Autumn Flowers

Autumn flowers for autumn jewelry fashion- yes, that's what I was looking for: asters, chrysanthemums, pansies or may be autumn crocuses. But what I found instead were the leaves and the trees.

All the way from our neighborhood streets in Walnut Creek, California to the tree studded streets in Central Park, New York I found spectacular burst of colors. (I went to visit my daughter, Antara for the Thanksgiving holidays.)

Shades of orange, crimson, sienna, yellow ochre,burnt cinnamom mesmerized me. I couldn't wait to create something with this energetic inspiration. I could not wait for mail order deliveries either, so I went straight to our neighborhood Concord bead store- Just Bead It and bought some fabulous glass leaf beads.

I played with them for awhile, mixed them up with some left over amber teardrops from another project and with gold filled wire I created my autumn necklace and then a pair of matching earrings too. I gave them to Antara.

I was a bit unsure if I did the right thing adding the ambers though I liked the yellow hue it radiated, but Antara said those ambers made it special. I liked the way it fell right under her collar bone and the hollow of her throat. (I chose the length 16'' )

Check my web site Bead-z-mommys-business where I plan to put the instruction about how I made it and other resources.

See, I went to look for autumn flowers, for their form, texture and color to incorporate in my autumn jewelry design, where I found them were in the wholesomeness of the colorful trees. It reminds me of a line from my favorite poet Rabindranath Tagore:

I travel far away to see the mountains and the seas. What I miss to notice is right at my doorway- a drop of dew on a blade of grass.

Down to Business

One fine morning finally I decided to get into business with my jewelry hobby. No, it'll not be in my name, I'd rather name it ALANKARSHILPA. In my language Bengali, (and in Sanskrit too, the ancient sages' language of India) it means the art of ornamenting, making things beautiful.

So, I went to our county clerk's office, paid $30 and filed the fictitious name. They call it DBA (Doing Business As). I had to pay $50 extra to run this auspicious news in local papers for four weeks.

I joined a free small business starters' seminar. There were many fellow starting arts and crafts entrepreneurs. I, being a bit shy (yeh right!) didn't talk much. But from their discussions and stories, came to know that most cities around here donot require a city permit. So I am safe.

Lo and behold! Few months later I received a letter from the city office Hey! you are doing business without telling us? Where is your city permit?

I hurry to the city office. The lady hands me a long form which with many questions asks how much did I sell? "None, nothing so far, Mam.' I reply.
"Well, then you have to pay the higher rate option which is $305. If you anticipate to sell something from $1-$10.000 you pay $23."
"Of course, of course I will, at least by the end of the year... I hope" I gulp.

"Very well, then. Go downstairs and get your Home owners' permit. They may want to visit your residence before granting you .." Oh my!

So I go down, fill up another form which inquires - Are you planning to have clients in your house?
"Yes Sir, I plan to have jewelry home parties sometimes, may be two or three times a year."

"Nope. You can't have a bunch of cars in front of your house. That will be very inconvenient for the neighbors"

"But Sir, my neighbors are my customers and they come any way,...walking."

"I know, I know. You are honest. I like that." He winks through his bifocals.
"But let's pretend no customers. Okay? I'll cross out this part." He grins.
"Are you going to have shipments?"
"Some times may be Sir, Not too much, just one small packet through the postal service " I shake defensively.
"How many times?" He growls.
"Just once in every other month, may be Sir. "
"That's not too bad. But remember no signs, whatsoever. Okay?"
"Yes Sir." I nod like a good girl.

Then with a big thump he strikes the stamp on the paper. APPROVED.
"Sir, Are you going to come to my house?"

"Nay! May be when you have your party only. Good luck." Hay, hay, hay he gives a belly laugh.

I climb upstairs to pay for the city permit, $23, home owners permit $48, "Now where is my City Permit paper?" I demand.

"You have to go to Oakland (30 miles away) and get your Seller's Permit so that you can charge sale tax to your customers. Then come back here again."


Phew!!

Research is everything.You've got to find where you fit into the puzzle.
Mikal Ali.

To know more about starting a business please check out my entries on Business or Hobby and Working from Home at
Bead-z-mommys-business.com
Do you have such stories to share. Then please put it in the comment post. Wish you all the best- Dita.

November 4, 2008- a historical day

Today is a special day in the history of the U.S. , also for the whole world. It's almost midnight, so before the date turns I rush to post my blog.

America has a new president, who happens to be black.

It's a special day because we, the majority of the nation were anxiously waiting for this moment for a long long time. I'll remember my friend's son asking his daddy to loan him some money so that he can contribute to Obama's campaign.

I'll remember the lady whom I saw in the T.V. in Hillary Clinton's campaign. She came to vote for Hillary, but her nine year old son begs mom to vote for Obama. He has read Obama's blogs, his propositions and promises- but poor thing cannot vote yet. Mom confesses her dilemma. with tears in her eyes.

Ann Cooper , the 106 year old black lady had seen enough drama through the whole century. She had no right to vote one day, as she is a black woman. Today she came to vote, to see a black son as the president of the nation.

What is it that moved us so much in this event? It happens every four years any way. I think it is because we all relate with him deeply some how, some where. The President always mentions that the struggle is ours, the victory is ours, the failure or success will depend on us, not just him- but us.

This involvement somehow empowers you. You feel energized to do the things you do best- do the best you can, no less than that.

Today, America feels a gush of warm blood inside, ready to make a change. Let's change. Change for better.

Yes we can.

Diwali wishes and big sale in my etsy store.

I am having a big sale in my etsy store alankarshilpa.etsy.com All items are free of shipping charge. Ten percent of the sale will be donated to women for women project.This is a Diwali Sale.



Diwali is a big festival in India - where I come from originally. It'll happen on the new moon night this month. The whole nation, the cities, rural people in villages, all will get ready to clean up and start with new things. My mom used to get busy getting rid of clutter and old worn out things.The house might be painted, or washed, we'd get new things to wear and oh there would be food of course. Great food of my childhood.

We'd make the clay lamps ready to light our verandas, electric string lights would go on wrapping the tree branches and so, children would light phooljhuris which can be literally translated as "flower-lights" and all kinds of fire cracker will take away all the evilness and ignorance out of the darkness and fill up with light sparks.

This is the time when we wish each other health and happiness. And that is what I want to pass on to you too.

Birth of a jewelry website

A new website for my jewelry artist friends is born recently- named
Bead-z-mommys-business.com
The purpose of it is three folded:

1. It should help fellow jewelry artists like my self who are passionate about beading

2. Nurture the mommy aspect. Using the skill of beading we want to involve our children in learning something new, or as a mom learn something new about their world. We want to leave a legacy incorporating our beading wisdom!

3.Provide resources, ideas and strategies to be successful in running the home jewelry business

As I was creating it I was thinking of the young mothers like my sister Mou in India, my daughter Antara, who is going to be a mom soon and the many moms I became friends with, while I was a Montessori teacher for twenty years.

I am a bit techno challenged. I have come a long way since last July. Now I am getting more and more easy with blogging and all that.

Hey, Google blogging is much easier for me but I had no concept of web designing. I came to this reference of SBI and with their help this new web child is born.

Well, SBI is great and they have really kept their promise when they talk about over delivering. But there is an amazing amount of content to digest. It took me a couple of months to kind of understand and eventually launch the site.

I highly recommend SBI for its helpfulness. Whenever I am stuck I posted my problem in the forum and within 24 hours I got some help.

So now you know why I was so, so late in my blogging or uploading my stuff in the etsy store.
Do visit Bead-z-mommys-business.com for there are two or three new jewelry patterns and quite a bit of info for the mommy part. Please be patient, the web site is just new born, in very delicate stage. It will become strong, and purposeful, I assure. Just come to visit it like a loving aunt or uncle or with your grandmotherly/fatherly charm. See ya- Dita.

An Awesome Art Work

It was the first Tuesday of the month and the De Young Museum in San Francisco is free to general public that day of each month. Nina, my daughter asked if I'd like to go see the glass art exhibition by D.Chihuly there.

I always love free stuff and going to the city from our suburban Walnut Creek is a treat to me. So I jumped at her invitation.

I had no idea that Chihuly's art work is so awesome. I knew it would be great but not to this extent. It surpassed all my imagination and expectations. Now I don't have any appropriate word in my vocabulary that can justify the depth, beauty and the greatness of the artist and his art.

The very first image that I'll remember is a bowl of fruits. Here the bowl is even bigger than my dining table that can sit six people. The size of the apple was may be 2 feet in diameter. And it is not just the size but the softness and suppleness he created in those glass fruits, that is just amazing.

We went to several rooms full of extremely gorgeous art work. Sometimes they are like in a valley of gigantic icicles, at another point an illusion of sea creatures under the ocean - radiating electric lights or something like that.

I am aware how difficult the process of creating glass art could be.I had seen a few demonstrations in Murano when I visited Italy few years ago. So, what Chihuly had done with only eye (unfortunately he lost one ) is really incredible.

Somewhere I read that art transcends. It can have the spiritual power that scaffolds you to a higher plane. It does not happen very often but quality art does have that power.

And I felt that after I came back home. The images resonated inside me and I had to open my box of beads.I found a few glass beads from Murano.

Perhaps I'll make something beautiful tomorrow.

P.S. Check my etsy store at alankarshilpa.etsy.com. There are some new ones uploaded.

Marketing and Networking for your Home Based Business

I thought I could be spared.

I'd be able to hop and fly like the grasshopper or the butterfly or any other bug in my garden and would not be caught in the web.

I was mistaken. I just wanted to make jewelry and be happy with that. But I soon learned that in order to sustain that, I need to sell them.

My friends were generous and supportive. They volunteered to be buyers and I could make just enough to cover my credit card bills for the materials. My idea of working at home started to sprout.

One well wisher, seeing my glee, drew me aside and whispered in my ear - "This clientele of yours is soon going to dry up. You need to have a web site."

Web site? How do people do that? My exposure to the web at this point is limited to e mailing friends and yes, I knew how to enter a search word in Google. But web sites, blogs, my space those are for kids, not folks like me who have just started getting AARP magazines in the mail!

Soon I learned about Etsy and now I have a web site there: alankarshilpa.etsy.com. But as Tammy Powley says, you have to spend as much time in marketing as you give in making jewelry, (if not more).
TammyPowley-About.com

I learned more and more about working from home - new buzz words as social marketing, social networking etc. Well, I have come a long way.

Rena Klingenberg in her wonderful website
home-jewelry business-success-tips.com. took me by the hand to show what its all about and I am so thankful to her.

Social marketing, what I came to know , seeks to influence social behavior, to benefit the target audience and the general society.

I like that. It's not about only money and profit and more money and greed. It's about people, feelings, consciousness. It's about finding out what people need and helping them to find that if you can.

Like, what my dad used to say- create something beautiful, write your best for the sake of art, for the sake of people. My dad, Mr. Narayan Sanyal was a prolific writer in India and had written 139 books in Bengali. His subject matters were diverse. He focused on writing and never worried about money or profit from his work. Well, he was also a civil engineer by profession. With several awards in his life time, money followed him any way. Even after he was gone, his royalties are still alive and robust.
I wish I could give something like that to my readers.

I remember that back in India people dropped by unannounced for a cup of tea. Women with their on going art project used to flock at each other's
backyard. Basking in the afternoon sun they showed off their needlework or knitting project, talked about their worries, savored gossips and laughed at silly corny jokes. Art was a way of life.

Days have changed but aren't we doing just that when we visit each other's blog site? hey, the web is not such a scary horrible place then, hm?

We can't offer a cup of tea but we can offer a link.It really feels nice when I find someone came to visit my blog and left a note.
So if you do happen to come to my door please drop me a comment so that I know your presence and get a chance to know you. With all the best - Dita.
P.S.
In the family picture you can see my dad and ma- both have passed away recently, my daughter Nina, and there is me too. We were in Yosemite.

And, by the way, yesterday I finished a necklace with wire work. It was a lot of work but I was happy. The other picture is of that recently finished necklace. It's going to be in my etsy store at alankarshilpa.etsy.com

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How to make a simple one strand beaded necklace

Beaded Jewelry Pattern for the Very Beginner

Necklace with pearl and amber gemstone beads

This very easy necklace is the one that I made when I had very limited tools. The pearl-amethyst necklace came out quite pretty and I got a lot of compliment on it. If you are a beginner beader you may like to try this pattern.

Materials: needed:
* 24" beading wire (I used .012 Beadalon from Michael's. .012 thickness is important because the gemstones and the pearls have very small holes some times.)
* 2 silver crimp beads
* 2 silver beads
* 1 sterling silver toggle clasp (I got it from Fire Mountain.com) check www.firemountaingems.com
* 1 16"string of Sea Opal glass briolettes (from Fire Mountain)of which I used 14 beads
* 1 string of 2mm size rice pearls with light pink shade of which I used about 90.
* 15 amethyst glass teardrops 6mm
* 1 16" 3-4mm faceted amethyst gemstone beads (from Fire Mountain) of which I used 20 beads.

Tools:
Chain-nose plier and wire cutter (diagonal flush cutter) and one set of Crimp pliers.

If you do not know how to crimp a bead to start here is a tutorial:


Beading Instruction:
1. Cut 24" of beading wire. My finished necklace is 16". Cut more or less if you want to modify the length.

2. Take one end of the wire and one of the two components of the toggle clasp.

3. Let the wire go through the loop of the toggle clasp component.

4. String a crimp bead and then a silver bead.

5. Tighten the short end of the wire that has gone through the loop , the crimp bead and the silver bead.

6. Now crimp the bead. And put a crimp cover if you want.

7. String an amethyst gemstone bead and three rice pearls. If your beads let both parts of the wire go through their holes, very good, if not this is when you have to cut the short end of the wire with your wire cutter.

8. String the pearls and the amethyst beads maintaining the pattern of one amethyst bead, 3 pearls, one amethyst bead, 3 pearls .. until you have 10 amethyst beads in your pattern. Here you may repeat more if you want to make the necklace longer or repeat the pattern fewer times if you want it shorter.

9. After you have 10 amethyst and 30 pearls string one more pearl, an amethyst tear drop, another pearl and one sea opal briolette.

10. Repeat the pattern of one pearl. one amethyst teardrop, one pearl and one sea opal briolette for 14 times so that you have 14 sea opals. Finish with one pearl, one amethyst tear drop and four pearls.

11. Repeat the pattern you had before introducing the sea opals.That is: one amethyst, three pearls, one amethyst, three pearls... until the length is equal to the other side.

12.End with one silver bead, one crimp bead. Let the beading wire go through the loop of the other toggle clasp component.

. Pull the thread so that there is no gap. Now crimp the crimp bead.Cut the excess wire with your wire cutter.

Voila! you are done.

Healing Qualities:

Amethyst makes one gentle and amiable. It brings good luck. It is believed that pearl brings good luck too and love.

As I write this I visualize you making this necklace and finally wearing it or giving it to your loved ones.

Please drop me a comment so that I know your presence and get a chance to know you. Your feed back is important to me. With all the best- Dita.

Beaded Jewelry

A Free Jewelry Pa

Gemstone Hessonite and its Healing Power

I love the honey color hessonite gemstone. It is a rather rare and expensive garnet with all the hues of the yellow orange family. The shades may range from a shy transparent beige all the way to the daring dark crimson. I knew hessonite is auspicious and especially important in India according to Hindu astrology.

I remember one of my uncle was recommended to wear one when he was having a rather bad time in his life. I was then just a child, growing up in India. My folks used to say "He has the bad effect of Rahu and now a gomed (hessonite garnet) is needed to change his fate".

Well, what is this Rahu I thought. I got my answer today, so many years later after some studying, as I finished my necklace with the hessonite garnet.

Astronomically, Rahu is the north lunar node - Rahu and Ketu are the two points of intersection of the paths of the Sun and the Moon as they move in the celestial sphere.

Astrological significance is - the effect of Rahu can cause lethargy, greed, low esteem , bad speech. extreme worldly desire and fame, obsession, dementia and inertia....

Mythological significance:
In Hindu mythology Rahu is the culprit and the reason for solar and lunar eclipses.
Long ago the devatas (gods and goddesses, the deities, I mean) and the danavas (demons) decided to go and obtain amrita - the elixir . It will make them indestructible and immortal. They made a truce that they'll work together. But as soon as it was obtained the danavas rushed to grab the amrita. The devatas prevented them. Narayan (an important god) transformed himself into a female beauty, Mohini and distracted all the danavas with her charm. There was one sly one- Rahu, who could not be fooled. He waited for this opportunity and managed to drink the amrita. He took just one big gulp when the Sun and the Moon spotted this and quickly reported to Narayan. Narayan, using his sudarsan chakra(super disk) cut his head off.
Lo and behold, the head had the amrita and could not be destroyed. So the head of Rahu hangs forever in the celestial universe. Ketu is the other half of his body.
Rahu's vengeance for the Sun and the Moon never changed. He rushes to gulp them whenever he gets a chance and that is when the eclipses happen. But the Sun and the Moon are rescued as soon as they can pass through his throat.

Hessonite can help brings calmness, positive energy and raise self confidence and appreciation for others even in messed up lives.

The Divine Eye

I am all wired up and for the last few days since my last blog I have learned so
much.The Herringbone pattern that I have talked about made me create a set of earrings and a bangle. Though there is room for improvement, I'll show and tell. I call it The Divine Eye

Isn't it interesting that I happen to meet another Etsian from India who also has the same Herringbone pattern in her shop? I say that because this is not a very common pattern and I have never seen it before. She calls it The Eye of Nephthys.

Susmitha, my new friend from Bangalore has awesome creative stuff at artbysusmitha.etsy.com

I have also taken two tutorials from Eni O Kens and came up with some earring designs. The second tutorial, The Netted Cap was pretty darn intricate and I might have deviated from the main pattern at the end, somewhere. Well, I created something my very own.

After a lot of wrestling with the wires at some point the muse take you by your hand to some undiscovered cove, to some side track trails and you get surprised by your
own discovery. You see a very new pattern, that is unique, just very much your own.

I don't mind if it is not the real Netted Cap. I made quite a few earrings with this new pattern. The one I showed in the picture I call it Garnets lost in Sea Foam

To take a break and thinking of a little friend who loves to wear bracelets I made a very simple one with the tiniest hematite hearts and pearl.

Two important things have happened to me also.
1.I joined an organization acronamed SRAJD
Self Representing Artists and Jewelry Designers.
2. I decided to be part of the women for women .org project who helps women entrepreneurs and artisans from Afghanistan, Africa and such places.

I am happy to see that there are like minded people who value hand made products over mass commercial stuff, who respect people who are trying to make a living using their hands and their talent.

Where the hands go there the eyes should follow
Where the eyes go there the mind
Where the mind there the feeling
Where the feeling there the mood.

-An old Sanskrit saying.

The Divine Eye

The last few days I was totally wired up. The Herringbone pattern that I had learned from Eni O Ken kept me pretty busy and I came up with two finished pieces. I'll show the pictures of the earring and the necklace.There is still room for perfection but I am excited to show and tell. I call it "The Divine Eye".

Interestingly recently I came across another fellow Etsian who is also originally from India and sells from Bangalore. She has the same pattern in her store.She called it The Eye of Nephthys.Susmith's work is beautiful. Check it out at artbysusmitha.etsy.com

In the mean time I downloaded two more tutorials and got totally crazy staying up till 2 and 3 am. Sometimes the muse is taking me to a different route and I explore surprises, hidden treasures, side tracks, a totally awesome experience. Through this adventure and wresting with the wires I am creating new designs(which I'll be able to show next time).

To take a break I made a simple bracelet for a young girl who loves bracelet. I hope atleast young girls like my pattern. I named it simplicity.

The Inner Child

There is an inner child inside me.Even though she has a very feeble voice, every now and then she pops her head up and do silly things. Most of the time she is ignored, criticized, scolded, even demeaned by the more mature, reasonable grown up part of me.

The grown up part smirks - where would this silly jewelry business take you, deary? Did you see your competition? There are many many wanna bs like you. Besides, why do you have a masters degree in Education and years and years of experience not to mention all those certificates and couple of awards that you have stacked up with so much care?

She turns to the Job opening list.

The Inner Child could not take it any more. "I don't wannu..." she screams. She wants to play with her beads. Rather, gem stones these days! She leads to a site by the artist Eni O ken. Eni is a fantastic Wire Jewelry artist. Little I.C is totally mesmerized and decides to pick up her free tutorial "The Herringbone" My, that is heavy stuff! She realises that she needs to do some home work before showing up in this class. She needs to practice her basic wrapping skill first.

From that a necklace piece came out whom I'll call "Black cubes with Rhinestones"

Now the Herring Bone thing. It got pretty late by the time the print out job was done and then the pictures didn't turn out clear.So, those had to be hand drawn. This exercise led me visualize the wrapping in my head. (Remember haptic learning in Education theory). Oh no!

All night long I couldn't sleep, at least until 2:30. I was wrapping and wrapping half dozed. In the morning I found that I do have some left over wire, though I had no idea if these match the direction. Any way I started practicing.And I did that for seven whole hours until there was no more wire left.

Grown up me was impressed though with I.C.'s tenacity. She smiled and took I.C to Michael's and bought her few more spools to practice.

The Herring Bone pattern is an old tradition used by the basket weavers of yesteryears -mentions Ms. O Kens in her tutorial. It felt strange and wonderful how I learned an old tradition in a very new way -through the internet, a modern way of learning.

I haven't seen my mentor, I don't know if she is older or younger than me. Yet, I felt she was watching me closely as I learned to perfect the tensions of the wire. Pull a little tight at the top, let go a bit while you wrap the sides. I revived something from the old world and created some thing that is uniquely mine.

I feel so thankful to Eni O Kens and my Etsy friend, Jules who introduced me to O Kens. Jules is a budding Wire Jewelry artist. Check her our at
twistedjules .etsy.com

I found that for me using 24 gauge instead of 20 and for wrapping using 26 and 28 gauge instead of 24 gave a more delicate finish. I'll use that for earrings and the 20/24 will be nice for bracelets or hair jewelry. I haven't done any finished piece with herring bone yet but very ready to use sterling now. For now I can show you my pillars of success and the finished "Black cubes with Rhinestones".

Part of a big neclace

Aren't we just part of a big necklace? Individually we are just small beads, may be nothing exciting,but then in the pattern of the big necklace we all serve our important part. Like a speck of dust, or rather a small star in the gigantic nebula. Oh what a pattern!

Patterns, patterns, patterns. I see them all over, now that I have started beading. What a hobby!
Especially I see them in my garden and took several pictures this morning. Like the little pansy flower. Look at the shades of purple it has, or the lacy subdued green on the dark crimson coleus leaf. I am sure I am going to steal them for my jewelry designs.

Today I uploaded a necklace in my etsy store. alankarshilpa.etsy.com
I'll show you the picture -it's at the top.

Part of a Necklace

Aren't we just part of a big necklace? Like a speck of dust or rather a star in the pattern og a galaxy? That what came to my mind. Individually we are like isolated beads, not that charming. But in a necklace pattern we all serve a reason.
Patterns, patterns, patterns. I see them all over now , now that I am so much into beading. What a hobby!!
I took quite a few picures in the garden today. So many different shades of purple in a pansy. See.

The coleus leaf have such a striking border- the dark crimson laced by subdued green. I think I'll take that into my jewelry.

Support each other

I was reading a book this morning -"The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron where the author says we cannot do it alone. Though the artist's journey is solitary yet we are so connected. I felt I need to connect with a community who feels the same way, who are going with the same self doubt sometimes ( would my art sell?) , and the very next moment may have a brilliant idea about putting together a design and feel great.
The new community has nothing to do with my existing friends. My existing friends from other area and my family may understand and know me for a while, yet may have no clue what I go through as an artist.
I call myself artist? Well, why not? We all are, except most of us , grown ups, do not dare to unleash that. May be I am a mediocre one, but hey, I do get all the artist's bug bite for sure.
To connect, I found a fellow jewelry artist from the Etsy site whose work I liked and hearted her, went to her blog and left a comment. I think that's a pretty good start for me.

Alankarshilpa

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever"

Alankar shilpa means the art of ornamenting in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India.

Making things beautiful is what I strive for and when it touches someone that makes my day.

I had been a teacher for the last twenty years teaching preschoolers through college students. I learned an important lesson from my very youngest student. It is when you find the right game to play, or the right activity you are most happily involved. You get totally immersed in it losing all track of time and you come out refreshed. It's when peace embraces you and you pass on that feeling to the others. I am one lucky grown up to find such a game- it is when I play with my beads. I want to pass on that feeling of peace when I make the jewelry for you.

My creative inspiration comes from both the worlds - India, where I am originally from, as well as my life in California-where I am living for the last thirty years.

I love to use precious and semi precious stones and pearls for their innate natural, organic quality. At the same time I fancy using the Swarovsky crystals , Czech glass beads, pewter or copper if I find they'll make a piece beautiful.


Each piece has an attached note with a list of materials I used for that particular one so that my customers are aware what they are paying for. All my jewelries are individually hand made by me. I try to give the very best quality material and my very best workmanship. If you want something you liked and it is sold I'll make it for you with a little variation somewhere so that the uniqueness will be maintained.

I want you to be happy wearing my piece or giving it to your loved ones and I'll try my very best to accommodate your wishes along the way.

Today is the first day of my life

June 25, 2008

I found something that will be very important and valuable in my life,I think. I feel I've finally joined the younger crowd in the walk of life. I was a stand still person watching people doing new things with this computer thing. I thought it was too much of a new thing. I just shyed away all this time. Now, I realize I have to learn the new way, I have to pick myself up and get going.

I have so much to offer to this world, to life. This is a great outlet.

I am an artist, a writer, a teacher, a kind, loving person who wants to help others, to share what worked with me, what I know. Sometimes those could be stepping stones for achieving some thing very big, who knows. I want to be part of that.

There were feelings of hurt and sadness for me today, of frustrations for my shortcomings perhaps... I wanted to share it once but then I thought I should just move on. Focus on the new things. I got something very precious today- my inner voice says so. This blogging thing.

That is what I want to celebrate.