BumbleBeads Designs

Packaging my Jewellery

2012-02-01T21:19:00.000-05:00

I've gone through many changes when it comes to packaging my jewellery. In the beginning, I used organza bags where the earrings would just hang from handmade cards. But I thought it didn't look nice enough and also it could easily be damaged during shipping.

So, I switched to using kraft boxes. These boxes worked very well, but I guess I was picky on how it should be presented. I went from ribbon to paper ribbon but was never satisfied with how it looked.

Now, I'm using these black boxes and I like them so much better. It looks a lot more professional and classy. Just the way I like it. :) What do you think?

Bead Soup Blog Party

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

I was fortunate enough to be chosen to be part of the "Bead Soup Blog Party" hosted by Lori Anderson of Pretty Things Blog. One of the reasons why I wanted to be part of the Bead Soup was so that I can create something that I wouldn't normally make. Trying to think "outside the box". It also sounded like tons of fun! What I didn't realize was that it spurred on this new desire to blog more often. We'll see what happens!

My wonderful partner Shanti Johnson and I sent each other our 'bead soup' this week. Can't wait to see what's inside and create something really, really pretty!

Here is what I sent her:

A teaser of the beads I sent...

Of course, I can't reveal the bead soup just yet. You'll just have to wait till we both get our beads!

The Best Banana Bread Ever

2012-01-23T15:26:00.000-05:00

That's the name of the recipe for this delicious, sweet tasting banana bread. Ever since the I made it for the first time a few months ago, my in-laws have been raving about it. So yesterday, I went out and bought an extra loaf tray and made two batches of banana bread. I had made a loaf a few weeks ago and my husband took the last half of the loaf to work, so the in-laws didn't have a chance to eat it. That's why the extra loaf.

When I had my bridal shower back in June, I wanted to do something that involved making something. I wanted to do something that was different and I didn't know much about. My sister suggested baking! That lead to going to a baking workshop where a bunch of my girlies and I learned how to make chocolate chip cookies, red velvet cupcakes, and BANANA BREAD! Yum!

My father-in-law and dad are diabetic, so I used substitute sugar (Splenda) instead of sugar. I used half the amount of what I would normally use for sugar since Splenda (and the bananas) were already sweet. I also put some dried cranberries in it. Mmmmmm.... I think I'll go have some more now. Maybe I'll post the recipe one day.

Bridal Jewellery: Moms

2011-12-26T20:56:00.003-05:00

I finally have time to post some designs that I made for my mom and mother in law to wear during my wedding. I made silver and white Swarovski pearl necklace for my mother in law to match her silver dress. It was a simple design so she actually wears it regularly with casual outfits. For my mom, I made a necklace and bracelet set. She wanted a design that used the shiny Swarovski rondelles that I had. I had wanted to hand knot the set like I usually did but it didn't look good with the design. So, I opted to use a thinner thread and hand knotted parts of it so that if the thread breaks, most of the pearls won't fall off the thread.

I have now made these designs for sale in my shop. If you are looking for jewellery for your mom, click on one of the captions to purchase your own. :)

For my mother in law (click here)

For my mom (click here)

Treasury Trade with the Canadian Team

2011-10-16T19:24:00.002-04:00

A group of members from the Canada-Canadian Etsy Team have pooled together and created treasuries from each other's shops. Here is mine:

or click here Naturally Canada

I chose these products because of my fascination with butterflies. Since I didn't have time to raise any this year (I was too busy getting married), I thought I would post some items from my fellow Canadians. I was surprised to see so many shops with butterflies products.

Here are the other treasuries from the other members. Take a look around.

Amber & Oranges of Canada
Christmas Gift Ideas
Canucks Love Doing It Outdoors
Canadian All Stars
Romantic Reds Canada
Loving Green and Canada
Canadian Talent
Down to Earth Canadian
Richness of a Candian Autumn
Romantic Canada
From Canada with Love

I love being Canadian!

Clip on earrings!

2011-09-25T18:15:00.000-04:00

BumbleBeads Designs now has CLIP ON earrings available! I have a few friends who doesn't have pierced ears and they have always wanted to wear earrings. So I thought, why don't I make earrings and attach clip ons to them. That way they will have the equal opportunity to wear earrings like everyone else! After some searching on Etsy, I finally found the best place to get clip on earrings. And the best part is that they actually look like your ears are pierced! That's so cool!

Here are some examples:

Just in time for Christmas too!

Life After the Wedding

2011-09-25T18:09:00.001-04:00

July and August were crazy months. I'm so glad we chose to have the wedding at the beginning of August as it gave me plenty of time to plan for it and then to relax after it, before school started in September. So, I'm married now and enjoying all the duties of a wife. Well, almost enjoying........ :P School has started and so far, my class has been pretty good. Still babies (they're grade 1's) so I have to teach them everything!


Bridesmaid Jewellery

Although not much has been happening at the "shop", lots have been created for my wedding. Here are some pictures of the jewellery I made for me and my wedding party:

Bridesmaid Jewellery

I'm hoping to turn most or all of these into items for sale on Etsy.

The D.A.D Project - donate to the Canadian Cancer Society

2011-05-27T16:19:00.001-04:00

Last year, two sisters, Emily and Serena, started a project where they listed a drawing a day (D.A.D) on Etsy and the sales would be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society. Through this project they wanted to give back to an organization that helped their father who was diagnosed with colon cancer. Read more about their story at http://www.thedadproject.com/.

The sisters take turns listing a new drawing each day. On Fridays, they feature another artist's work for sale. This week, one of my earrings have been featured! Customers can purchase these earrings from The D.A.D. Project's Etsy store and all proceeds (minus fees) goes towards the Canadian Cancer Society.

Also, their Etsy shop sells really CUTE pieces of art that I would love to get if I was decorating for a baby's room.

Here is the listing for my 'Creamrose Swarovski Pearl Drop Earrings' if you want to donate to a good cause. They also have an option to donate directly to the The Canadian Cancer Society.

You can read about me and my earrings on their blog. :P

I'm so happy to be a part of this!

Katara's Waterbending in a Treasury :)

2011-05-09T16:29:00.001-04:00

Pearl Earrings are Better!!!

2011-04-14T13:27:00.000-04:00

Says this article. :)

http://wwwemitations.blogspot.com/2011/04/pearl-earrings-better-option-than-gold.html

Kids Speak: Michael Jackson

2011-02-28T13:30:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Celebrity day where the students were supposed to dress up as a celebrity. A student comes in the class that morning and here is the conversation:

Student: Ms. Mok, I need a plastic bag.

Me: Why do you need a plastic bag?

Student: I want to be Michael Jackson.

Me: What does Michael Jackson have to do with a plastic bag?

Student: Because Michael Jackson had plastic surgery.

I'm in a Treasury!!!!

2011-02-26T17:35:00.000-05:00

See this Treasury where my most popular bracelet so far is featured. The treasury was made by fellow Toronto Team member Sahetah.

My Jewellery Making "Studio"

2011-02-25T16:02:00.005-05:00

I think I'm the only person that doesn't have an actual "studio" to make my jewellery. When I was younger, I never liked using my desk for homework. I always ended up sitting on my bed or on a couch with my books all laid out in front of my. It was so much more comfortable than a hard chair and desk.

I actually make my jewellery wherever I feel comfortable. Whether that may be on my floor or more often than not, in front of the TV. So here are a few pictures of me making a bracelet for a customer. My fiance took these pics one day with the camera he got me. :)

Making a 3 strand Swarovski Pearl Bracelet on my lap while watching a basketball game.

Necklace Lengths

2011-02-22T15:57:00.000-05:00

A great site to figure out what length you want your necklace or bracelet is here. You can also find ideal lengths for men's necklaces.

http://cestchloe.com/store/conditions.php

To my wonderful Grade 1s and 2s

2011-01-14T17:57:00.002-05:00

Ever since I started school in September, I haven't had much time to do wedding planning or make new jewellery. I started off with half time at the school and by God's grace, a few weeks in, I got to be the Grade 1/2 full time teacher. It was exactly what I prayed for but little did I know how much work it involved. After doing so many LTOs I should be used to jumping in, in the middle of the year (well, this time it was 3 weeks in). Even with all the work, this past few months has been the most enjoyable, fullfilling, rewarding time I've ever had.

I have such a good class. I mean, they can be chatty and exactly like kids but they are good kids and will settle down with the LOOK!. hahah! There are no behaviour problems and not many low level students. It's almost the perfect class but now I have to leave again to find a new job since the teacher I'm replacing is returning. I'm gonna miss these kids.....

Especially one student who can't read very well but still has the motivation to keep trying and isn't afraid to ask for help. I've been making progress with this student and I wish I could see what happens to him. Well, all the best class and hopefully your new teacher can give you what you need. Bye!

UPDATE: The week after this contracted ended, I ended up doing another LTO at the same school and the same grade but a different class. God is good!

Kids Speak: Why they like you...

2010-09-09T22:06:00.005-04:00

Student: I like you soooo much Ms. Mok! Because you brought in a caterpillar.
Me: So you wouldn't like me as much if I didn't bring in a caterpillar?
Student: No, I won't like you as much.

Another school year, another set of kids who make me laugh.

oh oh oh.. and a new set of earrings :)

Click me!

God's amazing little creatures

2010-08-30T21:54:00.002-04:00

One of God's amazing little creatures is the Monarch butterfly. They start off as tiny little eggs which hatch into tiny little caterpillars that are so small they could easily be missed if you don't know what you're looking for. All they do everyday is eat and poop, rest, then eat and poop some more. Several times a week, I go around town find the only plant they will eat: milkweed. Everyday I see my cat, I'm amazed by this little creature. He (not sure if it's a male but works for now) is so small and fragile yet, he knows exactly what he needs to do to survive. There has been a couple of times where I've worried about him cause he hasn't eaten and has remained motionless for a long time. But in the end, the cat knows what he's doing cause God has ingrained in it a will to survive. I guess this is what it's like to be a mom. Constant worry of if your baby is eating enough, is he full, does he need more, ... I wonder if God worries about us? Probably not, since he is all knowing and knows what He's doing unlike us.

We are like these little cats sometimes. We eat and grow, and eat and grow. Not always knowing that God is there protecting us everyday and providing for our needs.

Monarch Butterflies

2010-08-19T16:18:00.002-04:00

As a teacher, we go to many different types of workshops. It usually has something to do with literacy, classroom management, differentiation, blah, blah, blah.... While those workshops are all great for professional development, it's sometimes nice to have a change. Last week, I went to a workshop for teachers that focused on Monarch Butterflies. Monarch Butterflies and teaching? Well, there were quit a few links to the curriculum but what I got out of it was a new interest. So I found 2 caterpillar eggs and now have 2 tiny "cats" that eat like crazy! I'll be releasing them when they're adult butterflies to help with the Monarch population. Go here for more info: www.monarchwatch.org

Caterpillars eating milkweed leaves


Crysalis

Butterfly emerging from its crysalis

Feature!

2010-08-17T12:34:00.005-04:00

My first feature in a treasury! It's called "Say Yes". How fitting, as I start planning for my wedding. Did you know that wedding dress shopping can be exhausting? Especially if you can't find that one perfect dress. So I spent a whole week going to different dress shops and tried on about 20 different dresses until I found the perfect one. (I know, a whole week to find a dress is actually not too bad) Can't say to many details but it's beautiful and the perfect one. Now I just need to figure out the necklace to match.

**Anyways, here's the link to the treasury:

What you need to know about owning a business...

2010-07-10T12:59:00.004-04:00

1. If people don't know you exist, they won't buy from you.
2. If you want to sell 100 items but only have 10 in your shop then you have a problem.
3. You need materials to make items.
4. You need money to buy materials.
5. Be willing to lose money.
6. People want to know what they're buying. Have good photos and descriptions
7. Procrastinating doesn't earn money.

It can't get more simple than this.

2010-04-24T20:29:00.001-04:00

A couple of my friends are getting married this year, so I've been making bridal jewellery galore. It's also great practice for my own wedding next year. So this is a necklace that I made for my friend who's getting married next month.

It's made using 8mm white Swarovski pearls on white silk thread. I put a knot between each pearl to keep the pearls from rubbing against each other.

What do you think?

Job Posting: Teacher

2010-04-18T01:00:00.002-04:00

As a new teacher, I'm finding that my role in front of the classroom is more than just the person that delivers a lesson. So I've developed this list titles that accompanies the role of a teacher. I'll be adding more to it as I find more.

As a teacher you will have to be a:

counsellor
nurse
mommy
entertainer
coach
friend
actor

Feel free to suggest any more roles you think a teacher faces everyday (comment below)

Crafty Cash: Make Money on Etsy - Walletpop Canada

2010-04-17T10:02:00.000-04:00

My wonderful fiance sent me this video about making money on Etsy and the tips to do this.... so I thought I'd share it here!

Crafty Cash: Make Money on Etsy - Walletpop Canada

And I just listed a new item.

March Break Bridal assessories

2010-03-21T20:42:00.005-04:00

I just finished March Break and boy was it busy... Busy with making new jewellery. I finally stepped out of my earring making designs to try knotting pearl necklaces and bracelets. I've been making some custom designs for friend's weddings so I decided to delve into that world of making bridal jewellery.... and to get some ideas for my own wedding. :P

This necklace is my favourite one so far.

Another pair of earrings.... :D

Kids Speak: Soooooo innocent!

2010-02-12T15:17:00.004-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Did you know that as a teacher you can get valentine's presents? Well, today I got a few presents and among them were flowers, keychains and of course CHOCOLATE! Here is the conversation I had while I was opening a box of Godiva chocolates:

Me: Ooooh! It's chocolate! Thank you!
Student: You're welcome. It was supposed to be a present for me but I didn't like it.

Dragonfly Necklace with pearls

2010-02-10T20:05:00.002-05:00

Originally uploaded by BumbleBeads Designs

My New Favourite Song...

2010-02-05T15:19:00.003-05:00

From Boys Like Girls

"Two is Better Than One"

I remember what you wore on the first day
You came into my life
And I thought hey
You know this could be something
'Cause everything you do and words you say
You know that it all takes my breath away
And now I'm left with nothing

'Cause maybe it's true, that I can't live without you
Well maybe two is better than one
There's so much time, to figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking two, is better than one

I remember every look upon your face,
The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste
You make it hard for breathing
'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away
I think of you and everythings okay
And finally now, we're leaving

And maybe it's true, that I can't live without you
Well maybe two is better than one
There's so much time, to figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking two, is better than one

Yeah, yeah

I remember what you wore on the first day
You came into my life
And I thought hey

Maybe it's true, that I can't live without you
Maybe two is better than one
There's so much time, to figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking

Oooh I can't live without you
'Cause baby two is better than one
There's so much time, to figure out the rest of my life
And I've figured out with all that's said and done
Two, is better than one

Two is better than one

The Power of Tags!!!

2010-02-02T16:21:00.003-05:00

I've been quite busy with teaching lately so I haven't been tending my shop or making any inventory. So last week, I was checking my email and was surprised to see that I made a sale! I was so excited that I was literally jumping off the walls. This was the first sale that I made where I didn't know who the person was. Not only did I not know the person, but I didn't even do any promoting (ie. renewing/listing, etc). I realized that I got this sale because the customer was looking for wedding jewellery and must have done a search on Etsy. The sale made my day and I stayed up till 12am (normally, I'm in bed by 10pm) packaging it and couldn't sleep all night.

Moral of this story: tags work! and so do nice looking pictures!

Help Haiti!

2010-01-16T20:33:00.004-05:00

You've probably heard about Haiti by now. So go help them out! Check out this fundraiser that features some fellow etsians. You can bid for the items and Jen who owns Indie Fixx will donate that amount to Red Cross plus you get to keep the item. So go and help!

Click here to go to the website.

back in business!

2009-11-04T19:24:00.003-05:00

School is a lot of work and getting the time to just relax is not very easy. But thankfully I took some time out to make my friend's bridesmaid jewellery. It was fun and relaxing! Here they are:

I've also made a couple more earrings so hopefully I can post those up this weekend.

2009-09-22T20:50:00.002-04:00

Three weeks of teaching and I'm already pooped. Teaching can be an exhausting job. It's not just teaching lessons, but it's also organizing forms, money, getting help from parents, responding to parents when they write notes in agendas. And before you know it, the school day's over and you haven't had time to plan for the next day or prep for it. So you stay after school an extra three hours or more to get marking done, setting up the class, and a bunch of other little things.

And teaching grade 1 and 2s isn't that easy too. Just cause they're young doesn't mean teaching them is going to be a breeze. It just means more work cause they're soooo dependent and need the extra guidance every step of the way.

So the next person that tells me that I have it easy because I have summers off and long holidays, I'm going to punch them!

We, teachers, deserve those holidays. We make up for it by all the extra prep work and long hours at the school.

Thanks for listening to my little rant. The End.

On Vacay for now....

2009-09-12T14:25:00.002-04:00

My first week of school went pretty well. I met my little darlings who are starting to grow on me. Met some of the parents and staff of the school. They all seem very welcoming and nice. I wasn't too stressed out about teaching at the beginning of the week but now that I have to do the diagnostic testing in reading, writing, etc. it's getting to be really busy. So, as expected, I won't be making any more jewellery until I get more free time (probably this summer). But I may be blogging from time to time about my life at school. So ta ta to my little summer "job". :(

P.S. All items in my shop are still for sale until they expire.

The Story of Love and Friendship

2009-08-27T15:02:00.003-04:00

Just came back from my trip to the East Coast of Canada. It's so beautiful there and the air is a lot cleaner. I'll post something about it later. This week has been so busy in preparing for school and getting my classroom all set up that I barely had time to make any new earrings. But school is a bit more important right now. I've been cleaning up my day plan binder from last year and found this really neat story. So I thought I'd share it with you here. It's a French story that is translated into English.

***************************************************************
Madness decided to invite her friends for coffee at her place.

Alll the invitees went. After coffee Madness proposed:
"Shall we play hide and go seek?"
"Hide & go seek? What is that?" asked Curiosity.
"Hide & go seek is a game, I count till 100 and you hide, when I finish counting I start looking for you, the forst one I find will start counting in the next round."

All but Fear and Idleness accepted.

"1,2,3,...." Madness started counting.
Eagerness was first, he hides himself in the first place he found.
Timidity (timid as always) hides in a tuft of a tree.
Joy ran in the middle of the field.
Sadness started crying, it couldn't find a proper place to hide in.
Envy accompanied Triumph and hid himself behind a rock.

Madness continues to count while her friends are hiding.
Despair is despaired seeing that Madness was at 99.
"100" said Madness, "I'm coming to find you!"

The first to be found was Curiosity; she couldn't help herself to see who the first one to be caught was. And looking on the side, Madness saw Doubt over a fence since it didn't know on what side was best to hide. And so on, she finds Joy, Sadness, and Timidity...

When they were all reunited, Curiosity asked:
"Where is Love?" No one has seen her.

Madness starts looking for her. She searches over the mountain, in the rivers at the foot of the rocks. But it can't find Love. Looking in all directions, Madness saw a rose tree, takes a stick and started looking within the branches, when suddenly she heard a cry. It was Love, she cried because a thorn got into her eye. Madness didn't know what to do. She said she was sorry, begged Love to have her forgiveness, she promised to follow her and look after her forever. Love accepted her apologies.

Today Love is blind and Madness is right behind her.

FREE SHIPPING ~ THIS WEEK ONLY!!

2009-08-14T12:34:00.006-04:00

** WEEKEND DEALS SALE **
Free Shipping This Week!! (until Aug 21)

This is supposed to be a weekend deal but since I'll be away for a week, I've extended the sale until I get back. All items now have free shipping so you do not have to enter any code.

Since I'm away this week, your items will be shipped on August 24. Sorry for the inconvenience.

http://bumblebeadsdesigns.etsy.com
******************************************************************
I was just flipping through the "Free Shipping Guide" to see if my work was there and then I saw my pumpkin earrings!! First time getting featured! I guess learning how to take good pictures actually paid off.

2009-08-13T20:14:00.005-04:00

A few exciting things happened this week! First thing that happened was that I GOT MY FIRST SALE!!!! It was very exciting! I packaged everything, sealed it and then shipped it off! Yeah!!! Now waiting for my second sale....

I'm also doing a custom bridesmaid set of earrings and necklace for a friend. So on Monday, we went downtown and got a bunch of beads and supplies and now just gotta find time to finish it. Schools starting soon so I gotta plan for that too. But I can't wait to finish the sets! I'll probably post pics here when I'm done.

And.... I was featured on JewelsOfIndia's blog. You can see it HERE!!!!

And... I went to another workshop for teachers and this time it was at the Hilton. It was so nice and pretty.. hehe

Wow, that was a busy week!

Next week, I'll be going to Nova Scotia so won't be able to post for a week. BYE!!!

20% off SALE This Weekend!!!!!

2009-08-07T00:00:00.005-04:00

This is going to be my first sale on Etsy! So come take a look and take advantage of the 20% off discount.

Here are the instructions:

This weekend only - 8/7 - 8/9! I will be offering 20% off total purchase when you enter the promo code "weekend deals" in the message at checkout. Your discount will be refunded through your Paypal account.

So take advantage of this sale and start your holiday shopping!
http://bumblebeadsdesigns.etsy.com

JPAT's Purses Give Away August 1-8

2009-08-04T20:52:00.002-04:00

Audrey's Give Away Blog is having a contest for one of JPAT's pouches. Click HERE for more information!

2009-08-04T18:34:00.004-04:00

I'm soooooo happy right now! I just got a teaching position for the next school year! I'll be teaching a Grade 1/2 class and the best part of it is that it's a full year contract. So no more getting a job half way through the year or leaving half way. No more getting thrown in in the middle of the year and scrambling to get resources. I have alot of resources for at least Grade 2 and enough experience to get through the year! Yeah!!!! Although I'm still not a permanant teacher, at least I know where I'll be in September. I got a job!

God is good.

Pumpkins!!!!!

2009-08-03T19:42:00.012-04:00

It's going to be Autumn soon so I listed a few of my items from my Autumn collection. One of them is called "Pumpkins on a Vine".

Here are some of my favourite pumpkin items from other Etsy shops! Click on the images to see their listing.

Pumpkin orange baby hat
by WoolyKnitsNBits

Jack O Lantern Simple Mini Notecards Set of 8
by BuncoBettys

Sparkles the Pumpkin Etched Fused Dichroic Glass Pendant
by Luv2Have

Needle Felted Wee Pumpkin
by moondogfarm

Copper Pumpkin Earrings
by RoseEllenDesigns

A little blurb about teaching and reading

2009-07-30T13:40:00.000-04:00

When a reluctant reader suddenly becomes interested in a book about bears, he might say "I want to learn to read this book!" So he would begin to read other "just right" books in order to reach his goal of reading books of his own interest. As teachers, we need to provide these high interest books and expose them to our students. This will motivate them into learning to read. Intrinsic motivation.

*Just something I was thinking about while working on my online course.

I also found a really good link to taking photos of jewellery! here

How to improve your Etsy shop...

2009-07-28T00:21:00.000-04:00

Just found this great blog post about improving your Etsy shop.
Here is the link to Canadian Rockies Art's "10 Easy Tips to help you improve your Etsy Shop: Part 1"

Listed 2 new items

2009-07-27T20:58:00.000-04:00

New earring pics

2009-07-24T15:22:00.000-04:00

I just updated the pictures on some of my listings and also took some pictures of my new items that I haven't listed yet. Probably will do that later next week. But here's some of the new pics and a sneak peak at one of my favourite new earrings that will be on sale next week.

Too much reading!

2009-07-24T14:17:00.000-04:00

I just spent the last three days attending a "Reluctant Readers" workshop for teachers. There were tons of info and a lot of good "make and takes" where we got to make some sort of useful somethings that would help us motivate reluctant readers in a classroom. For example, one of the things we made was a "buzz jar" which basically was a jar that had discussion questions inside. The students would have to pick one of those questions and discuss it with a partner or two. It's to promote a "buzz" or purposeful talk in the classroom. So other than the useful info and free stuff, we also had awesome breakfasts and lunches! Smoked salmon sandwiches, bacon and eggs for breakfast, stir fry, salad with yummy dressing! Totally worth the $40 I payed.

Now I have to work on my AQ which happens to be on reading too. This online course leaves me no time to work on my etsy shop or make new products but I've been able to sneak in a few hours before bed (no wonder I'm tired in the mornings) to make a couple of new earrings. Hopefully I can take pics tomorrow and post them up.

Now back to my online course.. *sigh*

Exhausted...

2009-07-19T23:12:00.000-04:00

I'm tired. I just hosted a birthday BBQ party for my sister. I went around getting food, bringing it in and out of the house and making sure ppl had food. Now, I'm pooped. But everyone had fun and my sister was happy and that's the most important thing.

I made this delicious guacamole dip so I'm going to post the recipe here. It my first time making it, so if I make it again and revise it, then this recipe will be updated. It was yummy. Too bad I didn't have time to take a picture of it. Maybe next time.

Note: I adapted from here.

Ingredients:: 5 well ripened avocados; 1/2 a tomato diced; a handful of diced red onion; salt to taste; pepper to taste; lime juice to taste; lemon juice

Dice the avocado so that it's easier to mash. Then mash it so that it's smooth and pasty. Mix in the tomato and onion. Add the salt, pepper and lime juice for taste. Mix well. Squeeze the lemon juice to keep the avocado from discolouring. Enjoy!

Cards, Cards, Cards and me

2009-07-16T13:26:00.000-04:00

For the past few days, I've been making some promo cards. Yes, about 100 handmade promo cards. Good thing it was kinda fun to make. I'll be sending them to Erika (ErisSensations) so she can distribute them at her crafts show. Thanks a bunch Erika!

And here's a bit about me:
I graduated from teacher's college 3 years ago and started supplying and doing a few LTOs. The learning experience is great but I want to get that permanent teaching job. Trying to find a teaching position here in Toronto is getting harder and harder. It just seems rather depressing especially when you hear other teachers in the same situation. I think I just have to keep trying and praying. Hopefully something will come up.

And So It Begins....

2009-07-15T02:30:00.000-04:00

To start off this blog my first post is about the start of my journey into wired jewelry. I am self-teaching how to use wire in my earrings so I bought a hammer last week but I needed to find an anvil or metal block without hurting my wallet. I asked my dad for a piece of metal that I can use instead of getting an anvil and today he brings home two pieces of copper blocks! It's great to have a dad who's an engineer!

So excited to use this block of metal, I start hammering a random piece of 18 gauge wire. And voila! I made a flattened loop! Then putting it beside a reject earring and this happened.

I love it! It's still a work in progress but it's too late to work on it now. I'd wake up the neighbors.