Fabulous New Jewelery as seen at New York and Vancouver Fashion Week
Vancouver Island born Erika Lauren began making jewellery in 2009 as a creative outlet during University. Soon friends and family began asking her to make pieces for them and Erika Lauren Design was born.
However, it was a small bag of naturally shed porcupine quills that were gifted to her by a family friend that would become the heart and soul of her work. Being curious about all things, Erika quickly took to the design challenge and created what is now her best-selling porcupine quill collection.
Erika Lauren Design is committed to using materials to create jewellery that is as sustainable as it is sophisticated. Erika’s work has been recognised in numerous international fashion magazines and she has been shown at New York Fashion Week and Vancouver Fashion Week.
See more of Erika's beautiful jewellery HERE
Our Newletter April 2017
It appears that Spring is finally here. As usual, our artists have been busy creating and here are some of our personal favourites for you.
Just arrived is a new Spring collection of Honica jewellery, many of which are 'one of a kind' special offers for necklaces, earrings and bracelets. Well worth checking out! You can see more here.
Shown below is a beautiful Pastels Chunky necklace. A wonderful, bold necklace from Honica's "Pastels" collection. The necklace is made from Amethyst, Jade, Rose Quartz and more.
Our New Newsletter - March 2017
Our newsletter - March 2017.
Vancouver Island, like much of B.C., has seen some unusually cold and snowy weather this winter. Nothing as compared to our Mid West but for us less hardy folk on the West Coast this has been a cold winter.
Just before the first of the big winter storms hit with its full force, Sue & I together with Finn, our mischievous Kerry BlueTerrier, made a trip up island to replenish some much-needed work from our artists.
First stop was to Bob Held’s glass studio in Parksville. The warmth of the glass kilns was welcome as the snow was already quite deep. The day previously the delivery of raw glass had to be cancelled as the truck could not get near Bob’s studio. However, we collected some beautiful new work examples of which you can see below.
The new Mocha Swirl Cone vase is superb as are the new glass Hearts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gentlemoon Metal Art
Gentlemoon Metals began in a garage in Minnesota 30 years ago when Tom Coyle discovered the alluring glow of molten metal.
A former psychologist, he became a self-taught jeweller & sculptor going to the University of Trial & Error and later graduating from the School of Hard Knocks. Tom migrated to the Kootenays where he met his wife, Karen Wynn Dubord who was a talented artist in her own right.
Together, they fused their skills, different strengths & artistic approaches to form an exciting new Gentlemoon Metals. They are both inspired by nature’s grace, beauty & dazzling array of colours.
Natural scenes, including animals and sea life, are common themes in their work Their unique metal sculptures are displayed and sold in fine galleries in the United States and Canada.
Gloria Macarenko CBC BC Almanac interviews Sue Hayes Side Street Studio
Gloria Macarenko, CBC B.C. Almanac interviews Sue Hayes of Side Street Studio. 14th December 2016. Sue talks about the studio of 32 years and our 300 + local artists. They discuss ideas for holiday gifts - with a focus on the beautiful work that is hand made, locally here in B.C.
Listen now to the interview
Flame Works Designs
Carolyn and Anthony Green who had a vision, a dream, and determination to create a unique and classy jewelry company founded Flame Work Designs in 2005.
Flame Work's main designers Carolyn and Anthony work exclusively designing the glasswork individually creating each piece of glass from start to finish with perfection and assembles all of their jewelry in their home studio in Victoria, BC.
Flame Work Designs Carolyn and Anthony are inspired by their customers and continue to appreciate all the support and enthusiasm they receive. They strive to provide women with that added touch of flair that gives them confidence and the compliments they deserve.
With each new line, Flame Work Designs reinvents itself, adopting the latest styles and setting new trends. Customers have come to count on Flame Work Designs as a company dedicated to creating jewelry that is enjoyable, affordable, and compliment guaranteed!
They begin the process of Lamp-working by fusing rods of glass around a tool called a mandrel in front of a heat intensive flame of 2000ºF. Each bead is individually created one at a time to ensure quality. Maintaining a hot enough temperature at all times is crucial when creating a bead. If the bead is held away from the flame for more than fifteen seconds the glass can shatter.
Once you start a bead you must give it 100% of your attention until you have completed your creation. Every bead is carefully sculpted freehand to ensure that each bead is unique and individual. All of our work is kiln annealed and carefully cooled down over several hours.
Annealing is the process of slowly lowering the temperature surrounding the piece so that it doesn't stress the glass and cause fracturing. This process, although very time consuming, is a very important step to assuring that you will receive the highest quality piece.
10 Reasons to Shop Local this Christmas
We are writing this article to ask you to please consider supporting these wonderful B.C. Artists and other local businesses before you spend all of your Christmas shopping budget at big box stores.
We believe that one way you can help is to consider buying locally produced goods and services. Below is a short list of reasons to support local, handmade goods.
1. Locally crafted work is unique! Unlike items made in a far off factory; local crafts people make work that is individual and one-of-a-kind. This does not just apply to a magnificent vase or a glass bowl. Even with a humble coffee mug, every piece has a very slight difference. When just one person or a husband & wife team makes an item the numbers are by the nature of the process – small. It’s great to have or give as a gift something that is genuinely unique and locally made.
2. Local artists produce work of excellent quality. They always take personal pride in their handmade work. I have yet to meet an artist who was not passionate about their work! From potters to glass artists to textile makers – this is their life and they are justly proud of their work. If treated well, much of this work can last a lifetime. How many things can you say that about in our society today? How many of those ‘bargain’ mass produced items last more than a few years?
3. Save money! Contrary to what some people believe, buying directly from the artist at a craft fair, market, or their local studio can often cost less than buying a mass produced item from a department store. Reduced transportation costs, no middle men, and modest advertising budgets help to keep costs down.
4. Local artists do really care about customer service! The artists are available to repair, alter, clean or replace your purchase if you should ever need this service. They are genuinely interested to help if there is ever a problem. You never, ever need to speak with a remote customer service person.
5. Personal service is very important to local artists. Many artists will custom make work to your specification. If you need a gift for a special occasion then very often the artist will be happy to make it to your requirements.
6. You can start your own personal art collection with a small budget. We recently had a nice young couple visit our Studio to purchase some Robert Held glass heart paperweights (which start at $45). They were glass heart collectors – and were excited to see some new styles that they could add to their collection! If you are on a budget you can collect individual pieces over time. Many of our customers collect pottery, jewellery, glass art & more!
7. Shopping locally helps your local economy. By supporting local artists it keeps money in the community and ensures that hard learned skills are alive for future generations.
8. Go green and help your local environment! Local arts & crafts produce a minimal carbon footprint – little transportation is involved. Conservation is important to all of us. Much of what local artists use is recycled – including what little packaging is ever used!
9. Fun and Learning. It really can be a fun shopping experience – you get to meet or learn about the artist, find out about their skills, and how they make their work. It’s impressive how much time and effort goes into a single piece. So take some time to visit your local artist’s studio or gallery, or local craft show. It can be great fun! You can check Meetup.com for local art appreciation groups in your area. If you are in Victoria there is an arts & crafts meetup group: http://www.meetup.com/Meetup-art-group-of-Victoria-BC/ The Community Arts Council of Greater Victoria is a great resource as well: http://www.cacgv.ca/
10. Supporting your local community. A locally handmade gift reflects the community and region in which it was made. It has greater relevance for the person who purchased it, and to the person to whom the gift is given. Thank you for taking the time to read our top ten reasons to shop local this Christmas. We would love to hear from you! What will you do to support local this holiday season? Finally, if you would like some suggestions or gift ideas please see our blog here; Gift Suggestions.
If you are short on time, then you can 'Buy on Line' and 'Pick up in Store'.
Please share with us in the comments below. From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!
Sue & Nigel Hayes
Side Street Studio Oak Bay Village, Victoria, B.C.
