Made You Look Jewellery Robbery Fundraiser at the Cadillac Lounge

When I first moved into Parkdale over a decade ago, there was a store on the north side of Queen West near Brock that was boarded up for renovations, with just a little peek hole cut into the plywood to allow a glimpse of what was going on inside. I was immediately hooked. Sarah Hamel, owner of Made You Look, was in the middle of restoring one of the big beautiful buildings that had been neglected for years in the perpetually "up and coming" neighbourhood. She had a great vision and has built an amazing and unique business - a jewellery boutique that's also a studio for more than 20 resident jewellers who create their piece on site. Over the years she's expanded the collection to include work from over 100 local Toronto designers, with a wide range of styles. The atmosphere is artistic, eclectic, fun, and friendly. It's exactly the sort of business I love - one that really celebrates creativity and helps make it possible for independent designers to make a living doing what they love and are so talented at.

So when I heard that someone had broken in and robbed Made You Look a couple of months ago, I literally felt sick to my stomach. Who on earth would target a business built on beauty and dreams, and the designers who work so hard there? Although a suspect was apprehended, the over $300,000 worth of handmade jewellery and raw materials that were stolen were not recovered. With the shock and anger I was feeling came a deep desire to "do something" to help out - and I wasn't the only one who responded this way. Made You Look has a devoted following both in the community and among lovers of unique jewellery, so when they organized a fundraiser at the Cadillac Lounge to help out the jewellers who'd been hit the worst, it was a well-attended evening. There was a great silent auction, as well as music from The Neil Young'uns. Sarah made a lovely speech, thanking everyone who had come together to show their love and support for Made You Look and the designers it represents.

For those of you who couldn't make it but would love to help (or if you did make it, but still want to help MORE..), Sarah has set up a fundraising campaign through indiegogo - even a $5 contribution helps and is much appreciated. So far they have raised over $5,000 towards their goal of $15,000 (the funds will go directly to designers who lost items not covered by insurance). Check it out, and donate if you can: http://www.indiegogo.com/MYLfundraiser

Here are some of the lovely items that were generously donated for the silent auction..

..and here's everyone having a great time :)

If you've never been to Made You Look, make a point of stopping in to see how special it is, and if you haven't already PLEASE HELP WITH A DONATION HERE!

Much love and best wishes for a speedy recovery to everyone at Made You Look :)

xo Jessica

Gabriel Turns One!

I'd only met Gabe once before being invited to photograph his first birthday party - he was a very smiley and active baby, bouncing away in his jolly-jumper while his Mom and I discussed business and art. Since she's a designer, I had high hopes for how "pretty" this party was going to be - and my expectations were surpassed! For starters, check out this amazing cake display.. the beautiful (and yummy!) cake was made by Savera of Pretty Sweet Cakes..

 Is this (below) not the most creative invitation you've ever seen?! It helps when your Mommy is Naushin of Love, Paper & Ink - designer of custom stationary :)

Gabe was very busy at his big party - getting some birthday tickles from a friend, being picked up by everyone over the age of 5, and still finding time to fit in some walking practice!

These are by far the classiest loot bags I've ever seen! I really loved how all the details came together, and also loved how many smiles we saw at this party - everyone really seemed to have a great time :)

We had so much fun with Gabe and his family and friends, and hope to see some of them again soon for their own family portraits ;)

Thanks so much to Naushin and Andrew for a fantastic afternoon :)

xo

Jessica + Norman

5 Awesome Reasons to go to the Spring One of a Kind this weekend in Toronto

As you may know, I never miss the One of a Kind show at Christmas, and I especially love the Spring show :) Why? Because most years it's the first sign of Spring we see, and what better way to celebrate all those little buds on the trees and the tulips starting to pop up than to spend a day surrounded by all the beautiful colours, textures and designs at the One of a Kind show!

Here's a little sneak peek of some of the very talented designers I've been working with recently, who can all be found at the OOAK show this weekend (show runs March 28-April 1 this year, for hours and directions check here)...

Melanie LeBlanc (booth i37) - Melanie grew up on a little island "up north", and her love of rugged natural beauty can be seen in all her unique pieces of jewellery - this is Melanie's first time at the One of a Kind so we hope she has a fantastic time!

Tiny Modernist (booth J23) - designer Cheryl McKinnon uses such amazing fabrics for all her adorable and chic little girls' dresses - this is one of my favourites in her award-winning Overall Dress..

Erin Tracy Designs (booth G9) - Erin will be unveiling her new "Navajo" collection at the Spring show - I love the way these feathers flutter as you move! (I realize this is hard to see in a still picture, so just go get some and see for yourself!)

Mena Dragonfly (booth G21) - ceramic artist Melanie Mena creates a line of clean and simple pieces in the most amazingly perfect shapes. She and her partner have just moved to Prince Edward County where they have bought a B&B, and look forward to serving up many a tasty breakfast on these yummy dishes!

 Jenny Greco (booth L43) - Jenny uses the most exotic nuts and seeds I've ever heard of to create her bold and colourful jewellery - this one has a tagua nut - you have to hold them in your hands to really see  the amazing textures (better yet, try one on!)

I'm so proud to work with all of these lovely and talented designers and look forward to seeing them at the show today :)  If you're in Toronto this weekend, make sure you come check it out too!

{and if you're a designer looking for an awesome photographer/new friend, email me now and we'll get together for tea and a chat about your work!}

Inspired by Colour at the Spring One of a Kind in Toronto

Last week was a crazy busy week, so I didn't get a chance yet to share my experience of the Spring One of a Kind show - anyways, here we go...

I love the Spring show, no matter what the weather is outside you know that sunny days and warm breezes are just around the corner :) The designers always seem to be inspired by this energy and so many of the booths are full of bright colours, pretty patterns, and a hopeful *something* in the air - and this year was no exception.

As Norman and I walked around the show visiting with friends, clients, and some potential new clients, I was giddy with delight over the rainbows of colour that we saw. If you know me, you know I love colour (pretty much all the colours, with the sometimes exception of red)...lots of colour and many colours together :)

{Once again, I owe a big thank you to my fantastic boyfriend Norman, for pointing out things I would have missed, for being charming and conversational, and for walking around the show for over 5 hours with me without ever complaining..}

Here is a sample of what we saw...

SO pretty! ruffled lilac scarves at Leah Bazian's booth..

the CUTEST tiny dresses and hats from Red Thread (Devorah asked if we had a little girl - we said we'd have to work on finding one!)

I also loved their awesome display :)

Fantastic feathery hair pieces in all colours imaginable by Oh Dina! - perfect if you have a wedding coming up this summer...or just want to look fancy wherever you're going!

I loved how fiber artist Nancy Yule magically included every colour in the world into her pieces, without it ever seeming like too many colours :)

Check out these light ribbony scarves..

tiny drawers for tiny treasures :)

and magnets - which you can never have too many of!

These addorable little dresses were from design team Barb and Jackie of Keiko - they are so new that they don't have a website yet, but keep your eyes open because I think they'll be growing fast with such pretty little prints..

and awesomely cute embroidery!

I loved this dress - the dandelion grows as you move from left to right, and on the other side of the dress the wind comes along and blows the fluff all over the place - fantastic concept beautifully executed :)

These scarves by Marie Pierre Daigle were like sculptures made of yarn, silk, and felt - and all in yummy  colours!

I have long been fascinated by glass bead-making, and these pieces by Lunacy Glass were some of the most amazing examples I've ever seen - everything cute and woodland-y you could possibly desire in a necklace!

Glass artist Lucie and I also share a love of Mexican themes and images..

these floral beads had such amazing depth to them!

If these next pieces look familiar, maybe it's because you saw some images from my recent shoot with Jenny Greco - it was great to see her at the show! I love how she carries her love of natural materials into her design of her booth display...

And I know I might be a *bit* biased since I photographed these images for her ;) but I also love these big banners at Erin Tracy's booth - even on a busy day like this, everyone can still see these!

So - Spring inspiration accomplished, I'm really excited about maybe starting a pretty creative project of my own (once our kitchen is done..almost there!) and definitely excited about upcoming shoots with these and other talented local designers :) If you design or make something pretty and you're looking for an awesome photographer in Toronto, I would love to hear from you! Check out my website, or send me an email :)

Happy Spring Everyone!

Erin Tracy Designs - Custom Jewellery and Gorgeous Collections

I've been working with Erin Tracy for many years now, and I think her work is fantastic... what first attracted me to her booth at the One of a Kind show was her combination of silver and gold with natural materials such as delicate little pebbles and pieces of wood (I bought a necklace from her "Garden-Path" Collection almost 10 years ago and I still love it!). Over the years, I have seen many of Erin's other collections grow from inspirations as diverse as nature  (such as Reef and Fira), unique materials like concrete (in Pave), and a love of travel and other cultures (East, Luxe, Plume).


Erin also does a lot of custom work for clients, mostly engagement and wedding rings, where she sits down and gets to know the ideas and tastes of her clients and then designs something specific to their desires. Almost anything is possible from what I've seen :)


Here are a few of my favourite pieces from our most recent shoot..

Also, Erin has recently moved into a great new studio space in Liberty Village:

A cosy spot for meeting with clients..

technical tools..

and a nice, clean display area..

So - you can find Erin and her lovely work at the One of a Kind Show (starting tomorrow!) in booth G-07, or you can contact her directly to inquire about custom work or to schedule an appointment to see her at her studio. Check out her website for lots more of her work. Support local talent!

I've said it before, but I'll say it again - for more examples of work I've done with local designers, please see this page of my website. If you are a designer of something beautiful and you are looking for a photographer - I'd love to talk to you! Email me for more information :)

Jenny Greco Jewellery Photo Shoot

As the Spring One of a Kind Show approaches here in Toronto, many of my clients have new lines or pieces that they want photographed. This was my first time working with Jenny Greco, so we shot almost her entire collection (!) of fantastic chunky and richly coloured jewellery. Jenny uses a lot of natural elements like wood and seeds in her work, which I love, and she was also a complete pleasure to work with, which I really love :)


Here are some of my favourite shots from our collaboration:

these black "stones" are actually lava!!

Jenny uses all different kinds of wood to make her chunky rings; this leopard-looking one was my favourite!

this bracelet from Jenny's "Totem" collection is made with ebony and silver - a really nice contrast :)

I can't wait to see Jenny's website once all the new images are up!

All of this and more will be available at Jenny's booth at the One of a Kind Show (you can find her at booth P-24), and she also has a lovely new studio space in the Distillery District, in the Case Goods  building - check her out and support local talent!

For more examples of work I've done with local designers, please see my website. If you are a designer of something beautiful and you are looking for a photographer - I'd love to talk to you! Email me for more information :)