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)

Exciting new things...

Exciting new happenings! Yesterday I went out to the local Hobby Lobby with my Mom, Dad, and the Boychild to pick up some new organizers for the large amount of beads Mom had picked up a couple of weekends ago. Soon after walking in to the store, I happened upon this lovely black hand figurine. It was in the glass section so I didn't figure it was going to be affordable, but then I noticed the 50% off sign right next to it. Really???? 50% off, you say?? I looked at the price tag, and my heart sang with joy. It was TOTALLY affordable.

So why in the world would I want something like this, and how does it pertain to TPD (The Prism Dragon)????? Other than the fact that it's just plain AWESOME... it's a jewelry display. That's right... it's something to hang jewelry from, and then take awesome pictures of it. Or just to set on my desk and stare at every once in a while. Whatever!

Now, I *could* use this for the bookthongs, but really it's designed for jewelry. "But Lanine," you say "You don't HAVE Jewelry to display!" And that would only be partially true. True, I don't have anything up on the website, but that doesn't mean I don't have anything laying around waiting to be photographed. AND that doesn't mean that I don't have piles and piles of beads that can't be used for bookthongs because the holes are too small! Just lying around... staring at me forlornly, making us both wish that I could make something with them. But now I have a display, so you will probably be seeing much more of this little hand. :)

On the same note.. (backwardsly speaking) a co-worker of Sandy's (Mom's) saw my bookthongs, and asked her if I could also make necklaces. You see, her son liked the LOOK of those little hemp necklaces, but just couldn't handle the scratchiness. So I thought about it, and researched the different knots and beads and materials, and finally settled on black waxed cotton as an alternative. I made several 'experiments' in order to figure out length and bead placement, and then I got to work. And guess what?? Her son loved it so much, she ordered a SECOND one (shown on the right. The first one was blue in a similar pattern, which was only supposed to be a guideline because I hadn't really measured it, but she liked it so much she wouldn't let me have it back. haha) So, kind reader... is this something you might be interested in? Something I should be making more of?