Even when I was young, long before Kelowna became the money/retirement mecca that it is today, now able to afford a ‘cultural district’, this town was fraught with creative minds. Again, I am just beginning to really explore who’s here doing what now, but have come across some new, & reconnected with some old, amazing talents that I’d like to share with you.
May I present…
Teal & Gold
(interior shot of their handy work at the Streaming Cafe (see Part I for cafe info)
I met this husband and wife team, Kelly & Tyler McKenzie of Teal & Gold, at a holiday sale I took part in last December. Having recently moved back to town, they have set up shop and gone to work, getting down with wooding up local spaces. For the Streaming Cafe in Kelowna, Kelly & Tyler provided most of the seating, which is revamped old school plywood chairs with fresh veneer & paint, and the wall of woods that is probably the coolest take on this idea that I’ve seen (see detail below for total appreciation). Kelly’s hand burnt wooden pins from the Dec. show along with Tyler’s very modern & well conceived salt ‘n pepper shakers round out their offerings. They can be reached at tealandgoldworkshop@gmail.com.
(clockwise from top left: interior shot of the Streaming Cafe, wall of woods, Tyler’s re-ply chairs,
Kelly’s hand-burned pins, salt n’ peppers, re-ply detail, their ‘tag’)
Nicole Richard of Cölespic
Nicole and I go all the way back to elementary school. In fact the photos she took above are of our now shut down & decaying childhood haunt. I hadn’t seen her for years, but was so excited to reconnect with after moving back and find out how she is putting her many talents to use. She is now an amazing photographer (she did most of my product shots for my catalog & website) and also designs and produces the smartest & most environmentally responsible cards I’ve ever seen. Her company, Cölespic, makes cards called “Reusems” that have a sticky notepad inside for your message and 10 name lines so that whoever you give it to can tear off your message and keep on keepin’ on with the giving. Super smart. These are available at Funktional (mentioned in part 1 of the Kelowna guide) and soon again, on her etsy site.
Rio Banner
Rio does the 70 & 80’s a great service. She takes their old & very unstylish leftover leather coats and transforms them into hip, soft, & well appointed wallets. A much wiser way to pay tribute to that sometimes wayward era than by getting a mullet. To check out available colors, visit her etsy shop here, and to see them in person go to the Kelowna farmers’ & crafters’ market on Saturdays.
Sharon Russell
This wonderful woman I’ve known longer than anyone else in the world. She’s my mum. And on top of being a fantastic mother, my completely dedicated and talented studio assistant (she has learned everything about the slip casting process in order to help a daughter out), she is also a very accomplished painter of both watercolor & acrylic mediums. My faves are her recent acrylic & mixed medium takes on modern forests. I am so proud of how fresh they are! She’s working on having prints & card sets made for her etsy shop, so be sure to stop in and give her your heart.
It has been such a pleasure to share with you my two favorite places in the world! I’ll be signing off tomorrow with another DIY craft project that has the power to transport you or a loved one out of the office and into the countryside with just the flip of a lid. See you then! xo
