René Trim's Arts & Crafts: the Ottawa Lapsmith and Mineral Club

The Ottawa Lapsmith Club was founded as a small interest group in 1966. The club incorporated in 1997 and amalgamated with the Ottawa Valley Mineral Association to form the Ottawa Lapsmith & Mineral Club (OLMC), thus expanding its field of interest to mineralogy as well as to the many facets of lapidary work.

Today, the OLMC maintains a well-equipped 1500 sq. ft. workshop at 1000 Brookfield Road in Ottawa. The workshop is used for meetings, courses, and as a place where members can work independently during supervised workshop hours. The machinery available includes saws, flat laps, silicon carbide and diamond wheel grinders, faceting machines, silversmith tools and tumblers.

The club’s workshops for stone carving, faceting, silversmithing and general lapidary, are run throughout the week  by a group of dedicated supervisors. As members have different levels of experience and expertise, the workshops offer an opportunity to interact with one’s peers, show one’s work, or ask questions and exchange knowledge, as well as make use of the workshop and equipment the club offers. The OLMC organizes an Annual Gem & Mineral Show in September -  a big hit with local residents and “rockhounds” alike! One of the earliest OLMC members vividly recalls the first show, which was held in the late ’60s at St. Peter and St. Paul’s Anglican Church on Metcalfe with a total of 6 dealers. “Crowd was thin but sufficient to seed another show." he says. Considering the 2013 show at the Nepean Sportsplex had 56  dealers - thus filling the venue to the brim - it is safe to say he was right!

In addition to the annual shows the club occasionally organizes demonstrations, field trips and other special activities throughout the year.

Collectively, OLMC members have a wealth of talent and knowledge, things they are quite willing to share with beginners and advanced users alike. New members are welcome to join at any time but must take the club course on cabochon making and safety from one of two official instructors, or an equivalent course of study. Meetings are held in the workshop.

More information can be found on the OLMC’s website ** Get creative with Dragonfly Dreamers! **

At Dragonfly Dreamers’ studio it’s all about living a creative life. After moving her studio to a large part of the main floor of her house a few years ago, owner/artist Wendy Southin was able to focus more on what she does best: being creative. It also enabled her to share the space with others via her creative workshops.  Wendy has a series of workshops planned for the next few months and she would love it if you could join her for metal embossing, creating grid texture canvasses, making greeting cards and whatever else she has in store for you. Check out the full list of workshops on Dragonfly Dreamers’ website ** Upcoming events: ** ** Ottawa Artisans Guild Spring Show and Sale ** Where: Lester B. Pearson High School, 2072 Jasmine Crescent, Gloucester

When: Sat. 28 and Sun. 29 March, 10 am - 4 pm daily.

This annual event showcases the work of the members of the Ottawa Artisans Guild. All items offered for sale have been reviewed to ensure that the products meet all the standards published by the Guild. Admission and parking are free but donations to the Ottawa Food Bank are gladly accepted! ** HOMEmade MeltDOWN ** Where: Carleton Place Arena, 75 Neelin St., Carleton Place

When: Sat. 28 March, 10 am - 3 pm

After the success of “HOMEmade for the Holidays”, Creative Creation Event’s inaugural Christmas show they decided to do it all again in spring with “HOMEmade MeltDOWN”, featuring 35 local vendors. Admission $1. _ That’s all for now, folks - have a creative week and don’t forget to support local! _