the secret

lately, my creations had been receiving compliments from family and friends. thanks heaps to everyone who complimented my works for you do encourage me to make more and to strive to be much better in this new craft.

i think one thing that really attracts people to my work are the photos itself (of course, aside from the fact that they are really lovely -- yeah yeah i know the compliments are going into my head now :D). some thought that photography must be another hobby of mine (i wish!). or that maybe i'm using a really good dslr camera for these photos (in my dreams!).

the truth is that as much as i want to learn photography, i just don't get it hehe i swear, i've already borrowed and read so many photography books from the library. but the moment i close the book, i forget what i just read hahaha but then again, maybe i did learn something from those books :D

and my camera? i guess my photos only prove that you don't really need a dslr to produce really good photos. a good quality point and shoot camera will do. like my camera. i used only a canon powershot a620 to shoot all the photos in my posts.

but of course, i did apply some of the things i learned about photography (so i did learn something!). i read in a photography enthusiasts' forum that part of taking a good photo is the post-processing or editing. no photo is finished unless it went through some post-processing. but unlike the rest of the world, i don't use photoshop. unfortunately, i don't have that software. but, i don't really need it because my post-processing consists only of adding a bit of light or brightness here and there, then some cropping, and of course, my signature. and like any other photographer (ok, i'm pretending to be one now) i do take lots of shots for one single item or subject. of course, out of 20-30 photos taken, only 1 or 2 will turn out good haha

there! that's it! that's the secret to my photos. oh and yeah, the background that i use? that's the floor in our living room :) i'm lucky we have a nice flooring in the living room haha

~.~

black beauty

i have been too busy lately making some last minute gifts. if others are busy with their last minute shopping, well, i'm busy making my gifts :) nothing beats a gift that comes with a little labor of love. oh alright! it's just me trying to save on gifts this christmas teehee well, what to do? i need to save. there's a global crisis going on, right? still, i insist, my gifts come with some lovin' haha

and here are some of the stuff i made last week. yeah, i know my title's a cliche. but, hey, black is beautiful!

>_<

smoky quash

last thursday night, ebd and i went to a crystal shop in fu lu shou complex along albert street. we've been passing by this place for years now. but of all the shops near our office, i think this is the only one we haven't explored yet. i guess it's because it wasn't really interesting enough for us. the building seems old and from outside it looks as if it's full of shops selling mostly crystals.

crystals. hey, now that we are into beading, i told ebd that i think it's time for us to visit the place. and so we did. and oh boy, we are in crystal heaven haha

inside one of the shops, i found a strand of nice crystals and asked a sales lady what kind of crystal it is. the lady was not very good in speaking english.

me: hi. what's this? (pointing at the crystals)
lady: smokee quash.
me: i'm sorry. again?
lady: smokee quash.
me: uhm. smoky "quash"?
lady: yes, smokee quash.

i was unconvinced. i have never heard of a smoky quash before. i studied minerals in high school and i never learned about any "quash". but still, the crystals are nice and the price is fair enough, so i bought it.

after paying for my purchase and before leaving the store, again i asked the lady about the crystals.

me: what crystal is this again?
lady: smokee quash.

in my mind, i was thinking, which mineral would sound like a "quash"? aha! *lightbulb moment here*

me: is this a smoky quartz???
lady: yes!

haha finally!!!

^_^

beads and wires

yesterday, i went to the library and went back home with three books about beads and wire jewelries. i am so fascinated with the projects in the books and would love to try making them. i wish i can find at least a 14k gold wire here in singapore so i can try those projects. i have no idea where to get gold wires here. so, now, i am making do with silver wire. luckily, i got a non-tarnish silver wire from arab street last friday. i didn't even knew that it was silver hehe. i just realized last night that the wire i bought is silver. yippee!

as you guessed, since last night, i have been trying some of the designs mentioned in the books. i've already finished 2 bracelets and am still working on another one. since i am a wire newbie, it takes me hours to finish one bracelet haha.

i have a picture of only one of the bracelets 'coz when i was taking photos this afternoon, my camera ran out of battery. see, i have been sharing batteries with miggy. he's using my batteries for his wii remotes. ugh!

that's all for now. it's already 11pm here and i have to go back to my unfinished bracelet. i intend to wear it tomorrow so i better shut up now haha

^_^

slide-a-bead jewelries

it's been a while since i last posted here because i have been quite busy with a little project of mine. no, it has nothing to do with work, though. it's still a bit hush-hush for now so i can't write more about it yet. but, i promise, i'll be sharing it here soon.

anyway, since i made a multi-strand bracelet, i have been fascinated with slide-a-beads. here's a photo of an earring that i made and wore for work on the first day of december. it's a coincidence that it has a dash of violet with the 2 3mm swarovski crystals which is the color of advent.



and here's a photo of a slide-a-bead bracelet that i made this weekend. it's very simple and yet, i think, it looks very classy. i am so loving this color at the moment. and no, i haven't worn it yet. and no plans at all to wear it. it's not for me.



^_^