The 10 Cent Educational Series: Arm Knitting

Posted by kait / October 22, 2014

Have you ever knitted with your arms before? No?! Maybe you should start now. Why spend endless dollars on multiple sizes of knitting needles when you’ve got two fantastic appendages already attached to your body that knit just fine!

My friend Lori Andrews (aka ) is kicking off her new 10 Cent Educational Series on November 5th with PuddingYarn and JuiceBecause for a course on arm knitting and creating an awesome, cozy and stylish infinity scarf using only your arms and some seriously chunky yarn. Registration just launched for this fun evening of DIY crafting, live music and delicious treats. The class is $90 which includes all instruction + the giant balls of yarn that you need to complete your project – coming in these two gorgeous colours!

PuddingYarn | 1516 6th Street SW

November 5th 6-8pm

BUGABOO X WARHOL COLLECTION

Posted by kait / October 21, 2014

Andy Warhol has been one of my favourite artists for as long as I can remember. As a child I had an immediate attraction to pop art and always loved his fun and playful style. My parents encouraged my love of his art through Marilyn Monroe and Campbell’s Tomato Soup Can prints in our house. I still remember the first time I saw The Velvet Underground vinyl featuring the iconic yellow banana designed by Warhol.

As a young art student, Warhol informed my art practice and I employed his bright colours and witty ethos into my work. As the years passed, I picked up other Warhol-inspired items including everything from post-its to design collaborations with Campbell’s and Perrier.

When I first saw Bugaboo’s collaboration with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts announced not long ago, I was definitely not in the market for a stroller but I fell in love instantly. The insanely fun yellow Cameleon3 Banana stroller is an incredible eyecatcher – can you imagine pushing this baby down the street?! Of course, Warhol lovers all over the world have rendered nearly sold-out. However, Bugaboo wouldn’t leave us hanging in a banana-less world which is why I am SO excited about their brand-new Warhol collection debuting this November.

Featuring four super fun Warhol prints, you can now customize your Bugaboo stroller to fit your style personality. You can choose between the Globetrotter, Butterflies, Marilyn and the iconic Banana print.

I am so excited for the gorgeous Banana print – it is my top pick out of this collection because who doesn’t want to raise their child with references of Nico and the Velvet Underground? I know I sure do. It should practically come with a playlist of starter songs for baby! I recently bought a used Cameleon so I am planning on picking up this set for my little boy when it becomes available later this year. It looks like they will be available around the same time I am due!

The Warhol Marilyn print stroller set is also super amazing! I think this would be perfect for a little girl. And the cute coordinating tote is just perfect. So, as you can see Warhol’s designs are truly timeless and you can never start educating your children about art too young!

Watch for this fab new collection debuting soon online at Bugaboo and if you are in Calgary, keep your eye out at West Coast Kids for the collection.

HALLOWEEN WITH ETSY CANADA

Posted by kait / October 19, 2014

Happy Halloween – almost! I stopped by Global Calgary yesterday morning to chat all things handmade and Halloween from Etsy Canada! There are some seriously talented makers in Alberta and B.C. and I was so excited to showcase some of them on the air. and I’ve listed all of the products below with links to purchase! From chic goodies for the home to cute stuff for your little trick-or-treaters, Etsy is an amazing place to find just about everything!

Westwick Candle Co. (Langley, BC) – Julie Heichert hand makes each candle and adds pumpkin spice fragrance to soy way. The geometric print on each candle is part of a photograph taken by her sister, Nichole. To transfer the image, Julie prints the photo onto tissue paper and then uses heat to transfer the image to each candle. $15 each.

White Owl Ceramic Studio (Calgary) – Laura Sharp uses Mishima, a slip inlay technique to create this vase, $65. To show the carved areas of the owl, Laura places black glaze inside the carved markings that she makes before firing. She uses a contrasting white background to exaggerate the outline of the owl.

Triangle Trees (Guelph, ON) – This tote bag by Gillian Wilson is wonderful for trick-or-treating. The 7-ounce cotton tote is sturdy and the 25-inch handles make it comfortable to use. The images are water-based, screen-printed by hand, and then heat set, $15.

Pumpkin Spice Candle No. 1 from Westwick Candle Co. // White Owl Vase from White Owl Ceramics Studio //Strange Days Tote Bag from TriangleTrees // Pumpkin Spice Candle No. 2 from Westwick Candle Co.

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SAVING ENERGY IN THE KITCHEN

Posted by kait / October 8, 2014

Hello autumn! We are so ready to spend cool fall days around the kitchen table with family, preparing delicious pumpkin pies, pierogis and banana loaves. It is a time of tradition so whatever you and your family loves to do together, we are willing to bet it has something to do with the kitchen.

While the change of season certainly sees us spending more time indoors and therefore using more energy, it is also time to be more conscious about the energy we are using when we aren’t busying our selves over a hot stove.