Around the World - Israel - Tattoo Socks

Want a cool tattoo on your legs but is afraid to permanently brand yourself? Well if you frequent Etsy a lot, you've probably seen this shop before but under a different name. Formerly Post, now Tattoo Socks, is a shop that sells tights with unique designs printed on them. My personal favorite had got to be the butterfly one, but some of the other, more innovative designs such as the 'Bite Me' and the 'Follow Me' ones are pretty ingenious as well. ;) If you get one that has a similar skin color to your own skin, you might be able to fool people with it! Convince them that it's a real tattoo, hehehe.

Revival Furniture

If I had a living room of my own, do you know what I would put in it?

Do you?
Do you??!

For starters... this would be soooo sweet!

Or maybe something a bit softer?

Or a slightly different style?

Maybe a 3-seater so that I can chill and hang with my friends when they come over. :D

Whichever it is, all these retro styled sofas and armchairs from Revival Furniture would look stunning in any living room!

Weekly Word Picks - Paprika

This week's word is just so super fun!! It is....

PAPRIKA

Apricot Glass Necklace - greatexpectations // Vintage Paprika Modern Dress - secretlake

Linen Ruffled Earrings in Paprika - prettiesbymeg // Vintage 70's Paprika Platforms - claudedonohoshop

Vintage 70s Brown Leather Suede Boots - generationthrift // Leather Bracelet in Burnt Orange - fourhandsNYC

For the complete treasury : Paprika

This week's word was chosen by the lovely Celeste from CricketsHome.

So what should next week's word be? Suggest by posting in the comments below!

For a list of words already suggested, please refer to this post.

Product Photography Tips - Using Models

Since last Tuesday was my friend's wedding, I thought it would be a great opportunity to get a friend of mine to model a few pieces.

I was with her when she bought the dress for the wedding, so I picked a few pieces that would match her dress. We took this behind the basement of the church, right after the lunch reception, lol.

Some of these would be used to show how the pendant would hang on a person, instead of a necklace display or a mannequin. It could give customers a better understanding and easier for them to imagine it on themselves.

Although I would love to get the bride to model a few pieces too, but it was impossible to get her alone since she is forever surrounded by her family entourage and had a tight schedule. Oh well, maybe next time. :)

Around the World - Israel - Tooli's Jewelry

It is so refreshing sometimes to see a jewelry designer's original designs on Etsy, given the vastly saturated jewelry shops on the site that uses the same supplies. These jewelry pieces, especially the gorgeous lace filigree pieces from Tooli's Jewelry just takes my breath away every time I see them. The attention to detail, and especially the puffed pillow/rectangle shapes of the pieces is just so unique, loving the 3D look! Her simpler designs are gorgeous as well such as the hearts studs and the long zen earrings. Beauty in the simplest form!

Dreams by the Sea

I love themed shops - a shop that sells a variety of handcraft items with one theme in mind. And Dreams by the Sea is one of them. :) Maybe I'm long due for a beach vacation, but I just love the gentle warm hues of the shop in general, and the beautiful view of the sea in the backgrounds. Perusing her shop, I can almost smell the sea breeze and feel it blowing through my hair. Although she does have some odd pieces that has nothing to do with the sea or the beach in her shop, but the way it is photographed, in almost the same gentle hue, ties them in together with the shop. In fact, I think it makes her shop look that much more interesting!

The Fox and The Mouse Wedding Video

Hello fellow readers. I'm so terribly sorry for the sporadic updates the past week or so, full time work had been chaotic and at the same time we were preparing for a close friend's wedding on Tuesday, 21st February. (21022012, get it?) It was my first time being a bridesmaid and being the inexperienced bunch, it was chaos for us when it came to wedding planning. What with bridal showers, schedules to settle, hair and make-up appointments etc, it was just unbelievable busy! And in between all that, I had a single weekend to finish a super secret video presentation for the lovely couple, to show during their dinner as a surprise!

Since it's super cute, I thought I'd share it with you here too :D

I did the entire video production, from the animation to the music editing. Some of my dear friends (who are credited in the description) did the story planning and the wonderful art. The two animals - the fox and the mouse, are the mascots representing the happy couple. I'm so proud of it, I hope that you would enjoy it too. :)

To clarify, my old alias in the anime/manga community is 'Miaow', although I currently use 'Kyou'. And to end this post, have a glimpse of the beautiful bride and the awesome groom. May the both of you live happily ever after!

Around the World - Israel - BeHappyNow

Being an artist myself, I have a lot of respect for artists that has a very distinctive, unique art style of their own. And this is more than true enough for Jenny from BeHappyNow. The gorgeous colorful color usage, right down to the strokes, it all screams of Jenny, and no one else. Indeed, as her shop name implies, one just feel happy looking at such vibrant and whimsical artworks. Not only is she talented with drawing though, she is great at making art dolls as well! And even these resemble her art style and totally stands out!

Around the World - Israel - Vishnya

I can't believe I have not seen this shop before I started doing research on Israeli shops! Though I cannot do them myself, I am a fan of beautiful ceramic trinkets. And the work that Elly does for Vishnya is just too cute to resist! Especially the tiny bunnies and the magical dragons. Damn, I want a magical dragon for myself, but I will probably need to dish out a larger amount for courier through Fedex or DHL in order to ship it to Malaysia. T_T Curses to Pos Malaysia for not shipping to/fro Israel! Anyways, you should check the shop out for more fantasy-esque creations. The amount of details in some of the ceramic pieces is just stunning!

February Rejects'11 Giveaway Winners!

I apologize for announcing and even closing the giveaway late! Something unexpectedly wonderful happened late last week. (finding out that one of my best friends in the States is coming back to Malaysia for a short period of time) So suffice to say, I was super busy, delightfully distracted and out nearly all days in the weekend!

So without further ado, let's draw the winners for the giveaway!

The winner for the raspberry pendant is....

CONGRATULATIONS TO GINGER!!!

And the winner for the raindrop pendant is....

CONGRATULATIONS TO DAMLA!!!


Yaaay!! I will be in contact shortly, so expect an email from me soon!
Thanks everyone for your support! I've already chosen the pieces to giveaway next month, so watch out for that early March! :)

Around the World - Israel - The Joy of Color

Once again, I must declare my love for colors! I am absolutely adoring this shop called The Joy of Colors, (love the name!) and as the name implies, the shop is in all shades of fabulous colors! There is a raw and organic nature to the watercolor paintings, that is simple but at the same time beautiful in it's simplicity. My personal favorite pieces are of course the abstract geometric artworks like the colorful fish tail and the stork. But I am loving the stacks of kitchenware as well. Check out the shop for more color joyousness!

Happy Valentines!

Love Spell Fine Art Photo - GoldenSection

Happy Valentines to the loving couples out there! Happy Single Awareness Day to all singles! And Happy Tuesday to everyone else. For me, it is just a regular Tuesday because I do not have a boy, and I am feeling a little on the downside because I have a painful mouth ulcer/canker sore right behind my upper lip. So even if I have a boy, I would not feel like kissing. ;)

But what if I do have a boy? What would I want for Valentines? Hmm... good question. Let's play pretend!

Hot Chocolate on a Stick - theticketkitchen // Valentines Day Hearts with Flowers - WhippleToppers

Mmm, yummy desserts is always a great way to a lady's heart. (unless your lady is dieting, then avoid this at all cost!!)

Rose and Lavender Bath Bombs - HerbivoreBotanicals // Valentines Soap - SakuraBathAndBody

Wouldn't it fun to enjoy these bath bombs or soap together? ;)

Secret Lover's Hollow Personalized Tree Stump - SixAstray // Secret Message Bottle - BeautySpot

Personally, I think the sweetest gifts are those with thought given into them. Unique tree stump with a personalized message or even a little bottle with a lovely handwritten message would be so lovely too. I don't need a fancy dinner or fabulous flower bouquet, just something simple and thoughtful would do. :)

Anti Valentines Single Awareness Day Card - adelynSTONE

But alas, no Valentines for me this year! I shall spend the day listening to Adele's songs.

Oh yes, the giveaway. I have not forgotten about it! It's closed now and winners will be announced soon. I'm just so super busy this week it's just crazy!!

Weekly Word Picks - Cloud

I had a whole lot of fun with this week's word, just so cute!! The word is...

CLOUD

Indigo Shibori Clouds Giant Scarf - KarinaManarin // Curly Clouds Ceramic Tile Art - karoArt

Rainbow, Cloud, Rain Delicate Earrings - SecretFind // Showered with Love Cloud Mobile - BabyJivesCo

Hope Hand Painted Flats - CircumhorizontalArc // Rainclouds Wall Decal - lovemaestore

For the complete treasury : Talking to the Clouds

This week's word was chosen by Elisandra from Sevenstar.

So what should next week's word be? Suggest by posting in the comments below!

For a list of words already suggested, please refer to this post.

Around the World - Israel - Rafya

Another type of craft that I totally adore are clay craft! And in a similar context - clay jewelry. Rafya had always been a favorite of mine, I think the first time I saw her jewelry was when I stumbled upon the Princess Necklace (top left) probably from the front page, although I might have remembered wrongly. (it was so long ago) But I still love it! The way she assembles the necklaces is unique as well. It's not just a necklace chain to a pendant, but there are little detailing in the chain that makes it that much more special. Aside from cold clay jewelry, she sells some other more regular thing as well. But somehow the whole shop just goes together so perfectly. Fantastic shop!

How Important is Photography for Selling Online?

When you are selling online, the customer cannot touch, feel or look at your product from multiple angles. Your product is stuck in a 2D state on the screen. So when asked how important is photography for selling online, I reckon it's probably the most important aspect of all.

Here is a sample case study.

I made this heart Swarovski necklace last valentine. It did not sell. This was the original photo that I took of it early last year. Then late last year, I decided to re-photograph some of the older pieces because I was unsatisfied with their old photos.

This is the new photo of the necklace.

And it sold! All three of them to be exact! I only had 3 Swarovski crystals of this shape and color, and it was all sold out!

The new photo is simple and direct, I did not try too hard with the set-up, and it shows the product clearly. It took me about 1 minute to lay the necklace on a piece of paper and snap the picture. :)

Visual impression is the most important for online purchases. If you sell commercially mass produced items like stationary, books, displays or even supplies, the buyer probably already know what quality product they are expecting. That is why you see loads of disastrous photos on eBay.

But for handmade goods it is a different thing altogether. These products are handmade by you, you and yourself only. (okay, admittedly the necklace above can be easily replicated) But you get my point. Your products are not something out there in the market that the buyer could easily relate to and have quality expectations of. You need to give the buyer a strong visual impression to lure them to click on your item, and hopefully purchase it! People say that the first impression is the strongest, it cannot be true enough for handmade items. If you look at my sold listings of the necklace above, only the first photo is a new one, the others are still the old photos. And yet the sales stat is so drastically different.

I dare not say that I am very professional with product photography, but I do try and improve. Experiment on new techniques, take from a different angle, try different set-ups. Need help on photography? Check out Etsy's comprehensive list of photography tips right from how to choose your camera to how to edit your photo. :)

Happy photographing!!

Around the World - Israel - Lirola

If you love soft, romantic and form-fitting clothes, and think they flatter you, you will love this shop! Lirola offers a variety casual and dressy tops and dresses for all occasions. I love how her clothing flows and how it can enhance a woman's body shape. Dress it up with a brooch, necklace or belt for a formal event or wedding, or just wear it casually as is for a casual day out. Do you know that her wrap dress (top left) can be worn in many ways for different looks? The versatility is just amazing! However, my favorite is the jersey neck warmer. (top right) How I wish I live in a colder climate!

Weekly Word Picks - Sofa

This week's word was tough. (especially when it comes to thinking up a name for the treasury!) The word is...

SOFA

Mid Century Danish Modern Sofa - rhanvintage // Blue and Gold Thai Painting Pillow - Gloiberry

Rustic End Table - SaltwoodStudio // Sage Green Sofa Chair 5x5 Canvas Print Block - PeyLu

Evergreen Sofa Throw Quilt - ChicThrows1 // Sweet Rose - namedesignstudio

For the complete treasury : I Want That Sofa And...

This week's word was chosen by Georgia from TranquilityStencils.

So what should next week's word be? Suggest by posting in the comments below!

For a list of words already suggested, please refer to this post.

Around the World - Israel - lonkoosh

Now that we're done with the whole African continent, let's target a country nearby. Israel is a natural pick, as I've seen some fantastic shops from Israel before. But what I did not expect is the amount of fabulous shops that are based in Israel!! I can easily find 15 great shops in one search. But after looking through and much careful picking, I finally nailed down to 10... yes I know that is still a huge list, but I cannot or couldn't drop anymore shops from the list. They are just that good!

Too bad there are some disputes between Malaysia's and Israel's foreign relations, as I don't think I can ship things to Israel nor ship things from Israel, at least not going through the national post company.

Anyways, without further ado, here is the first fabulous shop from Israel!

My breath was taken away when I first laid eyes on lonkoosh's jewelry. When I regained my breath, I took my own sweet time to enjoy every little detail and loving care that Alona put into her beautiful art pieces. The delicate arrangement and the color choices are just so exquisite. Every bangle, hairband and comb is a unique artwork on it's own. If you love unique, romantic, shabby chic jewelry with a vintage flair, you should definitely check out this fantastic shop!

February'12 Rejects Giveaway

Remember the Failed Specimens post I posted a while ago? Well, I had gained and collected a few more rejects ever since. It comes with the territory I guess, hahaha. But this time, these rejects are not as bad as the ones I showed you before. However, I still feel that they are not good enough and should not be listed in the shop. At the same time I do not want to waste them either. So what should I do?

Maybe I should give them away!

And that was how the monthly rejects giveaway came to be. Every month I will hold a giveaway to give out one or two failed jewelry pieces - mainly resin pendants with impurities, obvious bubbles, resin seeping into the paper etc, even designs that I decided that I did not really like. Some of these mistakes are not very obvious and it can only be seen up close. So they can be worn without much worries!

This month I am giving away a rectangle raspberry pendant and a raindrop oval pendant!

The raspberry pendant has a huge bubble at the lower left corner, if you look hard enough you will be able to see it. And the raindrop pendant... well I decided that the design might not work for my shop. So this is an OOAK pendant!!

PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE ARE FLAWED/IMPERFECT!!
You will get them as is. I will not entertain complains and I do not accept returns. ;)



--[ HOW TO ENTER ]--

1. MANDATORY - Visit my Etsy shop and tell me what is your favorite item by leaving a comment in this post! Please leave an e-mail address too so that I know how to contact you if you win. :)
2. Optional (x1) - Tell me which pendant you would like if you win in the comments. That way I can decide which pendant to give if you're picked! ;)
3. Optional (x1) - Like me on Facebook, and leave your name in my comments.
4. Optional (x1) - Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect.
5. Optional (x1) - Favorite my shop and add me to your circle. (must do both) Leave your Etsy username in the comments.
6. Optional (x1) - Twit about this giveaway on Twitter, then come back here and post the link in the comments. Remember to include my Twitter account in the update @skyejuicedesign.
7. Optional (x1) - Share this giveaway on your Facebook and tell me in the comments that you did, remember to tag @Skyejuice as well!
8. Optional (x1) - Blog about this giveaway on your blog. Please also remember to come back here and leave a link in the comments section.

Please leave separate comments for all! 1 comment = 1 entry.

If you did a few of the things above and only left 1 comment, it will be count as 1 entry.

--[ ESSENTIAL INFORMATION ]--

1. The giveaway will run from now until February 10th, 2012 - 11:59pm PST.
2. The giveaway is open to everyone worldwide.
3. The winner will be picked randomly using Random.org generator.
4. I will contact the winner when it is chosen. The winner have 48 hours to claim their prize, or else a new winner will be chosen. If you did not or forgot to leave an e-mail in your comments, please be sure check back after 10th to see if you win or not, and shoot me an e-mail at kyonpichi@gmail.com within 48 hours as well. SO REMEMBER TO LEAVE ME AN E-MAIL ADDRESS SO I COULD CONTACT YOU!!

And that's it, good luck folks!

New Pearl Colors

I am so excited!!

Do you know why I'm excited?

Because of this...!

New pearl colors that I get to play with! I got at least 50 new colors. Tons of beautiful purples and plenty of blue too. I can't wait to use them for new bracelets!!

Around the World - Africa - Patterns by Faima

This is probably going to be the last Around the World post featuring countries from the African continent, unless there is a sudden uprising of African shops on Etsy in the new future. I had actually expected more from this country, but apparently I can be wrong too!

This week, we'll be in Egypt!

By looking at the shops alone, you wouldn't have thought that this could be a shop from Egypt, but it is! Patterns by Faima is a beautiful shop from Cairo, Egypt, selling PDF patterns of gorgeous knit and crochet wear. That cowl is absolutely gorgeous! I reckon these would be great for knitters and crocheters. :) Now if only I know how to knit, or can find the use of knit wear in the humid Malaysian weather...