Illustrator: Selena Wong

Each craft show, I'm very fortunate to meet other amazing crafters who are very creative, talented and have that entrepreneurial spirit. I was lucky to share a table space at City of Craft with illustrator and local Toronto artist, Selena Wong. Her obsession with bunnies is infectious.

Her pieces are tiny, precious, detailed works of art focused around her pet dwarf Netherland rabbit. The illustration zines she makes are the size of matchbooks and her bunny magnets are equally as small.

I was lucky to take home some magnets and 2 illustrations from Selena that are now hanging in my studio. You can purchase some of her work in her Etsy shop.

Happy Holidays

This past month has been a whirlwind of Craft Shows, three weekends in a row! Somehow I managed to survive traveling back and forth from Montreal to Toronto, trying to restock supplies week after week and handling online orders.

Last year, our holidays were spent on a plane traveling from several cities; Vancouver, Singapore and Arizona. This year, it's nice to take a a little breather to regroup and focus.

I hope everyone is having an amazing holiday!
 
Enjoy these photos from City of Craft 2012. Photos courtesy of Celine Kim Photography

our display in the background

Sparkle and Shine

images via pinterest

The holiday season always gets me in the mood for a bit of shine. Images of sequins and sparkle I've been collecting on my pinboards. Are you following me yet?

Souk @ Sat

Last weekend I participated in the Souk@Sat, a highly curated Trunk Show event in Montreal. It was extremely busy for the whole weekend with Friday and Saturday being the busiest days. People were lined outside the door in the morning just waiting to come in. I shared my table with Mariane Fabrique, who makes beautiful silver geometric jewelry with subtle pops of colour.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by my booth.

Holiday Trunk Shows

I will be at the following shows this coming month. Come stop by and visit us in person to see some new colours and styles. Please check below for details of the upcoming shows.

City of Craft 2012

December 8 & 9, 2012

The Theatre Centre
1087, 1093 & 1095 Queen Street West

Toronto

$2 Admission

Opening hours:

Saturday 11:00am-6:00pm
Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm

Holiday Puces POP Fair 
Dec.14-16, 2012
Saint-Enfant-Jesus Church
5035 Saint-Dominique
Montreal
Free to attend

Opening hours:

Friday, December 14th | 6pm-9pm

Saturday, December 15th | 11am-6pm

Sunday, December 16th | 11am-6pm

Wanderlust: Florence, Italy

Back in July, we made a trip to Italy for our summer vacation. I've backpacked through Italy about 8 years ago and this time, it was nice not to lug around a backpack. Italy was everything I remembered and more.

Florence is my one of favorite cities in Italy. The streets of Florence remind me of the cobbled streets in Old Montreal, but bathed in golden hues antiqued with age. Somehow the food just tastes better here, even the fruits. I would love to tell you where the best pizza or pasta is, but the best part of the trip is just wandering the city, getting lost and finding those hidden gems on your own.

A few tips. Try Florentine steak and fried zucchini flowers at a local eatery. For best and free views of the city, walk up to the rooftops of a hotel.

Minimal & Monochromatic

I loaned a few pieces to stylist, Mélanie Brisson, for an upcoming photoshoot. The end result is an artful combination of minimal and monochromatic outfits from Mylène B's lookbook with pieces from Love at First Blush. Instant love.
Can you spot our gloves?

From the lookbook of Mylène B
Stylist: Mélanie Brisson
Photography: Jimmy Hammelin
Model: Adèle
Makeup/Hair: Fany Desbiens

Custom Gold Cuff

I recently made a pair of black and gold cuffs for a customer, a custom request to lengthen the size and remove the bird from the original design. I love the way the gold cuff catches the light.

Night Stalker

 

Photographed by Anthony Turano

Styled by Sharone Benamou

Makeup & Hair by Vanessa Ortz

Model Eve (Next)

Necklace Love at First Blush

Our necklace was featured in Press the Beauty Magazine recently. It's always great to see work published online or in print. It's been extremely busy lately as I've been working on some new projects and deciding where this brand should go. I promise I'll be back blogging more frequently.

In the studio

It's been busy in the studio for the past month as I've been handling a large order. I've been cutting feathers everyday just to keep up. New colors of leather were added, along with new postcards to revamp the packaging.

If you've missed our Fab.com sale, you can sign up to our newsletter so you won't miss it next time!

It's Giveaway Time!

Love at First Blush and My Edit Blog are giving away a custom made golden dipped Feather necklace!

A few months ago, Jentine requested a custom necklace for her friend's wedding gift. A feather necklace that would have gold tips, just like the feather earrings. Her friend liked it so much, she wore it with her wedding dress, a modern sweetheart neckline with a hi-low hem. You can see photos of it on Jentine's blog.

Jentine and I are former fashion classmates at Ryerson and she now runs a fashion blog, reworking vintage thrift finds into her outfits. Her blog is overly addicting and she is hosting our giveaway!

To enter the giveaway, please check out Jentine's blog post to see how you can enter.
Click here --->  My Edit Blog x Love at First Blush Giveaway

Good luck!

Vancouver Granville Island

My Labour Day weekend was spent in my hometown of Vancouver to celebrate a friend's wedding. It was a short trip but I managed to visit my favorite spots, Granville Island and the Steveston Pier. I spent most of my time on Granville Island in the colorful farmer's market, but it's also home to a community of craft studios and art galleries.

Nothing beats a sunny day on the marina with fantastic views of the sea and mountains, or just wandering the farmer's market.

In the studio

The past few weeks, I've been making things and shipping out parcels. I can't wait until I'm back in Vancouver for a mini vacation. This is a glimpse of what my studio looks like these days.

Road tripping

I was off on the road again for a short trip to NYC a few weekends back. The view into the city from the Lincoln tunnel is nothing short of amazing. Arriving into New York City gets me every time, you really feel you've arrived somewhere big and grand.

I was there to help out a friend with a trade show, tour the city for a few days, and pick up some trend forecasting material for 2013/2014 from Indigo. Always good to stay on top of industry trends and to have material to help formulate ideas, one year in advance.

That Little Black Dress

I'm guilty of owning too much black in my closet. It's my go-to color when I can't decide what to wear. Or if I've raided my closet and declared there's "nothing to wear."

Having a black dress has been my saving grace. I can't exactly buy a new wardrobe for all of those weddings coming up in the summer, so re-accessorizing and re-heeling can alter the whole look.

I'm thinking of wearing this outfit to an upcoming wedding. I've paired this dress with teal satin heels and a statement cuff.

Black Dress ABS,  Peacock Cuff Love at First Blush, Shoes Badgley Mischka

*Photos by me and A. 

Feeling Feline

Images of cat inpsiration have been recently dancing in my head. Maybe the new Batman movie has something to do with it. Or maybe it's the 'cat phenomenon' on instagram where everyone is taking photos of their cat. For whatever reason, I've been feeling quite catty today.

Images above via Pinterest/ Crop Top by Sabrina Chin / Lace Cat Ears by Love at First Blush