Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Hunting... for Treasure

 Over the weekend I had the opportunity to visit a "new" antique market in Brantford called Crossroads Trading Post and Flea Market. At first glance I was completely skeptical and apparently when my aunt went she had the same reaction. It looks like a total dive... but I should have known better. This place was jam packed with all sorts of antiques, collectables, furniture and lots of vintage finds. We spent hours combing through the booths and taking pictures of things that we wanted to look at again. I'd recommend this place to anyone that has a love for all things old. Don't be deceived by the sketchy exterior, its a whole different world inside! and best of all... there's NO TAX!

Monday, January 9, 2012

Hmmmm..... I Have a Blog

So I never really thought of myself as someone that was - A, clever and witty enough to have a blog and be able to keep people's interest for weeks on end. And B, someone that is dedicated enough to keep up with a blog that will hopefully keep people's interest for weeks (or longer) on end. Well, despite those two things I have decided that its time to share my world with friends, family and complete strangers.

Now, this isn't going to be a blog about feelings, what I had for breakfast - which, by the way, is usually a cup of coffee, or how many times my shoe laces came undone, actually most of my shoes don't have laces.. However, it WILL be a blog about me, my interests, my time and my sewing business.

So in saying that here's a little bit about me and the important things in my life...

I am the boss. Or at least I like to think that I am. I'm the oldest of 4 and couldn't imagine not having minions... uhhhh I mean siblings, to control. Now that we're all grown up, and 2 of them are married I think I've lost some of that control but deep down they all know that I'm still in charge. We were raised in a Christian family with God always being a focus (even if you tried to ignore Him).  Church and family have always been a priority. We were also encouraged to be creative and taught to see the potential for beauty in things that a lot of people would throw away. When I was 12 my parents moved us out of the city and into an old farm house (and yes, when I say old, I mean IT'S OLD). They took the shell of a run down old place and turned it into a beautiful HOME. They restored it to be functional and at the same time maintained the heritage and uniqueness of the house. It also didn't hurt that my Dad is a cabinetmaker with his own business and my Mom used to have her own decorative craft business. Living here as helped me to appreciate antiques and vintage things and find a use for them today. It also helps that I have a bunch crazy relatives and friends that turn auctions into parties and social gatherings. I like to think that I'm the reason that so many friends are now enjoying auctions and antique stores... You're welcome :)  I work full-time for my dads cabinet business as the Office Administrator and I'm lucky enough to have my brother Mike working there too as the Shop Foreman. Its not the easiest job and working for family has some definite challenges but we make some pretty amazing stuff and I am constantly awed when I see what can be made from a piece of wood and some paint.

In the last year or so I have also learned to sew. After endless searching for the "perfect" bag I decided to make my own. I got to work searching out the right pattern and combed the fabric stores for just the right material and from there I learned how to sew. Admittedly, I got my mom to sew the first bag because I wasn't really very good at understanding the sewing lingo but I liked the finished product so much that I gave it a try and here we are...  I now have a pretty awesome sewing machine that my pretty awesome friends got me for my birthday and I can understand what it means to baste stitch and cut with the grain. The bags have progressed into a few different styles and I am also making baby blankets, crib bedding and accessories, stuffed owl pillows and Christmas Stockings. Stay tuned... you never know what I will try to tackle next! Also, check out Sew Accordingly on Facebook and my store on Etsy.

I'm also an Ultimate Frisbee junkie. I'm not like some people, the ones that live and breath ultimate all day, everyday and people (even other ultimate players) think they're weird. I live and breath ultimate between May and October and then I take a little break and try not to get too excited when I see that its time to get the team registered again and start running around in the mud. Just so you all know.... Ultimate is ONLY 5 months away :) For those of you now saying "huh????" Click here to learn about the greatest sport on Earth.

My other obsession is my cottage. Or to be more accurate, my nana and papa's cottage. This is my most favourite place. I don't need to go on a cruise or travel the world. I mean, I like to travel, but I don't need to. I have an island to go to!! When my mom was around 10 my grandparents bought a little shack on a little island. Its actually called "Little Island".  I think for a huge part of my life I took it for granted that I had a place to go whenever I wanted. Now, I realize how extremely fortunate I am to have a place where I can go to get away for a couple days and just RELAX. Read, fish, cook, swim, sleep, sew. It doesn't matter what you do. There's no schedule, no cell phone, no computer, just a lot of great people, good food and good times.

Alright, I think that's it. My plan is to keep this blog updated with more day to day things like what I find at an auction, new fabric or things that I have sewn, a recipe, a trip or just something that has inspired me (speaking of inspiration check out Pinterest if you haven't already, its awesome). I hope you''ll come back once in a while and see whats going on!

Heather