History
In 1986, while on maternity leave from her teaching
job, Barbara Newton and a friend made a selection of pinecone wreaths
and doughcraft Christmas ornaments for a small local craft show. The
ornaments went quickly and Barbara knew she was on to something. Over
the next few years Barbara developed dozens of designs, participated in
larger craft shows and started to sell directly to some gift shops --
while gradually taking over more and more of the family home.
After moving from Ontario to BC in 1991 Barbara adopted the name Vincent Van Dough
for the line that had now grown to several hundred styles. However,
despite many innovations doughcraft still had some limitations so
Vincent Van Dough started to explore other materials, finally deciding
on a resin based casting medium that feels very much like the original
dough, but has many new advantages. Vincent Van Designs
was adopted as the new trade name. The Vincent Van Designs line
continued to be sold through large craft fairs across Canada, most
notably Circle Craft in Vancouver, One of a Kind in Toronto, Butterdome
in Edmonton, Festival of Crafts in Calgary, and Signatures Craft Show in
Winnipeg.
In 2012, Barbara decided to pass the business on to a new owner, Emma Ivemey, a Mom who shares the same enthusiasm and vision. Emma is looking forward to taking Vincent Van Designs on in new and interesting directions, while still keeping the spirit of the original vision. In a twist of fate, Emma has relocated the business back to Oshawa, just a few kilometres from it's original home in Whitby.
Our Process:
Original and Mold Making - we start with an idea, and then try out several versions on paper. When we have a design concept we sculpt an original, revisiting it many times. Once this original has been completed we make one or more molds from high quality silicone. We are now ready for production.
Production:
Pieces are carefully hand cast in small batches and hand painted. The hand painting is by far the most time consuming part of the production, but it is very satisfying to see a piece take on its distinctive personality. We then finish the piece with a shiny, protective topcoat. Finally, details such as tiny Christmas lights, halos, bows, ornament hooks are added.
Thank you for reading our story.