Pinterest - Dream Studio

Imagine flipping through a magazine and seeing a great picture of the perfect studio, the perfect shade of blue or the next craft you want to try! Pinterest lets you pin a picture of something you're interested in on a virtual wall and it is addicting!!!  Think of it as a digital scrapbook or bulletin board to post pictures of things you love. If you find something interesting on someone else's Pinterest page, you can "repin" it, which is the equivalent to Facebook's "likes" or Twitter's "retweets." You can also comment things others have pinned on their walls.

you can find these images here

This spring, I plan on redesigning my studio, I'll be posting images of the process on this blog. Here is the first step of my "Dream Studio"...

Don’t Lose your Marbles...

Kids have been playing marbles for thousands of years. It’s likely your parents and even your grandparents were playing marbles when they were young.

The first marbles, used for play, were just small pebbles or balls made from natural clay. The succeeding materials used for marbles were china, real marble, and glass. They were all handmade until the year 1848 brought the invention of the marble scissor by a German glass blower, which made production much easier.

The 1950’s saw the marble extravaganza. Also, the cat’s eye marble was created by injecting colored glass in a regular marble. Various effects were achieved with the use of different colored glass and different shapes or swirls.

These days, marbles have become such an important part of culture that they are not merely toys but also miniature art pieces. Regardless of where they began, marbles are a simple yet fascinating toy that brings out the child or collector in many of us.

All the marbles used in Crazy Fox necklaces are vintage, they may even be the same marbles your grandparents played with.

Vintage Marble Necklace - Skye - SOLD

Vintage Marble Necklace - Rain

Great Giveaway on Etsy Stalker!

Take a chance you never know what will happen!

Violet, from Etsy Stalker did a fantastic interview with me and is hosting a giveaway from Crazy Fox! and we all love giveaways! First prize will be below “Willow Sage” necklace that combines the green glass and rhinestone filigree setting of a 70 ear old broken bracelet with a vintage skeleton key. A second winner will receive 25% off any single item from my Crazy Fox shop! To enter, visit Etsy Stalker  and leave a comment with your favorite item. Two winners to be chosen at random next Sunday, January 29th.  Etsy Stalker has earned a reputation as a place to discover the best and brightest of handmade creations and vintage items. Their daily themed exhibits and Shadowboxes are a wonderful way for artists to get exposure. A Shadowbox serves as a mini store front. Listings in your Shadowbox link directly to your Etsy shop or to whichever site you prefer.  Check them out, great site and GREAT people!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I'm back on track and will be having weekly (maybe even twice a week!) updates on Crazy Fox. We have some big things planned for this year, along with tons of new designs, that are just about ready to come out of hiding. This is the year for Dreaming Big! and taking that next step, so look out everyone! Also have really big news to share soon, that I'm so excited about. Thanks for everyone supporting Crazy Fox and lets make this next year a year where everyone Dreams Big.

Giveaway on Etsy Stalker - Willow Sage

Idle Hands 3rd Annual Holiday Edition

In art, the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can imagine. Ralph Waldo Emerson


Crazy Fox is excited to announce that they will be taking part in the Idle Hands show on Saturday, November 26, from 10am - 5:00pm. This will be our first show with Idle Hands and our first show in the big city of Ottawa. The location of the show is St Luke’s, 760 Somerset St. W, in the heart of funky Chinatown. We have made some new pieces just for this show, upcycled leather earrings, vintage marble necklaces and more. This show is a great place to find one of a kind, handmade holiday gifts. I am looking forward to selling and buying from all the talented vendors!

Idle Hands show is all about giving local artist and crafters an opportunity to sell things they love to make, to connect with other creative people and sell their wares at reasonable prices without a middle man. It is also a place for people to come see and meet some of the regions best independent talent and buy directly from them. Why would you go to the mall and buy factory made massed produced items that have been shipped here from half way around the world?

This year Idle Hands have included some local photographers, painters and print makers. They have some delicious vegan baking and chocolates. Preserves made using recipes that have been passed down generations. There will also be gorgeous knits and felted work made into clothing, hats and children’s toys. Jewelery made with silver, wood, upcycled vintage (Crazy Fox) and other mixed media pieces. Clocks, pillows and other home decor items. Screen printed shirts, scarves and upcycled clothing. Recycled leather wallets, purses and bags. Collage work, cards and stationary. Soaps, face and body care products made with natural essential oils. Beautiful ceramics and hand blown glass. New this year we’re featuring seasonal floral creations. The list is endless and all items are handmade.

Check out the Idle Hands website for a more info, directions and a list of vendors attending the show. And don’t forget to visit Crazy Fox!

Copper Cuff with a vintage escutcheon plate - Spellbound

Thank You, Handmade Harvest show!

I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks.  William Shakespeare

ALMONTE IS A PEACEFUL and beautiful community of 4,600 people, located 50 kilometers from Canada’s capital, Ottawa. Once a thriving textiles centre — known in its heyday as “North America’s Manchester” — Almonte is now primarily a commuter town, with the majority of  citizens working in the city. Almonte straddles the banks of Canada’s Mississippi River, which flows east until it empties into the Ottawa River. The Valley is a unique and lovely place, still closely in touch with its Irish and Scottish roots, large sections of the town remain essentially unchanged from a hundred years ago or more!

The Almonte Old Town Hall is an architectural wonder and was the location of Handmade Harvest Craft show. Handmade Harvest show is the brainchild of Emily Arbour and Colleen Hewitt. Both these ladies love anything crafty and wanted to provide an outlet for emerging craft artists of all ages…and to make buying handmade items easy and fun to do. This event host 35+ vendors, Crazy Fox being one of them! This show is full of talented enthusiastic artists and it was a pleasure to be part of this creative group. We met the nicest people and had a great time selling Crazy Fox designs. I’m always blown away that people really like our pieces, every piece does have a story and my husband or myself are only too willing to tell you where everything came from. Escutcheon, keys, buttons, vintage jewelry they all have stories, we create memories everyday, sometimes without knowing the impact, I hope Crazy Fox jewelry create's a memory of something you want to hold on too! One woman had been searching for a special gift for her niece’s 21st birthday, who lived in Britain. She said it was an old tradition in England to give a key for your 21st birthday and was searching for a special key, when she saw our necklaces, she was so happy to send her the perfect gift, keeping an old tradition alive with a new twist. Necklaces with lockets are traditionally for pictures, but I always tell people they can be used for holding wishes. Write your wish on a tiny piece of paper and place it in the locket, give time your wish will come true. Our weekend was filled with stories like that, people choosing special gifts with a little history, that hopefully creates a new lasting memory. Almonte, Ontario is a truly unique and inspirational rural community that makes visitors feel welcome. Crazy Fox had a wonderful time at The Handmade Harvest show and would like to thank Emily and Colleen for all their hard work. Thanks girls! 

Emily Arbour checking out a necklace after the show on Friday evening

Getting ready for the show to begin on Saturday morning

This necklace was bought as a gift and will be sent to England, for a 21st birthday!

The Pampered Pooch

I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love.  For me they are the role model for being alive.  Gilda Radner

Boo getting groomed

 This last weekend I was dog sitting at The Pampered Pooch Vacation Retreat and Grooming Studio, a 21 acre hobby farm, 5 minutes away from our house in our historic village of Williamstown, Ontario. The owners Laura and Bill Budd are good friends of ours and had a wedding to go to so, we took over for the weekend. My husband took care of the horses, Willow, Duster and Poncho while, I was on dog duty. Luckily, Laura did not book a lot of dogs as she knew she would be away that weekend, so I had their two dogs Rudy, a labdoddle and Ginger, a goldendoddle, both are 9 months and full of energy. And Maurie, a shepherd mix, who was missing her family while they were vacationing in Wales. And of course I had my dog Boo, who after being there for two hours was begging to go home. These dogs get more activity and attention than most kids do. The dogs wake up and have breakfast, then have 3 hours of play time, then a nap, then 5 more hours of play, all outside in a huge fenced run. Then, they have supper another nap and one more hour outside before bed. At The Pampered Pooch it is ALL about the dogs!

The Pampered Pooch Vacation Retreat and Grooming Studio is truly a “ retreat” not a “kennel”  Laura treats all the dogs like they her own and gives each dog tons of attention, exercise and most of all love! Laura and Bill have created a home away from home for all four legged guests to play and socialize with other friendly dogs. They are not  what you would think of as a typical dog boarding kennel. And I had no idea how much work went into creating this fun, safe environment for the dogs. While I had a great time, I don’t think I will be giving up my day job! which by the way was designing Laura, logo and brochure, poster and business cards. If your dog needs grooming or if you are going on vacation I highly recommend The Pampered Pooch, check them out at www.pamperedpoochretreat.ca

Rudy, Ginger and Maurie

Renovations and New Beginnings

Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.  Vincent van Gogh

We recently renovated our bedroom and en suite bathroom. In the midden or the hottest summer ever to hit Ontario we decided to start renovations. Our bedroom was done on impulse over 12 years ago after we had a house fire. My husband was seriously injured in the fire and was not expected  to live and was transported miles from home. So while he was in the hospital (over 5 months) I would come home and work with contractors and try to rebuild our home. Most of the second floor had to be redone, walls have to be rebuilt, fixtures, sinks, showers, carpets, curtains, furniture, colors had to be chosen, and all done while under stress. Everything was rushed! While it all looked good, it always reminded me of that horrible time in my life. We started with pulling up the dark blue carpets, that I don’t even remember picking and then things just snowballed after that. One thing lead to another  and before you know it the bathroom was getting done. All the walls are white in the bedroom now with bright color accents and the bathroom is white and turquoise. The comfort set and curtains are from www.anthropologie.com most of the other furniture is from www.johnsonsantiques.com

The one thing I wanted was the room to be light and happy. Now every time I walk into our room my heart sings, I cannot believe what a change this has been for me. I was finally letting go of the past and ready for a new beginning. And the most wonderful thing was my husband did everything for me for our anniversary gift. Years ago he was not expected to live with 78% of his body burnt and now he is renovating our home, life is an amazing thing!!!!

Boo on his princess bed