Fall Photoshoot Preview

We shot some new aprons over the weekend and rather than the usual photo collage sneak peak, we whipped up a cute 30-second video of the whole photoshoot. I'm kind of in love with it and keep watching it over and over. It makes me really excited about what's in store for Dear Edna this Fall. I hope you like it too!

My First Craft Fair

So last weekend was the Beehive Craft Fair, my very first vendor experience, and I'm rather speechless about it. Literally. I've been mulling over this post all week, not sure exactly how to put it into words. Here goes nothing.

All in all, it was a fantastic event. First off, I have to hand it to the Beehive Collective. These ladies did an amazing job. I've never seen that space look more beautiful, we couldn't ask for more in terms of turnout and the sheer amount of positive comments about the fair in general are testaments alone to its success.

The Beehive should also be congratulated on their choice of vendors. Not to toot my own horn or anything like that, but quite the opposite; I felt incredibly honoured to be included with so many other amazing artisans. Their talent and creativity were truly inspiring and humbling and I loved having the opportunity to "talk shop" with many of them. I wanted to buy so many things!

But the icing on the cake had to be the customers. As an online business and a shy person in general, it's easy to hide behind my computer screen, but surprisingly I really enjoyed having the opportunity to interact with people. Everyone was really kind and complimentary (no ego-shattering horror stories here, thank goodness), and it was so interesting to see what products received the most petting. At the end of it all, I was really happy I took the plunge and I'm excited to try again, perhaps closer to the holidays.

A big thank you to my friend Carla, who helped man the table almost the entire time (that's one loyal friend), the Beehive ladies for inviting me to participate and for organizing such a great event, and to everyone that came out and supported me. You're the bees knees! (Haha! I couldn't resist.)

As a typical overachiever, although I did sell quite a bit, I was also left with stacks. That just means you can look forward to seeing a lot of new product popping up in my shop in the coming weeks. But for now, I'm enjoying some much-needed me time and getting the heck out of Dodge on a quick mini-vacation in Montreal! 

À bientôt!

Show time

The day has come for my very first craft fair! Ahhh! It's pretty nerve-wracking, to say the least. On top of worrying about all the tiny details, there's also the underlying anxiety over putting myself and my work out there, open for judgment. On the other hand, I'm super excited to interact with customers and meet the other amazing vendors at the show! You can read up on all the vendors here and here.

At the Dear Edna table you can expect all the usual favourites as well as the cute vintage totes I made for Sweet Trash last year and brand-spankin' new aprons, totes, tea cosies and pillows! Mike and I played around with a few different display options last night and took the shots above as a little sneak peak for you. Are you intrigued? Haha! I hope so.

If you're in the Hamilton area this weekend, please stop by the fair and say hello. The more friendly faces, the better!



PNW Part Two: Seattle & Portland

Hamilton Happenings: August 2011

Wow! I can't believe I'm posting the August edition of Hamilton Happenings. Time is flying this summer, so get out there and enjoy it while you can. Hamilton is making it easy for you with (free) festivals, fairs and street parties nearly every single weekend this month. Woo!

Festival of Friends: Aug. 5-7 / Ancaster Fairgrounds / There was much hullabaloo over moving this festival from it's traditional Gage Park location all the way up and over to Ancaster. Not to fear, downtown dwellers, there will be free express shuttles leaving from the McNab terminal every 20 minutes. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing how they use the new space and of course the hot Friday night concert lineup featuring Sheepdogs (of recent Jimmy Fallon fame) and City and Colour.

Beehive Craft Fair: Aug. 12-13 / 118 James St. North / As if you haven't heard enough from me about this craft fair already, here I am pushing it again. I can't help it — I'm super excited (and super nervous)! There will be over 20 other talented craftspeople there in addition to Dear Edna, as well as an art installation by Amanda McCavour and DJ set by Donna Lovejoy. It kicks off during the James North Art Crawl, so after you say hello to us, you can peruse the many other galleries and shops that keep their doors open late that night. Sounds like a plan to me!

Augusta Block Party: Aug. 13 / 12-1 / Augusta Street / This little street lined with pubs and patios is my favourite place to grab a pint or a bite to eat in the city. It helps that it's right around the corner from me. Despite my slight bias, it's no lie that they threw an amazing party last year that had us dancing both in our seats and in the streets and I'm excited to check it out again this year... perhaps in celebration of surviving my first craft show?!

Dundas Cactus Festival: Aug. 19-23 / "The unofficial ‘homecoming’ event for any and all who have lived in the community... the festival runs for 3 days and includes 3 entertainment stages, event zones and over 100 street vendors."


Photo by Liam O'Connor



PNW Part One: Vancouver & Victoria

Sorry for the lull there, folks. After returning from vacation, I've had an unending list of events keeping me busy, including throwing a house party, being a dutiful bridesmaid and preparing for the quickly approaching craft fair. It's been a little crazy, but with two of the three behind me, I can give my business some undivided attention. The shop is officially open again and I'm working day and night making a pile of fresh new designs. I hope to share some sneak peaks next week, but I'm not making any promises. Before I get back to my workroom, here's a quick look at some of the highlights from our trip (in two parts).