My Coastal Getaway

Last weekend my guy and I got out of town for a long weekend on the Sunshine Coast, just a short ferry ride from Vancouver. 

As much as I call myself a true city girl, and thrive on the buzz of a busy lifestyle, I love to get away from it all sometimes to soak up nature in a quieter and more relaxed setting. It was our first time visiting Pender Harbor and we were both enamored with the gorgeous scenery surrounding this little community. 

Is there a place that you visit where your heart completely opens up? For me, this is the experience of being on the ocean or smelling the earthy, piney scents of the forest. Combine both and you've got one blissed-out lady. Our weekend was filled with exclamations like, "Oh my god, that smell! Ahhhh...." and "Let's stay for a week...I don't want to leave." 

Of course, Chris and I are most content when we're active in nature, so we had our share of hikes and hilly bike rides that ensured we earned those end of day beers. Here are a few photos of our weekend that I thought you might enjoy. If you're still looking for summer getaway plans, I'd highly recommend a few days on the Sunshine Coast!

Five Instagram Feeds I Love

I don't know about you, but I could spend hours scoping out pretty pictures on Instagram. I suppose it can be attributed to my love of aesthetics and the designer in me: I adore ogling over photographs of beautiful scenery, products and people. I suppose if that's not your thing Instagram seems a bit weird and voyeuristic, but if you love scoping out pics as much as I do, here are a few of my favorite fashion and jewellery-related accounts for you to check out:

{photo via Gem Gossip}

@gemgossip - Danielle is a jewellery blogger, gemologist & antique jewellery collector who showcases all of the beautiful pieces that she collects and comes across in her travels.

{photo via Inslee}

@inslee - Fashion Illustrator, Inslee Haynes, showcases her colorful and whimsical creations.

{Photo via Dannijo}

@dannijo - Celeb jewellery designers and superbabe sisters Danielle and Jodie, mix artfully-styled shots with pics of them vacationing in hot locales with their super star friends. No biggie. 

{photo via Coco Rocha}

 @cocorocha - I love following along on the sartorial adventures of Canadian supermodel, Coco Rocha, and watching as she transforms herself from one photoshoot or appearance to the next. Best of all, this beauty seems totally down-to-earth and un-full of herself.

{photo via Arik Kastan}

@arikkastan - I'm kind of obsessed with this designer's vintage-inspired gemstone jewellery. Their rose gold and labradorite rings? I melt over these.










What are your favorite Instagram feeds? Leave a comment below, and then be sure to find us on Instagram!

Gems & Chihuly

Hey there! Today I thought I'd share a photo re-cap of my trip to Seattle last weekend! The trip was both an excuse to get away with my guy, plus check out a big gemstone trade show that was happening in the city. I was happy to get a large portion of my shopping done for the Spring '14 line, plus have the chance to check out some sights that I hadn't previously explored in Seattle. Since my boyfriend works in the tourism industry, and was wanting to suss out some local sights and hotspots for his clients, we were lucky enough to get a bunch of free passes to play tourist. 

One of the places Chris wanted to check out was the Chihuly Garden and Glass, a special gallery exhibit featuring the work of world-renowned glass artist, Dale Chihuly. I'm not going to lie - I went along to the exhibit a bit grudgingly, as I was thinking to myself - glass? Really? How interesting might this be? And can I just say, wow - was I wrong! 

Chihuly and his team have created colourful and breath-taking art installations, that are lit up with lights so that they glow from within. It was really a sight to behold, and I was impressed to find out that the guy is top-notch famous, having created exhibits throughout the waterways of Venice, and even at The Citadel in Jerusalem. 

Anyways, enough of my own ramblings on his work - you really just have to check it out for yourself. You can visit http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com to plan your own visit to the gallery, or find out more. 

Here are a few photos from the trip - I'd love to hear which glass installation is your favorite, so be sure to leave a comment below!

Labradorite & other gemstones at InterGem in Seattle

Rows & rows of colourful gems

Glass Ceiling at Chihuly Glass and Garden

Glass-filled Boat

 

Glass Forest

Love the colours of these Native American trade blankets!

Glass Garden

 Ocean Life Tower

That Time I Turned Lemons Into Lemonade

People often ask me how I got into designing jewellery, and the truth is, there are many answers to this question. I have lots of little stories I could share with you about my childhood forays into entrepreneurship, or my early jobs working in retail selling jewellery. The one thing that not many people know, is that one of the major catalysts in the creation of Keltie Leanne Designs, was an upsetting and frankly, disturbing event.

{Image via Pinterest}

It was the summer of 2011, and I was returning home at about 10:30pm from a glass of wine with friends. The previous few weeks had been a bit tumultuous for me personally, and I'd been feeling some frustration about how I could remedy the feelings of discontent I'd been recently experiencing. I was eager for some creative expression and a change in my life, but I wasn't quite sure what that looked like.

I was in an upbeat mood that night nonetheless, as the evening was heading into a long weekend, and I had upcoming plans to join my boyfriend for two weeks in Germany, for which he'd already departed just a day or two earlier.

As I pulled my car into our underground garage that night, I noticed that something was amiss - I could see through a small window beside the driveway, that our bedroom light was on. I was pretty sure I had turned that light off - in fact, I had a distinct memory of having done so - but didn't think too much of it, except that perhaps Chris had returned from Europe because he missed me so much. Well, it wasn't a realistic thought, but it did pop into my head! In any case, I came upstairs to our ground-level suite, unlocked the door only half cautiously, and stopped in my tracks. 

There were a couple of stray items that had spilled onto the floor from a countertop, several meters into our apartment. Nothing major, a business card or two, but it was out of sorts nonetheless. 

As I glanced upwards, I could see that the curtains of our patio sliding door were moving ever so gently in the breeze. My heart stopped and I felt panic start to rise. 

SHIT. I immediately realized that someone had broken into our home. I turned quickly on my heels and closed the door behind me, afraid to fully enter the apartment, in the unlikely case they were still there. (Me versus intruder? I didn't think that would end well.) I hurried upstairs to see my neighbour, whom I informed, "I'm pretty sure our apartment has been broken into and I'm trying not to freak out but Chris is away and what if they're still there and I'm afraid to go in by myself and we should probably call the police but let's go see what's what first." So she grabbed a golf club and back downstairs we went. Her first. 

It was a tidy break-in, with minimal vandalism, and I quickly surveyed my surroundings and observed was what missing: my laptop. reading glasses. my entire jewellery box. and a pillowcase. A pillowcase?? Presumably to stash their new-found goodies. 

And I'll skip ahead, through the teary phone calls to Germany, my mom, my best friend. Past the realization that I now had two weeks in this apartment alone, with the (mostly irrational) fear that the next time they'd come when I was sleeping. Past the sick feeling that my home had been violated, that someone had touched my bed. Gone through my drawers. Maybe even watched me as I left that night. Through the realization that my computer had old photos, of me and my friends, private notes...possibly contained confidential bank information, and social insurance numbers.

It sucked. I won't say it didn't. But I will tell you this:

Stuff is just stuff. Yes, even old photographs, and my grandmother's diamond earrings, and the necklace I was given when I was christened. It's just stuff. 

Don't get me wrong, like everyone else, I sometimes cling to the sentimentality of a particular object, and the love or meaning it represents. There are particular belongings that I have, that I truly do adore, and appreciate, and cherish. But when it comes down to what we can do and live without, stuff doesn't really matter. I was safe. My loved ones were safe. The stuff was just stuff.

Most people are good. I wasn't going to let one or two "bad eggs" effect my outlook on life, or ruin my week. Okay, it wasn't the best week I've had. But this experience also showed me the kindness of others, from the support and helping hands I got from neighbors to ensure my place was properly secured, to my friends, who welcomed me into their own homes if I needed a safe place.

And I don't even believe that the person or people who broke into my home are inherently bad, but truthfully, feel a bit sorry to know what sort of path they must have traveled to end up doing things like this.

Tenants insurance saved my ass. Until only a few months before our apartment break-in, I had always dismissed apartment insurance as something I didn't really need, because insurance is for what-ifs, or people who own their own home, or who have really expensive stuff. But let me tell you friend, if you don't have insurance, get your ass to a broker's office, stat, because if your home is vandalized, or floods, or everything burns in a fire - you're kinda screwed. Fortunately I had recently decided that yes, of course we should have insurance, and thank god I did.

---  

What does this all have to do with Keltie Leanne Designs? Well friends, the realization that this gal didn't have any more sparkly accessories to adorn herself with led to a predicament: I was missing my lovely jewellery but also torn, because one doesn't build a collection of accessories they adore over night. And I can't remember quite how the idea hit, but as I perused shops filled with pretty little things, it started to dawn on me that maybe, I could try my hand at making some pieces myself. I'd been reading a lot about inspiring female entrepreneurs, a number of whom were designers, and it just sort of clicked: I want that to be me.

Two months after our home break-in I designed my first pair of earrings, and less than two months after that I had created my first collection and secured my first store.

I got a fire going inside of me, and turned the lemons that life had handed me into some delicious lemonade.

Maybe it's just a matter of perspective, but I truly see this break-ins as one of the best things to happen to me. It led me to fulfill the long-time dream of having my own business, and explore the creativity inside me that had long been untapped.

I'd love to hear from you in the comments below - is there something wonderful you've experienced in your own life, because you turned lemons into lemonade?