New Collection and Pictures from Everyday Life

Here’s a picture what my workspace / studio looks like when I am actually working on things. I have a talent for working within chaos and finding order within it. It’s quite evident in many of the things I make or do. From afar it will look like a cluster but when you look closer it has a kind of balance or order. Very few notice it - but when they do I am very impressed.

Here are some of my latest pieces. I have yet to add to Etsy but they will most likely be going to stores instead. I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’ve really liked carved bone pieces. Especially cooky fish with really funny expressions. :) I’ve also found a way to use the silk and rayon tassel samples I bought from the Textile Museum Fabric Sale. This makes me happy and I hope it diminishes my hoard a bit.

Here are some of my latest works. I’m a total romantic bohemian at heart. Sometimes I feel more bohemian then usual. I think recently, it has really been a reoccurring theme in my life. To me, it’s just the essence of free-spirit. My latest pieces are inspired by islands, windswept beaches, sun-bleached fabrics, summer, salt, natural colors and just being free.

At the same time. My style has slowly gone towards the Hipster fashion for the Winter. Trust me, by no means am I a Hipster. I only identify with the fashion itself but not the subculture. I’ve also begun experiment with strange colors and different silhouettes. I bought green oxfords. Haha. 

Death & Sneak peek of New July Product!

It's been a tough week. I just attended my first open casket Wake yesterday. One of my closest friend's mother died a couple days ago. It was all so sudden. :'( I bawled when I heard she had a few months to live and then a couple days later she passed. I cried a lot over it. I didn't breakdown at the Wake which was a slight relief. Nothing worst then being the loud catalyst of grief - when I cry I get pathetically loud and clogged. My heart and prayers go out to my friend's family. Especially my friend who has been nothing less then precious and to this day remains one of my most steadfast buddies. I love you, A.

That aside, been busy working on new designs! I have also expanded into Men's accessories. Lots of Mori Girl + Mori Boy / Dolly Boy items. Dolly Kei headpiece. Natural Kei + Fur Puffs and Tails are back after so many personal requests! Here's a few quick low quality pictures of my items until I get them photographed nicely. :) Enjoy!

As always, comments are welcome and I don't mind constructive criticism at all. :)

- Blogged from my iPhone

Blog Revamp + TNK Restock + New Hairbow!

I have been sick all Saturday. To the point I had to call in sick for the first time in months since this year. It seems like I have either given myself food poisoning (seeing as I am quite clumsy) or had a 24 hour stomach bug that some people at work currently have. Either way, the images of microbes dancing across my vision right now is revolting.

I added a button on the side called ‘Appify’ which will be my reviews, commentary, and such about Apple products, apps, and information for fellow Creatives and Creative Lifesytles-Businesses. I will refrain from random posting only to specifically target the Creative and Business niche. I begin my first iPad App review this Monday on Wacom-developed, Bamboo Paper. I’ll be attending the Toronto Apple Expo July 12th - reporting from a Creative perspective.

I restocked my items at Tomorrow Never Knows - a vintage and handmade store curated by the lovely, Eva Bowering. You will find more fascinators, lace applique necklaces (gold and silver chains) and taxidermy jewelry (rings and necklaces in gold and silver chains).

If you are in Toronto I would HIGHLY recommend that you visit her store and Ransack the Universe which are in the same building. Both carry my items and some of my mom’s items!

Despite the pain I told myself I had to be productive. I spent most of the day doing the moooost Photoshop in my life. Maybe, just maybe I might be getting the hang of Photoshop finally. I totally revamped the blog! LOOK! Isn’t it more beautiful and simple? :)

I also got a mailing list service up, set up my blog pages (upper navigation bar), made new earrings, and sewed some lace bow barrettes. I also have a new listing for up for Amigurumi Pea Pods by my mom on Etsy. I need better pictures of everything - so expect that all to be done by the next few weeks. :)

The lace bow barrette (seen in picture above) has been stocked at Tomorrow Never Knows and my Etsy for $20 CDN. I am in the process of making them in three colors: ecru, cream (pictured) and tea-stained (in progress).

Thoughts? Love it? Need it?

New Mori Girl, Cult Party Kei, and Dolly Kei pieces

Just a brief picture update of what I have been working on for my mostly finished June Ofelia Ljuv Collection.

Lots of headbands and necklaces with pastel tones mixed with neutrals. I have begun making more pendant brooch-necklaces on a smaller scale which will be priced lower then my current pieces. What do you think? Love them or hate them? I'm totally open to comments and suggestions!

Quaintrella Etsy is Updated!

I listed things on my Etsy Shop. 90% of my Ofelia Ljuv May Collection is on there.



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Quaint tidbits for the enlarged soul

I am just a little upset I didn’t go to Anime North this year. If I had gotten a table - I would be there as it would make it financially feasible to attend. I had given my hotel room to a friend but I found out recently that they didn’t remove my credit card information from the file and now I have a hold on my freaking credit card for the hotel fee. Doubletree - I hate you.

Either way, moving is a top priority - and can you believe it?! I move in a week. A WEEK! I can’t wait - I have a penthouse level apartment that I will be deathly scared to peer out of due to a phobia with heights. Heights make the fireflies that live in my stomach whirl around and around and around. Or, so I would like to think. :)

I was inspired by a friend of mine, Chu, also a fellow Mori Girl. She had a table at AN last year and it was amazing. I wish I could have bought some things from her but I wasn’t physically there this time around. :( So sad. Her stuff has the aesthetic of what I would call ugly-cute. It’s very endearing - at first it was strange to me but then it grew on me like mould.

I was inspired by her to remember my previous plans (among many) to incorporate Pink House aesthetic of childishness into mature detailing. It’s hard to explain - but Pink House is one of the oldest labels in Japan for modern alternative clothing. It is said to be the root of Gothic & Lolita fashion before it became what it is today. But, Pink House is an expert at melding seemingly childish things into something wonderful and cute. Japanese housewives are their main clientele and we all know Japanese housewives are also huge lovers of Hello Kitty. So, there is something about cute and mature that somehow goes hand and hand in this scenario.

That aside. I made my first multiple sale and went crazy using that money to buy supplies. I bought 20 tiny handmade doilies, 18 handmade-and-vintage doilies in small and medium sizes, and 100 buttons made from wood in the shape of adorable animals like the ones I posted in my blog. I also got a Heartsy Membership and bought a voucher for 200 stamped wildlife tags. I’ve noticed that while my stamps are awesome the ink isn’t - it smudges. So, until I get more awesome ink I’ll be using these gorgeous tags for my items. :)

Sleepless Nights of Preparation and New Handmade Items

Here's what stock preparations look like for my upcoming meeting with a local boutique tomorrow afternoon. :) Looks orderly doesn't it? It was tedious to label and organize but well worth it. :)

So far, it's been a busy few weeks. I've been soliciting local boutiques in an attempt to push my product locally. I managed to get my Mom's crochet goods into Propaganda - but, that backfired a little due to miscommunication. I'm a little saddened by this setback but I learned a lot from it while talking to those closest to me. I now know how to better handle myself in these situations of business. It's my first consignment so I won't beat myself up over it. I have a large line up - I am highly adaptable, skilled, and my tastes are so varied with many different influences. Good for me, that clientele can be just as diverse as my tastes. :)

Since my last post I have accomplished quite a lot. Ransack the Universe now carries some of my wooden pins, crochet cellphone and bag charms, and wooden necklaces.

If you are local or visiting Toronto I would highly recommend their really nifty and kitchy store at:

Ransack the Universe
1207 Bloor Street West (Lower Level)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

At the same time I am also in contact with the following boutiques, stores, and collectives:

- Nathalie-Roze & Co.
- Tomorrow Never Knows
- Freedom Clothing Collective
- The Drake General Store

I will be updating ETSY after I sort the stock relocation out. I have two applications to do for collectives, a art gallery proposal to submit, and a likely craft event to prepare for... I also have an interview for Apple this Friday. And, I also signed my lease over the weekend for my new place - I'll be living near Liberty Village and right by Queen West by June. :)

Below are new products by my Mom and I. Enjoy!

Brand-spanking-new handmade headpiece! Sparrow Skulls! Finds!

The weather has been absolutely horrible here in Toronto. Hot, cold, hot, cold, rain…and I hear there’s going to be snow on Monday. Seriously, it’s mid-late April and we are getting SNOW?! 

I don’t get it. My program has been all about global warming and how weather patterns / phenomenon such as El Nino and El Nina dictate these shifts yet I still am unable to believe just how directly it effects everyone.  This also means a late growing season for farmers and it’ll effect so many things. I can’t grow my edible flowers yet because I’m too afraid to let them grow outside and starting them inside with such dreary weather doesn’t get my hopes up, either.

That aside, I’ve been out of town and away from my studio due to a slight emergency. But, as always I’ve dragged most of my immediate portable materials with me and I whipped up a headpiece two nights ago (along with a few necklaces but I didn’t take pictures). Currently, I am working hard at expanding my collection for the meeting I have with a local boutique owner this coming Friday. I hope she likes my stuff and buys/carries it at her store!

It’s so beautiful. I can’t bear to part with it unless offered a small fortune. :) It’s very Dolly-Kei and I can’t wait to coordinate it. I really love the warm copper charms I imported which add to the overall warmth and richness of red accents and the red wool bow. 

I begin with a brief laying out of what I prospectively want the headpiece to look like.

I don’t sleep for a whole night working on things like this and at 7-8 AM the sun shines.

I bless my items with the first rays of sunshine. Haha. Then photographing commences. 

On another note, I also got my custom order of plastic casted sparrow skulls from an across the border taxidermist after literally almost 2 months of waiting. It was a long and somewhat tedious wait but well worth what I got. I really wish I had gotten most of the skulls drilled because they look really awesome as necklaces. What do you guys think? 

Also, made a nice find at Dollarama recently. I’ve been desperately looking for millenary branches with buds - I tried Queen West, Fabricland…but was then recommend Michael’s. I found exactly what I was looking for at Dollarama instead - with at least 5 colortones in a huge branch for a mere $1. Score! I left with pale green and cream buds.

New Sample Products: Earrings

Lately, I’ve been finding myself drawn to the intricate designs of laser-cut wood. While, a little more fragile then I like (I take a long time looking over the stuff before purchasing) they are very light and beautiful. I’m one of those girls who gets headaches when I wear really heavy earrings but with these sorts of earrings they are painless. :) These should be up on Etsy soon. By the way, 10% of all my sale proceeds are going to Doctors Without Borders for the Japanese Earthquake Relief.

I have actually left Marionette Atelier so I will be making a new shop soon. Which I will link here. I’ll wait till my listings expire before doing so officially. I may be having second thoughts about the whole thing but in some aspect my partner and I have such different business ethics that they clash. Plus, I’m on a whole different scale of art then she is. I’m all about progress and she’s all about whim. We fought like crazy but both came to the realization we are best as friends right now. We still plan on opening a boutique together in the future and I have best hopes she’ll up her creational ability to my level. At least a a boutique she can re-sell all she wants. I can create all I want.

I think the new store will be called The Quaintrella. It’ll encompass all the styles I like: Gothic, Lolita, Mori Girl, Dolly Kei, Otome, Retro, Vintage…etc. I’ve already begun on my Otome collection. Just waiting for my supplies to arrive from abroad. I love the colors of Fairy Kei but the juvenile look really isn’t for me. So, I love the Otome style of Baby Ribbon and I’m inspired by the modernity and femininity that Otome style has.

Have any of you go through a partnership gone awry? Did you let it affect your friendship?