Of Recent Adventures.. and in the pipeline ;)

Hi all!

The last few weeks have been a whirl wind of experimentation, planning..executing.. messing up, waste... but finally, success!

I have made a few new earring creations since last post...

First off, some more gemstone earrings, this time featuring a pink quartz, AAA grade with the slightest mystic sheen:

The onion briolettes are simply adorable. See them HERE.

I am on a cluster kick again lately, thanks to my housemate who's been feeding the frenzy, and I couldn't help but to make a pair of Bollywood earrings to match the Bollywood necklace:


And while Loki was sleeping in Dad's lap,


I was creating these:

Inspired by the sea:


And by Tiger's Eye (both the actual animal's eye, as well as the natural stone!)
Tiger's Eye is secretly a tribute to Loki, because his eyes are super fierce and look awesome in the daylight.


I am also selling some handmade stickers that I have wayyy to much of on my Etsy Account:

If you are in the need for supplies, check out my store for some destash packaging materials, beads, etc!

And lastly.. something that I have been working on since October 2011 to create:

That's right. Sailor Moon inspired perfume lockets.

Ok guys, please use your imagination with this one, because I know that initially it sounds like a stretch. Perfume lockets are not new, and definitely not this type of locket (though I have worked hard to get my hands on a unique design), but as I fell in love with solid perfumery, I wanted to combine my interests. As many of you already know, Sailor Moon has been a huge muse for me over the years, and continues to me. I wanted to transform my thoughts about her character into a scent. I know, many of you are probably shaking your heads and think I'm nuts. I might be a little nuts. I might be pushing a little. Oh well ;) What's creativity without a bit of crazy and unexpected? Am I making a whole Sailor Moon series of solid perfume lockets? Maybe.

.. so after months of research, market research, designing, failing, sucking, making some really disgusting smelling things, I think I'm almost ready.

These lockets are made by a family owned business in the USA, and the quality is simply breathtaking. When I got my first one to hold in my hand, I was surprised. NOTHING beats the quality of these perfume lockets. They come with a little recess on the inside where you can swap out the aluminum pan with other scents or refills as you need over time. I am designing over perfume locket centerpieces right now, but am not ready to release them. Heck, I couldn't wait to show you these, and I'm not even ready to reveal the exact details of these yet, but thought it might be fun to show you what's in the pipeline.

Pretty cool, hmm? I'm pretty stoked to say that with a huge amount of Googling, I have yet to come across a Sailor Moon inspired Solid Perfume. I'm stoked.

Many consumers do not realize how much time artists put into developing work. Just like how the R&D department of a Biotech company takes a huge amount of money to run to make a product, causing the end product price to be 400-1000% or whatnot of material price, same idea applies across the board to something like what I do. The price of a piece reflects not only the materials, but the time spent on developing it, including all the fails, wasted materials, time spent redesigning, time spent on designing package... well, the list goes on and on. Keep that in mind the next time you're shopping for an artisan good; though I am not a full time artists, I have grown over time to value other handmade artists' goods because I know first hand how hard it can be to make art one's livelihood :)

Thank you all for dropping by and taking part in my little adventures of late.
Please head over to the He Qi website and take a look at all the new goodies there.

If you choose to place an order, I am currently giving away a sample of my new Vanilla Clove lip balm with all purchases!

I hope everyone starts on Monday with bright, positives attitudes.


Until next time,
Lisa
SHOP
TWITTER
FACEBOOK
heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com

Calla Lily Lariat Necklace, earrings + winner of Matcha Sugar Scrub sample!

HELLOOOOOOO!
Happy almost-Friday!

Thank you all for sharing what you'd do with $1000, there are some interesting answers! Congrats to Joanne-- you've scored a sample of the Matcha Sugar Scrub! Do email me with your full name & shipping addy to claim your prize :D

So I've been taking a break from the beauty products and getting back on my jewelry kick...

I've been hoarding these Calla Lily findings for so long, today I finally found inspiration and used them to create a LARIAT necklace!!

I'm actually quite proud of this creation; many customer in the past have asked for more lariats.... well, here is the first in a long time! I hope I've made you proud :)

Close up of the adorable lilies:


And of course.. some earrings to match :)

I do love this set as it's so simple and classy; lilies are timeless! The owners of these pieces will notice that they are made to last :) The calla lilies on the earrings are slightly bigger than those used on the necklace piece.

I took the vintage SWAROVSKI crystal hearts I got a while back and married them to wavy pearls for a fun dangle for any outfit:

Yes, I do have different color combinations for those who are looking for bright options!

As I continue with my jewelry adventures this week, I found myself nostalgically yearning for Sailor Moon when I came across this video:

Did I mention that Lara is an extremely talented musician? She makes me miss my piano.

Anyway, as a tribute to miss Sailor V, I created the following:

The colors are SO Sailor Venus, I just could resist but to name them after her :)

Finally, I created SWAROVSKI Bridal Clusters today; it was the most random creation of the day, but the mood was right:


I hope you've enjoyed the goodies today! Please visit my website if see anything you're interested in; He Qi makes unique, lasting gifts for loved ones! I appreciate the time you've taken out of the day to stop by.. please say "hi" by leaving a comment below!

love,

Lisa
SHOP
TWITTER
FACEBOOK
heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com

Bath Tea Winners.. Bath SALTS (and one to give away) + Cluster Earrings!

Thanks to those who shared their scents with me last post!
 Elana &   Annie !!
^ Ladies, please email me with your full name and shipping addresses so that I can ship your bath teas to you :)

Also, today is the day I release.... dun dun dun...

BATH SALTS!

They come in charming Spanish bottles that you can re-use or refill when empty.
I don't believe in using synthetic/harmful ingredients in my products. No fillers. No preservatives. No parabens, phthalates. Cruelty free (tested on happy volunteers). You'll always get natural, wholesome products with genuine essential oils with aromatherapy benefits. I am quite sensitive myself so I often can not use store bought products.


I am also providing SAMPLE of all home made bath/body products. I understand how subjective bath/body can be, and I want you to be able to try a small amount before purchasing the full size!
And yes, these bags ARE biodegradable, so please make sure you use the salts within 2 months of purchase or transfer them into another container.

I also made little bicone clusters!
My girlfriend and I are collaborating on a high-end line, and these are our results. The idea is to provide simply, but extremely well made, durable and high quality jewelry.

Peachy:

They're made to last.

And these are my favorite. I have a pair for myself that I've been wearing to work with my navy blue outfits:


Love love love.

Now  I would love to give away a free Bath Salt sample to someone...
Leave me a note below with at least 1 way you attempt to be environmentally aware aside from recycling :)

Looking forward to writing again,

Lisa
SHOP
Facebook
Twitter

Of Madeleines and Clusters

Madeleines are my Dad's favorites. They're also the bf and his Dad's favorites. I think they might be a few other favorites.

To say the least, Madeleines are well loved by many.

Brian's Mom got me a madeleine pan a while back, and I'm proud to say I've gotten tons of uses from it:



it. is. amazing.

For those of you interested in making these delicious goodies, the good news is that both the recipe and process is quite simple; definitely NOT as complicated as some recipes make it out to be.

You will need:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup flour
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- grated lemon zest, about 1 tbsp

1. Melt your butter in a  microwave safe dish, set aside to cool
2. Combine sugar and eggs in a stand mixer until smooth. Add in flour and salt. Then extracts.
3. Pour in the melted & cooled butter in a slow stream into the above mixture in #2, KEEPING THE MIXER  ON.
4. Add lemon zest at the end
The batter will be quite soft and... hmm how do I explain... fluffy, ish. You want this.

End mixture is smooth and looks similar to:


Coat the madeleine pan with either butter/flour mixture or be lazy like me and use PAM.
Drop the batter by the tablespoon full into each mold cavity-- you DO NOT have to spread it around as the heat in the oven will automatically distribute it evenly for you:




Bake at 350 degrees F for 9-11 minutes, until edges are golden brown.
Take out, wait 5 minutes to take out and cool on wire rack, with the nice shell designed side up.





And if you want to dip them in chocolate, that's always an option :)


Store them in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.
Let me know if you make madeleines. I'd be thrilled to see yours :)

In He Qi news:
I'm in the process of creating a new line. Basically, this will be a luxury line for those who have been requesting simple, but extremely top quality products. You will see this new line as the LUXE line. It is a new category on the website :) These pieces are meant to last years and years, because I have crafted them to be sneakily sturdy using only sterling silver and 14K gold. All work will be wire-wrapped to increase longevity as well. These will also feature fancier gemstones/crystals.

Here are a few pieces from the line:










And for all other He Qi pieces, I have made the following additions:

A restock on the studs :)

Some dark hearts:


And a necklace I ended up quite liking...


I'm curious: who celebrates Valentine's Day? If so, how?

till next time,
Lisa
lisaHQCD @ Twitter
Facebook
SHOP HE QI

Yosemite, Rockstar Earrings, Charm and more earrings

For 4th of July weekend, I went to Yosemite for the first time with a group of friends. The scenery was breathtaking. It's a shame I got at least 45 (COUNTABLE!) mosquito bites (we forgot insect repellent), and every single one of them swelled like crazy. Unfortunately, the itchiness caused me to be cranky for the remainder of the trip :X

A shot of us, all excited:


And we randomly found a log that resembled a bazooka, lol-- it even had a handle


Got home Monday night, settled in. Today, I had to give a speech in my communications class at 8 AM. Started working on the speech at around 9...
... but Achilles decided he wanted pets instead-- so he laid on my work...

Eventually finished around 2, woke up a little after 5AM to put the finishing touches on the speech, and booked it to class. Everything worked out and went well, so I'm happy =)

And newwwwwwwwwwww jewelry I've been hoarding!

I'm CRAZY excited about this piece. It's been in my mind forever, but I finally produced it today:

"Rockstar" earrings. My current absolute favorite, hands down. The color combo is flawless (ahem... heehee), and believe it or not, these pair of babies took well over 45 minutes to wrap. They're LOADED with crystals and pearls. I hope this finds a good home, and an owner who loves it as much as I do ^^

And some Vampire Desire earrings, to match that Vampire Desire necklace!


Some pretty floral earrings:


A random colorful cutie:


And 3 new pairs of Floral Radiances =)






And lastly... since I was definitely feeling the purple/black today, I'll finish the post with a "Rockstar Romance" charm: