ShadowCutter Jewelry

The Rings Adventure Continues

2011-11-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

Hello :-) I have more update on my rings.

First of all, I have new rings and I moved my Claddagh ring:

In other words, I'm engaged! :-) yay! For about a month now, almost. To MyJohn. ♥

^here's both my rings, after they were sized down.

At first they were way too big, 'cause I have really small fingers and there's a standard size that jewelry stores sell rings in without having the wearer's size known. (I mean if you know what size you need you can get it sized right after you buy it, but if not you have to go back for the sizing; they keep them at size 6 or 7, I think.)

^too big, before resizing

And when we went to get them sized the saleslady at the jewelry store said the jeweler wouldn't size my rings down to my tiny size because the stones on the sides would fall out. I kind of expected that, because I've seen that before. Fortunately, my brother's a jeweler (that's how I'd seen that problem before) and he wasn't afraid to adjust the rings all the way down to my 3.5 size, since he knows how to secure the stones so they don't fall out. :-) Probably the other jeweler does too but he wants to avoid liability with a customer that he doesn't know.

Now my new rings actually fit better than my other ones, so I was thinking about having my brother resize my other rings, but I still want to try to gain just a little bit of weight and if I do then I hopefully don't need my rings to be smaller. Of course then I'll need him to size my new rings back up a little. I might have more on that topic later.

So I'm still using "the white stuff" i.e. Liquid Ring Guard. But I'm starting to like it less, because it only lasts a few weeks instead of months before it starts rubbing off. Since my knuckles are bigger than my fingers, taking the rings on and off rubs the white stuff off. Last time I redid my Claddagh ring I put a thinner layer pretty much all the way around the inside of the ring, and it seems to be lasting longer; but I'm really tired of redoing the white stuff every few weeks and waiting a day and a night for it to dry. My brother gave me a new package of Ring Snuggies because he says jewelers don't like it when people put stuff on their rings (like tape) to make them fit. So I've started using a Snuggie on my amethyst ring.

I guess I could've zoomed in more on that, but oh well.

It's sort of a compromise between the white stuff and the clasp thing I was doing before. It's like the clasp because I have to put it on the ring after I put the ring on my finger, and take it off before I take the ring off; but it's better than the clasp and more like the white stuff because it keeps the ring from slipping around and from slipping up and down my finger. It's somewhat uncomfortable though, especially when my finger swells slightly (or stops shrinking) and the snuggie pulls the top of the ring against the top of my finger. It was doing that the other day so I pulled the snuggie off, and it flew out of my fingers and into the pantry which I happened to be standing in front of, and disappeared. Fortunately I still have a couple more of the same size but all the rest are bigger. I think I'll have to cut one of the small ones in half and use each half for my Claddagh and birthstone rings, hoping that won't be any more uncomfortable. Or I can get more snuggies but a whole one might be uncomfortable on my small rings. Snuggies are also more difficult to put on and off of the rings than the clasps. But once it's on it's better.

I have to put the snuggie on before I put my handflower on because the finger chain gets in the way, and sometimes the chain gets caught on the outside of the snuggie, but once I fix that it's fine.

Oh I also have a new chainmaille ring in my shop:

Hematite Chainmaille ring

This is the first chainmaille ring with a bead that I've made, and I'm pretty happy with it. I'll make more of these with other colors and stones, if I can remember how I did it. ;-) First I'm working on eyeglass chains and more handflowers, 'cause those have been selling. :-)

Lost Rings Revisited

2011-08-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

About a year ago I wrote a blog post about how I'd lost two of my rings and started clasping my rings to my handflowers. This is an update with answers to some problems I had and some variations to what I did before.

So I started clasping my rings to my handflower finger chains, which worked to keep them on my fingers. I also decided to start wearing another ring on my right ring finger, which is a gold birthstone ring (aquamarine) that I got for my 13th birthday and hadn't worn in awhile. So I attached a second clasp to my handflower for that ring.

The rings are slightly up on my fingers because they're so loose at the base of my fingers they slip around to the back. That's one of the issues I still wanted to solve although I was quite happy just to not let them slip off. Another issue is that if I get a job that's basically like any of the jobs I've had before, I won't be able or allowed to wear my handflowers to work. I'm pretty used to that although I'll appreciate it if I find a job where I can wear them, because it's good advertizement for my shop as well as my personal style. But even if I can't wear my handflowers to work I most likely can wear my rings, and would definitely want to wear at least my Claddagh. So I needed to solve that problem.

My brother's a jeweler so he could resize my rings for me, or put sizing beads on them, but I would actually like to gain a little bit of weight and if I do I'll need to size them back up or take the beads off. So I'd rather have something slightly more temporary.

So recently I found an Etsy shop that sells jewelry supplies, like displays and tools and things, and they have this ring guard stuff:

TDSONLINESTORE

I decided to order it and try it.
What you do is clean your ring band with rubbing alcohol (I also had my brother polish and clean my rings first) and then put a band of this white stuff on the inside of the band, and let it dry for about 24 hours or so. The instructions say to let it dry for 3 hours, but I read reviews of this product (not connected to the Etsy shop) that said it needed 24-48 hours to really dry.

I had a slightly rough start using this; first it came out clear and liquidy when I first opened it, and then it was white after that. I hoped that didn't mean I was supposed to shake it up before I opened it, because the instructions didn't say to. But after that it seemed fine. The second slight problem was that you're supposed to smooth the stuff out with a toothpick, which is a bit difficult because the stuff sticks to the toothpick. It seems that once you get the hang of it it's ok though.

When I put my rings on after the stuff dried I discovered that I hadn't put enough on, because my fingers are so thin the rings were still slipping around. So I put more on and let it dry. Then I found another problem, which is that the second layer was only stuck to the first layer instead of the ring itself, and because of this it started coming off after a few days, when it's supposed to last at least a few months. So I peeled/pulled/scraped the stuff off of my amethyst and birthstone rings and started over, putting more stuff on than I did the first time. I haven't redone the Claddagh yet 'cause it seems ok so far. After this second attempt my rings fit much better. Well, I may have put a little too much stuff on the birthstone ring, 'cause my knuckle tries to pull it off when I slide it on and off of my finger. So maybe that one needs a slight adjustment next time I redo it. All in all I'm pretty happy with this product and with my rings.

(sorry for the dark pics, I just took them at my brother's jewelry bench)

I've been offering an attachment of clasps to handflowers in my Etsy shop for attaching rings, and my last handflower buyer was actually interested, but her ring is larger and thicker than mine, so I needed to figure out another attachment. I used my boyfriend's class ring (which he gave me because I lost mine ♥) and figured out a chain-clasp combination:

This also worked out; the buyer is very happy.

What's happened to DesignedbyLucinda

2011-02-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

reposted from amystreasures on facebook:

In case anyone else is having problems finding the information on what's going on with Lucinda and how to help, here's the information.

It is with deep sadness we must share the news of the tragic loss suffered by Cindy Boardman, known here as designedbylucinda, a UEF moderator and long time member of the Etsy community.

On Thursday, February 3rd an accidental fire took her home, pets, and claimed the life of her 11 year old son, Kevin. No words can convey the shock and sadness we feel, Cindy is an active and valued member of our community and we share in her grief during this incredibly difficult time. Our thoughts, prayers and most profound sympathies are with Cindy and her family.

Her husband Robert Boardman's co-workers have set up a fund to assist the family with medical and living expenses. Donations and care packages can be sent here:

Boardman Family Fund

Knight Communications

10150 Mallard Creek Rd.

Suite 201

Charlotte, NC 28262

Update from Cindy's friend: Please do not send clothes or household items at the moment, as they have some donations already and will be living at a temporary location for a while.

DONATIONS UPDATE: PayPal donations for our contribution can be sent to: forboardmanfamily@gmail.com

All excess donations will be transferred to the family's fund.

For those that wish to donate, please note that if you send the money as personal>gift, no fees will be deducted IF the funds are transferred from another paypal account... if using a credit card to donate, it is our understanding that a fee will be applied.

Please direct any questions about the paypal fund to punch or admin (quirke).

See here for more:

http://unofficialetsyforums.proboards.co....ead=1589&page=1/

Handflower or Slave Bracelet?

2010-11-30T11:27:00.000-08:00

What's the Difference?

The terms "handflower" and "slave bracelet" are often used interchangeably, although some people know only one or the other. Some people don't know what to call them, and some think of different things when they hear these terms. Other terms are used as well, such as "ring bracelet", "maille bracelet", and "panja" or "hath panja". Although these can all refer to the same thing, I've observed some general differences through Google searches.

Slave Bracelet 1:
Usually a slave bracelet is a combination of a bracelet and ring (therefore also called a "ring bracelet"), attached with one piece of chain or string of beads, or some type of charm or pendant-like thing in the center which lays on the back of the hand. It's called a "slave bracelet" because the ring is "slave" to the bracelet. Usually the bracelet and ring are solid metal pieces such as a cuff bracelet and adjustable finger ring. It's sometimes also called a handflower, because it is worn on the back of the hand. These are from Medieval styles.

Pewter Butterfly Slave Bracelet

Slave Bracelet 2:
Sometimes an item named "slave bracelet" is a single cuff bracelet by itself, which used to be worn by slaves, mostly in Egypt or West Africa. Also it could refer to a bracelet made of coins and worn by Nigerian slavers. This is not related to the ring bracelet in any modern way, except maybe in the relationship between the Nigerian slavers and the gypsy/ belly dancer coin handflower.

African Slave Bracelet

Men's Slave Bracelet

Handflower:
also called a slave bracelet or ring bracelet, but usually designed in a triangular shape made of chainmaille, beads, chains, or knitted or crocheted string. Usually has a chain or string around the finger instead of a solid or adjustable ring. These are also based on Medieval styles, although not always approved by the SCA.

Chainmaille Handflower Bead & Chain Handflower Bead-maille handflower

Maille bracelet:
although handflowers are often made of chainmaille, they can also be made of other things such as chains or bead-work, so not all of them can really be called maille. Also, other types of bracelets can be made of chainmaille. The term could more accurately be used for a regular wrist-only bracelet made of chainmaille.

Chainmaille Bracelet

Panja/ Hath Panja:
The Asian and Indian version of the handflower is like a slave bracelet with the charms and solid rings, but usually with 3 or 5 rings instead of 1. Often used as bridal jewelry. The name is Hindi; I think "hath" means "hand" and "panja" means "five".

Panja Bridal Hath Panja Panja

Other "slave bracelet" use: I want to keep this blog rated G to PG, so I won't be too specific, but some people think of a certain adult practice when they hear of "slave bracelets". I don't know a whole lot about that, but from what I do understand, it doesn't use handflowers so much as handcuffs. Perhaps the relation between the handflower/slave bracelet and the cuff-style slave bracelet (although it's only the name) causes the confusion between the handflower and the handcuffs. Some people who use that practice might wear handflowers as symbols of ownership, but I believe that is not what they were originally designed for and is not the meaning of the bracelets themselves. Most people who make or wear handflowers do not mean it that way.

Harem Bracelet: This name seems to refer to belly dancing, which uses handflowers made with coins and bells. I made two of these once (one for the hand and one for the foot) for someone at my church who does belly dancing for fun and exercise. I haven't found a specific connection between harem bracelets and actual harems, unless people do belly dancing in harems, which I think is it. I think the reason belly dancers wear this style is that gypsies would wear bracelets made of coins as a way to carry money, similar to the Nigerian slavers, and also because of the flashy and jingly effects.

Foot Slave Bracelet
(Harem Bracelet)

9/11 tribute

2010-09-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry this is late, I was out on Saturday.

I found this video posted on a friend's Facebook page. I hadn't seen it before. I had to watch it twice because I didn't recognize the area (I'm pretty sure it's New York, but I haven't been there), and it made me cry. In fact it still makes me cry just to remember the video, let alone watch it.

This is one of the Budweiser commercials with the Clydesdale horses.

9/11 Bud Commercial - AIRED ONLY ONCE

I remember that day.

Furry Friday

2010-08-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

My sister works at the Balcom Agency and they have a Four-Legged Friday every week when they can bring their dogs in. My sister doesn't bring our dog 'cause he would get too excited in the car, but I thought I should do a Furry Friday post. Our dog Rolo recently got a new toy with a squeeker in it, and the spueeky is really exciting for him. In the first week or so he wouldn't let it out of his sight (or his paws):

some of the "newness" has worn off for him now, but he still loves the squeek.

Here's a video of another happy dog with a squeeky toy:

Happy Friday!

Thoughts on Medians, Sleep, and oh yeah...

2010-08-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

So last night was Face to Face, and it was in Azle which is about half an hour away from my house. In general a half hour isn't a really big deal, and although I don't have air conditioning I did manage to stay cool with various things including Powerade. Also it helped that the weather was a bit rainy/stormy although it didn't actually rain on me. That made it a little cooler. The problem I had was driving home in the dark. I don't know the area, so even with ok headlights and the occasional use of my brights (when there's no cars coming at me), it was a bit difficult since I can't exactly see medians at night. I'm not even sure what happened exactly but I think I had trouble with two different ones. I don't understand why they don't have reflectors or at least neon paint on the edges. I hope I didn't hurt my car... not that you could tell if I did... but we're lucky I didn't have a nasty wreck, and not just by running over the median itself if you know what I mean.

So I guess it's from the stress of that drive home, but even though I was really tired and went to bed around 11:30 or 12, I didn't get to sleep until after 2:30 or so. And then because there was a big storm here at home last night we suddenly had to get up at 7 to clean up the pears that had fallen from the pear tree. So far I've had two cups of coffee... which is no substitute for sleep... but it kinda makes it tolerable...

But yeah, medians are invisible at night. Makes night driving not fun. I'm just really glad it wasn't raining on me.

anyway, I think this turned out well:

Now what I'm wondering is if the style can be considered Victorian. I think maybe it is.
hmm... I also wonder if it'll look better with the keys on the inside of the outer chain, attached at the top corners of the triangle. If I change that I'll have to retake all the photos, but still... that
might work.

Saturday already?

2010-07-31T12:14:00.000-07:00

woops, I haven't blogged in a week. I've been busy looking for a job, helping my boyfriend move out of his apartment, reading about craft blogging and SEO, and stuff and things and all that. My boyfriend is a gamer and he got me hooked on this one computer game he gave me and I'm stuck right now trying to fight a boss without dying, and on top of that he's now lending me his PS3 with a game while he's moving and told me to play it and see what I think. But this past week I've been mostly working on other stuff. I played the PS3 game for about an hour this week and that's it.

Face to Face

I found out a couple days ago that my Christian rock ministry can no longer play or practice at the church we've been using for the last 7 years, so we have to find other places. So far the other places we have are in Azle, which is a slight problem for me because it's half an hour away (assuming I can find the place), and I have a very old and beat up car and very little gas money. But we'll see how things work out. Right now I'm just sad we have to move but happy that we're not quitting.

Chainmaille

I finished the silver handflower and the necklace, I'll put pictures up as soon as I get some taken. Now I'm working on a gold (brass) handflower, and I'm thinking of making a brass and blue-copper ring for myself to hold the place of my lost class ring, since my school colors are (were) blue and gold. but I don't have enough rings or wire for that right now so I'll have to do it later. I do have some 26 gauge blue wire and I wonder if I can try to make some micromaille. I wonder if a toothpick will make the right size rings. and should I use tweezers instead of pliers? hmm probably. this is definitely something to think about trying. I also have 32guage silver wire, I wonder if I can do anything with that. hmmm.

Improved Blogging

As I mentioned I've been reading about writing good blogs, and I'm planning on trying to actually do it. Today is just a quick update though. I was about to post one more of those "points about chainmaille" videos, but I think this post is long enough. Although it would be better with some pictures or something.

ah, here's a really nice photo I took in my backyard:

ok, hopefully next week I will blog about the finished necklace, post the last "points about chainmaille" video, and then start writing better blog posts about handflowers and chainmaille.

Etsy Feature: cksilver

2010-07-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

cksilver is a member of CAST and she commented in my post about the
necklace last week, so in appreciation for helping me out, today's post is
about her and her shop.

Cross Cell Phone Lanyard
by cksilver

Intro:
My name is Cindy, and I love to make jewelry. It is so much fun making new
creations in sterling silver, freshwater pearls, semi-precious gemstones, and
swarovski crystal. I love creating my own unique designs or developing a
design of your own choosing. I have all birthstones available either in the stone
itself or in swarovski crystal.

Found at Sea Sterling Silver Necklace
by cksilver

What motivates you:
I am motivated by my customers and learning more about the kinds of things
you love to wear. I also love to find new fun designs of colors and stones that
I can combine for new effects.

Flower Cluster Sterling Silver Earrings
by cksilver

Favorite item in your shop:
I have so many favorites, but here is a matching pair of earrings & bracelet
that is really beautiful:

Left: Pink Cascading Waterfall Sterling Silver Earrings
Right:Pink Cascading Waterfall Bracelet
cksilver.etsy

One favorite Etsy shop:
There are so many fun Etsy shops, but here is a new one I just came across: http://whitesuggar.etsy.com

Lily the Lilac Butterfly hairclip
by Whitesuggar

Links to your Etsy/blog/facebook and whatever else you want to link to.
Etsy: http://cksilver.etsy.com
Blog: http://cksilver1.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cksilver
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cksilver

Sterling Silver Swirl Ring
by cksilver

Please Excuse

2010-07-19T11:50:00.000-07:00

My last post was a feature of my own shop which I had to write in order to submit it to another blog. Hope you enjoy it; I will feature another shop, as promised in previous posts, this week.

Here's another video from lindybeige about chainmaille.

some of this (such as the time it takes) applies to any chainmaille, but the chainmaille that I make is not armor and is not protective.

ShadowCutter Jewelry

2010-07-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

ShadowCutter Jewelry is an Etsy shop of handflowers and chainmaille jewelry.

Chainmaille (or chainmail) is a medieval style type of jewelry made from lots of metal links woven together in a pattern. Here are some examples in my shop:

European 8-in-1 chainmaille:

Blue Chainmaille Bracelet

Byzantine Chainmaille:

Silver and Blue Byzantine Bracelet

Handflowers are medieval back-of-the-hand bracelets which are a combination of a bracelet and a ring. They are also called slave bracelets or hath panjas. I make two types:

Chainmaille (European 6-in-1 weave):

Black and Red Chainmaille Handflower

For these I make a triangle of European chainmaille and attach a wristband made of a Persian chainmaille weave called One Hour Less Sleep. Then I add a finger ring of chain.

Chained Beads:

Chained Amethyst Handflower

These are a bit more difficult as I arrange the chains in the pattern that will fit evenly over the hand, and then arrange the beads in a symmetrical pattern and attach the bead pins to the chain. I also usually make the wrists adjustable with chains and lobster clasps, although I prefer toggle clasps.

I wear one of each type of handflower which I made for myself every day. The comments I get about them are what led me to start making and selling more of them. I try to make a different pattern and color combination every time, and keep them unique by not duplicating anything except the smallest and simplest designs such as earrings.

I also have earrings and a few finger rings and watches in my shop, and I'm starting to add some necklaces. I even have a few things designed for guys, which is especially difficult to come up with since the guys I know don't wear jewelry. I like to take requests sometimes, when I'm able to; especially for things I didn't know about before, such as whatever a guy would like, so I can learn what else I can do.

Thanks for looking at my shop! Hope you enjoy my chainmaille!

Finally working again

2010-07-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty much over my cold and I'm making some chainmaille again. It's nice to be back.

I'm making a silver chainmaille handflower with colored copper wire rings. It's about halfway finished now.

that's not the best lighting but silver chainmaille is just SO pretty. Making it makes me happy. Actually just looking at it makes me happy. :-)

After I finish this one I'll make a brass one which looks gold. By the time I'm finished hopefully I can start listing things. I have two fairly new and really pretty blue bracelets I still need to list, but lately I've had to renew some expired things so I haven't gotten to the new things yet. I'm trying to keep my Etsy fees spread out over time, but I wonder if I should list new things before renewing older things.

About the necklace, I was thinking about making a Celtic Visions star, but I'm not sure I can make one small enough. Still seriously considering using the fluer-de-lis. Also I still need to feature some shops on here. I'll get to that soon, I promise. ;-)

And in other news, tomorrow I'm going around with my boyfriend to look at a couple houses, since he's going to buy one soon after moving out of his apartment. That should be fun. And I'm looking for a job lately. That's not so much fun. Most job listings I find are either assistant manager positions which I don't have experience for, or very very extroverted jobs. Like "good with people, outgoing, enthusiastic!". I'm fairly social and I like helping people when I can, but I'm an introvert, which is not those "outgoing" things. Although I have a book of introvert jobs, apparently the only ones actually around are Etsy selling. I wouldn't mind assembling bikes at ToysRUs, but that would probably be a nightmare come Christmas shopping time. Thinking about it though. Oh well, I'm still looking and applying at places. A craft store like Joann's would be lovely, but even though Snagajob says they're hiring, someone I know who works there says they aren't. Well basically I'll just keep looking and applying and making jewelry. I'll have a craft fair in October and it's a good idea to build up some more inventory.

On Sunday some people came over and we all watched Taking Chance. We got it from Netflix after Dennis Prager recommended it on the radio. It's a really lovely movie. We all cried through the whole thing and I totally recommend watching it. Seriously, go watch it. It's an HBO movie.
Trailer:

Some points about chainmail

2010-07-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

a video from lindybeige. This guy has some really interesting videos.

I need your help

2010-07-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

I've had a cold the past few days and have been holding off on working on jewelry to avoid spreading germs through my chainmaille (not sure that would actually be a problem, but just in case). It's a bit of a bummer since I've been looking forward to making silver and gold chainmaille handflowers. Well before I caught a cold I made this necklace:

(pictured with my lovely messy desk)

I feel like it isn't quite finished; I think it needs something in the center of that triangle in the chains. I'm thinking maybe something star-shaped, but not a pentagram/five-point star or a Star of David (unless someone wants to request that). Perhaps a four-p0int star, or a four-point star with another four-point star behind it at a 45-degree angle making an 8-point star. Definitely smaller than the prism drop. I just don't have anything in my supplies that will work so I'm in the market for something. I'm looking for suggestions of what to use and either where to find it (if it's a charm) or how to make it (if it's a chainmaille design). Also I'm planning on making another necklace like this one, so if there's two of these items or two similar variants that will be extra helpful. What do you think?

maybe a fleur-de-lis
or this charm

would you please vote on those ideas or give me a new one?

and hey, if I like and use your idea and you have an Etsy shop I'll feature your shop in my blog. :-) or if several people vote on an idea I'll pick someone to feature.

on another note, I just got into this BNR Treasury: please check it out.

Ok thanks!

Chainmail demonstration

2010-07-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

The Last Unicorn "Walkin' man's road"

2010-06-28T12:05:00.000-07:00

Lovely movie, lovely song

Claddagh Rings

2010-06-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

Even when I don't wear all my jewelry I still wear my class ring (until I lost it two weeks ago) and my sterling silver Claddagh ring. I really like the Claddagh, partly because it's Irish and partly because it's a relationship status ring.

I did a lot of research about the Claddagh after I received one about 9 and half years ago. Since then I haven't been able to find all the info online that I found then, but fortunately I still remember it; so besides what the Wikipedia article says about it, here's a little info about the lovely Irish Claddagh ring.

(I wish my camera would let me get closer)

The Claddagh is made of a heart, a pair of hands, and a crown, symbolizing Love, Friendship, and Fidelity (in Irish, "Grá, dílseacht agus cairdeas", pronounced "graw, dealshocked ahgess cordiss").
A poem to illustrate it:

The hands are there for friendship,
The heart is there for love,
For loyalty throughout the year
The crown is raised above.

As Wiki says, the Claddagh is a Fede ring, or "faith ring"; it's also a relationship status ring. This is one of the bits of info that I remember from years ago but haven't seen in entirety since. Relationship status is determined by how and where you wear your ring:

Right hand, with crown pointed towards your wrist: Single/Friendship
Right hand, with crown pointed towards fingernails: Dating/Courting/"love is being considered"
Left hand, crown towards wrist: Engaged
Left hand, crown towards fingernails: Married/"let love and friendship reign forever"

example of second position:

The third position is the one that I haven't seen mentioned in a long time. Sometimes it just says wearing it on the left hand means "love and friendship forever", and sometimes it actually describes the whole fourth position (crown pointed outwards) meaning married, but still skips the third. I don't know why that is, perhaps because "engaged" is supposed to automatically lead to "married" so they're combined into "married", but I like having all four positions and meanings attached. In fact I think it makes more sense that way since the second position doesn't always lead to the third and fourth, and most people get engaged before they get married. Also maybe I'm a traditionalist... ;-) Especially with Irish traditions. Did I mention I like everything that is Irish?

And my brother and future sister-in-law are going to Ireland for their honeymoon next year. *jealousy jealousy* One of these days I'll have a picture of her lovely engagement ring, designed and made by him, if they ever get around to coming over.

Oh I haven't seen Leap Year yet... should put it on the Netflix list.

Well until next post,

May you have warm words on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And the road downhill all the way to your door.
-Irish blessing

Saturday Blog Shoppers

2010-06-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

Hello! Happy Saturday. Time for SBS.

I have a new item in my shop.
Pewter Sword Necklace

A pewter sword charm hangs between metal barrel beads and Mood beads on a black suede lace cord in a slip-knot style necklace/choker.

The Sword is a symbol of authority and chivalry, or courage, or defense and protection; or in Christianity represents Truth or the Sword of the Spirit as part of the Armor of God.

Mood Beads change color according to temperature, and traditionally correspond to moods as follows:

Black = strained, anxious, uneasy, stressed
Green = neutral, calm
Blue = tranquil, serene
Blue-Green = pleased, energetic, loving

The goniochromism stone does not actually change color, but appears to change according to the angle of your view.

I think this necklace is pretty much unisex, but I'm never sure about what guys will or won't wear. Do guys like mood jewelry? Well anyway, this necklace is in my Necklaces section, so if guys do like it I hope they find it. I hope to have a couple more necklaces before too long also, of a different kind.

I hope you all like this sword necklace as much as I do! Please visit my shop and the rest of SBS. See you later!

Lost Rings

2010-06-09T13:09:00.000-07:00

I have three rings that I wear every day. One is a white gold, diamond and amethyst ring, which was a birthday present on my 18th birthday. It's not my birthstone, but purple and silver are my favorite colors. Another ring is my silver Claddah ring, which originally was a Christmas present from my high school teacher, I think when I was in 11th grade. I especially like it because it's an Irish relationship ring. And the third is my class ring, which was a graduation present from my parents (my choice).

A problem I have is that in certain weather my fingers shrink and my rings slip around. I think a lot of people have that problem actually. So about a year and a half ago, I was weeding a garden in January early on a Saturday morning; you'd think that would be a stupid idea in itself, and actually yes it was, but since I'm in Texas we don't want to do gardening in the summer, and sometimes it's actually not too cold even in January. But that day it was cold, so cold in fact that I couldn't feel my hands and didn't feel my Claddagh ring slipping off, and didn't see it disappear. After I realized it was gone I tried to use a borrowed metal detector to find it, but no luck. So I started considering replacing it (although I'd much rather have my original back), and I actually found the exact same ring for really cheap on one website, so I ordered it. I figured if it came fast enough I could pretend it was actually the same ring and I'd never lost it. It never came, and I got no replies to my emails, so I had to use a Paypal dispute to get my money back. Then my brother and sister got me a new Claddagh ring for my birthday.

Last Thursday I was running errands, and it was really hot; I don't have air conditioning in my car so I drive with my windows down; and somewhere among those errands I lost my class ring. Hopefully not out the window. Fortunately I have my name engraved on the inside, and thanks to a custom jewelry order I attempted/worked on a few months ago, I actually have a photo of it, although not a very good one; so I've put my ring up on this site
(my ring here)
And I'm trying out ways to prevent my rings from slipping off in the future, since twice is more than enough. I've tried Ring Snuggies, but I don't like them because they're difficult to put on and take off, and they're uncomfortable. Also they come in a package with different sizes (one of each size), and I need two of one small size and one a little bigger. I googled "how not to lose your ring", but other than Ring Snuggies I didn't find anything except this plastic or silicone ring that goes on in front of your real ring. There wasn't much detail on the webpage about that one, and I don't think it's the type of page people should buy from, but I don't think that type of thing would work anyway, because if my fingers can't hold my rings, how is this plastic thing going to stay on? Maybe it would be smaller than my rings and stretchy, but I can't tell from the webpage. So for now I'm trying clasps attaching my handflower finger-chains to my rings.

Of course this won't work the same way for my class ring on my pointer finger, or any rings on the ring finger if anyone wants that, so I'll have to figure out a slightly different way of doing this for those. Perhaps a small length of chain going from the finger chain to the clasp to the ring. Also I'd like to replace the lobster clasps with some kind of hook clasp, if I can find something. But then also if I have to not wear my handflowers but still can and want to wear my rings I'll need something else. I'll have to work on that.

Saturday Blog Shoppers

2010-06-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this a little early because I have several things to take care of today.

This week for Saturday Blog Shoppers I'm featuring my newest listing, the item I've been meaning to list for awhile:

Green and Gunmetal Forest Key Earrings

Single units of byzantine chainmaille in green and gunmetal enameled copper with dangling small metal skeleton key charms.
Both maille colors are metallic; gunmetal is a brownish-gray color similar to bronze. Keys are dark silvertone; earhooks are silvertone.

I actually have three slightly-different pairs of these earrings, you can see them all in the Etsy listing. To save space and time I'll just put the one photo up here right now.

Thanks for checking out my blog, and please visit the other SBS participants!

~*~

In other news, I'll be at A-Kon this weekend, starting late tonight, but not as a vendor; and yesterday while running errands I lost my class ring. I'd appreciate any help if possible. Here's info.
I think I'll try to develop some way to attach my rings to the finger-chains of my handflowers. This is the second time I've lost a ring because the weather made my fingers slippery. There doesn't need to be a third time.

Magnanimitas Vesci

2010-06-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

I love this! Not only is chivalry being kept alive, but so is Lingua Latina!
awesomeness.

Chivalry Lives! Arizona Teacher Requires Boys to Have Old-Fashioned Manners in Class

In Cord Ivanyi's Class, Girls Get Doors Held Open for Them, Chairs Pulled Out

By SARAH NETTER

Feb. 25, 2010—

When Elise Rierson walks into Latin class, the door is held open for her. When she arrives at her desk, her chair is pulled out for her.

It's not the kind of treatment most 14-year-old freshman expect. But Elise and the rest of her female classmates have gotten used to the chivalrous gestures -- and rather enjoy it.

Continued:

http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=9932707

Cheers.

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

thebsreport.wordpress.com

“The cost of liberty is less than the cost of repression.” -W.E.B. DuBois

“Although no sculptured marble should rise to their memory, nor engraved stone bear record of their deeds, yet will their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored.” -Daniel Webster

"We must be prepared to make heroic sacrifices for the cause of peace that we make ungrudgingly for the cause of war. There is no task that is more important or closer to my heart."
Albert Einstein

"The purpose of all war is ultimately peace." ~ Saint Augustine

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty." - John F. Kennedy

5west.wordpress.com

Just some Lovely Awesomeness

2010-05-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

fantasy pictures and Celtic music (the fast kind)
Rated PG

Saturday Blog Shoppers

2010-05-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

Hello! Back to Saturday Blog Shoppers after I took a week off.

This week I listed my two newest handflowers. I think they're also my new favorites. I really like the connectors and the whole net-style of the chains, and the beads are so smooth and shiny although they're natural stone.

Chained Turquoise Handflower
genuine turquoise beads

Chained Onyx Handflower
genuine black onyx beads

These are lightweight and adjustable at the wrist. It took awhile to make them; I attached the bead pins directly onto the chains instead of using extra jump rings. I made the turquoise one first, and although after that I had some experience with the design, the onyx one didn't quite work right at first. I got the placement of the chains wrong so the wrist came up in the middle; but I fixed it.

I actually took about ten photos of each handflower in order to show the details of the beads and connectors (especially important for the turquoise, which has different patterns of the blue-green and brown), so since an Etsy listing can only have five photos, I made a photo album on my Facebook page just for the extra photos. Actually I put all ten photos of each handflower in that album.

Don't forget the other SBS Bloggers. ;-)

Thanks for looking, and Happy Saturday!

Purposeless Productiveness

2010-05-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been an interesting week. Actually it was kind of a blur, and productive but with no ultimate purpose.

All week I was getting things ready for WataugaFest: making price tags, figuring even prices with sales tax included, buying a few supplies... also I made a new bracelet and a necklace. Thursday it was hot; Friday it started getting rainy and the weather things on Yahoo and iGoogle and AccuWeather all said it was going to rain all weekend. So I emailed the WataugaFest people and they told me WataugaFest was canceled. Sadface.

and of course, being the predictably unpredictable weather state that Texas is, it was mostly sunny all weekend without so much as a drop of rain. I'm still trying to find out if they'll reschedule the Fest or just leave it canceled. In the future I need to remember to only do indoor craft fairs.

So I was a little bummed on Saturday. Except for going out with my boyfriend and seeing the movie Date Night, which was really funny. That was a good date. Incidentally we also saw Iron Man 2 with a couple friends yesterday, and that was pretty good.

A couple good things about not having a craft fair is that I didn't have to get up at 5:30AM, and now I get to list my new items on Etsy. Of course things probably would've sold a lot better at the Fest than on Etsy, but still I'd like to freshen up my shop a little with my lovely new items. Right now though I'm trying to redo some photos from a few items already listed, but today Photobucket won't let me finish uploading them. As soon as it's finished I get "connection was reset", and retry and refresh don't help. sigh. maybe tomorrow.

And of course I can still use the things I did last week for the next craft fair I have, which is how I was productive last week. I just kind of feel right now like I wasted my week. Hence the decision to stick to indoor craft fairs, like I told myself I would the last time something got canceled.

And now I'll freshen up this post with some flowers.

here are my sunflowers. It's about time to transplant them outside, just need to find a spot.
here are the strawberries we're attempting to grow in a TopsyTurvy Planter. It's not really working so far. We only get tiny green strawberries which turn into tiny red strawberries that don't seem to be getting bigger.

Here are the lovely flowers that my dad got my mom for Mother's Day.

There was also a woodpecker on our pecan tree but I wasn't able to get a picture of it. And yesterday I saw a blue jay.

Anyway, I hope I can show my new items soon. I like them.

Saturday Blog Shoppers

2010-05-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hello! It's Saturday again. It's also May, so don't forget to change your calendar. ;-)
For SBS this week I want to show you my Purple Cross chainmaille handflower.

Silver + Purple Cross Chainmaille Handflower

This is actually the second silver/purple cross handflower I've made and the third chainmaille cross one. The first one was a request from a friend, only unfortunately it wasn't as good as this one because my materials were not as good, and because of inexperience I had the cross upside-down and it didn't fit so well. :-] The other one I made was black with a red cross, and I sold that to someone at my church.

Right now the wrist only fits about 6.5 or 7 inches, but I'm going to put a chain on it to make it more adjustable; especially because I'll have it for sale at a craft fair in two weeks (unless it sells on Etsy before the 14th), and it's difficult to get the right size on things unless they're adjustable.

On that note also I will not be participating in SBS on the 15th, and my shop will be in vacation mode from late afternoon on the 14th to late on the 17th or 18th. That way I don't double-sell any OOAK items and I have time to deactivate sold items. After I come back I'll list some new things (unless they all sell at the festival).

Thanks for reading!

Saturday Blog Shoppers

2010-04-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

Hello! It's Saturday. Time for Saturday Blog Shoppers.

I have two handflowers I wear all the time, and I get a lot of comments about them. I seem to get more comments about one than the other, and although I won't exactly copy a handflower especially the ones I wear, I have made a similar one for sale. So here today is the Silvertone Chain Handflower:

Silvertone Chain Handflower

The last comment I got about my handflower was that when the guy first saw it he thought it was a tattoo. :-] I prefer chains to tattoos because they don't hurt and they're not permanent. Also because I just really like chains (and prisms, which are on my handflower). I haven't tried henna but I think it's pretty cool. Of course handflowers are not as intricate as henna, but you can take them off and put them back on whenever you want, which I think is a good thing. ;-)

Thanks for looking! Please check out the other SBS bloggers participating this week.

My Thoughts on Trends

2010-04-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

Confession: not only do I not follow trends, but I refuse to follow them on purpose. Why? Because I'm interested in my interests, not "everyone" else's; because I'm somewhat rebellious against doing something just because someone I don't even know said I should; because I don't see the point of being "just another follower" of everyone else or of the celebrity that happens to be big right now; and because I know that my tastes and interests may change now and then, but not nearly as often as trends do.

So here are some of my thoughts on a few trends that we've gone through (or are going through). These are just my opinions and not flames or critisms against the creators of these trendy things (or even of the people who like them, really). ;-)

Harry Potter: I've never read the books, or seen the movies. Not one. This is because they were already popular before I got a chance to become interested in them on my own (unlike with The Lord of the Rings when the movies came out, since that's been a classic for a long time, and I do read). I do like fantasy fiction with wizards such as Gandalf and Merlin, but Harry Potter simply never interested me. And then there was some, er, worrying, among some Christians about whether it was "right" or "safe" to read books about witchcraft and wizardry, and I had to take some time to consider whether I thought they were right. Eventually I decided I do not agree; I think it's harmless fiction. But there's still the problem about it being popular before it's interesting to me personally. However, I'm currently considering reading them, for two reasons: 1. Harry Potter is now contending with the latest fiction trend, which I like because it shows that people care about their real personal interests more than what's "popular" now; and 2. because The Doctor mentioned reading them in the Shakespeare episode of Doctor Who, and I absolutely LOVE Doctor Who. If Harry Potter is good enough for The Doctor, then I can at least consider reading it and see how I like it. This might put me in danger of "following someone else", but hey, it's The Doctor. I don't think I mind. ;-) And if I don't like the books or I get bored, I'll stop reading them. Besides, Dr. Who is not a trend, it's the longest running Sci-Fi show on TV and there's good reason for that.

Twilight: the latest fiction trend which is in competition with Harry Potter. It's a teenagery love-drama about a sparkly vampire. I am so not interested. I don't care about vampire fiction anyway, although I did like that one movie... what was it... Underworld. I kinda liked that. I especially liked a certain dress someone was wearing (not that that's my main focus in movies). But Twilight? No thanks.

Dragons: I like dragons, and I like How to Train Your Dragon. I do not like Eragon much. It's ok, but it's just Star Wars with dragons instead of space ships (not literally, but major parallels). I do like Star Wars, btw; but a story should be its own story. I don't think dragons are trendy right now actually, but Eragon almost was.

So basically the point I'm trying to make is this: My style and interests are mine, and your style and interests are yours. I hope the jewelry I make becomes somewhat "popular" in the sense that a lot of people can find things I've made that they like, but trends are things that people are into just because "people are into it", and they change and go away in favor of the next one. I don't want my jewelry to be trendy for any reason. I want someone to buy a handflower because they like it, it fits their style, and they can keep wearing it through the trend changes as long as it still fits them, like I've been wearing mine for about 10 years. Also for the most part I want to continue making just one of each unique piece of jewelry, so no one can have the exact same one as someone else. Every person is different, and they should have their own handflower. That way you can wear it because you like it and not because someone else is wearing it.

I do want to just clarify one thing before I finish this post: I'm not saying there's anything wrong with liking something that happens to be popular, or anything wrong with vampires, if that's what you like. For instance I refused to watch any anime for awhile when my friends were all into it (but didn't think anything was "wrong" with them for liking it), but then my boyfriend showed me some and we started watching it together and I liked it. All I'm really saying is I'm in favor of liking something just because you like it, and not worrying about what "everyone" wants you to like.

And that is why I do what I do.

Saturday Blog Shoppers

2010-04-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hello again Saturday Blog Shoppers! Did you survive tax day? I think I did, but just barely. ;-)

I plan to be out of town tomorrow and Sunday, so I'm sorry if I don't get to everyone's blogs and shops this weekend but maybe I'll get there on Monday.

Meanwhile here's my Saturday item for this week:

Golden Brass Half Persian Ring

I went to Joann's to get some wire for chainmaille jump rings, and the yellow wire they had this time was brass instead of colored copper. I like it much better.

I have four rings in my shop; they're the first rings I've made but they turned out really well. I have two in brass and two in silver colored copper; two Half Persian and two Byzantine. They're in the Rings section (of course). ;-)

The Byzantine rings are larger than the Persian ones because the square shape of the maille made it necessary to be longer in order to reach around into a circle. I think the advantage of that is that perhaps the Persian style is more feminine and the Byzantine is more masculine, and men's fingers are generally larger than women's. Of course there are always exceptions to that and I might be able to at least make the Persian rings bigger, but I think it works out.

Well I hope the weekend brings a nice distraction/balance to follow tax day; don't forget to check out the other blogs and shops in the SBS Group. See you soon!

Look What I Found

2010-04-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

I just discovered there's an on-stage Lord of the Rings musical.

This song is pretty:

Frodo and Sam

Saturday Blog Shoppers

2010-04-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

Hello, Saturday again. For my Saturday Blog Shoppers post this week, I'm featuring my favorite watch.

Purple and Silver Persian Chainmaille watch

If I didn't already have a watch, I'd probably wear this one. My wrist is maybe a little small for the style of the face, but I love the colors and the chainmaille style. The band is Full Persian Chainmaille, reinforced with coated multi-strand steel beading wire.

Normally I only make one of each item (except for byzantine earrings), but after I sold a watch like this at a Praise Festival with craft vendors, I made two more. Then my friend bought one for a friend of hers, so there's only one left in my shop.

Thanks for looking at my featured Saturday item and my shop. Please check out the other blogs and shops participating this week! Saturday Blog Shoppers

Gothic Fantasy

2010-03-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

I'm looking through some Gothic/Medieval/Celtic art and music videos on YouTube today. Here's one I like for today:

Classical Dark Fairy Fantasy

I think the picture at 1:01 is by Josephine Wall. I wonder whose the rest of them are.

Saturday Blog Shoppers

2010-03-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

Spring has Sprung (yay!)

Hey, it's the weekend again! Time for Saturday Blog Shoppers. Visit everyone's blogs and post comments, please! Thanks for supporting.

Well it's Spring, finally. I think I said that a week or two ago, and then it snowed again. I think it's really here this time and I'm happy about it. Spring brings the break from cold weather (hopefully), my birthday, my boyfriend's birthday, and our dating anniversary. So for a little "Spring theme", I'm going to feature some of my green and yellow and blue earrings this week.

Green Byzantine Earrings

Yellow Byzantine Earrings

Green and Yellow Byzantine Earrings

Green and Blue Byzantine Earrings

All of these earrings are $12 each pair.

Thanks for visiting! Don't forget the other blogs!

Saturday Blog Shoppers

2010-03-19T22:32:00.000-07:00

I've only been to a few craft fairs so far, but one question I almost always get asked is "do you have anything for guys?" At first I didn't; or at least, apparently I didn't, or they probably wouldn't have asked. My problem is, the guys I know don't wear jewelry, even if I give them some, so I don't know what guys like; so I wasn't sure if I had anything or not. But I have seen a few things worn by guys, so I've tried making a few things I think some guys might like.

So this week for Saturday Blog Shoppers I'm featuring one of my guy's necklaces.

Guy's Chainmaille Pendant Necklace

The weave is mostly random: basically I just took some black and silver 16 gauge rings, sat down to watch Ironman, and worked until this came out. Then I put it on this thick necklace cord that a friend gave me.

So, there you go guys (or girls who are shopping for guys)! Hope you like it. If not, I have a few other things in the "For Guys" section as well.

Don't forget to check out the other blogs in the Saturday Shoppers group. Happy Saturday!

Saturday Blog Shoppers

2010-03-13T08:32:00.000-08:00

I am now participating in Saturday Blog Shoppers! After looking at my item and my shop, please visit the other blogs by clicking here or on the button on the right.

Today I will feature my Black and Red Chainmaille Handflower:

A handflower is a Medieval-style piece of jewelry made of a combination of bracelet and ring, which fits over the back of the hand. Chainmaille (also spelled chainmail or chain mail) is originally a medieval under-armor made of lots of chain links or rings woven together in a pattern. Today it is mostly used for jewelry.

My chainmaille handflowers are made with the European 6-in-1 chainmaille weave (E6) and a weave called One Hour Less Sleep for the wristband, with chain finger-rings and toggle clasps. I use tarnish resistant colored copper wire for the rings.

I also have bracelets, earrings, chained handflowers and a few rings in my shop. Please take a look: shadowcutter.etsy.com

Thank you for visiting my blog. Please post a comment, and if you purchase anything from me after reading this blog please put "Saturday Blog Shoppers" in Notes to Seller so I can report results to the blogger group. And don't forget to check out the other blogs!

Saturday Blog Shoppers

Green for March

2010-03-05T11:34:00.000-08:00

March is here! Oh lovely March. The month of Spring and St. Patrick's Day. The month of Ireland.

I love Ireland. I'm part Irish, and I like everything that is Irish, especially the music and the Claddagh ring with all it's symbolism and meaning. I wear mine every day.

Also my birthday is March 18. I was almost born on St. Patrick's Day. Just missed it.

And I'm quite happy to have warm Spring weather finally start to show up again.

Anyway, one thing about St. Patrick's Day is you have to wear something green, or you'll get pinched. I'm not sure how many people still remember to pinch anyone who isn't wearing green, but that's what's supposed to happen.

I have a few green things in my shop. I just listed my newest bracelet yesterday:

Green Chainmaille Bracelet

And of course I still have a few other green items:

Green Byzantine Earrings

Green and Yellow Byzantine Earrings
-also nice spring colors ;-)

Green and Orange Byzantine Bracelet
(orange, by the way, is also an Irish color, though not the official one)

Hopefully I'll soon be able to list these earrings as well:

They're all slightly different in the color pattern, but the colors are green and gun metal. I like this type of keys. I actually collect keys like this, and I was happy to find these charms at the craft store.

How soon I get to list these and some other new items depends on budget and other expenses vs. income, since listing fees add up, but I hope I can list these soon. We shall see.

St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time -- a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic.
-Adrienne Cook

Antivirus Soft is Malware

2010-02-10T10:12:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have no pictures or anything especially fun or interesting today; instead I have important computer information (trojan warning and solution), and I couldn't copy and paste the screenshots. Hope this is helpful to someone, though if so I'm sorry you have the problem.

Yesterday I was uploading and editing some jewelry photos, and a notification popped up on my computer saying my computer was infected with Spyware. This note come from a program I hadn't seen before, called Antivirus Soft. When I clicked on the icon (even right click) it brought up the program which would let me scan. There was no way to remove or delete it. This note kept popping up every few minutes, and then an error message started popping up every few minutes randomly and every time I tried to open something, saying "Application cannot be executed. The file [filename].exe is infected." Then Internet Explorer started popping up with porn sites. If I clicked on "yes" or "scan now" on the antivirus warnings it just took me to the website where I could buy this "scanner" called Antivirus Soft. I scanned with SuperAntiSpyware and Avast instead, but they found nothing. Finally I looked this up (on the other computer, since I couldn't open Firefox here), and here's what I found.

What this programs does:

Antivirus Soft is a rogue anti-spyware and ransomware program from the same family as Antivirus Live. These infections are installed on to your computer through the use of malware that installs the program onto your computer without your permission or knowledge. It is also common for this rogue to be installed on your computer through the use of malicious PDF files that exploit known vulnerabilities in older versions of Adobe Reader. Once installed, Antivirus Soft will be configured to start automatically when Windows starts. Once running it will scan your computer and display numerous infections, but will state it will not remove them until you purchase the program. In reality, the infected files it detects are all fake and do not actually exist on your computer.

This program also uses aggressive techniques to protect itself from being removed by anti-malware programs. When the Antivirus Soft process is running it will close almost any running program while falsely stating that they are infected. Antivirus Soft will also change the Proxy settings in Internet Explorer so that you cannot browse to any web site other than the site for Antivirus Soft so that you can purchase the program. It does this so that you cannot browse the web to find removal guides or download software that will help you remove the infection. Using these two methods, the program essentially ransoms the normal use of your computer until you purchase the program or use the guide below to remove the infection.

Here's an example of an alert that pops up (exactly what I saw):

Antivirus Software Alert
Infiltration Alert
Your computer is being attacked by an internet virus. It could be a password-stealing attack, a trojan-dropper or similar.
Threat: Win32/Nuqel.E

Screenshots and instructions for getting rid of this (and the description above) are on bleepingcomputer.com. To sum it up, you'll need to go into safe mode and scan with Malware Bytes Anti-Malware (MBAM)(free); but there are other things you'll need to know on the webpage; there's too much for me to share here. This virus was really frustrating and stressful, and I was really happy to find the website and fix the problem. It doesn't cost anything to use the bleepingcomputer solution, and it worked for me. I just wish I knew how I got this thing in the first place.

EDIT: Update 2.14.10 a couple days ago I scanned with SuperAntiSpyware (just a regular weekly scan) and it found an item of Antivirus Soft although it wasn't bothering my computer anymore. So just keep watching out and scanning if you ever get this problem, even after you fix it.

Shall I make one? ;-)

2010-02-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

Old and New Photos

2010-02-05T12:35:00.000-08:00

I've finally finished retaking all the photos of my earrings with my new tabletop photo studio (aka the good lightbox). Still working on cropping them and replacing the old photos in the Etsy listings. Got one of them up yesterday; here's a comparison:

Old photo with homemade lighbox, in the garage which only has poor yellowish light (couldn't find enough light elsewhere that day):

Looks ok here, I suppose, but in the listing the photo is smaller and harder to see.

New photo with better lightbox, good lighting:

(Green and Yellow Byzantine Earrings)

Sort of looks darker, but also clearer I think. I think the darkness of it comes from the gray background vs. the white, and there's sort of a shadowy-ness in the first one which isn't really a problem in the second one. So basically, I think there's still something in my photography that needs to be improved, and I need to figure out exactly what to do about it, but the new lightbox is definitely better than the old one. In fact I usually have to iron out the crease in the background cloth before I can use it, but the old one had a seam between the two pieces of poster board (the box was too big for just one), which I couldn't iron out except with the smudge tool in Photobucket.

It seems like the photos with the earrings laying down are better than the ones with them hanging:

I think maybe that's because the two lights and the camera are all pointed down directly at the earrings, and when they're hanging on the display it's kinda difficult to get both lights on them evenly.

Actually the more I look at the old photo, especially comparing it to the new one, the less I like the old one. Maybe the new one could be a little clearer, but there's something really uncomfortable about the lighting in the old one. I think it's like a doctor's office waiting room. Ew I really need to replace the rest of those photos soon. Very sorry about that. It will all be fixed quite soon.

Almost a Handflower

2010-01-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

haha

I was searching "handflower" on Yahoo and found this:
Handflower t-shirt

I am amused. I like The Almost anyway, and I like that they made a "handflower" that's not a handflower and then the parallel with the band's name. This is fun.

This makes me want to make a chainmaille handflower with a flower design in it, without of course violating any copyrights or anything. It obviously wouldn't look like the t-shirt. I wonder if they'd like me to make some merchandise for them.

I actually did make a handflower of 4-in-1 flowers once. My aunt bought it. And there's other "flower" weaves of chainmaille too. Like this one: http://www.mailleartisans.org/weaves/pics/6833flower.jpg

Yeah, fun ideas brewing here.

The band's Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/thealmost

More Earrings!

2010-01-11T14:14:00.000-08:00

Continuing to list my remaining Byzantine earrings. Listed three pairs of the enameled copper ones today.

Purple

Blue

Orange

Coming next: Bicolor copper byzantine earrings.

and still hoping to make more handflowers soon.

Earrings

2010-01-07T13:41:00.000-08:00

I finally took photos of all the rest of my byzantine chainmaille earrings and now I'm getting them listed. Just listed the pink and purple anodized aluminum post and clip earrings.

Pink Byzantine Heart post earrings

Still have some more hook earrings to list once I get the photos cropped. I was a bit concerned when I was taking the photos because the purple aluminum earrings looked blue in the camera, but they look right on the computer.

Also I made four new pairs of earrings yesterday. They're different from the ones I've made before, although three of them are still byzantine.

In other news, I had a headache all night after eating spaghetti so I'm wondering if I'm allergic to something; watched The Day the Earth Stood Still for the second time but only saw the beginning for the first time; and the weather is really cold. It's below 30 right now. Fortunately I have nowhere to go, at least until tomorrow night. I think.

Also I'm considering getting my ears pierced because I got a pair of earrings from by boyfriend for Christmas. Problem is, I had them pierced once before and let them close up, and I want to make sure piercing them again won't cause a metal allergy. I really need not to have a metal allergy. The earrings are white gold but then I have lots of other metals on my hands and wrists all the time.

Hmm, I would really like to make some more handflowers soon.

New Christmas Bracelet - Full Persian Chainmaille

2009-12-15T12:15:00.000-08:00

Red and Green Full Persian Bracelet

Full Persian chainmaille makes this bracelet a nice lacy style, green dotted with red and accented with a silver chain and lobster clasp.

Chainmaille portion is 6 inches (15.24cm) long, with a 1.5 inch (40mm, 3.8cm) length of silver base metal 5mm curb chain and 3/4 inch (15mm, 1.9cm) lobster clasp. The chainmaille is about 1/4 inch thick, or about 7mm.

Should fit wrist sizes between 6 inches and about 7.5 inches. More curb chain can be added on request.

Chainmaille is made with tarnish resistant, permanently colored copper 20 gauge wire. It took about five hours to make this bracelet.

Half-Persian Chainmaille Rings

2009-12-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

Gold Brass Half Persian Ring - Size 7

Silver Copper Half Persian Ring - size 7

These lovely rings are made with small 20 gauge rings of silver colored copper and golden brass in half Persian chainmaille.

The maille is about 4mm thick square, or about 1/8 inch. The ring is size 7. As chainmaille it is not stiff like a solid metal ring but it fits fine on the right sized finger, conforming nicely to your finger's shape.

Gold Brass Byzantine Ring

2009-12-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

Brass Byzantine Chainmaille Ring - size 11

This ring is made with small 20 gauge rings of brass wire in byzantine chainmaille with triple connector rings.

The maille is about 5mm thick square, almost 1/4 inch. The ring is size 11. As chainmaille it is not stiff like a solid metal ring but it should fit fine on the right sized finger.

Size asjustments are possible but size 10 or larger is best for the thickness of the chainmaille for comfortable wearing.

Christmas Chainmaille Bracelet

2009-12-08T14:34:00.000-08:00

Red and Green Chainmaille Bracelet - bright Christmas colors

This E6 chainmaille bracelet is made with green colored copper rings on the outside and red colored copper down the center. Gold-color jump rings reinforce the ends on the underside. Closes at adjustable lengths with a gold-colored lobster-claw clasp.

Chainmaille is 5.25 inches long with an added 1.5 inch length of gold color aluminum chain and a 1 inch golden base metal lobster claw clasp; 7.75 inches altogether. Should fit wrist sizes between 5.5 and 7.25 inches fairly snugly, or a smaller wrist more loosely. Can be adjusted on request.

Rings for the chainmaille are made with tarnish-resistant permanently colored 20 gauge copper wire in bright red and green colors. The rings plus the bracelet took about 11 hours to make altogether.

New Ring Listed

2009-12-04T12:11:00.001-08:00

Just made my first byzantine ring:

Silver Copper Byzantine Chainmaille Ring - size 11

This ring is made with small 20 gauge rings of silver colored copper in byzantine chainmaille with triple connector rings.

The maille is about 5mm thick square, almost 1/4 inch. The ring is size 11. As chainmaille it is not stiff like a solid metal ring but it should fit fine on the right sized finger.

If there are any questions about size adjustment please convo me before ordering. Size 10 or larger is best for the thickness of the chainmaille for comfortable wearing.

This is not the first ring I've made, but the first one I've made in Byzantine. I plan to make a gold one really soon with brass wire.

Byzantine Earrings

2009-11-21T15:20:00.000-08:00

I've finally started posting my byzantine chainmaille earrings!

Christmasy Byzantine Earrings

Made with 18g enameled copper rings in red and green, single units of byzantine chainmaille about half an inch long and quarter inch thick. Hung on gold-colored base metal ear hooks.

Each earring weighs 0.045 oz.

I started making these earrings after I made the byzantine bracelets. See one of the bracelets here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30816753
Each pair took about half an hour to make.

Like tiny sprigs of holly hung on gold thread, these earrings are perfect piece of jewelry for Christmas time!

Also in solid red with silver: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34999790

or solid green with silver: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=35000540

I have several other pairs listed already, and bunch more left to go!

Newly Listed Chainmaille Bracelet

2009-11-09T15:59:00.000-08:00

Black and Silver Chainmaille Bracelet

This E6 chainmaille bracelet has a nice contrast of black with silver running down the middle. Silver rings reinforce the ends on the underside.

Chainmaille is 6.5 inches long with 1 inch of chain + half-inch toggle clasp; 7+3/4 inches altogether. Can be adjusted on request.

Return of Cascade

2009-10-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Finally re-photographed and relisted:

Cascade Eternity Bracelet / Handflower

Silvery delicate chains hanging from a fancy accent drape over your hand in this simple eternity bracelet.

The handflower is 4 inches long from wrist to knuckle, 3 inches wide in the middle, attaches on middle finger with a 3 inch ring, and wristchain is adjustable up to 7 inches. Can add more chain to the wrist on request.

This handflower is small and very lightweight.

Fire in Black Chainmaille Handflower

2009-10-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

Renewed:

Fire in Black Chainmaille Handflower

European 6-in-1 weave in black with a fire design. Wristband is One Hour Less Sleep weave of blue and orange in front and copper and purple around the sides. This handflower has a yellow cable-chain ring for your middle finger, and a scroll-design toggle clasp on the wristband.

I made the links for the chainmaille by coiling and cutting 20g. colored copper wire, then wove the chainmaille. The ring chain and toggle clasp are from a craft store. It took me about 14 hours to make this handflower.

There is some antiquing in the scroll design of the toggle clasp.

The handflower is 4 inches from wrist to knuckle, and 2.5 inches wide in the middle. The wristband is 7 inches long, the ring is 4 inches around.

Chained Amethyst Handflower

2009-10-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

Chained Amethyst Handflower

Purple and silver are my favorite colors so I used silver chains and round amethyst beads with silver wire clover beads in this handflower. So pretty!

The four amethyst beads attached to the clover bead in the center are a little darker than the five around the outside.

The wrist chain is adjustable to 8 inches with a lobster clasp; the handflower stretches over your hand to four inches from your wrist to your knuckle, and will lay over the back of your hand 3.5 inches wide. The ring for the middle finger is 4 inches around.

To wear this handflower, put your middle finger through the chain ring, lay the handflower over the back of your hand, and latch the clasp onto the wrist chain around your wrist at whatever spot fits you best.

Craft Fair was Awesome!

2009-10-12T15:10:00.000-07:00

SO....

the craft fair was Saturday, setup on Friday; I actually sold some stuff, and made almost three times the booth fee! woot!

here's a comparison with last year.

last year I:
was outside, where there were pretty much no shoppers;
was away from the door, so the shoppers that did pass by to go inside didn't see me;
had very little display stuff and no tablecloth;
shared with a friend with paintings and drawings, who didn't sell anything although everyone who did wander over liked one painting in particular. I think she had them priced too low;
sold a couple small things to friends but made nowhere near the booth fee (or even half the booth fee, which is what I paid)

Picture:

this year:
I was inside, there was good lighting and lots of people;
had a tablecloth and much better display stuff;
had candy and $1 stretchy bracelets;
had prices on everything;
had my brother with me, who's a licensed jeweler, inspected and cleaned people's rings for free
(several people said "no thanks" or "can't get'em off" or "didn't wear them today", but several people accepted and appreciated it), kept them at the booth for a few minutes to look around, although some just closely watched the cleaning;
the tealights in my display were really fun and popular;
I sat part of the time but stood up to talk to customers, and sometimes walked around the booth and rearranged some things, most times that I was doing that people came to look
I brought a lunch and ate it in the booth, but put it down when customers came by;
had small paper gift bags with "thank you" and some info on them, and tissue paper, to put purchases in - people liked that;
we're not the chatty type so we had plenty of attention to give to customers ;-) and none of my friends came by (sigh)- I can see how it could cause a problem if they did though;
I made about 31/2 times the booth fee (except for cost of the extra display stuff, but that wasn't much) and my brother sold a couple t-shirts

pictures:

hmmm, could've planned that two-part photo better. also need to find the "wide shot" setting on the camera. but oh well.

the only thing that kinda went wrong is I forgot my camera at home (fortunately I had it at set-up so I still got pics, but I was afraid I'd lost it) and I had so much stuff under my table (lunch, snacks, cleaning stuff, repair stuff, box for display stuff, t-shirts, bags), it was a little disorganized and the one time I thought I needed my calculator I couldn't find it. fortunately my brother did the the math in his head and the customer confirmed it, but I felt a little silly relying on them for it. but it was ok. also my brother wished he'd thought to bring some of his tools to fix prongs and stuff, so we'll remember that next time.

I'm glad I didn't pay for electricity because the only thing I was thinking I'd need it for was extra lighting, and I didn't need that 'cause the place was well lit. however, my brother suggested getting some jewelry-cleaning equipment that would need electricity, so we might eventually do that.

also I accepted one check for a purchase, and haven't been to the bank yet (closed on weekends and probably today), so I hope it's ok.

btw, the lovely business card holder you see there was made by and purchased from KreativeKarryAlls on Etsy. the tablecloths were borrowed from my friend Amy, the earring display is a picture frame with mesh attached, the necklace displays came from a jewelry store that was closing and were a Christmas present from my sister, and the mirrors and tealights came from Hobby Lobby and BigLots. So I guess I spent about... 15 dollars on the display. Oh yeah I also had candy in a bowl which I bought specially for it, so that makes around 20 or so. So maybe I made more like twice the booth fee. But still that means I did awesome! yay.

Online Fashion Business (eHow article)

2009-10-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

How to Start a Clothing Business Online - Tips From Project Runway

By Gigi Starr
eHow Contributing Writer

While many people would love to start their own clothing design business, Project Runway Season 6 contestant Louise Black already has done it. In this exclusive interview with eHow, Louise shares her behind-the-scenes views on the online clothing business, along with what it takes to make it work.

This 32-year-old Texas native and Christian Lacroix fan believes that the future of fashion is on the 'Net: "There will always be a place for brick and mortars, but online is definitely the way to go for most. It’s definitely the best way to get your start without losing your shirt," she tells eHow.

read the rest

http://www.ehow.com/how_5504523_start-online-tips-project-runway.html

Facebook /Treasure

2009-10-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

one of my handflowers has been included in a treasury!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=70374

(hurry and look before it's gone!)

And Facebook just added Latin to the languages!
http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=145923442130

that is sooo cool. I keep meaning to eventually install the Latin Rosetta Stone in my computer and start using it but I'm always doing other things. It's been kind of a long time since I worked on any Latin. But now Facebook can teach me a little bit, and maybe it'll remind/encourage me to get on with it on Rosetta Stone, too. :-)

Craft Fair and advertizing

2009-09-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

So I'm getting an ad in a tabletop in a restaurant...

it's expensive for right now. I mean it's not a lot of money for a 3-year ad in a good restaurant, but it's a lot to have to pay off in only 5 months. Still a good deal though, and a good payment plan. And my boyfriend will help. :-)

I also have a repeat customer on Etsy and a custom-order customer through email, so that'll help. And then I have a craft fair in a couple weeks and I've already paid for the space, so hopefully I'll sell some things there and it'll help with the ad as well as paying for the space. I'm getting some stuff ready for it, such as display ideas and some kid stuff, but trying to spend as little money as possible on it. Still need a tablecloth. I want an actual cloth one instead of vinyl or plastic, but I'm considering vinyl in case it turns out to be the only option.

I'm inside at space #2. Hopefully that will help me do much better than last year. Along with all the other stuff I'm doing better this year.

I have two fliers for the craft fair. Wondering where to hang them...

I met a cop today whose wife sells jewelry on Etsy. Didn't get her username though. Rats.

I have a new watch on Etsy:

Chained Tiger's Eye Watch

ok I think I'll work on some jewelry and/or craft fair stuff now. I'm a little bit excited about this one. :-)

The Best Way to Buy Jewelry is Online

2009-09-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

"Summary: If you want to get high quality jewelry for affordable prices, you have two ways to do that, 1st hassling and delaying of visiting brick-and-mortar stores, add to that the time you will waste and finally you may not find what you are looking for; but the 2nd and easy way is to switch to online stores-- it’s simple, saves time and the most important thing is that it's effective; think about having all the world's designs and jewelry products there on your screen."

Read the rest of the topic at http://jewelry-kings.com/96/the-best-way-to-buy-jewelry-is-online-know-why/

hehe

2009-09-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

So Update already

2009-09-08T17:34:00.000-07:00

Sold two more things:

Went to AnimeFest this past weekend, not as a vendor but took business cards with me and gave one away. Also I looked at the chainmaille booths, noticed the display stuff, and asked about materials and prices.

Been working on upgrading the camera and taking new photos, and re-figuring secondary shipping prices. Hopefully soon I can figure out international shipping too.

Face to Face went awesomely last month and should be awesome again this month.

hmmm I think I shouldn't use the "cool" color setting in the camera so much.

I made a big lightbox for the larger and taller things, like necklaces.

And I have a craft fair next month (the one I was debating with myself about awhile ago)- I got an indoor space this time.

Craft Fair info:

Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, 9AM-4:30PM
St. Timothy C.P. Church
3001 Forest Ridge Dr.
Bedford, TX 76095

I'm working on a custom order for a friend of a friend, so far we're still in the figuring-out-what-we-want stage. Seriously planning on soon starting to use bright aluminum, hopefully followed closely by sterling silver and/or stainless steel. Also I've been planning a certain watch for a long time now and don't have time to actually work on it because of all the custom order stuff and the Etsy editing stuff. But maybe if I can get myself off the computer right now I can start on it tonight. All this computer stuff is kind of addicting.

ok here I go.

Good night!

My First Online Sale! Finally!

2009-08-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

The Plate Maille Handflower is sold!!!

^ in the mail, on the way to the buyer, yay!

goodbye Plate Maille, enjoy your new life.

Featured in a Fashion Blog!

2009-07-31T16:27:00.000-07:00

I searched the name "ShadowCutter" on yahoo to see what's online about my jewelry, and I found this:

The MidWasteland

My Plate Maille Handflower is featured here. I had no idea this was here until today; it's really exciting! I don't know how popular this blog is, but it's just really cool to be mentioned in one!

The only problem is that although the other chainmaille handflower is correctly linked to its seller (TogIncognito), my name was attached to it. I left a comment about that but it's waiting to be approved and posted. I'm sure it was just a simple misprint. I also sent messages to that seller and the other Etsy seller featured to let them know they're in there. It's really exciting!

A few of my Favorite Things

2009-07-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

Awhile back I bought a dagger at the knife store of a certain mall a couple cities away. Actually I'm not sure if it's a dagger or a short sword. Either way it's stainless steel, which I think means it's not authentic or actually usable or anything, but it is fairly sharp. Anyway I like it, and to make it even better I made a belt for it with 16 gauge colored-copper chainmaille and suede lace.

I also made this cloak a few years ago, just because I wanted one:

in these pictures it's Halloween, but I didn't make it as a costume, I made it as actual winter-wear, although I don't always wear it even when it's cold, because it kind of gets in the way if I have to go somewhere. I wish I could wear it all the time though. I was also wearing my dagger when these photos were taken although you can't see it.

And this is my glass dragon sword which is hanging on my wall:

its name is Darksbane.

Guy Stuff

2009-07-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

I'm finally starting to make some "guy stuff", since there've been a few guys at craft fairs and such asking for some, and I've recently made two guys' necklaces and listed them on Etsy.

Guy's Chainmaille Pendant Necklace

I made this one while watching Ironman. I don't quite know what to call the weave since I totally made it up, although it has some byzantine-like bits. It's listed here in my Etsy shop under "For Guys".

Knott Maille Guy's Necklace

This one I made less recently although I just listed it along with the other one. It's a "furby flower" with some extra rings added for tightness and decoration.

I also have some plain double-spiral chains which guys should like, but I still have to take pictures of them so I can list them. And I'm working on a guy's handflower which I hope will turn out well. I'm using 16 gauge rings (same as in these necklaces) and black leather lace.

My "Office"

2009-07-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

Just for fun here's a tour.

Allow me to introduce:

My work space:

my friend's house
I'm making cell phone charms here

my desk
I got a desk with drawers and a little chest of drawers to reduce clutter. ;-) (the drawers are full)
I made that lamp out of a soda can at 4-H TU Electric Retreat. don't even remember how long ago that was.
the flowers are from my boyfriend John. <3
the picture hanging off the back of the chair is my nametag from Anime Fest. I also have one from Akon there but you can't see it in the picture. it's on that blue ribbon.
the frame in the top left corner is my high school diploma from Oakwood Academy.

the spot on the floor where I sit to use the computer. I decided to use this spot to start working on something because my desk is too messy.
that book under the pliers is Nobody Rides the Unicorn by Adrian Mitchell. Lovely wonderful book. also good as a mouse pad surface. ;-)

and here's my personal jewelry which I wear every day, as I'm wearing it:

my right hand

my left hand

This concludes the tour of ShadowCutter Jewelry headquarters. Please watch your step as you exit and return soon. ;-)

Conundrum

2009-07-06T16:53:00.000-07:00

A certain craft show which I participated in last October is coming up again. I'm debating whether I should try it again this year.

Pros:

if I sign up right now I'll get a spot inside which should be better than outside, and might even get a good spot as far as inside spots go. if people come to the craft fair I'll get a lot more exposure if I sign up now.

the inside spot costs the same amount as the outside spot.

it's generally a good idea to be in craft shows whenever I can.

I'll have lots of time to invite and promote the craft fair. also I can get a banner for it from VistaPrint and I have display things that I didn't have before.

If I sell a couple of handflowers or byzantine bracelets it will at least pay for the space.

Cons:

there are no refunds so if I pay for the spot now and then I'm unable to go I'll have lost $35, or $40 if I rent a table from the church. also it's a little early to tell if I should rent a table or if I'll be able to borrow one from a friend.

something else that I care about wants some money from me right now. I really want to give something for that and I need to decide how much.

it's hard to tell right now what I'll be doing or how my car will be behaving in October.

last year I didn't sell anything; mostly because almost no people came by.

I need to get some kind of job and when I do that I'm afraid I won't get the necessary time off.

last year most or all of the people inside had credit card machines and I don't have one. I don't know if I'll really need one or not. Also the other craft companies seemed to be a lot bigger than me.

Well, I think I'll just continue thinking about it for a day or two.

My Favorite Colors are Purple and Silver

2009-06-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

Therefore I have two new items with those colors.

Chained Amethyst Handflower

Purple and Silver Persian Chainmaille Watch

I keep wanting to just look at these things because they're just so pretty!

After selling one of these watches at the Praise Festival in May I made two more because my friend wants one and I want at least one for Etsy too. For now they're both available on Etsy.

Next I will start making some guy stuff based on what I've seen worn by rockers on JCTV and guys at A-Kon. It won't be exactly the same things of course but those gave me a good idea of what some guys like to wear. Also I'm planning another watch with a plain face and a band of chains and beads.

New Banner and things

2009-05-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

I finally made a banner for my Etsy store. It took all afternoon; it was a little bit difficult to get the right amount of the effects I put on the text, and then it was really difficult to add the pictures to the ends. Mostly because Photobucket randomly decided not to let me save the resized pics to my computer. But I finally got it and I like the results.

I also added two new items to the store:

Chainmaille Chandelier Earrings
shadowcutter.etsy.com

Spiral Chainmaille Watch
shadowcutter.etsy.com

I really like those earrings.

I made a silver and purple Persian watch which I really liked a lot, and I sold it at the Praise Festival two weeks ago so I need to make another one to put on Etsy. Also my friend wants one so I need to make at least two more. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of it. But after I make another one of course I'll take pictures.

thinking of buying rainbow anodized niobium rings from C&T Designs on Etsy pretty soon. I like rainbow-colored things and I want to try new materials. Also want to try stainless steel and sterling silver.

How it all started

2009-05-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time...

I made two handflowers for myself because I wanted them. It was about 8 or 9 years ago. These are them:

I wore them every day, and still do. I became known as the girl with the cool bracelets. People liked them and said I should start making more and selling them. So I did.

I won't sell or duplicate these two though. I made them for myself from my personal style and theme: the "prism in the dark" theme (not Dark Side of the Moon, although I am a Pink Floyd fan). It comes from the sticker I have that says "the dark is afraid of me", and "ShadowCutter" was my sister's idea in a response to something I wrote in my personal blog. I like the way prisms cast little rainbows and how those rainbows show up best in the shadows, how they cut the shadows with little spots of colored light. And how it's like the rainbows are the shadows of the prisms because they're the result of light shining onto them. Bright shadows: an oxymoron that makes sense. So this is my theme.

I took these photos to try out my new lightbox which I made for my photography. I think it makes lovely photos.

I have no idea how long it took me to make the first one (the chains and prisms one), because I made it up as I went along and didn't record the time, and I kept making adjustments and additions long after it was "finished". And it can't be duplicated even if I wanted to, because the chains and prisms came from all over the place, mostly just random ones that I found here and there. Same goes for the second one originally (as far as the time), but when I decided to freshen it up with new rings (because I found better wire at another store), it took the time of Fellowship of the Ring plus most of Two Towers. Yes I'm a little bit of a fantasy/sci-fi geek. Or a classicist. That works too. But I worked on it while I was watching those at our annual New Year's Eve LOTR marathon, so that's how I measure the time. Of course I actually record the time for the pieces I make for sale. Hard to price them otherwise.

My actual first attempt at a handflower was done with fishing line and silvery clear seed beads. It didn't work very well but it looked potentially nice at least. After I tried wearing it for awhile I took it apart and made the chain one. I've gotten better at making them since then but I still like mine a lot. As far as I remember, I didn't really know about handflowers until I started wearing them and getting comments about them. I just decided I wanted silver over my hand.

The End.

well, not really...

My Etsy

2009-05-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
ShadowCutter.etsy.com