Local Buys: Autumn 2020

Mrs. Clean

Lindsay Sammut believes what goes on your skin is as important as what goes in your body. The Orangeville artisan started her skincare brand Primal and Lavish last year to offer natural handcrafted products at an affordable price, all made with local ingredients whenever possible. “My most popular product is the Bluegrass Cleanser + Moisturizer, which has introduced many customers to the oil-cleansing method,” says Lindsay of the skin craze which eschews soap in favour of oils to draw out impurities and hydrate. Whipped body butters (Lemongrass + Cedarwood, Pink Grapefruit + Lime, and Cacao + Vanilla Bean) round out her lineup. Products are packaged without plastic to reduce their ecological footprint. (Body Butter 120 ml/$29, Bluegrass Cleanser + Moisturizer 60 ml/$34, Primal and Lavish)

Prints Charming

Although she was scooped up by Lululemon and other companies to work in design on the West Coast, Nadine Nevitt grew up in Caledon and still spends three months a year here. Specializing in textile design, illustration and photography, Nadine’s original pen and ink drawings grace pillows, cards, prints, journals and tumblers at Rare Threads in the Alton Mill Arts Centre and on her website. Each illustration is a treasure trove of detail – motifs include VW vans, wild animals peering out from scenic landscapes, and florals – rendered in muted pastels. (Pillows $60, cards $5, Rare Threads)

Crown Jewels

If you have a drawer full of gorgeous baubles that just aren’t being worn, Stephanie Gairdner of Erin’s Renaissance Boutique has a clever way to turn them into art. She’s created a niche market with her bespoke letters and numbers festooned with antique, vintage and costume jewellery. To pull each design together, she chooses from both a client’s collection and her own stockpile. These mosaic masterpieces are often tributes to deceased loved ones, featuring personal jewels handed down through generations. Mounted on a wall or tucked into a bookcase, they’re sure to shine as conversation starters. (6-inch pieces from $52, 10-inch pieces from $98, Renaissance Boutique)

Sources

• Primal and Lavish, Orangeville. primalandlavish.com
• Nadine Nevitt and Co., Caledon and B.C. nadinenevitt.com
• Rare Threads, Alton Mill Arts Centre, Alton. 519-307-9300. rarethreads.ca
• Renaissance Boutique, 72 Main St, Erin. 519-833-4488. Jewels At Renaissance on Facebook. @renaissance001 on Instagram