I'm going to enjoy my last Saturday off, until they become booked up straight through until December! Be sure to check my markets+craft shows page for the most up-to-date list of where you can find Cloud+Lolly.

A little something new in the online shop are t-shirt designs! Be sure to check them out, they're printed on the popular American Apparel as well as Guildan tees and a variety of colours + sizes. Stay tuned for 't-shirt Tuesday' for special offers. Be our friend on Facebook for the latest updates and coupon codes for our fans.

Have a wonderful week!

I'm moving! Yes, everything is in storage until April 13th. I have no problem living out of a suitcase, but having all of my supplies and product packed and out of sight drives me nuts. BUT it will all be worth it. Once we're in the new place (1.4 acres at Lake Wabamun) I get an entire building that's roughly 500 square feet to call my own. Cloud+Lolly headquarters to do with as I wish. It needs new floors, the ceiling tiles torn down and weird wall paneling as well. It's a fresh canvas and I can't wait!

I'm gearing up for the spring Make It: Alberta's Art & Craft Fair this coming April 12th - 14th (I get out of moving to work the show, yay!) and another Mercer Collective on May 11th and after that the City Market on 104th Street gets going on May 18th straight through until October 12th. It's going to be a great year and fingers crossed great weather.

New & exciting things are taking shape and this year is set to be a great one! I was recently approached by a few retail shops who are interested in carrying Cloud+Lolly. One in particular is located in the Mercer Warehouse, where the Mercer Collective - A Maker's Market is held monthly. The flower shop, Fabloomosity will be home to a great selection of rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings as of this coming Tuesday. They also carry my personal favourite, Tokyo Milk and I'm super stoked to be part of such a great + FAB local business!

Applications have gone out for the Calgary Folk Fest, Edmonton Folk Fest, Lilac Festival, City Market on 104, Grand Market on 124th and a few dates at the Banff Farmers' Market. I've been accepted to the spring Make It - Alberta's Art + Craft Fair, April 12-14 at the amazingly lovely Enjoy Centre in St. Albert.

My latest necklace design is available in the shop too! An antiqued silver swallow charm carrying a cute message! They're 18" long and a definite conversation starter. Choose a message that speaks to you. These are ONLY available online for a limited time, once they're gone they're GONE.

So mark your calendars as dates are posted, shop local and support small businesses!

Yes, I'm *that* excited for February to be here. January is an awkward month for me. The high of Christmas sales (starting as early as October) are over and I try to wrap my head around what the heck I'm going to do for the new year. I feel like I should take a break from making stuff, but at the same time have an aversion to being stagnant. Then supplies I ordered from December started rolling in and here I am, a busy little bee in the Cloud+Lolly studio once again.

I'm thrilled to be a part of the brand spankin' new Mercer Collective: A Makers' Market! I've been inside the 100+ year old building in the former warehouse district of downtown Edmonton. It reminded me a lot of the 100 year old farmhouse I grew up in. The history and warmth kind of creeps up through the floor boards and welcomes you. The Mercer Building has been refurbished very recently and is home to Roast Coffeehouse, Fabloomosity, Mercer Tavern and the most happening place in the city, Startup Edmonton.

The market runs from 10am to 4pm, myself and roughly 40 other local artisans and designers will be nestled in the expansive basement with our wares! It happens monthly, so mark your calendars and come shop local!

Things are chugging along in the Cloud+Lolly studio. New ideas abounding, a few old ideas getting reworked, and new supplies are rolling in!

Lace is going to make an appearance in a few different forms, as are fun lasercut printed wood pieces, more vintage keys and other found relics, plus wall art and other 'dry goods' (and I don't mean the food kind)

The Super Sale is going strong over at my Cargoh shop. I've again, marked down the items so go take a peek! I throw in lots of extra goodies into the bubble envelope too.

Stay tuned, and connect with me on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter!

 'Organized chaos' is what I refer to my self-employed life. Most times, even the 'organized' doesn't make an appearance! As a business owner, I'm constantly rethinking, devising strategies, designing and designing more. I need to refocus and take a step back at times to see what changes need to be made and the direction I'm headed. That being said, I'm prepping for another busy year of markets and have enrolled in B-School by Marie Forleo that starts this February. "With loving yet wisecracking advice, Marie inspires tens of thousands to take charge of their success and happiness by boosting their business skills, shedding BS excuses and injecting massive amounts of fun into each day."

 Time to kick it up a notch in 2013!

 That's right! Everything in my Cargoh shop is on sale. 40% to 75% off, earrings, lockets, cameos, bracelets and necklaces. I'm going to close that shop, and focus on stocking up my shop here at CloudandLolly.com

The sale will continue until it's empty, so pop on over and snap up some pretties!

It's hard to believe it, but I'm about to wrap up a fantastic 2012 tonight in Sherwood Park. A huge thanks to my friends + fans this year as it was a busy one. I'm hoping to make an appearance at the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market in the New Year, so stay tuned and Happy Holidays!

I'm heading south to Calgary for Market Collective! This time around is in a new venue, as usual there will be awesome live music and I'll have my mom & auntie helping me (they insisted!)

I'll have my usual accessories there, and will have a few 'mystery gift bags' full of over $100 worth of my handmade treats for $40 each! A fun gift for a secret santa or for yourself ;)

What a major whirlwind! This year's Make It shows were 2 weeks apart and I had the opportunity to attend both in Edmonton + Vancouver. Both cities did NOT disappoint! Attendance records were broken and many vendors sales records as well (including my own). Amid the stressful preparations, creating and production of everything, to hear the customers' positive feedback as well as from other vendors makes me feel VERY warm + fuzzy. I've been working for myself as Cloud+Lolly for three years now full-time and, quite honestly I wouldn't change it for the world!

If you weren't able to visit the Make It show, you can find me in both Edmonton + Calgary in the coming weeks. Click on the 'Markets + Craft Shows' tab at the top of this page to find out when and where I'll be.

The venue announcement for Market Collective is yet to be announced, and I think I'll whip up something special and super fun called 'The Mystery Box'. To keep for yourself or give as a gift. Stay tuned!

*Photo taken by Jenna of Make It Productions