feature and giveaweay ::

i am being featured and providing a giveaway on a blog this week! :) skip over to check it out and enter! thank you jennifer for your wonderful feature and funfilled blog!

butterfly transformation ::

my etsy shop has now been open for 2.5 months. :) when i look back to my first few earring designs, i'm floored at how my own style of creating has changed. i still love my old designs but it's good to grow a variety of designs. i'm so thankful that i am inspired daily by the environment around me. being out in LA for the past three weeks (one more to go), i see lots of bright sunshine, blooming flowers, slight breezes, ocean water -- all wrapping around my mind and pushing my creative senses in a different way than the 'slightly' more congested NYC, brisker weather, skyscraper filled skies and energy filled air.

some wonderful new items added to my shop. here are some pics to moisten your tastebuds. :) more to come in the next few days, so stay tuned!

zero to three days ::

my sis is a momma and i'm an auntie! ::

the short story:

he is an adorable 8lb 8ounce 22inch not-so-little little guy named jaden samuel h. :D he has little dimples, chunky thighs and potentially flat feet (taking after his poppa). the labor was crazy long though not overly painful thanks to an epidural which my sis says i must get when it's my turn. back when i was young and oh-so-silly (i.e. before i saw this labor and delivery), i thought i'd like to try it completely au natural but after seeing the beginnings of extreme uncomfortable-ness and the super duper length of time and process it takes for the cervix to dilate, i think not.

baby j with momma's glasses. :) heehee. how funny is that?

the long story:

we came to cedars on fri 3/27 at 3.00am in the morning. my sister spotted spotting and the doc said if that happened that we ought to head to the ER. after a few hrs of monitoring, we were told to go home. my sis was officially in the early stages of the labor. home we went and last minute preps began. i thought we'd be back at the hospital after just a few hrs. boy, was i wrong! my sister had cramp-like contractions all day and then they got stronger around 6.00pm. we headed to the mall to get some walking in and also to gather some lounge wear for her post baby. as her contractions got more consistent, we decided it was time to go back to cedars. we arrived around 10pm and waited. and waited. and waited. then smiled and thanked the anesthesiologists for their good work. then waited and waited. hour after hour passed and i wondered how it could really take this long. my sis got a fever and the baby's heart beat raised so the nurse put humongo ice packs under her armpits, behind her back and above her belly. she dropped in temperature and was shivering for the next hour or two. it's so sad to see your sis in pain and not be able to help her. one thing i realized during the whole labor was that the feeling of helplessness can't be changed but as long as the pained person knows you're there, then that's all you can do. when she finally dilated to 9cm and +2 station, the doc wanted her to push for a try. when she pushed, the baby's heart rate decreased greatly which was not good and it took quite awhile for the heart rate to go back to normal. the doc and nurse said that with the looks of it, the baby would not make it through a v-birth. it was somewhat shocking for me and i was so bummed after all the labor and pains that my sister went through for so many hours. my sis and BIL got all covered and ready for the c-section and i was really sad because when i asked the nurse if i could be present, she said no. out we went to the waiting area. a few minutes later a nurse came out to say that i could go in too! i was soooo unbelievably happy and i ran inside, got all my sterile stuff on and waited with my BIL while they prepped my sis. i got to sit on a stool behind my sis' head and i held her shoulder. i hated that she was shaking so much and kept saying how freezing cold she was. it made me really sad. when they took the baby out, they told my BIL and i that we could see and we stood up and i saw my nephew for the first time! i was even allowed to take pics. :) my BIL headed over to cut the cord and see the baby take the APGAR and pass with flying colors! i held my sis' hand and hummed to her. i was so happy when they finally finished up and closed her up. freaky thing though was when they were counting up the gauze clothes they used during the surgery, they were missing one. i was thinking they couldn't have left something in her uterus!!! anyways, they finally found it and we headed to the recovery room.

a day later, we're all so happy and thankful he's here with us and he's doing great! my sis is doing great as well. i thought she'd be experiencing more pain and inability to move about but she's up and walking and seems to be doing very well. i'm so relieved. when she was in labor and then at the operating table, i just wanted it all to be over so she wouldn't have to be uncomfy anymore.

and that's how my sis became a momma and how i became an auntie! if you read through it all, then you're prob a momma and have your own crazy story of how your little one came into the world. :)

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unrelated things:

1. i got a free $200 haircut at serge normant by john frieda in west hollywood because a stylist craigslisted a request for someone who would be willing to get a graduated bob for an audition video he's submitting. he's trying to get onto shear genius! i responded and got my hair chopped off. i was excited for a free haircut but he didn't do a great job. i was surprised since he's been cutting hair for 15+ years. maybe people in weho don't get bobs. anyways, when things settle down here, i'll be heading to the k-town salon that my sis went to to get a fix up. in the meanwhile, the hair is up in 2 stubby low pigtails. :)

2. for the moment, i've halted the jewelry making and shop promoting because things have been uber busy here. but give me a week or so... i think that'll be enough time to settle down.

mother . earth ::

baby is still too comfy inside my sis' belly. she's at 39 weeks and 4 days. according to the doc's calculations, he is currently measuring at 8lbs 5ounces. wow! he's going to be a hefty little fella. :) we've been walking a bunch hoping gravity will do its job.

we headed to huntington library last weekend and saw a humongous selection of beautiful flowers and greenery. it reminded me of the brooklyn botanic garden and i was quite happy to be with mother earth.



i've added a new product to my etsy shop. bracelets! i realized that though i love earrings, i'm not really marketing out to those who may not have pierced ears... so, after getting some suggestions, i've decided to bring in the bracelets. i also intend to make more necklaces so that the earrings to necklaces and bracelets ratio is more balanced. check out my etsy shop to see these and other new items.

congratulations to the 6 o'clock stitch! you've won the dozi giveaway! dozi will be contacting you shortly to obtain your physical address so she can mail you your winning item. :)

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being out in calif has been enjoyable because i get to see my sister and BIL each evening. my mom is also in town and my dad is coming on friday. we're all anticipating the coming of my nephew and the first next generation baby of our family. :) i got to see an ultrasound today for the first time and it's pretty interesting to see the head, belly and even skeletal frame of the little fella. he's at a hefty 8lbs 5ounces with a few more days to go before even hitting the EDD. i think my sis has made for him quite the happy home so he's not feeling the need to enter the real world. smart fella already!

creativity-wise, it has been a bit rough. perhaps it's because i'm not in my own environment and/or because i am in need of some new semi-precious stones, swarovski crystals and gemstones but i'm feeling a smidge stuck. each day i sit before my supplies, begin making different items and then rarely upload them because i'm not fully satisfied. i'm working on getting more supplies and getting my butt into gear, so definitely check back soon.

on a higher note, the vintage rose earrings were made one week ago on my first night in calif. they're one of my current favorites because of the different technique required to make the hoop. i had to work at it for quite some time but was so happy with the outcome!



:: a wonderful giveaway at etsy it up!

TGIF feature and giveaway :: dozi

i first 'met' dozi via a mutual friend's blog link. i instantly loved her stuff because of its intriguing graphic elements. when i opened up shop on etsy, another mutual friend told me of dozi because she knew her from college. :) hence, we 'reconnected', or shall i say, connected for the first time. :) since i just think her stuff is great, this friday's feature and giveaway will showcase her shop. my fave item in her shop is the pocket jotter. so cute and wonderful for all the journaling and sketching i do. :) thanks dozi for answering these questions and providing a wonderful giveaway!

Q. Who are you?
A. I'm Wendy Chung and I have a little etsy biz,Dozi. I live with my husband and 9-month-old Boston terrier in Northern California. I don't do this full-time, but hope to one day!

Q. When did you open up your shop and how did you come up with your shop name?
A. I opened Dozi in May of 2008. I wanted a simple-sounding name that conveyed my style. And since I'm Chinese, I thought it'd be neat to use a Chinese word. Dozi is Chinese for "bean" - small, simple, and almost understated.

Q. What do you create and sell?
A. Right now I make mostly cards and notebooks. I hope to focus more on designing patterns and using them to expand my notebook collections, and one day I'd love to be able to design and sell my own line of fabrics.



Q. What is your favorite item in your shop?
A. Probably my pocket workbooks. I really enjoy designing patterns, especially in sets that are coordinated but aren't too matchy-matchy. I love that these workbooks are a bit easier to make than my pocket jotters, and love that I can fill them with graph paper.

Q. Do you have any advice for newbie Etsy sellers?
A. Having good photos is really important since this is the first thing people see. Keep your shop fresh by updating it with new items regularly and make sure your latest listing is not more than a week or two old - relist! Look at successful shops and learn from them. Don't give up and be patient: keep on working to make your shop better, learn from your mistakes and just keep moving forward and trying new things. All good things take time to build.

Q. What is the passion on your heart or your burden for this world?
A. Hm, tough question! I think there is a lot of ugliness in this world -- things that are depressing, heart-wrenching, things that make people cry and hurt and sigh. I hope that in the little corner of the world that I'm in, I can bring a bit of beauty in both tangible and intangible ways -- helping, giving, forgiving, listening. I'm not always good about these things, but I can keep on trying.

Q. Lastly, what is your giveaway this fine TGIF!

(one giveaway winner will be selected at random the following Tuesday at 11.59pm EST. to enter, please comment below with your favorite item from 1. dozi and 2. MustardSeed by.carollai. 'follow' my blog and you'll receive an automatic second entry. :) remember to leave an email address because if you are the winner, you will want to be contacted!)

A. I'll be giving away one pocket workbook - any one of the six cover designs filled with either blank, lined, or gridded pages.

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check out another great giveaway at chocolateandsteel.