Poll Results : Delicate or Loud

I would like to thank EVERYONE who has voted on my Blog Poll : Delicate on Loud.... The results of the Blog are... *drum roll*

Out of 18 voters, 55% voted Petite, 33% voted Loud and 11% do not wear jewelry. Petite pieces won!

In honor of these results, I have made a OOAK petite necklace to go to one of the LUCKY voters who voted Petite!....And the lucky winner goes to.....*drum roll* ragsnehali !!!

Congratulations!!!

The blog poll has been fun and I will be posting up another blog poll soon! Stay tune!

What's in My Shopping Bag? - 27 Oct 2008

I bought these on Etsy a few weeks ago and they just arrived! These are the awesome quality handmade rubber stamps from Norajane on Etsy!

Norajane's family runs Rubber Stamp Tapestry (www.rubberstamptapestry.com). Each stamp is handmade from start to finish. They specialize rubber stamps mainly in botanical images that can be combined to make one of a kind pieces of artwork. The largest part of their line of stamps are mounted on pegs for ease of use and for a stamping technique they referred to as “component stamping”. Their peg stamps are manufactured with placement lines which is a tool that her mother developed in early 2002 to make component stamping more precise and easy to do.

Here's one of those rubber stamps that I got. It is my favorite! One amazing feature that I love about these stamps are the pegs which are amazingly long as compared to those previous stamps that I bought. The long peg makes it easy to use. The stamp designs are also intricate and made to such great detail that when you use the stamp, these images appear exactly like the stamp.

I have bought many stamps in the past and sometimes when the rubber stamps are not made well, the stamped image appears like a BLOB! This is especially common when designs that have great details. Thus I was amazed and thrilled that these stamps are exactly what I wanted! Beautiful & Well Made! I will definitely be back and recommend them to my friends & family!

Now.. what is in YOUR shopping bag today?

Psalm 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, ^[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

In times of needs and sorrows, the Lord is the only person that can provide us with hope and peace just like the shepherd is to the sheep. I am opening up this blog to prayer requests. Feel free to comment on this blog if you have any prayer requests that I would like me to pray for you.

I am on 2 TREASURY!!!

It's a amazing to be selected on Treasury and it's AWESOME to be selected on TWO! :D It sure made my day...

The first treasury is by PeggyCrafts and the theme is Rudolph and Santa! She selected my Rudolph earrings! Perfect gift for Christmas I must say.. love that Red nose.. Thanks Peggy!

The second one is by Raisinlike. She is frequent seller on the promotion forums! The theme of her treasury is Hi Ho Silver. Great selection! I had fun clicking on those picks. She has selected my Owl necklace! It's my last piece too.

I Won! I Won! I Won!

I have not won anything in my whole life and I was thrilled that I won a review with the Sue's blog! Here's a review about my shop!
http://izzy-it.blogspot.com/2008/10/interview-with-piggys-little-shop.html

I am so thankful to be selected! Come visit the above blog and learn more about me :D

Thursday Finds

Had fun browsing the Etsy shops today.. and look what I found!!
Found 2 awesome pieces to be added to my "Wish List" for Christmas.

The first piece is this beautiful purple jasper bracelet, "Purple People Eater Bracelet" by jadescott. What a cute name. Reminds me of that song by Sheb Wooley! I love jadescott's jewelry and her photos. The consistent lime green background is her trademark and allows people to recognise her pieces easily.

The second piece is these flower stack rings by foundling! I am into stack rings these days and I have been playing with the idea of making some.. Anyways, these stack rings are so pretty & vintage looking with those beautiful enamel flowers! Foundling's photos have very interesting backgrounds as well. She uses books with words which again makes her photos consistent and easily recognizable.

2 Great pieces by 2 wonderful artists!

Poll - Delicate or Loud

I am doing a little poll on the size of the jewelry pieces to see if most people prefer delicate, petite pieces or loud colorful ones.

The reason for this poll is because I recently went pass a jewelry shop near my local mall and they specialised in jewelry imported from Japan. Almost all of their pieces are rather tiny, delicate and small. This applies to their earrings, rings and necklaces. Some pieces were so tiny that the details are quite hard to tell unless brought very near. These pieces as they are from Japan were not cheap. So it got me thinking, do people generally love pieces that are tiny and small which may be delicate, detail and intricate or loud colorful pieces that stands out and are conversation starters.

What do you think?? Come & cast your vote! The poll can be found on the right hand side of my blog :)

Wind Beneath my Wings

I love charms.. and hopefully that shows in my works. A few months back, I was at my usual bead shop, I saw these beautiful angel wing charms. They were so beautiful and I bought all of them off the rack! (okay.. there were not many of them left :P). When I got home, I made a pair of earrings for myself! How selfish is that.. lol! :D (okay there are more in my shop) But ain't they pretty.. I love them so much that I used them in necklaces and other versions of earrings. That's not the end of the story...

Last Friday, had dinner with my college mates. We were meeting up to discuss my coming wedding. After dinner, we were window shopping at the nearby mall on our way back to the car.. We walked pass the new Thomas Sabo shop and I saw these!!! I was like.. Wait a minute.. I have those earrings too!! Of cos the Thomas Sabo version are more intricate (with all the details of the feathers) and they cost much more! :P

Well.. I was happy with my version.. although, Thomas Sabo's version on the display case was enough to make me drool.. Sigh.. another present that I hope my friends will buy me.. I need to make a wedding gifts list.. although none of them has to do with my hubby nor our wedding.. lol :D

Btw, I totally love the Thomas Sabo shop cos they are full of CHARMS! Need to save up for some..

Music Makes Me Happy

I spend the whole of yesterday night just searching for songs to include in my playlist.. If you stay on my blog long enough, you may get to hear a series of different type of music... While some people may be a strict specialist (only rock music, only pop music etc).. I love almost EVERYTHING (except Trance.. that's something I simply don't understand). I guess one thing in common about the type of music I love.. It has lyrics and I can easily sing along with the song!

Some of my all time favorites

• Laisse Tomber Les Filles (France Gall) 1964
  
• White Rabbit (Jefferson Airplane) in 1967
• Happy Together (The Turtles) in 1967
  
• Pinball Wizard (The Who) in 1969
• Wish You were here (Pink Floyd) 1975
• Rebel Yell (Billy Idol) 1984
  
• The World Falls Down (David Bowie) 1986
• Love and Affection (Nelson) 1990
• Lithium (Nirvana) 1992
  
• Queer (Garbage) 1993
• High (Lighthouse Family) 1997
• Mambo Craze (De Phazz) 1999
  
• Two People Fell in Love (Brad Paisley) in 2001
• Beautiful Day cover by Kurt Nilsen during his World Idol contest

You can my trend of music over the years.. haha.. and maybe guess how old I am.. lol :D Rock baby!!

Coochy Coodles

You may wonder... what's a Coochy Coodles?? I found these cute babies (literally) tugged away in one of my sister's stash when I was doing some packing at my folks place. They were toys that my sister used to play when she was little.. When I saw them, I was so thrilled as they were so cute and I think they will be PERFECT as a collector's item or be made into key chains which is perfect for a present for a new mum! Also, these Coochy Coodles each have a card (like a birth certificate) describing about themselves.

Here's some background on these "babies" Coochy Coodles
Coochy Coodles are sweet little Oodles that are tickled pink from oodleloop to oodletoe. They don't have clothes, but they sure have fun! Coochy Coodles love to play and laugh, but if you ask them, friendship is the most wonderfoodle thing in the world!

Come tell me what you think?

Wedding Craze

In the midst of all my wedding preparation.. I get excited whenever I see anything that is wedding related.. Just list this one.. I love love these 2 Gold and Ivory Satin Lovebirds from cottonbirddesigns. They are simply adorable.. I love the idea of 2 lovebirds getting together saying their vows of holy matrimony.. okay.. I was daydreaming.. Nevertheless, these birds are perfect for cake toppers, ring holders, car decorations or just simply a wedding gift for a couple! I love the vintage lace on the bride bird's head.. Love love laces! I can't wait for my wedding in December!

Wonder if who of my friends can I hint to get me these? *hint hint*

Thank you ferventbutterfly !!

I have just been informed that my Black Angel Necklace was included in ferventbutterfly's "Flight of Angels" treasury on Treasury West!! I was so honored and thrilled! The treasury is beautiful with gorgeous host of angels! My favorite was eproductsales' ANGELIC White Feather Julietta Angel Wings. The white feathers are so elegant that they will be perfect for a fairytale costume party!

Thanks ferventbutterfly again!

Botero Inspired : Fat Tree Necklace

The start of the week always makes a Grumpy me. So I am always look around for things that would cheer me up. Like this Fat Tree necklace that I made!

This necklace is inspired by Botero. Have you heard of him? He is one of my favorite artists and I always describe him as the painter who loves to paint fat people! :D Here's one of his works! Besides painting, he sculpts too. So you can see how ecstatic I went when I stumble upon the brass fat tree charm!! It's so cute in its own way! Just like me.. lol!

I first knew about Botero via an exhibition in Singapore. One look at his pictures and I fell in love with his colorful paintings and fat men & ladies... Even the fruits in his pictures are fat too!

Job Stability

Another week of market instability... I am beginning to find it hard to concentrate at work.. Everyday, my colleagues & I will be reading the news, monitoring the market and looking at the share prices..

Most of my projects are being canned, thus there is really less to do... I am happy that my mumbai trip was off.. and that I am not as overloaded as before... But it got me thinking about my job and whether it would be stable..

While I am worried about my job, I am finding hard to enjoy work with the new boss.. Something that I have been struggling for a while. At times like this, I feel that I just have to bite the bullet and hang in there. Even though, I find it hard to work with him.

Another day, another worry... I hope this crisis will come to an end soon...

I Snagged a TREASURY!!!

I have not played TREASURY for the longest time and I was so thrilled to find out that I snagged a Treasury as I was waiting patiently for the treasury numbers to drop below 333!!

While waiting, I was thinking at the back of my mind what theme I should do this time.. I have done quite a number of color theme in the past and those were fun as I love to select picks of a certain theme color.. But this time for a change.. I decided to pick out all the unique charms that I love.. My Treasury Title : Soo.... CHARMing...

Here's my picks...
Row 1
1. Silver Antique Elk Antlers by kiskastyle - The Antlers charm is so adorable that it's definitely a statement piece.
2. Silver Hedgehog Necklace by chainchainchained - I love those spikes on that tiny hedgehog charm!
3. Acorn Necklace by DistinQue2 - The acorn and leaf combo is a perfect piece for fall!
Row 2
1. Petal Earrings in Silver by esdesigns - I love those lines of the petal, they give the charm natural look.
2. Origami Cubes Earrings by piggy - Humbly, these are my pair of earrings. I love love the origami cube charms as I find them so amazing.. how do they make these?! I love the weaving and folds as they reminded me of Bottega Veneta style which is very understated but chic.
3. Gingko Leaf pendant by ginkgo - I love those gingko leaves shapes as they are very distinct and definitely makes a lovely pendant / charm.
Row 3
1. Sterling Skull Bracelet by cravejewelrydesign - One can never get bored of skulls! Love the goth, punk & rock look!
2. Voodoo Love by luxedeluxe - Luxedeluxe has been one of my favorite artiste on Etsy and her works are just inspiration to me! I love this voodoo doll .. again with that goth, punk & rock look! I am really a closet wildchild.. haha!
3. Hammy the Ham-Bone Plurk Buddy by paysonjewelry - I love this charm!! It's really cute & unique.. what can you say, I love pigs and I am biased!
Last Row
1. Paperdoll Chain Necklace by finchmetal - Isn't this charm cute!! Brings back memories of my art and craft days in school where you were taught how to cute these and make loads of them in a chain!
2. Silver Pinecone Necklace by crumpetcake - Personally I would have preferred a slightly open pinecone but this closed up one is OOAK and I have not seen a second one yet on Etsy! Love the simplicity.
3. Oleandar Charm Necklace by gurlygirl - I love cherry blossoms and so you can see why I love this Oleandar charm too! Really simple and sweet! If I were a guy, I would love to buy this for my gf!

Lazy Saturday.....

It's been quite a tiring and long week due to the market activities, I decided to take it SLOW this weekend. My hubby is off to his game today and I had the whole day to myself.. I had it all planned.
1. Mail my items at the Post Office
2. Go to the shop to exchange my boxes (they gave me the wrong sizes)
3. Check out the charm & bead shops

At the charm & bead shops, I shopped like crazy! Haha.. had to control myself a little just to make sure that I do not overspent. I love charms.. I hope that's reflected in my works.

After the long day running around, I manage to get home, made some new jewelry (can't wait to take photos & list them) and take a nap.

Although, I managed to list one... I love this charm and the concept of making it into a necklace! What do you think of it?

Cherry Blossom Craze

I love cherry blossoms... Not sure whether anyone else feels the same about them.. but I think they are one of the most beautiful flowers in the world.. It's a pity I have not seen them in person.. I don't get to see them in Singapore... I just have not gotten myself together to fly to Japan in April.

Nevertheless, I have create a few pieces inspired by the beautiful cherry blossoms.

Going Retail............

A few weeks ago, I was approached by this lady from Retail Adventure and was looking at renting shop space. Locally, there have similar concept shops that sprung for the past year.

The concept is very simple. A normal retail shop sections the "wall" or showcase shelves space into many boxes / spaces. Then the shop owner will look to rent out these spaces aka "boxes" to different vendors. So in the end, the rent of the whole shop is being shared by over 50 vendors who owned a section of the shop space. One can lease the "boxes" by months and is responsible for the decoration and display of their items. Sales assistants will be provided / hired by the shop owner. Commission may be given to the sales assistants as incentives to boost the sales.

Ok.. back to this lady from the Retail Adventure. They have a shop at a local mall and they are looking to rent out a 2ft by 1.5ft space for $350. I am still considering whether it is a good option to extend my network locally by retail instead of just having my items on sale online.

I have to drop by the local mall to have a look and sense of the crowd & target audience... *Wish Me Luck!*

Wedding Preparation

I am finally having my customary wedding on the 7 Dec. The wonderful thing about it is that my folks had finally agreed to just going through with a simple tea ceremony and lunch reception without having the trouble to prepare for a huge wedding dinner. This agreement saved us alot of hassle given that my hubby & I got married legally 2 years ago and have been staying with each other for about a year.

Anyway, I have made a preparation list for my wedding...

1. Wedding Gown (custom made by D'sire http://www.dsire.com.sg/home.htm) - yet to see the final sketch though
2. Wedding Shoes (TBC) - will shop around for them after my gown is ready.
3. Groom's Tux (TBC) - may not be required if he wears the one from our ROM 2 years ago.
   
4. Wedding Bouquet & Corsages (made by my mum) - yet to decide on the flowers
5. Wedding Cake (booked by my cousin) - It's going to be white with pink flowers
6. Catering for Lunch Reception (TBC) - need to find a caterer that does a marquee.
   
7. Catering for my In-laws place (TBC) - need to find a caterer that does small quantity.

Wow.. that's quite alot of TBC and it's mid October already!! Looking at the bright side of things, my Mumbai trip got cancelled *yippie!* so I got time to work on the above in the next few weeks. Sigh... alots to do and so little time...

Tiny Studs

I just listed these studs on my Etsy shop... Aren't they gorgeous... They were made from an assorted mix of vintage enamel flowers that I bought from a fellow Etsian. They come in the most beautiful and bright colors that you can take your pick in mixing and matching them. I love studs.. cos they are simple and cute.. and most of all, they do not get tangle in your long hair.. lol!

The Beginning....

I have been thinking of blogging for a while now.. but never got round to do so diligently.. Writing has never been for forte (I do prefer to read, craft, eat, sleep) but I guess hopefully that would improve over time.. lol!