You Give Me Fever!

Hi everyone!  A message from Margo:

This winter, may your only illness be Olympic Fever.  GO CANADA GO!

The winter has not been too bad for us so far (okay, not counting this week), but we need something to enliven those gray skies.  Why not drop into Textures and wrap yourselves in some colour?

 

We are open daily, Mon-Fri 11-5:30, Sat and Sun 11-5.  
We're at 236 Locke St S.  Our phone number is 905 523-0636.
Be Welcome.
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We have recently welcomed several new artisan members to our group, so come by to meet them and see what they do!  
 
Shelley Holden--environmentally conscious creative knits

Diane Irons--interesting new pottery

Tara Lynne Franco--clay artist  

Cheryl Laakes--costume jewellery  

Siobhan Lynch--stained glass  

Angela Sirrs--excellent dichroic glass jewellery and some splendid slumped glass

Lynne Therrien--stained glass and handspun knits

Ian Waterbury--child safe toys  

Mary Jean Monte--classy socks.

 

What's new:

•    A glorious array of winter gear
•    Oodles of glittering jewellery
•    Unique stuff for kids
•    Gifts and original greeting cards - and bags to put them in!
 
I hope you have been by to see our current show at Textures, "AT THE SOCK HOP: SOX IN THE CITY".  It features socks of all kinds, legwarmers, slippers, delicate girlie socks, yoga socks - and sock monkeys!

How to care for: wool socks.

For the wool socks, wash in cool water with Woolite. Rinse well in cool water and lay flat to dry.  No shrinkage if you wash them this way. We have to keep our toes warm and dry, and wool does the trick!
 
 
Shows Coming Up:   

•  Mar. 8 - Spirits in Stone:  
Soapstone carvings by John Tice
 
•  Mar.29 - The Monster Mash and Bowling Bunnies:
An all toy show for the kid in everyone!
    
•  Apr. 9 - Hitting the Mother Lode:
Stuff for Mom, just in time for Mother's Day
   
•  May 10 - Betty's Hotpots:
An all clay show.

 
 At Your Service:
 
•  Repairs and custom orders
•  Happy Endings service
•  Gift certificates
•  Layaways
•  Gift wrap
•  Visa, MasterCard and debit.



ALL OUR BEST FOR YOU,  
From the Artisans of Textures!

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Follow us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/texturescrafts
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Join our Facebook Group, Friends of Textures:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?v=wall&gid=2426841526
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Website:
http://www.ihighlyrecommend.ca/listing.php?cat=artists_artisans&url=textures
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Textures Gift Guide for Your Valentine

According to Wikipedia, Valentine's Day was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. February 14th has traditionally been a day when lovers express their feelings for each other.  And if you don't put at least a little thought into your gift choice for your beloved, you could be spending some time in the doghouse!

To avoid this potential problem, the artisans at Textures Craftworks have assembled these helpful shopping ideas that are sure to earn you a "gold star", and a blissful night ahead!
;-)

1.  Jewelry.  A traditional choice, but so much more thoughtful if you select something hand-crafted! 
Make sure you notice the kinds of jewelry the object of your affections wears day-to-day before making your choice.  Is it always silver?  Some people have a very strong preference for silver vs. gold.  Are ears pierced?  Do they wear bracelets regularly? These things can help you make the right selection from one of our many jewelry artisans, so spend a few days before going shopping to do your research! 

And if you really aren't prepared when you get here, we can still help you.  Just ask for a gift certificate, and then write a short note to your lover about giving them the gift of a "custom piece of jewelry, made to their very own specifications, by one of the jewelry artisans at Textures"!   Some samples by me, Sandra Rodwell:

2.  Flowers.  Also a perenial favourite.  You can't go wrong with it - and we don't sell fresh flowers. You can get those at La Jardinere, 246 Locke St. South  http://www.lajardinere.ca/.  (Got my wedding flowers there, and they were fabulous!)

But, to up the "thoughtfulness factor" and prove that you put a little effort into this, stop by Textures first and pick up a great, handmade pottery vase.  Then walk two doors down to La Jardinere, and ask them to make a special arrangement for you using the lovely vase you just got at Textures!  Not only does your love receive beautiful flowers, but when the flowers are gone, your sweetie will remember you long after Valentine's Day when they get to use the lasting vase over and over!  Smart thinking...  we have plenty to choose from, including these by Tara Lynne Franco, and Lisa Skog.  *Note:  raku pottery is porous and not water-tight, so make sure to put another watertight container inside if you plan to use it for fresh flowers...

   

    

 p.s. We do have some really nice, handcrafted silk flowers by Sumi Nogami, who does traditional Japanese arts.

3.  Chocolates.  We also don't sell chocolate.  I am very sad about that.  You can get that just up the street at La Chocolaterie Forrat, 185 Locke St. South.  https://www.forratschocolates.com/ (I recommend the dark chocolate chili truffles - mmmmmmm).

But again, before you go there, pop by Textures Craftworks to select a one-of-a-kind glass tray or bowl, or a piece of functional pottery on which to present your gift of fine chocolate!  These by Toni Major, and Peggy Dunmore:

4.  Stuffed animals.  Something we do have lots of!  Come and pick out one of Ruth Oldham's special knitted kitties, or maybe a Valentine "Honey Pot Bear" - each comes with a unique name, and is dressed in a cozy sweater and knitted pants and scarf.  Or if your valentine has a nostalgic bent, Textures has a wide selection of an old favourite - sock monkeys by Margo Griffith!  Cute stuff!                                                           

5.  The Gift of Warmth.  We have a varied selection of hand-knitted scarves, hats, slippers, socks and gloves, including the tube scarves by Diane Paquette and Ella May Russell that were recently featured in the Hamilton Spectator, as well as Diane Paquette's newest item- "Smitten Mittens" - a strange looking creation that allows lovers to hold hands while walking on a cold day, while sharing one mitten!  You must try it... 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 6.  Glass.  Present your amour with a celtic lovers knot, wrought in stained glass by Siobhan Lynch, and watch the sun shine on your relationship!  Or maybe a blown glass ball in an array of colours is more to your liking?  And finish things off with a collection of special handpainted glass magnets (by me) to prove your attraction is still strong...

7.  Cool Stuff for Guys.  Is it just me, or are guys tough to buy for?  No matter how difficult it is to pick out something for your man, chances are you can find something great for him at Textures!  I have found that men seem to naturally gravitate toward things such as wood, leather, stone and metal, and we have many items here made from those materials.

Try leather shearling hats and mitts by Lauch Harrison, or a hand-turned wood bowl or a computer brush by Malcolm Cumming.  Or maybe a leather bound journal by Sharon Beasley, or even a hand carved soapstone sculpture by John Tice might be the right thing?  We have it...  and if that doesn't work for your guy, you can select a manly mug by Toni Major (slip in a nice package of special coffee to finish off the gift!).

 

8.  Time.  Mark the days you spend together in a special way by giving a very special time piece- we have numerous watches and clocks to choose from, such as a chain maille watch by Rebecca Johnston, or maybe a beaded watch by Michele Mijatovic?  Or we also have spectacular raku pottery clocks by Lisa Skog, and whimsical "electronics" clocks by Sharon Beasley...

9.  Don't forget the kids!  Again, you can select one of Ruth Oldham's "Honey Pot Teddys" or one of her embroidered felt hearts with a surprise red candy sucker inside.  Or perhaps the little girl in your life would be delighted with a crocheted flower hair clip by Linda Somerville?  And for the boys, Linda has cute felt roll ups for carrying all their favourite Matchbox cars...

10.  Words of Love.  And by that, I mean a special art card from Textures!  We have many to choose from by different artisans.  Once you find the graphic that suits your partner, it's up to you to write a few words expressing how you feel.  Can't help you there - I don't know your sweetheart, and if I did, it might upset my sweetie!

What I can say is that most people think they can't write.  What you don't realize, though, is that if you write a few words from your heart, it should be the right thing.  If you still need help, find yourself some poetry for inspiration!

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

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Follow us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/texturescrafts
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Join our Facebook Group:
Friends of Textures
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2426841526
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Website:
http://www.ihighlyrecommend.ca/listing.php?cat=artists_artisans&url=textures
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Happy Endings

During the Christmas holidays, (there, I said it- I celebrate Christian holidays - and that is not meant to offend the non-Chrisitians of the world.  I like your holidays, too!) and after my custom orders were completed, and all jewelry re-stocking requirements for Textures Craftworks were taken care of, I decided to finally take some time out to do different things for a change.  More and more of my free time during the year gets taken up with making jewelry and "feeding the demands" of my membership in our little craft cooperative enterprise, and while I do enjoy it, I finally realized that other pursuits were taking a back seat.

Things like painting my dining room, for instance.  I've been looking at the same patchy white walls since I moved into my house over three years ago, and I always thought I should "do something" about them.  But I didn't.  Mostly, because I was lazy.  I admit that the thought of clearing off and moving three bookcases and a buffet packed full of china made me tired.  And that was just the thought of it!  The reality was SO MUCH MORE!

I did attack the project in stages, however, and in the end I got through it.  For your reference, I recommend waiting until you have someone with strong arms to help you move the furniture.  I didn't do that.  Bookcases got stripped and moved to a new home in the living room, and then they were redressed there.  That took one day because, well, you kinda have to vaccuum after you move furniture out of the place it has been sitting for three years.  Who knew?  The plan at that point was to start with the painting once the wall was unearthed, so it was dry before the family came visiting for Christmas. 

So, once Christmas was over and my husband set off to work on his Boxing Day sales, it was time to begin.  I must say, I hate doing prep work more than anything during any project, and that will often scuttle any project I contemplate taking on.  But I got out my ladder, and diligently taped the baseboards and the ceiling (not that you can tell there - oops!) before really getting to work.  For a change, I also looked after myself during the execution of my project by taking regular breaks, and I kept myself hydrated.  Important things to remember if you wish to survive.  I stopped working for the day when I was half way through, and moved furnishings back into place along the first half of the wall.

On the second day, I continued to work until I finally reached the end of the walls to be painted, and once they were dry, the rest of the furnishings for the dining room were put back in place, and a few new nail holes were added to the finished product in order to hang existing artwork in new locations.  And after that, I sat back to gaze upon my handiwork and think about painting the kitchen!  But there's always next Christmas for that - just thinking about that pantry cupboard that would have to be emptied and moved...

So with the wall now painted an actual colour (called "Lover's Rock, incidentally - kind of an olive-y green, golden brown-ish colour that changes in different light throughout the day) I decided to take up my next project - knitting myself an infinity scarf!  Several months ago I was contacted about helping to coordinate a "Shopper" feature in the Hamilton Spectator featuring infinity/tube/mobius scarves.  After working with our knitters Diane Paquette and Ella May Russell to coordinate this, and seeing the project come to fruition, I thought that I would like to make one of these lovely things for myself!  If you missed the feature, unfortunately it never made it to an online posting, but it was fabulous. 

Here is the page:

I hardly believe it, but I was able to find my knitting needles in the first place I looked, and I sat down with them and the lovely balls of brightly coloured yarn I had purchased in anticipation.  And then it hit me - I haven't done any knitting in about 15 years!  I don't even remember how to cast on!  All of the craft books I own that covered any sort of knitting project made the basic assumption that the reader at least knew how to knit!  Duh.  Luckily, it was Google to the rescue!  You can look up just about anything on the internet, including "how to knit". 

Five minutes later, I was refreshed, and on my way!  A friend of mine asked if Google will tell you how to untangle skeins of yarn, too.  Yes, it will!  Check out this delightful blog posting explaining how to go about it:  http://togs-from-bogs.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-untangle-skein-of-yarn.htm

Several weeks later, I am quite a few rows into my infinity scarf, but it is still no where near being done.  Good thing the heavy duty snowy weather has held off so far!  But I am still plugging away at it.  Ultimately, I probably should have gone to Textures and bought one of Diane or Ella May's beautiful scarves.  Maybe I should just go to Textures anyway and request their "Happy Endings" service.  That way, a professional knitter will finish for me the project I started with such good intentions - and finish it before the first buds of spring are opening, at that!  Happy Endings all-round...

The Circle of Life Continues!

Here we are on the first day of the new year - January 1, 2010!  Folks always seem to be so pumped about all the great possibilities a new year holds.  I must say, I actually feel more open to the unknown this year than I have in other years.  My natural tendency is to look back and mourn all that was left unfinished in the old year, but I think 2010 is going to be amazing!

The year 2009, while challenging for most people in some ways, was a mostly great year for Textures and our little band of independent artisans - and we have you to thank for that!  Our customers are great people, and have been very supportive!  It is encouraging for all creative souls to find an appreciative audience, and your continued trips to our little gift shop on Locke St. South in Hamilton keeps our group of about 50+ local artisans fired up with creativity to make something even more amazing than the last great creation!

Our group is much like a family, and we do have our occasional squabbles (if you have a sibling, or you have two or more children you know what I'm talking about!) - any group of individuals is bound to have disagreements about the direction the whole group should take.  But one thing we always agree on is our love of creating the best we can for our customers!




















Thank you for all your support and encouragement in the last year, and we look forward to welcoming you back for a visit in 2010!

We are starting off our new year with a show of all that is colourful and bright - "Passion and Panache" starts tomorrow, and is sure to banish the grey days of early January.  Hope to see you soon!

The painting I referred to way back in the spring...

Something new to replace "Polar Bear in a Snow Storm", as referred to in "New Year, New You" posting earlier this year - this is the painting I ended up doing:

And here is the original scene, from a street my husband and I visited during our honeymoon in Quebec City, while looking for cheese:

Quebec cheese is amazing.  Now I'm hungry...

P.S. We did not find cheese here.  We pulled off the highway on the way back to Ontario and visited Fromagerie Bergeron, and attempted to order in French.  Luckily they understand pointing and measuring with one's fingers...

Everything old is new again!

Judging by the kind of custom orders I've been getting recently, everyone has a stash of broken/outdated/mismatched/vintage jewelry that they may enjoy but cannot wear.  It may not occur to some, but these bits and pieces of treasure that may or may not have sentimental meaning can be transformed into wearable art again in the hands of a jewelry artisan willing to take on the task for you.  A jewelry artisan like myself, for instance!

One friend in particular (thanks Marie!) has kept me occupied over the last two years by periodically bringing me a ziploc baggy filled with old necklaces and bits of beads from her family members.  From these bits rescued from the back of her closet, I have made quite a few new necklaces for her twin daughters to take off to university, a necklace and earring set for a niece, as well as bracelets & earrings of all descriptions.  Marie has been so pleased with the results that she keeps finding more old pieces for me to work with, and she recently gave me the "heads up" that she gave another friend of hers my card to take on some future work for her!

I guess Marie got the idea from me, when I mentioned receiving jewelry boxes filled with odds and ends of costume jewelry from both of my late grandmothers.  Some things were good to use as I found them, but other pieces (broken necklaces, earrings without their twin, hideous styles from a bygone era, necklaces made for people with teeny-tiny little necks, and the old clip-on earrings) , although interesting, could only be worn again after a complete overhaul.  So I set to work converting old clip-ons into pierced earrings where possible.  I restrung tiny multi-strand necklaces into long, modern styles.  I repaired some brooches as I was able, replacing missing rhinestones, etc.  And when I was done, I shared these new pieces with all the girls in the family!  It meant a lot to them to have something made from one of grandma's pieces!  I even created a rosary for my aunt's husband who was Catholic, and very close to my grandmother - an unusual but acceptible way to present a man with beads from a woman's necklace!

One necklace from my grandmother was in really bad shape, but I always loved the beads and thought I'd do something special with it someday.  That day came last year when I was married! 

Turns out the beads matched my wedding dress perfectly (don't you think?) so I created a simple necklace and earrings for my special day.  It meant a lot to wear something new that day that just so happened to be created with something old that once belonged to my grandmother.

So think about what you might have lying around in a drawer somewhere - maybe I can create something new for you!

You're makin' a list, and checkin' it...twice?

Greetings! Gee, no postings since April, huh? Well, if your year has been anything like mine, it has flown by and once again we find ourselves face to face with that time of year - the really, really busy one!


To help you out during this busy time, here are some great gift ideas compiled by Margo, and featuring handmade treasures by our local artisan members:

- watch with coloured chainmaille band

- cream mohair snood with matching infinity scarf


- monster finger puppets

- large hot chocolate/tea mugs

- sterling silver cuff links


- Kooljammer lunch carriers

- hemp chokers for boys

- abstract stained glass window panel

- felted kitty playballs and doggy tug toys

- tea cozy and runner set

- camouflage pencil cases and carry bags for “stuff”

- baby mats and hair barrettes

- super long necklaces

- felted mitts (a cold winter is forecasted!)

- soapstone spirit carving of a loon

- handblown glass wine bottle toppers (add the wine!)

- maple fruit bowl

- beach glass jewellery

- Circuit Kitty cyber clock

- letter opener

- holiday earrings (trees, labs with Santa caps, penguins, )

- original Christmas ornaments ( stained glass, felted, glass, wood, Fimo, knit)

- original greeting cards (frameable, and great for money gifts!)


Don't forget to pick up a "little something" for the teacher, the sitter, your Mom 2 Mom group, paper delivery person, hairdresser, the kid's coach, your nice neighbour who sometimes shovels your sidewalk...

And you don't want to arrive at that house party empty-handed - pair a fresh wheel of Brie with a beautiful handcrafted pottery Brie baker from Textures!


 AT YOUR SERVICE:

-Repairs & restyling of jewellery
-Gift wrapping & boxes
-Gift certificates, layaways, Visa, Mastercard, debit

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Happy holidays to all

from the artisans at Textures!
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Address: 236 Locke St S (at Charleton)
Phone: 905-523-0636
December Hours: M-F: 10-9 Sat: 10-6 Sun: 10-5
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Follow us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/texturescrafts
**********************************************
Website:
http://www.ihighlyrecommend.ca/listing.php?cat=artists_artisans&url=textures
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And for all the latest events and photos,
Join our Facebook group, Friends of Textures.