I only have 2 more market dates this holiday season and then it’s time for me to catch up on my own Christmas preparations! I love supporting handmade, so I try to do most of my holiday shopping at the tables of my fellow vendors, however there are a few boys on my list that have made it pretty clear that any shopping for them must be done at Best Buy. Oh well!

Coming up this weekend:

Saturday, December 17th, 2011

Holiday Farmers Market

Croatian Cultural Centre ~ 3250 Commercial Drive

10am-5pm

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

Women’s Winter Faire

Heritage Hall ~ 3102 Main Street

11am – 6pm

If the weekend shopping won’t work for you, check out one of the lovely retail shops that carry my work:

A Cagey Bee retail shops

Happy shopping!

My all time favorite art & craft market takes place tomorrow, so I’ll be chugging the coffee until the wee hours tonight trying to make sure I’ll have enough lockets, magnets & other goodies for the fabulous shoppers who line up bright & early just to get inside. It’s time for Got Craft!

Some of the things I’m excited to bring to this show are my bookmark clips:

Custom framed prints with rounded mats and UV-filtering acrylic instead of glass will also be for sale:

Most importantly, I can’t wait to do some of my own shopping! There are so many fantastic vendors that Got Craft is usually where I do the bulk of my Christmas shopping. See you tomorrow!

Got Craft Holiday Edition
Sunday, December 4th, 2011
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Admission: $3.00 (kids under 10 are free)

Royal Canadian Legion
2205 Commercial Drive (@ E.6th Ave)
Vancouver, BC

Got Craft is right around the corner & the swag has started to roll in for the legendary Got Craft swag bags! The first 45 people through the door get a free bag of goodies graciously donated by the rocking indie craft vendors. Check out the bags from the spring show to get an idea of the kind of awesomeness I’m talking about.

In my mailbox this morning were these fabulous bracelet cuffs by Urchin Bags:

They’re made by upcycling old bicycle inner tubes & aside from looking totally rad, they’re a pretty clever way to go green. Love!

Here’s a small sampling of some of the other swag bag goodies:

vintage stationary from dani press

lavender sachets from twig prints

handmade bracelets with vintage beads from Bueno Style

postcards packs from me!

There is so much more to come (once I finish photographing it all), but it’s safe to say that the swag bags are going to make some lucky people very  happy this year. If you’re not an early riser, there will also be swag bag giveaways. Stay tuned to the Got Craft blog for more info.

See you on December 4th!

The fall favorite Vancouver Home + Design Show kicks off this Thursday & I’m pleased as punch to have a booth. You’ll find the Cagey Bee goodness nestled in a special section of vendors from Portobello West, running along the far wall (from the entrance), right beside the stage.

Since I’m usually trapped in my booth at these kind of shows, I’m excited to be near the stage so I can catch Jillian Harris, the design expert on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The Urban Barn Design Stage will also host presentations by Bryan Baeumler, host of Disaster DIY & House of Bryan. Hopefully I can sneak away to catch some of the cooking demos at the Cook Like a Pro area. I definitely want to see the Contained Living setup too. The designer has such perfect transformations for small spaces – like a “shed” package that functions as a home office in your backyard. Brilliant!

Check the website for a full schedule.

October 13 to 16, 2011

Vancouver Convention Centre ~ Google map link

So much going on, my lovelies! I’ve been busy stocking up my retail shops with new goodies, mailing out orders, going to class at Emily Carr & getting ready for my last market of the season – a return to Portobello West. I haven’t been to Portobello for several months, so I’m really looking forward to seeing some familiar faces. If you haven’t been before, this Vancouver market is right along the sea wall in Athlete’s Village. More details below:

Portobello West Market

Sunday, September 25th ~ 11 -5pm

Creekside Community Recreation Centre
1 Athletes Way
Google map link

I’ve been working on new lockets & bookmark clips, plus making progress on a couple of new paintings (though I’m not sure if I’ll have them ready for sale at Portobello). My next market isn’t until mid-October, so it will be nice to take a bit of a break while preparing for the holiday shows.

The class I’ve been taking at Emily Carr University is the last one I need to complete my certificate in Fine Art Techniques. It’s a business class, related to the arts, of course, & though we’re only two classes in I’m already very happy that it’s a required course. My homework assignments are things I know I *should* do (like work on my artist statement), but usually put off (until I’m staring at a show application that requires that stuff).

This week I need to do a worksheet on how much money it actually costs to run my business. How long does it really take me to make the products that I sell? To shop for supplies? To do all those super time-consuming administrative tasks that artists (& most self-employed folks!) forget to factor into the cost of operating their business? Should be enlightening, to put it mildly!

Hope you’re enjoying the change in seasons. I love fall & watching the leaves begin to change in Vancouver is a thing of beauty. Stop & enjoy it!