From Idea to Incredible: Three Local Makers to Watch This Season

Marbles and Mayhem

Forget flimsy cardboard – these games are built tough for family feuds. An action sports television producer by day and self-professed “tinkerer” by night, Jerry Curnew uses beech, oak, cherry or walnut to craft Aggravation, Cribbage, Dice Baseball, Fast Track and Frustration Rummy, to name a few of his Jerox Custom Creations.

“They’re really popular with people who want games for the cottage or the trailer that are durable,” says Curnew, who lives in Orangeville. For a game for grown-ups that’s low on instructions but high on fun, Left, Right, Drink! lives up to its name, sending shots in every direction. (Double-sided Aggravation, $175. Travel Xs and Os, $25, Jerox Custom Creations)

Waves of Blue

Swirls of sapphire, indigo and teal weave their way into the braided cotton rope bowls and baskets by husband-and-wife team Laurie Rowe-Gregory and John Gregory of Natural Stitch Designs. At their Amaranth studio, Gregory arranges lengths of white cotton rope and adds splashes of dye, sometimes scattering powdered pigment over melting ice cubes to create one-of-a-kind patterns. Once dry, Rowe-Gregory uses a heavy-duty quilting machine to stitch each piece into shape, adding flourishes such as wooden beads, Celtic knots or ceramic knobs.

A self-described “blues and greens gal,” she loves watching the dyes produce subtle variations in tone. “This is why each basket really is unique,” she says, “because the dyeing process always creates something new.” (Denim Bliss Basket, $70. Midnight Mosaic Lidded Basket, $65, Natural Stitch Designs)

Stone as Canvas 

Inspired by Headwaters’ idyllic scenery, Natalia Rose shrinks iconic local landscapes onto 4 x 4 inch stone coasters that function as mini works of art. Rose photographs and prints her original oil, acrylic and watercolour paintings onto natural stone. “The Mono and Orangeville area is really beautiful … I just truly enjoy painting the local scenery,” says Rose, who moved to Mono five years ago to be closer to nature.

Notable landmarks include the Museum of Dufferin and Mono Centre Brewing Co., as well as seasonal motifs such as autumn leaves and pumpkins. Find her work at Maple Grove Farm in Mulmur and Rock Garden Farms in Caledon East, as well as her Etsy shop. (Stone coasters, $20 each, Natalia Rose)

SOURCES

Jerox Custom Creations, Orangeville. jerox.ca 

Maple Grove Farm, 936215 Airport Rd, Mulmur. maplegrovefarm.ca, 705-435-5386

Natalia Rose, Mono. artistnataliarose.com 

Natural Stitch Designs, Amaranth. naturalstitchdesigns on Etsy

Rock Garden Farms, 16930 Airport Rd, Caledon East. rockgardenfarms.ca, 905-584-9461