Thursday, November 9, 2017

Life Update

It has been quite the busy time around here so I thought I should take a moment and give you an update on what is going on with me.  Evelyn!  In January I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl (Evelyn or Evie for short) and she has been completely taking over our lives.  She's now just over 9 months old and I am trying so hard to get things back on track.  She can be quite the happy distraction though - check our her monthly montage:


Such a happy girl!  I'm currently spending any spare time I do have prepping for the three holiday craft markets I've signed up for (in the summer when I figured I'd have more free time by now....errr....right...).  I meant to post my list of markets sooner (i.e. before the first one) but better late than never:

 

Woo! One down two to go! The first one went pretty well considering I took my baby away from her usual schedule and home for 10 solid hours and she didn't totally lose it. Plus she discovered how much she LOVES the magic wands I make:


Adorable right? (I know, I'm biased).  So two more markets to go and we will see how I am doing about opening up the Etsy shop again.  My crafty hiatus has been much longer than I expected, but that's how life goes sometimes.  I am always available by email with any craft requests or special orders though so keep that as an option if you're hankering for some Kate-made goods. Hooray!  

Currently I'm brimming with crafty ideas and super short on time.  I get maybe two hours of work time in a day (when Evie is in bed), but usually that is prime showering/eating time making that work window all the shorter.  One day she probably won't be as much work (or as likely to want to eat everything I try to make) but that's a ways off I imagine.  Ah well.  She is one smiley, happy, chill, and charming little girl bringing sunshine and giggles into every day!  Welcome to the world Miss Evelyn! You've forever changed my life for the better (and slightly less crafty)! Yay!

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

hiat-o-tron time



Well blog pals,  my pregnancy related illness is still in full swing and with a newborn right around the corner I've decided to take some self-care time and put my life of crafting on hiatus for the time being.  I had planned on re-opening my Etsy shop in the new year after the xmas season, but health calls so I will be postponing that until I feel more capable.  Hope everyone is having a wonderful 2017 and wish me the best with my new life adventure of motherhood!

Sunday, December 4, 2016

Holiday Shipping Deadlines


Just a little update for any online buyers out there - get your orders in before December 12th if you'd like your parcel to arrive by christmas! This, of course, if not actually a guarantee as things can happen and hold things up at customs but it is the recommended ship time.  Just like last year, I'm going to save my sanity and shut down my Etsy shop after the 12th.   If you're an international buyer, unfortunately your deadline has passed - and even more so if you're from Africa since that deadline was November 21st.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

The cutest little cactus planters!

I'm a long time fan of happy little cactus and succulent plants and these little ceramic planters from noemarin (link) make them even more adorable:

(source)

Seriously. So. Cute.  Unfortunately I am attempting to downsize my plant hoarding due to 1) total lack o' space and 2) tiny spiky plants aren't baby friendly.  How you may wonder am I trying to downsize my plants you ask? Why I am letting the natural survival of the fittest selection go in full force and will see how many plants I've killed come February when baby is scheduled to arrive. That counts as baby proofing right? I hope so...I'm not feeling very prepared...

Monday, September 26, 2016

Fall/Winter Craft Show Schedule



Fall is in full swing and before we know it the holiday season will be upon us! Come check me out this October/November at these fabulous markets I am signed up for (also to be found in that handy "shop" tab at the top of my blog):

Oct 22nd (9-4pm) The Red Barn Artisan Market - 4409 Lakeshore Rd, Kelowna BC. Free Admission and lots of fun!

Oct 29th (10-2pm) The Shores Retirement Craft Bazaar - 870 Westminster Ave. Kamloops BC. free admission, coffee, tea, and treats throughout the day!

Nov 6th (10-4pm) RIH Craft-A-Fair - Sandman Centre 300 Lorne St. Kamloops BC  $2 Admission going to the Royal Inland Hospital Evening Auxiliary to buy new hospital equipment.  I will be in spot 131 on the main concourse level (halfway up to the left of the entrance)

Nov 19th (10-3pm) Kamloops School of the Arts Huge Craft Fair - 1390 9th Ave. Kamloops BC. Admission by donation, concession, draws, bake sale, kids craft corner & more!

Monday, September 12, 2016

Leslie Sale

Hello happy readers!  I am planning a little trip up to visit my sister in the north-to-me wonders of B.C - and as per Leslie's request will be bringing a few goodies up with me to peddle while I am there.  That being said - my entire crafty set up takes up pretty much the entire truck and that won't be doable for this trip,  so with limited space comes this lovely post!  We will now take a little tour of my current crafty set up thanks to the wonders of the internet and anyone interested can request which items I should haul with me.  Ready? Ok! Here we are - my typical set up:


How charming! Let's start in that left hand corner there.

1. Magic Wands ($10)



These beauties come in three shapes (star, heart, and flower), are lovingly hand-stitched using felt, ribbons and dowel, and are fully loaded with as much magic as your imagination can handle.

2. Brass Stud Earrings (Small $12, Large $14)




Like all my earring creations, the backings are gold, white gold, or silver and free of any nickel or cadmium for those of us (like me) with ridiculously sensitive skin.  There is quite the variety of shapes with these babies ranging from geometric shapes (triangles, circles, hexagons, diamonds) to some nature themed darlings (bees, cats, owls, birds, acorns, clover, leaves, lady bugs, whales). Oh my!

3. Brass Dangle Earrings (Small $14, Large $16)




These lovelies vary just as much as their stud counterparts and have loads of designs including shapes and more nature themed beauties.  I differentiate between the "small" and "large" sizes by using two different sizes of card to hold them on and the prices differ accordingly.  Most popular of these earrings tend to me the leaves, bees, hexagons, and little pinecones.  Leslie has a pinecone pair she apparently wears often.

4. Candy Dot Earrings ($5)



Bright and cheerful these little dots of resin come in a rainbow of fun bright colours.

5. Glass Tile Earrings (Small 8cm $12, Large 12cm $14)





These studs are made from sterling silver and come in a variety of designs.  I've made some of these using vintage images (canadian mammals, vintage kitties and other animals, and pyrex inspired designs), some using different graphic designs and patterns I've purchased, as well as some using my own drawings.  Jean is particularly taken by the unicorn pair although she is yet to have her ears pierced.

6. Vintage Silver Necklaces ($18 + $1 for rolo chain upgrade)





I must say these are one of my favourite items I wear on a regular basis and despite my attempt to make an easier to view set up, they don't get the love they deserve at craft shows.  They're made of sterling silver, show off a variety of vintage images including Canadian mammals, kitties, pyrex designs, vintage sheets, and a few pulp sci-fi.  They come with a 30" silver ball chain (which I can easily adjust to me smaller if need be) of you can add a dollar and upgrade to the thicker (also silver) rolo chain.  Oh, it's adjustable too.

7. Illustrated Art Postcards ($8 for set of 3 cards)





Featuring some of my heartfelt and lovingly illustrated drawings by yours truly, these art postcards are super high quality glossy printed and perfect for framing or sending.  They're 5.5' x 7" in size and come in the sets shown above.  I also have a studio ghibli set (including totoro, soot sprites, and calicfer) which isn't shown as well as a few limited solo cards (like thumbs up yeti) that I sell for $3 each.

8. Embroidery Hoop Wall Art (Prices range from $14-$43 and are based on how many hours I've spent sewing them)









I have made quite the selection of embroidery hoop art pieces over the last year and despite them taking ages (I mean ages) to lovingly hand stitch, I am a sucker for making more!  I decide what saying/creature/embellishment I want to go with, find the right fabric to make it from (mostly vintage prints and high end cottons), and then (sometimes) cut out letters or pieces from wool felt and get stitching! I'm very open to doing custom orders if you have a saying in mind and can often recreate a hoop depending if I have the fabric kicking around.  I love their mix of classy granny-chic embroidery with updated sass to make the perfect combination art piece to go in pretty much any home.  Ok, I'm a little obsessed in how much I love these...lots of other hoops I've made can be found on my instagram account since I seem to share loads there when creativity strikes.  As stated above I price these based on how long they take me to make and although they are a true labor of love, I do not sell my hoops in consignment shops since I don't really make any money off them to begin with. 

9. Adjustable Rings ($8)




I can think of quite a few little girls who love spending time trying on pretty much every single ring on this stand!  There is quite the assortment of rings available including cast resin flowers and glass tile rings (which have my illustrations, washi tape patterns, and vintage images on them).  I can adjust the size of these beauties to fit extra wee to mammoth sized fingers and come in a whole rainbow of colours to match your mood.

10. Plush Microbes ($9)


These darling stuffed germs are pretty much how I started my science crafty ways after making a few for friends during uni! They are (according to many child critics) the cutest little bean shaped dudes ever and come in a nice rainbow of colours and species.  Each colour coordinates to a different species of germ as the sign above states and each little pal comes with his own fact card so you can learn about your new infectious friend! Great for someone you like...or don't like...these guys remain a staple to my craft show display and get a LOT of weird looks and questions.  Yes. That is stuffed chalymdia. No. They aren't actually contagious - and you can do whatever you want with them. They're a great desk pal.

11. Pinback Buttons ($2 each, $3 for BFF sets of 2, or $4 for illustrated sets of 3)




 Hooray! I have always been a sucker for buttons and over the years have grown my 1" button making like crazy.  There are all sorts of buttony designs to chose from including a bunch of wide-set eye smiling cuties I've drawn, a few sassy saying, patterns, pyrex, and all sorts of vintage images (including Canadian mammals, all sorts of kitties, animals, sheets, and pulp sci-fi). Not sure what you'd do with a button? You also have the power to upgrade your pin into a magnet (add $1), zipper pull (add $1), or keychain (add $1.50).  Bulk buyers get a deal too. 

12. Pocket Mirrors ($6)


If you're someone who continuously gets something stuck right in between your front teeth like I do, this is the item for you!  These surprisingly durable mirrors measure 2.25" in diameter, feature a darling illustrated design by yours truly, and come with a handy little felt pouch so keep them in so they don't get scratched up.  If you bulk buy these lovelies (like most of my items actually) you get a discount and these mirrors make amazing little gifts and stocking stuffers.  Now to chose which one you like best...

13. Bottle Opener Keychains ($8)


I finally got my hands on bottle opener parts to use in my 2.25" button making machine just around the time I was diagnosed with liver disease making them completely useless for me as I can't drink alcohol or loads of refined sugar (boo) - but perfect for you! As you can see above, you can get a super manly vintage mammal design (ie. moose/elk), a sassy saying or two, or dive into cuteness with one of my illustrated designs.  They're very durable and handy and I've been told are especially useful if you hang it on the side of your beer fridge.  Looking for a specific design? Let me know now and I can make you one of whatever design you'd like.

14. Felt Flower Brooch ($10)




I'm a huge brooch fan and love to wear my mustard gold handstitched brooch on my cardigan in the fall!   These beauties are hand sewn with love and add a great pop of colour and texture to your coat's lapel.

15. Felt Flower Hairbands and Clips (small hairband $19, large hairband $22, clips $8)


What a perfect accessory for your hair!  These flowers are all carefully hand cut and stitched from wool felt and come in a rainbow of colours to suit your needs.  The hairbands are made on quite stretchy elastic that easily go on babies' heads to massive noggins like mine.

16. Fabric Button Earrings ($10/pair) 


I pretty much love searching for fabric so any tiny prints I find I turn into earrings! These come in all sorts of patterns and colours and you're sure to find a pair that suits your needs.  Backings are all hypoallergenic white gold, gold, or silver and are nickel and cadmium free.  These make awesome presents for anyone with pierced ears and I you can get them 3 pairs for $25 to encourage you to get all the patterns if you have problems deciding. There are also some nice painted wooden studs scattered in here too in domed and flat shapes too. 

17. Cast Resin Flower Studs ($10/pair)


Rainbows of flowery fun in all sorts of flower shapes and sizes!  These studs are made from cast resin of vintage flower cabochons to come up with some classy flower earrings great with practically any outfit! They have hypoallergenic backings like all my earrings and come 3 pairs for $25 if you're interested in buying bulk. 

18. Illustrated Glass Tile Necklaces ($15 each, BFF sets $24)



Another option for someone who isn't into plain buttons, these necklaces features my illustrated designs on a 1" glass tile bezel necklace that comes with a 18" ball chain.  I can easily modify these to be shorter if needed too.

19. Clay and Wood Necklaces ($32)


One of my favourite accessories, these necklaces are made with hand sculpted polymer clay and wooden beads I've painted with custom mixed colours and combinations.  They're hung on adjustable organic waved cotton string and make a stunning simple statement piece to complete your outfit.

20. Wooden Necklaces (Acorns $16, Mushrooms $17, Double-sided Circles $20)


I custom mix all the paints for these necklaces to create pieces that are muted and jewel toned.  They come on organic waxed cotton cord that is adjustable to suit your necklace needs.


So there we have it - a virtual picture tour of my craft booth! Perhaps not quite as satisfying as actually being able to touch things - but it does the job I hope! Please note that the pricing on this post is based on my current craft fair price guide and is not guaranteed to stay this way for the foreseeable future.  Many of my items are available for consignment sales (in which pricing may change slightly depending on the market).  I'm also happy to give discounts on most items if you're buying in bulk and most items are given a "buy 2 + get the 3rd for 1/2 price" deal.  Well I hope that is clear enough but feel free to throw any questions my way and I will help how I can! Yay!


Saturday, September 10, 2016

I'm expecting

It has been quite the rough summer with a whole lot more vomit than what is typical for my (usually pretty sick) self.  One plus of the whole thing? Turns out this ridiculous throwing up is for a good reason.  I'm growing a tiny human.
(source)

So far pregnancy is FAR from sunshine and kittens as I am into my second trimester now and still throwing up a good dozen times a day.  I hope to not become one of those mothers who have their entire life change to only be interested in "mom" things and start thinking my (actually lacklustre) child is a hilarious genius child who can do no wrong.  You know what? If I do start being one of those people (and referring to my 3 year old as a "36 month old") I expect you to call me out on it please. Thanks.  

Oh and baby is due February 11, 2017.  We won't be finding out gender either so unisex baby it is for now!  Hooray!