Beadharmony Jewellery

My Mom has been making jewelery for about 8 years now. It all started with a favorite turquoise bead necklace that broke. She studied the necklace and decided that perhaps she can fix it herself with the right tools and supplies. So she trekked over to a bead store in the city. She was so excited to see beautiful beads made of semi-precious stones, sterling silver, glass and even plastic. Needless to say, while she picked up the tools and supplies that she needed to fix her necklace, she also picked up some beads and decided to try her hand at the jewellery game. Before she knew it, beading started to take over her life like a creative infection. She would spend nearly every weekend making bracelets and necklaces, finding gratification in knowing that she will not run into someone wearing the same jewelery as her.

Soon, friends and family started noticing my Ma's jewelery, as she was receiving so many compliments. She began to believe that maybe there is an opportunity for her to sell these pieces and at least get some of her investment back so she can make more jewelery; a cheap and less evasive form of therapy, she would say. She took them to work on several occasions and people were enthusiastically buying her creations. Once in awhile, she would come to work with a piece of jewelery and come home without it because someone at work had paid money for it. And that's when she decided to create a small business, named Beadharmony.

It is my Mom's intent to create a website and try to sell her pieces online but her career has always stood in her way. Someday soon, it will happen. In the meantime, she will just continue to keep doing what she is passionate about. If someone decides they want to buy a piece, she might be convinced to part with it; her dream is for people to enjoy wearing her jewellery as much as she enjoys making it.

If anything in this post caught your eye, don't hesitate to contact me via email, Twitter or Facebook.

Loves,

stv

A Taste of Asia

James and Rice hosted a dinner party where we got our hands dirty and made our own sushi. It was a lot of fun. This one is going to make you hungry. Hopefully you have a towel to soak up all your droolzz...

Handsome Al approves of this blog post and would like to take your daughters on a date. He promises to respect them and return their calls in a timely manner.

I'm hungry.

loves,

stv

Cookie Monster

Num num num num num num num....

Take Me There

Summer is dwindling away faster then we all wish to accept. Days are melting off the calender at such a fast rate that soon we'll be experiencing the winter freeze. Days get shorter. Jackets get heavier. But let's not think about that, rather, lets enjoy shorts season while it still lasts.

But it's always summer in Boracay... If you want to view paradise, simply look at the expression on my little cousins face and you'll be instantly transported to a world of pure imagination. I close my eyes and I'm there. What do you see?

Loves,

stv

4 1/2

It's the night of the big date. She gets really excited just thinking about it. Everything you tried on didn't seem to make your extremely high standards for the evening. The pants fit funny. The collar on your shirt is creased weird. After numerous changes, you settle on something, though you're not convinced it's good enough for her. You get in the car and are finally on your way to pick her up but realize you forgot your camera and go back to get it. Great, another set back. FINALLY you're on your way; wait, where are your sunglasses?! Forget it, you're already late.

You get to her house, late, sweaty. She walks up looking a bit perturbed about your tardiness, yet looking as stunning as the first time you laid eyes on her. You get to the parking garage and notice you're short change for parking. You ask her, shyly for a loonie. She hands one over. The back of your shirt is creased because your back was sweating profusely on the car ride over.

You start walking around the park and notice your shoe rubbing your heel in an uncomfortable manner. You hope it's not a blister. You stop for a second to check the damage and there is a hole in the skin of your heel the size of a dime. You hobble over to the hot dog stand and ask for a band-aid. You soon realize one isn't enough. You ask her, embarassed, to get you another. She does and now your heel is heavily padded. You walk a bit, cautiously... what a disaster

You survive long enough to get to the restaurant. You both settle down inside and notice the calm summer breeze through the wide open window that over looks the river and park. You sip on your ginger mojito as she does the same with her mamosa. This all feels more familiar. You're with the girl of your dreams. 4 and a half years to the day. Yet it still felt like the first date.

AWESOME!

I'm such a disaster, but I'm your disaster. Love you!

New York City Giants

You didn't think that was all I had from New York, did you?! Actually, I forgot these photo's existed until last night. When we went to the MoMA, Chloe was scheduled to meet her Aunt at the Ritz-Carlton to enjoy a spa treatment. I chose to opt out and explore the city a little bit. I ended up walking South on 5th Ave and took these photos of some of New York's iconic giants. I took the photos as a series of landscapes and combined them into large collages. The idea came to me in the spur of the moment and I don't think anyone else is shooting architecture like this. It's very hard to make the photos merge seemlessly due to plain geometry but it adds a sense of surrealism to the pieces and makes them more visually appealing. Unfortunately I didn't get to shoot all of the buildings I wanted to, but I'll be back. Enjoy.

The Sherry-Netherland Hotel

The Solow Building

Trump Tower

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Rockafeller Plaza

Radio City Music Hall

stv

Check the Rhime

The city has a Stampede hangover

stv