What inspired you to start A Cagey Bee?
Meet Mandy Greyling Holmwood who’s bag line is as sweet as it’s name! Find Sugar + Candy at Make It Vancouver this spring, and I am sure you will be leaving with one of there yummy totes!
As a child I used to make collages from magazine images. I loved
collecting the ads and cutting up the pictures. When I was a young adult,
I came across a wooden apple crate filled with vintage magazines at a flea
market. I just wanted the crate and figured I would discard the magazines
after I flipped through them. What I discovered within those pages was
visual gold to me! I began to make collages again and eventually started
using light switch plates as a template.
2. Did you always dream of staring your own business?
Not really – my father owned a delicatessen when I was growing up and
we didn’t really see him often, until we started working for him. I
realized how much time and energy goes into owning a business and was not
sure it was for me. I went to art school instead and graduated from the
Sculpture/Installation program at OCAD. My business began soon after, as
an evolution of my art making.
3. Why light switch plates?
A friend of mine suggested that I print the images I was collecting and
glue them onto light switch plates. At first I resisted, preferring the
immediacy of collage making. Then I came across a page I had saved from
years earlier with instructions on how to decoupage light switch plates. I
made some samples, displayed them at a friend’s art gallery, sold a few
and the rest is history! That was exactly 10 years ago.
4. Have you always loved retro and vintage?
Yes!!! My parents were older and my mom was a 50s housewife. Growing up,
we had many vintage objects in the house and so this was the aesthetic
that I was familiar with and it makes me feel at home. I’m a sucker for
nostalgia!
5. What is the best part about owning vintagelove?
I absolutely love creating things with my hands. I also love making my
own hours and being my own boss. The bonus is seeing the smiles when
people view my work 
6. What is your favourite thing about Make It?
You guys! I’ve done so many shows over the last decade and I really
appreciate the amount of energy and work you both put into making the Make
It events such a success. I also love the quality of work of all the
designers and the overall vibe.
