Why ‘Handcrafted’?

I have been a ‘maker’ as long as I can remember.

Inspired and encouraged by my mom, I developed a love of gardening. My siblings and I grew up playing in the dirt of our half acre vegetable and flower garden, where we developed a healthy respect for the work that goes into gardening. My grandfather grew the most amazing dahlias, (many prize winning entries in the local agricultural fairs) and every variety of flower that would thrive in our Southern Ontario climate found itself in our garden. In my opinion, life is better when flowers are a part of it, even if just a small garden bouquet on the kitchen table. They make me smile.

My mother also taught me to sew at a fairly early age, resulting in many ‘unique’ doll outfits. The projects evolved into creating some of my own clothes throughout high school. Later, a room-mate at university inspired me to start knitting, (thank you Margo) and I have not looked back.

Much later, as a way to be able to stay home with my kids when they were young, I started a custom sewing business, making everything from kids clothing to home decor, to wedding ensembles and at the time, trendy custom leather clothing. A ‘boutique’ storefront was the natural next step as business picked up. (More on this ‘endeavour’ in a future blog.) During this time, I developed my tailoring skills and completed some pretty ‘fun’ projects, one of these being a leather helmet visor cover as part of the uniform for the Canadian Forces Snowbird Aerobatic Team.

After a few life changes, (life throws you a curve ball once in a while) and a rewarding career in education, I am back ‘handcrafting’. My passion for making things has not diminished. The materials and the tools may have changed slightly over time, but the process and the end product just keep getting better!