I signed up for my very first Christmas Craft Fair on November 27 (hosted by a local community league) so I have been working madly to add pieces to my inventory. The vendor fee was relatively inexpensive, so I decided to go for it even though I’m not sure that my work (especially jewelry pieces) lends itself to Xmas shopping. But, maybe, people will be tempted to buy for themselves as they’re shopping for their friends and family. I know I do that all the time.

Lately, I’ve been inspired to go back to doing more embroidery and beading. So I have focused on that, along with some embroidery hoops. Here are some of the pieces I made:

Once the craft market is over, I actually have a few commissions to get done. I am so happy to have people ask me to make them special pieces; it makes the work more meaningful somehow. Because of the time-intensive nature of the work, making a profit on these items is almost impossible. I am usually just happy to recoup my material costs, and creating custom pieces means having an extra bit of satisfaction on top of that, knowing my work will be appreciated and worn.

If you are able to, please consider supporting local independent artists and makers this holiday season. They are probably pouring a lot of themselves into their work, for the love of their craft more than anything; and the things you can get from them will be far more special than anything mass-produced. Plus, you will help to keep alive artisan skills and traditions.

Peacock Blue

I recently added this wonderful vintage London Fog wool coat to my winter arsenal, and my only regret is that its colour is impossible to photograph. It’s much more saturated in real life, and a perfect deep turquoise-with-green-undertones. I love it so much, and it really brightens up a grey day. I would love to do a fully monochromatic look with it some day, but finding this exact shade of blue/green is incredibly difficult, it seems, even at thrift stores (where variety is the order of the day, every day). Anyway, I used to be the kind of person who only bought black or neutral coats, but don’t be like me and sleep on the possibilities of a brightly coloured version. I am actually still hunting for a replacement for my old MaxMara camel coat, but in the meantime, I’m having fun with something a little bolder.

Sparkle & Shine

Winter is the season for sequins. It’s not even just the association with the festive holidays; sequins twinkling remind me of sunlight on snow. I hate snow, but I will grudgingly admit that, in the dead of winter (before the melt), it can look very pretty. Probably not rainbow-coloured, but that is where sequins are superior. I did a stripe-on-stripe outfit here, and I was very pleased with it.

Bloomsbury Girl

Hopefully you don’t get whiplash from all the back-and-forth, stylewise, that’s happening here. Some days, though, one craves a little bit of neutrals. Beige doesn’t have to be boring. Okay, it usually is (to me), but I love this Anna Suit crochet top and silk-wool Claude Poitras wrap, so I am making them work. The outfit ended up feeling evocative of the Bloomsbury Group (maybe I’m still secretly obsessed with Living in Squares), which I enjoyed very much. Most of my Bohemian outfits are usually every colourful, but this was a lovely change of pace.

Not So Fast, Buster

… because, yes, back to colour again we go! Candy stripes and abstract faces? Why not. I like that the unifying colour in this outfit is white. White always feels fresh when used intentionally like that. While I probably wouldn’t have worn this outfit at the office, I love that I could wear it at my home office; it makes me happy.

Pretty in Pink

I’ve been meaning to wear my “cupcake skirt” again, and there’s no day like the present, as they say. Plus, once the snow hits, it will be harder. I paired it with my “glitchy Mickey” Zara tee, and some tonal tights (and leather jacket) and I feel like that hit the right balance of whimsical-without-being-twee that’s simultaneously so tricky to hit, but also so fun.

Luxe Historian

I still don’t have a good name for this avatar, but it’s basically my version of Diana Bishop (from A Discovery of Witches) come to life. I always enjoy doing a 3-piece-suit outfit, and here I mixed up a bunch of check patterns to good result, I think. I’ve been loving brown and blue combos lately, but brown and green works well too. The Liberty scarf was a nice extra touch; I need to remember to wear my (non-blanket size) scarves more often.

Après Ski, Hold the Ski

I have been looking for a Fair Isle type sweater for a while, and when I saw this MaxMara one pop up on Poshmark, I knew it was The One. I’ll post a better shot of it next time, I promise; it has a very cool, mixed pattern effect going on, with contrast sleeves and a contrast back panel (of course, are you surprised). This was otherwise a pretty basic outfit, also featuring my new-to-me pair of Ash sneakers, also courtesy of Poshmark. I have 2 other pairs that I have been wearing non-stop, and one is starting to go. In a panic, I went and got this one as a back-up. I love this style of sneaker so, so much. They’re leather, they have cool embellishments, and that wedge heel is very comfortable and also lends me some much needed extra height. I might have taken a break from my heels, but I will never not be looking for a little extra height.

One, Two, Three Punch

Orange and blue are such a powerful combo, but here it’s the yellow that really punches up the visual impact. I layered 2 necklaces to get this collar effect, and I love how they came together; much more dramatic than either necklace on its own. I realized that, with the shorter darker days ahead, I am increasingly relying on colourful outfits to brighten up my mood. Even when I’m feeling “witchy”, my default seems to be bright+bold+patterns. Then again, who’s to say that witches can’t love colour?