnon

I had so much fun talking to her and I absolutely love her work. She is a mixed media artist with printed and painted items on ceramic. I loved her pendants and was captivated by her ceramic buttons. You can contact her through her log at http://roxannegagnon-wearableart.blogspot.com/

Well thats it until tomorrow -- happy crafting!

Changing to Facebook Fan Page from Facebook Group

2009-12-03T20:07:00.000-08:00

So I decided to change to a facebook fan page from the existing group. The fan page is so much more user friendly and allows for the easy upload of pics. It will also automatically put my blogger posts into the notes section so I don't have to type the same thing over and over. So come on over to the new page and say hi -- and I'd love to see a pic of your recent creations!

The Abbotsford Shows

2009-12-01T19:48:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday we visited the Second Annual West Coast Christmas Show and Abbotsford Arts Council's Christmas Craft Fair.

Second Annual West Coast Christmas Show
This is like a home show and really the only crafts in sight were some jewelry vendors. It was $10 to get in which I easily got back with the samples that were given out. Both my sister and I were fascinated by the foot bath which starts out a clear liquid and by the end of half an hour is filled with a rust coloured sludge/ goop. Apparently it sucks all the toxins out of you and the guy administering it can even identify your allergies. It was morbidly fascinating!

Abbotsford Arts Council's Christmas Craft Fair

This was a medium sized craft fair with some really nice booths. Admission was by donation and parking was free. They had a raffle that had tons of prizes (wish I had entered it!) The signage was pretty good and led me right to the Ag building.

My first stop was to my friend Shannon who there was selling her Little Fella Felts . I had a nice visit with her while my son built a snow man from one of her interactive displays. Shannon says the show started out slow but really picked up on the Sunday (much to her surprise).

These are some of Little Fellas' Interactive felt boards -- classic children's interactive toys that help children learn and are fun to boot!! -- check out Shannon's Little Fellas blog at http://littlefellafelts.blogspot.com/

I had the pleasure of meeting Alison of District Thirty as I admired her display of necklaces (the pins are not stuck directly in the mirror ;) -- Her stunning pendants are all hand carved and I am coveting them big time. Look for her in upcoming craft fairs and take a look at her business cards -- they are pretty cool too!

Oh and I was also really impressed with Lonnie's Lamp Re Vamp Designs -- what a fabulous way to bring new life to old lamps!

Finally here's a couple of overall shots that I snapped while at the Abbotsford Arts Council's Christmas Craft Fair:

Till next weekend -- T.

Another Weekend of Craft Fairs!

2009-11-29T21:06:00.000-08:00

What a great weekend of craft fairs! Ashton (my 9 year old) and I decided to make a weekend of visiting craft fairs and even talked my sister into accompanying us on Sunday.

On Saturday we started out at the Riverside Secondary School fair, and then hit the The Happening Arts & Crafts Show (Thomas Haney Secondary School). Sunday we headed out to Abbotsford and swung by the Second Annual West Coast Christmas Show (for the free samples of course ;) ) and then we went to the Abbotsford Arts Council's Christmas Craft Fair. Lets see if I can give you a brief synopsis of each.

Riverside Secondary School
This fair was kinda hard to find because I approached it using mapquest directions which apparently didn't follow the beaten path and weren't market by any kind of signs advertising the event. The event itself was inside the highschool and was split between the two gyms. One gym had the crafts in it while the other seemed to be more of a consession area. Although the parking lot seemed to be full, there wasn't a huge amount of traffic inside. We were there at about 1:00 pm and the weather was horrible, there was good attendance but it wasn't spectacular. There were a couple of unique vebdors worth mentioning though -- unfortunatley neither of threm have websites yet so I hope they e-mail me as they said they would so I can put their contact details up here.

The first unique vendor that was there was a lady who calls her business "T-Cup". She has taken a teacup and attached it to its matching saucer. She has then attached this to a copper stake/pipe which can then be put in your garden or planter for the birds to enjoy. They are meant to have the cup part filled up with water and the saucer with bird seed. She had one stuck in a large planter of pansies and it was really whimsical!
I look forward to seeing her at future events where I might be able to snap a pic to show you just how cute they are.

The next vendor captivated my son's interest. John Cloutier (mailto:j.cloutier81@gmail.com) makes little mosters out of Sculpy. Each one comes with an adoption certificate and a brief introduction including a name, likes and dislikes and future aspirations. The animal and the certificate are packaged in a cute little carry box that has cotton balls in it to ensure the new adoptee a comfortable transition to its new home. Below is a picture of "Oly" which my son adopted. John has more pictures of his work in his Picasa Album. Worth checking out -- they are really cute!

I was also amused to chat with a vendor who was completly sold out of his cat scratch posts. He was sitting at his table with one post left that had a sold sign on it. He was amazed that he had sold all 20 of the posts he had brought. He said he has had some sucess on Craigslist but didn't expect this kind of sucess! He is retired and makes these as a hobby -- who knew they would be so popular?

The Happening Arts & Crafts Show (Thomas Haney Secondary School)

This was one of the best craft shows I have been to this year. It was really well advertised and signs were clear and indicated the way clearly. I initially thought that the show consisted only of the vendors under the rotunda but was pleasantly suprised when I saw signs leading into another and bigger room. The fair had a great atmosphere and was really busy.

I particularily liked the work of Marcel and Wendy Merks -- Driftwood Bay . They have some really cute birdhouses made out of driftwood and clay. I lifted an image from their website so you can see what I mean:

I was really impressed with a couple of the vendors and wished that I had left myself more time as we arrived only 45 minutes before they were closing. ( I took some pics of the fair -- you'll notice that some of the vendors have already closed for the night as it was after 4 when I snapped the pics)

I'll end this post here and continue with the Abbotsford shows in the next post . . . .

Off to see what has been created!

2009-11-28T12:24:00.000-08:00

Well we are off to see what's going on at several craft fairs near home. We will probably see the Thomas Haney fair and the one going on downtown PoCo. Tomorrow we are aiming to go to Abbotsford (i think :))

I look forward to being inspired by all the creations -- see you there! And if you go to an event I'd love to hear your impressions!

Back from Toronto

2009-11-23T15:35:00.000-08:00

I'm back and I must say that I am most envious of Queen St West in Toronto. The selection of fabric stores, bead stores and button stores was fabulous. If only we could transplant some of those to Vancouver! I had to restrain myself but did end up with some beautiful glass beads and some new trims for the notebooks I make. If I go back I will definatly plan for some sewing projects so I can take advantage of the fabric selection!

I will be out at various craft fairs this weekend and look forward to telling you all about them. The hardest part will be choosing which ones to go to! My 9 year old is so excited as I promised him we could go together and he is definitely following in my footsteps as far as crafting goes.

I am now working on the call for artists section of the website and the local artists section. I was really happy to hear that some of the artists that I feature on the website are getting hits from me which is so great to hear. I will also be updating the stores section and resource areas so let me know if there is something that should be added or removed.

That's it for now -- hope to see you at one of the events this weekend,

Tamsin

Busy Weekend!

2009-11-16T07:59:00.001-08:00

What a busy weekend! I am posting this from Toronto where I am working at my real job for the week -- I did manage to get to 2 craft shows this weekend before jumping on the plane though!

Circle Craft
I got a chance to go to Circle Craft on Friday eve and was really wowed by some of the talent there! I was surprised that we had to wait in line to get in -- but I guess that means good things for the exhibitors. It was really busy and talking to some of the people at the show they said that the turn out was really good this year. This year's fair was full of beautiful scarves and wraps and there was a whole range of items for pet owners that I haven't seen in past years. I did notice that there were not as many fashion booths as there were at the One of a Kind and think that that is one of the major differences between the two shows. As always there was a good range of jewelry form fashion to precious and the food section was sinful and the samples so yummy!

I ended up with a new dog coat for Aja (the chihuahua) and was able to test it out the next morning at my son's soccer game. It is so cute and really well crafted (I will post a link to the website and a pic of Aja in her new coat when I get back to Coquitlam this weekend).

Arch Bishop Carney's annual craft fair
Saturday I made it to this fair for the second year in a row. This is a big event with crafters set up in both the school's gyms. I have to admit that the second larger gym is by far the more preferable of the two as far as being an exhibitor goes but was impressed by the traffic that this fair gets. I had been seeing signs advertising the event for the past month and they were well placed and prolific. I spoke to many of the exhibitors and will be posting links to some really cool websites and crafts in the next couple of weeks. In particular there is one vendor who makes picture frames out of hockey sticks and offers framed prints of hockey players and sport celebrities. I remembered him from last year and had a great chat with him this year -- keep your eyes peeled for some pics of his work in a few weeks.
I couldn't resist the magnetic bracelets and am now wearing a beautiful one with amethyst stones. I have already noticed an improvement in circulation!

Well that's it for now,

T

Getting excited

2009-11-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

So I have been diligently working on a totally new look for the website and thought that it would be great to feature local artists and crafters' work on it. So I started contacting some of the people who make amazing things and the response has been so positive! Not to mention how inspired I get when I see all the fabulous stuff they are making -- so back to the designing I go -- stay tuned for the new and improved version of the site!

Long Time No Blog!

2009-11-08T20:01:00.000-08:00

I just don't know where the time has gone! I did get to the One of a Kind show this year and as always was inspired by all the fabulous things that people have created! I just got an e-mail that they have set next year's dates and that they will be in the new convention center -- and in Dec. I am really psyched that it'll be closer to Christmas next year as I thought Oct was too early this year.

I finally got around to updating the calendar on the website and now I have decided the whole website needs a new look. The design I have in mind needs some pics of some craft/ arts so I am looking for some fun crafty pics. I will be snapping lots of pics of my crafts but would love input from anyone else. So if you have a great pic of your creations let me know!

It took me several hours to add all the upcoming events to the calendar -- I can't believe how many fairs there are in the next few weeks -- now I have to decide which ones to go to! I will be going to the Circle Craft on Thurs evening and am really looking forward to it.

Any suggestions to other must-go-to's?

I have been getting twitter e-mails saying that people are following me so I had better pay some attention to Twitter. I do the Facebook thing and am trying to do the Blogger thing -- so Twitter here I come! Is there a trick to Twitter?

I will keep you posted on my craft fair visits and hope to hear about yours,

T.