WC Holiday Shopping Guide Part 2

(The West Carleton Online Holiday Shopping Guide, presented by reporter Nonie Smart, will be a regular series between now and Christmas featuring some of the most interesting and unique gift ideas created and made right here in West Carleton. For information on how to get involved, read to the bottom)

WEST CARLETON – This Christmas, why not take ‘shopping local’ to the next level and put a little bit of West Carleton under the tree.

West Carleton Online’s second gift guide is all about local makers who create using raw materials sourced right here in West Carleton. When it comes to buying local, you can’t get any closer than that.

With at least six apiaries across our area, Constance Bay’s Baybees honey certainly delivers a taste of home as well as sweet memories of sunny days.  Not only is their pure raw honey a delicious treat, it’s also a reminder that the long dark days of winter will soon pass. Nothing else screams summer like a jar of clear golden honey.  

The industrious bees of Baybees are meticulously cared for by owners Ian and Marie Grant. As well as producing a variety of honey products and beeswax candles they are also proud contributors to food security in Ontario.

“It’s not just the production of honey but what the bees also bring to the agricultural sector,” Ian said. “In Ontario, we estimate bees contribute about a billion dollars of added value to agricultural products through their role as pollinators.”

The Grants who established Baybees in 2018 say beekeeping “is a hobby that has grown out of control.” In addition, Ian volunteers his time to advocate on many bee-related issues as president of the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association (OBA).

Just like their hardworking bees, you will find Baybees products around the neighbourhood including, local farmers’ markets, Carp’s Giacinto’s Barbershop and Supply, as well as by direct order. Further afield their products are also available at the Handmaid Hive in the Carlingwood Mall, a retail enterprise that supports female entrepreneurs.

Carp resident Veronica Chenier of Willow Memories is also out and about in local forests collecting raw materials for her hand-made rustic furniture and home decor.

“I use mostly found wood from all over West Carleton,” she said. “I’ve lived in the bush my whole life.”

Chenier recently told West Carleton Online she started wood working in 1984 after attending an Adirondack chair building course at Algonquin College. She adds detail to her one-of-a-kind creations using pyrography (wood burning) or whittling which she says takes a lot of time and patience.

“When I am working in wood, I’m in heaven,” she said. “It’s very therapeutic and relaxing.”

Chenier says her Christmas ornaments are a popular gift. They start out as wood cookies to which she adds imagery such as, baby’s first Christmas or a Santa Claus.

Another popular item, she says, is her stand-alone growth chart for measuring kids (in inches).  

“It’s a perfect choice if you don’t want to rip out the door frame every time your family moves,” she said. “I remember when we were kids and we often would ask our mom to measure me, as if we had grown inches overnight.”

The portable growth chart is made of pine and is adorned with moon, star and cloud shapes and anchored with an animal silhouette at the base. Alternately, check out her birch bark flying goose with movable wings.

Chenier has been a long-time vendor at the Carp Farmers’ Market and you will also find her at the upcoming Carp Farmers’ Christmas Market (Nov. 29 and 30). She can be contacted at – willowmemories@sympatico.ca.

Buckham’s Bay stained glass artist Marlene Othmer incorporates nature’s treasures into her work which is something she relishes. Her studio, Stained Glass Art set high above the Ottawa River offers plenty of inspiration as she works, surrounded by nature. It’s no wonder rocks and tree branches sometimes find their way into her artwork along with other embellishments such as broken ceramic bits or crystals.

Othmer, also a long time Red Trillium Studio Tour artist, often uses juxtaposition as a strong compositional strategy combining texture, colour, and an uncommon pairing of materials all to a mesmerizing effect when her artwork catches the light. In addition to stained glass art, she has recently expanded her exploration in to sculpture involving wood, bark, moss, glass and resin. For the holiday season she also has glass art centre pieces on offer.

The Stained Glass Art studio is open and available by appointment for private shopping and her works are also available at The Art Hub in Carleton Place. She is happy to take on commissioned work as well.

For those who prefer to forage indoors for inspiration, Debbie Tate of Dlynn Designs is ready to transform a piece of your loved one’s clothing into a cherished memento such as a keepsake pillow, blanket or stuffy. A familiar face around West Carleton markets, the Kanata north resident told West Carleton Online recently at the Fitzroy Harbour Craft Market (Nov. 16), she started with one project from a friend 15 years ago and her business just grew from there.

A popular commission says Tate, is making teddy bears from clothing.  

“One piece I thought was particularly touching was when I made a teddy bear from a receiving blanket,” she said.

Tate also sells a wide selection of handy stocking stuffers including, inexpensive hand-made ornaments, printed fabric hand sewn bags, and all-in-one totes for safe keeping of cell phone, wallet, and glasses. Tate can be reached at Dlynndesigns@yahoo.com.

To see all the stories in West Carleton Online’s WC Holiday Shopping Guide, click here.

West Carleton Online’s Holiday Shopping Guide series will continue towards Christmas. The guide is free access meaning the stories published will be accessible to everyone on the Internet (not just our subscribers). If you are a business owner within West Carleton (Ward 5) and would like your business to be considered for our ongoing holiday series, please contact us at westcarletononline@gmail.com. There is no cost or expectations to participate, we just ask you respond quickly to our reporter’s requests if contacted for inclusion, so we can include as many local businesses as possible.