Favourite Site: COLOURlovers

I was linked to this site through another favourite site of mine, mental_floss. Each day, along with fascinating blog posts, there is a morning cup of links that I always like to check out. A couple of days ago, I was sent to COLOURlovers, and I've been hooked since. This site reminds me a lot of another one I've checked out via some HP or Adobe software. But clearly, that site didn't have the lasting impression this one has left.

COLOURlovers allows you to create colours, palettes and patterns once you've created an account. Each palette consists of a maimum of 5 colours you choose to throw together. I'm pretty sure you can also create them with less colours, but I've yet to try it.Once you've created your palette, you might be asked to name and save some of the colours you've created along with the palette. It's also really fun to see what others have named some of the colours you chose to include in your work.You also have the option of creating patterns. You can choose from a large number of different patterns, and then vary the colours within it. Plus, if you've created or found a palette you love, you can use those colours to create a new pattern. That's what I did for this Morning Glories II pattern. I just fiddled around with the order of the colours from one of my palettes (Fishing on the dock) until I was happy with the pattern. You can also start palettes and patterns with a colour you find or created previously. If you love colour, it can get quite addictive!

The patterns and palettes you create can easily be downloaded in a variety of different formats. There's also a shop, blog, forum and tons of colour lovers's work to browse through which I haven't even checked out yet. Why don't you go check it out and let me know what you think? I'd love to see some of your work in the comments, and feel free to leave me a comment on COLOURlovers too ~ my username is Ulixis!

Earrings and lightboxes

So yesterday, I finally got around to making a lightbox. It was so easy, I don't know why I didn't make one earlier. I played around with it a little bit, and it still isn't perfect. I still have trouble getting it bright enough. I can change some settings on the camera to make it brighter (by changing the white balance, and choosing the setting that makes the white background look white) but then the items were too dark to see. So I still have some playing around to do. Any helpful hints would be appreciated!

These pictures were taken in the light box. They're the best ones I have of this bracelet. Isn't it pretty? I made it quite some time ago, late last year I believe, but never got around to posting it because I love it so much. I considered keeping it for a long time, but I never actually wore it. Turns out I have very little purple in my wardrobe. So, now I'm not sure, but I will probably eventually post it in my shop.
Something that is listed in Ulixis Crafts, just this morning actually, is this gorgeous set of earrings. They're made with semi-precious unakite stones. Unakite is an especially gorgeous stone, with a blend of mossy green and coral pink. However, for this pair of earrings, I hand-picked two matching beads that were solely green. And such a lovely soft green they are.This picture was also taken in the light box, but I played around with it in the gimp (a free software that is very similar to photoshop in its capabilities) to make it a little brighter. The original photo was a bit darker, and made the unakite beads look like a hunter green instead of this beautiful mossy colour. I actually didn't play around with the other photos in this listing, you you can see what I mean if you go there. My latest birthday tags were also photographed in the lightbox, and again, they're still not as perfect as I'd like. So, now I'm also wondering if I need to edit all my photos before posting them, or if straight-out-of-the-camera shots are ok too...

Either way, my summer project is to retake all the pictures in my shop. I want my shop homepage to have a unified feel to it, and have the pictures really display each item. I'm just not sure what this unified theme of sorts is going to be. I like close-ups for the first picture (like these tags and this necklace), but while those pictures may be artsy and cool, they don't really lead to a unified theme. I also like it when other sellers include something else in all their pictures (like a candle holder, or a cool rock/shell/piece of wood) but I haven't had much luck with that either (see pictures of bracelet with candle holders above). So... I'm working on it. Any suggestions would be very helpful!

Oh, I also just made a new necklace today and it is gorgeous! I can't wait to (try to) photograph it and get it posted!!! Keep an eye out!
In the meantime, I'm also getting extremely excited for my brother's wedding! I dyed my hair today to get rid of those dreaded roots ~ I want to look nice in all the pictures. My hair is a plain old brown... very mouse-y. So I dye it, usually a brown that is very close, but just a bit warmer (with golden or red tones). The box I picked up this time turned out to be a bit darker than I usually get, and a bit more red.
I find that these pictures actually make the colour look a little lighter than what I'm seeing in the mirror (and when I look down/sideways). It's probably the lighting (no, I wasn't in the lightbox ~ I was standing next to the window and it's actually sunny here today, after days of rain and clouds). So hopefully, it won't look too dark in the wedding pictures!! Although I guess the dark will look nice against my bright orange/coral/red dress. I can't wait! Only 2 more days until we make the 4-5 hour trip!

Which reminds me ~ Pat bought a suit this weekend. Damn he looks good all dressed up. What is it about guys in suits? They make my insides melt.

New tags!

So I've been missing for a week... and it was a pretty busy week. I spent some time in the lab, getting some safety training done and helping a senior scientist get some cell culturing going. I really miss being in the lab, and it was fun to be back, even if only temporarily. I still don't know when I'll be starting my Master's, though... hopefully soon, although I don't officially start until September.

I also noticed how my cala lily was growing around an angel I have sitting on my window sill. I thought it looked so pretty, like it was giving the angel a hug.

Last weekend was my cousins first communion ~ they're from Milton, which is close by. My mom and dad came down for that since they're his godparents, and it was a great weekend! We stayed in a hotel, and my aunt gave everyone who came a gorgeous hyacinth plant.
None of the plants had bloomed yet, but the day after I got back home, all these gorgeous purple blue flowers opened. It filled my apartment with an amazing scent ~ almost like lilac.Beautiful!

Anyway, not much else is new other than it's my brother's wedding next weekend! I'm getting really excited! I just haven't decided what to wear jewelry-wise. I have so much to choose from, I just want it to look nice with my dress. I have a few options I'm tossing around... we'll see. I did just purchase some stunning hot pink earrings from Andromedii, and since she's a Canadian seller, hopefully I'll get them in time! I've bought earrings from her before, and they're absolutely gorgeous, so I'm really looking forward to getting these.

So the real reason for my post was these pretty lollypop tree tags. They're really sweet, and would be perfect for any sort of gift giving!

Amazing handmade flowers!

I've been in love with therussian's flowers for a long time. They're absolutely gorgeous. I was cleaning out my favourite items this morning (deleting expired listings) when I came across these amazing fabric roses. They're just so beautiful and life-like. They're made with vintage fabric and wrapped onto a real wooden branch. Some of my other favourites include this storm bouquet made with a vintage 1970's shirt and this dozen of snow white roses.

Do check out therussian ~ you won't be disappointed! And if you like what you see but want a different colour or bouquet size, just ask!

So after drooling over these flowers and deciding I wanted to blog about them, I decided to find other unique handmade roses on Etsy. Here are some that I loved:

The first bouquets I found were by flowerbuds. I had to stare at them for a bit, even after reading the description, to convince myself that they were made out of wood. That's right, these are wooden flowers, not real ones. They're made out of very thin pieces of birch wood. Feel free to ask for a custom order too, and check out the shop for more! My favourite is this yellow bouquet with a mix of buds, half-open and open blooms. So pretty!

I next came across another old favourite: TrinityRS and her Kawasaki bouquets. There's just something about the intricate way the lovely paper is folded that mesmerizes me. As their name suggests, they are Kawasaki origami roses. These roses are actually scented with rose oil, and would make a wonderful gift! I love this multi-coloured bouquet and I also really like this single pink rose. This long stem rose is folded in a tublar style, which has a cleaner and more rounded look. Be sure to check TrinityRS out. In store, she lists out paper / rose sizes, as well as the meaning behind the different colours of roses. And of course, there are a few more stunning bouquets! Oh, and I have to say ~ she's also Canadian!

Lastly, I stumbled across a couple of new stores that were selling beautiful handmade flowers. The shop stjudescreations opened on February 6th of this year, and sells bright bouquets of lovely paper flowers. I especially love these lime green chrysanthemums and these amazing purple crepe paper roses.

Do be sure to check this shop out and give some love! She's off to a great start though, and has amazing pictures of her flowers ~ so go take a look!

The other new shop I found was rhondasrosecottage, which opened on March 12 this year. I think the beauty of her clay roses speaks for itself ~ as does the fact that she has already sold two gorgeous bouquets! Rhonda cuts, dyes and assembles each rose by hand. You can also get a single bloom on a clothes pin so that you can pin it onto a gift, or anything you want. While you're taking a look at all the beautiful spring blooms, don't forget to stop by this shop!

I love spring, mostly because of all the flowers. The weather here is gorgeous and I'm thinking these are a good alternative to the plants I will invariably kill with lack of sunlight..

Berries and Goodies

I was disturbed from my nap this evening by a package at my door. Living in an apartment, large packages that don't fit in my mailbox might be brought up directly by the mailman/lady if I'm lucky and home. Otherwise, I get a tag and have to go pick them up at the post office. Today I was here, albeit groggy, and received my mystery box. What could it be? I haven't ordered anything big off Etsy in a while....

It was my free gift from Peg at Ivy Arts. Yep, that's right, this stunning pillow was free. All because I signed up for a pay-it-forward months ago! Isn't it gorgeous? The quilted front is just beautiful, and the fabrics are in such lovely shades of green! I love it!
On a more random note, I was eating some berries yesterday, and had to take a picture. I just liked how the blackberries and black grapes looked in these bowls. And oh, did they ever taste good! I also thought the small red potatoes we had with pork chops last night looked nice boiling in their pot. They were delicious too!

Well, here's my dress. Some really terrible pictures, I know, but it's all I've got. Pat took these of me late last night. He had a bad day at work, so wasn't in the mood for taking more than a couple. So here's what I have to work with...
Those 2 pictures are in the kitchen, under fluorescent light. I was quite disappointed at how yellow the top looks. It really more of an orange.. Here's me in the living room, trying with softer lighting:
Close, but now it's too yellow/orange. So, this morning I took a picture of my dress on the bed, with natural lighting. My apartment isn't very sunny though, and I find the colour is a little washed-out.
So as crappy as those pictures are, I think you get the idea. :) I really like it, and it's genuine silk so it feels amazing on! I can't wait for the wedding! Plus, I'll be able to wear it to my grad in June too.

Mini notebooks

Well, it's the playoffs... that means hockey is on every night. Pat, my live-in boyfriend, actually got cable in our apartment (I had nothing before) just for that purpose. So last night, while watching a close game (unfortunately, Colorado lost) I made some mini notebooks.
Quite a few mini notebooks.
12 in total. Aren't these patterns gorgeous? I got the cover pages from Etsy seller thienthanh... such lovely paper!
So I've posted a pack of three in my Ulixis shop. The firey polkadots you see in the first picture are actually the ones that are posted, but I thought that I'd give my blog readers (all one of you) a sneak peak at some of the others I'll be posting soon. These little notebooks are so convenient to have around ~ you can jot down something before you forget and they're a perfect size for fitting in pockets, purses or bags.

On a more personal note, I went dress shopping today. My brother is getting married in May, and I get to be the bridesmaid. It's just going to be a small family wedding, and not at a church or anything, so I'm going to be the only bridesmaid, and hence, I got to choose whatever dress I wanted. It's gorgeous!!! As soon as my photographer/Pat gets home, I'll do a photoshoot and post some pictures of it.

New item!!

OH WOW! I'm almost a University graduate! Yikes... I guess that makes me an adult?!?? Fortunately, I'm going back to school for my Master's, so I don't have to worry about getting a real job or anything. I had 2 exams this past weekend, one Saturday and one Sunday... I know, crappy exam schedule or what!! My final exam is on the 26th, a Saturday, and at 7 PM... doesn't get much worse than that. But, that means I basically have 2 weeks off!!!

And that means I finally has a chance to get back to my craft table and finally put some ideas that I've had bouncing around in my head to fruition. I have a few more items to post, which I'll be doing within the next couple of days. As for today, I posted a gorgeous bracelet: April Showers. The cool, soothing colours remind me of the gentle rains that coax the spring greens and flowers to bloom. As you can see, some minty green has sprouted between the soft blues, and there might even be a pretty purple bud ready to open!!