Happy holidays everyone! My markets are all wrapped up for the year and I am off to visit family in Alberta. I don’t like to officially close my Etsy shop when I’m away because I think people should still be able to see what I do, add things to their favorites & so on. But I have updated my shop announcement to let everyone know that any new orders will be mailed out once I return, after Christmas.

For Vancouver shoppers, last minute gifts can still be snapped up at my fabulous retail partners!

Bird on a Wire

2535 Main Street @ Broadway (beside Kafka’s coffee shop)

website: http://www.birdonawirecreations.com

contact: (604)874-7415

I popped into Bird on a Wire yesterday and made sure they were stocked up on lockets, brooches, bookmarks and prints.

Chic Winds

375 Water Street (same block as the steam clock)

website: http://www.chicwinds.com/

contact: (604)683-8292

At Chic Winds you’ll find lockets, a small selection of bookmarks, 5×7 matted prints (not for sale anywhere else), wood block panels & a few original paintings too.

Plush

4296 Main Street (just south of King Edward)

website: http://www.plushonmain.com

contact: (604)708-5199

Plush manages to cram so much local Vancouver fabulousness into such a small space, it’s kind of amazing. Here you’ll find a Cagey Bee mini wood block panels covered in shiny resin, lockets and a selection of brooches.

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

The Eastside Culture Crawl is taking place this weekend & I was lucky enough to nab a sneak preview at my friend Liane Varnam’s studio space in 1000 Parker Street. Vancouver has a pretty vibrant art scene & I really love events like the Crawl where artists open up their studio spaces to the public for a few days. Since I don’t have particularly visitor-friendly studio space, I’ve been happy to participate in The Drift, which pairs artists with shop spaces all along Main Street. At one of the Drift events last year I entered a raffle to win $500 worth of art from any fellow Drift artist. And I won!!! As someone who very rarely can afford to buy anything more than prints, I was beyond thrilled. So thrilled, in fact, that it took me this long to decide what to buy! I narrowed it down to Liane’s work very quickly, but which piece? Or maybe TWO pieces? My indecisiveness took over in one of the loveliest versions of a “problem” I’ve ever had.

Once I walked into the studio, however, there was no choosing. As soon as I laid eyes on this one, I knew she was coming home with me:

Some of my favorite works by Liane are pastel and charcoal drawings on old window panes. They serve as perfect frames & are terribly under priced, in my opinion. If you want to snag one for yourself, her studio is #350 in the Parker Street Studios.

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!