Tag Archives: crafts

home & garden show wrap-up

June 5, 2014

bazaar, crafts, diy, loved by laura, made by me

the ouc home & garden show has come and gone. it was lots of work to prep for, set up, and get the design pieces done ahead of time, but was definetly a success.

i got to go home to ottawa for the weekend to see the show, as well as to celebrate my sister’s birthday. i packed light, so i have some iphone shots to share with you today!

welcome to the show! my dad cut out these wooden signs for the entrance, then my mom painted them to coordinate with the poster i had done for advertising.

The Home & Garden Show
This Way

the church was selling flowers and plants from laportes in ottawa as a fundraiser. they were so popular they sold out.

ouc flowers

i set up the display for my dad’s woodcrafts. he is a cabinetmaker by trade, and has recently spent his spare time making birdhouses, drink caddies, letter trains and toy cars. have a look at the photos of his product. he is the most talented dude i know- tradesmen are just so skilled! i even picked up a birdhouse for myself- white with a copper roof made with my grandfather’s copper.

i designed the first business card my dad has ever had for this show. his talent and word-of-mouth has always been enough for him to work with. they are super simple, but the great thing is that they’re printed by cards of wood on real oak. i thought this was a great touch for him since wood is the main material of everything he makes!

i also ended up selling some of the goodies my friend steph and i used to make when we were both living in ottawa. we had a registered business called lou&lau after our childhood nicknames, and sold at craft shows. we hand-silkscreened on american apparel tees, tanks and hoodies, as well as made jewellery using new and vintage material. check out some photos of my little table setup i snapped with my iphone .

the last of the lou&lau merch, as well as dean weatherston‘s woodcrafts will be on sale june 14th from 10am-4pm at the parkdale united church in ottawa. 429 parkdale avenue.

hope to see you there!

hooray for the home & garden show!

May 23, 2014

bazaar, crafts, diy, loved by laura

1 Comment

this year the orleans united church decided to host a new event where they would sell flowers & plants, as well as, have local crafters sell their goodies. i was brought back in to help with design to help spread the word. may flowers mean cheery colours, organic lines and airiness. with this concept in mind, i came up with an illustration of flowers in a teacup- merging the main focus of the the event- flowers, with the other offering of the ouc- a little cafe where the shoppers can grab a tea and some homemade goodies. i used brushstrokes in illustrator to mimic the feel of watercolours so they appeared softer than a flat 2d shape. the poster was the first piece to roll out as advertisement in the community.

once i was done the illustration and lettering for the main poster, i had to design a simple brochure that could be printed at sure print, the local print shop. we went with their blue laser paper to tie in to the palette of the poster.

next up was an 11×17 poster to showcase the flowers they would be selling. i drew a garden pick to be used as a template that i could pop the flower photos into. next i hand-lettered the plant names, and we were ready for print.

one of the last advertising pieces for print was a poster for the digit gloves. the ouc got their hands on a ton of these gloves, which won’t be hitting stores like canadian tire and home depot until later this season. the gloves are specially designed to protect the tips of the fingers. for the ladies, this means no messing up your manicure while enjoying the great outdoors. check out their site to read more. before the show has even happened, they’ve sold over half of these gloves.

i’m on the train now back ottawa for the big show. i look forward to sharing some photos with you soon!

a 30 day drawing challenge

May 1, 2014

crafts, diy, gift giving, made by me, wrapping

Leave a comment

over the past couple years i’ve seen many drawing challenges on my facebook feed, as well as on pinterest.

this year for my cousin’s twin girls, emma and gracie, i decided i’d make up my own drawing challenge for their eighth birthday. they are always getting me to draw with them when i’m home visiting, so i thought this would be a hit.

it’s always fun for me to come up with a creative gift idea that doesn’t break the bank- but one of the best parts of this for me was the packaging. i hand-lettered a card for each of the thirty days and wrapped every day separately. for thirty days, they will be unwrapping a new drawing challenge.

this was day 2 | emma’s self-portrait

and gracie’s self-portrait – she’s got a picasso vibe going on with this one.

to finish off the gift, i got them their very own eco jot sketchbooks that i am so find of.
wrap them all up in my pam garrison paper from papayaart.com

crafting with my momma

April 30, 2014

bazaar, crafts, diy, made by me

Leave a comment

a few months back, i was back at home in ottawa for the weekend. i spent the weekend crafting with my mom ramping up for the upcoming craft sale my parents church is putting on. my mom had pulled out her scrapbook paper and some old comic books so we tested out a new diy project of blocks for the kiddos.

my dad rounded up some scrap wood and cut us some 2-inch blocks we used as a base. we then used mod podge to glue on the paper we cut out. to finish them off, we brushed on some acrylic paint around the edges to give the blocks a vintage look. take a look.

super easy diy and fun way to spend the afternoon. if you’re in ottawa, be sure to check out the home & garden show, may 24 at 9am until noon at the orleans united church! 1111 orleans boulevard.

oh, and i also made the poster to advertise. mark your calendars!

bazaar wrap-up

November 19, 2013

bazaar, crafts, gift giving, holidays, loved by laura, made by me

Leave a comment

well the bazaar has come and gone and it was a huge success! i’m so happy it all went off without a hitch. i saw how much work my parents put into it, let alone all the other members of the church who have been busy like santa’s elves making crafts for months.

here’s a few photos i took while setting up on the friday and then again at the bazaar on saturday.

can’t wait to see what they come up with next year!

pet shop booth: this mouse-cat-dog-combo display comes from a museum in ottawa. how much do you love the pet tie?

birch tree candle holders at the christmas booth. these sold out right away!

look whooo got a gift card for christmas! owl gift card sleeves that i’m obsessed with.

tutus for all the little kiddos. they were quite the hit!

goofing around with my little cousins emma and gracie.

i made letter templates for bunting banners for every booth. my mom and all her bazaar lady elves stitched them all together.

i scored this antique washboard from a man’s mother in new brunswick and these antlers from the vintage booth.

handmade wooden toy cars made by my old man.

ornament hangers to jazz up your tree. i designed the packaging.

corkboardcreative_oucbazaar06 upcycle booth: so many caddies made from old wood. some even use grillwork leftover from a job my dad did at the governor general’s home.

bazaar blitz

November 9, 2013

bazaar, crafts, gift giving, holidays, made by me

Leave a comment

only one week to go until the big orleans bazaar which means my parents have me working away on all the last minute pieces they need to be designed- posters, price tags, extra signage, you name it, we’re on it!

below is a few of the pieces i’ve just completed. posters for volunteer recruitment, bazaar goals and additional booth signage. come out in person and see them all together!

grab a coffee & friend for some christmas shopping next weekend, november 16 from 9am-2pm at 1111 orleans boulevard for bits of baking, carefully crafted items, vintage finds and much more!

i think i will be personally offended if this event isn’t a big success (no pressure).
hope to see you there!

what i’m working on: christmas marketplace bazaar

October 8, 2013

bazaar, crafts, holidays, made by me

Leave a comment

christmas is only 78 sleeps away, and only 5 more saturdays until the christmas marketplace bazaar at my parents church. this means my mom will be after me for plenty of help with the printed collateral until then! here’s a few things i’ve been working on.

1. advertising displays for the tv screens in the church
2. posters for each booth…. believe me, there’s plenty of these booths and plenty more for me to do
3. kitchen menus for the tables which will be displayed in the ikea tolsby frames.

stay tuned, lots more work for me to do!

remember, santa’s always watching!
laura.