things to do :: Got Craft?

illustration and design by The Beautiful Project

Got Craft? is this SUNDAY
Sunday, May 2nd, 2010
10:00am to 5:00pm
Royal Canadian Legion – 2205 Commercial Drive (at E. 6th Ave)
Admission $2.00 (kids 10 and under are free)

Vancouver’s largest indie craft fair is kicking off the 4th annual Spring show with 55 local, handmade vendors and a DIY table hosted by Spool of Thread Sewing Lounge to make your own crafts.

Did I mention there will be swag bags? The first 30 people through the door will receive a handmade tote bag filled with goodies from all of our vendors! Here is a sneak peek!

Please stop by and say hello! I will be the event selling my Roxypop goods!

goodbye Vancouver, hello London

photo credit: nanew*

We hummed and we hawed ...
We went back and forth ...
We weighed out the pros and cons ...
We went through a rollercoaster of emotions ...
We reached a decision ...
and when I say we, I really mean I.

** drum roll ** ** drum roll ** ** drum roll ** ** drum roll ** ** drum roll ** ** drum roll ** ** drum roll ** ** drum roll **

We have decided to move abroad! Hello London! We have an opportunity to live and work unrestricted which we can't seem to pass up. I don't want to live life asking myself "what if", but I am filled with excitement and fear. Technically, we don't know anybody in London nor do we have jobs waiting for us. However, we are two smart cookies and if you have any connections or contacts, we would love to hear from you!

Why London? We love it there.

Where will we live? We've been there enough to know the general areas that we want to stay and we have a letting agent to help us along the process especially since we are bringing Cleo along with us.

What will we do? We had a fantastic time working on the Olympics in Vancouver and help to find an event related position. I hope to be involved in the crafts community overseas and keep on making while I am away.

What will this mean for lotus events?
Not much will change. We plan on continuing our work while we are away. lotus events along with our events such as Got Craft and Indie I Do will take on a more global feel. We have a qualified Assistant that will operate the Vancouver office and oversee all weddings and events plus we will still be available via email and telephone.

When will you leave? We realized that there isn't really a good time to leave. There is always something that we could stay for. The current plan is February 2011.

I'm thinking short term for now, but you never know. This is not goodbye! I'm already planning regular trips back to Vancouver. To those of you that have always wanted to go to London or go back to London, please visit. I mean it. I have a tendency to feel home sick, so we expect our flat to be a whirling door of visitors!

preferred vendor lists

photo credit: Melissa Jill Photography

When you visit wedding venue or vendor websites, sometimes you may find a section titled "preferred vendors" or "recommended vendors". What exactly does this mean? When brides ask me for vendor suggestions, I always recommend people based on my previous experience working with them or whose work that I admire. lotus events do not accept commissions and any savings that we do receive from vendors are passed on to our clients.

I was on twitter the other day and came across a tweet by @melissajill that pretty much sums up some preferred vendor lists. You can read the full blog post here.

Regardless of what people tell you, remember, that you, as the wedding couple, must feel comfortable with your wedding vendor team. Ask questions.. check references... and don't forget to listen to your heart!

Etsy Finds Friday

Etsy Finds Friday is a speckle of random things that have caught my eye on etsy.com. Great ideas and lots of inspiration for your upcoming wedding or to add a little handmade love to your life.

photo credit go to the respective shops listed below

(From left to right)
Top: Sugar & Flour, Verabel Jewelry, Smart Fish

Middle: Eight Seasons, favorite design, Daisy Petal Designs

Bottom: Daily Paper, Lara Lewis, La Pomme

breakfast match up

This was floating around the blog network last month and thought I would share it with you. German photographer Oliver Schwarzwald photographed typical breakfasts from around the world. Can you name which breakfast is from which country?


When Robert and I got married, we spent five weeks traveling in London and across Eastern Europe. The hotel that we stayed at in Poland had a breakfast buffet and I have to admit that it was the first time I have ever seen bottles of Vodka served buffet style right next to the bagels. Now that I think about it... Germany was also the only place where I have ever been served orange juice and vodka where vodka made up 75% of the drink!




(found via A CUP OF JO and Flavorwire)

things to do :: silent auction fundraiser

We first met Christi from Bueno Style at the very first Got Craft almost four years ago. Today, she needs your help to raise funds for the BMO Vancouver Marathon on Sunday, May 2nd.

As part of the Team In Training group, Christi is raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. She's holding a silent auction with all proceeds towards the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. Come on down to The Main Restaurant, head into the back room. Tickets are only $5.00!

date: Wednesday, April 21st, 2010
time: 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
location: The Main Restaurant - 4172 Main Street

Bid on prize packages such as:

“I like Bikes” (Brand new Lezyne bike pump, new Abus lock, and Deluxe repair kits)
“Shop Cambie Village” (gift basket from Choices, Gift certificates from Cambie St. merchants)

There will also be tickets sold for a draw every half hour for $25.00 restaurant gift certificates, or salon gift certificates. All this plus door prizes - you can win prizes just for showing up!

If you can't make it out, but still want to help out, click here for my personal donation page. Any amount helps, and any donation $10.00 & over will automatically generate a tax receipt.

Etsy Finds Friday

Etsy Finds Friday is a speckle of random things that have caught my eye on etsy.com. Great ideas and lots of inspiration for your upcoming wedding or to add a little handmade love to your life.

photo credit go to the respective shops listed below

(From left to right)
Top: Yoola, Perch 52, Lynn's Little Shop

Middle: Chloe and Maddie, Junk Yard Finds

Bottom: favorite design, Bitter End, Les Marquise des Anges

upscale comfort food

photo credit: Glowbal Collection

I saw this image pass through my facebook live feed and knew that I needed to research this a little more. Is this a real menu item!? Yes ma'am! It sure is.

This is the Junk Food Platter from Society located in Yaletown. For $18.00 you get everything on the plate and according to reviews, the ice cream sandwiches are where it's at.

Care to share a delicious cavity on a plate?

lists :: monday

photo credit: Maco@Sky Walker

Good morning! The weather outside seems to be holding nicely with some constant sun. After a week or two of wacky weather ... rain... sun... hail... snow... sun... wind... all in one day ... I'm not going to complain that it's just a tad nippy. Ha! Do you like how I slipped that in? I'm not going to complain, but then I did? Oh dear. I think I need to go back and sleep some more.

On the list this week ...

< eating > home made potato latkes and sour cream made from scratch

< drinking > iced americanos

< making > pencil pouch test samples

< sharing > image of tulips in a polaroid

< reading > new issue of ReadyMade and Uppercase Magazine

< learning > words such as "professional growth"

I came across this image on the Target website advertising their wedding registry the other day. It seems completely un-like what a department store would normally use as part of their advertisements you know? Perhaps 'targeting' (pun not intended) to reach the indie bride market and giving it an environmentally friendly spin with the bicycles. Ask people if they like Walmart and most will answer "no". However, ask them about Target and most people will tell you what a magical place full of goodies it is even though they are both big box stores.

In 2008, Target started their designer series featuring collaborations with Liberty of London, Jean Paul Gaultier and Orla Kiely to name a few. Ads like the one above show that Target has been able to reach the DIY indie community. Trust me, I was in Portland when Orla Kiely's collection was released and it was total insanity. All the crafting blogs were talking about heading to Target or in most cases, multiple stores as everything was flying off the shelves.

At the moment, Target is only available in the US, but according to rumours, they do have future plans to move into Canada as part of their international expansion. Target, or Tar-jay as the cool kids call it, has always been a must stop whenever we go South of the border. Happy shopping!