I do in fact feel better

It's true, I do delve into the world of retail therapy, although I don't know if this would count as retail.. Purchasing handmade things on Etsy is definitely a form of therapy for me however, I know that much. As does making inconsequential blog posts about the mundane and menial happenings of my life. Looking back at older posts, I was really glad I had made them, being able to relive such lovely moments and memories, and re-reading the re-accounting of them through my own words made me feel happy, and very grateful despite what has been going on this past year and a half.

I found this seller through a tumblr I follow called littlealienproducts. This person brings together all sorts of fantastic goods from the Internet that are unique, odd, and beautiful. And as soon as I saw these little earrings in one of their posts, I knew I had to have them! The link brought me directly to supershygirl's etsy shop. There weren't many of her products listed, but each one was so unbearably cute and unique! I immediately wrote saying I would buy these earrings as soon as my funds would go through paypal, and when they did, I kept my word! This shop's owner has been so sweet the whole way through. 

Nothing could have prepared me however for how carefully and lovingly she packaged her gorgeous product. It even included a personalized letter! With such adorable drawings all over everything. By the far the most beautifully packaged item I have ever received..  

Addresses erased for privacy, but gosh this was so lovely, and so simple.

Cute drawings on the item's box! Couldn't handle it.

But that wasn't all!

There was more! (Even a drawing of the big dipper constellation, which incidentally has some significance to me)

Some bubble wrap and cute tape.

Ta-da!

And the back wasn't neglected either.

Quick-modelling my new earrings. I love the illusion.

Web and real-life colliding!

Etsy longcoat commission

Three cheers for me for finally completing this special custom longcoat ordered by a lovely returning Etsy buyer!! This one was quite the task to accomplish. There were so many obstacles in the way, I was starting to wonder how long it would take to finish! In the end, it took about 4 months from concept to the last stitch and to be honest, I was quite surprised with myself. Although I've sewn clothing before, this garment has a quality I didn't see while working on it. Only now while looking at these photos that I took today of my aunt modelling it, do I see how impressive it actually is. I look forward to making more garments and adding them to the shop.

Speaking of today, I was at my uncle's house and his wife (my aunt) cooked us (and her sister's family who were also visiting) a fantastic lunch that included homemade gnocchis, pasta, meatballs, sausage and even sauce! The vine leaves were store bought but boy were they good.

Bella (their bunny) had her own feast and I second her sentiment, stuffed and sleepy!

mili

Sweet evening in little Italy and a new etsy item

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79928508/large-rose-felt-ring-upcycled

Last Tuesday night, two friends and I met up at a lovely restaurant in little Italy called Bottega, which is a pizzeria but they serve pasta and calamari as well. We were supposed to be four altogether (The Fantastic Plastic 4 to be precise, naming ourselves after the very first project we all worked on together in uni when we met in our first class of our program). Unfortunately, that friend is leaving the province soon after having just arrived back from a 6 month working trip to Australia and her family surprised her with a going away dinner so she didn't have much of a choice but to cancel with us. We were sad to hear it, as now it'll be difficult to plan something before she's all packed and ready to go!

Nevertheless, the three of us met up and had a wonderful evening at Bottega. We started on a calamari appetizer, then we each ordered our own stone oven baked pizzas (which were baked right behind us in a stone oven in full view!). Our pizzas respectively were Margherita, freshly sliced mozarella and cherry tomatoes (I forget the name), and cheese with grilled vegetables (the name also escapes me). We swapped slices and marveled at how incredibly tasty they were. I was transported back to Italy and missed it immediately.

One of the two friends had recently discovered an amazing wine (which I need to ask her the name of!) and wanted me to try it as well. Putting it on my tab for when I actually start earning more money, I accepted that she pay it for me that evening. And I am so glad she had me try it! It too, reminded me of the amazing white wines I had tasted in Italy, the kind that is soft, smooth and doesn't hit you in the head as soon as you take a sip. For dessert, we ordered the canoli, which comes in twos but our waitress immediately offered to add a third one as soon as she saw us deliberating. I wish I had been able to leave a better tip, those canolis were so sweet, creamy and crunchy.

I highly recommend this pizzeria, it is a small slice of Italy with a romantic and friendly ambiance. Also, the waiters and waitresses were very well mannered and well-dressed in their bow ties, white aprons and vests (if I remember correctly, I was preoccupied by the food and our conversations!) .

As for my etsy shop, I just added a new item which is a large rose felt ring that I decorated with some hand stitched glass beads. I wasn't quite sure about it at first, but it grew on me and now I find it really pretty.

Etsy purchase #3!!

Oh boy, could I be any more addicted? I've actually made 5 purchases in all (1 is on its way soon and the other I haven't photographed yet). I never imagined that I would be on Etsy this year, but since last January I've been taking one giant step after the other and now have 15 items in a shop and one sale under my belt. Through the experience (albeit somewhat daunting when paypal asks you to fill out a small business form), I've come to appreciate Etsy and learn how necessary it is to build knowledge as a buyer in order to be a better seller. Also, knowing that the products I'm buying are handmade and designed/packaged/etc by the seller themselves, adds a whole other level of enjoyment to it, especially considering the kind of quality that is being produced.

This purchase was once again done from Joo Sweetie's shop (total favourite price-wise and cute-wise). My second purchase from this seller was driven by the attention to detail and the quality of her creations. Her magnets are so incredibly well-designed and cute. Actually, I stumbled upon her shop because I had searched "Croatia" out of curiosity and found a magnet set (which I later bought) of two cuties greeting each other with "Zdravo" ("Hi"). This time I had to get the "let them eat cake" Marie-Antoinette and Louis magnets because.. well, you'll see in the photos, I just had to have them! But that couldn't be all, so I decided to also purchase one of her "mystery goodies" that I could give them as gifts. I do think I need a brake from all of this shopping. I should focus more on making some money if I have any hopes of making my dreams come true!

These keychains are glorious! In her shop, they seemed quite small but when I saw this one in person, it was huge! I have an idea who I could give this to..

These are gorgeous little glass bead earrings. A little detail you might not notice: the metal wire doesn't go all the way through to the bottom.

Second Etsy purchase!

Alright, so I imagine I might be posting about my Etsy purchases in the future just because I am so incredibly pleased with them and they are made by other people who also like to craft and so it is that much more special..

Also, you can learn a lot about how to be a good seller if you gain experiences as a buyer..

That said, LOOK AT MY JooSweetie PRETTIES!

p.s: I recently re-discovered Napolean Dynamite and the Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy, and you should too ;)

First Etsy order, shipped!

Here she is! The very first of the many (I hope) to come. It is an upcycled sweater, designed by the researcher I am working for. Its final destination will be the UAE. The person who ordered it was incredibly nice (and patient!!), the whole experience is really amazing. I am essentially learning how to run a small online business (very VERY small!). I hope I'll get to the point where I am sick of getting too many orders but then feel incredibly happy at the thought that that means I am self-employed *dreams*.

And! Something to look forward to... I just got a bookmaking commission but this won't be just any book, I will have to create the book layout, print it and design the cover, all of these I am REALLY looking forward to:)

A simple thank you card.

Brooches made from the cut-off waste of the upcycled sweaters.

A lavender pouch with a hand-felted and hand-beaded embellishment.

This was painstakingly hand-stitched (and could have been slightly large but oh well..) I hope to have a few of these machine embroidered if it isn't too expensive, should be fun :D

First Etsy sale and first Etsy purchase!

This is a HUGE deal for me. I feel so independent being able to purchase an item online and have it delivered to my door. That is a crazy notion to me and was such an alien concept, until I was (let's say) forced to acquire a credit card (prepaid mind you, and I am digging it) and have an Etsy presence. Now I can say I have received a payment for a purchased item I am about to ship tomorrow to the UK and just today I received a package from Australian artist and illustrator Mel Stringer (girliepains.etsy.com) of a zine I bought from her Etsy. I can't believe it! This is way cool. Also, she included a small print and the tiniest tooth. For a moment I thought it was real!!