Men's Wire-Wrapped Buckle Ring

That's what I'm calling it, anyway.

This morning, I woke up wanting to create a wire-wrapped ring for a guy.  Something that I'd wear, as well as other men.  This is what I came up with.  I'm happy with the basic design, but I'm thinking there are some things I'd change before I started to sell it.  For one, I'll probably use a heavier gauge wire.

For those of you who frequent the blog, let me know what you think about it!  Is there anything you'd change on it? 

Wire Wrapped Pendant

A friend of mine asked Karla to make a piece of jewelry out of a stone she (the friend) picked up at some tourist spot. I have completely forgotten where it was picked up or what kind of stone it is. So, it fell to me to do the wrapping to make it a pendant.

This is what I came up with: 

I must say that I'm extremely proud of it!  I used the tutorial here for inspiration and the general know-how to be able to do it, as I've never done it before.  Karla will be finishing the piece, finding the perfect chain and other embellishments.

As this is a custom piece and specific order, it's not going on Etsy.  But, everyone take note!  Should you want something like this, all you have to do is Convo us on Etsy, or send an email to kelleyaccents [at] gmail [dot] com.

Having a clean Camera

This is SUPER IMPORTANT when you have an online store.  I realized earlier yesterday that it's been over a year since I've cleaned the lens on my camera, and during that year, the camera went on a vacation to Mexico, was loaned to my 1yr old son several times, and had an accumulation of saliva and dust.

Why is this important?  If you lens is dirty, you're not going to get a good focus on your items, and when you're photographing something close up, like I do for the store, you need a CLEAR and CRISP focus.  I cleaned my lens yesterday and am very happy with the results.  Check this latest listing out:

The focus is clear and crisp and the photo is beautiful!  There is very little noise in the black, the colors are strong and wonderful.

So, how do you clean your lens?  Very simply.  If it's a compact, turn it on, so the lens extends.   Get a cotton swab and wet one end with rubbing alcohol and then wipe the lens down with the swab, going in a circle starting from the outside.  Make sure to get as far to the sides as you can.  Depending on how dirty your lens is, you may want to dry it with the dry end of the swab, then wipe it down with the wet end again.

When it's clean, lightly blow on the lens to dry it.  DO NOT put your mouth too close to the lens.  The vapor from your breath can get into the lens and condense on the inner elements, making it impossible to focus.  Make sure to keep your mouth about eight inches away from the lens when you blow on it.  It should dry after a minute with no streaking.  If it streaked, clean it again.

And, there you have it!  Your lens is clean so you'll get cleaner photos.

Journals

If you're like me, and have a horrible memory, journals can be your best friends!  It annoys me to no end when Karla talks to me about something of which I have no recollection.  Recently, I've been writing in my journal a lot more than I used to.  I want to remember this stuff and want to have my feelings detailed so it can help me remember in the future. 

On a related note, I'm attempting to learn to bind my own books.  It would be lovely to make my own journals, with quality bindings and a covering of my own choice.

Browsing through Etsy, I found this wonder:  A Winters Journal
That is one cool looking book!