Keys to my heart necklace

Here is a new addition to my etsy shop called ‘keys to my heart necklace’. One large pink czech glass heart hangs from a heavy gunmetal chain through a keyring holding two tiny antique keys. Give them out to whoever you like!

bead freak!

I was browsing etsy when I came across a fabulous bead shop called the Blue Echo 2. The beads have a very vintage feel and most are czech glass. She also has some authentic vintage pieces such as lockets she says were made using the age old cloisonné process.  I was curious, so I looked it up. Apparently, cloisonné is an ancient metalworking technique, is a multi-step enamel process used to produce jewelry, vases, and other decorative items. The technique first developped in the near east and spread to the Byzantine empire and from there to China. Here are some different beads and lockets from the shop:

Front Page!!

Well, I just received an email from Knme informing me that my ‘African Glass Bead Bracelet’ made it to the front page of etsy yesterday! I’m so excited and flattered! Look, here’s a pic:

heart-shaped locket

Here’s a new design called heart-shaped locket that will soon be available in my etsy shop. It’s a copper heart locket with flower cab, each painted white and then buffed to look worn, strung on a gunmetal chain and finished with a lobster clasp. Here is a picture. What do you think?

totaled!

Over thanksgiving break I was sitting around in my apartment when I heard a knock on my door at 8:30 a.m. To my surprise, our neighbors  (a few doors down) were standing there, telling me they had accidentally ‘slid’ into my boyfriend’s car. The crazy thing is, the car was PARKED when they hit it. When I walked outside and looked at the car, I could not believe what I was seeing! The car was half-up on the median, pushed out of it’s parking spot, the bumper was ripped entirely off the car and was lying on the ground, and the back wheel was actually folded up INSIDE the car like a transformer half put together. So I called my boyfriend (who was at his parents’ in Nashville for the holidays) as we were filing a police report, and told him not to panic but that his car was practically totaled. The neighbor’s insurance company is now paying for his rental, and his car is in the shop. Here are pics:

look ma, I’m in a treasury!

Well, I’m proud to announce that I’ve accomplished something new! One of the items from my shop, La Jolie Femme, made it into a treasury today 😀 A treasury, for those who don’t know, is a collection of similar interesting or unique items people can put together on etsy. Check it out, here:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=35634

interview #1

Well, I decided that I will conduct an interview with an individual etsy seller each week, ask them about how they got started and the ins-and-outs of the trade.  Our very first guest will be MaruMaru. Her works include bright colorful retro-inspired pop art baubles that stick out from the crowd.  I asked this seasoned etsy seller a series ten (10) questions and I am going to share with you her answers!

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Here, I’ve selected out my favourite works from this week’s featured etsy-er, MaruMaru:

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INTERVIEW

Tell us a little bit about yourself, what things you like, where you’re from, what you do when you’re not making jewelry, etc?

I’m a recent college graduate from Honolulu, Hawaii with too much time on my hands! I love vintage-inspired and retro charms, and absolutely cannot live without color. I wanted my shop to reflect this, so I started using origami papers I had lying around to use as backgrounds. When I’m not playing around in my jewelry supply box, I’m at the movies or drinking champagne! I especially love independent/foreign films and annoying my tuxedo cat, Neko.

How did you get into etsy and making jewelry?

I started liking jewelry when I began working in the jewelry department at a well-known retail store. At first, I didn’t see what the big hype was over jewelry until I would stand for hours at a time and become anxious to try a few things on. When I wasn’t helping customers, I was trying on jewelry whenever I could and soon enough I put everything I liked on hold so nobody could buy them! I’m really picky about jewelry, so whenever I’d buy a necklace, I’d use my pliers to take off or add parts to it to make it just right.

What’s your favourite item you have created?

Even though you’ll see lots of hearts and bows in my shop, a favorite item of mine is the Midnight Exotic Asian-inspired Flower necklace.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18400416

I love this color because it reminds me of my favorite time of day when the sun has already gone down, but it’s not quite dark yet, and it has a certain shade of blue that I love.

Where does your inspiration come from?
I’m inspired by fantasies from my childhood. I wanted everything to be in pink and blue like cotton candy, ride on a unicorn and eat ice cream all day long. My grandmother owns a very large land in Japan and she made it into beautiful garden that is now a popular tourist attraction. I would spend my childhood in her garden looking at blue Hydrangeas wishing I could take it all back home with me. In my shop, you will see lots of flowers from rose cameos to czech flower beads.

Describe your process for making jewelry, and how you come up with new ideas?

I started making jewelry with just colorful beads, and then I found polymer clay and resin at my local craft store. I enjoyed baking my favorite photos onto the clay, but then I discovered bezels and cabochons and haven’t stopped using them since!

What are your favourite materials? Do you have any specific techniques you use that you’d like to share with us?

My favorite materials are my pliers. I couldn’t make anything without them! Most of all, I enjoy resin because it’s fast, easy, and it gives it that perfect glass finish.

What do you look for when you are looking to purchase?

When I purchase on Etsy, I sometimes use the Pounce feature to discover sellers. Most of the time, I usually know what I want, and I haven’t been able to stop buying rings and earrings. I just bought a wallet off of Etsy yesterday as a gift, but I think I will be keeping it for myself. 🙂

What advice do you have for people trying to start up a new shop?
For those who are wanting to start their own shop, my advice is, please research! I wasted hundreds of dollars on supplies I didn’t need and it took me awhile to start making a profit because of it. Don’t be afraid to ask other shops for advice because they are usually helpful and can offer wonderful tips on how to promote your shop.

Tell us something that most people wouldn’t know about yourself.

Something most people don’t know about me is that I can be very obsessive compulsive especially when it comes to being in the bathroom. All product labels have to be facing forward and have to be in a certain position. I wash my hands constantly and I always make sure I never sleep on the same pillow case twice. lol

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

If I could have any superpower, it would be to teleport myself anywhere I wanted, including space.

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Thanks MaruMaru for this wonderful interview and for sharing your work with us!

DIY

Here’s a little do-it-yourself project, a very simple, yet elegant necklace you can make just with one strand (2 yards) of brass cable chain. I purchased my chain from a local bead shop but if you can’t find a similar chain, message me and I can send you some if you pay for the shipping charges. Simply take the chain and wrap it twice around your neck and let the ends dangle, ‘ta-da!’ Here’s a pic:

star*fish?

Here is a new necklace available in my shop, La Jolie Femme. Basically, I got the idea from spreading out all the beads I had and matching this tiny pink czech glass star with this fish bone charm, and linking them together in a knot to make ‘star-fish’. Get it? No, there is no deeper meaning behind this piece, sorry. Heh heh. The thing I like about this one is you can tie the knot yourself, so if you want it tied evenly in the middle you can do that, but if you want an assymetrical design you can tie it off to the side as well! Well, here are pictures. Click any of them to visit my shop.

star fish necklace - $10.90

star fish necklace - $10.90

Just bought…

I’d like to share with you some recent purchases I made off of etsy! First up is an art print by brandnameartist which was originally a woodcut design turned into laser print.  I really love the contrast, the texture and the movement inherent in this piece as well as the ‘raw feeling’ of it. I also purchased a beautiful handcrafted ‘French Princess Pendant’ from EXOTICO. I love the simple elegant, yet luxurious style all of her jewelry has, and I love all the ‘little things’ about this pendant such as the worn vintage look of the bronze beadcap contrasting the clean bright frosted look of the crystal and it even has a tiny gold nugget accent! Somehow even the name ‘french princess’ was calling me, heh heh! Here are pics:

Art print from brandnameartist

French Princess Pendant from EXOTICO