Thrifting in Kelowna - Part 1

While I was in Kelowna during the summer, Lauren wanted to visit Value Village, and do some Halloween costume shopping & general thrifting. Of course, I couldn't say no!

I almost took this deer home with me. I kind of regret not actually buying it.

Wicked cool chess pieces... hand carved from wood.. and they were quite big too!

Praying Hand Bookends. I love it when things match/come in sets and you find both pairs at the thrift store.

A pretty metallic object

Red Leaf Candle Holder

The iconic SINGER sewing machine!

A beautiful stained glass image of birds and flowers.

Going thrifting is always a fun adventure. There's so many interesting objects and curious, that I'm lucky I have a discerning eye & shallow pocket, or I'd be going home with truck loads of junk treasure.

Have you picked up anything on your latest thrifting adventures?
Part two coming up soon!

Treasure, from Christina Lank

Look what arrived in my mail box this morning!

A package from Plantie Bee aka Christina Lank! When I saw the wax seal, I knew EXACTLY who it was from, and boy was I ever excited to open it!!

wax seal

The wax seal is so detailed and beautiful! What an interesting and memorable way to mark a package. It held up really well in the post too. Didn't get squished or anything. ^_^

Pretty Swedish Stamps (totally keeping these & the seal. what? I collect weird things :P )

*tug tug*

My pretties!

Thank you so very much Christina! *hugs* I can't wait to frame them and begin my own art wall. :)

Check out Christina's shop, it's full of gorgeous artwork!

Summer Thrifting pt 1

Hey guys!

My birthday was last week, so in celebration, I did a lot of thrift store shopping!
My thrifting style is a bit different than some of my favourite bloggers. I'm not a big fan of kitsch decor, vintage clothes, or cute animal figurines, at least not in my own home. I'm very interested however in antiques, interesting and odd curios, things I can use, unique but trendy clothing, and books! I always come home with bundles and bundles of books at the thrift store. Sometimes I think the prices they charge are too high though, considering some of them are old discards from libraries and such.

Thrift Store Shelves

ornate picture frames

detail of picture frame

I saw these three picture frames sitting in one of those grab bags along the wall. Usually I just skip over that stuff, cause it's filled with old hair ties, barbie shoes, and paper clips, but this one was certainly something special. I'd like to do three original drawings for each of the frames, and possibly put them up for sale.

Books. Read any of them?

Cute bowls made in Japan. Perfect for Miso soup.
I loooved the colours, and it was all four for $5, so I got'em! 

Some things I didn't get, but secretly wanted to...

This fabulously tacky bejeweled bracelet.
Unfortunately fortunately didn't fit.

This AMAZING trunk

which was $70. for $10 it would have been mine.

Hope you enjoyed part one of summer thrifting! Second part will be up soon! :)

Fabulous Friday Favourites #13

Lomo Cameras (my wishlist)

Over the past few months I've been blogging fairly regularly & visiting my favourite blogs daily. I've been very inspired by all of you bloggers out there, and keep finding new things I want to try, or create, or visit. One hobby I've developed a love for is photography; one, for the art in general, and two, because of the awesome bloggers out there creating inspiring photos.

Ever since I got my digital slr camera from school (Nikon d60) three years ago, I've become pretty obsessed with photography. Before that, photography wasn't an art to me (at least not my own photography lol), but now it's a really big part of my life. 

Even though I'm familiar with digital photography (and LOVE it), I never really got into film photography. The thinking process is a bit different, and physical film is much less forgiving to the newb. So I kind of just avoided this traditional media foe, and stuck with digital. 

Then I made a life altering discovery.

TOY CAMERAS! 

To me, they aren't toys at all. They might be made of plastic, but the results they yield are unexpected, magical, surprises. They create a surreal atmosphere, with the help of light leaks, serendipitous blurring, and contrasting colour. They're a completely new art form for me.

I've already shot my first two rolls with my thrifted Diana & lomo fisheye, and am waiting to finish off another four rolls before I get them all developed (if I have the patience to wait, haha). 

Holga 135 Camera via buyholga

Holga is one of my favourite lomo cameras, especially this version. While I'm not a fan of using a flash, it would definitely be fun if you could use coloured filters over top, which would make the photo look like it was taken under a blue/red/green/yellow light. I also love the pastel colours they come in, and the retro feel. The only downside with the Holga is that it isn't as customizable/doesn't have as many accessories as the Diana f+. I still have my heart set on getting one though!

Lomo 3 Lens Action Sampler

I just bought this little 3 lens action sampler for super cheap on ebay and can't wait to try it out! I love the cute little "face" the lens holes make... it looks like a cute green alien or something. Here are some examples of the types of photos this little camera takes. (note: I did not take the photos, the credits/links are captioned below). 

via Omur

via Alper

Twin lens reflex

This awesome little guy is a build it yourself camera. You receive all of the pieces and assemble them yourself. One lens is a view finder, and the other is the 'picture taker'. It's fairly inexpensive, at 11$, and includes free shipping. I think it would be an excellent project to build with kids, or for yourself. They'd also make great party favors on a special occasion. 

LensBaby offers a line of lens accessories for Nikon and Canon digital SLR cameras. The lenses are really, really neat. They allow you to take very artistic shots, messing around with focus and blur, as well as positioning of the lens. It almost gives you the effect of a lomo camera. Very neat, and definitely on my shopping list!

Hope you enjoyed learning about the cameras on my wishlist. Do you have any on yours?

Basic Jewelry Supplies

Hello everyone!

I absolutely LOVE getting packages in the mail, and because I have to order supplies for my businesses online, I get packages nearly every day (at least lately lol).

For this post, I'm just going to share the "basics" with you. The basic jewelry supplies that I always have to have on hand, so that I can fill lots of orders quickly for my customers.

1. Black Chains

I got a bunch of different styled/sized black chains for some anklets I'm making for the shop.
I love black everything - I am extremely pale, so black items really stand out against my skin. The little black feather beads were such a wonderful find. I was smitten the first time I saw them, and have ordered 32 more today!

Black Chain, Black Anklet

The first "prototype" anklet I made. I love how the silver jump rings contrast the black. 

 2. Silver Plated Wire

Where would I be without wire? This is the item I run out of the quickest, aside from chain. So I made sure to order a few spools this time, and will likely have to order more again soon.

Silver Wire

 3. Gold Plated Chain

I ordered quite a bit of this. I'm super excited to get started making some pretty gold necklaces. ^_^

Gold Chain

 4. Silver Plated Chain

I purchased even more of the silver plated chain. I usually use more of this than the gold, anyway.

Silver Chain

 5. Silver Jump Rings

You can never have enough jump rings! I found an awesome deal and got thousands of these little buggers.

Silver jump rings

 6. Silver Heart Clasps

These are just so sweet. When I saw them, I instantly knew I had to get them. They aren't a conventional lobster claw clasp, but I think they're waaaay cuter.

Silver heart clasps

Tomorrow I'll share some of the gorgeous crystals and stones! 

Stay tuned!

Thrifting Adventure!

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved a good treasure hunt. And now, in my ripe old age of 25, almost 26, I take the opportunity to hunt for cheap little treasures at my local thrift stores. Join me on an adventure from a few months back!

A treasure among a pile of junk!
As many of you may have noticed, I'm nuts for damask patterns. 

A cute coin purse. These purses always remind me of grandmothers. 

A cute little trinket that I took home with me. It's hand painted made in Japan. 

I had no clue what I would do with this - so I didn't buy it. But boy did I want to!

Two different times I came into the store and spotted this gorgeous treasure. 

I am mega jealous of this lady's quilt & knitting abilities. I have yet to find a quilt so rad. 

A cute piece of kitsch. 

Finally me! In a pretty blue, somewhat transparent, top I got. 

Hope you're all having a lovely week! 

My Wishlist

My Wishlist by sasha-fitzgerald featuring beauty products

I have a current obsession with all things minty green - including, but not limited to, cameras, nail polish, typewriters, and of course my dream retro vw bus!

I also happen to be extremely passionate about each one of these items. The nail polish, which I would apply as mint green on the base, and dots of black on top, would make my nails look just daaaahling. I'm also really diggin' the black nail polish's label - tres cool.

The typewriter is kind of a mysterious curio for me. I have memories from my early childhood (late 80's to early 90's) of typing on a typewriter and being utterly fascinated by it. I love that you can type directly on the paper, in the moment, mistakes and all, and when you're finished, you can hold up the piece in your hands like a work of art (rather than just view it on a screen, or wait for a printer to reproduce it). In all likelihood, this gorgeous teal typewriter you see pictured will actually be mine! It was yet another craigslist find. I have some ideas of what I would like to create with it... which I keep a secret until I can create and share it with you. ^_~

Next on my list, and a particular item I've lusted after for ages, is the retro vw bus. I've seen them around town, rusted, old and falling apart, as well as the newer pastel painted versions. I freaking love them. It has a classic look, and says pure adventure to me. I can imagine myself traveling around to different art shows across North America, selling my wares straight from my bus! I think that would be such an awesome experience.

And lastly, the Diana f+ lofi lomography camera, in Neptune Green. I've spent the last two days doing a lot of research on these cameras. I have a lot of experience using a dSLR camera (thanks art school!), and I've been itching to try my hand at film. I love the instagram styled shots that you can get with an iphone, but really can't justify spending that huge of a sum of money on a cell phone + plan just for the pretty pictures (I also can't afford it hahahaha & the other useful features aren't necessary to me or my biz right now). But a camera, though it's pricy up front, doesn't come with a three year crazy expensive plan. The only fees are in the cost of film, batteries, and lab fees; and I get the chance to learn a new art, and have some awesome film adventures.

Here are some examples of the types of photos you can take with the Diana, via lomography:

Hope you enjoyed this little peek into my wishlist! Are there any particular items you've been wishing for too?