Last April I blogged about attending the Spring show of “Make It! The Handmade Revolution” (see HERE), a large hip, urban craft show in Western Canada that takes place in Edmonton and Vancouver. We were so excited to go to their winter show this past weekend to check out all the handmade goodies, reconnect with crafters we had met along the way, and also meet new ones!
I love jewelry and accessorizing, and these are the pieces that I picked out for myself! Aren’t they beautiful? It’s so nice being able to support handmade artisans, especially knowing how much love and energy goes into each piece. I thought I would describe each store in a little more detail and introduce you to some Canadian crafters along the way!
Sarah Jane of Ugly Bunny designs and makes all her jewelry in Kelowna, BC. Her wood pieces have been laser cut, hand painted, and then sealed with a water resistant finish.
I love stud earrings, and I thought Sarah Jane’s colour combinations and geometric shapes were very fun and unique!
I couldn’t resist picking up these little birdie earrings- the red and blue contrasting colours are so cute! Check out the “Ugly Bunny” store HERE on Etsy to see more of Sarah Jane’s work!
I started purchasing pieces from Dorian of CoutuKitsch years ago and I always look forward to visiting her booth and checking out what new jewelry pieces she’s designed! Dorian combines many different materials in her jewelry, such as precious metals, vintage supplies and beautiful gemstones.
Her stud earrings are so gorgeous! Pictured below are her “Sparkle Stud Earrings” in Midnight, Sunrise, Hematite, Champagne, Black and Silver.
Dorian also has many unique necklaces and body chains as well!
I’ve worn some of my favourite CoutuKitsch pieces in some recent photoshoots, such as my adjustable Gold Oak Leaf Wrap Ring and my Rose Stud Earrings.
I picked up the “Sparkle Stud Earrings” in Sunrise during this visit! The colours are so pretty 🙂 Check out the rest of Dorian’s items in her Etsy shop HERE! If you live in the Calgary area, you can also visit their new storefront that they’re opening in Inglewood called “The Livery Shop”!
Next up is Loan of Dear Fawn Inc, who specializes in bow ties that have been handcrafted from ethically resourced material for the modern baby and child . I connected with Loan at a different craft fair, and it’s been awesome seeing her business grow and seeing her at different events around the city. She also crochets, has a really cool sense of style, and has a daughter who is only weeks apart from Myla!
Her wooden bow ties are so unique! I always love looking at vendors’ displays since how they present their work is so important to draw people in!
We picked up these two bow ties for some little boys who will be celebrating their birthdays soon! You can check out the rest of Loan’s work in her Etsy store HERE!
I first connected with Anita of Make More Happy almost two years ago on-line! She is from Vancouver, and this was her first time doing the Edmonton Make It show. Anita has created a collection of knit and crochet products for women, men, children and the home, and you can see her newest designs with her Autumn/Winter 2014-15 Lookbook HERE. Anita has a very inspiring story of how she began to crochet as this beautiful art helped her during a dark time and, in her words, saved her life (you can read about how she got started HERE). It’s always AMAZING being able to meet on-line friends in real life, and this was no exception. Ryan and I had such a blast chatting with Anita, and she is incredibly warm, friendly and welcoming. Anita is hilarious, and she had us in stitches as she shared her stories and experiences with us. She’s done a great job with her knit and crochet business, and her designs and colour choices are gorgeous (I love the knit cowl she’s wearing!). Check out more of Anita’s work HERE on her site!
Karen of MeiKu Designs creates jewelry for the modern bohemian inspired by the beauty of the West Coast of Canada!
It’s evident that Karen takes a lot of care and attention when choosing the materials for each of her pieces, and she has so many pretty necklaces, bracelets and earrings.
Look at these beautiful dainty bracelets! Do you notice that they’re actually crocheted? The chain stitches give a very pretty braided look, and they look gorgeous coupled with the delicate gold hardware. They’re actually called the “Anita Bracelet” because Anita of Make More Happy taught Karen how to crochet! How cool is that?
I purchased Karen’s “Chevron Necklace” which has coated pyrite with a sterling silver chain. It matches with everything and layers so nicely with my other necklaces!
It’s one of my new favourite necklaces and I immediately started wearing it the next day! You can check out more of Karen’s work HERE!
Some of these talented ladies above are collaborating with me for a giveaway for my 4 year blogiversary coming up in January, so stay tuned for that if you loved some of these items! Also, if you live in the Vancouver area, Make It will be happening at the PNE Forum from December 4-7, and Anita of Make More Happy and Karen of MeiKu Designs will be there too, so you can check out their work in person!
My friends Sami and Marissa of Momomints will also be at the Vancouver show armed with plenty of kawaii goodness such as their amigurumi, polymer clay charms, magnets, keychains, mugs, and much much more. Check out their blog post about this upcoming market HERE. Their special holiday Christmas Sweater Momobunnies and Gingerbread Mint Mint Ornaments are wayyy too cute! To learn more about this kawaii Canadian duo, check out the Momomints store HERE and also see my “Craft Chat” feature of them HERE!
I hope you enjoyed reading about these Canadian crafters! Seeing what’s going on craft wise around the world is always neat- how amazing would it be to visit craft fairs around the world? I love how handmade markets are rising in popularity as people love shopping local and supporting their local handmade artisans, particularly during this holiday season! It’s nice that we can also browse through each others’ work through the power of the internet 🙂
