Woot!

OK, so I just posted a TON of new things. See the right hand side ----------------->

The newest creations are mostly about color! I picked up these great resin beads from Michael's and went nuts; the ending result are these I.D. tag-style bracelets.

I also unveiled my latest creation that I've been working on for quite awhile: the lucky star bracelet! Each little star is carefully folded and sealed. Holes are then made and when they're all dry, I string them together into cute little bracelets! For a good little tutorial on how to make origami stars, go here. They're super easy to make and lots of fun!

Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go watch my hubby play Wii Fit. He's hula-hooping right now and I'm kinda afraid he's going to pass out!

Featured Seller: Street Noodles!

Today I'm featuring Ellen of streetnoodles.etsy.com--a shop that makes fantastic jewelry, purses, and scarves!

Like all handmade artists, Ellen's shop is infused with her own sense of style and personality. She is most proud of the narrative quality and association of her pieces to life and the world in general; she tells an interesting story of her current Bird Series:

"It's inspired by my dad . . . we were not as close as my mom and me. He was an intellectual and scholar who learned to be ashamed of what he had loved as a child: art, literature, and poetry.

"During WWII, he was imprisoned in the internment camps at Poston, Arizona. He was taught how to carve wood; he chose to carve birds because they reminded him of home and freedom lost. Years later, after his death, I bought his house. When my husband and I cleaned the garage we found three boxes of my father's; one held his journals and poetry, one his calligraphy, and the biggest box held those carved birds . . . so many birds.

"I found out later that after my mom and dad got out of the camps, he never carved another bird."

While her story is somewhat sad, it's great to know that something so beautiful could come of it.

Ellen describes herself as a chimera--different parts of real creatures making a mythical one. She gets tired of doing the same thing, hence the variety in her shop. But she also likes variety because of the various stages of her life: as a child playing dress-up, a teen being way too serious, a party-girl in the city, a corporate newcomer trying to be sophisticated and grown-up, and the samplings of all the stages that still excite her. Street Noodles is for anyone like her--welcoming the change, and looking back on the past and remembering great times.

Ellen is completely addicted to Etsy. When she gets the chance to see the light of day, she likes reading murder mysteries and adding to her robot collection.

Learn more about Street Noodles by going to Ellen's blog and website!