Find gorgeous gifts at Shiny Fuzzy Muddy

I love craft fairs. I could walk around looking at handmade stuff for hours & hours. Partly I love seeing what other people have made because it inspires me to make things too. Another part of it is that you see things that are just so much more interesting & better quality than the mass-produced stuff in the stores. Here's a great craft fair to head to in Vancouver: Shiny Fuzzy Muddy Annual Curated Fine Art, Craft and Design Show.

Shiny Fuzzy Muddy features a carefully vetted collection of fine art, craft & design, held at Heritage Hall, right in my neighbourhood, on December 12th & 13th. This collaborative event creates a space for over 25 local artists to meet & share their craftsmanship, creations & designs.

Saturday, December 12, Shiny Fuzzy Muddy is open 11:00 am – 7:00 p.m. & Sunday, December 13, you can shop 10:00 am – 6:00 p.m. Heritage Hall is at 3102 Main Street, Vancouver, BC. Admission is $2.00 per person. Money collected from entrance fees is earmarked for Emerging Artists Scholarship to help new artist show at the 2016 event.

If you don't live around here, it's a great place to make a day of--tons of different restaurants & cafes, funky shops to visit, & a small park that's great for little kids just a block east of Heritage Hall.

A little more about Shiny Fuzzy Muddy:

Shiny Fuzzy Muddy formed in 2003 as a non-profit collective to create events and to bring art to the people. The group’s four core members and local makers, Janna Hurtzig, Kari Woo, Arleigh Wood and Frances Dickinson, annually plan the SHINYFUZZYMUDDY show, which takes place the second weekend in December at Heritage Hall. With an effort made to seek out new artists, up to twenty five guests are invited to exhibit and sell their work at this historic Main St. location. The common thread that ties the work together is the high quality of design, craftsmanship and material sensibility. For more information on Shiny Fuzzy Muddy, please visit the website or follow on social media:

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Book Review | Holiday Crafts: 50 Projects for Year-Round Family Fun

Reece's book would make a great Christmas gift!

When I was a kid, I loved do do creative projects. I'd colour or paint or make things for hours every week. As I got a little older, one of my favourite things was looking at craft books from the library to get ideas of more things I could make. I still get kind of excited about DIY books & was pretty eager to review this craft book for kids.

Holiday Crafts: 50 Projects for Year-Round Family Fun features five simple craft ideas for each big American holiday throughout the year. The crafts are fairly simple, using just eleven basic craft supplies, all of which can be purchased at dollar stores for very little money.

Mini Maker Faire Vancouver is coming June 7-8

Tall bike at VMMF 2013, photo by Emily Smith

 I love making things, whether it be clothing, furniture, cookies or greeting cards. I hope to encourage a similar bent in my children, whatever they may like to make, because creativity & the problem solving that you learn along the way are important skills to nurture. A great way to get some ideas of the world of things you can make is next week's Mini Maker Faire.

June 7 & 8 over 165 DIY enthusiasts from across the city take over the PNE Forum to share what they make for the 4th annual Vancouver Mini Maker Faire (VMMF). The event brings passion projects forward, whatever the skill level or experience may be. There will be seasoned makers from previous years that have exhibited around the world, first-time makers, hobbyists, & educators. Attending is an opportunity to engage with Vancouver's makers, & inspire your own creative spirit.

Maker Faire is great for families!  

Makers busy at work, VMMF 2013, photo by Emily Smith

Right in the centre of the PNE Forum is the Children's Zone, including some great workshops with activities for all ages, from Growing with LEGO to Crochet for Kids, puppet making, & making a paper bag hat. Spaces are limited, so attendees must register in advance. Price: By donation to $35.

At VMMF you can meet Kelsea (13 years old) & Natalie (11 years old) of Sublime Sisters Design Co. who will be at the Marketplace selling their impressive jewelry. And, Jessi & Joshua Langager present Robo Lego. They are participants of Gearbots, a robotic engineering program for kids, & have competed three times in the BC Skills Canada Competition. They won a Gold Medal in the Junior Gearbots Engineering category.

Don't forget your appetite

Foodies of all ages shouldn't miss the Strathcona 1890 Urban Seed Collections and Truck Farm. Living Lotus Food & Nutrition, Make Cheese, & Chickadee Family Bakery will be at the Marketplace, plus attendees can indulge in a wide range of food carts & trucks outside of the PNE Forum.

Go down in history!

There will even be a Guinness World Record attempt at Vancouver Mini Maker Faire, for the most people crocheting simultaneously (June 7, 1:00pm). If you're interested in participating, register for the Guinness World Record here.

Sharing & Co-ps & Hacking, Oh My!

Make It Happen is a showcase of ways people are sharing knowledge & resources. It is a partnership between Vancity Credit Union & Share Vancouver, including the car sharing organization I've been a member of for 11 years Modo The Car Co-op. Share Vancouver is led by sharing organizations collaborating to build & sustain sharing locally, in concert with the global collaborative economy movement. Its founding members include Modo The Car Co-op, Vancouver Tool Library, Share Shed, Vancouver Hack Space, Trade School Vancouver, The HiVE, Vancouver Community Laboratory (CoLab), Terminal City Glass Co-op, PogoRide, & Part-Time Pooch.

The group is collaborating with Vancouver Shareable, The Sharing Project & others to establish a centralized online hub of resources to facilitate sharing among individuals, co-ops & other organizations. Check out their interactive map of sharing resources across the city!

If all of the above hasn't convinced you, check out Stephanie Wiriahardja's video of last year's VMMF: 

Vancouver Mini Maker Faire takes place Saturday June 7, 2014 10am-6pm, & Sunday June 8, 2014 10am-6pm at the PNE Forum, 2901 E Hastings Street at Renfrew, in Vancouver. Tickets are $14 for adults, $11 for students/seniors aged 13-18, $9 for children aged 5-12, $38 per family (2 adults + up to 3 children under 19). For more information & tickets, visit www.makerfaire.ca

Follow Mini Maker Faire on Facebook, Twitter @makerfaire_van, hashtag #VMMF, or YouTube. 

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Spokesmama Shopping Guide: Buy Handmade & Local This Holiday

This year I've decided to do a series of holiday shopping guides for y'all, Spokesmama style. I'll be focussing on gifts that are local, green &/or available online.

First up: the amazing local craft markets of East Vancouver. I love the one-of-a-kind items you can find at these markets. Craft fairs are not for the procrastinators, however. November is prime craft fair season--the perfect time to get a jump on your holiday list & support local artisans. Got Craft & Make It (see details below) are two of my favourites.

Also: check out the BC Craft Fairs Calendar for tons more all over the province.

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