January Handmade Division Talk About Blog

~In another life I was.... and I made.... for a living. (fill in the blanks)~

I wish I could know! I was definitely making something for living. Perhaps, I was a seamstress in one life, clothing designer in the other. Sewing and making dress just seem so natural to me. I bet I was doing that in one point or the other.

Ok, so ~in another life I was dress maker and I made dresses for a living.

And I guess you’ll never forget things that you made with your heart & soul. My sister told me that our grandmother who is almost 90years old, living in the nursing home and can’t recognize her own daughter anymore… was showing my sister thing that she made (the things she already showed us before) and explain how she made it, every step by step why she did that way this and that… then my sister said to me I’ll be that way one day. Well this feels little sad but my point was even though it was in another life and you cannot remember, your soul will remember! So I’d like to make every piece of jewelry with my heart & soul!

Happy crafting :)

Here is the link to other handmade division teammate talking about the same topic:
Andes Cruz : www.andescruz.wordpress.com
Rickson Jewellery: www.RicksonJewellery.blogspot.com

I must say I’m very sad that not much participation this month… I love “talk about blog”!

Handmade Division December Talk about blog

~December's topic: Where do you aspire to be in 5 years?

it's been more than 2 years since I don't have a "day job". I stay home and make jewelry for living. this was really a dream of mine and I love it! but because I love so much, I work too much... sometime I feel bad if I couldn't pay more attention to my family. so! I came up with perfect solution! I'll open a little shop/studio in Japan with my sister for the summer. (so my sister can handle all the no-fun business end of stuff) location I'm thinking of is tourist town that only open for the summer. while I work in my shop, my husband and my son can go explore Japan. and we will talk about our day over the dinner. this way, I can work without feeling guilty!

as for rest of the year, I hope I'm continue to do what I'm doing now. still have my Etsy shop if Etsy still exists but I really want to establish my website. build local customer base. and focus more in one-of-a-kind work.

above all, I hope I'll still make every piece of jewelry with joy, still learning and trying new thing, and keep dreaming:)

now, let's go see what other wonderful artists of Handmade Division are aspire to be~


Andes Cruz: http://www.andescruz.wordpress.com/

Tess Norberg: http://www.nova-designs.blogspot.com/

Rebekah Timlin Meddles: http://www.lunasadesigns.blogspot.com/
Bella-Bijou Jewellery : http://www.bellabijoujewellery.blogspot.com/

JJ Papke: http://www.rosyrevolver.blogspot.com/

Beth Cyr: http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com/
Tosca Teran: http://www.nanopod.wordpress.com/
Thomasin Durgin: http://metalriot.blogspot.com/
Lisa Hopkins Design: http://lisahopkinsdesign.blogspot.com/



happy crafting:)

Handmade Division Etsy Team September Talk about blog

Septembers Topic: "Where do you draw your inspirations for creating from?" I get inspirations from just browsing on Etsy… haha, just kidding! Sorry if it wasn’t funny… but anyway, I thought about this and although inspirations are everywhere, I have to say I most get inspire from changes in the season. I love to think about up-coming season, think about colors and jewelry design. First, colors are most important to me. Every season feels different colors and I think about how to express the colors with enamels. I love to cook-up the colors in my mind, kind of like when you think about new recipe… (I often think about this but how I make jewelry is a lot like how I cook) and just try the recipe out! Sometime they comes out just as I imagine, sometime it’s blah… and sometimes they come out very different than I imagined but I love it anyway. It’s all fun & good times!!


Another things the give me inspirations is my customers. I love getting custom orders and I feel great joy to trying to make just what the customers wanting. They often let me try something I’d never thought on my own and from that, I inspire to make something else.
It’s always like snowballing. Make one thing and that would let to the next thing… keep growing… never ends… well, I hope it never ends!

Now let’s go see what other members else say about this topic!
Andes Cruz: http://andescruz.wordpress.com/
Susan Moloney: http://susarto.blogspot.com/
mAlice Istanbul: http://istanbuldesigns.blogspot.com/
Rebekah Meddles (Lunasa Designs Jewelry): http://lunasadesigns.blogspot.com/
nanotopia: http://nanopod.wordpress.com/

Bella-Bijou Jewellery http://bellabijoujewellery.blogspot.com/
Beth Cyr http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com/
ArtJewel Designs: http://www.artjeweldesigns.blogspot.com/
Lisa Hopkins Design: http://lisahopkinsdesign.blogspot.com/
Thomasin Durgin http://metalriot.blogspot.com/
Abhaya Fibers http://abhayafibers.blogspot.com/

happy crafting:)

Handmade Division ~August Take about blog

"Talk about something you'd like to create, that you maybe don't have the skills or technology to do currently? "

Oh, isn’t it fun to just think about what you’d like to create? I have list of things I’d like to do one day. painting, photography, pottery… to just name a few. But anything I want to do, if I really want to do it it’s possible. I don’t do because I feel that I don’t have time. There are still so many techniques I’d like to and I need to learn about jewelry making and enameling. Since I’m trying to make a living with my jewelry, I feel I should do that first. But when my son grows up and I’d have all day long… I really want to sew for fun. Make clothes for myself! I used to sew all the time. I go to fabric store daily to see what I’m going to make next and take some fabric home, start to sew and wear that the next day or two! But when I try to sew for money, it took all the fun out of me and didn’t want to sew anymore…well, that’s why I start to make jewelry so maybe that was good thing… but someday I would love to sew again!

Now, let’s go see what other artists are dreaming to create. Maybe I get some more ideas too…:)

NEDbeads: http://www.nedbeads.blogspot.com/
Lisa Hopkins Design: http://lisahopkinsdesign.blogspot.com/
Jewelry by Natsuko: http://jewelrybynatsuko.blogspot.com/
Beth Cyr: http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com/
ArtJewel Designs: http://www.artjeweldesigns.blogspot.com/
Abhaya Fibers: http://abhayafibers.blogspot.com/
Purified Art: http://purifiedart.blogspot.com/
Nova of Sweden http://nova-designs.blogspot.com/
Bella-Bijou Jewellery: http://bellabijoujewellery.blogspot.com/
Pink Crow Studio: http://www.pinkcrowstudio.typepad.com/
Sand Fibers: http://sandfibers.blogspot.com/
Alice Istanbul: http://istanbuldesigns.blogspot.com/
Thomasin Durgin: http://metalriot.blogspot.com/
Moxie & Oliver: http://moxieandoliver.blogspot.com/
Andes Cruz: http://andescruz.wordpress.com/

Tosca Teran http://nanopod.wordpress.com/

happy crafting:)

HD Talk about blog ~JUNE

"Do you consider yourself only a XXX artist, or do you work in multi media application, and/or draw techniques from other fields to use in the on you're working in? "


this is very good topic. I think about this sometime. specially when I making a business card. what I call myself? what is my title? then I get confuse and end up not putting any title on my card. I'm enamelist. enamel is my main medium. but I don't think I'm "enamel artist".... I use my enameled pieces for my jewelry design. and I make many other kind of jewelry. so am I "jewelry artist" then? not really. not all jewelry I make is about art. I'm definitely a "jeweler". but I don't do repairers & ring sizing stuff so I'm not sure about this either. so you see how confused I get? I'm very interesting to know how other artist decide what they call them self or how they decide.

enamel cabs in handmade bezel setting
handmade karma circle & gem stone
photo pendant

visit other awesome artists blog on this topic. ...maybe I'll find my answer!

Andes Cruz: http://andescruz.wordpress.com/
Thomasin Durgin: http://metalriot.blogspot.com/
Lisa Hopkins Design: http://lisahopkinsdesign.blogspot.com/
Maureen BZ (Cosmo's Moon) http://cosmosmoonjewelry.blogspot.com/
Abhaya Fibers http://abhayafibers.blogspot.com/
ArtJewel Designs http://www.artjeweldesigns.blogspot.com/
Susan Moloney http://susarto.blogspot.com/
Tamra Gentry http://jewelrydesignchronicles.wordpress.com/
Bill Martin http://purifiedart.blogspot.com/

Handmade Division ~We are talking about...

~What item do you most treasure made by another artist? ( if there is one) If not, how about what would you *like* to have?~ fun topic this month! For me, I definitely have to say the Japanese doll my grandma made for me. Because she is not only a great artist but she is my roots. It’s little funny to call her “artist” because I bet she never though she is! She is retire teacher. She taught me how to saw when I was six. She do beautiful paper art and many many other crafts. And even though we work in different media, I can definitely see same quality in her work. So million thanks to grandma! I love you:) xoxo

please visit what other members of Handmade Division is talking about regard to this topic…

HandMade Division Blog http://handmadedivision.wordpress.com/Andes Cruz - http://andescruz.wordpress.com/
Tosca - http://www.nanopod.wordpress.com/Susan Moloney - http://susarto.blogspot.com/WATTO- http://www.wattoonline.blogspot.com/Ceeb Wassermann - http://mettledesignstudio.blogspot.com/Beth Cyr - http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com/Rickson- http://ricksonart.blogspot.com/Tamra Gentry http://jewelrydesignchronicles.wordpress.com/Purified Art - http://purifiedart.blogspot.com/SandFibers - http://sandfibers.blogspot.com/ArtJewel Designs - http://artjeweldesigns.blogspot.com/kerin rose-http://kerinrose.blogspot.com/Abhaya Fibers - http://abhayafibers.blogspot.com/

And I had to add my newest Etsy purchase that happened to be on my feet! Very cute very comfy crochet slippers from Broken Hallelujah!

Snow Leopard Network talk about ---

How do you view the topic of "copying"? What does it mean to you? ---
Ok, “copying” for me have to be an exact duplicate of my work. I think we are all inspiring each other in some way and specially I make jewelry in simple design, it’s so easy to be look like. But if you design from within and put your own twists, it’s always your original & yours only. I love to look at all the beautiful things on Etsy but never to copy anyone. But maybe those beautiful things are store in my head and sometimes could appear in my jewelry designs. So, I will not say it’s copied just because the design elements and styles are like. And a lot of times, “copy” defines the “original”. “copy” makes the “original” shine. But I don’t know how I would feel if I see some jewelry that look exactly like mine. Like I say, I make simple jewelry so I see some that’s similar to mine. But what if I see exact same poppy earrings as mine? Wow, that would be creepy! Although, it's kind of heard to copy exact. As I have my own “recipe” for enamel colors. So, your own recipe & many repertory wold prevent from copy cat. But wait… “copy” is not always a bad thing. When you try to learn new things by copying, it’s a good thing! I remember I made every felted doll in the book when I was little. The book was awesome. Came with patterns and everything. I think it’s bad when you make something by copying others and call it your own. That’s bad, bad, bad!

now, please go see what other “original” artists are talking about regarding this topic ---

ArtJewel designs- http://www.artjeweldesigns.blogspot.com/

Andes Cruz - http://andescruz.wordpress.com/

Beth Cyr - http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com/

Tosca Teran - http://nanopod.wordpress.com/

Tamra Gentry - http://jewelrydesignchronicles.wordpress.com/

alisa miller - http://alisamiller.blogspot.com/

Mary Spencer-http://wattoonline.blogspot.com/

Thomasin Durgin - http://www.metalriot.blogspot.com/

Susan Moloney - http://susarto.blogspot.com/

Snow Leopard Network Blog Carnival

" What thing have you created that you most treasure? This is the topic of our new blog carnival! It was interesting to think about. I made many many things in my life. I was crafting girl ever since I was just a little girl. But I really don’t have anything I made except jewelry (I wear my handmade jewelry all the time but most of them I wear because it’s new design and I just want to see how it’s wear or something I keep because it’s not sellable), dress or scarves I occasionaly wear (I guess I like to make something I can wear:) but not neccesaly I treasure… so! Then I remember this piece. It was my first cloisonne piece that I made. It was about two years ago just few month after I start to taking enameling class once a week, my teacher at the time hold special cloisonne class one day. Cloisonne is enameling technique that use wire to separate area of enamel color. It could be very intricate and require many many firing. But maby because I was use to working with wire or perhaps she was brilliant teacher, my first cloisonne piece came out so beautiful! I couldn’t belive I made it!! And till this day, this is the best cloisonne piece I ever made. Or maybe I just not making much cloisonne piece…. It’s not my favorite thing to do…

please visit other blog carnival participants!

andes Cruz - http://andescruz.wordpress.com/

ArttJewel designs – artjeweldesigns.blogspot.com

Alice Istanbul Designs http://istanbuldesigns.com/blog

Purified Art - http://purifiedart.blogspot.com/

Rosy Revolver: A Newfangled Rhetoric - http://www.rosyrevolver.blogspot.com/

And fabulous snow leopard network’s blog - http://snowleopardnetwork.wordpress.com/

MetalRiot - http://metalriot.blogspot.com/2010/03/treasured-item.html

Ps. I love Flickr! I was looking for this picture in my Flickr page and it was fun to see my earlier pieces!!