NEW Mineral Eyeshadows, sugar scrub, soap, earrings! SCORE SOME!

HELLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This passed week has been quite busy-- study study, midterm, and then speech today, and then finals week next week! YES, then I'll be DONE with summer session! That means I'll have till the end of September to experiment with minerals, soaps and sugar scrubs... and of course, keep adding to the jewelry line. There's a lot to do =)

I cranked out my first batch of mineral eyeshadows!

I've been doing research for months (since last Nov/Dec!), and finally received all the ingredients. It's shocking how many items go into these eyeshadow pigment blends-- the mica colors are the main component, but making the base that helps the color adhere to your skin and keep it healthy-- WOW the base alone has 3 ingredients which must be used in very specific proportions. To put it plainly, I had wayyy underestimated the art of creating eyeshadows.

Before I show you the collection so far, a few words:

He Qi Mineral Eyeshadows (loose pigments) are blended with 100% vegan minerals, cosmetic grade colors and base. Completely safe for the eyes, lips and face. Each shadow comes in 5 gram jars which measure 1inch across and 0.75inch in height, and is half filled with product. Each jar will last you aprox. 2 months with daily use. If you do not find a suitable color in my collection, contact me and I will make a custom blend, just for you! Each shadow comes with sifters, and will arrive shrink-wrapped and in an organza bag for easy gift giving. Every single eyeshadow is individually blended by yours truly =)

Check out the rest of the collection ( so far!) HERE.

I'm currently working with my awesome graphic designer to create labels for these babies =)

For now, they come unlabeled :X sorry! But because of that... the cost of these initial batches are lower. It is a wonderful time to try some He Qi Mineral Shadows. These are currently $4.35 each, including FREE worldwide (first class) shipping! The deal will NOT last for long, though! (They are filled SLIGHTLY less than the newer ones will be) The price will go up to $5 after one of each type has been sold. BE QUICK if you want to be the first to try these out. Buy some for yourself, or some for your gfs-- I know they can appreciate that ;)

* I only have ONE of each blend on hand currently, so I'll be taking the SOLD ones off the website as they go. They'll be experiencing new names + beautiful new labels.

I'm going to be offering free full sized shadows to beauty bloggers who'd like to review the product. You must have some kind of blog, and be willing to give a 100% honest review of the product. I only have a couple *random* colors to give away, so if you're interested, please leave me a comment below with your name, link to blog and email. BE QUICK! How many I give away depends on how much product I have left, as well as how many people are interested =)

My question for the rest of my readers is:

What colors would you like to see next?

I also made another batch of soap:

Yep, much fancier this time! It's a fruity blend of mango, melon, vanilla, coconut. LOVE IT. I have small samples to include with your orders ;)

Jewelry wise, I've been up to more earrings =)

Don't forget to visit the official HQCD website

HERE

And tell your friends!

** I noticed I've reached 500 followers-- WOW! GIVEAWAY TIME :D

** Also reached 600 sales on my ecrater site, another reason to celebrate!

See you all soon. I promise I'll have more time for blog reading and responding after next Friday!

Hope you all are having a wonderful week so far.

love,

Lisa

heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com

Custom Orders always welcome =)

Cluster Cascade Earrings, Hello: Fellow Jewelry Artisans + Surprise ;)

Introducing the Cluster Cascade Collection:
(inspired by my own previous ROCKSTAR earrings)







These are just a few-- many more to come! What do you guys think? Any suggestions for shapes/color schemes?
All of the beads are wire wrapped to ensure durability, so it takes a little longer to make them, but I think this extra security measure makes the piece well worth it ;)

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So... the little surprise ;)
EVERYONE who makes a comment on this post will be entered into a drawing for a pair of mystery earrings + some other beauty goodies. This mystery prize will be revealed along with the winner in my next blog post (whenever that may be, so be quick :D). This is my way of saying THANK YOU for dropping by-- it means a lot to me that you take the time out in your day to check out HQCD ^^

Also, HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO to all the fellow jewelry artisans who visit this blog. I'm happy you're spending time on here, whatever the motivation may be.  Anyone down for a surprise jewelry swap? I haven't done one in a while. Drop me an email if you're interested: heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com

gnite, bed time for me =)

love,
Lisa
heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com
SHOP HQCD

Giveaway Winner, Macaron Success And new LUX Bracelet =)

Thanks to everyone who entered the quick, 2-day HQCD Anniversary giveaway!
The winner is Nikki
Congrats, love! Please email me your shipping address: heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com

Some of you may remember that I tried to make French Macarons a couple of weeks ago. They tasted good, but were super fail as far as what they looked like :X

If you need a reminder, this is what they looked like:

Oh, the horror. Cracked tops, no "feet" at the bottom. Stuck to the parchment paper like no other.

And what they're SUPPOSED to look like:


I have a strange obsession with macarons right now. The fact that they're hard to make and obscenely expensive to buy in stores makes them all that appealing to try and make :X

Yesterday, I tried my hand at them again. The tricky thing about making macarons is the technique-- the actual ingredients are VERY basic.

And this is what I ended up with:





Perfection. Well, almost. Next time I'll try to make them perfectly round. BUT I was so, SO happy. I think I screeched when I took them out of the oven :X. They're just regular sugar flavored with chocolate ganache filling, but I used some food coloring to make them baby pink in color-- matches well with the chocolate.

I wish that shipping these would be easier, or else all of my customers would definitely be getting one of these.

Jewelry news...

New threaders:
Lil'Fish:


And introducing HQCD Triangle Lux Bracelet:

Because this bracelet is so awesome and took me eons to make, I must spam as many photos of it as I possibly can.

It's 3-D, triangular. Beaded with fishing wire, but the fishing wire is completely invisible :D


The clasp, and greige heart.
Did you know Greige or Grey tones are the hottest colors of the season?


And one more closeup, because I'm in love.


You can find out more about the bracelet HERE.
Talk to me about customizing one =)-- your colors, your charm (or none, just plain bracelet is stunning in of itself).

As always, don't forget to use one of the promotions on the side-bar when you're placing an order!

I'm at 499 sales on my E-Crater site! That's crazy, considering I only really started listing jewelry on there since last August. Before that, I've been selling on Soompi Forums for years, and managed to get over 1400 sales :D. I'm having ANOTHER giveaway the second I reach 500 sales on E-Crater! So... look forward to that =)

love,
Lisa
SHOP HQCD
heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com
* Don't hesitate if you have questions, requests, or just want to say 'hi'!

Long Necklace, Threaders GALORE, + Chance to score some free earrings =)

I saw this made-by-Swarovski black rose 2 months ago... stashed it and never really figured out what I wanted to do with it till a few days ago:

It's a longer necklace, and not yet for sale because I need to take some better photos. Fits right over the head.

I got tons of threaders today, so I went threader crazy and made a bunch of these:









They're my disco ball earrings. SWAROVSKI Crystals are priced not only by size, but also by how many facets (or cuts) a crystal has. The more facets, the more expensive a crystal. This is one of the few crystals of this size that is as expensive as some larger crystals I've used. So yes, they're slightly pricey for its simplicity, but I promise they're beautiful. I've seen them on hooks (much cheaper) for a higher price, so I think you'll enjoy these =)

SWAROVSKI also JUST released their Spring/Summer 2010 collection, and of course, I've gotten my hands on some already:

Introducing Ceramic Mosaic Faceted Round beads from SWAROVSKI.



And also made some heart threaders:




Another Alice Bracelet:


And Paris Necklace:

Want to win a free pair of these?

Leave a comment on this post with your answer to this question:

What's your favorite Cold Stone Ice Cream Creation?

And if you've never had Cold Stone, what's your favorite ice cream flavor?

(Brian suggested it)

Legal Terms/Conditions:
Open to residents world wide. One entry/person. Ends March 14, 2010. Winner will be announced in next blog post-- CHECK BACK HERE to see if you've won ;)Winner will be randomly drawn =)

And totally not jewelry related, I wanted to share a video with you all-- it was for a project for my biotransport class- the goal was to teach diffusion to 2nd/3rd graders. Have fun watching! Heehee =)


As always, you can get your HQCD Jewelry by clicking HERE.

OR


love,
Lisa
Contact for questions/custom order: heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com

Homemade Taffy Fail , Some randoms, New monthly giveaways, new HQCD

I've been wanting to try my hand at homemade taffy for a while now. I figure, since I can make caramels, taffy shouldn't be hard.

Boy, was I wrong.

Taffy is meant to be cooled, and then pulled vigorously. Nowadays, machines have the job of pulling and I know why! It's darn near impossible.
I soon discovered that you need some big guns to pull taffy. I honestly have NO IDEA how people hand-pulled taffy-- what's the TRICK?! So... hot... and hard, and my skin feels like it's being burned off :( You can't let it cool much since it gets hard quickly....

Here's my complete, utter fail:


mm I'm sad... look at those poor little taffy turds :\

BTW, I put in BLUE food coloring, and my taffy turned out looking like JADE, hahaha. FAIL.

The only upside? It was delicious. There's no way sugar and sugar can taste bad, lol.
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A random link I wanted to share:
I love this charm! http://www.strapya-world.com/products/36922.html
SO CUTE.


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For those of you interested in some reading about pricing handmade goods, here's an article I came across today:
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/02/biz-ladies-how-to-price-your-work.html

An exerpt:

Pricing Etiquette

Yes, Virginia, there is a polite way to price.  Here are a couple of common pricing faux pas to avoid:

1. Changing your prices too often: yes, you should absolutely market-test your prices, but don’t just throw numbers out randomly to see what sticks.  Focus on testing one or two products at a time, and try to do it at a live event like a craft show, where you can gauge customers’ reactions directly.  Changing your published prices too often (like the ones on your web site) will make repeat retail customers think they are overpaying, and will make your wholesale customers struggle to keep their prices current.
2. Pricing just to maintain your hobby: I think it’s lovely that you make so many beautiful things that you’ve run out of people to give them to.  I also think it’s great that you sell your extras in order to support your hobby.  It’s selfish, however, to sell a fair-isle sweater you knitted for just the price of the yarn.  Your customers might be thrilled, but underpricing devalues creative work and makes it harder for creative professionals to make a living.

Sadly, there is no magic formula for pricing, but with some research, careful thought, and a little finesse, you can find the sweet spot that makes your business the most successful it can be.

I get a lot of questions on lowering the price of my work, etc. And #2 kinda answers it. I'm trying to run a business, not just maintain my hobby and passion. When I sold mainly on the forum, there would be gals popping up here and there selling for just materials price, maybe $1-$2 higher than that. I wish I could do that, as well. But when you're doing something like this to pay for rent, food, etc, there's no way you can survive without making profit. I also know that the reality is, those who don't do this to maintain a lifestyle will just always sell at a lower price, even if it makes it harder for others to make a living out of this. It's just the way it is, and we just have to work harder around it. Hang in there, my fellow independent crafters.

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This week has been uber busy for me on the school front. The quarter's coming to an end, and all my midterms are done. Finals are in two weeks! I'm not doing as well as I'd like to do, unfortunately :(. I feel like I need to learn how to study smarter, not longer.

I decided to take it easy today and spend the whole day at home, with Brian. He programmed for class all day:


While I made jewelry, and played on this:

What a way to reward myself for doing poorly in class, right? With a PS3? -_-
I know I'm late, but Brian and I finally saved up enough money for a PS3, woohoo!

Here are SOME fruits of my labor for Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010













^ This took well over an hour, lol. A customer of requested a dense cluster with a violet theme. This one's for you, Erica!
My cluster bracelets (like THIS ONE) have been selling REALLY quickly (within hours/days).  Is there a cluster bracelet trend around that I'm missing out on? I really need to get on catching up with fashion... after school ends.... next year... haha.
I really wish I had more time for work like this, but I just don't! The bracelets are SUPER loaded, and every single link has a bead on it.


^ I sold a pair of these to a 7-yr old cutie at a craft fair last year. She had to beg her mom for them. Ahh memories.






^ My first NON Swarovski piece. Turned out quite nice =) Yay for quartz and freshwater pearls!

I'm trying to buy some AAA quality gems (the best, most opaque/clear). They're about $30/pair just for the stones. Pretty intense. I've been saving to treat myself to some London Blue Topaz.

Only ONE of each unless otherwise noted in the listing!

SHOP HQCD

HQCD's New Monthly Giveaways

(First prize will be given out at the end of March). 

Be a frequent visitor of HQCD, drop me a few lines every once in a while (I honestly LOVE hearing what you have to say, whether or not it's jewelry related!).

I haven't been updating and posting as much lately, but I want everyone to know that I appreciate every single person who visits! I think this will be a great way to say "thanks" to people who often visit! I'll get to decide how many prizes to give out, etc. Could be one, or even 10! You never know =)

.... to celebrate the beginning of this new promo, get a 10% off HQCD coupon just by commenting on this post by leaving your name, location, and email address! Coupon expires in a week.

This doesn't mean that I'm stopping my regular giveaways! I'm still going to have those larger, long term giveaways. =)

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I have some Alice in Wonderland charm bracelets coming in soon-- be on the look out! I'm excited for the movie =)



love,
Lisa
heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com
Always feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or just to say hi!