What I've been up to lately....

You may have noticed that my posting hasn't been as regular in the last couple weeks :( I'm sorry about that! I have gone back to work full time again and now that it is Christmas, things are super crazy here. I think things will slow down a bit in a couple weeks, and I will get back into it I promise!

Lately, I have been working a ton of custom projects that I accepted for the Christmas season and I wanted to share them with you!!! So I will post pictures as I finish them - this is one that I just finished today. It is an Amazonite necklace with a "New" Jade focal off to the right side. It is linked together with sterling silver wire and jump rings and finished with a sterling silver multi strand clasp at the back. The longest strand is about 18 inches. Have to pat myself on the back for this one :)

I love how this turned out - don't you? Until next time, Kim XO.

I'm a winner!!!!

I won!!! :) so cool. Kerry at trystbykerry has been having a super cool

giveaway all weekend - a Scavenger Hunt Giveaway with the prize

being a pretty pair of Azalea earrings.

The Giveaway is only open for one more day - hurry and enter

for your chance to win these!!!

Black Friday/Cyber Monday!!!!

Hey all! just a short post to let you know about the Black Friday/Cyber Monday

deals in my shop! Starting tonight (Nov 26th) until Monday, Nov 30th

I am offering 25% off all One-Of-A-Kind pieces!!!!

Malachite Multistrand Bracelet was $45 now $33.75

Moonstone and Prehnite Necklace was $42 now $31.50

Aquamarine Opera Length Necklace was $45 now $33.75

And many more in my shop :) Always FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING too!

Happy Shopping! Until next time, Kim XO

the rikrak studio MEGA handmade giveaway!!!

She's at it again!!!!! Another GREAT BIG giveaway from Kristal at rikrak blog

Its a huge prize pack worth $450 from 30 different handmade shops,

including moi :) Hurry over there now and enter!!!

Giveaway ends Dec 3rd :) Good Luck!

New Canadian Shops on Etsy

Here it is - your weekly installment of New Canadian Shops on Etsy! I'm Kim from A little bit of pretty and this week I've picked SpiderellaStudio. So here we go :)

When I first entered SpiderellaStudio, I was immediately blown away by how beautiful and professional it looks! All of the colours are truly eye-catching and you know how I love colour :) I even love how the items are merchandised - plain white backgrounds really are the best choice when you're pieces are so statement making. Great photography too, very easy to see every detail. Really I could go on all day long!

SpiderellaStudio incorporates uncirculated vintage enamel flower beads from the 50’s, 60’s, & 70's remixed and revamped with newer components into new designs. The shop has a great mix of funky flowers in distinctive shapes and colours, which is what gives it such an eye-catching look! There is also a great selection of rings, bracelets, necklaces, and hair pieces to choose from. Any of the pieces in this shop would make great Christmas gifts!

Personally I love the vintage look of the shop, and have always been intrigued by enameled jewellery. I really like that the shop feels so modern and fashion forward despite its vintage origins. All of these pieces are distinctive and colourful without being fussy, which appeals to many shoppers including myself  :) I expect that we will be seeing much more of SpiderellaStudio in the very near future! Happy shopping :) Until next time, Kim XO

Some news..... and more chances to WIN! :)

If you don't know already, the rikrak studio blog is hosting another GIVEAWAY highlighting her sponsors and I am one again this month! The prize is the same as last month's giveaway - a $25 gift certificate toward a purchase in any of her current sponsors shops :) She has some great sponsors so you should definitely cruise on over to her blog and check out this amazing giveaway!

In other really awesome exciting news..... I have had my first REVIEW published!!!! I am super happy and flattered to have been given this amazing opportunity on Tigerlily's Book- and I have also donated something to the blog for a GIVEAWAY :) It is a great write-up - I am so excited about it! So anyways I think you should cruise on over there too and check it out and of course enter to win a fabulous pair of one-of-a-kind wire wrapped garnet and crystal gold filled hoops! Here is a picture of them :

GIVEAWAY ENDS Dec 1!!!

Have fun!!!! Until next time, Kim XO.

What I've been up to lately....

So,  wow! I have been sooo busy lately. I have a million projects at various stages of unfinished-ness :) haha! I have been making new pieces for a Holiday Limited Edition section of my shop because I scored a coveted spot in the Etsy Stalker Shadowboxes starting Dec 10!!!!! I'm super excited - but I want to be able to showcases new holiday oriented jewellery so I have been spending most of my free time planning out my Shadowbox :)

Also I don't know how many of you know this but I am a member of the LabRats Team on Etsy and we are having a Holiday Challenge with the theme of Glistening Snow and Mistletoe. I have been working on something special to enter in this challenge and I recently just finished it, so I wanted to share some photos of it below - and I would love to know what you think of it! It will also be listed with my Holiday Limited Edition items so you can purchase it if you really love it!

I want to know what you think!!!! Please let me know in the comment section below.

There will be voting on our team blog for this challenge.... I'll let you know when that is :)

P.S Sorry no Wishlist Tuesday tomorrow..... too busy to window shop this week!

New Canadian Shops on Etsy

Here I am again - Kim from A little bit of pretty - with your weekly installment of New Canadian Shops on Etsy. This week I am featuring Maple Creek Soapworks . So let's begin shall we???

Maple Creek Soapworks is a couple from Edmonton, Alberta who began making soaps together following years of being itchy and uncomfortable after showering due to the use of commercial soaps. After a particularly uncomfortable episode, they had the opportunity to try some handmade soap and were amazed at the difference, and decided to try to make their own. So after some research, there was a working recipe, and the rest is history :)

Maple Creek Soapworks opened shop on Etsy in January 2009, and already have a wide range of products. There are bath soaks,  lotions,  lip balms, solid perfumes, and a Premium Line of products they call GlacierSpa that includes (for now I'm sure) an Anti-Aging Moisturizer, a Botanical Toner, and a Creamy Green Tea Cleanser. They also have products for tattoo care and make your own lip balm kits.

Their soaps are made, cut and wrapped by hand from top quality natural ingredients such as olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter and hempseed oil. All of their cold process bars contain cocoa butter and natural glycerine for extra moisturizing and they use essential oils or top quality fragrance oils for scenting. Ultramarines and iron oxides are used for coloring. All good stuff! :)

I am particularly intrigued by the bath soaks - especially the muscle soak. I am plagued by a stiff back and headaches dues to hours and hours spent beading and making jewellery, and am wondering if this might remedy or alleviate the tension???? Maybe I'll have to buy some to find out! There are also bath soaks for cough and cold symptoms and a couple lavender blends that would do nicely right before bedtime!


So check out this new up and coming soaperie - they are also having a Christmas sale right now of 15% off all items in the shop! Happy shopping :) Until next time, Kim XO.

TGIF!!! Nov 13, 2009

Here is this weeks' edition of TGIF- get ready to shop, shop, shop!  This week I decided to put together some items that would be great to buy "for her". These are also some of my favourite Etsy shops as well :) So without further ado - get ready to shop!

My first pick are these 3 dot earrings (love colours) by 3dots . I love the shape of these, and the colour of the beads that are within the large wooden circles. I have been coveting several items from this shop for ages! I love the look of wooden jewellery and all of the pieces in the shop are stained this gorgeous deep colour. These would make a great gift for anyone who loves jewellery!

Speaking of loving jewellery, what is better than a one-of-a-kind piece? The BLUE FROST-One of a Kind Lucite Collage Art Bangle with Swarovski Crystals by CindyG's Quirks of Art is truly a unique find. This is a stunning mixed media decoupaged bangle finished on a high quality frosted lucite/acrylic resin bracelet. Each and every bracelet in this shop is a work of art and love - a great gift idea for someone special!

Purple Flower Needle Book and Pincushion Set by JennMaruskaDesign - cute little wool and felt needlebook and pincushion perfect for holding sewing accessories. Great gift idea for that crafty sewing person in your life :)

Beach Bride Hair Comb Starfish SC Ocean Star by OhFaro - this comb is so beautiful! It is three vintage brooches that had been repurposed into a hair comb :) I love the way this one looks with the cute tiny faux turquoise and pearl beads - the piece is dressy but still beachy looking. Love it!

The twilight collection - Esme . bobby pins by pandacub - Great trio of bobby pins inspired by the character Esme from the wildy popular Twilight movie of course! I love the colours, and the combination of flower and vintage cameo. Would make a great stocking stuffer!

Blue and Purple Waffle Hoodie / size Large by Replicca - have someone on your list that hates shopping in chain stores but loves handmade clothing? Replicca has a great assortment of knit hoodies, tshirts, dresses, and turtlenecks and most of the pieces in the shop feature the same 3 colour blocking technique shown here. Very cool!

I love this great recycled, quilted vintage fabric clutch...sustainable purse by rikrak. Its the cutest little quilted clutch ever! Its a great shape and size (10x5 inches), and made of fresh repurposed vintage fabrics! Makes a great small, run around town clutch because it can fit all your essentials but you aren't wieghed down by a cumbersome purse! This one is on my wishlist :)

Snowflakes sterling silver earrings by TDNCreations - I am totally on a snowflake kick right now, so I was really excited when I found these snowflake earrings and I HAD to include them in this Christmas shopping post! Aren't they great? These little guys are handcut out of a textured sheet of silver and tumbled so they have a nice shine :) Love them!



Well those are my picks - I hope that I have helped you out a little bit with your Christmas shopping. I'll be back next time with some more great gift ideas! Until next time, Kim XO.

2 minutes of silence.....

Today is Remembrance Day - so I am taking the day off of regular blog posting. I will return tomorrow with a new shop feature, but for today I am going to observe the 2 minutes of silence and remember my friend Corporal Bryce Keller. I can't believe its already been 3 years. We miss you Bryce :(

Lest we Forget

Wishlist Tuesday Nov 10/2009

Another Tuesday - new Wishlist Tuesday post! This week I have some more great home decor picks since I am constantly searching Etsy for decoration stuff :) So I have put together another collage of cute, eclectic, and unique decor items. Enjoy!

1) Darling Petite Silver Mirror by SparrowsNest1

2) elephant bookends by monkeyandsquirrel

3) Custom Map Coasters by CarolinaCottage

4) Original Watercolour Piece - Summer in France by moonthroughfog

5) Two Organic Shaped Tealight Holders by ParadiseHillDesigns

6) Citrine Leaves - Buckwheat and Lavender Pillow by Mireio

7) Two Hand Engraved Wine Glasses "Reaching Branches" by daydreemdesigns

8) Pinch Bud Vase in Green by tannerglass

Happy shopping :) Until next time, Kim XO.

I LOVE my blog followers!

I told you it was coming - a special announcement :)

Because I LOVE my blog followers SO much I want to extend a special

20% off the One-Of-A-Kinds section in my shop

To recieve this, send me an email or convo through Etsy telling me you are

a blog follower and what item you are interested in. I will set it up as a reserved

listing and change the price to reflect the 20% off.  And shipping is FREE!!!

This special blog followers promotion is open from tonight (Nov 6) to Friday,

November 13. Thats a whole week to get a jumpstart on your Christmas shopping

and buy some beautiful jewellery for yourself or someone you love :)

Enjoy! Kim XO.

TGIF!!!! Nov 6,2009

This weeks installment of TGIF - get ready to shop, shop, shop is all about the November-babies :) I have come up with a bunch of ideas in case you are stumped and don't know what to buy.... this time of year can get that way. Everyone is in Christmas mode, and  it seems right from the start of November, those of us who have birthdays in November sort of get lost in the holiday spirit. I should know - I am a November-baby myself! So I have put together a list with a range of ideas, from birthstones to zodiacs. Have Fun!

This ring has been on my wishlist for weeks! They are so cute, and I love the vintage feel of them. There is one for every sign of the zodiac with the corresponding "birthstone" colour - Star Sign rings by pandacub .

My next pick is this Gold Shine - Citrine Quartz geode dipped in 22K gold by mycellardoor . I am in love with this necklace! there is nothing I like more than seeing lovely gems in their natural state. I guess that's the geologist in me :) This citrine geode pendant is dipped in gold and hung from a 14K gold chain. What a lovely gift this would make!

What about some great artwork with a zodiac theme??? I am a huge fantasy and sci fi geek so I am loving the way the artist has portrayed the scorpion and saggitarius in these prints - I would definitely love to hang one of these on my wall. Zodiac Collection - 5x7 Matted Print by mysticmoonmedia - these prints come in your choice of zodiac sign and all are free to ship!

Romantic Rose Golden Citrine Blossom Flower Bobby Pin by ayawedding . How about a beautiful, handmade, organza flower pin to adorn your flowing locks? These flower bobby pins are just so pretty, and you could have one in any colour you want! And the best part is, the flower never wilts :)

How about a set of handy Cute Animal Zodiac Multi Note Cards Set by Cuore. These note cards are blank, A2 size, come in a choice of 3 paper colour choices, and is a set of 12 (one for every zodiac sign or your choice of one sign on all 12 cards). These are really handy to have around - how cute wold it be to send notes to all your friends with your "signature" zodiac sign on them???

Just looking for a little something to give as a gift? How about a Custom Hello Kitty bell phone charm - zodiac crystal inlay by sachicrafts or The Snake key ring by JooSweetie . The key rings come in your choice chinese zodiac sign (in my case - Yes not only am I a Scorpio but I was also born Year of the Snake ;) ) and the bell charms have a choice of strap colour and crystal colour.

I have lately become very intrigued by felting. In fact there was a lady with a booth at the quilt show I attended last week who did nothing but felt. I was mesmerized by the array of items on her table! Here I found this wonderful Cobweb felt scarf - Autumn leaves OOAK by vilte that is in a beautiful citrine shade! And it is a one-of-a-kind!

Of course my last pick has to be a bag :) I love bags, and I stumbled upon this wonderful shop while looking for ideas for this post. I would seriously buy everything in this shop if I could! This Citrine Bow Handbag by mojospastyle is exactly my style - I love the colour, the bow, the shape, the length of the strap (not too long not too short). I hope I get this for my birthday!!! :)





Well thats it - Happy Shopping :) Until next time, Kim XO.

New Canadian Shops on Etsy .... Photo Atelier

***This post previously ran on CanArtisan - I have decided to share my weekly feature here as well, I hope you enjoy learning about the many talented Canadian artisans on Etsy.***

Hi everybody I'm back again! I'm Kim from A little bit of pretty with this weeks' New Canadian Shops on Etsy feature. This week I am featuring Photo Atelier because I simply adore Sarah's style of photography!

As I have previously mentioned I love photographs of landscapes, and flowers, a quaint little village shots. Sarah's shop Photo Atelier has all these with a few vintage and inspirational shots thrown in. I love all the extreme closeup floral shots and the nature shots - these are the kinds of photos that I like to take myself, but of course they never turn out as well as Sarah's do :) I think the reason I keep featuring artists and photographers is that I really really wish that I could do what they do, half as well as they do it! I am so jealous!

Also in another life (well really about 8 years ago) I fancied becoming an interior designer. I took the some classes through continuing education, attempted a perspective drawing class, applied to the degree program at Mount Royal - I never got in :( Guess what? Sarah's an interior decorator! I don't regret my eventual degree choice though.... actually it makes me happy to see that I am not the only one out there who changes her mind :) And it makes me feel like I belong among so many great and talented Etsians! I love the fact that even though Sarah was in the creative field to begin with, she still felt held back, and now has dedicated her time (full time) to making things that make her smile. They make me smile too :)

Photo Atelier is stocked with a wide variety of 8x8 and 5x5 fine art prints and large, medium, or small photo blocks. The photo blocks are exactly that - blocks of knotty pine, each is stained and sealed, with a photo applied to the front, and a small hole drilled in the back for hanging on the wall or you can set them on your table or shelf. I think that these are a very cool and unique way to display photos in your home - I can't wait to buy one myself! Everything in the shop is made to order and very reasonably priced. I would really recommend that you take a look at this shop - and if you like what you see there, Sarah also has a second shop that houses an array of eco felt cushions, textile art and memo boards - you can check it out here : http://sarahsmilecreations.etsy.com/


Enjoy! Until next time, Kim XO.

Wishlist Tuesday - Nov 3, 2009

Wow, October is over already! Can't believe it :) Well now that Halloween has come and gone, I am looking forward to Christmas! My favourite part of Christmas is the bundling up in layers, sitting around drinking hot chocolate, being with family, playing in the snow, and eating way too much turkey!!! So as I start gearing up for the season, I start thinking about buying gifts and what I want to wrap them in. My favourite colour scheme is white and silver, and I love anything with snowflakes! So here is my new Wishlist Tuesday post with a snowflake theme. Enjoy!

1) Glistening Snow Greeting Card Set by FreshLemonBlossoms

2) Tiny Pinwheel Snowflake Etched Silver Pendant by ANORIGINALJEWELRY

3) Black Snowflakes on White Stocking by bebesniklefritz

4) Teeny Tiny Cards 2x2 Set of 6 Snowflakes by ThePaperAddict

5) watercolour ornament by cynthiacallan

6) Sparkling Snowflakes 8 ounce Handmade Soy Candle by blackmountaincandle

7) Vintage Style Winter Snowflake Stickers by seasonaldelights

8) Rhinestone Snowflake Faux Diamond Ring by MoonFaces

Happy Shopping :) Until Next time Kim XO

And the Winner is......

Well my first GIVEAWAY has come to a close and its time to pick a winner!

From a total of 70 entries Random.org's random number generator

draws number 24!!! The winner is .... pippirose!

Congratulations pippirose - you win your choice from the One-Of-A-Kinds section of

my shop! Can't wait to see what you'll pick :)

BIG thank you to everyone who entered and made my first

giveaway such a huge success!

Watch for the announcement coming next week! Kim XO.

What's New? IndieNorth Gift Guide!

Whats new everybody???? I have been super busy this week - on Tuesday I went back to work and struggled all week to get my blog posts done! You may have noticed that Fridays TGIF post was never posted :( Sorry about that! I had every intention of getting that up, but when I got home from work that night I discovered that our sick kitty couldn't wait for his vet appointment so we took him to emergency that night! Don't worry, he's a-OK :) Just an eye cold is all. We were there late too, so that is why the post never aired - but don't worry it will be posted this week instead Yay!

Also lately I have been working on some special new pieces for the IndieNorth Gift Guide which airs today! You may have noticed that they have their own page in my shop too :) If you hadn't, I am posting the photos below. I have also been working on a top-secret item for a special giveaway..... I can't tell you who is doing the giveaway yet, but as soon as it is announced I sure will!

Multi Strand Quartz and Freshwater Pearl Necklace 

Grossular Garnet Wire Wrapped Gold Earrings 

Gold and Amazonite Bracelet

That's all for now - tomorrow I announce the winner of my first GIVEAWAY!!!! Good luck everyone :) Until next time, Kim XO.

CanArtisan post day :)

I'm a little late in getting this post out today, but better late than never :) Today is my guest blog post on CanArtisan and this weeks' feature is TheWoodGarden ! Those of you who have kids should be really interested in this feature - at TheWoodGarden you will find a line of natural wooden handcrafted toys. They only handcraft their toys from sustainably farmed hardwood trees, there are no dyes are used, and certified organic flax seed oil serves as a finish on the toys. This is a great shop! You can read the feature here . Until next time, Kim XO