Wednesday, November 26, 2008

A Personalized Gift - Customized Charm Bracelet

A personalized gift is, in my opinion, the best sort of gift there is out there because time and thought have to be put into it by the gift giver. A customer who has previously purchased one of my charm bracelets contacted me because he wanted a customized bracelet for his mother. I am always happy to do custom work because it is so rewarding when you create something that someone really appreciates and is special to them.


The customer wanted a charm bracelet that represented his mother's four grandchild and a heart charm in the middle to represent his mother. After going back and forth with him we finally came upon the idea to have the following charms; princess crown, pirate head, heart, dinosaur and frog. I like to use pearls and crystals of different shapes and sizes to add texture and sparkle and make it more interesting than just a traditional charm bracelet. He chose to have champagne and clear crystals and pearls. Above is the final result.

I hope that his mother likes the bracelet and she treasures it for a long time.

Monday, November 24, 2008

FAB FAIR - Accessories Craft Show

This week-end I participated in an accessories craft show called Fab Fair that was held at Heritage Hall on Main Street in Vancouver, BC. It is a gorgeous building with high ceilings, pillars with trim and big windows, a perfect venue for a holiday craft show. The show went quite well and I like having the opportunity to interact with customers and see how they respond to my jewelry.

I ended up bumping into some old friends and making new friends with other vendors which is always exciting. The designer across the aisle from me makes the most beautiful clothes. I spent the low periods of the day looking at her clothes and trying things on. I ended up buying a long shirt and a sweater from her and I adore them! Her line is called Haiiku and she is really a super sweet girl too.

The holiday craft shows continue on for me this week and next week in which time I am hoping that I will make my millions! I also can't forget that pretty soon I am going to have to start my own Christmas shopping!

Friday, November 21, 2008

The Holidays are Coming...Craft Show Shopping

Can you believe it is that time of year? The holidays are almost here and it is time to start working on your gift list. If you are looking for jewelry and you live near Vancouver then I have a list of shows that you might want to check out. I will have a table at these craft shows with my jewelry company Luli Designs.

What: Fab Fair - a jewellery and accessories show
When: November 22nd and 23rd, 11am-5pm
Where: Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street (15th Ave and Main) in Vancouver, BC.

What:
St, Thomas More Collegiate Christmas Craft Fair
When: November 29th, 10am-4pm and November 30th, 11am-4pm
Where: 7450 12th Ave, Burnaby, BC

What: Sunshine Coast Arts Council Christmas Craft Fair
When: December 6th, 11am-6pm
Where: Sechelt Legion Hall, Sunshine Coast

If you do get a chance to come by any of these shows which are all full of local talented designers, please come by my table and say hi. Have fun doing your holiday shopping!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Canada's Favorite Pastime - Hockey

Last week I had the chance to go to a hockey game. This is the first time I have been to a regular season NHL game and it was quite an experience! When we got to our seats I couldn't believe how good they were, we were 9 rows behind the visiting teams net.

The Vancouver Canucks were playing a home game against the Colorado Avalanche and even though the Canucks lost 2 to 1 in the shoot out I still enjoyed every moment of it. I am not sure if I enjoyed the people watching and listening to other people's conversations or the game more. When you mix guys, sports and beer together it becomes quite an event. This guy was the most entertaining and I couldn't resist taking a photo of him when he arrived back at his seat after first intermission in this hat!

He and a group of his co-workers were definitely enjoying a beer or two and it was pretty amusing until one of them decided to dump an entire beer over his shoulder on to the girl behind him. He totally soaked her and even though she was really calm about it the other guys around her were not cool about it. The guy who dumped the beer and the puck head guy were thrown out and didn't even get to see the whole game. I am not sure that they were really there for the game any ways.

Another highlight of the game was in the second intermission when the minor league boys came out on the rink. They must have been no more than about 6 years old and they looked so tiny on the ice. Hilarious to watch and definitely very cute!

I also can't forget to mention the food. Between the two of us we ate 2 steamers (hotdogs), poutine, 5 beers and a souvenir sized bucket of popcorn. It was the true sports exeperience. Even though this was my first regular season hockey game and it will hopefully not be my last!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Funky Fungi

There has been a lot of rain in Vancouver lately (surprise surprise) with the occasion beautiful day mixed in which is just enough to keep us Vancouverites happyish. One of the things that strives in this damp weather is fungi. On one of the sunny days I was out roaming around the garden and came across these:

The ones on the left almost formed a fairy circle which in "European folklore is the location of gateways into elfin kingdoms, or places where elves gather and dance" (wikipedia). They are pretty small regular looking mushrooms. These are the ones that I saw next:

The cap of the one on the right was about 6 or 7 inches wide and the one of the left was really beautiful and looked a bit like a flower. I have however left my favorite one for last:


What is this!?! I have never seen anything like this before. It is so ugly and strange that it is beautiful. The stem is almost like a tree trunk and the top looked a little bit like a dog do!

If anyone knows what sort of fungi these are especially the last one please leave me a comment to tell me what it is. Hope anyone who is living in a rainy place is enjoy all the mushrooms that are popping up.

Monday, November 3, 2008

If You Could Vote for the US President...

The election for the US President affects more than just the USA and the world is waiting and watching to see how this election is going to pan out. I live in Canada and everywhere you look and listen there is talk about the election on Tuesday and how people are going to vote. I will be one of the many Canadians watching the results roll in because I believe that the outcome is going to impact the whole world.

Today I was forwarded an email from a friend that had a link to a very interesting site. The site is called "If the World Could Vote". The site allows people to vote for the person that they wish to be president of the US and gives on going results in a world map format. (You can only vote once). This vote will of course have no impact on the real election but the results world wide are very interesting.

If you are interested in checking it out to either cast your own vote or look at the results here is the link to the site: www.iftheworldcouldvote.com

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Birthday Surprise...Blythe Hat from a Friend

When I picked up my mail on Friday I found a package in it but had no idea what it was. It looked like a package with something for my Blythe doll in it but I had not ordered anything lately. I opened it and to my surprise there was a really sweet birthday note from one of my very good friends in Toronto and a hat for my Blythe doll. The best part was that it was a total surprise and it is so nice that my friends understand my slightly strange interest in these quirky little dolls!!
Here is my sweet little Lucy wearing my birthday surprise