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 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 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 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)

June 2nd Sneak Peek!

A quick peek at all the fantastic vendors we’ll have for you will have for you at Urban Craft’s June 2nd edition!

Foodie Finds:
Auntie Loo’s Treats
Bake Mob
Carabara
Lillipad

Bath & Body:
Purple Urchin
Mains de Mariposa

Jewelry & Accesssories:
urbanite jewelry
Strut Jewelry
Blush Beads
Magneties

Paper Goods:
Sapling//Seedling
Heart Meets Paper

Home Décor:
VersaTile Design
Emma Dilemma Designs

Kids Goodies:
Kokobaru
Couture Kids
Barnyard Bummz
Liv Well Toys
Buttons n’ Pins

A Sneak Peek At Urban Craft's May Lineup!

Fused Glass Jewelry from Water Willow

We're excited to announce a stunning lineup of fantastic crafters & gourmet food makers for the month of May! We'll have tons of your favorite people on hand and a slew of brand new crafters that we're excited to welcome to the show for the first time! A little birdie tells me that several of the vendors below are working on special gift packs just in time for Mother's Day! The lineup:

Indie Clothing:
Winged Beast
Caroline Villamarin
Apt. 613

Gourmet Food:
Koko Chocolates
Auntie Loo's Treats
Life of Pie
Urban Baking Co.
Bake Mob
The Organic Heretic
Really Horrible Enterprises

Bath & Body Goodies:
Purple Urchin

Gorgeous Jewelry:
Flights of Fancy
Chelsy Anne
Strut Jewelry
Urbanite Jewelry
Jasmine Virani
Emily's Trees
Water Willow

Kid's Goodies:
Rainbow Nest
Baby's Breath

Beautiful Art:
Jennifer Lytle

Home Decor:
Eufemia Bella

Foodie Finds for your Valentine!

It just so happened that for the sweet month of February, we had a ton of awesome local food producers apply to be a part of Urban Craft. Local favorites Pascale's All Natural Ice Cream, Michael's Dolce as well as some new-to-us companies like Hello, There and Kinburn Coffee all put their hats in the ring, and we were more than happy to oblige. What does this mean? We have got some seriously good gifts for your foodie Valentine this February. Observe:

Ottawa's reigning queen of ice cream, Pascale, will be on hand for this month's show with her half pints of ice cream, t-shirts and--most importantly--ice cream sandwiches. Why is that the most important? We took a poll and decided that Pascale's ice cream, sandwiched between two thin layers of brownie (!) are the most delicious anyone has ever tasted. You can decide whether or not we're right by coming down and snatching up one before they sell out on Saturday!

Love jam? Love deliciously unique flavors? If so, then you're probably familiar with Michael's Dolce. And if not--well, we'll be happy to introduce you to him this weekend. Michael makes seriously delicious jams with mouth watering flavors like Peach & Cardamom, Kiwi & Lime, Blueberry & Lavender and more. These aren't your typical jams, and they're seriously crave-worthy!

We're also super excited to be welcoming an out-of-town coffee roastery, Kinburn Coffee, this month! The folks at Kinburn own a farm in a small town, which has left a soft spot in their heart for small farms that grow coffee elsewhere. So they purposely source their coffee from small farms where they can ensure the quality of their coffee and also ensure that the that the men and women who produce your coffee were paid the Fair Trade price (which doesn't always happen when coffee is purchased from large Fair Trade cooperatives). We're incredibly excited to welcome them to Ottawa and to see and smell their coffee in person!

Hello, There is a new baked goods company that we're also excited to welcome to the show this month. Owner Kaitlin has been baking and blogging for a long time, but has decided to take the leap and offer her yummy goods out to the public. With goodies like homemade oreos, and earl grey sandwich cookies--you really can't go wrong!

What can we say about koko chocolates that hasn't already been said? Their flavors are delicious and inventive, the quality of their product is top notch and owner Jenn is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. If you want to buy your Valentine a box of chocolate this February, why not treat them to some of koko's chocolates and really knock their socks off? You're going to get chocolate that's 100 times better than what you'll find in the typical heart-shaped box, and you'll also be supporting a wonderful local business. Win win!

Photo from foodiePrints!

Auntie Loo's will also be on hand this month with their ridiculously good vegan baked goods. If you've got a sweetie who is holdin' it down vegan style, you will definitely want to pick up some of their cupcakes, bars or whoopie pies for Valentine's Day. I promise that if you hand over a big box of these goodies, your Valetine's will be as sweet as theirs, if yaknowhatimean!

We really love Urban Baking Co., with all their cookie and macaron goodness! Their lovely goodies make me sigh just thinking about them. Urban Baking Co. recently started making cake pops and I can't wait to sink my teeth into the delicious new flavors they've told me they'll have at the show: raspberry white chocolate and salted caramel!

We'll also have handmade cards to go with all these sweet treats, gorgeous sewn goodies for your little one, lovely jewels for the gal to wear on your Valentine's Day Out

Urban Craft February
February 4
10am-2pm
The Great Canadian Theatre Company (Holland & Wellington)
20+ independent, modern vendors!

Holiday Goodies at Urban Craft December!

It seems as though December really snuck up on us here at Urban Craft Headquarters. Even though we've been working on putting together our December show for over a month, I can hardly believe it's already December 1st. I am a huge huge fan of the holidays and am seriously excited for Urban Craft's December edition. We have assembled a team of vendors that will have something for everyone on your Christmas list--from foodies to kids to vegans to glam girls--we've got you covered. Observe:

Hillery from Clever Plumage will be joining us all the way from Kingston! She creates gorgeous fascinators from feathers that she hand gathers from aviaries. She then hand washes the feathers and hand sews them into these stunning creations. They're seriously so perfect for the holiday parties you'll undoubtedly be attending this December.

Couture Kids makes some of the loveliest kids clothes I've seen in a while. Adorable yet sophisticated, I sort of wish she made some of these pieces in adult sizes so I could buy them for myself! We can't wait for you to see her lovely stuff in person!

Chef Richard's Kitchen Flavors will be bringing some seriously sophisticated flavors to Urban Craft this month. He'll be bringing preserves perfect for the foodie on your list -or- for that special party you're hosting this season. With preserves like Mostarda di Cremona and pickled crabapples, I'm definitely intrigued and can't wait to try some myself!

Indie*Go Designs will join us for the first time with her lovely jewelry. Designer Eliza creates really funky, unique pendants and earrings from vintage books, magazines and other ephemera and even creates map pendants (above), which are hugely popular gift items.

Auntie Loo's will be back this month with their ridiculously good vegan baked goods. I tried one of their brand-spankin'-new whoopie pies last weekend, and they're seriously delish. Major Craig's Chutney will also be joining us this month. Their infamously good chutneys, including flavors like Butternut Beer and A Date with Cranberry, will be on hand. My stomach is grumbling just thinking about it!

Urban Craft - December Edition!
Saturday, December 3rd
10am-2pm
The GCTC, Holland & Wellington