Thank-you's

It was a busy weekend for the two dolly girls at the Dalplex Christmas Craft Market! It is with residual fatigue that I pop in now to share a few pictures and to take a moment to thank all of our friends and family for their support this Fall as we worked our fingertips bloody to prepare for the season.

It was great to see so many of you out at the show! Your support and encouragement are very much appreciated. We hope you enjoyed the show - the exhibits were all lovely, presented by inspiring crafters hosting an inspirational expanse of wares, treats and services. Hopefully you were able to put a little dent into your Christmas shopping!

All in all a great season and we look forward to next year!

Between Shows

Well, we're minus a few binkies, balls, bibs and dolls following the Acadia show. This week we'll be busy replenishing our stocks in prep for the Dalplex show this upcoming weekend. If you have a chance to make it to this show, we highly recommend it - the vendor list is awesome!! We'll be posting photos of new dolls in the 2011 Craft fair album on our Facebook Page as they are completed - so check back often. Let us know if there's something you would like us to set aside for you to pick up at the show - we're always happy to see our blogging friends at shows!! If you're not able to make it to the show, send us an email at thirdstreethandcrafters(at)gmail(dot)com or by selecting from the options in the "contact TSH" link on the right sidebar.

We'll quickly share a few photos from the Acadia show, then back to doll making!

Our booth...

...again...

...and again.



TSH junior exhibitor

This little dolly got a little tired part way through the show and decided to take matters into her own hands. It's always sad when dolls do that...



It's alive and hopping' at the Acadia Christmas Craft Expo in Wolfville today. Third Street Handcrafters are here all day until 8 tonight and back for the day tomorrow. Awesome art work, crafts and treats. Swing by for a visit if you get a chance - we're in booth #70 in the centre arena. 

...Sewing, Sewing, Sewing...

Sonia and I have been sewing our little tails off and I thought I'd drop in for a sec to share our joy at having completed our first Christmas order.

These little cuties are presently on their way cross country to Edmonton where they will be Christmas gifts for a slew of lucky cousins. I have images of Clara and her cousins sitting together on Christmas Eve playing with their dolls in The Nutcracker.

A Tired Old Marshmellow World

Hopefully Christmas has been kind to you and this post finds you jolly, full of good food and surrounded by those you love. 

The holidays always seem to take so long to arrive - shopping, making, decorating, baking, mailing, ordering, wrapping, planning - and then fly by amidst a fury of Styrofoam, savory culinary aromas, and crinkled tinsel. 

Days spent trying your wits with complicated electronics and toy assembly compounded by excessive intake of eggnog and chocolate makes for tired Mommies and Daddies around our house. 

 
Just checking: does anyone else find the packaging for commercial children's toys to be a little bit excessive? 

I'm specifically referring to the display cases that some toys come in wherein each individual part of the toy are encased in molded, snug-fitting plastic trays and secured by miniature translucent elastic-like ties and occasionally - if you're lucky, weaved or sewn in fasteners for properly displayed doll hair.  All for the purpose of...?  It can't be for safety reasons, as there is nothing even remotely safe about razor sharp plastic, Styrofoam snow, wire ties, or wondering elastic bands. 

Seriously, have you ever tried to break a toy free of it's packaging lately?  It is labour intensive.  And it only gets worst as children - and subsequently, their toy interests - grow. 

Try removing a doll with hair from her plastic encased tomb, and see if you can manage to preserve the innocence and magic of Christmas morning for your children as you wage war with plastic hell and struggle to restrain frustration-induced profanity.  All the while trying to avoid injury to yourself and your eagerly awaiting children.  Whilst singing Christmas carols and chocking down the long ago cold tea that you made when you first got up because you knew you'd need it, and you still know you need it, because without it you would crawl into a cupboard - equipped with a child safety lock - and wait for the whole Christmas merriment thing to blow over. 

Or until the smell of cooking turkey lures you out of you self-induced confinement cupboard.

Frustrations aside, I am fortunate enough to say that Christmas was truly wonderful here.  My two year old Funny Guy, Alright and four year old Sweetheart were truly enthralled with the wonderment of the season.  Much to the delight of their super-excited Mommy and Daddy.

Busy Little Sewing Elves

Sonia and I have been busy sewing our little elf slippers off these past couple of weeks.  I'm pleased to say that the last of our Christmas orders is complete and awaiting pick up!!  In between orders we've also been working on handmade Christmas gifts for our family and friends.  Unfortunately, my big plans to make a puppet theatre and puppets for Funny Guy, Alright and Big Squirt (and Dream Girl by association) has been put on hold.  This stinks - and I know that if I didn't sleep or eat between now and Christmas I could probably get it done.  Maybe.  Of course all of our Christmas creations are still secrets (coy little elves that we are) but we will share some of them after the holidays.  Mainly so you can all tell us what nice work we've done!!!  But seriously, the stocking Sonia made for Dream Girl is brag worthy, not to mention blog-worthy.

Plus we've been listening to lots of Christmas music while we sew.
Fa la la la la
La la la la
This is the one time of the year that Sonia gets to pick out the music we listen to.

Yes, Sonia - I know you were the one who told me about Sarah McLachlan coming to Halifax in the Spring.  Yes - you got us our tickets.  Yes it will be awesome. 

You do not have bad taste in music.  But you do frequently have bad taste in radio stations that I have to remedy whilst sewing so as to prevent myself from sewing my ears to the table.

And don't pretend that listening to Christmas music isn't just your sick way of making me listen to Michael Buble and co. 

Only 4 more sleeps til the big day!!!  How will you be spending your time?

Last Christmas I gave you my heart......

Sonia is trying to kill me. 

Call
the
police!

Okay.  I'm a sucker for all things sewing.  A sap, in fact.  Even just a reference to sewing crafty goodness - I lap it up.  Screen printed sewing machine silhouettes, miniature scissors, images of children sewing, old wooden spools, pictures of old wooden spools.  Yada yada yada. We get it.  Believe it or not, I'm also like this with tea ... and elephants  >insert GASP here<

I recently fell in love with this little Willow Tree sewing gem - that I'm secretly hoping to find under the Chritmas tree this year....  

© Susan Lordi 2005-2010, © DEMDACO 2005-2010

But the other day I saw this.

Which I do not hope to find anywhere near my Christmas tree. 

EVER.

This is all kinds of wrong. 

Sewing creapiness, even. 

Darn Garbage Pal Kids and recent 80's nostalgia.

What are you wishing for for Christmas?

Do you have any swoon inducing object infatuations?

Do share!

Apparently I've taken an unexpected break from blogging .... 

... sorry 'bout that ...

Here's a quick glimpse of what's been pleasantly distracting me. 

Distracting me amongst many other things, which of course goes without saying...

This is a custom doll we made for a friend of mine from university for her new baby girl Kate. 

I was so pleased with how the hand embroidery on the dress turned out, I was eager to share.  

I think Kate is going to love her new friend when they meet on Christmas morning.

Christmas Craft Village

This past weekend was The Christmas Craft Village at Exhibition Park here in Halifax.  This was our first time doing a show of this size, which was very exciting.  

Setting up our booth was challenging as we suddenly had so much space to work with ... and to fill.  Luckily our father is amazing - as always - and helped out with our display by making us even more props.  We were able to showcase all of our wares beautifully with these new crates he built especially for this show.  

We had all of our Third Street gear on hand.  Christmas sleds, tree ornaments, and quilted runners were joined by our new Christmas and winter dolls.  Dolls, balls, binkies and bibs were there, as well as our newest original design hand embroidered onsies.  Dad's doll furniture was also available for sale, including rocking chairs, table and chairs, and a darling little bed.

Third Street was pleased to be sharing space with tons of talented crafters and artisans and we were happy to have time to catch up with some of our awesome crafter friends.

We had the added pleasure of showing alongside Jerry Walsh's Distinctive Garden Accents featuring beautiful rustic bird houses (nesting boxes), bird feeders, bat houses, squirrel houses and signs. Jerry strives to use wood that has been around for a while and has acquired a degree of character including driftwood boards and recycled wood salvaged from structures such as old barns. Many of his pieces are accented by highly skilled decorative painting used to highlight the natural beauty of the wood (compliments of Jerry's wonderful wife - a talented tole painter amongst other things - whom we also had the pleasure of meeting).
 

Be sure to swing by Jerry's site for Christmas ideas for the nature and bird lovers on your holiday shopping list.

We were visited by many friends during the show, some of whom even brought us treats. Thanks K :)

As well, we completed several dolls including this little guy - our very first Action Figure / Super Hero.  Since this photo, "The Shocker" has acquired a utility belt and the idea for a cape is brewing.  He also has a new POWerful friend who has yet to be photographed.  I will try to get photos of the other lovelies to share with you all in the next little bit.



1 2 3 4 5 6 Stitch

We're headed back to Exhibition Park again this morning for another day of working the Street. Yesterday and last night flew by! We met some great artists and crafters, chatted with good friends, got the juice on some interesting happenings, and got to listen to some awesome music. Plus, we completed 5 (6?) new dolls, including a spectacular boy super hero. Pictures taken and will be shared once all is complete.

For anyone interested in attending, the details are here. There are still two days left, come on down and get your craft on with Third Street!

Hand Embroidered Onsies

Here's a sneak peek at a few things that are in the works for this weekend's Christmas Craft Village. 

Pictures of individual onsies are available on the Third Street Facebook Fan Page, which you can access from the right hand sidebar.  While you're there, check out the link to the Christmas Craft Village Event page where you can confirm yourself as "attending" for a chance to win a free pass to the show.   

More pictures to come as the week progresses.

Also, the TSH etsy shop will be on vacation starting Wednesday, November 10th to help us prepare for the upcoming show.  W're hoping to have the shop back up and running by the following Wednesday.

Stay tuned!

Pull up your candy cane pantyhose and come visit us at the

Christams Craft Village

next weekend at Exhibition Park.

It's a three day show with over 100 vendors!!

Friday, Nov. 12 from 10-9

Saturday, Nov. 13 from 10-6

Sunday, Nov 14 from 10-5

  

We're in booth 105 in the second room near the performance stage.

Binkies

Soft Play Balls

Baby and Toddler Bibs

Bean Bags

Lady Lou Cushions

Hand Embroidered Onsies featuring original TSH designs

Doll Quilts 

Christmas Tree Ornaments

Hand Painted Christmas Sleds

Quilted Patchwork Christmas Runners

And of course,

Oodles and Oodles of Original TSH Dolls

Including Special Edition

 Chinese New Year Dolls and Santa's Little Helper Dolls

As well as Dad's Handmade Wooden Doll Furniture

Plus we will be available for custom ordering!

For a complete listing of participating vendors, please chick here.

See the Third Street Handcrafters Facebook Page for a chance to win a free pass to the show!!

Market to Market and Custom Dolls

We now have one Dartmouth Farmer's Market under our belts.  Unfortunately, Saturday was a miserable, soggy-cold day in these parts which lead to a slow day at market.  All of the regular DFM vendors were quick to assure us that this was unusual and that such absurd market-goer behaviour could only be explained by the cruddy weather. 

Nevertheless, Sonia and I had a great time.  We haven't done a show since May and it was fun to be back.  We were pleased to see the fond reception with which our witches were received (unnecessarily overly complicated way of putting it...  Don't laugh, I do this for you.)  Plus we got to use the new display stand that Dad put together for us.  It worked great - thanks Dad!  I've decide to paint it a turquoise colour and hope to have this done before the next show.  

Speaking of shows, we are hoping to attend a few more Dartmouth Farmers Markets during the fall and leading up to Christmas.  These markets are held at Alderny Landing from 8am to 1pm every Saturday. 

Our next day at market will be October 30th.  Maybe we'll see you there?

In addition to the DFM, we will be participating in the Christmas Craft Village - a 3 day craft extravaganza which will be held at Exhibition Park on November 12-14.  I'll be talking more about this as the date draws closer, so stay tuned.

In the midst of preparing and participating in craft shows, we are presently working on an exciting slew of custom orders.  Most recently completed were these two dolls we made for my friends and co-workers, Imtiaz and Elena. 

Believe it or not, they are even cuter in person!

What do you think? 

Elena loved the dolls; when she took them out of their bag, she held the Elena doll beside her face and said, "It's me!" 

It is so thrilling when people get excited about or dolls!

Me and My Snuggie

We live in Nova Scotia, one of Canada's Atlantic Provinces. And Baby... It's cold this time of year! Certainly not the coldest place in Canada, but freak'in cold none the less. The cold temp combined with my super-ability to not be able to hold warmth, I'm freezing most of the time.

My Mom, being the ever clever person she is, gave me an "as seen on TV" Snuggie for Christmas. A gift that has quickly become one of my favorite things. I know, I know, I saw the commericals too and laughed my butt off... A blanket with sleeves. I'm here to tell you, this blanket with sleeves is amazing! Not only is it super soft and snugly, my arms don't get cold when I'm channel surfing or reading, or blogging! I didn't realize my arms got so cold, until they weren't cold anymore. Brilliant. I wish I had of thought of this.

Go get one, seriously.

Third Street Salvage Yard :: Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

Andrea and I have been on a hiatus for almost 3 weeks, eating chocolate, spending social time and genuinely enjoying the holiday season with our families and friends.

Our Christmas trees are down, the chocolate's (almost) all gone and I've stopped listening to Christmas music (at my husbands request). Another Holiday season is behind us. Andrea and I want to thank everyone who has supported us this past year, by reading our blog, visiting our facebook page and flicker group, or coming out to a craft show. It has brought us such overwhelming joy knowing so many people would open a hand made gift created by Third Street Handcrafters this Christmas.

We're excited to see what 2010 will bring and have been busy planning what will come next for Third Street. One of the most exciting plans we're working on is the the re-launch of our etsy shop. Etsy is a fantastic online shopping site devoted to the sale and promotion of handmade items. We're planning to have our shop open for business in February. You'll be able to read about what we're working on in our blog and purchase our items from our etsy shop, making our items much more accessible to a larger market.

We're hitting the sewing table Thursday night, I'm really looking forward to getting back at it. And don't fret, our faithful readers, Andrea will be back to post a witty commentary, as only she can, on some random topic, soon. Her kids have *apparently* been keeping her busy.

Christmas Day on Third Street

So, I'm not much of a cook. A few months ago I changed my day job, and started working as a coordinator for a cooking school. Offering programs to the general public for both adults and children; I got the job because of my background in marketing and adult education (not my abilities in the kitchen), I hire Chefs to do the cooking parts :). A few weeks into the new position my mother asked when I was going to have them over for a fancy meal, she figured I'd learn something by being in the environment. Not so much, as it turns out!

Today is Christmas Day, after much discussion (and kicking and screaming) my husband and I were nominated to host dinner for his side of the family. Even the though of it brought me anxiety. I had one of the Chefs at work go through the whole process with me from start to finish, I took a lot of notes and went out and got a fancy fandangle meat thermometer, real butter and rosemary. I was set.

So, this morning came. We figured we'd have to have the turkey in by 8am, straight away this morning we prepped the bird, inserted my new meat thermometer and watched as the internal temperature went up and our home filled with the smell of Christmas Dinner. The time the Chef had given me was up and the thermometer was still not reading the correct temperature, I tried moving it around being sure not to hit bone and realized in the meatiest part of the turkey the internal temp was a great deal higher then we were aiming for. We hauled'em out and let'em sit for the 30 minutes the Chef recommended.

I was busy getting the veggies ready and the gravy made as my husband carved the turkey. It was a beaut! After a few minutes and a knife change he realized something was wrong, all of the meat he was cutting was dark meat.... it appeared as though the turkey had no white meat. Upon further investigation, we discovered that we had cooked the turkey a little longer than necessary, we had put the thermometer in the wrong spot. I guess I didn't take good enough notes after all, we had cooked the turkey upside-down.

Happy Holidays!

Winter Fair ~~~~~~~ Finally !!!

December 5th and 6th were the much anticipated Halifax Crafters Winter Fair. This was our first two day event and the first show we've done since our transition from Vervain Designs to Third Street Handcrafters. Can I tell ya? We had an absolute blast!

The show ran from 11 to 5 Saturday and Sunday and was bustling with enthusiastic shoppers the entire time. The show featured 70 vendors specializing in handmade goods ranging from pottery to clothing design; we were honoured to be featured along side many talented artisans.

We've been working since October to prepare for the show, but Saturday evening we trialed long into the night to replenish much of our depleted inventory as a result of mucho sales during the first day of the show.

The remaining dolls at the end of Saturday.

Dolls and tag binkies were on the agenda, and after much work, little sleep, a wee snowfall, and a dash of caffeine we arrived back to the show Sunday morning with our table stocked anew. The drive in was slushy but our foggy, tired eyes got us there unfazed. Luckily the weather did not deter the shoppers, and we were quickly thrust back into the midst of holiday shopping.

This is our new little friend Ruby checking out our dolls. Isn't she a doll ??

Part of our display on Sunday.

As our replenishing marathon suggests, our dolls were very well received at the show. Over the course of the two days we sold a record 17 dolls!! The response of the shoppers - and many of our fellow vendors - was invigorating. We absolutely love the processes involved in creating the dolls - from designing the patterns, selecting materials and accessories to generate varying effects, to creating back stories for the dolls. Seeing everything we've worked on come together into a final product that is met with such enthusiasm is a rush, to say the least.
Here are some of the dolls we made for the show. Many of these girls weren't actually with us for very long and I'm happy to say that we caught most of them on film before they left us to go with their new friends.

Secretary / aspiring actress. She takes her day job very seriously (sensible shoes) but is always looking her best - she can never be sure when she might be discovered or offered a deal she can't refuse....

This little girl sporting a new hair style is on her way West to a very special girl.

Grapes.?.

Dylan. In his jeans and hand-me-down shirt. And shaggy hair.

One of our favorites. We picked out the fabrics in her dress ages ago and have been eager to make a doll with it ever since. Her shawl and shoes are made from an up-cycled red wool jacket.

We failed to get a picture of the blonde on the far right before she got snatched. This is sad because she was one of my favorites.

Felted wool dress from an up-cycled jacket accented with a whimsical hand embroidered butterfly (free style).

Our second girl with a hat. Look close, it's there. Only picture of this little delight as she was claimed before the doors to the show ever opened. Dig the faux patent leather shoes !!

Our first girl with kaleidoscopy eyes.

Dylan's girl. It was love at first sight.

a la Mrs Roper.

Our crowning achievement. Don't ask...

Second kaleidoscopy girl. We made every piece of this girl with a different fabric. Very sweet.

And it was with a mix of sadness and cheer that we parted company with the marvelous monster Ludwig. Ludwig is a monster who strives every day to overcome 'monster' stereotypes. He is polite, has good manners, and a day job. He wants a Blackberry for Christmas to complete his corporate image. Ludwig lives with his friends Walter and Katharine and acts as their administrative assistant. In his last email correspondence, Ludwig let us know that he has an orthodontist appointment arranged for January to correct his monster snarl. Walter and Katharine have dubbed him

Ludwig von Gracenstein .

Our thanks to everyone who came out !!

Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Winner

Thank you to everyone for making our first Sew, Mama, Sew giveaway day an exciting experience. During the four days the giveaway was up, our blog experienced over 1000 hits and almost 200 comments on our giveaway post. Every couple of hours we would come on to read all of your comments and enjoyed everyone of them!

We took a very scientific approach to choosing our winner. As you will see from the photo below, everyone was assigned a number, that number was put into a Christmas mug and the winner was chosen by random draw.

The number drawn was #43, belonging to Grace. In the next couple of days, we will kiss our dolly good bye and she will be on her way to Grace's house.

We love Christmas and we love Christmas movies. We asked everyone who posted a comment to tell us what their favorite Christmas movie was. We received 226 votes, because I am sucker for top ten lists, I created the top ten Christmas movies, as voted on by you.

Before we get onto our list I'll tell you what our favorites are. Andrea's favorites are A Christmas Story, You've got Mail and the Muppet's Christmas Movie when they all go to Fozzie's Gramma's house. Mine are National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Love Actually and A Christmas Story.

Here's your top 10

10. Christmas Carol (the b/w version)

9. The Muppet's Christmas Carol

8. Miracle on 34th Street

7. Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer

6. Tie, Love Actually and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

4. Tie, It's Christmas Charlie Brown and White Christmas

3. Elf

2. A Christmas Story

1. It's a Wonderful Life

Did you know that the Muppet's did a version of It's a Wonderful Life? I'm going to have to go get a copy of that one as I've never been able to stay awake through the original version, and have never really seen it from beginning to end.

While there were a few votes for movies I have never seen let alone heard of, the most obscure vote was for Die Hard!