Google shopping , and a few other things

Well, if you don't do Etsy (some people I talked to quite recently had never heard of it), maybe you do Google shopping? What is in my Etsy shop can now also be found in Google Shopping. There will be more, and better pictures, as I decided that I finally needed a camera that isn't a hand-me-down (usually twice), so light and such permitting I'll be able to take some half decent pictures. (For now I'm still a way away from putting up even a light tent).

Storing botanical beads and jewelry

As somebody asked me by email whether she should store her mgambo seed and freshwater pearl necklace refrigerated, here are some tips on storing botanical jewelry:

- Botanical jewelry (i.e. jewelry that contains any kind of seeds or plant parts) should be dried
thoroughly and preferably rather soon if it gets wet. Best is to not let it get really wet in the
first place. It may look like beach jewelry, but if you want to keep it it isn't. Try to keep it dry. Plant seeds don't mind getting wet, but they are not meant to last, they are meant to germinate.

- Job's Tears will chip if gotten wet and dry too often.

- Should you develop a bug problem (I have seen that with Job's Tears once but never with mgambo/weleweka/Hawaiian pussy willow seeds or Royal Poindicana seeds, I'd dry the jewelry in the refrigerator for at least a few days and then put in the freezer for a week.

I do not have to refrigerate botanical jewelry here in Hilo where the daytime temperature is usually above 80F (26.7 C) and the relative humidity normally above 70%. I do not see problems with bugs or mold.

You can normally find these in different package sizes on my website (HiloBeads) and in my Etsy shop.

Job's Tears in my Etsy shop

I put some Job's Tears in my Etsy shop. There will be more, but so far it's just 1/2 lb of the brown ones.

Work got the better of me last week, and as lilikoi season has started and I'm also harvesting cloves I'm rather busy.

On top, somebody started attacking members of the lampwork community as well as some other artisans. The latest people cleared of the attacks can be found in this blog:
http://artisantruthreport.blogspot.com/ - while I am not directly involved, some of these people are my friends, and most of them are at least acquaintances. Please read the blog and help out if you can.

Etsy shop, fused glass and bead crochet.

This has been a busy few weeks. You can now get some things from my Etsy shop. I will ship to other locations than what's indicated so far, but I have to figure out yet how to make "everything EU" at least similar, as what I have listed so far is or contains botanical beads and shipping to the EU is easy and shipping to a lot of other places (other than Canada) is next to impossible.

In May I took a fusing class at Hilo Art and Glass Supplies, who are sadly not longer in business. I got myself some glass fusing equipment, not a whole lot, but I think I will do some more glass fusing in the future.


As a member of the Lampwork Etc. community I got a wire crochet tutorial from Hannah Rosner of GoodRiverGallery.
So I did some wire crochet.

Both of these are done with craft wire, so I'm not listing them for sale, but I would part with them. They both contain some of my first lampwork beads, annealed in Eva Anderson-Terada's kiln right after they were made, the first one also containing some clear about 8/0 seed beads, probably of Chinese origin and clear glass druks that I got out of a Ben Franklin "bead soup". The second contains a light yellow to brown matte seed bead mix and garnet beads of various shapes and sizes that were given to me.

HiloBeads sale at Hilo Art & Glass Supply extended to include Sunday (June 28)

Due to the amount of traffic I had today I decided to extend the bead (and plant) sale in front of Hilo Art and Glass Supply and be there tomorrow too. The hours will be a bit shorter as the store closes at 3 p.m.

New jewelry set:

Velvet / weleweka / Hawaiian Pussy Willow / mgambo seeds, amethyst and lilac AB Swarovski crystals.

I haven't added this one to the website yet. It'll be about $70.-

HiloBeads sale at Hilo Art & Glass Supply on June 27

Last week's HiloBeads sale at Hilo Art and Glass Supply was decided too late to make much sense to put in the blog, but, it's Monday (early Tuesday, actually) today, and already decided that I will be having a stand outside Hilo Art and Glass Supply (318 Kinoole St., downtown Hilo, between Sack&Save and L&L, mauka side) this coming Saturday, unfortunately for the last time on a Saturday but I may extend to Sunday as well, as the store is closing at the end of this month. I'll be there from about 10 a.m. to about 4 p.m. with beads, jewelry and some plants. If the weather gets any better I may have a hapu'u cutting or two (yes, there can be too much hapu'u in one's front yard).

In the meantime beads are still available in the store and I will restock. I got new Unakite chip strands today as well as some shell bead strands that I haven't had there up to now, but I'll try to get them there tomorrow.

I also have new 4, 6 and 8 mm amethyst round bead strands that I will have with me on Saturday. Of course I will also have the regular supply of beads including the mgambo/Hawaiian pussy willow/weleweka/velvet seeds, some Job's Tears and Royal Poinciana double drilled seeds, Swarovski crystals, sterling silver wire, $1.- baggies of assorted base metal findings, gemstones, liquid silver and a supply of Ornela seed beads in 11/0 and 8/0 sizes by the hank.

And, watch this space, I have some pictures of new things still in the camera. They're likely to be posted here before they get on the website.

Beads at Hilo Art and Glass Supply

I meant to post this a week ago, but, sometimes life gets in the way. Some of my beads, as well as the necklace pictured, are now available at Hilo Art and Glass Supply, 318 Kinoole Street, Hilo (Downtown). Most of the beads available there never made it to my website. There are several varieties of chip strands, temporarily strung on monofilament, but long enough to wear as they are, some mixed gemstone strands, as well as some fresh water pearls.

Hilo Art and Glass Supply is open 7 days a week, 9 to 6 on weekdays, 9 to 5 on Saturdays and 10 to 4 on Sundays.