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

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 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 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

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)

Urban Craft: The Easter Edition!

We're celebrating Easter Weekend with an all new Urban Craft, packed full of handmade goodness for each and every one of you! We're incredibly excited to have a new round of awesome vendors on hand in addition to your favorites. And--we've got a ton of goodies for the little tykes in your life! A preview:

Adorable animal caps from Kokobaru

Colorful diaper covers from Barnyard Bummz

Gorgeous kiddie clothes from Couture Kids

Fun diapers & diaper covers from Bumblebaby

And for the adults in your life...

Adorable handmade coasters from VersaTile

Lovely clothes from Paisley

Adorable handmade cards from heart meets paper

Plus 15 more fantastic vendors for you to shop from! If you've got company in town for the long weekend, bring them down to see us! Can't wait to see you there:

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

Urban Craft: The Windy Edition!

Gorgeous coasters from VersaTile Designs

Every month, as we get closer and closer to Urban Craft, we begin to watch the weather closely to see if Mother Nature is going to give us some awesome weather for the day of the show. We are always so excited to see temperatures in the plus side of things, and are even more excited when there's a chance of sunshine on the day. This has especially been the case since we launched our monthly market in the fall, and temperatures have only gotten colder and colder as the months have progressed (boy are we looking forward to Spring)! As we watched the weather in advance of the March show this past weekend, we became pretty excited as the 90% chance of rain we were supposed to get turned into a 20% chance and the projected temperatures began to rise. Total score!

Golden Triangle T-Shirt From Apt. 613

It seems as though Mother Nature had something completely different in mind for us on Saturday. As we began to set up the event on the day of the show, blustery winds blew in and began gusting up to 90 kilometers per hour! Balloons were ripped off strings; we lost a few sandwich boards to damage, and every vendor who entered looked a little more than windblown.

But should you ever question whether or not Ottawans are a tough and resilient folk, we have an easy answer for that: hundreds of people came out to the show. They were certainly windblown but happy to be inside and shop! And we were more than happy to see them, too!

Gorgeous glass pendants from Water Willow Designs

We expanded the number of crafters selling at Urban Craft for the first time this Saturday. Because of overwhelming demand from vendors and requests from the public for more vendors to shop from, we introduced half tables in order to add some new vendors to the mix. It was an experiment of sorts and seemed to work very well; we are still working on tweaking the setup and figuring things out as we go! We are so excited about how this show continues to grow in vendors and people. We are a lucky bunch!

Sewn goodies from Winged Beast Outfitters

Colorful cases from My Stow -n- Tow

Gorgeous modern pouches from Prairie Girl Creations

Our next show is coming up on April 7th! Here's hoping Mother Nature will bestow a gorgeous, sunny spring day on us then!

Purple Urchin: Watching Ottawa's Indie Businesses Grow Up!

 As organizers of craft shows here in Ottawa, one of the coolest things we get to do is see the amazing range of talent that resides in this city as it comes across our desktops each month. We're introduced to the coolest, most creative people and things and it's sincerely so inspiring to see what people are creating with their own two hands.

The second coolest thing is to watch these companies that we work with grow from month to month and year to year. And every once in a while, we get to see a company grow leaps and bounds and exceed our expectations.

In July of 2010 we ran a show in the Byward Market called Capital Craft Market. It was our first proper craft show (even though we had run Wed By Hand, our handmade & DIY wedding show earlier that year). One of our very first vendors that signed on was Purple Urchin--and boy are we so glad that they did! Purple Urchin has participated in nearly every craft show that we've put on, and they are one of our lovely permanent Urban Craft vendors, too!

Run by two lovely ladies named Sarah and Rebecca, Purple Urchin is a handmade bath & body company that has literally made me a convert when it comes to handmade soaps. I bought one of Purple Urchin's soaps a couple years back and haven't gone back since. Their products are inventive, fun, smell great and work even better.

So when Sarah told me in the fall of last year that they were opening a shop in Chinatown, I was both excited and surprised. You see, it takes a lot for a small handmade company to grow to the point where they can open a shop--but Sarah and Rebecca have completely pulled it off. Not only is their brand new store at the corner of Preston & Somerset warm and inviting, but it also smells damn good (of course).

We are so proud of them and how their company has grown. They were also gracious enough to donate a gift package (above) for Urban Craft January door prize--which a lovely lady named Michelle has won!

The First Urban Craft of 2012!

 

{gorgeous tea towels from manus made}

On Saturday we hosted the first Urban Craft of 2012 and had an absolute blast with all the wonderful people who came out to see us.

 

{adorable bowties from rufflentuck}

As organizers, we have learned so much from running a monthly show for the first time, and we honestly had no idea what January would be like in terms of traffic. But yet again, this wonderful city came out in support of small, independent businesses and really knocked our socks off!

 

{delectable vegan goodies from Auntie Loo's}

 

{lovely goods from the lost city of}

I'm not going to lie, ladies and gents--we have an AWESOME show lined up for you in February. It's going to be an awesome place to shop for your Valentine--no matter what kind of person will be yours on Valentine's Day!

More Photos from Urban Craft's November Edition!

Some more lovely photos from Urban Craft's November edition, courtesy of our good friends at foodiePrints (who write one of our very favorite Ottawa food blogs)!

Photos 1: Macarons from Urban Baking Co., 2, 3 & 4: Laser cut toys from 3 Princesses Engraving, 5, 6 & 7: Sterling silver jewelry from Jasmine Virani, 8, 9, 10: The koko chocolate crew with their special Movember 'staches & boxes, 11 & 12: Flights of Fancy's lovely accessories--featuring ML from 20 York Street! All photos courtesy of foodiePrints.