In just a few weeks I will be travelling to India! This has been a dream of mine since I was 23 years old. So I guess you could say that it has been 10 years in the making.
I’m really very excited to see all the beautiful amazing things that India has to offer. I’m very excited about all the stunning gemstones!
]]>I'm over the moon!! It's a new year for me and I'm about to turn 33.
I’m very excited, because that is my favourite number! I always told myself my 33rd year is going to be one of my best and it's already living up to that.
In just a few weeks I will be travelling to India! This has been a dream of mine since I was 23 years old. So I guess you could say that it has been 10 years in the making.
I’m really very excited to see all the beautiful amazing things that India has to offer. I’m very excited about all the stunning gemstones! So many moonstones, opals, pearls. Also the amazing artists, all the different colours and the different ways of life. The best part is my best friend, big sister, the wonderful human I know, is coming with me to be my assistant.
I'm sure I'll come home full of inspiration and I’ll be ready to make amazing new pieces of jewellery to share with you all.
Stay posted for all of my amazing photos of this beautiful planet that we live on and all of the beautiful humans that I meet along the way. This is going to be a good one, I can feel it! I can feel my path unfolding - I was born on this path. All I have to do is be ready for it to open up in front of me. The path of ease and all this effortless abundance. I am one of those souls that truly believes in the power of manifestation.
This trip is not just about manifesting an entirely new line of jewellery; also this new part of my life that I'm so excited to share with you. From here on out it's all my wildest dreams coming to fruition. My momentum rocketing into the fifth dimension.
Come take a ride with me.
]]>Well it's that time a year again and I'm running around getting everything prepared for my Christmas shows. It's always busier than I think it's going to be.
During this time of year, I’m always harder on myself to make everything just a little more perfect and a little more beautiful than anything I’ve ever made. Unfortunately, that can actually be quite stressful.
]]>During this time of year, I’m always harder on myself to make everything just a little more perfect and a little more beautiful than anything I’ve ever made. Unfortunately, that can actually be quite stressful.
One of the struggles of being an entrepreneur is taking care of yourself. It’s taken me a couple of years to master, but it’s easy to slip back into putting the business before myself all the time. Just like those of you who have small children - remember to take care of yourself. Just like on the airplane when the oxygen mask drops we must put on our first, otherwise we’ll be no use to our children/businesses.
For example, one afternoon after having worked in the studio for about 7 hours without any breaks, I came in my house and my couch looked rather inviting. I ended up laying down and woke up one hour later from a wonderful nap - recharged and ready to get back to work. It’s important to listen to what your body needs.
It’s crazy to think that I’m already onto the second weekend of Christmas shows! This weekend I’ll be at the Calico Christmas Fair - I hope you’ll pop down and say hello! I have two solid months of shows ahead of me (check out my events page for the list!) and six straight months of shows behind me. There was one month in between to make stock for my Christmas season, so you can imagine how many long naps on the couch I’ve had. They really do a girl good.
I'm really excited to be sharing with you all my new brass and silver line with a touch of pearl. I've really stepped it up on my handblown glass teardrops, too. I’ve started created other handblown glass pieces, like my new love triangle necklaces. They are made up of two or three glass triangles that are hot fused together like chain links.
Trust me, they’re really awesome.
Come and visit me at any of my shows this season most of them are right here in Victoria and in Cowichan Valley. I'm also doing a show in Abbotsford that I love called the West Coast Christmas show. Not to mention the new shops that are carrying F L U X & S T O N E jewelry! Check out if there is a place near you!
I'm here in Bella Bella taking a well-deserved week off to tour the West Coast with some very wonderful human beings. My summer months were amazing I couldn't be more proud of where my business is going. I received so much love from customers; I’ve helped them find jewellery that made them light up from within. I can honestly say with all my heart I truly love my job
]]>As soon as I get home, I will start working on Christmas stock. Before you know it, we’ll be well into the Christmas season. I’ve got all new and amazing different designs that I've been working on over the last couple weeks that I’m excited to share with you!
It's been pretty exhausting to roll straight from summer right into Christmas. That's why this week away on this amazing sailboat is just the thing that the doctor ordered. Great food, fresh air, and wonderful people.
We’re sailing on a boat called Maple Leaf Adventures. Just look at all the beauty that surrounds me! (I've included more pictures at the bottom of the post! Yes, I did bring a little bit of work to do with me. I anybody knows me, they know I just don't know how to stop.
Happy fall, everyone! I hope you enjoy all the amazing colours this great season brings and the sweet smell after the rain. There’s nothing quite like pulling your favourite boots, jackets and that fuzzy scarf you own out of the closet. Rocking that fall fashion; come find me if you want to adorn yourself with a little bit more!
I got my new Etsy shop up! Lots of one-of-a-kind pieces up there. Everything you see on my Etsy shop is the exact item you will receive. It has taken me a long time to get here, but I have an amazing sister who set up the whole shop for us to enjoy.
Sending everybody so much love and light. I'd also like to shout out to Nikki, Sarah, Tegan and Hannah and the one and only amazing Marjorie (my mom) for pulling their weight over the last couple months. You’ve helped me get my little business more & more momentum. Thank you ladies!! I truly couldn't do it without you.
]]>I'm most excited about being back in the studio and creating all of the things that I want to. I just ordered my very own electroplating bath and rectifier.
The man I purchased it from told me that remembering how to electroplate is just like riding a very dangerous bike.
It's the time of year that I have to make stock for the summer. While part of Canada is still covered in snow, you bet I’m thinking summer. It's insane how fast summer creeps up on all of us makers that sell at summer markets.
Speaking of coming up fast - it’s also the time of year to apply for all the Christmas markets too! I absolutely can't stand filling out these applications because it takes hours and hours and hours of my time. Not to mention that my shoulder seizes up at the computer. Luckily, I was gifted the most wonderful assistant ever who helped me do things like this. This girl reminds me that there is a God (and to any of you makers out there who also struggle with things like this, there are people who actually enjoy doing these things out there to help!) I highly recommend hiring assistant to do the things that you're just not very good at.
This year, I'm trying to be extremely organized. I’m applying for all of these shows now, so that I’m not scrambling to find winter shows while I’m busting my butt selling at the summer markets!
I'm growing up and using all of the skills I've got!
I'm most excited about being back in the studio and creating all of the things that I want to. I just ordered my very own electroplating bath and rectifier. I can start making my own beautifully electroplated crystals and found objects. I learned about electroplating about five years ago at Pilchuck glass school. Unfortunately at the time, I don't think I paid enough attention. No sweat - I'm just going to have to reteach myself! That’s a little bit scary all while being very exciting.
The man I purchased it from told me it's just like riding a very dangerous bike.
I have some truly amazing equipment in my studio. No reason not to create completely individual and amazingly creative pieces now! I get to showcase my style and share all my new creations with everyone. I was up till about midnight last night working on finishing the organic cast silver pieces I had made just before I left for Scotland. I also set up different organic objects for a casting that will be doing tomorrow!
Stay posted on Instagram for pictures of my new work!
If you’ll excuse me, it’s time to get up and crush it in the studio.
]]>If you go on girlbosscreate.com, you'll see a bunch of interviews with some badass lady bosses!
But who is behind it all?
An awesome lady, who wants a place for Creative Inspiration for Creative Girl Bosses.
If you go on girlbosscreate.com, you'll see a bunch of interviews with some badass lady bosses!
But who is behind it all?
My name is Sascha Smith.
What an awesome lady, who wants a place for Creative Inspiration for Creative Girl Bosses.
I was lucky to be chosen as a badass lady boss and asked questions like "What usually inspires you to create something new?" and "What is the story behind your business and how it came to be?"I would LOVE if you'd go over a take a look! She wrote a great piece on me and I'm so very grateful.
]]>Well my bags are packed and I'm ready to go; I am off to Scotland on my 32nd birthday to discover new parts of the beautiful coast of the beautiful country I was born in! I'm really excited to go hunting for amethyst crystals in the river not far from my house in Scotland.
]]>Well my bags are packed and I'm ready to go; I am off to Scotland on my 32nd birthday to discover new parts of the beautiful coast of the beautiful country I was born in! I'm really excited to go hunting for amethyst crystals in the river not far from my house in Scotland. I've also hired a van, a beautiful little VW van, it has a pop top roof, a kitchen and a bed. Luckily it also has a heater so I can wild camp on the Moore's of the Scotland. Nate and I are going to do a seven day road trip around the coast.
I’m also hoping to do some prospecting for other minerals and crystals. I'm really looking forward to bringing crystals that I have found, and incorporating them into my work. I want to start creating a practice where I am supporting silver, crystal and gemstone mines. Or found gemstones that are that are fair labor or found items.
I love every little piece of jewelry that I make, my friend calls it ‘Make Magic’ because I love what I do. When you wear my jewelry, you'll feel the love and inspiration of the great spirit or the universal energy that I believe the run through all of us. I didn't start making jewelry to make money; I started making jewelry to express myself to bring joy. To have a way of being creative. Through that, I have found a way to support myself. I'm living the dream of working a job where I am truly inspired and full of love while I work. I believe it is truly deeply important to do what we love as we will spend most of our lives working (and sleeping).
You need two things: a great most delicious delightful comfortable bed and doing your most favorite thing as your job so every day. I know this sounds super cheesy, but I watch so many people work a job that makes them deeply unhappy, I always told myself that that wouldn't be me.
It was actually my mom told me I could be whatever I wanted to be. She encouraged me to go to art school to become an artist. She always used to say make a decision and stick to it when it comes to your job. It turned out to be true! It's taken me many years to build myself up as an artist and a jeweler, because I chose something and I stuck to it. I am now creating a business for myself. I can pay my bills through being artistic and inspired.
I hope somebody out there reading this right now realizes that they too can live their life and do the thing they love the most (and make money from it!) Know that if I can do it you can do it (and believe me I am not very organized.) Somehow, I still run a beautiful & amazing business that creates happiness in many people’s lives around me. Never give up your dream, no matter how old you are you can start today.
I have to say thank you to all of the people out there in the world that have supported me and purchased my jewelry or my artwork. it means that I get to be the woman I've always wanted to be.
Thank you, wholeheartedly. Thank you!
Love and light.
Well the Christmas season is over and I'm all snuggled up on the sofa binge watching Netflix.I'm giving myself three days before I get back in the studio.
I have learned from years past that I take the off season months for granted...
]]>
I'm giving myself three days before I get back in the studio.
I have learned from years past that I take the off season months for granted. Then during the summer, all I do is work markets, come home and make stock, then rinse and repeat. This year I’ve decided to put these off season months to great use and make all my stock before I start my summer market season.
But first I have to relax - which I’ll be able to do fully once I clean the house from top to bottom. With the busy season behind us where things came up and stuff was put to the side; now I finally feel like I have space to rip apart cupboards and tidy everything. I always say, there's nothing better than the feeling of a clean house and a spotless kitchen. The feeling of relief when you come down the stairs first thing in the morning, look around, and your house is clean - I’m not sure I can even put it into words.
My studio is close to being completed, and it’s so cozy & warm. Every day, when the sunlight pours in, it is the most beautiful place in the world! This space is the best I've ever had to be creative in; and it's all thanks to my sweet loving partner Nathan (what a blessing I have in my life!)
I'm actually really looking forward to the next couple of weeks of creating! I'm finally going to get working with my new silver vacuum casting machine and creating cast organic objects which is been a dream of mine for so many years. I also have a rolling mill which I'm very excited to get working on. Lately, I've been rolling clay through the rolling mill and making the most beautiful printed patterns with it. Leaves,feathers and all sorts of different creative things.
I'm also looking into buying some electroforming equipment. As some of you may have noticed on my Instagram, I’ve posted photos of some pretty cool metal covered shriveled up apples and Japanese lanterns. Electroforming is something that I learned to do at Pilchuck Glass School many moons ago, and I've always had a yearning to do it again. I'm just waiting on electroforming equipment to be sent to me!
On my 32nd birthday, January 18, I will be on a flight back to Scotland for the first time in four years. Bringing along my love to go and visit my sweet aunt and my dad. I'm so excited to go back to Scotland and see all of the beautiful things. So be sure to follow me on Instagram and I’ll do my best to regale you with tales from my Scottish adventures.
It's been a crazy three weeks, and I’ve I finally moved into my new studio - and can't find anything. How is it, that no matter how carefully you pack you always seem to lose something?
]]>It's been a crazy three weeks, and I’ve I finally moved into my new studio - and can't find anything. How is it, that no matter how carefully you pack you always seem to lose something? Although I certainly can’t complain; Nathan, my sweet partner, has built me a little piece of paradise right in my own backyard. I honestly feel like the luckiest girl in the world! Remembering to live in gratitude has gotten me to where I am today.
Over the last week, I've been preparing for my Christmas rush. I had my first market this weekend and it was so nice to be back talking to my lovely customers, and sharing my creativity with the world. Seeing people go home with little pieces of art that I've made for their bodies is an indescribable feeling. I love seeing people find jewelry that makes them feel beautiful. I put love into every piece of my work with the hope that when you wear my jewelry, you feel loved.
Lately, I have been practicing looking in the mirror every morning. I set a timer for one minute and say to myself while looking into my eyes “I love you just the way you are”, and repeating it over and over. It is one of the most wonderful things that I've ever done for myself and I highly recommend it to everybody in this world. I have watched a vast change in my self-love and self-confidence over the past three weeks of doing this.
Learning to love oneself is quite a journey and that's why I feel so proud when I see a lady put on my jewelry and watch her watch her light up with love and appreciation for herself. It's not just that my jewelry is beautiful, it is that everybody who wears it is beautiful. Hopefully, when they put it on they see their own beauty - thus they light up and shine through, giving themselves a lovely gift.
I'm finally getting settled into my studio and today I've been making sterling silver rings for ladies the tend to find the knuckles are bigger than their fingers. They’re one of my very favorite rings, as anyone can wear them! They are adjustable, some have beautiful little Swarovski Crystals on them and others are just plain.
My most exciting thing, though, is I have a new rolling mill! A rolling mill creates beautiful textures in metal. Recently, I rolled a feather through my rolling mill leaving the most beautiful delicate imprint of a pheasant feather. Be sure you’re following me on Instagram so you can see all the new things, like this, that I’m working on!
Stay posted for my next blog post in 2 weeks and see what I've been up to!
Love and light from Miss Mieke Lily at F L U X & S T O N E