This past Saturday I ventured over to the Bronson Center for the 3rd annual PunkOttawa Flea Market.  It was my first time at the event, and I have to say it was pretty neat.  Handmade jewelry, thrifted clothing, and tasty baked goods - right up my alley!  I talked with a few great vendors, including Brandi Tweed (photographed above).  She's a crafter and designer and had a whole bunch of her unique stuff for sale.  I also scored a great sweater and some pretty rockin' red fringed booties for only seven bucks - a steal I tell ya!  While browsing the tables, I met a girl named Shanna Steals, the creative force behind Jaded Raven Creations.  She hand makes all of her products, which include hand felted pins (there was even a donut one! If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I LOVE donuts!) and round buttons with pictures of everyone from Willy Wonka to Sinead O'Connor (my personal fave).  Another really interesting vendor was Roselyn McDermott, the lady behind Country Rune.  She specializes in hand crafted jewelry and wood burning, something that I haven't really seen in such detail before.  I highly suggest checking out all these cool chicks and their work!  

Overall I'd say it was a pretty successful day, and I will definitely be back.  - J

Check out PunkOttawa here for updates and future events! 

Hey there Capital Oh friends! The ladies of Victoire have made an unprecedented contribution to the integrity of Ottawa's fashion community for FIVE YEARS now. Wow! Now that's a reason to celebrate:

What began as the wild dream of two very young women is now a Mecca of Canadian design and innovative business practices. In an industry where longevity is rarely attained, Victoire Boutique is an industry leader, gaining national praise for being a beautifully merchandised and friendly shop stocking the best designers Canada has to offer! Come celebrate with us on June 25^th with a dream filled celebration: Tarot card readings, a Ouija cake by Auntie Loo and of course discounts and giveaways! To reward its customers for their years of support, Victoire will also be hosting its first ever “Beat the Clock” sale.

Victoire opened its doors in 2006 to serve the fashionable ladies of Ottawa with a friendly and beautiful shop stocked with irresistible clothing and accessories by a mostly Canadian roster of up-and-coming designers. Five years later the aim is still the same but now with two locations and a webshop there are even more beautiful things to choose from. Named one of the “Best Places in Canada to buy a Dress” by Canwest Media, and winner two years in a row of the Ottawa Xpress Readers Poll for favourite women’s boutique, Victoire has also since launched a jewelry collection of refurbished vintage pieces called Steel Magnolias that is currently being sold at 5 locations across the country. More recently, after years of hosting an incredibly popular vintage sale twice a year Victoire has also launched a webshop of exclusively vintage dresses. “We’ve worked so hard in the last 5 years because we have the best customers and we want to keep offering them the best possible pieces out there – and we’re so very thankful for their support because they’ve allowed us to make it this long…it’s a lot of work, but we love it. Victoire is a labour of love, through and through!” says Regine Paquette.

Best described as a rock'n'roll tea party, Victoire strikes the perfect balance offering pretty dresses that will delight your girly side, while still offering items with enough edge to ensure you most definitely look like a strong woman. Customers have been flocking to Victoire to find well priced Canadian items that they won't find anywhere else or on anyone else! Striving to bring in items that are of the highest quality, pieces bought at Victoire will live on as the vintage of tomorrow. With customer relations set as the highest priority, Victoire strives to build as many genuine connections to its customers as possible. Besides a friendly and authentic sales approach, there are also newsletters, a Facebook page, a Twitter account and a fantastic blog that helps build these customer connections. Alongside it's work to be a meaningful member of the online fashion community, Victoire also aims to be a hard-working member of the local business community. “We love our city, and healthy communities include locally based stores that support people and that the people support in return. We want to be one more reason people praise Ottawa for being the best!” says Katie Frappier.

The “Beat the Clock” sale will be taking place at both shops from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m (and exclusively at the Dalhousie shop until 9:00 p.m.). All purchases made between 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. will be 40% off, between 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. will be 30% off, and between 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. will be 20% off. Shop early and save big! This is without a doubt the biggest sale Victoire has ever had, but rewarding their customers for their loyalty is their top priority!

Come celebrate our dream come true with us! June 25^th will be a day full of sales and a night full of magic.

Victoire's 5 year anniversary

Saturday, June 25th 2011

246 Dalhousie St. (613) 321-1590

Beat the Clock sale: From 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. = 40% off From 12:00 - 4:00 p.m. = 30% off From 4:00 - 9:00 p.m. = 20% off (ending at 6:00 p.m. at the West Wellington location)

6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Fortune-telling by Mandi Loo, bewitching treats & elixirs, as well as discounts and giveaways so good you won't believe your good fortune! (246 Dalhousie St. location only)

SPRING SWAP

Our friends at Milk are hosting yet another awesome clothing event. Bring in your gently used clothing (or, what I like to call "perviously loved") and get 20% off new merchandise from the store. And, to top off this awesome-ness, all the clothes you drop off will be donated to a local day program for women and children. Yay! - J

PS - Stay tuned for more photos from Ottawa Fashion Week - your favourite Ottawa ladies have been busy handing in assignments and uploading our photos at the same time! I promise you a timely upload! We've really got some awesome shots to share with you guys!

MARCH BREAKDOWN

As the days get longer and the weather gets warmer, we definitely need to prepare our new wardrobes. Our friends over at Milk (on Dalhousie, in the market) are having a great sale for the next three days! Head over to the store to receive 20% off your purchase, but make sure to bring your student ID - we all know how much you love showing it off. You can wear your awesome new clothes to Ottawa Fashion Week this weekend too! So, in other words, you will definitely be winning. - J

Capital Oh hit up Ottawa's Dalhousie Street shopping night, with stops at some of our favourites - Milk, Victoire, Workshop, Canteen and today's feature, Young Janes. We had a friend with us too! Meghan (pictured above) joined us for the night of shopping, snacking and turban buying. Overall, great night!

YOUNG JANES

Why we love it:

Young Janes is a delectable vintage experience for the prim and proper with a wild side. Situated in Dalhousie's perfectly petit shopping district, it is always worth a visit. As well, anyone planning on buying me a perfectly petit Christmas gifty this year is thoroughly encouraged to do so at Ottawa's Young Janes. - S

The selection at Young Janes is very carefully selected, to ensure that each and every piece is special and unique. The accessories are my favourite part to look at, as I love shiny things...and gold. As S said, it is definitely worth a visit because there is always something to be found. - J

YOUNG JANES

203 Dalhousie Street
Ottawa, ON

(613) 794-6452

http://youngjanes.blogspot.com/

S took a much-needed study break on Sunday and ventured out in the freezing rain and blistering cold to Somerset Street, Ottawa's Chinatown for some craft sale-lovin.' Shanghai Restaurant was packed with incredible vendors from all over the city and Raw Sugar Cafe, just down the street, was also brimming with the most creative and talented of Ottawa folk. Birthdays were celebrated (I scored free cake!!!), carols were sung by Miss China Doll herself, and the map jewelery, cuckoo clocks, dirty diaries, and baked goodies certainly made their way on to MY Christmas list this year. I'd tell you what I got...however I may or may not have done some gift shopping--shhh!!  -S

[photos provided by the friendly staff at Slaysh]

Hooray for Boobies!

Last Friday, Sarah and I embarked on yet another day of explorations in this beautiful capital city of ours, and we came across a store called Slaysh. We noticed they had hand painted casts of multiple breasts in the window, so we decided to ask what they were all about.

Turns out, Slaysh will be holding an auction in support of Keep A Breast Foundation at their store on Bank Street, this Thursday starting at 8:00pm. The items up for auction? The painted breast casts, created by Canadian artists! These pieces of art are super cool, and you won't feel guilty for the purchase at all. Great art for a good cause, what could be better?

The evening will be filled with shopping, music by DJ Matt Tamblyn, Slaysh giveaways, refreshments, cupcakes and even boobie truffles - sweet! See you all there! - J

For more info on Keep A Breast Foundation, check out their website: www.keep-a-breast.org.

Fore more info on the event, contact:

Sarah Hyde

Slaysh

775 Bank St.(Between Second and Third Ave)

Ottawa, ON

613-667-5830

sarah@slaysh.com