Tag Archives: life

Crafty Chicks: The Story

5 very different girls.

I always say that my friendships are the most important thing in my life. Without them, I have no idea in what mental state I would be in, seriously. Admit it, you feel the same about yours ;)

If you follow me on Twitter (if not, click right here), you probably already know who some of them are, especially those which I affectionately call my Crafty Chicks, since I regularly tweet with them.

But let me introduce to you properly my favorite Montreal crafty chicks! How we met, a glimpse of how they are, what they do! :D

We are 5, we are all very different (as you can see in the picture above!), and we are all creative fabulous ladies!

Je vous aime donc tout plein!!!!! -xxxxx- *mushy*

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

This is Noémie, aka Noemiah.

She is the very first of these ladies that I met. It’s with her that everything started, that my artsy, lonesome at home, world changed. And for that, I will forever be thankful.

Actually, I’m not even sure precisely how it happened, but I think we started messaging each other online business questions on Etsy. And then we started meeting and chatting a little at craft shows. And then, obviously, supply shopping together and coffees and lunches HAD TO happen!

She is one of the most creative and fashion savvy people I know! She’s always browsing the Web to not miss what’s new in fashion, find wonderful vintage clothing items and then let us all know about it! You think you discovered something new? NOPE! She’s soooo ahead of you already and knows all about it! haha! She’s a wonderfully sweet and funny person, as well as a little shy at times, but she’s also always the one to suggest a lunch so we can all see each other again and again and have wonderful times! :D

She makes fabulous feather jewelry, and here are a few of her latest pieces!

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

This is Mélanie, aka MelanieFavreau.

One day, Noémie purchased something from Mélanie on Etsy, and since they live like almost steps from each other, they decided to exchange the goodies in person, at their mutual post office. They kept bumping into each other there after that when shipping their sales, and it started a friendship. Noémie then organized a little something, and that’s how I met Mel too!

She is a very caring person, and always has a pep-talk ready for anyone close to her who needs it. She can at one moment tell-it-like-it-is, and then the next moment go completely soft and space out when she sees a kitty (no wonder she has 5!). She’s not one to follow trends: she does as she pleases, and you either like it or you don’t, and that’s just how it is. How refreshing, right? :)

She also creates from scratch awesome sterling silver jewelry, that she models herself in her photos. I’m still impressed, I don’t have that courage! lol

Here are a few:

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

This is Tamara, aka ThisIlk.

As Montrealers and fans of handmade, we all like to know what other locals are making, and selling on Etsy, and that is how everyone started noticing Tamara. How could someone not want to meet a cool chick like her, right!? After seeing her work in mutual consignment shops and at craft shows, Tamara naturally joined the group! The first time I really got to know more about her, we were vendor neighbors at the Souk@Sat 2009 craft show for a whole 4 days. It was truly a great show, enhanced by her presence! :)

She is one of the nicest people ever! She will talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime, with a bigggg smile. She always has a kind word or compliment for her friends, and their work. She is well-traveled, passionate about vintage eras, inspired by everything and anything, and super driven: everything life brings is another reason to push forward and improve. She’s definitely a free spirit!

Her jewelry line is adorned by vintage lace, which she totally makes her own!

Here are some pieces in which she unleashes her creativity:

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

This is Paule, aka Paule T. B.

On a very brrrr cold winter night last year, Noémie, Mélanie, Tamara and I decided to check out the opening night of an art exhibit at (R.I.P.) Headquarters Boutique. It was a showcase of the super talented Paule. As Mel and I were browsing the gallery, Noémie and Tamara started chatting with Paule about a painting of a girl that, weirdly enough, looked a whole lot like Tamara! The two girls quickly arranged to do collaborations with Paule for their own work. Since they obviously found her super cool, Mel & I quickly got to meet her too in the Spring. We all meshed so good and easily with her, it was a no-brainer to invite her to every meet we had from that point on!

She is truly a hilarious girl: never you will have a dull moment in her company! Oh my, the intense laughs we’ve all had when her quirky humor just bursts out! She is a sensitive person, and she has a whole lot of compassion and understanding for the people she cares about. She can also offer up much needed advice and opinions when she’s asked to (and that is how I learned that when I straighten my hair too much, I look too harsh and it doesn’t match my personality. lol!).

She draws fabulous pieces of art that everyone wants, and so will you:

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

This is me, Janick, aka Nea.

I am like this and like that.

And I make this and that.

And my life is truly better since I met these wonderful women.

11 Comments

Filed under Art, Fashion - Accessories, Handmade, Québécois

Stress

Pedicure

Même mon chat comprend que je suis stressée… On gruge nos ongles tous les deux!

Je ne peux pas dire exactement de quoi il s’agit, mais ça implique me faire prendre en photo, et je déteste me faire prendre en photo… Haha!

À suivre… Dans un peu plus d’une semaine!

—-

Even my cat understands I’m stressed… We both bite our nails!

I can’t say exactly why yet, but it involves being photographed, and I hate being photographed… lol!

To be followed… In a little more than a week!

3 Comments

Filed under Nea Jewelry & Wall Wear, Photography

Busy & Tired!

Ouf!

  • Beaucoup de travail pour Fonetik dans les dernières semaines, occupée occupée!
  • Peu de temps pour Nea même si des nouveaux items sont faits depuis des semaines et que je n’ai pas le temps de lister!
  • Pas de temps pour lire mes fils RSS de blogues (3257 nouveaux posts non-lus, et je viens juste d’en regarder une centaine!)
  • Pas le temps d’explorer la nouvelle imprimante Canon géniale, à part pour mettre mon portfolio imprimé à jour (l’impression en 13″x19″ m’attend! Un jour!). NeaBlossoms offrira bientôt (j’espère!) des cartes de souhaits, des étiquettes, et d’autres items papiers!
  • Fatiguée, épuisée… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
  • Et pas le temps de blogger trop trop.. Je m’excuse!! :(

Oï!

  • Lots of work for Fonetik in the past few weeks, busy busy I am!
  • Not much time for Nea, even tough new items are done for weeks now, just no time to list them!
  • No time to check out my pending blogs RSS feeds (3257 non-read posts, and I just looked at like about a hundred just now!)
  • No time to explore my new and awesome Canon printer, except for updating my printed portfolio (13″x19″ printing, here I come! Eventually…!). NeaBlossoms will soon (hopefully) offer greeting cards, tags, and other paper items!
  • Tired, burned-out… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
  • And not much time to blog… I’m sorry!! :(

1 Comment

Filed under Other Stuff

I’m back!

My new Fluffy Earrings

Boucles d’oreille par: Tomate d’épingles

Je suis de retour!! Je n’ai pas échappé au smog et à la chaleur accablante, même à Québec. Mais, ah, on s’en fou!

Je reviens avec… zéro photo! Sincèrement, c’était tellement relaxant de penser à rien! Pas de travail, pas de bijoux, pas de photographie, pas d’ordinateur, pas de téléphone, pas de courriel, pas de pression, pas de manque de temps ni de stress… Alors, pourquoi traîner la lourde et encombrante caméra?! haha

Mais je reviens reposée (même si plus longtemps aurait aussi été plaisant!), bronzée (on dirait presque que je suis allée dans le Sud!), et avec de superbes boucles d’oreilles faites de tissus recyclés, créées par Guylaine de Tomate d’épingles! C’était un vrai plaisir de la rencontrer enfin!

Allez, hop, on reprend la “routine”! (Je ne déteste pas d’avoir une certaine routine, rassurez-vous!) ihih :)

1 Comment

Filed under Other Stuff

Québec, j’arrive!

Je pars demain matin à l’aurore (presque) pour la ville de Québec pour un petit séjour de trois-jours-deux-nuits! La dernière fois que j’y suis allé, j’avais trois pommes dans mon sac et j’étais haute comme trois pommes! Donc, ce sera avec des yeux de grande que je visiterai la ville cette fois-ci!

Je ferai ma touriste montréalaise (même si je ne viens pas de Montréal, je suis bien assimilée! haha) et prendrai probablement plein de clichés que je pourrai vous montrer en revenant!

J’en profiterai aussi pour rencontrer pour la première fois la sympathique Guylaine, de Tomate d’épingles, avec qui j’ai eu d’innombrables conversations “virtuelles” dans la dernière année!

Si vous avez des “spots” à suggérer, sentez-vous bien à l’aise, même si je ne reste pas longtemps! :)

I’ll be gone to Québec City for a few days as of tomorrow!

I will take that opportunity to meet in person the nice Guylaine behind Tomate d’épingles!

Until then, stay nice! hehe :)

5 Comments

Filed under Québécois