Globe and Mail

Household Notions is featured in the Globe and Mail today! An article all about giving art for Christmas featured various art exhibitions around Toronto, how exciting!!!!!

You can find it HERE!

Etsy Blog

Today I found out I am featured on the Etsy Blog! Apparently my planters are a good gift for the ladies! Who knew! These planters have really become viral in the land of Etsy. It is hard to tell what will be popular and how to control which items will get noticed... ah well all we can do is try I suppose.

Got Craft?

Some shots of my table set up for Got Craft? 2011

It was sooooo busy the whole day which was awesome!

And my underpaid help.... what can I say

Make it! was this past weekend and what an adventure it was! The show was so awesomely attended 3800 people on the saturday! and I met so many great people! 

 The booth! It actually wasn't that complicated or hard to set up.

 The sticks worked well to display my handmade ornaments and I met a woman who told me about a bird of prey rescue facility located in Delta BC  http://www.owlcanada.ca/index.php 

My planters talked for themselves!

Household Notions*

Whether inspired by a character in a novel, or the ability of thread to link elements together, a narrative quality runs through each of the works in Household Notions. Textiles have a rich history that speaks to women and craft. These multi-layered sculptures explore domestic textiles, including needlework and crochet and the personal relationships, memories, and attachments that are formed with handmade objects and the narratives that can be created with them. Alternative mediums such as glass, paper and porcelain expand upon our expectations of conventional textile patterns and constructions. Just as textiles degrade and fade with time, some textile references have been deconstructed, leaving residual impressions that reflect upon the absence of the object that was there before. Themes for exploration include fragility, intimacy, strength and tension.

*Notions are small items for household use such as needles, buttons and thread. A notion can also be a belief, an idea or a whim. Here’s a household notion for you: Call your mother.

This show is going to be so great! The exhibition starts November 30th with the opening on December 1st 6 to 9pm. The show will run until January 28th. Artists included are myself :) Pam Lobb, Lizz Aston, Noelle Hamlyn, and Dorie Millerson. 

So Excited for the upcoming shows! A Real Piece of Work is this weekend! Make it is on Thursday and Got Craft Vancouver is on Dec 4th! Got Craft River Market is on Dec 10th and 11th! Woot!

Vancouver Sun!

So the craft show season is really ramping up..... So exciting and yet so nerve racking at the same time. This will be my first time really testing the West Coast market with my hand made goods and I have all these questions going through my head. Will they like my stuff? Will they like the pricing? Will I get any positive or negative feedback? Who knows.... As part of the advertising Make It! had an article in the Vancouver Sun and I was featured! How Exciting! You can see it HERE

I have been also trying to design and create some new ornaments for all these shows with my new favourite medium, polymer!

These little guys are not only fun they are also facsimiles of some of Canada's endangered birds. I am going to be giving donations from the proceeds to Nature Canada. It is so hard at the Holiday season to decide on charities to donate to but wildlife and our environment are connected to everything. I will also be working on some ideas for the Cancer Society of Canada as that is a cause that I feel can always use some donations as it affects everyone.

Bling of the day!

My print earrings were featured on this blog today! http://blingoftheday.blogspot.com/ Yeah!

Marian + Hazel Christmas!

I know, I know, Halloween hasn't even passed yet and I am posting the start of my Christmas accessories.... Well I am thinking ahead I suppose.

These are a sampling of my doily line of ornaments available in white, gold, and silver. They can be purchased here and here or at Make it! in Vancouver, A Real Piece of Work show in Surrey and Got Craft in Vancouver. Watch out I'm gonna cover the world in doilies!

Here they are displayed festively on some branches (my kinda Christmas tree)

New Artifact Crochet Series

I have been expanding my Artifact Crochet body of work and I am now making them in selected colours (or my version of colour anyway) These pieces are some of my glass work which can be found here.

I also have been making more of the medium sized ones in the original white/off white colour scheme

"nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.” the three basic ideas surrounding wabi sabi. As a craftsperson these sentiments allow one to let go a little bit while also continuing to innovate and grow (at least thats how I feel).

Textiles

So most people who know my glass work know how much I admire and love textiles! Textiles as a medium is so freeing to me and yet I still work in glass..... because I love it too. I am going to be in a group show with some amazing other textile artists such as Lizz Aston, Noelle Hamlyn, Dorie Millerson, and Pam Lobb at Telephone Booth Gallery in November and I am so excited! All of these artists work I so admire and feel pretty honoured to be included in a show with them.

                                                                                                        Lizz Aston

                                                                                                   Noelle Hamlyn

                                                                                                 Dorie Millerson

                                                                                                  Pam Lobb

Plant Pots

I had seen people reuse wine bottles to make candle holders and drinking glasses but I thought "what about planters ?" I love small collections of succulents so I thought why not try it? They turned out better than I thought so I put them up on my etsy site. They range in price from $20 for the small to $27 for the large. I think I will also try to find larger vessels to try as well. I was a little worried about the stress in the glass due to how I remove the tops but they seem to be fine and with a little care I don't think it would be an issue.

I was recently featured on the blog Polymer Clay Daily and the curator and creator of the blog Cynthia had such nice things to say about my Marian + Hazel line!

Polymer that recharges

by CYNTHIA TINAPPLE on SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 · 2 COMMENTS

Translation

The car dealership waiting room was my impromptu office this afternoon. So you can imagine that an email introducing me to Vancouver artist Amanda Parker was what I needed (well, that and a battery).

Amanda, who sells under the MarianandHazel name, is new to PCD and her always-white, zen-like polymer jewelry speaks softly, calmly and fashionably. She majored in glass which she still works in as she branches out into polymer and recycled leather.

If you need a Thursday breather, sit down with a quiet cup of tea and check outher site, her recent Facebook pictures and her Etsy gallery. The sites, like her designs, are soothing and restorative.

Brand New Blog

Well I thought I should start a blog for Marian + Hazel (all the cool kids were doing it) and here it is! This will be a platform to inform others of upcoming news, shows, inspiration etc. The image above is from my cultures collection, a series of framed multi-media pieces inspired by bacteria, fungus and other natural items that collect in interesting patterns.