draft

two posts in one day...

i know, what are the chances???

well, when the boss is away... geminisc comes out to play ;)

muahahHAHAHhahaha

*ahem*

I went down to a new op shop today. I was originally in there to find a water barrel to use for my markets. I found something that was the right size, but didn't like the push mechanism - I wanted a tap type mechanism - so I didn't get it.

Instead, somehow or other I found myself going through the clothesracks - surprise surpise. =P

FCUK v-neck top

This is one of the first tops I picked up. I love the colour - it's a bright red-pink that always looks nice on me.

V-neck with some elastic ribbing across the bottom, and some girly sleeves.I also tried it on back to front - and it still worked quite nicely.  (I was trying to use it as a layer to work with the white top below)

I hesitated a little on buying it, but when I spotted the tag buried in the side, I couldn't resist.

It's a FCUK top. I've always loved all things from them, and I must say, I rationalised it to myself in the craziest of ways. I stood there in the change room telling myself "I didn't even know it was a brand-type top. I just loved the colour and it fits, and the design's nice. The fact that it's a brand I like just means that it was meant to be." That and the fact that it was only $6. FCUK never sells anything for $6 - even on special. I've bought tops from them for $30 and thought I was getting a good deal. See? I'm crazy.

SES floral embroidery top

The next one I got was a cheapy top. SES Brand. But I liked the floral embroidery (always a sucker for embroidery) and it's one of those tie-back ones. The front bit is interesting, because it's a ribbon-tie-together thing, rather than buttons. And it fits. At $7, I probably could've NOT bought this one, but I couldn't resist the embroidery. On a lucky day I reckon you could've gotten that top at SES for about $9. So not much in terms of bargain. But it's pretty and girly enough.

Cute 60's style black dress

Last but not least was this cute Johnny Dexter black dress. The label had a huge red heart on it - so I had to buy it, if only for that. LOL

I just googled them, coz the name rings a bell somewhere. Apparently it's an Australian brand. Not that I should care - as long as it looks good on you who cares what the brand is right? Having said that, I always check labels at op shops. I figure if it's a brand name (even just a chain dept store) it will give me an idea of how long the item will last. Eg, a top from CUE or ESPRIT is likely to survive longer in my wardrobe after a few washes than say, a top from supre or sportsgirl. That said, I always feel the fabric and check for defects etc

I'm sorry that the pics are so bad - I took them on the sly at work. The tops are just draped over my desk here. Can't really drape them properly or borrow a clotheshanger or something to really show you. Anyway, this dress is a little 60s. Fits very well, finishes above the knee and flares out a little. Will look super cool with my knee-high boots. If I dare to wear it to work of course. It's a bit more fashionable than your usual work dresses - and I hardly ever wear work dresses. But at $9 this was an absolute steal. I'm gonna go home and try and pair it with one of my white shirts to see what it will look like then. But yeah, might be a bit too spicy for work. Although then it becomes a matter of when WOULD I actually wear the damn thing?? Sometimes I think I'm just not very brave when it comes to clothes and fashion...

$10 Leather Gloves from Berrima Markets

Oh, and before I forget, here are the $10 leather gloves I got at the market the other day. My hands always smell 'leathery' when I take them off, so I think these really are the "real deal"

Will try and take the pics of the box and the lingerie soon. Spent last night trying to put some semblance of order into my lab - it's a total mess atm. *gulp*

will i break my self-imposed mmu no-buy ban?

So ever since I started making my own mmu and skincare, I've found myself buying less and less. Why go to the trouble of buying eyeshadows that I've never tested before when I can make my own in any colour or texture (shimmer, glitter, sheen, matte) that I want?

Why buy foundation and spend HOURS sorting out my best match before going back and buying again and again and again... when I can spend HOURS making my own best match before making it in bulk and having a big 60gram jar full of foundation?

I've never used much blush, concealer or bronzer, so that's no biggie off my list. And my skincare regime is working pretty well atm. I love the control I have as to what ingredients I use. Lipstick colours are limitless, I can make a super thick face cream for the dry days, and a light one that sinks in well during the hot ones.

THe only thing I can't make are jars and bottles and brushes.

...mMMmmm... BRUSHES!!!

Anyhow, I was reading up on some of my favourite bargain sites and came across this: Price USA.

They are an Australian-based company that lets me buy things that sometimes are only for USA only. They order in the US for me, so I can take advantage of "free shipping on domestic orders" or any other US-based specials.

It's a 5% commission on anything that you buy plus all the shipping costs involved - but they only ship with USPS.

I had a look at their website and it looks pretty good to me. The reviews I read elsewhere suggest that this is one of the more reasonably-priced forward mailers out there.

I'm currently sitting here trying to think of all the mmu stores that I've thought about buying from but have either dismissed because of shipping costs, or because their special offers were for US residents only.

OooOooo a girl like me could get so tempted!!!!

Has anyone else heard of this place or used them or something similar? What kind of experience did you have?

a uh, few *ahem* more rings....

It seems I'm on a ring-making binge. Every night I sit in front of the tv, and my box of jewellery making things calls out to me: "make more rings!"

And then next thing you know, there I am, making more rings. This is fast becoming an addiction.

Here are my absolute favourites so far:

Black Mother of Pearl

Butterflies!!!

I really adore the square black mother of pearl ones. It's a pity I didn't take a better pic so you can see how the light plays on the surface. I've got a thing for flat beads atm. Whenever I look for beads, I always seem to drool especially for the flat types. Don't ask me why.

The butterfly one I made last night, and absolutely love. It looks a bit hippy on, but I don't care. =D I don't have many of these beads though, so I have to go and find more. I originally got these as part of a bulk set I bought on ebay. It was a mix of random beads that I paid about $10 for. Worth every penny. I love buying other ppl's beads when they no longer want them. You get things you'd never get for yourself, and sometimes you'll get things that you'd never seen before.

Mop earrings

Oh speaking of Mother of Pearl, I tried making earrings to match last night, only to realise this morning that one of the beads at the bottom had fallen off! Whoops!

They look slightly different (even though they're the same pair) because on one side it's black mother of pearl, and on the other it's normal white mother of pearl. VERY very cool. =D

Here are some of the other things I've made:

The top one on the left is of mother of pearl and dalmation jasper chips. Not sure about this one.

The second one is of small carnelian pieces (wearing this one today), and the one underneath is catseye (i think - the listing i bought from just said 'gemstone beads).

Below: The one on the left here has white cats eye beads on either side of a faceted clear flat bead, while the one in the middle is actually 4 acrylic pearl beds, (the last one is hiding under the ring). The one at the end is another one I quite like - the beads are very pretty. Clear, with bits of aqua and gold.

Ring9

Ring1

Ring11

Now onto the rings on the right here:

Not so sure about the one on the top. White gemstones with filigree balls. Not convinced that it works well.

Ring12

The other acrylic rice beads one actually looks quite elegant in spite of what it looks like on side view.

The pink one is an attempt to make a flower out of briolettes. You can tell that the wire wrapping got a bit messy.

On the right is a ring with a mixture of silver beads.

Earring1

You may remember these pretty flowers from the last set of necklaces I made. I managed to get my hands on a few more of them, and decided just to make a simple pair of earrings with them. I really do adore this design.

I was thinking today as I went to work, I really enjoy all this jewellery making. If only because I can now afford to wear something different and unique every day. No need to have to buy something. All the materials and tools are there. I get so much range to play with. It really is very liberating to be able to make whatever you need or want. Much better than having to be at the whim of other people.

To wrap up, here are some pics of all the rings together:

Rings2

And here's how they look worn:

Rings

I really do have a lot, don't I? LOL
Time to give it a bit of a break? Hrmm.. let me think about it ;)

rings, rings, and more rings..

So I took out my old camera last night and took some snaps of the rings I've been making.

Here is one of the dodgy ones I made the other night. I made about 3 dodgy ones, but dismantled the other one. I couldn't find the second ring, so I'll keep looking and post up pics later.

Garnet Rectangle Ring

This gold and red one is the one that I thought looked the most decent. If only it was slightly smaller in size... it moves around a little and can actually fit on my thumb (just). I think I just have small fingers. LOL.

The stones are little garnet rectangles. I like this one very much.

Last night I sat down and ended up making a whole rash of them. It's funny, some nights I can sit down and make 3 or 4 pieces, while other nights I just look at all my beads and scratch my head in confusion.

Here on the left are two rings - both made from rose quartz. The top two (silver wire) is of one ring, with three rose quartz chips strung together.

The bottom one is on gold wire, and has the stones higgledy-piggledy. I seem to make a lot of these types of rings. Partly because I have a lot of gemstone chips, and partly because I find them quite easy to make.

For eg, see the two on the left here. This is one that has 4 diamond garnet stones in them. It reminds me of a butterfly. Very cute ring. Unfortunately it only fits on my pinky finger =/

What I really need is a mandrel, which is a stick thingy that lets me make rings on them according to size. At the moment I'm making these rings on various 'sticks' ranging from a lipstick case, to a used cork, to a thermometer. Don't look at me like that! As long as the size is right and it lets me wind them, who cares, right???
.

I'm not very sure about this one on the left. It's got 5 beads on it. Two mother of pearl chips, and three changey-colour ones. Again, slightly too big (made on the cork rather than the thermometer), so I can't really tell if I like it or not. It keeps on slipping so the stones are under my finger whenever I wear it (damn gravity).

I started looking online yesterday to see how much a ring mandrel would cost. Friggin' expensive. Some sites are charging as much as $34!!! I think not. I mean, it's just a stick with letters on it....

three hearts ring

seaside-esque ring

Here is another that I'm not sure about. I was trying to do a 'cluster' but it turned out odd.

The one on the right is another version, that I'm not 100% sure I like. You can still see from the last bit of wire that I haven't finished this one yet. Still thinking about it.. =) But the pearl and those silver beads remind of an oyster shell or something seaside-esque.

modelled on moi thumb - i.e. too large for moi =)

pearl and irridescent bead ring

pink mother of pearl and metal bead ring

These last three are some more that I'm particularly proud of.

The pearl one is very simple. But again too large (damn cork). The pic on the far right is the ring sitting on my thumb =/

The last one is of some pink mother of pearl pieces with the metal bead in the centre. It looks VERY funky on. And I used a thermometer, which I think is about the width of my right ring finger. LOL.

Here are all the rings sitting on my left hand so you can get an idea of what they look like on.

oh my, i am soooo grand. look at how many rings i wear...

And here are the rings sitting on the table so you can get an idea of what they look like off.

what i made last night

I think I still need some work on them. They're obviously not 100% polished up - you can see the wrapping isn't perfect. But for first time goes, it's not bad.

I find the silver ones don't look as pretty - mainly (i think) because of the wire. I need to get sterling silver, or some more polished wire. Atm this particular silver it looks very dull. I think the gold ones all look slightly prettier because of the 'shine' that comes from the wire. Strange, because I got both wire spools from the same store, and they're the same brand. Weird, huh?

Phew! What a weekend...

So if I never said it before, doing a market is a LOT OF HARD WORK!

I've been busy the last two weeks preparing for my market. I have some new shadows and started selling some lipsticks. Organising that, as well as replenishing the stock that I ran out of the market before took up all my time. I guess being constantly sent away on work trips didn't help much either.

I also made new posters to put up and tried to make my table a bit more interesting and enticing to look at:

iheartcosmetics market stall

I had an old camera with me and couldn't zoom out enough to get the whole stall. But you get the idea. I was worried that I had *too* much on the table, and it might be too busy.

I sold NOTHING for the first two hours. I was getting worried! And set up took FOREVER. I had new stock, and was trying to arrange everything nicely.

iheartcosmetics mmu set up

I moved this set up around the table, and eventually went back to where I started. LOL. I ended up having all the eyeshadow jar testers open. It was really cute, at one stage I had a little girl come up to me and say, "are they to try?" and I said 'no,' because I'd heard her say: "are they chai?" But when I started demonstrating and she asked again, I realised she'd said TRY... not chai.. and said 'yeah sure!" and left her to her own devices dipping the brushes into the pots and having fun. LOL.

Those trays that the shadows are in are the cutest. I was in a bargain store and saw some trays with the hearts cut out on the side and went 'omg!' and had to buy them. LOL

My stand was slightly too high for me though. I ended up having to stand on my tippy toes in order to demonstrate the shadows over the top tray. Next time I'll need to get a little step to stand on. *grin*

The Sales Pitch

My first market, I was pretty quiet. I let the customers come to me as opposed to the other way around. I was so grateful that anyone was showing interest. And I was slightly scared too. LOL.

My friend came with me to my second market and gave me all these marketing tips. So I was trying to use all of them on Sunday. She pointed out that whenever I got eye contact I should smile and say hello and offer them a sample of my creams etc. I probably took it to a slight extreme, and pretty much said hello and smiled at everyone who walked by. If they looked like they were interested or their eyes roamed the stall, I would start to tell them that I made everything, etc. And that seemed to usually pique their interest. I'm not sure if I was going a bit overboard with the sales pitch. We all hate those pushy salespeople. Basically I said hello to everyone, did my two liner talk offered some hand cream to try, and then if they were still there showed them what the eyeshadows were like. I could see a few ladies out of the corner of my eye watching as I did the demonstration for one person.

I love being able to finally get my products out there, but I must admit, it's getting harder than I originally thought it might be!

I also had one repeat customer!!! She came by with friends and was telling them how she'd bought a cream for me the month before. She tried out all my new lippies but unfortunately I didn't have a shade for her. Guess I better start making up all the other colours I have and selling them, huh?

The finacee's mother also came by. She was so sweet. She even bought a shadow off me! =D And she didn't just come by and say hello. She sat with me for a little while, wandered off and came back again. She eventually left while I was busy with a customer, so I didn't get to say a proper goodbye.

* * *

Overall I found that it was an entirely different crowd this time around. Last market I sold mainly skincare with a few eyeshadows. This time even though I was pushing both the eyeshadows and the hand creams etc, I only sold eyeshadows and lipsticks. It was slightly demoralising, considering I'd nearly sold out on some of my hand creams last time. Although I will admit it was FREEZING yesterday. Everyone wore gloves, and it probably wasn't very inducive to testing out hand creams etc.

Anyway, I was so exhausted when I got home. I had to get up at 6.30 in order to get to my market on time. They like people to get there by 8am latest. And Bundanoon is slightly far away from me. It takes abt 45mins to drive. So by the time I got up and got ready, it was already 7. The market officially starts at 8.30am (I know, CRAZY HOURS!) but I was still setting up until 8:45-ish coz I kept on rearranging things). Reading eyeshadow labels and sorting them out is hard you know! By the time the market finished up at 3pm I was very tired. When I got home, I pretty much went straight to bed and slept for 2 hours. Then woke up, had dinner and went back to bed at 10pm. I slept soundly all the way to work on the train this morning too.

Anyway, if you are in the neighbourhood, I will be at the Colo Vale market this weekend. Boss is away today also, so I think I'm gonna crawl under the desk and catch a few more snooze time. LOL

markets, markets, markets WITH PICS!!!!

Whew! So talk about disappearing for ages!!!

I've been so busy sorting out my little business that I've barely had time to do anything else, let alone check out vox. What have I missed out on!?!?!? It hasn't helped that work keeps on sending me away on business trips. I'm out again next week for 6 days going to an annual conference out in the middle of the country.

So updates!!!

The markets went great. I had about 20 customers. About 15 at the first one, and 5 at the second. I was surprised. I didn't expect to sell anything at the second market, coz it's so quiet. But I didn't do bad! Sold a whole bunch of eyeshadows as well as hand creams etc.

Now I just have to hope that they get really impressed with the stuff they bought and come back next market. My worst nightmare is them coming back and going, "this was terrible!" and demanding their money back. *gulp* I'm sure it's all alright. All my testers have been very supportive and I've never had any complaints. But it's still nervewracking. It's one thing to give things away for free with the understanding that it's all still a work in progress. It's another thing when you ask ppl to hand over money.

And then there was that dilemma of pricing. I've been agonising over pricing for months. I've sold a number of things since last year, but they were mainly to friends. And at the time they always offered to pay for the things I made. I made a few Christmas packs for friends, as well as a mother and baby pack last month. Anyway, I made a point of giving discounts to them rationalising to myself that they were my first customers.

I was showing my price list to my cousin two weeks ago who immediately told me they needed to be raised up by 20%. And I was like NOOOOOOOOOooooo!!! And she pointed out to me that if the quality was good, and they're all natural etc, people will pay. Not to mention that I need to pay for my own time, and I only have weekends to do it in. It wasn't like I was charing $50 for a 30ml jar. The fact that some people DO in fact pay that much is another story entirely.  So I compromised and raised my potential prices up 10%.

My first sale of the day was for a 30ml speciality cream that has lots of expensive essential oils in them. I must say that I was a bit shocked when the woman willingly handed over her $18.50 without blinking an eye. LOL. I must say, the learning curve between budget-conscious el-cheapo geminisc, and "ordinary people" is very high.

It was also reassuring that I had other people come by and go to their friends, "oh that's reasonable" when looking at my products and prices. Although I have yet to find the Super!Customer who comes along and goes "I WANT IT ALLL!!!" LOL.

One of my friends came to help me out on Saturday, and she helped me out with a sale. A lady and her three daughters came by to look and my friend goes, "I bet this colour would look great on you!" to the teenage girl. We did the whole testing thing (dry vs wet on the hand) and you could tell the girl was entranced. She was trying to convince her mother to buy, but the mum was like "but look at the price!" and dragged her away. I immediately pointed out how long the shadows would last. Twenty mins later they're back and not only did they buy the eyeshadow, but they also bought a hand cream. Score! LOL.

MMU is only just starting to take off here, so it's interesting to see what comments and questions I get regarding the mmu as well as the skincare.

A lot of them come up and go, "oh, I've heard of this mmu... it's supposed to be really good for you.." And I nod and smile and try to push the shadows closer to them.. LOL.

I'm starting to get a lot of requests for foundation. I must admit I'm a bit scared. The eyeshadows, lipsticks and blushes are easy enough. But the foundations? *shudders* Foundation is daunting enough to make for myself, let alone for other people. And we *all* know how picky I am with my own foundation. I think I reformulated my own colour like 10 times. God knows how long it would take to make ones for other people... And then there's the demographic. Most people who visit the markets are caucasion. Not Asian. So it's an entirely new colour palette to boot!

Anyway, I'm very very excited. I signed up to be a permanent stall holder at both markets!! So now I will be selling at two different markets twice a month. I'm toying with the idea of selling at a few more markets but haven't decided yet, since I will only have the other 2 weekends to make everything I need. I'm running low on shadows atm, so I need to make more.

I'm also in the process of registering my business name, getting an ABN and setting up the website.

In case you're curious, I've named my little business "i heart cosmetics"

I thought it up while I was sick in bed in Shang-ri-la, of all places. LOL. Remember when I was on that whirlwind trip in China for a month last year? I had one night of really bad food poisoning, and in an attempt to help me sleep, I kept on thinking up names for the business. I remember the first time I thought of it, and thinking to myself, "hahaha. so girly!! i'm not that girly!!!" but somehow or other the name stuck. I've tried other names, but this is the one I always seem to go back to.

It's actually quite funny because at the markets I had a whole bunch of women who'd walk by and smile at the name etc. And then a few old ladies who'd come by and go "what does that mean?" And I had to explain, "y'know, heart, love....." and they'd go, "oooohhhh..."

The men on the other hand.. they just look at me blankly. I was talking to my accountant last month, and he just went, "right ok." and moved on. LOL.

So what's in my inventory? I'm selling mineral makeup eyeshadows, mineral lipsticks, as well as natural skincare such as face creams, body creams, face cleansers and scrubs, as well as my doggie shampoo. I'm still working on the human shampoo, but I'm getting there!

Bundanoon Market

Colo Vale Market

OMG OMG OMG OMG

Slightly hyper atm.

So I've been pretty much incognito from vox for the last week or so. For two reasons.

1. My camera battery died - and I can't be bothered recharging, because we're housesitting atm, and the camera is in one house, while the batteries are in another.

2. I've been busy putting together my cosmetics empire. I booked myself into my local market yesterday, and have been busy over the last month making things to sell. My first market is due on the 26th April. So I've been pacing myself and getting things together.

I've also been ringing around on and off to find out how much it costs to sell stuff in the other markets in the area.

On a whim, I rang up the Bundanoon Markets this afternoon to see what was involved in setting up a stall there.

Bundanoon markets is actually a very popular market. It's in a little hall, but it's always jam-packed full of stall holders. Usually you can't book in advance unless there are cancellations.

And guess what?

I got one!!!!

on the 20th April!!!!

Which is one week before my OTHER market.

And my current inventory is nowhere near enough to be able to do 2 markets within the space of a week of each. I'm also going to be getting on a plane that evening to go on a 2 day business trip. Talk about jam-packed!!!!

This means that I will have to work very very very very very hard this weekend in order to get all my inventory up. Because, get this, the Bundanoon market will have 7 COACHES ARRIVING!!!!

omg omg omg omg omg omg

BREATHE, BREATHE, BREATHE, BREATHE....

I'm absolutely terrified - but in a good way.

The fact that she happened to just have one spot, tells me that this was meant to be. This is my chance. And I'm so excited.

I've just had to rearrange my business flight to leave from the airport at 7pm as opposed to 3.30 pm. But it'll be worth it. *hopes*

The lady tells me that they used to have a stall there that sold handmade cosmetics and she made a killing. *fingers crossed that that might be me in a week or two*

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

*dances around in glee*

Can you tell that I'm excited? LOL

Anyway, if you happen to be in Sydney and want to wander out into the lovely Southern Highlands for a day trip on the 20th April, and happen to come by Bundanoon, feel free to drop in and celebrate my inaugural market day with me!!!!

the disappearing geminisc

Sorry for disappearing off the face of the vox world lately. I've been very busy lately and haven't had time to update. And when I *do* have time to update, I discover that my camera batteries have run out of power, and I seem to have lost my charger! Grrrrr.

Feeling very frustrated because there's lots of stuff I want to share with you guys that only pics can show! LOL.

Anyway, I opened my email this morning, and what did I see?

Joppa has another free shipping sale. *clutches hair*

Someone save me. I'm currently putting together a ghost cart... Did anyone ever try the Medium #3? For those of you who match Naughty Manx, how does Medium  #3 compare?

So what has the disappearing geminisc been up to? Well, this past easter weekend I was busy making things for my stall. I plan to start selling at my local market at the end of April. So I was busy formulating on the weekend. Looking at all my finished products it looks very exciting. And I can't wait to get started! It feels like I've been waiting forever to do this.

I also revamped my foundation, and it seems like a good match - but I won't be able to tell for sure until I see pictures. However based on the lighting in my bathroom and in mirrors whenever I can get near one, it's looking good. And the finish is lovely and smooth and matte.

Got the bf to give me his opinion, and he actually hesitated before he picked my normal side (I wore foundation on one side, and no makeup on the other). His reasoning was a bit odd though.

Me: "which side do you like better?"

Bf: [hesitates] "ummm... they both look good. Maybe.... your left."

Me: "why?"

Bf: "you can see your pores on that side"

Me: "but that's BAD!!!"

Bf: "I know. Your left just seems.. 'brighter' somehow." [shrugs helplessly and then runs away before I ask him more questions"

*shakes head*

I think he meant that my foundation side would've evened out skin tone better, and therefore my natural blush wouldn't have come through as much, etc etc. Of course I could be wrong, and large pores are all the rage...

I tried it on my chest this morning, and while you can see it slightly when you put it on, once you buff it in, it disappears. I'm finding that my foundation also feels lighter than my Manx to apply. Less drag. If anything, it feels very soft and light, but definately not powdery. Finish also seems good. I put it down mainly to there being slightly more coverage. I wish I could find my charger so I could show you the pics.

I also made a finishing powder, but realised that while it worked, it went on slightly white. So I need to reformulate that one. But I'm definately getting there, in terms of what things I do and don't need (another reason NOT to buy from Joppa). But free shipping is soooo tempting!!! *bites nails*

Me Geminisc. Me Brush Ho'

Oh no. I opened my email today to discover a trojan horse sitting in my inbox. An email from Coastal Scents showing their range of new brushes.

Pink handles.

Pink Flat Top Bronzer = $7.49

Pink Duo Fiber Brush = $7.49

Pink Blending Fluff Brush = $1.99

Pink Kolinksy Lip Brush = $2.79 and it looks sooo swish in its silver case.

*sobs*

I don't NEED any more brushes.

Although I eyed my old CS Flat Top this morning and wished I could have the same brush in softer EDM or Lumiere bristles.

And there's this sable flat top with a pink handle... which claims to be super soft. *drools*

*drowns in puddle of drool*

geminisc and her gew-ellery gallery

So I was a busy little thing this weekend. Sat down and made some more pieces of jewellery. Made a few more "favourites" and am constantly discovering I need more pieces to be made...

I am also running low on wire and eye pins, among other things. Who would've thought I'd run out of supplies so quickly?

Blue Mother of Pearl with Pearls

Here is the first piece on the right. Remember last time when I'd started on the Mother of Pearl and pearl bead necklace? I ended up finishing it this weekend, and turned it into a two strand piece.

Snowflake Obsidian and White Quartz Set

I also realised that when I showed you my crystal and snowflake obsidian piece that I forgot to include the matching earrings. So see to the left for the full 'set'.

Chunky Amethyst Necklace and Earring Set

Below the Mother of Pearl set will be another set that you might recognise - the amethyst chunky necklace. I've started quite liking this piece. I find it's the right length and goes nicely with a number of my clothes. I made a pair of earrings to go with, but the bf reckons they look too "garish."

=/

I thought they looked nice. Like party earrings. He likes the top bit but just isn't sure about the dangles.

I've put them aside to think about for the time being.

Gold and Green Necklace and Earring Set

The 3 strand necklace on the left is another piece I made. I originally made the earrings (of which you can only see half a pair, coz I couldn't find the other one to take a photo with last night), and wanted a necklace to match. I think I made the last strand too wide again. *sigh* and I"m not sure they match all that well. So I might restring it later on.

Black and White Crackle Glass and Clear Quartz Necklace

This piece on the right is a clear quartz and crackle glass necklace. I originally intended to make it spaced out like some of my other pieces, but after I strung it up, decided I liked it the way it is.

Gold Stars and Black Onyx Necklace

I originally bought a whole bunch of stars (I just love the shape of them) and have been scratching my head as to how to use them. I decided I'd try and make a long necklace that I could string around a few times around my neck. This particular one on the left still isn't long enough to go around twice.

The bf doesn't like it - thinks the black pieces don't work with it. FYI, the black squares are squares of onyx. And the rest is glass with the yellow plastic beads. I quite like the black contrasting with the yellow. But I'm not sure if the stars are spaced out enough to not look too 'kiddy' i

Star Bracelet - undecided abt whether to have the Goldstone Green pieces underneath

f you get my drift.

Speaking of 'kiddy' I also made this bracelet, which he said reminded him of something his 10 year old niece would wear. =/ =\ Harsh, isn't he? LOL.

I quite like this bracelet.

I haven't decided if I want to continue the gemstone drops around or if I want to take them off and just have gold stars. The gemstones are goldstone green. Which I think is a synthetic gemstone. It has sparkley gold bits in it.

But seriously, I'm getting worried at some of the comments he's making. Am I starting to become too old? Things that I like, in this case jewellery makes him say it's not age appropriate. Am I going to be one of those women who wears things that are like 20 years too young for her?? And am I going to do it because I don't realise? Coz I don't want to be like that! I'm 26 - is that too old to be wearing jewellery like this bracelet, and the necklace above? Be honest. I need real feedback. So at least I know. God forbid I become one of those old grannies wearing short skirts and boots thinking I look hip when others think I look tragic. *shudders*

Goldstone Green and Tibetan Silver Bracelet

Here is another bracelet that I made out of the goldstone green gemstones. I bought like 150 pieces, so I'm playing with them atm. Not sure if I like the design or not. Each metal piece is different. At the very least, I like the weight of the stones. But I might have to be more uniform in the design (picking out the right beads).

Now onto my favourites...

Glass Aqua Swirl Necklace and Earring Set

This piece on the left I made while trying to match an outfit I inteded to wear during the weekend, but never got around to wearing.

I just used elastic beading wire (I'm nearly out of my metal beading wire)

The beads are glass aqua swirls, and the smaller ones are this irridescent blue/black plastic. The earring hooks are kidney hooks, which are different to the normal earring wires I have.

White Howlite and Onyx Necklace

Here is one that I made that I'm not 100% sure about. I've got a thing for Howlite atm (the white beads that look like marble). And the black beads are all onyx. It's actually quite funky. And very.. different. Because the black and white contrast so starkly.

White Howlite Square Necklace

This is my most favourite piece atm. It's all howlite squares (I also have a thing for flat stones), with clear plastic spacers in between. I'm wearing this piece today (scroll down to next entry to see). The lighting is a bit harsh, so you can't really see the grey marbling detail,

White Howlite and Onyx Squares Bracelet

that is a characteristic of the howlite stone.

On the right is a matching (sort of)

onyx and howlite bracelet.

I'm wearing this bracelet as well atm, and I really like it. Like I said,

White Howlite Chips with Smoky Blue Czech Glass Beads Necklace and Earring Set

I have a think for flat beads. I need to get more.

This set of blue glass and white howlite chips I wore the other day to my work function, and I must say it's quite classy. I was wearing a blue work dress, and it went perfectly. The necklace is slightly too short, a bit *too* chokerish, but I can fix that by adding a few more links to the chain. I loved how the white howlite chips dangled from my ears and caught the light. They're matte and not shiny, but they're white, and a nice chunky size. I think I will try and make more earrings in that style.  

So that's it for now. I need to get back to my MIY though. I plan to start selling next month and I've been putting it off. I need to catalogue how much packaging I have (jars etc) and then start ordering and filling them up in time for the markets. But I've been so distracted with the jewellery making. It's just so much easier than miy. I can put the beads together in any configuration, and if I don't like it, I can move them around.

MIY? I test something out. If it doesn't work I have to start from scratch, but it's sooo much more time consuming, and MESSY. The amt of clean up involved, OMG. Don't get me wrong, I'm not abt to quite on the MIY. I've invested too much into it. Not to mention the fact that I am using all my own products and couldn't bear being at the mercy of other ppl for skincare and cosmetic products.

Anyway, either way, I'm having LOADs of fun atm, in case you haven't noticed ;)