Hibou Accessories

M.I.A. in the Snow

2011-02-06T21:58:00.000-05:00

So I've been Missing in Action the last few weeks with (finally) a good reason! I started the Fashion Techniques and Design program at one of Toronto's fine colleges and was immediately immersed in homework-filled sleepless nights and a new heavy reliance on orange pekoe tea. It's the step I need to take in my journey to the depths of the fashion world and in doing so I've pretty much said adios to my social life as it was.

That being said, I made time for a very necessary Snowball Showdown with the man this weekend. Snow stuck to mittens, foggy glasses and true love.

xoxo
Amarina

The Happiest of Happy New Years to All!

2010-12-31T11:41:00.003-05:00

Wishing you a happy New Year!

xoxo
Amarina

Owl Lovers Unite!

2010-12-14T16:07:00.001-05:00

It's no secret that I love owls, they are my power animals. And if the rumours that they are disgusting eaters and nearly impossible to keep as a pet in an urban apartment weren't true, I would have one on my shoulder all day long.

Naturally I was thrilled to come across this DIY printable 2011 Owl Calendar when I was browsing around for last minute gift ideas this weekend. You select which pictures you would like to coincide with each month (that have been submitted by some great artists) and then print that shit out. Lovely!

xoxo
Amarina

Let me share a little secret....

2010-11-28T17:28:00.001-05:00

I've got this dirty little secret that I'm dying to share with you: I've been hoarding loads of vintage leather bags and clutches for far too long! Ron of Cyclops and Owl and I just had a little race against sunset to take pictures of all the new bags and I'll be getting them ready tonight to go up in the shop tomorrow for Cyber Monday. Plus, free shipping is on right now until the end of November, get 'em while they're hot!

Hibou Accessories is expanding!

xoxo,
Amarina

I Feel Better

2010-11-20T22:20:00.008-05:00

Oh how I love Joe Goddard of Hot Chip fame (featured here), especially when he is just beebopping around in a puppy tee and jammy bottoms like it was Christmas morning. They just never disappoint!

Enjoy,

xoxo Amarina

A Fog

2010-11-19T00:14:00.000-05:00

A fog rolled into town the other day and Ron & I seized the opportunity to fuck around with our new love - the Hipstamatic App for the iPhone.

It felt like we were in The Exorcist!

Evergreen Brick Works

2010-10-26T14:18:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday, my cohort and I visited the Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto. Evergreen, a national charity, has changed the old Don Valley Brick Works from a collection of deteriorating heritage buildings into a gorgeous area of urban sustainability and eco-conscious design that is open all year long.

As we walked around this amazing building a rather attractive and charming wood worker was working some wood. Should have taken a picture of that.

All of the foliage was screaming with personality as we walked through the trails that circled some small but duck-filled ponds.

Having no idea what to expect when we walked into The Kilns building, we were greeted with an onslaught of art installations and graffiti. A far more impressive collection than what we saw during the entire evening at Nuit Blanche this year. At the end of this corridor was a screen showing a Werner Herzog short. There were three more of these featuring various films that I believe were created for this project.

I felt like this place crept up on me out of nowhere and now I can't wait until our next visit! Highly recommended.

xoxo
Amarina

Tuesday Tunes - Best Coast (on Thursday, natch)

2010-09-30T00:35:00.004-04:00

My ears have been lusting after Best Coast all summer and I finally got to see them when they rolled through Toronto last weekend. The sold out show at Lee's Palace turned out to be really! fucking! amazing! despite singer Bethany suffering from what appeared to be the flu.

Already a road veteran at the tender age of 23, she powered through almost puking several times on stage stopping only to sip water and smoke a joint that a bold (and clearly awesome) audience member passed to her in between songs. Bethany even announced that it was the first time she's ever smoked on stage much to our surprise, since 90% of their songs talk about being in love and being high.

This is their new video for "When I'm With You", which I can't watch due to my coulrophobia and added hatred of Ronald McDonald. But I imagine it's good anyway, plus the song is amazing.

Dance, dance, dance!

xoxo Amarina

Retro Hibou

2010-09-14T12:40:00.002-04:00

So here I am:

It's 1997, I was obsessed with Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness and The Cure, wearing electric blue eyeshadow around my entire eyeball, and buying conversational clothing from the now gone strips of vintage stores on Queen St West. I had just talked my brother (pre-his growth spurt to 6'4") into wearing this amazing white men's jacket to his grade 8 graduation instead of the obvious black. It was a good day.

Having eccentric taste in polyester button down shirts and neon makeup, my look at the time was very much "I care so much about my look that it's gone past caring and is now a total shitshow". And as you can see by the cornucopia of self-made necklaces that look like White Rose threw up all over my chest, I was already paving the road to my future jewellery-infused lifestyle. I am proud of this.

My brother and I were obsessed with By Divine Right and this video in particular. You know what? It still fucking rocks. Also check out Feist pre-superstardom!

Tuesday Tunes (But on Wed) - The Chemical Brothers + Wayne Coyne

2010-08-18T18:53:00.001-04:00

One of my favourite songs of the last decade, three weirdos get together and make weirdo music and a perfect song comes out of that weirdness. The video is pretty sweet too.

LOVE.

xoxo
Amarina

Tuesday Tunes - Chromeo

2010-08-10T22:01:00.006-04:00

I have a strong memory of the first time I heard Chromeo. There is a possibility that I had been smoking a bit of grass when I came across their music video for Needy Girl, and I realized what love at first sight could truly be. Now, they are on the verge of having the recognition they deserve with their forthcoming album Business Casual and they release this totally mental and completely terrifying yet somehow sexy but nightmare inducing music video. It makes me feel weird and I love it.

Dance dance dance!

xoxo Amarina

Guns and Poses

2010-08-03T16:20:00.001-04:00

I was fully submerged in a creative rut flavoured milkshake when I couldn't take it anymore, so I jumped up and decided that I needed to:

1. Stop drinking creative rut flavoured milkshakes
2. Sit down and focus
3. Find some new shit to light a fire under my ass

And this, my friends is what I pulled out...and I'm so damn proud of my new jams!

Preview:

There is a good chance that when I came across these babies, I gasped and perhaps cursed out loud, alone, in my apartment. How could this be possible? An over-sized series of gun charms that lock and click and look awesome and they're screaming my name? I opened my arms and gave these guys a warm welcome.

I recently sat down and had a little chat with my new friends and they whispered that they didn't need much flash, just a long chain and someone to love them.

The revolver is my personal favourite, the barrel opens fully and each gun locks and fires. Every time I wear this out I get comments, smiles and sneers. It's a conversation starter!

These babies are going up in my Etsy shop this week! And as always, more to come.

xoxo
Amarina

Hibou - The Sequel

2010-07-21T13:07:00.002-04:00

I'm ALIVE!

So I've been gone far too long. There are many reasons for my absence but all that really matters is that I'm back and I've been a craftornado like never before. There's so much to say but I'll say it with Jazzercize Vampires, yum!

xoxo
Amarina

All I Want for Christmas is...

2009-12-11T12:33:00.003-05:00

This crazy fellow right here.

It's Bracelets, Bitches!

2009-11-27T12:54:00.012-05:00

I have this problem with jewellery supplies: I find them, covet them and then proceed to hoard and hoard, waiting for the "perfect" design to use them for. It gets to the point when I've accumulated so much stuff that I just fucking explode and quickly transform into Amarina-saurus. I sweep my cluttered work table with one arm, probably singing something upbeat like Diana Ross at a volume that may be disturbing to my neighbours, and proceed to whip up 20 or 25 pieces of jewellery in one go. In these moments, my cat Yma gets very jealous that I am no longer paying any attention to her and starts wrapping and wrapping herself around my ankles.

All of these bracelets are products of my last tornado production line. I started chopping up vintage chain necklaces and mixing and matching them with new and vintage charms to come up with what you see here and more. I've also decided that maybe I should be naming my pieces so I started with something simple: at the top we have "The Cowgirl" and just above is "The Schoolgirl". We'll see how whacked out the names get from here on in.

I usually use my friends as models and cut their heads off to protect their special, secret identities. I've decided that if I just model this stuff myself I could act completely ridiculous, be able to take pictures whenever I damn well pleased and show jewellery on non-decapitated bodies!

This bracelet is "The Biker Chick" and features a badass eagle with a gun charm amongst a cornucopia of beads and chain. I have to admit, I haven't taken it off since I made it.

Thanks for reading,

xoxo
Amarina

New Jams Comin-at-cha!

2009-11-13T00:21:00.006-05:00

Lately I've been spending a boatload of time making jewellery and then taking my sweet, sweet time getting it up online. There are no excuses, but at least I've been having an awesome time in my absence! The guy and I spent too little time in Ottawa over Halloween checking out Strayotic, and you should check them out too! Click, click, click. We looked ridiculous in our sleazy 80's costumes (Ron ended up looking a little rape-y) and this was the only picture we managed to get:

When we got back from our mini road trip, I remembered that I make jewellery and it's not going to share itself!

I'm really not a skull person at all, despite my interest in dark things and taxidermy. These however, remind me of Day of the Dead celebrations and they really have a lot of character. I decided that they needed to be long, swingy and shoulder-sweeping, one of my favourite combinations. They would have been perfect in the time leading up to Halloween, but these are definitely all-season.

I've also been doing a serious amount of photographic experimentation, and I've been so happy with the results. After shelling out big bucks for a portable lighting studio and various plastic animal props, I've discovered that the best way to take pictures is first thing in the morning with natural light and some simple backdrops. It's funny, keeping things simple is never my first instinct, I always have to work backwards from completely overthinking everything to get there...but I'm finally happy with the quality!

This crystal wolf necklace is absolutely my new favourite thing. You can wear it double stranded or open it up and wear the necklace super long like so:

There's so much more on the way, so much!

xoxo
Amarina

Land of Talk steals my heart one more time.

2009-11-09T16:08:00.003-05:00

Here's the goddamn gorgeous new video from one of my favourite bands, Land of Talk. This also happens to be my favourite song from their last full length album Some Are Lakes, I swear it casts sunshine on the cloudiest of days.

xoxo
Amarina

The Mumlers

2009-10-19T12:16:00.000-04:00

My musical tastes are always influenced by the changing of the seasons. I'm more drawn to bright, dance-y beats in the Spring/Summer, and tend to go for darker, folksier, more organic tunes in the Fall/Winter. At the first sign of crispness in the October air, I ran straight into the arms of San Jose independent rockers The Mumlers. They are younger than one would think, based on the richness of their music and the talent that seems to run deep among every member. I was so intrigued by these guys that I found a 10 minute documentary that follows the band for a weekend. I have to say that it only made me love them more.

Enjoy!

xoxo
Amarina

Apple Pickin' with the Fam

2009-10-06T16:00:00.002-04:00

Last weekend Ron and I went apple picking with my brother, my mom (who I call 'Lady'), my grandma 'Nanny' and her best friend of over 60 years, Elsie. Just outside of Aurora, the orchards were bursting with fruitful trees and screaming children.

We were supposed to exclusively pick McIntosh and Courtland apples, but we couldn't resist these delicious Spartans. The dude-ish daddy in a Leafs jersey picking apples in the row next to us kept yelling "Spartacus" over and over again until I was dangerously close to pelting a Spartan at him!

The darling men in my life, Johnny and Ron crunching away.

A family shot! Lady and Johnny were rocking the shades despite the cloudy weather, now that's rock and roll!

MMmmmm at the first free moment in my kitchen, I whipped up this delicious, healthy and amazing zucchini apple bread. Here's the recipe, it's easy or I wouldn't make it!

Ingredients:
4 egg whites
1 cup white sugs
1 cup brown sugs
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup straight up flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup diced apples
and I threw in a handful of raisins for good measure

-Preheat oven to 350F
-Lightly grease 2 loaf pans
-Combine eggs, sugs, apple sauce and vanilla until blended
-In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon
-Stir the dry shit into the wet until it's all one happy family
-Fold in nuts, apple, zucchini, raisin
-Bake 1 hour or until the tops springs back when touched.

Eat a bunch with a hot tea and your feet up. Enjoy!

Hibou Accessories now Available from Art Fire!

2009-09-24T12:02:00.003-04:00

So I've decided to spend some time spreading my owl wings and selling my wears on another website in addition to my Etsy shop. Art Fire is still in it's beta phase which is good because I have some issues about how cluttered the front page is, but it has also earned some major points in it's favour. For one, a monthly fee allows me to put as many pieces into my shop as I like, as opposed to Etsy where I pay every time I list an item in my store. Also, I'm pretty sure yet not completely certain that customers do not have to create a profile in order to shop on Art Fire, as they would on Etsy. My last favourite new thing I've discovered on Art Fire is that every item that is listed makes it to the front page...check out my Crystal Bear Earrings that appeared on the front page the other day!

None of this is to say that I'm abandoning my Etsy shop, I'm just doing a little compare and contrast. I'm also curious to hear what other Etsy sellers and shoppers are thinking of the new competitor. Anyone?

xoxo
Amarina

So long summer, hello autumn

2009-09-22T21:44:00.009-04:00

Alright, I don't usually share pictures of anything other than weird shit and jewellery. To honour an awesome summer that felt too short, I thought I'd share some of my favourite pictures that my man and I took over the course of the last few months.

"The Spaghetti Incident" - Oh man, I was so excited to celebrate the last days of this past Spring by turning on the oven to bake delicious! chicken! meatballs! yum! In anticipation of d.c.m.y., I had had an early lunch and was ravenous. I was also suffering from Class A Butterfingers, which reached a comic/tragic/sudden end when I smashed my newly plated dish of food INTO EVERYTHING. Tears, laughter and more tears ensued; this level of clutzy-ness is not foreign to me.

Just one of many beautiful shots Ron and I took on our long drive around Central California and beyond with my family this summer. Trip of a lifetime.

A major discovery: leaving Lake Tahoe felt like abandoning a home before you've moved all your stuff in. A return visit ASAP is in order.

I don't even know where to start with the ridiculous setting of this picture. Curiosity, BBQ corn on the cob and too much sun led my man, my brother, his girlfriend and myself into a "Classic Films on Ice" performance starring none other than former Canadian figure skating champion/grannie heart throb/aspiring singer/karate enthusiast Elvis Stoijko. Together with some extremely theatric singers and a bunch of amateur skaters, this solid gold team paid homage to such classic films as Top Gun, Moulin Rouge, Slumdog Millionaire with seemingly random choices like Shrek, High School Musical and my personal favourites Ghostbusters and Kill Bill, in which Elvis sported Uma Thurman's yellow unitard and went through a karate routine on ice. It didn't seem crazy at the time to honour one of our favourite overdone movie moments: Blue Steel!

Meet Yma. She's our darling cat who too often enjoys curling up on the couch with a hot cup of coffee, the morning news and the remote. All I ask of her is that she washes a dish to earn her keep around here. Do you think she does it? Absolutely not.

I came home from a long day to a smiling owl on a steaming shepherds pie. Yet another reminder that I found my soul mate at a young age.

Ah! A mapless driving adventure led us to a beautiful and enormous flower garden on the lake. We decided to give our afternoon snack of muffins to the overfed and ungrateful squirrels who were clearly after something more decadent! I don't know how their tails remain so perfect when they're off doing squirrel things all day, my tail would end up all covered in tree sap.

Ron is the Tree Whisperer. He can negotiate the branches of any monstrocity, regardless of it's size.

It's been such an amazing summer, let's hope for an even better fall.

xoxo Amarina

New Grizzly Bear Music Video

2009-09-15T14:44:00.005-04:00

I guess instead of posting new jewels today, I'll share with you the new video from the ever-amazing Grizzly Bear! So creepy-beautiful, you can't go wrong with flawless harmonies and jakalopes!

Amarina
xoxo

Feel Good Right Now

2009-09-02T12:24:00.002-04:00

Dent May and his Magnificent Ukulele has been quite the summer obsession for me. It's one of those albums you can listen to when you're working, drinking, feeling blue or dancing in your living room like a crazywoman. I also listened to it last time I was getting a cavity filled and I have to admit, it made the overall experience much better than it could have been!

Check this out. If you're disappointed, I don't know if I could ever love you.

xoxo Amarina

Back from California and in it to win it

2009-09-01T11:41:00.006-04:00

Ron and I are back and recovering from our amazing road trip around central California. It ended up being an onslaught on the senses, with the diversity of gorgeous landscapes, temperatures, people and escapades inspiring us every step of the way. Here's a rather messy representation of where our travels brought us:

Swimming and rock climbing in Lake Tahoe, driving through the desert and losing our brakes in the Sequoia National Park mountains, this trip could never be duplicated. We're starting to think that maybe California is where we need to be for awhile.

I've been spending some time reorganizing my goods for the Fall and Holiday seasons. Tons and tons and tons to come!

xoxo Amarina

Getting Crafty, Martha Stewart Styles

2009-08-13T12:56:00.000-04:00

It's been such a rainy summer here in Toronto (absolutely not complaining at all, I love it!) I've been thinking about and actually doing crafty projects like transforming some of my clothes. I'm quite the hoarder when it comes to clothing in particular, letting it take up valuable space in my closet when I could be donating or re-purposing.

When I was 10 or so, my hippie parents enrolled me in summer camp at the local museum in my small town. I vividly remember thinking it was going to be awesome at the time, but knowing it wasn't going to be where the cool kids were and could possibly be lame. Lame it was not, and we did a ton of amazing crafts like making corn husk dolls and sculptures out of a salty flour mixture that I'm sure kids ate behind everyone's back.

One of my favourite projects was tie dying clothes with vegetable dyes that we made ourselves from tea & beets, and this was exactly the first project I did.

This re-usable shopping bag made from a shirt is genius and of course came from the Martha Stewart empire. To oversimplify this awesome project, you cut off the sleeves and collar and then sew up the bottom. For full instructions click on the picture above.

Now I know why I've been hanging onto my oversized forest green extreme lion face t-shirt! I'll post pictures of my project when I'm all done.

Happy crafting,
xoxo Amarina

Hibou on Vacation! Monkeys as Pets!

2009-08-11T13:33:00.001-04:00

Hibou Accessories will be on vacation from Aug. 11th - Aug. 20th. I'll be visiting my family in Santa Cruz, CA and I couldn't be more excited!

Any shop orders will be sent out Aug.21st and you bet your bottom dollar I'll be back with pictures of the random shit I come across while away. For the moment, this will have to do:

xoxo

Amarina

Kittens in Windows

2009-08-07T00:56:00.003-04:00

Ron and I spotted these two darlings in Peterborough, ON and all I could think of was "Quick, let's document this wonder!" and "How has no one told us about this giant kitten breed? I want in, I want in!"

xoxo Amarina

Florence & The Machine & My Living Room

2009-08-05T11:24:00.002-04:00

Alright friends, I've been meaning to put this video up for a couple of weeks now and here it is. Florence Welch is young and hot and awesome and makes me want to put slippy socks on and slide around on my living room floor. Nominated for the Mercury Prize this year and having this song appear on the soundtrack for Diablo Cody's sure-to-be-genius Jennifer's Body, this band is going to be kindof a big deal.

So hit play, turn that shit up, and shake your ass!

xoxo
Amarina

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

2009-07-31T11:17:00.006-04:00

I have to say that Wes Anderson has directed my most favourite movies of all time...in particular, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Needless to say, I've been experiencing a ridiculous amount of impatience while waiting for The Fantastic Mr. Fox, written by Roald Dahl whose immense talent for storytelling has been inspiring me since I was a little kid.

We have to wait until November for it to be released, but here is the trailer that was released this morning. Looking good Wes, looking real good.

xoxo
Amarina

Eagerly Awaiting the New Season of Mad Men

2009-07-28T15:18:00.003-04:00

Lord knows I love reality television more than any rational being should, ever. I may in fact, be the only person who is looking forward to More to Love, where fatties can love fatties and the skinnies can keep to themselves on the Bachelor and Bachelorette series.

When I'm not dreaming of being stranded on an island with a bunch of strangers, singing my way to stardom or drinking my face off and having tantrums in the name of quality television, I am watching Mad Men. The Season 2 finale was satisfying in so many ways and teased in so many more, I can't wait for the new season!!

Here I am having a martini and seducing Don Draper after a sweaty afternoon of taming stallions. Looks like I have some more taming to do!

xoxo
Amarina

Click on my dream scene above to make your own!

Interview with Etsy Seller Eva from Tomorrow Never Knows

2009-07-21T17:14:00.002-04:00

1. What drew you to vintage in the first place?

Vintage has always been a part of my life. My Mom was a huge thrift shopper when I was young and would often hit up Goodwill and other charity shops to buy me clothes and my Dad has always been a collector of antiques. My parents have a vintage pin ball machine and jukebox in our basement and my Dad collected random things to sell and still does. Both of them were a huge influence on me when I was younger. In elementary school it wasn't the coolest to be shopping second hand, in fact it was pretty much a mortal sin. So it didn't become truly enjoyable until I was in high school when finally I was able to embrace my individuality.

2. What do you look for when hunting for vintage goodies?

I can spend very long periods of time combing isles of second hand stores. I never have my thoughts set on particular items, rather I go through each isle scanning the racks. I throw every interesting item I find into my cart until it's pretty much over-flowing and then when I'm finished I sort through what I have. When I search for vintage, fabric is usually key. I can usually identify the age immediately based entirely on the fabric.

3. Who is your customer?

I feel like my customer is someone who understands themselves well and knows what they want and what they like. I would think my customer is someone who also enjoys one-of-a-kind items that are going to make them stand out in the crowd. I really think my focus with my vintage shop is those truly one-of-a-kind stand out pieces. Whether highly trendy or not, the kind of item that's going to catch someone's eye.

4. Do you have a dream piece that you would actually shit your pants if you came across it?

I've always wanted to find (and for super cheap) an amazing 50's tulle frilly dress. I found one once on Etsy which I did purchase and it's more or less a prom dress. But then I came across this other one which was super gorgeous and I saved the pictures of it but couldn't afford to buy it I think it would be the perfect wedding dress, despite having no desire to get married. Other wise, I love being surprised by crazy shit. Vintage is like that, just when you think it can't get any better it does!

5. Who are your style icons?

I'm a big Mia Farrow fan (circa Rosemary's Baby). Any Woody Allen movie also usually has great sophisticated inspiring looks. I love Amy Sedaris and anything she wore in Strangers With Candy. And Miranda July.

6. As always in fashion, everything old becomes new again (am I paraphrasing Iman?), it seems now more than ever vintage clothing is playing a larger role in trends. Do you pay attention to trends? What do you do to keep your finger on the fashion pulse?

I do keep my eye on trends. Not necessarily for selling purposes, but for my own purposes. I love trends! Despite the fact that they are really blurring now in the fashion industry (to the point where you can't keep track, and everything and anything could be considered a trend) I do thrive off of them. I think it keeps the fashion industry on it's toes, but trends also tend to signify certain points in popular culture. You can identify trends with certain points of history and that's what fascinates me about them. That's why I think vintage and trends go hand-in-hand with one another. I also think the reason why it's grown in popularity is because to some extent not only have we turned into a giant generation of irony but perhaps because designers these days just can't create fresh new designs that generate mass appeal.

I try to keep my eye on trends by checking out a variety of European street style blogs. As well as magazines like Lula, Nylon, Russh, etc. It also helps to follow your guts, step outside the box and wear what ever you feel like.

7. Let’s imagine that you are 1 of 25 bachelorettes being introduced to an eligible bachelor recruited by a Canadian cable tv network, what would you wear? Note: the dress code is semi-formal and pageant dresses are allowed. Also, the bachelor is rumoured to be [insert name of dream man here].

Haha! I love this question. For one the bachelor would be Ryan Gosling or Michael Cera and I'd wear that 50's white tulle dress that I have been coveting but could never afford.

8. Do you actively market your store? What do you currently do and what would you like to do to promote Never Knows?

I've started actively marketing the store more now. In the winter time it was difficult because, well winter always sucks! People just don't buy things so it probably wasn't the greatest idea to start an Etsy shop then. I also have a few other jobs to focus on next to this one, so I didn't concentrate on it as much at first. Now it's becoming more of a focus. Starting a blog, advertising through my various networking profiles, joining Twitter (ugh), and participating in sales is my new primary marketing focus. I would love to advertise more. I've contemplated buying ad space on Facebook. I suppose that is something I'd like to do once I have the money to. I also just bought a gallery spot on Etsy for the first time which should help. Starting a full-fledged website is also a big goal of mine.

9. You are currently selling on Etsy, which of course is a fabulous place for emerging sellers of all mediums, what do you like/what would you change about Etsy? What’s your next step as a vintage seller?

I love etsy. I was a huge huge buyer on Etsy before I started selling. I believe I've bought over 200 items on Etsy if my feedback is correct, which is insane!!

I think it's a great hub for creative people in general, and despite considering moving on to a different selling system I've still stuck with it. Etsy is a great community, and it will always be one of the greatest most ingenious ideas I think the internet has seen. As a seller I've certainly realized it has it's difficulties though. I like that it's open minded, but I also find Etsy can be incredibly overwhelming. I've heard a lot of people mention that, which I think hinders it a great deal. Some people would still rather shop on Ebay than Etsy, because Ebay is a little more concise. I think I would change the fact that it get's a little over run with stuff.

I was particularly weirded out when Etsy and Rosie O'Donnell were promoting the site together. Despite her work being for a good cause I don't think it was the right outlet for Rosie O'Donnell who was selling her "craft projects" which were old awards that she glued some old crap to. Perhaps that's just my personal opinion, and no offense to anyone who loves Rosie. I don't mind her, but I think her selling mechanics were a little off the wall and embarrassing. If I were a artisan who spent hours on projects that they were later donating money to a charitable organization, I would have been pissed that they were promoting a B-list celebrity instead of focusing on shops that do good deeds. I kind of thought that was a bit in bad taste.

*Hibou here, interjecting to put my two cents in and say that the Rosie O'Donnell Etsy crafts are the ugliest shit I have ever laid eyes on.

10. Who would win this battle of the birds: Owl vs. Ostrich.

Easy...owls. Owls can fly. I'm sure if you had an owl big enough it could pick the ostrich up, therefore having the biggest advantage of the two.

*Thanks Eva, I can't wait to see what you come up with next!!!

xoxo
Amarina

Add another place to "Things I Must See Before I Croak" List

2009-07-20T18:30:00.003-04:00

There are a million reasons why Etsy has become such a success and why artsy crafty people like me are so drawn to it. They've really managed to create a virtual environment that sucks you in and makes you feel like you are a valuable part of a community, and a community that cares about art and handmade things to boot!

This is one of their newest blog posts and I have to say that I'm really quite taken with all the locations they've featured so far in their "There's No Place Like Here" video series, and I'm especially seduced by this place in particular. It's an instant I must visit this place at least once in my life reaction. And so it will be, check it out.

xoxo
Amarina

Etsy Treasuries

2009-07-16T13:32:00.004-04:00

I've been so lucky to have been featured in two Treasuries on Etsy this week! Click that hot necklace to check it out before it's over!

Thanks to my fellow Etsy ladies for that awesome surprise!

xoxo Amarina

Amarina Galafianakis

2009-07-14T17:08:00.001-04:00

Dear Zach Galifianakis,

I honestly can't remember the first time I laid eyes on your delightful face, but you have been at the top of my fantasy to-do list for years. You were also on my mind when I acknowledged a pattern and discovered that my "type o' man" is typically a little chubby, a little beardy, maybe a little boozy and totally hilarious. Other men that I found jumping into this mix but didn't stay long include Richard Karn (of Home Improvement fame...he didn't meet the "hilarious" requirement) and my Grade 12 German teacher who liked to wear lederhosen-inspired khakis and button up collarless dress shirts.

Now that I've been thinking about this much harder than I probably should be, I'm pretty sure the first time I saw you was in Out Cold, which must have been airing on TV one night at 3am. I have to say that I was super excited to see you in a leading film role that was not Out Cold. After seeing a few different previews for The Hangover, I decided to go opening night. Not only was the flick significantly better than what I had been expecting, but we got to see [spoiler alert] your ass and junk. I highly recommend it if you're into masculine douchebaggery and gross-out jokes.

Not About Love from Zach Galifianakis

In honour of The Hangover being funny enough to recommend to you guys and in celebration of determining my Man Type after 27 years of crushing on the guys no one else crushes on, here's my hubby's take on Fiona Apple's Not About Love, which I am about, but only when it comes to chubby, beardy comedians with a bit of a lush streak and unruly facial hair.

xoxo
Amarina

Vintage Clip Ons from Hibou!

2009-07-06T14:30:00.002-04:00

So I had my ears pierced when I was 7 or so and suffered from allergic reactions to pretty much every kind of metal. I didn't try to pierce my ears again until a few years ago when I learned that I had grown out of my metal sensitivities. Up until that point however, I had to get creative with the clip ons, which were difficult to find and often not my style.

I've been accumulating awesome vintage pairs to a point of hoarding, so I've decided to put up a bunch of really great ones on the ole Etsy store. Click on the pictures for the direct links to each piece.

Knowing that I love taking apart vintage jewellery and found objects to give them new life, dear friends and family sometimes share treasures, odds and ends with me. A jewellery fairy godmother dropped off these gorgeous Givenchy vintage clip ons from 1977 and a bunch of other amazing treats.

There's more to come where vintage goodies are concerned, as always!

xoxo Amarina

The Gossip - Heavy Cross

2009-06-24T20:22:00.008-04:00

Have I mentioned that I'm in love with Beth Ditto and The Gossip? There are 6 million reasons why and here are two of them, in no order of significance:

1. Beth Ditto is hot, fat, rock & roll, and unapologetic. As a plus-sized girl, I often get irritated and ranty when it comes to fat & fashion, fat & beauty, fat & role-models, fat & fat-hate and fat & pretty much everything else in pop culture. I try to spare everyone from my long-winded rants with much success but I'm going to step out of that to say: Beth Ditto is hot AND fat AND awesome and it's about time that someone this wicked is finally breaking some molds.

2. When it comes to being fashionable (an extreme challenge for meaty ladies as we have limited options) Beth Ditto rocks that shit out, wearing whatever she feels like and looking hot. Did I mention she's hot?

Check out the new single from The Gossip, "Heavy Cross". Dripping in gold jewellery and spitting gold dust, this chick is after my heart. I've already concluded that this album is going to be one summer anthem after another and it'll be a new livingroom dance party fave.

Happy Pride Week everyone!

xoxo Amarina

Bump Bu Bump Bu Bump It Up

2009-06-16T01:38:00.006-04:00

OKAY. I absolutely love infomercials. LOVE them. The Shopping Network is a close second to the late night 30 minute spots but I'll settle if I have to. Especially when you get to witness episodes featuring a drunk Brian Bailey hocking his Spring/Summer 2009 collection and making comments like "you'll look good coming and going" while smacking asses, throwing empty hangers around the set and talking over the poor dude who is attempting to sell his product (genius). This one-time live episodic structure of the Shopping Network is precisely why I prefer the late night paid advertisements that you see over and over again.

My affair with the late night infomercials began with the "Set It and Forget It" rotisserie grill that would be absolutely useless to a vegetarian such as myself, yet I still wanted it. The talking head of the doctor in his office features him outlining the benefits of the machine while a pair of fowl rotate and drip in the background. IN HIS OFFICE.

Next came the Magic Bullet, which sounds more like a vibrator I'd like to have and less like a piece of kitchen equipment that I can't possibly live without. The smoking hag gave the hosts a run for their money in the acting department and I was hooked.

This was followed by a brief fascination with that self-sustaining vacuum that is capable of making decisions and maybe has a soul. I have now concluded that I'm scared of it and try not to think about the advancement of machines.

I'm not even going to get into the Vince of ShamWow meth-fueled prostitute-ridden drama because it's too out there and I could really go on about it. I will say that his new "Slap Chop/Graty" show is pretty impressive, regardless of a million products out there exactly like it.

Now we get to the Bump It, which I have been enjoying for the last couple of months. I know the video is 8 mins long, but please if you're going to watch any of it, watch up to the 3 minute mark. After professions of "no teasing!", "no hairspray", and something like "no more hair disintegration", the woman is actually unable to create the look without these things. The resulting coif was described by my boyfriend as a lop-sided wedding cake. Instant classic, enjoy!

xoxo
Amarina

Toronto Air Sex Championships

2009-06-15T00:21:00.003-04:00

Oh man, so excited that it's finally consistently lovely outside and my partner and I feel like we've broken the hermit cocoon and are venturing out into the world again. One of the things I'd been looking forward to for awhile is the Air Sex Championships that rolled through Toronto last night. A perfect mix of sexy slow jams from the 70's - 90's (hello Color Me Badd!!) and epic film instrumentals (maybe a ditty from Harry Potter?), the brave souls that ventured on stage wiggled and moaned and stripped and were generally sweaty and hilarious.

I like to think it takes a lot to shock me, but I was genuinely surprised to see the very first contestant light his prop dink on fire. This must be the ultimate sign predicting one hell of a summer and I'm so ready for it.

xoxo
Amarina

Luminato & What the hell happened to June?

2009-06-11T15:38:00.002-04:00

Ooooh tonight me and the buds are checking out one of the free Luminato events. It's a screening of the silent horror film Tales of the Uncanny (Unheimliche Geschichten) that was first released in 1919. The soundtrack will be provided live by none other than Final Fantasy, Do Make Say Think and Berlin electronica artist Robert Lippok. Should be AWESOME!

xoxo Amarina

P.S. How the hell is it June 11th already? Where have I been?

Sharing the Shame

2009-05-26T12:58:00.009-04:00

Just a quick one this time: Hibou Accessories is now sharing hot shit and being generally sassy on Twitter! I figure if Colin Meloy and Diablo Cody are doing it, I might as well hop on the bandwagon.

xoxo
Amarina

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Peaches Screeches Speeches

2009-05-23T11:20:00.003-04:00

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. I'm so into the new Peaches album I just keep listening and dancing and listening and pretending that I have a great voice and charismatic stage presence. Up until now, the obvious favourite music video from Peaches was "Kick It" featuring Iggy Pop where they look hot and fight zombies. This video for "Talk to Me" rivals that with hair monsters emerging from a painting of her own face followed by a sexy hair monster orgy. Perfect way to start off a Saturday! Dance away friends.

xoxo
Amarina

Haunted Long Weekend Adventures!

2009-05-20T00:23:00.005-04:00

Hurrah! I'm back and feeling great after a lovely long weekend with dear friends. Although I experienced various degrees of exposure to poison ivy, black flies, sunshine, tequila shots and malfunctioning scum spewing hot tubs (not in the tub at the time), the weekend was rejuvenating.

We were all excited to come across this dilapidated house on our way home and I thought I'd share these pictures.

This shot in no way represents how gross and scary this joint was, I half expected the Blair Witch to jump out and hypnotize me into the corner.

This darling little shack was full of old signs and interesting bird nests. We also had to be quite aware of the ground while navigating the patches of dog shit. That's my friend Eva, check out her fantastic blog here.

NEW! AWESOME! PIECES! Coming this week!

xoxo Amarina

Mix Tape Madness

2009-05-13T18:43:00.011-04:00

For the first time in a million years, I am taking some time off work. Three days. THREE WHOLE DAYS! I'll be going on a mini-road trip with my partner and two dear friends, which means that I must spend every waking minute before we leave creating the greatest road trip mix of all time.

Allow me to pursue a new level of honesty here: I have reached a new level of procrastination. I'm now not photoshopping pictures (which I love doing but I have to be in the right mood), or making the ultimate mix tape (original procrastination strategy), I am fantasy shopping on Etsy.
So this is the list I've compiled of darling goods from various Etsy sellers that I probably can't live without.

Able & Game make cards that I want to send to people, including this Hipster mix tape card which has this pretty perfect description:

So I got your mix tape, it kinda rocked my world. The fact that you included The Smiths, The Cure makes me all warm inside, however this may not show on my sullen, depressed face. Oh and I also love Kate Bush by the way, just don't tell any of my friends.

Next we have this ridiculously cute felt pouch from Brave Moonman's shop.

Now I don't need to discuss the dangers of a 90 minute mix tape, I've written of this embarassment before. But when the love song mix tape is actually an adorable zip pouch free of fear-inducing confessions, what can go wrong? That's right, nothing. Embarassment-free satisfaction and there's more where this came from. Check them out for some really awesome pieces.

Finally, we have this wicked converted cassette tape notebook from Bibliopegy. This particular book is made with a map of Istanbul, which I can fantasize about living in while scribbling down master plans and dirty little secrets. You can choose one of several cities in cassette book form or request a custom city; maybe I'll see about a Toronto edition!

I hope you all have a great long weekend!

xoxo
Amarina

The Canadian Small Business Kit for Dummies - Book Review

2009-05-01T00:50:00.007-04:00

I remember going to this place called Dorset when I was in Grade 6. It was our first big away trip from the parents for school. On the first day there, we got acquainted with this conservation area by playing the outdoor gym class game "Survival". Hopefully most of you played it because it's awesome. I guess we were randomly assigned characters that had been placed along an all-encompassing food chain. You could end up being anything from a worm to a large carnivore and the point was to catch the people who were below you in the food chain while avoiding those above you - tag styles.
I flip over my card and I've been assigned the role of THE SUN. The card also said something less dramatic than, but very much like, "Prey: Everyone, Predators: None". I was invincible!
The game starts and I'm just going apeshit attacking everyone I could get a hold of...I was good at this game. In this position. I'm chasing after this one girl who was like a rabbit or something and we're running full-tilt down a forested hill. She turns around to see that I'm gaining on her and as she proceeds to turn forward, she smacks into a tree at top-speed. Broken nose is the diagnosis, I felt like a worm.

So why the fuck am I airing out my guilty laundry? I'm not going to answer that but I will confess something else: I feel guilty that I spent my hard-earned dollars on this book.

I have to say that in my defense for choosing this book in the first place, I didn't realize the "for dummies" franchise chose a very literal name for themselves. This book really gets down to basics, including information I had previously considered to be common knowledge.

Also: While I certainly enjoy and appreciate a good Star Trek reference, this book has about 60 jokes riddled throughout. Allow me to share the first paragraph of the kit with you,

Starting a business: The final frontier.

Your entrepreneurial mission: To explore new products and services. To seek out new markets, new customers, and new suppliers. To boldly go into business for yourself (Page 1).

I could keep going.
I was really excited to read this book; to get a general overview of information that I need to research more and I liked that it was from a Canadian perspective. To be frank, I found the Canadian Small Business Kit for Dummies to be pretty condescending and full of tips and information that ended up being irrelevant and off-putting. The information that was useful can be found for free through the online Government of Canada Small Business Workshop.

I really wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. If you're interested in a craft business, read Craft Inc. by Meg Mateo Ilasco. I'm currently working on a hopefully not so long-winded review of this helpful gem of a book.

xoxo
Amarina

Coming to a jewellery box near you...introducing the Clusterfuck Collection

2009-04-29T23:51:00.007-04:00

So this is a wee taste of what I've been keeping myself busy with: The Clusterfuck Collection. I had two goals,

1. Create some jewellery that was eclectic and interesting and a bit of a mess...in a good way.
2. Throw the word fuck in there for significant reasons but also for some good cursing karma.

I should say, or maybe I shouldn't say that I fucking love swearing. It feels so fucking great to swear, mostly because I work a day job where it would not be the best idea to say fuck all the time but also because I just love to say fuck. I try not to swear in the blog too much, and I generally try not to swear all that often...but I fucking love it.

I'm not implying with the title of this collection that the necklaces are one big fucking mess. I put thought into each piece...more of a calculated clusterfuck than anything. The Steer Clusterfuck necklace is now up for grabs on Etsy. Click on the photos above for some Hibou Accessories on Etsy loving.

Now we have the Nautical Clusterfuck Necklace. I've mixed vintage charms, sodalite stone, a few charms I picked up last time I was in Santa Cruz and some sweet sweet chain. I love gun metal, but for some reason I only like it in bits and pieces. You know what that means? Paired with gold, this necklace and the rest of these guys go with mostly everything in the land of jewellery. We've got silver, gun metal and gold, so anything goes and I like that kind of versatility in my accessories. This piece has just been added to my Etsy shop, check it out!

This last teaser might end up being a permanent teaser. Above, I'm wearing the Bear Clusterfuck Necklace, which I have not taken off since I put it on for this picture last week. See that little flip in my hair? That's not usually there...this is the hair flip of someone who is going to tease you with awesome stuff and never sell it to you! Even though it's my job! I think I'll try to make something similarish (all of these babies are one of a kind), and I promise I won't taunt you with it.

There's more to come! Featuring all sorts of clusterfucky goodness: crystals! horses! Wild Bill Hickok! emroidered uniform name tags! Stay tuned...and let me know what you think. Is there anything you'd like to see thrown into a mess of charms and chain? Do tell.

Thanks for reading,
xoxo Amarina

Amarina Case

2009-04-28T12:22:00.001-04:00

Typically I spend the majority of my free time listening to music, making jewellery, watching The Office and completely overanalyzing every aspect of the show to an embarassing degree. That being said, unlike my television taste I like my music diverse...really diverse. But, BUT, all of a sudden I only want to listen to the new Neko Case album. Her music videos have always been really amazing and this one for her new single "People Got A Lotta Nerve" is no different.

Watch it and love it!

xoxo Amarina

Casa Loma Inspiration/Take Over Part II

2009-04-26T17:40:00.000-04:00

This whole case was a tease; I wanted to put the gloves on, tuck the darling little purse under my arm and sit on the chair outside in the garden. I'd use the mother of pearl binoculars to spy on passersby and write notes about them in the "Nature Calendar of Wild Flowers" where events and important things should have been scrawled.

Beside the chair sat another slew of things I wanted to rummage through and play with. I'm particularly fond of the metal details surrounding the closure of this small case.

All of a sudden we ended up in a whole wing full of war paraphernalia. I was really drawn to these badges, consciously telling myself not to smash the glass and repurpose these medals of honour. This was definitely one of the most inspiring areas of the whole castle for me.

I felt like the cases were unending...this was another fave. I guess you didn't want to piss off Staff Sergt. Wm. Ashall.

We finished off the tour with what felt like a death hike up a million baby stairs on a tightly wound staircase. Clearly as a form of distraction from the possibility of death, people stopped to write notes and sign the brick walls. I was impressed by the number of people who carry White Out, hopefully for occasions just like this.

In conclusion, check out Casa Loma bitches!

xoxo Amarina

I only wish I had this much time

2009-04-21T00:05:00.006-04:00

I had this crazy idea: my partner in crime and I were going to check out some bird sanctuaries this summer when we go on our first-annual-camping-potential-near-death-experience-adventure. Logically, I thought I'd see what Google could tell me about bird joints in Ontario but little did I know that I was about to witness a disturbing and elaborate escapade. At first completely weirded out and then full-on intrigued, I'm pretty sure I saw every element of this website that one can look at. Now, I know I said the Patrick Wolf music video was probably not as provocative as some websites warned, the link below that you REALLY HAVE TO CLICK ON contains images of tits, ass, and ball sacks. That being said, it's also the most ridiculous thing I've seen in a long time and can't believe the time dedicated to this absurdity...and it made me laugh.

Also came across this site in my quest for awesome summer times. They do medieval falconry parties AND you can hire them for birthday parties...those who know me now know that they can look forward to a Ron and Amarina Medieval Falconry BBQ in the nearer than far future, BYOSARV (Bring Your Own Sword and Raw Vittles!).

xoxo Amarina

P.S. I have actually been making jewellery and not just dallying around on the internet...stay tuned for hot, summer, accessory-lovin'!

Bat for Lashes Vs. Dementamarinor

2009-04-12T10:42:00.006-04:00

Check out Bat for Lashes' new video for "Daniel" from her new release Two Suns. I'm glad to see that someone is employing the Dementors from Harry Potter, even if they're being dressed in couture and black nylons and chasing after a saucy songstress. AND it's a great song that I can't get out of my head.

xoxo Amarina

Casa Loma Inspiration/Take Over Part I

2009-04-10T18:14:00.004-04:00

So a couple of weeks ago Ron and I decided that it would be inspiring and awesome to go play in Casa Loma for the afternoon. He had never been there and I hadn't visited since a class trip in grade three. I mostly remembered Casa Loma as a vast space haunted by ghosts that I had barely escaped from and full of things I couldn't touch. It's pretty much the same now, with less things for you not to touch.

When we first walked in, we were greeted by Joe Goddard of Hot Chip's historian twin brother and I knew then that it was going to be a good day.

The mantel above was the first picture I took. I would totally love to just transport this wall into my home, family photos and all.

The no-longer-a-secret-secret staircase leads visitors to a hallway containing movie posters of Cocktail and something with Jackie Chan. The washrooms are there too.

This cute little number appeared to be a waiting room for Sir Henry Mill Pellat's washroom. I mostly just liked the darling floral curtains, and check out the chandelier below:

I took this picture (below) for my friend S. She'd be convinced that there was a semi-secret Masonic Temple meeting going on behind this door and I'd like to hope this is true. We missed the huge and amazing organ because this WHOLE WING was blocked off...seems like secret meeting trickery to me!

Happy Easter everyone,
xoxo Amarina

Tori Amarinos

2009-04-05T15:13:00.006-04:00

I have a confession to make on this lovely Sunday afternoon: while I consider myself to possess a teensy amount of music snobbery in my system, Tori Amos can do no wrong in my books. I miss the pure rage that she let out in the first few albums and I am not particularly fond of the soft guitar jams she's used again and again on her radio-friendly albums of late...BUT, BUT I still eat it all up with a smile. All of it!
Naturally, I'm very excited to hear that the new single with accompanying music video has been released from her upcoming album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin. Click on the lovely lady above to check out "Welcome to England"!

xoxo
Amarina

More new jams and SALE!

2009-04-04T18:40:00.007-04:00

Here's another new piece I've just put up on Etsy. I really love that my dear friend and model appears to be having the greatest standing solo orgasm of all time...in my necklace. The eggshell linen curtains in the back are working hard to make it seem as though I take photos of my jewellery on sexy ladies in an Ikea decorated bordello. I assure you dear friends, that this is completely true.

Also, I'm marking down a bunch of things in my shop (like the sexy eagle lovin' bracelet below) to clear out oldies but goodies and make room in my space for original resin pieces. Take advantage of my spring cleaning!

xoxo
Amarina

So Long, March

2009-03-31T18:46:00.006-04:00

I'd like to officially say "adios" to March. It's one of those months that during the winter I mirage as full-on spring and this never happens. So hello April!

I've made some jewellery for you to wear:

Hope you like them!

xoxo Amarina

The only time I ever want to hear the word "Craftastic"

2009-03-31T18:13:00.002-04:00

Leslie Hall is a dream come true. To celebrate the creation of the largest gem sweater in the world, she has created another beautifully absurd music video:

Enjoy!

xoxo Amarina

New Jams

2009-03-30T22:35:00.005-04:00

This is just one of my new pieces being added to the Hibou Accessories Etsy store. I've been working hard to create darling new duds for spring, but I really just want to keep most of them for myself. This is not going to happen for two reasons:

1. I have actually reached a previously unthinkable limit of jewellery in my bedroom (and ahem bathroom, dining room and living room). This I assure you is not an exaggeration, I've had to start putting jewellery boxes on top of jewellery boxes in order to not completely cover the walls with necklaces on nails.

2. There is definitely a skill to be learned of letting your creations go. Heavy emphasis on to be learned, as I clearly haven't mastered it yet...but I'm working on it!

xoxo Amarina

Etsy Inspiration

2009-03-30T22:18:00.004-04:00

Check out this video by fellow Etsian Julia Pott. Hailing from London England, her unique art is mostly love stories between various animals and I find it evoking hilarious/mortifying flashbacks of my teenage years, among other things. Some of her favourite characters appear in this music video for Casiotone for the Painfully Alone's song White Corolla.

xoxo Amarina

Amarina Wolf

2009-03-20T16:28:00.003-04:00

Patrick Wolf - Vulture

So check out the brand spankin' new video from Patrick Wolf's forthcoming album The Bachelor. The song is "Vulture" and I feel like it has a little Nine Inch Nails "The Perfect Drug" flavour, which nicely compliments the imagery of Patrick Wolf writhing around in a hot bondage outift that's nothing more than a few leather straps. According to Pitchfork this is inappropriate for work but according to me it's all good...just a bit of bum and some man nipple.

Happy first day of Spring!

xoxo Amarina

Amarinyeah Yeah Yeahs

2009-03-12T00:46:00.004-04:00

Dear Karen O,

For some reason you have decided that screaming as often as you can in a song was not a good idea and I don't know how I feel about this. It probably has something to do with the overwhelming success of your single "Maps", a song that had zero screaming on an album full of delicious screamy songs. I certainly have a bond with "Maps", considering the shameful fact that I once included it in a mix tape for a guy that I was not dating. Over time, I have realized that it is 100% the creepiest possible song that you could choose to throw on a mix tape. Maybe ever. It's pure madness that I never realized it at the time.

I'm getting off topic here, the reason for this correspondance is that I'd like your permission to use the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs song "Zero" as my new theme song for everything. Certainly including, but not limited to entering the octagon, opening credits for my upcoming sure-to-be-successful-but-yet-to-have-a-theme reality television show, and running down the street in slow motion chasing after my dream. I can't pay you, but I can promise that I will buy your new album instead of downloading it. What do you think?

xoxo Amarina

Walking and Peeking

2009-03-03T18:23:00.005-05:00

Now I would never consider myself to be a photographer, as my photography "skills" are limited to happy accidents. These two photos however, were taken on a random walk down Pape Street in my lovely Riverdale neighbourhood and I really really like them. I'm sure locals and those familiar with the area have wandered by this residence (maybe a residence? I took these shots through a semi-boarded up store front) and wondered what the hell is going on inside. Wait. Does anyone know what's going on here? Tell me, I'm dying to know! Is this some kind of landmark that I've somehow missed?

So in front of the portrait above is a case that I like to call "The Skull Factory" (pictured here) ignoring of course, that the skulls never change, nor have any new ones been added since I began peeking in the window. Here's where I get all detective on your ass: the plants seem to be well-watered and the skull display case looks shiny and dust-free while the exterior appears to have had it's last coat of paint in the 40's and has certainly seen better days. Who lives and/or works here? I need to know them.

Also, there is a small part of me that is fairly certain I'll wander by one day and see the soles of an old pair of boots (attached to feet) sticking out on the floor by the portrait. I've actually convinced myself that of all the locations in all the eccentric places in Toronto (some of which I've lived in), THIS is the place where I will accidently stumble upon a crime scene.

OK, this has been all very revealing. Have a great night, I'll be cozied up watching Project Runway Canada with the man and our cat-daughter!

xoxo Amarina

Necklaces!

2009-02-27T18:43:00.005-05:00

What person who was born in the 70's and 80's doesn't have extreme nostalgic attachment to Smokey the Bear? He had me convinced as a child that even thinking about fire in a forest would result in a landscape of charred stumps and flocks of birds attempting to fly to safety.

This poor excuse for a plastic dollar store ram appears to be carrying his weight in jasper and chain. His lifeless eyes are happier when he's sporting an Hibou Accessories piece!

xoxo Amarina

Handmade Nation Tonight

2009-02-26T12:02:00.003-05:00

After beating almost a week of flu funk, I am very excited about reintroducing myself to the world via my attendance at the Canadian premiere of Handmade Nation. Check out the site, it's sure to be a much needed, inspirational kick in the pants that couldn't have come at a better time in the season!

xoxo Amarina

Amarina Bush

2009-02-22T13:40:00.004-05:00

So check out Kate Bush in Babooshka.

When I was a young thing my parents had an insane amount of vinyl that I used to go through constantly. Afternoons were spent opening the sleeves, reading the song titles and staring at all the pictures. I spent a significant amount of time staring at Kate Bush. We had the single for Babooshka which was transparent electric blue (!) and featured Kate Bush on the cover in an outfit which can only be described as a medieval dominatrix costume from the set of Dynasty. It was the riskiest thing I'd ever laid eyes on. I wanted to be Kate Bush when I grew up.

I'll be spending the afternoon drinking tea (ahem...wine) and making molds for new resin treats. It'll hopefully not end up with me spilling latex everywhere, but we'll see. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

xoxo Amarina

Earrings!

2009-02-17T22:53:00.007-05:00

I've always found it easier to make necklaces than earrings. I think part of it is my fondness for large jewellery; you really have to edit yourself with earrings as there is only so much weight that is comfortable to wear. Yet all of a sudden I find myself making tons of earrings. Here are some of my faves!

xoxo Amarina

Amarina Green

2009-02-14T11:48:00.003-05:00

In celebration of V-Day, I've posted one of my favourite living room dance party songs. Single or taken, dancing alone or with somebody else (or in my case with my cat who secretly loves it but doesn't want me to know) is there anything better than a sweaty living room dance party?

This is Adam Green "Dance with Me". He was in The Moldy Peaches. He also has a solo career and has released a handful of ridiculously amazing and offensive albums. He's a sensation in Germany if that says anything. Also, when he performs live he doesn't blink at all. Seriously. I've missed songs I was looking forward to hearing because all I could concentrate on was counting the time between blinks. He's one of a kind.

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

xoxo Amarina

Whistle while you Work

2009-02-12T22:40:00.005-05:00

So I've been trying my darndest to Etsy everyday and I pretty much have been (unlikely but true!). Now I'm not one to frown on internet dating (this sounds completely unrelated to the previous sentence but I assure you I'm going somewhere here), however I have to say that I was rather surprised when I was contacted from a fellow Etsyer (Etsyian?) for a DATE. Via an Etsy listing. Based (from what I understand) completely on a picture almost identical to the one above. This of course, is not me. It's my lovely friend E. who also happens to have a sweet Etsy vintage clothing shop.

Really, I'm just throwing this out there. I thought the whole thing was amazing...what kind of guy straight up asks a girl out because of a picture featuring her chest with a necklace on it...on a site that sells necklaces? It's bold and I like it.

In other news, I've listed some new hot things and have been perusing local dollar stores for fancy prehistoric and modern day jewellery displays. I found a great plastic sheep and was probably more excited than anyone should be over a plastic dollar store sheep.

Hey, it's almost the weekend!

xoxo Amarina

One last thing,
The whistle on the necklace above was a great vintage find...and it works!

Necklace!

2009-02-12T00:14:00.003-05:00

Allow me to introduce you to Glocky. Named after the sound his hooves would make on the ground if he was real, Glocky is sporting one of my new pieces.

xoxo Amarina.

Amarina Condon

2009-02-08T19:22:00.004-05:00

So it's Sunday. This means that I spend the morning pretending that my bed is a raft in the middle of the ocean and I make a list of things that I would absolutely have to have for my trip (that would fit on the mattress of course). Aside from having my significant other, I would probably die without Beirut. And water. And maybe those delicious minty white chocolate treats you can only get around the holidays.

Beirut is an absolute cure-all for me. He holds my hand when I'm super grouchy, uninspired, hungover or crampy. Also, this video is amazing...I hope you like it.

I'll be posting fresh necklaces, earrings and charm bracelets all week. Check it.

xoxo Amarina

Things that are Great

2009-02-04T14:27:00.009-05:00

What the hell is this, you ask?

Well this happens to be an awesome sterling silver Monkey's Paw charm from adorable NYC Jewelry shop Bittersweets. They have unique pieces that you're not going to come across everyday. I've been drooling over the Earthworm bangle for no particular reason other than the fact that I've never seen anything like it before in my life! And it's crazy amazing.

Also friends,

If you live in the Toronto area and are into reading, ephemera, exciting discoveries and the scent of old books I urge you to check out The Monkey's Paw on Dundas St. W at Dovercourt. They're currently having a February Clearance Sale - "Behind the Red Curtain" featuring hundreds of books and treats for $1-$3! Honestly I have no affiliation with this place, it's just a really fabulous store with great staff...and I have ALWAYS wanted to know what was behind the red curtain in the back! I've found countless inspirational books and magazines there, so check it out if you're in the neighbourhood.

That's enough gushing for one post.

xoxo Amarina

P.S. I've all of a sudden decided to unofficially declare The Monkey's Paw as the one store in Toronto that I would like to have a sleepover in. If I was a goldsmith, you could bet your bottom dollar I'd be making a gold medal right now!

Amarina Bird

2009-01-31T14:47:00.004-05:00

OK Andrew Bird,

I'm going to publicly state that I know we're meant to be together. What's that you say? You've known all along and have been dying to reciprocate my sultry glances? This must be love.

Now everyone else,

I've decided to add some weekly music video love. This week, to commemorate my new relationship with one of my many fantasy true loves I'd like to share "Imitosis" by none other than Andrew (Amarina forever) Bird. It has lots of wonderful gem insects. And Dosh on drums. As I have not figured out how to add a youtube video to my site, click here to see the genius...or click on his picture for the magic!

xoxo Amarina

Necklace!

2009-01-30T01:13:00.005-05:00

Hi friends,

I've been working until my eyes feel like I have sandpaper for eyelids. Good news? Photoshopping of images for new fashiony things is complete! Here's a little preview...my mate and I found this roaring lion when we decided that going to Value Village for knick knacks and being very close to arriving late at a wedding was better than not going to Value Village and being way on time. The gamble obviously paid off! I'll be adding new jewellery to my Etsy site over the next couple of days. Happy weekend!

xoxo Amarina

Hibou Accessories

2009-01-28T21:17:00.004-05:00

So it's been exactly 28 days since I vowed to create a blog that shows off my wares as well as an outlet to share completely random things that I am drooling over.

Here's my deal:

* My name is Amarina.

* I really, really enjoy making jewellery.

* My shop is Hibou Accessories, that's "Ee-boo" which is "owl" in French.

* I have been more than moderately obsessed with owls since I threw on a leather mitt and fed one raw meat at a shady bird sanctuary/mermaid appreciation centre as a child. I assure you this is true, it's in Florida somewhere.

* It is a miracle that I haven't been hospitalized after a fierce living room dance party.

I plan on posting every day or so (which means once a week) so be sure to check back for fresh goodies!