Yvette

When I first saw Yvette in the Grumble Toy booth at Comic Con, I wasn't sure if I should be smitten or a little freaked-out. There's just something about her eyes.

That something was probably the reason that I couldn't shake her from my head and had to go back to Grumble Toy (after an hour of blissful, child-less wandering around) to buy her. Isn't she lovely?



She now lives beside the big picture window in our living room and shares Nana's chair with a Raccoon from Sew Dandee and a felt owl that I made in a MAWA stitch 'n' bitch workshop. According to her hang-tag, Yvette is quite an accomplished baker, but we have yet to see evidence of that.

To meet the rest of Yvette's Chimian family, visit The Morninglori Vine.

The Early Bird

Who was that in her nightgown painting jewelry racks in the kitchen at 6 am? Yup. That be me. I was up for an early run and I figured that I would get in 15 minutes of work before changing into my sneakers. Besides, I had to move everything from the counter to the table so that the mascot could get in to make his breakfast and pack his lunch.

Today's to-do list: another coat of paint on the racks and 4 sewing-themed square mirrors.

4 sleeps 'til Bling!

Show-vember

Well, we're 5 sleeps from the first show of "the season" and the state of my dining and coffee tables are living proof of that. The jewelery, packaging and random projects which are destined for my upcoming shows, have started to spill out of my craft area and are threatening to take over the house. At this point, only the mascot's bedroom and the bathroom are safe, and I'm not making any promised that it wil stay that way.

First up is the Bling show on Sunday. I'll be taking my new jewelry pieces, domino pins, domino and scrabble pendants, notepads, mirrors and my fabulous* new upcycled jewelry racks.

*At least, I hope they will be fabulous...right now they are only about a quarter finished. Yikes! Tonight is all about slapping on carefully applying a couple coats of paint and then they'll be ready for knobs and hangers tomorrow. Or Thursday. How many sleeps do I have?

Awesome Possums

Two years ago, the mascot and I attended our first Comic Con and discovered Grumble Toy.

We flipped through their stack of Gocco prints, found Flapjack Monster and fell in love-at-first-sight. (In fact, I think our purchase of that print was the unofficial start of the "Wall of Awesome" in the eating area of our kitchen.)

Since buying our syruppy little friend, we have since added Wormrah (Comic Con 2009), Narwhallus (TAYGCS 2009) and yesterday's addition, the charming Possum Family (below).

I am trying not to make any assumptions, but I have a feeling that either The Happy Hedgehog or The Bonhommes will be joining the Wall of Awesome in the near future. That is, if the mascot shops for my Christmas gift at the TAYGCS show again this year. :wink:

Creative Collection Craft Sale - Nov 21st

Once again, I will be participating in the Creative Collection Craft Fair at the Crescentwood Community Club.
(Try saying that 5 times fast!)



If I remember correctly, last year's sale was pretty busy, despite the bitterly cold weather. Fingers crossed for good traffic and better weather this time around! If it's nice, I might be able to convince the mascot to come out and lend me a hand for a couple hours. Those sales are mighty long without a break!

(Edit: the typos in that poster are going to be the end of me.)

The Bling Dynasty

I'll be there, along with Periwinkle Designs, jake + cleo and Magination. Winnipeg Etsy Street Team represent!

How to Train Your Mascot, part 1

When it comes to stuff like Halloween, thirteen is a funny age. On the cusp of young adulthood, the line between “too old for that” and “oh, c’mon…be a kid” is often blurred with smudgy grey areas. The mascot has been trying to decide for weeks if he should dress up this year and he has finally announced that yes, he will...if just to end his Trick or Treating career on a high-note.

Looking back on his past costumes, I have to say it’s been a pretty good run. Off the top of my head, there was Winnie the Pooh, a bat, a spider, the moon, a race car, a breakdancer, Justin Timberlake (seriously), The Thing (his only “commercial” costume) and “Death”. Good times. This year, he is going to go as the kid from the movie “How to Train Your Dragon”. Jay Baruchel? No, the character he plays - Hiccup!



I figured it would be a fairly easy one to buy parts for and, once again, Value Village didn’t let us down. We found a reversible furry vest, a tunic-length olive green shirt, skinny grey jeans and a brown leather belt with big brass eyelets (tres Viking!) All that needs to be added is a pair of brown Ugg-style boots (in my size, thankyouverymuch) and the mascot’s Viking helmet.

“Fur” vest - $12
Shirt - $7
Jeans - $6
Belt - $7
Total cost (not including boots): $32

From a purely budget-wise point of view, the best part of the whole outfit is that everything can be worn or used again, so I didn’t have to shell-out for things that would get worn once and left to rot at the back of the closet. That said, I am a little concerned with just how much the mascot loooves the furry vest. Oy!

A-ha!

I've figured out how to make my necklace display spin, but I need to get my bearings.

Bah-dum-bum.


Trust me. That joke is hil-a-rious.

Board, not bored.

I mentioned yesterday that I am now a member of the Manitoba Craft Council board, but I don’t think I ever really made the “announcement”. So, um…here it is!

Last Sunday, I attended the annual general meeting of the Craft Council and was thrilled to be elected onto the board. I have only been a member of the MCC itself for a year, but I have spent that whole time wondering how I could get more involved. A couple of weeks ago, the answer to that came in the form of an email from a friend (and now fellow board member) and I jumped at the chance to throw my name into the ring.

This will be my first opportunity to serve on a board, so while I am not entirely sure what to expect, I am sure that it will be a great experience. If nothing else, it will be a chance to learn the ins-and-outs of an arts organization, which is something I have been very interested in for some time. I am also looking forward to being more active in the crafts community and getting to know lots of new creative, crafty people.


The Manitoba Craft Council (MCC) was established in 1978 to promote, develop and advocate for fine craft and its makers in Manitoba. For over 30 years MCC has worked to ensure that contemporary fine craft and the artists who produce these works are supported, recognized and celebrated for their contributions to the artistic, cultural and economic life of Manitoba.

TAYGCS 2010

Last year I had the pleasure of being a part of the chaotic, crafty fun at the “This Ain’t Your Grandma’s Craft Sale” craft sale, and this year I am ready to do it all over again! I just received word this week that I am on the list of hand-picked vendors, along with my good friends at Jake + Cleo, Sew Dandee, Just the Goods, Periwinkle Designs and Mozy Rue! Talk about a MREC reunion!

The TAYGCS (or just “Grandma’s”, as the cool kids call it) is an annual event that is held at the historic and charming Park Theatre on the south end of Osborne Street. Calling it a “craft sale” is a little bit like calling Cochella a “concert”, or calling Pretzel M&Ms “candy”. As far as understatements go, it’s a doozy. Picture an old movie theatre with a dj spinning tunes and several hundred of your closest (literally) friends snapping up the city’s hippest handmades from a couple dozen smiling (but somewhat shell-shocked) vendors– that’s TAYGCS for you!

Each year, the “Grandma’s” organizers have done a fantastic job of gathering a diverse and eclectic collection of makers who sell everything from glitz to kitsch (I fit somewhere in the middle of that). The group that they put together last year was awesome and this year promises to be every bit as good...if not better!

For Xmas 2010, they’ve upped the ante with a second sale at the West End Cultural Centre, in conjunction with the Manitoba Craft Council. I’ll be at that one, as well, and as a brand-new board member of the MCC, I am extra happy to be a part of the evening’s festivities. I’m also really looking forward to seeing how the Friday evening WECC show differs from the Park Theatre show. It’s just a hunch, but I have a feeling that might be slightly less…frantic…given the earlier date and different venue. Plus, I’m counting on the MCC people to class-up the joint a little. ;-)

TAYGCS night at the MCC Holiday Sale
West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave.
Thirty-seven craft artists (and counting) plus live music, dancing and food = the best of Manitoba craft under one roof!
Friday, November 26th - 5-10 pm

The annual "This Ain't Your Grandma's Craft Sale"
Park Theater, 698 Osborne St.
The original!
Sunday, December 5th - Time TBA