Show Success

My show at the Sunshine Coast this week-end was a success. It is always difficult to know if your success is comparable to anyone else's because people don't usually share numbers but all I know is that I was happy with the results and I had lots of fun while doing it. People at the Sunshine Coast are friendly and helpful especially in the crafting community which made doing the show on my own possible.


If anyone knows about any good craft fairs around Vancouver or The Sunshine Coast I would love to know about them. You can write about them comments of this posts.

Let the Show Begin

This week-end I will be participating in the first outdoor show that I have done in years and I am pretty excited about it. The show is being held by the Sunshine Coast Arts Council at Hackett Park in Sechelt, BC (which is located on the Sunshine Coast). It is an annual event and is held on the same week-end as the Sechelt Writers Festival. This small community always has lots happening!

The weather forecast is sunny and warm so hopefully there will be a great turn out. If you happen to be on the Sunshine Coast come and check out the show!

I will be posting my display photos after the week-end.

Cross Canada Complete!

On July 29th I began an adventure that I will remember forever, driving from Toronto to Vancouver in a Uhaul truck. It took 6 days, lots of Tim Hortons Ice Capps and lots and lots of driving. I highly recommend this trip to anyone who lives in Canada as it was not at all what I expected and it reminded me of the diversity and beauty of the country that I live in.

Ontario is a vast province that seemed to take forever to get out of, it took 2 days before we were in Manitoba. Manitoba begans as the Canadian Shield and then slowly becomes prairie fields. Saskatchewan is all about the beauty of the never ending sky with white fluffy clouds and beautiful shades of blue and gold. Alberta was the biggest surprise for me. I was expecting more prairie fields and sky but much of it was rolling green hillsides and rocky mountain grandeur. British Columbia was a crazy mix of mountains, dry desert and lush forest. The trip ended with my dad and I being exhausted and taking the last ferry of the day in the dark to the Sunshine Coast.

The trip will be forever in my memory and has made me want to explore my country more but when the trip was finally over, I have to admit, it was a relief as being on the road is not the life for me. I was also glad to be in Vancouver so that I could ship the items that had sold in my etsy shop while I was away!

Here are a few photos taken straight out the truck window and there are many more photos that will be in future posts and on my flickr site:

My New Muse

When I was little I loved anything that was miniature or had lots of pieces to play with like lego, Barbie and my favorite was playmobile. Now as an adult, I don't play with those sorts of things any more because a.) They don't really interest me any more and b.) some how I do not thinking it would really be socially acceptable for a 29 year old woman to be playing with toys.

I was surfing around on the internet about a week or so ago and kept coming across this wide eyed, slightly strange but adorable doll called Blythe. The were made for children by Kenner in 1972 but the large eyes that change color and direction when you pull the cord in the back of their heads scared children and were only made for a year and then were discontinued. After it was obvious that there was a real collectors following for these dolls, the Neo-Blythe dolls began to be produced in 2001. Now you can find them all over the internet and there are so many sites dedicated to these cute fashionable collectible dolls. When I saw them online I was intrigued and started to research them. The more I found out about them, the more that I saw the different clothes and accessories you could buy or make for them, the more fascinated I became. This tapped into my love of all things miniature and here was a doll that an adult could have because it was a collectible not a toy. I researched and found a shop in Toronto (these dolls are not readily available in Canada or the US) that carries Blythe and I bought my very first girl who's manufacturers name is French Trench.

French Trench, who is yet to be given her own personal name, has become my new muse. My plan is to open a new etsy shop and to make jewelry, accessories and clothes for this fashionable quirky doll. This idea collaborates my talents as a jeweler, sewer, marketer and lover of miniatures and collectibles!

I can't wait to get started but it will have to wait until after my across Canada trip in a Uhaul that starts on Tuesday next week. Watch for lots of stories and photos to be posted from that trip!

Tools of My Trade

One of the things that I wish I had had help with when I first started making jewelry was what tools to use. My designs would have been more refined and better made much quicker if I had know how to better use my tools. However, what tools you use and for what, is a very personal thing so try out other people's suggestions but always remember to use what works best for you.

Here are the pliers that I use:
Chain nose:
I have two pairs and often use both at once to do things like opening jump rings or other intricate work where my fingers are too big to get a good grip. The chain nose pliers are like an extension of both my hands when I work with them. They are great for getting a 90 degree bend in wire and for lots of other basic techniques.

Round nose:
It took me a while to find a pair of round nose pliers that I really liked the size of. The end of the nose comes in different thickens and this thickness dictates the size of the loops you can make with them. The pair that I have is about 1mm thick and I really like them because I can make very small delicate loops with them but can also make larger loops if I put the wire farther up the nose. I also use them at times when I need to hold on to something in a very tight space and the chain nose pliers are too thick to get in.

Side cutter (full flush):
I use to use the basic side cutters that you get at most bead stores and with any plier kit and I never liked them because it was really hard to get into small places to cut wires flush when you are doing any small wire work. Finally I came across a pair of side cutters that have a very tapered nose and thin jaws so they are really easy to get into small spaces and get a nice clean flush cut. It still confuses me why these are not the normal side cutters used but like I said before each artists is comfortable with different tools.

Crimp pliers:
For many years I use to just flatten crimps with my chain nose pliers. This never looked very good, the edges were a bit sharp and I was always worried about the crimp slipping. Then I was in the local bead store and saw crimp pliers on a display. The woman in the shop showed me how to use them and now my crimps look clean and professional and I don't worry about slipping any more.

A short story about these crimp pliers; I always squeezed very very hard on the pliers to make sure that the crimp was well closed. I guess I squeezed too hard a few too many times and one day while I was squeezing a crimp with all my strength one of the jaws of the pliers broke off and flew to the other side of the room at an alarming rate! Luckily it only hit the floor and not my eye, someone else, a window or the TV. I am sure that this was a freak occurrence and now I know not to squeeze quite so hard and that the crimps are just as good if you use less force.

There are lots of other types of pliers out there such as end cutters, long-chain nose, bent nose, loop closing, flat-nose, rosary and split ring. I have used a few of them but not all of them and have just found the pliers that work for me for what I do. My advice is to experiment with different pliers, ask what other people use and in the end you will find what works best for you.

Happy plier shopping!

On Someone's List

It is always a such a huge compliment to be included on someone's treasury list on www.etsy.com. For those who don't know what a treasury list is, it is a list that any etsy member can make to show off the work of other people, some lucky lists are hand picked by etsy admin and put on the front page. The list lasts about 3 days and then spaces become available so that other people can create new lists and promote other items. To find the treasury click on the link on the home page of etsy.

Here is a photo of the treasury list that my Pomegranate Seed Earrings were included in (they are in the top right corner). The photo is also a link to the list if you would like to have a look. I love the beautiful colors of this list!

Etsy is All in the Family! Grannyknits now open

I have been a crafty person all my life and have not only done jewelry but have done a great list of other crafts. Most of this is due to my very crafty and talented mother.

Yesterday, after lots of preparation and thought my mum finally opened her own etsy shop called Grannyknits. She makes the cutest knitted dolls (ok I might be a little bias) that are bright and colorful and are even baby friendly. There are currently six listed but there will be many more of these Sweeties to be listed soon.

My mum has been knitting forever and is the most talented knitter that I have ever met. All her work is super high quality and she designs her own patterns which I am always in awe of.

Hope you enjoy the dolls as much as our family and friends have!

www.grannyknits.etsy.com