It's the most wonderful time of the year

Hello to all from a white and snowy Montreal! :)

My goodness, time just flew by and next thing I knew, there's five days left before Christmas....! I have been busy with orders and busy planning 2015 plus finishing up preparations for my own Christmas celebration, I simply ran out of time. I'm sorry to say that the Fashion Guide wont be for these Holidays but for New Year's Eve but I promise it will be as glamorous! :)



I wanted to take a minute to thank you all for making Kirameku a part of your Holidays and wish you all a Merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah or a joyfull celebration in this lovely time of the year!! I hope you'll all have a wondeful time with your families full of joy, health and laughter :) 

I'll see you all shortly between Christmas and New Year, meanwhile I leave you with pictures of Montreal latest snowfall :)
Happy Holidays everyone! :)
*M*

Holiday Fever

Hi everyone! :)

Long time no see! I hope you all had an awesome week and for all those of you celebrating Thanksgiving had a wonderful celebration.

Up here we had a few snow storms that layered down a thin white coat around Montreal and Kirameku has been quite busy last weekend at the Sherbrooke's craft show. We had a wonderful time and my only regret was to not being able to take pictures of the beautiful snowy Sherbrooke for my blog to show you. It was way too dark by the time we got to leave for the show.

We learned a lot (we as in my marvelous boyfriend who was giving me a hand during this show) and I got to meet some amazing and lovely jewelry artisans. We were there only for a day and greeted 150 around visitors. Thanks to everyone who stopped at our table and to the organizer's for making it possible. :)

Our little kiosque at La Grande Bijouterie in Sherbrooke last weekend

I also had the chance to stop by L'Espace D to drop off some new Berries last Friday. I made some special and very sparkling pieces that will be perfect for the Holidays and for New Year. I just love that time of year with decorations full of lights, crystals and shiny glass...! :) 

Kirameku's sparkling collection at l'Espace D in Montreal

That will be pretty much it for 2014 for Kirameku. La Grande Bijouterie was my last show for this year and I dropped my last new pieces in boutique. For now I'll be focusing on my Etsy shop for the rest of this year. My head is boiling with new ideas for 2015 and I can't wait to tell you all about it! :) 

I'll make a post on Holiday fashion and hopefully by then we'll have more beautiful snow in Montreal that I'll share with you all. And meanwhile I have to also think about getting my Holidays preparations started as I'm the cook at Christmas and my Holiday shopping is no way near done…!

On this everyone, I wish you all happy holiday shopping! :)
*M*

5 things to expect at Kirameku next craft show

Hi everyone! :)

I promised new goodies for my next craft show at la Grande Bijouterie and so let me tell you all about it! :) Also, I'm excited to say that the Holiday sale has started at my Etsy shop as of last Saturday :) You can fuel up on Berries and take advantage of the sale until December 25th!

It will be the first time that I will attend la Grande Bijouterie and I just can't wait! Ill be there only one day so i have to make sure i make the most of it so i have been stocking up! 

Curious of what is sleeping in my atelier for the big day? Many, many things! :)

Here's Kirameku latest addition in the necklace section! :) 

* Dangle earrings in quilled gift card : Those gorgeous cards are born from a collaboration with the shop Imazinerie. You get one pair of Dangle&Drop earrings as well a a beautiful quilled card all at once! :)

* More Swarovski Earrings and Ooak earrings : I know you guys are big fans of one of a kind earrings and that Swarovski crystals are perfect for this Holiday season. Sparkle in style with our newest earrings! :)

* Necklace and earrings gift set : I've just recently talked about the Holiday gift section and I'm happy to say that you'll be able to find those sets and more at our table in Sherbrooke! :) Meawhile, the Iced RaspBerry set is complete and available in my Etsy shop! :)

* More colors of Berries : I'm always on the lookout for new colors and I have found plenty of gorgeous color combos that you can see for the first time at that craft show! I'll also be listing some of those colors on my Etsy shop after the show. Stay posted! :)

* More lights! To give a holiday spirit as well as to make it easy to find our booth, I have invested in beautiful fairy lights! I love the sparkling effect that they give to my booth, I can't wait to share pictures with you of the final result! :)

Also, before I finish, I just want to mention that new pieces are now available at l'Espace D for those of you who are living in Montreal. Take a peek at those funky ooak earrings that I've dropped on last Monday :)

Those unique hexagon crystal earrings are now available at l'Espace D in Montreal just in time for the Holidays! :)

On this everyone I hope you had an awesome week and that I'll see you soon in Sherbrooke! :)
*M*

Project countdown - October

Hi everyone! :)

I haven't been as active on my blog as I usually am, and as you can imagine it was because I was working on some new stuff for Kirameku! Are you curious on what has kept me far away? :) Here, let me tell you all about it!

La Grande Bijouterie Craft Show : my objective for this year was to make at least three craft shows and I'm happy to say I'm going to end my year with a bang! :)  I had confirmation last weekend that I was selected for La Grande Bijouterie Craft show, I am so excited! I had been working on some exclusive pieces for this craft show so that if ever you attended my three craft shows this year and you will always see something new. I also have to work on little holiday twist for my booth as it is my first holiday craft show. It will be my first show in Sherbrooke, yay I love Sherbrooke! :) I'll post a specific article with some more craft show tips and what new to expect for Kirameku at La Grande Bijouterie.  Mark your calendars for Saturday November 22nd and stay posted! :)

Adding Berry gift sets for the Holidays : maybe you have noticed the news section at Kirameku Etsy shop. I have created a new category for this upcoming holiday season, a gift section. I will be uploading some new gift sets that will suit all your needs, may it be your sister, your friend, your wife, your daughter, or simply as a gift from you to you, you will find some exclusive and exciting new colors in the section! :) Here's a little sneak peak of the next item to be listed there. Can you guess what it will be?

This gorgeous Iced Raspberry will become a cute necklace and matching earrings set! :) Want it now? Convo me to pre-order it!

Working on an exciting Holiday promotion : maybe you think it's a bit early for me to talk about the Holidays since Halloween is not here yet (and I agree), but with the shipping delays for online orders, it is best too early then too late. As you all know the holidays are a very busy for posts around the world. Make sure you check out our updated holiday policies to make sure your gift gets to you on time. Holidays also means many expenses, so I'll be launching a special holiday promotion so you can treat everyone on your list without having to break your budget. What what's best than handmade gift? :) You can also have custom orders made especially for those on your list if ever you can find exactly what you are looking for.

* ~** HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINES **~ *
Here are the shipping deadlines for 2014 as provided by Canada Post for REGULAR shipping.
CANADA : December 11
USA : December 8
INTERNATIONAL : December 1

More wedding necklaces : I've had many ideas for wedding necklaces over the past few weeks and I barely had enough time to get to my atelier to work on those ideas. I find the most difficult part - beside finding enough time in my day to do everything I want to do - is to find a delicate and elegant way to link the chain and berry together so that your wedding necklace stands out with elegance. I found on the Etsy blog that white and cobalt blue are popular colors for this years weddings. I found the color mix so amazing and beautiful,  I had to have the berries in those shades! I was able to find some amazing cobalt beads at on one of my suppliers and I can't wait for my order to get to me so I can start this amazing piece with Swarovski crystals and freshwater pearls!  I'll be posting some pictures of this necklace on my Facebook page once I'll be able to work on this amazing piece! :)

Here's a sneak peak of the new colours that will be soon available in the Dangle & Drop Earrings Collection! :) Want it now? Convo me to pre-order it!

Etsy Canada - belated review

Hi everyone!
It has been a while since my last post and I hope you all had a great time. I was super busy with Kirameku and as some of you have seen on my Facebook page, I'm currently working on another exciting project. I can't tell much more than that for now. But what I can tell you is my experience at the first Montreal Etsy Made in Canada craft show! :)

There was gorgeous weather on that Saturday and we happily head down to the shop Angus, me, my boyfriend and my Mom (who is also an Etsy artisan). Once at destination, we looked for the entrance with a bit of difficulty but then we were greeted by big orange and white pompoms and an Etsy banner inside the shop Angus. Ouf, we managed to find the place! We were surprised to see there was no list of artisans and the room was so huge we didn't know where to start. Here, let me show you the beautiful space the vendors had.

The wonderful shop Angus and Etsy Made in Canada!

The cute kiosque of Gredin! 

Puces Pop - lifting the mystery

Hi everyone!
I hope you all had a wonderful week! I made wonderful discoveries this Friday and I wanted to share it with you, handmade lovers! :)

Friday night after work, I visited for the first time the Puces Pop exhibit, despite the subway being shut down exactly where I wanted to go. I had heard of Puces Pop before but I wasn't sure what to think about it, I don't know why, maybe because the posters had so much information on them I didn't know if it was a music fest, an art show or both. In any case, I jumped in and visited the expo and all that in very good company. As soon as we walked passed the door, we were welcomed by Mathieu amazing pieces, sending waves of bright colors and a hint of vintage. Need I say more? I was charmed by his original pieces and surprising color palettes. We talked about his technique and I was amazed to see the perfection behind his transfer technique on wood. I mean... Wow! He has recently opened an Etsy shop nammed Gredin, which you can visit here. He will be at the Etsy Made in Canada craft show this upcoming weekend! Here's Mathieu at his booth with his wonderful creations and here's are my purchases...! :)

When we got to the show, I have to say it was packed! We got there at about 6h and the show had opened his doors at 2h. I'm sorry I don't have any good pictures of the entire fair as I couldn't find a spot elevated enough to stand on but you can see for yourself on the Puces Pop Facebook page. If I may make a suggestion to the organization for the next show, and I know space is limited, but would it be possible to make the alley a bit wider? If people stopped at a crafter's table on each side, I caused a traffic jam and we had to squeeze between them and I'm sure this was not super fun for the customers and disturbed them while the crafter's were trying to make their pitch. But that's just my humble opinion

But wait, don't stop here! :) I have two more extraordinary crafter's to introduce you to. I've also met Wai-Yant from Creations Li. When I saw her cute creations on her kiosque, I just had to get one! I would have bought more than my adorable smiley bowl but my budget didn't allow it. I just loved the whimsical and simple shapes of her design. Her adorable pieces even go to the dishwashers, that was a great selling point and made my purchase an awesome gift. Love her cuties? Wai-Yant will be at le Salon des Métiers d'Arts de Montréal. You can also visit her website here.

Last but not least, I met again with the wonderful Norma from CaraCarmina. I browsed through her adorable cards and cute kiosque. I wanted to buy one or two cards but couldn't decide which one was the cutest, so I ended up getting 5. One of which I'm putting to good use today - Happy bday 'Ma! :) I just love how senorita Norma conquered the handmade business with her own willpower and dreams. Speaking of which, stay tuned, Norma said yes for an exclusive interview for my blog! :) (Gracias señorita!! ) Meanwhile if you want one of her creation you can visit her Etsy shop here or simply meet her in person - which is way better! - at the Etsy made in Canada craft show next weekend.

On this everyone I have to run, I have a birthday to attend to. I hope you enjoyed my discoveries and that you will support you local handmade artist for this upcoming Holiday season.

See you soon everyone! :)
*M*

Scoop, Henryville and craft show tips

Hi everyone!

Omg what a last couple of days has it been...! As you know, last weekend was the Henryville craft show and I am proud to say that it was a success! We had many visitors during the weekend and I'm so glad that many people visited us despite the bad and cold temperatures. Thank you everyone! It was a pleasure to meet all of you! :) We had a blast - we as in my extraordinary boyfriend tagged along and gave me a big hand in all of this - and we were super happy to present our newest pieces for this year.To be able to share my passion for creativity and illustration with everyone is truly a blessing. 

Here's the new collection I've been talking so much about, our pre-wrapped gifts just on time for the Holidays! :)

For those of you who want some more craft show tips (see my previous tips), here are my recommendation for after a show : write down everything you sold during your fair so you'll have valuable insight about that show. It will also help you during your post-show inventory and accounting. Write down a list of all that went well during the show, for example, putting the earrings up front worked great for your customers. Write down also all that you want to improve for the next show, like adding more levels to your booth. Make your list the week following the show while everything is still fresh in your memory. Also, when you finish setting up your table, take a picture of your booth as a reference for the following ones. Don't hesitate to switch things around during the show, maybe your layout worked perfectly last year but it might not do the trick completely this time. Be flexible, rearrange your goodies the next morning and see how it goes.

OK you say, but you mentioned big news in your title...? Well my dear readers, Kirameku made her first steps into a boutique in Montreal....!! :) How awesome is that?! You can now browse our Berry Collection plus our Dangle & Drop Earrings at l'Espace D. on St-Laurent, Montreal. There will be some new models like the new Tiger Eye Berry Ring and the Frosted AB & Gunmetal Berry Ring as well as classic ones, like the Sunset Berry Ring and the Red Azzuro Berry ring. Can't make it to Montreal? Well here's your 10% off to celebrate with us : BLOG10.

On this everyone, I hope you all had a marvelous weekend! :)

See you soon!
*M*

Henryville sneak peaks and craft show tips!

Hi everyone! :)

Like I've mentioned a few times in the last posts, my next and soon coming up craft show will be the one at Henryville. I thought I would share some insight and some sneak peaks! :)

All right! The show will be hosted at the beautiful church in Henryville (Église St-Georges-de-Henryville, 153 rue de l'Église, QC J0J 1E0) and you'll find from Kirameku many novelties and even a surprise! Kirameku is launching a new product at this craft show, I can't wait to see what you guys think!

Besides that, what's new? Well Kirameku will be adding lights to her kiosque this year so you can appreciate more in details the different colors and varnishes on the Berries. I'm also hoping to have enough space to hang my new beautiful banner that I had printed from Vista print earlier this year.

What about the Berries? Many original pieces have been added to the collection and you will find them - for now - exclusively at this craft show, just like the Mint Berry and Lilac Berry necklaces that you see below. And for the new goodies I've mentioned earlier I'm eager to post the final results! You can follow the steps on Kirameku Facebook page if ever you are too curious to wait! :)

The new Mint and Lilac Berry necklaces!

To top it all off with a bang, there's a new packing and I'm so proud to see how well it turned out! I have 8 different berry models for the tags on the bags but those 3 are my personal favorite! :) Which one is yours??

Kirameku's new packaging for her 2014 craft shows! :)

As for my Etsy shop, there has been a lot of renewal lately but some new pieces as well, like the gorgeous Cluster Berry Ring Green and Light Blue! I thought it was a perfect color match for this summer lingering heatwave. These cool hues are perfect to break the heat!

Our newest Berry ring in our summer collection! 

That sums it up for Kirameku this week! I said I'd share some insight for scraft shows well here it goes...! I hope many of you are doing craft shows right now (they are so much fun!) and that I'll be sharing some new tips you haven't heard of. I want to make a short serie of articles related to craft shows, but I'll start by saying this : here are my suggestions and my method to prepare for craft shows. There are many ways to get to the same result. The key is to find one method that works for you.

Planning a craft show - Part 1

So, you have found a craft show you are really excited about, you've made your research, found it to be a perfect match and you've sent out your application. Great! What next? Craft fairs are really fun, but they are a lot of work. Let's start.

Once you've applied to a craft show you should list all the things that you want to bring and/or make specifically for that show. I would suggest you divide your list in two sections : what you have in stock and what you want to make. In your ''to make'' section, be as specific as you can : what kind of material will you need, how much time will it take to create those pieces, how much will it cost you, if you need new packaging etc. This way, you'll be able to determine your goals for that craft show and see if your goals are too ambitious. Maybe you want to create way too many new necklaces for the time you have. Be realistic in your goals, it will save you a lot of stress and sleepless nights.

Most craft shows will let you know in advance if you have been selected or not to give you enough time to plan and market yourself. If you have doubt's about their reply deadline, don't hesitate to email the show organizers and ask them. But please, be nice! Those people are super busy making a show that will make you look good, the least you can do is to be polite. Why not ask them as well if you can help them promote the show? Promoting a craft show is always a good thing for everyone as you'll attract more traffic to this event, therefore more potential customers.

Once you've had the confirmation that you were selected for a show, clear your schedule and take out your plan and get busy! If you think the deadline from once you've been accepted to the actual show is too short, don't hesitate to start as soon as you've sent out your application. You're the boss of your schedule. Break down your ''to make'' section in a daily or weekly to-do list to ensure you'll meet your goals. Don't forget to include time for shopping if you need new material. Adding a bit more time to this task can be a good thing too as maybe you won't get lucky and the stock you need won't be available when you'll stop by the store. My suggestion is to purchase/go shopping for all the material you need as soon as you can, may it be business cards, lamps, new beads etc.

Make sure that you make your inventory before you start making some new pieces and also a second time about three weeks before the show. That way you know which pieces you need to make more of and you make sure that you have enough stock before the show. And if you don't, three weeks should give you enough time to double your efforts and make more stock. Include time to do a real size mock-up of your table to see how you want to fit all your goodies on your table. Dress a list of everything you need to bring to the craft show - from scotch tape to food and your goodies, write everything down. This will be your final checklist as you'll pack your stuff 2-3 days before the show so you can concentrate on having a good night of sleep and be full of energy on the day of the show. Don't forget to bring some business cards or some type of promotion tool so that your customers will remember you and will be able to find your Etsy shop if they want to shop from you again. Don't hesitate to be original but be consistent in everything you do, make sure it reflects your brand and your style.

On this everyone, I hope you found some tip that will be useful for your future craft show. I'll be back with more insights, no worries. And you, what's your favourite craft shows tip?
Have a lovely labor day everyone! :)
* M *

Baie St-Paul my love!

Hi everyone! :)

As I've mentionned a few post back, Kirameku took a very short but well deserved vacation an so last week, we jumped in the car and I was eager to empty my head and find new inspirations and ideas to focus on as much for my jewelry as for my artwork.

With my adorable boyfriend, we visited Baie Saint-Paul in the Charlevoix region, a lovely little town near la Malbaie, about 3 hours and a half from Montreal. I have to say, we both fell in love!

A quick view from Baie Saint-Paul from one of the numerous stops along the way.

The fresh air and amazing landscapes were such a pleasure and a feast for the eyes. We loved the vintage houses and decadent proprieties that we encountered along the way and we satisfied our love of food and fresh local products. We slept at L'Auberge de la Grande Maison, where the shabby chic of the antique house was simply adorable! Their newly added spa might be small but was quite welcomed after our long ride from Montreal to Baie Saint-Paul or after a long day of walking outside. The owners were kind and friendly people and told us they renovated all by themselves over the years and I have to say they did a heck of a job, bravo! The little inn is located not very far from all the attractions from Baie Saint-Paul and from various delicious restaurants. Our short journey to this auberge was peaceful and it was easy to travel to anywhere we wanted to go, either by foot or by car. What more could we have asked for? Maybe a few more days to the trip, but we were blessed with beautiful weather and a cool breeze.

The gorgeous view while we were waiting for the boat to take us to l'Isle-aux-Coudres

We took a day to visit l'Isle-Aux-Coudres and although there's not a lot to do on the island, we enjoyed the freshly baked buns at la Boulangerie Bouchard and the view all around the island was simply amazing…! Seeing landscapes just like those in Charlevoix makes me proud and so happy to be from Quebec! This is my home and it's a beautiful one! Please, stop by our little place of paradise that is Quebec! You definitely won't regret it! :)

On this everyone, I hope you enjoyed the pictures and I have to run for now as I have to stop dreaming and get busy busy for the upcoming Henryville Craft Fair! I'll be back very soon with all the details. Meanwhile don't forget to take a look at  Kirameku's Facebook page for some sneak peaks! :)

* M *

Etsy Canada : the results are in

Hi everyone!

I hope you are all enjoying the weekend! :) Mine has been quite busy (and a tad stressful) as you can imagine. I was waiting anxiously Friday night, as Etsy Canada was sending out their replies to the Montreal fair application.
And so… the results were in… And Kirameku didn't make it.... Snif snif. There's 60 spots for the artisans at the Montreal fair and Montreal is quite a creative town and is full of talent, although I was really surprised Kirameku wasn't selected. I'm still waiting on some feedback on this point but my guess is that there's a ton of great jewelry makers and those spots fill in fast as jewelry making is quite popular.

Our Frosted Blueberry necklace is finally out! It will be perfect for any occasion! 

I'm sorry guys, I really wanted a booth to an Etsy event and meet you all as well as my fellow crafter's. I keep my fingers crossed that the Etsy Made in Canada event will become a regular and yearly event. You can be sure that I'll do my best to go visit the show and will keep you posted with the details.

But if you wanted to stop by a Kirameku's exhibit,  no worries! My craft shows aren't done for this year! :) Next on the list is Henryville on September 13 and 14. Yep that's pretty much around the corner! I have plenty of ideas and I will be launching a new type of goodies exclusively for my craft shows. Also I've been working on some new packaging since those goodies will be bigger then what I usually sell at craft shows. I can't wait to post some pictures and have your feedback! :)

On this everyone, I'm leaving you on that suspense! I have to run for now but not before I wish you all a great week! :)

*M*

Projects countdown - July

Hi everyone!

I hope you are enjoying your week! Here in Montreal we are having a second heat wave and let me tell you that it is abnormally hot at Kirameku headquarters.

Last weekend though we escaped the heat and went picking up raspberries and blueberries in a field. And like an idiot I forgot to bring my phone with me and take pictures of the lovely scenery... My apologies everyone, I'm working hard to always think about my smart phone and sending you news on the spot. But let me tell you the freezer is full of yummy berries to keep me inspired and healthy until next summer.

That being said, I promised you a final picture of the geisha artwork and I think you guys have waited long enough! So here she is! Isn't she beautiful? I'm really happy to see how she turned out even with the minimum of colors involved in that artwork.

That else does Kirameku has on it's plate? An actual lot! I've ordered some paper samples as I want to find a special way to make unique gift tags for all my Christmas orders. I've also been translating - slowly but surely - my entire Etsy shop in French. Between working full time, making new items and working on my future craft shows I hope to have translated all 75 items by November, as the shop policies and about page are finally finished.

I'm also working on special items for my craft shows and I'm currently shopping for some new colors. This part is always tricky since there's always soooo many lovely colors and shades but I really must narrow down my choices otherwise I would end up buying way too much. If ever you'd like to see something added at Kirameku, now is the time to make your special requests! :)

I'll leave you on this new idea I had at the end of last year. Kirameku wants to support small businesses as well and has added a supplier that handmades all her glass drops. Can you guess which berries in our limited editions are made with her drops? :)

On this everyone, I have to run. I hope you'll all have a lovely night and weekend! :)

*M*

Ok, lets talk about prices

Hi everyone! :)

I don't know if you have heard but Etsy is launching a big event in Canada for September yay! I'm so excited about this event and I find the concept absolutely awesome!! Quickly for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about : Etsy Canada is having a massive event on September 27. There will be Etsy craft show hosted throughout Canada. I'm so glad Etsy Canada is making more events I think it is time that we get to know more about Etsy up here. As you can imagine I applied to the fair and I'm anxiously waiting for the answer as my application is getting reviewed. After 5 years on Etsy I just couldn't wait to be part of their event...!

It will be a bit weird for me as usually none of my customers in craft shows have heard from Kirameku before, and not a lot of them know about Etsy. I was super lucky and once met another crafter that had already purchased from my online store. I was so happy to meet her in person and get to know her! Unfortunately, that was a one time thing over the 3 years I've been attending craft shows.

Here's my latest addition! The Canary Berry Ring

I know this is a big intro for this post but I believe it gives you the right context. Bottom line is : now with the Etsy fair I hope it will be the opposite situation and that the people who will attend will have heard from my shop at least a little bit. And if you know my products from my online shop you might be surprised about the difference in prices. I really wanted to take a minute and elaborate on that part, after all it is the same product. For example the rainbow berry ring is sold online for 13.75USD$ (about 15CAN$) and it so sold at a fair for 11USD$ (12CAN$). The difference in USD$ isn't much but it is in CAN$ - well in my opinion at least.

I agree with you there's a price gap. Thing is, I spend 80% of Kirameku's time on Etsy and about 20% on craft shows. That means a bit less time marketing and less supplies for the show compared to all the expenses surrounding my Etsy shop. Also, there's no shipping costs and that allows me to cut down my prices. But one of the main factor is that there is no resin on most of my rings at a fair. This way, I was able more than once to accommodate my customers at the fair and unstrung the beads to transform my last piece of a limited edition ring into a custom necklace. Although I sell mostly rings, I have about 40% of my customers at fair who would rather purchase a necklace instead of a ring. I try to make necklaces in colors I believe my customers would like, to the best of my knowledge, but there are soooo many colors available it is not possible for me to make as many necklaces as rings simply because I don't have enough time. There's more resin at the back of the necklace and with the drying time, first thing you know two days went by.

But why add resin on the rings you might say? I find it helps keeping the beads together in a more "sturdy" shape rather than having a bit of "loose" between the teardrop beads. But even without the resin there's no worries about the solidity. I personally wore a peacock ring without resin non stop for a year and everything stayed in place as it was supposed to be. I eventually had to put the ring down as I had a contract job to clean and file a sample room and it was too risky to get the ring stuck somewhere and break it. The berries rings are not made for massive packing, after all they are made out of glass beads. I then decided to switch to the necklace version of the berries as it was more convenient for me.

Well then I think that sums it up pretty well! I hope I have enlighten you on my process and that you now have a better idea of the making process. I will definitely be back to give you some updates on the Etsy craft shows and my exclusive items for that fair. Meanwhile if there is anything you would like me to make for that particular show or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate. On this, have a lovely end of week everyone! :)

*M*

So, how was it?

Hi everyone! ;)

I hope you all had a great weekend! Here I've been swamped catching up on the short weekend I had because of the fair. Are you curious to know how it went?

We got to Venise en Quebec on time despite a little accident I had in the morning (orange juice on my white shirt the minute I got in the car….. my kind of luck) Everything went as planned, or almost. The organizers were super nice and the fair was set up very nicely. It was a tiny fair but there was still a small "coffee shop" table if I may say were we could fill up on a few snacks and drinks. We had unusual freezing temperature for this time in July but by early in the afternoon the sun was up and burning, and our bottle of water became our best friend.

I must admit we had fewer visitors than I expected - it was a small fair after all - but the fact that it was something that was going on every Saturday of summer and the many years it has been going on was an aspect I relied too much on I believe. I could not have the information on how many visitors they had last year and I thought it would be something difficult to evaluate too since the fair is spread on nine weeks. I had a chance to test some new adjustments I had made on my displays and I was quite happy to see it was working really well. Although I'll still make some more updates for my future fairs this year like in Henryville. Unfortunately I had no place to hang my lovely new banner from Vista print, I Was so hoping to try it out last week-end! Oh well, another time then ;)

But you say, how did you find the outdoor experience? Well as much as I love summer and outdoors I can't say I really enjoyed that part of the show. The fair was on the yard or the church with a big and solid tent and looked quite nice. But fighting with insects flying and crawling on my table, the concentrated heat inside the tent was no fun part for me but I could cope with it. What really made the balance shift is when the wind started to blow in the middle of the afternoon. It was a storm wind and by the time the fair ended we were afraid to be caught in that storm. I had to be extra careful all afternoon as the wind flew over my table and threatened my watercolors that were on display on various small easels. Needless to say I had to put the artwork flat on the table to prevent them to fly around and get damaged. Thank God the cardboards I put behind them helped them stay on the table because of the weight. So unfortunately I wasn't able to take as much picture of the fair that I would have liked but I've shared in this article all that I have.

Lessons for the other craft shows? Always bring a change of clothes you never know what can happen. Also, research the fair and get to know the number of visitors they had the year before. I know there are many articles on the web that stress the importance of this part and I totally agree but in this case I was invited to the fair. It wasn't the first time I was invited to a show and I had as many wonderful and not so good fairs this way, so I decided to leave it up to chance this time. No more outdoor fairs for me as the wind also brought dust all over my display and I spent an awefull lot of time cleaning everything when I got back home.

But I'm happy to say despite everything I met some lovely new artisans and say some familiar faces too, it was great to catch up with them and see what they had new. I had overall a nice experience and I can't wait for my other fairs...! :) And obviously, I'll share know all the juicy details! :)

On this everyone have a great day!!
*M*

Posted via Blogaway

The show is on...! :)

Hi everyone!

I hope you all had a marvelous week. Here I've been working hard to get everything ready for this Saturdays craft fair…! I had my marvellous stamps from Baisimu just on time to make my authetification certificates for my artworks yay! I'm also hoping to finish my geisha piece soon and show you final result! :) But with the sudden heatwave hitting Montreal these past few days, I'm scared to ruin the paper with all that humidity! Hopefully, they are saying that tomorrow will be getting back to normal. *Fingers crossed*

I don't know if you guys would like to have a post about how to prepare for a craft show? I didn't do a lot of them but I've traveled around a lot and had some great and bad experience. What's new at this fair is that it will be Kirameku first summer fair and I'm super excited!! :)  I have to go fetch my banner from vista print at the post office and I can't wait to see what it will look like! Creating something on your computer is sooo different than seeing it printed! For sure I will let you guys know about my feedback on my banner as it is my first time doing business with vista print. Thanks to the recommendation of my follow Etsians, I was able to have a quite large banner printed and that fitted my budget. I promise I will be back with some pictures too!

But meanwhile, here is a photo of the beautiful peonies of one of my neighbours. I had to post it, peonies are so gorgeous!

To sum it up….! If you have nothing planned for the week-end or if you are curious and want to meet me in person, I will be more than happy to have you visit my table at the Venise-en-Quebec Samedis Artisans fair, this upcoming Saturday, from 10 am to 5pm. We'll be at the Church on 151, 14e Avenue ouest, inside if it rains, and outside if it's bright and shiny - and which is the original plan.
I hope I will meet many of you dear readers! :D

It is quite late up here and I'll try to catch some sleep despite the 34 degrees in our headquarters….
On this everyone, have a great night and I'll keep you posted on my social medias for those of you who can't attend this fair. Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get all the behind the scenes goodies! :)

* M * 

Projects countdown

Hi everyone! :)

My apologies if you have seen a few ''test'' posts in the last  couple of days. I've unfortunately had issues with the blogaway app on my phone... I thought I had solve my problem switching to the blogaway app since I had so much technical problem with the blogger one. Well that's a bummer. In any cases, I'll try to solve this problem this week so I could be more active on this blog and update some more photos of Montreal ;)

Speaking of pictures, I promised you guys some photos of the photoshoot I had a couple weeks ago, well here they are! I had so much fun in that photoshoot! Do you like how it turned out? :)

Oh and, I don't know if you'd noticed, but that's the Coquette Dress dress from Fleet Collection that I'm wearing for the first part of the shoot! :) Love that dress! So comfortable and elegant!

And here's another shot, for your eyes only ;)

I'm sorry I haven't had enough time the last few days to edit all those gorgeous shots and put them online. My weeks were so full! The sweet Anna who won the The Stilettosaurus giveaway (congrats again dear! :) ) and I'm also working hard on my kiosque for the Samedis Artisans de Venise en Québec craft fair. Don't worry, I'm really not taking a vacation yet! I've been busy making some new models for the fair as well. I like for people who know my online shop to see some novelty and exclusivity whenever they stop by my table at a fair. I will list a brad new Berry ring tonight though. Didn't I promised you all some lovely shades of green? :)

I must admit it has been great on my eyes to take a break of my computer screen to focus more on manual things like drawing. You'll bappy to know that my geisha artwork is almost done! Yay! I've just got the flowers in her hair to finish up with a few touch ups and it will be all done! :) Here's where I'm at, I hope you like to see how it's coming along! :)

On this, I hope everyone had a great week! :) I'll be back very soon with the final results of the geisha artwork! :) Stay posted! And please, don't be shy and let me know how you like how the projects are coming along! :) 

* M * 

My travel Art kit

Hi everyone!

Summer is finally here, and so is vacation time! Yay! I'm actually planning a small trip with my amazing boyfriend, but for now I can't say more than we are still looking where to go. There are so many beautiful destinations, but we can only spare a few days for travelling this summer. We would hate to visit a place and only see a third of what it has to offer us...! If ever you have any suggestions for a 3-4 days trip, we would be more than happy to be inspired! :)

Speaking of inspiration, I hope I could inspire some of you with my recent artwork posts. I thought that with these posts and summer at our door, I would give you my list of materials whenever I'm on the go. I always find it fun to see what people bring with them on a trip, I always learn something from it! May it be ''that was a bad idea'' to ''This is genius…!'' 

So here's my list of art material when I'm travelling :

* Digital tablet - I have some pre-loaded reference pictures on my tablet in case I go somewhere with no internet connection, otherwise I browse on my extensive Pinterest account. I find this is way more practical to be able to switch from picture to picture. It also saves some trees since I don't have to print 10-20 images to be able to bring them with me. Oh and yes, I always use references whenever I'm creating artwork, may it be for proportions, shadows or colours.

Time flies…!

Hi everyone!

Ouf, let me tell you it has been a few super busy weeks on this side…!
I had a great time at the YES conference Wednesday on May 21st and I was so inspired by all of the speakers…! Although I was most astonished by Aldo shoes..... I was so stunned to see how big Aldo had become and how gorgeous the headquarters were! I mean Aldo has been part of the Montreal shopping landscape for a long time, but you know when you love a store, you don't necessarily think about checking out if they are international. And Aldo sure is…! It was incredible to see how many store and how large the company grew within the last decades. Bravo!

Also, Julian Giacomelli inspired me greatly with his idea of having a more organic company. He gave a lovely speech (which I don't want to steal) but mostly, the essence is that it is possible to have a company where every individual serve multiple purpose and in wich the work flows naturally. A resilient, adaptive and learning business. His business model? Nature…! His speech was fascinating and I was sadden to see we had such a short time to hear his ideas. I would have listen to his theories for hours…! I really hope I'll have the chance to catch another of his conference.

There were many great speakers, but Ethan from Frank & Oak amazed me with how his company brought the ambassador idea to such a new level. I love how they took the idea of their brand and pushed the boundaries, thought outside of the box with their ambassador program and events. Frank & Oak is more than just about clothing, it's a lifestyle and they created a community around their brand as well. I think Frank & Oak share multiple similarities with Etsy and it was a perfect guest speaker for my reasons for attending the YES conference. His passion for his work and ideas got my thoughts spinning for Kirameku in a whole new direction. Thank you Ethan!
That sums up the amazing YES conference for me. We were invited from 3pm to 9pm and I was eager to get back home to write some ideas down…!

I've also been busy preparing Kirameku second photoshoot for our necklace collection two week-ends ago. We had a gorgeous day in Montreal and we were lucky that the lilacs were in full bloom while we were shooting. We decided to get advantage of those gorgeous bouquets! Soon, I will post some sneak peeks here and on Kirameku Facebook page so please stay posted! :)

Also, I had wonderful reviews about my Dangle and Drop earrings collection on the lovely Blonde Ambition blog. Please check out the lovely review that Katie left on her blog! :)

Last but not least, Kirameku will be attending the ''Samedis Artisans de Venise-en-Québec'', a craft fair in Quebec. You can find all the details in the new Etsy Local Events with will help you pin point the exact location on a map. I will definitely will be back with a reminder but if you are in Venise-en-Quebec on July 5th, come say hello! :) I will be exhibiting my berry rings as well as my artwork. And yes, my geisha piece will be there! As you can see, it is slowly coming to life! I can't wait to add the colours in her hairpiece…!!

On this everyone, I wish you a wonderful week! :)
I'll be back soon with some more news, no more disappearing for days I promise!
* M * 

Necklace giveaway!

Hi everyone!

I promised some more Kirameku goodies for you in May and here it is...! :)

Since May 1st and until June 1st, you could win this Frosted Berry Necklace, exclusively drawn at the The Stilettosaurus Blog. 

But wait, you can win much more than that! Somdyuti (the Stilettosaurus blog owner) wanted to thank her blog followers so she's giving away much more than Kirameku necklaces. She's giving away 7 lovely piece of handmade jewelry. That is perfect for upgrading your jewelry drawer for this upcoming season! 

Want to win this gorgeous Frosted Berry Necklace? Well don't wait till the end of the month! Click here to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway :)

I would love your thoughts on this necklace, because there will be more in this series posted in a few days! So stay tuned! :) 

Want to see your favourite ring turned into a necklace? Contact me on my Etsy Shop to order a custom piece or simply leave a comment below! :)

On this everyone, have a lovely day!

* M * 

Artwork in progress - part 2

Hi everyone!

I was almost able to publish this article with my phone, and I was so happy to be able to do so…! But seems like the Blogger app might not be the easiest and more efficient app to do so… So I'll complete this blog post on my computer because I do not with to delay any further this post…! I'm having so much fun creating this artwork, I wanted to share with you what I had done yesterday in my studio. We are finally having some bright, sunny days in Montreal this week, I can't what to open up the door of my atelier…! :D

Original artwork - All rights reserved Kirameku - do not use these image without permission

I also took a few pictures of my materials, thought it could be nice for you to see with what I'm creating those effects on paper. I'm using a special edition of Windsor & Newton water-colour paper in a cold press grain with my marvellous, high-quality Faber-Castell pencils.

On this, I hope you enjoy this artwork! :) I'll be back with more - and better - pictures soon!
Have a great day everyone!

* M *

Raincheck plz…. Litterally!

Hi everyone!

I hope you are enjoying the beginning of Spring and that flowers are starting to bloom on your side of the hemisphere! :) I want to apologize for the lack of new products posted on my Etsy shop. The new items are pilling up, I just don't have any sun to make my photoshoot, literally! It has been gray and dull for weeks now in Montreal and whenever we get a bit of sun, I'm always at work. And obviously, by the time I get back home, sun is gone. We still have our scarves and hats here in Montreal as the temperatures are unusually low for Spring. And my umbrella is my new best friend….

Yep, you figured that one out, forget the second photoshoot for the new wedding necklaces for now. I wanted to have the photoshoot outside under the blooming trees but there's not even a leaf bud in the trees yet….! So, can we have a rain check on the rain…?!! It has been raining on and off for almost a month now… feels more like Fall than Spring, let me tell you…

Why not use a lithgbox then you might ask? It's not that I can't use one, simply my items are very small and to achieve all the angles that you see, I found it best to use a simple background and not have a restrictive access to the ring. Plus, there is the aspect that my studio is quite small for now. I can't wait to move to a bigger apartment and have a room dedicated only to Kirameku.

With all that, I must admit it has been a hard week for Kirameku. Also I finally had long awaited replies from craft fairs I've applied to and when they informed me of the price of their tables, I simply fell off my chair. Well, I guess those fairs won't be for this year… I was really looking forward to those fairs but those prices are so not in our budget!  I am still waiting for other fairs to open to submit Kirameku, hopefully we'll have better luck there. Fingers crossed, my goal is to attend at least 3 craft fair for this year.

On the bright side, Kirameku is finally getting up to speed with technology! :) I switched to a brad new smart phone last week-end and I love it! It's a bit confusing, but I'm getting the hang of it, you know with the apps changing all the layouts and responsive websites. I'll be able to share with you more pictures of Montreal as I'm now equipped with a great camera on this cellphone. I'll also be able to tweet some live feed, how cool is that? :)

I'm ending my tray toned article with a punch of colour. Here is the latest model that was listed, the Hot Pink Stardust Ring. It was supposed to be listed in summer but I just loved it too much and couldn't wait to share it with you! :)

Also, I have good news. For all of you who loved the Smoked Azzuro Berry, you'll be more than happy to know that I could get my hands on a fews strings f this model that was discontinued at one of my suppliers. I couldn't find much, as they were once again in liquidation and it's a shame, but as soon as I have a bit of light, I'll list it!

So stay posted and don't forget to pamper your Mom next week-end! :)
* M *

Merci Maman

Hi everyone! :)

Mother's day is just around the corner! And I'm sure many of you were reminded of the holiday with this publicity running around the internet about World's Toughest Job - Director of Operations. It's a great ad for Mothers Day and I think it depicts very well the fact that Mom's think about everyone in the family before themselves. So my recommendations for this Mothers Day is : Pamper her! : )

Why not call her favourite aesthetician and book her a surprise appointment? If you want her to try something new (or you have no idea if she has a favourite aesthetician), why not try the Zorah biospa? There are many addresses trhoughout Quebec and more. Zorah is a company that makes cosmetics mostly with argan oil, with an eco-friendly, fair trade and organic mission. And all is made in Canada, what else can you ask for?

She seems like she could enjoy a day off or two? Why not book her a full day at the spa with massages and a facial? And if you think you can pull this off, why not call her best-friend's husband and try to get the two girls at the spa the same day? :)

Or go shopping with her. Moms often put on their wish lists things that are needed instead of something they would want. How about taking them to their favourite store for some things for her for once?

On a tight budget? No problem!
You could make a gorgeous photo montage of her and her family and frame this souvenir so it will last for years to come.

Your Mom is super busy at the office? Why not make her a handmade cup with a personalized tag like ''Best Mom in the World'' with a lovely set of coffees or teas? Or you could offer her to cook the meals for diner at home for a week or two so she could take some time off and relax once she'll be home from work.

You all know your Mom favourite things and well, just make this day special for her and show her how much she means to you. Sometimes we get so busy that we forget to say something as simple as thank you for being there for me, always.

Please if you have any more ideas, feel free to share and comment! :)
Have a lovely week-end everyone!
* M * 

It's all about packaging

Hi everyone! : )

I'm super happy that I got to have two days off because of the Easter holiday at my new (and awesome) workplace.  My head is filled with new ideas for patterns and colour mixes for Spring and Summer and yesterday I got in my mailbox the new beads that I ordered, yay! I was all hyped this morning when I got up but since the sun never showed up, I won't be able to make my photoshoot today and show you some of my new designs…. :S I hope I'll have at least one day of sunshine, I can't wait to post new items, it has been way too long…! :) I have some delicious greens and luscious purple awaiting in my studio, I can't wait to share! :D

Since the time is gray and dull - but hopefully and slowly spring is getting warmer - I decided to focus on packaging. I'm always troubled on how to present Kirameku on a visual level for it's branding. This project is so dear to me, so close to my heart is seems I'm having a hard time making some basic decisions, compared with any of my customers where I always get a clear sense of which directions they are heading and have a clear idea of what they want. I guess Kirameku is really not black and white because of it's multitude of inspirations and that's very hard to depict all at once, especially since it's about both jewelry and artwork.

For now, this is the packaging I have for my earrings and rings. It's cute, but not quite where I want it yet. For my earrings I have some transparent plastic ring holders with a pearlescent sticker and a sturdy metallic box and bleu ribbon for my rings and necklaces.

I want to upgrade both my packaging for when I'll be shipping and on my table at my craft fairs this year. After all, it is all about presentation, therefore all about packaging.  I really want you guys to have a lovely experience when you'll open up the envelope from your order but I want to keep things ''simple'' if I may say, so to have as less waste as possible. I think goods are now way too over packaged. I've seen more then once two plastic bags plus a cardboard and a little foam for one simple item…! (And no it wasn't a precious and delicate item like a glass teacup that could break easily.) We have to think about our planet! I really wish I could have my thank you cards on plantable paper, but unfortunately I can't ship any seeds with Canada Post regulations - which also makes sense in a way. If ever you guys have some green ideas, please feel free to let me know! :)

Craft fair season might not be quite here yet, but it does take a little bit of planning ahead - depending on the size of the craft fair of course. My craft fairs for this year are of ''medium size'' (if I can put it that way) and I wish one day I could attend the One of a Kind Show in Toronto, but Kirameku is still too small to attends such an event. I wouldn't be able to fill their huge tables - for now. And believe me there is plenty of stock at home. I guess when you attend such shows you really need a big atelier, in any case much bigger than why I have right now. I keep my fingers crossed that temperature and time will be on our side this year as I really want to go see the event myself. It seems like a fabulous salon and I heard they have some great finds! :)

Here's a picture of my kiosque last year at Henryville at the end of the first day. As you can see there was a lot of improvement made from my first craft fair but I still have much to do! Last year I made some tiny displays out of upcycled wooden boxes and they turned out great. Next improvement : more levels! I think I need many improvements done on my presentation before I can thing about attending huge craft shows like the OOAK.

I'm hoping of having this great display for all my artwork as I want to triple my stock from last year (and it will feature the artwork I you saw in this blog post). And you can see that for now I can't really go bigger than an 8 feet table with my inventory. The tricky part is always to have something light and not too massive on your kiosque to block your client's view and with a dozen of 9x12 artowrk, it is going to be a big challenge. Oh well, let me start with the packaging and I'll get back to displays later as we go.

On this everyone, enough said about packaging and displays, it's time to go grab a bite.

On this, happy Easter everyone! :)

* M *

My Spring wish list

Hi everyone! :)

Spring is in the air even despite the pouring rain and lack of heat in Montreal. It's a time of year where everything gets in full bloom and we get that sense of renewal and are craving changes in our life (well, that's how I would describe my spring fever). May it be big or small, today I would like to present are my favourite inspirations pieces for spring 2014.

Just to add a bit of context to this list, one of my resolutions this year is to keep my consumer goods to a minimum, as we are often buying much more than what we need. For example, I would go to an art store and buy various products that I used once or that are still perfectly sealed months/years after their purchase. I did a lot of massive cleaning up in the last month and I was stunned to see how much I had. I ended up recycling, up cycling, selling or giving away a lot of items. So long story short, this is why I'm presenting you with a list of inspiration that are basic products. Everything on my list can be easily mixed and matched, upcycled into DIYs or has many uses.

Fashion picks

I'm currently obsessed with yellow and I'm sadden to see it was disregarded in the winter collection - I don't understand why, grey and yellow make such a lovely combination…! Here are favourite picks for this spring.

Coquette Dress in Mustard yellow
I love this Coquette dress in mustard yellow…! It's so versatile, you can wear it to work with a small blazer, with sparkling earrings for a date and even with a blouse underneath it when the weather is a bit cold! And did I mentioned it's handmade and has pockets….?!

Coquette Dress in Mustard by Fleet Collection. All rights reserved by Fleet Collection.

Polka dots Messenger bag
Polka dots are such a classic, especially in black and white…! They will look perfect with anything - I would even add especially with that Coquette dress!
Handmade, custom orders accepted, adjustable strap…sold!

Simon's draped shoulder's tshirt
I know many of you loved the shirt I was wearing on my first photoshoot, so here's my reference : ) (And if you love this necklace, click here for more info!)

ASOS Midi Skirt In Scuba With Full Pleats

Pleated skirts are going to be ultra in fashion this year, but what I love about them are that they are a classic in any wardrobe, just like A-line and circular skirts. Those never get out of fashion. This lovely coral tint will brighten up your day as well as your basic blouses and shirts. Combine it with a small stand up collar blouse for travelling in summer, with a turtleneck for fall or with a simple vneck thsirt for a day out with your girlfriends!

Home picks

Spring is the season for flowers and gorgeous bouquets! Here are my blooming picks for the house.

Imazinerie's wooden tissue box

Can you believe those flowers are all made out of paper….??!  It's a tissue box but it could also be used as a pencil or paintbrush holder, or to keep your loose change.

Ikea SKURAR flower pot

I simply love the lace like pattern on those! I think this gives them this little bit of chic that will make any plant look great and will hide the flower pot with elegance. They can be updated easily with spray paint and there are so many DIY to do with these if ever you do not need them as flower pots anymore.

Indigo's Glass Cloche Terrarium
I'm so in love with any glass cloche…! I love this one from Indigo as it's base makes it easy for you to find it new uses. How about a succulent garden to decorate your table at diner time or to add a touch of green in your studio? You could also use this cloche for any centrepiece for any Holidays, use it as a cupcake holder or to display any small object you would like to preserve! Tired of it's plain look? Decorate it with spray paint, washi tape and much more…! :)

Crate and Barrel's Peterboro Handmade Pie Basket

Baskets are such a classic! Instead of packing your pie or cake in a cardboard box, here's a simple solution next time you bring dessert over! How lovely would it be to have your pie inside and flowers under the lid as part of your hostess gift? This is also perfect for a small pick nick for two, road trip or for storage! : )