I think I'm finally getting back on track.

I know last year this place was a ghost town, but I know that was my own fault.  I had a lot of ideas and projects I wanted to get going on.  Too many in fact.  I couldn't decide which was more important than the others and didn't really start anything.
This year I plan on being more focused. I already got the last payment and dropped off all of the extra things to the Accessory Lady.  Here is a link to her main page.  We talked how I would get to show off the things I helped make and decided linking would work out best for both of us.  I helped on the Sanaa(mixed media flower), Fedha(gem scoop), Yulu(mixed media bow), Zizi(asymmetrical flower), Roka(metal mesh shoe bib), Ari(asymmetrical pleated ankle cuff), and Ngoma(feather cuff).  I know those are the only designs listed now, but she mentioned new designs that she was thinking of starting in the spring.  She mentioned us working together again, I'm hesitant.  It was nice at first, but a little rushed and frantic near the end.


I have been thinking of new ways to make the kanzashi flowers I really love making.  They are fine as they are for the most part, but I've been watching a lot of TV where they add sparkle and gems to everything and I want to add some to the flowers.  I found a trim I had bought a really long time ago that would work perfectly.  I had only bought a bit of it, since at that time I had no idea what I was going to do with it.  Big mistake.  I can't get more from the store I got it from because I bought it when it was on clearance.  I've tried looking online, but it seems it doesn't really exist.  I might have thought I dreamed it up if I still didn't have some.
Since that wasn't working, I'm trying other things.  So far my ideas of bright ribbon are working out for me.  Here is my newest problem with them.  I want to be able to list and sell them on Etsy, but I'm not sure how to make mine stand-out in the search.  They will look different if people actually see them and click on the listing, but I'm worried they won't get that far.  Even if you type in "ribbon kanzashi" you still get over 900 results. "Bling kanzashi" gets you only 65 results, so if I stick with sparkly ribbon that might work out for me.
The picture of my first finished one is coming soon.  The glue on the ribbon is drying as we speak.

No way!

So I was feeling a bit bummed about how my buttons only seem to slowly gain a bit of interest.  I also have tried contacting a few places, but have usually not heard back from them.
While I was at a recent anime convention I found a booth in the artist alley that had stuff I liked.  The friend who was with me at the time said it is the place she gets a lot of stuff from.  I didn't want to commit to a big print, I was thinking a button would be good though.  They didn't have any!  I put it off for a bit, but then decided one night to try sending an e-mail.
Well, we have been talking and she is very interested!  I didn't want to say anything and jinx myself before this.  She is making a contract tomorrow and I just finished sending her an invoice.  I'm so excited!
Since there is still time for things to go wrong I won't mention too many details.  Though once things are going along I will put more info here.

Because of this, I get a new toy.  I've always cut out the button circles by hand.  This is soothing to me, but takes a while.  Because of the number of buttons she wants, I got myself a little punch.  It looks like a lot of fun to use.
http://buttonmakers.net/product_info.php?cPath=59&products_id=78
That is the specific one I will be getting.
I can't wait to play with it!

This really needs to not become a habit!

I don't know where the time has gone!  I can't go and ignore this blog so for long.  I'm sorry!

Anyway, I'm spending the morning enjoying my new candle and painting a back-ground for my photos for the shop.  I got this paint months and months ago!  I even lost it at one point.  It looked the perfect light grey in the bottle.  After mixing it and spreading some out, I was wondering if I was seeing things.  It looked shiny to me!
I tilted it this way and that but it looked the same.  I then looked at the bottle.  Yup, right there in plain black text "silver metallic".  This is what I get for not reading things.
Though the more I look at it, the more I start to like it.  This might not have been a bad thing.

Sorry for the silence.

I've been busy with lots of things, but I hope to be able to get focused again.

This is my latest sample for my serger wallet.  I think it looks good to go.  In the picture there are 8 cards in it.  It might be able to hold one or two more, but not much beyond that.

This is going to be a short update since I still need to get my photo area ready for all the fun pictures I will be taking!

It's what time of year?

I can not believe that it is almost the end of the year!  Where did it all go?  I feel like I haven't gotten anything done!  I still haven't made my little mock-up photo "studio" (a cardboard box with a nice smooth and plain background) and I haven't gotten my Etsy shop back up and running.  Good news is that I got more work doing creative things than I have in previous years.
While I know the year is not over, I definitely plan to be more productive next year.

Some finished things.

While I am not completely done with everything needed for The Accessory Lady (she needed to get some things for me and we have yet to meet again) but I have been able to work on some things of my own.

A few not very exciting, but still cute bottle-cap pendants.

Here are some fabric card holders.

 These are a few pocket tissue covers.

The fancy kanzashi pictured here was a birthday present to the person in the picture, but I Pam to make similar ones to sell.

 Like the other picture, this exact one was a birthday present, but I plan to make more of these in different colors.

I send a copy of a few of these pictures to a shop who I'm hoping to sell my things through.  I've seen their website and they have some really cute consignment items.  I'm hoping they like what they see!

Lazy person is lazy...

I keep telling myself that I either need to finish the last few things for The Accessory Lady or work on things to show the consignment shop. I've done neither of those things, but I have done some things.
I have figured out the size I need to make the wallet so that it can fit money folded once. I've also worked on some charity things for my other project.