I recently found out that I was accepted into Handmade Harvest, which is the awseomest craft show in the valley (of course, along with Urban Craft)! It's in Almonte which is a lovely historic town just outside Ottawa. Handmade Harvest is a great show - there are  going to be lots of great local vendors making beautiful handmade goods, and since it's on November 4th and 5th, there will be an Amazing selection of stuff for Christmas!

I've been busy making more aprons - I already have several up in the shop like the one in the photo - they are the bar/chef aprons that just go around a person's waist. The new aprons are bib aprons - your more traditional ones with straps around both the waist and neck. The neck straps are similar to the ones I put around the waist, making them totally adjustable. I'm away from home right now, but will be posting the aprons in the shop next week, and will definitely have several to choose from at the first Urabn Craft show on September 3. More details on that to come!

So what are my apprehensions? They are about time. I still work a day job that I travel for (am away all this week). I'm so excited to be chosen to participate in so many crafts shows! But with that comes a need for inventory. Which takes time to design and make and price. I'm in much better shape going into the next show than I was in June with really low inventory, so I'm thankful for that. I'm hopeful that I'll be selling a lot of things at each of the shows, but that means restocking in between (Urban Craft is once a month), while continuing to work my day job and keep up with other things I want to do (fashion or textile classes, keeping the house SEMI-clean, and making sure I stay healthy).

It's all good, though - I'm focusing on all the things I love to do. I may just need to ask for a bit of help over the next few months. Which is always good!

This month's book club feature in ARTrepreneur is A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink. I laughed when I first picked it up - a whole new mind? Yup, there are definitely days when I could use one of those! Surpringsly, Pink was not suggesting that I'm a scatterbrain. He is stating that the way in which we act and work is changing, and that we are moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age. Let me explain.

The Information Age basically started in the very late 60s/early 70s with the progression of computers. It was a time of information gathering and information highways, logical thinking, and analysis. There was a rise in 'knowledge' workers, as opposed to trades. And people's intelligence was tested based on SATs, LSATs, GMATs, etc. Pink states that this way of thinking, analyzing, and testing is very Left-brain-centric.

You see, the left side of the brain is behind certain abilities: sequential (alphabetically, numerically, in sound and in symbols); text (reading from left to right, hearing a phrase ie "I am going to the store"); details and analysis. The Right side of the brain directs the following abilities: simultaneous interpretation including patterns such as a face; seeing a bigger picture; context (realizing that the person who just said they are going to store is actually leaving because they are mad at you and they don't want to be around you); and synthesis of information. 

The Information Age, then, was what Pink calls Left-directed. He argues that there are changes occurring that will necessitate increased use of the Right side of the brain. Many well paid jobs such as computer programming are being outsourced to bright young graduates in Asia who are paid a fraction of the traditional pay here in North America. Computers and software can do many of the tasks that people traditionally have been well paid to do (think of money management programs and tax software). The jobs that will remain are no longer the task-oriented ones - they will be the higher thinking, big-picture jobs.

Additionally, Pink notes that many of us are searching for more meaning in our lives - a higher purpose. We are all drowning in our STUFF - the storage business (to house all our extra stuff) is booming, and the U.S. spends more on GARBAGE BAGS than some countries spend on EVERYTHING put together! We are seeking things beyond the stuff - that's why we are buying designer garbage cans (Karim Rashid, anyone?), why we are all signing up for yoga classes, and why we are yearning for simplicity and beauty in our lives. We want to be surrounded by beautiful objects that have special meaning to us.There is a reason the handmade movement is huge - just look at Etsy, where there are currently over 800,000 shops with over 25 million unique visitors each month! The rise of the 'creative' class has already started.

What do you think? Load of crap? Or totally true to your own experience? Are you a Left-brainer trying to figure out a new future, or a Right-brainer who is jumping up and down with excitement about this prospect?

I'm really excited to announce that I've been selected to participate as a permanent member of Urban Craft. Krista Leben of Ottawa's Craft Co-op has done it again and has created what is going to be another fantastic local craft show. Krista and her partner Robin are the ones behind the amazing Wed By Hand, showcasing independent artists and designers involved in weddings, giving brides an alternative to the mass-produced craziness that is the wedding business.

Most North American cities the size of Ottawa have a monthly craft show offering handmade goods to people all year round. We, unfortunately, didn't have one - until now. We do have great craft shows, especially around Christmas time, including Idle Hands and Handmade Harvest, but were missing a regular show.

Urban Craft will be held the first Saturday of each month, starting on September 3, 2011. The location is amazing - the beautiful new GCTC theatre in the heart of Hintonburg on Wellington at Holland. The shows will be from 10am-2pm, and will be full of handmade goods: vegan and artisanal food; natural body products; handmade goods for kids; modern decor for your home; jewelry; and household items.

Come by, have fun, and show your support for local small businesses continuing the tradition of handmade items both artistic and utilitarian.

Just a quick update before I head out of town for the weekend. I'm off to Trois Rivières in Quebec to see my boy race at the Grand Prix (in a supporting race, he's not an Indy or Nascar driver!).

I've got several necklaces up in the shop now. I love these! They are made of the same 3mm thick 100% wool felt that I make the container/organizers in. It's really lovely. I've embroidered a variety of patterns on the felt in wool embroidery floss (called crewel work when you use wool thread). They hang from a metal grommet, and are on a silver plated 16" diameter round wire, which gives them a really modern look. If these are a big hit, I will look at getting a pure silver chain instead of the plated silver. I like the mix of the modern style with the natural felt. I have already had a custom order for a specific design on a necklace, so let me know if you have any special requests!

Also, a quick note to let you know I've joined the new millenium, and am now on Google+ and Pinterest (both under Tania Wojciechowski). Maybe you can show me what to do :)