Konichiwa to the Land of the Rising Sun

And so the countdown nears its goal, another 6 more days and the hubs and I will be in the land of the rising sun! This long awaited holiday is finally coming and we are so looking forward to stuffing our faces silly with OISHI! Osaka and Kyoto cuisine. Not to mention all the fabulous sightseeing and shopping that awaits!

Of course I'll be taking this opportunity to visit the bead shops there. I can't wait! *rubbing hands in glee* There is much more variety for bead stuff in Japan and the stuff sold there is really pretty (but with even more beautiful price tags! ;p)

Sayonara for now....

A beady weekend....

Finally, after taking a bead hiatus of almost 2 weeks, I'm going to be diving back into the thick of the beading action this weekend. Yay!

I received another order from one of my dear girlfriends for a pair of earrings to match her Chinese New Year outfit. Red is the colour of the CNY season so I'll be whipping something together for her this weekend in crimson.

Also, I'm been working on another charm bracelet for another girlfriend who had "commissioned" me a couple of weeks ago. She's currently on honeymoon so I've got about 2more weeks to get it done. She's given me her colour themes, so I'm been busying brainstorming on design ideas and experimenting. I think I'm almost done...

Stay tuned for the results!

Beautiful Barcelona

My maiden trip to Spain has taken my breath away. Wow, is all I can say. Barcelona is a fantastic city and I now understand why its a wildly popular destination of travellers to Europe. My trip can be described in one word - fabulous! I had a magnificent time exploring the sights, sounds and tastes of Barcelona, checking out its quaint little pedestrian lanes, walking around the Old City, getting culturally acquainted with its museums and galleries, admiring its fantastic and unique architecture (thanks to Gaudi!) and sampling its wonderful, heavily seafood-based cuisine. The days I spent independently sightseeing were the most fun, I absolutely relished the complete freedom and autonomy I had in creating my own travel itinerary and I was reminded of how much enjoyment I could derive from my own company. I was having so much fun even though I was moving around alone, hubs locked away in his day long seminars. But of cause, it was nice being able to return back to the hotel in the evenings and share details of the wonderful day I had with him.

Oh, and the weather was simply beautiful for winter, plenty of sunshine. Nothing tops Mediterranean climates. Oh boy, do I miss Perth!

And surprisingly, I did not miss my beads as much as I thought I would, till towards the end of my trip. Time to get the fingers working! I can't wait! :)

Thanks for your support!

A big 'Thank You' to those pals who visited my little space on the web and the feedback given, and for those who took that leap of faith to ask me to make trinkets for them!!!

My first customer, K, bless her kind soul, liked her charm bracelet enough to suggest that I come up with a pair of earrings to match! Wow, you blew me away with your request babe! Thanks soooo much for your faith and supportiveness!

Another two dearies bit the bullet and allowed me to design a charm bracelet each for them... whee, this is so fun! Thanks babes, I promise I will come up with something yummilicious! :D

I'm really enjoying this burst of creativity, been having these wonderful ideas in my head the whole day, thinking of my beads and what to make! Can't wait to get working on my ideas! In fact its making me more excited than my trip to Barcelona this weekend! (sssshhh, don't tell the hubs! he's paying for my trip! hehe)

Look what the postie brought in...

My latest order of beads finally come in the mail! Yay! Aren't they drool worthy?? Can't wait to get creative with them.... but its going to be one heck of a busy week, so many other things to do! Whee!

Everyday necklace

I came across these beads the other day, and they reminded me of lollies I used to eat as a child. I can't remember exactly what lollies they were, but I think it was Fox brand and they came in a multitude of colours and were translucent.

Anyways, I was looking to make an "everyday necklace", something simple which I could just throw on to jazz up what I call my don't-know-what-to-wear all black outfit reserved for mornings when I wake up and absolutely can't make up my mind what to wear! haha

Thought the mild but yummy colours of these beads would be just right, offset against a black top :)

Trinket from the sea

The colours of the plastic stones in this necklace reminds me of the colours of the sea.... how the sea can look blue and yet green at times. These stones have white swirls which give them an interesting pattern. Mixing in some small lavender coloured glass beads for a look that is refreshing!

Another chunky necklace, which can act as "backup" for the girlfriend who likes her accessories chunky... in case she doesn't quite like the first necklace I had made for her. :D

Pink Opalite meets Turquoise

I was intrigued by these pink Opalite stones when I saw the online pictures which made them look translucent and dreamy. When they finally arrived and I saw them with my own eyes, they had this milky, cloudy texture that is difficult to describe. The way they caught the lights made it an interesting material to work with. I decided to pair them with these irregular shaped turquoise beads for a striking necklace which would look fab paired with a black top.

Oriental flowers

I decided to make something with a bit more Oriental flavour. I guess I'm at a stage where I'm still exploring the different type of styles that can be achieved using the vast array of beads available. When I chanced upon these lovely pink Chinese cloisonne beads, I evisioned delicate flowers swaying in the wind, accompanied by rustling leaves. For my lovely girlfriend, who herself is like a delicate blooming bud.

Ingredients: Pink Chinese cloisonne beads, gold leave charms and Swarovski crystals

My first charm bracelet

Jewellery, being very personal, with everyone having their own personal tastes, makes it a challenge when you intend to make something for someone. Thus, when I set about making these Xmas pressies for my friends, I had to know their tastes well enough to ensure they did not absolutely hate what I had made.... my goal was that they did not dislike what I made and might even like it a bit. I wasn't planning to be too ambitious.

I had originally intended to make earrings for this particular friend but on second thought, felt that a charm bracelet would suit her personality better. I was very excited with the arrival of the supplies I had ordered and rummaging through the various charms, stones and glass beads which I had bought, I quickly assembled this piece, finishing it off with a floral clasp. I felt quite pleased by the end result.

But I was worried it might have been too "offbeat" and non-mainstream for her liking so I MMS her a pic of her Xmas pressie. She floored me with her response which was overwhelmingly positive and I floated on a cloud that night! Thanks!!! It gave me the right dose of encouragement and confidence that perhaps I might just have a bit of a flair for this... :p

Pearly pearls

Feeling more confident of my newly acquired skills, having practiced enough on making my "o" loops, I set about making my first Xmas present. This was for a dear friend who I know likes her accessories and pearly stuff was one of them. So when my shipment of supplies arrived from Australia, I immediately zoomed in on the glass pearls, mixing various colours and sizes to make this bracelet.

End result is shown above, although the lighting leaves much to be desired. I am delighted to say that the response to my gift was positive and she even put it own immediately! I felt so happy! :)

She also asked if I was going to sell the stuff I made.... could I really? Would anyone actually buy my creations?? Hmmm.....

I've been busy with.... beads, charms, stones, crystals...

I've been B-U-S-Y over the last month in the lead up to Xmas and New Year's. Got super ambitious this year and decided to make my own Xmas pressies after picking up my newfound beading obsession. For someone who confesses not to be super dexterious, I wasn't too sure what the results would be. But I had already gone on this massive spree and spent a mini fortune buying all these lovely swarvoski crystals, stones, glass beads and charms that there was no backing out.... so the only thing to do was to bite the bullet and charge full steam ahead!

Some of my initial pieces were "trial" pieces, basically for me to practice my craft... found ready "guinea pigs" in the form of my aunts... thanks dears!!

Well, finally, here is a sneak preview of why I've been a hermit and have been hiding at home all those week nights and weekends!

More pics to come soon!

Picture 1: Warm coloured Czech glass beads complements the gold metal dual chain bracelet

Picture 2: Xmas themed bracelet with lovely Swarovski crystals and Czech glass beads finished with a pretty floral clasp

Picture 3: Earrings to match my new shirt of Xmas! Ingredients: Pretty swarovski crystals in delicious colours! Yummy!

Picture 4: One of the Xmas pressies I made for a girlfriend. She liked the earrings! YEAH! :) Ingredients: Swarovski crystals and Czech glass beads

Picture 5: Earrings for my aunt using lovely Swarovski crystals

Warm coloured Czech glass beads complements the gold metal dual chain bracelet


Xmas themed bracelet with lovely swarovski crystals and Czech glass beads finished with a pretty floral clasp


Earrings to match my new shirt for Xmas! Ingredients: pretty swarovski crystals in delicious colours - Yummy!


One of my Xmas pressies for a friend - she liked it! YEAH! :) Ingredients: Swarovski crystals and Czech glass beads


Earrings for my aunt - lovely swarovski crystals

Another year zips by.....

Unbelievable, we're on the cusp of the start of yet another new year.... where does all the time fly to???

As with thousands of other bloggers who are reflecting about the soon-to-be past year of their life on their own blogs, here's my two cents worth for my own.

2007 - has been a year of changes. Changes on both the work and personal front. To myself as well as to the loved ones around me. For the better and at times, worse. Changes come along with it higher mountains to climb; new frontiers to conquer. The most difficult ones have been those which are in the mind 'cos I've found that a change in mindset has always been the toughest change to adapt to. Overall, on the last day of 2007, I look back at the past year and feel happy to say that even though it hasn't always been smooth sailing, I've glad I've survived the bumps in life's rocky road for yet another year, fairly unscathed. I'm happiest about finally achieving not one but two new year's resolution - would you believe that??? Soooo happy that I've finally stopped procrastinating and started beading after thinking about it for so long! Didn't think it would happen at one stage 'cos of the silly hand but thank goodness it has since recovered. The R&R trip back home certainly came at the right time and I never felt happier being in the bead shop surrounded by all those lovely crystals, glass beads, semi-precious stones and charms!!! Like a kid in a candy store.... *kekeke* Only wished I had started beading earlier in the year!

So yes, 2007 is indeed ending on a high note for me.... having found peace at work and beading nirvana, what more could this chick ask for???

2008 - here I come!! WOoHOo!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR WITH GOOD LUCK AND GOOD HEALTH!