All the Things About Lola 

THEN.....

   A female entrepreneur who has lived, studied and worked in Victoria since 1999. In December 2016 I relocated to the Cowichan Valley and am loving my home, new community and opportunities icreated in my personal and professional life. My  educational background of studies is Psychology and Counseling Psychology coupled with a minor in Education allowed me a great variety of professional opportunities over the years. I worked professionally in many fields of social work and specialized in crisis work in mental health and addiction for 15 years and then came to a new place in my life. I needed a change and  I hoped to combine my artistic, functional  and adaptive skills to  a new career , to start this I returned to trade school and completed my first year of carpentry training/apprenticeship.  

  For the last 7 years, I have been self employed  using and learning so many new skills along the way. “Re-fabulous Furnishings and Creations By Lola” https://everythinglola.weebly.com/offers furniture and home restoration, repair and maintenance,  finishing work/painting , functional planning, custom woodworking and painting. Through this venture  I found a new sense of empowerment and desire to serve my community through my artistic expression and  careful attention to detail.  Continuing my learning path along the way , in 2019 I returned to school and became certified as an End of Life Doula as a preparation for the future and supporting my community. 

I naturally focus on possibility and positivity in all I do. My keen attention to detail  allows me to approach each task in my work with careful respect to the end result being a reflection of my clients vision.

   Since childhood I have loved to create and through my parents  “waste not” approach, I learned to find value and  see hidden treasure  in raw materials and nature's gifts.  My mother's exemplary  work with fabric & repurposing and my father's woodworking mastery and up cycling of thrift store finds  modelled for me that almost anything can be repurposed, up-cycled, re-birthed , refinished and refined to become valued and beautiful treasures . 

 My own artistic  creations began while our family was still growing and out of necessity we exchanged handmade gifts during holidays and celebrations, which over the years became affectionately known as “Hippie Shit”. My passion for infusions of love and thoughtful intention in gift making  grew each year as I developed a new skills for gifting my beautiful Tribe of Family , chosen family , fur family and friends.

 I’ve tried it all making jewelry, paper, soap, candles, canvas art, leather work, wood work, natural personal care items ( lotions, scrubs, toners , essential oil balms...), cloth garments and home accessories and decor. 

Presentation of my “Hippie Shit” was always a priority and I loved putting together gifts with unique wrapping and embellishments to create a whole experience that pleased the eye and delighted the heart, for myself and those receiving.

 and NOW...

   2020 has been challenging for our world, my own included. My small refurbishing business was impacted quite severely due to my community having extra time at home to DIY the things they may have hired me to do in the past .  I dug deep into my spirit and realized “ creation brings my joy to the surface “ and I chose to feed this joy and thus began the creation of “Lola’s Hippy Shit”.

   My focus in creating is on using repurposed and vintage and natures raw materials to create jewelry, trinkets, smudging tools /kits and home decor filled with love and a spirit of wellness. I  create using leather, wood, metal and feathers and a wide variety of fibres, fabrics, healing stones and crystals. 

Each and every one of my creations is completely  unique and always one of a kind as is the nature of repurposing. From raw materials to finished packaging  careful attention is given to the infusion of good will and love. I want my customers and clients to experience a complete “ gift experience” from the moment their package arrives or is purchased. At point of sale it is important that it feels like a gift created only for them and with all the Love I wish them to feel. 

 I believe in making the best of each and every day and creating joy, and spreading love  in my community . ❤️❤️❤️