Fancy Pegasus Necklace + Amethyst Earrings! New Haircut =) & Free Sample

Remember to join the quick ECLIPSE giveaway if you haven't  already HERE.

I was watching the Tudors last night (season 3!!), and made this necklace... the color scheme is inspired by the victorian era, as is the style. There were lots of blacks and greys-- and this is kind of like a toned down version of something very luxurious.

Much like the golden everything necklace, this one is wire wrapped in the same manner-- except since it's longer, it look longer as well-- 5 episodes of the Tudors =)


And some new earrings...


Lastly, I wanted to share my latest hair news...

!!! I haven't had hair this short since I was 5! It was a pretty big deal to cut it this short, but I have to saw I'm liking it. =)


WEEKEND PROMO
For everyone who places an order this weekend, I'll include a free sample of either my facials or soap with your order! Leave me a note in the comments section during checkout letting me know you're a reader of my blog =)

Enjoy your weekend!

- Lisa
SHOP HQCD
heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com

Eclipse Earrings GIVEAWAY, Soap, New Jewelry + CIRCLE LENS

First, the fun and engaging news..

A small earring giveaway, in honor of ECLIPSE that's coming out at the end of the month.

"Eclipse"-- only ONE pair will every be made, so rest assured you're getting something truly one-of-a-kind. Measures aprox. 4.5 cm in length, with SWAROVSKI hearts, disco balls, and rhodium plated moons on sterling silver chains and hooks. Value: $25
How to Enter:
- Ends on June 27, 2010
- Open to residents world wide
- You must be a follower of this blog!
- Simply leave a comment to this post with your name and the link to your favorite piece from my website.
- Get an additional entry by spreading the word about this giveaway somehow -- facebook, twitter, blog, myspace, whatever social networking site you have-- remember to post the link in your comments!
Winner will be announced sometime after the 27th-- come back to this blog to find out who!


In other news-- I've successfully made LAVENDER soap! I'm selling them official on my site HERE

I'm VERY satisfied with the way they turned out :D.
Description taken right off my site:
Handmade from scratch using only the best materials NOT found in mass-produced soaps!


Ingredients: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Lavender Essential Oil (100% naturally derived unlike fragrance oil), purple soap coloring, kaolin clay


Measures aprox. 1.6 x 2.5 x 0.75 inches


Each bar weighs aprox. 2 ounces-- regularly the size of a guest bar. However, due to the special properties of kaolin clay added to these, these bars will last as long as your average 4 ounce bar of soap without compromising quality. This also minimizes waste. The high quality ingredients ensure a creamy lather and shea butter is excellent at helping your skin retain moisture. Wonderful for sensitive skin.

And some that I made for wedding favors or small gifts:


Yay!!!

 And showing off some new creations:

^ Purchased these wing pendants when they first debuted, I only got to use a couple of them in my work so far, all in bracelets.



Fancy heart!


Octopi, haha


And two pairs of cute, girly earrings:



I've been on a circle lens ban for a couple of years now.... because I know I'll order like 3 more pairs if I decide to get one pair (And I don't really need more contacts....) But during finals, I was sitting with my friend, and she mentioned how she ordered lenses and I finally caved in and bought my first 2 pairs in four years :X I got purple and green, both of which are MINIMALLY pupil increasing and subtle blends.

Here's me with purple lens:

Photo taken inside, with flash, no editing.
Sorry, I look sleepy. 

And I went to my first casino last night, haha.
I ended up spending $10, and losing all of it, BUT I got this ticket during the beginning of the trip...

puahaha, lame.

And Achilles, sleepin' on the bed like a cutie, as usual:

This is his "you're too loud so I need to cover my head with my paw" moment.

Alright guys, hope you have a wonderful weekend!

- Lisa
SHOP HQCD
heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com

Quickie update! Sailor Moon earrings, Facial SAMPLES, key to heart necklace revised

Last week was my one week off before summer school starts-- BUT I'm taking two easier classes, so I'll still get the chance to prance around everyone's blogs that I haven't been able to visit during the school year :X

I got my SAMPLES in! This gives you a chance to try a facial to see if you like it before you buy the whole thing =)

If you'd like to purchase individual samples, I've created the PP checkout button for your convenience =) They're $1 each, and that's just to cover the cost of time taken to make samples/packaging, etc. I've purchased top grade cosmetic sampler bags to put these in-- they block UV rays and are weather proof so that your samples will arrive in their best condition. It's an additional plus that the packets look super cool =)

Type of Facial

Regen Luxe $1.00 Combination $1.00 Dry/Sensitive $1.00 Oily $1.00 Acne Prone $1.00 Regular $1.00

Just a note: A couple of these facials aren't up on the website in full size jars yet. If you wanted a full jar, please contact me!
** Due to the differences in clays and proportions used for each blend, some facials will be thicker than others-- this is normal and to be expected =)

You'll also probably get samples from now on with jewelry orders.

Also made a NEW VERSION of my hold "key to my heart" necklace. I've stopped using those keys, and decided on a more gentle version:

Yep, it's smaller, daintier.

And made earrings to go with the Eternal Sailor moon necklace!

^ If you want these in other colors, just let me know =)
Or vice versa, if you want to change the color of the necklace's heart =)

Anyway, that's it for now. Told you it was short =)

My next post is going to be kind of exciting. It'll be about my soap SUCCESS!!

love,
Lisa
SHOP HQCD
heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com

Giveaway Winner, NEW convertible Necklace & Celtic Earrings

Thank you all for being so patient with me regarding the April/May giveaway. I've finally had time to input all the entries and the winner is.........
(Chosen at random)

...Halifax !!!
Congrats, girlie!
Please contact me to redeem your prize! heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com
Thank you =)

On to some Facial news!

I created 3 more blends. Most people requested combination, so here it is:


And some for dry/sensitive skin


As well as acne prone:


** I'm getting special sample size packs soon, so you can "try" a small amount of facial before you decide if you want to get the full size one =)

One the note of jewelry....

And I've been working on the design of this necklace forever. I finally had the time to sit down last night and work on it. I started at 4, wasn't done till 9. So I think the 5 hours I put into wrapping this 38-inch necklace makes it worth the slightly hefty price tag ($50). Keep in mind, I have seen simple pendant necklace without 1/100th the work for the same price. I think whoever buys this will be pleasantly surprised by the level of detail in this piece.



I don't do long necklaces very often because honestly, they're very hard to make, take forever, and it's hard for the customer to see it's real value. But thought I'd give it a shot anyway =)


Made with genuine freshwater rice pearls.

I'm going to take requests for any specific color combos you'd like to see.

Wear it as a necklace...




Or bracelet...


Or anklet. It's the new "My Dainty Everything Convertible Necklace".
My style of jewelry overall is more dainty. If you look at my cluster bracelets, even those are dainty and relatively modest, but the whole point is that they're wearable and pleasing to look at without going over the top. 

And added some more earrings:



I had a couple gals request CELTIC designs-- here's one!


See all them new stuff HERE!

love,
Lisa
SHOP HQCD
heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com
^ Contact me for any questions/comments/custom orders!

Back from MIA: What have I been up to?! HQCD SKINCARE!!!

I've been MIA for the passed two weeks-- I had finals, and then the boyfriend's graduation/celebration. Needless to say, I haven't had much time to update my site or the blog. THANK YOU for your continued support! 

Here's a quick shot of us afterwards:

It was windy.

And that night, one of our friends made..

Um... that would be a heart attack log. Made with a bacon weave on the outside, sausage on the middle, and more bacon in the center. :X

And I made matcha macaron pops:


And marshmallows:



For my graduating friends =)

And the beautiful gal from manwomanfilm did a HQCD review! You can check out the video here:


I've been busy busy, trying to put together my new BEAUTY line. I'm starting off with CLAY FACIALS (which I know many of you have been excited to hear about :D) I'm always trying new things =), trying to keep HQCD different.

There are sooooooooo many different kinds of clays out there. Each clay has different properties, and all clays help promote skin health because they are loaded with skin-loving minerals. I created my own blends from various clays from around the world to make facials for you all. These are the exact same facials that are used in top of the line spas. You can also purchase clay masks online, but they often be very expensive, and contain tons of "fillers" (things that take up room to stand in for clay, but are not really clay). Generally, a good jar of clay of the same size as I'm selling runs for about $20-$60.

Here's my first jar, ready for shipment =)
For OILY skin.

I'm working out recipes for the following types of masks:
Dry Skin, Acne Prone Skin, Combo Skin, Sensitive

During the facial.. Yep, I only did a part of my face.


And when it's just about done and ready to wash off (notice how it's all dried out?)


What is looks like:


And packaging:

Comes with its own spatula, for your easy spreading pleasure :D
All jars comes with shrink wrap seals to let you know that they're brand new =)

Each jar is 6oz by weight. It's good for 10-13 uses. 
I only use the BEST cosmetic grade clays available on the market, INCLUDING DEAD SEA CLAY-- yes, that insanely expensive stuff from the bottom of the Dead Sea. GENUINE clays are good for the skin, and people rarely have allergic reactions. I also add green tea extract to everything to increase the antioxidants you're getting. I don't use any additives, preservatives or fillers in my blends. You're getting 100% clay, 100% potent skincare products.

Currently, everything is unscented. But in the future, I plan to add essential oils to the blends. Essential oils are different from fragrant oils in that they're actual EXTRACTS from the item. For instance, grapefruit essential oil is actually the oil from the fruit. Grapefruit fragrance oil is synthetic (man made). Fragrance oils don't have the natural healing properties of essential oils. More about that later.

I will soon be making a full line for all skin types, including ones for keeping skin youthful, and slimming face (tightening of loose skin and pores). I'm excited! Are you all with me for this journey?

Read more about it HERE.
Help spread the word!

On the subject of jewelry, I do have a few new things on my site =)















Only earrings in this batch, sorry! And only ONE of each pair available, sorry again :X
See all new earrings HERE.

Summer has begun for me! I have this week off, and then I start summer classes next Monday. My goal this week is to play FFX.... haha, I'm a nerd :X

And I PROMISE that I'll be announcing the giveaway winner VERY soon. I just need time to sit down and input all the entries to choose a winner.

Meanwhile...
tell me about your summer plans!

- Lisa
SHOP HQCD 
heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com

Happenings, NEW Floral Radiance! Praise for Apple

This is another one of those really dense posts-- high five to whoever reads through it -- might be interesting to some of you, though!


* Quick note about giveaway:
I haven't had a chance to pick a winner yet! Finals end on Monday, so I'll announce the winner sometime after that =)

In other news..
It may be no surprise to some of you that I sort of have an obsession with handmade soap.

Almost always, the ingredients are higher quality, the lather is rich, and my hands feel so much better after a washing. .. not to mention, it being handmade makes it all that much more special.
Regular soap we buy in stores is just a glycerin base, with not much else. When buying handmade soap, crafters try extra hard to make their soap more luxurious-- with olive oil, shea butter, goat's milk, etc. 

My love affair with handmade soap began mid-late last year, when I stumbled upon a shop on Etsy who made handmade soap. Did a little research, and had no idea that there were SO MANY people out there who made their own soap! Many sell soap as a living.

So... I signed up for a soap making class at the UCD Craft Center.
I was FRICKEN EXCITED to do it..

... the day of the class rolls around (Sunday, 12-3pm) AND I TOTALLY FORGOT TO SHOW UP ARGH.
But the lovelies in the class all shared their wonderful cold-process soap with me. I got so many bars that I'm cutting them into smaller pieces and sharing them with whoever places an order at my STORE.

Anyway, I tried making HOT PROCESS soap. The different between hot and cold process sold is that hot process soap can be used right away, whereas cold process soaps need to be cured for a couple weeks for saponification to complete. Being the impatient person I was, I tried to make hot process soap at home.

In preparation, I bought:
- Crockpot
- Olive OIil
- Coconut Oil
- Vegetable shortening (Crisco)
- Shea Butter
- Essential Oil (fragrance)
- Coloring agents
- molds
- lye
Total Price Spent on this soap adventure: $120+

Man, what a disaster.
Tried to make a 4lb batch of soap. To make a long story short, I failed. I somehow misread the temperature of the soap, and kept it on HIGH instead of low. Ended up burning all the fats, so the soap looks yellow and smells WEIRD. LKSJDFLKSJD:LFKJSLDFJLSD $50+ down the drain.

My feeble attempts:


Yes, all this going down the garbage. Yes, they still work as soap, but what's the point of crappy smelling soap?

I'll try again sometime again a week or so in the future.

** I can't hold it in anymore, so I'll reveal this now, haha. HQCD is going in a new direction! I'm dabbling into making skin care products (such as facials made from volcano ash, green tea, etc) I'M EXCITED.

ANYWAYYYYYYYYY...

Here are some new earrings I made.
Enjoy the Floral Radiance collection!

Each of the flowers are handmade from polymer clay.
They're then attached to sterling silver hooks, and finished off with a SWAROVSKI dangle. There is a VERY limited quantity of these. Only ONE of each design will be available for sale EVER. So if you buy a pair, I guarantee that it'll be ONE OF ITS KIND, in this world!









And how they dangle:


See the earrings HERE.

And brought back a new version of my old cinderella charms:


I'm also selling a bare escentuals eyeshadow/brush set:

I have too many shadows and brushes :(. See it HERE.

Also, I wanted to give a huge pat on the back to APPLE.
I had a 30gb ipod video that's about 5 yrs old. A couple months ago, it stopped producing audio. Called Apple. Turns out, it could be a manufacturer's defect (even thought it didn't show up till 5 years later!). They offered to either fix or replace the ipod, FREE. Now THAT is customer service. I'll be an Apple customer for life. Made the call this morning, and the ipod is now on its way (overnight) to the Apple warehouse. I should be getting my replacement next week. Excellent.

Okay, that's it for now! I'll be done with finals on Monday, so you'll hear more from me then.

Love,
Lisa
heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com
SHOP HQCD!