My first cluster ring...

These days, it seems that every accessory store has some type of cluster/dangle/motion ring. They're really fun pieces and I'd have a bunch, except that the stores charge an absolutely ridiculous amount of money for a piece of jewelry that uses a relatively low amount of materials. So, before you know it, I'm muttering, "I can make that for less!" And off I go...

This particular ring uses faceted two-toned glass beads, freshwater pearls, and sterling silver. I love the way this ring turned out, so I'm keeping it. Haha. I do have enough material leftover to make another one to list on Etsy. Due to the nature of freshwater pearls and the way these glass beads are made, it's impossible to recreate the exact thing. Just as well, since the whole point of creating is to create.

I'll add pictures once I figure out what's wrong with Blogger.

Don't Just Sit There!

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is cracking down on lead in children's items, and a new law was passed last November which banned sales of all items intended for children which were not certified under 600ppm. Well, the way the law was originally worded, it would've banned handmedowns, kids stuff on eBay, garage sales, consignment shops, and donations to places like Goodwill or the Salvation Army. As you can imagine, this news didn't go over too well with most commonsensical folks, particularly in this economy.

Here's just one of the many websites collecting signatures for a petition to stop the new law from taking effect in February.

Today, the CPSC released the following "clarification" to their new law:

The new law requires that domestic manufacturers and importers certify that children’s products made after February 10 meet all the new safety standards and the lead ban. Sellers of used children’s products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards.

The new safety law does not require resellers to test children’s products in inventory for compliance with the lead limit before they are sold. However, resellers cannot sell children’s products that exceed the lead limit and therefore should avoid products that are likely to have lead content, unless they have testing or other information to indicate the products being sold have less than the new limit. Those resellers that do sell products in violation of the new limits could face civil and/or criminal penalties.

You can read the entire update here.

An interesting ad for a rusty old wheelbarrow...

So, I was checking Craigslist for a jogging stroller and patio furniture. I found this ad for a rusty old wheelbarrow which is, well, very creative, shall we say? Anyway, for those of you who struggle with the copy for your listings, this could be amusing. (Not a picture of the actual wheelbarrow.)

Spiral Lanyard

Ok, so here's another ongoing project... a spiral using 5 different beads in 3 different sizes, which started out as a bracelet and got out of control. I made three trips to the bead store to resupply so I could make it longer.

Ultimately, this (I hope) will be a custom lanyard for my security badge, if I ever manage to get hired into my old line of work. The only thing holding me back from finishing this project is deciding on how I plan to attach a security badge holder to the beaded necklace. Due to my pack-rat-iness, I have several different options available. :)

When I was in uniform, I used a retractable clip reel style badge holder, which attached to my pocket. Most women's clothes do not have convenient places to clip something like that. Rather than walk around with a shoelace around my neck, I thought this might make a nicer statement. I guess I'll have to make a couple different colors to coordinate with different clothes, huh? Well, I don't think I'm making another spiral lanyard. I found some tutorials on Russian and Dutch spirals, which would make some really pretty (read: sale quality) bracelets.

Happiness

It occurs to me that I haven't actually posted about beading in about 3 weeks. Part of that is because I've been busy, part of it is that I rely on natural lighting for my photos and it's the rainy season. This is a stretchy bracelet. I have to admit that I started out with stretchy bracelets because they were easy and didn't require special tools. Then, as I got into more complex patterns, the stretchy projects fell by the wayside.

Anyway, I've been trying (and failing) to capture the crackle in the crackle glass beads used in this bracelet. The beads are also very subtly colored in light and cheery shades of yellow and lavender. Unlike the earlier versions I made of these bracelets using glass chips, these are rounder and smoother, and feel more like sparkly and cool glass pebbles. Since they are heavier, I strung them twice. You can see this with the double (parallel) seed bead spacers... if only I could capture that detail with the lousy lighting conditions. Oh well!

Businessweek article on Twitter

Hmmm. One of the tips on Etsy to generate more traffic and sales is to use Twitter to update folks on various new listings and whatnot. Personally, I find it irritating to get two dozen daily updates on stuff someone else is listing on Etsy, multiplied by the hundred or so "Etsy Tweeters" that I follow... so I use Twitter to update my Facebook status and blog.

Here's an article in Businessweek about CEO's who use Twitter for business applications. Thought it might be of interest to freelancing friends who also use Twitter.

Upcycling Heaven

I don't do Aloha Wear. Maybe it's because my grandmother bought me mu'u mu'us for Christmas as a young child when all I wanted was a Strawberry Shortcake doll. Maybe it's because I couldn't wait to leave Hawaii as a teen. Maybe it's because I'm petite and shy and don't like bright colors or loud prints. Anyway, when I heard about a store which took old mu'u mu'us and made them into peasant tops and skirts, I thought it was a bit odd. I mean, those were items I wouldn't have been caught dead in the first time around... but after they'd been sitting in a plastic bag in someone's closet for a decade?

Anyway, there's a store in Kailua, barely 5 minutes away from my house called Mu'u Mu'u Heaven. It's been open for a couple years, but I never went in because, well, I don't do aloha attire (except on one occasion, when I was teasing some horribly cheesy colleagues in the military, who dressed like they were color blind twins). Not to mention, it's a boutique. The last thing I wanted to do was pay boutique prices for dresses in patterns I loathed in the early 80's! I guess they've expanded since the last time I read an article on them, upcycling old sundresses, not just the nasty old Hilo Hatties touristy crap you get in the local thrift stores.

Apparently, President Elect Obama and his family have taken several of his late grandmother's old mu'u mu'us to the ladies at Mu'u Mu'u Heaven. They are designing some upcycled items for the Obama's to remember her by. Here's a link to the news clip. Just thought it was a neat idea, and inspiration to my crafty mom friends. I have lots of great dresses sitting in my closet which don't get worn. Maybe the baby will be the most stylish little girl of 2009. You never know!

So here's your picture for today...

Can you tell I haven't recovered from the holidays just yet? Here's a picture of the kids on Christmas morning. Notice that while my son is smiling nicely (so that he can open his presents), my daughter is looking at me like, "Why on Earth did you wake me up so darned early???" Not to worry. She quickly learned that the best part about presents is eating the brightly colored wrapping paper.

Hearts for sale...

The latest victims of my "beading housecleaning." I bought a dozen of each style of heart charms/pendants, intending to make a charm bracelet. They were too big for a charm bracelet. I did make a cell phone charm for my old phone, though, and you could easily add a jumpring or bail and turn them into pendants. I'm keeping a few to play with, but am getting rid of the rest of these. Since they're pewter, I'm going to sell them in lots of 4 and list them on Craigslist first. If they don't sell in a week, I may list them on Etsy.

My Blog Resolution

Someone announced on Twitter that their goal for the year is to post one new photo on their blog everyday. I can't promise I'll keep up with one photo every single day, but I can post 365 photos this year. They just won't be all about beading.

This is a picture taken at mochitsuki (aka pounding mochi, making mochi, etc). My father's family pounds mochi on the Sunday preceeding New Year's Eve. When I was younger, my grandfather used to host the entire family at his house. Now that my grandparents are in their 80's, we gather at my dad's house instead. It's a royal pain in the butt, so many families just throw their rice in a mochi maker (very similar to a bread maker), but mine insists on doing the whole shebang.