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Dunbar Craft Fair

Little Wren — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 06:04:12 +0000

Whew! Well it’s been a busy, busy past few weeks!

I was recently asked to take part in the Dunbar Craft Fair, and even though I only had three weeks to prepare I jumped at the chance.

I have taken part in a few of the Got Craft shows in the past with Barefoot Contessa and always had a great time , but have never done a show on my own. So like I said, it was a busy, busy three weeks leading up to the fair making stock and getting my displays ready… But it all came together and I had a wonderful time and was thrilled with how the day went.

I was also fortunate to have the greatest table neighbours – Christine, with her adorable line fieldtrip, and her husband Stephen were just the nicest and Sylvie with her line Blackbarn Ink was so lovely as well. I highly recommend you check out both their lines – such talented ladies! I also met a ton of wonderful people who attended the show – it was great to see so many of the items I worked hard to make go to good homes.

Unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to take any pictures with my fancy camera, but thank goodness for my fancy phone. Here are a few pictures I managed to snap in between rushes.

A HUGE thank you goes to everyone who came out to the show and to my fantastic family and friends for all their support!

sweetheart bow rings

Little Wren — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 04:00:54 +0000

How cute are these candy-coloured bow rings?!?

They’re a new addition to my Little Wren lineup, and they’ve become a fast favourite of mine. I love that when you’re wearing one it looks like one of those double rings that seem to be so popular right now… but you can actually move your fingers properly, which is something I always enjoy ;)

Brick and Mortar Living

Little Wren — Tue, 22 May 2012 03:39:12 +0000

I’m excited to announce that a selection of my earrings, hairpins, rings and teacup candles will be available at the soon-to-open Brick and Mortar Living in New Westminster!

I was fortunate enough to pop by to see the space today and am happy to report it looks fantastic so far! I can’t wait to see the finished product.

This is just a little peek at some of the wonderful vintage wares that Brick and Mortar will be selling (along with some Little Wren earrings of course). I am seriously lusting after some of the mason jars they have – especially the blue glass ones (not pictured)

cute new earrings

Little Wren — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:20:41 +0000

I’m just loving these adorable little earrings I made this weekend! They were a fun change from the flowers that have become a signature of mine. While florals will always be a part of my line, it’s always nice to switch it up a bit – especially when polka dots, plaid and little red riding hood cartoons are involved!

(They will soon be available at the Barefoot Contessa shops)

new cabochons

Little Wren — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 06:26:18 +0000

Here’s a little sneak peek at a few of the adorable new cabochons I recently got… I can’t wait to turn them in to rings, earrings and hair pins!

pretty spring earrings

Little Wren — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:41:12 +0000

These cute new earrings just arrived at Barefoot Contessa today… I love all the pretty spring colours!

teacup candles

Little Wren — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:16:02 +0000

I love teacups. There I said it. I love teacups and I’m not a little old lady. I don’t love them because they’ve resurged in popularity over the past few years (just check out any wedding blog for proof of this) though it makes me happy to see others are finding a new appreciation for lovely teacups too. I’ve admired them since I was young and would have (supervised) tea parties using my great grandma’s teacup collection – I can still remember my favourites. Since then they’ve always had a place in my heart… plus I just think they’re pretty.

I found the idea for teacup candles a few years ago when I received one for Christmas from a friend. Although I thought it was a super cute idea I didn’t really give it much thought other than just enjoying my present. Fast-forward three or four years, when I was the proud owner of a plethora of teacups (thanks to my other love of thrifting and flea markets) that were just collecting dust, and taking up a lot of space in my little room… so I decided to make them in to candles. Admittedly I got a bit candle-making happy and now wish I had kept a few more, but am comforted by the fact that they all went to good homes.

some of the candles almost done...

Although a bit pricier, I chose to use natural soy wax since it burns clean and won’t damage or stain the lovely teacup (which, lets be honest, would be sacrilegious). I cheated a little and bought wax that was already cut up and ready to go. Then to melt the wax, I put it in a large measuring cup (so it would be easy to pour) on a cookie cutter of all things in a boiling pot of water – i.e. a makeshift double boiler.

Once the wax was melted completely, I poured it in to the teacups. I first put the wick in the teacup and secured it with bamboo skewers so it would stay centred while I poured the liquid wax in – as you can see below.

Then all I had to do was sit back and wait for the wax to dry (I gave it overnight) and then the candles were good to go!

the finished product

Above are some of my finished teacup candles, alongside some fabulous Pontouf headbands and hair bows. I think they turned out pretty well don’t you?

One word of warning, if you’re planning on undertaking a teacup candle making session, although fun, it’s not as easy as you might think… well at least it wasn’t as easy as I first thought it would be. It turns out melted wax can be messy – go figure. I would also encourage you to do ‘batches’ of a few candles or more each time, if you just do one it will likely turn out to be a rather expensive candle after you factor in all the supplies. From my experience, I would recommend against using real essential oil – just use the candle scenting stuff – I tried to use real essential oil and the result wasn’t as fragrant.

If that just seems like far too much work for you, and you’re interested in buying one of the teacup candles, you can do so at Barefoot Contessa.