Blogland links and awards

A few links that I forgot to mention in the last post

Just saw the new Niche Awards site with the Finalist's section including my Poppy Vase under Ceramics, Molded category.  It's really interesting to see who my 'competitors' are- the work in my category is all soooo different that it will be interesting to actually see who wins the category!

Poppytalk has a new contest called 'the Poppies'- a little award for the best of!  I'm just off to do some voting for my favourite shops and thought maybe you might like to as well!

Some good blog reads that got me thinking and leaving replies as of late were: this one by Bliss in a Teacup all about connecting online and leaving comments to connect with other bloggers.
And this one by Kristin Kieffer, all about finding one's 'Signature Style' and how finding your own style will inform your work and make it your own.  Both things I've been thinking about as I embark on a new year!
Happy reading!

starting to look like Christmas

With the boys getting excited about Christmas I pulled out their little Christmas Tree and all the little ornaments that they've made over the years to get us all in the spirit.  It's a real menagerie of stuff, but it makes the house feel cozy when it gets dark and cold by 4:30pm.  Along with a few of our Christmas Records from the Vinyl collection, we are starting to listen to Christmas music too.  Also been checking out Bliss in a Teacups Christmas playlist she has on her blog these days! Worth checking in on daily:)
My Etsy Shop might look a little bare, but I do have a fair bit at the studio and am taking last calls for Christmas orders by December 10th. This really only works best for local people as shipping just gets more dicey and expensive after the 15th of December.  I've still got Shiny Fuzzy Muddy coming up on the 12th and 13th with some new work coming out by next week!  Busy Elf!

OOOH AHHHH Donuts!

I read about these baked donuts here who read about it here who found the recipe here and we had to try it. On recommendations by everyone I used a little less sugar/cinnamon covering at the end and will admit that it was more of a sweet bread donut than your traditional Cake or deep fried donut, but it was to die for!
If you happen to be in the Vancouver area, you might just need to drop everything and whip down to Granville Island for the best donuts ever at Lee's Donuts in the market. They are having a 30th celebration anniversary sale for the next 4 days and donuts are 30 cents each - the original price!

Poppytalk Home Sweet Home Market Launch!

If you're a regular over at Poppytalk, you might have noticed my poppy vases highlighted the other day with a lovely little plug regarding my new photos! Well, this week opens the new Poppytalk Handmade Home Sweet Home Market and there really are some great things to check out this time around! I'm especially smitten with Bliss in a Teacup's new clocks, the really sweet poppy pillow by Olive, the garden markers by Just Work, and the great vintage items over at Ladies and Gentlemen, just to name a few! Of course, you might want to swing by my dahlhaus shop to see what's new over there! http://www.poppytalkhandmade.com/gallery7

Happy Victoria Day and a local etsy find (and SALE)!

Well, it's Victoria Day Weekend out here and bliss in a teacup are celebrating with a little sale in honour of Queen Victoria's Birthday! I think what most caught my eye about this Vancouver etsy shop is the contemporary and sweet use of these hoop frames! My memory reserves these hoops for cross-stitching lessons at girls club that felt painfully slow for me- but I love their fresh take! They also have hoop frames with fabric as little inspiration boards - so clever! 'bliss in a teacup' are Richard and Rebekah Brittain, a half kiwi/half Canadian couple living in Vancouver. Their list of interests and hobbies reflect incredible talent and I've already marked them as one of my favourites on etsy, just so I can see what they come up with down the road! Their blog is also worth a visit with lovely photos and beautiful staging of their work!
P.S. I just checked out their blog today and they are celebrating their 1 year anniversary! How lovely and congratulations!