i work with my hands

the blog is back!

2010-05-12T17:14:00.000-07:00

hey folk!

i do apologize for my lack of blogging, but i've been very distracted :) i promise to do better.

i do have two updates.
#1: new product has been added to the jewelry inventory. and more is on the way, including more polymer clay. also the men will start to get their due. be on the lookout.
#2: the site has a new look! i hope you really like it. enjo

2010-05-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

art, beats & eats this thurday!

2009-03-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

i'm setting up this thursday at arts, beats & eats! hit me up for more details :)

earring giveaway!

2009-03-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

i've paired up with princess dominique for an earring giveaway. you have to get the details from her. to participate read her posting here!

http://www.princessdominique.com/fashionblog/2009/03/aquababie-handmade-trio-of-hoops-giveaway/

good luck to everyone!!!

new blog, same old me!

2009-02-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

hey folk! as you can tell, i have new digs. i made the switch from typepad to blogger. hopefully i'll enjoy my stay. i do apologize for being lazy when it comes to posting. i plan to rectify that really soon. so far, i've been working on a pretty large wedding party. that's kept me busy.

i made a video!

2009-02-28T12:50:00.000-08:00

here's a video i made about making button rings. to me they're the neatest thing :)

taking a wee break

2009-01-27T22:37:00.000-08:00

hey folk! I'll be adding new blog posts next week. I'm still fighting this sinus bug. take care!

checking out...

2008-12-22T22:40:00.000-08:00

artfire :)

it seems like a cool spot. it's another online market like etsy, dawanda and a bunch of other spots. i've listed a few items there. but as you know aquababie handmade is my baby! that means i won't be jumping ship for either site. i've found these sites are cool, especially if you don't want the expense of maintaining a website, fooling with web designers and things of that nature.

frankly i like to think of my etsy shop and this new artfire shop as satellites of my own site. i post things there. and people can see what i offer, but i like to drive folk back to my home site. i don't have to pay for listing (like with etsy) and i don't have to pay $7 a month or become a verified member (like artfire).

i'm gonna see how it goes and let yall know :)

holiday sale!

2008-12-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

i'm offering 20% off of all jewelry until the end of december. sale prices are already marked on items. happy shopping! also please check out some of the other holiday sales gathered by afrobella. her blog is absolutely fabulous!!

www.aquababie.com

project loc'ness

2008-12-08T12:44:00.000-08:00

i had a friend twitter me about creating her some loc jewelry. this is what i came up with. i'm thinking i'll add a new category to my site. i make these every once in a while.

holiday market time!

2008-11-14T12:49:00.000-08:00

tomorrow i'll be set up at the olde towne holiday market in clinton, ms. here's the link to the article below. hope to see you there!

http://www.clintonnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081113/NEWS/811130330

all hail the queen!

2008-08-26T12:57:00.000-07:00

i want to give a big thanks to princess dominique. she interviewed me about the relaunch of my site. she's an author, dispenser of advice and fabulous woman. if you haven't visited her site, please do. below is my interview :)
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Sometimes you never know what people are up to, especially fellow bloggers. But I pride myself on being on the case. When I visited Aquababie’s site and she said that she had a new venture I wanted to interview her because I love supporting people! So, let me introduce her new venture Aquababie Handmade! Here’s what you’re about to venture into and much more…meaning don’t forget to check out the bath and body products and the gift sets!

Describe your passions about what you do.

I absolutely love creating with my hands. When I first began creating, a chord struck in me and I was instantly hooked. Now I stay up hours at a time totally caught up. I feel a little bit of me goes in every piece of jewelry or every scrub I make. Hopefully my passion for my art comes through in my work. The highest compliment to me is seeing a repeat customer or someone telling me that they love my work.

How did you become interested into bath and body? jewelry?

I’ve always been a hands-on type of girl. Growing up I asked for dolls, tea sets and chemistry sets. I can say that both my crafts started off as hobbies only. In reference to the bath products, I’ve always loved to indulge and pamper myself. I think most women do. And being the experimentalist I am, I decided to try my hand at making products for personal use. I found information online and I read books. I would give products to my friends and family. After a time, folk would ask me about selling the products. I considered if I really could do this and in 2002, my bath line Aqua Essentials was created. I created the blends myself by pouring through books about aromatherapy and its effect on the body, mind and spirit. That’s how I decided on the scents and it’s been full steam ahead since then.

The jewelry started as a personal challenge. I would go to fairs and festivals, always bringing home a little something. In 2004, I purchased the cutest memory wrap necklace. I got it home, looked at it and decided I was going to make one of my own. I took a visit to a local bead shop and I was immediately hooked. I would make pieces for my mom and myself. When folk began purchasing the pieces right from my neck, I thought I might have a little something going!

What was the impetus for the creation of your site?

I’ve been doing both my bath products and jewelry simultaneously since 2004, but I haven’t been able to have them on one site. Each one is different. With the bath products, they’re pretty constant. I have the same types of products. I’ve had an existing site since 2003. But the jewelry is totally different. Within a week, I might have produced several pieces of jewelry. I resorted to using my jewelry blog as a primary selling place. I realized earlier this year, I really needed more of a storefront website, where both aspects of my crafting life could be showcased equally. I also had to find a way where I could have the control to update the website as needed. I took it upon myself to redesign my website and the result is the recently relaunched Aquababie Handmade website.

How do you balance your creative side with the rest of your life?

Sometimes it can be tough to make sure I get to play with my crafts. I work full time as a chemist. I also teach yoga. Crafting acts as my relaxation. I try my hardest to interweave all aspects of my life together. While I’m at my regular job, I’m thinking about what I can do with something I was working on the night before. And if an idea pops into my head, I always write it down then and there. I’m always afraid I might lose it. And it also helps to have someone in your life who understands when you need to feed your creative monster.

What’s your creative process?

I have my own space in my home dedicated strictly to creation. I have specific areas in my studio for my jewelry and bath products. When I’m creating a new piece of jewelry, I try to think what type of woman would wear this. Would I wear it? Sometimes I will see some beads and instantly picture what I can do with them. Sometimes I buy what I’m drawn most to. They might just be sitting on my shelf until the moment is right. I’m a confessed beadaholic, so I have so much to choose from. I might string something, hold it up and and see it isn’t going where I thought. I just start over. It’s just part of my process. I also love finding something old and fabulous at a flea market or junk store, dismantling it and creates something fresh from it. Right now I’m also working with polymer clay which is opening up endless creative possibilities!

When I come up with the idea for a product or a new scent, it goes through some trial and error. For me this just like chemistry. In creating bath products, it helps to keep meticulous notes. I keep a binder full of my scents and product recipes, plus information for new things I would like to try. I have to try it out on myself first. I also solicit friends and family to be product testers and I seek honest feedback. That’s the only way I know my customers will be satisfied.

Lastly and the most important, I crank up my music and just have fun!

Don’t forget to visit Aquababie Handmade today. All visitors of Princess Dominique Dishes Pop Culture receive 10% off total purchase until September 30, 2008 by using code: AQUA.

announcement!

2008-08-16T13:01:00.000-07:00

aquababie handmade is now live!! on my site you can buy not only my handmade jewelry line, but also indulge in aqua essentials, my handmade bath products line. please bookmark this new site as well in addition to my jewelry blog.

i've had a bath products business for many years. then i started making jewelry. although i've done both, i never had them on one website...until now!

i'm pretty proud of myself because i took my own destiny in my own hands to get this baby done. i will be adding new product in the next few weeks. just wanted to share with my fam :) and please pass along my link if you like. if don't bookmark it, you can always find it through the link in my blog.

you can also go straight to the site by clicking on the "Buy Aquababie Handmade" section to the right.

thanks in advance!!!

polymer clay projects

2008-07-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

here's the latest things i've been working on with polymer clay. this is so much fun :)

my newest obsession

2008-07-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

i have walked into the world of polymer class and i think i love it! here is my first endeavor into the polymer class world. i've worked with polymer metal clay, but not the polymer clay. with the polymer clay, i can fire at home in my own oven.

right now i'm working on making bullseye lace cane beads from this website: http://www.desiredcreations.com/howTo_CABullseyeLaceCane.htm

she has some fabulous tutorials! i will post pics as soon as i finish my next project.