the cave explorers of 2011

Here they are! The final cave explorer necklaces of 2011. These guys are all listed in the shop as of today. Figures range from little children playing in the snow to a old gentleman making his way through a crystal cave with his walking stick in hand. Each stone has been chosen for its amazing shape and crystal features. Take a look at them all in the Sadie shop. 

In other fun news, last week I hit 400 sales in the Sadie shop. My 400th customer just happens to be a local blogger who I connected with thanks to Got Craft? here in Vancouver. Heather has a great blog called Tea with Me. She even wrote about her Sadie necklaces after the craft fair. In addition to her order, Heather is going to be getting a pretty special surprise in celebration of this exciting milestone. 

I know I've been saying this a lot lately, but thank you all for your support! This has been a fun year (crazy at times with getting married, graduating, and all of that) and you guys have all made it even better and gotten me through the nutso times with flying colours, too. And now we have just five more work days until Christmas vacation!

it is coming

Lately I have been eating, breathing, and sleeping work. I fall asleep thinking about jewelry design and wake up in a hurry to get to the bus on time to make it to my day job, which has been really demanding lately, too. So I'm here today to share with you some of my thoughts about what I'll be doing over my Christmas holidays.

While visiting my family and friends, I plan to spend lots of time outside (no matter how cold it is, and I imagine it will be very cold). I would really like to visit the migratory bird sanctuary that I used to work at, as I've been trying to get back there for the last couple of Christmas vacations, only to have everything else make that all but impossible. Maybe since Jamie and Carrah live on that side of the city we can all go there together this year.

I would also love to walk in Weaselhead, which is close to my parent's house. Last year I did a small post with some of my photos from our afternoon there. It is definitely my favourite park in Calgary.

And, finally, I am sooooooo looking forward to sitting on some couches, eating food and drinking giant cups of coffee. I will likely spend some time on Jill's, Heather's, Jenn's, and my parents' couches, to name just a few. In fact, I'll pretty much go anywhere where I can hang out on a couch and enjoy doing almost nothing. Doing absolutely nothing is just not in my nature.

The countdown is on. Just one week until winter vacation. In the meantime, Jeff will keep delivering Vancouver's mail, I'll be happily making jewelry every night and getting stuff done at work every day, and Lola will continue to sleep 22.5 hours a day. After all, we all have to earn this little break, right?

P.S. The great irony of running an online shop around Christmas is how much time I spend helping other people get ready (gladly helping them, no less), while my own preparations lag further and further behind! I think I might be sending out some IOUs this year!

P.P.S. If you'd like your Sadie package to arrive before Christmas today is the day to get your order in, friends!

got craft?

I'll be at Got Craft? on Sunday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. It's at the Royal Canadian Legion on Commercial Drive (just a couple of blocks north of Broadway). Remember! The first forty people to show up get a swag bag with goodies from the vendors inside. I've heard that people line up to get into this show and am looking forward to being a vendor at Got Craft? for the first time.

A couple of other things to note: I'll be able to take cash, credit cards (using my phone) and PayPal/Interac money transfers (using your phone). That should have most people covered, I hope. I'm also going to have some friends helping me out, so thanks in advance to Sam and Jacqui for hanging with me on Sunday.

Here's a little time lapse video of a previous Got Craft? event:

Got Craft from blueolive on Vimeo.

new sadie mini cards

Two weeks ago I ordered some new mini business cards from Moo and they have finally arrived! I now have six different cards to send out with holiday orders, each one featuring a different photo from our amazing Lighthouse Park photoshoot with photographer (and friend) Ryan Mathieson. I'm excited to start shipping them out and to show them off at Portobello West here in Vancouver on the weekend of November 26th and 27th at Creekside Community Recreation Centre at the athlete's village.

In other Sadie news, I am updating the shop regularly. There are many new pieces listed as of yesterday, including my new favourite (pictured in the second photo in this post) which mixes vintage brass chains and charms to make a delicate, minimalist necklace. I'm going to have to make something similar for myself, I think. I'm also planning on getting a few new cave explorer necklaces made to keep this guy company as soon as I can. Now back to packing for this fast-approaching move... Have a great weekend!

a few new things...

I wanted to share with you some of the new things that I've been working on as I'm getting ready for holiday craft fairs and online shop updates. All of these pieces are available in the Sadie shop (don't forget to use coupon code: GOLOLAGO for free international shipping). Some of my new favourites stones are featured in these pieces: pink jasper, aquamarine, and tiny raw peacock ore nuggets. I've also been making more pieces using vintage chains and have been hammering lots of brass, much to the dismay of my neighbours, I'm sure.

If you're in Vancouver and can make it to Portobello West at the end of November or Got Craft? on the Drive on the first Sunday in December, I'll see you there! My next big project is making swag for the Got Craft? show. I'll share my project as it progresses...first I have to get the supplies in the mail! Have a great weekend, everyone. Lola has her surgery tomorrow. We really appreciate all of your encouraging comments!

happy thanksgiving: a recipe and giveaway from cubit's organics

As I mentioned yesterday, today is the first feature post from the new series that I'm starting here on the Sadie blog. Rad Summer gets wrapped up in style next week and these feature posts will be taking over. Get ready to meet some amazing creators and bloggers!

Laura from Cubit's Organics has kindly offered up this incredible guest post just in time for Thanksgiving dinner. And to top it all off, she's also offering a giveaway and a coupon code for Sadie readers. Find out all of the details at the end of the post.

A Thanksgiving Recipe from Cubit’s Organics: Roasted Carrots and Beets with Mint and Feta

The combination of sandy soil and full sun means that we are able to grow really nice root vegetables in our front yard here in Toronto. When we’re not growing for seed, we just grow all the different types and colours mixed up so what you pick is a surprise; A striped beet or a purple carrot? Who knows.

Our two year old daughter has taken to announcing that she needs a carrot and then heads to the front door to go get one from the garden. I can’t help but oblige and let her pick a few whether I was planning on having them for dinner or not.

This is really so easy that it hardly qualifies as a recipe but it’s simply too delicious to keep to myself. We bring carrots to my mother’s every year for Thanksgiving dinner and will continue the tradition this Sunday.

1. Send the two year old out into the yard to pick some different coloured carrots and beets. Going to the farmers market to get some heirloom root veggies will also suffice.

2. Preheat your oven to 425.
Wash your carrots and beets. I cut the greens off but leave a little at the top just because I think it looks good. I cut the really long tails off the beets because they will burn otherwise and then cut them all in half length wise.

3. Coat everything in olive oil, add a little salt. Then roast them in the oven at 425 for 40 minutes.

4. Let everything cool down for a few minutes, then crumble feta on to your veggies and add a hardy handful of mint leaves. Toss and serve out of your favorite vintage bowl. I think they look nice in this plaid one.

These are tasty when hot but are also great as a room temperature salad so no hurry to get everything done at the right time.

5. Give thanks for the vegetable gardens and the small children that tend to them.

In case you fell in love with the vegetables in this post (like I did), Laura is offering a coupon code for Sadie readers. THANKS20 gets you 20% off in the Cubit's Organics Etsy shop. I've got my eye on some nice kale and easter egg radishes! 

The Giveaway Details!

Leave a comment here letting us know what you're bringing to Thanksgiving dinner and you could win a package of colourful carrot seeds and mixed beet seeds for next year's (or this winter's?) garden. I will choose the winner at random Monday evening!


Please be sure to visit Cubit's Organic Etsy shop and beautiful blog, too, to say thanks for this great recipe! Thank you, Laura and Cubit's Organic Living!

happy holidays

I am homeward bound tomorrow. 4:30AM wake-up call and a Calgary breakfast date that I am very excited about! Not to mention family time, being home for the first time in a year, and meeting my friend Heather's adorable new son. Happy eating, gifting, and merry-making, everyone!

wanderlust

This time of year I always just feel like packing up and heading out of town. Of course, I know I can't complain too much because I was just in Portland (I took this picture during our trip back to Vancouver, in fact), but perhaps it's the Prairies that are calling me. Or the mountains. It's something all right, and it inspired me to book our tickets home for Christmas last night. I really do love the feeling of getting things together for a trip: making playlists, packing snacks, bringing presents with me for the people I'll be visiting.

You know, I think maybe it's just homesickness. It's been almost a year since I was in Calgary last, and I really can't wait to visit with all of my friends there, bake something delicious in Jill's kitchen (I hope!), meet Heather's new baby, see new apartments, and eat at old favourite restaurants. I just hope it isn't -40 (that's -40C AND -40F!) while I'm there. And that we'll have a chance to get out to the mountains. And that there'll be snow on the ground (we don't usually get snow in Vancouver). Is this all too much to ask? Where are you going this holiday season?

And, by the way, I have some exciting news! Jill at Lune Vintage generously hosted a contest to win sponsorship spots on her beautiful blog and I won! Congrats to the other four winners, too! Make sure you check Lune out and welcome to all who have found me through Lune! I'm really excited for the opportunity and the chance to connect with some new people!

P.S. As I was posting this the weather report came on the news and snow is perhaps in the forecast for Vancouver in the next day or so! Really? We will see if it arrives. Winter is here and I don't really mind! Oh yeah, and I bought the cat print!