getting ready for market

Wow, mid-November already? These last couple months seem to have just whizzed by! Well, I thought I'd pop by here to share what I've been busy with these last few weeks. I've been getting ready for the Dunbar Holiday Craft Fair coming up on November 24th. Here are just a few of the things I've been working on:

Fold up Eco-Totes

Lucy Dresses

Drawstring Project & Gift Bags

Large Stripey Tote

I've been shopping at this market for years and it's really quite incredible. I think pretty much every room in the building is filled with wonderful local crafty wares for sale (over 140 vendors!) and it's just buzzing with cheerful holiday spirit! This is my first time as a vendor here so I'm super excited to be a part of it all. If you're in the Vancouver Area on November 24th, come on by the Dunbar Holiday Market from 10-5 and please stop by my booth (in room 212, table 37) to say hi! Hope to see you there! Ok, back to the sewing machine now..

colette, hazel and random thoughts..

This past weekend, Sarai from Colette Patterns was in town for a little pattern release party at Spool of Thread. I'm a huge fan of Sarai and her blog which is always packed with gorgeous design inspirations and expert sewing tips and techniques, so I couldn't wait to meet her in person.

clothing samples (I love this Oolong Dress)

The new Anise Jacket. Totally adorable!

The new Juniper Pants. I ended up buying this pattern along with the classic Ginger Skirt. Can never have too many wardrobe basics patterns.

And here I am (being a total groupie) with the fabulous Sarai (who is incredible sweet in person!) I'm wearing my Hazel dress (which is actually my wearable muslin). It was fun to see so many people wearing their Colette creations. For more photos from the party, check out the Colette Facebook page.

I never did end up doing a post on my Hazel dress which I started working on way back in July. I actually did finish it over a month ago but didn't get around to taking any pictures of it. Here are the only full dress pictures I took (hmm, looks like this was even before I had finished hemming the dress..) And please try to ignore the dirty deck and garden hose in the background. Not an ideal backdrop but it's all I've got for now.

 

Although I own about half a dozen Colette patterns, this was actually my first time sewing with a Colette pattern. I have to say that it was probably one of the most well written patterns I've worked with. All the instructions were super clear and it was kind of like I had a little Sarai on my shoulder rooting me on through the process. Now I'm all gung-ho about sewing up my other Colette patterns.  Seriously though, if you are at all interested in sewing women's clothing, Colette Patterns (and the Colette Sewing Handbook) are the absolute perfect place to start. Yep, seriously! :)

And now on to some random thoughts:

-Speaking of fabulous pattern designers, Shelley from Figgy's Patterns is on a mission to create a sewing studio and 'Figgy's Kids' Foundation that will help develop and encourage sewing and crafting skills for kids who may not otherwise be exposed to or have a chance to learn such skills. She has a campaign on indiegogo where she explains (much better than I am) what her hopes and dreams are for the studio and foundation. I was lucky enough to have been exposed to sewing at a very early age through my mom, and then again in high school home-ec classes and I think what Shelley is trying to accomplish is so important. If you feel the same way, check out her blog post about the campaign and help out if you can.

-I'm not sure how I missed this but I just read on Melanie's blog, A Sewing Journal, that the Japanese sewing book Stylish Dress Book by Yoshiko Tsukiori has been recently translated into English! I have the original Japanese version and have tagged many things I want to make from it. I've sewn with Japanese patterns before but only kid's clothes and bags. Sewing women's clothing from a Japanese pattern still kind of scares me, so I'll definitely be ordering this version.

-A friend of mine told me about this craft show series of posts on the Stitched in Color blog. I read through her posts describing her thoughts and reasons for selling at a craft market right through to trying to figure out inventory and booth layout.. It was fascinating! As a relative newbie to the craft market scene (I just started selling at markets last year), I thoroughly enjoyed reading someone else's candid thoughts about it all. There are so many emotions that go with 'putting your stuff out there' for others to see, judge and hopefully buy. I love the craft market scene and for the most part, there is such great energy there. But when it comes down to the planning, the inventory and making, I tend to get stressed out and I think to myself, why am I doing this? I'm in this place right now. Planning and making my inventory for a holiday market that is fast approaching. Do any of you sell at craft markets? Do you find it to be a bit of an emotional roller coaster too?

x melissa

happy holidays!

Happy Holidays!

Wishing everyone Peace, Warmth and Joy! 

xo melissa

(photo taken at Bright Nights in Stanley Park)

{this moment}

'A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.' -words and inspiration from Soulemama

If you have a moment you'd like to share, please leave a link in the comments. Wishing you and yours a lovely weekend!

market, giveaway winner, and a belated SALE!!

Well, it was a busy weekend at the Urban Artisans Craft Market. Thanks so much to everyone who made it out in the rain to visit and support the local craft scene! Not only was it fun to chat with shoppers (everyone was super friendly despite the rain and gloom outside), it was also a wonderful market for meeting other crafters and artists!

 Pouches and bags in sweet Japanese fabrics, hand drawn cards and super cute sock monkeys by Amrita

DIY felting kits by Woolly Owl Designs 

Super fun felt party games, toys and dress-up supplies by Sweet Earth Celebrations 

Skinny ties, felt necklaces, ornaments and mobiles by Happy Little



My fabulous crocheting friend and table buddy Jenn's Yarn Addiction



 And of course, my table and offerings :)

And there were so many others that I just didn't manage to get pictures of, like Noei and her Japanese fabric pouches, passport covers and adorable elephant coasters, and Comiditas with the amazing felt play food. Really, I originally thought that after this market I wouldn't want to touch my sewing machine for a month, but I came away from it feeling even more inspired to make things! How cool is that! :)

And now, moving right along...

Thanks so much to everyone who entered my Japanese pattern book giveaway! According to the mighty Random Number Generator, the lucky winner is #11:

miamihoney said...

I like you on FB!

25 November, 2011 10:37 PM

Congratulations miamihoney! I hope you love this book as much as I do! I'll be doing another giveaway fairly soon as I'll be participating in Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day on December 12th. Not sure what the prize will be yet, but I promise to make it good :)

And finally... a belated Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday... ok, let's just call it a Holiday SALE!! 25% off everything in the shop with code HOLIDAY11. I'll be adding a few more things (skirts, dresses, lounge pants, bunting flags..) hopefully by end of day tomorrow. Happy shopping and have a fabulous week!!

xo melissa

circle craft market loot

Yesterday I made it out to the Circle Craft Christmas Market. I was a little too busy browsing, shopping and oogling all the pretty handmade goodies to take any pictures while I was there, but here's one of all the loot I brought home with me -

-feather oblong pouch from bookhou

-calendar from bookhou

-letterpress cards from ilee papergoods

-organic polar bear onsie in pouch from bookhou

-upcycled leather skinny belt from cokluch

(and of course, no market visit would be complete without some yummy treats such as)

-gingerbread almond toffee from sweet truth

-pepper pickled green beans from "goodies"

A pretty good haul I think :) And if you haven't noticed, I'm a little in love (and slightly addicted to) all the gorgeous creations from bookhou. After shopping the Toronto based etsy shop for the past couple years, I especially wanted to make it out to this year's market to be able to shop bookhou in person and meet the artist/maker Arounna, who, aside from being wildly talented in so many crafty/artsy ways, is also super sweet, friendly and down to earth. I just love when that happens :)

the ladies...

I'm a little worried about these ladies...

They'll be sitting right next to these guys at the upcoming Urban Artisans Craft Fair next month (November 26 & 27th). I hope those owls aren't going to be hungry..

Autumn Shift Festival and Market

Some pictures of yesterday's Autumn Shift Festival and Blim Market on Main Street in Vancouver:

me at my table

new reversible pinafore dresses

my tent buddy - The Last Crumb Bakery

my tent neighbour - gorgeous silver jewellery from Tanya Christine Jewellery

coveting vintage boots!

free popcorn and cotton candy for all

fantastic band (unfortunately I don't know their name..)

sidewalk chalk all down main street

 and a crisp and slightly soggy but sweet farewell to summer in vancouver!

ramblings, a GIVEAWAY and an end of summer sale..

(fyi, giveaway and sale info is right down at the very bottom of this rather drawn out post so if you don't care to read through my ramblings, just go ahead and scroll down to the bottom. I won't be offended :)

Hello friends! I had a super busy but very fun couple of days. On Sunday, I was back peddling my wares at the Blim Community Market, only this time, instead of in a back lane on a cool evening, it was right smack downtown in the afternoon of probably the hottest day of the year so far. We were lucky enough to have the shelter of a tent but even so, we were meeelting! But, it was still a great turnout and a fun time!

view from my booth

On Monday, it was all play and no work at the PNE Fair here in Vancouver. I love love LOVE this fair and I haven't been in a few years. So this time, I selfishly left the kiddos at home with the grandparents and went with friends. There are a few 'must dos' for me when visiting the PNE. 'Oooing and awwing' at the Superdogs show, watching live 'infomercials' at the marketplace, purchasing gadgets that you 'really hope will work but know that there is a 50% chance they will not' at the marketplace, eating a bag of those little donuts all warm and sugary, and playing a few of those silly and often impossible games at Playland. My favourites are Roll a Ball and Wac a Mole. Seriously, I LOVE Wac a Mole. I think it's quite possibly one of the most fun ways for a mama to release some stress!

 Me looking a little crazed with excitement! (and I won!)

Me in action but lost to the guy on my right :(

So in Vancouver, the PNE pretty much signifies the end of summer. It goes until Sept 5th and then, whattaya know, it's back to school for the kids, the air is significantly cooler and the leaves are falling from the trees. (actually, with our strange summer, the leave have already been falling off the trees for a while now..) So, even though I don't really want to admit that summer is coming to an end, it is. So I thought it might be fun to do a little giveaway and to have a bit of a sale in the shop.

First, the GIVEAWAY. I've been having a super fun time whipping up these little zippered pouches. They are made from a textured vintage cotton fabric and lined with really fun and colourful prints because, well, I love having little secret bursts of colour and fun prints! The zippers are a hint to what you'll find inside..

Would you like to win one of these? If so, then leave a comment on this post. Anything is fine, but if you're feeling chatting, you can tell me a bit about yourself, if you like the fall or if you're sad about summer ending.. OR, if you have a good 'knock-knock' joke cuz kiddo #1 is all over these and I'm running out of good ones to tell him. Contest closes on Sept 5th and TWO WINNERS will be picked by the good ol' random number generator. Winners can choose from any of the black or white rose pouches available. One comment per person please.

 BUT, you can get bonus entries if you
1) follow my blog
2) follow @ohhellorabbit on twitter
3) tweet about this giveaway mentioning @ohhellorabbit
4) 'like' this blog post Just realized I don't have a 'like' button so change that to 'share this post on Facebook'
Please leave a separate comment for each of these bonus entries. Yup, I know it's pretty much bribery, so if you're against that, then a simple comment below with some way for me to contact you will suffice.

Now, on to the sale..

From now until September 12th:
ALL CLOTHING in the shop will be 25% off (with a few items at 40% off!)
ALL POUCHES will be FREE SHIPPING (in North America only. Discounted shipping for International)
No coupon code required. Prices and shipping have already been adjusted. Now go on, have a look!

xo mel

I survived my first market!

On a gorgeous and thankfully sunny and summery evening last Saturday night, I hauled my two suitcases full of stitched up goodies and set up a mini-shop on 3 feet of table space at the Blim Night Market in one of Vancouver's alleyways. The market was part of an event put on by Livable Laneways which in their own words is a "non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the overlooked laneways and alleys of Vancouver into pedestrn-friendly zones."

I shared a table with my friend Joanne who bakes amazing nostalgia-inspired goodies such as ding-dongs and old-fashioned cinnamon-sugar doughnuts! Yum!

When we first entered the lane (alley) to set up, there was a pretty bad stench of pee. Yup. Gross. But of course somewhat expected in big city alleyways such as this. Luckily, our table neighbour was a lovely woman who makes the most amazing smelling natural soaps so the whole night I was breathing in nothing but lavender, rosemary and peppermint. Heavenly!

Here are a few other random pictures of the market.

cool hoops 

 set-up

 lovely fashion

 crows overhead

laser lights at the end of the night

 Here is the new owner of Clarence the Bear! He was one of the newest additions to the Oh Hello Rabbit shop, along with Ned the Bear and Lucinda the Rabbit. I'll be adding more of these critters to the shop soon.

And here's Stanley the Worm. I had him at the market for a giveaway as he's quite the attention grabber (very debonair with his bow-tie!) So he's off to his new owner soon but I think I'll be doing another giveaway on my blog soon so stay tuned...

So overall, I felt pretty good about my first market. I have to admit that it probably wasn't totally my target audience (note to self: back alley night markets don't yield high family foot traffic), but it was fun to get to hang out with other 'makers' and 'crafters' and it was really great to see how people reacted to my creations (another note to self: people love little skirts and well-dressed animals). So overall, I'll mark this down as a success!