Z-O-M-G!

... We've been busy, guys. Like.. really, really busy; both Sandy and I got real day jobs that take up a lot of our weekdays, and the weekends are full of everything we're not getting done during the week. The GOOD news is that we're still working on TPD.... which means that if you want us to make something, all you have to do is ORDER! :D

I actually just finished making some beautiful memorial charms for my ex-sister in law's family, and I've been working on simplifying the webpage order form for Awareness Bracelets! Before, I had everything separated by type and color, and pretty much just repeated every page 100 times with different colors.... which was HIGHLY annoying, and very hard to take care of from a web designer point of view. So I did away with that!! Now, there is ONE page for ALL of the bracelets, and you pick and choose from a list of pull down options and go! 1-2-3, That's enough for me!!

"Memorial Baby Charm Necklace with Birthstone"
Soon to be added to the webpage!

A couple of weeks ago I decided to rip all of the yarn out of the blanket I had been crocheting for almost 2 years, and started over again. I've added in some white, and it looks quite a bit different. Nicer, cleaner. Here's hoping it doesn't take me another 2 years to decide that I hate it, and rip it all out, and start over again. haha That's kind of the problem with me and crochet: I have finished a total of TWO projects..... ever. Everything else I've ripped out over and over and over again. I know it sounds silly, but I always find something wrong with the piece I work on. It's too small, it's too large, it doesn't look the way I wanted, it's the wrong color, or I've run out of yarn and don't have the money to get more. So.. out it comes, back into a ball of yarn to one day make something else! I tell my husband constantly that I don't really like to crochet, I just like to count things... over and over and over again. :D It's kind of nice to see the blanket progressing the way it was originally supposed to, though. And it's SOOOO warm when I'm working on it, at only 1 foot wide... I'm sure it will be *amazing* when it's finished. (I hope!)

"Crocodile Stitch Crochet Blanket"
Basically an abnormally large amount of double crochets
with a slip stitch thrown in  every once in a while for fun. 

I've also been coming up with some new jewelry pieces. I had a friend challenge me to make my own professional jewelry (after attending a Premier Jewelry function and stating "I make my own jewelry, and I could probably make MOST of this as well!")... so I'm going to give it a go! We'll see if any of it ends up for sale.... or if I just keep it in my own jewelry box of shame. haha

What have you been up to? Anything crafty to keep you entertained during the long winter months? Share your projects in the comments! I'd love to see them! :)

-Lanine

Friendship Bells

One of the things that I love doing this time of year is something called Friendship Bells. I discovered it through scouting with my daughter when she was a child in the 1990's. Women and girls around the world have collected Friendship Bells for many years. Some people have used the same type of bells since the 1960's and 1970's on their backpacks to scare away bears and mountain lions while hiking. The use of the bell is an old custom from Thailand (not to be confused with the island of Taiwan). The Thai believe the sound of the bell pleases the good spirits and brings good luck, great fortune, health, and happiness. They also believe the sound of the bell drives away the evil spirits. I discovered recently that bikers attach Guardian Angel Bells to their motorcycles to "ward off" evil spirits or to trap them inside the bell to where the constant chiming drives them insane/crazy and the evil spirit falls off. One website suggests that this is the reason there are potholes... They mount the bell as low as possible on their bikes. It is also said that when the bells are given to another person for their bike, it makes the guardian bell stronger.


In scouting we exchanged them with others troops/units or made them to give to each other for special ceremonies or events. At a camp we attended, the following ceremony was used for exchanging the bells:


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Have one bell for every person participating in the ceremony. Pick 4 people to represent the 4 directions of the compass. They will make up "the tree" that you will hang the bells on. Have them stand back to back or shoulder to shoulder to face the 4 directions of the compass. Have them extend their arms up (one arm high, one arm low) and spread their fingers wide. You will hang the bells off their fingers. If doing this with children, it's easier just to have them hold a couple of the bells in closed fists with the rest of the bells spread at their feet or in a box. Have the rest of the people make a circle around them.

You can be the "the caller" or choose another person to do it.

The caller says "Bells to the North" and the person who is facing North, bows and straightens up.
The caller says "Bells to the South" and the person who is facing South, bows and straightens up.
The caller says "Bells to the East" and the person who is facing East, bows and straightens up.
The caller says "Bells to the West" and the person who is facing West, bows and straightens up.
The caller says "Bells to the Ladies/Girls/People" or whatever Group its is that you have and the people encircling "the tree" come up and take ONE bell.

This is best done at the end of the meeting or camping trip so there are less lost bells and less noise.

*******

Of course, if you are going to make a hobby of it, you will need a bell cord to put them on. The easiest way to do it is to get a metal shower curtain hook and macrame cord using a square knot.

Here is what mine looked like after a few years, of course it's much larger now.





I made a video for YouTube the other night while making Friendship Bells for a scouting troop. The bells I made were approximately two and a half inches long. Click on this link to see the YouTube video: Friendship Bells

Yes, this means we will be adding assorted bells to the store for additions to the Awareness Bracelets and Book Thongs. Right now I have jingle bells and assorted Holiday (shaped) Bells. My next project involves getting them photographed and added to the shop. If, and that's a BIG *if*, I can find a supplier, we will add the larger brass and silver colored bells as well as the Guardian/Angel biker bells too.


Have a great weekend! Don't forget to join our blog here and our Facebook page as well as our Twitter page to keep up-to-date! You never know where we will be posting a flash sale or a contest.

Hello again. :)

So, it's been a while since either of us has posted here! What with all of the various holidays, webpage adjustments, and life happenings... well, it's been a little busy. But, Happy New Year! Time to start prioritizing, and working on new things.

For those of you who know me in person, you know that my son was born with a defect of his left ear called Microtia-Atresia. For those who don't know us, then I'll explain just a little bit about it. Basically, his ear didn't form all of the way. So, while he has an inner ear, an ear drum, and even a little bit of a folded up ear on the outside... he's missing all of the parts in between. Since his right ear works perfectly fine, this isn't a completely end-of-the-world type disability.... but it does have its problems (like unilateral hearing loss, for one. haha). I don't like to go on and on about it and my son functions as if it doesn't even exist. Of course... he's only 4, so he hasn't quite gotten to the mean teasing stage found in most schools.

So, long story short, I read a publication that I get through the mail every month called "Hands and Voices Communicator". It's kind of a little newsletter for members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community in my area. It's cool... but usually there's not a lot in there that applies to me and my family. This month though, there happened to be a cool little article about Microtia-Atresia, and falling through the medical "cracks". Yes! Finally, connection! Someone else, in WRITING, actively talking about it! AND she had a Facebook group! Yes! So I joined, and was immediately welcomed, and given advice... and have tons and tons of articles to read through just waiting for me in the group... all within the first 24 hours. Awesome. :)

By now, I'm sure you're wondering why I'm telling you all of this (other than: Just because I can! muaha!). Well, that's the cool part. There's a lady in the group that is selling Swarovski Crystal support bracelets in order to make money to adopt a child who has Microtia-Atresia. (If I could find her info, I'd give it to you... if anyone knows her info... let me know!!!) She has a GREAT cause... and if I had money to send her, I would totally do it.

However.... this got me to thinking. While MA is not exactly a Common birth defect... it IS known. And there's only the one single lady out there making support/awareness jewelry for it... and I can't even FIND her outside of a couple people mentioning her goods. There's no color code, there's no ribbon, there's not even a recognized symbol for the disorder (other than the ear, since that is what is most often affected)! So, now I want to make some. I don't wear bracelets, and I rarely wear necklaces (I'm a tshirt and jeans kind of girl. Most of my jewelry doesn't go well with that kind of wardrobe. :)) But this one? Yeah....

This one I'd wear.


Interested in joining the group? See: Microtia-and-Atresia-Support-Group

I learned a new word about myself!

That's right... I've come to the conclusion that "Masochist" now applies to me. Don't know what that is? Well, to save your precious brains from the rule of the internet that states "DON'T GOOGLE THAT!" I will explain it as: Someone who enjoys pain. Though in my case... it's all based around beads.

Why? You ask... (If you didn't ask that then you either don't really care, and thus have no reason to be here..... or you're in the same boat as me. haha) Well... in general beads are small, hard to see, and make me wrack my brain to come up with new designs. Then I go and add a webpage into that mix, that I am coding entirely by myself, PLUS purchasing new stock and coming up with NEW designs, making friends through facebook, AND running a blog... and my brain starts to explode a little. Or maybe it just oozes at the seams. Either way... I just keep coming back. Why? Because I'm addicted. Yeah... Bead addiction was something I knew about myself YEARS ago.  Pretty Shine'ys attracted me from every angle, and I was happy to label myself with those words.

But this new word? Yeah, that comes entirely from these multiple bead mixture packs we buy sometimes. No matter how many times I spend two days bent over them sorting through every single bead, I still keep going back for more!

There's no way around it... I have to admit it, and add one more word to what makes me "Me"... I am truely a glutten for punishment.

~*~Lanine~*~

Busy!

Happy Uh... Thursday? Well, hey... at least it's not Monday, right? :D

We have been *BUSY*. Busy with Business, as well as Busy with "Life". I just wanted to drop in and let you know we haven't forgotten about you... our 4 VIP readers. :D

In parting, I offer you the same advice one of my favorite bloggers has given her readers... Go outside and find your closest patch of grass, take off your shoes and feel the blades of grass between your toes. Tilt your head up to let the sunlight stream down on your face, and remember a time when this was all it took to make you happy.

New Happenings

Happy Monday! I hope everyone in the US had a great Independence Day, everyone in Canada had a great Canada Day, and everyone else in the world had an awesome weekend (Or anything else you may have celebrated! Feel free to clue us in under the comments... We'd love to hear your stories!) Between the torrential downpour we had here in Colorado last night, and the lightning and thunder, my family chose to stay inside and watch the fireworks from our balcony. :)

So! Back to work. :D As many of you may know, as you are fans of our Facebook page, I joined a group on Facebook called It's Better Handmade Group. They have a really awesome goal... which is to connect people who make handmade goods to new customer bases via OTHER people who make handmade goods. The idea is basically that you can post your goods to the group's wall... but you have to share someone else's link on your own wall in return. It can be a little bothersome to some people on your friend's list that really don't want to see a constant slew of advertisements... and so I promise that.. unless I REALLY REALLY like something and REALLY REALLY want to show it to you.... I will only post ONE link per day... if I even get around to that much. :)

On that same note.... because Sandy and I can't afford the listing price on Etsy at this moment (yes.. I know it's only like 30c per item... but trust me, it's out of our budgets right now), all of our sales go through the webpage. And because of the coding that I use (frames, and ancient debunked HTML mostly) linking to individual pieces while preserving the whole webpage is not exactly possible right now. I'm working on it.. and researching some new codes (and trying to figure out how I can make my husband go back to Computer Graphic Design school, so that he can relearn Java and Flash for me. hehe), but it may take me some time to figure out and implement. SO... I'm going to start spotlighting different pieces here, on the blog. Not only will this give me a linkable place that I can share with others, with a direct link to the main webpage... but it will also give me a place to TALK about the pieces; what they are made of, why I love how they look or feel, what I did to make them.. and it will allow YOU to give ME feedback on each piece as well! AND It will keep my procrastinating lazy bones hard at work on this blog, instead of letting whole weeks go by without a post. :D

In parting news, the cancer bracelets were a hit at Sandy's office, and we had to order some new findings in order to make more! So as soon as those arrive, look forward to some new merchandise on the webpage. I hope you all have a great Monday!

Cancer Bracelets Amongst Other Things...

Wow! It's been quite some time since I've posted! We've had a lot going on recently, including family being in town, and my husband's birthday, plus father's day to contend with! But finally, things have (hopefully) slowed down to a normal pace again, and other than dealing with the summer heat I should be all set and ready to spend some more (much needed) time with TPD!

So, by now you should know I've been working on some Cancer Bracelets for Sandy's office. After a LOT of thought (More than I should have spent, but for some reason my brain wasn't working right..) I've come up with a look, feel, and cost that I'm comfortable with.

I'll sell these pretties for $5.00; they are made mostly out of plastic and pewter, and are strung on an elastic cord. They supply that less expensive option that was lacking from the supply out there, while still looking nice enough to wear with almost any outfit. I'm also working on some Chinese Crystal bracelets that will run between $10.00 and $15.00, and those are the ones I'm going to be able to offer a donation from.

While I'm originally only making these for the cancer patients at Sandy's office... Look forward to the option to purchase these (and many other) awareness bracelets on the webpage, soon!

Also, don't forget to friend us on Facebook, or if you're reading this from Facebook, make an account and join us on here! It always makes it easier to keep up with projects when you know someone is paying attention. :D For those of you on Twitter, we also have an account @ThePrismDragon! (And to give you a hint on my OCD Perfectionism... I seriously just spent the past 10 minutes trying to come up with a way to fill this space so that my blog post wouldn't look so weird under this picture. No wonder these bracelets took so long to come up with!! In other news: Hah! Mission Accomplished. :D hahaha)