Brinner at Arts Market

It's been a strange year, but many good things have happened too. Things have been moving along slowly, but now that I look back, I can see the progress.

One of the more recent positive changes has been the new opportunities coming my way in terms of my shop. I've hoped to get a chance to sell my items in a brick and mortar store and finally a few weeks ago I was able to do just that! I opened my own little section at the Arts Market.

It's quite the challenge to put together a more permanent set up for a shop compared to a craft show table. At a show I'm constantly there, so I can rearrange products and immediately react if something doesn't look right. Shows are also only a few days at a time, so I don't need to think about the permanence of the display. In a shop you have to figure out how to display the product, how to keep the section tidy and, most importantly, how to make sure your customers can find what they want.

 

Just because I understand the challenge, doesn't mean I have a solution. I'm working on it, so I'm sure I'll post the occasional update.

I am also working on another ongoing dream of mine. Besides expanding my business into a physical shop, I've dreamed of being able to run workshops and crafting related events. I'm currently finalizing the plans for my first ever open event! I'll share the details as soon as things have been finalized!

Love & Rummage 7 - Sunday February 8th

Hello lovelies!

I'll be selling at the Love&Rummage 7 trunkshow over at The Workroom this upcoming Sunday, February 8th!

I'm bringing everyone's favorite notebooks, including this rad T-Rex and one of a kind greeting cards.

I'm also bringing some cool new things, like color-coded and themed paperpacks as well as all sorts of Valentine's day awesomeness!

If you're in the neighborhood, please drop by and say hi!

My article in Maak Magazine

I've had a really hard time not telling you guys about this until now! My DIY vintage ornament wreath tutorial has been published in the Dutch craft magazine Maak Magazine! Woohoo!

The ladies behind the magazine sent me the page layout before and said I could share it, but I really wanted to wait until I had the actual magazine in my hands. I'm glad I did. The magazine is totally amazing!

The quality of the magazine is so nice, even the paper feels great! And there's just so much cool stuff in it. I don't speak Dutch and understand only a little bit, so I can't follow the instructions written instructions. The photos, however, are amazing and give you a really good idea what the text says.

I should mention that there are goodies that come with it... I was expecting maybe a postcard or a couple of stickers, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw all this additional stuff! Many things were Christmas and New Years related, since this was the holiday edition, but there's a bunch of all-season goodies too! I did order a few other things as well, but I removed those from the box prior to taking the photo. All the other things are extra stationery surprises included with my order.

Please note that this is not a paid ad! I am super-excited to have my tutorial published, but I paid for a copy of the magazine myself. So, yeah, it's really that good!

First one done, two more to go!

Thank you everyone who came by at the Crafternoon Tea craft show last Saturday! It was so much fun and I'm so glad I got to meet so many awesome people!

The bast part of any show is to get to talk about what I make with my customers live and meet some rad fellow-makers! I was lucky to be placed between two kick-ass ladies, so a hello to Beak&Bill and The Studio Forest! Thank you also to Nathalie-Roze & Co for organizing such a fun and welcoming event!

Like said, though, I am not quite done yet! I'll still be at the Beaches Artists' and Artisans' show for the next two Saturdays, December 13th and 20th!

The show takes place at Beaches Presbyterian Church on 65 Glen Manor Drive. The doors will be open from 11am to 4pm. Hope to see you there!

Conveniently, I actually have a photo of said door!

Crafternoon Tea in Leslieville - Saturday, December 6th

Hi guys,

It's been two years since I attended a craft show as a vendor, so it's about time! This Saturday, December 6th 2014, will be my first show here in Toronto. I'm attending the Craftnernoon Tea show on Queen St. East, corner of Carlaw.

There will be over 25 vendors, and the majority of the items will be under $50! So, this is a great opportunity to find some Christmas presents, stocking stuffers or just find something fun for yourself! I will bring back the hugely popular $5 items, notebooks, greeting cards, stickers and ornaments!

Come by to say hi and check out the charity tea party!

P.S. This awesome 70s poolside hunks with a Christmas tree notebook will also be available! It's one of a kind, so first come, first serve!

Vintage paper awesomeness - discount code for -20%

- Scroll down for 20% off discount code -

Some of my long-time followers might remember that I have a second shop focusing on craft supplies. I've always been drawn to vintage paper and stationery, and if you combine that with my pack-rat type qualities, you can imagine how much stuff accumulates.

I don't usually buy things to resell, only to use myself. That of course backfires when I don't have time to use the majority of things I find.

Since moving to Toronto in December I had to give up quite a bit of storage space. I have great plans for new products, especially for the holiday season* so I need to clear some space. I've added some vintage paper, some stickers and other paper goodies in the shop at significantly reduced prices. And as a reader of this blog, you'll get an additional 20% off on all the items**!

CLICK HERE for the shop!

Use the code: blogbuddy20 to apply the discount to your offer.

No minimum order, valid while supplies last or until end of August.

*) I'm not saying it's practically Christmas, but I need to start now to get things done in time.

**)The discount only applies to Brinner Supplies shop! (Not my regular shop)

Repurpose - the Stationery McGyver

I repurpose a lot of items at home. I am very much aware of the environmental impact things like excessive packaging has and I recycle and... you know... all that. It's important, but thats not what this post is about!

I love the challenge of reusing something old. Rescuing items that are falling apart and turning them into something new. I mean, I run an online store based on that thought! I do that at home as often as possible and use the same principles while I travel. Even though recycling and reducing waste is important, the challenge is equally important to me. And, let's be honest now, when I get an idea, I need to work on it *right now.* So, I will use whatever materials I have at hand.

I do also like the idea that being creative doesn't require a huge budget. Don't get me wrong, I am more that happy to spend money on good quality stationery, go a little nuts about pens and don't get me started about what happens to me in bookstores... This doesn't mean that you *need* a lot of money to make things. Some basic supplies from the dollarstore (or the equivalent from your country) can get you pretty far.

Reusing things is almost a second nature to me, so I wanted to start sharing some of the things I do. A lot of the things I make right now are snailmail-related, just because I have limited time on my hands nowadays. I have many projects planned that have nothing to do with mail, those are coming as soon as i have time to finish them.

Photos on this post are of the vintage stamp sticker packs sold in my online shop! Click HERE to see them!

While I work on some upcoming projects, please share with us:

What's the repurpose project or trick you're the most proud of?

Setting up my studio

Having a place to work is high up on my wishlist when it comes to finding a home. When we came to Toronto to look for an apartment, it was the first thing on my 'I-really-really-really-want-one' list. However, that would be the first one to get cut over more important things like two bedrooms. I'm sure I would've figured out a little nook somewhere to work in, but I was delighted to find our current apartment which has a solarium.

I saw the potential there, but only now in the summer it's really coming together. The space is smaller than what I had before when it comes to storage space, but the layout is completely different. I like that I can close the door if I need to, but ultimately I want it to not only work, but look nice as well.


I can finally say I have a legit studio!


I've been working on it a lot last week and I can finally see it coming together. I so want to share some photos of it once it's finished, but a few snapshots will have to do for now. Strings of lights make everything better!

I've moved almost everything around and gone through a whole lot of materials last week. It's the last little push to get it done, I just feel like I'm running out of steam now.

Have a break, have a ... Wait! What?

Hello, hello!

How are you doing?

I have to tell you guys something. To be honest, I am surprising myself, but I need to take a little break from the blog. I never really thought about doing that. In fact, I have a long list of topics to share with you guys. Yet, I just realized yesterday that taking a short break is the right thing to do.

Don't you just hate it when a blog you've been reading does that? Yeah, me too. But, sometimes this is absolutely necessary.

I am, finally, starting a new job tomorrow. I did mention it before, but it's now time. It's also prime wedding season, so I have a lot of custom work to finish. And, I also realize that even though I have a ton of ideas I want to share with you guys, I don't actually have the time to make (plan, photograph, edit and write) them. This is especially true for the DIY and recipe posts. 

So, all this is to say that I'm taking a short break from the blog. I'm thinking a few weeks to get my schedule back on track again. You can still find me over at various social media outlets:

Instragram @brinnertime 

Facebook

Twitter @brinnertime

And of course, don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin' and you'll know exactly when I'll be back again. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail (brinner.shop@hotmail.ca) if you have any questions or comments during my absence.

See you guys soon!

Mail on Monday

How was your weekend? Mine was filled with glitter! I worked on the custom wedding invites and then on Sunday enjoyed a lovely late lunch. After lunch I got some wonderful news from a dear friend. All in all, this was an awesome weekend! Today is still a day off, but I have a huge to-do list for the day. I'll go to work to relax tomorrow. (I'm kidding, looks like it's full-on mayhem over there. This is the busiest time of the year.)

On the mail-front, I might have gotten a little carried away again... I'll let you be the judge of that.

Outgoing

 

A little black and white number to get us started. I do often use my own products. You can see the envelopes available HERE


The second one is a beige and tan piece of mail with some dashes of gold. I really like those starburst stickers. I just found some in another color, so I'm fairly sure you'll see more of these in the near future.


And finally a pink and black polkadot envelope. I just feel like polkadots make everything better. Wouldn't you agree? I carried on a photo theme, since that's what the topic of the stamp is. (Also, I just really, really like this camera tape)

Incoming

There's only one incoming this week, but what an awesome piece of mail it is! Just look at it! Love it! It's from Susanne who's in the UK right now. Thank you!

So, what do you have planned for the upcoming week?

M.I.A.

For the first time since I started posting the feature, I missed Friday inspiration two days ago. I sat down on the computer late on Thursday night and absolutely nothing came to me. It was like my head drew a complete blank. If I were to say that nothing inspired me at that moment, it would be true, but rather bleak. It's not like I was sitting here, miserable or sad. Quite the contrary. I was happy. Extremely tired, but happy.

I've been thinking about writing a post like this for a while, but couldn't really bring myself to do it. I don't go into my personal life much, nor do I talk much about other things than crafts, decorating, mail and occasionally my cats. When I started over a year and a half ago, I had no real idea what I would do with this blog. I didn't have huge plans, nor many expectations. I like writing and that's about all it took to get started.

Source: tumblr.com via lynn on Pinterest

Soon after I started my blog, I lost my job. It really, really sucked. I immediately started looking for new challenges. I worked on my business, my blog and on putting together a killer resume. It was all slow going, but eventually things started picking up. I got a pretty awesome freelance gig. It wasn't a steady 9-to-5 job, but fun when there were projects for me. I got more training to get better at this job. Which then lead to more projects. Last week, for example, was exhausting, but so much fun. And now I have a longer, full time contract waiting for me in a few weeks.

To add to this, I recently started doing wedding planning almost accidentally. I'm also designing custom invitations. And I am still working on my true passion, making new things out of old things.

Source: google.ca via Ann on Pinterest

All this is not said in order to make excuses. I'm trying to figure out my new 'every day'. I'm not quite sure how these pieces all fit together. All of these new things have required me to rearrange all the old things. I needed to stand up for myself. Not all of that was easy, but absolutely necessary. There's still work to be done, but things are starting to line up nicely.

So, I guess I'm saying that I'm working out a way to keep doing all the things that I love. I'm not quitting this blog, but it needs to be restructured. I want to write about more varied topics and still keep the things that brought you all here! I want to write as often and I did before, but still make sure I have time to do other things as well. I just need a new way of doing things. Which, come to think of it, is probably exactly what I need right now.

For right now, I'll leave you with this; Yay for Spring!! Stay tuned for regular snailmail post tomorrow!

Mail on Monday

Happy Monday! It's everyone's favorite day! (No? It's not?)

For me, last week was... Well, really, really long. There was a whole lot going on and not all of it great. I am hoping this week will be much, much better. I'm actually fairly sure it will be. The weather is beautiful, sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. A smidgen on the chillier side still, but not too bad. At +9C/48F it's definite sneaker weather. When I can wear my Converse, I'm one happy gal. It won't be  much longer now that I can bust out my nice heels too!

Let's take a peek at the mailbox:

Outgoing

As I mentioned here and here, I've been working on some new items for my shop. The thing is that I don't just make things for sale, I love everything I make! To the point that I actually use the things I make. These envelopes are all a part of the sets I made this weekend, sometimes I just like them so much that I have to use a few myself before putting them up for sale...

The first two are made from the pages of a book about ChiChi the Panda. It's a photo book about ChiChi moving to a new zoo. There were a few photos of some of the other animals at the zoo, so that's why there was a photo of the deer. I love the quality of the paper! And I think the envelopes turned out awesome. I'm kind of tempted to keep a few more for myself. Maybe there will be a few left over when I start packing these... There will be a few sets available in the shop soon!

The last one of the envelopes is from a 1970s pastry book. The photos were just too awesome! They combine really yummy looking desserts with 70s photo props. How cool is that!

Incoming

The first incoming is a construction-y (I feel any word can be made into an adjective by adding a Y at the end) letter from Susanne! It's awesomely committed to the theme, the envelope is made from a page with pictures of tools, the stamps show kids dressed up in construction site appropriate gear and it's closed with, you guessed it, duct tape. Awesome! Thanks Susanne!

And the second incoming letter from last week is from Laura, who sadly just took a break from her blog. She can now be found over at LEP. I'm glad I get to still read your awesome thoughts on matters of life and death, like the zombie apocalypse and fountain pens! Thanks Laura!

So, are you planning on sending some mail this week?

Sunday musings - more paper

I spent a good part of yesterday just chopping up paper. I have so many gorgeous things I've found and rescued over the years, but they tend to be forgotted and left unused. The whole point why I look for these treasures is to give them a new life as something else. The idea is not to just bring them home and let them pile up.

So I started the daunting task of slowly chipping away the mountain of beautiful paper. I have a few small boxes full of paper snippets. Things I've fallen for for whatever reason, saved them and here they are, unused. I talked about this before, but as I often have the tendency to do, talking doesn't really fix the situation, actions do.

I finally started figuring out what to do with all this. I finished the envelopes with the pandas and pies from earlier in the week. I then started putting together paper packs. I made these awesome ephemera packs in black and white. They have as many different kinds of things as I could pack in them; book pages from the 1950s, vintage playing cards, illustrations and photos clipped from books, postage stamps and other bits and bobs. I'm quite happy how they turned out. There's a few available for $4 per pack. Each pack has 20+ pieces.

There's also packs of vintage flower and plant illustrations available for $3 per pack. Each pack contains at least 20 vintage illustrations. They are from gardening books from the 1970s, printed on high quality glossy paper. 

You might have also noticed there is a new link at the top of this site, Vintage Paper Packs. This goes to another store of mine, where you can purchase some of my items. I'm hoping to start adding more and more vintage paper and other finding to that shop as time goes by. Right now, however, The packs are available in my Etsy shop as well.

I have to make a confession. When I was putting together those packs of paper, I actually remembered the ideas I had for most of the paper. I've saved those pieces over a long period of time and kept them with specific projects in mind. I'm not quite sure when I thought I'd get the time to make all these projects though...

Anyhow, paper packs: yay or nay?

On the crafting desk - pandas and pies, paper, oh my

It's that time again to start going through all the beautiful materials I have piling up in my craft closet. Just because it's spring and I am sorting through things, doesn't make it "spring cleaning".

I'm just... taking inventory.

That's right, sounds much more fun than cleaning!



I started going through my stashes of awesome paper. As I go through the materials for any of my products, I always save little snippets or pictures I think are great. Sometimes I use them in crafts, but there's always a huge pile that I'm not sure what to do with. I think I will bring back the paper packs to the shop... I had those available some time ago, but once I ran out, I just didn't make any more. I think I might just do the same thing again.

I feel bad when I have these amazing pieces of mainly vintage paper that aren't getting the appropriate attention they deserve.


I also found some awesome books from the 70s in the piles of books I've rescued. I've had them both for a while, but they've just been waiting for the right inspiration. Last night I got started, I feel they will make amazing envelopes. I will list some in the shop once they are finished.

Do you do this? Save paper snippets and run out of time to use them all?

Sunday scheduling

I'm planning for the new week. I know reading a post about how busy the blogger is gets really boring. I also know that there hasn't been anything really interesting in the blog recently. Don't get me wrong, I only write about things that interest me, but I have the opportunity to see what kind of topics you like to read about. I do check the traffic to my blog fairly often to see what are the more popular topics.

The good news is that there are more DIY projects coming, I know you like those! And I promise there will be some non-snailmail related ones coming soon. Don't worry though, there will also be plenty of snail mail. In fact, there's some new style of outgoing mail for the post tomorrow. I've also developed a new easy recipe to share with you.

The snow is melting. These photos were taken almost two weeks ago, it's even better now! Soon I can start sharing spring photos from Montreal.

I'm currently working on some very interesting projects. I actually get to plan my first wedding decor/concept! That's really exciting! I'm making custom invitations for two parties, the wedding I mentioned and another event, which is a combined birthday and baptism. It's so much fun to get to work on two such different events. I'll share some photos eventually if my customers will be ok with that. That'll have to be later though, since I'm sure they'll want their invitations out first.

I'm also still working on re-stocking my shop and trying out some new ideas for new products.

How does your upcoming week look like?

500 posts! How did that happen?

I just realized that I have 499 published posts in my blog. That makes this particular one number 500.

500!

That's pretty crazy. Gossamer agrees:

When I started this blog, I didn't really have that many plans for it. I originally wanted a place to talk more about my crafts. The idea was to show what happens behind the scenes when I make items for my shop. I also figured I'll just talk about things that interest me if I feel like it. Since then some topics have been left behind and others have taken on a life of their own.

I don't actually write posts much in advance. The exceptions are if I'm going out of town or sometimes I just can't help myself, I have so many things to write about that I simply can't pack them all in one post. Right now I don't have any previously written posts.  I did plan on doing that, you know, preparing well in advance, being all pro about it. But somehow it didn't work. At most I might write the post for tomorrow the night before. Usually not even that. The mail love posts are the only ones I prepare in advance, but even then just by taking photos before I go to mail things out.

I've started to make plans for the blog though. I do make a schedule with topics to write about. It's just because somehow I worry I'll run out of things to talk about, so every time I think of something I want to share with you guys, I'll write it down on the schedule. Usually I'll end up pushing them back because I have so many other things to write about... I still have a few topics to write about that I originally scheduled for January!

There are so many things in my head right now that I want to write about! I think I'll need to go put together my blog calender for April (Can you believe we're almost in April?) to clear out some space in my head. I do have a lot of ideas how to improve Brinnertime, so  looks like I'm not running out of things to write about anytime soon. I'm trying to start posting on a more regular schedule, about 4 times a week, but I've made that decision a few times already. Yet I still end up posting almost every day. I just can't help myself!

I have a hard time believing how many there are of you, my dear readers! Thank you all! I get so happy for every comment I get!

If you have any questions for me or suggestions on what you'd like to read, please let me know! I'd be more than happy to write about something that interests you, as long as it's something I know about (or can share publicly).

Ultimately I just wanted to share a few thoughts with you as I have now consistently written 500 posts and say thank you for reading! For ease of use, you can always follow me HERE or just use the Google Friend connect on the left.

Have a lovely Sunday!

P.S. I felt my blog has been lacking photos of the cats, so I figured I might as well share a few here... There's always cat photos over at Instagram (@brinnertime) if you want to see more!

On the crafting desk

It's been a while again since I've shown you a peek of what's going on in my studio. My to do list runs about a mile long and there is paper absolutely everywhere. Right now I have two major undertakings; a large Easter project and restocking the shop.


I just noticed I'm running very low on the most popular products in the shop, which will have to always be my priority. I just started the prep-work fueled by coffee. So, at this moment, my schedule for the next two hours reads : "cut paper". In the afternoon I will progress to : "fold paper".

I'm so happy! (And not even saying that sarcastically)

On the crafting desk - new stickers galore

I'm feeling extremely productive right now and am creating more stock for the shop. I've also been experimenting with some new products and have finally picked the ones I am the most proud of. There will soon be two new types of stickers available in the shop! I just really wanted to share a sneak peek with you guys since I am so excited!


These new sets are made from upcycled paper as always and I just love them all! I'll show you the full sets and the inspiration behind them soon. Right now I need to finish a few new sets of envelopes and then set up for photos for the new stickers.

I'm just so happy how these turned out!

Paper Love - Wedding invitations by Jess

Guys, I'm so excited to share these photos with you! These are the wedding invitations Jess put together for her wedding. When I see this kind of awesomeness I love what I do so much more! It was such a fun project to work on. Jess contacted me about the stickers I make from used postage stamps. We brainstormed on the right color scheme and here is the final result. Aren't they gorgeous?

The lettering is beautiful as well. Unfortunately I had to cover some of it to keep the privacy of the recipients, you get an idea with the names already. So beautiful!

Amazing job you've done here Jess! I bet your wedding will be incredible!

P.S. The ring is gorgeous!

What I'm working on

It's been a little while since I last showed you guys what I've been working on. I have a few new products in development stages right now, so those will have to wait a little longer. One thing I can show you though, is the new packaging!


It might sound a little silly, but I put a lot of time and effort into this. I love every single item I make, so I want to packaging to reflect that as well. I feel like I will tweak this a bit still, but I'm quite happy with the outcome.


These are the upcycled stationery sets with 6 envelopes, flat cards and stickers. They are all made from vintage maps, used postage stamps and other rescued paper.

I have plenty more to pack and like I said, some new prototypes to test out.

Do you pay attention to the packaging of the products you buy? Does it affect your purchase decision?