Giveaway Winner & Life Updates! (with new handmades thrown in)

How was everyone's Christmas? What goodies did you give and receive?

I had an amazing time with my and the bf's family. We had dinner on Christmas Eve all under one roof, and it was AWWWWWWWWWWWEsome. We had tons of good food and laughs together... all in all, it has made me wish that we had more downtime in the year. We need more Holidays!!!

I have also moved again! The bf and I rented a house along with our ex college roomies, and since we are all working in the same area, we decided that it'd be nice to pool our resources and finally get a nice home to stay in. I will post house photos later-- we also have 3 kitties now which are loving the extra play room. And finally, I have an amazing kitchen to work in. I will be creating more delectable goodies for devouring.. I am excited. Once we all settle in, all will be well :)

These last two weeks have been tiring for me-- aside from moving, I have been clocking long hours at work. However, that hectic period is behind me (I think...) so I will be able to dedicate more time to blogging....

First off, please allow me to catch up on what I was supposed to announce earlier this month; the winner of the 2011 Holiday Giveaway..
... Congrats to LILLY!
Please email me your full name and address! heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com -- Thank you!

I made some Brass/Copper earrings today:


The leaves and flowers are painted with nail polish-- the colors are VERY subtle, but provides something very unique :)


They also come with NIOBIUM hooks-- niobium is many times more expensive than gold/silver. It is an inert metal that is hypoallergenic-- safe for even the most sensitive (mine included!). I made the decision to include niobium in collection to broaden the color range I can work with (brass!!!)

Also made some baroque clusters:


As I have a real job now, I can splurge more on gemstone earrings... so I am in the middle of purchasing a bunch of gemstones. These Rose Quartz are beautiful, and very, very clear with lots of facets for more shine:


The following two earrings contain beads purchased (by me!) from the Forbidden City in Beijing, China when I visited a few years back.



I finally decided that it was time to part with them now :)


I have a 3-day work week this week, whoohoo!
Then, a 4 day weekend, WHOOHOO!

More time to spend with loved ones, to cook to eat, to work out, to sleep.

What are your plans for the New Year? I'd love to hear about them!

Lisa
heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com
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Macarons and Sparkles PHOTO HEAVY!

Everytime I whip up a batch of good looking macarons, I am ecstatic.
I am so ecstatic I actually squeal a little every time I take a batch out and the top are smooth and the feet are high and pronounced.

... and it happened this time!
And it so happened, that I was entering these into a desert contest at work. A macaron was to sit atop some Tiramisu...

So I aged my egg whites, and 2 days after letting them sit, I whipped up a batch of macs and crossed my fingers.

Here are photos of my progress in case anyone is interested...

I always fail to remember to take photos of me piping them, sorry :( Next time!

THEY LOOK AWESOME.

Nice high feet profile, smooth shell. Bliss.

Ganache...

Happily sandwiched.

And just because this picture is amazing:

I find myself happily admiring the aesthetics of the macarons that I completely forgot about .... how they're actually food....

... so two days later, after they had fully supposedly matured, I took a bite.

(and another photo here because I can't get over how cute they are)

.... the horror. They were hollow. They had extremely strong shells, BUT THEY WERE HOLLOW. They are NOT supposed to be hollow.

So it was, despite being beautiful, a macaron fail in the end. Again, wish I had snapped photos of those darn hollow shells..

But... they still looked good sitting on the tiramisu, and I ended up getting third in the bake off and I am very happy :)

From a jewelry perspective, my hands have been busy these last two weeks!

I also decided to bring back my... "Vampire Desire" series :)

....

You guys overwhelmed yet?
I know it seems like a lot, but seriously, I get times of OMG I HAVE TO MAKE SOMETHING NOW OR ELSE I'LL NEVER RELAX moments.... which generally means that whole night after work will be dedicated to creativity. ...

... but the main reason why this update was so photo heavy is because I've really sucked at blogging as much lately.

.... and I will keep the excuses to myself because in the end, excuses are really just excuses, and who cares? The bottom line: I have not been blogging, I'm sorry. There's so much I would like to share, but finding the time to sit down and convert thoughts into words... I need to work on that.

So I leave you with a life update:
I AM MOVING TO A HOUSE FINALLY WHOWHOOOOHOOOOOOO SO HAPPY.
Ecstatic.
The house is awesome.
I resolve to do a house tour.

We're moving back in with my awesome college roomy and his gf. It's going to be amazing because we've already lived with each other.

... and also, big kitchen.

You know what that means. More delicious food and baked goodies.

Till next time, when I will announce the winner of the He Qi Winter giveaway!

Lisa
heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com
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He Qi Updates (GWP, NEW) and Giving Thanks (your thoughts?)

It's SO CLOSE to Thanksgiving!

Today was my last day at work for the week-- I'm taking the day off tomorrow. Two day weeks are amazing and rare. For those of you who are still in school and get to enjoy the one week break: BASK IN THE AWESOMENESS OF BREAK! Put your midterms into the back of your mind for 2-3 days and just... relax, enjoy the weather (yes, even if its horrible)-- because when you start working full time, I promise that you will miss this.

Anyway, since I will be traveling until Sunday, I needed to give everyone on blog the updates!!

For BLACK FRIDAY this year, I am giving away the following He Qi Mineral Shadow deluxe samples with EVERY purchase:









The idea was that I put together a palette suitable for the Holidays. What do you think? Festive enough? :)

I will also have a Cyber Monday sale, but those details will have to wait till Sunday night...

In other news, I received a huuuuuuuuuuge shipment from Korean earlier today. Got home from work around 4:30 and made earrings until now (it's 10:10PM here).

So the following are some works I am particularly proud of. The quality is just simply great-- if I can wear them (and I'm allergic to every non-biocompatible metal on the planet), you will be able, too.

When I was young, I remember someone told me that when dragonflies come out, it means the weather will be changing very soon-- I can see it where I live! It's getting much colder in the mornings/evenings.


I saw these 4-point star links and swooned a little. They remind of high fashion shapes..


More cuffs for your lovin'


This set is gorgeous. So pure. No words can describe how happy I am with the way this turned out:


Oh goodness, some BREAKING DAWN inspired earrings:

Who has seen the movie already? Bella wears this filigree hair ornament, and I decided to make my own version of it. Quite different, but same classic goth feeling (well, mine is a bit more dark and gothy...)

I found these STUNNING dove hooks, and just HAD to incorporate them into my collection:


And last but not least

I am so, SO happy with these. I rarely have a batch of work all done in one that I can be so proud of, so today was a good day for me :D. These studs are simply adorable, but are not cheap and will go well with pretty much any outfit, dressed up or down.

It's not too late to get your orders in for the Holidays! Please send them to me ASAP so I have ample time to work on them. Also, don't forget to use the Holiday Cheer Coupons!

JEWELRY ASIDE....

What is everyone doing this Thanksgiving (if anything?)
I will be visiting my parents, and then visiting with Brian's parents.
We plan to feast. :D I plan to work out tomorrow so I won't feel too guilty.. though I doubt 1 workout during the break will have and effect on negating the gluttony I will be experiencing....

What are you thankful for in your life?
At where I am right now, there are so many things I am thankful for:
- my amazing family and friends
- my awesome working environment and co-workers
- my health
- my kitties
- being lucky enough to have all I need, and most of what I want
... and so many other things. Sometimes it's good to sit down and reflect on all the wonderful, positive things happening in your life.

Will you be participating in Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales?
Well, I doubt I'll shop on Friday. It's just too hectic.
I will definitely browse some sales on Monday...

Please leave your comments below! I would love to hear from you. Though I won't be blogging, I definitely will have internet access and will make every effort to get back to during this short vacation.

Lastly, don't forget to enter the He Qi Holiday GIVEAWAY, and SPREAD THE WORD!

Much love, and I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!
Lisa
heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com
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He Qi Crystal Designs Holiday 2011 GIVEAWAY!

It's that time of the year!
THANK YOU to everyone who has helped He Qi become what it is today :)
Happy Holidays!

Please accept the opportunity to enter in the He Qi Crystal Designs 2011 Holiday Giveaway!
The prize is as follows:
2 x Missha maska in Super Berry and Green Tea
2 x Genie in a Bottle Moisture Masks
1 x Beauty Friends Pomegranate Pore Tightening Mask
It's Skin: Fairy Jasmine Body Travel Kit
Missha Cleansing Tissue pack
Mario Badescu Seaweed Cleansing Soap (2 oz)
Bath and Body Works Tasty Lip Color in Passion Fruit Guava
Lorac Couture Shine in Muse
Lorac Pressed Eyeshadow in Negligee
+ $50 Gift Reward that can be used toward anything on the He Qi Website.



Please respect these guidelines when entering:
Giveaway Rules:
- Must be 18+ or have guardian permission to enter
- Open to residents world wide
ENDS: Dec 10, 2011
I will pick the winner RANDOMLY after the 11th!

To earn your first entry: leave a comment on this post, with your name, location, and the link of the item you're most likely to purchase from my website

Please make a NEW COMMENT for each additional entry!
For +1 additional entry: be a follower of this blog!
For +1 additional entry: be a follower of my Twitter
For +1 additional entry: be a Facebook fan!
For +1 additional entry: Spread the word about this giveaway (through any form of social media), and leave the link here!
For +1 additional entry: Leave a NEW review in my shop for an item you've purchase (reviews from prior to Nov. 19, 2011 do NOT count) (Please only review items you've purchased... how can you review something which you have not purchased?)
For +1 additional entry: Tell me one way in which I can improve He Qi Crystal Designs, something that I can realistically do.
For +10 additional entries: by making a purchase between now (No. 19, 2011) and (Dec 10. 2011), post your order number here!
For +10 additional entries: make a YouTube video spreading the word about this giveaway! be creative =)
* You don't have to submit all your entries in one day. If you want to spread out your entries, that's fine :)

It's not too late for you to stock up on He Qi this holiday season!
Please be sure to use the coupons on the front page of the website for maximum savings :)

The recent new additions to the shop include:


















Thank you again, and enjoy!

love,
Lisa
heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com