Je me suis mariée l’été dernier

Le 22 août 2015, soit 2468 jours après que mon chum et moi on se soit échangé nos numéros de téléphone, j’ai dit oui à Jean-Philippe. Il faisait beau, il faisait chaud, on était entourés des gens qu’on aime et on a passé une journée merveilleuse. Ça m’a pris plusieurs mois avant de prendre le temps de rassembler une série de photos à partager avec vous et c’est avec émotion que je le fais aujourd’hui. C’était réellement le plus beau jour de ma vie. J’avais passé un temps fou à tout organiser mais jamais je n’aurais pu anticiper la joie que j’ai ressentie de vivre cette cérémonie si sacrée et unique avec la personne que j’aime le plus au monde. La cérémonie a eu lieu dans la cour intérieur des Accords, un petit restaurant du Vieux-Montréal où nous avons également fait la réception.

Pour mes cheveux, que j’ai choisi de porter très naturels, je m’étais confectionné une demi-couronne de perles, de cristaux et de petites fleurs, entrelacée dans une tresse. Je portais un bracelet de ma grand-mère en perles et diamants que ma tante m’a prêté pour l’occasion. On ne voit pas bien mes boucles d’oreilles à cause de mon épaisse chevelure mais je portais des perles en forme de gouttes.

Mes demoiselles d’honneur avaient toutes des accessoires différents dans leurs cheveux : j’avais fabriqué des couronnes, des peignes, des boucles d’oreilles et elles ont toutes opté pour ce qu’elles préféraient. Pour leurs robes, vu que j’avais trois demoiselles d’honneur au Québec, une en Belgique et l’autre en France, je leur ai demandé de se trouver une robe bleu clair ou bleu gris.

“Let’s get married !”

Au souper, on a vraiment eu les discours les plus drôles. Pas moments, on se croyait dans un show d’humour. Nos petits frères ont relevé le défi avec brio en nous niaisant comme il se doit.

Pour la déco, on a acheté des toiles en bois chez Omer de Serres qu’on a peintes en noires. Puis, avec un gros crayon doré, j’ai écrit “Mariage” pour le petit panneau d’accueil et j’ai écrit tous les noms des invités pour le plan de table sur un grand panneau. Pour la cour intérieure, avec l’aide de ma mère, on a cousu de grandes guirlandes ornées de triangles en toile de coton ivoire. Pour les tables, on voulait du blanc et des tons naturels de verdures et de fleurs. J’ai fait poussé du lierre dans des petits pots pendant plusieurs mois (14 en tout, 2 par tables) et acheté une grande quantité de grosses bougies chez Ikea. Les centres de table réalisés par les Petites Excuses complétaient le tout.

• Photographe : Renaud Philippe
• Fleuriste : Les petites excuses
• Lieu, boissons et nourriture : Les Accords, Vieux-Montréal
• Coiffeur : Antoine Jolicoeur
• Maquillage : Marie-Josée au Local B
• Accessoires : Charlotte Hosten

 

Take a peek into my studio

I have been wanting to share some pictures of my studio for a long time but I kept telling myself I would do it when my desk would be better organized, when that frame would be up the wall, when the ceiling light had been changed : in short, when everything would be perfect.

I have been fighting this perfectionist-control-freak-narcissist side of me for some time now so today is the time I let you take a peek into my jewelry studio even if it is not perfect. I am actually very happy about how it looks in the pictures : looking at them, it gave me some distance that allowed me to really enjoy my workspace.

I am a very lucky girl because I get to use 2 rooms in our beautiful Mile-end apartment. I used to have only one and the other one was supposed to be a painting studio (but was mainly used as a hockey gear drying room). But because I have been having a lot more customers coming over to my studio then I thought I would and because I have not been painting a lot (and also because my fiancé’s hockey gear could live in the laundry room), well we decided I would organize a little shop in that room. All that to say that I now have the blue studio and the shopping room (where I can do my yoga and still paint if I wish to) :

The Blue room, where I create and make all the jewelry and accessories you can see on my website :

The jewelry desk with my very comfortable no so pretty chair and my gorgeous yellow lamp I love

The office space where I never sit but keep all things “serious” like the production binder with all the technical specifications sheets

The drawer units where I keep all the beads, pearls, stones, leather cords, chains, millinery flowers,…

And right next to the blue room there is the big room :

Don’t you love this gorgeous antique wooden chest ?

On the board, a drawing by my grandmother Francine Hosten, a picture of a cook I took in India, an ink drawing I made and a small picture of my brother and I when we were kids

I am planning on putting a curtain to hide all that storage space. On the left, a painting I have been working on.

It is in that big room that I am also planning on having jewelry workshops. I will let you know when the dates and prices are set.

So this is it for the tour. You now know where I work (but honestly, right now I am in my living room, sitting on my couch, writing this post on my laptop). Montrealers, you are always welcome to come see the jewelry in person if you wish to 🙂

New addition to the shop

When I shared the necklace I made for a client a few weeks ago, a lot of my clients asked me if I was going to make it available on my website. Well, this day has come ! I made a few changes to the original version but the overall look remains the same. Let me introduce the Elena necklace :

I named the necklace Elena because of the Italian author Elena Ferrante I have recently discovered. I read the english translation of the 3 volumes of her Neapolitan novels and I am impatient for the 4th volume to come out (early fall). I was so passionate about the story that I read nearly 1200 pages in about two weeks (something I never do). She is an incredible writer, I have never read a book with such plausible, elaborate and complex female characters. Ferrante understands and depicts human relations in an admirable way. Elena is also the name of the narrator in the Neapolitan novels and I have grown very attached to her.

On the shorter strand of the Elena necklace, you can see 14 faceted pale peach jade stones with agate stones on both sides. On the second strand, beautiful champagne freshwater pearls are combined with a few agates. On the third strand,  you will find a combination of glass beads with brass, semi-precious stones and vinyl beads from Africa. Here and there, a few gold plated charms can be found and in between the strands, 8 delicate golden chains complete the necklace.

I would wear the Elena necklace on a light pink or peach dress for a summer garden party or to a wedding. It can also be very beautiful worn on a simple white or grey top on a working day.

You can shop this necklace on my website. Or, if you are in Montreal and wish to try it on, you can always come to my studio upon request. And remember, I am always happy to customize my jewelry for my clients. Email me if you are interested so we can start chatting about it 🙂

 

My love for vintage jewelry

I always enjoy hunting for vintage findings, brooches, earrings and other jewelry parts to use in my one-of-a-kind necklaces. I have noticed that through the years, the use of existing jewelry in the making of my own jewelry has shaped my creative process. Instead of starting with a clear idea of what I want to do, I look for a piece of jewelry, a stone, a bead or a fabric swatch that will tickle my inspiration. I usually build a necklace around the jewelry piece that I feel inspired by. Sometimes that piece doesn’t even remain in the necklace : that’s ok. It doesn’t have to. It inspired me and maybe that was its only job.

I now buy a lot of vintage jewelry online because it’s easier. I can look for a specific color or shape I wish to use. I used to go to garage sales, flea markets and church sales hoping to find a nice piece of jewelry but I got lazy and now shop from the comfort of my home.

I have collected a nice selection of vintage findings. Some were given to me by generous people. Once, a lady who worked her whole life as a costume designer and had just retired came to my studio and dropped me tons of millinery flowers, vintage earrings, brooches and feathers. I made the Moulin rouge necklace, using a lot of the things she gave me :

Today I thought I would open some of my drawers to show you some of my vintage jewelry findings :

I have recently started to use vintage millinery flowers in my jewelry. I am fascinated by the details and the beauty of these flowers and they remind me of those movies I have seen of Coco Chanel making hats :

Those purple flowers you can see can also be found in the Ana necklace available on my website :

I use those gorgeous vintage flower branches in the Marika necklace :

These days I have been working on a new one-of-a-kind necklace, using a few different vintage findings, along with stones and silk.This necklace has given me a very hard time, made me doubt myself at times and required a lot of patience and stamina. But I think I have finally come to a design I love (I still need to give it a few finishing touches…) :

This little world of mine

When I was a child, a teenager and even a young adult, I was very concerned with getting people’s approval. I spent a lot of time trying to please people. I didn’t have much self confidence and worried people didn’t like me. I was a very anxious kid that often felt unworthy and “not enough”. I could barely spend time on my own : being alone felt painful and scary.

As a young adult, with time (and a lot of therapy) I gradually learned to know and love my true self. I learned to make the difference between what I wanted to do and what I was doing to get people to like me. And on that path, what really helped me heal my wounds and grow a sense of self is jewelry.

Sitting for long hours in my studio, making necklaces, playing with beads and fabrics slowly taught me to spend time on my own. It became fun. It felt good. I didn’t need to be with people all the time anymore. I wasn’t running away from solitude anymore : I was enjoying it. In fact, I often think that I still spend a lot of time alone because I have to make up for all the years I spent running away from myself.

Jewelry showed me intimacy. My studio became this little world of mine, this secret intimate universe where everything was possible. I learned that the journey was more important than the destination as I embraced the long hours it could take me to make a necklace.

Making jewelry taught me hard work and to take pride in what I do. I had never been fully dedicated to anything before. I began to look for inspiration everywhere around me. I would hunt beautiful color combinations and interesting material textures. I spent entire evenings embroidering beads and crystals to fabric to build a necklace, with  “Project Runway” playing on my computer, its young designers giving me a sense of community.

My first big fabric necklaces were kept secret for a while. I loved them so much : not only because of what they looked like but mostly because of the deep joy I felt when I was making them. For a while, they all hung on a coat rack in my studio, hidden under a big sheet. At first, I didn’t want to show them to anyone, not even my flatmate who was a close friend.

I had finally learned to respect myself, my process, my need for intimacy and secrets. I had found my voice, my passion and what would become my work. For the first time in my life I was dedicated to doing something that came from inside and not from an outside pressure or a desire to please.

And that is how making jewelry became a huge part of my life…

Bling it for the ball

Jessica reached out to me some time ago because she had to pick accessories for a Ball she was going to, in France (lucky her). She had chosen the beautiful Flora, a pair of one-of-a-kind vintage earrings and asked me if I could customize the Panaji bracelet and add more elegance to it.

I suggested to add a row of crystals to the bracelet. I was very happy with the result : the crystals make a beautiful addition to the bracelet. Here is the before and after of the Panaji bracelet :

It was just the right amount of bling to make the bracelet more elegant. Aside from the crystals, the Panaji bracelet is made of dark blue freshwater pearls, rhinestones, raw african metal beads, agate and glass. I like its combination of different shades of blue and textures.

I am always happy to customize my jewelry to make it fit your needs : get in touch if you have a project in mind so we can start brainstorming about it xx

How I learned to let my clients inspire my work

Years ago, before I began to make custom-made jewelry for clients, I thought it would be a very uncomfortable and boring thing to do. The idea of having to deal with someone else’s desires and ideas when I make jewelry horrified be : I would perceive it as pressure and dominance. I was very attached to the freedom I experienced in my studio.

My memory is not always reliable but I think the first client who ordered a custom design from me was Carrie. She had this gorgeous family quilt she wanted me to use, as well as some old Scottish medals. I could not say no to such an exciting challenge. And that is exactly what changed my perception of making custom-made jewelry : the challenge and the surprising excitement I felt for it.

What I thought would be uncomfortable pressure actually turned out to be inspiring and exciting constraint. I would have never thought of using a Scottish quilt for a necklace : but Carrie took me there. My work inspired her that idea. And her idea inspired my work. And that’s how I learned that the clients who come to me for a custom design stimulate my creativity and sometimes take me out of my comfort zone. Ever since, every time I get an email or a phone call for a custom design, I get very excited (and a little nervous because let’s face it, a challenge is always a little stressful).

I recently told you about Cateline and the Bagala necklace I made for her. Well in addition to the bagala necklace, she also asked me to design her a necklace inspired by the Kali but with pink, earthy tones, yellow and some neon. She liked the Cesaria necklace for its neon details and the Kali for its shape. She wanted something summery she could wear everyday so I began with showing her different stones, crystals, chains and beads I could use for her necklace.

When brainstorming with a client, I like to throw a selection of different materials on the table and get a feel of how the necklace would look. This is the palette we both liked :

And this is the necklace I made :

Sending a picture of my design to a client always makes me feel vulnerable and a little insecure so when Cateline told me she loved it, I was very happy.  I think I might design a necklace inspired by this one for my collection. I love its fresh colors and all the little details in there. Thank you Cateline for trusting me and allowing me to design this necklace for you 🙂

Have a great week-end xx

 

New addition to the shop

I am very happy to announce that the Olivia necklace I recently showed you is now available in my etsy shop.

I really enjoyed making this one-of-a-kind necklace. It took me a whole day but it was definitively worth it. When I design a necklace, I like to try out different things and I take a lot of pictures of my different ideas with my iphone. I find that judging a necklace in progress from a picture helps because I see it from a certain distance.

Afterwards, I look at all my pictures and I go for the option I like best. Usually things still change after that : I move things around, pin everything and try on the necklace so I can see it in the mirror. That’s a trick my painting teacher gave me once to judge my composition : the mirror reverses the piece which allows you to have a more objective perception of the composition you just created.

I guess I work with a trial and error approach until I am satisfied. Here are a few pictures of the different steps that led to the Olivia necklace :

I have already started another necklace with braided cord and fimo and it has been very fun to work on. I will tell you more about it soon. Have a great day xx

Making jewelry with braided cord

I changed my business model more then a year ago and I have been wanting to write down some kind of post mortem about it. Until I do that, I can already share with you that without having a store to manage, I obviously have way more time to try out new materials, techniques  and designs. And it is not only a matter of time itself but also of space in my mind to develop and try new things. When I had the store, my main focus was managing the business. Now I am way more focused on the jewelry making itself : I still have so much to learn and I am happy I have the time to do so.

Lately I have been making jewelry with thick braided cord. A lot of designers already use it and I have been inspired to try it myself. What I like about sewing materials directly on thick cord or fabric is that it becomes like a canvas on which you can put things exactly where you want.

The first necklace I made with cord is the Aya necklace, a new limited edition design that will be available on my new website (when my new website is ready, which should be soon) :

I spent hours embroidering chips, beads and swarovski crystals along the cord but it was definitely worth it. I also made the Olivia necklace, a one-of-a-kind piece made with vintage jewelry and freshwater pearls, this time using a black braided cord. All I have for now is a picture I took on instagram (but taking real pictures of it is definitely on my to do list) :

I am pretty happy with the result and can’t wait to design more necklaces around these gorgeous cotton braided cords.

On sunday, I went to the crafts store and got myself some fimo clay and glitter. I had way too much fun playing with fimo and will make sure I show you what I make out of it.

Have a great week xx

 

Your dead roses from Valentine’s day

Now I know Valentine’s day was a month ago but until today, I still had the 3 roses my boyfriend got me in a vase on the dining room table. Part of it was because I am lazy and part of it was because I felt sad to throw away those full of love flowers. The roses were all dried out and dead, but in a pretty way. So I decided to cut them and make a decoration of it.

Voilà ! Isn’t it cute ? It is now proudly standing on the top of our toilet (which kind of kills the romance of my little project) :

Creative in Chicago took it to the next level and put dried roses petals and little buds in a Mason jar (photo below is hers). I really like that idea too :

If you have a little more time, you can also turn your roses into a pot pourri. But you have to do that before they die. Pop Sugar did a great post about how to do your own pot pourri. By the way, do you know that “pot pourri” is french and literally means “rotten jar” ?

Photo from Pop Sugar

What about you ? Do you keep your Valentine’s day flowers ? What do you like to do with them once their glory has vanished ?