New Storefront

Since my husband's been deployed, I've really been hard pressed for time to keep up with the kids, housework, and just life in general. So anyway, I finally got around to revamping the Etsy shop so that the URL matches the name of the store. :) Hey, better late than never, right?

Check it out:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SimplyLeilani

For now, the old store is still technically active, and items listed there are still for sale... but new items will be listed in the new store and the inventory in the old store will slowly dwindle down as the listings expire.

Thanks so much for following along!

Cutest little earrings...

Here's a cute little pair of earrings made with peridot colored cubic zirconia briolettes and 2.5mm Swarovski bicone crystals. Very simple design, a little tricky due to the small sizes, but SUPER cute!

If you were to see the 2.5mm bicones in a store next to all the other Swarovski crystal bead sizes available, you would wonder who in their right mind would ever need a bead that tiny. Trust me, those itty bitty beads are perfect for accents, wire wrapping, and all the really fun stuff! Believe me, if you do any wire work whatsoever, you will love these tiny little dew drop sized crystals.

The 6x9mm cubic zirconia beads are also really versatile. (I also got these at Artbeads.com.) They're dainty and understated, but you can tell by the way the light refracts through them, that they're made of quality materials. (Cheap beads often have facets that don't match up or aren't uniform from bead to bead. If I had one to put side by side, you would see less sparkle/fire in the lower quality bead.) These would also make really cute birthstone pendants for girls.

By the way, if you don't know how to wrap briolettes, you can find some great tutorials online. Just google "How to wire wrap briolettes" or something similar, and several videos will pop up, that you can watch for free.

I have been asked to review these products and give my honest opinion of the products...positive or negative. I am not being compensated by Artbeads.com for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.

Never the Twain Shall Meet?

A few months back, Artbeads.com sent me this Swarovski Crystallized Components 18mm Rondelle (wide hole) bead for a product review. I thought I was getting something suitable for the focal bead on a lanyard... the bead was a lot larger than I expected. (The radius is 18mm.) I guess I could have gone with the lanyard idea, but I got distracted by my Christmas sewing projects and I had a "better" idea.

This bead is the perfect size to use as an accent closure on my satin purse. Thanks to the unusually wide hole, I was able to use a heavy duty thread (normally used for hand quilting) and ensure the bead was sewn securely enough to handle repeated use. A 4mm Swarovski crystal pearl bead is used to hold the thread and anchor the bead firmly. Pictures do not do this bead justice. It is nice and heavy, with lots of faceting that throws light even in dimly lit rooms. I imagine this bead would also make a great knob/drawer pull on an ornamental box or jewelry box. Given its price relative to other Swarovski products, this is a TERRIFIC value!

It's kind of funny. When I first saw this bead, I had no idea what anyone would ever do with such a huge bead. Now, I think I'm going to have to order a couple more for some other household crafting projects I've been working on.

Candy

Yes, I know this started out as a beading blog. Trust me, I'm still beading. You just can't eat beads, and therefore I'm doing some baking/candy making for the holidays. Chocolate is fairly simple as long as you remember not to apply direct heat. Lower is better, and absolutely do not let additional moisture into the melted chocolate. You can buy the professional cake decorating stuff if you like, or just spoon the melted chocolate in a ziploc bag with a corner snipped off. Easy peasy.

Grandma's Bracelet

The latest jewelry making trend is metal stamping. It's kind of surprising, given the high price of silver and gold these days, but it looked so cute I had to try my hand at it. These silver components are all sterling (except the jump rings) and I picked them up at a silver trunk sale at Bead It Kailua.

The metal letter stamps were purchased on Etsy from Goldenprimhollow. Obviously, I need some practice in aligning the letters a little better, even though uneven spacing is supposed to be part of the "charm." All in all, I like the look of the bracelet overall. I just wish I'd gotten additional sterling ovals.

More to follow, I'm sure, as I've ordered a bunch of silver stamping blanks from Artbeads, which should be here any day.

Sewing for Christmas...

So is it bad if you spend 3 hours making someone else a one of a kind, handmade purse for Christmas, and then decide to keep it for yourself? Just kidding, but I did make this as a gift... I love this material... I bought it several years ago when I didn't even have a sewing machine. The original idea was to make some fancy dancy throw pillows for my couch, but as you can probably guess, that didn't happen. The lining and pockets are made of an ultra soft minky fabric in jet black. Minky is that fluffy polyester stuff that feels like a fluffy kitten. I sooooo love this purse, which makes me question whether or not it's suitable for a gift. (You know, that it's something the recipient could appreciate?)

Due to the lighting, you can't really tell, but it's a wine colored satin, embroidered in black, violet, and turquoise... very different than the typical asian color schemes. All it needs is some special bead work or a fancy button for a closure. I would totally rock this purse if I had a formal dinner to go to. Actually, I like smaller bags, so maybe I'll shrink the pattern down a bit. It would be too little to use minky fabric for a liner though- too bulky. Hmmmmm...

Ok, back to work!

This purse was sewn using Amy Butler's "In Town" Bags pattern.

My new "Mommy Blog"

I decided to keep this blog strictly for beading, but wanted an outlet for a little more creative and personal writing.

Please join me on my new "mommy blog," at: http://somedaysijustworkhere.blogspot.com/

:) I will be migrating some of the non-beading posts over from this blog to the new one.

Thanks for sticking around!

5 of My Favorite Things

Since my kids are 9 years apart, a lot of my friends are asking what kinds of baby gear they should get. I am a sucker for anything that could make my kids happier or more socially/academically developed, so I've tried most of the gimmicky stuff out there.

Here are the 5 things we use for my daughter which I wish I had for my son:

Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo: When my son was an infant, the "experts" were all warning against baby walkers, so all "safety conscious" parents got Exersaucers. Honestly, I don't know of a single baby who really sat in those things for more than 10 minutes. OH MY GOODNESS, my daughter STILL plays with this thing even though she's been walking for months.

Baby carriers: Ok, so this one is actually a centuries old idea. But a decade ago, you pretty much only had the Baby Bjorn or the Kelty, and both were back-packy type carriers which were impossible to use after the baby weighed more than 12 pounds. Now, there's a wide variety of more ergonomic carriers. We are still using our Hotsling for running errands and Baby Hawk for around the house. Trust me, when Daddy's deployed, even toddlers get clingy.

Toy and Stroller Bag Loops: Whomever thought of sewing loops and plastic links to all toys is an fing genius.

Snack Trap: Really cute cup with handles and a nifty spill proof top for self-feeders. Perfect for cheerios and gold fish. Attach to one of those handy dandy loops and you don't have to stop every 5 seconds in the grocery store to divvy out another cheerio.

Starry Lanyard

It's amazing what happens when you clean up your "creative space." The dust and clutter was piling up so I decided to take the Fly Lady's advice and spent a few minutes on the kitchen island, which is a "hot spot." For anyone who feels overwhelmed by the mounds of cr@p to do around the house and/or suffers from CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) then you need to take a quick peek at the Fly Lady website. It's free, and I promise, completely do-able.

Now, getting back to the beads. I've had beader's block for a couple of months and decided to start putting away the crafting stuff so I could dust the kitchen island. Lo and behold, the ideas started coming together again! This lanyard is actually made of stuff I bought when looking at different ideas for wedding accessories. When I switched from a champagne colored dress to diamond white at the last minute, these beautiful beads got pushed to the wayside. They're gorgeous though. Instead of using the typical S-ring I've been using on my other lanyards, I used a simple "embellishment ring." (The kind used for making cluster rings.) It has a more delicate look, don't you think?

Beachy Lanyard

In case you missed it, my day job requires the display of an ID badge. The focal point of this beach-inspired lanyard is a 20mm Swarovski pendant shaped like a starfish. The accents on the sides are two-toned Czech glass beads that I bought at locally at Bead It, and 12mm Swarovski beads (in the new, "cosmic" shape) that I got via the Artbeads Blogging for Beads program. Dainty little 4mm Swarovski pearls and 2mm silver beads finish off the rest of the lanyard, and the badge clips to a heart shaped S-ring.

Here's the obligatory shot of the lanyard, both laying flat and as modeled by my 14 month old daughter.