With markets back in full swing I thought I’d share some of the tips I wish I’d known when starting out as a vendor. Everybody has different experiences and every market organizer runs things differently too. Sometimes things will work better in different settings then others so it’s always good to plan for everything.
-The applications
As a vendor and as a market organizer I can not stress enough the importance of reading everything in the application and any follow-up info the organizers send you. Before you ask the organizer any questions please, we all beg of you, please read ALL the information that has already been sent to you. Most organizers will have mentioned in the application or the follow up emails the basics like; payment due dates, table sizes (or lot size if that is applicable), how many chairs are provided, the time you are expected to arrive and the parking information for the venue.
A good organizer will have thought out and put every detail they can think a vendor would want to know in the application. If they haven’t, then absolutely email them for more information….but DO NOT wait until the last few days before the market. Those days are very hectic and busy for everyone involved as they try to get everything ready for you.
Organizers also very much appreciate when a vendor asks a question about something and does not assume something will be done a certain way just because a different market ran that way. To be sure, every market runs a bit differently.
The following are a few tips that we at Square Lemon have learned along the way and would like to share with you.
-Taking payments
This is something you’ll want to have figured out way before the market, Obviously you want people to pay for your amazing wares, you need to give them as many options to do that as possible. Unfortunately the days of everyone carrying cash is long gone and ATMS are not as available as we’d all like. Some do still carry cash but most will want to pay by debit, credit or e-transfer. I’ve seen a lot of heart broken vendors lose a sale because they only dealt in cash.
E-transfer is probably the easiest one to have ready. You just need to have online banking, which is free to set up with your bank. I suggest having your email address written out on a card to make it faster for the customer to type into their banking app. If you are comfortable with it, remove the password option so the payments go through faster or if you want to keep the password then write a short answer on the card with your email address and have your customer use it so you can accept the transfer faster and get on to more sales.
Debit and Credit payments require a 3rd party POS (point of sale) payment system but they are more affordable and user friendly than most think. Square is one of the easiest and cheapest systems I’m personally aware of. Signing up for them is free and you may still be able to use the basic strip reader (credit card only) for free through their website.
I have heard that this is not always free anymore but, fear not, the basic reader is available from places like Wal-Mart and Staples for under $20. The tap reader, which can accept credit cards and debit cards runs for about $55 and it is definitely worth the investment. The app is easy to set up and can be used on both Apple and Android. Please remember that the set up for these apps may take a few days as they have to communicate with your bank,
Of course even if you do use the card readers make sure you also have some cash on hand to make change just in case your customer only has cash with them… I’ve known many customers who only bring a certain amount of cash on them so they don’t spend too much at the markets.
-Packaging and Self Promotion
We all want customers to buy lots of stuff so make sure you have a way for them to carry it all home. Some vendors will simply bring whatever stash of plastic bags they have on hand, others will purchase gift bags. If you have breakable or delicate items bring tissue paper or something to wrap it up in! The brown or coloured paper bags at the dollar store are very handy but they do add up. There are places that sell more for less, i.e., Walmart (in the crafting section) and Staples (in their packaging section). If you get the plain paper bags you can even put your company name, logo or whatever you want on it to promote yourself.
On the topic of self promotion, you’ll want your customers to remember you. Business cards are great, relatively cheap to get now (VistaPrint usually has a good deal for first time users) and you can include one with every purchase.
Another great idea is to get a stamp made of your name, logo, social media handles and contact information. With it you can stamp simple paper for a cheaper business card or those paper bags or other packaging you use for your products. And a great place to get a stamp made is with us at Square Lemon!
Self promotion should also happen in the moment with your customers. NEVER ignore a customer. If someone walks up to your table, say hello, maybe ask how they are today. DO NOT ignore them and play on your phone. Many customers will find this extremely rude and not buy anything just on principle. On the flip side, you should also refrain from inundating them with too much information before they have a chance to get interested in your product. It can be very intimidating for new vendors to be able to find the right sales tactics that will work for them. Practice with a few friends or family members. Be silly, be creative and think about how you would want a vendor to approach you if you were the customer.
-Having someone to give you a break
Markets are long when you think about having to sit behind a table for 5+ hours and talk to customers. Having someone with you is always nice or at the very least have a friend come to the market for a few minutes so you can go to the bathroom or get some water if you’ve run out. Some markets have volunteers who can watch your table for you as you run out quickly but not many do that so be prepared. Making friends with the other vendors around is strongly recommended so perhaps they can watch your table and you can repay the kindness too.
-Bringing food and water
As I just mentioned, it’s a long day and you’ll probably get pretty hungry and without a doubt thirsty. Bringing water and a snack is a must. If you are used to having a bigger lunch then bring it too. Some markets are able to make food on site, some can only offer non-perishables and some don’t have facilities to provide anything more than the faucet in the bathroom to get water. Be prepared and bring your own. If they do have food or beverages there, be prepared to have to pay for them, and mostly in cash too.
-Table layout
Do a set up at home first. Figure out what will fit on the size of table that will be at the market you are going to. As different places have different size tables this can sometimes mean adjusting how your products are arranged. A great tip is check out how other vendors with products like yours are setting their table up. Do they have everything laying flat out or are some products on little shelves to bring them closer to eye level. Would your products be better hanging?
Don’t feel you have to pile everything on the table and cram as much as possible onto it. Sometimes a little empty real estate on the table can make you more approachable as people won’t feel that they may cause an avalanche of product if they start to go through your wares. This will also leave you some room to pack up and handle the transaction. All that being said, try to make sure you have some extra stock to replace pieces as they are sold.
If you have products like jewlery that may require a customer to have to bend over to get a better look at, you may want to consider getting table risers. These are blocks that go under the feet of the tables, usually around 6 inches (approx) high. Make sure to check with the organizers to see if the tables they provide can accommodate them or be prepared to not use them on the day.
Bring a tablecloth with you. Most organizers will not provide one but it will make your table look much more professional and tidy. You’ll want one that will cover the front and sides all the way to the ground (if possible) so that customers don’t see under your table. Trust us it’s usually a mess of boxes and crates from unpacking your wares.
-Special Requests
These can be requesting that your spot at the market has electricity, this should not be assumed but most organizers have a place on the application to request it, you will most likely be told to bring your own extension cord and tape to secure the cord to the floor so that no one trips on it.
Another request can be that you table spot have a wall behind it to lean products on. NEVER assume you hang anything on the walls, even with Command Strips that won’t leave marks. The majority of markets are not owned by the organizers and if any damage is incurred from the vendors the organizers will get in trouble, having to pay for damages and most likely losing their privilege to hold markets at that location.
Some vendors like to set up without a table, this should ALWAYS be cleared with the organizers first so they are not wasting time setting up a table that will have to be moved again. Also, some organizers may be able to find a better spot in the market for you. You just have to let them know how you plan to set up, ie, with coat or clothing racks or free standing walls to display artwork.
-Check list
Create a checklist that is catered to your table. Here is a sample to start you off.
-table cloth
-extension cord (if needed) and duct tape
-water and snacks
-cash box and card readers
-packaging and business cards
-fully charged phone!
Hopefully this has been helpful to everyone and I very much hope everyone has fun and success at all the markets they choose to join. Small businesses lifting up small businesses!
]]>I got bitten by the customise everything bug when Square Lemon was still in Boyd Avenue. And I played with HTV (Heat Transfer Vinyl) for quite a while before deciding I wasn't in love with the texture it creates on clothes.
HTV was an easy jumping off point for me, as I already owned a Silhouette Cameo (vinyl cutter), a Cricut EasyPress (like an iron but so much better) and a bunch of ideas!
Christmas 2017 I made a bunch of personalised Christmas bags for friends and neighbours' kids, as well as my own, and HTV was an awesome choice for these
They wouldn't be worn, they would, hopefully, not require a lot of laundering, and they were used occasionally.
But for t-shirts and the like, I personally was not in love with the results you get with HTV. And so I dove, head first, into sublimation.
It can get expensive, quickly.
Specialised printers are not cheap, the ink is not cheap, the inevitable heat press is not cheap.
I hadn't gone out and bought a state-of-the-art sublimation printer (Aaron stopped me, thank heavens!), but I had put a lot of time and effort into researching how to make a printer do what I wanted. I bought a second-hand Epson Stylus R300, cleaned all of the icky old normal ink out of the cartridges, heads, and other gubbins, and installed a sublimation conversion kit.
It's not pretty, but it prints the right ink on the right paper, and I understand why it works. It's never a waste of time when you learn something new!
I did buy a heat press, and a conversion kit, and a CISS system. Sigh. And many sample items to print on.
And it DIDN'T BLOODY WORK!
Yes, it is frustrating. Yes, you want to throw everything out of the window. Yes, you obsessively watch YouTube videos, whilst scarfing down plates and plates of buttered toast. (Maybe that last one is just me.)
I put it to bed.
Meg found a deal on some Gildan t-shirts and baby onsies. All of them a beautiful 100% cotton.
Out came the sublimation stuff again, and we printed and heated and cursed.
Sublimation works best on 65%+ polyester content items. Sigh.
I bought and tried some sprays recommended to make cotton accept sublimation. They worked to varying degrees, but nothing was great. So the sublimation stuff went back into the basement until today.
I found a 95% polyester shirt. Ok, so I set everything up at home, using the EasyPress, because the heat press at Lemon is enormous and heavy. I printed, and heated and, guess what! It bloody worked!!
I now have a t-shirt with a lovely bird on it!
Yes, it was a couple of years of messing around. Yes, I may have thrown things around my craft room. But I now have something that feels and looks the way I wanted it to!
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They were both solid pieces of furniture and had lots of life left in them, but the thick, yellowed finish on the wood was showing them at their best.
I worked on both dressers on and off for weeks, and stripped them down to their bare bones.
It was very satisfying to use the carbide scraper to scratch away the old finish, and to slowly reveal the beautiful wood underneath.
As the varnish came off I moved on to using my Festool sander and some coarse grit sandpaper. I worked through the grits from 60 to 150 for the drawer fronts, and 220 for the main body.
I concentrated on the taller, four-drawer dresser, and brought it all the way down to bare wood.
This piece of furniture is decades old, and has travelled, so it was not in pristine condition. There were a few cracks and holes, and the drawers and slides needed attention. But it is solid wood, which means it is much easier to make everything good than it is on particleboard and laminate furniture.
So each slide was measured, and a replacement was cut to fit. Once each slide was replaced, I sanded down the outside of the drawers, and used Dixie Belle's Big Mama's Butta to rehydrate and refresh the wood.
Adding a good coat of that to the slides meant that the drawers now slide in and out smoothly.
Next came repairing the holes and splits.
Fortunately I have some large clamps, and so I was able to slightly pry the splits apart and add some wood glue.
Each part was then clamped tightly and left to allow the glue to set up properly.
A couple of the drawers also needed a little TLC and they got the same treatment.
The drawers are not dovetailed but are sturdy with a rebate.
The fronts are mainly strips of solid maple, and other blonde wood, laminated together to make a pretty grain pattern.
I had hoped to just top coat the drawers and top of the dresser, but there was an old knot hole in the top which meant that was not possible.
So I filled the hole, and the other odd holes in the body, and decided to paint the top and the body.
I love Fusion Mineral Paint. It applies so well, and self-levels. And I fell in love with the colour Ash when I went to the store to buy some.
Ash is a dark grey, with a subtle sheen.
With that decision, it was easy to decide to stain the wooden drawer fronts to make them look as dramatic as the body.
And then I put it all together and took a step back to really look at how everything was coming together.
The finish felt good with the smooth Fusion Mineral Paint, and the lightly sanded stain, but it still wasn't quite right, so I pulled out my Dixie Belle Hemp Oil and applied a good coat of that to all of the surfaces.
I put the handles back on without making any changes other than to clean them and give them a polish.
The original hardware was a thin brass, that had seen much better days, so out came the Rustoleum Flat Black, and the handles got a couple of coats.
Once they were properly dry, I put 3 coats of spray topcoat on to protect the paint finish.
I screwed them back on and they looked perfect!
The dresser looked great. Really great. But I felt something was still missing.
I recently papered my hallway closet, and I had some of the paper left over.I felt that the drama of the pattern would be a lovely surprise for someone when they opened a drawer, and so I measured and cut a piece for each drawer.
Once I had attached the paper, the only thing left to do was hydrate the wooden sides inside the drawers with Dixie Belle's Big Mama's Butta, and buff it in well.
And now, with fits and starts, with making decisions and then changing them, and with so much enjoyment at working on an old, sturdy, well-made piece, the dresser is done.
Here are some photos of the finished dresser, and it is available to buy on our store:
So, given that there is a general amount of stress in everyday life, I personally, and Square Lemon, corporately, decided to up the ante to Super Mega Stress level 11
How and why would you do such a thing? I can hear you all, and I understand your incredulity. I'm with you, but, as with so many things in life, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
As many of you know, The Ottawa Tool Library were made homeless, through no fault of their own, on very short notice.
We started Square Lemon in the space right next to them back in 2019. And they are a powerful force for good in the community. When I heard about their enforced eviction, I reached out to offer some of the unused space we had at our premises at Boyd Avenue for workshops.
After a meeting with Bettina - a whirlwind of a person - and a few chats with the other Lemons and my darling better half, we decided to offer a sublease on our premises. That then grew. That idea fermented and matured into offering OTL the chance to take over our lease.
Some of the reasoning behind this was altruistic. OTL's January newsletter said they were looking for a home, and, apart from Boyd being bigger than they needed, all of the other criteria matched what we had at Square Lemon. We had a large premises, with no real way to use it. (Markets are so far in the future, given the pandemic, that you need the Hubble Telescope to see them!)
So we made the offer, had meetings, made the arrangements, and now we are busy moving all of the glitter mountains, glue lakes and bead fountains into storage.
Don't worry. The online store will be continuing as normal, and I am in the process of finding a commercial property to buy which will home Square Lemon in the future! Square Lemon is here for you, in an appropriately socially distant form.
Regrets? None at all with regard to signing the lease over to OTL. Some small ones in that we are leaving our first real home.
And, in the evenings, when there's been snow all day and there has been a large amount of hefting boxes in and out of vans, a huge amount!
But nothing a good cup of tea and a few cookies from The Midnight Baker can't remedy!
]]>So why are there so many people out there with messy homes? Well, we are a busy species with very short attention spans. With so much to take our attention away from unpleasant things it becomes quite easy to ignore the chaos building up in our peripheral views. Taking a hard look at the messes we ‘leave for another day’ can be hard to do. It brings up feelings of shame and exhaustion, just the idea of spending the time to clean it and even worse to figure what to say goodbye to.
Humans like to collect things. In fact there are a few species that like to do that. Monkeys, beavers, chipmunks, several species of birds and so many more out there that would surprise you. Of course humans are the only ones that live in big boxes and have longer lifespans to collect so much more. We create attachments to inanimate objects because it’s easier than applying them to living beings or the living being it was supposed to be attached to is no longer there. Sometimes it is a missed lifestyle or dream that keeps us holding onto ‘what could be’. These are a few factors that usually fuel a hoarder disorder.
As many crafters out there know, that last one is a slippery slope! Crafters, makers and artists are creative and we can see opportunities in so many things. Sometimes it's hard to filter what is actually realistic to hold on to and to say no to an opportunity that comes up in order to save the ones we already have in progress. This is definitely my issue.
When I see my rooms getting narrow and having to step over things and shimmy around other things it gets overwhelming. I look around and I just see all the things that I wanted to do with the stuff but not enough time to do it all. I find it can take months, even years to really concur things. I can get one room organized and it feels awesome but I run out of energy to tackle another room and then the chaos creeps in, time gets away from me and next thing I know all the hard work gets undone again.
So what’s the solution? To be honest I haven't found a perfect one yet. I have however found a few things that help.
First up is work small. Don’t take on everything in a room all at once. Set small goals of tackling one type of thing at a time. The positive feeling of getting a small task done will give you motivation to take on another. It's a slow build but it is the most rewarding because it is achievable and it lasts.
Next, ask for help when you need it. Sometimes it's needed at the beginning to get you started. Sometimes it's needed when you hit a wall as to what to do next. Sometimes it's needed to move big stuff so you don’t throw your back out in the middle of a clean up and can’t continue because you're too busy being in agony!
The last thing that I can suggest is to think of others. A lot of the stuff that our household is holding on to can be used by someone else now rather than being held onto by us with only a small chance of ever getting used. Giving away unused items to my neighbours has been great! I know some of them can’t afford to buy these things and they are grateful for the gift. Also selling some things is great too cause now there is a bit of a cash reward for all the hard work I’ve done. I get so much from just knowing the stuff isn’t just going to the dump and will now make someone else happy or make their lives better in some way. It’s therapeutic in a way and you can get the whole family involved in giving to others.
So today I’ll tackle a part of my basement. I’ll find treasures that have been forgotten about and I’ll make a lot of decisions as to who will benefit most with it. I’ll ask for help moving the big stuff and not try to push a couch up a flight of stairs by myself. Hopefully I’ll be able to find great stuff to give away and a few to offer up for sale so I get a little reward for myself...it’ll probably be art supplies to be honest.
Good luck out there to anyone else struggling with the clutter!
]]>Everything changed when my partner treated me to some fancy nail pedestals for Christmas. He’s always been very supportive of my hobbies, and he has often seen me struggle with filing. The nail pedestals are fun to use, and much more aesthetically pleasing than cardboard. The kit my partner gave me came with a large amount of white tack. A small amount of tack needs to be affixed to the pedestal. Next, the nail must be firmly pressed down on to it. The pedestal has a magnet on the bottom to hold on to the clear stand while the nail polish dries. The tack holds super well for the entire duration of painting, and comes off easily when the nails are dry. To remove any tack residue, simply roll a little ball of tack to pick up the bits left behind. And there is no need for filing!
The nail pedestals have been a huge game changer! I don’t think I’ll ever go back to using cardboard again! Sorry, old cardboard friend… I’ll always remember the good times we had.
]]>You might find that you gravitate towards art that makes you feel comforted and secure or you might find yourself drawn to something that gets under your skin and you find yourself thinking about it for hours, days even. Either way, these things are an interpretation of something that was brought out by the artist to make you feel something.
During the lockdowns we are asked to say in our homes whenever possible, keep others safe by distancing ourselves. This means missing out on all the craziness that motivates and challenges us to make more, do better and push forward. This can be very depressing for someone who survives on creativity. It’s hard to look around the rooms that we are finding ourselves confined to and find inspiration. Thankfully we have the internet to dive into but it has its own downfalls too. As many have noticed in the past it is very easy to fall down a rabbit hole on YouTube or Pinterest. Unless you can pull yourself out of it it can take hours for you to realise that all that time is gone and you can’t remember a single thing that might have triggered a creative moment for you. Then you feel guilt that you just looked at everybody else’s amazing work and you’ve done nothing.
I’ve been there quite a few times. I have yet to find a foolproof way to stop falling down the holes and how to find the way out of them. A few times I’ve been able to start a motivational hunt with a bit more focus and kept myself in check (literally telling myself to stop looking after 15 minutes or so) as I searched for the mojo. I write down a few projects that I want to try and I pick one that I can start at that moment without the excuse of a shopping trip to hold me back. Some projects are done in stages so just make sure you have everything you need for the first stage, you can shop for stage two after you’ve got stage one done. Once I have one project picked, even if I have doubts about it, I then tell myself to just try it. Say it out loud and repeat it until you're physically working on it.
Sounds simple to some but others will understand where I’m coming from. Sometimes it’s like you’re paralyzed with self doubt that you won’t be able to do it or it will be a complete fail. I find I have to say it out loud, ”Just try it!” Just try it and see if it’s something you even want to attempt again once you’ve learned a bit after your first attempt.
First attempts are just that, a trial run. Like learning to walk we all fell on our butts a hundred times before we ever got that figured out. New projects for an artist, maker, crafter, whatever you want to call yourself, it’s all the same. We have to just try it first.
So with the hopes of inspiring others out there, I ask all you creators out there to just try something. Grab your paints, fabrics, tools of your trade whatever they may be and just try something. Even if it's a small project that you think won’t make a difference, just try it. Eventually you’ll get the confidence to just try a bigger project that you’ve had your eye on for a while. Embrace the mistakes and remember them so you can build your skills with a better understanding of it all. Fall on your butt, it’s the only way to learn and it will make your accomplishments better. And finally, the most important thing I can possibly say now is; HAVE FUN! The whole point of art passion. Living out your passion should always have some fun in it. Yes it’s hard work and you have to concentrate but you’ll find you’ll love your creations a thousand times more when you’ve let yourself have fun with it.
]]>It started when we decided to buy his grandmother's home after her passing this summer. Since the home hadn’t had any updates in roughly 15 -20 years we had some work on our hands before we could put the property up for rent. We aren’t even sure how to we stumbled upon the shows or what ones drew our attention but months later we are for sure addicted.
Since the budget for our renos and repairs was pretty much nonexistent we just watch the renovation shows to judge the creative ideas of the professionals and laugh at the disasters that they have to deal with. Of course we are now convinced that if we had a butt-load of start-up money we could buy up properties and flip them just as well as the hosts of some of these shows.
As for the house we bought, we were able to apply a few tips and tricks we picked up from the shows and it will be on the market to rent soon. We also learned a lot about working together … and more importantly when NOT to work together! Surprisingly the shows helped us see how various personalities work together and how to explain our own ideas to each other so that we could work better together.
We’ve also got two brains full of design ideas for the future when we will hopefully be able to afford some massive renos. Needless to say standard subway tile will probably not make it into the plans … too overused right now. Also, fireplace mantles should never be left out if there is a fireplace that is real or is meant to look real. We were relieved to find that when it comes to certain textiles, building materials and even most patterns and color schemes we were on the same page. It’s a wonderful feeling knowing that future wars will not be started when picking out pillows and paint.
Even though our house renos and repairs are done for now, we are still watching HGTV. It’s become a conversation starter for us and a source of heated debate at times. I enjoy trying to guess what the designers will do with a space before they share their plans with the audience. I have yet to determine if this drives my husband crazy. I also find that just watching the designers come up with ideas helps me to unlock my own creativity that had to get bottled up for several months to get work completed. I’m happy to say that I’ve been able to get back into my art room and unleash some ideas. I’ve even branched into a few furniture piece projects!
I got to try out several different tools and techniques with our DIY projects. My most recent project had me using table top resin so now every surface I look at is redesigned in my head with a glassy finish. The boost in creative ideas can be a bit overwhelming, but taking a breath and focusing on one project at a time will help get me back in the swing of creating again.
Of course we also may have gotten one of our cats hooked too ….. I suspect he is just judging the crazy humans on the screen as much as the ones in his house.
]]>Full disclosure: I am pro-mask.
Whether you are pro or anti mask wearing, they are a requirement for everyday life if you want to go to the store, the dentist, the doctor, and so on.
]]>Full disclosure: I am pro-mask.
Whether you are pro or anti mask, they are a requirement for everyday life if you want to go to the store, the dentist, the doctor, and so on.
So what are the facts about mask wearing and COVID-19? The facts vary from web site to web site, from person to person, from news source to news source.
I have been reading the Ottawa Public Health web site on a regular basis, and I find the information there to be non-alarmist and sensible.
Wearing a mask in public is about community. Unless you have access to medical masks and N95 respirators, then disposable or reusable cloth masks are the order of the day, and these are not to protect you; these non-medical masks are to protect other people from you.
Most people may not be aware that they have the COVID-19 virus. I may have it. You may have it. And in the hope of not spreading the virus to anyone else, I wear a mask. Just. In. Case.
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Taking what I'd learned, reading a beginners' book and watching several YouTube videos, I managed to teach myself how to increase and decrease and follow most of a pattern. Over a few short weeks I had a blanket made using a chevron pattern in single crochet.
I was and still am quite proud of it. My only discontent is the edges. I did not at the time understand how to turn a row properly. To be honest the concept still trips me up and I have yet to learn how to read the patterns properly to avoid these problems.
Anyhoo, like most things I try to learn, I'm not content to just do the same thing again, so I tried to learn double crochet and how apply it to patterns. Well that didn't go as smoothly as I'd liked. Frustration ensued for awhile and I found myself at war with the hook.
Then Square Lemon to the rescue! Through our weekly Zoom Craft and Chat, I met a new friend and was extremely grateful to learn of her online crochet classes, from Texas! Turned out the first class I took was on double crochet. It was meant to be. She too is a wonderful teacher and she had me very comfortable with double crochet within the hour. So much so that after the class I found another chevron pattern online using double crochet and started that. Again, it's a blanket but this time for a baby. I used up all my softest yarns on it and had to wait for a new shipment to finish it but hopefully I can finish it soon.
To keep me in practice, I found inspiration in a wonderful woman, my grandmother-in-law, who sadly passed away a few weeks ago. She was quite ill and in a nursing home. Her family offered me her knitting and crochet supplies because of my interest in the craft and of course because Square Lemon had lessons (and will again in the future!). I was honoured. I really admire the type of woman she was and her attention to detail in both knitting and crochet is inspiring. The last project she had started was for her daughter and it was knitted. I'm hoping she won't mind my using the yarn for a sightly different project in crochet. It will definitely have the same recipient. Here's hoping I'm able to ask my new online teacher for help along way so I can get this project done too!
One of the added benefits to continuing this type of craft is it's helping my hands. I swear crochet and playing the piano are the only things keeping my hands from stiffening up into useless claws. And thanks to that I'm able to still paint! It's like the circle of art.
And with that I should probably get some sleep. Crochet on the brain has kept me awake long enough. Good night!
]]>Then came March, and the beginning of a whole new way of life due to the pandemic restrictions.
Don't get me wrong! I am a huge supporter of the steps our government has taken to keep the population as safe as possible and to limit the spread of the infection. You only have to look at the news to realise that Canada did it well, and did it at a sensible time.
It's just ... argh! It's like when you are watching your favourite TV series, and you find out that it has just been cancelled. Or when you go to the fridge to eat one of the amazing brownies you made, only to discover that someone beat you to it (and is now smirking at you with chocolate all over their teeth!)
Disappointingly, we had to postpone our upcoming markets and workshops. And that was not a good announcement to make. When the world, it seemed, was falling apart, we had to pull up the drawbridge too.
Your friendly neighbourhood Lemons realised that this was going to be a painful time for everyone. And we decided to work hard for our community. Because we love the community which has thrived over the last year.
So we pivoted.
Square Lemon has been running an online store for vendors using Shopify. We do not charge anything to list products with us. But we do take a 10% fee when something sells, and we also deduct any card fees that were part of the order cost.
The Lemons have been delivering those order locally, or arranging for hygienic collection from Boyd Avenue, or, if the customer is further away, sending orders out via Canada Post.
And, to date, it has gone really well! Our vendors have continued to make sales and be part of the community; Square Lemon has been hygienically storing those products at our premises on Boyd Avenue; and customers have received amazing, quality handmade items from local makers/artists/crafters in a safe, timely way.
I love Square Lemon. And I was worried for a while that our first year would be our last. But no. We are still here, and things are opening up again. We will be announcing limited space markets, workshops and co-crafting space in the very near future. Everything will be set-up according to current guidelines, and we look forward to seeing your wonderful masked faces soon.
]]>Paired Hearts of Ottawa teams up with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute
]]>Paired Hearts of Ottawa teams up with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute
A few months ago, we saw an article talking about a group of people making crocheted, knitted, or sewn hearts. They are made in pairs and small enough to fit in one hand so that a medical frontline worker could give one heart to a patient and the matching heart to a family member that is unable to be with their sick loved one. It was a symbolic way to keep them connected when they are unable to see each other and it was something for them to hold on to.
Here at Square Lemon we were hoping to bring these paired hearts to the long term care homes and hospitals in Ottawa that were willing to take them to the patients and families. However, these institutions were obviously insanely busy and it was not logistically feasible to proceed this way.
Square Lemon approached the University of Ottawa Heart Institute to find out if there was some way that the 150+ pairs of donated handmade hearts could be of benefit to them. And they said yes!
So, we have printed greetings cards in 2 designs, added great red envelopes, and small cards with a link to this blog post. The University of Ottawa Heart Institute will be collecting these and the donated hearts this week.
We would like to thank the following people for being fantastic and hand-making, and donating, these paired hearts:
Janice Jacquard
Sabrina McLean
Heather of Heather's Yarn Creations
Candice M
Jenny Moore of Craft Studio Creations
Annette Williams of Super Cute Handmade
Meg Hood of Megz Art Room
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I suspect anyone who reads this post will be struggling with depression, anxiety and boredom.
COVID-19 has not been a good experience for anyone. Social distancing has hurt our interactions with loved ones, friends, even the people we stand at the bus stop with. Working from home, not working from home, not working at all - this has been a devastating blow to our accepted modern life.
But look at us! Look at Canada! Look how amazing we have all been!
We flattened the curve. We listened to sound advice, followed it, and we are close now to being able to achieve careful reopening as Stage 3 happens.
Well done everyone!
]]>My husband and I went on a kind of vacation to his grandmother’s vacant house, she’d recently been placed in a home - important to note that she is doing well, the home has not had any covid cases thanks to its remote location. We are buying her old car and needed to drive out to get it so we made a weekend vacation out of it. Lots of hard emotions for my husband being in her house that he has so many memories in. He had always wanted to buy her house but unfortunately it has not been something we can afford to do. Hopefully sharing the stories with me has helped him say goodbye to the property.
The city we were staying in for the car pick up was close enough to a friend's city that I haven’t seen in a few years (and I had some masks to bring him and his dad) so I was able to drive out there. My takeaway is…. Social distantancing is hard on the heart.
Having to be 6 feet away from someone you care about but not being able to hug them can wear the heart down fast. I finally had the opportunity to see a great friend but I couldn’t hug him. His dad made me muffins but I couldn’t hug him either. At least I could make them smile and even laugh a few times before we had to say goodbye because there was no place comfortable enough to enjoy a longer visit due to all the benches being removed to keep people safe.
Traveling to a different city was a bit worrying too. I wasn’t sure if there would be any washrooms open at the rest stops along the way. I was lucky enough to not need one but they did appear to have one open at the stop we did make… not sure I would have wanted to use it if I had to but I’m hoping it would have been safe.
I’m finding it strange to realize the things that still feel so wrong - like not hugging a close friend you haven’t seen in years and other things that have become second nature so quickly - like grabbing the gloves and getting the purel ready when you stop at the gas station. Planning trips around bathroom breaks and making sure you have your mask before you leave the house.
Strange times.
I am also finding myself looking for ways to make people's day easier. Trying to be a bit cheerier for a stranger that might be having a bad day but even that is a level harder than usual! Usually a smile and ‘hello’ or ‘have a nice day’ could make someone smile back but with a mask on….well they can’t see the smile so the hello sometimes gets lost in the transition….but at least I’m still trying to. Tempers are a little hotter in some places too. Waiting in lines is not fun and some take offence when stores make exceptions for the elderly or the disabled. I’ve seen some pretty nasty behavior out there and because of that whenever someone does something nice it damn near makes me cry and I just want to shout to everyone around “Have you seen this nice person?! They deserve all the ice cream cause they were kind when so many others have been mean!”
I guess as long as I can still find the good people then there is still a good reason to try to make someone smile at least once a day and be the good person someone else needs to see.
]]>As crafters at Square Lemon, we set out making the hearts and asked community crafters to make and donate to the cause as well. They came through, and we were able to donate many hearts to homes in the Ottawa area.
Now we are offering hearts to everybody!
As Square Lemon is a not-for-profit run entirely by volunteers we are finding that we are in need of a little help ourselves and no government programs can help.
We have decided to make the paired hearts available for purchase by anyone. They will be packaged up with a postage paid envelope and a card ready for you to fill with loving words, and an address, to then drop in the mailbox.
We hope that this will allow you to make a physical connection with your loved ones who are far away, or even not so far away, given the quarantine situation.
These hearts are available on our online store in the Square Lemon craft collection. All the proceeds go to keeping Square Lemon Artistic Association and The Paired Hearts of Ottawa operating.
**The hearts that are donated to us by community members are still going to homes and hospitals that request them for free. Only hearts made by Lemon volunteers are being sold.
]]>As a kid in school I read about what people did to get through the pandemic a hundred years ago and the one two hundred years ago.
How people had to nurse their loved ones because the hospitals couldn't handle all the patients and it was just dumb luck if you didn't die too. Some places had you put a mark on your door to warn others that someone in your home was sick. Bodies having to be carried through the streets and burned en masse.
It seemed surreal to me and I couldn't imagine how so many people survived it back then without all the knowledge that we'd gathered since. 30 years ago I really didn't think we could ever have a global pandemic like we did so long ago. Fast forward to a world with the Internet and an unfathomable amount of ignorance despite the amount of knowledge at our fingertips and now I know. We learned very little and sadly became complacent to our own ill-fated future.
As I sat there for hours sewing facemasks for my friends and family I wondered how all this would be written out in the end. Would we learn anything this time?
To be honest, I had to take a break from making the masks to do something else that made me feel more positive. So I turned to the Paired Hearts. At least when I make those, I know that I'm going to help someone feel a little bit of the love they've been missing. Yes, the masks are hugely important and helping to save lives and that's why I make them and can't bring myself to charge more than a couple of bucks for them, but the hearts have more.... well, they have more heart in them. The minute I read about them in another city had me drop the project I was going to start because I really felt this was more important.
For me, I need the balance between making something to save a life and making something to honour one... and as a painter I am definitely going to need to back away from the sewing machine a bit and pick up a brush soon!
That would be the next step for me. Getting back into creating artwork that I enjoy and that has only one purpose: to make someone feel something. I refuse to do commissions now (they've never gone well in the past) and this has helped me get more out of my painting. And what I get from that I'm definitely needing these days. I encourage everyone to try painting or any form of art that lets you create something from nothing. The rollercoaster of emotions and the pure distraction that comes from creating something is a therapy that has never failed and continuously grows on itself. The hardest part is not comparing your work to others and truly enjoying the thing that you've created.
Big moral lesson from all this is; do what needs to be done, don't forget to help where you can and find some time to heal yourself. After all, this is all going to go down in the history books.
]]>Last weekend, I thought it would be fun to have a virtual dinner date with my boyfriend. I decided to go all out and doll myself up, like it if it were a real date. I cooked myself a nice steak with a side of garlic roasted mushrooms, a caesar salad and even a cocktail. I rushed to be ready on time, so you can imagine how disappointed I was when, at the last minute, my boyfriend said he wasn’t up to having this dinner date after all. He was feeling unwell and very sleepy from doing some demolition work earlier in the day. I was upset, but it really wasn’t his fault. After I finished my temper tantrum, we decided to reschedule our virtual dinner date to a virtual brunch date the next morning.
I ended up having a few cocktails with my dinner, so guess who slept through their virtual brunch date the next morning? Yours truly! Ugh! I was so embarrassed, especially after how unreasonably upset I was with my boyfriend the night before when he cancelled… Luckily he was extremely understanding, and we were able to laugh at ourselves and make a joke about it. We did end up having our virtual brunch, but it was 2 hours later than scheduled, by the time I woke up and prepared a meal!
Can any of you relate? Or are you on the other side of the boat: living with your significant other and wishing for a break from them? Hang in there everyone, and try to laugh at yourselves!
]]>Calling all crafters and makers!
Recently we saw an article talking about a group of people making crocheted, knitted, or sewn hearts. They are made in pairs and small enough to fit in one hand so that a medical frontline worker can give one heart to a patient and the matching heart to a family member that is unable to be with their sick loved one.
]]>Calling all crafters and makers!
Recently we saw an article talking about a group of people making crocheted, knitted, or sewn hearts. They are made in pairs and small enough to fit in one hand so that a medical frontline worker can give one heart to a patient and the matching heart to a family member that is unable to be with their sick loved one. It’s a symbolic way to keep them connected when they are unable to see each other and it’s something for them to hold on to.
Here at Square Lemon we are hoping to bring these paired hearts to the long term care homes and hospitals in Ottawa that are willing to take them to the patients and families.
If you are able to help us make them we will pick them up (or you can drop them off at our Boyd location) and prep them for drop off. To do this safely we will be using gloves and allowing a day to pass after receiving them before delivering them to the homes and hospitals. (we will also be abiding by any safety measures that each facility wishes us to follow to ensure the safety of their workers and the patients)
If you work in a home or hospital and know who we should be contacting to implement this program please send us the contact information so we can reach out to them. Or you may give them our email address to contact us.
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