Two for Tuesday

I haven't mentioned any of my Etsy favorites lately and mostly did so before I was buying things for myself. So, today I'd like to spotlight two items - one I own and one I simply admire.
Hostess cupcakes used to be my favorite, but I have to say their taste has changed over the years and when I try one now, it's just not the same. Thank goodness for my Hostess cupcake jewelry box to remind me of simpler times. I absolutely love this little (about lifesize) plastic cupcake box. I use it for small earrings and it's perfect!


I think I saw these earrings somewhere major on Etsy, but can't remember where. I adore them. Love the shell, love the color combination - I want these for Spring!

The Power of the Pyramid Compels You!

I've had this pendant since I was little, but only rediscovered it recently and decided to put it on a chain and start wearing it. It came from a store my grandmother and uncle used to run back in the 70s that was all pyramids all the time! This pendant is supposed to carry "the power of the pyramid" and you will receive positive energy wearing it. I just love the pendant either way. I took these photos of it for fun with a possibility of listing it on Etsy at a ridiculous price so that I'd be sure no one would actually buy it. I remember hearing/reading in some Etsy tips that you should have at least one significantly higher priced item in your shop, but for myself that would still only mean under $100. Have any of you tried this technique and seen a result? It's probably not the best idea for my pendant since I'd really want to price it at like $1000, but I wanted to bring up the topic. I'm working on a couple of necklaces now that will eventually be priced a bit higher than the rest of my shop. Anyway, as usual, I'd love to hear what you think!

P.S.

I just visited Print Society for the first time last week and am intrigued. They allow you to upload prints you already have for sale on other sites. You can create a profile, follow other artists, favor prints, etc. I'm still figuring out how it works - I just uploaded my second print today, but it seems like an interesting idea and I'm curious to see if it helps my sales. Let me know what you all think!

I love donuts

It's been quite a while, but I have new jewelry to show you! I found a lot of great mother of pearl recently and am having fun trying different things with it. The long pair in the middle are a take on my 'Kate' earrings - I had been asked to do a purple version for a customer and decided to use amethyst. I hope you like them!

Drinking wine out of a can

I just went shopping for the first time on Shop.com! Specifically at the Wine of the month club:
They have wine and beer and the company that provides the 'of the months' also offers ice cream, SALSA!, chocolate, BBQ sauce, teddy bears?, coffee, among several others. Anyway, I LOVE of the month clubs, so this is certainly something I've searched for in the past.
I like how on shop.com there are a bunch of different vendors to choose from. All different price points, different items, and it's really great to see everything lined up like that. I've done enough googling of 'of the month clubs' to appreciate this. Otherwise I'd have to say that shop.com is a pretty plain and generic shopping site. I can't speak on the quality of their products, but I usually like to be able to know more specifics about the product before I sign up.
I will still definitely keep shop.com in mind in the future because sometimes sites like these can really speed up your whole web search shop time! Sort of like overstock.com or buy.com I think. Shop.com is not as extensive as stores like those, but you might find something here that you wouldn't find anywhere else and for that I am keeping them!

Ma Ma Se Ma Ma Sa Deja Vu

This past weekend Spike Lee threw a block party in honor of what would have been Michael Jackson's 51st Birthday. How could I NOT be there? I had a serious episode of deja vu during the celebration. Picture 1 - Prospect Park August 29th. Picture 2 - Pyramid Club August 6th. Maybe Spike showed up to Grind My Gears last month? If you missed the Birthday/Blackout GMG show here are some highlights!


I also wanted to share a brilliant treasury I was in this weekend. Thank you Elsie!!!

I Should Be In Bed

I recently bought on to a BNR on Etsy and it has been awesome. I highly recommend you fellow Etsy sellers come join us! Since my beginning with this lovely group I have made 20 sales, had some wonderful people to ask for opinions and advice on my projects and shop, and have gained a lot of motivation. Search the forums for the Most Meaningful Gifts BNR and come say hello.

I didn't know Christmas in July was a thing

I've been having some of my photos printed onto greeting cards recently, so I was looking through some Christmas pictures that I thought might work. Can you help me decide? Which one would you want to use as a greeting card? Would you want any writing on the outside? Thanks in advance!

I just took part in an ACEO X-change over at Ulixis' Crafts blog! I don't know which one will be mine yet, but I thoroughly enjoyed making mine! Take a look!

I usually have nervous breakdowns when I sew

But may have FINALLY turned a corner. I made a tote bag! Without anyone standing over me helping! Without breaking my sewing machine! Without punching a wall! I'm serious when I say sewing makes me crazy. My projects normally end with a half finished whatever and a lot of frustration. Yet I keep going back. So, I figured I'd do a practice version tote to hopefully ease some of the pressure. And here it is. For the most part it's exactly what I wanted! I read a ton of tutorials and watched some videos, but the two lessons that I used the most were these - Colorful Creates and Super Eggplant. Thank you so much!!! Oh and also Deslynn from the BNR group I participate in. We shared some "learning to sew without our mommies" stories this weekend. More like how we both were trying REALLY hard not to call said mommies for help with our sewing projects. The motivation worked!
The measurements of the bag are 14" long and 12" wide with a 10" drop on the handles. The only real screw up is that the handles aren't quite equidistant from the sides. Other than that I'm just oh so proud of myself.

Art Cards 1

I tried making ACEOs for the first time this past week and loved it! I took an old print and cut it up to make some collage type designs on the card. I need to find something better to glue them with however. Any suggestions? What do all you collage makers like? But, here they are. Let me know what you think! I have lots of different things I want to try with this, so I'm hoping to have more up soon.

Give me that stuff, that funk, that sweet, that funky stuff

The winner is Tiny Bird Arts!!!! She will be receiving these double chocolate cookies as I've tried out the almond turtles twice now and am close, but not to perfection yet. They actually tasted delicious on this last try, but I still can't seem to temper the chocolate correctly. AND I put them on wax paper which apparently was a bad idea because they stuck. So, I've ingested some wax paper. It was worth it. Of course, now that I'm close to getting them right, I'll need to make them again. It's a lot of work! I have great respect for all you candy makers!!! Speaking of, this package will also include a sampling from Lollipop Labs ...another candy I really want to attempt one of these days... Anyway, congratulations to Tiny Bird Arts. She's hosting a great giveaway of her own right now, so check it out!
Also, Nicole Tattersall (check out her art - it's fabulous) is hosting her own giveaway for free money to use in my Etsy shop! Enter now!
Oh and that picture above has nothing to do with anything except that I'm having sea urchin later.

Candy, candy, candy I can't let you go...

It's been a while since I've had a giveaway (or written anything on this blog at all) and I've been inspired by several things to have a one now. First, I've just learned about a wonderful new handmade lollipop company that a friend of mine has started up and I wanted to share with you all how great it is! They're called Lollipop Labs and they do some VERY interesting things with lollipops. I really wasn't sure what to expect when I saw the flavors. I simply didn't know what a lavender rose lollipop would taste like! I like it. A lot. Check out the site and let me know what you think! They are also on Etsy.
My other inspiration for the giveaway is a new vendor I discovered on Etsy through a BNR I joined in on last week. Nicole's Handmade Treats has a lot of delicious options. I tried the almond turtle with dark chocolate and am in love. I've always wanted to try my hand at turtles and figured this would be the best way to do it. I'll make a batch this week, see what happens, and if they're up to par I'll make some for the winner of this giveaway! If I fail at the art of turtle making, I'll bake the winner these which I already know are absolutely fantastic. In this winning package there will be a sampling of some pops from Lollipop Labs. As usual, all of my followers are automatically entered, so sign up to follow if you aren't already. An extra entry will be given to anyone that comments on this post or any other post on my blog. Oh and please let me know what your nut of choice would be for the turtles. I'm going to start with almonds, but pecans would be great too I'm sure, so I'd love to hear people's preferences. This giveaway will end on 5/9/09 at midnight.

Joe Six Pack

I recently came across the best thing ever offered by Fresh Direct. If you don't know it, Fresh Direct is a grocery delivery service in New York that I think it pretty great. Great for all those things you don't want to carry up 6 flights of stairs or 3 avenues across. Great for the fact that their prices are better than the stores! And exceptional for what I just found. They call it Joe Six Pack and it's their choice of six mix and match bottles of beer out of their inventory. It's only $4.99! And they gave me good beer! I can't get a six pack of Old English in this city for $4.99! The only unfortunate part is that there's a limit of four.
One more great thing I found is this Zoya nail polish exchange. First of all their nail polish doesn't contain toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphor. I've been trying hard lately to find health/beauty product with less chemicals in them, so this is right up my alley. Of course, I'm always skeptical on how well they'll work. Sometimes you just need a chemical to do the job correctly. However, in the case of Zoya's nail polish, you really don't! Went on like a dream and I've gone 4 days so far without a chip. The best part is that they're having a nail polish exchange right now through the end of April. You send them at least 6 bottles of old/used nail polish you don't want and they'll send you the equal amount of Zoya polish back. You pick the colors and send in the form along with $3/bottle that you're ordering/exchanging. $3 bottles of nail polish sans the usual slew of chemicals?! I love it!

"You know what really grinds my gears...?"

Some friends (and bandmates) of mine have decided to do a once monthly multimedia event at a club here in the city. There will always be a performance by Pile of Kittens (they're hosting) but the rest of what happens each month will be determined as it goes along. It's called Grind My Gears and the first one is happening on April 2nd at the Pyramid Club. I, along with other members of my photo a day project mentioned previously on this blog right here, will be exhibiting photos! There will also be several short films and two other bands performing. AND if you feel the need to rant about something into a microphone you can do that too! As long as you start it with "you know what really grinds my gears....". If you're local to NYC come on down!!!!! If you just want to watch us remotely become a fan on facebook!

"...you don't even have to go to Europe any more... just go to Pittsburgh."

Congratulations to Expressions By Devin a.k.a Devin Prather for winning the giveaway!   She chose Andy 2 out of the three and I will be sending it shortly.  

Also, I was just featured in a gorgeous treasury by wintergarden!  Check it out!