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 *