design

Amanda is a local designer in Saskatoon with a sustainable label called Scarlett Dahlia which launched back in 2013. Since she was a young girl, she was passionate about designing clothing, accessories, and keeping herself busy with different creative projects. As an adult, she continues flourishing her artsy side and chasing a few different creative endeavours! One of the biggest projects Amanda is working on is her business, Scarlett Dahlia. She designs and creates all pieces in her home studio and has come up with a range of products such as wallets, scarves, and shawls. Along with the clothing brand, Amanda is a multi-talented visual, textile, and makeup artist. She has a deep-rooted connection and understanding of sustainable slow fashion, implementing her beliefs into all aspects of her life and business development.

Sustainable Focus

The roots to the brand, Scarlett Dahlia, is based on a sustainable business plan, having a small-impact and sticking as close to zero-waste as possible. Amanda strongly believes in re-purposing and re-using old materials to create new, updated pieces. She is also mindful of the pieces she is repurposing and mainly uses materials that would otherwise end up in the landfill. She uses materials from a variety of sources such as old clothing, banner vinyl, leftover leather, and yarn. Each piece of Scarlett Dahlia is one-of-a-kind and uniquely handmade, using a variety of colours and patterns.

“My morals are simple: choose materials that will have as little negative impact on the earth as possible, buy local and support companies who operate and trade fairly and ethically, and then use 100% of that material.”

Fast Fashion

Being hyperaware of the fast fashion industry, Amanda wishes to use her brand as an example that the fashion industry does not need to be so wasteful. In the past, it was not uncommon to use scrap material to repurpose old garments. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that the fast fashion industry boomed. Over the past few years, it has gotten worse with more people wanting the latest trends that rotate at an extreme rate. Social media, such as Instagram, has created a world where many people want to continuously have new clothes per post as well as staying up to date with the latest trends.

Based on the quick rotation of trends, people turn to cheap, low-quality clothing. Fast fashion has become engrained into first world countries and the problem lays with people not seeing the full extent of impact with their purchases. It is important for information like this to be easily accessible to the public and for people to know the negative impacts they contribute based on their purchases. With brands like Scarlett Dahlia, people now have the option to opt for slow fashion without breaking the bank! Not to mention, smaller designs offers both quality and uniqueness compared to mass produced items that are all exact copies which millions of people have access to purchasing.

The Zero-Waste Process

For those of you new to this concept, zero-waste is simply a principle to cut out any form of waste from start to finish. The focus is to resource materials and use every piece rather than throwing anything out. This is an extremely important initiative in a world with a population exceeding 7.8 billion people. The term came to light in the 2000s when the wastefulness of today’s society and the colossal amount of waste in landfills was acknowledged across the globe.

Waste is one of the worst environmental impacts in our current world. Over-consumerism has created a new global problem and we see it in our landfills. Some of the problems associated with waste is the contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, soil contamination, and water contamination which all contribute to the climate crisis. The fast fashion industry is one of the largest contributors to waste, globally.

To make her brand ‘zero-waste’, Amanda mainly works with scrap offcuts, left over from other products, and uses them to make her new pieces. When making wallets, Amanda only uses a small amount of fabric and the leftover fabric is then cut up and weaved into rugs. Any tiny bits of leftover material after this gets cut into even smaller pieces and is used for stuffing. Any woven goods are 100% zero-waste and made completely of natural fibers and any leftover yarn from this is used to make different designs using accent stripes. All the packaging also comes from either re-usable, recyclable, or compostable materials. From beginning to end, each step is taken with the utmost mindfulness to achieve sustainability.

Amanda is both passionate and talented with her business and other creative endeavours! She is another example of just how creative our local community really is! To read more about Scarlett Dahlia or shop the website, click here!

To read more on our other Makers, click here!

Saskatoon Maker, Nicole Boczula, is a passionate creative, interested in a variety of artistic fields. She grew up in Calgary, studied in Toronto, and later moved to Saskatoon where she has become a local Maker! After finishing her bachelor’s degree in science, she realized that she was always turning to creative outlets and decided to follow her passion as an artist instead.

Nicole currently works at Painfully Pretty Tattoo Studio in Saskatoon as a Tattoo Apprentice. She is happy to have the freedom with this job and to have the ability to create every day! In Nicole’s free time she explores other creative activities, taking a special interest in cosplay. Other than cosplay, Nicole keeps busy with aerial hoop classes, music, and crafting. Being a Maker has allowed Nicole to hone in on her artistic passions and talent for creating new things. She believes that “everyone has the ability to create and show the world what they can do – whether you are a makeup artist, cake decorator, or engineer”!

Nicole’s Designs

For those of you are new to this term, cosplay is a portmanteau of the words costume and play. Cosplay originated in Japan but has since become a globally recognized community. Not only does cosplay offer a new imaginative space but it has also created an amazing sense of belonging for those interested in this area. There are conventions and expos held around the world, whether they are small local gatherings or massive events in major cities. If cosplay attendees feel up for a friendly competition, some of the conventions and expos allow for costumes to be judged based on construction and presentation – and the opportunity to win a prize!

Nicole loves the cosplay world and creating her own costumes for events, photoshoots, and online. Local cosplayers might recognize her online name as ‘Simply Devious Cosplay’. She has been a cosplayer for approximately 8 years now and designs all of her own costumes! Nicole feels inspired by the cosplay scene because she loves to be able to transform into characters that she admires. She also loves to attend in-person events as it is a great opportunity to connect with other cosplayers and fans within the community. The events are a great way to “interact with others and gives cosplayers the opportunity to talk about their favorite characters from the same show/videogame.” Nicole states that she has made many lifelong friends that she met through conventions and expos.

Nicole currently has a few different projects on the go, focusing on props and armor, including the Cloud Buster Sword from Final Fantasy 7! When creating new things, she gathers a collection of photos for inspiration. She then cuts out the design she wants from EVA foam or insulation foam. From here, she begins sanding and priming in order to prep for finishing. The last step is where she gets creative with paints, colours, looks, and designs!

Cosplay Community in Saskatoon

Saskatchewan has a great cosplay community, with events held every year in Saskatoon! Anyone interested in cosplay is accepted into this space where artists get to show their talents for costume design. Those in this community are very passionate about the art and design that goes into creating the costumes. Hours, days, or even weeks are spent in the process to create an amazing final costume. The events are a great way to showcase the hard-work and passion that goes into making the costume. With in-person events being put on pause, there are now many virtual events being held around the globe! If you’re interested in cosplay, take a look at some of the expos offered and get back into your creative sphere!

If you’re new to cosplay but are interested in the scene, take a look online for countless workshops available to get you started! Youtube, Instagram, and other social platforms are also a great way to connect with this community as well as showcasing your own creations! A friendly tip from Nicole is to get inspiration from pictures/videos of other cosplayers in the community. She also recommends starting small, stating “I know when I first got into cosplay, I would be super ambitious (which is great!), but I would get overwhelmed with the sizes of the projects I took on. Do not feel like you need to craft every individual piece of your costume or prop.”

In past years, the Maker Faire Saskatoon has had a ‘Cosplay Corner’ that shows off the thriving cosplay scene in Saskatchewan! With workshops ran by passionate, local cosplayers, guests are invited to try their hand at making capes, masks, armor, and more! It’s a great way for newcomers that are interested to see how they like it! Let’s cross our fingers for a booming ‘Cosplay Corner’ at future Maker Faire events in Saskatoon!

If you want to take a look at more designs from cosplayer, Nicole Boczula, take a look at her Instagram here!

If you are interested in Nicole’s tattoo designs, check out her other page here!

After spending most of this past year indoors, your eyes may have become a bit bored with your interior design at home. With spring around the corner, now is the perfect time to think about getting creative and changing things up inside with some home improvements! Any changes, big or small, can make a huge difference and help bring a fresh atmosphere to your house! New colours, furniture, or decorations can be added without spending a fortune. There are many updates you can do while on a tight budget, by even just painting over something with a new colour!

Whatever the project size, this can be a great way to get creative again and feel a new sense of accomplishment. Whether you want to do a whole home renovation or just a couple of updates, this blog can be your tool to give you a few ideas and get your creative juices flowing!

1. Fresh Walls

Give your walls a makeover with some fresh paint! This is an easy way to change the look of a room while sticking to a budget. Get the whole family involved and work together on this project all together. Lighter colours are a great way to open up and give the appearance of more space. If you’re feeling even a bit more artsy, try stenciling on some wall art after the paint dries! Also, try adding some new decoration and paintings to the walls or touching up the old frames of pictures.

2. Kitchen Cabinets

Along with painting the walls, why not add a fresh colour to the kitchen cabinets while you’re at it? If the cabinets are looking a bit old, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they need to be replaced. You can go through and scrub them down then brush on some new paint! This is a great way to stay on budget instead of replacing all the cabinets!

3. Kitchen Backsplash

Another easy and budget friendly way to update your kitchen is to add a fun backsplash to brighten things up! There are a lot of colours and patterns to choose from in most home stores. Go out and pick one to go along with your freshly painted kitchen cabinets and walls!

4. Plants!

Another way to freshen up the house is to bring the outdoors inside! Go out and buy some of your favourite plants and add them around the house, freshening up the atmosphere. Or, if you want to get more creative, you can start your own plants with cuttings or seeds from produce in your fridge, such as green onion and avocado! Along with the plants, why not decorate your old planters with some new designs and colours!

5. Revive your patio

With patio season around the corner, it’s a great time to update your patio deck with a new wood stain and maybe splurge for a new patio set! If you already have an old patio set, it may be a better budget option to clean and add fresh paint as well as new cushion for an update!

6. Refresh the Front Door

The front door is one of the first things people notice when they see your house, so why not make it something bold and beautiful! If your front door is looking a little dull, go for a bright and modern colour like maroon! You can also add decorations like a beautiful handmade wreath to make it pop!

7. Fabric Facelift

If the patterns or colours of your furniture are a bit our of date, why not get creative and add new fabric to couches, chairs, and bedframes! This is a great project to work on rather than going out and buying brand new things and it gives you the chance to add any kind of design you want! Reupholstering an old sofa can be a fun weekend project and there are plenty of videos and blogs out there taking you through the step-by-step process.

8. Highlight the Space

Light fixtures don’t have to be only for convenience but can be beautiful art piece that highlight the room. There are many chandeliers, pendants, and other piece that can change the whole look of a room. Opt-in for a softer light tone to create a warmer atmosphere rather than a harsh fluorescent bulb. If your space doesn’t get a lot of light, you can also invest in some stylish lamps to add in the corner or on a side table.

Although listed here are only a few ideas to get you started, there are unlimited things you can do to update your house! Check out ideas on Pinterest and maybe even create a mood board for the new look you wish to achieve. It is easy to stay within budget by getting creative and upgrading old pieces.

Maker Spotlight: Amanda Brown