barefoot contessa window displays

Sometimes random ideas pop into my head and I say "Hey, Robert! What are your thoughts on ...?" and his response is usually one of "those" looks. So when I decided that we should contact a local retailer to host a handmade window display showcasing Got Craft? goodies, I had to contact my friend Barefoot Contessa to pitch her the idea. Thank goodness that she loved it! With me in London and numerous emails and phone calls back and forth, I am happy to announce that I am beyond smitten of how they turned out! Aren't they gorgeous? Love! Love! Love!

Thank you to Eva and the team at Barefoot Contessa, Kris for listening to all my demands :), Miranda for the vinyl lettering x 2 and to the Got Craft? vendors that participated in the window displays. Photo credits go to Kris Brownlee and Jennifer Conway. If you are in the Vancouver area, please pop on by to Barefoot Contessa and check out the goodies in person at 3715 Main Street or at their second location at 1928 Commercial Drive. 

things to do :: rhizome free store

photo credit: warm 'n fuzzy

Each month, Rhizome hosts a free store allowing Vancouverites an opportunity to share resources with each other. This months' theme is arts and crafts supplies, so if you do any kind of crafts, you will most likely have a stash of goods that you can pass on to somebody else.

How does it work?
Bring something you are ready to pass on, and / or take home some new-to-you items. This isn't a swap. It's free stuff.

date: Sunday, March 13th, 2011
time: 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.
location: Rhizome Cafe - 317 East Broadway, Vancouver

For more information, please visit their website here. Thanks to our friends, Plush, for giving us a heads up!

the express :: handmade community

The Express segment featuring Bird on a Wire Creations and Robert speaking about the handmade community is now up. You can check out Robert at 2:38 and if you look closely, you can see me at 3:16. Enjoy!

check out :: bird on a wire

Have you been to Bird on a Wire Creations just up the block from Main Street and Broadway? Opened at the end of October, it is a welcome haven for the local handmade community! Not only does it carry handmade creations from artists within a 100 mile radius, Bird on a Wire also runs workshops, a Friday night knitting club, craft / sewing studio rental and locker rental for those people, like myself, that seem to stock pile all kinds of supplies "because, you never know!"

Owner, Karen Unger-Strickland, is a practising artist and crafter who brings over 25 years experience to her new venture. Her vision for the store includes a knitting corner, a long dining room table for people to work on their projects, and a children’s area where kids can draw on the walls without reprimand. Prior to starting up Bird on a Wire Creations, Karen successfully owned and operated a paint-your-own ceramic store in Squamish, BC where she hosted and taught workshops in painting ceramics, painting canvas floor clothes, and creating mosaic picture and mirror frames.

In addition to Roxypop, you can also find goods from past and present Got Craft vendors such as Uncle Phil and Rabbit Rabbit.

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.

things to do :: Market at Eugene Choo #2

vendors clockwise: Banquet, heyday design, Sunja Link, dalhaus ceramics

It's time for the second installment of Market at Eugene Choo featuring twice the number of vendors than last month including the lovely ladies pictured above. Flower Factory will also be on-site with their fresh blooms and hi-ho, the debut of the Rumble Fish Taco Truck! Huzzah!

Here are the details:

When:
Saturday, July 17th, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Where:
Parking lot behind Eugene Choo, 3683 Main Street, Vancouver

For more information, contact market(at)eugenechoo(dot)com

car free day round up

Better late than never right? Here's a round up of car free day from last month.. Main Street style!


(my side of the table)

Tiffany from Love Made Me, a few ladies from Woven Studios and I shared a table at the Blim market which was a part of car free day. Apparently, 79 Blim vendors aligned the streets of Main Street which didn't include all the other local shops, food stalls and events happening between 16th Avenue up to 33rd Avenue. Thank goodness that the weather held on! It was a guessing game throughout the day and I even picked up a plastic table cloth just in case, but despite a few cold spells, we were all good and dry.


(mobile boardroom float protesting HST whizzed past us)

Thanks to everybody that stopped by especially to @prairiecitygirl !

things to do :: Blim Market at Car Free Day

photo credit: monnibo

Blim Monthly Market
Sunday, June 20th, 2010
Blim Monthly Market: Noon to 6:00 pm (car free open until 8:00pm)
Main and 17th Avenue (car free is from 16th Avenue to 33rd Avenue)

Hey folks! Blim will be presenting a monthly Main Street Community Market to take place on car free day! Roxypop will be sharing a table with Tiff from Love Bobbie in addition to 70 other vendors plus music, hot food, beverages, entertainment and more!

things to do :: Market at Eugene Choo

Known for their great style sense, Eugene Choo will be holding an outdoor market once a month through the summer. Market at Eugene Choo will feature a selection of their favourite designers such as Collage Collage, Daughters of Dawn Vintage and Banquet Design plus vintage dealers and food vendors!

Dates & Times:
Sunday, June 20th - 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
Saturday, July 17th - 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Saturday, August 14th - 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Saturday, September 18th - 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Location:
Parking lot behind Eugene Choo, 3683 Main Street, Vancouver

shop tour :: Regional Assembly of Text

Last July, I brought Faythe Levine, director of Handmade Nation, to check out our next stop on the Crafty Shop tour. The Regional Assembly of Text is filled with the most delightful stationery, chalkboards, fabric letters and buttons, all handmade in the back of the shop. Opened in the fall of 2005, the store is a creative collaboration between Rebecca Dolen and Brandy Fedoruk, both graduates from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design.

Read more about one of my favourite shops over at Granville Online.

Got Craft? goes bite sized!

Sunday, June 14th (this Sunday!) kicks off our first monthly show! Held the second Sunday of each month between June to November, it features a rotating list of 12 vendors including:

Kohana Jewellery
Olive
Clay Zakka
Earthly Presence
My Little Eye
hudsonny
The Mustache Press
Jen Ellis Designs
My LoLo
The Beautiful Project
Love Bobbie
Aramid Custom Bead Jewelry

... and special guest.. Ehren S. from Little Mountain Gallery

Come check us out ...

Sunday, June 14th, 2009
Little Mountain Gallery - 195 E. 26th Avenue (at Main Street)
11:00am to 4:00pm

Admission by donation to support the Vancouver Craft Mafia

PS. Sunday is also car free day on Main, Commercial and the West End plus Blim market is happening just down the street from us, so don't miss out!