~ Are You Craftgawker-Worthy? ~

Recently I stumbled up on craftgawker.com. According to the site, it is " a gallery where anyone can showcase their art, crafting and photography skills. It's a place for you to discover new artists and homemade goods to inspire your own creations. Anyone can submit pictures, if they follow our simple site rules..."

I have seen sites like this before but they were not done well. It's hard to vote or it isn't pleasant to look at or it's hard to submit. I was surprised at how well this site was put together. By the way, I am a snob when it comes to web sites. That's one of the reasons I quit Artfire before their makeover.

Look at that. Simple. Nice to look at. The submission form is simple too. Just need to upload the picture, give it a title, 140 word description and a link to where you found the picture (the Etsy listing is fine here).

I signed up for an account and submitted 2 pictures. First, my new pride and joy, the Elizabeth earrings. I think this is one of my best pictures.

I also submitted a picture of Kendra Becharmed.

All submissions are moderated. Guess which one got rejected...the Elizabeth Earrings!! Reason cited was "Dull/unsharp image". Ouch. Ok. I guess the picture is a little bit fuzzy. I submited a few more today. Let's see how many of those will be rejected.

By the way, you know you are an Etsy addict if you recognize about half the pictures on the site and remember what shops they are from :) Looks like a fellow ACE chick got accepted right after me. Good job dkjewels! I never even saw those earrings before, but I just knew it was hers. She has good branding.

Let me know if you get accepted so I can go gawk at your items.

~ The Kindness of the Etsy Community ~

[image from mamamonkey.etsy.com ... click to go to the shop]

I know there are many other handmade sites for artists out there. But, I have stuck with Etsy and one of the main reason is that I love the Etsy community. Some people say there are a lot of drama and calling out, and yes there is. But, there is also a lot of support and just simple kindness here.

A special act of this kindness has been bestowed upon me and I am so very happy. Here's the story...A supplier didn't send me my backordered items and are very unresponsive. So, I was very frustrated and posted this in the forums:

"I ordered about $90 worth of sterling silver findings and tools during a sale at a bead store online. It's not a very big bead store and they have a physical store in Florida. I figured it was a good sale and bought a bunch of stuff and I have bought from them before. It's been 6 months and they have not shipped me the backordered items which is about $80 worth of supplies. I have emailed and emailed and they stopped responding to my emails. The last email I got said "We will ship your items when they arrive". That was in April. I started calling them 2 weeks ago. Supposedly, they changed owners. The guy I talked to said, he'll call me back. He didn't. Called again. He said he's driving and he'll call me back. He didn't. Call again, he said he's driving and he'll call me back. He didn't. Called again. No answer so I left a message. I am not asking for money back. I just want my headpins. Now, I have ordered from other small suppliers who have physical stores and everything worked out fine. I am very disappointed now and will think twice...no probably 10 times...before ordering from a small supplier again. I paid with Paypal so I am about to file a complaint through them. I know it's been a long time and I should have file the complaint probably 3 months ago. I just wanted to talk to a person there before I do that."

I got a few comments and advice about how I can try to get my money back or get a response from the supplier. One person actually convoed me and offered to send me some sterling silver head pins! I declined because I can't just accept free things from her for no reason. But she insisted. So, I figured, her shop has cute stuff, so I'll just order some headpins from her.

I just got the package yesterday, super fast shipping! And there's so much more inside than I ordered!!! She's such a sweetie that she took time to look at my shop and put together this thoughtful package.


I was so shocked and surprised and I just couldn't believe it. After I thanked her for the package, she told me what her great aunt once told her ...

"the way to live a life you're happy with is to do random acts of kindness every day. One for your children if you have them, one for your parents if they're still around, one for your mate, one for a friend and one for someone you don't know."

Sometimes you may think everyone in the world is out to look out for themselves. But, there are people who will genuinely help others for no other reason than to be kind. I have decided that all the extras I got will be made into special jewelry that I will list as PIF (pay it forward) items. Thanks you Margaret from GlitterCritter. Your kindness is very much appreciated.

~ suck UK: Interesting Products ~

I randomly landed on suckUK website today and love their products! There are a few eco-friendly products and a lot of smart, well designed, innovative products. Here are some of my favorites:

The Sun Jar It charges up during the day and lights up at night. How cute is that? Comes in different colors.

Notebook Pencil I wish I had this when I was in school. I forgot my pens and pencils a lot.

Origami Sticky Note Pads I use a lot of postIts. I love them and stick them everywhere. I do feel bad for wasting paper sometimes and this would be fun to have. My cube shelf will be full of them.

Smoking Mitten When I lived at the dorms, there were all these people huddling at the door, shivering and smoking when it's -30 degrees outside. I think they would really like these.

Dead Fred and Hanging Harry These are just too funny.

Pet Gold Fish Bin Bags I need some of these for sure. Garbage day is horrendous in my circle.

Alt Mugs I just love the one for golf balls. Every office should have one.

PickUrPine This is one of the cooleset toothpick holder I have ever see.

Character Bag This is just adorable and so smart. It's a reusable bag and when you are not using it, you can tug it in and make it look like a bunny, butterfly and more!

There are a lot of fun stuff on their site. Check it out! I did a quick search and didn't see any place that sells these things in the US. Can someone pick up a character bag for me next time you when you are in UK?

~ Toyota iQ ~

Ok...I saw this on Bit Rebels and I just have to share! This is so cute! May I present the Toyota iQ.

I think it's cuter than the smart car. Check out the videos:

Maybe if I have that car, I can drive like that too? But you have to wonder...how are they going to get out of that spot? Well....

It's supposedly a little bit smaller than the smart car and it fits 4 people. According to consumerguideauto.com, it may come to the US as a Scion in 2011! And look, they have a yellow model!!!!

If they really come out with that, I am going to get it no matter what. Ok...I am going to try really hard, though I doubt my fiance will agree to this car. Isn't it just adorable??

~ Momo Madness ~

Usually, I don't let Momo run around upstairs because he just can't be trusted not to chew on things and not to pee on the carpet. Now that I moved my little workshop upstairs though, I feel bad for leaving him alone downstairs, so he gets to come up and hang out with me. And this is what we do when I take a break.



Fun stuff right?? haha I love how he turned his head and stares at the camera at the end. Isn't he crazy? Oh yeah, don't pay attention to that weird painting in the back. It's an old high school art project. It actually is painted on both sides and I actually made a frame for it. But one day, my dad needed some 2x2 wood planks and took it from the frame...oh well.

I posted about Momo's new friend before and I am very excited that I will have him with me for 10 days! Momo is going to be so happy and they are just going to have so much fun! I will be sure to take lots of pictures and videos so watch for them!

~ Forget About a Lightbox ~

Back in Febrary, I blogged about how I made two light boxes and how wonderful they were. They have been collecting dusts for the past few months. I wake up early to take pictures nowadays. My guest bedroom gets really good sunlight in the morning and I just happen to have a spot there to set up a mini studio. I basically prop up white paper and take pictures. When shooting the cute scenes with my charms, I prop up a cloud print and grass print.


I like the pictures I get. No more blue tint! I have tried both my Canon Powershot and my new Pentax DSLR. I am not using manual mode on the DSLR, so I think both are comparable. Can you guess which of the following pictures is taken with the DSLR?



Can barely tell right? I do think that the DSLR has better color and field of depth in general. And it definitely doesn't give me that blue tint that I usually get with the Canon. But, both of these things you can fix using Picasa or Picnik. So, in conclusion, no, you don't need a DSLR for good pictures. I just use it 'cause I have one :)

So, I got up a little bit late to take pictures on Saturday and my makeshift studio isn't as bright as I would like it to be. I decided to shoot a few pictures on the window sill because it was brighter. I was so surprised that it turned out so well! I have read on the forums and on various tutorials that window sill is a good place to take pictures, but it didn't register in my head till I did it!



The window sill just adds subtle details and interest to the picture that makes it look so much better than plain white paper. It really sets the mood. I also think it just matches these two earrings a lot. The sunlight also make the crystals sparkle so much! That's what it looks like to me and I am glad I can finally capture the sparkliness.

Just look at this crystal AB starfish necklace!


So, I am decently happy with my pictures nowadays. There's still room for improvement, but I am happy with my schedule now: around 9-10am for make shift studio pictures and 11am-1pm for window sill pictures. The window sill is too bright and the sunlight is too direct early in the morning.

I may have to dust of my lightbox in the winter, but for now, I am in love with my window sill. I would love to hear from you about these pictures! Any tips will be greatly appreciated!

~ What's Wrong with Single Adults ~

How typical is the following conversation:

BFF A: "Hey, I just met this really cute guy. He's 28, tall, makes a decent living, knows how to cook and ...just so cute. Are you interested?"

BFF B: "Oh yeah? What's wrong with him? Does he have 2 heads ?"

Of course, this applies to girls too. I know I ask "What's wrong with him/her?" a few times, without really thinking about it. For some reason, when someone said to me today "How can she be single? She's so great!", I got a little defensive. I am not single so I am not defending myself, but I think this is more for all my wonderful single friends.

So, I just want to say this. Why can't wonderful people be single? Why do a lot of people assume that if people are over, say 25, and are single, there must be something wrong with them? I can think of many reasons that people are single:

1. Haven't found the right one yet.
2. Not looking for a relationship because they are planning on dramatic changes in their lives like a big move, or graduation.
3. Not ready for a relationship. Maybe they want to build a career first. Maybe they want to focus on school.
4. Don't believe in monogamy.

They can be surrounded by awesome, wonderful people, but don't have romantic feelings for them. Just because 2 great people meet, doesn't mean they will fall in love and date. If that's the case, there won't be monogamy in this world.

So, continuing from the conversation...

BFF A: "There's nothing wrong with him!"

BFF B: "Is he really picky? Does he want a super model with lots of money?"

Ok, in reality, who isn't picky about who they want to date? I am not talking about the "players" here, just regular people. Once again, if people are not "picky", there will be no monogamy. Everyone is looking for something different.

I think this whole attitude also contributes to a person's pain when a relationship ends. It's like people are programmed to think "He doesn't want to be with me anymore, there must be something wrong with me. No one will want me anymore." If you ever think that, take a good look at yourself. There's probably nothing majorly wrong with you. You have flaws like everyone else. He can't accept those flaws or he just doesn't have feelings for you anymore. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you.

Please note that those statements are not directed at anyone specific. I am just saying :)

All pictures shown in this post is from art work by gorjuss™. Click on the pictures to go to the listing in Etsy.

~ NYX Cosmetics ~

I went shopping with my very fashionable friend today. We stopped by this big jewelry store and found a very, very good collection of NYX cosmetics. I was so excited because I have heard a lot of good things about that brand and how the colors are really solid.

The store looks like it just recently started stocking NYX stuff 'cause all the testers look really new! We started playing with their 10 color eye shadow palettes and just want it. The colors are very solid. It goes on so easily and feels really smooth.


My friend actually has this and I have seen it in action. It looks awesome!!!


I just love the packaging. I am sorry. I am very shallow like that.


So, my friend was about to buy some eye shadow too. Only $12 for the palette and there was a 10% off deal. We spent so much time trying out the colors and looking at all the different things and then she asked me, "isn't p.r.o.c. China?"

Hmmm... yes it is. People's Republic of China. Everything we had in our hands were made in China. Now, I am not saying that things made in China are bad. But, you have to admit, some are questionable. And I do understand that if it's not safe, they wouldn't be selling it here. We do have the FDA to protect us.

But, like my friend said, "I am not putting made-in-China things on my face". Hmm...so if there's lead in the shoes made in China, it'll kill us the same way as if it's in the eyeshadow right? But she's right. What if it is just bad enough to do local damage. I would much rather have permanent damage to the skin on my feet than my face. So, we put everything down and left. It's ok though. I don't put on makeup much so I shouldn't be buying it.

When I got home, I looked on their website. This all-purpose glitter palette look like so much fun!


These are lip glosses!


*sigh* I just need to keep telling myself that I don't need that stuff. I won't use it anyway.

I wonder how much of my current cosmetics stash is "made in p.r.o.c." If I remember correctly, at least some of the ELF cosmetics are made in China. Oh well, I am not throwing them away for now. I don't use it much so it probably won't do much damage even if it is bad. Right?

~ Weekend Deal ~

So, Etsy has been promoting these weekend deals a lot lately. Of course I had to jump on the wagon! I was so excited to find out that I made it in this weekend's gift guide! See the third one?? that's mine!


This is the first time I made it into the gift guide so I am super excited! So far, it looks like it has gotten me a lot of views, but few sales and few hearts. I was hoping they would pick one of my cute phone charms, but I guess they like the hair comb more.

So, what's my weekend deal?? 10% off all your purchases till Sunday, August 23rd, 11:59pm EST. Yes, even the sale items are included. Just put "Weekend deal" in message to seller and I will refund you through Paypal.

I browsed around the gift guide and found a few really cool items too!
From NYCrochet, 15% off all purchases.


From Bathtub Bling...up to 25% off!


From trendastrinkets, 15% off everything.


From etcArts, 33% off all pendants!


And I happened to see the newest member of the Etsy Jewelry Sampler team in the gift guide too! corybethy is offering free shipping on everything. Check out her awesome shop. She's part of the team for a good reason you know :)


For more great deals, check out the gift guide! Happy shopping!

~ Cute Cute Cute ~

So I saw these phone charms when I was in Hong Kong and I just LOVE the. So, naturally, I had to learn how to make them and share them with you! These charms are great for your phone, Nintendo DS and any gadgets or bags. They also look great hanging off your rearview mirror and works as a suncatcher!

Here they are, in the order that they were created...

Lizzy has been adopted and now adorn a cell phone.

Rihanna has been adopted and now hang out with a cute black purse.

Beth loves to knit! Check out her warm cozy hat! She's waiting for adoption.

Kendra is the typical friendly Aquarius and would love to go home with an Aquarius like her.

Scarlett is a Scorpio just like Scarlett Johasson. Do you want to take her home?

The following girls haven't been named yet. Got any ideas?

This one is a sweet heart. All-around girlie girl who loves sweetness!



This girl is a Capricorn in a beautiful white dress.

This girl is a Cancer. Look at the cute little crab hat!

I will be making more tonight and listing them in my shop throughout the weekend. I am excited :)