Also Recently Posted...

You may have noticed that I have been posting a lot of new items to my store.  (If you haven't noticed, here's the announcement: I have been posting a lot of new items to my store.)  


You might also have noticed that I usually like highlighting new items here on my blog.  I do this mostly to keep up to date, so that I can see my progress over time.  However, that is not the only reason.  I also like to bring a little more life to the listing, explaining the thoughts and circumstances that went into making it.  I try to make things more approachable, more personal.  Whether or not I succeed, I am not sure...  It is simply something for which I strive.


And so, here are today's new listings.  Each one has a little blurb that goes with it...  Enjoy!

Creamberry - Earrings
I love the story that goes with these plucky little earrings...
I felt very accomplished when I came up with it.  Now I
want creamberries to put in my tea!  :)

Unbroken Circle - Earrings
This pair of earrings are remarkably light weight,
considering the circles are actually made of horn.  I have
found only one strand of these focal beads; I am glad I did.

Unbroken Circle - Hairstick
I really like the look of this hairstick--
very elegant and streamlined.  It makes me
want to wear more brown, so that I can
make one for me!

Sunset on the Sea - Hairsticks
I had already posted one pair of these
hairsticks...  so excited to find the
materials to do another!

Sunset on the Sea - Earrings (Design 2)
A variation on a theme...  These were made to match the
above pair of hairsticks, as the name suggests.  They are
also not the first earrings made to this purpose, although
perhaps my favorite.

Also of note, those last two photos were taken with my new camera.  As I said, I am incorporating them a little at a time!  Yay!


And, so, there we go.  Thank you for humoring me...  Every item that I make is special to me, each one has a story (both in its concept and its creation).  I am glad to share that here.

The Debut!

This morning, I posted two new pairs of earrings: Caged Dew and Creamberry.  I am delighted by both of them.  However, Caged Dew is particularly special.  Why is that? 


All but one of the featured pictures for the Caged Dew earrings were taken with my new camera.


That's right!  My new camera has officially made its Etsy debut!  Here are the lovely shots that I posted:

Isn't that exciting?!  Well, I find it exciting, at least.


The complete transition to the new camera is not going to be immediate.  There are still going to be quite a few pictures posted that were taken by my old camera (such as the ones for the Creamberry earrings--which still turned out well, I think).  After all, the shots from my old camera are still beautiful--and they give me something to use while I continue to learn my new fancy-dancy piece of equipment.


Overall, I am pleased.  I strive to be the best in every way that I can be, especially when it comes to my store...  I am thrilled beyond words to be able to take these next steps in my picture project.

...And yet another two sets!

One with silver...

Midnight Rainbow - Hairsticks

Midnight Rainbow - Earrings

...And one with gold:

Candied Apples - Hairsticks

Candied Apples - Earrings

All of these lovelies have just been posted to my store!  Want to know the stories that go along with them?  Go check them out!

Two New Sets

I have two new sets recently posted to my store...  I proudly present: Gold of El Dorado and Rain Dragon!

Gold of El Dorado - Hairsticks

Gold of El Dorado - Earrings

Rain Dragon - Necklace

Rain Dragon - Earrings

Want to find out of the stories to go with them?  Usually, I would just direct you to my store itself, but I am feeling generous.  Here you go!


Gold of El Dorado:
The animated movie Road to El Dorado centers around two con artists, Tulio and Miguel.  These two ne’er-do-wells go through a strange series of adventures, which takes them from the streets of Spain to a hidden paradise in the New World: El Dorado, the land of gold.  Once there, through a set of bizarre circumstances, they are seen as gods. The movie then follows their antics and growth as they first try to con the locals out of their gold, and then decide to protect the paradise that they have uncovered.

One of the first people that Miguel and Tulio run into in El Dorado is a young woman named Chel.  She is first introduced as a thief; later, she becomes part of their charade.  She is sassy and intelligent, and proves invaluable to their schemes—whatever those schemes may be.

This set, whose gold focal beads are reminiscent of ancient Mesoamerican art, look like they could have been worn by Chel throughout her adventures with Tulio and Miguel in El Dorado.

Rain Dragon:

Everyone reacts differently to rain.  It is wet, after all, and can be uncomfortable.  Some animals—indeed, even some people—respond to rain by holing away and waiting for it to pass.  Other creatures patiently endure it, longing for the sun to appear once more.

And yet there are others, like the Rain Dragon of the High Mountains, who seem to revel in it.

The Rain Dragon got its name due to its apparent fondness for downpours.  Hardly a thunderstorm goes by without the familiar blue-and-silver dragon taking to the sky.  Although many people have tried to analyze this behavior—short of asking the dragon itself, of course—it seems that the Rain Dragon dances in the mountain deluges simply because it wants to.

This set is made in the color of the Rain Dragon: silver and rain-blue, reminiscent both of raindrops in water and dragon scales.  Small mementos, they look like they could be part of the dragon’s horde—reminders of the joys of rain.

Enjoy!  Thanks for looking!  :)

Pretty as a Peacock

This just listed:  the Pretty as a Peacock set!


Although, technically, it isn't listed as a set anymore.  Each item now shows up separately in my store.  More than one person told me that they liked the hairstick, but didn't have need for the necklace or the earrings--and so, taking my customer's feedback, I decided to list them one by one.


Enjoy!

Pretty as a Peacock - Hairstick

Pretty as a Peacock - Necklace

Pretty as a Peacock - Earrings

Yes, these are pictures taken with my old camera.  I am still practicing taking store photos with my new one.  What fun!  

Pictures of Plasma

Yesterday, I posted pictures of all sorts of lovely things that I have on my desk (including, but not limited to, Silmarils and Jim Bone the Desk Diplodocus).  There was one major thing, however, that I did not photograph.


That was, until last night.


Meet my husband's plasma ball:

Yes, it really is a plasma ball.  (And yes, it really does belong to my husband--I am just borrowing it.  For an extended period.  Really...)  Purchased from thinkgeek.com, this lovely little beauty is attached to my computer via USB and is constantly swirling with purple/pink plasma.  


It is absolutely mesmerizing, and fantastically geeky.  It is also ridiculously hard to photograph.  But there is no challenge that my new camera and I will not face!  Of course, I should mention that it was my husband who figured out the best settings to use, but ah well.  He shows me these things so that I can look good, right?


Here are the fruits of our labor:

I was happy with the distinct lines visible in this picture.

This picture captures more of the plasma's movement.

Plasma ball from above...  fun with different angles!

I have also been playing around with a new photo editing software (nothing fancy, but still rather daunting--to me, at least).  So far, I haven't figured out how to scale images down to different sizes, but I have learned to take this:

...and turn it into this:

And I didn't even have to get my husband's help!  ;)  


I have been having an extreme amount of fun with this whole process.  It looks like my original picture project has just taken on a whole new light!  (And, no, I don't do crazy effects on my store photos--that was just for fun.)


Let's see what I else I can take pictures of around here...  Watch out, world, I've got a camera!

More Pictures...

Today, I have been taking pictures of everything.  Why?  Because of my new camera, of course!  *and there was much rejoicing*

I have already posted some pictures of jewelry here, but I decided to also post some of the other random photographs I have taken with it.  After all, it is a multi-talented piece of equipment!  :)

It all started last night, when I first got home with the camera.  First things first, my husband and I wanted to see if it would actually take pictures for my shop.  We first decided to try with my wedding ring:

Holding my wedding ring...  yes, that is my hand.

Close up of the ring itself...  It really is a beautiful design.
(You should be able to see more of the detail if you enlarge it.)

Of course, by that time it was close to midnight.  At that point, I was exhausted--and, excited as I was, I needed to go to sleep.

That was only a short hiatus, however.  This morning, soon as I woke up, I found myself taking pictures of everything I came across.  Despite it being grey and gloomy outside, I trundled into the cold to get these shots:

View of the tree over the roof...  if you can enlarge it, please
do so--there is a lot of beautiful detail on the branches.

The giant sycamore in the front yard.

When I got too cold, I came inside and took some pictures in the kitchen:

The beautiful poinsettia that is adorning a kitchen cabinet.

Even mugs are exciting when you have a new camera!

Then, I trundled back into my room and took pictures of things on my desk.

A silly treatise on a language I created. 

Meet Jim Bone, my desk Diplodocus.

Another shot of Jim Bone...  note his anatomically correct
neck, which is horizontal to his body and not like that of a
Brachiosaurus.

Peacock feather that I have peeking over my laptop.

Large Silmaril that I have on my desk.

Smaller Silmaril, also found on my desk.

As I am sure you can imagine, my desk is a place full of shiny things!  From here, I then took the jewelry shots already posted here.  

All in all, I have had a lovely day--full of photography and pretty things.  After a week of being sick with the stomach flu, this has been such a wonderful change of pace!

New Camera!

Remember what happened to my camera in this post?  That's right, it accidentally got run over by a car.  Miraculously, it still worked after that!  However, my husband used that as an excuse to get me a new camera for Christmas / my birthday.  Usually I don't like presents for those two events getting lumped into one... but in this case, I gladly made an exception!


The new camera is a Nikon D3000.  It is absolutely stunning.  I have been playing around with it all day (and last night, too).  I am still learning the ropes, since I am a newcomer to shutter speeds and ISO levels...  Most of my pictures thus far have been on auto.  Yet, despite me being a novice, the pictures are amazing.


Honestly, just look at these!


(This is also a shameless way to showcase the projects I have been working on...  I make no apologies.  *grin*)

I made this necklace with a clear Swarovski Crystal with an
AB finish.  It actually is more pink/gold than blue, but the
lighting made it look like this, and I decided not to argue.

Another shot of the same necklace.

Earrings to match the above necklace...  Closer to the true
color of the crystals themselves.

For my birthday, my in-laws gave me a gift certificate to a
bead store.  I used it to pick up the pendant for this necklace:
a beautiful carved Agate Leaf.

Another shot of the Agate Leaf Necklace...  Just look at
those striations!

A new, fancy variation on my Silmarils...  Getting
perfected before I start listing them on my store.

Another shot of the above necklace.

A new design of earring, using black teardrops with
rainbow coating.

Necklace that the above earrings were designed to match.
It truly is gorgeous!

Obviously, I am still learning...  But, wow!  I am so excited to see what else my lovely new camera can do!