March Means Spring, Right??

Well, maybe not in New York ...

Anyway, it is the first day of March, and I have something exciting to say - I actually made more new Magic Vial Pendants for my etsy shop! *gasp*  First non-commissioned batch of 2014!

Blue Seas here is the latest incarnation of one of my favorite themes.  I love the sea/ocean themed pendants, even though I'm not a water sign myself.  I just love the deep color saturation that apatite (normally for seas) and iolite (normally for oceans) lend to vials, whether I pair them with pearls or sapphires, or anything else!

This one is a new type of apatite that was gotten for me from the AZ Gem & Mineral Show.  The texture and crystal structure is really fascinating compared to the little glassy pieces I normally find at my gem shop in the city.  It gave it a whole different feel, I think, that directed it more towards creativity, intelligence, mental clarity, than just peace, calm, protection... it's paired with freshwater pearls and lavender leaves with sterling silver wire.

A new theme is this one at right, "Foundation In Love."  I had a nice little fight with this Rhodonite stone while trying to break it down the other night, and got some really good insight to how different it is than Rhodochrosite, which is what I had previously used for these a-typical love charms.  This charm is very much more about having a strong and stable love of self and internal sense of emotional stability more than drawing any kind of external love.  Paired with the Rose Quartz for some added softness, and healing, this is a really different kind of love charm for those who might need some reminding to love, trust, and have faith in themselves, and from that foundation, build their love and light upwards and outwards.

 

All the Greens here is a bit of hyperbole (and based on a joke from Hyperbole & a Half.  I knew I wanted to make another trees/forest themed vial - they're another favorite, especially in winter, but I wanted to mix it up  more.  So, instead of using only 2 gemstones, as is my usual formula, I mixed together 4 different green gemstones from my stash:  Chrysocolla, Malachite, Peridot, and Moss Agate.  The meanings follow the same as with most green earth elemental themed pieces, lots of growth, prosperity, health, stability ...  and I always like to pair these with contrasting red cedar splinters, not only for the sharp red against the variegated greens, but cedar has wonderful properties itself, for purification and protection.

The last of the new batch is this new theme, "Success."  I've been feeling really great in this department recently, and wanted to make one in this theme, even though the vials in this color spectrum don't always sell the best.  (I don't know why, I normally don't like or wear yellows or oranges either, but in these vials, I think that color ray is gorgeous!  And it has a great energy/feel, too, especially when you're feeling deprived of sunlight!)  This one is a mix of Citrine and Garnets with a big, glowingly yellow "immortal flower" to finish off.

So, there's the latest four!  I'm hoping that as spring starts to finally rear its head (hopefully before May up here), that I'll get back on balance with crafting and making art on a more regular basis despite the full-steam-ahead day job (which I am REALLY enjoying!!!).

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Also, the other members of FAE (Fantasy Artists of Etsy) are also dreaming of spring.  Their latest monthly exhibit is called "Lucky Charms" and hoping to pull a little bit more spring and green into all of our lives.

Check it out HERE!

Too Much Snow.

Long time no check-in!  However, I wanted to write in today and do a little catching up and talk about what's been on my mind.

Anyone who's read any of the recent posts has probably picked up that my production has dropped incredibly due to new day-job (actual, perm, for realz, all the bells and whistles day-job, not just temp, we'll see day-job!) (YAY!! Very happy about that, by the way - still am!).  However, certain things haven't been helping - my silver supplier is ONLY open M-F 9-5, and has crazy expensive shipping rates if I can't physically go to the shop (which, I can't, because I work, M-F 8:30 - 5:30).  I know, I should probably try and find a new place to buy my silver, or just go back to ordering everything online and having it delivered (though I do prefer to see things in person whenever possible).  And, let's not forget - THE WEATHER.  It pretty much sucks - and has sucked, and apparently is going to continue to suck for quite a long time.  Not only is being outside difficult with all the slipping and falling and the air hurts my face, but my garden is now under so many feet of accumulated snow that I'm not sure I could find any herbs for more pendants.

(There have been **2** more snows since this picture!  The table very nearly disappeared at one point)

But, I get off track.  I have made two custom pieces for a coworker, and seeing them get excited and each one has kind of given me a new desire to get back into making Magic Vial Pendants.  So often, selling only online, you never really get to see people react emotionally to your work.  It's almost been 10 years since I first started making these vials, and it's understandable, I think, that would lead to getting a bit jaded sometimes.  But seeing an honest reaction, face to face, with someone getting exactly what they wanted.  It made me remember why I make these.  So, hopefully, I'll find a way to make some new ones soon.  Maybe nothing with herbs, just yet, but I have some cedar wood stored back, and those immortelle flowers I got almost a year ago haven't aged a bit, so they're about the only bright/sunny thing I have to work with right now.

(immortelle flowers thanks to pinterest)

The vials I've made with the little golden flowers haven't sold nearly as well as expected.  I'm not sure if it's just that people aren't always that fond of the yellow/orange color spectrum as colors to wear, or something else that makes them less attractive than lilacs and rosebuds.

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So, I did a quick search on etsy to see if anyone else is working with them.

There aren't a lot, only 19 results came up, and a lot of them (not surprising) are bath/body products.  However, my favorite is this resin necklace made by Resin Sun.

And if it is the color that's off-putting to some people, don't worry, she puts all sorts of colors of flowers in these pretty resin spheres.  All this snow and grey, I think we could all use an extra dose of color and sunlight.

Merry Christmas - Happy Yule - and Glad Tidings All Around!

'Tis the season . . . to not have enough time to go around.  Am I right? (heh)

I just wanted to post a little notice that Izile's Oddities will be closing its doors for the holidays starting late tomorrow (12/17), as I prepare to go home for the holidays.  Purchases made today or tomorrow will go out Wednesday, and then I'm gone-baby-gone!  It's been a very busy fall/winter, and I'm looking forward to some Southern sun in my winter.

I also wanted to say I just celebrated my 500th sale on etsy, the lucky customer got the cost of the item totally refunded, so all she paid was S&H!  Thanks to everyone who's been with me and Izile's Oddities through all the crazy ups and downs this hobby of mine has had!

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Completely unrelated, except for the fact that I'm still trying to plug a new artist every time I actually get around to posting, I thought I'd share something that just popped up on my etsy feeds this week:

Sunny Skies Studio was featured in a Frozen Fantasy treasury on etsy, and the piece at left caught my eye.  I always love ear jewelry that doesn't require any piercings (as I have none), and this one is delicate and perfect for the season.

Of course, I then went on to browse the other 9 pages of pieces featured on this etsy shop, and was quite happy to see some very original and different takes on the ear-cuff theme.  And while I normally prefer sterling silver, or which there are many pieces, I admit this other brass piece has a lovely style that I think would be great for the Ren-Faire season.

And before I forget to mention, yes, there, are some regular earrings, ear pins, and even some rings and a couple of necklaces.  Definitely worth the time to browse and see.

I'm alive!

I know this is my most neglected space, and that's saying something considering how the new 4 pendants I just put up on my etsy site are the first 4 since spring!  I'm taking a moment to make a go at updating here, though, as well, since I just updated my DeviantArt gallery and blog.

Mostly, I'm doing semi-OK with keeping the Izile's Oddities Facebook Fan Page updated on a semi-regularly basis.  I did a Halloween costume give away!  That was fun!  And the not-for-sale artsy things (some unicorn art, mostly, and other sketchy-doodles) made their way onto the DeviantArt gallery over a month ago.

As far as blogging, I'm mostly working on keeping a regular schedule on my South Eats North blog, about food.  It's proved fairly difficult to keep up with that, but I'm making a real effort, and over the past summer/fall I've found myself a lot more passionate about food - especially due to my whole conflict over not sure if I want to keep being a customer on etsy - I mean, I guess I can just not leave feedback on anything I buy.  Just tell the artist in a note "hey, this is great, I love it, but I'm not leaving feedback because I don't want the entire internet to see my entire purchase history."  - This also gets more tricky as I don't want people who know I shop on etsy looking through my purchases (which would now be public), and seeing if they can figure out what I bought them.  It's dubious that would happen - but I know some people are sneaky that way.  So, I'm trying to reconcile my "must shop small business" mantra with "desperately want to keep every shred of privacy I still have" need.

That said, I did put up four new Magic Vial Pendants this weekend.  Mostly rehashes and variations of past favorites.

I make these vials just about every winter.  For one, I love forests and trees and how this vial seems to be a bit of an upside down tree.  I also love how beautiful cedar wood looks in the oil; and cedar wood is something that I can use all winter long, and has great properties of protection and purification.  Sad I could never work out the cedar/cinnamon bath salts the way I wanted them.  That, combined with the chrysocholla and peridot, beautiful contrasting green stones for earth, life, regrowth, vitality of nature . . . it's just a good feeling vial.

I also made a Clear Seas (aquamarine, pearl and lemon balm), Eternal Sunshine (sunstone, citrine, and immortal flower), and a variation of the Snow White vial I had made that was really popular, but finding snow quartz has been a bit difficult, so I'm trying one with white moonstone instead - still black onyx, one ruby and a rosebud.  Still a great looking pendant for those who love the fairytale princesses.  (I tried making a Sleeping Beauty one, but it went over less favorably, and I never got around to designing more fairytale princesses, though, I still want to, one day.)

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As for shopping on etsy - it's up to you.  I still encourage people to shop small business and independent artisans whenever possible.  Some people don't care if everyone can see that they spent $XX.xx on _____ .  Others are more secretive - like I said, I guess you could always just send your feedback privately to the seller, so they know you liked it, but you're not giving up your privacy.  I dunno.  I'm still unhappy with etsy on this point, but I think they're committed to this path more than to however many artisans they've pissed off.

My friends over at Dark Side Customs have been rolling out some GREAT new designer pieces with some amazing original flare and artistry.  If you're in the greater NYC area, they also show up at a lot of fairs and markets, so you can always try and keep an eye on where to find them locally (bypass all middle-men).

Speaking of gifts - take a tired old cliche of a gift and turn it on its head.  Cyberoptix is a shop promising you "ties that don't suck."   There are quite a few really great designs in both silk and microfiber; not to mention bow ties, because bow ties are cool; and even scarves for the truly tie-phobic.  

Me, I just saw Gravity, and the s/o is a big space-guy, so these two pictured below, I think are my current favorites.  There are hundreds of entries and variations, though, so go and see for yourself!  

 

(project Mercury rocket schematic)

(Apollo cockpit print, in red)  

Happy Autumanl Equinox!

And Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, Fall-rites, and Mabon, and all the other lovely celebrations that mark the rotation of seasons!

I'm not always the happiest when fall weather starts encroaching too early on my green summers, but once it's here legitimately, I can warmly embrace the season (as long as winter doesn't start pushing its nose in too early! Wait your turn, winter! All things in their time!)

I don't really have a lot to report on the Izile's Oddities front.  I haven't honestly had much time, with day-job business recently reducing me to work-food-sleep-repeat for the past couple of weeks.  BUT, the big "stuff" is done for now, and I'm hopeful for some more time to work on my own projects, soon.  Currently, I'm working on a commission piece that's very interesting, but a bit outside my normal aesthetic - it involves a LOT of teeth.  Yes, teeth, big incisors, molars, canines.  I was given a bundle of teeth and asked to create.  I've been making some slow progress, but as I've never worked with teeth before, I'm trying to take my time and get a feel for them.  I know 2 of the teeth are human (came in a sealed medical bag labeled as such), and 2 are from a dog - and the rest?  I'm not quite sure ...  I know they were acquired perfectly legally from an oddities shop in Manhattan, so I'm not worried about anything unethical - it's just odd work - fun, and sometimes being pushed outside of our normal comfortable patterns is good for growth.  So, we'll see where that goes.

I still need to find time to finish up my Night Circus picture frame, too.  Autumn definitely lends itself to more indoors times (and winter triple-y so!), so, we'll see.

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The Autumn season definitely has a gorgeous and inspirational color pallet to work with, that's for sure!  And the amount of treasuries going up on etsy with all the warm golden, bronze-y, and russet colors are boundless!

In a recent treasury on my following board, I found Rainwater Studios.  While she focuses on bridal accessories, her handmade jewelry is what caught my attention - particularly this "Fall Splendor" piece - which has a decidedly vintage feel to it.

And with freshwater pearls and glass leaves, this piece is a real bargain at only $25!  It's found under the Shabby/Boho Chic category, though there are also Vintage/Victorian, and Magical and Mythical categories for non-bridal-themed accessories.  But, the bulk of the store (over 130 entries) goes to bridal hair flowers (not that you can only wear these flowers at weddings, but that's the target), and at 9 pages, there's plenty to browse through!

Happy Autumn!!

 

Summertime Sun

It's a cloudy-rainy day today, but up until today, it's been super summery (we'll pardon you, storm Dorian, as my tomatoes could use the rain, now that they finally dried out enough in the 100+ heat).

The summer also inspired some new Magic Vial Pendants!

My favorite right now may be this one shown at left:  Summer Lightning.  It's a mix of Red Rutilated Quartz and Garnets, with a sprig of bronze fennel from my garden.  I think the fennel really mirrors the lightening-like lines in the rutilated quartz.  That combined with all the items connecting to either/or/and the elements of fire and air, makes for a sparkling talisman for summer storms.  I do love a good thunderstorm!

I'm really being inspired by gemstones with inclusions and veining as of late.  I've always liked "flaws" in my gems, as I think it gives them more personality and can really make "reading" them a lot clearer/easier.  The rutilated quartz is a great stone for that look, and I particularly like the red variety I've come across.  Another similar stone that I also just started using is Moss Agate, which is almost translucent in parts, pale green, and shot with deep dark "mossy" green growths that give it its name.

Moss Agate was the inspiration for this other new vial, along with the bounty of herbs pouring in from my garden:  The Apothecary.

I used my last cubic vial for this, as I thought the shape went well with the theme.  This vial is filled with Moss Agate and a few slivers of pale green Jade to add to the wisdom and luck of the vial.  Along with that is a blend of herbs including lavender, sage, and fennel.

This one is a mix of elements in a balancing act, as a good Apothecary would be, with the herbs and stones working as tie-ins to the elements, with peaceful lavender tying in air, purifying fennel tying in fire, and healing sage tying in the earth; added with the earthy green moss agate, and water-loving jade.

I also recently realized I had From Faerie stock left over from the Steampunk World's Fair that wasn't on my etsy shop, so I added those back, and have decided to make all future From Faerie products made-to-order - unless I'm experimenting with a new blend, in which case the original will be listed.

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Busy, busy, summer!  But it's been a good one.  Day job is going well - garden is doing fairly well (better than last year - herbs are amazing) - and I'm getting to do/see a lot of things.  Granted, that doesn't leave a lot of time left over for the etsy shop - but I've been making time for custom orders, and a few new pieces here and there.  Need to make more time for my own experiments - maybe if Dorian lasts a couple of days, I'll have some rainy-indoor days for crafting.

For my plug today, I'm plugging a whole group!  the Enchanted Etsy Street Team has just recently gotten their own Pinterest board, where you can track all the wonderful things these magically inspired creators are coming up with!

For those of you not familiar with pinterest - it's crack.  It's like bookmarks feature old browsers like Netscape used to utilize for saving important websites you stumbled upon and didn't want to lose, except it's all visual.  Instead of a blank link that just says "recipes" it's a list of pictures of food. Much better option for those of us who can be more visual at times.  So this is a great way to get acquainted with the Enchanted Etsy Team!  - Just look through this pinterest wall, and click on the pictures of anything you like, and it'll take you to that store and that item!  Brilliant!

(A sample shot of all the wonderful things from Enchanted Etsy! Just click HERE)

Summer Season

It's fully summer now, and despite the fact we're still getting rain at least 1 day out of every 5, there's been enough sun and heat to counteract it.  The garden is doing well.

Also, I got a day-job, again!  Yay!  I'm not allowed to talk about my company anywhere where I talk about my opinions, because it's a charity organization - so, you won't hear anything about it except that I'm happy!

Of course, this has meant that with a new 40-hour work week, and it being summer, that I've been getting very little done in the Izile's Oddities department.  I've completed some custom pieces, and I always make time for my customers who want something special designed just for them - but the general crafting for etsy has had to take a big backseat.  It will probably come back either when I acclimate back to a full-time job schedule, and/or when the weather starts getting so cruddy that I don't want to be out in it.

I've also been taking more time for my own art projects, tending the garden, and playing in food.  I actually started a new blog  South Eats North - that's all about my food adventures in NYC (reviews, rants, and recipes).  I started it on a quiet rainy lunch break just before the holiday.  There's only 3 entries so far, and they're kind of introductory, "just getting going" posts.  I'm hoping to be working on a good recipe post with pictures, soon!  One of the things about writing at your desk during lunch is that you don't really have a way to make the posts very visually interesting.

And speaking of the art projects for myself, one of them is a picture frame renovation inspired by The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  It's an old, wooden, very ornate frame, and I'm doing it all in black and white, and then, there's a sculpted ribbon that spirals around the edge of the frame that I'm going to do in bright red.

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If you haven't read The Night Circus, I highly recommend it.  It's fairly light reading, but so enjoyable and inspiring!  If you like the kinds of mythical realism in modern fantasy, like Neil Gaiman, you'll probably love this book.

I'm not the only one who's been inspired by The Night Circus.  Using the title as a search term on etsy gives some very interesting results!

Awoken Words does illustration prints of works inspired from stories.  And she has one from the Night Circus, where the Illusionist, Celia, is first auditioning to join the circus, and turns her jacket into a raven.  I think this is an absolutely lovely visualization of this early scene in the book.  There aren't many prints in her shop currently, but the shop isn't quite 2 years old, yet.  However, all the prints, whether color or monochromatic, are beautifully rendered and exceptionally charming in style.


Accessoreads is another shop that takes inspiration from books and stories.  "Wear What You Read" is their shop motto.   And this white, black, and red circus bangle would be the perfect nod to those of us who would be rêveurs.  The rest of the shop is 6 pages of cuffs inspired by history and literature.  There are also a couple that are thinner bangle styles than the one pictured.  If you're a book lover, I'd suggest taking the time to pour over the options!

And, the newest entry in this circus of etsy sellers, with a shop just made in May of this year, is BluDragon Art, featuring mixed-media canvases.  This 3" x 4" mini-canvas is a winsome nod, featuring a quote from the book, and small details (which I won't spoil for those who haven't read the book yet) to bring a little bit of that enchantment to your own desk or shelf.  So far, the shop only has one page of art, but custom orders are welcome, and I think you'll find the other examples of her art as equally appealing.

Moonlight and Moss

Team Exhibition Time!!

The FAE (Fantasy Artists of Etsy) Team's June theme is Moonlight and Moss - a collection of beautiful pieces by the members circling the theme.  

You can also now follow monthly exhibition items on Pinterest!  HERE!

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In a bit of reversal - today the plug comes first and the regular bit comes last.  Short bit, just wanted to say I'm running a FREE S&H on all domestic orders for the next week on Izile's Oddities with COUPON CODE: WELOVEFREE  !!  

Working on Restocking

This past weekend was the Steampunk World's Fair, and my first time to ever vend at a "Con."  It was a great experience, and very different from selling at street fairs and craft fairs.  The patrons definitely had different tastes.  I came very close to selling out of my Magic Vial Pendants (and did sell out of all of the bulb-bottom ones), and almost all of my From Faerie bath line.  So, right now I'm in the process of restocking and ordering more raw supplies.  

There are a couple of new things at the etsy shop because of SPWF.  First, I had made Voynich Manuscript inspired pendants, made out of wood in a more rustic medieval style (as suits a 15th century mysterious manuscript, I thought).  

I really enjoyed handing out little flyers to people on the Voynich Manuscript and encouraged folks to go google it and read up on this indecipherable codex.  (Seriously, open a tab, do a search, it's so entertaining!)  And so, I have a couple of those left over.

Also, waited until I could go out and do a proper live photo shoot with a model friend of mine to get better shots of my Sterling and Velvet - Victorian Gothic Choker.  That's her, here, and of course, bigger, better resolution shots on the actual listing.  So, thanks to Ms. Abigail Neffer LeMorte.  Also, she'll be moving to Seattle, WA this June, so if any of you are out there, and need a model, I highly recommend her (hey, she's even been shot for Japan's Vogue Magazine!)

Will miss you when you go all west-coast, chicky!!

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Speaking of the west coast, my plug today is out of Portland, OR:  Little Wing Faerie Art.

Yes, there are fairy wings, and yes, they are awesome, but what caught my eye was something a lot more out of the ordinary.  

The "hair wear" section has a collection of truly alien looking sculptural orchids for hat or hair.  They are hand-painted, hand sculpted, and flexible enough to allow for you to do a bit of your own minor adjustments to make sure it lays just right, whether perched in a bun, tucked behind an ear, lolling in a hatband, or pinned on your lapel.  The colors used are vibrant and almost seem luminous.

And, the other item she makes that first caught my attention really ARE luminous.  The flower lights are similarly fashioned and shaped, but inside their petals hide battery powered LEDs.  This fuscia one here, is a favorite!  I love fuscias, but they have never loved anywhere where I have lived.  I spent some time in Seattle years ago, and was struck by the fuscias there.  This is a gorgeous nod to the flower (and would love to see this same style in various colors, the way fuscias come in so many combinations).  

That's not even all of what you'll find over at her etsy shop - there's more to explore, and I highly recommend taking a few moments to pop over.

Sakura Matsuri! - With Recipes!!

I've been working up to this blog post for a while now; and finally have enough pictures and recipes to flesh it out.

It started with my love of the beautiful flowering cherry trees, that I've been enjoying ever since moving to Brooklyn.  This year, I was looking around on pinterest back in February, just wanting to see some great pictures of previous Sakura Matsuri festivals and maybe some cute clothes or jewelry inspired by this time of year.  And I found. . .recipes.  . .   I had no idea cherry blossom was a flavor.  So after much digging and digging all over the internet and not finding a single place to get sakura flavored anything on the internet, I turned to the s/o.  He happens to have an old friend who lives in Japan.  And then this arrives at my door:

Four bottles of sakura sugar.  He couldn't find the sakura extract, apparently; but four bottles of sakura sugar would be plenty for me to learn more about the flavor and even play with some recipes!  (Recipes will be posted in a different color, so you can skip around to the recipes you want.)

My favorite are these Sakura Petit Eclairs:

My piping of the Pate a Choux isn't perfect, but these little fellas tasted divine!  

I used a standard pate a choux recipe - which is just bring to a light boil 1 cup water with 1 stick of unsalted butter, with a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar.  When everything is dissolved and got a good bubbling simmer going, dump in 1 cup regular all purpose flour and stir quickly in one direction until it all comes together.  (You may - will - see a film on the bottom of your pot as you stir - don't worry, totally  normal, just ignore it, it's not even hard to wash off later).  Once the dough is smooth and well blended, dump it immediately into a stand mixer (or large bowl if you don't have a stand mixer) and beat with the paddle attachment on medium for 3-5 minutes (you want to get all the steam out).  Once the mixture has cooled down and vented all its steam, while you are still beating, add one large egg at a time, until you have added 4 eggs (you're shooting for 1 cup of eggs, so if you have jumbo eggs, you might only need 3, if you have med/small eggs, you might need 5 - when in doubt - double measure everything!)  Add each egg, one at a time, beating until thoroughly incorporated before adding the next egg.  

Once the last egg is beaten in and the dough is smooth and elastic, then you just scoop the dough into your piping bag (or a sturdy zip-lock style bag with the tip cut off)  and pipe onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  (You should have your oven preheated to 400 for smaller eclairs/puffs and 450 for larger (full sized) ones)   Make sure to give them at least an inch or so on all sides, don't over crowd!  And the dough can be kept in the fridge over night if you want to mix it up and bake later.  Won't keep long, but at least a day, maybe two.  

Bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on size you went with) and DO NOT EVER OPEN THE OVEN DOOR TO CHECK! You let the steaming out.   After 10-15 minutes, lower the oven to 350 and then bake for another 15-25 minutes (again, bigger eclairs take longer than smaller puffs).  Remove from oven and let cool.  At this point, take a chop stick, or something similar, and poke one hole in each end of every shell.  Can be frozen to be used later, or stored in an air tight container on your pantry shelf over night if you have a hard time completing a multi-step recipe in one evening.

I used a simple vanilla pastry cream for the filling, spiked with a touch of sour cherry cordial for a cherry-vanilla flavor.

Take 1 cup whole milk and 1 cup heavy cream and heat to a simmer over medium with a split vanilla bean.  Once simmer is reached, remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes.  (Remove 1/2 cup of mixture and set aside)

In another bowl, wisk together 4 large egg yolks with 1/2 cup of sugar until well mixed, then add in a 1/3rd cup regular all purpose flour and a pinch of salt and wisk until well incorporated.  Add a little of the hot milk mixture into the egg mix and whisk until combined, this will temper the eggs and keep them from curdling in your custard.  Add a little more of the hot milk mixture and mix until combined.  Then scrape all the egg mixture back into the original pot with the milk mixture and mix until well blended, and turn the eye back on to medium-low, stirring constantly. When it starts to thicken, and big bubbles start to rise up in the center, it's almost pudding consistency and will only be another minute or two until it's done.  Remove from heat at that point.  After heat is removed, add 1 tbsp of cherry liqueur or cordial.  Transfer to another bowl/container, press plastic wrap down on top (to prevent a skin from forming) and refrigerate for at least a few hours, but best to do over night.  

When you're ready, you'll spoon this mixture into a piping bag, and pipe directly into the holes in the eclair/puff shells.

Lastly, I made a sakura sugar glaze.  

Very simple, if you can get sakura sugar, just put it in a food processor and blend until it has the consistency of powdered sugar.  For this small tray, I mixed 3 Tbsp of Sakura Sugar with 3 Tbsp of regular powdered sugar, and just a couple of drops of sour cherry cordial.  Then, you want to add *just* enough water (super small amounts, like 1/8th tsp or 1/4th tsp at a time) to make the sugar into a paste.  You don't want it too thin, or it won't show up it's color and it won't stick to the eclairs/puffs.  Dip the filled shells in the icing and let set.

DONE! 

I also found that a few recipes just weren't going to work without the sakura extract.  The sugar is great, and can be very flexible, but doesn't have the same strong concentration of flavor that would be needed to pull off certain recipes.  As an example, I wanted to make a Ramos Gin Fizz with sakura extract instead of orange blossom water.  Instead, I made a simple syrup with the sakura sugar.  It never imparted that subtle cherry blossom flavor to the cocktail, and the dried petals and leaves that wouldn't dissolve in the simple syrup left an unpalatable grit in the drink.  I could have filtered the simple syrup, but I didn't see the point in repeating the experiment as the flavor was just too soft to stand up to the gin base.

Instead, I worked out and came up with THIS cocktail instead!

This is my own Sakura Cocktail that I came up with:

1 oz Sour Cherry Cordial (I adore American Fruits' brand)
1 oz Elderflower Liqueur (like St. Germaine's, though I prefer Thatcher's) 
tiny dash of fresh lemon juice (just a bit for brightness)
Top with sparkling soda water (would probably be gorgeous with sparkling wine, but I haven't had any in the house)

At last night's Sakura themed revelry, there were also a couple of other traditional Japanese treats:

 the elfling has very clearly never cut sashimi before.

 sakura tea - thank you Mitsuwa Grogery, NJ!

And, of course, there was Sakura Jewelry, by Izile's Oddities.  

I hope wherever you all have been, and however you have spent this gorgeous weekend, even if you live in a place where there are no flowering cherry trees, that you've had a lovely weekend, enjoyed whatever flowers have found their way to you, and maybe try and new spring treat or drink!

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There are so many wonderful sakura items on etsy, it would take me forever to show you all my favorites.  

And, I know I've blogged about this company before, but, she is the ONLY shop on etsy that I have found that is selling anything that actually has cherry blossom FLAVOR in it!  There are a few that are cherry blossom decorated, or cherry flavored with a cherry blossom shape or color painted on, but the closest anyone has come is the Spring Celebration Cherry Blossom Green Tea cookies from Butter Blossoms

I've seen the Cherry Blossom Green Tea at Mitsuwa Marketplace in NJ, where I bought my own straight up Sakura Tea (they had plain - just preserved blossoms only, green tea - blossoms blended with green tea, and black tea - blossoms blended with black tea).  

So, that makes this the only item I've been able to find that might actually be able to share that taste of sakura flavor to the whole country, regardless of how close you are to a Japanese market or having friends in Japan willing to hunt and ship you stuff.  

Spring Trying Hard to Sprung

... and not quite making it.  We've had some gorgeous weather this week, having our first two days to hit 70; and for the next couple of days back to wet and 50s.

I've been trying to put together a really in depth Sakura Matsuri themed blog post for the upcoming season at Brooklyn Botanical Garden.  So far, I've made a Sakura necklace, and created a Sakura cocktail.  My Sakura Sugar Scrub might get scrapped as it just doesn't have enough scent, and I don't add fragrance oils or synthetics to my bath/body products.  I still want to nail down a really cool sakura dessert.  As I'm now in week 2 of unemployed land (though have had some very hopeful interviews which have left me uncharacteristically optimistic in the employment sector of my life), I do have time to try and work on these things.  It is a little problematic as I haven't been able to get any Sakura Extract.  The number of cherry blossom inspired recipes on pinterest has been really surprising!  Also, how many people bemoan the lack of ability to get the ingredients in order to make any of these treats.  Seems like most of them are only seasonal in Japan, and no international shipping.

I have a connection who has a connection who lives in Tokyo, and was able to find and mail me some Sakura Sugar, but they have not found any of the extract.  I even tried going to a couple of really specialty Japanese markets here in and around NYC, including the uber-market Mitsuwa just across the river in New Jersey.  No such luck.  At Mitsuwa, I was able to buy sakura mochi and jellies from their dessert counter to try and see if I even liked the flavor, but no ingredients or flavorings to do it myself were for sale in the market.  I asked once, they kind of laughed at me.  Oh, and as for the flavor?  Yes, I did like it very much!  It's a little like orange blossom in that it does taste a bit like orange, but also very floral.  That's the closest thing I can think of to compare it.

But, that's enough of that for now.  In the meantime, I thought I'd share this favorite recipe.  My Mom found it years ago in one of her Eating Well magazines, and quickly made it into regular spring/summer rotation:  Strawberry Mango Margarita Fruit Salad

It's amazingly delicious, simple, and relatively quick!  There's really not even much of a "recipe," really.  Just chop up a ripe mango, chop up enough strawberries to make up the ratio of mango to strawberry you'd like (you can try and do 50/50 like me, or if you like strawberries a lot more, do like 75/25 or vice versa if you prefer mangoes).  Mix with a Tbsp of regular sugar, (2 Tbsp at most to taste, if your fruit is a little green you'll need more than if it's very ripe).  Add the zest and juice of one lime, and lastly, stir in 1 1/2 Tbsp of Tequila Blanco, and 1 1/2 Tbsp of Triple Sec (or your favorite orange liqueur - Mom always had Grand Mariner on hand).  Stir stir stir.  Eat.  Lick the bowl.

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Completely unrelated, except for lots of bright colors, is a new favorite shop I've been watching on etsy, called The Purple Balloon.  They are based out of Greece, but international S&H on most items is about $4.00, so totally reasonable!  Add to that that items start at just over $12 USD, and these pieces are beautiful and affordable!  

The modern and colorful style of these pieces is due to a combination of skillful wire wrapping and treatments with brightly colored resins that produce effects like stained glass.  The pieces are so fun and light, I'm going to have to include more than just one example.  Here, at left, is a purple butterfly necklace, hovering over spring-green blades of grass. 

And then there are these bangle bracelets, at right.  The translucence of the resin allows for so much light to pass through that the colors come off as extra vibrant and alive!  The open spaces and simple wire wrapped lines gives it a super-modern kind of feel as well.   

Hopefully, these images will be enough for you to pop over and go look at the other 6 pages of goodies that fill her shop.    There's quite a selection of earrings, in particular, for the most of you who have pierced ears.  If I get one of these new jobs I'm interviewing for, I might have to see how hard it would be to change the hooks out to screw-backs.  Highly recommend for some spring browsing! 

Ides of February

Well, little past it, actually. . . but anyway.

Hope everyone survived their Valentine's Day, or Lupercalia celebrations.

I admit, I've been in a bit of a funk this week, and had lots of frustrations in almost every aspect of my life.

So, this week, we're keeping it simple.

Giving a shout out to all my fellow fantasy artists over at FAE and hoping you'll all take a moment and go check out this month's exhibit:  Toadstools and Trinkets.  We've got a whole lot of new members this year, which means we've got new styles and ideas and . . . thingies. .. that we've never had before!  Help welcome in our new members by sharing a heart or a fav on their shops!

You Asked for Snow.

Yes.  Yes, I did.  And I sure enough have it now, don't I?

I'm currently on the 43rd floor looking out over the southern tip of Manhattan, and it is NOT pretty.  The windows are all vibrating visibly, and the wind sounds like a chorus of screaming teapots.  They've sent out the company wide "get out now, while you can" email. . . but of course, that doesn't apply to me.

So I'm just going to sit here and blog, instead.

And don't forget, if you want to read more blogs about snow, and snowflakes, be sure to hit this jump link:



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Today's plug is from Heart Works by Lori.  She has this beautiful locket, showing off a beautiful piece of collaboration between herself and the photographer, Irene Suchocki.  The quote used in the listing for the description of the photographer's style is "little poems for the eyes," and I think that is dead-on!  She has more jewelry, and other lockets featuring more photographs from Irene, as well.  But this snowy piece, almost coming off with abstract dapples, is by far my favorite piece!

Go take a peek and wander around the shop and see what you find!

Year of the Water Snake

Gung Hay Fat Choy!  Well, a little early, but time to get ready!!

The Chinese New Year for 2013 will land on Sunday, February 10th.  That's less than a week away!

This year will be the year of the Water Snake, using the Chinese system of 12 zodiac animals and the corresponding 5 elements of nature.  The calendar can get very complex, also taking into account yin and yang as male and female aspects of each year, and color associations through the 5 elements.  You could actually say this is a Yin (female) Black Water Snake year!  Wow! That's a mouthful!

Snakes are a symbol of wisdom and intelligence and bring hopes for a new year of solving problems, progress and long-term success.  We can hope to see financial gains and better business sense, if we embrace the intuition and intelligence of the snake in 2013.  There's opportunity to plant the seeds of future success in relationships, as well.  But be aware, the snake is normally associated with the element of fire, and the yang (male) energy, and this being a water and yin (female) year means there can be some ups and downs as these opposing elements converge.  Be soft and charming on the outside, but strong and tough on the inside.   With so much opposition in elements, people with the lucky element of Metal, and those born in the years of Tiger and Monkey need to be particularly aware of conflict.

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So, if we look for snakes on etsy, do we find anything cool?

Herpaintology is definitely the wins the most original "snake" themed items on etsy for me!  The shop is based around jewelry made out of naturally shed snake skins of both exotic and more familiar venomous and nonvenomous varieties of snakes.  The skins are sometimes treated with various resins and paints to give them a truly unique touch as jewelry.  These treatments also give the sheds the "dragon hide" quality for which they are named.  Pieces start at $20 for domestic corn snake and skin snake sheds, and move up to $275 for a necklace made with rare Ethiopian Mountain Viper.  


It can be hard to pick just one to feature, as the natural variety before ornamentation is already great!  Here at left is a favorite from the Clearance section in a domed style pendant made from Pakistan Black Cobra.  At right, is the flat disk style of pendant showing a purple painted Green Mamba shed.

On top of all that, on her profile page, she notes that 10% of all snake shed pendant sales are donated to the Wildlife Discovery Center in Lake Forrest, IL.  Bonus!

Red and White

That time of year and I always just love the way strong reds look against clean whites.  Maybe it's that strange Snow-White fixation that's so common with love of contrasts; the look of blood upon the snow.  Ah, and snow - we finally got a little of it this weekend here in NYC.  Not a lot, and it didn't last long, but my garden was tiny drifts of white for a couple of days.  I'm now left torn between wanting at least one more snow, a good one, with real deep pillowy dunes; and spring with budding little flowers breaking through thin frost and fleet feathery flurries.

Well, since my rubies finally came in for Valentines Day projects, I've made a couple of red and white themed vials.  Every year I make a couple of Lil Love mini vials pendants with rubies and pearls.  I love the symbolic mix of the passion and joy of the rough rubies with the purity and loyalty of the smooth pearls.  Topped off with some flecks of red rose petals and sterling silver wire.  It's one of my favorites to make.

And of course, a variant for the full-sized bulb-bottom vials is always a fan-favorite.  For this one, I have had a surplus of creamy opals, which with their little flecks of fire and versatility combined beautifully with the deep red rubies and a whole red rosebud and the classic silver swirl of wire.

Blood and snow, flowers and frost, it's still a little early yet, but I guess that's where my thoughts are turning.

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Along those lines, I found a new etsy shop that I'm loving - oddly off pinterest this time, and not through my regular grueling searching through page after page on etsy.

Gardens of Whimsy is right in there with my thoughts turning towards early flowers; and it doesn't hurt she's also a redheaded crafty Brooklyn-girl, too ;-)

The majority of her shop focuses around floral hair accessories, whether crowns, clips or pins.  While there is a definite nod to bridal customers, there are many pieces that would look more in place with cosplay or a ren faire than a wedding aisle.  The elfling in me also appreciates an entire section dedicated to more fae creations.  (I am also totally envious of her ability to style her hair so great - and take such awesome pics herself! I have a LOT of hair and I'm doing good when I can get it into a fishtail braid!)

She has a huge history of sales (this is definitely a "new to me" entry) so if nothing catches your eye immediately, you might want to give it a peek.  She does do custom orders, though I'd read her policies page first.

Me.  I think I need to go back on pinterest and see if I can find more step-by-step instructions on how to put my hair up in swanky ways while I try and make up my mind.

Ides and Ideas

We have rounded the bend in January and are now less than a month from the Ides of February, the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, and the day after, the modern interpretation, Valentine's Day.

For those of us/you who might be looking to do your romantic shopping online, that means you gotta start putting things together now!  Nothing quite says "oopsie" like a card from the corner dollar store with a note written in it about how "your gift is 'lost in the mail'" when it really means "I forgot to order it until February 10th."  And don't think that $5 heart-shaped box of stale chocolates from who-knows-when-or-where is going to make it much better.

We'll get to some of my other favorite picks in the plugging section, but I've also made a couple of things just for the holiday.

If you're a fan of my Magic Vial Pendants, you might like my new, one of a kind (cannot repeat it!) Heart of Hearts Magic Vial shown here.  It's a heart-shaped vial filled with cut and faceted gemstone hearts!  There's 3 Garnet hearts for passion and love in your relationship, 1 Amethyst heart for understanding, 1 dark Blue Topaz and 3 light Blue Topaz hearts for truth and joy together, and 1 Peridot heart for growth, may your love ever renew itself. It is rounded out with 4 freshwater white pearls for faith and loyalty.

It's finished off with a bail and swirl of 14K gold-filled wire.

Talk about the ultimate gemstone love-charm!

If you're more looking for the traditional style of jewelry, however, I also made this Heart of Gold necklace, at right.

This heart of gold is a 6 mm, half carat, heart-shaped Citrine bezel set in Sterling Silver.  Citrine is associated with the element of Fire and planetary connection to the Sun. It can be used as a substitute for golden Topaz for November birthstone, but is also associated with Gemini and Virgo. Citrine, like quartz crystal, is a purifying stone that dissolves negative energies, and can be used to help "clean" other stones as well as personal energies. It radiates warmth, love, success, prosperity, courage and self-esteem.

This warm talisman of love dangles from a swirl of a vine-like heart, attached to a delicate chain with an S-hook and loop clasp, all in Sterling Silver.

For those with a tighter budget, I also have a simple Magic Vial Love Charm Pendant for only $10, a mix of Rose Quartz, Rhodochrosite and a red Rosebud.  It's simple, it's affordable, and it's great for all shades of love, not just romantic, but healing love, self-love, universal love, maternal love. . .

I am also still waiting on my Thai rubies to be delivered - and if you want to use some in your own custom blended Love Charm, I am taking Valentine's Day custom requests with an added discount on the rubies (once they get here. *taps foot impatiently*)


Last, but not least, I am running a Valentine's Day give away on my Facebook fan page.  It's only for people who follow me on Facebook, but it's a chance to win a real sterling silver and garnet valentine's day charm.  Winner will be announced on February 1st!  So pop on over, look it up and enter to win!

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Now, obviously, jewelry isn't the only way to go for the holiday.  A lot of people get intimidated by jewelry, or think it's too serious (though I think it all depends on the style of jewelry.  A diamond and ruby ring is intimidating and serious.  A playful vial full of gemstones wouldn't intimidate anyone - wink wink :-) )

So what are the other "classic" gifts that might need a tweak or a twist?  Flowers are one, for sure.

Flowers can be great, but the fact is, getting really good ones, that aren't just 1-800-generic, smell like freezer storage and wilt when you turn your back on them for 5 minutes, can be difficult, take an interest in plants and flowers a lot of people don't have, and aren't inexpensive.

Your best bet is to go with something that isn't actually a real flower, but is a bit nicer than a stem of "silk" fakes from the craft store.  I, personally, really dig the Japanese kanzashi art flowers for the hair.  Their elegance and simplicity makes them easy to wear even in a casual or daily style.  They're frequently made out of gorgeous fabrics, and the clean lines tend to give it a more adult class than looking too juvenile and frilly.

I know I've plugged other kanzashi makers on etsy before, but I try very hard to not duplicate my plugs when I can.  The Divine Garden is one of the newest kanzashi makers on etsy.  Her shop isn't even 6 months old yet, only a few sales, but her items are very reasonably priced and look a lot better than a lot of hits that show up under the "kanzashi" search!  If you want to stick to the classic v-day color scheme, this one would be one of my favorite picks, right at $20 after S&H charges:
Also, smaller, simpler clips in a variant style are available for less than $10!

Another thing that gets done to death is the candy.  Now, I'm not going to tell you NOT to get candy or chocolate - but maybe put a bit more thought into it?  A couple of years ago, I spent a lot of effort to cook a big fancy meal, make homemade marshmallows as a gift, and get a cute etsy robot for my then boyfriend for v-day.  In return I got two giant, kinda stale, neon pink marshmallows covered in edible glitter, in hot-cinnamon flavor.  The extra sad thing about this, was that if he ever paid attention to me, he'd remember my constant complaint of how I have no tolerance for anything remotely hot or spicy, and how artificial additives can sometimes upset my stomach.  Don't be that guy.  If you're going to give candy, put a modicum of thought into it.  Try and remember if she said something important, like, "oh, I'm allergic to chocolate," or, "Red 40 makes me twitchy."

Sweetniks Creative Confections caught my attention with violet flower marshmallows and showed me a shop full of a mix of traditional and whimsical takes on a theme.  Now, I'm personally not a fan of rose-flavored things, of which she has many.  If you like rose flavoring, definitely hit this shop up.  Me, I'm going to push past.  The flavor combinations available here are very different, in a good way (I think).  If you want to keep it traditional, the tin of hard heart candies shown at left allow you to pick flavors and colors for a custom touch.

If you want something a bit more adventuresome, check out the lollypops, which have been featured in New York Magazine and on Food Network.  If your honey has had the flu or cold that's been tearing up everyone coast to coast, there's a rooibos, honey, lemon and ginger lolly.  Try passion fruit, violet (as well as rose), lavender, mojito, lychee, liqueurs . . . and wait til you see the shapes.  I'm not even going to go into them all on here.  Just, go look at the shop.  Try and make up your mind, and know that whatever you choose, I think you'll be glad you tried something just to the left of traditional.