Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Big Heart, Big Talent Feature in Utterly Engaged!



I feel Truly Truly blessed right now to be a part of this magazine, but more so because they took the time and care to really get to know me and my new vision. This came out so great!
Thank you Thank you!

I am so honored to be a part of Issue #13 of Utterly Engaged magazine.
Click here to read and see more of the magazine!
I'm on:
Page 118-125 ;)



Eugenia Chung of Petit Plume always
thought that a career in art therapy would
be the perfect way to combine her love
of art and helping people through art.
But when she wasn’t accepted into an art
therapy program her dreams were crushed.
She was sure that art therapy was the only
way to combine her two passions. Little did
she know that as one door closed another
door was just waiting to be opened.
The one of the left with the brown mini hat is taken by Crystal Jean Photography ;)

While Eugenia took time to
figure out her next path she
began making hair accessories
that she sold to friends
and family. What began
as an outlet for her to take
inspiration from the different
styles of people around her
and experiment with various
materials soon became a
full-fledged business. Soon
Eugenia was selling her Petit
Plume pieces on Etsy, at craft
fairs, and local boutiques.
After her first year of business
Eugenia felt the need to do more
than just make accessories for
the sole purpose of fashion.
She wanted Petit Plume to
be a business that made
a difference and inspired
others to give back to the
world around them. Eugenia
was inspired by a quote that
continued to replay in her
head, “You came into this
world with nothing and will
leave with nothing.”
Visit My Refuge House

“I literally started with nothing!” says Eugenia,
“I thought that I could only give if my bank
account was overflowing and I had excess to
give away, but I was really challenged to make
a sacrifice.
“If I can give in times when I do not have much but still
give to the best of my capability, then I can be confident
that I will be provided for with what I need.”
While researching organizations to work
with Eugenia came across My Refuge
House, a safe house for young women and
children that are rescued from sex-trafficking
in the Philippines. At the moment, My Refuge
House is in the process of building a new
aftercare facility to house the abused and
trafficked young women. “As Petit Plume
is also in the phase of rebuilding with a
new direction, I feel that we can learn
and grow together with the many exciting
opportunities that await us both!

My dream is to be able to provide jobs for the
girls at My Refuge House when my company
is able to hire more people.” says Eugenia.
To benefit My Refuge House, 15% of all Petit
Plume sales will be donated. Going forward,
Eugenia hopes to have special products and
projects go towards specific causes that relate
to the issues of human trafficking and abused
women and children. Eugenia has definitely
found a beautiful way to combine her love of
art and helping people through art.




Thank you to Utterly Engaged's Lucia, Henny, and Alison
and Serena Grace Photo!



Tuesday, November 9, 2010

'Tis the Season for Mini Hats


If you loved this beautiful custom piece I created for Susie at the Wedding Chicks, I have some more coming your way ;)
Hi Friends!

I have been creating some new pieces these days and my favorite material right now is a millinery favorite: Horsehair Ribbon! I have this in several colors, but here is what I have so far.

These ribbons are thick and create beautiful and fanciful bows that will catch people's attention at your next holiday party or even when you want to just look dressed up for the day ;)

I call these pretty pieces: "LONDON" mini hats

You can purchase the few I have up at my new shop:
Petit Plume Shop




Dijon Creme:



Green Leaves:


-Sienna Terrain
Perfect for the holidays: Red Horsehair Clip -This and more..."Coming Soon"



Holiday pieces are going to up on my shop VERY soon, so get them while you can before the rush!
Stay Tuned and I'll keep you posted!
Thanks so much!

<3 Genie

Monday, November 1, 2010

Photos from Feature on Wedding Chicks

Here are some detail photos from the 1960s Mad Men themed wedding that I had the opportunity to be a part of!
Susie works for The Wedding Chicks and asked me to create something that would match her beautiful custom made rosette dress. She was looking for something with a birdcage veil and a mini hat in ivory and optional color accents.
These beautiful photos were taken by Julie Harmsen Photography and you can see more of this unique wedding at http://www.weddingchicks.com/wedding-chicks/featured-weddings-events/64868/1960s-mad-men-theme-wedding/.
I loved Susie's look and her wedding was exquisite!
Enjoy!







:)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Petit Plume is One Year Old!

Thank you to everyone who made it out to my party last Friday and for everyone else who couldn't make it, here are some photos and updates!
Your support is greatly appreciated and I am so excited to share this new journey with you!


On September 17, 2010, I had a Petit Plume One Year Birthday Party at The Wedding Pantry in Tustin, California.
I had around 100 people attend and some amazingly talented musicians and artists share their skills.

Petit Plume is NOW partnering with an inspiring organization called My Refuge House!
I feel like it's a great partnership because we are both in similar places of rebuilding and restructuring with exciting things that await us!
Russ from My Refuge House gave a moving presentation about how evil will continue to prevail when good men do nothing. Everyone has a part in making a difference! Big or small.

Here is a snippet of how I got here! (this is really embarrassing with my crooked teeth and all..hah!) oh! and sorry about the lagging...(don't know how to fix -_-"):



SILENT AUCTION UPDATE:
THANK YOU SO MUCH to those who participated and donated items!
$1225 was made through Silent Auction to give to these organizations fighting against human trafficking for women and children! :

El Pozo,-Mexico City
Rapha House-Cambodia
Amani Ya Juu-Africa
My Refuge House-Philippines (over $100 from my sales at the party are going to this cause as well!)

PHOTOS from the Party!!(the first video slideshow made by me..Ever!) o_O



A HUGE Thank You to all the helpers and these specific vendors:

DESSERTS:
Lotus Culinary Creations by Lora Kim


MUSIC:
Musicians in Black- Jazz Band

Grace Note String Quartet

William Kim-Singer/Songwriter

Priscilla Liang- Singer/Songwriter


PHOTOGRAPHY:
Jim Kang Photography (jimbo.kang@gmail.com)
Stephanie Hsu

ART:
Silhouettes by Nancie

Caricatures by Ben Sam

VENUE:
The Wedding Pantry- Tustin, California


STICKERS (on Take-Out Boxes):
Wet Ink Printing


SILENT AUCTION DONATIONS by:

BCR bicycles (Johnny)
Oh, Hello Friend (Danni)
RUCHE online boutique (Mai and Josh)
PRP Wine International (Dustin)
My Two Girls Jewelry (Pat)



UPCOMING EVENTS:
-UCI Vendor Fair (Oct 18-22)
-UCSD Vendor Fair (Oct 25-29)




Thursday, August 26, 2010

Featured in Exquisite Bridal Magazine!

Exquisite Bridal featured on page 22 for the September/October 2010 Issue!

Here are a few pics!

Featured is...The ASTERIA feather clip:







Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Petit Plume at ShopRuche.com!



These items are currently for sale on ShopRuche.com - a modern boutique with a vintage touch!
It has been so fun to see how my designs have worked out so beautifully with Ruche's Summer 2010 collections.
The items listed are exclusive designs for Ruche by Petit Plume- So get them while you can!
Thanks so much and Enjoy the exquisite photography by Stephanie Williams Photography.


JULIET headband in Tan/Olive:


JULIET headband in coral:
Both Juliet headbands have adorable dangling felt leaves
The many ways to wear JULIET:


KAITLYN vintage headband: So easy to wear and so pretty!
AVERY hair clip and brooch:
CADENCE mustard/lavender headband: So Cute and earthy with its burlap leaves!


Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Patchwork-How did I get here and where am I going?

patch·work

–noun
1.
something made up of an incongruous variety of pieces or parts; hodgepodge: a patchwork of verse forms.
2.
work made of pieces of cloth or leather of various colors or shapes sewed together, used esp. for covering quilts, cushions, etc.

On Sunday, June 6th from 11-5pm, I will be at the Patchwork Indie Arts and Crafts Festival in Santa Ana (2203 north main st @ buffalo) selling a variety of my accessories at discount prices.

Visit www.patchworkshow.com

I can't believe it has been almost two years since I first found out about this show when I began volunteering at Orange County Therapeutic Arts Center in Santa Ana. I had been given a flyer to be a volunteer at this show because this show supports the Art Center. At that time, I had no idea that I would actually be a part of this show or any handmade or indie craft scene.
I was pursuing a career in art therapy and I had my mind set on attending Loyola Marymount University for their Marriage and Family Therapy degree with a specialization in Art Therapy. I was taking prerequisites and doing everything I needed to do to be a good candidate for acceptance.
Volunteering was great and I got to experience working with high functioning special needs children. I wanted to use my background in the arts to influence or help people and I felt that art therapy was the perfect combination of my desire to create and to influence.
Last year during March, I found out that I was not accepted to LMU's program and I was so devastated. It felt like a dream was crushed. As I thought about it more, I began to realize that this may not have been the dream that was made for me, but that I trying to create my own future that I ultimately had no control over. This was a learning process.
I made my first hair accessory to the interview at LMU for my self and I had made it to set my self apart.
I did not know that I would actually keep making more and more of these things, but as I was trying to figure out my next steps, I just ended up making accessories as a hobby and to accessorize my basic outfits. It was then that other people were noticing my pieces and through the people already in my life, I was connected to other opportunities. My first opportunity was to let Tulle use my accessories in their look book photoshoots. Through this, I was encouraged by a friend and business owner, Dan Kam, to think about starting up a business.
The entire idea made me very nervous. First, I had no money to do anything and second, I had no business experience and no special training in making accessories. So many terms were foreign to me and I needed detailed checklists to help to launch, but I ended up just going for it and thinking that I had nothing to lose during this time.
I has been almost a year since I made "Petit Plume" an official business. Most of all, it has been a huge learning experience. Many times, I have felt like a crazy person for starting this, but through encouragements and support, I have been able to endure and believe in what I do.
I do not know the future and I did not create a concrete plan. Besides, who knows what the next big trend is or how long I can keep making handmade accessories. I do not know much, but I do know that I love making people feel special and beautiful and to create and craft new experiences and perspectives for people through my art.
I must always remain thankful for what I have been given and to utilize my gifts.
Through creating accessories, I have met many vendors and some people who work in the salon industry. I had no idea that all these areas could connect and I may sound crazy again attempting to tackle another field, but cosmetology is an area that I would like to tap into for a variety of reasons, but mainly to serve people and be a positive influence.
Could these be my next steps? I am not sure and I will have to wait and see if the doors will open for me. I will take it one "patch" at a time to ultimately create a beautiful "patchwork" that could be a life that can cover a broken soul or to provide some loving care. This is what I mean when I say that Petit Plume is merely a stepping stone towards greater dreams. I hope to continue to keep growing and looking up.

Thank you so much for reading this loooong post and Thank you for your support!!!





Sunday, May 16, 2010

Antique Magic!


I finally got a chance to finish some custom orders and also play around with my new materials. :D

I got a Darkener for Gold and Silver and I used it on a gold plated crystal headband to give it that antiqued look and to tone down the brightness of the gold.


BEFORE & AFTER:



Here is the original (some may still like it bright gold):





















































The finished headband

and a closer look!

Hand-wired, czech crystals on a gold plated trim and headband.

Beautiful!
You can purchase this soon on ETSY!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Tour de SoCal Photo Update!

It has been absolutely insane and I finally have a chance to update, so here goes!! Enjoy!

1.) Unique Los Angeles (April 24-25):


Lisa helped make my display...POP!


Booth Partners!! Lisa makes Vintage Jewelry!



He basically moved Everything up and down stairs for me <3
Fun hanging flowers, mirrors, and crystals with my birdcage (birds on the outside...) ;)

The last day, we had random deals and t-shirt giveaways!! WhooHoo!!


2.)UCSD Vendor Fair (April 28-30):

Basically...it's a LONG story, but let's just say that Steppie and I had quite an adventure...

Here is how it started:


















so packed...used side view mirrors and teamwork to get to SD...



















ate at Sushilicious and got a free meal for Steppie's Birthday!! Yippee!!

Delicious specialty rolls and Green Tea Tempura Ice-Cream!!

(and ask for magic tricks too...)




















a picture of my "Brooklyn" headbands to show that we really did go to SD to sell our goods..

























so I accidentally touched this sock outside of my car thinking it was mine...Ewww...



















Mama Mia Italian Restaurant:

where crazy happens...
I don't know why, but we were pretty delirious and everything was SO Hilarious! This is what happens when you are outside all day and just trying to pull it together...

Special thanks to our friends Andrea and Esther for putting up with our crazy schedules.
and to our stomachs for taking in such delicious cuisine!
Oh and thank you to my mom's Nissan Murano for getting us AND our stuff to and from SD!!

3.) UCI Vendor Fair (May 3-7):

I enjoy coming back to UCI, since it reminds me of my college days...(not that it was so long ago...) but those were great times, especially with friends being so near all the time!


















a different deal each day!

This frame was entertaining...people kept thinking it was a mirror..i don't know how many times I heard that...




































"Juliet" headband would have to be my most popular item!

























Anabel sporting her Petit Plume attire! Thanks for coming out and sharing your creativity!! Whee!!


4.) Graffiti Beach Indie Lux Pop-Up Show (may 8):

















my cousin Peter came all the way from New Jersey with his friend Mike, who took some awesome pics for me! and here is my mom and grandma too!
My grandma thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful view-I would have to say that her being there made this event totally worth it!

On the Runway and Close-ups:







































































































































































she is so thrilled to be wearing Petit Plume!





















New Stuff debuted at these shows:



















Double Rhinestone Tiara Band on 18K gold plated headband





















Velvet leaf headbands -"Eden"-Velvet





















"Peyton" - Another l'art headband: painted canvas, lace and rhinestones on settings





















"Cecilia"-mini velvet covered metal headband with wired rhinestones on settings.

Met lots of cool people and contacts!
It's a Busy Time!!
maybe I need to become a coffee drinker...

A Few Photos!