January color inspiration

Hi everyone!

Long time no see! As the new year started, I decided to take things slowly and carefully plan the year ahead. Taking a bit of time off did wonders as it allowed me to focus back on what is essential, both for me and for Kirameku.

I hope you all had a great year so far and you have lots of exciting projects coming up. Here I launched my first 2016 instagram Giveaway on the 18th with the delicate and new Pink Quartz Berry Ring to celebrate the official Pantone colors of 2016.

As my suppliers orders are slowly coming in, I decided to share with you my top 3 favorite colors for this January.

I hope they will inspire you as well! If ever you have some special requests, please comment away :)

On this everyone, have a wonderful week!
*M*

Cheers to 2016!

Hi everyone! :)

I hope you all had a marvellous Holiday season! With this very first blog post of 2016, I want to wish you all a wonderful new year, may it be full of lovely surprises, joy and love!

My Holidays were unusual this year - but never the less magical. I didn't had the chance to post pictures of snowy landscapes as our winter was very hot - which is abnormal for this time of year. We had our first snowstorm of the season just a few days after Xmas, and now we can finally say that it is winter.

So as you noticed, I took a little break from blogging, as between Holidays orders I was planning the collection for 2016, but more importantly I was asking some very important questions about Kirameku. I was seriously considering opening a store on Amazone Handmade or another similar platform, as despite my love for Etsy, I feel the market there is becoming quite saturated with both wonderful and not so wonderful products. I feel it is becoming harder and harder for me to get my Berry Rings out there on a part time basis. Because yes, Kirameku is wonderful and I put a lot of work into it, but I still have my day job. At one point, I believe one must be realistic, I can't compete with a full time jewelry shop that has over 500 Etsy items listed.

Finally a white winter in Longueuil!

All that being said, I am considering having my own online shop on my website, but for now I'm still debating on which service provider I should turn to. All this is a bit technical but mainly, these are the 3 main reasons why I left the Holiday Gift Guide be my last post of 2015.

But not to worry, my Etsy store will still be open for a long time! I took down many Berry items that weren't very popular on Etsy to make more space for new ones. You can still purchase them through Paypal on my Facebook page and custom orders are always welcomed! :)

I have many surprises in store for you for 2016 and I'll open the year with a Giveaway that is coming up very soon, please stay posted on my Instagram page for all the details!

On this everyone, have a fantastic year!
And how was your Holiday vacation? :)
* M *

Kirameku's website - The Wix experience

Hi everyone! :)

As many of you already know, Kirameku has now it's very own website! dances in joy
It was a very dear project of mine and I'm so proud it is finally online! Between the craft shows and getting my Black Friday promo and the Gift Guide ready this week, it suddenly hit me : although I'm super excited about this project, I shared the good news very briefly here and on my social medias.

So, I thought I could let you know about my first experience with Wix, for those of you who are interested by this platform. Many of you might have seen their Facebook ads in their newsfeed and wondered what it was all about. Briefly, if you haven't heard of Wix just yet, it is a website building platform made for everyone, using a basic drag-and-drop design method.

So, very quickly, you might ask me why I  went with Wix since I know about both Dreamweaver and Wordpress, especially with the big success and many beautiful and responsive deigns in the Wordpress platform. Well, it is very simple actually. Dreamweaver is great, but starting a website from scratch is time consuming; plus you pretty much spend most of your time fixing your design instead of taking your design further. As for Wordpress, it is gorgeous, easy to work with and it is my first choice, however, the hosting fees can get pretty high pretty quick...

With all of this in mind, I decided try out Wix, mainly because they offered free hosting. My goal for this year was to create more brand awareness for my jewelry shop but still with a very limited budget as I left more space for giveaways and goodies for you instead of spending it on administration fees.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the service. Wix makes it easy for you to design a website even if you have no web design knowledge. It's easy to pick up from the many free templates design to get you started and go from there, upload your pics and texts. They have a very accessible SEO tool that helps you make sure your website is relevant to Google and other search engine. And, did I already mentioned free hosting? Their free account options are impressive, diverse and and you can pull off something very professional despite not paying a cent.

But....! If you are a graphic designer like me, you like having control over everything. That means that you might loose a few hairs while trying to edit the background to make the different sections into full-screen colors (wich is not possible with my template), in trying to figure out at what size you are supposed to insert the images for the full-screen slider (which took sooooo many trials), or insert a few basic HTML codes here and there. Also, you are having a hard time of selecting many items at once, so dragging complex group of text, images and lines is pretty difficult.

For me, it was worth the extra time spent figuring out how it all worked and where I could take my template's designs. But it might not be the case for you. If you want to have control over everything, go with Wordpress. If you want a simple page to start off, go for it. If you wish to know more if Wix is the right platform for you, I recommend this great article by Jeremy Wong that points out all you need to know before jumping in.

So, with all of this, would you like to try out Wix? And what do you think about Kirameku's website?
Have a lovely weekend everyone! :D
* Maxime *

Good Shepherd Craft Show & November Blues

Well hello there!

I hope you all had a marvellous week! I took a bit of time off the blog to get the last things ready for the Good Shepherd Craft show last Saturday and filling up this week on the sold goodies.

I had a wonderful time at the fair and I hope I had the chance to meet many of you! It was a special fair for me as I usually have bigger tables, and I must say 6 feet long is a bit tiny for all that I have to offer, but I believe I made the most out of it. All of you who stopped by really enjoyed my display and I'm so happy about it!

For those of you who were a bit too far to get to the fair, no worries, here's a picture of my Holiday booth...! You can also meet me at my next show at Marie-Victorin's CEGEP on November 18th. And this one will be epic, it will be the biggest table I I've booked so far - I'm so excited! - 12 feet of pure goodies, it's going to be great!

But what if you are not in Canada? No worries, you can take part in my Flash Friday Sales till the end of November and enjoy my Holiday Specials there too.

Kirameku's booth at the Good Shepherd Craft show

But despite all of this exciting news, I have a little confession to make and apologize to you dear readers. I was very excited this summer and worked on a dear project of mine, I don't know if you remember the Bridal bouquet accessory? It was supposed to be listed in late-summer, but I wasn't able to do so.

The project turned out beautifully and I'm really proud of it, but it is a very time consuming project and I ran into some supplies problems (the beads are back-order at my supplier). I'm sorry to say I have to push back this lovely item for 2016.  I'm really looking forward on a making some pieces for your wedding that you can keep with you forever. But it is as important to me to make sure that you get your orders in as soon as possible, and between managing my Etsy shop, all the custom orders I had and fairs this year; topped with us moving out and settling in, there wasn't enough time for me to do that. So I prefer to push it back till next year and focus on bridesmaids gift sets first.

But, I don't have only bad news for you today. It may be Friday 13, but let's not be superstitious. So, on a more joyful note, I hope you are slowly getting in the mood for the Holidays. Here we don't have snow just yet, which is kind of odd, but I will post winter landscapes here as soon as we will have snow in Longueuil. Never the less, I'll be putting together a Handmade Gift Guide so I can share with you all my favorite items from Etsy sellers and inspire you! I discovered many great products this year and I want to share them with you. I'll be having 10 wonderful shops featured, so please stay tuned! :D

On this everyone, have a wonderful day and happy Friday 13th!
* M *

October Project Countdown

Hi everyone,

I hope you are having a marvellous month of October! Here, it is vey busy and I hope you all took the time to stop by and enter my exclusive Bath Tea Giveaway from Pretty Momma Beauty, it is ending tomorrow. So, meanwhile, what is up with Kirameku you are asking? Well, many, many things! :)

Good Shepherd School's 4th Annual Holiday Craft Fair : On November 7, I will be attending for the fist time this craft show, I can't wait to see how it will go...! My table will be filled with new colors in the Swarovski Earrings and as well as new Berry Necklaces and Berry Gift Sets. Mark your calendars and get all the info here, I can't wait to meet you there!

The lovely short Swarovski Earrings for my next craft show!

Bridesmaids Gift Sets : Finally, this long-awaited project will see the light! :) I've just got my beautiful pearlescent tags from the printer this week, I hope you like them as much as I do! I will be listing about 2 to 4 sets before the end of the year, depending on how busy I will be processing Holidays orders. For now, I must finish two lovely custom necklaces before tending to this long-awaited and exciting project.

The lovely pearl tags for my new bridesmaids gift sets!

New Gift Sets : As you all know, the Holidays are getting closer every day. Kirameku is getting ready as well and I wanted to introduce some new and glamorous set, as this lovely Midnight BlueBerry Necklace & Crystal Set! With my new packing, it is ready for gift giving, may it be for your best friend or to treat yourself! :) Stay tuned for more beautiful and elegant gift sets!

Love this new glamorous Berry Necklace & Crystal Earrings set! Buy it here!

Flash Sale on Facebook : Before listing some exclusive items on my Etsy shop, I want to give you the chance to pre-order them at a reduced price before doing so. It is a great way to get a quick rebate on limited editions and start your Holiday shopping without breaking your budget! Simply follow my Facebook page to get all the info and get access to these special sales!

Working on an exciting Holiday promotion : I love to spoil you as often as I can, and usually, I can do a bit more by the end of the year! I'm working on a new sale concept for Black Friday and I will be announcing it through my newsletter and my Facebook page. Stay posted, it will be epic! :)

For those of you who are already shopping for the Holidays, here are my deadlines for shipping your orders in 2015. 

** HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINES **
Here are the shipping deadlines for 2015 as provided by Canada Post for REGULAR shipping :

CANADA : December 17
USA : December 9
EUROPE : December 1st
ASIA : December 1st
AUSTRALIA : December 1st
CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA : December 1st
MIDDLE EAST : December 1st

On this everyone, I hope you will have a great weekend and are almost done getting Halloween ready! :) See you all soon!
* M *

Giveaway and interview : Pretty Momma Beauty

Hi everyone!

I have a wonderful surprise for you today, a beauty giveaway!
I met Ekatrina in the Etsy forum and she was very kind in offering to send one set of her amazing Raspberry Black Bath Tea. I was very curious about her product, especially when she mentioned it is real tea mixed with magnesium, salts. The tea bad holds the leaves together so it will be an easy clean up after a relaxing, skin rejuvenating and soothing bath.

RaspBerry Black Tea Bath Giveaway by Pretty Momma Beauty

But, as amazing are her products, I wanted you to learn more about this impressive lady behind the small natural shop of Pretty Momma Beauty.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Ekatrina

Tell us about yourself and how all your Etsy adventure started :

I am a cell biology PhD student in the process of graduating and beginning my career as a professor. I started my first Etsy shop about halfway through my graduate career as a birthday present to myself. It has been a nice outlet for my creative energies in the midst of a demanding school load.

What pushed you to start your own beauty product line?

This shop began when I wanted to make bath salts for myself. I grew up in a home invested in natural and healthy products, so it was a short jump to combine that expertise with my scientific skills. The very first product I made was the mustard milk bath salts, which I formulated to combat muscle pain and tension. Once I got started, I just couldn’t stop, and I eventually opened this shop in order to share my products with a wider audience.

From the start, my products have been about providing tools to create a naturally healthy, beautiful you. Because of the demands on my time, I have been terrible about daily beauty upkeep. Once I started making my own products, I began to research and concoct products to help restore and repair my appearance. I formulated products that I found worked well, and so had to share those too. Because I need good value from the time I spend on myself, all my products are carefully formulated with high concentrations of active ingredients to maximize their effectiveness.

What inspires your collections?

My collections begin with an idea. For instance, I began my mud mask line in response to my search for something to reduce the appearance of my pores. Once I have an idea for a product type, my next question is “What other problems could this medium solve?”. So, in the mud mask example, I began expanding the concept to products that help maintain skin firmness, deal with inflammation, and provide deep-cleaning and detoxification benefits to help provide clear skin.

What is your process for your products?

When I start out to create a product, I begin by reading as much as I can about the process that produces the problem I want to solve and about how modern and traditional products go about addressing the problem. From that reading, I create a list of potential ingredients annotated with the mechanism of action of each. Then I research each ingredient intensively for safety and effectiveness, as well as to get an idea of which products would work well together. I create a prototype recipe designed to incorporate a diverse and synergistic ingredient list, then I go through repeated rounds of testing (on myself) and refinement for function and usability. The final product is what ends up in my shop. 

Are your products sold in boutiques or craft shows?

My primary outlet is online, although I have taken my products to a craft fair. I enjoyed the face to face interaction and direct feedback of the craft fair, so I hope to be able to do more of them after graduation. My products are not in a brick and mortar yet, but I am on the look-out for locations that would be a good fit. I’ve also been refining my packaging to reflect the professionalism and quality of my product, which is important in brick-and-mortar sales.

Can you tell us more about your Bath Tea Collection?

My bath tea collection is extensive, and primarily off-menu at this point. I have a wide variety of herbal and black teas, as well as a few more unusual options. My Roobios bath tea is especially refreshing, and my lavender mint bath tea is a favorite among returning customers. All of my bath teas are pre-packaged for easy clean-up and also contain magnesium salts to promote well-being. I will be working on bringing more of these teas into my regular offering once the craziness of my current transition period has passed. In the meantime, I am delighted to accommodate requests!

How long does it take you to develop a new serie of product?

The time it takes for me to develop a new product is directly proportional to how busy I am! :) Some products require minimal rounds of refinement and are ready to meet customers quickly. Other products, such as one particularly luscious conditioning treatment I have developed, require significant research to translate into a shelf-stable, easy-to-use product. (It’s been over a year since I made my first batch of that particular product, and it still isn’t ready to go to market. My hair, however, has greatly benefited from the research process.)

What’s next for PrettyMommaBeauty in 2015?

I have an extensive list of products to roll out in the next year. I have a very nice deep-conditioning moisturizer that is ready to go to market. It just needs final packaging decisions and photographs. I also want to elaborate on the idea and create a lighter moisturizer for those who live in warmer climates or who have more naturally moist skin. I also have an herbal detangling spray that has passed all my usage tests and needs to make its way into my shop. I have vegetable-based blush that will be ready once I standardize shades, and have initial recipes for complimenting lip products. I want to create liquid shampoos and bath gels from my bar soap recipes, which should be a fairly quick process once I obtain the necessary supplies. I also want to develop a magnesium-based deodorant, as I think that would work better than the salt crystal I currently use. What would you like to see in my shop??

If you weren’t making beauty products, what would you be making :

If I wasn’t running Etsy shops in my spare time, I’d be reading, embroidering, or tutoring. In addition to making bath and beauty products, I love doing graphic design and creating jewelry. I’m also an avid treasure-hunter at resale shops.

If you could live anywhere in the world...?

If I could live anywhere in the world….I don’t know. I like my current home, but would love to go someplace warmer in the winter. My favorite European country is Italy, but I want to visit China, and Spain, and Russia, and the Italian Alps, and see more of France… Home is where the heart is, but I love to learn about other cultures and meet new people too.


You can follow Ekatrina on Twitter here or on Tumblr

And, you can enter the giveaway at the top of the article! :)

Puces Pop 2015 - Belated review and Coups de Coeurs

Hi everyone,

my apologies, I was supposed to write this article a couple of days ago.... Let's just say that things in my life have taken quite an unexpected turn. Let's cross our fingers and hope it will be for the best.

In any cases, I hope you all had the chance to visit the Megapuces from Puces Pop this year! They went all in and filled 14 000 square foot of pure creativity with around 140 amazing artisans. 

When I stopped by on Friday night it was crazy full of customers so I didint had the chance to take as many pictures as I would have liked, but never the less, here are my top 3 booths for this year - it was so hard to choose...! 

I have to say, so far it has been the best craft show I ever went to as a customer. I was very impressed by all the talented artisans, creativity in presenting their creations and could barely pass by 4 tables without saying ''wow'' and taking business cards. I can guarantee, it will be a handmade Holiday this year, hurray! 

Despite the unusual hot temperatures outside and the heat inside the building, the lovely Stephanie of Miyuki Crochet was busy selling her lovely crocheted creations at her adorable booth. ''Even with this temperature, she said, people are buying in prevision of the cold days ahead, so I have been quite busy!'' Hurray for her cute and colorful crochet creations, bonus points for the lovely presentations and pictures of her items on the models, but my heart really went to those adorable and everlasting crochet cactus...! You can find her lovely items on her website or Etsy shop!

I also met the fantastic Aaron and Rachel from BLISSCRAFT & BRAZEN. I was seduced by the marvellous wood grains and colors in their creations. What was not my surprise when I got home and discovered that I had finally met the creators of that bath caddy that has been forever on my wishlist! Aaron was very patient while I choose between the beautiful salad servers and explained a bit more about their process. I really enjoy that they use a lot of recycled materials and make magic happen out it! You can find their gorgeous creations on their website or on their Etsy shop.

I also recommend that you check out the elegant and funky Groom shop who specializes in men's beauty products. Their masculine and retro packaging turns their products into great gifts, especially with the Holidays and many men's birthdays coming up! I love their folding comb - that is always useful - and their trial kit. You can visit their own website or Etsy shop right here!

All these amazing artisans will be busy with many craft shows this year, I suggest you follow them on their social medias and take a few minutes to check out their lovely creations. It is really amazing to speak to them in person and hear their passion about their products. 

On this everyone, I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving in Canada and Columbus day in the US!

See you all soon :)

* M * 

Henryville + My secret project revealed!

Hi everyone! :)

I had a very busy last week-end last week and I am eager to let you know how the Henryville craft show went...! Plus, I mentioned a few days ago that I was working on a surprise project and I can finally reveal you all the details...! :)

So, Henryville was a lot of fun - and a lot of work of course - but I met some fantastic people over the weekend and I am so grateful to each and every one of you who stopped by booth 21 and got to know me and my creations. In total, 1100 visitors stopped by the exhibit during the weekend. We also had an unexpected and very hot weather that took both sellers and buyers by surprise, but was quite welcome I believe.

My latests Earrings made with Swarovski Crystals were a big hit and I'm happy to say more supplies and colors will be bought for my next shows for this year! Kirameku will attend at least two more shows this year, and I will be back with all the details as I'm still waiting for a few confirmations. But I can tell you for sure that I will have one show in the Montreal area.

Also, the Square payment option was very appreciated by my customers so it is official, it has become part of my essential tools when I'm on a fair.

Kirameku's booth at the Henryville's craft show in 2015 (booth 21)

I'm guessing that you are all happy to know about the fair, but that your are more more intrigued about my secret project...! On September 1st, I posted this status on my Facebook page :
''Something terribly exciting is going on at Kirameku and has put my little shop in full production mode...! Can you guess what it is? Stay tuned for the good news...!''

The Berry pendants for the Necklaces during their drying process

So, on September 5th; I stopped by the Boutique La Grotte 100% Québec and dropped off 15 Berry Rings and 10 exclusive Berry Necklace & Ring Sets for consignment. The boutique had called me at the beginning of the month to let me know that they would be delighted to take my jewelry in after our meeting of this summer. So, it is with great pleasure that I was able to share with you all the good news on my social medias that ever since September 8, my jewelry is available for purchase at this lovely boutique in Magog, Quebec!

The front of the Boutique La Grotte 100% Québec, in Magog

So, were you able to guess? :) The Necklace & Ring sets comes already packed in my latest packaging - a white box made of recycled paper and topped with a teal slick ribbon.

The exclusive Berry Necklace & Ring that are now available at the Boutique la Grotte 100% Québec!

Want an exclusive Berry Necklace & Ring Set right away? Stop by the boutique at 67, Principale Street West, they are opened all week! You can get their opening schedule here along with more infos!

On this everyone, have a wonderful week! :)
* M *

Creating displays for craft shows

Hi everyone!

As i mentionned in past posts, the craft fair time of the year is almost here and each year I tweak my booth layout and try some new techniques to improuve my presentation. I thought after the success of My top 15 tips for a successful craft show blog post, I'd share with you my tips and techniques! I know many of you have attended craft show but never did one yourself. You can always imagine there's a lot of work involved, but I don't know about you, but I find the behind-the-scene stories sometimes as interesting as the result, I simply love to hear about an artists research! :) I then see their creation in a different light and appreciate much more their craft by doing so. So here we go...!

When I'm working on a displays for a craft show, I'm always asking myself, WWID (what would IKEA do)? Their designers always come up with some awesome ideas that inspires me. I'm sure we can agree that what we all love from IKEA's is it's multifunctional uses of one simple item. It is a quality that I'm always looking for in my displays. But other criteria are very important, like I'm all for hidden storage, and make sure the displays are light weighted since the weight adds up quickly. One of my biggest challenge is have a display that can be easily taken apart for easily and quickly  for fast packing for after the show. I also do my best to prioritize displays and materials made from sustainable sources or recycled materials.

I'm always wondering if there is something I already have that I can re-use or tweek for the next year show. For example, last year at La Grande Bijouterie I used a square shelve that was decorating my atelier and that made a great tiny shelve for my new bags. Can you recognize it in the picture below?

Kirameku's booth at La Grande Bijouterie in Sherbrooke in 2014

Kirameku's booth at Henryville's craft fair in 2014 

It's not always easy to mix and match displays. As you can see on the left on the picture below, I didn't used enough height in my table layout and my beautiful handmade necklace stand ends up being covered visually by my metal rack display for my earrings. So, this is a point I'll be fixing in 2015.


On my booth table, you could find cute rococo frames that I saved from being thrown away and with a bit of felt and, transformed them into elegant necklace displays. The 2 tiers display for my exclusive pre-wrapped gift for my craft show is a stylish fruit basket that hadn't been used in our kitchen for years. I long to find some vintage pieces as my displays, and while I always keep my eyes open, I hadn't find the right piece just yet. Some of my levellers are actually sturdy boxes in which I carry some overstock or extra packaging supplies.


On my table you can also find all the price tags, bags labels, earrings cards and gift tags, necklace packaging and shop coupons handmade by me. I designed, printed, cut and folded them by hand one by one.  Right now I'm working with my father on some new presentation displays for necklaces and earrings sets as I will at least double my selection.

And as you can imagine, all this goes in plus of crafting all the pieces that will fill those lovely displays, as well as submitting my work to craft shows with the right demographic.
So whenever you pass next to my booth and wonder why I am beaming happy, well it is all because my year of hard works puts a smile on your face and sparkles in your eyes! :)

So, to sum it up, whenever you are crafting a display for a show, you should look for :
*Hidden storage
*Light-Wighted materials
*Easily taken apart
*Multi-funcontial

On this everyone, I hope you will see the artist's booth in a different light! I'll leave on this as I have still have plenty to do! I wish you all a marvellous weekend and I will be back with some more news soon. And don't forget to come meet me at Henryville's craft show September 12 and 13!
* M *

The color dilemma and the glue adventure

Hi everyone! :)

I hope you all had a great week! Mine was off to a promising start, as when I opened up my mailbox Monday night, I had already received my Swarovski crystals and stainless steel earrings bases! I was super excited and I jumped on another suppliers website to order some more crystals. I wanted to do all the earrings at once, so that they would be all ready at the same time.

So here I was, switching and editing my cart all week, unable to decide which  Swarovskis were the most beautiful and the most unique. I have a set of 5 main colors that I haven't seen anywhere, and I'm quite happy about my finds since the lack of colors available is the whole point of me starting this earrings line anyways. I've finally sent out my order and I'm proud to announce that Vitrail Light and Rose Peach colors will be added to this collection! :)

On Thursday night, I simply had to try my newest findings! So I set up the earring bases, later out the crystals and took out my super-strong glue. What was not my surprise when I couldn't opened up the tube...! And once I did, my entire stock was completely dry....! I tested the glue on my own earrings to ensure I was pleased with the result. I carefully closed the lid and sealed everything. Why this happened? I have no idea! I'm currently asking my fellow etsians about this technical - and unfortunate - issue. So I'm sad to say we'll both have to wait a little bit longer before that collection launches....! I've reordered the glue, and hopefully I will have a solution by the time it gets here.

But, despite this downside to this week, I'm happy to say that I will be putting my smartphone to full use as I've now opened up an Instagram account! So I will be posting sneakpeeks and inspiration pictures more often! :)

I hope I will see you there!
On this, I have wish you a marvelous weekend! :)
*M*

Summer moodboard

Hi everyone!

We have a very late summer here in Quebec so I thought since the heat and the sun were finally here, I would share my summer mood board with you! :) I personally LOVE summer and one mood board is not enough to cover everything that inspires me for this season, so I picked my main 4 themes for summer 2015. I hope you'll like it! :)

Credits :

Watermelon Cake - Sprinkle Bakes
Lemon Sorbet - It all started with paint
Beautiful peaches - Say yes
Raspberry Cocktail - One sweet mess

On this everyone, cheers to summer! :)
*M*

Dreaming of Swarovski crystals

Hi everyone! :)

I hope you all had a marvelous week! What took me so long to blog again you may say? Well, I'm still setting up the apartment and been busy rearranging my atelier, trying to figure out the best way to optimize this new space of mine. It's only the second time I've moved and, silly me, I thought this time I would be able to set up and feel at home in no time since I had everything planned ahead. I didn't took into account that we were moving in a bigger space, and that in this case it meant a few furniture and light purchases. But before I will go shopping for some new bookcases and shelves, I had a very important and exciting task to take care of : shopping for some new Swarovski elements!

Did your eyes got a bit bigger and brighter? Mine sure did! :) I ordered a few new pieces last January, but as much as I love the new colors, that supplies order was meant to continue the existing Crystal Dangle Earrings Collection.

My last order of Swarosvki crystals Elements 

As much as I'm beaming to have now 12 different colors in stock - even if I keep postponing my photoshoot these days since its always raining - I wanted to create something new and dazzling for my upcoming craft fairs. As you may say the concept I'm currently working on is not unique and quite simple, but it is the type of earrings I've been craving for the past few months. I found myself disappointed with the color selection I found in stores, so I decided to create my own serie of Swarosvki Rivoli Crystal Post Earrings. I'll be wearing a pair at a friends wedding this weekend and I can't wait to show you the pictures…! My large supply order is on its way and I simply can't wait! :) What I love most about this new line? Those dazzling earrings will go perfectly with the Berry necklace collection and with the upcoming new Bridal necklace series.

The always expanding Crystal Dabgle Earrings made with Swarovski Elements

On this my friend, I can't say more for now! Stay tuned for more details, sneak peeks and what's in store for the end of summer. I have to run for now, got to get ready for the wedding!!! :)
*M*

Goodbye Montreal, Bonjour Longueuil!

Hi everyone! :)

Wow, long time no see...! It's a bit sleepy and exhausted, but terribly happy that I write to you today! As you know, me and my marvelous boyfriend moved the first weekend of this month. We said goodbye to our tiny Montreal apartment to move into our luxurious and wide apartment in Longueuil...!

We still can't believe how lucky we were to be able to have put our hands on this lovely apartment! The place itself is very well located, peaceful, quiet and packed with trees, flowers and the cutest townhouses! :) We were sad to leave Montreal as it was where we both grew up and I don't think I'll ever be able to replace the special place Montreal has in my heart with its vibrant, colorful crowd and events. And its not as if I was saying goodbye forever since I'm still working in Montreal during the week. I'm glad to see her buzzing with life everyday; but coming home to some peace and quiet is really quite soothing and so very welcome.

The gorgeous peonies that are now growing in our backyard...!!

And as for the Kirameku side of things, you ask? I'm sad I wasn't able to reach my 100 items goal by the end of May. I must admit I miscalculated how much time it would take us to pack all our stuff. Agreed, I'm 70% responsible for this as my love for art and cooking translates into lots of mediums, different type of paints as well as specialized molds and cooking gadgets. So between work/packing/Etsy promoting I simply ran out of time and eventually out of sleep... :( I also made a few sales in between all this so some Berries have not been renewed just yet but not to worry, I will restock and post new items this very weekend! :)

As for the atelier, I won't be able to post pictures just yet. We focused on getting everything out of the boxes and will rearrange that room later. So the atelier is still at a rough state with a few boxes left to be unpacked.

But, I focused on the important part : my computer and Etsy shop are up and running!! All my jewelry supplies have been unpacked. So I'm ready to craft again! :) So yes, the long awaited Caribbean Blue Berry and custom Swarovski earrings will be available in a matter of days! :)

On this, I want to thank you all for your patience and I hope you will have a wonderful end of week!
* M *

White apartment inspiration

Hi everyone! :)

I hope you had a lovely last two weeks! Here in Montreal the gorgeous lilacs are finally in bloom! The air is smelling so lovely whenever I pass one of my neighbours tree! :) I'm sad that my parents moved out of their house before the lilacs season, I would have loved to have a bouquet on my diner table!

My apologies for this long delay between posts, I have been busy making boxes and wrapping up our precious possessions as moving day is now two weeks away... Yikes! No worries, I can still ship your Berry orders as my crafting supplies are the last things I'll be packing. I'll be posting soon in my shop announcement and on my FB page the few days were my shop will be closed so I'll have time to unpack everything.

Meanwhile; my boyfriend and I gave ourselves a new challenge for our new home. We won't be painting our apartment this time. Of course we will have some colors in our new love nest but we thought a few paint jobs on our furniture instead might do the trick and save us a couple of bucks. I have lots of student quality acrylic that I don't use anymore so I thought we could kill two birds with one stones. I'll leave these DIY furniture inspirations for another post, but here are my favorite white rooms on Pinterest. I thought it could inspire a few of you as well! :)

I simply love this blog post from Classic Chic Home,  so may pretty rooms in there, but this one is
clearly my favorite! :)

We won't have such a lovely staircase in our next apartment but I found the frame decoration in this post absolutely wonderful!

Love this gorgeous bedroom with soft grey accents....! From Unique Home Architecture post

Love the use of festive lights in this post from Home stories

I want one gorgeous dresser just like this...! Styling from Live Love DIY

Love the cozy and yet warm feeling of this all white room from Charm blog

And, the final one : love the shabby chic style in this living room from Digs Digs

On this everyone, have a wonderful weekend! :D
Don't hesitate to post your inspiration for an all white room!
* M *

Workspace & atelier inspiration

Hi everyone! :)

Like I mentioned in my previous posts, my marvelous boyfriend and I will be moving soon. We finally found a lovely place and I was thinking of sharing with you my inspirations for my new - and all mine!!! - atelier!

I can't wait to have my gorgeous Italian easel set free of its box and use it in my new workspace under the sunlight....! I've scouted Pinterest in search of my favorite ideas and I hope it will inspire you too! :) Pictures of the actual atelier will be posted once it will be complete I promise! :)

Source : http://carlaaston.com/designed/crazy-cool-home-office

Love the light and optimization of space!! It might not be a craft room per say, but it could be a marvelous one!

Source : http://www.housebeautiful.com/room-decorating/kitchens/g1245/white-kitchen-decorating-ideas-1210/

Love this built in desk in front of the window. How marvelous would it be to paint under the sunlight with a hot cup of tea?!

Source : http://justbaustralia.com.au/be-creative/home-eleven-rooms-to-be-inspired-by-22526/gallery/image/home-eleven-rooms-to-be-inspired-by-9/

Wow, the use of contrast here is simply amazing! Don't you agree? :)

Source : http://www.fourgenerationsoneroof.com/2014/03/brass-gold-den-makeover.html

I'm personally not a big fan of gold, but in this case, it brings so much light plus a lovely touch of warmth and chic to this room, I just love the atmosphere!

Source : http://sarahmdorseydesigns.blogspot.ca/2013/07/eames-chairs-finished-finally-for-now.html?m=1

I can't really put my finger on the aspect of this room that makes me love it, but it has a lovely "je ne sais quoi" that makes me want to sit down and draw in this room...!

On this everyone, I hope you enjoyed my top 5! Tell me, what makes a craft room the perfect atelier for you? :)
*M*

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