We're Having a Heat Wave!

A tropical heat-wave. (sings).

So, I made this necklace, "Summer Fire," with Garnets, Carnelian, and Basil leaves, wrapped in 14K gold-filled wire.

Though, I thought I might take a moment to explain something. No one's asked, but when I looked at my shop today, after my first day of updates, I thought it might seem strange.

Right now, there are two gold-wrapped vials. "Summer Fire" pictured here, for $17.00, and "Archangel," from some time ago, for $30.00. And I get the feeling that some might want a better explanation for the variance in price. The wire's the same, the vial is the same; the difference is in the contents.

"Summer Fire" contains Garnet and Carnelian, both are gemstones I have in abundance, and get at a very cheap price. I consider them both "base gems" that I include in my $10.00 standard custom order vials. Meanwhile, "Archangel" contains genuine Emeralds (that's the bulk of it right there), with Peridot and Kyanite (also a bit pricey, though not as much as the emeralds). Gemstones do make up the majority of my expense, and the better the gemstones, and the more of them . . .

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And speaking of summer and fire and heat. What's hot right now on Etsy?

Me, I think I might need a new bikini. Now, for me, there's 3 categories for swimwear, no matter if I'm looking in a catalog or on Etsy.

The first is gorgeous, I can't afford it, and I don't have the body to rock the look.

ChaynLynx has mad skills. His bikinis (particularly the tops) look comfortable, well-made, can be worn into the water, and are just so pretty! The idea that they're chainmail not only seems hard to believe, but also feeds the gamer/geek girl in me.

The second is high-design, a bit impractical, and even for those seriously hot-of-body, one has to wonder about the cojones it takes to wear them.

Unparalleledumbrella has a few of these. But THIS is the one I'd love. I'm built much more like this girl, so in-theory, I'd have the "right" body for this. Though, wow, more confidence than I, has she! Though, I also think, surely, there's got to be some sticky-tape involved here, to keep things in place. And if so, then can you actually go swimming in this? It is a smoking hot picture.

Lastly, is the swimsuit I'm most likely to actually consider purchasing. I of stick-figure and white-legs; more likely to be at Coney Island than a private pool; and an embarrassingly tiny budget.

No one seems to have quite the variety of standard swimsuits that Harajuku does. The prices are comparable to those you'd find in a lot of swimwear only shops, as is the variety of prints, colors and cuts. The ability to mix and match is a great added bonus to get as close to a custom-tailored swimsuit as you can on the internet. My one hesitation comes from the lack of any pads, cups or wires in any of her styles. Girls who find themselves on either extreme end of the bust spectrum need a bit of one or the other, at least!

And one last side note. Bravo to all you Etsy sellers out there who's Swimsuit models don't look like porn stars!