Re-Organization

Well, I guess it's time. My Etsy shop has grown to three pages long -- and the four sections I had been using were no longer working to keep it really organized. I had split the shop into the most basic sections I could think of: weddings, Christmas, art, and flowers. The Christmas section in particular was getting way too large, and with the addition of the unframed art, the framed pieces in the art section were getting lost.

So, here are the new sections. Unframed Art, Framed Art, Ornament Sets, Single Ornaments, Christmas (Non-Ornament), Weddings, and Flowers.

On the to-do list is the offering of customized framing "upgrades" for the unframed pieces, that will probably get it's own section as well. I'm still working out the last details on exactly what I will be offering, so it's not on Etsy yet, but hopefully I will be able to put it up before the holiday season.

I am also working on a couple of new art pieces, and a new ornament design.

Which came first? The Crane or the Egg?

I'm paraphrasing a bit here. But in my case, it was definitely the crane first. After seeing the Faberge eggs on a History Channel special last Christmas season, I was inspired to create my own versions, using the origami cranes, of course. The first was one that used Swarovski crystal flatbacks, inspired directly by the "Coronation" Imperial Easter egg. This was the second design. As I build up to another Christmas season, I've been slowly creating different color combinations of this design.

Finding my way around Flickr

I'm still learning, I'll admit that much. I only have one "contact." It's Kathi from IsabellaSmiles (one of the co-founders of the Etsy Hawaii Street Team), and she was the one who found me first. I just joined my first group: "3D Paper Art." I'm definitely not taking full advantage of all of Flickr's benefits, but I'm learning. If anyone has any tips, I'd love to hear them!

Update: On the Mililani Hongwanji Obon/Craft Fair
I'm glad I attended this one! Not only was it a lot of fun, but I got an early andagi fix -- usually I wait until the annual Okinawan Festival in order to indulge. Sure, there are places that sell andagi (like Napoleon's Bakery at Zippy's), but there's nothing quite like it when it's hot and fresh, just minutes out of the oil! Ooh, I know they're bad for me, but they taste so very good.

Another result of the craft fair is that I am working on a design for another kanji, this time, the one that translates into the word, "believe." I'm not sure what the Japanese word is, yet, I'm still in the research phase, but I did manage to find images of what the kanji is supposed to look like.

Christmas Ornaments are Taking Over My Shop!

Well, maybe not "taking over," but close. I now have more items in the "Christmas" section of my etsy shop than in any other, as many as the next two sections (Weddings and Art) combined. Some might think I'm rushing the season, but in truth, it's just that the ornaments are much faster to put together than the other pieces, and so get finished that much faster.

Maybe I just have to stop working on the ornaments completely, to let the others catch up. Hmmm.

On another front, I'm waiting for the rain to clear up so I can work on more picture frames. Even though my workspace is sheltered, something about working out of doors with power tools makes me a little more hesitant when the weather turns. Or maybe I'm just grasping at any excuse to procrastinate a little more . . .

Mililani Hongwanji Obon Dance/Craft Fair

I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I've never been to a bon dance in my life (unless you count the one time I happened to be at the Okinawan Festival when the dance started.) And, of all things, it's taking a craft fair to get me there . . .

For the last 2 years, I've been doing the Made in Hawaii Festival at the Blaisdell, but this year I decided to do something different. I had always seen the Mililani Obon/Craft fair on the calendar, but because it's always on the same weekend as Made in Hawaii, I never had a chance to attend.

The event will be held on August 17 & 18, Friday & Saturday, starting at 6:30 pm. The lantern parade and the opening ceremony will be at 7:15 Friday, with the dance itself running from 7:30-11:00. On Saturday, there will be a taiko performance 7:00-7:30, followed by the dance. The craft fair will be indoors, so if you're in the area, please stop by!

Mililani Hongwanji
95-257 Kaloapau St.
Mililani, Hawaii

Check out the new 3DCranes on Flickr

I've been hearing a lot about Flickr on Etsy, and I finally took the plunge the other day and created an account (thanks to encouragement received at the Hawaii Street Team meeting last month). But I only started posting pictures today, partly because I've been a bit scatter-brained lately and couldn't find my thumb drive which contained my photos -- which, of course, turned out to be right where it was supposed to be the whole time. Oh, well.

Anyway, feel free to leave any comments on Flickr, and check back as I'll be updating with more photos, including shots of my "creative chaos," aka, what my husband calls my work space.

Here's the link: www.flickr.com/photos/3d-cranes