~ Upcycled Some Sticks ~

I peeked at my dad's tool table yesterday to see what treasures he's hiding in there. This is what I saw lying on the table.


What is that?? Why are there sticks on the table? Well...my dad has these metal files that he uses to smooth out miscellaneous things and they don't have a handle. So, my dad found some sticks lying on the ground and thought that they would make great handles. A little bit of sawing, sanding and drilling later...




I was thinking of making this into a tutorial, but I think if you have one of these things, you are crafty enough to know how to make it by looking at it. Please let me know if you need more detailed instructions and I'll ask my dad.

My dad never ceases to amaze me. Now, I feel better about the big tree in front of my house. It does more than shed bags and bags of leaves of my lawn and provide a home for birds to poop on my car. It gives my dad inspiration and materials for his creations.

~ Etsy Milestone: 100th Item Listed ~

Before I know it, I have been on Etsy for about 6 months. Today, I finally listed my 100th item for the first time! Here it is, a simple Swarovski pearl and crystal necklace for a blushing bride.


Matching earrings are available too!


I guess this is a good time to review my goals I set when I started this blog.
Goals (setting it low for now):

• 1 sale a week for the till June - Yay! I exceeded that!
  
• 6 sales a month by September
• 2 sales a week by December

I am at 46 sales now with some sales to friends off Etsy. I am hoping to reach 50 sales soon! My reward for reaching 50 sales is a mannequin head to show off my earrings and probably another big crystal order. Here are the heads I am looking at.

Lisa


Tina:


No name for her...let's call her......Suki.


Thanks to Julia from customcute for researching for me. I think I am leaning towards Suki. What do you think?

~ Pretty Nails with Stickers ~

So, I don't do my nails very often. Just don't have the time. But, I have been taking pictures of my creations for my shop with my hand in it (so you can gauge the size of the pieces better) and I realized that my nails are ruining my pictures!

Then, for my brother's wedding, I put some white flower stickers on my nails to look pretty and they turn out so nice in the pictures!

It's so easy too! You just peel them off, put them on and put a top coat. They lasted over a week. Now, the only annoying thing is dealing with these tiny stickers. I bought a kit at Walmart (maybe it was Target) that had the stickers, the top coat and a little stick that helps you put the stickers on. These cost about $2- $5 a sheet. They also have ones that are just little crystals you put on the nails. Fun, fun, fun!

I saw a beach themed sheet at Sally's Beauty Supplies and it was $5. I think that's super expensive, but I couldn't resist. My rationale is that it's perfect for my Beach Glamour collection.

I have about 5 sheets of stickers right now, but I am feeling a little bit obsessive. I want to get a wholesale lot on ebay like this one. I must resist!

~ My Treasury: I Will Wait Forever ~

Wow, for some reason I thought it was Tuesday when I posted my Summer Dress entry. But, duh, it's Wednesday! I am supposed to do a spotlight. Maybe I need to sleep more...

Anyway, here's this week's spotlight! I was feeling sad and romantic, thinking about the sad love stories I have read and seen on TV, still thinking about the ocean too. So, this spotlight is a little bit more somber than usual. It's a love story. A story of a girl who fell in love by the sea. And how she lost her lover to the sea. And how she despairs and prays for him. For one day, she believes he'll return. She'll wait for him forever.

~ Summer Dresses ~

To a lot of my friends, I am a very girly girl. I think it's just because I wear dresses and skirts all the time. And I really mean all the time. Unless I have to wear pants for like outdoor activities or it's too cold, I wear dresses. Why? Because I want to be pretty! ... Ok. Just kidding. The truth is.... it's more comfortable. Plain and simple.

Every year, I buy a lot of dresses from Forever 21. They are cute. They are cheap. What's not to love? Is quality good? Not all the time. I think the average lifespan of my dresses are about 2 years. I usually get stuff online. Free shipping over $75. You can return at the store, so it's super easy. And it's so much easier looking at stuff online.

So, here is my first Forever 21 haul of the year.

Ariel Shimmer Maxi Dress: $27.80 I love this. Usually, I don't wear that kind of dress because I am insecure. I feel like it's going to fall off me. But, I think I can pull this one off. The chest part is slightly padded and it's very tight on me. I got a small. What I really love is the shimmer in the fabric. It's subtle, but so pretty!


See the shimmer?


Smock Waist Floral Dress: $22.80 You may be wondering where you have seen this dress before. Hmm....yeah. I have this in yellow already that I got last year. One of my favorite dresses. I will wear it everyday that won't cause weird looks from my coworkers. So, I got blue this time :)



Though...I really like the red too. What to do, what to do?


Marlena Woven Dress: $15.80 Ok....this is not good. Fabric sucks. It's very wrinkled and doesn't fit well. It's also too short. It's $16. I thought I would get it to see what it looks like. Going to return this one.


The last dress I got is awesome. I can't find it on the website anymore though. It's a sexy party halter with ruffles on the bottom. It's bright, colorful and fun! But, I am going to return it. I love it, but I don't think I will wear it much since I don't party like I used to. *sigh* I am not 21 afterall.


Banded Strap Knit Dress $17.80 Ok...this is a dress I grabbed from the store before I went to the island. I love it. It's yellow, it's comfy, it's casual. I can wear this every day that I am not wearing my yellow floral dress. It's a lil bit padded so you know what that means.


That's what it looks like on me.


I think I want a blue one too. Also comes in black and pink.


Since I am returning 2 dresses and I am going to get store credit, I need to place another order soon :) Thinking about these two:
Not 100% sure about this one....


I think I am really going to like this one.


Yay. Going to wear my blue floral dress tomorrow. Now...what jewelry to wear with it?

~ New Swarovski Bicones 5328 ~

Anyone who has made anything with Swarovski crystals probably played with the 5301 bicone beads. They are basically the most basic beads and come in the most colors. You can weave them, wirewrap them in clusters, embed them in chains and more! I use a lot of bicones, for example...






Now, Swarovski is phasing out the 5301 for 5328s. Supposely, it has more facets so it's even sparklier. And the edges are rounder so it's more comfortable against the skin.
Here's 5301:

Here's 5328:

The 5328 does look less sharp around the middle. I like it. Now, I just wonder if I should stash away my 5301s for 20 years and then sell them as "vintage".

Some stores started to carry the 5328s this month! Just got an email from Artbeads. They have 20% off the 5328 6mm crystal ab beads. Supposedly it's only for their newsletter readers, but I am sure you can find it on their website. If not, let me know and I will forward you the email. They also carry these in violet and tanzanite, two very pretty colors.

How exciting! And I can't wait to see what new shapes and colors they have for the fall. I love Swarovski!

~ I Recommend: H2O Plus Hair Repair Seaweed Masque ~

I love this! I have really long hair and I had highlights done this past October. Needless to say, my hair can get dry and brittle. The highlighted strands can get really split, like a tree with lots of branches. But, I like to think that it's not bad. It still looks decently smooth and shiny right? By the way, I don't use any styling products.


About a year ago, my friend was using this stuff at the gym and she shared with me. We lathered it in our hair, sat in the sauna room and basked in the aroma of the sea. I didn't think anything of it. When my hair finally dried (I don't blow dry, I am lazy), I was so surprised that it really felt hydrated! It's not sticky or heavy. It just felt soft. It felt good. And the nice smell stayed till the next time I washed my hair (about 48 hours later). Now, the smell is not your typical girly good smell. It's not fruity, it's not floral. It's.... like the sea :)

It sells online for $17.50. Every once in a while you can find this at TJMaxx for $4.99. I grab all of them every time I see them! Try it next time you see one at TJMaxx. It's worth the $5!!