Easter Egg Hunt with the Trans-Canada Etsy Team

*** Congratulations to jimjims.etsy.com! Jimjims is the winner of a $15.00 coupon to any of the participating shops.***


Spring has sprung and the Easter Bunny hopped over to the TransCanada Etsy Team and left some eggs behind!

So we decided to host the first ever TransCanada Etsy Team Easter Egg Hunt!

29 shops are hiding 20 eggs and one person will win a $15.00 coupon
to redeem at any of the participating Etsy shops!!!

Join the fun, check out all the details at our team shop!

And while you're at it, have a look at Miel Designs...

Pour les Fêtes...

Cette année, Miel Designs vous offre tous ses bijoux en devise canadienne!

Comme Etsy fonctionne uniquement avec la devise américaine pour l'instant,
les prix chez Miel Designs sont habituellement de même.

Mais pour un temps limité, et ce jusqu'au 31 janvier 2009,
$CAN = $US!

C'est donc dire qu'un item marqué 25,00$ US chez Miel Designs vous sera offert à 25,00$ CAN.

Vous n'avez qu'à effectuer vos achats comme d'habitude, mais attendre une fois arrivé à l'écran de paiement. (Là où il faut cliquer "Paypal".)
Je vous enverrai par la suite une facture révisée en dollars canadiens.


-:¦:-•:*¨¨*:•.-:¦:-
De plus, mentionnez ce blog ou Facebook
dans la section commentaires de l'écran de paiement
et je paie pour vous les frais d'envoi!
-:¦:-•:*¨¨*:•.-:¦:-

Crochet Zen

Well, it certainly has been a long time since my last update, hasn't it!

A few new things since then: I've added new items to my shop and I've taken up crochet!

Yes! My grandmother would be proud! She had originally taught me to knit, when I was little, but I never really stuck to it. More recently, I found out that to knit properly, I'd at least have to learn how to purl. That didn't work out so well. I just couldn't get the hang of it. So, still wanting to play with yarn, I decided to try something else. Crochet! If I couldn't make knots into fabric with two sticks, I might be able to do it with one! And I was right! Or rather, I took the time to learn properly. With a kid's kit. The best way to learn! Klutz's Learn to Crochet in Six Great Projects really did the trick for me. The instructions and illustrations are very, very clear. With a bit of practice, I just couldn't go wrong. Yay!


I'm now making everyone crocheted gifts for Christmas! Finding affordable, quality, natural fiber yarns has also been an education in itself. Luckily, I have the good people at Ravelry to thank. Their user yarn ratings, among other features, are very useful.



So far, I'm pretty happy with my work. Really, I think I may have a knack for this. And I'm finding the whole thing immensely enjoyable and zen.

On the jewellery front, I've slowly been adding new pieces to the shop:

Moreover, and this is the main reason for this post I admit, I've decided to offer Canadian currency at par to all Canadian buyers. As many of you know, Etsy operates exclusively on an $US basis. A few months ago, that was fabulous for us Canadians! But now, not so much. So until January 31, 2009, $CND = $US at Miel Designs. Good, eh?

I still have a few more items to add and am always happy to take up a custom project. Send me a note and we'll talk!

Now available at the Tea Biscuit Café and Studio!

A selection of my wire-wrapped rings is now available for purchase at the Tea Biscuit Café and Studio in Metcalf (Ottawa South), Ontario.

Tea Biscuit also offer a delicious selection of teas and tasty treats, as well as lovely items by other local artisans. Be sure to make time to stop and say hello when in their neck of the woods.

The Boss of You

So you're thinking about starting your own small business and you need some good information to get you started? Maybe you're already a business owner, but need a few pointers?

Head on over to the Trans Canada Etsy Team blog where Laura Bucci has just posted a very positive review of The Boss of You: Everything a Woman Needs to Know to Start, Run and Maintain Her Own Business by Lauren Bacon and Emira Mears, published by Seal Press (April 2008).

You could also win a copy of the book by leaving a comment about how you chose your business name or why you'd like to start a business. Best of luck!

The very latest! - Tout nouveau!

Soon available at Miel Designs. ~*~ Bientôt disponibles chez Miel Designs.

Prisms & Pendalogues ~*~ Prismes et pendeloques

Just before the holidays, I completed a very special project. A friend of mine asked me to prepare the multiple strands of crystal drops, prisms and pendalogues needed to decorate a handcrafted chandelier. The fixture was machined by her brother, and once installed, my friend and I met to hang the crystal strands upon the chandelier. I have to say I was very happy with the finished product. See for yourself!

~*~

En décembre, j'ai eu l'occasion de compléter un projet très spécial. Une amie m'avait demandé de préparer une multitude de rangs de cristaux, prismes et pendeloques qui serviraient à décorer un nouveau lustre de fabrication artisanale. Son frère en ayant usiné l'installation, et une fois cette dernière bien installée, mon amie et moi nous sommes rencontrées afin de pendre tous ces rangs de cristaux sur le lustre. Je dois dire que je suis bien satisfaite du résultat! Voyez par vous-même!

Canadian gifts for one and all ~*~ Des cadeaux tous droit sortis du Canada

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!

~*~

C'est incroyable combien il y a de gens pleins de talents au Canada! L'image ci-dessus ne montre qu'une parcelle des articles vendus par ceux-ci et disponibles chez Etsy. Afin de mieux voir, cliquez sur la photo. Une nouvelle fenêtre apparaîtra et vous pourrez tout voir en gros plan. Quelque chose vous intéresse? Prenez en note le nom de boutique de l'artiste, rendez-vous chez Etsy et effectuez une recherche avec ce même nom. Ou bien tapez "Canada" ou "Canadian" dans le moteur de recherche afin de trouver mille et une raisons d'acheter des choses faites à la main. Plus facile que ça... Vous leur direz que c'est Miel Designs qui vous envoie!

Newness for Fall ~*~ Nouveautés pour cet automne

Finally! I've gotten around to taking new pictures of my most recent pieces and am in the process of adding them to my Etsy shop. So if you're starting your holiday shopping early or are just looking for something new to adorn your beautiful self with, have a look here.

~*~

J'ai enfin photographié mes nouvelles créations et je suis à les ajouter à ma boutique chez Etsy. Si vous pensez commencer votre magasinage des Fêtes ou voulez simplement vous parer de quelque chose de nouveau, allez vite faire un tour ici.

On comments... ~*~ Pour ce qui est des commentaires...

I've made it possible for everyone to comment here without having to login to Google or Blogger. Hopefully, this will encourage everyone to say hello every once in a while.

~*~

Il vous est maintenant possible de me laisser un commentaire sans avoir à vous inscrire à Google ou Blogger. En espérant que ceci saura vous encourager à me laisser un p'tit bonjour un fois de temps en temps.

*image courtesy of bjearwicke at stock.exchng. See more of his photos at http://www.garrisonphoto.org/

Update on the Basalt Bracelet

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!

Newness...

Here are a couple new pairs of earrings, on this Sunday afternoon...

Both are available at my Etsy shop.


June Earrings - $20



Pop Earrings - $20


Many thanks for looking!

Featured Items ~*~ En vedette

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.

Lava Ring

Lapis Lazuli Ring


Swirl Ring

New! ~*~ Du Neuf!

Many of these pieces will soon be available at my Etsy shop.

Thanks for having a look!

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Plusieurs de ces créations seront bientôt disponible chez Etsy.

Merci de jeter un coup d'oeil!

Come and see my Etsy shop! ~*~ Venez me voir chez Etsy!

I'm very happy to announce the grand opening of my new Etsy shop!

http://mieldesigns.etsy.com

It's rather small at the moment, but I'll be adding many new items very soon. I just need to take a few better photos...

Many thanks for all your encouragement!

***************************************************

Je suis très heureuse de vous annoncer l'ouverture de ma petite boutique en ligne chez Etsy.

http://mieldesigns.etsy.com

C'est tout petit pour l'instant, mais j'ajouterai bientôt plus de bijoux. Il me faut prendre de meilleures photos...

Merci de votre encouragement!

Good News! ~*~ Bonnes nouvelles!

( English will follow...)

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... Merci de me lire!

**************************************************

See? It's the new logo for my brand-new small business, Miel Designs. Innit great?

"Miel" means honey in French, hence the bee. Also, the Latin word for honey is - wait for it - mel! Well, actually, it's "mel mellis", but close enough...

My friend Nany created the logo for me. Isn't she a sweetie?

For those who don't already know, I make hand-crafted jewellery. What started as a hobby will soon be an actual business. I'll be proposing my designs to a few local boutiques, here in Ottawa - one owner is already quite interested, and will soon be opening a small (tiny) Etsy shop online.

All I'm waiting for now are my business cards and tags, as well as for a few small but utterly important odd and ends. I'm so excited!

Thanks for reading! I'll be sure to keep everyone updated...