christina and i have loved these dollies from the moment we saw them.  i wasn’t totally sure about putting them in the shop window (to be fair, ottawa can be a pretty conservative town and we had just opened…didn’t want to anger our customer base of friends and family!), but we did.

a few days after they had made their debut, an elderly lady walked in through the front door and quite dramatically asked to speak with the owner.  cowering behind the desk, quite sure that i was about to get a slap on the wrist, she had me come with her to the window and asked me about the dolls.  i told her as best as i could about dana, the lady who made them, and about how cute i thought they were.  i was diplomatic and gave her my best “don’t be mad at me if this isn’t your vibe” smile.

then she asked me about the butcher knife one of them was carrying.  i was pretty sure my career as a shop owner was over.  and after only a couple of months.  and the shop looked so good.  too bad.

“uhhh, ummm, i don’t exactly know what she was thinking when she made that one,” i stammered.

then the lady started to laugh, almost hysterically.  she asked me to get it out of the window.  she wanted to buy it.  she put down her hard earned money and told me that it was going to sit on her desk, front and centre, so she could look at it every day.

“i know what she was thinking”, she said as she walked out the door…

christina is making these fab hair clips, all lovely hand-silkscreened recycled leather…that lady is great with a hot glue gun!  (-:

a quick note today… christina scooped up some new wallets, belts and other lovely goodies from Rachel F at the last ladyfest craftsale! come check them out, super cute hand silkscreened recycled leather…and made in mtl! what more could a girl want??

here are the goods:
pretty blouse – dru’s designs, made in BC
great cropped cardi – anna zygowski, made in Caledonia
cute pleated denim skirt – glasgow, made in Mtl
bicycle bag – jenna rose, hamilton

our new summer hours (starting now) are:

monday 10-6
tuesday 10-6
wednesday 10-6
thursday 10-8
friday 10-8
saturday 10-6
sunday 12-5

happy shopping! (-:

Heads up, lovely and fabulous Workshoppers, spring is here!

How do we know?  Simple: Workshop’s much-awaited spring trunk sale is happening on Thursday, March 25th from 6:00 pm -9:00 pm!

Check out some of the amazing designers participating in this season’s sale:

Melow (new!)
Créations Encore (new!)
Nude
Kania
Terre Plein
Grob
I-clothing
Glasgow

As always, our designers will be shipping us boxes and boxes of past collections, samples, damaged goods and all sorts of other great deals.

So listen, this is happening only in Ottawa and only for one – two days!

So circle March 25th on your calendar and come out with friends for a night of shopping mayhem (but relaxed mayhem, with lots of goodies and extra change rooms)…we’ll see you there (242 1/2 Dalhousie St…but you knew that, right?  right!).

xoxo
bridget

Ottawa artist, Shannon Whittle, has designed a light and airy one-of-a-kind wire ornament that is equally comfortable hanging from a yuletide branch as it is nesting snugly within the boughs of a Christmas tree.

The Design Process

Made from light-gauge wire, acrylic rod, and decorative beads, Shannon’s ornament exudes warmth, elegance, and a sprinkle of the industrial.  A spare and organic piece, the ornament will set imaginations afire and spark inspiration for years to come.

Shannon Whittle's Clever Wire Ornament

Have you  marked your calendars?  Wednesday, December 16th is our Ornament Party!  It will be your last chance to bid and maybe even out-maneuver your chief competitor!  All proceeds from the Silent Auction will be donated to the Dalhousie Parents’ Daycare so please be generous!  ;)

♥ Workshop

Gifts Under $30

Why do I love gifts under $30?  Easy…They’re little, they’re cute, and they’re almost always cuddly!

This time of year, customers are in search of a special something for a friend or co-worker.  When they ask for help, they seem kind of embarrassed when they say their budget is around $30.  What’s wrong with $30?!  Absolutely nothing!  Gifts aren’t about the money you spend, they are about the effort, thought and attention that goes into choosing the perfect gift.  You get that.  We get that.  Our designers get that too. They work really hard this time of year to craft beautiful, handmade, special gifts for under $30.

Here are some of my absolute favourite under $30 picks this year:

$9 – Soap Scum, “Soap for dirty people”.  These stocking stuffers are an absolute steal!  We can barely keep up with the demand for these sassy soaps with amazing scents so hurry in before they are all sold out!

$13 – Bennie and Olive Coinpurses.  The images on these vinyl coin purses are of dioramas that depict Alberta wildlife.  Cheeky Canadiana at its best!

$20 – Loot hand silk-screened leather earrings.  These earrings are totally recycled, super light and come in amazing colours!

$20 – Fish on Fridays Political Finger Puppets.  In a town like Ottawa, need I say more?

$22 – Pottery by Helen.  This beautiful pottery makes a lovely gift that will be well-loved for years to come.

$24 – Anna Zygowski Mittlets.  Everybody needs these soft, gorgeous mittlets, for hands free loooove in the winter!

Thanks for reading!  Don’t forget to come by the store on Wednesday, December 9th for the Dalhousie Shopping Night!  The party goes from 6 – 9 and there will be treats and a 10% discount on EVERYTHING in the store!

♥ Bridget.

Our resident writer has come up with these whimsical ornaments.  Cute little goldfish are suspended over a sea of hand curled blue, red, and silver paper.  Each Christmas Fishball is carefully infused with Christmas joy and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Erika's Famous Christmas Fishballs

So come and see Erika’s Famous Christmas Fishballs at the store.  There are two up for grabs so don’t forget to bid on each one separately!  And remember: all proceeds raised during the Silent Auction will be donated to the Dalhousie Parents’ Daycare.

Who can resist those big brown eyes?

Thanks for checking our blog for our ornament profiles and stay tuned for more photos!

♥ Workshop

Emma Gerard, purveyor of totally tasty Candy Shop jewelry, has contributed two gorgeous pink and white hand-blown glass ornaments.

Glass Perfection

These glass confections evoke both strength and delicacy and they are just a delicious as a sugar cookie topped with icing and sprinkles…Yum!

Let's take a closer look...

All Silent Auction proceeds will be donated to the Dalhousie Parents’ Daycare.  Stay tuned for more ornament profiles…

♥ Workshop