Plush You 2009

I am WAY late in posting this, but you have 5 more days to head down to Seattle and check out Plush You!

Through to the end of October
Visit Schmancy, Nancy and Fancy.
See individual website for hours and addresses.

We stopped in briefly to check out the show and visit with Kristen before we headed to London. For more pictures, visit their flickr site.

Check out Cutesypoo's gnomes and don't forget to pick one up at the holiday edition of Got Craft on December 6th!

Portobello West!

image via Portobello West

Portobello West
Sunday, October 25th, 2009
Noon to 6:00pm
Rocky Mountaineer Station - 1150 Station Street

Check out the following Got Craft vendors at Portobello West:
a Cagey Bee
Clay Zakka Pottery
Bueno Style
Irit Sorokin Designs
It's Your Life
Phaulet

Fabric Sale!

photo credit: my eva

Ruth Mather Fashion Design

Suite # 5 & 6 – 650 Clyde Ave (across from North Park Royal Mall on the east side)

If you come from Lion Gate bridge take the first right off Taylor way or if you come down on Taylor way via highway, turn left on the last street before Marine Dr.

Friday, October 23, 2009 - Noon to 7:00pm
Saturday, October 24, 2009 - 10:00am to 4:00pm

Roxypop on Poppytalk

Apple cozies

Hey! Roxypop was featured on at Poppytalk last week! Read all about it here including a fantastic round up of the One of a Kind Show in Vancouver.


Pin cushions

Thanks to Poppytalk for the super fab write up!


Cat nip dumplings

(images via Jan @ Poppytalk)

vacancy @ woven studios

A studio space has become available at the Woven Studios for November 1st.

Lots of windows with natural light, this listing is for an unfurnished corner studio. Space comes with parking, wireless and a shared area that includes kitchenette, meeting area, lounge and cutting tables. Cost is $375 includes utilities.

Perfect for a graphic designer / crafter / blogger / designer. Share you area with 10 local designers. Contact julie(at)wovenagency(dot)com for more information.

Cabin + Cub - feature #17

Name: Valerie Thai from Cabin + Cub
Website links: Etsy Shop, Blog

What do you make?
I make woodburned art panels, collages, art prints, as well as notebooks and cards.



What or who inspires you?
I seem to draw inspiration from all over the place - my husband, my family and friends, the environment, music, art, pop culture, food.... oh this list could get very long indeed!


How did you get started?
My mom was always very much into art and design, so I was always drawn to the artistic side of things.

As soon as I picked up a crayon and scissors, I think the craftiness began and it has snowballed every since.



What are your favourite materials to work with?
My favorite materials are wood and paper.... so I guess I really love trees. I love the way woodburning smells (it smells like a campfire).. and the look of all things wood. Same goes with paper... I can be in a paper store, like Paper-Ya for hours at a time.



What is the hardest and most favourite part of crafting?
Hardest would be finding time to do it, since I also work as a freelance designer for a living.
My favorite part is getting to be creative and working with my hands... its nice to get away from the computer.

List 5 of your favourite links and why you like them

crooked walker: (because it's my husband's site)

poppytalk: (because there are so many beautiful things to look at)

Etsy: (because it has opened the doors for so many crafters around the world to discover one another and there are so many nice things i want to buy on this site too)

barbapapa: (because I love all things barbapapa)

Everybody Loves Sandwiches: (because i want to learn how to cook better)



Do you have any advice for those in the biz?
Create things that you enjoy making... it is no fun making things that become just a chore. And also to be patient and work hard... things will fall into place.



Do you consider yourself an artist or a crafter?
Ah yes, the old age debate. I don't like conflict, so I like having the two co-existing as well as intermingling.... so yes, I do consider myself both an artist and a crafter (oh, as well as a designer)... so that is a third category to throw into the mix.



Congrats to Cabin + Cub with her booth mates, Track and Field Designs and the Beautiful Project for bringing home the 'Best Booth' award at the Vancouver One of a Kind Show in Oct 2009!

(photo images courtesy of Valerie Thai / Cabin + Cub)

If you are interested in being featured, please send us an email at info(at)gotcraft(dot)com.

Check out our past features...

Rachel Hobson - feature #16
Green Couch Designs - feature #15
Tanis Alexis - feature #14
Sweetie Pie Press - feature #13
Fibre Manipulator - feature #12
Sam Made - feature #11
All Things Paper - feature #10
Owl + Pussycat - feature #9
Bliss in a teacup - feature #8
It's Your Life - feature #7
Faythe Levine - feature #6
Coco Cake Cupcakes - feature #5
pomomama design - feature #4
GroovyGlassGirl - feature #3
Bueno Style - feature #2
The Beautiful Project - feature #1

Cath Kidston

I love the vintage feel and soft colours that Cath Kidston uses in her products. Not to mention, I am a sucker for floral prints. I knew that Cath Kidston had stores in the UK, 28 to be exact, but didn't plan on walking past one on our trip to the Portobello Market in London! Let me tell you, I was salivating like a child at a toy store!




Her taste definitely leans towards the girly side with a fine balance of cute and crafty and a touch of English countryside. The store carries a wide range of items including kitchenware, bags in all sizes, acccessories, clothing and my favourite of all, bolts of fabric in cotton and oil cloth! Cath has also published four books including Make!: Over 40 Fantastic Projects with 16 Exclusive Designs, Cath Kidston's In Print: Brilliant Ideas for Using Vintage Fabrics in Your Home , Vintage Style and Cath Kidston in Print.

DIY Cocktail Party

Join the Vancouver Craft Mafia this Saturday (October 17th) Fall DIY cocktail party kick off!

When:
Saturday, October 17th at 7.30pm onwards

Where:
A private residence (you will be emailed directions when you rsvp via vancouvercraftmafia(at)gmail(dot)com)

What to bring:
A recipe for your favourite cocktail and any special ingredients you might need to make it.

What is provided:
Mixers, blenders, basic ingredients such as a selection of juice and soda, garnishes (salt, olives, mint, etc) and small cups for serving. There will also be yummy food and good music.

Cost:
A small donation of $2 to help cover the cost of supplies

How it works:
The idea is that each guest will make up a batch of their chosen cocktail (enough for 10 dixie cup-ish size servings) and then share it with other guests. Which means that everybody gets to taste all of the yummy concotions! Of course, you can make either alcoholic or non-alcoholic and if you choose alcoholic you can just take the remainder of your alcohol home with you at the end of the night!

As this is at a private residence, the guest list has been capped to 30 spaces, so please RSVP if you wish to attend.

Got Craft? Holiday Edition

Hey! Check out our postcards for the upcoming holiday Got Craft? show on Sunday, December 6th at the Legion on Commercial Drive. Aren't they wonderful? Of course they are! They are designed by the lovely Jeannette from The Beautiful Project.



If you didn't get a chance to pick a copy up at the One of a kind show, you can find them at Portobello West on the last Sunday of the month or in local shops and other crafty events starting in November.

Psst... Guess where I am? Read all about it on the lotus events blog!

Blim October Market!

Blim's monthly market is taking place this Sunday, October 18th from 11:00am to 5:00pm the Cambrian Hall (197 E. 17th Avenue). It's never too early to start your holiday shopping, but if you are a last minute person like I am, at least head over there for a delicious lunch from Open Sesame exclusive to the Blim market.

Admission is by donation. Go check out some Got Craft vendors such as It's Your Life and A Farmers Daughter,

One of a Kind Wrap Up

One of a kind was my first big show. When I say big show, I mean, 200 vendors from all over Canada and the US, thousands of dollars worth of advertising, $$$ booth prices and at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Center. It was huge.



How do you know how much stuff to make? Will people like my stuff? Will I pay off all my expenses? AAaahh! Of course, we also had a crazy event week which meant that not only was I staying up until 2am sewing / crocheting / stuffing, I also worked every day from Oct 1 to 7.

It was crazy, but you know what? It was so worth it! Being my first time at OOAK, I really did not know what to expect or have anything to compare it to. Some past vendors, say that it wasn't as busy as the previous year, but, maybe it was the change of venue, or the bigger space so we are more spread out or maybe it was the Thanksgiving long weekend or the economy? So many factors to consider.



Thanks to telly designs for the yummy snacks she dropped off and all of the new faces that we met including Phebe from 5pm Studio from Portland. Who, funny enough, was actually at Crafty Wonderland last December when we went down to help them with their load in. Plus, all of the people that we knew from the local craft scene including Lucky Rooster, Poppytalk, Smidgebox Designs, tiny warbler, Wendy, April, Kim, Lisa, Hilary and more!

** For some reason, I only took 3 pictures during the entire 4 days and it was during the set up. Sorry! You can check out more about the show here (part 1) and here (part 2) on Poppytalk. **

OOAK giveaway

The One of a Kind show in Vancouver is coming up next week. Oct 8 to the 11th to be exact. Not only will I be there displaying my goods, but so will fellow Got Craft? vendors such as cabin + cub, Track and Field Designs, The Beautiful Project and Little Red Caboose.

Interested in heading out to the show? Enter to win a pair of tickets by emailing us at info(at)gotcraft(dot)com. A winner will be announced on Friday (Oct 2). Contest closes at noon pacific time.

Update: The random generator chose #5. Congratulations to J.S.!