Local Love: 'Tis the Season!

The thing I love the most about this time of year is all the festive events that roll around, enticing all of us to leave our cozy homes, brave the cold for a second or two, and spend time with the people with love at the places we love. My schedule this week is filled to the brim with fantastic events and I wanted to share a few of them with you!

Flowers Talk Open House
Join the folks at Flowers Talk for an evening of special discounts, festive treats, and holiday styling tips for your home. Flowers Talk & Splendid Events are hooking you up with the most adorable cake pops you've ever seen, thanks to our talented friends at Bake Mob. We'll also have a gourmet hot cocoa station where you can create the perfect cup of hot cocoa, whether your favourite flavour is peppermint chocolate, rich milk chocolate, or even cinnamon. And of course we'll have plenty of marshmallows for the perfect garnish. Browse Flowers Talk's cozy and inviting boutique, mug in hand, and enjoy 15% off all purchases and special orders made during the event.

Cake pops by Bake Mob!

 

 

[the deets]

Cost: Free to all!
What: Flowers Talk Holiday Open House
Where: Flowers Talk, 1305 Wellington West
When: Wednesday December 5, 6pm-8pm
Why: To bring holiday cheer to your home and to give warmth to neighbours in need.




Here We Go Again: Renée Yoxon & Mark Ferguson's CD Release

Talented local jazz singer Renée Yoxon & Mark Ferguson are excited to release their first collaboration together! Join Mark, Renée, Joel Kerr, Jeff Asselin, Craig Pedersen, and Frank Lozano for an unforgettable evening of original music at the NAC's Fourth Stage this Friday!

[the deets]

When: Friday, December 7, 2012, 7:30pm
Where: NAC Fourth Stage, 53 Elgin Street
Tickets: $25. Click here to find out how to get tickets: http://www.reneeyoxon.com/how-to-get-tickets-to-the-here-we-go-again-ottawa-cd-release-december-7/

For more info about the event: http://nac-cna.ca/en/community/event/4538

 

 

Craftalicious Craft Fair!

If you're looking to finish off your holiday shopping, we've got an awesome craft show coming up in the Glebe on Saturday. Craftalicious has been running for four years now, and is a fantastic local show that you must check out! What do they have planned for you?

Gourmet Goodies & Treats + Prints & Cards + Glass Works + Ceramics + Knits + Jewellery
Photography & Art + Baby & Children’s Items + Hockey Art + Magnets & Pins + Ornaments + Bath  & Body Products + Fabric Masterpieces + Tarot Reader & Live Piano Music!

[the deets]
Saturday, December 8th, 2012
10am-4:30pm
St. Matthew’s Church Hall
217 First Avenue
Admission is free!

Locavore Artisan Food Fair
The folks over at Auntie Loo's made a spot on comment this morning. They mentioned that the chilly weather seems to bring out their appetites. I couldn't agree more! If your tummy seems to be rumbling a little extra this time of year, you *must* check out LAFF! This show, which has become a standard on Ottawa's food scene, is full of talented gourmet food makers who will have gifts for your tummy and those on your your Christmas list, too!

[the deets]

Cost: Free!
What: Locavore Artisan Food Fair
Where: Memorial Hall of Crichton Cultural Community Centre, 39 Dufferin Road (at Avon Lane) in New Edinburgh
When: Sunday December 9, 10am-3pm
Why: Yummy yummy food! Need I say more!?
More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/159391614207466

Turkey Day Prize Giveaways!

Gorgeous goodies up for grabs from Ellie and Len!

Two sleeps until Urban Craft, kids! Are you as excited as we are!? We're always so blown away by how talented our awesome vendors are. They're so full of creativity, ingenuity and create the most beautiful, useful and unique things. It's impossible not to enjoy working with such a talented group of folks. As it turns out, these group of folks also happen to be incredibly generous, and this month a whole slew of fantastic vendors has stepped up to donate prizes that you can win simply for coming to the show! Woo! Here's the lineup of the awesome vendors that will be donating prizes:

• N Product
• My Stow N Tow
• Kiersten Eagan Illustration
• Strut Jewelry 
• Alyssa Spaxman Design
• Koko Chocolates
• Ellie and Len
• West End Chiles
• VersaTile Design

From gourmet gift packs to lovely jewelry, gorgeous prints to delicious treats--you're going to want to get your hands on these goodies, guys! Just fill out an Urban Craft survey when you come through the door on Saturday and you'll be entered to win!

Urban Craft's October Edition
Saturday, October 6, 2012
10am-2pm
The Great Canadian Theatre Company (1233 Wellington Street West - At Holland)

Urban Craft: The Thanksgiving Edition!

Happy fall, folks! We love this time of year at Urban Craft headquarters. A slight chill in the air, pumpkin-flavored everything, warm scarves and gloves & the changing of the leaves in Gatineau Park. What's not to love!? The turn in the weather also signals that one of our favorite holidays is near: Thanksgiving!

If you've got friends and family coming to town this holiday weekend, bring them down to Urban Craft this Saturday! In addition to our awesome usual lineup of vendors, we have 5 new vendors who will be at Urban Craft for the first time! Plus DAVIDsTEA will be on hand with free tastings of their awesome tea -and- we'll have gifts for the first 25 people through the door! What's not to love?

Now: a sneak peek of those brand new vendors. We think you're going to love them!

Kiersten Eagans illustrations are just so charming & intriguing. I love her illustration style & can't wait to see her work in person!

 

Ellie and Len create darling vintage-inspired jewelry with a modern twist. 

 

N-Product makes this awesome ring, which is made from cardboard! Can you believe that? I can't wait to check their work out in person!

West End Chiles creates unique jellies, spice mixes & other tasty treats. With flavors like Mango Habanero and Port Wine Serrano, I can't wait to pick up a jar to pair with some cheese for Thanksgiving on Monday!

If you're looking for some treats to take to your Thanksgiving celebrations, Morsel Desserts will be at Urban Craft for the first time with awesome cupcakes, bars & delectable loaves to take to your Turkey Day dinner! Yum!

The Full Lineup:

Purple Urchin

Strut Jewelry

Urbanite Jewelry

VersaTile

Kokobaru

Bake Mob

Jasmine Virani

Heart Meets Paper

Flo Glassblowing

Koko Chocolates

Salvage Jewelry

Magneties

Morsel Desserts

Red Door Provisions

Kiersten Eagan Illustration

N-Product

My Stow N Tow

West End Chiles

Ellie & Len

We can't wait to see you all there!

Urban Craft's October Edition
Saturday, October 6, 2012
10am-2pm
The GCTC (1233 Wellington Street West - At Holland)

Urban Craft's Birthday Recap!

One year. One whole year of shows! Guys--we are so proud of Ottawa and so happy to be a part of this community (as always). You showed up in droves to support us and made our birthday show a smashing success! If we could give you all kisses and hugs, we would. A recap of the festivities in pictures:

Our outdoor signs, all dressed up for our birthday!

Our crazy long lineup out the door! You guys are fantastic!

Our ever-awesome producer and front door gal, Amy of Splendid Events!

The wonderful Andrea of Yelp! hands out free bags to attendees

Salvage Jewelry's awesome vintage jewelry & table display

Red Door Provision's gourmet preseves

heart meets paper's lovely paper goods

Vibrant cake pops from Bake Mob

Purple Urchin's line of handmade bath & body goodies

The lovely Kate of Flights of Fancy

Monsters never looked so adorable (from Kokobaru)

Sapling // Seedling's adorably awesome mini book pendants!

Funky screen-printed ties from Magneties!

Eufemia Bella's vintage-inspired home goods

Flo Glass Blowing's gorgeous hand-blown garden stix!

Tribal inspired jewelry from Jasmine Virani

A huge huge thanks to all the vendors, volunteers and especially to all of you from the public who came out to support the show! We love you to pieces!

Urban Craft's 1st Birthday: Presents for You!

Guys & gals: we are SO excited for the show tomorrow. I can hardly stand it! We've had such a blast putting together this show for you and cannot wait to welcome you all through the doors at 10am tomorrow! 

We've been sharing sneak peeks of all the goodies that we'll have at the show, and we decided to save the best for last. A bunch of our vendors stepped up this month to donate prizes that you can get your hands on for free! So many people offered to give you awesome gifts for free that we were able to put together not one, not two, not three, but four gift baskets for you to win! Aren't our vendors flipping fabulous? We think so!

So while the exact prizes that you can win are heavily guarded secrets until tomorrow morning, we wanted to give you a little preview of the prize packs that you can win!

Prize Pack No. 1
Alyssa Spaxman Design & Strut Gemstone Jewelry have teamed up to give you an awesome prize package that will help you adorn yourself -and- your walls (hint, hint)! 

Prize Pack No.2
VersaTile Design & Heart Meets Paper have teamed up to give you a prize pack with goodies to give and goodies to keep!

Prize Pack No.3
Eufemia Bella & Sweet Secrets have teamed up to give you something that'll give your house a perk and something that'll give you a perk!
Prize Pack No.4
And finally, Totally Squared has given us a generous gift that'll satisfy your sweet tooth for sure!

To enter to win these prizes, all you'll need to do is fill out a survey at the front door when you arrive at the show. You'll automatically be entered to win all four of the gift baskets. Totally sweet deal, don't you think!? 

And while we're at it, I'll give you another rundown of all the awesome vendors we'll have at the show tomorrow. You're already putting together your plan of attack, right!?

Koko Chocolates
Heart Meets Paper
Red Door Provisions
Eufemia Bella
Purple Urchin
VersaTile Design
Kokobaru Creations
Jasmine Virani Jewelry
Strut Gemstone Jewelry
Magneties
Urbanite Jewelry
Salvage Jewelry Co.
Flights of Fancy
Sapling//Seedling
Sweet Secrets
Flo Glass Blowing
Clever Plumage
Winged Beast Outfitters
Bake Mob
Totally Squared
Hummingbird Chocolate
Indie*Go Designs
Yakety Yak Designs

We'll see you tomorrow morning, guys & gals! Remember: get there early and line up to snag some swag ! 

Urban Craft's First Birthday Bash!
Saturday, September 1st
10am-2pm
The GCTC (1233 Wellington Street W, at Holland) 

Urban Craft's 1st Birthday: The Swag!

Earrings up for grabs from urbanite jewelry!

Things are really gearing up here at Urban Craft headquarters! We just finished packing up the mini swag bags and they are almost ready to go! If you're lucky enough to be one of the first 25 people through the door at our birthday bash on Saturday, you'll snag a free pair of urbanite jewelry earrings! Up for grabs are their Los Angeles, Cordova & Portland earrings. You'll also receive a coupon & pack of earring backs (those little plastic guys that go on the back of your earrings that we're all always losing!). You'll also receive goodies from the awesome folks at VersaTile Design and Morsel Desserts!

Mini swag, all packed up!

I'd sort of really like to keep one of these for myself! Be sure you're there bright and early on Saturday to line up and snag a bag!

Urban Craft's First Birthday Bash!
Saturday, September 1st
10am-2pm
The GCTC (1233 Wellington Street W, at Holland)

Urban Craft's 1st Birthday: The Popcorn Bar!

{From The Party Dress}

 A birthday bash wouldn't be a birthday bash without some awesome snacks, right? In addition to the awesome food vendors we'll have at the show on Saturday (including Hummingbird Chocolate, Totally Squared, Koko Chocolates, Red Door Provisions, Bake Mob and Sweet Secrets), we decided to put together a gourmet popcorn bar for all of you lovely people to snack on while you're shopping! The popcorn bar is free, but we'll also be accepting donations for the Ottawa Food Bank should you feel so inclined to give back in exchange for your de-lish snack!

While we're keeping the exact details about our popcorn bar under wraps until the big reveal at the show on Saturday, we thought we'd share some of the inspiration we stumbled upon while putting our bar together! A preview:

A popcorn bar where you can mix different flavors of popcorn together to create your own special flavor! {Source}

An adorable display & toppings galore! {Source}

Creative popcorn cones for easy portability! {Source}

Delicious & inspiring flavors, like Rosemary & Sea Salt! Yum! {Source}

I'm salivating just thinking about it! We absolutely can't wait for you to see the popcorn bar on Saturday!

Urban Craft's Birthday Show!
Saturday, September 1st
10am-2pm
The GCTC (1233 Wellington Street W, at Holland)

Urban Craft's First Birthday!

Guess what, guys & gals!? Urban Craft is turning one in September! We are absolutely thrilled to be celebrating our first birthday, and incredibly grateful for how Ottawa has come out and supported our show over the past year.

As we sat down to plan our September 1st show, we decided that we better celebrate in an awesome way. What better excuse to throw a party than a birthday, right!? So we're throwing a big birthday bash in conjunction with Urban Craft on September 1st! Throughout the week we'll be showcasing all the awesome activities we'll have at the show in addition to an extended lineup of vendors for you to shop from this month! Here's just a teeny taste of all the awesomeness we'll have at the show:

• Free gifts for the first 25 attendees through the front door! 
• Free gourmet popcorn bar with tons of delectable toppings and goodies
• Free kids crafts and activities for your little ones
• Multiple door prizes to be won! I'm putting the finishing touches on the gift baskets and they're pretty sweet, folks!
• 25 Vendors to shop from! We've usually got around 20 at the show; this month we've brought in some extra vendors so you'll have a bigger selection!
• Admission is, as always, free!

When & where does it all go down?

Saturday, September 1st
10am-2pm
The GCTC (1233 Wellington Street W, at Holland)

Stay tuned this week for more sneak peeks of all the goodies and activities we have planned! It's going to be grand!

Urban Craft's Tweet to Win Contest!

Good Morning, Folks! We're coming to you with an exciting update from Urban Craft headquarters this morning: we're launching a contest where you can win $20 to spend at *any* vendor at Urban Craft!

We want you to let your friends know how much you love Urban Craft and all our talented vendors. So we're launching a Twitter contest to reward you for what you are already doing: tweeting about it! Between now and Friday, August 3rd, we want you to tweet about Urban Craft and let people know what you're looking forward to. Whether it's meeting our new vendors this month, picking up some baked goodies from your favorite permanent vendor -or- meeting up with friends at the show like you do each month, we want you to let the world know what you love about Urban Craft!

The person with the most tweets about the show at 11:59pm on Friday, August 3rd will win a $20 in Urban Craft bucks to spend at the show!

The fine print:

1. You must tag @urban_craft in your tweet for it to be eligible
2. The person with the most tweets tagged with @urban_craft between July 24th and August 3rd, 2012 will win $20 in Urban Craft bucks to spend at the show on August 4th, 2012.
3. Current Urban Craft vendors are not eligible to enter
4. Please no spamming just to win--we want you to tweet as much as possible, but want your tweets to be fun and interesting  for your readers! :)

Tweet away, kids!

Beat the July Heat at Urban Craft this Saturday!

Urban Craft's July edition is this Saturday! We've got a snazzy group of vendors lined up for you, including a few friends joining us from out of town! What's new this month, you ask? Observe:

 

The folks from Salvage Jewelry will join us all the way from Montreal! I was blown away by the uniqueness of their jewelry the instant that I saw it and knew we had to have them in Urban Craft. The necklace above is made from vintage sequins. Awesome, right?

 Creations Corteza will also join us from Montreal, bringing their fantastic preserved leaf and flower jewelry along with them. We're sure you've seen these beauties over at Flock and Workshop; each piece of jewelry is a true little gem and distinct from the next. Love them!

 

The lovely Meeka of Meeka's Creations will join us with her ever-popular fun & funky stuffed creatures! Aren't they just dripping with adorableness?

The ladies of Flo Glassblowing will also be on hand with their gorgeous works of glass. As the owners of Ottawa's very own glassblowing studio, you know these gals know their stuff. I can't wait to see their creations in person!

And this is just a fraction of the talent that will be on hand. Cake pops, boutique vanilla extracts, handmade tiles, a whole range of awesome jewelry, vegan baked goods, gorgeous home goods. Check out the full list of vendors:

Auntie Loo's
Urbanite Jewelry
Purple Urchin
VersaTile Design
Kokobaru Creations
Liv Well Toys
Strut
Silver Hand Studios
Salvage Jewelry
Really Horrible Enterprises
Sarah's Card Company
Jasmine Virani
Meeka's Creations
Creations Corteza
Flo Glassblowing
Eufemia Bella
Om Nom Cupcake
Petits Plaisirs Chocolata Treats
Bake Mob
Chic Bean

It's going to be good, folks! Don't forget; we're indoors--so come inside for a break from the heat, shop from some awesome vendors and enjoy the weekend!

Saturday, July 7th, 2012
10am-2pm
The GCTC, Holland & Wellington

July 7th Sneak Peek!

Gorgeous jewels from Salvage Jewelry!

The next edition of Urban Craft is coming up on July 7! Will you be there? All of these fantastic vendors will:

Auntie Loo's
Urbanite Jewelry
Purple Urchin
VersaTile Design
Kokobaru Creations
Liv Well Toys
Strut
Silver Hand Studios
Salvage Jewelry
Really Horrible Enterprises
Sarah's Card Company
Jasmine Virani
Meeka's Creations
Creations Corteza
Flo Glassblowing
Eufemia Bella
Om Nom Cupcake
Petits Plaisirs Chocolata Treats
Bake Mob
Chic Bean

Next Show:
Saturday, July 7th, 2012
10am-2pm
The GCTC, Holland & Wellington

Purple Urchin's Grand Opening!

Last fall, Urban Craft regulars Sarah and Rebecca of Purple Urchin opened their very own shop in Chinatown. It was so fantastic to see such a talented pair of ladies take such a big step, and we couldn't be more happy for them! The opening of their shop happened to coincide with the street improvements on Somerset, so for the first few months of operation, the sidewalks and street around their shop were quite the mess. Now that the street has cleared and the weather has warmed up, the girls are officially christening their store with a grand opening this weekend!

With help from Amy of Splendid Events (small business event planner extraordinaire -and- Urban Craft sponsor), the girls will open their shop on Sunday for a grand 'ole party. There will be drinks, snacks, music, and hand massages with Purple Urchin body butters! Plus, the first 25 people in the store will get an awesome swag bag featuring samples from other local businesses and, of course, Purple Urchin!

Pop by their shop (882 Somerset Street W) on Sunday, June 10th from 1-4pm to get in on all the goodness (and make sure you show up early to snag some swag)! More details can be found on their Facebook event page here.

Urban Craft's June Sneak Peek!

Awesome bath & body goodies from Purple Urchin

Awesome gourmet goodies? Adorable home decor? Cute things for your kiddo? Urban Craft's got them all this month! Just two days until our June show. A preview:

 

This month we'll welcome Emma Dilemma Designs for the first time. Emma makes really unique vintage inspired home decor that's unlike anything I've seen in Ottawa before--including the really awesomely unique family tree you see above! 

 

Sapling // Seedling will also join us for the first time! How adorable are those tiny book necklaces above? Owner Saara is a trained book binder and makes the most beautiful handmade books and unique accessories!

 

Blush Beads will join us again for the first time since the fall! Owner Sandy is such a lovely person to work with and she makes equally lovely jewelry. We're excited to have her back at the show!

 

 

 Kokobaru will join us with seriously adorable kids goodies including the hats above, which are so cute that I think I'd have a hard time keeping them off my kids even during the hot summer months. She'll also be bringing a whole slew of adorable sewn toys!

 

Bake Mob will join us again with their adorably delicious cake pops in a range of styles and flavors! I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how much the kids at last month's Urban Craft went *crazy* over Bake Mob's pops. Their parents couldn't keep them away from the table!

 

 Lisa of Heart Meets Paper will join us again this month with her gorgeous and modern paper goods. I plan to stock up on her goodies--they make the perfect thank you, birthday and every occasion cards!

 VersaTile will join us again this month with their awesome tile goodies. From magnets to coasters to custom artwork, owners Dan and Kelly are truly making a splash in Ottawa's craft scene even though they've only been around for a few months!

And that's just a teeny taste of all the awesomeness we'll have at the show on Saturday! A full list of the vendors:

Auntie Loo’s Treats
Bake Mob
Purple Urchin
Mains de Mariposa
urbanite jewelry
Strut Jewelry
Blush Beads
Magneties
Sapling // Seedling
VersaTile Design
Emma Dilemma Designs

Kokobaru
Couture Kids
Barnyard Bummz
Liv Well Toys
Buttons n’ Pins
Heart Meets Paper
Carabara
Lillipad

Urban Craft - June Edition
Saturday, April 7, 2012
10am-2pm
The GCTC (Holland & Wellington)