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Robert Holdforth creates bird and wild fowl pictures on wood plates. "Many years ago, 1986 I made a rocking horse for my first grandchild, from there I got into carving birds for competitions."  Most of my creations come from bird books. Humming birds are the most difficult, so many layering of colours    Meet Robert at The Artisan Fair on May 5th between 10am and 2pm at 90 Hunter St East in Peterborough!
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Over the years Jane Karjala has enjoyed creating a variety of pieces of work from sewing to woodwork, painting and making candles. Last year she started using reclaimed wood and barn boards.   "I really enjoy custom orders, they are a one of a kind piece, and at times came be very challenging."   Meet Jane on May 5th at The Artisan Fair (90 Hunter St East in Peterborough), from 10am - 2 pm!
Nicole Kusia Gozdzi designs and create a variety of trendy and functional medical bags for various medical professionals around the world. "I have had the pleasure of working alongside hundreds of individuals within the health-care community by creating an array of handmade bags ranging from: stethoscope bags, scrub pocket organizers, insulated EpiPen/medicine pouches, medical-patterned pouches, lanyards etc! I like to add small touches to some of my bags: hand-sewing little silver-tone or gold-tone medical charms (ECG/EKG heart beat charm, stethoscope charms) to my pouches. OR anatomical heart embroidery patches!"  "All my love and experience for sewing bags was initiated and inspired by my one and only Super-Grandma - the patient perfectionist, as I like to call her. I was fortunate enough to spend a few years of my adulthood with my extended family in my parents’ native country of Poland. It is there, where I was taught the tips & tricks of sewing, spending long hours in my grandma’s sewing HAVEN (her third-story attic living space). In a short span of time I found myself surrounded by a countless amount of bags I had created for myself. It was through the encouragement of my close family and friends who found my creations beautiful enough to share with others, that I thought to myself “I could start selling these.” I was inspired. Ideas started flowing out of my head and into my sewing machine. So here I am, three years later - sewing like my grandma taught me.... and since then gaining a bit of my own experience and tricks;) My little sewing business taking off on the Etsy platform as of October 2016. My initial passion for sewing started with creating simple handbags and clutches, but shortly after it transformed into medically-inspired bags. Having spent 7 years in a medical setting myself, I came to notice what medical professionals like AND need. I also have a very large friend and family-base of nurses, doctors, vet techs, PTs, etc. in my life and listening to the various requests from them- is what has led me down this wonderful path. My goal is to not only bring some colour and fun into a medical professional's daily work-life (or school-life), I also try to help them (or you?!) be more ORGANIZED! Because how good does it feel to be organized AND look good doing it!?"  "I absolutely LOVE creating my stethoscope bags. I have now created over 200 stethoscope bags, and not ONE is the same!!!! Which is one of the reasons why I still get so excited about making them. Sometimes I could call myself a bit 'indecisive' (when it comes to fabric colours and patterns) but I look at it as a good thing! :) Why? Because thanks to this indecisiveness, I am easily able to create a pure one-of-a-kind stethoscope bag for my customers. It makes it that much more special to me to offer a bag that no one else has on this world:) Isn't that cool though? I love it:)"  "I pursue a variety of colour schemes. Ranging from light tones to dark. I’m very much attracted to abstract-like patterns, watercolours, pastels, anything floral/botanical. I especially love the animal-themed patterns! I'm an avid dog-person, but I'm also a huge all-around animal-lover – love them all – and because of that I tend to surround myself with a lot of animal-patterned pouches in my work. For my dog-themed stethoscope bags - I like to donate $5 CAD for every purchase, to my local animal shelter (Animal Love Foundation of London, Ontario). So that always makes me happy when I see an order for a dog-stethoscope bag!"  "I work from home and am lucky enough to have a room dedicated solely to my sewing- my own little sewing haven as my Grandmother would call it. :) My sewing machine sits next to a big window, in order to let in the light & sun as I work- a big factor for me – without it, work can be slow - but I still hustle. :) I always have music playing in the background while I work. I keep current with a variety of new music, especially in the indie/alternative genre. I love discovering new artists & depending on my mood- I love playing some classic Nina Simone or Otis Redding. I try to keep my atmosphere lively and inspiring. Nicole says that when not creating, "You will either find me out walking my frenchie, Inka, or 'working'. I am not one to sit and ‘relax’. My relaxing time would consist of something partly ‘active’. Something like: painting. I have only recently found a little side 'passion' of mine- which makes me that much more excited about it because I'm slowly bringing it INTO my byKusia creations. I paint random abstract patterned designs with acrylic paint. I started to paint because I initially wanted to add some of my own colours to my 'Thank You' cards & business cards, and that’s what lead me to paint and design my own patterns on blank canvas fabrics! (Cutting them up and finally sewing them into bags.) So I have (and will have) some byKusia pouches designed and painted by me! If I'm not working on something byKusia (or painting my thank you cards), I'm either researching and browsing trends and inspirational pattern/textile/colour schemes. I'm also a huge 'DIY'er'. I love DIY projects for the home, for ex. I had a lot of fun making a yarn wall hanger art piece, which is now hanging in my living room and I can't be more proud of it:) I LOVE rummaging through used or thrift-stores and refurbishing furniture (dressers, tables, lamps, ANYTHING). I sometimes participate in local online-auctions. & have acquired some pretty cool vintage items. I also love painting planters for all my houseplants. Basically, anything that would require some painting- whether it’s just a touch-up or make-over- I'm interested! :P But when I actually find some down-time for myself (which is quite rare these days), I'm switching between reading business and crafting books to fictional & biographical books. I also like to listen to a variety of podcasts. The only time you will see me sitting on the couch watching TV is because my boyfriend and doggo are missing me! Although, even that does not last long- I'm the go-go-kinda person & I wouldn't want it any other way!"  "My inspirations flow from a variety of sources with one being the social media platforms like Pinterest. However, a major and really great source of inspiration (& a favourite of mine) are my beloved customers. Communicating and sharing ideas and designs is what gets my creative juices flowing! So I'm really thankful to my customers, people, friends, and colleagues! Although my main focus are my medically-inspired accessories, I still find myself veering off the road and getting distracted with creating some classic handbag/clutches/make-up bags (like the ‘old days’ of my sewing days;) ). So you’ll still find a variety of sizes and styles of makeup bags within my work. I can't help it- I see something and if an inspiration pops into my head, I can't get it out until I create it. :)"  "I would have to say the most difficult part of my entire little 'byKusia world'- would have to be the juggling between my creative time and the business aspect of it. Running and owning a small HANDMADE business is ... a world of its own. I'm also a bit new to it all and because of that I admit that it can be difficult. However, that definitely does not mean I don't enjoy it. I LOVE everything about it. Without my awesome customers and fans (and more seriously: my partner; my biggest supporter and motivator) - I don't think I'd physically and mentally be able to do it. Nothing worth doing is easy or quick, but if you have people- or something- in it that allows you to enjoy it, then I believe that’s what brings you both happiness and success. A fantastic SUPPORT system! I definitely have more than one piece that I have fell in love with making. It would be very difficult for me to choose just one. My favourite pieces to create are the spontaneous and impulsive creations of mine. Sometimes- I enter a zone of: ‘I see a fabric and I need to use it RIGHT NOW’. Usually I don't even know WHAT I'm going to create, but I know it's going to be fantastic. I love shopping through the random fabric scrap selections of Fabricland, and picking out some super funky, thick tapestry-like linen fabric. Something so ‘out-of the ordinary’ that I don't think most people would even look at it, let alone pick it up. So I like bringing in something 'odd' or atypical & making it into a useful beautiful 'thing'. :) My most recent impulsive creation using my tapestry-like linens with women's face-I was way too excited about creating!"  "I've been blessed with receiving many, many amazing reactions, responses, messages, and words! It literally makes my heart sing. There have been a few customers that I've had such fantastic communicating experiences - that we joke and say we are like Etsy pen pals- because some are all over the world- probably never able to meet in person. You’d be surprised to learn how many people out there share the same values and problems as you! It’s really reassuring and heart warming. I'm a very open and easy-going person. I love this developing market of handmade platforms, like Etsy, for the ability to chat one-on-one with your customers- something you can't get with the larger box-store companies. So if I can be my casual self, crack some jokes here and there- then I will! & I get very positive feedback from my customers- & this is what allows me and motivates me to continue to do what I love!!!! We all know how important reviews are when you are selling items - no matter if you are a small business or a ‘big box-store’ company. So when I receive a notification from Etsy, Facebook, or my Gmail, my heart skips a beat before I read it. I love when my customers share photos of their new byKusia piece. For someone to leave a star rating is so awesome- but when people actually take their time to write me something- it's what makes me smile and want to dance! A few of my favourites: Olivia: 'I could not be any happier with my purchase! I purchased this item for my sister who works as a medical assistant. Needless to say she LOVED everything about this pouch Christmas morning. Working with Nicole was so easy. She gave me many options for fabric colors and bag charms. She worked hard to make sure that we were both happy with every detail about the pouch. I will definitely be buying from Nicole again. The personalized notes inside the package really set this apart. Overall I am extremely happy with my purchase from this shop! I highly recommend customizing a pouch with Nicole! :)' Lexie: ‘She does amazing, quality work! Great communication and delivers fast.’ Christine: ‘Beautiful, carefully made piece. Came with handwritten note from seller - you can tell she loves what she does ! Thank you !’ A: The pouch is the perfect size for my stethoscope and other things I need for nursing school. I’m in love with the design.’ Diedre: ‘Purchased the EKG stethoscope bag - it is everything I wanted and more!!! The craftsmanship is impeccable-it is so well-made and the attention paid to detail is impressive. The design of the bag makes it easy to store and transport my stethoscope, badge, pens, etc. (it also fits nicely in a binder for transport to school). The best part of my purchase was working with Nicole--She got my bag to me in the states quickly; it was beautifully packaged and I even received an extra goody! The customer care/service is top-notch!!! I will definitely be back to see her new designs, and to possibly collaborate on a custom bag :)’ Stacie: ‘Absolutely adorable! I use it everyday for all my nursing supplies and it's very helpful to keep everything located in one place!’ P: ‘Loved! I gave it as a gift for my friend who is going into to her nursing program and she was obsessed! The pouch also has a some padding inside to protect your stethoscope which I was happy about. The item was shipped on time as well! Thank You!’ Stephanie: ‘Love my stethoscope bag! It's a lot more plush and sturdy than I was expecting which is great for work. It hold all of my stuff (scissors, tape, pens, and other medical supplies) really well. Oh and it's super cute!!!’"  I sell solely via Etsy (byKusia). I myself am a big Etsy shopper. It's absolutely fantastic for finding super one-of-a-kind but also QUALITY products for yourself and every special-someone in your life. It's a wonderful community that I am proud to be a part of.
I regularly post to my Instagram account: @bykuusia (two u's in there) & Pinterest: @bykusia. I do have a Facebooke page (@byKusia) - but I am not as active on it as Instagram and Pinterest. ;) I have in the works: my own website- so stay tuned:) www.bykusia.com (*under construction). Meet Nicole on May 5th at 90 Hunter St East between 10 am and 2 pm! Adeline Pinet makes "speciality bath bombs, round bath bombs, sugar scrubs, whipped body lotions, lotion bars, toilet freshener sprays, and more!"  "My mother (Lynda) and I have always enjoyed baths, growing up she would always buy bath salts or the oil beads to use, and when bath fizzies and bombs came out we would buy them as gifts for one another. Then one day my mom Lynda came up with the idea to try making some, we enjoyed making them together and started experimenting with other things. Once we perfected and tweaked recipes to our liking we decided to make our products available for others to enjoy as well."  "We really have fun thinking of new ideas and making our speciality bath bombs. The ones I enjoy making the most are the Unicorn and new Mermaid Cupcake bath bombs. A lot of work goes into making them but each piece is made differently and its fun to assemble the final pieces to create a whole bath bomb. From the bath bomb bases and whipped bubble frosting to the finishing soap additions, all come together to make a fun, sparkly, and colourful creation which smells great too!"  "We like to create things that are cute and trendy. Right now unicorns and mermaids are very popular and we absolutely love both the themes."  "All of our products are made right from home. I have an office with my workspace and computer desk dedicated to labelling and packaging and storing all the finished products on my display shelves until they are brought to other stores or sold from our online store."  "I am definitely the type of person who has the television playing all day while I'm at home. I do like the background noise and listening to my current favourite Netflix shows (Riverdale and Dynasty). However, if my significant other is using the television I like putting on my headphones and jamming out to my iTunes playlist. A lot of my inspiration comes from things I already enjoy like Hello Kitty, Skulls, and food. For example, my friend inspired me to make the Unicorn Cupcake Bath Bombs after she had her daughters first birthday in a unicorn theme with cake and cupcakes."  "It can be difficult to make a lot of the product in a short time, custom orders can be tricky when I don't have all of the items in stock at home and need to make batches of our specialty bath bombs. So, when people place orders I have a 2-3 day turn-around time to make them and enough time for the bath bombs to dry before packaging and sending them off. I think our newest creations become my favourite because each time me and my mom think of something new, we try to come up with something different and pretty and the outcome turns out great! I'm impressed with how much we improve each time and It's a fun and exciting hobby me and my mom like to do together. We receive a lot of compliments from kids who loved using our bath bombs. The best part of what we do is when we run into customers and their kids happily express how our bombs turn colours and make the bath water a pretty colour. Or, how our products look and smell so good they just want to eat them! (Please don't)"  "Our products are made with top quality ingredients and materials. We ensure to list all ingredients on our product labels for you to look out for any possible allergies you may have. We take pride in using only cosmetic safe ingredients, colours, glitters, fragrances, and essential oils. Lynda Loo Bath products are available online at www.LyndaLooBath.com. Our products are also carried in four store locations in south-western Ontario. Kindred Expressions in London. Epiphany in Aylmer. Dutton Casual Corner in Dutton. And The Window Shop in Port Stanley. We also like to do craft shows in different areas of ontario including areas around Cobourg where most of my family including my mom lives."  "A lot of my time spent is with my family, of course, I have my wonderful partner Tyler who is a big supporter of my hobby and does his best to help me out whenever I need him (including making a few bath bombs himself, haha). We have a 10-month-old son together, and we love taking him and our dog out for walks. My professional career is a graphic designer and I also enjoy working on marketing and creating advertising for Lynda Loo Bath Products and other projects on the computer as well. Also, me and my spouse love summer, so we plan on doing a lot of camping and fishing activities with our son when the weather gets nicer!"
Meet Adeline on May 5, 10-2 at 90 Hunter Street East in Peterborough! Valla Reid creates crystal and gemstone jewellery as well as mobiles. She was always giving people healing gemstones so naturally, she decided to make jewellery. She has the most fun creating custom pieces, and the themes she pursues in her jewellery- and mobile-making are love, 7 Chakra, mind ease, fertility, peave, harmony and grounding.   When people tell her that her piece made them feel better, Valla finds that to be memorable.   Valla says, "I handcraft every piece with healing, intent, love and infuse with reiki."    Valla, a mother of "two beautiful girls" and a hair stylist of 31 years, loves cooking and getting out into nature. You can buy her creations in Madoc at Fringe Hair and Healing as well as Ravens Cache. Meet her on May 5th at The Artisan Fair, 10-2 (90 Hunter St East)!    |
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