Etsy World Tour: Japan

Another place I have to go back to! Lovely Japan. The climate was nice (kind of like Canada!) and the air was so fresh and clean! Everything everywhere was so sophisticated! From the people, the architecture, shop displays - you just know a lot of thought was put into the simplest concepts. I seem to have a neutral tone theme going on here =)

Garden Aquatics

View From A Straw Bed (of a series of paintings), $250
Ahhhhh so serene and muted... relaxing.

ruiandaguri

Wild flower ring (10K gold), $220
I'm a sucker for botanical jewelry - love this ring. So very much.

kalla

Tatami (Plum), $20
I need my own home, so I can furnish and embellish with these.

Decora

Brown and Tan with Quail, $40
I love that little dingy thing on the top of the quail's head. Its so plump and cute!

yujikono

Uni Pendant, $155
This pendant is so cool - AND it opens up!! Truly one of the most unique lockets I've ever seen.



P.S.: its my birthday today =)

A Surprise for the Boys & A Little Ranting...

I'm excited about this. VERY. Ever since I started, all of my guy friends have been asking - OMG DO YOU MAKE GUY JEWELRY TOO??? Umm... no =S But apparently there is a pretty big demand for it, there's a lot out there, but maybe because guys don't really go LOOKING for jewelry but if I tell them I make jewelry.. and MENS jewelry at that, its like I'm waving it in their face so they don't have to look for it!

The bf and I sat down together (so sweet of him) trying to find out the best and manliest components out there. He isn't much of a jewelry wearer though but he did have some great tips. Really minor things that I never thought was important, were things that make or break a design for mens jewelry, maybe because its so simplistic, you have to pay attention to the details. So its going to be really simple. No set launch date yet because I'm not quite ready, but its coming and will be exclusively on the website only. I'm going to make him model them for me LOL

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hmm feels as though things have changed on Etsy since I came back from vacay for the month of April... does anyone know what happened?? I know admin have been fiddling around with searches but it seems as though sellers across the board from all genres, not just jewelry are experiencing lower than normal views. Even top sellers! Its not summer, not yet. So that isn't an excuse. Those with younger kids go on vacation in July and August. Something is up...I have no idea what it is, but I among many others are not liking it. I'm pretty sure those who are on the site only as customers are kind of annoyed at not being able to find what they want (how the heck do people find me? I'm always baffled at that...)

I'm sort of losing faith in Etsy and wanting to focus on bigger, better things. Struggling to decide if I want to do all that re-listing with the new 'relevancy' search that doesn't really give me relevant results. I really hope that the ORDER of tags doesn't matter because its such a hassle to change that and if I delete something and add a new one, it gets added to the bottom of my tag list... Just my little rant... its not good to have all your eggs in one basket anyway. Etsy to me is like those guys that know they're hot and play around with your emotions simply because they can. You know it happens, but you keep getting drawn back in.

Fun with Colours!

In my recent efforts to be more girly, I plan on doing so while being smart with where I spend my money. Finding great deals on quality products that will give me the most bang for my buck.

In terms of make-up, I highly recommend consulting MUA before purchasing any products. I need to revamp my make-up collection anyway, most of what I had was kind of old, so bear with me - I'm not usually this crazy!!

First up from my recent purchases, the Coastal Scents 88 colour matte palette. My aspiring make-up artist friend recommended it to me and mentioned that the quality is comparable to MAC shadows. I've read a few online reviews that the colours don't stay on as well, but this isn't anything that can't be fixed with some primer (better yet, eyeshadow primer - next on my wishlist: Urban Decay Primer Potion). I tried out some neutrals last night and holy cow, they are much more pigmented than I thought! So far so good. $21.95 for 88 colours at a fraction of MAC shadow prices at about $15 each with taxes and all!


I also bought their gel liners in black (again, supposedly comparable to MAC) and decided to try the white (my friend recommended it as a 'white canvas' for your lids so the colours will POP even better. I've yet to try these. $6.95.


I bought this about a month or two ago, this is the MAC 187 brush. My other friend recommended! I was CLUELESS about foundation before, and have come to love using it for my liquid foundation, it really does give a more even airbrushed look with the stippling effect it gives. My girls have our ways of getting MAC at discount ;)

Hmm what else did I get? Ah.. Revlon ColorStay pencil liner in black and brown some Physician's Formula bronzer (I need to return it for a darker shade) and also some brushes from E.L.F.


Most things are $1.00... yeah.. a dollar!! That's insane! The eyeshadow brush had some pretty good reviews so I bought...3 I think? Probably separate them by colours so I don't have to keep washing them as I use different colours. Get 50% off up to $15 with COUPON CODE: CAROLINA Expires..?

LASTLY...I plan on getting a few more shadows (I used to play around with my eye shadow so much and I really miss it! as if that 88 one wasn't enough) and POSSIBLY lipstick - I'm usually a lip BALM person, not even gloss, but I think I'm going to give it a try. Eyeshadow online is alright, I'm a little wary of super orange or dead person purples for lips... but a good sale might entice me. Nonpareil is having a site wide sale of 20% off with COUPON CODE: NPB20 expires May 29th!

holy crap yeah..I sound insane now.. =S but all of this is sort of like a little birthday (creeping up on me this week) present for myself, to take better care and do more for me! I seem to have neglected that over the years.

Wow..that was long.. but super fun!! I hope you enjoyed my latest splurges!! I'll be sharing more deals/purchases as I see them so you can get in on the deals too! =)

Daddy Daughter's Day

Yep. Elton John and Billy Joel are heading to Toronto (if not already) and we're going!!! My sister and I surprised my dad with tickets for tonight's show and well, being my dad I'm sure he's extremely excited but just doesn't show it as openly.. haha I think its a man thing. It's different with moms and daughters, we're girls and do the whole shopping thing, occasional cooking thing and random chitter chatter stuff together. But we never got to do anything with my dad, just us and him..well, since we grew up and became little ladies! ;) So I'm sure he really appreciates it. It'll be an early Father's Day celebration. I hope our seats are decent!! I jumped into the idea a bit late and got seats on the sides (hopefully not their backsides!!).

What to do with... cork

What to do when your house is full of STUFF. Just stuff. Its kind of a waste to throw it out, kind of a hassle to keep it around... I just dropped off my plastic bags AND styrofoam over at the recycling depot! Yep, I wash my takeout containers and foam meat trays and keep them around until I have a nice collection worthy of a trip to the recycling depot.

Next on the list - cork! If you are a drinker of wine, this trivet is awesome idea that's also cost effective! I love the neutral and natural tones it has, very organic and clean looking - you just have to make sure they're all the same height! =)

Image from MarthaStewart.com

1. For a medium-sized trivet, collect at least 50 uniformly sized corks.
2. Stand them upright and arrange them into a tight circle.
3. Surround corks with an 8- to 10-inch metal hose clamp (sold in the plumbing section of the hardware store).
4. Tighten the clamp to bind the corks together and then trim the excess clamp with metal clippers. Cost: about $3

Etsy World Tour: France

Ah France...this picture was taken on one of the final days of my vacation last year, probably the first and last cloudy day we ever had on our trip. I've only been to Paris, so I must return to explore everywhere else! There's something magical about this place =)

lillalotta

Kiss Cotton Tape, $4.25
This ribbon would be so adorable to wrap gifts with!! You can even design your own custom cotton tape!

Aliette

Rouille, $24
A warm summery floral abstract painting. LOVE the taupe and blue flowers against the tan.

Ika Bags


Copenhagen, $27
Ah this bag is SO me, of course some sort of floral/botanical is necessary. I love the interior stitching in this bag!!!

Sibylle D

Les Coquelicots, $35
I'm definitely a fan of these paintings! They have that couture fashion feel with just a little bit of mystery to them.

Paper Mode

Paper Bead Necklace, $30
Holy cow, thats PAPER!! This necklace is so unique and the colours go together perfectly.

Jia Style

Titanium Flower (solitaire earring), $368
One last hit of jewelry, just because I love it so =) Gorgeous metallic black-blue with pearls.


Stay tuned for next week's Etsy World Tour Destination! So far I've been choosing places that I've been to - wait and see what I'll find next!

addiction?

I fully fully endorse wearing heels on any and every occasion. We headed over to PA over our Victoria Day weekend for a little outlet shopping and yes.. I purchased yet another pair of heels for just $20 at Nine West! Almost bought patent black pumps at Aldo too... I should have bought them =(

The toes for these are a bit sharper than I'd like, but they elongate the legs a little better? Check out the fuchsia/magenta pink.. mmm...

RRR Stamp Giveaway Winner!

Before I announce the winner, Terbear is offering a FREE mini recycling stamp with your order of any custom stamp or the exact same 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle' stamp that I have! Just type FREE MINI in message to seller during checkout. The offer will be valid for one week from today.

Here are some of my favourites from Terbear Co, both pretty and practical!

I Heart Etsy, $5.99
Whimsical Birds In Tree, $15.99
Thank You, $6.99
Custom Oval Dots, $14.99



And now for the winner!
elementnineteen
I'll be contacting you via e-mail for mailing details =)

Thank you all for dropping by and participating in the giveaway - I hope to do more soon!

What to do with... plastic bags

Every once in a while I get into this spring cleaning frenzy where I get angry at myself for keeping so much crap lying around the house and just dispose of anything and everything I can find. Of course I have to do it in the most environmentally friendly way possible, so don't get a mental image of a crazy woman running around with a big garbage bag and frantically filling it... its more like: "AAARGHGHHHH!!! Blue bin. AAAGH why is this here!!! Paper recycling. OMG I thought I got rid of this!!! Scrap metal."

Over the years, I've collected an immense number of plastic bags, all neatly folded and even organized by size! Unfortunately, one only has so much patience and space for so many plastic bags. Honestly, I feel bad but some of these bags have been around for more than 5 years and the collection only grows larger and I can't even reuse them as fast as I get them! I've decided its time to throw them the hell away. I am so glad that the City of Toronto has decided to accept plastic bags in their recycling program (though I'm not quite sure if its in effect in my suburban town just outside of Toronto, so I'm going to have to bring them to a recycling depot).

For those living in Toronto - here are some more details about plastic bag recycling. PLEASE take note of what is/isn't accepted:
• Bags with drawstrings, hard plastic handles and metal details cannot go in. They can go in, if you cut these items off.
• Dry cleaning
• Milk (outer and inner)
• Produce
• Bread
• Sandwich
• Plastic food wrap
* a helpful tip, any type of crunchy plastic (cellophane, cookie wrappers) are a no no
* large, heavy plastic (the recycling depot didn't accept the plastic used to wrap my parents' new mattress, perhaps too heavy? =( it was considered trash)

Ah the milk bags! I saw this segment of 'Living in Toronto' where a group of kind people over at the North Burlington Baptist Church makes sleeping mats for third world countriesby crocheting cut up bread bags! Apparently, "the material used in the outer milk bags resists mildew and bugs, making them an excellent material to use to make into sleeping mats".

Visit them here for more info about how you can help the North Burlington Baptist Church.

Image from Bags For Beds

Can't seem to find a group in the US that does this, but two young brothers from Sudbury also do this on a larger scale over at Bags For Beds.

Etsy World Tour: Italy

Ah Italy...I would love to go back again sometime soon, the photo above was from my trip last August =) Every day had clear sunny blue skies and walking through any random street still felt just as historical as visiting their world famous landmarks. Onto the goods!

Sunflower Design

Portofino, $120
Love this terracotta red with the antiqued brass hardware!

Sefora

KumaKun Pring, $20
This little guy is so adorable, I wish he were real so I can squish him and put him in my pocket!!

Aula46

Vinyl, $38
The electrical engineer in me thinks these are super awesome hehe

Draw Flowers

Autumn Leaves Lamp Shade, $137
Love the botanical patterns and neutral hues. Clean silhouette, and while the pattern is floral, it isn't too feminine.

larimeloom

White Jersey Cowl Tunic, $80
I love cowl neckls, summer is fast approaching, but this in white makes it perfect for those breezy summer nights!


Alright, thats all for now!! Enjoy the weekend and don't forget to enter my giveaway!

wallflower

image from UO

tack this onto the list of useless stuff that I need... *sigh.. loving 4 petaled flowers
$40 at UO

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don't forget to enter my Recycled Packaging Stamp Giveaway! Winner will be drawn on Monday at noon EST.

migration

I think part of why I like to travel so much is to take in all of what this little planet that we live in has to offer - no worries! I'm not jet setting again - but I just wanted to share some really cool photos my mom (who lovingly forwards me every e-mail she gets about ways people can randomly drug you, access your bank account and other crazy scams) sent me. Anyway... for those moments that not everyone gets to see, you just simply have to be lucky to witness, I thought I'd share these images from the Gulf of Mexico - I've never been there, but wish I was there to see this in real life!

"It was an unreal image, very difficult to describe. The surface of the water was covered by warm and different shades of gold and looked like a bed of autumn leaves gently moved by the wind."





The bf and I started watching NatGeo's 'Planet Earth' in HD.

Going Pro

with my Lindstroms! Ever since I started the shop, I've actually been using the standard craft plier set from Wal-Mart - I've been using them for about 3 years when I first started and only now have I really felt the need to splurge on better quality ones, the bad thing is that the surface is serrated. I think over the EXTREME repeated use, they just don't work as well as they used to, but don't get me wrong - they are cost effective and great for those just starting out to make jewelry. (For those who don't know what Lindstrom is, they are, I think the industry's best pliers on the market).

I figure if these are the tools I need to use each and every day, its worth it to get good ones! I bought the standard white handled Lindstroms, I read somewhere in the Etsy forums that if you have smaller hands, the RX ergonomic style might not fit as comfortably in your hands.

So after using them for a few days, I quite like their fine tips for extra precision - I went for the smooth surface ones (which tends to slip against the metal, but maybe I just need to get used to these) I'm still going to be keeping the Wal-Mart ones around though!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS!
Sorry guys, I'm a bit of a newb at this.. I've extended the date to exactly one week from yesterday, the deadline is May 18th, 2009 NOON EST and applies to US/Canadian residents only! I think thats the most I need to specify - please post a comment in YESTERDAY's post to qualify!

Operating Green - Mini Giveaway!

Running a business online has its advantages and disadvantages - I don't need to commute, which is probably the most expensive and environmentally unfriendly. But have you ever thought of all the online retailers out there, each company packing and shipping their wares all over the world? Think of all the bubble wrap, packing peanuts, cardboard and plastic it takes to keep your shipment protected! *Side rant: I hate deceptive packaging too, you know when you buy a bottle of face cream and the box is ginormous but the bottle itself only takes up half the space?

I do believe back while I was taking Engineering History last year, my prof mentioned that in Japan, some companies have started to take responsibility for both their packaging and products. Once you open their products, they'll gladly take back the packaging (I guess the harder part would be bringing it back to the manufacturer!). In addition, once the product is broken (like a cell phone) they'll take that back too! We should implement more stuff like that in North America..

For the jewelry shop, I am proud to say that I now do not use plastic (with the occasional exception of tape) - stay tuned for a peek at my updated packaging! As for supplies, I've always been using recycled packaging, from the bubble wrap/mailers that I get when I buy supplies, to recycled christmas cards - turned inside out and taped. Concerned with what my customers might think of my ugly inside out cardboard packaging, I felt the need to let them know that it was ugly for a reason! And so I purchased this handy stamp from terbearco! I am proud to say that I've used it tons of times already and it was worth the investment for it!

And now for the mini giveaway! My first stamp I received from terbearco had a tiny flaw in it and they were kind enough to ship me a brand new one so I never use the original one I received anymore.

Image from terbearco.




The 'n' and 'g' in 'packaging' is a little off, but it still gets the job done. Hm... I feel crappy giving the botched one away, but I've used the other one far too much.. I should have used this one and gave away the flawless one... bah! Anyway, if you're still interested despite that - please post here with some way that I can contact you - the winner will be chosen at random by the end of this week: Friday, May 15th! Edit: I've decided to make this at least ONE week long...so new draw date = May 18th, sorry guys!! how do these things work...lol please bear with me! I hope to do more of these soon! Terbear has also informed me that I could polish this baby up before shipping it off to you - so once I get the time to clean it and all, it will be ready to use! =) I also realized I should have specified US/Canadian addresses only!

Etsy World Tour: Philippines

I've decided to branch out from my 'Canadian Etsy Love' posts and travel the world through Etsy. Since I'm too poor to actually visit these places all at once, Etsy will have to do. I shall name it 'Etsy World Tour'. In honour of my recent travels to the Philippines, I'm going to kick off this series with a feature of lovely Etsy artists from the country with the most islands in the world. Over 7000!

he1ena

Buggy, $18
A super awesome nostalgic buggy captured through fish eye!

Paper Atelier

Blue Flower Outline Note Cards (5), $3
Loving how the flower print goes over the envelope flap.

strozzistawzeeh

Tweet, $12.50
Hand cut brass, I may have to get this immediately.


I wish Etsy did more international promotion...I was a little disappointed to find so few artists from this amazing country!

**BTW - I've updated my photos from my trip =)

More Rejuvenation

Not only has the blog gotten a re-vamp, but I'm hoping to do a little re-vamping of my lifestyle and my habits too. I've been so focused on streamlining my shop that I forgot completely about whats important to me.

Things I'm thinking of (No.) GOING to change:
- eating habits (with the exception of all-you-can-eat sushi at Ten-Ichi last night..it begins NOW)
- getting in shape (for those that know me in person, 'Operation Sexy Fox' has been ongoing for the last 5+ years lol - for real now. Really.)
- staying in touch with people
- sleeping at a reasonable time (no more procrastinating!)
- maintaining an organized workspace
- be more girly (I never wear dresses/skirts, mainly because my legs were always SO much paler than my arms and it just looks weird - I'm darker now after vacay and now is the time while I'm young!)
- spending smart (suburban life is not for me - saving money to get a place of my own)

Its a short list of huge density. Baby steps - wish me luck!!

Stay tuned tomorrow for the continuation of local Etsy finds!

Out With The Old, In With The New

April showers bring May flowers! I've reduced a ton of pieces all at either 25% or 50% off to make way for fresh summery FLORALS! The sale pieces are from my older designs, with the more Victorian vintage feel (think angels, Renaissance, shabby chic roses, etc...). Prices will be locked until they sell out!

I'll be adding new pieces directly to the sale section throughout the week!

Fresh vibrant blossoms and new wedding pieces await the perfect lighting I need and Photoshop!

I'm back to my random non-structured posts again...I'm currently planning more organized posts for the year =) Lots to do, lots to do...

Settling Back In + Purchases

I'm back from vacation and how relaxing it was!! I'm having trouble settling back into the studio - oh how I miss the beaches, the food, the lifestyle. I left my camera at home (ugh...) so my sister has all of the pictures on her computer, but I'll get some in the coming days to share with you =)

A few things have changed here at the blog, to help organize my thoughts a little better and customize things a little more. I'm still working out some kinks (why is the sidebar font so huge??) and why is everything centered...

I had so many ideas zipping about in my head while I was gone and now that I'm back, they disappeared!! I should have brought my trusty notebook with me to sketch them out before I forgot about them. No worries, I still remember some of them and will be posting them up for sale soon!

I'm still a bit stuck in a style rut (see previous post) which is adding to my designer's block =( and disappointed at the shopping options while I was on vacay. I hate it when I go shopping with the intent to buy something, ANYTHING, but don't find what I want. Its like "HERE. I have money to spend. Now show me something I like!" but no one responds.. *sigh..

Well, despite my style rut I still manage to satisfy my addiction to shoes.

Ahhh cobalt leather heels with asymmetrical buckle and gathered front.


Being short does have its advantages - I get to wear heels on any occasion =) Flat gladiator shoes just won't do for me.


These were an impulse buy with the gladiators, magenta pink plaid pumps (they had white and tan too, but they just didn't look as hot. If I'm gonna do plaid, I might as well go all out! Going to wear them with dark denim..white tee.. hmm...


Electric blue snakeskin leather heels. Perfect everyday and anywhere shoes.


And lastly, these must be my ultimate favourite shoes this trip. I was looking ALL OVER for the perfect pair of...not sure what these are called..lets say..black cutout booties (I think I might have to cut off that fringe at the ends of the laces though, its a bit much).

I officially have no more room in my closet for more shoes. I do need boots though.



Image from http://www.trendyshoeshop.com/
One day my shoe closet is going to look like Mariah Carey's - 1000+ pairs of shoes in that walk-in closet!