How To Polish Your Silverware

How To Polish Silverware

One question that I get quite often is,

"What do you polish your silverware with?"

So, I made a little video to show you exactly

what I use and how I do it.

This is the best way to take care of your

'...and then again' hand-stamped, 

vintage silverware.

Click the link above to watch.

Thank you to Tight Line Films for the video.

Vanity Bottle Tags

Easily identify your self-care products 

with our 'toiletry tags', made from vintage silverware.

 A beautiful way to create a feel of luxury in 

your powder room, guest bath 

or en-suite, while reducing your 

consumption of plastics and packaging.

Head to your local zero-waste store for a refill

 of your self-care products like shampoo, 

conditioner, soap, lotion, etc;

 then pour them into some nice bottles 

and place one of our pretty 

hand-stamped tags on the bottle. 

Find them here in our Etsy shop.

Fall & Winter Markets

Yes it is still August, 

but it has been cloudy all day and

 I am wearing a hoodie and drinking tea.

 Fall is just around the corner and

I want to make sure that you know exactly 

where to find me for some in-person shopping 

over the next few months.

Pop over to the 'Events' page for all of the details,

 including my first market in Calgary. 

A little behind the scenes...

Thank you to Tight Line Films for putting this behind the scenes clip of my studio workspace, and a little bit about what I do. Take a peek!

-Amanda

Christmas At Hycroft 2018

CHRISTMAS AT HYCROFT - Spark your Christmas spirit at Christmas at Hycroft - A traditional holiday fair and fundraiser filled with Christmas warmth and Yuletide inspiration throughout all three floors of the big, beautiful, historic, Shaughnessy mansion. Live entertainment. Over 30 local Artisans. Unique Boutiques with one-of-a-kind gifts. Traditional treats. And Santa visits too! Admission $15, Children 12 and under FREE. Tickets available at the door. Hycroft (1489 McRae Ave.) www.christmasathycroft.com

Hope to see you there! You'll find me on the 3rd floor

in the Federation Solarium.

-Amanda

Etsy Made In Canada

The 5th Annual 

Etsy Made in Canada market

is this coming Saturday, September 29th!

This is my third year participating

and I can't wait to see you all there!

Here are links to the BriteUp event website

and the event RSVP on FB for all of the details.

- Amanda

August Charity - Yoga Outreach

**Update - Thank you for support.
Together we raised $350 for Yoga Outreach!

During the month of August

I will be collecting a portion of sales,

and will be donating them to Yoga Outreach.

I have chosen this organization as I 

believe strongly in the benefits of yoga and

 I feel connected to the cause. 

My post-secondary education was in the field

of Therapeutic Recreation and I also worked

in the Social Assistance system as part of 

the BC Public service. 

I saw first-hand the benefits of how recreation

can build self-esteem and help individuals heal.

Here is a bit about Yoga Outreach from their website:

Our Mission

Our mission is to expand access to trauma-informed yoga programs to heal and connect communities

What Is A Trauma Informed Approach?

A trauma-informed approach is designed to create a safe and healing environment that inspires and empowers participants to reconnect with their body (a key element in trauma recovery). At Yoga Outreach we do this through offering yoga programs that are choice-based, incorporate a no-touch & no-assist approach, and use language that is invitational, gender neutral, and non-violent.

Thank you for your assistance in helping

me reach this goal!

-Amanda

Published on Inspired By This

I recently stamped some cute ice cream spoons

for the goodie bags at an Ice Cream Social.

Here are a couple of photos below.

More photos and a description of all 

vendors involved is over at 

Inspired By This

Go check it out!

Mexico - A Colour Story

I just returned from a glorious week in Mexico 

with five girlfriends. 

Lots of laughs, great shopping, delicious food and 

a relaxed vibe everywhere we went.

Here are photos of the vibrant colours and life of

 Bucerias, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Sayulita, 

Puerto Vallarta and the Bahia de Banderas.

Is it time to go back yet?

 - Amanda

Christmas at Hycroft

It's that time of year again!

Starting to feel very festive around here.

I am pouring all of my holiday cheer 

into one big event this year.

Come visit me at Christmas at Hycroft in Vancouver, BC.

This beautiful event runs from November 16-19, 2017.

Check out their website for the whole list of artisans, entertainment and shopping hours.

I have the pleasure of setting up my own boutique 

and can't wait!

See you there!

-Amanda

Etsy Made In Canada 2017

Super excited for this weekend's Etsy Made In Canada event. With over 140 artisans and makers at the Vancouver market you are sure to find some fantastic gifts!

If you can't make it in person, be sure to visit my Etsy shop for new items for fall entertaining.

Etsy Promotion

Hi Guys!

Wanted to let you know about this Etsy promotion

that is happening right now until 12/12/16.

If you are a first-time Etsy buyer, spend

$50 in one shop before taxes and shipping, 

and you will receive a $10 credit towards your next purchase.

Combine this offer with the special coupon code that 

I give my shoppers, and you are getting some 

great savings. 

Buy your holiday gifts now and treat yourself later!

Full details on Etsy. 

Gift Wrapping Fun

I love to get creative with gift-wrapping 

no matter what the occasion. 

This holiday market season, I stuck with neutral colors for my market displays 

and chose some papers that reflected this palette. 

I mixed some of my products and some natural and recycled materials as well.

 

 This striped paper and patterned paper are both from HomeSense and cost $4.99 per roll. 

Some natural twine, some eucalyptus 

and a stamped silver spoon 

add some nice texture and shine to the box.

 

 

 This 'Je T'aime' spoon is tied to the gift with 

a scrap of leather. 

Look around your home to find some 

different materials to recycle; 

maybe some denim, velvet or wool.

 

 These two gifts are adorned with vintage chandelier crystals of different shapes. So pretty!

The sparkles and tiny letters in the above photo; and the sheet music paper and 

LOVE letters are from Brick & Mortar Living 

in New Westminster.

 Want in on a secret? 

This kraft paper is actually from a large roll of 

Builder's Paper made from 100% recycled paper 

available at Home Depot. 

A 36" roll of 167 feet is $18.47 and is sure to last a long time! My kids love to make large murals with this paper 

and I like to use it for gift-wrapping 

or to protect the table when painting. 

We are on our third year of using the same roll.

The paper is adorned with an one of our vintage hand-crocheted ornaments. These were made from a vintage blanket and are adorned with Swarovski crystals.

Hope this inspired you to get creative, save some money and add some interesting materials to your gift-wrapping.

-Amanda

Mixing Vintage & New

I love to switch up my displays and 

colour palettes with every season of markets.

While out seeking colour inspiration last month, 

I discovered I was really drawn to a combination of white, cream, and mixed metals.

While this gave me a direction for my upcoming markets, it also inspired me to show you how 

you can mix new and vintage to create 

affordable one of a kind gift combinations. 

The items that I purchased are from HomeSense 

and I paired them with the hand-stamped, 

vintage silverware gifts that I make.

 First up is this marble and wood charcuterie board 

with a leather strap. 

I paired it with one of my best-sellers, 

the "Spread Joy" vintage spreader. 

The board is $7.99 and the spreader is $19.

I love the deep, round shape and the texture 

 on both this coffee mug and bowl. 

I paired the mug with a petite demitasse spoon 

that reads "Go Away", 

the perfect stamped saying for before 

you have had that first cup of coffee. 

The spoon is $19 and the mug is $3.99.

The bowl cost $4.99 and I combined it 

with another one of my best-sellers, 

the "Cereal Killer" spoon at $19.

 If coffee isn't your recipient's cup of tea ;),

how about a pretty tea cup and saucer 

and "Tea Time" teaspoon.

The cup and saucer are gold rimmed 

and cost $8.99, while the teaspoon 

with a pattern 

that dates back to 1901, is $19.

 For the dessert-lover, 

I combined the "Sweet Tooth" fork at $19 

and a sparkly footed dessert plate at $9.99.

 These marble coasters with a chevron print have 

a beautiful subtle sparkle. 

I am going to use them at my markets to add 

a little bit of height to display some of my silverware.  

Here I paired them with a vintage silver goblet 

that holds a succulent and a flattened spoon 

that reads "Peace Love Garden". 

The coasters cost $9.99 and the spoon is $19.

Finally, for your friend who likes to entertain, these double-sided paper coasters are lots of fun 

when paired with a decanter tag or two. 

The coasters cost $7.99 and the decanter tags which are made from vintage silverware of course, are $22 each.

The tags look so good on a vintage decanter and help bring some great style to a bar cart.

I always have customers asking for gifting ideas so I hope this helped inspire you a little.  I think you can have lots of fun mixing new and vintage, 

and you don't need to spend a lot of money to create a meaningful gift. 

Just choose something that reflects the personality and interests of your recipient. 

I have a great selection of hand-stamped sayings for everyone on your shopping list.

Visit my Etsy Shop to see more.

-Amanda

ps This post is not sponsored in any way, just me having fun.

Holiday Markets 2016

Here are the events where you will find me 

in person this holiday season. 

More details under the 'Events' heading.

Hope to see you there!

-Amanda

Etsy Made In Canada Market

What are your plans this weekend?

 I am excited to be a vendor at the 

Etsy Vancouver Market: Made in Canada!  

At EVM, shoppers can choose from a wide variety of hand-crafted goods from over 90+ vendors, including clothing of all types, jewelry, bags, wallets, buttons, accessories, aprons, children’s goods, housewares, paper goods, kits, art, food, and much, much more. 

Each show is carefully curated and juried to ensure the best mix of arts and crafts, as well as quality and originality.

Event Date: Saturday, September 24 and Sunday, September 25, 2016

Event Time: 10am to 5pm

Location: The Pipe Shop Building (115 Victory Ship Way, North Vancouver)

 Event Website: bit.ly/etsyvancouvermarket2016

For more information about the market, including directions, vendor listings, and any other information, please visit the Etsy Vancouver website.

If you’re interested in seeing what I have been up to lately, this will be a great opportunity!

Hope to see you there!

-Amanda

See You Tomorrow!

So tomorrow is my first

Ladner Village Market appearance!

 I am really looking forward to it! 

I will be bringing a great selection 

of hand-stamped vintage silverware, 

mobiles/windchimes, revived stamped silver trays and a gorgeous re-envisioned chandelier that is perfect for your outdoor entertaining area.

Ladner Village Market

Sunday June 26th, 2016

10am-4pm

Ladner Village, BC