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
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heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com

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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Baking for Breast Cancer, Ribbon Earrings & kittens PIC HEAVY!

SoOOOoOOOo....

What have I been doing last week?

Baking, baking... and some more baking.
Our company had its last Friday Fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness month, and I had the honor of baking the goodies that would be in the bake sale :)

I really wanted to make macarons again, and was thrilled that my couple of tries were successful. Finicky little cookies :\

Chocolate ones, straight out of the oven:


Sandwiched..


Ready to be eaten..




Also made PINK vanilla ones-- all I did was dye the shell pink w/ red liquid food coloring:




And Sugar Cookies:


Trial run of SUGAR FREE ribbon cut-out cookies w/red egg wash..

I ended up not selling these because I ran out of time :(

Brownies w/ piped ribbon..


Lemon-Ginger muffins:

(No worries, Loki did NOT get to any of the baked goodies.)

Overall photo:

Pictured:
Brownies
Madeleines
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Cake Pops (omg, made about 7-8 dozen of these... tiring!)
Rice Krispies
Sugar Cookies

AND... the final damage, haha





We filled 2 tables full of goodies, and I'm waiting to hear the good news... I know we sold relatively well :)

Needless to say, I think I will take it easy this week.... I will be baking A LOT more during the Holidays :)
Baked goods, anyone? I will happily ship you some baked goods :)

The kitties also got neutered last Friday, and were so out of it for the rest of the day...
.... they even were okay with just being on top of each other..


And here's a shot of Kratos last week, being super cute.
He's developed this meow... it's called the "pick me up pls" meow. We pick him up, and he starts purring pretty much instantly.... and he goes completely limp when he's picked up, just basking in the comfort of being held, I suppose?


Last but now least, I was finally able to make new earrings today! :)


ENJOY!

What have you all been up to? Working full time is ... well... I'll save that for another post. I'm enjoying my work, but I'm finding out how much I admire people as well... more on that later :)

GOOD NIGHT!

Lisa

heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com

www.shopheqi.com
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Tons of new earrings =)

I've been trying to slow down and enjoy my spring break, so I haven't really had the chance to make many new things :X I HAVE been ordering a bunch of new, cute supplies though =). In honor of these new supplies and not having been very productive all week, I went on a jewelry binge today =)

Most of the metal parts are top quality materials, imported from Korea. Always solid sterling silver or gold plated over brass, and completely nickel free.

Speaking of nickel.....
I found out that I had a nickel allergy the bad way. Nickel in jewelry is generally a bad sign-- it's just not a precious metal. My ex gave me a promise ring (an expensive one, I must add) many years ago and the part where the band touched my finger turned black, rashed, and virtually started rotting away. Alas, looked up where the ring was purchased, and it said that jewelry "may contain trace amount of nickel". :\. Lesson learned: do your research when you buy jewelry.

New things on my website. You can get yourselves some HERE. =)



I've been getting a lot of attention from wearing these cute dress earrings:


And goodness, these beautiful butterflies are seriously to die for.


How cute are the mirrors? :X








And restocked on some old favorites =)








Recent Custom Orders:




Enjoy your Sunday, all! Talk to you soon :D

Thinking about starting a rewards program soon... $1 = 1 point, and you can redeem your points for stuff later on? Thoughts? The only thing that would be a little hard to do would be keeping track, but I'm sure I can manage =)

- Lisa
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Contact me with questions/special requests: heqicrystaldesigns@hotmail.com