beads beads beads

i'm all OVER the internet.

it was brought to my attention that MANY friends were surprised by my presence on the internet... as they weren't aware of it. all of it.
what?! how could you possibly not know!?!?
perhaps, jamie, because you are one of the most terrible human beings at self promotion that ever did live?
that's likely the reason.
FINE. i'll do it. i'll share where you can find me on the interweb. but if you don't like it, you are NOT allowed to complain about what i tweet about, where i go in toronto, and what things i post on my blog. simply. not. allowed.





from top to bottom:   my tumblr   //   my twitter   //   my 365 writing project   //   re:claim jewelry online store   //   my 8tracks   //   my pinterest   //   my foursquare   //   my polyvore

my (august long) weekend in summary

this weekend was half crazy busy, livin' like a university kid, and half super slow and lazy, living like a (kinda sorta) grown up. it was a good balance. and a much needed relaxation and celebration weekend.
new beading adventures - going to be good stuff; building pieces on a sunny saturday morning; the ladies in 'beautiful' dresses; she's going to be a beautiful bride; kim's cell phone - they seem to be getting bigger and bigger; ugly/awesome dresses - the only way to celebrate a bachelorette; jake's sign for kim to wear all night; in case you forgot, bri has a 'bun in the oven' (award for best bachelorette trooper goes to...); a little ukelele between sister in laws; VIP with strawberries, free drinks, and giant men; henry the fiesty kitten; taco salad at home. 
friday: leaving work, my plan was to venture on a calm shopping trip to the eaton's centre to see if i could find a top for the wedding of the summer... and received a message from my friend saying i needed to come partake in the consumption of some cider with her. so i embarked on a solo LCBO mission, and met her for some cheap chinese food takeout, cider, and vent session all night long. i left fairly early for a friday, and arrived home, got in bed, and managed an early bedtime for a friday. yay me!
saturday: woke up pretty early, put on my bathing suit, and gathered my beading things for some outdoor bead adventuring. my landlord's dad was in town, so he spent some time serving me OJ and club soda, and trying to convince me to become a fly fish lure maker (listen - this may end up being a viable option for my future!), and chatting about life. i fixed some goodies, made some new stuff, and played around with some new supplies i had just picked up. had a long chat with my landlord, and then finally threw a bag together for the remainder of the weekend. after a quick stop to pick up my copilot for the trip, we headed out to london for my friend (jake's fiancee) kim's bachelorette. we arrived in time for some dinner, to throw on our hideous outfits (as directed by the 'ugly dress bachelorette' invite), and have some drinks. after some major pre-bar dance partying, and other shenanigans, we headed out - on a 4 bar downtown london tour... including new friends, VIP service, and a line of high fives all the way out of the final bar. we all cabbed home, and after ravaging the leftover food, we were all out pretty quickly in our respective sleeping places (some of us on floors, air mattresses, in cars, etc.).
sunday: woke up very early (considering our 4am bedtime), and tried desperately to sleep longer. the, spent the morning rehashing the evening's events, cleaning, organizing, and packing our things before we headed home. again, dropped brianne off at home, and travelled back in the rainy weather to jeff's place. after a short night's worth of sleep, i was ready for a nap... and did so promptly. once i woke up, and the sun was back out, we played with the babe kitten that his brother was fostering until he was old enough to adopt, and then walked over to the grocery store for dinner preparation items. made a huge mexican food feast of homemade taco bowl/salads, and ate too much (shocking). we spent the rest of the evening just hanging around, watching some olympics, and not doing a whole lot of anything. after the previous night's escapades, i was ready for bed before midnight.
monday: woke up after almost 11 hours of sleep (i KNOW), lounged around a bit, had a bite to eat, and then headed to the mall to find a wedding outfit appropriate for next weekend's wedding. compiled a mix matched outfit of plaid and grey (you can all hear my heart beating loudly - perfection), and then had lunch before the post shop grump set in. after a failed attempt to find a park to nap in, we ended up at a friend's house - where him and his girlfriend happened to be outside. the four of us went for a drink on a patio to enjoy the sun, and chatted about his new BB gun purchased (we were all a little to excited about the idea of shooting pop cans). after dropping them off, (and a quick side road pullover to ease my sudden freakout about the future) the remainder of the day consisted of pool swimming and lounging, and watching dexter while being lazy. we had dinner, and watched some olympics, and then just hung out. again, an early to bed night after exhaustion and slight sickness has been dragging me down.
it was a good weekend. it was an eventful, and enlightening weekend. it was filled with good talks, good friendship, and good planning for the future (even though i'm a little unsure about what that future holds). it was one of the best weekends in a while. i hope all y'all would agree. 
in other news, today i was alerted to 2 particularly important 'articles' (reflections) that are extremely relevant to my life right now.... and i want to share them.
an article by jessica pearce rotondi on what she knows about having a sister now that she's in her 20's
AND
an article from dan levy on toxic friendships... and shedding unwanted friendship pounds. 
perfect end.

after the ski.

i'm truly madly deeply in love with apres ski. the design is streamline, fun, daring, and a little bit different in each of their pieces, while still maintaining a solidified style and identity. this is something i'm still struggling with in thackeray's vanity, and re:claim - and i can appreciate a brand who can move outside their simple designs, and still maintain the integrity of the initial style that they jumped off of.
based out of barcelona - of course - continuous stunning design, and continuous beauty in details. observe, observe.
my faves... 
1. lagos; 2. apollonio; 3. arquitecture #23; 4. siracusia ii; 5. axioma; 6. endeavour; 7. cocoa; 8. euclides
their blog is also awesome. and even though it's in spanish, there are translations, and more photos. i can get past the language barrier.
oh. and hey. guys. if you want to try to win one? check out the giveaway until may 23rd... on lucky pony. though, if you win, i get half of your winnings.
shop   //   blog   //   facebook

my creative twin

i need to share with you all, this designer, for a few reasons:
1. i found her through a blog (can’t remember which one), and i was INSTANTLY drawn to her designs. she uses mediums that i love experimenting with, and mixes and matches so beautifully well.
2. Her shop name is ‘Dispatches From Graceland’ jewelry. suuuuuuuch a jamie name.
3. listen. this is just weird. so focus here. her web address on etsy is ‘mama shea shea’. emma - i’m looking at you here. this was my nickname (mama shea) in university. i. am. freaked. out.
grace describes her style in her design as an intentional pairing of “the rough with the refined, the precious with the primitive, the natural with the industrial, and the colors of the sea with the colors of the land“
all of her designs are one of a kind, or limited edition. i love this. this is how i create my pieces as well.
i adore her mixing of chains, in different sizes, shapes, and materials. i love her integration of rocks, fabric, metals and chains, without steering clear from her overall aesthtic - as a jewelry designer, i know how challenging that is.
a few of my faves (which trust me - were so difficult to choose from)
from top to bottom: diamonds on the inside earrings*; oceans apart necklace; the urchin is lurchin necklace; chain collage necklace; bebela necklace; honey pie tassled necklace; and i think, perhaps my favourite piece of hers... the jakarta necklace
i’d also like to point out that we MAY be the same person, as even the aesthetic of our photos are almost the same.... please note: (re:claim's product photography)
you can find her work at the bell jar in San Fran, Out Boutique in Paris France, the Charlestown Gallery in Charlestown RI, and at the chimneys violin shop in Boiling Spring, PA.
*(reminds me of this.... one of my favourite ben harper songs of all time... )