VASSdesign

24/08/2026

I can’t thank everyone enough for your support and purchases during these tough times. This week has truly been a blessing, and a wonderful reminder of when business used to be good! ❤️

Let’s keep the momentum going! Grab a VASSdesign today and know that your purchase directly helps me build and sustain my dream of running a successful home business.

Thank you for supporting handmade art, small business, and VASSdesign! 🙏

22/08/2026

A Message to American Customers 🇨🇦🇺🇸

An important reminder to the many good friends and customers in the United States:

This silly and unfortunate trade war between Canada and the United States is a dispute between our governments and leaders, not a fight between everyday Canadians and Americans. We have far more in common than we have differences, and I sincerely hope we never lose sight of that.

I also want to reassure my U.S. customers that my artwork remains tariff/duty free under CUSMA. No additional tariffs, duties, or fees apply to my artwork, as my products do not fall under Section 338 of the new tariffs.

Unfortunately, small businesses and independent artists like myself are often caught on the receiving end of these trade disputes. The past year has been an incredibly difficult struggle, and keeping a small creative business afloat has become harder than ever.

So, whether you're Canadian or American, please continue to support the small businesses, artists, craftspeople, and independent creators you enjoy. We have nothing to do with these trade wars, but we are the ones who feel their effects.

Every order, every share, every recommendation, and every bit of support genuinely makes a difference.

🇨🇦❤️🇺🇸

Let's keep supporting one another, regardless of what our governments are doing.

Thank you for supporting small business and independent artists. It truly means more than you know.

Pete Vass
www.vassdesign.com

19/08/2026

Bringing the Frontier to Life - Western Towns in Color ~ by VASSdesign

I’ve finally finished this video project after three weeks of editing! 🎬

hope you all enjoy the finished video!

For the best viewing experience, I recommend watching it on a large screen with the sound on for the highest possible quality. Be sure your YouTube player is set to 1080p HD in the settings.

Enjoy!

This collection of well known photographs depicting “Old West” fron...

19/08/2026

Canadian WWI Recruitment Poster Reproductions

Step back into the era of the First World War with this collection of handmade wooden sign reproductions by VASSdesign, featuring iconic Canadian recruitment posters. Inspired by the original artwork used to encourage Canadians to enlist, these signs capture the powerful imagery, patriotism, and spirit of a nation at war.

Each piece is carefully reproduced and handcrafted on wood, giving these historic posters a timeless, vintage character while preserving the look and feel of the originals. A unique way to display a piece of Canadian military history and remember the men and women who answered the call to serve.

Links attached to images, or visit the ‘ Wartime ‘ section of my etsy shop at: www.etsy.com/ca/shop/VASSdesign or www.vassdesign.com

19/08/2026

Shipped out today! Tom Crean and Roald Amundsen heading off to a new home!

17/08/2026

Canadian WWI Recruitment Poster Reproductions

Step back into the era of the First World War with this collection of handmade wooden sign reproductions by VASSdesign, featuring iconic Canadian recruitment posters. Inspired by the original artwork used to encourage Canadians to enlist, these signs capture the powerful imagery, patriotism, and spirit of a nation at war.

Each piece is carefully reproduced and handcrafted on wood, giving these historic posters a timeless, vintage character while preserving the look and feel of the originals. A unique way to display a piece of Canadian military history and remember the men and women who answered the call to serve.

Links attached to images, or visit the ' Wartime ' section of my etsy shop at: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/VASSdesign

13/08/2026

' Forward! To Victory - 245th Grenadier Guards ' Canadian WWI Reproduction ~

Enhance your home decor or military collection with this meticulously handcrafted wooden sign reproduction of a historic 1916 Canadian World War I recruiting poster.

Each sign is individually handmade, carefully finished to highlight the natural beauty of the wood, and subtly distressed to give it the authentic, weathered character of a century-old historical artifact. It serves as a powerful conversation piece that brings a bold, vintage aesthetic to any office, den, man cave, or gallery wall.

The poster itself originates from the spring of 1916, a critical turning point on the Canadian home front. As devastating casualty reports from the Western Front began reaching Canada, initial volunteer enthusiasm sharply declined. To boost enlistment without resorting to a controversial draft, the government permitted wealthy citizens to personally finance new military units.

Seizing this opportunity, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Colquhoun Ballantyne, a prominent millionaire industrialist from Montreal, stepped forward to fund a local recruitment drive out of his own pocket. He commissioned the Montreal Lithographing Company, Limited, to design this vibrant, high impact color photo lithograph poster to canvas the city streets and draw volunteers directly to the Grenadier Guards Armoury on Esplanade Avenue. Today, rare original paper copies of this artwork are preserved in prestigious institutions like the Canadian War Museum.

The unit highlighted on the poster, the 245th "Overseas" Battalion (Canadian Grenadier Guards), played a vital, specialized role within the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
Rather than fighting as a standalone tactical unit on the front lines, it was designed as a reinforcement battalion, a crucial personnel pipeline created to gather, equip, and train local volunteers before sending them across the Atlantic. Despite the aggressive propaganda campaign, the battalion struggled to find enough willing recruits in Quebec as the war dragged on.

When they finally sailed for England in May 1917, the unit was severely under strength and was immediately absorbed into the 23rd Reserve Battalion. Though the 245th designation was dissolved, its individual guardsmen were deployed directly into the active front lines, seeing heavy combat with the legendary 87th Battalion in historic battles such as Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, and the Hundred Days Offensive.

By displaying this handmade sign, you are preserving the legacy of these brave Montreal volunteers and a unique chapter in Canadian military history.

Available on my Etsy shop at: https://vassdesign.etsy.com/listing/496318030

11/08/2026

Handmade wood sign ' SHACKLETON ~ ENDURANCE ' Commemorating Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914 ` by VASSdesign

The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914 - 1917 is considered to be the last major expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Conceived by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the expedition was an attempt to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent.
Endurance became beset, trapped in the ice of the Weddell Sea, before it was able to reach Vahsel Bay. It drifted northward, held in the pack ice, throughout the Antarctic winter of 1915.
Eventually the ice crushed the ship, and it sank, stranding its complement of 28 men on the ice. After months spent in makeshift camps as the ice continued its northwards drift, the party used lifeboats that had been salvaged from the ship to reach the inhospitable, uninhabited Elephant Island.
Shackleton and five other members of the group then made an 800-mile (1,300 km) open-boat journey in the James Caird, and were able to reach South Georgia.
From there, Shackleton was eventually able to arrange a rescue of the men who had remained on Elephant Island and to bring them home without loss of life.

The remarkably preserved wreck of Endurance was found on the seafloor in 2022.

Available on my Etsy shop at :
https://vassdesign.etsy.com/listing/1669776358

11/08/2026

Handmade wooden sign Commemorating ' Tom Crean ~ Polar Explorer ' by VASSdesign

Tom Crean (1877–1938) was an Irish Antarctic explorer who participated in three major expeditions during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

He first joined Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery Expedition (1901–1904). Crean proved to be one of the most efficient man-haulers in the party; over the expedition as a whole, only seven of the 48-member party logged more time in harness than Crean's 149 days.

After the Discovery Expedition he joined Captain Scott’s 1910 Terra Nova Expedition. During this expedition Crean’s 56 km solo walk across the Ross Ice Shelf to save the life of Edward Evans led to him receiving the Albert Medal.

His final expedition was with Shackleton on the famous Endurance Expedition (1914–1917). Crean played a key role in the survival of the crew after the ship was crushed by ice, contributing to the open-boat journey and the eventual rescue of the entire crew.

Crean's achievements include being awarded the Albert Medal for his role in the Ni**od Expedition and the Polar Medal. His courage and resourcefulness in the face of adversity make him one of the unsung heroes of Antarctic exploration.

Available on my Etsy shop at :
https://vassdesign.etsy.com/listing/1672854060

05/08/2026

New batch of orders finally completed and shipping out tomorrow!! Words can’t express my gratitude to those who support my work! 😊🥰