A Bit of Floss

Oh Minx, oh my!

2010-10-08T22:49:00.001+11:00

Here's my latest look - Minx nails in "Katy Perry" flowers - so called because Katy Perry has worn this design. I have had so many comments and compliments. This isn't limited to fingers either - Minx toes look amazing too.

For those who are wondering "WTF is Minx?", check out the website Minx Nails for more info. There are heaps of designs and it's easy to have applied - no chemicals, just some heat and a Minx Master.

If you live in Melbourne (Australia), you can get your own Minx nails at Nail Ink in Beaumaris. Thanks to Chelsea for her awesome work!

Pretty hands make difficult work

2010-09-18T16:13:00.000+10:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted here. Life has just whizzed by. I have started getting my nails done regularly as part of my self-preservation-in-the-face-of-sleep-deprivation-induced-insanity approach to life. Here's some pics of what I've had so far - thanks to Chelsea at Nail Ink for her amazing work.

Glitter fade with stamping

Glitter fade with polka dots

Glitter fade

One caveat - these look great, but are highly dysfunctional. I've discovered lots of things that are much harder to do with pretty hands:

press buttons - especially to flush the loo!
type - my error rate has skyrocketed
make jewellery - particularly anything that requires stringing small round beads
pick up coins I've dropped - I have to push the coin to an uneven part of the floor to get a nail under to lift it, today someone had to pick the coin up for me!
get any kind of cream or hair product out of a tub - I'm left with a horrible collection of stuff under the nail.

Three shades of glitter

Market in the park....

2010-02-28T19:45:00.001+11:00

Glen Eira Council ran a Party in the Park today in Allnut Park, Mckinnon. One feature was an art and craft market. I decided to give it a go.

Luckily the weather held out and although there was a cold breeze, it didn't rain, and the sun even made an appearance.

The event ran from 12-4pm. There were about 15 craft stalls selling products including handmade childrens hats, bags, purses, smocks, bookmarks, ceramics and greeting cards. There were also lots of activities for kids - the popular ones were cupcake decorating (and eating) & lantern/mask/badge making, as well as an entertainment stage.

As far as the market went, I probably wouldn't do it again. Lots of people looked but most were really there for the activities, not for buying. I think a separate market event, minus activities and other distractions, would have been a better option for stallholders.

A Nice Surprise....

2010-02-05T12:40:00.003+11:00

Well, I often check the Etsy Treasury Clock on Craftopolis. It's been really helpful in working out when the Treasuries will open. There's also another function on that site that searches to see if you are in any Treasuries. Well, I searched and I found!

You Be The Judge is a treasury by OceanAvenueSilks, a member of the CCCOE, otherwise known as the California Crafter's Club of Etsy. My "Bones" resin bead necklace is included.

The CCCOE ran a poll promotion which offered the opportunity for voters to be featured in a Treasury.
I do enter these types of promotions, just for fun, but without expectation. It was a great way to see some amazing creations!

Anyhoo, check out the Treasury and give it some clicky love!

Crafty Days - my latest experiments

2010-02-02T15:12:00.002+11:00

Well, my daughter started Prep yesterday. How grown up she looked in her uniform and hat and school shoes *sniff*. Since all the kids have the same school bag, many parents have decorated them with paint and key chains so the children can easily identify their own bag. So I made a key chain for my daughter using polymer clay pieces (the red heart I made, the other heart and Pandora-style bead were made by another Etsian) Greek ceramic discs and resin beads all strung on satin cord.

I've also made my first glass tile pendant. I used some Amy Butler paper and stamped it with a black crown and silver script. It's shown here strung on a black satin cord but I'm not quite certain yet if I will continue using this or bead chain or some other material. This is a 2.5cm (1") glass disc but I'm waiting on some 5cm (2") tiles to arrive so I can make larger pendants.

Green and Gold

2010-01-24T16:33:00.004+11:00

Well, Australia Day is coming up on 26 January. Now I know for some, they see it as "Invasion Day" and I can understand their point of view. Their land was invaded by strangers from far away and things have never been the same since.

But I'm not here to go into the politics of Australia Day. I'm just here to share my latest Treasury West collection, celebrating Australia with green and gold from Australians.

Green and gold are Australia's official national colours and have been since 1984. They are the colours of Australia’s national floral emblem – the golden wattle.

They even have a PANTONE reference: PANTONE®348C (green) and PANTONE®116C (gold).

To check out my Treasury in more detail, click here. The Treasury expires around 15:15pm on 26 Jan so won't be visible after that.

The Thrill of a Sale

2010-01-22T11:59:00.001+11:00

Well, I made my second sale today, on Etsy that is. I've sold plenty of pieces at markets but somehow, an Etsy sale seems a lot more significant. Of course by posting this, I've just Murphy's Law'ed myself out of ever making a sale again :).

I think every new Etsian's dream is to wake in the morning and find your inbox full of Etsy transaction notifications. I'm happy just to have one at the moment.

It's amazing how something so small can have such a huge impact on a person's confidence and esteem.

Polymer Clay Pendants

2010-01-13T16:49:00.000+11:00

Well, I've actually finished a few pendants that I think are pretty good for a first try. I used a mixture of textures, stamps and colours. Which of my designs do you like?

I'm waiting on some new textures, ink, stamps and cookie cutters to arrive in the mail. Meanwhile, I've been watching some polymer clay tutorials online (I love the internet) to learn some new techniques.

I've also been making some more jewellery pieces - earrings in a range of different styles.

Playing with Polymer Clay

2010-01-09T21:30:00.001+11:00

I like to experiment with new techniques so a while back I bought some polymer clay and associated tools (I already had the pasta machine). I hadn't really done much with it but last night I got all the equipment out again and had a play around with the clay and some texturing stamps and also some ink stamps.

It really is a lot of fun but very tricky and fiddly to get everything nice and neat and minus fingerprints! I've got a long long way to go to get there but hey, I'm gonna have fun doing it!

I'm now busy checking out cutters and texture plates online.

Timing for Treasury

2010-01-08T12:18:00.000+11:00

If you've been trying to get a spot on Etsy's Treasury or Treasury West but never know when the number of lists will hit that magic number, try using Craftopolis' Treasury Clock to help you work out when to even bother looking.

I've used it this past week and have had listings in both Treasury and Treasury West. Of course, I've had to sit at the computer and wait for the right moment, which could be at midnight, but patience is rewarded.

Make sure you have your listing IDs all ready to go. Try using Poster Sketch to set up your Treasury well before you want to even try to get a listing.

Check out my current Treasury West collection Ets(y) and the City.