My Little Mermaid

I've been playing with my graphics and 3D programs this morning. Here is my newest render featuring my cute little sea sprite! Be sure to click the picture below to see it full size :)

We all went out to dinner last night at DaRuMa, kind of like Benihana's. It was a wonderful dinner, very relaxing. No squabbling, no one in a big hurry to go somewhere else, just a perfect family evening out. Then we went to the mall and Geoff a pair of Oakley sunglasses as his graduation present.

More Faeries

I'm having so much fun playing with Sadie, this cute little 3D character. A very talented woman, TamiL, made an adorable princess dress for her. I just had to try it out and do a few renders. Is this too sweet for words, or what?

Today was a major goofing off day for me. I just didn't feel like doing anything, so I didn't. Just sat around working with Poser and watching cooking shows.

Speaking of which, a new cooking store opened in a shopping center near me. I finally got over there and felt like I'd gone to cook's heaven. Everything you've ever seen on Food Network and more! I got a self-cleaning garlic press, a mini-plane for zesting and grating nutmegs, a really nice vegetarian cookbook and a couple of little melmac snack plates. You don't want to know how much that little excursion set me back, but it sure was fun!

Miki 2

Content Paradise's Miki 2 is a lot of fun for us 3D types to play with. I've been making a new skin texture from high resolution photos and working on a new character for her. Here's a little peek at her head texture.

I watched the Etsy founder, Rob, on Martha Stewart today. I've never seen the show before and I have to say except for the Etsy presentation, it was pretty boring. How exciting to see other sellers' work featured on TV!

I'm beginning to think that B&B products are going to give jewelry a run for its money as the category having the most sellers. There's been a mushrooming of people selling soap lately.

I'm always happy to see people try new and creative things. But soapmaking isn't something you just jump into and you start selling the next day. You certainly shouldn't be selling your first batch of soap you ever made either. You need to study, learn, experiment and most importantly of all -- test the soap that you make to insure that it's safe for other people to use. There are no shortcuts, unfortunately.

While it's true that making great soap isn't exactly rocket science, you still need to know what the heck you're doing. You need to know, for sure, the difference between essential oils (which can be very costly and must be used judiciously and with care, depending on their application) and fragrance oils. Puhleeze learn the difference if you want to be taken seriously as a soapmaker.

I'll just say it, OK? You can't get essential oils at Michaels or Joanne's craft store. There is no such thing as strawberry or coconut or lilac essential oil. If you're listing these as ingredients in your shop, you're going to look foolish and turn off buyers who do know a lot about handmade soap. Take the time to learn your craft.

Fairy Clip Art

Today I made a package of 7 adorable fairies, royalty-free clip art in PSD format, and added them to my shop, here. There's lots of cute poses and expressions on this little red-headed fairy. The clip art is my own creation, so there's no problems to worry about regarding copyright. These can be used in a multitude of ways -- banners, avatars, web design, ACEO's, greeting and post cards, candy wrappers, you name it!

The Etsy Green and Clean Guild will sponsor a Scavenger Hunt that begins at 12am, EST February 11th and will end at 12 midnight EST, February 16th. All correct entries will then be entered into a drawing and the winner will be selected at random on February 18th.

To join the hunt, visit each of the participating shops and look through the pictures in their shop listings. Find the shops that contain one picture of a "letter" (you will need these to unscramble a word) hiding in one of their shop listings. Search through the participating shops and jot down the "letter" and the name of the shop you have found the letter in. After you have found all of the letters (14 total), then unscramble them to complete a word.

When you think you have solved the puzzle, please convo Domaly with your entry and your name will go into a drawing to win a bunch of bath and body goodies. Winner will be selected at random and announced on February 18th. The lucky winner will be contacted by ‘convo’ on Etsy and the results will be posted in the forums.

And of course I'm participating! :)

I did a little soaping this morning. Instead of the fragrances I thought I'd soap, I ended up making Clementine Lavender. I can't even tell you how good it smells, it's divine. I did a purple and orange swirl in it that looks like tie-dye! Maybe I'll get to the Plumeria tomorrow!

3D Faery Sadie

I've been taking a little break from Poser, a 3D modeling program for which I've been creating characters for several years. Today I just wanted to play with Poser and have been doing renders of Sadie, a very cute little toon faery. :)