Blanc d'ivoire

Something I have had in mind for a while was to make a version of my "Macadam" necklace all in white... First, because I love all-white accessories, especially in summer, and second, because I fell in love with these off-white wool felt balls : )

Now, the question was to find what combination of white beads could work with my off-white felt balls... I thought about it, looked around, tried a few combinations and finally decided to work with... porcelain!


So, let me introduce you to my "Blanc d'ivoire" collection : wool felt balls, porcelain and magnesite beads for the necklace and wool felt balls, magnesite and sterling silver for the earrings... I am thinking of making a matching bracelet but I am concerned the white wool felt balls might get dirty if worn on the wrist...


(that's me modelling my "Blanc d'ivoire" necklace and showing off my super cool All Saints Spitafields bleached zebra shirt! Note to myself : next time, wear a touch of make-up before taking pictures...)

Celebration!

"Special", sculpture by ArtMind.

Time flies, my friends... I realized the other day that I opened my little Etsy shop TWO years ago and I can say, without exaggeration, that it has changed my life!

First, because discovering Etsy was such an exhilarating experience : I remember like yesterday the pleasure of being able to see, admire and buy the work of so many crafters, artisans and artists from all around the world, and being inspired to express my own creativity. And second, of course, because having my own little corner on the Internet and putting my creations for sale gave me a new focus, a new artistic medium and also, a new identity...

Looking back at my very first listings, I thought that showing some of my first necklaces would be a nice way to celebrate this anniversary : )




"Chic coquelicot" necklace, purple felt poppy with a beaded centre, and light blue freshwater pearls.
"Bouquet de violettes" necklace, a bouquet of purple and red felt flowers, with freshwater pearls and frosted Czech glass.
"Bouquet d'amour", a Mini Olala necklace with pink and red flowers, bright lampwork glass beads and sparkly Czech glass.

And during the whole month of March, I am offering FREE SHIPPING worlwide in my shop.
Enjoy : )

Early Spring?

Isn't it ironic? We are just 6 days away from the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the olympic torch is getting closer and closer to my house (coming by on Thursday at noon... the kids are excited!), the city center is buzzing with tourists, journalists and policemen (lots of them!), I am receiving emails from my friends in France telling me that they are stuck in the snow and I say : snow? what snow???

Yes, here in Vancouver, it's SPRING!


As you can see, the lilac tree in front of my house is already budding... The weather and temperature have been really mild lately and we haven't seen any snowflakes since December : ) What sucks for the Vancouver Olympic Committee is actually great for me as I hate snow and I am always much happier when I have flowers around me...

So here's a new version of my "Papillon" bracelets to celebrate an early Spring : this one features a purple felt butterfly with a pink and copper lampwork glass bead, purple crazy lace agate coin beads mounted on an elastic and finished with a burgundy picot satin ribbon.

And here's a nice bouquet of felt flower brooches that I bought from one of my favorite Etsy sellers : Vaivanat. I absolutely adore these flower brooches and I could have them in all the colors of the rainbow! I actually bought another two but I intend to give them as presents to some of my friends so I don't want to show them here ; )

Vaiva is from Lithuania and she is the sweetest Etsy seller I have "met" so far.... You can visit her shop at : www.vaivanat.etsy.com

(but be careful, these flower brooches are addictive!).

Christmas madness...

Holiday cards by Rubypress (Etsy)

I don't know about you but I am NOT in the mood for Christmas yet!

First of all, I can't believe we are in December when yesterday we were in September.... weren't we? And, quite frankly, I am way too busy at the moment to even think about Christmas! Actually, I have to force myself to think about it : I am trying to list new items in my Etsy shop almost every day because I know that by the end of the weekend, people are not going to buy Christmas presents anymore due to shipping...

So here is a bit of inspiration that I have listed in my shop recently :

"Fleurs du soir", a bracelet composed of red carved cinnabar, plum jasper and jet black Swarovski crystals

Here's "Fleurs du soir" with my new ring by Spark, a designer I met at the Fab Fair. Check out her cool jewelry at : www.spark-girl.com


And here is my latest Treasury, "So chic!", that made the Front Page yesterday : )

Now, if you excuse me, I have to get ready for the TWO Christmas Markets I have registered for this weekend (what was I thinking about?....)

Behind the scene

The problem when you have a shop on Etsy is that you have to be good at multitasking (is that a word???). First, there is your handmade product of course but then, you have to take beautiful pictures that can attract potential buyers and, considering that there are thousands of sellers who make jewelry on Etsy, it is not an easy thing to be noticed...

What I find difficult when I photograph my jewelry is that I want to show the details and textures of the materials I used, try to capture the actual colors and also give an idea of the product when it is worn... I usually ask my friend Anne to model for me (she has a beautiful long neck that is perfect for modelling necklaces!) but lately, it has been impossible for us to organize a photo session so I have been compelled to model my necklaces myself... which is not an easy task when you are also the photographer!!!

So, the other day, I asked my 8-year-old son to help me.... and I absolutely love this picture he took of me - even though this is not the one I eventually used in my listing. I love it because I like the colors of the picture but also, the angle is sooo cute : you can definitely see that he is smaller than me : )

Première (Opening night) necklace - carved white cinnabar flower, onyx, coral, Japanese tensha beads

This necklace is part of my "Opera collection" because it measures 26.5 inches and this length for a necklace is called "opera". I like the fact that this necklace can easily and elegantly transform from day to evening wear...

Mini Olala is going solo!

A couple of weeks ago, I decided that I should open another shop on Etsy to separate my Mini Olala jewelry for little girls from my "grown-up" jewelry.

The thought behind this decision was that it might be a little confusing for the viewers and customers of Olala design to find some items for children listed in the same shop. Creating a shop only dedicated to children would also give me the opportunity to list more items like hair clips and small brooches for instance...

So, you are invited to visit my new shop : www.MiniOlala.etsy.com

This mini butterfly bracelet was the 1st sale of my new shop this week : )

Mini Olala's pink and sparkly packaging - of course!

1000 Hearts : )

So the 1000th Etsian who added my shop in her favorites was.... Evelda's Neverland! As a matter of fact, Evelda lives in Canada - in Fredericton, New Brunswick. She designs crocheted and handknit items like scarves, chockers, handbags, baby sweaters and hats...

I featured one of her chockers in my latest Treasury, "Autumnal Bouquet" :

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6813724

Who's next???

Some of my creations have been featured in some beautiful Treasuries this week and they made the Front Page of Etsy today!!! Yes, three times, Olala design was on the Front Page today!!! .... Hundreds of viewers visited my "shop" but, well, I cannot really say that my sales exploded... no....

But on the other hand, I have noticed that I now have 999 Etsians who "heart" my shop! Isn't it cute????

I really wonder who is going to be number 1000 : )

A Front Page day!

Today, Olala design was on Etsy's Front Page twice!

First, it was my newest Treasury "Sweet Nothing" that made the FP and later, it was Rafya's "B.B.O" (blue brown and olive) that featured my "Ronde d'ebene" bracelet... Rafya is a jeweller from Israel and she is one of my favorite sellers : )

http://www.rafya.etsy.com/

Blossoms

I really enjoy making lists for the Treasury on Etsy : every Etsy user can become a "curator" by choosing 12 items featured in her "favorites" and arrange them according to colors or themes. Then, the big game is to look at each other's lists and comment : "oh, this is so lovely!", "what a stunner!", "I really love this color palette!", etc... and avidly scroll down the Treasury to see if your own items are featured somewhere... Ultimately, your talents as a curator might be recognized by the Etsy administration who will put your list on the Front Page of the web site for up to an hour! This is very rewarding for the "curator" and a fantastic promotional tool for the sellers.

Anyway, I just wanted to show you a list created by Betsy3, a seller from Italy, who featured my "Blossoms" earrings in her latest Treasury. I really like this list and I hope it will make the Front Page : )