the good news and the bad news

I'll start with the bad news.

I called Olympus today. Their tech support has been very helpful (I've also emailed them a couple of times), and apparently, my brand new camera that I've never even used needs repairs and it will cost up to half as much as I paid for the camera to repair it. So I think this is a sunk cost. I have to buy a new camera - my shop can't exist without one.

The good news is that TWO Etsy purchases arrived today. (Maybe if I laid off the Etsy purchases, I could actually afford a new camera!) But these two were well worth it. They're BOTH more beautiful in person than in their photos, but unfortunately, I have no camera with which to take their pictures. But here are the pictures from their Etsy listings.

The first is this pair of earrings by TotusMel. These earrings are my perfect shape, size, and color! And they're so fun/funky and delicate looking at the same time!
The second is this amazing top by iheartfink. I can just tell, it's one of those articles of clothing I will wear every day and only take off (a) to wash, or (b) so that I don't look weird for wearing the same thing every single day - which I have been known to do (just ask my mom!)
Oh, and they look amazing together too!

A Bowl of Jewelry

Whenever I get all wrapped up in the world of crafts (i.e. when I'm not insanely busy with law school), I tend to visit Etsy a lot more. I'm listing new items and looking for love (i.e. checking to see which pieces are getting "views" and "hearts.") And then I always end up heating (favoriting) and buying other things that are up there. Here is one of my latest finds:
I bought this awesome piece from Red Hot Pottery about a month ago and it really just screams Adina. It's one of my favorite colors (you see, green is my favorite color, and this is one of my favorite greens), the flowers are so pretty and fun, and it holds my jewelry! It makes me so happy when I look at it in the morning when I'm putting on or taking off my jewelry!

And the Voting Begins!

To vote for your favorite Entry for the July EBW challenge, Sizzling Sunshine and Soothing Water, click on the link on the right hand side of the EBW blog between July 9 and July 15.

Happy voting!

More Beady Things

These two pieces had been on the back burner forever, but I finally finished and photographed them and listed them in my Etsy shop. It's so nice to have some new, sparkly, shiny things when I look at it :-)

Sizzling Sunshine and Soothing Water

My Etsy Beadweavers July Challenge piece is done!

Most of my beadweaving incorporates the peyote stitch to some extent. But this was my first crack at designing a peyote pattern and I must say, I'm pretty proud of it. It was inspired by a picture that Sam took from a helicopter when we visited Australia in 2009.

The only thing disappointing is that I just can't get this new camera to work. First I had to buy a new battery, and now I can't get the software to upload to my computer. So I feel like the colors in these pics aren't quite as pretty as they are in real life.

Interim Report!

In the past, I've gotten super excited about beading and then school has gotten in the way and my beading ambitions have fizzled out. Well, I can safely say that my July EBWC piece is still underway! I've also said in the past that I love these challenge pieces because they force me to stretch myself and use techniques I haven't used before, whilst staying true to myself and my own style. This remains true. This piece is taking a little longer than I thought it would, but I'm about two-thirds to three-quarters of the way through with it. It's really fun to work on, but I still can't wait to photograph it and show you pictures!

Shop Announcement

From June through August, I will once again be routinely accepting custom orders in my Etsy shop! Woohoo!

Some Beady Things

Now that the semester is over, I have some time to work on my Etsy shop. (I seem to recall having said something to that effect last year, but this year I'm really going to do it!)

When the semester ends, I get a little crazy experimenting. I usually want to knit and bead as much as possible before my free time tapers off again. This summer, I'm determined to experiment with color and shape. I've always experimented with different shapes of peyote stitch, and I have some new shapes in my mind that I'm working on. I've been making a bracelet with tapered ends. It's turned out to be thicker than any bracelet I've ever made, so it should be a great addition to my shop.

I'm also entering the July EBW Challenge: Sizzling Sunshine and Soothing Water. I like the way my entry is turning out, but it's going to take a while - I had almost forgotten just how long these pieces take to make! Since I'm starting my internship next week and I still have a couple of things to keep up with for school, I'm pretty sure I'll need the whole month.

Oh and also, I got a new camera!!! I'm super excited about it! I got it when I was in Canada, and after the salesperson had me set on the model that was perfect for me (good for photographing jewelry AND good for adventurous travel), she realized that the only one left was the display model! I was going to get that one, but it was missing parts! So my dad and I ran through the mall and down the street to get to the camera place's sister store before it closed. The only one that place had, too, was the model, but it appeared to have all the parts, so we bought it. WELL, as it turns out, the battery wasn't just dead, as they told us it was in the store - it was broken! (In hindsight, I really should have ordered a new one online, but hey, I got $20 off!) But then I ordered a new battery online and this one seems to be working!

I've definitely noticed that my pieces that sell are the ones with the better photographs. This makes sense because good photographs (a) show the pieces' true beauty, and (b) look more professional. So I can't wait to use my new camera! :-)

Treasury

It's been quite some time since I've written about an Etsy treasury. But I'm just in love with this treasury curated by trinitydj, and it really is an honor for me to have one of my pieces featured amongst such beautiful things.

Winter Break

I always feel so much more creative during winter break. Hot chocolate, pajamas, and beading or knitting make the perfect combination for me.

School breaks are always when I think more about my Etsy shop -- probably because that's when I actually have the time to think about it. It's about time I added more inventory! I've had so many ideas brewing for so long, I would love to just sit down and make the things!

This break, though, I have to finish the draft my note. A note is like an article for a law journal. Mine in about women's rights to refuse cesarean sections. It's a fascinating subject, I just wish I had more time to write my note AND to bead. (And to knit all of the patterns that have been accumulating on my Ravelry queue.) Hopefully I will finish my note draft early and then I will have time to bead and knit to my heart's content!

Feeling Crafty

A requirement of my Etsy Team, Etsy Beadweavers, is to enter one monthly challenge a year. Since I started it's been difficult for me to enter these challenges, as I have been up to my eyeballs in work and other school activities. However, when I do enter the challenges, I always feel re-energized about beading and more creative. The challenges make me think about my craft in new and exciting ways, while still staying true to my own style.

This month's EBW Challenge was "Autumn Leaves." I chose to make a choker in autumn colors, which I call Falling Leaves. I actually came up with the color pattern as I went along, which was new for me, and as close to freeform as I've ever come.
To see all of this month's entries and vote for your favorite, please visit the EBW blog from today until October 15.

CELEBRATION SALE

My finals are over and it feels so good to be free of them that I decided to celebrate by having a sale! 15% off of everything in my etsy shop until December 22! Wahoo!

If you pay with PayPal, either subtract 15% from you purchase, or else I will refund you 15%. If paying by check or money order, just subtract 15% from your purchase price.

Amazing

Believe it or not, Sam and I are still setting up the apartment we moved into over a year ago. Don't get me wrong, it's been home and livable for a long time, but we're still making it even more like home. After all, it's the first place either of us has had where we plan on staying for more than a couple of years. And it's the first place where we've lived together as a couple.

I've finally had an excuse to buy artwork from some of my favorite Etsy artists. This painting is from Sagittarius Gallery. I've been admiring Aja's work for ages and I finally have a piece of my own! (Well, Sam and I do.) It's especially exciting that it's from her "Faces of the City" series. It looks just like (and probably is) my own adopted city, New York City.

Art Fire?

Today was one of those days when my homework just wouldn't seem to get done. I was a little confused about one of the cases I read and needed time for my brain to process what was going on. It was especially annoying because I refused to let myself go knit with my friends until my homework was done (read: never) so that was another creative outlet I had to miss because I was procrastinating.

But during my very long break, I decided to set up an Art Fire shop! It just seems like another market I'd like to try for my beadwork. I set up the shop (you can probably guess the name I used) but I haven't added anything to it yet - mainly because I need more merchandise. I'm almost finished with a new bracelet, and I have another bracelet that's been waiting to be photographed forever, so those two might go to Art Fire instead of Etsy.

Off to bed! I still have to wake up early to finish my freakin' brief!

Usually, my brain turns off at 10. During the week before exams, it's a little more courteous and waits until 11 to shut down. And seeing as it's after 11, I don't have to feel guilty about blogging!

During the three years between college and law school, I kind of felt like I was on one long summer break. Yes, I was working, but I had worked full time every summer when I was in college, so that was nothing new. And now, when other students are getting ready to start school, I'm holed up in my apartment studying for finals! The weird thing is that it doesn't feel weird. Maybe that happened when I started being a grown up. The seasons just melted into one another.

Anyway, during my study breaks, I've been trying to participate a little more with the Etsy Beadweavers, and I've been thinking about my little business. My silver illusion pieces are by far my best selling items. I think that might be where my niche is, and I think that's the direction in which I am moving. (I still have a couple of pieces I've had finished forever but for camera or computer or lighting reasons, I still haven't gotten them up on my site.) Anyway, that's just some food for thought. I'm kind of thinking out loud.

It's been a while (again)

I have so many blog posts in my head but I haven't blogged in so long! January was crazy - I had four Australian friends staying with me at different times (sometimes overlapping), and I finished 8 out of 9 law school applications. I also spent two days in DC to see Sam's dad receive the French Legion of Honor.

I've been knitting like crazy. Once I finished Sam's scarf (yes, I can finally announce that it's a scarf), I went on to finish my dad's scarf that had been in the works, like, forever. I finally knit myself a hat, and I'm a little over halfway done with my first cardigan. Unfortunately, I put my camera somewhere and am unable to locate it. Luckily, facebook exists. Here is a picture my friend Dave took of me knitting my lovely Thorpe hat (pattern downloaded from Ravelry).

Notice it was knit from the top down. Something about that was incredibly exciting and fun.

This next picture was taken at a bar in Park Slope (Brooklyn) after a hard day of football. It normally sits a little lower on my head, but it was kind of pulled up.

I've kind of been neglecting my beading, and I've felt bad about that, but I'm slowly getting back into promoting my Etsy store and supporting my Street Team. I've still been receiving hearts, and that's very encouraging.

I also have another little project up my sleeve that I hope comes into fruition. Here's a hint: what's exactly eleven days from now?

hello hello!

It's been a while, and I apologize for that. A lot has been going on over here, and it's gotten in the way of my crafting (and, by extension, my blogging).

Sam and I moved to a new (for us at least) place in Astoria. I looooove this place. We're still getting settled in (e.g. we don't have a couch yet) but we're now at the point where I am able to work on my crafts. My Etsy store is still up and running, although I haven't been attending to it as much as I should, especially with the holidays coming up. Hopefully that will change soon!

I've also been knitting. I'm working on the same things I hoped to finish last December (this year, in retrospect, was not the year of the UFO). Hopefully I'll be able to finish them this December! Even so, I couldn't help but to order some sock yarn on KnitPicks for who knows when.

As for Hannah, she was found alive several months ago (and I should have posted this earlier, I know). You can read about it here.

This Weekend

So Sam and I didn't quite make the fireworks. We got cheese steaks and headed over to the pier just as the crackling of fireworks started. About five minutes before the end. We did, however, make the last five minutes. It was still fun, though. Even as we were walking there, masses of people streamed in front of us and behind us. Then we headed to a party in Brooklyn with some of Sam's really nice Oberlin friends. It was really fun!

We came back "early" because we're going to Sam's parents' house in the Hamptons tomorrow. So unless I go to the library, I will be without internet access for the next two days! *gasp*

I'm super excited because Sarah (thebeadedlily) is featuring an interview of me in her blog! Sarah is another EBW member (and moderator!) with an Etsy jewelry shop of her own, featuring many unique beadwoven pieces. Here is just one of the beautiful things in her shop:


Sarah's shop is an eclectic mix, so I really recommend checking it out! :-)

Some Happy Things

Last night, I went to the 40th anniversary party of Sam's parents, Cheryl and Richard. I really had a lot of fun meeting their family and friends, and of course, hanging out with Sam and his brothers, both of whom live in Chicago and had flown to New York for the occasion. They finally presented them with the photo album that that they (mostly Sam) had been working on for over a month! It included anecdotes from their loved ones, as well as photos. It was a great success!

After the party, Sam, his brothers, and I went back to Cheryl and Richard's for a night cap. We looked through the album. At this point, they opened a few presents. That's when I presented them with this box:
You see, Sam's parents collect little boxes. I've had this pattern by Julia S. Pretl in my beading repertoire ever since it appeared in Bead and Button Magazine about 6 years ago. They take quite a while to make, but I love making them and giving to people who love them. Seeing Richard's and Cheryl's happy reactions to this was sooooooooooo cool! :-)

Another happy thing is that I am currently being featured on NightMaiden's blog, Going Handmade! I am so grateful to NightMaiden for featuring me! I know that when I answer interview questions (just like when I used to write essays, and before that, reports) I tend to write a lot! So I really commend NightMaiden for taking my looooooong answers and putting together such a wonderful article! I also commend her for taking so much time to promote Etsy artist. Her blog is very new, but she has featured a different Etsy artist every single day since its birth! If you check out her blog, be sure to check out some of the other Etsy artists she features! Her post on Maoiliosa prompted me to impulsively buy these gorgeous Japanese washi earrings.

Ever since they arrived at my apartment a few days ago, I haven't taken them off! (OK, maybe for sleeping and showering, but that's IT!) :-)

It's late...

...and I have quite a few things I want to write about, but I will have to save most of them for later in the week. For now, though, I wanted to post another treasury here. It's another patriotic treasury, and this time, my red necklace is in it! (It's currently in two treasuries!!)

This treasury, red white and blue, which will be open for your viewing pleasure until 11:40 a.m. on Friday, was created by Jessica of bruizerbeans. There is no denying that Jessica is an amazing artist, but I am in complete awe of her beaded purses. Here are just a few of them:

Aren't they just stunning?!!

And with these beautiful treasures, I wish you a good night! :-)