Dream Come True

To celebrate our good news, we threw a keg party on Saturday for some of our family and friends. I did my first ever keg stand, and Hollie, a keg stand veteran, even lent our lovely intern Lindsay her shorts so that she could do one without flashing everyone. GOOD TIMES.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go lie down for about a month.

ps. Thanks to Meg for catching my excellent form on camera.

Here To Stay

Things are good around these parts. Real good. The weather is beautiful, there is lots to do around the store, and in our personal lives things are happy and busy.  Like I said, things are good.  One of the best things though, something we've been pretty excited to talk about lately, is that Hollie and I finally paid off the small business loan we took out when we started White Elephant, almost four (FOUR!!!) years ago. It's a pretty amazing feeling.

Out of debt and here to stay!

We've said it a million times, but starting a business in the middle of an economic recession can be scary times. I'm sure a lot of people doubted our ability to stick around (a big thank you to everyone who thought, but chose not to say it, by the way) but we did it! And you know why we did it? Because Hamilton, and this community, is amazing. In the beginning spreading the word of handmade, and why it is worth it to pay a little more for the work behind it was a challenge. The people who understood it were happy we were here, and the people who didn't just wanted to know why those earrings cost so much money. It was about education, and because of the amazing community of artists and crafters and like minded people we have in Hamilton, it didn't take very long to see the understanding and appreciation spread and take off.  Handmade is made with love, and we love the shit out of everyone these days.

To celebrate, we wanted to give something back. Not just to our customers, but to our community, and the community of entrepreneurs in general.  White Elephant wouldn't have been possible with the small business loan we took out through the Canadian Youth in Business Foundation all those years ago, we thought it might be nice to help someone else receive a loan for their business. That's why we topped up this Kiva loan for this hard working group of women in Paraguay.  We admit we were sold as soon as we read that the money would be used to purchase craft supplies, needles and thread, but we're really just happy to be able to help a group of women who are supporting themselves and their families through their own hard work. That's the spirit ladies.

We also wanted to give back to Hamilton, because we love it, and we can't imagine White Elephant anywhere else.  Just a couple weeks ago, Hollie was walking home from the shop when she came across the Hamilton Victory Gardens,  a volunteer-based group growing fresh produce for local food banks and hot meal plans.  That is just so, so good and right up our alley as well.  To help out, we've made a donation that will sponsor the cost of one raised bed. 

Ack, reading over those above paragraphs seems kind of braggy to me. I just want everyone to know we're doing these things because we truly are appreciative and want to show our gratitude, not because we're like "LOOK AT US DOING ALL THESE GOOD THINGS".  We just feel happy to be here these days, and we want to spread those good feelings.

Anywaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, last but not least, we want to thank all our customers. You guys are the best. No really, thanks. Thank you so much. We love you. To celebrate how much we love you, we're throwing our first ever sale this Saturday, May 26th. All day. Shop till you drop, and save save save.

We've never done a sale before, and with discounts up to 50% off everything in the shop, we think this is a pretty good way to start. In all the planning we've been doing up until now, we've been secretly calling it our fire sale. It's gonna be that crazy.

End gushing.

Spring Time

I was late starting my seeds this year, so they are still only medium sized babies. But I'm not worried about it, there's plenty of time for these guys to get big and feed me. I haven't had much time to clear out the garden for all my new additions this year anyways. It won't be much bigger, but it will be completely devoted to food. Last year, I grew everything surrounded by ornamental hostas. No one seemed to mind sharing though.

My rhubarb, lavender and dill are back, too. I need to plant more perennials because it's so exciting to see them all pop up on their own each spring. The farm is also in full swing, with lots of hoeing and lots of growing. The dreaded potato beetles are even back already.

I found the perfect vintage bubble umbrella made with wooden parts and thick waxed cotton. Now I'm hoping for rain e'eryday, e'eryday.

I've been a little down over the fact that our dear friend Jenna has left Hamilton, but before she went (to a dream life of living on a spacious farm and running an artisan cheese business with her husband, I might add) she graciously bestowed upon a few of her friends (myself included) reminders of her in the form of her work. I hung her Trees of the Carolinian Forest poster right outside the door to our bedroom, and now I think of her each and every morning as I wake up.

Keeping my hands real busy, too. Cross-stitching an hours sign that I designed for the store, which is an idea I stole from the Needlework ladies. Being able to pop in and visit them and see this hub of creation and creativity is just the best thing ever. I'm so happy they're here. And I'm really pleased with how this project is turning out. I have been stitching every spare moment I get to finish it up. I can't wait to stitch those adorable little elephants all in a row.

I'm also attempting cold enfleurage with lilacs, which is a process to extract their fragrance, thereby making my own perfume. I started a little late, as lilacs are on their way out, but it was kind of on a whim. It's not difficult, but it is time-consuming. I'm doing everything from scratch, right down to rendering my own raw animal fat and reading informative, if not hilariously 1970's named articles like Let's Enfleurage! Yes, let's! If I am successful when everything is said and done in three months, I'll share my whole experience on the Beehive blog.

On top of it all, we have so many fun store plans in the works that we'll be sharing soon. I can't wait for this summer. Life is good, all around.

Required Reading Vol. 9

Oh, you know, more dream life links.
 

Oliver and Abraham's is written by McKenzie, a genuine homesteader. She lives with her fiance on a large plot of land that they work themselves, and where they reside alongside chickens, alpacas, bees, sheep and cats. Besides all the endearing and fascinating accounts of life on the farm, what really sold me was this line in the about section - "We used to be into self-sufficency, but these days we're realizing that community is where it's at."

Yup.

because green is still in has consistently breathtaking film photography. Like, damn.

Julianna Swaney is one of our favourite artists that we carry. I actually sometimes feel like we talk about her a creepy amount here. But I might as well keep going because not only am I an avid follower of her art blog - Oh My Cavalier - I'm also enthralled with My Little Plant Love, a blog about her house plants, her balcony garden and all beautiful greenery in her life. She really can do no wrong in my book.

Myspace Profile Pics

Let's try our hand at modeling again, shall we?

So many pretty things have been coming into the shop these days, it's hard to find the time to even get them all out on display. One of my favourites are these new circle scarves from Bespoke Uprising, locally made and super lovely. 

I'm 99% sure this from Headmistress is coming home with me, but rest assured we have more in stock.  We have a whole selection of products from Toronto-based Headmistress, and I promise you're going to love them. 

I would buy these beautiful sets of Spindles Oven Mitts by Hatchet in a second, if only I could get Doug to stop using them as makeshift dish towels to wipe his hands on. Doug! Please keep our oven mitts beautiful!  

Do I remind you of Rosie the Riveter? I would if I was flexing. Someday soon Hollie and I are going to have a pipes competition. She might be able to take me though, after a year or so of hauling crates of potatoes, she's getting stronger by the second.  This is another lovely piece from Headmistress, and I don't think it will manage to stay in the shop very long.

Oh Mama

Gonna be honest, I'm a little self-conscious about how much we're talking about the dress sale. I said a while back that we'd be media blitzing the cuss out of this event, and it actually happened on a fairly big scale. We have to give a lot of thanks to our PR superstar intern Lindsay for writing us a great press release and getting it noticed. Thanks Lindsay, we love you. And Hamilton, we love you for getting excited about vintage dresses.

SO even though the dress sale is a mere two days away, I am relieved to take a breather and to shift the focus and remind you all of your sweet, darling mothers. You don't want to get swept up in all this chiffon and crinoline excitement and forget about your dear ol' ma. Besides the dresses, we'll still have lots of pretty things in the shop that will show your mom that she's still the most important woman in your life.

New styles in from Corteza, based in Montreal. These earrings are made from different flower petals, leaves or foliage and then cast in clear resin. They're always a sure hit - the hardest part is choosing which unique pair to give away, and which to keep for yourself!

A beautiful apron is always a thoughtful gift, as long as you make it clear that your mom doesn't have to actually use it on Mother's Day. We've got many different styles in from Dear Edna (left) and Bespoke Uprising (right). An added bonus: both of these makers are Hamiltonians!

If you really want to spoil her, these porcelain bracelets from MaaP Studio will do the trick just fine. We've only got the two in stock, which means only two of you out there will win the Best Offspring of the Year award. Who is it gonna be?

Also, isn't "Pasteurized Loaf Cheese" one of the more unappetizing terms you've ever read? My plan was to try and photoshop out the words, but man, there's just no time for fussing around with that this week! Please don't tell your mom about the crude shopkeeper you purchased the bracelet from.

These dessert trays just arrived in the shop from Somerstone, and they are really lovely. Crafted from vintage plates, they can introduce the idea of handmade and re-purposing to momma in a perfectly whimsical way. Play the sentimentality card and remind her of all the dolly tea parties she used to throw you growing up.

And hey, here's an idea for a great mother-daughter date: take her to an awesome vintage dress sale. Just sayin'.

Lucy In The Sky With Dresses

Man, oh man, are things busy with prep for the Dreaming of Dresses sale this Friday. We're working really hard to make sure that it's an unforgettable event.

While we were at Victoire two weekends ago, it slowed down enough in the afternoon and we asked Lucy - one of the lovely shop girls - whether she would model some dresses for us so that we could put up a bit of a sneak peek on the blog. Lucy is a babe, not only in looks, but in her sweet as sugar personality. I really wish that all these Ottawa ladies lived closer.

This is one of my all time favourite dresses. That beautiful rose hued colour, the  flattering shape, the delicate lacework, that flouncy bit of chiffon detailing around the waist and hips. It's all too much.

This stunner of a dress got tried on approximately 800 times during the Ottawa dress sale, and every lady who tried it on looked smokin' in it, which was especially surprising because not everyone can pull off mustard, but EVERYONE TOTALLY DID.

Sadly, it didn't end up going home with anyone in the end. But maybe that means you'll be able to scoop it up for your closet instead!

 

I made a huge blunder when I didn't ask Lucy to turn around so that I could capture the back of this sweet little number. Let me paint that picture for you with my words instead: scoop back, big bow. You can see it now, can't you? And you're right, it's just as adorable as you're imagining.

We really can't talk about babes modelling our dresses for us without mentioning our dear friend Fehn. You might remember her from our winter lookbook earlier this year. She's a stone cold fox in every way, and is now White Elephant's official model to the stars. We went out in April and shot some promo work for the dress sale in the tall grass of Cootes Paradise, as it's one of Jane and I's favourite locations in the early spring. We were only planning on using one of the shots for a poster, but some of the photos even ended up in the Hamilton Spectator! We're so happy that Fehn is such a good sport and let us take up her time with photoshoots, and is cool about changing costumes in a marsh and is just an all around super chill babe. She just recently finished up working at a BABY SLOTH NURSERY in Costa Rica. Living the life! We are indebted to her, because she made this poster (along with Mike's design skills) one of our favourite White Elephant promos to date. 

We hope that you're getting excited for this weekend. We certainly are.

Required Reading: Volume 8

Lately I have noticed that I'm not really reading blogs as much as I used to. You know what I am doing though? Scrolling through blogs and loving the pictures.  A lot. The blogs featured today are all excellent blogs in and of themselves, with lots of amazing content and writing, but it's also the pictures that have sold me.

camp and quarry was suggested to me by Carly, and she was dead on with this one. Beautiful photos, inspirational jewelry making, and good writing too: what more could I possibly ask for in a blog these days?

my suitcase heart is another blog that won me over right away. I think I just love seeing beautiful shots of nature in areas that people live.  I basically just scroll through thinking "I want to go there. and there. and there".  This blog also features lots of delicious looking food which is never a bad thing in my books.

Finally, I have to thank Hollie for bringing Maddie the Coonhound into my life.  There is nothing more perfect and wonderful than this dog balancing on absolutely anything.  Do you know how to make your day better, right this second? Looking at this photo.  The end.

Spring Dreams

Our whirlwind weekend in Ottawa went by so quickly. We took part in Victoire's Spring Fling Vintage Dress Sale and it was a frenzy of beautiful dresses and beautiful ladies giving them beautiful homes. This time was especially fun because we got to see a multitude of familiar faces who had come to the sale in the fall, and returned to see all of our new (to us) finds.

The drive there was easy and pleasant. Jane and I caught up on This American Life and The Moth. We took the scenic route through the 1000 Islands Parkway where I spotted my dream house, and we made a brief stop in Deseronto hoping to visit a flea market that we had once gone to, only to find it closed after 12 years of business. We saw this restaurant instead and wished we had enough time to eat there.

We got into town just after 6pm, greeted Katie and Regine with big hugs, and got to work unloading and pricing and steaming dresses. And lost our minds collectively over how good everything was.

My favourite part of putting on these sales together is that first moment when we unpack the car and our dresses meet Victoire's dresses and we all squeal over each others exquisite pieces. We then combine all of them together on the racks by colour, and just gush over how lovely all the tones and textures and patterns and fabrics are united. Together, we are a vintage force to be reckoned with.

Now we get to do it all over again in less than two weeks here. Victoire will be making the trip here, and we've also invited Toronto based Love In The Afternoon and Hamilton's own Peacock Chic to join us for Dreaming of Dresses on May 11th and 12th. There's going to be so many incredible mind-blowing dresses, guys. Wedding dresses, prom dresses, bridesmaids dresses, party dresses - whatever the occasion, we've got you covered. We're all committed to sourcing a variety of shapes and sizes, too. You really won't want to miss it. Our store is going to be bursting at the seams with gorgeous and totally unique vintage. At the risk of sounding cheesy, they just don't make them like this anymore.

We'll be posting more photos of pieces that will be available at the sale later this week, and reminding you over and over again. Media blitzin' this thing, you know?

One thing that we all agree on is that when a vintage dress fits someone so perfectly, it's a beautiful and rare event that is kind of magical. Victoire and White Elephant can't wait to bring that magic to Hamilton. To hold you over until then, you can check out our Facebook event with more details! Gosh, we really hope to see you there so that we can all squeal in delight together.

Dress Sale News

If it feels a little quiet around here this week, it's because Hollie & I are frantically preparing for the Spring Fling Dress Sale at Victoire this Saturday.  The picture above is just part of the collection we're bringing, and when that collection meets Victoire's collection and they join forces and become BFFs, it's going to be an unstoppable event.

If you're looking for details: it's going to happen Saturday April 28th at Victoire, from 10am - 7pm.  They are also doing a pre-sale sneak peek on Friday evening from 4pm - 8pm.

Local and feel like you're missing out? Never fear! The dress sale is heading West for the first ever Hamilton Vintage Dress Sale, May 11th and 12th.  Victoire is coming down with their drool-worthy collection, and we're going to move some tables out and absolutely fill the shop with dresses.  They will be available at the May 11th art crawl, and all day Saturday May 12th from 10am - 6pm.  Tell your friends!

City of Craft

Wow, City of Craft. What an amazing, inspirational, super fun awesome day.  Huge mad props to all the organizers for pulling off such an awesome event, time and time again.

The photo booth feature at City of Craft was a combined effort of have & hold design and Sara Wilde Photography, and it was awesome. Super super fun times.

Amy came down in the afternoon to help me at the show. She's the best, isn't she?  It was a big help, especially because it meant there was someone to run and get us baby-sized burritos when the hunger hit. She also took the rest of the pictures in this blog, so don't steal Amy's pictures without crediting her, ok?

Here's a little look at my booth set up, as well as the amazing cloud decorations that filled the room.  Pardon my hunch back; I was probably reaching for something while Amy was taking this picture. Either that, or I look like that all the time, which is secretly my biggest fear about getting old.

I was stressed about making a table display that could stand among the already amazing displays I knew would be there.  I'm not 100% happy with it, but for a first try I think I did pretty well.  Half of the display things I used were borrowed from the shop, which is a seriously handy resource to have. 

This little set of steps is actually a bird feeder I found this week at Value Village, and it came in super handy. 

The beautiful pottery you see above is by Krystal Speck. I picked up one of her pieces at the show and I am in love with it.  If you like what you see please start getting excited, because in the near future White Elephant will be carrying them.  Oh man, this is going to be amazing.

There were so many other amazing crafters there, and so many things I was dying to bring home. I did also snag some super cute tea towels for Hollie and myself by Lines by Davis, and this poster for Doug by Doublenaut.  

All in all, a super amazing Saturday.  I'll be applying to each and every craft fair they do in the future because it was so great, fingers crossed I get in!  If I don't, you can bet I'll still be there shopping.