Buzzing with Views

My little Golden Bee bracelet has been buzzing with views lately! I was so thrilled when I got a mail from "Etsy Popular Listing Emails" about it.  I didn't even know Etsy tracks such things!  It was a pleasant surprise indeed.

The email went on to say :

"A spike in traffic might mean that your item is being featured on Etsy or somewhere else online. Take a peek at where that traffic is coming from:...."

After much investigation (Ms Piggy puts on her detective cap), I found out that my item was featured on a blog called "Captain on Deck - Phasers on Stunning". Taking a wild guess, this blogger must be a Trekkie (fan of Star Trek).  So am I!  My little bee bracelet were among the gorgeous collection of bee jewelry from Etsy crafters.  The article had a great number of views and was reposted a number of times.  Check out the featured items here.

What is Your Color of Love?

Did you know that love comes in many colors? Love is not one-shade and it is not always Red.  Love comes from the heart and has a different meaning to different people.

Take a quick quiz to find out your color of love.

Explore the expression of love in a variety of colors at Piggy's and tell me what is your color of love.

 

Red - Color of Passion

Orange - Color of Warmth

Yellow - Color of Happiness

 

Green - Color of Spring

 

Blue - Color of Trust

 

Pink - Color of Romance  

Bats in January

I received my "Bat heels" in the mail today! I was totally thrilled.  They are my first 'Charlotte Olympia' shoes.  I don't usually buy fancy / branded shoes as I wear out my heels easily.  But when I saw these shoes on sale ~70% discount from the original price @ net-a-porter, I knew I had to have them! ... my precious...

 

[About my shoes] They came in a beautiful box with Charlotte Olympia's signature gold spider web and black spider icon.  Underneath the shoes, you will also find a gold spider web charm.  The shoes were wrapped in spider web decorated tissue paper and a matching shoe bag was included.  There was even a Polaroid photo of the shoes which can be placed outside your shoe box!  Perfect for shoe divas who have TOO MANY shoes boxes to know which shoes are in them!

To complete my day, I am loving these beautiful earrings that I got from one of my best friends for Christmas.  (Thanks J!)  I can't wait to wear them when I go back to work tomorrow. 

New Shoes . New Jewelry

I hope the start of January has been great for you too.

♥ Ms Piggy

Top Favorites of 2013

One final thing before I bid farewell to 2013, is to compile Piggy's Top Favorites.  These are the top items in my Etsy shop that were hearted by fans and customers.  They also happened to be my most popular items (except for the first 2 as they were vintage pieces - only pieces). Each of them are special to me in different ways.

Have a browse and see if they are your favorites too.

♥ Ms Piggy

1. Will You Marry Me II Necklace US$140.00 - This little beauty during my vintage trip to UK.  Love the little rhinestone ring and the locket that opens up like a proposal ring to your wife / partner to be.
2. Will You Marry Me Necklace SOLD - Like the first piece, this beauty was found during my vintage trip to UK and was sold earlier in May.
3. Silver Stingray Bracelet US$12.00 - This bracelet was first made in brass and later silver plated.  I ♥ the stingray's tail that curls up into a loop which allowed me to design this bracelet.  Here's the brass version.
4. Gold Bumble Bee Bracelet US$15.00 - I initially made this charm into a necklace.  However, with the success of the stingray bracelet, I redesign this into a bracelet.  I think it looks better, don't you? :)
5. Raindrop Keep Falling Necklace US$22.00 - Definitely my favorite necklace of all time.  I ♥ the shot of the piece.  I also ♥ changing up the necklace with different color raindrops.
6. Cherry Blossom IV Stud Earrings US$21.00 - I made quite a number of cherry blossoms stud earrings.  This was the fourth! I am fascinated about cherry blossoms.  They remind me of Spring, tea and Japan.
7. My Secret Galaxy Necklace US20.00 - This is one of my earlier designs.  I re-shot the photo of the necklace and the results were much better.  I enjoy shaking the ball locket and listen to the crystals rattle.
8. Lemon Tree Necklace US$14.00 - This necklace was inspired by a vintage fruit basket design that I read in vintage jewelry book.  The yellow color of the lemon really pops as it matches with the green leaf glass bead.  Here's the strawberry version.

Celebrating Chinese New Year with the Minions

Lunar / Chinese New Year (CNY) falls on 31 January this year.  I love celebrating Chinese New Year.  My fondest memories of CNY were visiting my relatives and collecting red packets.  There were awesome goodies that I get to eat. My favorite is "Bak kwa" (BBQ pork)!

After getting married, CNY was a time to rest, catch up with friends and giving red packets instead!

2014 is a special year for Mr B and I as we welcome Baby A into our lives.  We get to collect red packets again!

While preparing the red packets for CNY, I stumbled upon these adorable Minions ones!  Can't wait to use them.

What do you think?

♥ Ms Piggy

New Year . New Calendars

One of my must-dos as I approach the New Year is to find a new calendar for my desk.  I don't use them so much at home but I do find them superbly helpful at work.  Even though all my appointments are captured in my Outlook, I still like to jot down key dates or milestones on my desk calendar so that I can view them at a glance.  I also take my calendar to meetings when schedules and dates are being discussed.

Things that I look for in a desk calendar.

1. Sufficient Space to jot down my dates
2. Public Holidays for Asia countries and also UK (if possible) to know the dates to avoid when planning events
3. Good size that sits nicely on my desk without taking too much space
4. Eye candy graphics that inspires or intrigues me when I am bored!

Here are some of my favorites.

1. Nautical Wall Calendar US$20.00 - Look at that ample space in the calendar! Even though this is a wall calendar, the Nautical design is too good to be missed.  I am a fan of anything Nautical. Thus if you are like me or you have a friend who is also a fan.  This is the perfect gift for the New Year.
2. Colorful Prints and Patterns Desk Calendar US$20.00 - What a burst of colors and prints by Kristina Kraemer! Perfect inspiration catalyst.
3. Minima Printable PDF Calendar US$10.00 - Customise this calendar with the birthdays of your loved ones and you won't miss a date! Great price too!
4. Chalkboard Wall Grid Calendar US$29.95 - I ♥ Typography!
5. Romantics Desk Calendar US$15.00 - Perfect gift for true romantics.  With an additional $5, you can even customise it with birthdays and anniversaries!
6. Watercolor Art Calendar US$21.95 - Love the colorful hand-drawn watercolor lettering.
7. Minimalist Monthly Calendar US2.76 - If you are on a budget, do not fret! This minimalist yet stylish calendar would be perfect for your desk.
8. Somee Desk Calendar US$14.99 - This is not the usual type of calendars that I would normally like but I can't help but drawn to the daily funny and irrelevant humor of this calendar.  Perfect gift for your workmates. 

Have you pick out your 2014 calendar yet?

♥ Ms Piggy

2013 Coverage

There are many things that I am grateful for in 2013.  One of such many things is the opportunity to reach out to so many customers across the global through Piggy's Little Shop.  As I remapped every sale made in 2013 and compare them against my 2012's performance, there are just so many things to be grateful for.

My creations manage to find their way to new countries like Africa, Turkey and Finland as well as new states in US like Louisiana,  New Mexico, South Dakota, Washington DC and Maryland.

I can't wait to start mapping in 2014 and see my creations take me.  Check out where my creations have been below!  Is your country / state one of them?