Weekstagram & The Hintonburg Craft Fair

I realized that I haven't done a weekstagram post in quite a while. Whoops! More like monthstagram, amirite?? I also forgot to mention I hit my 200th post last post, how intense is that? I'm having a blast with this blog and I hope those of you who follow enjoy it too! Now on with the photos!!!

 I love palette knife paintings, especially this one I keep walking by in the mall lately.

This beautifully gnarled tree growing around a dead one while on a mini hike with the Mr last weekend. 

This weeks mani and my birthday gift from mom. Such a gorgeous ring!

An upside down shot of my table today at the Hintonburg Craft Fair, it was a pretty good day!  

I decided to change out the buttons on my coat. Just goth enough while still looking semi professional. 

Hat I made out of some scrap wool I got from work based off the pattern of my favourite hat. I think it came out pretty spot on, if I do say so myself!

The Hintonburg Craft Fair was today, and despite the first real snow of the year, it being freezing, and there being several other craft shows happening at the same time, there was an astounding turnout! There was a steady crowd the whole day, and a wonderful assortment of artists. Two delicious discoveries were these chocolate candied almonds (which I sampled but forgot to run back and buy!) from www.nut-candy-chocolate.com, delicious and gluten free (if that tickles your fancy), as well as some amazing mini cupcakes from Petite Treats. I bought a candy cane mint chocolate, chocolate with an orangey icing (I can't remember what kind it was technically but it was tasty) and a tiramisu one that the Mr claimed was also delish. Baked goods are my one weakness at a craft fair. If I don't buy anything else, I will always but a snack. 

Another fun first for this craft show worth mentioning was my use of the Square card reader, a credit card reader that plugs into the jack of your phone/tablet which allows you to accept Visa and Mastercard. The reader and app are free, and they only take a small percentage of each transaction (less than etsy/paypal do). It was a breeze and I must say not only did it make things more convenient for myself and customers, it made me feel that extra bit more professional.

If you're a vendor interested in expanding your payment options, it's definitely something to look into. The only thing I will note from my research is that the most they deposit in a month is $2002, if you go over that then they hold it for a certain amount of time. If you would be making more than that at shows with the card reader it might be a good idea to look into it further so you don't get hung up waiting for transfers. 

Recycled Sweater Coat

This past Monday was Value Village's 50% off sale, and I had the day off work. Actually I should admit something.. I took the day off work. There were a few things I wanted to make, I knew I'd need quite a few supplies for it, and there was no way I was waiting until after work to go down there. Who knows what I would have missed out on if I waited all day?! Oh no Sir, I got up early and was there within the first hour they were open. I got a few things for a final item in my Secret Santa swap item (which I will show you on or around Dec 8th when we open), and as many good brown sweaters as I could find. I think the total was about 8 or so. This is one expensive project for anyone willing to tackle it.

The end result? This.

It started with a pile of sweaters, then several piles of cut up scraps, and it slowly started to come together.

I actually really enjoyed making this! I learned a lot on how to improve it should I decide to make another one, and you know what? I had so much fun that I'm sure I'll make more.

The hardest thing about making these is I constantly was sewing 'right sides together' by reflex and had to resew pieces the opposite way. I think it would look really beautiful if the seams were hidden though instead of exposed...

Fun facts:
Bottom hem measurement: 174 inches! That's 14.5 feet!!!! That's insane..
One of my serger spools ran dry making this, and I had to trade in one of the black threads for burgundy near the end.
It weighs almost 3 pounds, which doesn't sound like a lot but you notice when you're wearing it!

Thanks to the Mr for putting up with me not once but twice to help me get pictures.

Tutorial: Quick and Easy Clothing Display!

One thing I've noticed a lot online around pinterest and craft sites is that people need display ideas, and are constantly looking. In getting ready for this craft fair I decided I wanted to bring my clothing with me which meant I needed to come up with a display rack, for next to nothing since I had no disposable income for this project, and no car to make it to ikea.

I did however, have one of these in storage.
Before:

Almost the same exact one I had.

Now this project took about 5 minutes to do.
First what you have to do is unhook and remove the top racks going across the top, and the ones holding it up. Now you're left with an 'A' shaped frame.
Next you take the piece going across the middle and unhook that, and rehook it to the very bottom run. This will make it stand more narrow but free up those top rings.
Lastly, using vicegrips (or something similar) pull off the rungs going across on one side. I removed both of them. That leaves room for the things to hang, assuming they're not too long.

Thats it! I covered the places where the bars were with some tape so they weren't rough, and it's ready to go! It's not the sturdiest, but braced against the side of the table at a craft fair it should more than do the trick.

After:

Favourite Things: Winter Edition

Okay, it's cold out. Officially. I have switched out of my moto jacket and into my winter coat. Scarves, hats and gloves are now not only fashionable but necessary.  My favourite things this season?

Cozy winter tights in all sorts of colours and patterns. I'm waiting on this pair to come in the mail. (Ebay, if you're wondering)

Cranberry scented everything! My collection of cranberry scents includes parfume, hand lotion, lipgloss, and this home fragrance oil. Mmmmm.

Cute outfits with cozy sweaters.

This insane sweater! Now I normally don't like this style of sweater much (people make a lot of bad color choices with them I find, neon pink and purple and floor length? Guh!) but the colors in this one are gorgeous. So much so that I am planning a trip to Value Village on their sale day (Nov 19th for Canadians) to get as many brown sweaters as I can to make this. 

The Body Shops new highlighter pencils. I have the palest one, it's a beautiful creamy shimmery highlight that is going to be a regular in my makeup collection this season.

My Purple Urchin mango body butter. It smells amazing and feels just as nice. Support local, make healthy choices with your skin care, and check these ladies out!

And an awesome tutorial I have coming up for you for some super cute holiday jewelry! But you won't see that until after the craft fair when I have everything done. ;)

Leaves in Resin

I'm not quite ready for winter to come, as much as I'm loving all the chunky knit sweaters and cozy tights everywhere. I've been collecting and drying out leaves, which are now beautifully displayed in resin!

I love these! And when I say that, I mean it. Out of everything I make, it's rare that I make something that I'm as happy with as these. Perfectionist to a fault, possibly, constantly wanting to do better. There was actually a fifth but the oak leaves dried a boring brown and left the rest of the pendant looking flat. I didn't even finish it and it went in the garbage.

They're crystal clear and super colourful. I can't wait to get a few more mold shapes (I have no idea what happened to my rectangular one...) as I feel these would look great in an assortment of shapes and sizes. Also, their colours are going to hold me over all winter when it's cold and I'm longing for my favourite season to come back again.

I took all my leaves and tucked them into the heaviest book I own (The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy), and left them pressed between parchment paper for a few days. Once they were done I put them right away into resin in hopes of preserving as much color as possible. I'm not sure what these will do long term, but for the time being I think they look wonderful.

Fresh out of the book!

The obligatory work in progress shot.

Touch Screen Mittens

It took me forever to get pictures of these, but I'm so excited to be able to share these with you!

Handmade mittens with a big surprise, you can use your touch screen phone while wearing them! Goodbye cold fingers.

Check out the magic!

I'm in love with these for many reasons. All the fabric I used for them is high quality wool, and the money from buying the fabric went to a local non profit. They have threads sewn in to make them work with your touch screen (without scratching it at that). Last but not least, look at how cute they are!

I've been having a blast making them. I know what everyone is getting for Christmas this year...

Repurposed With A Purpose

Every once and a while I see something amazing, and I tuck it away to remind myself to share it with you.
This is one of those things.

Yes, it's a weird looking bicycle, but being that it's made out of cardboard (with recycled car tires for the wheels), and will cost roughly $20 to buy, it think it's amazing. It will be wonderfully convenient for those who want to reduce their footprint, and especially good for people in underdeveloped areas (I can see it now, websites where you can buy people fresh water, rice, medicine, soon you may be able to buy them a bicycle for transportation!)

You can see more information about it here, along with a video of it's process.