Giveaway to 3 Lucky Readers - Ends 5th February 2010

Done! all 80 of them. These Sparkly Crystal Rings is one of my "way behind 2009" projects that I mentioned yesterday. I can't remember how many I have made the last two years but it should not be less than 300, maybe 400. I even have a step by step tutorial that shows you exactly how to make this ring at my Etsy Shop.

Oh! No, I am not asking you to buy this tutorial because I am giving away this tutorial to 3 lucky readers in conjunction with my birthday (:P! thank you all for the best wishes) and Valentine Day/Chinese New Year. So, if you are feeling lucky till the 5th of February and would like to learn how to make this ring, here is what you have to do to be one of the lucky 3.

How? Any 1 or more of these 4 easy ways!
1. Follow this blog, then leave a comment with your name or email address* - 1 entry
2. Tweet about this giveaway, then leave a comment here with your name or email address* - 1 entry
3. Link this blog to your blog/website, then leave a comment here with a link, your name or email address* - 1 entry
4. Blog about this giveaway, then leave a comment here with a link - 3 entries
(*I need your email address so that I can email you the tutorial if you win. If you prefer not to include email add here, please check back after the 5th of Feb and email me your email address. If I don't hear from you after the 10th February, I will pick the next winner).

Winners will be picked using Random.Org and announced on 6th of February 2010, Malaysian time.

All the best and happy wrapping.

Way Behind and my Plans

Right now, I am way behind on a lot of things that I have been planning to do in early 2010. I am well behind in finishing several commissioned pieces. I am lucky so far, as my clients have been very understanding and flexible. Thank you for that.

I have wanted to create a free tutorial for a while, but looks like it will not happen yet.
Now, I am thinking and planning for a giveaway instead. That will be the next best thing, right?
I have been planning to change the logo of my shop since last year but still haven’t gotten around to it.
I have planned to create my own banner and still have not gotten to it.
One of my friends has been asking me to print my own brochure so that he can market my creations but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.
I have planned to design and print my own business cards but right now the idea is still floating inside my head.

Well, that is the problem with a full time working mom with a hobby like this.
Right now, how I wish if printing company like PsPrint is nearby. Why? Because they provide online printing services that let you create and customize your own business cards, brochures, catalog, postcards, posters, stickers and many more in a matter of minutes. You don’t have to be a professional or hire a professional designer as their free online design tool, Design It! will help you create a professional looking card, etc.
Hmmm….if they ship to this part of the world (at the moment they only ship to Continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Canada), I would have tried out 50 business cards for a start - now only for a fee of $11.93.

They say internet makes the world small; ordering is accomplished with a click of a button. However, I will have to find my own ways with my logo, business card, banners and brochures for now.

Mystical Creature from South China Sea :)

When I was done with this wire wrapped sea horse this evening, I kept thinking that I would not be able to recreate or remake a similar seahorse. Partly because I spent a lot of time in forming the seahorse shape/frame. This is the most difficult part for me, shaping the wire to make it look like a seahorse.
More difficult when the whole seahorse frame is wire wrapped with one piece of wire.
Can you tell/see where the wire ends?
Coin pearl, seed pearls, colorful tourmaline, garnet, corals, Swarovski Crystal and peridot are the gemstones used.

I am quite happy with the outcome though. Maybe I should give it another try - a smaller seahorse :)
Happy weekend my dear readers.

What's Keeping Me Busy?

Finally its the end of the week. I can breath a little and look forward to the next 2 days where I don't have to rush from home to school early in the morning. Rush back home to pick up the small one to his kindy and I to office. At noon, I rush to pick the both of them from school/kindy to home and rush back to office, all within an hour. Sometimes missing lunch. DH works quite far from home so I have to be the "bus driver" for now. 
Our life would not be the same to pre 2010. With William in Year 1 and Henry in kindy, everything is now centered around their schooling and activities including extra classes. He is already talking about joining taekwando classes on Saturday. There goes half of my Saturday. But I wouldn't want him to miss anything while growing up.
Parents would sacrifice anything :)
Overall, its been a great week for William and us. For weeks we have been wondering how it would be like for him. Is he going to like it, hate it, scared, cry, shy, etc. etc?
It is a relief to see him enjoying himself and making new friends.
Very happy to get his first tie.
He loves his school uniform.
No teary eyes when we left him on the first day.
On the second day, he told me not to walk him to his classroom. But I insisted :)
He loves his Transformer school bag...always insist on pulling it himself.
What can I say, I am very proud of him! :D and want the best for him and Henry.

OK, its late and very tired. Time to get some sleep and tomorrow I shall post some pretties.

First Piece of Earrings for 2010

Just a simple pair of earrings to welcome 2010. A good start for 2010.
The 1st day of 2010 started quite well - sunny in the morning, overcast in the afternoon and raining in the evening. Its cool now. 
I stayed home whole day and got to do what I love to do. I only went outside in the evening to take pictures of this earrings in the garden.

 

Stones used for this earrings are garnet, peridot and green agate. 
I hope you have a wonderful 1st day of 2010 as well.

The Last Post of 2009

Less than 7 hours to go.
Goodbye 2009 and Hello 2010
A Huge thank you and a Happy New Year to all readers.
New year, new hope, new resolutions, new goals, new dreams, new to do (ok! some old to do :D), new projects, new wishes, new....oh...this is an endless list. Better not list them all because I have a feeling they will be old/new in 2011.
2009 generally was a good year for me and I hope 2010 would be a much much much much better one.
So, here's saying goodbye to 2009 and welcoming 2010 with my wide open arms and a wire wrapped Seahorse!
The letter "S" at the center is not for "Seahorse", it's the initial of the new owner :)

 

According to Wikipedia, the seahorse has long been a sign of eternal friendship in Hawaiian culture. Somewhere else mentioned it represents confidence and grace. Here's a detail post by Avia on the symbolic meanings of seahorse. This is interesting and new to me "A unique aspect of the seahorse is that the male is impregnated by the female and carries the offspring to term". If only human can do that...LOL.
I hope to have all the Seahorse's symbolic meanings in year 2010. 
Enjoy and Have a Very Happy New Year 2010.