Crafty Halloween!

My sister and I made shortbread cookies two weeks ago.



It took me a while to take a picture, so not many were left... but we had fun! I didn't have any colored sugar, so I put white sugar into juice bottles I was going to recycle, added a few drops of food coloring, and then we shook them up. It worked like a charm!


My most recent crafty creation is The Torso Pillow:



I don't own a sewing machine, so I had to stitch it all by hand. My fingers still hurt! I love it, though. It makes me want to get a sewing machine so I can make them for friends. :D

It's Official!

earthcharms has opened a store on 1000 Markets!

If you don't like PayPal and would rather use Amazon Checkout, 1000 Markets is the place to shop:

http://earthcharms.1000markets.com

Come see my new store and tell me what you think.

Too busy to be social...

And when I say "busy", I mean "buzzing with ideas". Not only do I have strand after strand from of beads from the Gem Faire I have yet to touch (!!!), I also just recieved a strand of kunzite (yes, KUNZITE) and a strand of moss aquamarine (my new obsession) in the mail. I have not really touched them yet because I was invited to a dinner party last night. My hostess' home is more like a museum with a warm and inviting air. It is positively huge and she has paintings, sculptures, and antiques diplayed all over. I was asked to bring my jewelry collection for discussion, but ended up making a few sales! What a pleasant surprise on top of a lovely dinner in an amazing home!

Feedback you won't see on Etsy...

Last Wednesday I sold two pieces to ladies in the County Recorder's Office. Both had bought them as gifts (one a custom pair of earrings, one a lovely garnet necklace). Today both of them stopped at the computer I was working at to thank me for my work. One said, "My sister in law LOVED the earrings. She put them on right away and I told her she has to wear them every day for good health!" The other said, "My niece CRIED when she saw her necklace! She took off the one she was wearing and put yours on right away."

Now that's a good way to start my day!

I just have to share...

I'm so happy with this piece, I could just burst:



Yeeee!!! :D

Sluggish Creativity

Now that my bead boxes are twice the weight they used to be, I cannot seem to get much done! I've made two pairs of earrings and a jewelry set for me since the Gem Faire, and that's it! I partially blame laundry and my need for a nice hot dinner, and partially my bad shoulder and my wrist hurting like crazy. These are the times I miss my microwave, as I would have my microwavable heating pad on my shoulder and all would be well.

I am LOVING my new beads, though. I look through them and get all excited. I guess I'm really waiting for that flash... the muse... the brick to the brain... whatever you want to call it. A lot of pieces I've made have come together in my mind in one instant flash, demanding to be made into reality. Here's hoping lightening will strike soon!

Oh so giddy

This weekend was so busy for me! Friday after work I went straight to the Gem Faire. I picked up a few goodies from the vendors, but mostly just drooled. I went home for an hour then headed down to Petaluma to man Frobeck's merch booth. The show was really great! I especially enjoyed the end when all three bands got on stage and sang Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here". I didn't get to bed until 1:30am, which I am SO not used to. My sleep got interrupted a lot... :\

Saturday I went back to the Gem Faire with my mom. I got a lot of the strands I had left behind on Friday... and then some! There were definitely a few I would have loved to scoop up, but I just did not have the money for it. I'm now obsessed with moss aquamarine. I just LOVE the color! I couldn't afford any strands, but I found a seller who had split strands and was selling one briolette at a time. I got a pretty big one for $14 and promptly made a necklace and matching earrings with it, kyanite, and moss amethyst. It's so pretty!

Samples of the 35 strands I got:

I was pretty exhausted after all that shopping.

I didn't even sleep in on Sunday! I got up early to go with my friends to the Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. It was a beautiful day and the Academy is gorgeous. I do have a few complaints: the lines were confusing (we were in four different lines trying to get in because they're not market clearly), it was too crowded, and there was too much environmental preaching. I understand it's an important topic and I'm all over it... but I was there to see fossils and specimens, not round every corner to see huge signs like "CLIMATE IS AN ANGRY BEAST AND WE ARE POKING IT WITH STICKS!" Wow. Gotcha.

I did really enjoy the Africa display (complete with fake leopard on the tree above the crowd, waiting to drop on you and eat you), the white alligator, Claude, the aquarium (seriously cool displays, but again, too many people so it was hot and uncomfortable), and I did like the planetarium even though I'm scared of heights and it made me dizzy.

I'm on a mission...

...to reduce my need for big corporations and their disposable products.

I'd like to take a moment to rave about my new reusable cloths for my Swiffer Sweeper/Wet. I purchased them from moocowmomma.etsy.com after receiving and loving the custom napkins I had ordered from her. She has quite a selection of fabrics for her reusable line, and that is one of the many reasons I'm fond of her! Her prices are terribly reasonable, her demeanor friendly, her shipping is quick, and her products are well-made.




My new sweeper and wet cloth. I have five of each!


And now I can hear you asking, "But Kirsten, how well do these work?"

Does this answer your question?




Ewwww!

Look Out, Bank Account!

I am officially putting my savings account on notice: the Gem Faire is this weekend and I'm looking to do some damage!

High on my list of goodies to get are: headpins and eyepins in silver, gunmetal and gold, lobster claps, footage chain, kyanite beads, garnet beads, larvikite beads, prehnite beads, abalone beads, and more interesting focal beads, carved beads, and faceted beads. Oh, how I do appreciate sparkly things... ;) I would like to get a strand of something fancy as well. Nothing like the strand of AAA kyanite briolettes my mother bought in order to send me into a spiralling panic, but maybe some nice(er) tourmaline, tourmalated quartz, or iolite. I definitely want some more extra-flashy labradorite, as the pieces I've made with the strand I bought in April are so far a guaranteed sell.

I plan to go in on Friday after work to do an initial survey and buy some key pieces. Then I'll be heading to Petaluma for Frobeck's show at the Mystic Theater. They won a headlining spot during a battle of the bands, and I agreed to man their merch booth. On Saturday I'm hoping to go back with my mom (and hopefully she won't be discuraged by my inability to make anything decent with those kyanite beads she bought). I'm going to have to buy everything I want on Saturday because Sunday is my friend's birthday and she wants to go to San Francisco to celebrate.

It will be a packed weekend, and all my new beads are going to have to wait for me to get to them! Keep an eye on earthcharms for new goodies in about a week!