Originals

 I'm enjoying this spring as a lot of the old events are returning and I am finally feeling that I can go to them without worrying as much about Covid 19. This week we went to visit the Originals Craft Show in Ottawa. It was always a favourite place to see interesting creations, spark my imagination and pick up a few treats. 

I guess not all the vendors are feeling quite as safe yet as there were several booths used to showcase what you could find at other booths throughout the room. 

I went in intending to pick up a couple of treats we have not had over the past few years, and I got them, along with a couple more. Needless to say, we had charcuterie last night.

I specifically wanted Deb's Crispy Cracker Seasoning Mix and a visit to Little Shop of Lobster. I went with the Crab Mousse this time. I like taste-testing what's offered and was completely sold on Crosswind Farm's Cranberry Orange Artisan Cheese!  It's fabulous! Dear Hubby got to pick something out too. He really liked Carmichael's Bisson meat but brought home the Honey Garlic Pepperoni instead.  It did go well with the cheese and cracker platter and wine that evening.

One of the vendors was a lady who makes dresses out of t-shirts. My brother passed away recently and he had so many cartoon themed t-shirts that he likely could have gotten through a year without ever repeating which one he wore (if he wore each one for more than one day). I got her card as she will make a custom dress for me for the same price as the ones she has already made. I just have to give her the five shirts required to do so. Now I just have to decide what colour I want and start sorting. 

The other thing I wanted the moment I saw it was little shelves made out of logs. I wracked my brain trying to figure out where I could put one. I have a small house and it just won't hold any more furniture, but I thought his simple Burnt Log Designs were wonderful.

The only thing that would have made my day better would be if I had not forgotten to pick up some lemon squares from BC before we left!

Spring Means Arts and Crafts Shows

On the weekend we went on one of our little rambles.

First we went to the Ernst & Young Centre in Ottawa for the annual Originals Craft Show. We used to go to this show all the time, but apparently we have not been in the past four years, since one of the venders told me they had been at that location that long.  I'm sure we had never experienced the show there before.  Another reason I'm sure I must not have been lately was that everything was new to me, other than one or two crafters and the Manitoulin gourmet food producers from Hawberry Farms, who make the jams and dips, etc. the only other person I recognized there was John Shae. He's one of my favorite area artists, and we seem to find him everywhere we go.  Of course, seeing all new (to me) vendors just made it an even better show as there was lots to explore and be tempted by. 

There was a man from the Gaspe region who creates marvelous boxes with little drawers, as well as the most fantastic bird houses I've ever seen. He does it all with driftwood he finds at the beach.  No two pieces are alike as the wood dictates what he does with it. Then there was the lady who sews purses, or bags, that are designed to carry your iPad as well as your usual purse stuff. I bought a purse big enough to do that last year, but these were made of denim and weighed next to nothing. That's a plus point right there!  Some of them had sayings embroidered on them in either English or French. They were totally washable too.  I was very impressed with her designs.  And nothing is as fascinating as Birchbark Poetry....pictures Mother Nature paints on bits of birch bark, found, preserved and framed by  Galyna Kovalenko, Elena Galiamova & Stalina Roubinova.

I'm always on the lookout for sauces that you can pour over ice cream or cake.  Hillshire Farms used to have them, but they don't anymore.  I found some wonderful ones at the Originals Craft Show containing maple syrup, butter and honey.  Some even had sea salt added, which seems to be the latest fad in foods.  I tasted a couple of varieties and picked one out. It was so good!  It is my usual method to tour the room and then go back and pick up what I decide to take home, so that I don't spend money at one booth, only to discover something I'd rather have further along.  I fully intended to go back for this marvelous concoction, but my hubby discovered some Verbena Blue Jam from the Tangled Garden  and didn't hesitate to pay for that then and there. I knew I was not going to leave without the Crab Mousse from the Little Shop of Lobsters. Since it was pretty pricey, I ended up leaving without the carmel sauce after all. 

On the way home we stopped at Manotick, for their Art Association's Brush With Art Spring Show and Sale. It was a little difficult to locate, but once there we viewed the work of 65 artists.  I enjoyed the works of Douglas Laing and Joseph Coban, both of whom were new to me, as well as many others. I could not leave without one of Bonnie McQuillan's delightful cat magnets. The are the size of a post card, so they are meant more for display than to hold things in place. This is now on my refrigerator, and makes me smile every time I enter the kitchen.