Bracelets Galore

I myself am more of a necklace person, but in the spirit of expanding my horizons, here are a few bracelets that I just made. I fell in love with these stones I found at the bead store: pink jade, blue lace agate, and chrysocolla. I loved them so much I put all of the beads I bought into each bracelet. I need to go back to the store asap ;)

After posting these bracelets on my facebook page, my friend pointed out that they look an awful lot like my dad's trellace of grapes back home. Maybe I was subconsciously homesick when I thought these up? What do you think? uncanny ;)

My dad is internet-shy, so I cropped him out of this photo, except for his hand. But he's smiling big in this picture showing off his home-grown grapes!)

My Favourite (handmade) Things -- PINK

A few of my favourite handmade finds... in pink!

Row 1 (L-R): "Lacy Ruffle" by FeltedPleasure, "Dusty Rose Flowery Beret" by KokoshKnitting,

Row 2: "Blushing in Pink" by ouma

Row 3 (L-R): "Sneaky, Sneaky (lavender)" by ashleyg, "Push Me - Girl on Tree Swing vinyl wall decal sticker art graphic" by FreckledHound

Row 4 (L-R): "Isabella Bag in Orchid (Lavender-Pink) Silk" by victoriavm, "CUSTOM Wedding Cake Toppers or Centerpiece" by dandelionland, "Pretty in Pink Ceramic Garden Frog" by MyOtherLittleShop

New Necklaces!

So since I am on HOLIDAYS (woo!), I've been able to design a few more necklaces... my best yet (if you ask me)! Without further ado, may I present (clockwise from top left) The Kathryn Necklace, The Melody Necklace, The Chloe Necklace, and The Lynn Necklace:

More to come...

Craft Shows!!!

So at the eleventh hour I found a couple of local craft shows and shops to sell my work at this holiday season. The first was the Christmas in the Beaches Craft Show at The Purple Thumb. It's a cute store in the beaches area that rents out shelf/wall space to locals for handmade or ethically made goods. They have tons of great stuff! I was there November 12-13. I managed to sell a few things, but found it very difficult. Not as many people as I had hoped came through -- probably because I failed to realize that no one goes to the beach in the winter, and plus it rained on the second day!! But overall it was a good experience, especially for my first show. And more than that I got to meet a lot of other vendors who were just like me, and traded stories, tips, useful websites, life experiences... You get to talk a lot when you're sitting in one place for 8 hours!

The lovely ladies from 100 Mile Finds also stopped by. It's nice to meet the faces behind the website :) Their website just launched, and its purpose is to link customers with locally made goods. Buying local not only helps the environment, but puts your money towards your fellow citizens rather than those big box stores. I've enlisted as a vendor on that site as well! I've just started my page, and will be adding more stuff soon!

One of the girls I met at the Purple Thumb passed on some info about the Holiday Popup Art Shop in Kensington Market, who were coincidentally looking for more handmade gifts and stocking stuffers to sell. So... I quickly packed up my pillows again and dropped them off. They will be on sale there until December 30, alongside many other handmade gifts and works of art by local artisans. It's really a unique place :) And in a great area if you're looking for that one-of-a-kind gift for that special someone. Hope you'll stop by!

Pretty Blue Beads!

So after a long day of work, I decided that I would not be a lazy bum and plop myself in front of the tv, as I normally would. I did the dishes, folded the laundry, took out the recycling, paid the bills, swept the floor, and then I rewarded myself by... plopping myself in front of the tv. But determined to make my couch potato-ing more productive I pulled out my box of beads and started making. And three reruns of Friends later, voila: the Taryn Necklace.


I had blue acrylic beads from a bead store in Vancouver that I picked up a long long time ago, but never quite knew what to do with them. This piece was Cleopatra inspired (can you see it?). I was going for a colourful collar kind of look, and I think it turned out! Three strands of silver chain with beads scattered throughout. Well, not scattered... I precisely picked each bead location to make the illusion that they were scattered. It's the engineer in me... I can't do random.

Viva Las Vegas!

I just returned from a fabulously refreshing trip to Las Vegas... and I'm already planning my next trip back! The sole reason for the trip was to watch the Pacquiao vs. Cotto fight live at the MGM Grand, and I am thrilled that our man Manny Pacquiao won by TKO. (I was actually really nervous about the fight and said a little prayer for him... so I like to think that in some cosmic way, I helped!)

Everything beyond the fight was just sugar-coating. What I love about the city is that everything is done up big. Go big or go home! The hotels were breath-taking, and meticulously designed to the last detail. My favourite hotel, hands down, was Wynn. (All the picture below are from Wynn). But I will be sure to draw inspiration on some new pillow and jewellery designs from everything that I saw (which I think was just a fraction of the sights.) I already have a few ideas percolating in my little brain ;) Stay tuned...

Summer Breeze Pillows!

So I just finished these new "Summer Breeze" pillows, and I have to say that I've outdone myself this time! hehe... No seriously this is my new favourite design -- although usually when I come up with something new it becomes my new favourite design until I think of something else. They are made of a fabulous linen fabric with intertwined gold accents, which is also lightly painted in brown and white flowers and leaves. The satin flower is appliqued on, and I used glitter paint to do the flower detailing. (Who knew I would find a use for that tube of glitter paint in my drawer?) The pillow backing is a soft brown microsuede material.

My Favourite (handmade) Things - Dresses

So it's been quite a while since I've posted some of my favourite Etsy picks. Today's theme is DRESSES.

Sand Princess skirt from Etsy seller Aloha O Ka Aina



(Okay so this is a skirt, not a dress, but I absolutely love it! I think I just might buy it...)
















English Rose Ruffle Dress from Etsy seller Lirola


















Fork Pleat Dress from Etsy seller betsyBdesign















Dreamy Day Wedding Dress from Etsy seller ouma

Featured Seller!

I'm a featured seller on sellonetsy.com! Yay!!! That's the big news for today. Go check it out!!!

The Flower Patch

So this latest innovation was dreamed up on the subway ride home while trying to pass the time... I thought it would be cool to applique different layers of fabric together to make flower petals and this was the result :) I had picked up this brown wool fabric at the annual fabric sale at the Textile Museum of Canada quite a while ago, and had always pictured putting one or two large bright flowers in the corners, but I never got around to working on it until this weekend. I like the bold colours and the simplicity of these covers. The idea was to use the brown fabric that has a vintage / retro feel to it, and contrast it with fresh vibrant colours.

Instant Messenger Pillows!

I just finished up more of my Instant Messenger Pillows, with the new addition of "OMG". (And I also discovered that it looks kinda cool if I just photograph the cushion cover without the inserts, so you may be seeing more of my pillows photographed this way.) The text is in Courier font, outlined in black stitching and hand painted with black fabric paint. These would make a perfect accent to your office, or even living room. For the inner geek in you.... :)

My Favourite (handmade) Things

This week's theme is envelope clutches. They've been in style for ages, but I've always resisted them because I hated the idea of always having to hold it... or clutch it ;) But they just look so sophisticated that even I've come around.

Envelope clutch bronze from etsy seller mishidesign.

Blue and silver sari envelope purse from etsy seller tweedylane.

Woven envelope clutch from etsy seller alamodestuff.

Bold leather clutch from etsy seller sidneyann

Introducing True Tiffany!

Well, I am back from vacation and already hard at work! I lucked out and found this aqua-coloured material at the Fabricland inventory sale, and I just so happened to have thick white ribbon at home from previous crafty endeavours... So, I couldn't help but try to replicate that little blue box that make girls so giddy.


And the bow isn't just for show, it's used to close the opening and secure the cover around the pillow. I'm quite clever that way :P

Tuesday Treasures - Wall Decals

(Sorry I'm one day late!)

Add some sass to your home, minus the hassle of paint and stencils!

From Etsy seller
VerdigrisDye, Phones Small.

From Etsy seller ScribbleIt,
Gears - Vinyl Wall Art Decal.

From Etsy seller singlestonestudios, Love Vinyl Wall Decals Stickers Art Graphics Words.

From Etsy seller shanon1972, ShaNickers Wall Decal/Sticker-Love Tree

CM jewellery

And so, as if my apartment was not already engulfed in fabric and paint, I decided to add beads to the mix! I started a jewellery shop on Etsy about a month ago, and just recently decided to focus on using silver and crystals as my primary materials. My favourite is the "I heart U" necklace -- I made one for myself too!

I also really like the "Flashy Octagon".