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.

T.

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!

T.

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!

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.

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 . . . .

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

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!