I Remain Hopeful...

Artichoke plant gone to flower. How beautiful is that? Picture taken at my Community Garden September 2021.

I know. It's pretty difficult some days isn't it? I thought coming up to the two-year anniversary of Covid was bad enough, and then the war in Ukraine started just before that milestone. Seriously, as my Father used to say, "I think the world has gone mad!" I realize how privileged I am to live and work in a country as wonderful as Canada, and my heart (and small donations I am able to contribute) go out to all the people of Ukraine.

I am truly blessed to have my daily world of making as my career. It is a great place of refuse and stress relief. Like my Rescue Heart adventure I posted about in January. That project, without a doubt, was the most joyous thing I have done in a long time. I feel like I took Malcolm Gladwell's Book "Blink" and unknowingly put it into daily practice.

From the moment I had the idea, to diving into creating the 13 unique Rescue Heart Pendants, and then deciding to post each one daily on Instagram rather than uploading to my website - each decision was made in an instant without too much thought. I just "went with the flow". Never pushed or pulled too much, just let things fall into place. And boy, the whole project was a success on so many levels. It fulfilled me creatively, emotionally, spiritually and financially.

All 13 Rescue Hearts before they were dispersed to their forever homes.

I had no idea how my idea of posting daily on Instagram, starting on February 1st would pan out. I sort of thought I might sell three or four of them, but not ALL of them! So that was really amazing and I thank all of you who participated, whether you were lucky enough to nab one of the 13 Rescue Hearts, or just liked and/or commented on each one as I posted them. Thanks again to everyone who took part from the bottom of my own Rescued Heart.

Since then, business has really started to pick up and my retail stores are awakening and getting ready for a hopefully busier Spring/Summer situation, taking their cues from our government with the lowering of some of the pandemic restrictions. Right now, I am quite busy making orders for retail stores across the country and happy to be working "like a normal craftsperson" as in pre-pandemic times.

I have also just created a new collection here on my website called "Time Capsule Treasures". I've been wanting to do this for a while, but if you have a website that you manage, you know how time-sucking it can be to get new product onto your site. Happy to say, I've managed to get it up and running and you'll now find it on my home page, in the drop down menu under "Shop".

The Black Swan Ballet Dancer Pendant. Available in the Time Capsule Treasures Collection.

As you can imagine, after 30 years of creating jewellery for a living, I have lots of what I like to call "one-off" items. Might be the very last piece of a design I have discontinued. Or a special piece I created specifically for the One of a Kind Shows I've done over the years. Maybe it's a return from a retail store that they couldn't sell and exchanged for something else, or a client piece that was exchanged for something they loved more and that better suited their lifestyle. Whatever the case may be, I have made sure that these pieces are perfect and are worthy to be in this category of "treasures". I have also explained each piece in the collection - where it originated from, the materials used and their size.

The Time Capsule Treasures Collection will be a "revolving door" of sorts, as pieces sell and are replaced by others. So you'll want to check it out every time you find yourself cruising my site.

And speaking of One of a Kind, I have no plans to return at this time, so I will NOT be at the Spring Show at the end of this month. The best place to see the widest assortment of pieces is to come and shop my showroom. And it's so easy to book your online appointment on my website. I can make small adjustments to pieces while you are here, and if you bring all your LREJ pieces, I am happy to clean them while you browse. If that's not convenient for you, check my Stockists page to see if there is a store near you.

And, if you're a fibre enthusiast, check my Upcoming Events page to see which fibre shows you'll find me at this year. My first one is the Muskoka Yarn & Fibrefest, which happens July 2nd, 2022, 10:00 - 4:00 pm at the Bracebridge Fairgrounds. I'll be there with an assortment of jewellery, watches and knitting accessories. I just decided to "dip my craft show toe" into a few one-day Fibre Festivals, all happening over the summer, as a good way to re-enter into the real, in person show events.

Sweater Number 15 by My Favourite Things Knitwear, available on Ravelry or myfavouritethings-knitwear.com

And speaking of fibre, I recently finished a cabled sweater that I knit completely from "stash yarn" (yarn that you already own but haven't used yet). It was a boat load of work and took me almost six weeks to complete (which is a long time, if you're a daily knitter like me). But knitting an entire sweater that has cables from one end to the other, really slows down your progress. Twisting three stitches over three stitches to create "twisted rows" takes a lot more time to get through that row. But it was totally worth it. I love the result and it has already become a staple that has been rotated into my weekly wardrobe.

So I am hopeful I will be seeing you sometime soon this year, whether it's at my Toronto Studio, or at one of the Fibre Festivals this summer. If not, then at my Annual Artisan Holiday Studio Show in the month leading up to Christmas. Just like all makers, I am planning seasons ahead, and this year, I will be featuring a brand new line up of Artisans. More details will follow.