TT takin' it to the 'burbs!

I am packin' up my little Subaru, filling it with photo wood blocks, prints, hand stamped metal designs and photo jewels and on my way to Coquitlam Craft Fair tomorrow!

I usually do 4 markets around Christmas time, but because of my intermittent feeling-goodness and my pursuance of getting products in stores and increasing traffic in my Etsy store, I knew not to over-commit myself, especially not to those that I may stand to lose a hefty market fee to if I had to cancel last minute. So I am very keen and excited to be doing a new market in a new area I have never been before! And I LOVE me a little road trip:)

Sigurd has been making sure I stay off the computer so I can focus on making things. Slave driver. 

As a thank you to all of our friends and family at Giving Gifts and Company, we are having a special night in honour of you. For 3 hours only - from 6PM to 9PM TONIGHT, the entire store will be 20% off! We have never had a store-wide discount like this before so make sure to take advantage of the savings and join us at the store for this special evening. We are located at Main and 30th in Vancouver! 

The above are some Etsy orders I sent out this week! It's not too late to order in time for Christmas. I can usually turnaround within a day or two. Shipping within Canada takes 1-3 business days and to the US about a week! Check out www.huggerofseas.com and see what's in store!  

That's all for now! Must get back to making and packing! Hope things are going swimmingly for you during this busy season. Deep breaths. Om. You are doing the best you can:) xo!

An almost totally exfoliated image hand transferred onto wood. Photo taken in my 'hood and quote by Wayne Dyer.

BIG FRICKIN' GRATITUDE SALE!

Sterling Silver 'OM' Necklace, Vintage Brass 'Gypsea' Ring, German Silver Personalized Heart Pendant

So I WAS makin' my little tookus off for Bloom Market in Ft. Langley up until last Sunday when I went down..way, way down for the count with feelings of unwellness. Not the kind that you can just ignore and keep truckin' through unfortunately..full on death's door can't move 'am I gonna make it?' seeing angels I want my Mom come to Jesus kind of sick. It broke my heart into smithereens having to cancel my booth at the market, but without the ability to clone a healthier version of myself, there was no choice in the matter. I have said it before, I will say it again...health is numero uno. If you've got that, you have everything! I may elaborate more on this in a future blog, but right now Mama's got to get back to work!

Photo Bling Session

Having said that, I am feeling extra super grateful just to be sitting at my computer writing this newsletter to you now. Also, that I have my own business to run. Yes when I go down, the biz goes down but if I was working for someone....ummm, I probably would be out of a job right now. It's thanks to you and all the people who support me and purchase my art that I am able to get up and and get back in the saddle again! And in light of all the sales coming up this weekend, I decided to have a little 'er...BIG FRICKIN' GRATITUDE SALE in celebration of you and everyone who supports me and small businesses.

Please use the following coupon codes all based on minimum purchase amounts in my Etsy shop, www.huggerofseas.com: 

$35 and up - 15% off: GRATITUDE15

$70 and up - 20% off: GRATITUDE 20

$100 and up - 25% off: GRATITUDE 25

Newsletter subscribers get first dibs on this sale - it is live as soon as you read this email and ends Monday, December 1st at 11:59 PM PST. Please feel free to forward and share with friends and family!

Let me know if you have any questions about the sale and remember you can always personalize jewelry with your own words or photos as well as prints and wood blocks! 

And on with some news! We have had a beautiful autumn in Vancouver. Unfortunately due to feeling not so fab and being stankin' busy in between, I have not been making my usual trips down to see Sven the Svawn..my leetle friend at Lost Lagoon. He was my muse this summer. I hadn't been taking a lot of pictures since the jewelry making keeps me well occupied, but he inspired which brought me more de-stress time in nature...the best therapy!

Sven..the Svawn, Lost Lagoon, Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC

See more of Sven on my Instagram account:)

The unrelenting rain and dark skies have arrived now and as much as I prefer and love summer, I can now work inside guilt free and get mucho amounts of things done sans hearing the ocean (and Sven) constantly beckoning me!

Lion's Gate Bridge, North Vancouver, BC

For Vangroovians, if you dare to brave the weather this weekend, I just topped up my stock yesterday at Favourite Gifts in the Lonsdale Quay Market in North Vancouver! This is a lovely collective full of amazing local, independent artists. I will also be delivering to Kimprints on Denman and in Gastown, Two of Hearts in Kits and on Main and Migration Boutique in Victoria. 

This Thursday, we are staying open late to kick off the holiday shopping season at Giving Gifts and Company, an artist collective I am a part of, located on Main and 29th. We offer a bevy of dizzyingly lovely and beautiful local, handmade and fair trade gifts! RSVP to the event here.

Local is the new black. 

Don't let your friends shop at chain stores. 

Shop independent this year! 

When you visit an independent local business you keep more money in your local economy, support local jobs, help the environment, encourage community, conserve your tax dollars and make your community a destination! And it's just plain 'ol good karma:)

Will write again soon! Please don't ever hesitate to write me back and let me know what's up! Many of you I haven't seen for so long but hope to real soon...and you're always in my thoughts. I thank you for keeping up with me on this entrepreneurial ride and I appreciate all your support. I hope that you are cozy and warm and feelin' GREAT wherever you may be. Happy Thanksgiving to my American peeps!

Mucho love and HUGS, 

TT

Lost Lagoon, Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC

Summer Round-Up and an Upcoming Show!

Kits Beach, Vancouver, BC

Well hello there! Once again, it has been quite some time since I last wrote, but I have a pretty good excuse. Remember that whole work/life balance thingy I was talking about? Well, I have been trying to get better at it, which means some of my work things have been getting pushed down the To Do List.....namely, this blog:-/

I didn't want to see another summer go by as a complete blur so I made sure that I took a few actual WHOLE days off to float around in the ocean, lay on the beach with friends, lolly gag at Lost Lagoon and one of my fave past times, go SKIM BOARDING! It's not surfing, but the next best thing when one lives by a waveless ocean! 

My friend Kevin and I skimmin' at Spanish Banks, Vancouver, BC

Duck Moon, Lost Lagoon, Vancouver, BC

I have continued to focus on wholesaling my products to retailers and ramping up my online sales whilst participating less in markets. I did do a few markets however: Car Free on Main St, Carnaval del Sol and Viva Vancouver on Granville as well as Khatsalano Festival, where I met lovely people - some of which are now receiving this email - and thoroughly enjoyed being out and about. Human contact yay! 

Traffic in my online store, www.huggerofseas.com has picked up due to being featured in a couple of Etsy Fashion Newsletters: 

Style Studies 

Yelling Timber

And I am currently in the following retail stores: 

Kimprints, Gastown 

Kimprints, Denman St

Two of Hearts Clothing & Boutique, Main St 

Two of Hearts Clothing & Boutique, Kitsilano

Migration Boutique, Victoria, BC 

Copper Sky Gallery, Madeira Park, BC

And in the 2 art collectives I belong to:

Giving Gifts, Main St, Vancouver, BC

Favourite Gifts, Lonsdale Quay, North Vancouver, BC

And soon at House of Jewels in the West End (ma 'hood) as well as Sansara Surf and Yoga Resort in Cambutal, PANAMA! 

EEEEE! 

It has been a nice and steady growth as my production team aka 'myself' (and at times Sigurd above), needs to be able to keep up with the demand of making the jewels. I am very grateful to have these lovely outlets to sell my work in and look forward to expanding further!

If you are around Vancouver this Thursday, in collaboration with Vancouver Fashion Week and Shop West 4th, myself, Cici Clothing, Sarah Mulder Jewelry and MeiKu Designs are introducing our Fall collections at Two of Hearts Clothing & Boutique on 4th and Maple from 6-9PM. Event info here.  

Enjoy the simultaneous in-store soirees and promotions at any of the 20+ participating boutiques on 4th Ave. 

Here are a few pics of what I have been makin' lately! 

Much more to update you on, but must get bk to hammering metal for the show! Be in touch again soon:) Thanks for reading and hope your summer was most stupendously awesome!

Til next time, 

TT 

P.S. If you would like to stay in touch more regularly (along with my completely random, sporadic and inconsistent posts here), I am much more better at updating Instagram and Facebook, in case you'd like to follow me:)

Kits Beach, Vancouver, BC

How AWESOME is Your Mom?

It is that time of year again...Mother's Day! And for the third year in a row, I am holding my annual How Awesome is Your Mom? Mother's Day Contest!

My Mom is no longer here in body, but is definitely here in spirit. She was a kind and giving soul that sparkled wherever she went. I still get sprinkled with her sparkles every once in awhile and feel so blessed to have had such a great relationship with her for 36 years of my life. I know not everyone is so lucky.

This contest is for any of you who still have your Moms on this earth plane and those who do not. Maybe you never met your Mom and have someone in your life that has become an adopted or faux Mama?

Regardless, I wanna know why she is so bloody awesome! Leave a comment on the FB posting here or on my blog or if reading in your inbox, respond to this email.

Now. For the prizzzzes!!

I have made 3 necklaces special for Mother's Day but you are not ltd to these. If none appeal, you may choose any jewelry (handstamped or photo) in my Etsy shop: www.huggerofseas.com!  

Hand Stamped German Silver and Copper

Hand Stamped Wood and Naturally Aged Brass

Hand Stamped Wood and Naturally Aged Brass 

I will announce the winners on my FB page Sunday night!

In other news..the Art World Expo at Telus World of Science went quite swimmingly aside from a 30x40 wood print of Stubby the Pigeon getting knocked over (I didn't see the damage until I packed up) and a 24x24 metal print of Cherry Blossoms falling backwards off my table. ACK! A reminder as to why I stopped bringing big pieces to shows! Bollocks!

I had to leave my apt by 3:45 to pick up my friend Kevin who (bless him) was going to help me load everything in to the venue and also to pick up some of my stock at Giving Gifts & Co., the collective I sell at. Of course, this would be the time that my cat, Pusskin, would choose to disappear. 

I looked for her for 15 minutes before I had to hand it over to my wicked awesome neighbours (Pusskin has about 18 aunties and uncles in my building) who continued the search and kept watch for her while updating me via text. Meanwhile, I am already my usual basket case self when trying to get to a show in time, unload everything and set up! 

FINALLY at 7:30...over 3 hours later, she just appeared out of thin air. A week later, and none of us still have a clue where she was!

When I got the text...I sat down and said to my friend Delaney who was helping me, that all was right with the world now. The stress of the show seemed very minuscule compared to the possibility that I wouldn't be able to find my beloved pet. Sometimes one needs this sort of drama to put everything into perspective.

Every dreamer knows that it's entirely possible to be homesick for a place you've never been to, perhaps more homesick than familiar ground. - Judith Thurman

The show was really busy and I met a tonne of really cool people. This was the first time I have sold metal jewelry at a show or market and it seemed quite popular! This made me so happy as making these pieces has really brought contentment and peace to my life.

Stamping out words like, 'Believe, Strength, Fearless, Survivor, Do Epic Shit' etc. must affect me on some energetic level. Kind of like Emoto's Water Experiment - writing loving words on water bottles to change its molecules into pretty crystalline structures or just simply the marvelous impact of repeating positive affirmations has on one's life. I hope that anyone who wears these pieces has a similar experience:)

Til next time, wishing you a SPLENDID Mother's Day Weekend! I will be thinking about and feeling grateful for the many memories I have of mine!  

Made as part of a donation package to a silent auction for
The Assoc. for the Protection of Fur Bearing Animals

P.S. Professional photographer, Rachel Lando of Lando Images and Portrait Photography will be at Giving Gifts & Company at 4570 Main St (Main and 30th, the artisan collective I am a part of) doing mini photo sessions of moms and their kids (or just kids) for Mother's Day. Stop by the store on Sunday, May 11th between 2 and 4pm.

The photo shoot will be short and fun, so feel free to just stop by! You'll get one free digital image.

Rachel will be doing the photo shoot by donation to Cherish our Children. A $15 donation is suggested. Cherish Our Children International funds programs and projects that provide a brighter future for the world’s most vulnerable children. They work in countries such as Israel, Bosnia, Kenya, Mexico, Romania and Serbia to protect and nurture children so they have a solid foundation for healthy physical, intellectual and emotional development.

I'd love to see you at the store tomorrow between 2 and 4pm with your kids (and/or moms) and get your picture taken. We'll have flowers and tea for moms too:) 

Long lost hello!

Inukshuk, English Bay, Vancouver, BC

The last I wrote, I was freezing my tookus off in Alberta! And now the cherry blossoms are bursting in their full glory all over Vangroovy! It has  been AWHILE...

I wish I could say that I haven't written because I was busy shooting my way through some far off land but alas, no. January to March were a bit of a struggle. Straight to the point, I was feeling like hot garbage (if you've been reading blog for awhile - similar to what was happening post SE Asia). But have been working very hard at feeling better and definitely having more good days than bad! 

We don't grow when things are easy. We grow when we face challenges. And I believe everything happens to set us upon our right paths (even if it seems ridiculously unfair and difficult at the time). BELIEVE. TRUST.

Don't be pushed by your problems. Be lead by your dreams.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson 

So here's some good things that have been happening...

I had a credit for some classes at the The Crow's Nest Art Studio in Ladner and decided to finally take a metal stamping class I'd been meaning to for so long to possibly incorporate into my photo jewelry designs. I ended up falling completely in love with the process as well as the outcome. My first design was this copper cuff with one of my favourite quotes on it.

I then stamped this one out and added one of my photo charms (photo taken at the North Shore, Oahu) and a starfish.

That was it. I was hooked. Two of my favourite things melded together: photos and prose. Not to mention hammering away on a piece of metal - very THERAPEUTIC! Since then, I have made several more designs - you can check more of 'em out in my Etsy shop here: Hand Stamped Jewelry.

Any design can be customized and personalized with any word or phrase.

Do Epic Shit, Seas the Day, Gypsy Soul, Born to Run

I have also joined two artisan collectives as well as a couple of stores! With an art collective, one rents out a space as well as minds the store periodically. It's quite fabulous because you get to hobnob with your customers and also meet other local designers and artisans.

I have been at Giving Gifts and Co. since January now! We just had a one year anniversary event this April and raised several hundred dollars so far for the Somaly Mam Foundation, an organization that supports victims of human trafficking to start new lives as artists and entrepreneurs in Cambodia. Each of the vendors donated an item as a prize to win in the raffle and help raise funds. This was my contribution...

And I just joined Favourite Gifts over in North Vancouver at Lonsdale Quay! It is located on the 2nd floor of the public market. I am ecstatic to be a part of it as I know most of the other artisans who sell there and I think I am going to really LOVE working there once a month. Such a cool atmosphere!

As per the last year or so, Migration in Victoria, BC is still rockin' my photo wares and recently Two of Hearts Clothing and Boutique started selling in both their Kitsilano and Main Street locations. And within the next few weeks, Kimprints in Gastown and on Denman will be selling my metal jewelry!

If any of you all know some other stores that might be a good fit with my product line, drop me a line and let me know! One of my goals this year is to get more wares into brick and mortar shops (with less focus on arts and crafts markets). FYI, I'm not afraid to cross borders. Why not go GLOBAL:)

Also, I have decided to participate in ArtWorld Expo this year (Friday, May 2nd at Science World)! I was in it the first two years but couldn't make it last year. There are over 100 artists exhibiting (painters, sculptors, jewelry and fashion designers, photographers and installation artists) as well as live demos, body paint competitions, musical guests and a silent auction for Make and Break Arts Foundation. It's an amazing venue for me to show my large wood and metal prints at so I am pretty amped for the event! Tickets are almost sold out. So if you're keen to go, get your tix now!

I dropped my secrets in the ocean..Stanley Park Seawall, Vancouver (metal print 30x40 - limited edition)

Speaking of prints, I am also having a print sale in my Etsy shop as posted on my FB Page! Could make a mother verrrrrry happy! And a good time to start being a collector at 25% off.

COUPON CODE: FACEBOOK25

NOTE: Promo does not apply to the photo transfer wood blocks that I make by hand.

Stubby, Empire State Building, NY (wood print 30x40 - limited edition)

Any of my images can be printed. Just send me a message if you don't see the one you like in my shop or portfolio and I can make it happen (I have the technology)! Sale ends on FB page on April 30th but am extending for newsletter subscribers til Sunday, May 4th. Just make sure you do it soon, so it comes in time for Mother's Day!

Well then, I think that is all for now. Next up will be my annual Mother's Day Contest, in memory of my Mama. Stay tuned for new metal jewelry I exclusively designed for both honouring and remembering our Moms:)

Until then, I hope you are enjoying spring (or fall) wherever you are in the big, bad beautiful world...counting your blessings and taking care of your health. Always put it first, for without it, everything else kinda sucks.

:)

TT