Zoisite

I just made new can tab earrings with the strangest color combo.
At least for me. Not for nature. It started some days ago, when I discovered ruby in zoisite

Source: Pinterest

I'm in love with this stone.
The result is a bit quirky for me, but I so love it

I obviously felt the urge to also buy some matching miyukis and voilà..."damage" was done!

As usual, I'll take better pics in the morning. Lately (really???!) I'm kind of a night creature, I'm always impatient to take pics of my items as soon as they're finished.
BAD IDEA.
I'll buy more of these beads.

More beaded beads

To be fair, I also made beaded beads with super duos.

The bigger bead is from Pinterest, and I can't find who to give credit for it

I just saw it and it was pretty easy to understand it. So I made it. Another necklace, once I find a pattern for a medium size bead.

Beaded beads with Twin Beads

I'm using all the beaded beads tutorials I'm finding on internet using Twin™ seed beads and having a lot of fun with them

The bigger beads are from a pattern offered by Preciosa Ornela on its website, so clever and easy. I also made some toggle clasps, always beaded - one is made with transparent seed beads and pink/lilac Twin™ seed beads, to match the beaded beads in the same colors

So there will be a necklace pretty soon...in the meanwhile, try one of the many projects on Preciosa Ornela website and have fun!

Dream on

(Day)Dreaming doesn't have to mean you got your head in the clouds.
Dreams provide the material for your goals and aspirations and make you stay focused on your life and the directions you need to choose.
I really couldn't help myself...I made another bracelet

Rose quartz is a very powerful stone, generally used to attract love but also to raise one's self-esteem and sense of self-worth. It enhances one's inner awareness and opens the heart to new experiences.
That's why I used some in this bracelet: you really need a lot of self esteem to follow your dreams and turn them into reality.

I used transparent seed beads also for the writing to make it a bit inconsistent, translucent - that makes this bracelet so hard to take a pic of! The result is pretty and delicate.

Twin Tab earrings

As promised, here are my new can tab earrings made with Preciosa Twin Beads:

I call them Twin Tab, to make it shorter.

I'll try them with Super Duo beads to make some Super tab earrings...I think the different shape might be more suitable to this kind of construction.

New donut necklace

I made another donut pendant yesterday night, while watching Grey's Anatomy:

I plan to make more of them - I can't ever rest my hands while watching a movie.
I am also experimenting with can tabs...I'll show you later.

Peacock earrings with twin beads

Yesterday I made these amazing earrings with the new Twin Beads that Preciosa Ornela sent me:

The tutorial is from Cr3azioni di Cr3stina and is really easy and quick.
Now I need to go on with my Japan piece and also need to restock my can tab earrings, since tonight I sold the white ones to a return customer.
And maybe I'll finally get to make some photos in the sunlight!

Another Japan sneak peek

Let's keep on talking about Japan.
Another thing I love about Japanese culture, is that they have huge self confidence, in the sense that they always think you are the only one who can make things work.
They don't say "good luck" or "break a leg"; thay say "ganbatte", which means "do your best".
They have a strong will power and, although they do believe in luck and amulets, they're just a little help.

If you scroll Pinterest and look at "words of wisdom" boards, you'll realize most of them have "cheer-up" sentences, like "you deserve it" or "you are enough". Only when it comes to sport they become a bit harsh and base everything on will power. So how do you mix those different attitudes? Are you supposed to only be brave and strong and push it to the limit while exercising?

So here comes Daruma dolls again. Since they're usually round, made of papier-mâché and weighted at their bottom, if you push them gently they'll swing until they'll return to a standing position.
Always.
So they came to represent one's strength to always get up whenever they fall down.

Nanakorobi yaoki: fall seven times and stand up eight.

You've Got Mail

Yesterday I was a bit sad 'cause my bead order from Gaea hadn't arrived after almost one month...which isn't that strange, since packages from USA take so long (but not the other way around).
My boyfriend came home and he had 3 envelopes in his hands...and only one was bills!
First one was this:

an unexpected gift from Preciosa Ornela in return for my blog post about them.
So sweet. Lilac twin beads I can't wait to use.

The other one...was from Gaea!

Where we live now we have a pomegranate tree in our shared garden (which is quite unusual in Milan); it is in many culture a symbol of fertility and prosperity.
But for me is so much more.

One of my first post was about my grandfather and his house in the country of Puglia, where I've spent all of my summers until the age of 12.

I used to spend a lot of time with him teaching me different kinds of trees and how to tend at them, but my favorite was the pomegranate: because fruits got ready when we were already back into the city.
I was eager to taste that strange flavour so, when october arrived, I knew that one of those afternoons I was going to find my grandad squeezing pomegranate seeds to make a juice.
When I saw this pendant the first time, I restrained myself and it got sold; the second time I wanted to purchase it, but hadn't enough money on my paypal. So I told myself: if I get money on time, I'll buy it.
As you can see...I made it. Can we say it was destiny?

Chestnut bracelet

I just finished this bracelet, called Chestnut, after a very long hiatus:

Its pattern is from Monica and is really simple and beautiful, but pretty long to make.
I had received some triangular beads in one of the swaps and accidentaly found this pattern almost at the same time (I have quite a perfect timing with beads/pattern finding).

I also had some size 15 seed beads in exactly the same color of the triangle beads. It was destiny.
Unfortunately it's a very difficult color to photograph (a Matte Iris Brown, which looks like green to me) and also the rondelle color, an AB lilac, is pretty hard to catch.
But together they look amazing and that's the only thing that matters!

Silver hoops

Tonight I made these simple silver and turquoise hoops

They're for a 12 year old beautiful girl, hope she'll like them.

Can Tab Set safely arrived

A very enthusiastic customer ordered a can tab set in black and gold at the beginning of the month and I just saw from the feedback left (a very kind one!) that it arrived safely to its destination

Glenda, the said customer, was so nice to wait for my birthday to pass and also so genuinly happy for the items, she is kind of the perfect customer who really makes you love creating stuff.
In the meanwhile I just sold my "Vogue fuchsia earrings" - the typical item everybody says how gorgeous it is, but nobody buys it.
Thanks customers for cheering up my days!

Be Mine!

I'm starting to see little hearts floating around me.

Source: Pinterest

Everywhere.
Valentine's day is approaching fast....so I followed those hearts and lead them to my shop.
One lied down on this bracelet

another one was closed into a beaded box

There's one dark, seductive heart

and another one bold and red

Just follow your heart.

Japan challenge

I will start talking about next Etsy Beadweavers challenge, which theme is Japan, because one post is not enough to explain how big my love for Japan is.

Source: Pinterest

It's a love born by accident you might say, in 2005.
I used to spend 2 hours a day on a bus to go to work, and couldn't manage to read, so I decided to try learning a new language with some audio lessons.
I did some research on the internet and found out a lot of website about Japanese and fell in love.

After learning the 2 alphabets on my own I found a school and started some serious lessons, which I have tried to keep attending despite my many relocations...
Most people start learning this language because of mangas or animes, for me it was the other way around: after I started my brother asked me to watch some anime with him and a whole new world opened up.

Source: Pinterest

Some of them are pieces of art. Some just make you laugh hard and cry at the same time.
Only after two years I discovered another addiction: dramas, Japanese TV movies.

Of course during all this time I have also developed an interest (addiction) in every other aspect of Japanese culture, like bentos and cooking, street culture and traditional arts.
I still haven't got the chance to go there but I firmly believe I will very soon.

Talking about wishes, there's a tool to help you succeed called Daruma.

Source: on Pinterest

It's a doll with white eyes, which you are supposed to draw like this: make a wish, draw the first eye. You need to make a commitment, it's not about magic: the one-eyed-Daruma is there to remind you of your desire and the strength you need to pursue your dream.

Source: Pinterest

Only when (and if)your wish comes true you can eventually draw the other eye on the Daruma.
This is why I started my brainstorm for the next challenge with a tiny beaded Daruma:

We'll see what's next...

The Butterfly effect

Yesterday I was (impatiently) waiting for a bead delivery, which included some Super Duos.
I was curious to try them and test the differences with the Twin Beads.
I was trying to keep calm, tracking my pack on internet, when I saw a new pattern from Good Quill Hunting on facebook. Using Super Duos. I couldn't help myself.
Here they are, the Butterfly effect earrings:

They are super quick to make and the result is gorgeous. And you don't need tons of different colors or sizes of different kind of beads. Just three.

I love Christina's work and will probably buy a couple more patterns soon, as I saw some other interesting earrings...but she comes out with new stuff so often, I'm sure I'll find many more!

January 2013 challenge

This year we have a special January challenge on the Etsy Beadweavers team.
It's dedicated to all those stars who didn't have a chance to shine as winners in the past years

You can vote for your favorite star from today until January 15th!

Drawing or not?

I had a very long walk with my BF this afternoon and, despite sales being everywhere, the only window I stopped by and stared at was one with a Pantone markers set.

Source: Pinterest

It wasn't on sale (I realized that after doing some math) but it still looked so good. All pastel colors, 24 of them, placed in a case, surrounded by water colors and other stuff I usually drool on.

I used to have tones of these markers when I was at art school, but I've never been good as an illustrator; I was more interested (and had more patience) with graphic softwares and focused on them.
But I have always regretted that incapability to focus for 5 hours on a drawing and make it feel like it's something alive (yes, it often takes up to 5 hours for a good fashion plate to be colored!).

Sometimes we are better at something that requires much more patience and skill and we suck at easier tasks.
Not that illustration is easy. It's absolutely not.
But when people ask me how I can manage to make things with an invisible thread and the tiniest beads, I feel like it's not a big deal, and sometimes I would trade that ability with the capacity of being a decent illustrator.

I'd love to give it a try again...my BF says I have too many projects and rarely complete them. He's right, of course, but I think life is made to always learn something new and sometimes the only teacher you have is...yourself!
So committment is definitely something I need to learn before splurging on these markers!

30!

Yeah, today was my 30th birthday

well I should say yesterday 'cause it's almost 4 AM, but it's still my birthday until I go to sleep.
I had so much fun.
I had a crown.
I had balloons.
I had a cake which said "it's still 25"...

I'm happy and not worried at all about being older. Maybe it's because I hid all my white hair with a nice afternooon at the hair saloon.
Life is nicer when you have friends around, even when you have met them minutes before...

My BF gave me flowers

(I love tulips)
my cake and a couple of surprise guests, plus a beautiful walk in the morning with some unexpected gifts...

(I have been looking for a maneki neko for ages)

Let's start this new year with a new attitude. And let's get used to this new age!

Happy 2013!

It's that time of the year...the first day of it!

Source: Pinterest

No propositions this year. I found out they are more likely to be pursued if made little by little, month after month.
So I might only have a January proposition: to invent something new and make at least one new tutorial.
I also want to partecipate more in beading challenges and swaps, because they really open your world to new people you would never meet otherwise.
I think my mind needs to be stimulated more, so I also want to go out more and see as many exhibitions as I can - living in the north has its positive consequences (like having tons of museums around) and I might as well use them.

Happy new year everybody and let this year challenges make you smarter and stronger!