I recently donated a bunch of earrings to my Etsy team, to be given away as loot for contests and such. Yesterday, flurrsprite, our last winner, wrote to say she had taken pictures of everything she had won, including a pair of my earrings. So gracious of her, don't you think?
You can see her blog entry here. Just scroll down a little and you'll find the photos of the earrings. And while you're at it, have a look at everything else she won. It's really worth it! You can also check out her own Etsy shop. I highly recommend it - she handbounds books, among other cool things.
Snow is covering the ground from coast to coast, or very nearly, and it definitely looks like winter is here to stay.
To help keep you and yours warm, here are a selection of cozy items from our very own Canadian crafters.
Last Saturday, I hosted my very first beading workshop. I was very excited and not a little nervous to welcome four fun ladies to my kitchen for some jewellery making instruction. I have to admit, though, that things went very well! That my guests were smart cookies helped tremendously! All four girls left with brand new pieces to wear rather proudly.
Things went so well, I think I will be hosting more workshops in the near future, quite possibly after the Holiday season. Please feel free to drop me a line if you think you'd be interested in either attending or hosting a beading workshop yourself!
Isabelle, Yary, Sofie & Daphné
A couple of the girls had brought their own basic materials. Next time, I think I'll be offering a few kits to choose from instead.
Hard at work. Beading is fiddly stuff, you know...
Voici un autre projet fait sur commande. Un bracelet à trois rangs en perles de verre noires, avec des accents en argent 925.
It just goes to show you. There are so many talented people living here! The image above showcases only a few Canadian artists who have their wares to sell at Etsy. To get a better view of their shop names, please click on the image - it will open larger in another window. And if something catches your eye, go to Etsy and do a search for the seller. Or enter the search term "Canada" or "Canadian" for more fabulousness. Simple as that! Just tell them Miel Designs sent you!
She likes it! Hurray!
I'm really glad, because I wasn't sure we were envisioning the same thing. It's always difficult to design new jewellery for someone else without basing yourself on an actual existing piece. You're never sure what you are imagining is even close to what your client wants. So, we sent pictures back and forth and kept the conversation going. And finally, we both were satisfied with the result.
It's funny. In my listing on Etsy, I described it as being "a delicious steampunk-style bracelet". It turns out that my client, an author, is writing a steampunk-themed novel at the moment! Coincidence? Probably. Then again, you know what they say about great minds and all that...
By the way, I'd be remiss if I didn't highly recommend checking out her works. Her name is Nathalie Gray and she's a fellow Canadian. Word to the wise, Nathalie writes romantic erotica (Hi Mom!) and hers is definitely not for the faint of heart. Her maxim is "Explosions and... romance?" If this sounds good to you, and it should, visit her website here. Her stories are totally kick-ass! And make sure you tell her Mel sent ya!
Here are a few photos of a wedding ensemble I made for a new client. The set comprises of a necklace, bracelet and earrings, all made with chocolate brown faux pearls and sterling silver findings and accents.
Here are a few pics of a custom cuff bracelet I'm making for a client.
I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, considering its size. It is 2" wide. I had to make the separator bars myself, as I couldn't, for the life of me, find any long enough to accomodate the 16mm lava beads. So I got out some sturdy 20g sterling silver wire and curlicued away on my wig-jig.
I've sent off a few pics of the bracelet to said client and am now waiting to read her reaction. Hopefully, she'll like it. But if not, I've got a few more ideas up my sleeve...
Currently featured at my Etsy shop, are these hand-wrapped wire rings. They can be made in your size and your preference of copper, sterling silver or gold-filled wires. $20 each.
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Z'avez vu? C'est mon nouveau logo! C'est la belle Nany qui me l'a confectionné. L'est bonne, hein?
C'est pour ma nouvelle petite entreprise - Miel Designs. Pour ceux qui ne savent toujours pas, je fabrique des bijoux artisanaux. Dans très peu de temps, j'irai proposer mes articles dans quelques boutiques locales, à Ottawa. Déjà, l'une d'entre-elles est très intéressée. Aussi, j'ouvrirai une (toute) petite boutique en ligne chez Etsy.
J'attend seulement de recevoir mes cartes d'affaires et étiquettes personalisée, et aussi autres menus articles nécessaires à toute bonne "business-woman".
Je vous tiendrai au courant... 
Here's my latest attempt at beadweaving. I must say I'm feeling pretty chuffed at the results! I tried to go for something that felt like spring. I think it totally works!
I used a green 11/0 Czech seed bead mix from BeadFX -- I've had these beads for along time and just didn't know what to do with them until now. The button flower clasp is made out of a yellow 6mm cat's eye druk (round bead) and 11/0 Delicas in Lined Cranberry (db75) and Lined Magenta AB (db56). Everything was woven together in peyote and square stitch using Evergreen Nymo B thread on the bracelet and red Silamide A thread on the button.
Thanks for looking!
