Sunday, August 24, 2008

New Glasses & A Trapezoidal Nightmare


So, I finally found about 5 minutes in my weekly schedule to make an appointment with an optometrist in town where, yes, they determined, I need a prescription, and though my eyesight is near 20/20, I am, well, yes, maturing, and perhaps a prism for those astigmatisms. Yes, I agreed, I have astigmatisms, but I have no idea abut this aging business.

I found another 5 minutes (different week, mind you) to drop my prescription off at a shop that promised to sell me glasses that make me look, smart, no scratch that, intelligent, no scratch that, too. I think it was glamorous.

And finally..finally, I have my glamorous new glasses and I look 10x more intelligent and about that many years younger, and I could be on the cover of Vogue. No, really.

But there is a problem. Everything is a trapezoid and I feel, like, a foot shorter.

OK, what's the big deal, really, that the world is now a short trapezoid? I'll tell you what's the big deal, I need to see right angles. I need to be able to ship glass and cut corners (not the shortcut kind, either), and do all that stuff without the aid of a ruler! I have the skill for that. But now, I am seeing trapezoids everywhere. My monitor, my picture frames, my dog.

Trapezoids aren't all bad. That's why I have the photo of the gorgeous table in this post. The designer, Nathan Hunter, must have prisms in his glasses. I'm sure of it. To see more gorgeous tables like this visit this website.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

The Perfect Party Pack - How to Make Gorgeous Glass Pendants, Magnets & Rings!


Today marks my one year Etsyversary (one year on Etsy), and to mark this auspicious occasion I have developed and launched the Perfect Party Pack! The Perfect Party Pack is a quart sized paint can that's filled to the brim with all the ingredients you need to create your very own gorgeous glass tile pendants, magnets and rings!

The paint can is elegantly decorated with gorgeous Japanese Chiyogami paper and is hand labeled right here in my studio. Each item is carefully wrapped and packed inside the paint can to ensure everything arrives intact.

Here's what's included:
- 10 smooth edge clear glass tiles - .875" or 2.2cm square
- 10 smooth edge clear rectangles - .875" (7/8") x 1.875"
(1-7/8") or 2.2cm x 4.8cm
- 10 clear glass cubes
- 10 clear glass wafers
- 10 clear glass mini gems
- 20 Silver plated Aanraku bails
- 20 magnets
- 10 Silver plated adjustable rings
- 2 fl.oz. Diamond Glaze
- 1 tube of E-6000 jewelry adhesive (other kits have vials)
- assortment of Premium Chiyogami & Florentine papers, untrimmed
- 10 nickel plated stainless steel bead chains, 16" length
- Professional Tutorial PDFs with photos & tips
- 1 metal paint can to keep it all organized

I can't believe I got it all in there, and you won't be disappointed! So gather your friends and have some fun and make some pretty little things of your own!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Fun with Bottle Cap and Pendant Designs!


I don't know how many of these designs I'll make, probably a limited amount of them, but they're so darn fun and cute! It's like candy to me, but they're a bit time consuming and off the beaten track from the rest of my products.

A dear friend of mine who makes hairbows had a special request from me, and while I know my time is somewhat valuable (to me at least), I also like to help fellow small business owners when needed. Sandi asked if I would design a few images for bottle caps that she could give away with her How to Make Bottle Caps tutorial on Etsy and they turned out stinkin' cute if I do say so myself!

Each image and all of their components are created by me here in my studio. I've taken the color palette from the Made to Match Gymboree (M2MG) collection so they'd coordinate with current children's clothing trends and with Sandi's ribbons. So they're easy to match with ribbons for bottle cap hair bows or as a bottle cap necklace that coordinates with your child's clothing.

I offer the pdf file for $2.00 apiece in my Etsy store, but if you'd like to learn how to make beautiful bottle caps from someone who makes them beautifully, I recommend buying the extremely affordable tutorial from Pretty Bowtique on Etsy!