À Paris ♥

Sprinting to catch the Main Street bus to get to work last week, I was stopped dead in my tracks when my eyes caught sight of these adorable lockets in the window display of sweet local boutique Much And Little. Not only did I miss my bus but missing my bus led me into the heart-warming shoppe and gazing for a long time at these adorable and colorful little enamel lockets made in the city of lights.

 

 Picture via Shanghai Style

These little lockets are from a sweet brand named Trois Petits Points. Launched in 2007, Trois Petits Points is designed and created by Emilie Despeaux in her workshop in Paris. Each piece is made of materials chosen with care from gold-colored brass or silver plate and is often enamelled with elegent pops of color. Her collection, of course, does not stop at just enamelled lockets and includes many other elegant pieces of jewelry from earrings to bracelets.

The sweet story behind the name of Emilie's collection is described by herself as:

"Trois Petits Points means in English « three little dots » or « three little stitches ». It's a reference to embroidery design that was my specialty when I studied textile design and more poetically to « ... » at the end of a phrase, a kind of promise that something will follow..."

Delta Necklace from the Spring/Summer 2012 Collection

I love the simplicity of each piece and her additions of color, keeping the "classic" in a locket yet making it modern and fresh. Prices vary from piece to piece, but expect to pay anywhere around $100 or more for her precious handmade jewelry. Her jewelry can be purchased from Much and Little or Beklina's online.

I've already started a jewelry fund jar and just cannot wait to wear one of these lovely dainties around my neck ♥

xo

Lori

Handmade ♥

I've been on a handmaking frenzy lately...

Finally finished my little toque ♥
It's the coziest blend of alpaca, merino, silk, mohair, camel hair and cashmere.

 

I did a little bit of fixing up with my jewelry designs and switched all the chains from gold plated to gold filled as well as add on a little tag with L stamped onto it.
This is my favorite design from my entire collection. I've been trying to get my hands on more of that beautiful large Agate stone, which has definitely been a challenge. 

 

 

 

I wish I had more time to work on knitting and jewelry making. The feeling of completing a beautiful project is incredible and you truly treasure that piece so much more. 

xo

Lori

IFound Gallery: The Place For DIY

(Photo Via Poser Series)

For all of you readers out there who love creating jewelry, crafting or anything DIY you should definitely check out the IFound Gallery on Main Street. I have been working in the Mount Pleasant area for over a year now and only newly discovered this fantastic shop a few months ago. IFound Gallery has an amazingly extensive collection of (vintage) findings, chains, semi precious stones, keys, pendants, vintage glasses, cameos, buttons, silk scarves (and many other things that don't come to mind right now) and they have a small section of vintage clothing. They also carry tools for jewelry making, Hypo cement glue, DIY books, and wire.

(Photos via Tumblr)

Word of advice: you might want to stop by when you're not in a rush. The first time I visited, I actually was in a rush to catch the bus before my ticket expired - well that failed horribly as I spent 2 hours in the shop and didn't even realize it.

I find their prices (though not the absolute best) are fairly decent and actually great if you're just doing a small project that does not require buying in bulk. I love their selection of chain, semi precious stones and metal pendants (there are some very cute sailboats, shells, and leaves) and also their "mixed chain bags" where you get a bit of many different chains.

For all those who do not live in Vancouver who would also love to browse IFound Gallery's collection and supplies, fear not! They have an online site as well as an Etsy shop!
After stopping by IFound Gallery, if you're still looking for jewelry bits and (better) stones Beadfreaks just a few blocks down should be your next stop. It may be a small store, but they have drawers and drawers and drawers of gorgeous stones and lots of little beads to finish off your project with (the stones of one of my best selling necklaces are from here).
If you're more of a knitter than a jewelry maker - also in the area you'll find Three Bags Full who describe themselves as the place for people who love to knit.
Main Street is a great place for creative minds and crafters.

I get most of my inspiration for making jewelry from nature as well as jewelry pieces I see in magazines and shops. I do love having a large amount of stones and chain so I can play around with shapes and how I might put them together - but that's very costly compared to knowing what you want to make and going to get what you need. Where do you get your creativity from? Have you made anything lately? 

 (Photos via Etsy)

xo

Lori

Etsy Picks Of The Month ♥

Because I love Etsy ♥

    Bronze Raven Claw Ring $54
    Pretty, cool, edgy and best of all - made in beautiful British Columbia ♥

 Coco Chanel Travel Mug $28

Simply classic. Each mug comes with a lid, holds a generous 16 oz. and measures 6" tall and 3 1/2" across the top. The interior of the mug can be changed to your desired color (otherwise this one is black), and if you prefer a different quote or other words, customization is available!

Air Plant Urchins $29
Because every room needs a touch of green. And what better way than these ultra low maintenace air plants in adorable sea urchins?

Opelle Botanist Leather Bag $334

A beautiful, simple and chic everyday bag, with plenty of space for all your essentials, front zippers for easy access to small items and super sturdy construction. Made in Canada ♥

Patona Brown Leather Bag $165

Slouchy, large sized hobo bag with removeable fur tail charm. Impeccable quality. Hand-made and finished with love in Uruguay. 

Oversized 'The Cut' Top $44

It's the tee you wear because when you slip it over your head you'll look and feel even better then you hoped for. This top has an over sized cut with fitted sleeves to make you feel girlie and modernly edgy all at once not to mention it's unbelievably chic. One of my wardrobe staples.

Nature Preserve Jewelry ♥

Cypress Pine Cones Necklace

Sterling Silver Pine Cone Necklace

Pecan Necklace

Pieces of nature covered in 24 karat gold and sterling silver: how beautiful are these pieces of jewelry from Nature Preserve?

I've never come acress jewelry quite like this before (oh Etsy I love you for leading me to endless discoveries). The uniqueness and delicate beauty of these necklaces absolutely mesmerizes me. I love how they are so chic and fancy, yet still manage to create a totally down to earth look. With a lot of jewelry today chunkier and heavier than ever (not that it's a bad thing - I do love bold and in your face statement pieces), don't these look delightfully light and delicate?

I especially love the Cypress Pine Cones necklace. I wear a lot of black (simplicity - that's me), adding this necklace to my wardrobe would be such an elegant pop of gold. I wish I had a happier wallet - I would definitely purchase one. Just looking at the pictures makes my mind whirl with outfit ideas.

Swedish Mini Pine Cones Necklace

My favorite piece ♥

Some tidbits about Gur Kimel's Nature Preserve collection:

"Gur Kimel is a student for B.Design in industrial design at H.I.T Israel. Gur designs jewellery from natural shapes, materials and textures. In his hands, acorns, pinecones and nuts become magnificent jewels while maintaining their natural beauty. Exploring and collecting exceptional pieces in the Jerusalem hills, urban Tel-Aviv, European forests and Scandinavian villages, Gur finds that nature tells a different story in each location, and this story changes again from season to season."

For now, I'll stick to making my hex bracelets (it's wallet friendly and chic too).
I'll be setting up a mini jewelry fund jar...until next time beautiful golden pinecones!

xo

Lori