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Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

What’s in store – Mozy Rue ECO Collective

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Don’t get me wrong, I love talking about myself; just ask my fella. He knows firsthand that it’s one of my favourite topics of conversation. When it comes to this column, though, I prefer to shine the spotlight away from myself and towards the dozens and dozens of talented artisans and crafters that I come across on the web and in person. Save for the one upcycled pillow of my own that I managed to sneak into a piece, in the 11 months of writing my weekly “Going Green” articles I have pretty much resisted the urge to toot my own horn…until now. I have recently joined a local crafters cooperative and with the recent opening of our brick and mortar shop, I am absolutely bursting to tell you all about it.

Taking over a former art gallery space in Winnipeg’s funky South Osborne neighbourhood, the Mozy Rue ECO Collective opened its doors to the public on Tuesday, June 13th. The collective itself is made up of several members of Winnipeg’s art and craft community, who met through local craft shows and Etsy street-team events. The collection of handmade goods on the shelves will be constantly changing and evolving (much like the people who make them), which will give shoppers a completely new shopping experience with every visit. Organized into little “boutiques” within the bright, open space, customers can browse for everything from jewelry to furniture and, believe me, everything in between. The only commonality (besides their inherent coolness, of course) is that all items are handmade and “eco-friendly” in some way, either created from new, natural, sustainable materials, or upcycled/recycled/repurposed from discarded items. This is just a small sampling of the many members and consigners at the shop, but it should give you a taste of what we’re all about.

The shop takes its name from Jody, aka Mozy Rue, the visionary ECO-crafter who brought us all together and has been working tirelessly to make the shop a reality. In addition to being the driving force (and muscle) behind the venture, she is an talented artisan as well. Visitors to the Mozy Rue ECO Collective shop will be both surprised and impressed by Jody’s eclectic collection; her line of upcycled goods runs the gamut from boots made from men’s suits and repurposed leather (pictured above) to pendants cut from bottles, which are also available in Jody’s online shop.

Regular readers of this column will recognize EmmsgEMs from previous mentions, as well as a recent full-length interview . In that feature, I introduced Emily’s new line of eco-friendly jewelry, which makes use of natural and sustainable materials. When I found out that Emily had signed on as a member of the collective, I was thrilled…but a little worried. It’s definitely going to take a lot of willpower for me to work my shifts in the shop with lovely things like the ones in the EmmsgEMs display case tempting me. I know I will be unable to resist her recycled glass earrings, like the ones pictured above. Visit the EmmsgEMs shop to see what I mean…and, really, don’t even bother trying to “just browse”.

When you move into a house, you hope for good neighbours. Well, the same goes when you set-up shop in a new place. My own hopes for “good neighbours” at the ECO Collective store were more than exceeded when I saw the display right beside mine. It is a rare that I am speechless (again, just ask my fella), but that’s exactly what happened when I saw dconstruct’s beautiful (and beautifully presented) line. Working in feather-light concrete and 40% recycled resin, the award-winning team behind dconstruct create jewelry pieces that are simple, stunning and, well…simply stunning. I absolutely love the resin cuffs with embedded natural materials and concrete pieces, pictured above.

Needless to say, I am thrilled to be in such great company and part of what is promising to be a very exciting (ad)venture. As for my own little “shop-within-a-shop”, I have filled my space with all sorts of upcycled goodies, like my signature Domino Pins (below), collage mirrors and upcycled t-shirt pillows. I have already begun expanding my line, though, and I am sure that being surrounded by so many talented and like-minded women and men is going to be a fantastic inspiration for me. I can’t wait to see what the future holds…

The Mozy Rue ECO Collective is open for business at 531 Osborne Street in Winnipeg, Manitoba. If you can’t make it out to say “hi” in person, please visit our online shops, or visit our blog for more info.

Aloha Hawaii

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Life is funny. I was thinking about local sellers in Hawaii today because I thought it would be nice to give a shout out to the birthplace of our Prez. I know he’s been getting a lot of flack, but I personally still have total confidence in him. Especially now that the health care bill is finally in place. Millions of people are now going to have basic health care. Sounds pretty good to me. Hawaii is of course the birthplace of President Obama. He was raised by his single mother, and seems like she did pretty much all she could to give him a great life. So this Shop Local column is not only dedicated to Mr. President, but also to all of the local ladies in Hawaii who are making things, and making things happen.

Huladesigns is not just a mom, but also a daughter who share this site that features their handmade brocade clutches. This creative duo live on Maui, and make designs which feature repurposed brooches and other cast-off jewels. The results are just the right size for a few essentials for a night out on the town.

Like many crafters out there, I started making clothes for my dolls when I was big enough to use a needle and thread. I was really into my dolls, and created a virtual world for them replete with furniture, houses, and all the trappings of doll-dom. As you may know today’s doll-obsession is the American Girl, which is more expensive that the Madame Alexander’s I coveted. So when I found alohagirldollclothes who makes pretty dresses for the American Dolls, it made me happy and brought me back to a simpler time when making clothes was just a part of life.

I can’t resist a butterfly, let alone this butterfly necklace by Oahu’s wavejewelry. Julie Kirby has been making jewelry for thirty years and finds her inspiration in all of the natural elements found in her beautiful surroundings. I am so impressed with the composition of this piece, and the colors of the stones–ruby-zoisite, and black onyx, with sterling silver. She says the stones for this piece sat in her work room for a year before inspiration struck. I know exactly how she feels. Sometimes waiting for inspiration, or even that sense that “this is what you should do” takes awhile to come along. I think what I like most about President Obama is that he has a quiet confidence that all of the best leaders have, and when he feels something is right, he goes after it with determination. Like a butterfly that sits and sits and sits, and then with a flutter it’s off. Mahalo a hui hou (Peace until we meet again).

language & meaning designworks

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language & meaning designworks: I’ve been mesmerized by paper for as long as I can remember. I can’t tell you how many portfolios of paper I have…well, actually, I can since they’re right next to me, but I digress.

I started doing fine art collages in college. Inspired by Hannah Hoch and her Dadaist counterparts, I enjoyed playing around with a mix of found images and objects, advertising cut-outs and text and found that I was drawn to their interplay. Really, I suppose you could take it all the way back to when my sister and I would cut out words, fashions and famous people from magazines and make huge poster board displays for our rooms. Luckily for everyone, I won’t be making any homages to the Cure or Benneton any time soon..

I never could wrap my brain around large-scale projects. Instructors were always telling me to step back from my projects for perspective, telling me “you’re too close to that canvas;” guess I was trying to make something big, small. Instead, I opted to create vignettes that (I hoped) had a Joseph Cornell vibe to them. Small seemed intimate, personal; a window into a certain feeling.

I take the same care with my cards, invitations and other paper crafts. I like to think of them as tiny works of art. I LOVE paper! I see ideas in those sheets but I’m not gonna lie, not everything I make is a hug from Jesus. You won’t see any of my design step-children here; only the best for you peeps!

I’m a total and complete art history nerd: modern and contemporary art/photography and mid-century architecture/furnishings. The weirdest thing about me is the way I eat ice cream from the carton – it’s gotta be scraped in a flat, level pattern or all is no bueno in this house! Currently in grad school for my MFA and loving life with my husband, the company of good friends and MAKING STUFF.

Shades of Green – Moss

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What is moss? Let’s start with a quick botany lesson. Lacking conventional leaves, stems and roots, moss is a simple plant belonging to the class Bryopsida. It is believed to have evolved from primitive vascular plants and is among the first green land plants to have developed during the evolutionary process. There are now over 12,000 species of moss.

Commonly found in wooded areas and at the edges of streams, mosses thrive in damp, low-light conditions. Although a few varieties of moss can survive drying out, and will return to life after being dehydrated, all mosses require constant moisture to survive. Indoors, where the air is typically dry, terrariums are perfect environments for growing moss. This lovely example by Mossopotamia is made from an upcycled glass jar. As easy to care for as it is pretty, all that it takes to keep your moss lush and green is a light misting of water and indirect light. As shop-owner Sherri says “No green thumb or horticulture degree required!”

terrarium

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Jim Bradshaw

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Jim Bradshaw: Jim loves everything art and creative and puts that passion into all assignments. Humorous illustration and cartoon surrealism is what he is drawn to. Some topics you’ll find showing up in his recent work are dreams, the tyranny of time, life & death, childhood versus the tainted adult world we all exist in, good and evil and just plain fun whacked out made up worlds that swirl around in Jim’s brain.