GIVERNY BOWL - AMETHYST

2. KNOW WHO YOU ARE BUYING FOR! Spending just a few moments thinking about those who you are buying for allows you to plan for specific, tailor-made gifts. Such as a pottery baker for a keen cook or a glass vase for someone who loves flowers. Given a few days notice, local jewellery artists can custom make a piece for you.

COPPER RED OVAL CASSEROLE

3. SET A BUDGET! In these difficult economic times it is so very important to set yourself a budget and stick to it. Locally made gifts offer exceptional value for money.

Carnival Pearls

4. LOOK FOR LOCALLY MADE GIFTS. Locally made gifts are always appreciated and more thoughtful. The uniqueness and quality of local crafts is outstanding and they cost a lot less than you might think. One stop shopping at your local craft store saves you a great deal of time and stress.

REDWOOD (SEQUOIA) LARGE SALAD BOWL

5. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ECONOMY. By shopping locally you are supporting your local economy and helping to keep jobs in North America. The major department stores and shopping malls are full of produce imported from far off countries. Supporting your local artists & crafts people helps keep your $ at home.

STERLING SILVER, AGATE & AVENTURINE NECKLACE

6. TAKE CARE OF YOUR ENVIRONMENT. This is the only planet that we have and we need to take care of it. Your local arts & crafts people leave a small carbon footprint. They use local materials, advertise less and use less packaging – all to the benefit of our planet.

LADIES WOOL SLIPPERS

7. PERSONAL SERVICE. Look for stores that offer a personal service such as gift wrapping and shipping.

Christmas Gift Wrapping

8. LOCAL CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS. Locally made decorations stand out as being unique and original. They also last a lot longer than the mass of cheap imports which you see thrown away after each holiday season. Buy cheap, buy twice is not clever in today’s tough economy.

COBALT GLASS DECORATION

1.  Uniqueness – locally crafted work is unique. Unlike items made in a far off factory; local crafts people make work that is individual and one-of-a-kind. This does not just apply to a magnificent vase or a glass bowl. Even with a humble coffee mug, every one has a very slight difference. 

Humble Cat Mug - Very Rare!

 When just one person or a husband & wife team make an item the numbers are by the nature of the process – small. It’s great to have or give as a gift something that is genuinely unique.

WESTERN MAPLE SALAD BOWL

2.  Quality – artists always take a personal pride in their hand-made work. I have yet to meet an artist who was not passionate about their work. From potters to glass artists to textile makers – this is their life and they are justly proud of their work. If treated well much of this work can last a lifetime.  How many things can you say that about in our society today?

GIVERNY GLASS BOWL

3. Value for money – Contrary to what many people still believe, buying directly from the artist or their local retailer can most often cost less than buying some mass produced item from a department store. Reduced transportation costs, no middle men and low advertising helps to keep costs down.

4. Excellent after purchase service. The artists really do care about their work! Artists are available to repair, alter, clean or replace your purchase. They are interested to help if there is ever a problem. You never need to speak with some remote Customer Service line.

CARNIVAL PEARL NECKLACE, EARRINGS & BRACELET

5. Personal service – many artists will custom -make work to your specification. If you need a gift for a special occasion then very often, provided that you allow enough time, the artist will make to your requirements.

6.  Availability – Most ranges are always available so that you can add to your range or just collect individual pieces  over time.  Not just for pottery but jewellery or even glass.

COPPER RUBY VASE

7.  Help your local economy!  Shopping locally helps your local economy, by supporting local artists it keeps money in the community and  ensures that hard learned skills are alive for future generations.

BABY WOOL SLIPPERS

8.  Help the environment! Local arts & crafts produce a minimal carbon footprint – little transportation is involved. Conservation is important to all of us. Much of what local artists use is recycled – including what little packaging is ever used!

9. Fun and Learning. It really can be a fun shopping experience – you get to meet the artist and find out about their skills, how they make their work, the huge time and effort that goes into a single piece. 

CHARLES VAN SANDWYK ANIMAL WISDOM BOOK

10.  Support you local Community. A locally handmade gift reflects the community and region in which it was created. It has greater relevance for the person who purchased it or the person to whom the gift is given.

APPLE DESIGN CASSEROLE

 Side Street Studio has been supporting local artists for over 26 years. More than 300 local artists from pottery, jewellery, textiles, glass art, wood turnings, aromatherpy, cards, books, and lots more. Shipping is world wide with FedEx and Canada Post. www.sidestreetstudio.com

BRONZE JAPANESE STYLE NEOLITHIC JAR

Felted Merino and Corriedale wools with Silk

“My wraps may look delicate but they are very wearable. Made mostly from Merino and Corriedale wools felted on to iridescent silk chiffon, they are soft on the skin, lightweight but warm, easily draped around the shoulders on a cool summer evening or wrapped around the neck, tucked under the chin and into a winter coat.”

Merino & Corriedale Wools with Bison & Baby Camel down on Silk

“I was born and raised in West Vancouver. I received my Bachelor of Applied Arts in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Ryerson University in Toronto in 1988. In 1991, I took my first quilting class and from that moment on, fiber became my creative outlet”.

Fine Beading details on Wrap

“Throughout the 1990s, I studied embroidery, hand and machine stitchery, fabric dyeing and surface design with a variety of international teachers. I started teaching quilting in Vancouver in 1995 and continued to teach even after my husband, Trevor, and I moved to Pender Island in 1999. When I started learning to hand felt in 2001, I knew I wouldn’’t be working in fabric arts anymore”.

“Once I saw how my hands could get into the creation of the art – literally – I was really excited”.

Corriedale Hand dyed Silk and Mohair

“Almost overnight, I stopped working with fabrics and started working with sheep’s wool, goat locks, silks and exotic fibers such as camel down, bison, qiviut, alpaca and llama. The ability to design and create the very fabric itself is an amazing feeling”.

“Everything I make is done by hand. I lay out the unspun fibers then felt them – gently rubbing them with warm, soapy water, then rolling them in bubble wrap over and over, constantly checking and adjusting as the work progresses. My hands tell me when a piece is felting, where it needs more attention and when it is finished.”

Merino & Corriedale Wools with Silk

Monica’s beautiful, handcrafted work makes a magnificent gift and all represent outstanding value. See more at  http://www.sidestreetstudio.com/catalog/monica-bennett-m-80462.html

Merino & Corriedale Wools with Silk

FERN BAMBOO HANDLE BAG

“As a child I was surrounded by creativity, ingenuity and resourcefulness. I grew up on a farm in Alberta, with no running water, miles from town. My parents had to find ways to make things work”.

HANDMADE PENCIL CRAYON ROLL

“Together they learned how to run a small farm, repair tools, shear sheep and everything else they needed to know in order to make our life there possible. Dad had been a cook in the Antarctic, inside the Arctic Circle, in northern Saskatchewan, then finally worked for the forestry service in Alberta. Mum moved from a life in England as a secretary to a farm where she raised sheep and chicken, knitted, did willow basket weaving, grew a huge garden, made bread and raised the four of us. I truly believe they could turn their hands to anything!

I learned a lot from both my parents, but inherited my love of textiles and sewing from my maternal grandmother, who was a talented seamstress in Yorkshire. I am indebted to each of them for their unending support and encouragement.

Our crafty endeavours resulted in many Christmas and birthday gifts over the years, some of which we still have today. This love of handmade has stayed with me. There were periods during school and university where this creativity was set aside, but never for long. Driven by a desire to avoid mass-manufactured toys and licensed products, I began making aprons, crayon rolls, colouring bags, crowns and tutus as birthday gifts.

HANDMADE REVERSIBLE PLACEMATS

HANDMADE COSMETIC POUCH

After the birth of our second child, I began making greetings cards, drawn to the beautiful papers and embellishments available, although I preferred the challenge of making my own combinations, rather than relying on the pre-made ranges. Sewing on paper became a feature of my style and made me more comfortable with the sewing machine than I had ever been.

When I decided I needed a stylish new bag to carry everything for a baby and toddler, a passion was born! I have come a long way since that first bag and am very proud of my workmanship, designs and creativity. I work with each customer to make something which reflects their own personality and incorporates very practical features to keep things organized. I also put a lot of emphasis on making the interiors of my bags just as beautiful as the exteriors.

My focus is very much on the creation of aesthetically pleasing items which have a practical purpose, from handbags and purses to crayon rolls, aprons and the original Grab & Go Lunch Mat. Attention to detail, quality workmanship, functionality and enduring appeal are key components of my style.

The website for Pip ‘n’ Milly Creations (www.pipnmilly.com) showcases new and past projects and has a blog section where I write about product ideas and concepts. I also blog at http://thewinkingfrog.wordpress.com about more general, family-oriented topics.

I live, garden, compost, recycle, play and sew on Vancouver Island with my husband and our two young daughters”.

You can see more of Fiona’s superb work at www.sidestreetstudio.com

'STELLA' PURPLE BAG

I tried my hand at most of it. I guess sewing just stuck! From doll clothes as a child to clothes and bags for myself and friends in my high school years, I’ve been at it almost non-stop.

I think I also always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I can remember coming up with business ideas and names in my early teens. The first time I ever sold my wares I was about 12.

Through fate, fortune and determination I have been given opportunity to advance and hone my skills through various jobs and schooling my whole life. Which also provided me with some amazing mentors. I’ve never had a job that wasn’t design or sewing related.

After focusing on clothing design for many years, about 4 1/2 years ago I started making bags again. Right away I was having so much fun! I’ve never looked back! I was working full time, so it was a part time venture at first, but after having my daughter in 2006 I was more determined than ever to take it to the next level, and be fully self employed.

I think the bags really speak for themselves. They’re colorful and sweet, functional and hip. And I enjoy making them. I’m sure that one of the things that attracts people to them is the sense that each one is really made with love. I pay a lot of attention to detail and craftsmanship. It’s important to me that my product be well-made and durable, as well as beautiful.

Over the last several years handbags have become a real vessel for personal expression. One of the things I love most is watching people choose a piece, as each one has its own personality. I also find it fascinating to see two women at least 40 years apart in age choose the exact same piece for themselves. It’s a huge compliment to me that my work reaches so many people in so many stages and walks of life.

I feel really blessed to be supported in doing what I love, and to be part of the creative community”.

After spending 8 1/2 years in Toronto, Melissa recently returned to her soul-filling home town of Victoria, B.C. where she continues to make her beautiful and creative bag work.

You can find lot’s more of Melissa’s superb bags at www.sidestreetstudio.com

I am interested in landscape and creating an emotional response through colour and pattern.
My line of boiled wool felt handbags  are produced in my home based studio from yarns I both dye and knit.
My felted wool bags are hand knit into large bags and then “felted” into much smaller bags. Felting is a process that ends in the bag being “shrunk” down in size, and the wool fibers “condensed” making them tight and strong for long lasting wear and durability.

In the all natural-felting process, (no chemicals have been used in this process) the wool fibers lock together to form a thick fabric. Each felted bag comes out unique – part of the process is letting the wool do what it wants, and form its shape all on its own! These bags are naturally water resistant and very strong. They will last a long time and always look magnificent.

I take great inspiration for the organic forms of my bags from the stones of the shingle beach outside my front door, and for my colours, from the west coast viewpoint containing ocean, forest, mountain and sky”.

You can see more of Deb’s magnificent and stylish bags at www.sidestreetstudio.com

IT WAS THE GOLF CAPS AND VISORS SHE WAS MAKING AND SELLING AT CRAFT FAIRS THAT PROMPTED A LOCAL WIG RETAILER TO ASK, IF SHE COULD MAKE SOME WARM HATS FOR HER CLIENTS THAT WERE UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. SHE ENJOYED THIS SO MUCH SHE DECIDED TO EXPAND INTO STYLISH SUMMER AND WINTER HATS & CAPS. 

HER SHOULDER BAGS WERE ADDED AT FIRST TO MATCH THE HATS, BUT SHE NOW MAKES A WIDE RANGE OF BAGS IN ALL COLOURS AND SIZES.

HER USE OF COORDINATED PIPING TO COMPLIMENT THE MANY DIFFERENT COLOURS, PATTERNS AND TEXTURES OF HER FINISHED PRODUCTS IS EVIDENCE OF HER AIM TO MAKE UNIQUE AND AFFORDABLE PRODUCTS OF SIMPLE ELEGANCE.

WORKING BY HERSELF, OUT OF HER HOME IN COURTENAY, SHE PRODUCES HATS AND BAGS THAT HAVE BEEN SOLD THROUGHOUT B.C. AND AS FAR EAST AS MANITOBA. SHE WELCOMES INQUIRIES AND CUSTOM ORDERS FOR PEOPLE WHO WOULD LIKE SOMETHING SPECIAL, OR TO MATCH A HAT OR BAG TO THEIR WARDROBE. ALL HER PRODUCTS ARE MADE OF WASHABLE FABRICS.

 You can lots more of Inge’s magnificent and stylish work at Side Street Studio, Victoria.