Local Buys: Spring 2023
Rustic wood bowls, an ode to mushrooms and eye-catching tea towels are just some of the handmade crafts to look for this season.
Bowled Over
“Repurposing salvaged wood into decorative or functional bowls is my way of extending the life and personality of the trees,” says Caledon’s Sam Meandro of Wood Turning — Design by Nature. Beyond that, Sam decides whether to leave the bark on or not, whether to keep the bowl’s edge naturally ragged or to smooth it — and how to otherwise incorporate imperfections. “I usually have an idea in mind when I begin a bowl, but I always let the wood speak to me.”
Bowl prices vary, approximately $10 to $15 per inch in diameter. Photo by Wood Turning.
Wearable Mushrooms
It’s spring and the mushrooms are calling, at least to outdoorsy Glen Huron illustrator Fisher Monahan. He likes fungi so much, he sketched several varieties as wearable art on T-shirts and sweatshirts, available at Creemore’s new Tierra Hermosa Local Market (tees only on Fisher’s website).
Mushroom sweatshirt by Fisher Monahan.
He says he decided to make the tops due to the popularity of his mushroom graphic on his social media channels, but also because the earthy feel of the illustrations “captures my ethos.” (Sweatshirt, $80, Tierra Hermosa Market)
Artful Tea Towels
Emily Taylor finds much inspiration in the spectacular purple hills of Mulmur where she grew up and is looking for a home. Emily, a surface pattern designer, channels several countrified motifs, including vintage-looking maple sugar tins, cozy cabins and local flora and fauna into the art prints and cards she sells from her small stationery and print-goods company, Cabin Journal.
Tea towels, $20, by Cabin Journal.
The tea towels pictured here feature blue and white milk glass kitchenware pieces and pink retro barware. Rendered in bright, yet soft hues, they’ll definitely add spring cheer to your towel rack.
SOURCES
- Wood Turning by Sam Meandro, Caledon. FB WoodturningbySam
- Fisher Monahan, Glen Huron. fishermonahan.com
- Tierra Hermosa Local Market, 2 Francis St. E., Creemore. 416-819-9375. tierra-hermosa.ca
- Emily Taylor Illustration, Toronto. cabinjournal.ca
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Local Buys: Winter 2022
Nov 20, 2022 | | Made in the HillsLocally grown lavender, handmade pottery, leather beer holders and bold brass earrings will make great gifts to give this season.
