Kawartha Localist is an editorial series from kawarthaNOW sharing trusted local recommendations, hidden gems, and favourite discoveries from people who know and love this region. It’s what we love about where we live. Kawartha Localist is sponsored by Kawartha Financial Services.
Whether you’re lighting a hand-poured candle to transport you to a special time and place, wearing a custom-designed bracelet, or eating dinner with loved ones on a one-of-a-kind set of plates, there’s something magical about knowing an artisan has put so much time and care into making a product just for you. Handmade products are crafted with passion and craftsmanship that you just can’t find in mass-produced goods.
Across the greater Kawarthas region, we’re blessed with many jewellers, fibre artists, metal artists, woodworkers, and other artisans who are handcrafting original and unique items that you can find in local shops, at markets and special events, online, or even in the artist’s own studio.
This holiday season, give the gift of handmade by supporting the hundreds of local artists and artisans across the greater Kawarthas region. To get you started, we’ve selected eight makers worthy of a look.
Dine on whimsical domestic ware from Aitken Hyde in Peterborough County
When you buy playful domestic ware from Aitken Hyde, you can be certain it’s entirely unique and intentionally crafted to tell a story.
Ceramicist Thomas Aitken and sculptor Kate Hyde are celebrated artists individually, but when they combine their skill and eye for detail, they create domestic ware that is both functional and more than a little pleasing on the eye.
Thomas crafts his hand-produced porcelain with precision, while Kate uses signature subtle colours to craft whimsical designs that always take consideration of the piece’s function and intended use.
When you’re shopping at the Art Gallery of Peterborough’s gift shop or Lakefield’s Happenstance Books & Yarns, you will recognize some of the pieces crafted by Aitken Hyde, like the bestselling clothing line motif (Kate says she has never repeated an exact design). Thomas, on the other hand, takes pride in respecting the client’s desire for cohesive pieces that are stackable and work in conversation with one another, while still always welcoming the natural uniqueness of a ceramic that was made by hand.
Through commission work, the artists often put a spin on the familiar motifs to make them personalized and memorable for an occasion. Perhaps a family dog will make an appearance or a customer’s wedding attire will hang from the clothing line. You’ll also always find an image or polka dots on the bottom of the plate or inside the mug — a detail Hyde says is a “surprise” for the person washing up the dishware and storing them away.
With so much intention and care for both the ceramics and the people who use them, every piece created by Aitken Hyde is one you will come back to time and time again.
The Aitken Hyde studio is open by appointment only at 844 Rock Road near Warsaw in Douro-Dummer Township. To learn more or to request a commission, visit aitkenhyde.com.
Find glasses made from recycled bottles and unique art pieces at The Hot Shop by Artech Studios in Haliburton County
Jennifer Wanless-Craig and Terry Craig have been playing with fire in their Tory Hill glass-blowing studios for more than 20 years.
Trained at Sheridan College, the two artists intended to spend only a few years in Haliburton County while Terry worked with the Haliburton School of Art and Design, but two decades later, they continue to run a gallery and studio out of a converted church located in the rural region between Haliburton and Bancroft.
At Artech Studios, Jennifer says they don’t believe that handmade should be reserved for the “elite” — it should be accessible to all. That’s why they’ve become well-known for crafting beer glasses and tumblers using recycled beer cans, providing customers with an opportunity to enjoy and use handmade products without the price tag that comes with the goblets or larger installation pieces.
When visiting The Hot Shop or shopping at local galleries that carry Artech Studios pieces, including the Art Gallery of Peterborough and Rails End Gallery and Art Centre in Haliburton, you’ll find a larger selection of artwork that is more intricate and technically challenging. These include tablewares, unique glass animal structures, paperweights, and more. The couple also does larger installation pieces and custom glasswork.
The Hot Shop by Artech Studios is located at 18639 Highway 118 in Tory Hill. Outside of scheduled workshops, The Hot Shop is open by appointment only. To learn more, visit artechstudios.ca.
Order custom furniture from Your Dreams in Wood by James Lukow in Kawartha Lakes
Are you having trouble finding a piece of furniture to fit into that awkward space beneath your staircase? Or do you need a certain type of wood to frame the mirror in your hallway?
At Your Dreams in Wood by James Lukow, not only can you get a custom-made piece of furniture that is handcrafted to meet your needs, but it’s quality made to become your “future heirloom.”
Based in Lindsay, James’ goal is to provide you with wooden giftware, furniture, and décor items that you will be proud to pass on to your children. The second-generation woodworker uses ethically sourced domestic woods including maple, oak, cherry, walnut, and pine to make pieces that are built to last and can be easily repaired.
James likes to tell people not to “make do” with what’s out there, when you can work with him instead to come up with exactly what you want.
You can see his pieces during monthly studio days held from May through December. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on studio days, you can drop in to browse James’ collections of ornaments, bowls, candle holders, household products, cutting boards, and more, or consult with him on your custom-built project.
Your Dreams in Wood by James Lukow hosts monthly studio days at 10 St. Peter Street in Lindsay. To learn more, visit www.yourdreamsinwood.ca.
Celebrate special moments in time with Frantic Farms in Northumberland County
According to Monica Johnston and Paulus Tjiang, their artwork is all about crafting “beautiful objects to celebrate the special times in life.”
That’s what they’ve been doing for more than 40 years as independent artists — Monica a potter and Paulus a glassblower. Together, they have been running Frantic Farms Pottery & Glass Gallery in downtown Warkworth for 22 years.
At Frantic Farms, the two artists take pride in turning the raw materials of sand and mud into a range of brightly coloured glass and ceramic art pieces, including mugs, dinnerware sets, chandeliers, ornaments, and sculptures. Products from Frantic Farms are quality built to endure time and tell a story for decades. Having been working for more than 40 years, the artists have seen their work passed on to future generations.
Alongside their own work, you’ll also find artwork from other Ontario creators at the gallery in Frantic Farms. Each featured artist is one that Monica and Paulus have connected with personally and whose story they want to share. Outside of their own gallery, the work of Frantic Farms can also be found at the Meta4 Gallery in Port Perry and General Fine Craft in Almonte.
Frantic Farms Pottery & Glass Gallery is located at 2 Mill Street in Warkworth and is open Tuesday to Saturday or by appointment. For more details, visit franticfarms.ca.
Light sustainable candles from Old Jar Soy Candle Co. in Lakefield
The name of Old Jar Candle Co. tells you everything you need to know about the sustainability mission that drives this local small business owned by serial entrepreneur Lindsey Irwin.
In the early days of the pandemic, it was all the single-use plastics around her home — as well as a love of lighting candles — that got Lindsey thinking about what happens to a candle jar when it’s recycled. As it turns out, most candle jars can’t be recycled and often end up in landfills, so Lindsey began making her own all-natural candles in repurposed candle jars.
Today, Irwin’s scented candles are sold across the Kawarthas, yet she continues to make each one by hand. Featuring pure cotton wicks, clean soy wax, and essential oil blends, her candles are zero waste. Bestsellers include the first scent she ever made, called the Roasted Espresso, as well as seasonal scents. Each scent not only embodies familiar and comforting smells, but they’ll transport you someplace special, from sunny days on the ski slope and maple sugar shacks to walks in the woods, and beach vacations.
While Old Jar Soy Candle Co. still uses some reused jars for market products, those distributed wholesale are now packaged in food-grade jars that are recyclable and hard-to-beak. Just be sure to pull the wick out and you can put them in your recycling, or repurpose them in your home as a keepsake or food jar.
You can find Old Jar Candle Co. at locations across the Kawarthas, including One Fine Food and Hard Winter Bakery in Peterborough and Kawartha Country Wines in Buckhorn. The whole collection can be found at The Lakefield Pantry, which Lindsay also owns. Alongside the candles, The Lakefield Panty also stocks Old Jar Candle Co.’s handmade pillows, blankets, and all-natural linen and room mist sprays.
To learn more and browse the collection, visit oldjarcandle.com.
Find water-resistant bags, totes, and more from Nautilos in Northumberland County
What began as a leather business 25 years ago is still going strong by serving up high-quality water-resistant canvas bags in all kinds of styles, colours, shapes, and sizes.
Based in Grafton, Nautilos is owned by husband-and-wife team Irek Bartosiewicz and Kiki Puppin. It was buying a boat and finding a passion for being on the water that prompted the couple to focus on crafting water-repellent and oil-repellent canvas bags that are meant for days at sea or on the beach.
From totes to messenger bags and laptop bags, duffel bags, purses, toiletry bags, and more, each bag is crafted out of canvas by hand. Leather motifs — including the popular florals, dragon flies, and maple leaves — give each bag a simplistic but elevated look. Available in a wide range of colours, Nautilos bags can be entirely custom designed to fit your style and needs.
The seamless design does not come at the cost of quality, however, as Nautilos bags are built to last. Kiki and Irek tell kawarthaNOW they’ve had clients return 15 years later to show their bags are still going strong.
Nautilos bags aren’t available at local retailers, so you’ll have to catch Kiki and Irek at one of the more than 20 craft shows and markets they attend each year, or you can purchase bags online.
Nautilos is located at 101 Old Mill Road in Grafton. For more information and to shop online, visit nautilos.ca.
Give the gift of a nature-inspired sterling silver jewellery from Olive Cedar Studio in Peterborough
At Olive Cedar Studio, Chantel Stovell crafts necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, and pendants that are inspired by the landscapes and flora and fauna found in the greater Kawarthas.
Chantel’s love of jewellery flourished when she was working at Hi Ho Silver in downtown Peterborough, which prompted her to study in the Jewellery Essentials program at Haliburton School of Art and Design in 2011. Since then, she’s been crafting in her East City home studio, which she named after two things she loves — a dog she once had and the cedar forest she grew up in.
One of the most recognizable pieces in Chantel’s collection is the adorable “Momma Bear” motif of a mother bear leading her cubs. Clients often come to her for meaningful pieces like the pendants showing the various phases of the moon or birth flowers, which are both subtle ways of commemorating a significant date. She also accepts custom orders to help clients keep close the things that are most meaningful to them.
Chantel is currently welcoming guests into her East City studio by appointment only, through she’s looking forward to next year when she’ll be working out of an detached workspace in her backyard, where she hopes to host more regular studio hours.
For now, in addition to shopping online, you can find Olive Cedar jewellery in Peterborough at Hi Ho Silver and The Canadian Canoe Museum. To learn more, visit olivecedarstudio.com.
Book an enamelling workshop with Peterborough County glass artist Christy Haldane
Art can be whatever the artist wants it to be, and when you’re as talented and creative as Christy Haldane, your audience will follow you no matter where the call of creativity takes you.
For Christy, a glass artist based in Warsaw, that call means she’s moving away from the monochromatic glass-stone fusion work she’s known for to more “colourful and warm” ways of making art.
She’s still working with glass, though in an all-new way that incorporates more enamelling and flameworking. Christy is still focused on functional craft, creating jewellery, wall-mounted works, and wherever else her passion and the glass takes her — including partnering with other local artists. Whatever she decides to do, we are here for it!
Alongside purchasing functional craft pieces, you can learn to make your own by booking Christy to lead one of her introductory copper enamelling workshops. Through these intensive workshops, you’ll not only learn a new skill but walk away with your own one-of-a-kind piece of jewellery.
Christy is not only at a transitional time in her creative life, but she’s also adjusting to a new home in Warsaw. As she becomes more settled following her move, she hopes to have the space and opportunities to host pop-up events to exhibit her work more regularly.
For more details on her workshops, visit www.christyhaldane.com.
Kawartha Localist is an editorial series from kawarthaNOW celebrating the places, experiences, businesses, and communities that make our region extraordinary. Written by people who live here, work here, and have spent nearly 30 years exploring the Kawarthas and surrounding region, each edition shares trusted local recommendations, hidden gems, and favourite discoveries from across Peterborough County, the City of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands.
Whether you’re looking for your next hiking trail, favourite patio, scenic drive, farmers’ market, or weekend adventure, Kawartha Localist is what we love about where we live.
Kawartha Localist is sponsored by Kawartha Financial Services.
