. t r y s t .

Flash Sale!

2011-08-18T18:04:00.001-04:00

I don't do this often, in fact I rarely do sales... I don't know why but every time I want to offer one, I always want it to be damn good. I'm making way for Autumn designs as well as some design changes and want to offer something awesome for those that have been following me through my journey by offering a quick super awesome sale!

Just enter the coupon code "FLASH50" at checkout for 50% off your entire order! Hurry! Expires midnight August 19th EST.

Freedom Clothing Collective Summer Lookbook

2011-07-05T18:31:00.004-04:00

FREEDOM CLOTHING - Summer 2011 from Freedom Clothing Collective on Vimeo.

Check out this wonderfully made video made by Nadia of Little Projectiles! I love the playful and romantic atmosphere she created while showcasing some of the lovely handmade pieces carried at Freedom. Can you spot which tryst pieces were featured?

Nadia is also a Toronto based artist that dabbles in just about every crafty genre! Get to know her through her blog and drop by her Etsy shop for pretty graphic pendants. I'm sure you guessed already that this is my favourite:

via Little Projectiles

Happy Birthday Little One

2011-06-29T22:56:00.002-04:00

Today is Ares' 1st birthday! We didn't do anything special, just me and my puppy up to our same old antics as usual =) Since he finished the last of his puppy kibble early, I think he's already enjoying his new meal plan that I have for him - that's my birthday present to him.

Where I've Been...

2011-06-05T03:02:00.009-04:00

Eeps. My last post was almost a year ago! Well, my place has definitely changed and I'm still in the process of decorating everything. The bigger pieces of furniture have all been purchased, delivered, unpacked and currently in use! But it definitely doesn't quite feel like home because I haven't really bought anything to give it personality and make it feel 'homey'. ACTUALLY - I bought some cushions a few months back to make my couch a little more cozy but that's about it. The walls are now a deep gray in the living room and I love it. Its well on its way to becoming sleek and chic.. in a few more years.. =) Still need a rug too.. I'm sure that will add some cozy to my concrete floors.

Pillows from Home Outfitters

It's still a mess though... I've still got boxes piled up in a corner (not even house stuff, but shop stuff that I access often enough to not justify putting it away in a storage locker - y'know, boxes of beads, lockets, chain, and more beads). Not to mention whenever I start creating new designs, the contents of these boxes explode outward all over the floor... sometimes I leave the exploded mess for a few days. sometimes weeks? =X And this explains why many of you Toronto friends have yet to see my new place. LOL A friend of mine told me he was just going to come over one day regardless, because the place will never truly 'be finished'.. I've contemplated taking a photo of it all when its sprawled out in its beadly charmly glory but it's kind of really embarrassing.

Aside from being a bridesmaid in my only older sister's wedding that took up a bunch of time - helping her pick stuff out etc.. OH. And as promised: the jewellery she chose for us girls to wear on the big day:

There is a little asymmetrical butterfly detailing on one side as well that isn't pictured

And as if 2010 could get any more hectic, I decided that living alone gets lonely and what better way to remedy that than to get a dog. Don't get me wrong, I've grown to love him to bits, but dang, it's like I had an unplanned pregnancy and I never anticipated how much work having a dog would be. WHY DID THEY NEVER SHOW THE HARD PARTS TO HAVING A DOG ON TV?! I feel bad saying this, but had I known how much work it would be, I probably wouldn't have gotten one at my age..don't get me wrong, I LOVE him, I do! He's got some major issues that Google hasn't really been able to help me with because he's like the ONLY dog in the world that does what he does. The #1 most annoying thing I've been dealing with since November: he doesn't like to eat his kibble. Don't all dogs like to eat? Anything and everything?? Bless his little puppy heart, licking the kibble a little.. scattering it around the bowl on the floor and then running off to play with a toy or sniffing out who just walked by the hallway..staring at me pointing to his food bowl and NOT eating..God how I love him... (after asking some experts, the conclusion is that he's a picky eater and I can't give into his pickyness by switching food this young, or he'll expect me to give him different food forever - just stick to your guns and insist that this kibs is the only food he's going to get and it's just too damn bad, if he refuses to eat, then he'll have to starve - missed meals = I no longer know his poop schedule YAY for me!) #2 His notorious after breakfast poops that he can't seem to hold in (if he even eats in the first place). For the longest time, he's been pretty 99% good with the potty training in all aspects EXCEPT that 1% accidental poo is ALWAYS the after breakfast poo. He KNOWS where he should potty any other time of the day, so I'd say he is trained and knows better. It's like either he just doesn't feel like telling me or the pushing sensation comes so lightning fast he can't help it and just starts going. Oh how I love him so much.. *grumbles... he's has the cutest squat though, I love it, JUST NOT IN MY HOUSE. #3 His fear of people. I will admit - this is half my fault and half his. His breed is known to be EXTREMELY shy and right at the critical age for socialization, it has to be -30 degrees outside and all I want to do is stay inside under a warm blanket and hibernate. It wasn't too bad before, he'd just avoid people, but in the recent month or two he's decided that he's going to give anyone that comes near him a piece of his mind and freak them the hell out. He's also got #4: separation anxiety. And sounds literally like a crying human baby that howls and my neighbours probably think I'm some sort of animal abuser. SOOOO those are his issues that I'm actively working on nipping in the bud - at least Google can help me with the last 2, but the eating thing is a major problem that I swear he's stunted his own growth both physically and mentally because I can't train him with treats and he lacks the focus to be trained by praise alone.

And with that, meet Ares - more a princess than a god of war:

This was taken earlier, he's a bit bigger but he still fits under my couch for funsies.

Other than that, he's an angel. Maybe I should have mentioned the positive things first.. I am such a negative Nancy.... He's awesome with my cutting his nails, brushing his coat, washing his paws after walks, quite good now with baths actually, never chewed up any shoes/furniture, never begs for food at the table, puts his chin on the sofa and stares at me asking for permission to lie on the couch.. and he doesn't try to eat/touch the million little jewelry bits I have on the floor!! That's pretty awesome. As for tricks, I haven't been able to train him to do too much fun stuff because of his picky eating, he was banned from treats of any kind for a while - but he can sit, down, roll over, shake a paw, speak and open his mouth when I say 'open' (this last one was a freebie trick, from all the times he tried to eat crap off the floor, I grab him and force his mouth open to fish out whatever it was). I know the negative rant is way longer than the positive but I don't take it for granted. I am truly truly grateful for how well behaved he is - I know a lot of other dogs have their fair share of issues unique to their personalities. And he doesn't have a fit when I make him walk on his hind legs and dance with me. Yup. I do love that boy.

The New Space!

2010-07-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

So I'm still not fully moved in yet - most of the furniture I ordered has arrived, the rest will be arriving in the coming days but I have to paint the walls before I move anything in anyway. It's currently in a state of emptiness with tons of boxes, some half opened, some not even opened yet like a hurricane whipped through. Here's a peek at the before - furniture belonged to the previous owner which has long since been moved out of here already.

I've dreamed of a loft ever since high school and it's here! I love the industrial feel, the high ceilings, the window, everything! The idea of the lime accent wall is pretty cool, but I'm not a fan of the graphic green squares on the opposite wall. So far, I've decided that I'm going to keep my space neutral in tone, and then add colour through accents like pillows, tabletop knick knacks etc

Searching for inspiration, I stumbled upon Decor Pad and the site has been amazing! You can search for inspiration by the type of room, paint color - I've bookmarked a ton of photos and will share a couple of my favourites with you =)

Images from DecorPad

From my favs, you can probably see where I'm going with this space. The fresh green will definitely stay some way or another. I want it to be modern yet classic and have clean lines while incorporating some organic aspects - it's all about the balance in my world. I need a artful and interesting way to display my jewelry too - perhaps in some vintage picture frames or something? If you have any cool ideas, post a comment - I'd love to hear them!!

Painting begins tomorrow!

Pre-wedding Preparations

2010-06-25T12:07:00.004-04:00

June happenings - as my sister's wedding fast approaches, the bridesmaids and I have organized a successful bridal shower at my new condo. Note that the photos above reveal a sliver of what the inside looks like (still a sty and pretty much unfurnished) which is why you're not allowed to see it yet! I'm not a fan of the lime green wall and thinking of doing a dark grey - I get a LOT of light here, so I think a rich charcoal would be perfectly fine. Now comes some last minute stuff before the actual wedding on July 3rd - I still need to get my speech finalized =S and I JUST bought my shoes for the big day yesterday... (not sure why those photos are showing up sideways... they're upright in my album =\)

The dress will be a bright, but dusty pink with a hint of coral and we chose gold shoes to match. I walked all over Yonge/Eaton Centre to find the perfect pair with the right price and decent quality. Not many gold shoes out on the market lately - the trend lately is definitely nude shoes. I finally found these BCBG ones and love the hardware on them, plus they combine a little bit of the nude in the straps. These are a lot cheaper on Endless than they are in Canada... *sighhh....

OH! I also made the jewelry for the bridal party!! My sister chose a pink variation of the 'Leilani' earrings and a modified 'Candy Dewdrops' necklace to match for all of the girls. I'll update when I get photos of them.

Neglected Much?

2010-04-14T23:30:00.008-04:00

{Photo Credit: BoardsMag}

Yeah. I know. Forgiveness please =) Remember that Ikea commercial? The poor little lamp.. hehe.. This is a long one - I should try and post more often, so you aren't forced to read the essays that I write!

I feel like I'm always saying the same stuff - but hey, as a business that's continually growing and changing, I'm always trying to evolve my skill level, and in turn, my designs change as well. So far we've seen me go from vintage and kitschy to botanical and colourful! So what's next other than MORE CHANGE =)

These past months have been really exhausting, draining and eye opening behind the scenes here at tryst which explains why things haven't really been updated too much in the past while. How long have I had the 'Signs' collection on my homepage? Too long. (Part of the new Beach inspired collection is up now though!) I've done a lot of reflection upon myself as a person, as well as the business that I have. I haven't really come up with a lot of new designs in a while, sort of, but at the same time I feel like the moment I introduce a new design, the paperwork and accounting that goes behind each design takes a piece of my life every time, I swear, bookkeeping is the worst. And once a tiny component of that design runs out, I will have to re-order that one little component. Multiply that by like, a ZILLION different components and a couple hundred designs, and you'll have what swirls around in the tornado, no, hurricane of jewelry bits and pieces in my mind. I found it hard to sleep at night because my mind would be racing with so many ideas and so many variables. I had so many ideas (the sketchbook didn't help much), yet I would never have the time to make/photograph and make available to you. All the while I would have to re-order bits and pieces so I could restock current designs! -I'm- the one that bought all the stuff for me to play with, and I was stressing myself out. SO.... in an effort to maintain my sanity, I've been putting a lot of focus into my supply shop - and getting rid of everything that won't go with what I want to do for the future of tryst. I will be keeping some designs around, ones that I just can't let go because I love them so much, and you do too! At the same time, I'm letting some of your favorites go and I'm sorry =(

Enough ranting!

If you've been to my Etsy shop lately, you'll notice that a lot of pieces have been discounted 30-50% or more! I've never done any sales where the discounts have been so deep ever hehe but once they're gone, they're gone forever! Some pieces have already sold out, but you can still catch some!

::BIG CHANGES::

• Shipping - Orders (since February I think?) are being shipped via FedEx/Canada Post with tracking. I hated having to make this decision, because the shipping price is such a huge hike, but honestly, it gives you and me peace of mind. There's tracking, it arrives quickly, and so far, it's been awesome. Each added item is still 50 cents, but shipping is now $4.95 to Canada and $7.95 to the US. Hey - if it costs $10 to ship something from big box stores like Victoria's Secret or J.Crew, $7.95 isn't so bad right? As much as I'd like to, I'm just one gal and I can't offer free shipping like Amazon, but you get the idea =)

• I'm moving! - Another reason why I've slashed prices on Etsy. I'm offering some awesome deals so you can help me move less stuff! This is going to be awesome and I can't wait. The move-in date is creeping up too... While the location is sweet, I'm going to be living on furniture made from cardboard boxes LOL I'm hoping this will help me be more organized (I HATE my workspace right now...it's terribly inefficient) and will have easier access to the awesome boutiques (I always get asked if my work is sold in stores here, and I'm always embarrassed to say that it isn't!!)

• Payment - I am officially able to process a credit card! For those who despise/don't know PayPal, and if you're like me and like to rack up bonus points for using your credit card, this is awesome news =) I was hoping to have that up and running by February/March, but hit a couple technical snags, so it wasn't ready until now.

• Etsy - Etsy will soon become my outlet shop, where you can find sample sale pieces, one of a kind, clearance and what I like to call 'Oops' pieces, where there are slight imperfections that I didn't really notice during the production process. This is a whole other can of worms.. I'm really truly grateful that Etsy has given me the opportunity to start my own business - it's opened so many doors and the forums have taught me everything that I know. Its saddening, as somewhat of an "old-timer" on Etsy... I miss the good old days. I'm just going to sum everything up in a few words...site functionality, copycats, copyright (disney/hello kitty/twilight) and reselling = not happy.

• Jewelry - it's a closely guarded secret, I am DYING to launch it, but I need one more tool to help me make it happen and I've been waiting WEEKS for it (it was supposed to arrive WEEKS ago, but they forgot it in my package and had to re-ship... where the crap is it.. grr!!) If you follow me on twitter, you may have gotten a tiny inkling of where I'm headed, but I don't think I burst the bubble there entirely...it'll still be along the botanical theme that I have right now. I promise, it will be worth the wait!

If you've gotten this far, congratulations, you've made it through my entire spew of rambling LOL

...back to crunching numbers for tax time...

Hello 2010!!

2010-01-03T13:44:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!!! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday Season with all of your loved ones - I definitely took a MUCH needed break this December, relaxing and rejuvenating my mind. Did a little retail therapy at the Woodbury Outlet in NY (my goodness, what a ZOO it was on the 27th!!). Scored a pair of knee high leather boots from Nine West and TWO winter coats. A royal/cobalt blue peacoat (for short exposure times like walking to the car, totally not warm) and a down knee-length parka (for longer exposure times, SO light yet SO warm - LOVE them.

I tried my absolute hardest to not think about tryst but of course that's next to impossible. I've been dreaming up new designs ever since October/November but could never bring them to life until the holiday rush passed. And then the in between Christmas/New Year time, I was hoping to get some work done, but of course everyone else is on holiday break too - so that forced me to let myself breathe a little =)

Here are some more photos of the sugar cookies I made for Christmas. Tried to flex my baking and decorating muscles this year - took like 5 hours from start to finish haha! It's usually pretty hard to make good sugar cookies that don't taste like sugary flour, but I did it!! In pretty tone on tone blue icing. Yummy! Yep, that green sprinkled tree is the ONLY cookie of the batch with green sprinkles.

After the blue icing on those little birds, it hit me that my bird cookies looked like the Twitter logo... Twitter cookies anyone?

Scavenger Hunt Giveaway - Monday's Clue! - CLOSED

2009-11-30T12:00:00.002-05:00

The very last clue for today is...
Both color and stone

Remember, please e-mail kerry(at)trystbykerry.com with your answer!

A big congrats to Jeremy, our 4th and final winner of this weekend's daily giveaways!! After over a year of waiting, our most coveted Amber Forest necklaces will soon be available in the new year! Do drop by the shop and sign up for our newsletter to keep yourself updated on when these will be back in stock!

Scavenger Hunt Giveaway - Sunday's Clue! - CLOSED

2009-11-29T12:00:00.004-05:00

Today's clue is...
A technique used to grow trees

Remember, please e-mail kerry(at)trystbykerry.com with your answer!

Wow! Today's was quick! Going to have to make it harder tomorrow ;) Congrats to Kim of A Little Bit of Pretty who found the butterfly where my 'Espalier' necklace was! Drop by her shop for some cute gemstone jewelry that ALWAYS ships FREE! She's also offering a special 25% off on one of a kind pieces 'til Cyber Monday - jump on that! Espalier is a method of training trees to grow in a flat 2D formation - how cool!

Image from Wikipedia

Thanks everyone for participating this weekend - remember at NOON tomorrow, EST the last and final scavenger hunt clue will be posted!!

Scavenger Hunt Giveaway - Saturday's Clue! - CLOSED

2009-11-28T12:00:00.003-05:00

Today's clue is...
Phonetic

Remember, please e-mail kerry(at)trystbykerry.com with your answer!

Sorry for the delayed post! Went to see the BodyWorlds 3 Exhibit today (very cool btw, though not as good as the second one). Today's was a tough one! Congrats to Amanda who found the little butterfly where my 'Sakura . Katakana' necklace was! No significance to the name really, the little vintage stones came in 3 colors, red, blue and black, and had a Japanese feel to them - seemed perfectly suited for the three syllabaries in Japanese =)

Image from Wikipedia

Thanks for participating once again!! Check in at NOON tomorrow, EST for Sunday's scavenger hunt clue!

Scavenger Hunt Giveaway - Friday's Clue! - CLOSED

2009-11-27T12:00:00.003-05:00

Today's clue is...
Disney Princess!

Remember, please e-mail kerry(at)trystbykerry.com with your answer!

Congrats to Jennifer who found the little butterfly where my 'Aurora' earrings were! These earrings were named after one of my favourite Disney princess movies of all time, Sleeping Beauty!

Thanks for participating and don't forget to check back tomorrow for Saturday's scavenger hunt clue!

Black Friday Giveaway & Sale Details!

2009-11-26T07:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the 2009 edition of the tryst Black Friday weekend sale!! I don't do sales too often so when I have one, I want it to be a DAMN good one.

Oh! Before I forget - I just want to wish a very Happy Thanksgiving to my American neighbours south of the border, we celebrated it already up here in Canada back in October =) Hope you have a safe and happy one!

...onto the good stuff!

THE GIVEAWAY
I'll be giving one pair of Azaleas earrings for each day of this weekend, from Friday until Monday, that will be four pairs in total, Friday/Saturday/Sunday/Monday - one per customer, I want to spread the love =)

So how can you win a pair?
Can you tell I'm really excited?? It's going to be SO fun! I'm hosting a scavenger hunt on my website. Each day, at NOON EST (I set it a little later so the West coasters will be awake to participate too), I will post a clue on my blog that will help you find this little guy:

The butterfly will be hidden somewhere within the shop, it could be anywhere! The butterfly will appear exactly as you see it above, no size changes, no color changes or anything like that.

The first person to e-mail me at kerry(at)trystbykerry.com where it is will win the earrings! Please do not send me your mailing address until you've received a confirmation e-mail from me that you won! You'll get to pick any color you want. I'll try to respond to each and every one who participates even if you didn't win. Once the winner is confirmed, I will post it up right here on the blog, so you won't be sent on a wild goose chase for nothing ;) To the winner, if you'd like to have the earrings sent along with your order, I'll be happy to combine shipping for you!

Gift Certificates
are now available (and at 15% off from now until Monday November 30th, midnight EST!!!). They're great gift ideas that let that special someone choose what they want ;D and they won't know you spent less than you really did!

To my awesome blog followers and newsletter subscribers, I'm offering...

15% OFF
everything in store, including sale items
oh. and FREE SHIPPING worldwide.

* * *
Special thanks to Jade of Jewelry Whore for the sale shoutout! Check out her blog for more Black Friday Jewelry deals and steals!!

Holiday Shipping Dates - and a little update

2009-11-17T17:51:00.007-05:00

Hey all! It's been a while but just wanted to post a quick update on stuff going on lately =)

Ever since the end of Halloween and the beginning of November, shops whip out their Christmas trees, tinsel and faux snowflakes for their store displays, radios start to play holiday music getting everyone in the mood for Christmas!

*************************************************************
Our HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINES are as follows:
Canada = December 11th
USA = December 7th
Overseas = December 7th
*************************************************************

US CUSTOMERS - Want to know how you can get your order a teensy bit faster than the rest? Drop by the USPS Zip Code Look Up Site and enter your address in the boxes. Click 'Submit' and you will get four extra digits of your zip code, it should look something like this: 12345-XXXX.

These extra numbers are more specific to your destination and help the people at the post office sort your package to it's rightful sections faster! =)

RUSH DELIVERY
Please note that I will no longer be offering 'Expedited' shipping service this year as the default rush delivery option(unless specifically requested). A handful of customers who went with this option last year did not get their parcels in time. Most did, but during Christmas when delivery before the 25th of December is IMPERATIVE, I found this service to be unreliable. I've read the fine print for Canada Post, and they do not guarantee the arrival of items in the time frame estimated - the extra cost in shipping pretty much pays for a tracking number to go along with regular air mail service. They do, however guarantee their shipping standards for 'XPressPost' services. Nevertheless, I will let you know what options are best for your needs if you feel rush delivery is necessary.

SHOP STUFF

I've been posting a couple one-off sample sale items on my Etsy sale section! A few pieces have sold already, so act quick to get your hands on a one of a kind tryst piece at a great price! I'm trying to price them all at around $20, some a little more, some a little less - more to come!

BLACK FRIDAY WEEKEND
Yes, I'm usually do something fun for Black Friday Sales, last year it was a couple of gift certificate giveaways hosted on my blog - I think I'm going to do something a little different this year - a little more work, but it'll be fun, I promise!! =) Keep yourself updated on my Black Friday weekend sale info right here at the blog.

a little nostalgia

2009-10-15T17:03:00.004-04:00

while doing some Fall cleaning, I stumbled upon this little gem among my stack of recycled envelopes that I use to ship my supplies in. Simple white envelopes with a blue floral monogram.

they're leftover envelopes from my parent's wedding invitations way back when! weddings were so much simpler before =)

lovely blue agate!

2009-10-09T13:29:00.004-04:00

So I've been a little MIA again lately, as I was preparing for my very first wholesale trade show. How did it go? Ehh... I've never heard the phrase "watching paint dry" more times than I did last weekend. It was definitely an experience though, despite the lack of buyers at the show (it wasn't open to the public) I learned a lot. When shows aren't open to the public, you don't get the curious browsers - these buyers know exactly what they are looking for and you either have what they want, or you don't. Which is a little refreshing! I am glad to say that all of the work that went into planning my booth definitely did NOT go unnoticed. I got tons of compliments on my display, from the buyers that weren't necessarily looking for my aesthetic and even men! It was good to know that anyone who set foot within my 10x10 foot booth absolutely loved my designs though!! No in-betweens, so I'm hopeful that I've made some great contacts for the future.

These took unnecessarily long to make...

Most of the shops were factory made, lots of bags, and of course tons of jewelry. I was fortunate enough to be neighbours with other designers that weren't importers - so our little area was a little more unique than the rest =) And hell, as a jewelry addict and maker, I couldn't resist this blue agate necklace by Mari Plawiuk.

I've been wanting more bold jewelry for a while now but all of my pieces are pretty dainty and delicate. Anyway - this necklace was gorgeous and I was pining for it all weekend until the very end - its mine now =) The necklace also comes in brown agate with gunmetal hardware. Mari was really sweet and we did a quick little partial trade as we were both packing up our booths. She's based just outside Toronto and her work is sold in a couple places here.

And the traded piece - none other than my 'Waterdrop' necklace in 'Caribbean':

I guess we both like blue!

new poll! earring backings for hook earrings

2009-09-25T12:50:00.002-04:00

Every once in a while, I'll come across some forum posts about buyers of earrings and how they either love or hate those little plastic earring backings that come with earrings. I've seen two types of backings - the plastic kind and the rubber kind. I find the plastic ones less reliable because they are stiffer, less grippy and the rubber ones seem to hold better. I currently include rubber ones with every pair of earrings sold (that don't already have a backing).

Although I'm a total hook-earring kind of girl (easy on/easy off), I find that they DO stay on better when they have those little rubber backings on them.

I guess its a love/hate relationship with those... What do you think? Do you actually use them? Are they thrown in the trash?

Macro Monday: Piggy

2009-09-21T07:00:00.002-04:00

How is it possible that the end of September is creeping up so quickly??

This week's macro shot is brought to you by my bf, courtesy of his brand new camera he recently got. Its a simple point & shoot but its not your typical pocket sized one, its pretty big.. and heavy.. but its a really nice camera! Playing around with his macro mode:

He's a funny guy =) The little pig's nostrils light up like a beacon, its blinding.

The Ex 2009

2009-09-18T23:54:00.001-04:00

I always have delayed posts whenever the pictures are taken on my bf's camera... this was about 2 weeks ago, the first sunny weekend in Toronto in a LONG while (we've had nothing but gorgeous sunny weather for all of September which has been awesome *crosses fingers*)

I go to the CNE in August pretty much every year - holy cow, what a farce it was to get to the Exhibition grounds!! We drove down to try and get a parking space near the grounds, but omg, every single lot was full!! Even if you had a $100 bill for a parking space, there weren't even any available - that's how crazy it was. Anyhow, we were pretty much stuck on the Lake Shore for about 2 hours...not even trying to find a space, merely checking and turning back to park near my sister's condo by UNION Station and taking the TTC BACK to the Ex. At least we were sort of entertained by the Blue Angels Airshow above us in the car =) The formations were crazy, but the planes were too tiny to capture in a photo.

Highlights:

Yes - you read that correctly. A deep fried Mars bar... =) I was never really a Mars bar kinda gal, too sweet for me (I used to love Crunchie, equally sweet, but the foamy candy was delicious!!). After its been deep fried: the candy caramelized inside gives it a new kick (and sweetness on a whole new level!) it tasted pretty good, one bite is good enough for me! Still not really a Mars bar kinda gal...but now I can say I've tried it!

I don't usually visit The Farm, but figured we might as well check it out while we're in the area! Little turkey-chickens, I forget the real name, but they were gigantic! These were baby chicks perched on a ledge, but the full grown ones were just under 100 lbs. Huge!

The best of the butter carving contest! The man squashed under the moon was pretty creative!

Ah, the final CNE tradition. You can't leave without at least ONE dozen of the Tiny Tom's can you? Straight from the machine, into the fryer and into my hot little hands! Cinnamon sugar is my fav =)

Notice my highlights are mostly food related...lol did you check out this year's Ex?

Side note: I'll be updating my poll sometime next week!

autumn bracelets!

2009-09-15T07:00:00.002-04:00

two new additions to my bracelet collection - I really don't wear bracelets much (actually...at all! because they sort of get in the way of my work) so I rarely make them, but every so often, I'll roll a few out =)

I had these adorable little vintage Coro acorn earrings for the LONGEST time - I wanted to save them for the Autumn/Winter season and finally here it is! This time it has a little more sparkle and a tiny vintage locket! These are TWO of a kind (the other is a mirror image of the one pictured)
look familiar? This acorn bracelet was quite popular back at Jena's Modishoppe a while back so I had to bring it back another time =)

Version 1 (Sold Out)

and this one! I was able to make one last version of the 'Love in November' bracelet at this lower price with the resin beads. Once this last one is snatched up, the next ones will be a little more $ but they'll be made with semiprecious onyx stones. *Edit: TWO of these are still available at this price!*

These are sold exclusively through trystbykerry.com More coming soon! I am loving the layered chain look right now and have oodles of delicious chain I'll be using for a little heavier look for winter =)

Macro Mondays!

2009-09-14T10:55:00.004-04:00

With everyone carrying digital cameras these days, I love how every aspect of every moment is captured on camera - no matter how random it is =) From my life to yours! A new installment of Monday posts for the new season.

oh shoot.. you can see the dust on that ledge... LOL! What are those monkeys? They're monKEYs if that helps solve any mysteries for you hehe

poke poke...

2009-09-11T07:00:00.001-04:00

well, poke me with a stick - yes indeed I'm still alive!! lol I hope you've all enjoyed the summer and are off to a great start to the Back to School season!

I've been busy busy bringing fall/winter designs into fruition. I can't believe its already September - this summer has come and gone without any warm weather in Toronto. This has to be the coldest summer we've had, it sucks to have a Toronto wedding in July, almost every weekend (and weekday) rained!! Its finally starting to warm up now though =D So far a full week of sunshine! Anyways, I'm still not done the fall/winter designs yet, I always feel like I need more.. more!! MORE SUPPLIES!!! *eye twitch to finally complete the collection (though I don't think it would ever really be "done") Expect to see some lush layers, rich jewel tones of fiery burgundy and turquoise complimented with neutral smoky greys and rustic browns. I've always been searching far and wide for navy blue beads that aren't pearly or translucent - they're quite hard to find!!

I've already launched a couple designs for the new fall collection 'amarante':

I feel like I have so many designs and concepts floating around in my head to create, the notebook I use to jot down my ideas has helped TREMENDOUSLY, I'm at the halfway point of my little elementary school workbook (remember those?) yet I don't have time, nor do I have the materials to make them all - my brain is too fast for my body! And then, I go and order the supplies, but always leave SOMETHING out - that's annoying.. there just aren't enough hours in a day. TOP SECRET: I've been reading up on some new techniques too and I hope I get to play around with what I've learned before the holiday rush! Maybe next year =)

Ooh.. my THIRD Etsy anniversary has come and gone and I completely forgot! WOW I'm totally an old-timer - it was DEFINITELY a different time then... the Etsy community was MUCH smaller than it is now - looking at this brings back some fond memories of how tryst all began! Oh oh!! And look who was the Featured Seller the day I joined? Tiny Meat!!! Glad to see he's still active and going strong!

Check out the pieces I first sold ever! What a contrast between my first photographs and my current ones! I remember complaining about not getting natural sunlight living in a rental basement at school and how I hated it! (Ignore my cart, I sort of use it as invisible "hearting" of stuff - such a bad habit...)

I've also been doing some more massive detashing over at my other shop. I listed a TON of one off lots of random goodies and a slew of vintage jewelry that I've plundered over the years. A bunch has sold already but I'm going to be adding a couple more as I find time to organize my studio.

Etsy
Buy Handmade
cmyk

if you're wondering about my non shop endeavours, I've been actively looking for a place to call home in the downtown core - I'm just taking things slow and being patient, this isn't something small after all! I've also been consistently working out (for the most part), getting at least half an hour of physical activity in every day. Its really not that hard, though I'd want to increase it to one hour - or maybe step up the intensity and keep it at 30 minutes. I still feel like I need to push myself a little harder =|

Canada Turns 142!

2009-07-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

Bad bad me and my non blogging ways - I must say - I won't make any more empty promises of blogging every day. I'll do my best, but don't hate me if I don't *cries*

Time for a Mid-Year sale exclusively at the shop. All pieces including sale items are 15% off with discount code "CANADA142" at checkout. Offer won't be valid on Etsy!

Happy Shopping =)

* * *

So what have I been up to these two weeks? I haven't been shopping THAT terribly, but I'll do some more posts on my latest acquisitions =) Been running around killing fruitflies by the dozen each day since we opened the windows...GRRRR!! Got super busy preparing to get SERIOUS with the shop. Organizing my workspace (its still a mess), preparing new designs for the holidays (really.), and research, research, research!!! I've been revamping the wardrobe a little bit (baby steps, from the hoodies and jeans days - I'm not made out of money! haha though denim still holds my heart captive) Reading up on some style blog favourites, checked out Spring runway collections from big time designers and I watched the entire series of 'The Hills' - I swear it was entirely for the purpose of fashion, but of course got roped into the juicy drama that is LC/Speidi...

I realized... that its impossible to keep up with fashion - honestly, there are SO many high end designers out there, certain styles are so similar that I wouldn't even know that I'm wearing a replica. Which kind of bothers me as an indie designer, and brings me to an i-don't-know-what-to-do-with-myself state

I went to the mall the other and spotted an eerie handbag at UB likened to this little number:

and this.. from Park & Cube

I think I love you little donut!

2009-06-18T08:43:00.000-04:00

okay... after finding that Extra gum commercial on YT last week, I stumbled upon more commercials featuring those cute little food things.. I still love that donut!! This has nothing to do with me promoting the gum, I'm just a sucker for pudgy cute things with dots for eyes!

Aww he gets punched in the tummy by the Newton's cradle thing!

Watch out little donut!! Intense!

Aww he takes the punches for all lol

Etsy World Tour: Thailand

2009-06-12T11:12:00.003-04:00

I forget which temple this was... its the one everyone goes to because I joined one of those tours lol - nevertheless the steps walking up to the top of the temple was insanely steep. The entire structure was covered in porcelain mosaic - how's that for handmade! =D

SabayArom

Green Thai Cotton short Sundress, $22.99
Pretty refreshing greens, perfect for summer! Horizontal stripes help give your chest that extra oomph! hehe

RN & TN

Dirty Brown, $65
Oooooh abstract topo/circles themed wallet! I love that it has a large zippered change purse area so I can put bigger stuff that I definitely don't want falling out! Actually - this goes great with the sundress!

amicafe

Amigurimi Monkey, $10
Aww my bf would love these little monkeys. Maybe if they weren't pink lol but they're adorable with their big heads, dopey ears and pudgy tummys!! They're the perfect size for a handful of a monkey!

Sea and Lighthouse

Organic and Fresh from the Farm (Crochet Pattern), $6
More amigurimi! Oh little turnip, you are so cute! Reminds me of that Excel gum commercial lol

Okay...I know you love the donut too =)

Ahhh he just falls over at the end! Sorry this last bit is just random but so cute!!

real sweaters. not hoodies.

2009-06-10T12:00:00.005-04:00

yay yay yay!!! my Urban Outfitters order arrived a few days ago - I really really needed some sweaters for the cold winters we get up here in Canada. Ones that were more grown up and not so much the hoodies - so I jumped on the good Spring sales. What better time than now when retailers are clearing out their Winter merch? I'm really really happy with what I purchased with the exception of the paper thin t-shirt on the top left. REALLY. It is paper thin, but its still nice =)

The plaid one on the bottom was the sweater that started this whole spree... lol it fits a little loose at the waist but I can take it in. The only problem with these long sweaters is that...I hate tights... leggings are okay (or is it vice versa? I hate the ones that are like pants, with the foot hole) for a big fear that they make me butt look like a pear. Or no tights/leggings at all? Scandalous! lol Anyway, the weather's too warm now for me to wear some of these sweaters, so I don't get to wear them right away. boo!

A BIG thank you to Mia of who was super cool with helping me get my order O_O - must exercise self control.

super busy, yet unproductive

2009-06-09T18:34:00.002-04:00

argh. lagging behind on my attempts at daily posts! I've been in a bit of a design rut *cries... all the flourishing ideas I had while I was on vacation sort of vanished and now I'm back to nada!! I have a few things made, but not sure if they're going to make the cut... my desk is a terrible mess at the moment..snapped these pics just now... trust me, this is a TINY corner of my workspace lol! there's lots on my mind, I'm about to take a huge leap but my mouth will be kept shut!

yes. i have those little flowers cabs too.

There has been a few minor changes to thee website layout! I should have taken before and after screenshots, but you know, I was too antsy to get these changes made! Minor details have been polished up.

TITLES! Once above the item photo is now above the description.
PRICES! Once above the description is now below the description. The word 'Price:' has also been removed, it used to say 'Price: $X.XX' I'm sure dollar signs is straight forward enough no?

I'm excited to launch a new social networking feature to the website - if you don't remember previously each item had a 'Tell A Friend' link above the 'Write A Review'. Now it has the little 'Share' icons!! Oh oh oh! Look at the mouseover! You can still e-mail links to my pieces to a friend but its so much more neat and tidy. Thank you to the bf! =)

Packaging and a New Poll: Shipping Options!

2009-06-04T13:24:00.002-04:00

Its always a struggle to determine how I'd like to ship things. I've redesigned my boxes once again and have been using these for most of the month of May - no longer black, though I did love the chic and classy look of those! I'm loving this organic kraft look and no more fussy vellum strip that I used to have, no more fussy inside card in addition and no more zip bags (all of this was exhaustingly time consuming during the last holiday season and I realized was kind of unnecessary). I am excited to say that there is absolutely no plastic in the packaging of my work!

I think it looks pretty sweet without any ribbon and its easier for my customers to check their purchase before gifting to a friend.

And now for the poll:
You may/may not know, but shipping anything thicker than a standard letter from Canada costs an arm and a leg.

1. At the current shipping rate of $3.50, less than 1% of all of my orders have ever gone completely missing. It is the fastest and cheapest method we have here in Canada, but it is uninsured and doesn't have tracking. This is the first option on the poll =)

2. & 3. The following two insured options without tracking, do NOT guarantee delivery time but includes insurance if it is lost. Ground takes longer, air is of course faster.

4. The last option is insured WITH tracking, delivery times are NOT guaranteed. If shipped this way, the packages are grouped with much larger and possibly heavier packages which may or may not crush your order. It is shipped via ground by default and therefore often takes longer than the first option.

5. The final option (not on the poll) includes tracking and guarantees delivery in 3-7 days depending where you are located. It costs about $20+ and is only recommended if you need it urgently. I'm not even going to include that in the poll - $20?! insanity! I couldn't even bring myself to put that into the poll...

Let me know what you think! Is shipping with insurance worth it?

If you have any other questions on Canada Post and its shipping rates, feel free to post them here! I'll do my best to answer them - I've gained quite a bit of experience with the limitations and shipping methods they offer after numerous shipping blunders (and paying for them).

Fun with Colours!

2009-05-27T11:19:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-26T11:25:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-25T10:04:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-22T12:30:00.003-04:00

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?

2009-05-20T13:12:00.003-04:00

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...

What to do with... plastic bags

2009-05-18T07:00:00.004-04:00

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.

migration

2009-05-13T19:54:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-12T11:53:00.005-04:00

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!

Settling Back In + Purchases

2009-05-05T13:41:00.007-04:00

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!

sunburnt

2009-04-20T11:33:00.003-04:00

Not fun :( my lower back burns from walking along Snake island... I think I burn first.. THEN tan.. Ouch. Snorkeling was awesome, it was my first time! I should have gotten an underwater camera.. The fishes and coral were so vibrantly coloured and there were SO many!!! We did snorkeling at 3 islands, snake, pambato coral reef and the last one I forget...

Edit: Pictures added!

I think this is my bf's fav picture of me, with my mouth wide open like a fool. Like a fool!!

The entrance of the underground river. How stunning the water looks...

I think the beaches and marine life here spoiled me haha I don't think the beaches in the Caribbean will be able to compare! Underwater river tour was cool too, we saw a nest of newborn bats, it looked cool and gross at the same time haha

Next stop: boracay!

Wow, the bf didn't take any scenery pics of Boracay? Will add this weekend =)

The sand is perfectly moist and fine to do little sculptures like these. The local children make these for pocket change.

Dinner at Dos Mestisos. The tapas and paella were to die for.

In the Philippines!

2009-04-19T09:04:00.006-04:00

Currently at the Nikos resort in Palawan! Its my first day here in the Philippines and the food is amazing!!! Nothing like what I've heard of the Filipino food we get in Toronto - probably because its harder or expensive to get the freshest ingredients which makes it so yummy!! We did a city tour of Puerto Princessa and visited a wildlife conservation area - pics will be up when I return! I held a baby alligator!!! Smooth... lol

Edit: Pictures added! Lots are still on my sister's cam - these are from the bf's cam.

I had to take a photo of the tiny immigrations area here - the two men were writing down our passport info in a notebook and the desk pretty much ends at that woman's elbow. Hey, it gets the job done!

Fried pork chop, grilled fish, bitter melon with beans and shrimp. I've been told that the Filipinos love their pork! Man, who knew bitter melon could actually taste good??? Only in the Philippines.

The gang walking in the animal conservation area, my hair was/is in that weird in-between-growing-out stage the whole time..so my photos this trip aren't that flattering - I miss my long hair! By the way, I'm not AS pale anymore haha

Baby alligator pile - gross.

Tomorrow: Underground river tour, possibly some snorkeling and island hopping. So excited!! I heard its beautiful, hoping it doesn't rain tomorrow like it did today =\

Be back soon!! =)

Noodles!

2009-04-09T11:26:00.002-04:00

This is what happens when you don't know how to read Chinese...my sister and I apparently ordered the same beef ramen noodles but clearly got different things

Mine is the one on the top - I keep telling her that we DID get the same thing, just that hers was prepared in a dirty bowl heh heh

things to look forward to

2009-04-02T10:09:00.003-04:00

I'll be expanding my line of basic necklaces with more vibrant spring/summer colours! They're just so versatile and perfect for any occasion. I love wearing these at tiered lengths, layered basic with basic (droplets with sevens) and basic with the other leafy charm necklaces:

This means more leafy charm necklaces to come!!

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Blog appeal - I'm going to try and brush up on my HTML (learn some XML or whatever the heck code blogspot uses..wow my technical knowledge has gotten really rusty now...LOL!) and customize/organize the look of my blog a little more than your typical default layout

*    *    *
Packaging - has changed slightly already - I think I'm going to phase out the black ones and make the whole process more efficient, yet pretty

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I'm hoping that I'll be able to update the blog as much as I can while I'm on vacation too with my daily sightings, so you're welcome to stop by in the coming weeks to see what I'm up to!

Jetsetting!

2009-04-01T13:44:00.003-04:00

VACATION NOTICE!
I'll be closing up shop April 6th to 28th for some much needed R & R! I know its April Fool's Day but no joke! Its been so busy over here at the shop these past few weeks that I've been working 'til the wee hours of the morning and waking up early too. So I've only been getting a few hours of sleep every day - maybe I work too slow... need to make my packaging process more efficient without losing the personal touches.

Anyway, I'm off to Asia with my sister!!! We're going to look for wedding stuff! Custom dresses there are pretty cheap but we'll have to be clear on the style she wants. She hates the cupcake Cinderella poof (which I found most styles over in Asia are), but more the fitted hip almost A-line flare. I'm pretty excited because I've never travelled with her before - she's gone EVERYWHERE before she even finished university, she's an even bigger travel nut than I am! I saved that all up until I finished school, so I haven't really been to too many places yet. Its going to be awesome, 20+ hours on a plane sitting next to each other...lol

ahhh the white sandy beaches of Boracay

we might stop by Malaysia too, still debating between other places but it looks like a cool place to go - any recommendations?

Its going to be so hard to leave the shop for so long - but I'll be back brimming with ideas and new designs once I get back!

Waterdrops and New Finishes!

2009-03-31T13:31:00.004-04:00

After a long time waiting, 'Caribbean' and 'Seafoam' is now back in stock! I was searching everywhere to find identically sized raindrops and I finally found them!

Previous Line (you might recall a bigger 15x15mm Caribbean raindrop, and an 18x13mm Sky Blue raindrop - but being as insane as I am, I wanted them all to be the same size)

Current Line

The search now continues for 'Ocean's Abyss' - teal is one of my absolute favourite colours and sold out of just this month! I wanted to save one for myself =(

* * *

The 'Forever and A Day' pendants in antiqued brass have now arrived! All necklaces ordered in antiqued brass ordered since March 18th or so will be shipped immediately. My sincerest apologies for the delay, I ordered them and they came in an antiqued gold finish (top right) - not bad, but it wasn't what was advertised. Right now the necklaces are available in antiqued brass and antiqued silver finish. Which brings another thing to mind... I have way too many findings - trying to stay within bright finishes rather than antiqued but its not working lol

Bright gold and silver will be available upon my return from vacation on April 28th along with options to choose the original lilac roses or new pale aqua roses! Stay tuned tomorrow to find out where I'm off to!

Studio Shots: Bead Organization

2009-03-30T15:07:00.002-04:00

As promised! Another peek into my studio =D I LOVE looking at pictures of other people's bead collections. I have wayyyy too many beads, many of which I haven't ever used yet! Its to the point where my little divided bead-box spaces are serving double, no triple, no quadruple plus duty! I need my colourful supplies in boxes where I can see them all right away. You can see a lot of my strands are totally uncut (saving some colours for Autumn designs - yes, the wheels are already cranking for Autumn!)

same colour, different sizes + bagged similar colours

same shape, different colours

a spare set of mini drawers from my grandma - metal charms, no colours here, so the drawers are perfect!

potpourri - this is by far my favourite box - I recently bought a whole bunch of little vintage flowers for upcoming designs!

candids!

2009-03-17T08:30:00.005-04:00

I'm pretty camera shy, but my sister and I had a hell of a time figuring out what would look best and it turned out to be us being our usual selves and I had to share. effin' hilarious.

I BUY YOUR GOLD JEWELLERY!!!

If you're a Toronto native, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about - the commercials are too funny.

ONTO THE CANDIDS!

Some of these are just not that flattering..lol..*sigh.. but anyway, enjoy!

Update: OMG I woke up at noon =( On a side note, please vote for my Vernal Equinox Necklace for Etsy's Spring inspired blog!

pick me up mondays: why is my computer so slow!?!

2009-03-16T12:30:00.001-04:00

Last year, I abandoned my beloved laptop of almost 5 years and replaced him with a spiffy new desktop. The lappy's startup time was almost 15 minutes and I'd never have the patience to wait, so I left it ON. All the time. Which only made the situation worse! Why did it take forever to load things? And then every so often I'd get the dreaded blue-screen-of-death that would shut down all the files and I'd lose all the FireFox tabs that I had open (I like surfing with like 15 tabs open to look at 'later') It was aggravating!!

I'm not computer expert, but to lessen the stress for your computer and yourself, there are 3 basic things that you absolutely must do every once in a while to keep your computer happy and to keep you sane as you use it. Sorry Mac users! I'm a PC user =S

1) Windows Update - that icon that pops up every so often prompting you to download the latest updates, its best you do that to keep your computer up to date and protected from security hiccups! Its as simple as clicking update and restarting if necessary =)

2) Virus Check - Trend offers a free 'HouseCall' that scans your computer for viruses.

3) Defragment - as you continue to use your computer, files get added and deleted leaving gaps in your uh..memory? Hard Disk? Anyway, when you add new information, your computer saves space by filling in those gaps - now your content is all out of order and its harder for your computer to access them, to fix this - defragmenting puts everything back in order! This wiki picture explains it much better than I do:

To do this, go to: Windows > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Degfragmenter
The defrag is a little colourful icon with blocks flying off into the distance . Vista has this scheduled regularly now (yay!) I must say, doing this improves speed by a TON.

4*) A bonus - if you have time to do an occasional Disk Cleanup, it removes all unnecessary/unused files from your computer (recycle bin, temporary files, etc...)
Windows > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup

I still don't turn off my computer though (I am an eager beaver! LOL) but I'm trying to work on that!

* * *
I'm so bad at keeping secrets and truly surprised that I didn't blow it!! If you ever met me in person, my facial expressions are so bait, I don't think I could ever hide my emotions - which is a good thing I suppose! Stay tuned tomorrow for some candid pics that never made it to the front!

I am so humbled and grateful - but all I can say is - thank you.

what's your sign?

2009-03-12T10:05:00.004-04:00

I really love making these floral toggle necklaces, I think they've become my 'thing' that I do. The lines are now both fully launched online and on Etsy

as promised back in mid February, most necklace lengths (other than layered style and long necklaces) allow you to choose LENGTHS! Call me selfish, but I make things to fit me (I use it as a standard) - which doesn't make sense of course! Take a gander! Which reminds me I need photos for my sections...*adds to my to-do*

pick me up mondays: an apple a day

2009-03-09T11:00:00.004-04:00

I love apples, and I really do eat one every day! Back in school I always had my 10pm apple, I never really followed the no-eating-3-hours-before-bedtime rule (though I doubt I slept at 1am either anyways!) or was that 6 hours? Hmm.. Anyway, I love apples as my night time snack, they're full of vitamins, fiber and taste amazing! Apples that I love: gala and fuji. Apples that I hate: red delicious (so powdery..blech..) Apples that are soso: granny apples (good for when I feel like eating sour apple candy!)

This isn't all about apples, but eating right! I try my best to fill myself with more fruits and veggies than grain products like rice/bread/pastas. I'm a total cookie monster, so I'm lucky that my favourite kind happens to be healthier than most - the oatmeal raisin cookie! *drool... Despite trying to eat healthy though, I must admit I can polish off a big bag of chips in less than a day. Its gross I know, but soooo good! I haven't done that in a while though and don't plan to! I'm also known for never drinking any water too. I'm like a camel haha So I've been trying to drink enough fluids as well.

It doesn't take too long to make a healthy meal - though I'm still learning how! Having an efficient kitchen (organized, proper utensils, counter space etc) helps tremendously. Less TV dinners, less eating out and less processed snacks (I love snacking on granola, this recipe by Kathleen Daelemans has got to be the easiest and simplest ever).

A killer combination with vanilla yogurt.

Take care of yourself! Exercise would be good too ;) baby steps...one thing at a time.

stacy and clinton - I need you!!

2009-03-04T11:04:00.007-05:00

I just came to the realization that I always wear PRETTY MUCH. the same things all the time. My wardrobe staples are tank tops, hoodies and jeans. Not that there's anything wrong with that, its typical attire of a university student, but I'm freshly graduated so now would be the perfect time to get a new wardrobe! I came to the epiphany that I've established a teeny tiny bit of the mindset of my mother - if it fits, its fine! (Though her idea is much more extreme, giant bat-wing sweaters and stirrup tights from the 80s still fit, just as long as it goes over the head and covers what it needs to) Sure my hoodies fit (properly!) but it seems to be the only thing I wear - easy layering right?

I have a pretty good idea of what I'd like to wear (I think), I don't consider myself to be a girly girl, but I'm drawn to ruffles and that whole romantic look! How does that even make sense... I LOVE the work of Bonzie though that would be saved for special occasions. I love the tailored Victorian look of Gloomth, a Canadian btw! But to make it a wearable almost everyday look, I'd have to go with Sarah Seven. Her ruffle dresses are all so pretty!!

BUT. I never wear skirts/dresses - the moment I'm in one, I feel ultra formal or like everyone is staring at me for showing my legs or something! This goes for shorts too.

My bf has also noticed that I stopped carrying purses. I carry this wallet that I bought from Hollyhawk (also a Canadian *nudge nudge!) with me everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE. The floret print is wearing off...LOL but its the PERFECT size. I love it and get compliments on it wherever I go, and I really don't need much more than this! Got my cards, cash, coin purse, chapstick AND gloss, and my keys, all in that tiny wallet. Cell phone in either my pant pockets or coat pockets.

Though come summer I think I'll have to start carrying one again because I also carry the bf's phone and wallet... haha right now its winter, so he puts everything in his pockets. I have no idea what else to put in a purse if I had those oversize ones! They're pretty, but mine would be completely empty. What do you put in your purse? =S

I need help. LOL. Its not only a skirt thing, its an everything thing. Someone just give me a push and tell me that hoodies and jeans aren't the be all and end all of clothing!! I'm NOT giving up my denim though - that would be sacrilegious - but would be open to occasionally wearing a skirt.

pick me up mondays: just do it!

2009-03-03T09:48:00.004-05:00

okay, this is totally delayed because well...please see here T_T and I wanted to change things up a little for March! Monday, Monday, Monday, the start of another workweek. Each Monday in March, I'm going to share some things that I try to live by. Good for you things to help you get a great start to a brand new week! =)

yeah, thats a zany Yikes pencil, remember those? haha

So, whats on your to-do list? What have you been putting off? My to-do list is always insanely long, there's always SOMETHING that I need to do, whether it is shop related or life related. Since the shop has gotten so busy, its become imperative that I keep an active list of what needs to be done. You'll actually use a list that you keep active - put a star next to high priority things! Its important to keep it updated with even the littlest things (I tend to forget those the easiest). Sure the list looks even BIGGER, but when I finish those little things, I get to cross them off. It takes a few minutes to do, and two seconds to cross off - EASY! I LOVE crossing things off my list! It gives me a sense of accomplishment and its self-encouraging! I'm one of those people that keep putting things off and trying SO very hard to not do that anymore.

What have you been dying to get started on but hesitating because you're unsure? Make those decisions and simply get the ball rolling! The hardest part is to just get started isn't it? Take baby steps toward your goal and once you start, you'll want to finish. Try not to worry and just take that leap of faith!

And finally, better late than never. This post was supposed to be for Monday LOL

Studio Shots: The Taxman Cometh!

2009-02-23T11:32:00.003-05:00

A record of my purchases, pricing spreadsheet and a fancy graph - how I wish I had a graph with the sales that I made last/this year...sadly, its of my website hits - I noticed that there aren't any real trends other than people don't really like to browse my shop on Wednesdays (hence the dip in the middle in both 2007 and 2008). Everything since I started needs to be re-done, since I didn't really take re-listing on Etsy into account, and calculated a -$0.20 for everything - clearly not that easy if it doesn't sell... Where did I get my spreadsheet? It was a free template that I modified to suit my own needs from serena, it was super helpful and I HIGHLY recommend knowing how to price your work accurately!

Box overflowing with shipping receipts - needs to be organized...BADLY. Usually its a standard same amount for certain destinations, but once its over 100g, or over 20cm or some other shipping restriction, the price changes and since I haven't been recording my stuff - I have to go back to each exception to the norm and record that *cries...

My credit card bills, receipts for both personal AND shop related purchases all in a big pile on the floor...these are now organized (still on the floor) in designated piles.

I have...a LOT of work to do *cries again...

hoarding.

2009-02-19T11:18:00.004-05:00

I don`t know what it is, I make things and always hold on to them for days, even weeks sometimes for some reason - other than not being able to come up with a name (yet another reason why I hold onto things!!) I think I`m both excited an anxious to reveal a new piece to the public!

This is the one of my many hoarded pieces, the first bracelet I`ve made in a long long while! Maybe because I rarely wear bracelets, but I love how it turned out!! This WILL be available tonight. I swear it - I just need a name...

I`ve noticed a trend here with my latest colour choices for my new pieces...I do love coral and blue!

turtle pile!!

2009-02-18T09:40:00.002-05:00

I love these guys, they make quite a bit of noise for pets that can't make noises... can they?? Well I've never heard them, but they sure do a lot of turtling around, kicking, shuffling and splashing about! Sometimes I really wonder what's going on inside those turtle-y minds...I caught them in a live action turtle pile!!

Now I'm not sure about their genders but stop thinking dirty! I think they're just enjoying each other's company - and perhaps maybe trying to get more height in hopes to escape their aquarium.

Or trying to keep warm, the only way turtles can - sandwich style, since they can't hunch up in a ball. Yup thats poo over there on the bottom right. Time to change the water...maybe they're trying to escape their own poop-water! haha There's only room on that rock for one unless they do this!

They unpiled themselves after this, because they caught me and thought I might have had food... haha but a half hour later, turtle pile round 2!!!!

I snapped these real quick and dashed, I figure I'd let em enjoy it =)

colour inspiration

2009-02-16T12:24:00.002-05:00

Its a lazy family day for Ontarians and everyone's got the day off =) well, most people - I hope you're enjoying yours!

I'm really excited that my new and improved line is finally coming together! After de-stashing (and continuing to de-stash) over at my supply shop I feel refreshed, I'm in love with my final product and ready to create all the time. I've had wonderful responses to the newest designs, so I must be doing something right!

So where does all this inspiration come from? Mostly I'm trying to focus my inspiration, if that makes any sense! Focusing on all things nature inspired, so at least I'm not up to my nose in supplies I won't use because there are way too many ideas in my head before I can even make them a reality! I'm having trouble focusing on colours - shall I do bright colours only? pastel? earth tones? should I narrow in on my colours at all? Anyway, when I need colour inspiration, YumiYumi is just one of many shops I frequent when I want to get myself inspired! Not only is Aline's artwork like some kind of wonderful fantasy, the colours work so well with the ideas flying around in my head!

White Love Birds (green) $20

Vernal Equinox $42

Flower Burst (white/teal) $20

Smoke & Cyan $14

Little Spring Garden $20

Peacock (Daquiri) $24

The Lychee Berry Monsters $20

Mayflower $24

trouble with names

2009-02-12T11:15:00.003-05:00

I make stuff. and sell stuff. But sometimes what holds me back from even listing anything is naming my work. I've started making a list of pretty words to use, but sometimes they don't fit quite right, sort of like a certain piece was destined to have a certain name. I wanted to have these ready for the Holidays back in December, since they're a little wintery, but anyway! Better late than never! And so finally with new names imagined, I finally will be able to put these new silk screened lockets up for sale. The 'Wild Skies' bird lockets!

The bright colours and details somehow remind me of very wild birds =)

The first is the Bullfinch, already up on Etsy!

In other website news, since most of my work is made to order, I'm going to try and implement the choice of various necklace lengths in the shop in 16" 18" and 20" increments (for pendant styles). It was just easier for me but I think my customers will appreciate that and be much happier with a length that fits them perfectly!

the jersey boys =)

2009-02-11T10:45:00.003-05:00

yay!! the boy and I are going to see Jersey Boys for Valentine's Day! For those who don't know, its a musical about Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons and how they became famous.

The music is a little before my time, but I grew up with it with my dad listening to them among many MANY others (his CD collection is ginormous along with some in vinyl too) and I love it! It just reminds me of the good ol' days like in Archie comics, sipping on a soda or sharing a malt shake at Pop Tate's =) Can't wait!

Steven & Chris

2009-02-06T03:44:00.005-05:00

Remember 'The Designer Guys' on HGTV? I'm a big fan of the chic and elegant choices that Steven and Chris choose. Their final results always looked amazing and they've built a reputation for being able to bring out the absolute best in their client's taste. They recently came out with a new show this January called 'Steven & Chris' that covers everything from interior design to fashion to entertaining and relationships - it airs on CBC every weekday at 2pm EST.

I was couch shopping with my sister last year when I stumbled upon their own line of home decor and thought "No way!! That is awesome!!" I'm all for decorative pieces that don't really serve any other purpose than to look pretty and maybe collect dust, I just like to look at them =)

Cream paper tray with chocolate brown belt accent, black lantern style candle holder.

Etched glass cube vases and decorative organic coral.

Shiny nickel finish fruit bowl and beveled edge chrome candle holder.

Their line is full of household staples in easy to match neutrals and earth tones. I wish they had a more recent catalog of their own line of decor online, these are from their 2007 line. S&C furniture and accessories can be purchased at Home Outfitters and The Bay.

* * *
On an S&C tangent - here's a short video from the guys showing you how to take care of your jewelry!

Coraline

2009-02-03T11:20:00.004-05:00

I can't wait to see Coraline (coming out this Friday)! I saw a commercial for it a few weeks ago, thinking it was a Tim Burton film (my bad) and got super excited since I love 3D animation (it was a dream of mine to work for Pixar back in high school but of course I chose the path of death that was Engineering...I suppose I can still work towards that now if I can get my creative juices flowing better). Anyway, I loved 'The Nightmare Before Christmas', 'The Corpse Bride' and 'Big Fish' is one of my all time favourites, though it isn't animated. Side note on Tim Burton: 'Alice in Wonderland' is scheduled for release in 2010!

Back to Coraline, the movie is about a girl who discovers another world in her home - an alternate universe that seems to be perfect and her Other Mother and Other Father treat her better than her real parents!

Its the first stop motion animation to be shot steroscopically with two cameras and each image is meant for your left and your right eye respectively. You know how you don't have good depth perception when you've only got one eye open? Click the link, as it explains what exactly that is in depth. So the film actually isn't a 3D animated movie, but actually series of MANY MANY photos put together, one after the other - think FLIP BOOK ANIMATION. That is completely insane!

With interchangeable body parts for the characters, the filmmakers were able to create the illusion of animation, apparently over 1000 pairs of hands were made! Check out the interchangeable facial expressions for Coraline herself:

* * *

By the way - if you have time, swing on over to Etsy and vote for my 'Coral Blossom' necklace in Etsy's 'Season of Love' themed vote! If my necklace is one of the top items, I'll be featured in the Gift Guides and Etsy's blog =) 6 days left to vote!!

sweet petites!

2009-02-02T11:40:00.004-05:00

I'm going to be adding lots more to my 'Dangles' earring category as soon as the clouds return so I can take more photos! Hoping to add them before the end of the day. I'm surprisingly way more productive when its overcast than on blue sky sunny days! There will be a lot of simple designs kept short and sweet that will be perfect accessory essentials for casual days where you just need SOMETHING to hang from your ears for that extra pop of colour. Mostly bright semi precious gemstones mixed with a little bit of flora. I'm still a fan of long dangly chains, but thinking it would be nice to have the option to dangle chains from behind these new earrings? hmmmm

* * *
On a side note: from this day forth - I will be more organized with my shop!!! Getting lazy here and procrastinatey!!! Things that I need to crack the whip on include:
- making sure I have enough shipping supplies (boxes, envelopes, business cards, I am out of something... somethings... lets not discuss this, it makes me sad/mad)
- contacting customers to confirm their purchases, I keep doing this later rather than sooner and then forgetting!! Here's some advice that I don't follow but should: do it NOW
- clean up my work space as often as I can (I always spend 15 minutes looking for something...
- updating my spreadsheets and keep track of sales and purchases (still..)
- eat breakfast before checking e-mail =X

the thin

2009-01-28T10:59:00.005-05:00

I usually go for "The Chewy" but my sister came by and she's more of a "thin" type chocolate chip cookie eater. Anyway, we made these over the weekend from Alton Brown's Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and I'm having some with milk for breakfast! Here they are, sitting atop a cream coloured vintage plate with a chocolate brown leaf print - how fitting!

Recipe as follows, from foodtv.com:
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 egg
* 2 ounces milk
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 sticks unsalted butter
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (we used 1 cup instead)

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Combine the egg, milk, and vanilla and bring to room temperature in another bowl.

Cream the butter in the mixer's work bowl, starting on low speed to soften the butter. Add the sugars. Increase the speed, and cream the mixture until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed and add the egg mixture slowly. Increase the speed and mix until well combined.

Slowly add the flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for more even browning.

Remove the cookies from the pans immediately. Once cooled, store in an airtight container.

Must have that last crumb!
I must be the only person in the world that prefers less chips in my chocolate chip cookies. If I had it my way, there would be almost NO chips in my choco chip cookies! But I have to have a few in there - why? They add the essential subtle hint of chocolatey flavour into the dough. Anyway, these cookies always turn out for me, so I thought I would share =D~

There's also "The Chewy" and "The Puffy" worth trying!

Which cookie type do you prefer? =)

Sunny Style

2009-01-23T11:14:00.005-05:00

I've decided that I'm going to be more consistent with my blog! Every Friday, I'll be doing a shopping feature and these gorgeous little knick knacks are from Sunny Style. I love Japanese style and how simple yet elegant things can be.Well, I'm a sucker for pretty useless things to put around the house. If I could read Japanese and figure out how to pay for these things and complete the checkout, I would be ecstatic! But for now I will have to stick with virtual window shopping.. *sigh...

These little bubbly apples are adorable! I have no idea what I'd do with them but they make me smile =)

These great little cast iron pot bottom...trays... (there has to be an official name for these tham "pot bottom trays") are so sweet too! Of course, my favourite is the leaf design

The perfect jewelry box, filled with lots of drawers slots. Covered in natural linen and embellished with a pretty white floral spray embroidered on the front.

These little spoons are so adorable and perfect for the little ones in your life!

Frosted glass clocks with the naturey bird designs that I love so very much.

And lastly, their toys for children are so damn cool!! I had the hardest time choosing which ones I liked best because they are all so darling, but this little wooden worm on a string makes rotting food that much more cute and that much more awesome.

On a side note, I also snagged a Treasury!
Check it out: Shakespeare in Love

okay I confess!! I don`t floss.

2009-01-21T14:38:00.003-05:00

admit it - you don`t either!!! and if you do, kudos, really! okay...I do..for now. I ask my friends and a majority of them don`t floss, but flossing is actually MORE important than brushing! After watching last weeks episode of `Martha` when her dentist came onto the show explaining oral health, I made it a point to do my best to try and floss EVERY night before going to bed.

So far so good! =D Lets hope I can keep this up!

"Geez, Martha can make you do ANYTHING..." - the bf

a new year brings change!

2009-01-08T17:14:00.004-05:00

change is happening here at the studio - I'm making it my personal mission to update my website more frequently - rephotograph all designs on the website and ensure that all pieces found on Etsy and MORE will be available there. In addition to new designs that I'm super excited to reveal, I'm returning to my roots and creating more luxe one of a kind repurposed vintage designs as well (as promised many months ago)! Its taken me much too long to list because I wanted to offer these designs at an affordable price, yet really wanted to use precious metals for them. I've decided that I would try to follow suit with whatever the the vintage focals were made from, so base metal vintage pieces would be paired with plated base metal findings, and precious metal vintage pieces would be paired with precious metal findings (with the exception of the recent new earring listings).

These one of a kind pieces can be found in the one of a kind section. These will be sold exclusively through the website - I have some necklaces finished and I've already listed some dangly chain earrings, 'Iridium' are one of my favourites:

The most important thing though will be SHIPPING. Every year prices for just about everything increases and unfortunately shipping rates are no exception. Effective January 12, 2009, shipping rates will increase slightly for parcels mailed out. It sucks for my fellow Canadian customers to know that shipping within the country for small "irregular" parcels (meaning non-bendable) will be $2.36 instead of $1.15 like before...

The following are links to the new rates:
Canada
USA

Please note that additional shipping fees will continue to be charged for packaging (boxes, ribbon, jewelry cards etc.)

forgive me for my inner geek.

2008-12-18T14:06:00.003-05:00

I am and always has been OBSESSED with x-men. The new wolverine movie looks like its going to be amazing and best of all, Gambit is going to be in it!! He`s my absolute fav =) Does this make me a comic book geek? =S

Sorry about all the video posts!! Time has been so limited these past weeks =__=

o_o

2008-12-17T01:40:00.003-05:00

wow! that is insane!!

okay must fill in orders.. been sleeping at 5-7am daily.. i need rest...

still getting orders out within 1-2 days of payment - later days because I`m waiting on some customers to confirm express shipping or not - I hate Canada Post!!! rush shipping is almost the same price as half my items... ridiculous! I swear I`m not trying to profit off shipping Canada Post really is that expensive =(

1000 + 1!!!

2008-12-11T11:46:00.002-05:00

I am super ecstatic and at awe o_O NEVER in a million years did I ever think I was going to make 1000 sales by the end of the year - I toyed around with the idea in my head...daydreamed about it a little just for fun =) I went to bed with 999 sales, but just today, when I woke up from sleeping at 5 in the AM filling orders to make sure they get out by my deadline for American orders it came true!! I am SO tired, with 3 broken nails, and once again, ran out of my emergency supply of jewelry boxes...

I TRULY cannot thank all my customers enough for their love and support for my work - I've worked so so hard to perfect my shop just the way I want it (I'm not done yet! So much on this to-do list).

I guess all that can be said now, is if you're going to dream, dream big! =)

VS Fashion Show!

2008-12-03T17:47:00.002-05:00

TONIGHT!

The OFFICIAL Black Friday Thread! - Post your favs!

2008-11-27T23:30:00.010-05:00

If you haven't been browsing already - visit the shop and look for your favourite items!! For the first time ever - my most popular window lockets and hand-screened lockets are included in this sale!

The first FIVE people to let me know which item they absolutely LOVE will receive a $10 gift certificate!!

The next FIVE people to post will receive a $5 gift certificate!

The following posters will receive a 15% discount!!

*NEW* Orders over $100 will receive a free gift! Over $200 will receive an even better gift! aaand so on..

*don't forget to include your e-mail address so I can send your exclusive code to you!

IMPORTANT PROMO CODE DETAILS!
- apply to sale items as well, but NOT custom pieces
- are redeemable ONLY from Friday, November 28th to December 1st! After that, they will expire!
- valid ONLY at www.trystbykerry.com
- payments must be received within this four day long weekend period (payments sent with eChecks are okay)
- these have no cash value and does not apply to shipping costs
- items will NOT be put on hold, some pieces are the last ever to be made and I cannot guarantee that a similar item can be remade - a first come first serve system will be honoured (ie full payment must be received, this secures that the piece will be yours)
- umm.. I think thats it.. if I forget anything, I'll update it here Happy Shopping! =)
- EDIT: this is important for the fast ones! - I remember now - those with a dollar value amount will be able to redeem that dollar amount on an original priced item (highest priced item if purchasing mutliples) but still be able to receive 10% off subsequent items, not 15% off that the 11+ posters that posted after you

For those who don't know about my blog - a 10% discount will be applied on the website and on Etsy

with all this said, I hope you're there to read this.. this is the most I've ever updated my blog.. ever =)

EDITS:
- yay! thank YOU for posting! okay.. I wasn't as prepared as I thought - give me a few min to prepare these promo codes..lol
- official black friday THREAD?? I've been on Etsy way too much..i mean POST.. not thread..

Truly Thankful =)

2008-11-27T14:46:00.008-05:00

Remember a while back when I posted about holiday prep? Well... I thought I was prepared but heck no! I ordered 400 jewelry boxes back in September and totally underestimated myself...I had to re-order them again last week! I might need more envelopes too...not sure yet though.

I've just been packing and making and shipping and packing and making and shipping and repeat for the last 3 months since September and I never really paid attention - but I just realized that in these past 3 months, I've almost made the same amount of sales that I have made in the last two years that I started this. I'm so thankful for the customers that have been with me ever since I started 2 years ago, watched me grow, watched my designs develop, read about me thinking about revamping my line over and over and over again. I'm also very thankful for my new customers too and hope you too will enjoy my designs to come!

It all started when I got my big break when Jena of Modish kicked off jewelry week with my website at just one month old! I was kicking and screaming in joy when I found out! She's been an awesome, dare I say pillar, of the online Indie craft community and have helped so many other Indie crafters like me grow their business. A very big thank you to her as well.

Once again - thank YOU for your support, I truly feel blessed to be able to share the love for my craft with you =)

and now the last update on my Black Friday Promo before the big one!
Remember - please post to my Black Friday post tonight at 12am with your favourite item from either my website, or my Etsy AND your e-mail so I can send you your code!

The first FIVE people to post will receive a $10 gift certificate
the next FIVE people to post will receive a $5 gift certificate
the following posters will receive a 15% discount code
all of the above are redeemable only at www.trystbykerry.com

for those who don't know about this promo - everything will be discounted 10% from Friday November 28th to Monday December 1st!

*Note: this DOES apply to sale items, but not custom work or previous purchases

Race for the Sweetest Black Friday Deal!

2008-11-25T20:25:00.009-05:00

I just had to put this picture, I saw the movie recently and it was so cute!! Much better than I thought it would be. Anyway, I was thinking long and hard for a fun and exciting promo for the American Thanksgiving long weekend - I'm Canadian. But a majority of my customers are from our neighbours down south!

All this talk about the economy and such has gotten everyone worldwide looking for the best sales around! So...for the first time ever, I'll be holding a giveaway AND an ongoing sale throughout the weekend of from 12am EST Friday, November 28th into 11:59PM Monday, December 1st (omg will it be DECEMBER already??)

So whats with the Lightning McQueen racing picture?
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY! I'll be adding a blog post on Thursday night - to go live exactly (hopefully) at 12am this BLACK FRIDAY. The first 5 people to respond to that post with their e-mail address and favourite item from either my website or my Etsy shop will receive a VERY VERY special discount code from me to use at trystbykerry.com, the following 5 people to respond will receive a VERY special discount code and the following responses will also receive a special discount code as well!!

Promo applies to sale items too! But not custom orders =)

*Just a note - to ensure your pieces arrive in time for Christmas, please place your orders by December 15th!

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show!

2008-11-24T11:33:00.003-05:00

Every year I get SUPER excited about the VS fashion show. Each year, both the costumes, angel wings and set designs get more and more extravagant and its just an entertaining show to watch - not to mention the gorgeous supermodels!! I must say I was a little disappointed with last year's show, the lingerie and costumes seemed to be so bright and almost juvenile in a sense, I was hoping for more of the romantic thing - but the sneak preview videos of this year's show looks promising! Usher will also be performing this year - I know his performance is going to rock the show too! It'll also be huge promotion for his own lingerie line.

My absolute favourite VS model, Adriana Lima will be wearing this year's 5 million dollar bra:

Does she ever NOT look amazing??

The show will air on CBS on Wednesday December 3rd - 10/9 central MUST...NOT...MISS!

the most exciting game EVER!!

2008-11-22T22:55:00.005-05:00

Ahhhh! I can't believe the Raptors lost yesterday...it was SUCH a close game between Toronto and NJ, with almost double overtime! The Raptors were ahead by 10+ points at the start of the game and the Nets finally caught up at the end resulting in an overtime, thanks to ex-Raptor Vince Carter... and during overtime it was crazy!

Both teams kept scoring until 2 seconds left...the Raps were up by 2 points I think... but within those TWOOOOOO seconds.. TWO!!! Vince managed to score again and we lost =( The Raptors couldn't hold the ball for TWO more seconds for a double overtime or even a win?? oiiiiii.... I'm not even a big basketball fan, but it was an intense game (even better seeing the best Toronto game of the season in person!) and a nice night out with the boyfriend =) We had dinner at 'ki' just before the game, its a trendy modern Japanese restaurant, which btw tasted great! The only thing I didn't really like was that their hand towels in the restrooms were some sort of fibrous thick disposable towel like thing... not very environmentally friendly...those things better be decomposable!!! *waves angry fist*

and then there's dodgeball tomorrow YAY!

whats happening to me...paying MONEY to see sports?? actually PLAYING sports myself?? hahahahahaha will post pics of the game when I get them uploaded!

edit: pics have been posted! and I now love the Raptors mascot, no wonder Toronto was voted the best NBA mascot!! The Raptor is so cute and does the most hilarious things, too distracting from the game! =)

i wish i was there to see this one - sooo cute!

cannibal pumpkin!

2008-10-29T23:39:00.002-04:00

I was bored and browsing Etsy's Storque and stumbled upon this:

How cute is this?!?!? omg... it just makes me want to carve a pumpkin now, if it wasn't so messy hehe if you haven't started carving that pumpkin of yours, do this one! =D

Here's the tutorial link.

precocious

2008-10-02T01:18:00.006-04:00

I've wanted to blog about this designer since last spring and never got around to doing it! I was reminded because the Fall Clothing Show happened 2 weekends ago (I didn't go this time) but saw she'd be a vendor this Fall again. I met fellow Canadian designer, Melody of Precocious last spring at The Clothing Show in Toronto and got a chance to chat about her unique designs.

She designs all the pieces herself and uses vintage and repurposed fabrics to create all of her designs which makes it all the better being environmentally friendly! Too bad her site is still under construction, I'll be checking in to see when it'll be ready though!! I did manage to stumble upon an old collection of her designs on Flickr

I love her use of soft colours mixed with florals! Everything is so sweet and feminine without being overly frilly =)

no more coffee cups?

2008-09-19T18:32:00.005-04:00

I was so happy when my boyfriend showed me this blog post!! click below to see the article:

image taken from ctv.ca

I always wondered why coffee cups were never recyclable... The last few years of university, I'd walk around campus and there would be a sign in front of every recycling bin telling people that Tim Horton's coffee cups were NOT recyclable, and to throw them in the garbage instead. Do you know HOW many people have Tim's coffee every morning before work? And even more so for studious university students?? I was really disappointed seeing these signs, but never knew what I could do about it.

I'm so glad that the city is entertaining the thought of eliminating these! The last few years, no one really cared about recycling and reducing waste until about this year when it suddenly became "cool" to be green, almost like a fad. Lets just hope it sticks around longer than...mullets! I've also been really happy since Toronto and the GTA has implemented the Green Bin - I mean, really, a majority of our trash is organic! Since it started, our weekly trash bag is tiny! The next thing to tackle are these one-time use containers!

P.S. Know where your refuse goes!! I heard that just one of these coffee cups (or any other non-recyclable item) thrown into the recycling bin taints the whole bag and the recycling place doesn't bother taking it!! Only something I've heard but why take the risk?

they're here!!

2008-09-12T13:29:00.003-04:00

WOW. I am so glad I ran out of business cards in August (sort of...) so I was able to redesign my cards!! I LOVE them. The little flowers on the back are only visible under the light..whee!! Everything, designed by yours truly - I decided to use a new pair of earrings I made as the centerpiece of it all, it has yet to be named =)

LOVE.

a canadian girl in paris

2008-09-08T11:43:00.001-04:00

Off to Paris! The airport

The first picture I took of Paris, and then I fell in love.

Paris - Doorway into the Notre Dame

Ohh dizzy...and tiring... exercise is NOT my thing...

View from the top of the Notre Dame

Ahh another gorgeous piece of architecture.

The Conciergerie Prison - where Marie Antoinette was held.

The Eiffel Tower at night, I wanted it to glow white!! It never did, always this electric blue =( This just means I have to go back to Paris another time!!

Ahhhh!!! THE Dior boutique that Carrie lost her necklace in Sex and the City! It was closed when we got there though =(

Nothing like wrapping up a visit to Paris with a cabaret and a little champagne =) We ended up walking from the Moulin Rouge back to our hotel when the show ended at about 1am...and got home around 3ish?? I think we walked almost 15km that day... including all the steps up and down the Notre Dame, up and down the Arc de Triomphe... up another hill to the Sacred Heart Cathedral, my legs were in excruciating pain... I swear, I think my boyfriend is trying to train me to be more athletic!

i love italy!

2008-09-08T11:30:00.004-04:00

I'm super excited to show you my photos from Europe, it was my first time going there and I absolutely loved everything about it!! I had over 1000 photos, so here are some of the highlights from my trip =)

I'll start off with one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen:

Florence - What an amazing cityscape! The Duomo really is a stunning example of great architecture. I just learned about it in my Engineering History class in my last semester of school and it makes it so much better when you know the details behind it and then see it in person! Hard to believe it was made several centuries ago!

Portofino - Beautiful modern floral lamps in a store window.

Venice - yep, its exactly like it is in the movies, how romantic! Except with tons of tourists!!

Lots of stationery shops in Venice with paper that is so so gorgeous, everything is so detailed and ornate, I love it all and wanted to spend more time in those shops but we only had a limited time there =\ Maybe it was a good idea though, everything was quite expensive, but it WAS handmade after all! Pretty Venetian glass brushes!

More stationary in floral Renaissance prints.

More glass brushes and a super detailed 3D cutout card.

Naples - St. Andrew's Cathedral - gorgeous frescoes and interiors, my mouth was pretty much =O in every single church and cathedral in Italy, small and large, all were covered in vibrant frescoes, wall decor and statues. It really shows just how powerful and influential the Church was back then and still now.

Naples - Hand carved cameos from real shells.

Jeweler's workbench? hehe

The finished product! The made not only jewelry with these carvings but also lamps so the images glowed from behind to show even more detail!

Rome - Outside the Vatican

Authentic Italian pizza! I had to try it, there were so many to choose from! Its true what they say, real Italian pizza is definitely not as loaded with mozzarella as American/Canadian pizza!

new look! + secret coupon code

2008-09-04T14:30:00.008-04:00

Just before I left for my vacation to Europe I wanted to get the new site up and ready to go! I've upgraded the graphics a little to something cleaner and simpler and made things easier to search by organizing things into categories rather than collections - the collections option is still there, but I've yet to compile things all together. The bf's got all my vacay photos so I can't show you yet, but hopefully I can get those tonight! I'm in the process of re-doing photos now that I have access to daylight unlike the 2 years before when I started this in my basement apt during school but if you want to save me some trouble on some of the older designs, I'll be offering a special 25% off coupon code to those who leave a comment on my blog - share your thoughts on the look and feel of the new site! And don't forget to include your e-mail! Yes even negative feedback will get a response from me, actually those are the best!! Offer expires September 31st!

By the way...I ran out of business cards after the orders placed while I was on vacation... blahhhh!!! I knew it was going to happen but with all the organizing of the trip and packing, I just didn't have time to place an order for them and redesign them before I left so they'd get here by the time I got home... *sigh... the order is placed now with a fresh new look to accompany the new look of the site! A big sorry and a complimentary hug to the recent orders who won't get a biz card from me - it was my guff =(

Vacation Notice!

2008-08-06T21:25:00.004-04:00

Everytime I send pieces of jewellery out in the mail, I get a little jealous, that my little creations get to go to all these faraway places - and I don't. So many packages have gone to the UK, Sweden, France, Australia, Japan...the list goes on. It sort of feels like parts of me have gone to these places, yet I haven't physically been to them ever!

I hate prying my hands away from my jewellery pliers, but this summer is really my last chance to travel for extended periods of time before I plunge myself into the 8 hours, 5 days a week working world =(

So anyway, my whole life I wanted to go to two places. Hong Kong (where my parents grew up, I feel an attachment to it, its the motherlanddd!) and France (maybe because I'm a sucker for romance and everything French inspired that goes along with it). I know I'm going to love every second of me being there =) I'm so very fortunate to be able to go to both of these places, all in one summer! I'll be going to Italy too, you can be sure I'll be taking millions of pictures of everything!

Just a note - I'll be away from the shop both at Etsy, the .com, supplies, DaWanda, everything from August 15th to September 1st.

lily + jae

2008-08-04T10:49:00.003-04:00

I stumbled upon this talented Canadian Designer, Jude Feller of lily + jae Her designs are so sweet and simple, yet very wearable. They're simple and feminine without being over the top girly! Loving her simple photographs too, they're adorable!!

I really love everything, but here are some of my favourites from her Spring 2008 collection:

My absolute fav, the Taken Top.

Jae Jacket

Sweety Sundress..ahh sold out! =(

Calypso!

2008-08-02T12:05:00.005-04:00

YAY! I'm happy to announce that Calypso is now a proud representative for tryst! If you're in the area, stop on by the boutique in Lexington, KY for some adorable vintage dresses, hats, boots and more!

can't wait!

2008-08-01T17:49:00.003-04:00

ohhhhhohoho and gambit is going to be in it too! *drool
http://wolverine-trailer.blogspot.com/2008/07/wolverine-trailer-bootleg.html

i LOVE x-men, yep I'm geek. but only for x-men.

ahhhhh =)

2008-07-21T10:38:00.004-04:00

YAY! I've been searching far and wide for boxes that fit within Canada Post's 2cm thickness limit and I FINALLY found them - in a sleek black. They're made from 100% recycled paper too, which makes me feel extra proud to send them out to my customers. I also got new mailing envelopes too, I wanted them to stand out from the rest of the mail that my customers would be receiving, so I chose some pretty envelopes (also made from 100% recycled paper) in a soothing grey-blue colour: "rain". They didn't turn out as blue as I wanted them to, but I still like them =) Shipping prices have adjusted SLIGHTLY but each additional item remains at 50 cents which is awesome! I know my customers will appreciate getting their jewellery in boxes rather than bubble wrapped envelopes like before, less breakage, ready for gifting, made from recycled material, ready to be recycled again. Definitely no cons.

and...hurray for Michael's 4 hour 25% off everything sale!!! I've been struggling with getting designs out and wondering why. why why why why why. It was because my beads.. charms... chains.. almost everything I had was in ziplock backs, then in bigger boxes. I'm the type of person that needs to see everything that I'm working with, so every time I made something, I'd dump the boxes out onto my floor.. shuffle through the zip bags in search for that ONE charm that I wanted. Needless to say, my craft room was always a complete mess, since I'd leave the pile there because I needed to make other things anyway, and I'd get lazy to put it back. NO MORE. I've organized everything into neat little boxes, almost everything.. I bought 15 of these bead boxes, I swear the checkout lady thought I was insane...but anyway, so far I've filled 10 of them and I'm almost done =) Its WAY easier to work in a clean and organized environment - I love it.

Finally some rainy cloudy weather.. now to take some photos of my designs! Seems like most people take their photos in the sun... it doesn't really work for me.. loving the cloudy skies!

Home Sweet Home!

2008-07-02T16:42:00.002-04:00

I've been neglecting my blog for the past while...April = exams + family stuff, May = family stuff + vacation planning, June = shop til I drop vacation! I'm back back back!!! My hands have been itching.. ITCHING to make new things, I was so inspired by the jewelry I saw overseas that a little part of me wanted to go back to Toronto just to make some new designs! I wish I wrote them down/drew a little sketch, because now I don't really remember! gah! Anyway, I wanted to do a little contest with a big prize for those who could guess where I went given some photos I took, but I figured it would be pretty tough considering I went to 4 different places! I'll think of something else, a little easier haha

Just wanted to share some photos with you all of some highlights of my trip!

city streets - Macau

escalators at The Peak, Hong Kong

my favourite building of all, the design is just so simple, yet eyecatching - Hong Kong

umbrella section of a department store in the Matsuya Ginza - Japan

temple decorated with broken porcelain dishware - Thailand

I've finished a new design last night and some of them are up on Etsy =) These were half done before I left, so my travel inspired designs are still inside my brain haha Hope you like these!

My Little Army

2008-03-01T17:09:00.003-05:00

Bahh! I know I said no more wayyy back then, but I couldn't resist, I had to add to my little collection, only the cute ones I always say!

Please welcome:

Omg, its hugging a shoe, she loves shoes as much as I do!! *dies*

These little salt & pepper shakers! Also tres cute!

I've got my eye on a few more too.. agh!

So what have I been up to lately? There haven't been that many updates to the site nor Etsy, I've been super busy with midterms and assignments and such and then it was reading week so I was snatched away from all of my supplies =( I've been designing new stuff, really I have! I have a whole slew of sketches waiting to be made! I've also made a few pieces in sterling silver as well, theres only so much gold jewelry a gal can take! My favourite though, has to be this antler necklace, to go with my deer obsession - handwired pewter, sterling silver chain:

Been doing a little streamlining of my designs, I really have to be more picky with the supplies that I'm buying and really focus! I feel like my designs are sort of random and not really recognizable as like.. a TRYST design, you know? I've been organizing my bead and charm supply, grouping things together and listing them on Etsy for lucky customers who will take them off my hands! My supply shop looks like a mess right now with all these destash lots! Agh, but I feel sooo much better after listing them up for sale, its like a tremendous weight off of my soul, I swear! More lots to come, and expect to see some really cute heart charms along the way! Call it early spring cleaning! Outlook so far, I have sooo much school work I feel like I don't have time so jewelry updates will be slow...

As for the photographic revampage! My god it took forever to re-photograph EVERY single thing in the shop, I decided to start with Etsy items only and might leave it at that - what do you think?

I think the colours bring out my designs quite well, but I'm debating whether or not to make every background the deep brown, most of the photographs taken in brown seem to be more vibrant and stand out! Plus the items sold since I've changed them have been on the brown too! Hmmm...

Kokology!

2008-01-24T19:37:00.001-05:00

I was at the campus bookstore between classes and trying to waste time when I stumbled upon this book. Don't know what made me pick it up, maybe because it sounded funny hehe anyway! I thought this was a pretty cool concept!

Kokology is a cool kind of way to knowing yourself with interesting psychology mini quizzes! I only had time to read through a few of them (gah it made me late for class! lol) but here is one that I thought was pretty interesting, I was able to find a blurb from the book online:

Written in the Stars

When you look up into a star-filled sky at night, sometimes it's possible to lose yourself in the infinite depths of space. We may be aware of their vast distances from earth, yet the stars still look like friendly messengers and granters of dreams when we see them twinkling in the dark. As the hours grow late, it's a comfort to look up and have their distant power to draw upon.

For this next game, you'll need paper and a pencil.

1. First, draw three stars of different sizes.

2. Next, draw a comet's tail on one (and only one) of your stars.

Key to Written in the Stars

The stars combine a glittering image of the power to grant wishes and make dreams come true with a sense of distance and unattainability. Stars determine our present and give a hint of things to come. Your drawing illuminates your work life in general and your current career path in particular.

1. The largest star you drew represents the job you hold now, its potential and its disappointments. If the difference in size between that star and the other two is not very great, it signifies dissatisfaction or at least disinterest in your career, a willingness to shop around and keep your options open. Watch for an unexpected call from a headhunter. They have ways of finding these things out.

On the other hand, if your job star is much larger than the others, it indicates you're deeply absorbed and committed to your current path. Your concern should be not to fall into the trap of workaholism. All work and no play is no way to live.

2. In cultures throughout history and around the world, comets have been seen as harbingers of disaster and cataclysmic change. The star you gave a comet's tail to represents trouble looming on the horizon. If it's on one of the smaller stars, you're in luck; the heavens have overlooked you for now. But if your largest star is a comet, it might be a good time for you to bring your résumé up-to-date. The stars never lie.

Cool eh? There was another cool one about a bluebird but I forget hehe

The Clothing Show - Holiday Edition!

2007-12-11T04:24:00.002-05:00

YAYYYY!! I'm going to do the clothing show again! Last Fall was kind of crappy to be honest, having to walk to my booth cuz the TTC crapped out...they closed down the highway for some marathon and hence, not too much traffic...boo.. thumbs down! Its good to hear that they're doing it at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from now so it will be WAY easier for people to get to and the venue should be much nicer! I kind of cheaped out on getting electrical lights again though.. LOL its so expensive!!! And they have ceiling lights right? Its okay.. light doesn't sell my stuff.. my designs will do the selling!

I'm also participating in the show's $1000 Shopping spree contest!!

Click my image on the top left for my mini biography! tee hee
Anyway, enter your e-mail into their mailing list quick! Contest closes 8pm THIS Thursday! (I always promote my participation in shows way too late here cuz I'm prepping for them..agh)

LOTS.. I mean LOTS of new designs will be available! New sweet little charm necklaces, romantic earrings, key necklaces and lockets on everything! I love the mystery of little lockets =)

Most of these are NOT listed on the site so they'll be great presents for you gifters out there because your giftee won't be able to track down how much you paid for it! bwahaha! Also - lots of designs from past shows and on the website will be discounted! I want to make way for new designs, so yeah, THOSE prices will stay the same on my site - so again.. your giftees will think that you paid more than you actually did!

wow okay I should study. last one THIS Wednesday!