It’s almost time for #USACAN2013 – {Epheriell will be closed from May 24 to August 2nd}

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{image via Tourism Tofino}

 So – exciting news here in Epheriell-land!

Nick and I will be heading off for what I’m calling #USACAN2013 as of June 4th – a huge 2-month+ trip through the US and Canada. (Look for the hashtag on twitter and instagram - I’ll be using it to share our journey!).

What this means for you, of course, is that Epheriell will be closed for a few months. As much as I would love to make jewellery on the road, the logistics are a bit of a nightmare, so I’ve decided to take a well-earned break from the jewellery bench while we’re away. I’ll still be blogging here and on Create & Thrive though!

I will be closing Epheriell as of May 24th – this Friday! – and re-opening on August 2nd, which is a few days before we return home.

So! If you had plans to buy and receive a piece of Epheriell jewellery between now and mid-August – this week is your last chance!

Friday morning will see me sitting down at the computer with a cup of coffee to go through the process of shutting down all of my online shops. I won’t be making any extensions or exceptions to this closure, so don’t wait if there is something you want to buy!

Alas, I have been so busy that I haven’t had the chance to finish and release the Yin/Yang Collection prior to my trip… but that gives us all something to look forward to when I return, right? :) I’m kinda in love with the new designs, I’ve been wearing a couple of them religiously for the last few weeks.

But back to the trip!

It’s been in the works since last year, and it’s going to be epic. I’m hoping to pop in here and blog about it at least once a week, but we’ll see how that goes!

The Plan

We’ll be flying from Brisbane to LA, staying one night to start the time-zone shift process, and to break up the trip.

We’ll then fly to New York for 5 days!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am about this. I have always wanted to vist NYC. We’re staying in a cute little apartment in the East Village thanks to Airbnb, and I can’t wait to get out and explore. If you have any must-sees, please tell me!

We’re then flying from New York to Seattle, and catching the ferry up the Puget Sound to Victoria in Canada.

Nick’s brother Matt lives there with his looong-time girlfriend Kelcey, so they will be meeting us, and we’ll be staying with them for a week.

After that, Nick’s parents are flying over from the UK, and it will be family reunion time! The last time all of us were together was back in 2009 at Nick and my wedding (and that was sans Kelcey, I’m looking forward to FINALLY meeting her!), so it’s going to be lovely.

We’re staying with the fam in Canada for a few weeks… until July 3rd, when I leave Nick there and head down to Portland to attend the WDS – which no doubt will be all sorts of awesome. Again thanks to Airbnb I’ll be staying with a lovely Portland couple, their cat, new puppy, and chickens. And I get to spend my first 4th of July in the States (I am actually a dual US/Australian citizen, though I’ve only been to the US twice before for a few weeks at a time – I got my citizenship through my Mum’s side of the family, who are American). So I’ll looking forward to that experience.

After all that, Phase 2 of our trip commences – operation Road Trip!

Nick will come down and meet me in the US, and we’ll be hiring a car and heading off into the sunset for the next month. We’ll have a tent and camping stuff in our car, so we’ll alternate camping with motel living throughout the trip.

At this stage, we don’t have a set itinerary – though we are toying with the idea of driving from Portland out to Yellowstone, then back to the coast and down through Oregon and California.

I have a few must-sees during this part of the trip so far:

  • Crater Lake
  • Lake Tahoe
  • Big Sur
  • The Redwood you can drive through
  • San Francisco, because I’ve been there twice and LOVE it
  • A winery or ten in the Napa Valley

Yes, we’re suckers for lakes and forests, what can I say? I am, of course, open to suggestions of things we HAVE TO SEE – so please share!!

Finally, at the beginning of August, we’ll end up back in LA, and we’re flying home on the 6th.

It’s going to be EPIC!

Are you going to come along with us via the wonders of the interwebs? I hope so! 

P.S. My lovely Earring-of-the-Month Club members… don’t worry, you’ll still be getting your earrings every month… I’ll have them all made and ready to send to you while I’m away thanks to my post office minion (a.k.a. my mum ;D).



32 comments   epheriell

Market Goodness – The Inaugural BrisStyle City Hall Market

jess at the epheriell market stall - photo by BrisStyle

So, this Saturday gone, I was lucky enough to be a marketeer at the inaugural BrisStyle City Hall Market. The above photo of me at my stall was taken by the lovely Helen from BrisStyle.

Here are a few more shots of my set-up – you can see a number of new designs that will be part of the Yin/Yang Collection…

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I have to say a HUGE thanks to Nick for being the maker behind most of the stall design elements. He made all the wooden rounds and half-logs to my design, and he also threw the banner stand together on Friday arvo when I realised I didn’t have a way to hold it up, as we can’t stick anything to the walls in City Hall.

Kudos to Mr Clever!

Also, a huge thanks to everyone who came by – quite a number of my local Set Up Shop students visit – it was so great to chat to you all about how your businesses are going! I also had a number of lovely return customers who’ve bought from me online previously… as well as a whole lot of new customers, too. It was such a lovely vibe – we were indoors, in a fancy carpeted room, with live music… sweet!

At this stage, I’m hoping to do these markets regularly starting in August (I’ll be away for the June/July ones) so you all know that there’s a place where you can come and see me and new designs each month. It’ll also be great if you’re planning on buying my wedding bands, as I’ll have samples to try on, and I can size your finger for you, too!

So, let’s have a peek at some of the other goodness that was at the market, shall we? First, here’s a pic of the lovely Chrissy Foreman C wearing her new Epheriell ring – Pyrite and Sterling Silver. She said of this ‘I tried it on, and it picked me’. :)

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Next we have the beautiful work of Clare from Zillpa. She handmakes these amazing rope baskets using her industrial sewing machine. I’m especially digging her new designs with fabric incorporated that you can see on the left.

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Next, I spotted these gorgeous Core brooches – love the embroidery ones!

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My lovely mate Kirsten of Each to Own debuted these beautiful necklaces. They’re made from vintage wallpaper!

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Also, I couldn’t pass up these gorgeous prints from Chrissy, who was my market neighbour – aren’t they beautiful? All her work is so bright and positive and colourful!

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Our final score was this funky piece by Mason Sinclair – this one was for Nick!

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I was also over-the-moon to finally see the re-constructed original Shingle Inn – a Brisbane icon and full of wonderful memories for me. I spent a LOT of time in the original Shingle Inn during Uni, it was my quiet place to escape to in the city. So, when I walked in and saw this…

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…I was overcome with happiness! It looks just like it used to, though you now walk in from the side, rather from the bottom like you used to. I couldn’t pass up getting a goodie. Enter the BIGGEST melting moment I have ever seen. And eaten. Well. I ate half. Nick had the other half!

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So, long story short – next time you’re in the city on the 2nd Saturday of any month, make sure to come in to City Hall and visit the BrisStyle Market – after a stop at Shingle Inn, perhaps. You won’t regret it!

And I’ll be there every month from August on :)

P.S. a lot of folk don’t know this, but on Saturdays you can park underneath King George Square for just $12… for the whole day!!!



One comment   Crafty Biz, epheriell, Handmade

Come See Epheriell this Saturday at City Hall + Yin/Yang Peeks + A Week in Photos

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{the view of sunrise over Sandgate}

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{lemon & honey tea for the sicknote}

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{2 Circe Necklaces I made this week}

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{a small selection of the other orders made this week}

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 {the road that runs down next to the bushland near my home}

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{Golden Orb spider in my path!}

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{new earring designs – the Yin/Yang Chain Earrings, which will be available in black and silver}

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{new Yin/Yang Chevron Necklaces}

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{shiny blue patent leather flats I picked up today for just $10 when I bought a pair of boots!}

So this week started out well… on Saturday I had an awesome time at my very first Wind Surfing Lesson! It was a perfect day, as you can see from the first shot I took out over the bay, and I really enjoyed getting the hang of the Wind Surfer.

Unfortunately, the rest of the weekend was not so fun… on my way home from the lesson on Sat morning I realised I was wheezing – my cold had turned into a chest infection. So, after swinging by the doc on the way home, I was loaded up with antibiotics, steroids and a few puffers to keep me alive for the days ahead!

I spend most of the rest of Saturday resting and reading, but on Sunday I dragged myself out of bed to work. I think this is pretty much the only downside to being self-employed – when you’re sick, and there’s work that needs doing – orders that need making – there’s no-one else to get it done!

I’ve gotten better over the last few days, but it’s been a busy week – filling orders from my birthday sale, Mother’s Day, and also making new goodies for the brand new BrisStyle City Hall Markets that start this Saturday.

I don’t do many markets, as you know, but I’m pretty excited about this one! It’s a curated market of some of the absolute best handmade Brisbane has to offer, and it’s inside the gorgeous, newly refurbished Brisbane City Hall. Very excitingly – these are BrisStyle’s very first REGULAR markets! Yep, they’ll be held in City Hall the 2nd Saturday every month… so if you want some stunning local handmade, put that in your calendar!

I’m planning on doing more of them when Nick and I get back from our 2-month trip to Canada + the USA (I haven’t told you about that yet, have I?!), which we’re leaving for in early June. So, from August onwards, if the markets are as awesome as I expect they’ll be, I might make it a monthly thing and be at every one. What do you think? Would you like knowing where you can come check out Epheriell goodies in-person once a month?

Also, here’s a peek at the new roof in the Grand Ballroom of City Hall – that ceiling is full of LEDs that can render images – pretty groovy ;D

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{source: Courier Mail}

I’ve also managed to get outside for a walk the last few mornings without feeling like I was going to cough up a lung. We have a gorgeous huge swathe of bushland at the end of my road, and over the years, someone/s have trodden a path through there, which I follow on occasion.

I don’t think anyone else had been through for a little while though, because that gorgeous spider and her web were stretched right across the path yesterday morning. Thankfully I didn’t walk into her!

I’m almost mended now, hopefully by tomorrow or Friday I’ll be properly well, and ready to get back into my normal routine. I’m missing my regular swims and runs something fierce…

Hey, hope to see you on Saturday if you’re in Brissie, yeah? Make sure to stop by my stall and say hi!

Jess xx

 



2 comments   epheriell, Fashion, Handmade, My life

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