Building a Biz: The Christmas Rush and New Additions

There's been a flurry of activity over at Lather Creations as the Christmas holidays approach. I don't know if it's the flowing shopping frame of mind that has people buying, but this week I sold three pieces and booked a new commisssion. I'm so excited to see all my inventory clear out so I can start fresh new projects for the new year! 

I'm humbled as I look back on the past 6 months and see how this dream has turned into a reality for me. Thanks so much for continuing to read the blog and offer your support, wisdom and kind words!

The lovely Susan took home the Beach Stripes Coffee Table and the Lemony Blue Bistro Chairs. She seems to really love colour so I'm so excited to see these pieces head out to their new home! I worried a little about the Lemon chairs, with such vivid colour combinations  I knew they needed to wait it out for that perfect buyer. Thanks Susan!

 

A few days ago Colette stopped by to pick up the Creamy Poppy Side Table. Her daughter's in university so this loving mom was helping her out with some new furnishings. How sweet is that? I actually always thought Lather Creations were perfect for students with our 'green' element and affordable price point. Thanks so much Colette!

My very old friend Amy lives in Calgary and came out to Winnipeg for a visit. During a studio tour, she fell in love with this vintage desk I had picked up at the Red Barn Sale.  She commissioned me to give in an upgrade and then we plan to find a way to get it back over to her home in Calgary! Thanks Amy!

 It's been awhile since I've showed you my new studio additions, so here's a peek. These are amazing pieces I've picked up over the last month, just waiting for their makeovers! *please excuse the poor lighting!

My cousin David got in touch about some items he had in his garage that were getting the boot. This lovely, clean-lined dresser was cute from afar but a nightmare up close. It had layers of chipped and peeling oil paint and all the drawers were stuck! I thought it was hopeless but J took it outside one night and proved me wrong. Would you believe he sanded every last drop of old paint off and it's solid Canadian maple? A true quality piece of furniture!

This mission style chair was another freebie from my cousin's garage. It's definitely in rough shape but it's gorgeous solid oak in a simple mission-style. A new seat cushion and a fabulous colour will transform this chair!

I've always wanted to do a half moon table so I was super jazzed to find this guy in my thrifting adventures. Another fantastic solid wood piece, this is just begging for some cool detailing, just don't know what yet.

And I also ordered some more Swanky Swell fabric a while back and forgot to show you. I love the vivid red and white print, do you see the little bird silhouette's in there? Plus I'm a sucker for a sunny, mustard yellow and I just adore the mum print.

I have 11 days off over the holidays and I original planned to do nothing...but that never happens does it!! I'm sure I'll be diving right back into furniture!

Have a lovely day friends!

Delightful DIY: Cute Coasters

I have really been getting my craft on lately and I must tell you - I've been loving it! Every year my office delivers Christmas gift baskets to our biggest clients and lately we've been filling them with handmade and locally bought goods (sense a theme here at Fusion??). This year, I'm contributing some of my very own Lather Creations. But not furniture silly! That's wouldn't fit in a gift basket...

I'm branching out and contributing some handmade housewares. The theme this year is 'staying cozy' so the baskets are a mix of hand thrown ceramic mugs, hand sewn cup cozies and a selection of teas and hot chocolates. I made handmade ceramic coasters! I've been hemming and hawing over how I can make some more portable/shippable Lather Creations items for my (yet to be opened) Etsy shop. So this was my first test product on something new...plus I was lucky enough to be able to put my business cards on them. Here's hoping the recipients love vintage furniture!

Now these are easy peasy to make so if you're looking for a fun DIY with the kids or even just on your own, these are very fun and simple to do!  They're not new to the craft world, but I thought I would share my personal spin on them! Sorry I didn't take step-by-step photos - I had a deadline to meet and totally forgot.  Bad blogger...

For the paper, I had some gorgeous red and white patterned scrapbook paper that was perfect for Chrismas, but would look great all year round. You can really have fun with your paper choice, look for everything from vintage maps to old family photographs to pages from garage sale books to pieces of wallpaper. Use your imagination and make it personal!

You'll need:
-a roll of thin cork
-simple white ceramic 12" x 12" tiles (get these in the tile section of your hardware store for pennies each!)
-scrapbook paper or other decorative paper
-spray adhesive
-Mod Podge and sponge brush
-Water-based Polyurethane and paint brush

1. Cut pieces of cork the same size as the tiles and glue them to the back using spray adhesive. Allow to dry under some heavy books! (I left mine overnight to make sure they were good and stuck together!)

2. Cut pieces of scrapbook paper or other decorative paper. Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to your tile and position the paper, smoothing out any air bubbles. Allow to dry for a few hours.

3. Apply 2-3 more coats of Mod Podge, allowing ample drying time in between. I like to also do a light wet sanding between layers for smoothness.

4. Apply 2-3 coats of Poly to your finished coaster, to make it more durable for mugs and glasses. Ta da! I also dressed up my sets with raffia ribbon and my business cards as pretty packaging.  If you're giving these as gifts you can add holiday tags.

Have fun crafting!

Being creative makes me feel so good. I'm definitely putting more crafting at the top of my New Year's resolution list! Are you a crafty gal?

For expanding Lather Creations, I've also thought about painted recycled wood signs, painted vintage mirrors and frames and even small wooden items like jewellery boxes and shelves.  Any thoughts on what Lather's smaller, less expensive line of goods could be? I want to keep with my business theme but have a little fun on the side next year!

Have a lovely day friends...only 11 more sleeps until Christmas!

Close to Home

Brrrrrrrrrr! Baby it's cold outside! On this fine Sunday afternoon, it's -28 degrees outside and -36 with the windchill. That's enough to make anyone want to hibernate, but J and I braved the cold for our warm holiday parties.  Last night my company celebrated with an intimate party at my owner's lovely home.

Every year, we at Fusion do a handmade and/or locally purchased Secret Santa gift exchange. Now let's be honest, the graphic designers at the agency are darn good at this task! In previous year's, I've bought my gift but they keep raising the bar, so I decided to make mine! I had seen something very cool on Etsy and decided to try my hand....here are the results.

It's a silhouette of my co-worker Flo's American Eskimo Max carved out of scrapbook paper (with an exacto knife) then paired with a map page from a vintage altlas behind it. I must say, I'm pretty pleased with myself and she seemed to like it too! I also present my very simple, very short (ran out of yarn at the last minute!) garter scarf I also gave her.  Good thing she's petite!

What did I get you ask? Well one of our designers Morris created me the most amazing original graphic print incorporating mine and Morris's favourite footwear - the Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars...how cool is that? It's going to look fabulous hanging in my office!

And as if that weren't enough, he threw in a gift card to my favourite local bake shop, Baked Expectations.  They make cheesecakes that are to die for! I can't wait to go for some sweet treats. Thanks Morris!!

Do you do any kind of fun, special gift exchange with your friends, family or co-workers? I'd love to hear about it!

Stay warm friends!