OhCanadaTeam Secret Santa 2011

Once again the OhCanadaTeam held a secret santa gift exchange and it was tons of fun! We decided to host the event on Elfster this year which made matching up givers and giftees a bit easier. It was also fun to be able to ask anonymous questions! Many thanks again to Mary Ann of TheBackyardBear for organizing and coordinating the event. Below are a sample of some of the happy recipients with their gifts.







Isabelle of IGBijoux received a gorgeous scarf and bracelet from Josy of JDArtStudio.
Josy, in turn, received an assortment of lovely paper items from Christina of j2studios.







Jen, of Jensdreamdecor received beautiful and toasty mittens from Mary Ann of TheBackyardBear










and Mary Ann received several stunning pieces of turquoise jewelry from Leanne of LeanneDesigns.







And finally, Karen of KarensRopeWork received a gorgeous necklace from Isabelle of IGBijoux, and Molly of LittleBearsMom received a lovely, romantic necklace from Caroline of DarkRide.
















The 2nd annual OhCanadaTeam gift exchange was lots of fun for everyone involved. Who doesn't like to receive a suprise package in the mail? Happy Holidays to all, and here's hoping that at least some of us get to enjoy a white Christmas. Stay warm, enjoy time with friends and family, and see you in the New Year!!!

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team

Oh Canada Treasury Challenge

The polls are open, Canada!

This week we are voting on the collections inspired by last week's challenge winner, Karen at KarensRopeWork. Many thanks go out to the gals behind bstudio and whimsypie for narrowing down this week's selections.

This week's final four are Winter Lake by wintergarden, Skating Through a Winter Wonderland by RJCharms, Cranberry Chocolate by clonehardware and Winter's Bride by Dark Ride.





The polls will stay open until Friday, December 23, midnight in Ottawa. Our next challenge will resume in the New Year and feature the winner of this challenge.

From Treasury Challenge Headquarters, I wish you all the happiest of holidays!

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team

Friday Finds: ceramic Christmas Tree Snowflake Ornaments by ButlerPottery

Joyce has created these beautiful snowflakes ornaments out of ceramic. She first rolls out some clay and then cuts the shape. After brushing the color she then fires the ornament for the second time and brushes a mother-of-pearl glaze to give it some iridescence. These ornaments come in blue, brown or purple and would make a beautiful gift set. You can start your own handmade tradition! Visit Joyce's shop to see more of her ceramic creations!

Friday Finds will be back in the New Year! Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful Holiday season and all the best for 2012!

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team and butlerpottery

Friday Finds: Sterling Silver Lapis Lazuli Earrings by philosophiacreations

Lapis Lazuli is one of my favorite luxe gemstones, so I am so pleased to show you my latest find. These gorgeous earrings are made by Michelle of philosophiacreations and are not only sizeable but have beautiful flecks of gold pyrite running through them. These are available in sterling silver and copper, and for more designs, please visit her Etsy shop.

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team and philosophiacreations

Oh Canada! Treasury Challenge

Congratulations to Karen of KarensRopeWork, this week's treasury challenge winner. We'll find lots
of inspiration in Karen's shop for our next challenge!





To enter this week's challenge, you must:

* use an item from KarensRopeWork in the top row of your collection

* post the link to your treasury in the comment section of this blog by midnight (Ottawa time) Friday, December 16, 2011. If your treasury link isn’t here, your treasury isn’t entered in the challenge.

* use 5 more Oh, Canada team members in the top three rows. Incorporate as many team members as you like, but there must be at least 6 team members in the top three rows to qualify for the challenge.

* tag your treasury with octchallenge and ohcanadateam. This is essential for providing the judges with one stop browsing.

* invite others to play and provide a link to the blog challenge. Just because it’d be cool to have guest players ;-)

Judging -- how about you? Not into the treasury making thang, or just want to sit back for a bit? Please, be a narrow down judge, to help whittle the list of entries down to manageable size for voting. Be one of the first three folks to volunteer in the comment section of this blog and take on this important role. Since treasuries should not include an item from your own shop(s), challenge winners are cordially invited, but never expected, to help narrow down entries.

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team

Oh Canada! Treasury Challenge

The polls are open, Canada! Thanks to last week's winner, Isabelle at IGBijoux, our entries have been narrowed down to a manageable four for voting. This week's final four are Drops of Sunshine on a Grey Winter Day by RecyledandResewn, The World in Black and White by KarensRopeWork, 'Rust'ic by bstudio, and Winter Dreams of Summer Skies by DarkRide. Who will be featured in our next challenge?





The polls will remain open until midnight in Ottawa, Wednesday, December 7th.

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team

Friday Finds: Silver Dragonfly Embroidered Picture by SandrasCardShop

Today's find features an embroidered picture of a dragonfly by SandrasCardShop. I've always thought of dragonflies as magical and ethereal, and Sandra's embroidery conveys just that. Embroidered in silver and black and mounted on silver damask paper, it makes a very pretty picture, ready for framing. Visit SandrasCardShop for more lovely pictures and cards.

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team and SandrasCardShop

Friday Finds: Roxie Green Fringe Glass earrings by ToxieDesigns

This vibrant pair of earrings is made by Jennifer from Winnipeg-based ToxieDesigns. In case you were wondering, Toxie is Jennifer's nickname for the Amazonian warrior and archer Toxaris. She has handcrafted these earrings out of Argentium Silver and included vintage glass beads as part of the simple and elegant design. Look in her shop to see more designs, some of which were featured in the movies!

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team and ToxieDesigns

Oh Canada! Treasury Challenge

Congratulations go out to IGBijoux, this week's winner in the treasury challenge with her "The Girl Behind the Green Door Got a Letter." Can't wait to see the collections IGBijoux's treasure trove of a shop inspires!



To enter this week's challenge, you must:

* use an item from IGBijoux in the top row of your collection

* post the link to your treasury in the comment section of this blog by midnight (Ottawa time) Friday, December 2, 2011. If your treasury link isn’t here, your treasury isn’t entered in the challenge.

* use 5 more Oh, Canada team members in the top three rows. Incorporate as many team members as you like, but there must be at least 6 team members in the top three rows to qualify for the challenge.

* tag your treasury with octchallenge and ohcanadateam. This is essential for providing the judges with one stop browsing.

* invite others to play and provide a link to the blog challenge. Just because it’d be cool to have guest players ;-)

Judging -- how about you? Not into the treasury making thang, or just want to sit back for a bit? Please, be a narrow down judge, to help whittle the list of entries down to manageable size for voting. Be one of the first three folks to volunteer in the comment section of this blog and take on this important role. Since treasuries should not include an item from your own shop(s), challenge winners are cordially invited, but never expected, to help narrow down entries.

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team

Friday Finds: Drawstring Bag for Knitting Project by zigzagstitches

'Tis the season to be knitting, fa la la la la...!
And zigzagstitches has just the accessory to keep all your knitting in an organized fashion. The padded drawstring bag comes in a variety of fun fabrics and has room for lots of yarn, needles and patterns. I especially like the fact that the padding prevents the needles from poking through. Check out more items from this wonderful shop!

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team and zigzagstitches

Oh Canada! Treasury Challenge

Get your vote on! Our lovely judges, Rhonda at whimsypie and last week's winner, Patricia at TheOldBarnDoor, have narrowed down our challenge entries to a manageable four for voting.
Our four entries this week are It's all about the holidays! by bstudio, The Girl Behind the Green Door Got A Letter by IGBijoux, Traveling Far by KarensRopeWorks, and Seasonal Embrace by DarkRide.





The polls will be open until midnight in Ottawa, Friday November 18.

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team

Friday Finds: Icewalk by ljangphotography

This glorious picture of Maligne Canyon, at Jasper National Park Alberta was shot by Larry of ljangphotography. Taking avail of a rare opportunity to actually walk below in the canyon (which isn't possible during summer as the water thunders down as a waterfall), the viewer can see how the water here has frozen in time, up close and personal. The walls of the canyon are 50 feet high and it must be breathtaking to do the walk on the riverbed during winter. It's now on my bucket list! Larry has done a brilliant job of letting you almost experience it yourself!
See more of his stunning photography here.

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team and ljangphotography

OhCanadaTeam holiday 2011 Sale, pt. 2

The OhCanadaTeam 2011 Holiday Sale is still going strong! Check out the shops listed below for wonderful deals on handmade and vintage items. Ends Nov. 13th.

Sale into the holidays!, by JansonPottery

alchemylifestyle	holiday15	15% off
AngelqueCreations	holiday15	15% off & free shipping
Anterosurbanwood	holiday	20% off
Boomerville	ohcanadateam15	15% off
Brazendesignstudio	ILOVEART	25% off
Brazendesignstudio	ehforart	free shipping
Brazendesignstudio	BDSFAN	25% off for FB fans
castillejacotton	holidayoc	20% off
Cerra	holiday	20% off
cmalinowski3	holidays15off	15% off
clonehardware	holiday	15% off
FinePens	holiday	20% off
flametouchedglass	holiday	15% off
JansonPottery	holiday15	15% off
JensDreamDecor	OHCANADATEAM15	15% off
junquete	holiday	15% off
KristiinaDesigns	Christmas	15% off
LeanneDesigns	HOLIDAY17	17% off
LittleBearsMom	HOLIDAY	15% off
OceanPearlJewellery	HOLIDAY2011	20% off
PatternsAndSuch	holiday	20% off
philosophiacreations	OCTHOLIDAY	20% off
rjcharms	HOLIDAY2011	30% off
shibadesigns	SALE15	15% off
spoolsandbobbins	OHCANADATEAM15	15% off
suzie2q	OHCANADATEAM15	15% off
TheMarulaTreeSoapCo	holiday	15% off
TheOldBarnDoor	holiday	15% off
Vitrine	holiday	15% off

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team

OhCanadaTeam Treasury Challenge

A big Canadian congratulations goes out to Patricia of TheOldBarnDoor. Her gorgeous hot and frosty collection took last week's challenge prize. An item from her shop will be featured in the top row of all this week's challenge entries.




To enter this week's challenge, you must:

* use an item from TheOldBarnDoor in the top row of your collection

* post the link to your treasury in the comment section of this blog by midnight (Ottawa time) Friday, November 11, 2011. If your treasury link isn’t here, your treasury isn’t entered in the challenge.

* use 5 more Oh, Canada team members in the top three rows. Incorporate as many team members as you like, but there must be at least 6 team members in the top three rows to qualify for the challenge.

* tag your treasury with octchallenge and ohcanadateam. This is essential for providing the judges with one stop browsing.

* invite others to play and provide a link to the blog challenge. Just because it’d be cool to have guest players ;-)

Judging -- how about you? Not into the treasury making thang, or just want to sit back for a bit? Please, be a narrow down judge, to help whittle the list of entries down to manageable size for voting. Be one of the first three folks to volunteer in the comment section of this blog and take on this important role. Since treasuries should not include an item from your own shop(s), challenge winners are cordially invited, but never expected, to help narrow down entries.

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team

OhCanadaTeam Holiday 2011 Sale

Holiday Sale Action in Canada, by ennadoolf


The OhCanadaTeam is having a special holiday sale from Nov. 6 - Nov. 13. The participating shops are listed below along with their coupon code and discount. Just in time to pick up some wonderful gifts for the holidays!

alchemylifestyle	holiday15	15% off
AngelqueCreations	holiday15	15% off & free shipping
Anterosurbanwood	holiday	20% off
Boomerville	ohcanadateam15	15% off
Brazendesignstudio	ILOVEART	25% off
Brazendesignstudio	ehforart	free shipping
Brazendesignstudio	BDSFAN	25% off for FB fans
castillejacotton	holidayoc	20% off
Cerra	holiday	20% off
cmalinowski3	holidays15off	15% off
clonehardware	holiday	15% off
FinePens	holiday	20% off
flametouchedglass	holiday	15% off
JansonPottery	holiday15	15% off
JensDreamDecor	OHCANADATEAM15	15% off
junquete	holiday	15% off
KristiinaDesigns	Christmas	15% off
LeanneDesigns	HOLIDAY17	17% off
LittleBearsMom	HOLIDAY	15% off
OceanPearlJewellery	HOLIDAY2011	20% off
PatternsAndSuch	holiday	20% off
philosophiacreations	OCTHOLIDAY	20% off
rjcharms	HOLIDAY2011	30% off
shibadesigns	SALE15	15% off
spoolsandbobbins	OHCANADATEAM15	15% off
suzie2q	OHCANADATEAM15	15% off
TheMarulaTreeSoapCo	holiday	15% off
TheOldBarnDoor	holiday	15% off
Vitrine	holiday	15% off

Happy Holidays from OhCanadaTeam, by rjcharms

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team

Friday Finds: Labradorite & Sterling Statement Ring by LeChienNoirJewelry

This ring is a beautiful homage to Canada, made by Carla of LeChienNoirJewelry. Labradorite (named after Labrador, Canada where it is mined) has a gorgeous iridescence. Depending on how the light hits it, you will see a shimmer of grey, blue, black, silver and sometimes even orange. This cabochon's beauty is highlighted by the handmade oxidized sterling silver bezel. For more statement pieces please visit her Etsy store LeChienNoirJewelry.

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team and LeChienNoirJewelry

Oh, Canada! It's voting time!

Our oh-so-helpful judges, Vitrine and last challenge's winner, whimsypie, have narrowed down our entries for voting. In our next challenge, one of these four shops will be featured in the top row of all entries: AnnyMay, bstudio, clonehardware and TheOldBarnDoor. Congratulations, gals!





The polls are open and will remain open until Friday, November 4, midnight (Ottawa time).





Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team

Oh, Canada Team Treasury Challenge

Oh, Canada! We have a winner!

We had four gorgeous entries for this week's challenge and a wonderfully large voter turnout. Our winner this week is whimsypie with her "Amazing Greys" collection. Congratulations, Rhonda!



To enter this week's challenge, you must:

* use an item from whimsy pie in the top row of your collection

* post the link to your treasury in the comment section of this blog by midnight (Ottawa time) Friday, October 28, 2011. If your treasury link isn’t here, your treasury isn’t entered in the challenge.

* use 5 more Oh, Canada team members in the top three rows. Incorporate as many team members as you like, but there must be at least 6 team members in the top three rows to qualify for the challenge.

* tag your treasury with octchallenge and ohcanadateam. This is essential for providing the judges with one stop browsing.

* invite others to play and provide a link to the blog challenge. Just because it’d be cool to have guest players ;-)

Judging -- how about you? Not into the treasury making thang, or just want to sit back for a bit? Please, be a narrow down judge, to help whittle the list of entries down to manageable size for voting. Be one of the first three folks to volunteer in the comment section of this blog and take on this important role. Since treasuries should not include an item from your own shop(s), challenge winners are cordially invited, but never expected, to help narrow down entries.

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team

Friday Finds: The Pool After by PrankePaintings

This vibrant oil on canvas painting is a lovely representation of Canadian nature. It's also very reminiscent of the work done by the Group of Seven. Richard of PrankePaintings is a third generation artist from Montreal. His grandfather and father were artists too and the talent gene has definitely been passed on! This one is my favorite because of the starkness of the birches combined with the vibrant fall colors and turquoise water. The angle that the artist has captured makes you feel like you've stumbled upon a secret pool and it looks inviting enough to take a swim! For more beautiful paintings, please visit PrankePaintings.

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team and PrankePaintings

Oh, Canada! Get your vote on!

Our lovely judges, Leanne and Brenda, have narrowed down our entries for voting. Congratulations to clonehardware, lachiffonniere, Vitrine and whimsypie for not only curating beautiful lists and making it to the next stage of our challenge, but also for following the rules ;-)

Voting will remain open until Friday, October 21st, at midnight in Ottawa.





Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team

Friday Finds: Recycled Chocolate Brown Winter mitts by RecycledandResewn

Looking at this stylish pair of mitts you would never guess that they have been recycled and repurposed from an old brown and turquoise sweater! Teresa of RecycledandResewn started experimenting with upcycling old sweaters into warm cozy mitts by lining them with polar fleece, way back in 2005 and successfully sold more than 130 pairs last year alone. She has now branched out into pillows and totes as well. More of her amazing talent can be viewed in her fab shop!

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team and Recycledandresewn

OhCanadaTeam Treasury Challenge Winner!!!

Oh, Canada! We have a winner!!

x 2, eh? Not only did billiemonster’s gorgeous curation clean up in the Oh Canada Treasury Challenge, but the all-Candian collection also took the team to Etsy mecca, The Front Page. Congrats, to billiemonster and all featured teammates. What a great way to begin a new season of challenges! We’ll honour our winner in this week’s treasury challenge, by using any item from billiemonster's shop in the top row of challenge entries.

To enter this week's challenge, you must:

* use an item from www.billiemonster.etsy.com in the top row of your collection

* post the link to your treasury in the comment section of this blog by Friday, October 14, 2011. If your treasury link isn’t here, your treasury isn’t entered in the challenge.

* use 6 team members, including our challenge winner, in the top three rows. Incorporate as many team members as you like, but there must be at least 6 team members in the top three rows to qualify for the challenge.

* tag your treasury with octchallenge and ohcanadateam. This is essential for providing the judges with one stop browsing.

* invite others to play and provide a link to the blog challenge. Just because it’d be cool to have guest players ;-)

Judging -- how about you? Not into the treasury making thang, or just want to sit back for a bit? Please, be a narrow down judge, to help whittle the list of entries down to manageable size for voting. Be one of the first three folks to volunteer in the comment section of this blog to take on this important role. Since treasuries should not include an item from your own shop(s), challenge winners are cordially invited, but never expected, to help narrow down entries.

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team

Friday Finds: Leopard Print Apron by Weezi

This is not your Grandma's apron! Be a domestic goddess (or pretend to be one) while doing tedious chores around the house wearing this leopard print Apron by Weezi. I could see Nigella in this, couldn't you?  Lisa loves the 1950s and 60s, and has this and many more vintage inspired items in her brick and mortar store as well as her Etsy store.

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team and Weezi

OhCanadaTeam Treasury Challenge Finalists

The following four treasuries have been selected by our judge as finalists in the treasury challenge. Each picture is clickable, so please take the time to go to the original treasury and decide which of these gorgeous finalists you like best. Voting is open until Friday, October 7th and can be found in the sidebar of the blog. The winner will be announced on Monday, October 10th, when we'll begin the next challenge.




The treasuries are, as follows, clockwise:
"A Canadian Winter" by billiemonster
"Bohemian Autumn" by DarkRide
"A Canadian Autumn" by bstudio
"Fool's Gold" by JewelsbyJasmin

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team

Friday Finds: Gemstone Wrap bracelet by Peacock&Lime

 

Today's find is a colorful wrap gemstone bracelet from Peacock&Lime. For those who love gemstones you can get your fix with this beauty! They've used a variety of gemstones like fancy jasper, rose quartz, fluorite, and aventurine coupled with metal beads and cultured pearls sewn onto dark brown leather and fastened with a vintage civil war/ military button. These wrap bracelets can be worn on the wrist or ankle and you can go for a daring look by wearing multiples.

 

Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team and Peacock&Lime

Shop Spotlight: IGBijoux

If you've ever thought your outfit was missing that little extra something, there's a good chance you'll find it at IGBijoux. Run out of Montreal, this great shop features the vibrant and refined jewellery creations of Isabelle Gaumont. Isabelle is also an actress, novelist, screenwriter and director. It's a wonder she has the time to make jewellery, but thank goodness she does. She has a wonderful eye for putting the right beads, stones, and colors together. Browsing through her shop is always such a delight.

Oh Canada: Of all the things that you sell, which item or style is your favorite?

Isabelle: I like all my necklaces for different reasons. The long and thin ones for their elegance, the chunky natural stone ones for their personality and versatility, and the multi-strand or crazy chain experiments for their uniqueness and sense of fun. I'm a fan of sparkly crystal, earthy gemstones, colourful glass, groovy resin, and combining all those in unexpected ways.

Oh Canada: Where did you learn your skills?

My wonderful and generous friend Jennifer (shop name: Sparklepod) taught me everything I needed to know to get started. At every opportunity, I learn more techniques to help bring my new ideas to life. I make jewelry to relax. To me, it is not unlike meditation. I hope a little bit of the joy I feel when I compose a necklace can be seen in the finished product.

Everyone has different motivations for making their unique wares. What drives you to create?

Isabelle: I'm a writer and an actress, so I'm constantly creating, but I guess what drives me to create jewelry is a little different. Writing novels is a long, drawn-out job and acting often depends on the schedule and choices of others. Making jewelry allows me to go from idea to finished product more quickly. I find it very satisfying. Initially, I began making jewelry for myself because I could never find exactly what I needed in stores and I hate to wear what everybody else is wearing. Also, as an actress, I audition for a lot of different characters... sometimes on the same day. Changing the accessories between auditions instead the whole outfit makes my life much easier... and my big purse much lighter. Colleagues soon started complimenting me on my necklaces, asking where they could buy them. Being on Etsy gave me a place where they could see more examples of my work.

Oh Canada: Any plans to incorporate a new product into your shop this year?

Isabelle: Because every necklace I make is unique, I would have to say yes. I plan to add a lot more. 

Oh Canada: What is your favorite thing about selling on Etsy? 

Isabelle: With my crazy schedule, I would not be able to use a system that requires regular actions at specific times. Etsy allows me the freedom to feed it whenever I can.

Oh Canada: Do you have a number one tip for new sellers?

Isabelle: Try different things with your photos and get it right before listing 70 items with bad pictures you'll have to spend a week replacing! And become part of a great team, like this one, and learn a ton from other members :-)

Oh Canada: What is your favorite thing to buy on Etsy?

Isabelle: Steampunk storage and accessories to hide modern technology. Vintage treasures.

Oh Canada: What is the number one best item in your shop right now?

Tough call... but the necklace that got the most hearts and was included in the greatest number of treasuries is "Yellow Stone".







You can keep up with Isabelle on her website and on Facebook. You can also follow her on Twitter. And don't forget to drop by IGBijoux. You might find that special little something that you've been looking for. The perfect piece to add to your jewellery box.




Copyright 2011 Oh Canada Team