Mother's Day is right around the corner...

I was looking something up on the calendar the other day and realized Mother's Day is coming up right shortly.  Not to worry, the Rural Creators' Collective has you covered.  Check out these amazing gift ideas that are in the store right now:

We have your traditional gifts of all things tea, (teapot cozy by Miriam of Minimade, teapot from Waylin Enterprise)

 lovely hand made soaps with the most delightful scents, (Tara of On a Branch Soaps)

and of course, candles...(Remembrances)

But we also have original gift ideas.  Why not give the gift of art?

 This stunning rose is by Yvonne Parsons

 Brand new to the shop...lots of birds, butterflies, and bees by Marla.  Original watercolours.

You'll have to excuse the photo here, but I was trying to capture that this lithograph by Lisa of L'immaginaria is actually sparkly.

 This great fabric sculpture swan is by Julie of Rustic Revivals

For the more modern tastes, I found this great architectural piece that would be perfect in a front entry...also by Julie of Rustic Revivals

For the gardeners, there is a collection of hanging planters and vases (they do actually have the ropes attached now, unlike in the photo) by Remembrances

And conveniently located downstairs is a flower shop for filling that vase or planter.

And of course we can't forget the delicious treats for mom as well, in the bakery which also happens to be conveniently located right down stairs.

Feel free to leave a comment with your Mother's Day idea.

In The Studio with Metis Caravan

Roni, of Metis Caravan is our guest blogger today.  She is generously offering the how-to on making one of her handmade leather purses.

From Roni:

Our leather is all salvaged and recycled.  Natural hides I buy when I go home in the summer to Cape Croker-Nawash.  If animals are hurt on the road or put to rest for health reasons, they are traded to First Nations' by whom they are used completely for crafts, tools, food.  Many of our harder tan or coloured hides come from used clothing stores to get repurposed.  No animals are harmed or forgotten.

Holes in hard tan leather like this are made with an awl and hammer.  For soft leather, a belt punch makes it a lot easier.

Stitching on medicine bags gets folded in so sage and other leaves can't crumble and fall out but most stitching is done on the outside so if you need a lace to tie something else this lace is accessible. A nice round stitch helps to keep small things in and is decorative.

A little water or glue on the knot shrinks the leather and keeps it tied tight.

We treat our leather with bee product.  It cleans any little spots off and waterproofs the leather.  We get ours in Carlisle, just up the road from Rural Creators' Collective.

Roni's work can be found year round at the Rural Creators' Collective in Carlisle (details on the side bar).   She will also be at the Carlisle Country Craft and Old-Fashioned Market Mercantile August 23 and 24, 2014.

Linking up with: Keep Calm Craft On over at Frontier Dreams

Yvonne Parsons Photography - April Featured Artist

A little eye candy for you today.  Yvonne, April's Featured Artist at the Rural Creators' Collective is an absolutely amazing photographer.

She has the ability to capture landscapes with amazing detail...

 ...and has an unbelievable eye for what will make a great shot.

 You can check her Facebook page for many of the sepia toned portraits she captured at last year's Carlisle Country Craft and Old-Fashioned Market Mercantile (pssst:  she's a returning vendor this year, so make sure you come see her and get an awesome portrait/family picture done).

 Not limited to landscapes, of course - she's great at product photography...

 ...and pet portraits.

Yvonne will be at the Rural Creators' Collective on Sunday, April 13th from noon until 2:00 p.m. doing Easter portraits.  You can schedule an appointment by emailing her at yvonnephotos@teksavvy.com

OR, if you visit her Facebook page and leave a comment in the caption contest for this photo, you could WIN your portrait sitting for FREE and also have an upgrade to an 8 x 10 print.

How amazing is that?