things to do :: Autumn Shift Festival

photo credit: dale chumbley

Hosted by the Mount Pleasant BIA, the Autumn Shift Festival on Main Street will be a street party celebrating the change in seasons as well as the shift in attitude to- wards sustainability, eating local and an increased interest in urban gardening.

Rain or shine, the event will feature live music, improv and a handful of comedy acts from their two live stages. There will be a farmer's market and plenty of activities for children including a bouncy castle, free popcorn and cotton candy. Blim will also be hosting their monthly market, so make sure to check out some local handmade goods!

Interested in growing your own garden or how you can live more responsibly? EcoUrbia Network, Village Vancouver, UBC Rapid Transit Project, West Coast Seeds and the Alpine Garden Club will be on-site to name a few.

Remember! If you are driving into this area, Broadway to 12th Avenue on Main Street will be closed for the festivities.

Here are the details:

When:
Saturday, September 25th, 2010 from Noon to 6:00 p.m. (rain or shine)

Where:
Main Street - Broadway to 12th Avenue, Vancouver

For more information, visit the blim market @ autumn shift festival facebook event page here.

buy handmade :: Bison Letterpress & Flying Bird Botanicals

image from Bison Bookbinding & Letterpress (Flowmotion Summer Meltdown - Festival ticket design, printing, foil stamping)

I heart letterpress. I love the raised surfaces that letterpress creates and the added hand touched quality that you don't always get with print. I met Carly and her husband, owners of Bison Bookbinding & Letterpress, at the Urban Craft Uprising show a few weekends ago in Seattle. They have a fantastic selection of hand bound notebooks and greeting cards. Some styles are available in their Etsy shop or you can find them at the Bellingham Farmers Market every Saturday.


In addition to their products at the market (which included handmade awls!), Bison Bookbinding & Letterpress are also available for custom projects and offer workshops and studio tours to help keep the tradition of letterpress and book arts alive in the community.


image from Flying Bird Botanicals

The booth space was shared with a friend, Scout Urling from Flying Bird Botanicals who offers 100% hand crafted, vegetarian teas and bath and body products. You can check out their Etsy shop here.

I'm not sure which booth it belonged to, but one of my favourite things there was the hand crafted jars of glue for sale. I just love (love!) their whole booth set up and how well it reflected the look of both companies and you know what I overheard while shopping? "I love seeing people smile when they look at our products".

a craft fair cheat sheet

Mark your calendars and pledge to buy handmade! If you have a crafty event that you would like listed, please send us a quick email and we can add your event to our list.

Portobello West Market
March to December 2008 - last Sunday of each month **
12:00pm to 6:00pm
Rocky Mountaineer Station - 1755 Cotrell Street
http://www.portobellowest.com
** except for March 29th & 30th and December 13th & 14th

Farmers Market
2nd and 4th Saturday until April 2008
10:00am to 2:00pm - Free Admission
1882 Adanac Street @ Victoria - Wise Hall

Dates TBA - Saturdays, May to October 2008
Trout Lake Community Center (15th and Victoria)
9:00am to 2:00pm

Dates TBA - Saturdays, June to October 2008
1100 Block of Comox Street
9:00am to 2:00pm

Dates TBA - Wednesdays, June to October 2008
Riley Park Community Center (across the street between 30th and Ontario)
1:00pm to 6:30pm

Dates TBA - Sundays, June / July to October 2008
Kitsilano Community Center (10th and Larch)
10:00am to 2:00pm

http://www.eatlocal.org

Creative Finds Art and Fine Craft Market
Saturday, November 15th, 2008
9:30am to 5:00pm
Sullivan Hall Community CEnter - 6306 - 152nd Street (near 64th Ave), Surrey
http://www.creativefinds.ca

35th Annual Circle Craft Christmas Market
November 11th to the 16th, 2008
Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Center
http://circlecraft.net

Please note that lotus events does not guarantee any of the times, dates and locations posted. Please check the event website for more information and to confirm event details.