Carving

      I've been taking a few carvings to market with me these days. Soapstone is one of my first true loves so I thought I'd post of few of my latest here.
      This is my stone heart. It's about the size of a plum.

     This face is about the same size. I really like the rough stone at the back. You don't get that with store bought stones that are cut into cubes. I like that you can tell that this came from a rock that was shaped like a rock.

       I'm planning to go on some excursions to find natural soapstone in Nova Scotia soon. I'll let you know how that turns out. It would be great to get some bigger pieces to work with.

A Hat for Every Occasion

Remember this organic cotton roll brim hats from a blog post way back in May (I think):

Here are some of the fun things I've seen my creative clientele do with it:

Dopplegangers, Halifax Magazine and CTAG

Dear Halifax and beyond,
        It's been a week full of tampering and little experiments. My latest creation is this little felt doppleganger. I'm custom making these 11 inch dolls by request for $50. You choose the hair, eye and skin colours, clothing and accessories and other details and I'll make a little being for you.

       Nicole Trask was kind enough to feature this little creature (and me) in her latest Halifax Magazine blog post. Check it out: http://halifaxmag.com/2011/10/blog/thoughtful-tampering/
        At the Seaport Market this weekend I will be selling at least one pair of warm, felted maritime wool socks - maybe two if I can get my new sign finished in time to work on them. This maritime wool is in melon green and dusty rose, to add a few winter colours to the autumns I've been working with lately. My fingers are crossed that there will be a table for me this Saturday, but if not I'll see you there on Sunday.
        As I type this, I'm sitting at the Hub where there is a buzz in the air with all of the planning of Halifax's show of art at night, Nocturne (Oct 15th). There will be lots of fun events that night, one of which is DAWNing, a collection of fashions by emerging designers at 2053 Gottingen St from 6 pm until midnight. I know at least one of the designers is a member of CTAG, the Clothing and Textile Action Group that works out of the Ecology Action Center here in Halifax so there should be some great eco-friendly clothes.
        Until next week stay warm.

A Smashing Success, a Sad Farewell and Some New Ideas

        Thanks to everyone who helped with and came out to support Tamper's Grand opening at the Seahorse Tavern this past Wednesday night. It was great to see some familiar faces and exciting to see some new ones. Every performance was wonderful from the musicians to the models and the MC. The venue was great too - providing excellent sound and lighting and terrific service. This was just the boost I needed this week since my market sales have been a bit discouraging.
        I've made the very difficult decision of not vending at the Historic Brewery market for the next little while. I love that space and I want to support it, but at this point the table fees are coming out of my pocket and I just can't keep it up. I will be keeping a table at the Seaport Market on Sundays though and hopefully I'll be migrating to Saturdays soon.
       I'm thinking and rethinking about my vision for this business and ways to make it more viable. My latest thought in that direction is to make hosting workshops on craft and the environment part of the business plan. More to come on that subject when I figure it all out.
       Until next time, here's hoping that the sun keeps shining and that we all have some time to enjoy it.