How to wear my new necklace

Ok, so I finally listed my 2-in-1 Powder Blue Chalcedony Asymmetrical Lariat Necklace in my shop, and I wanted to show you the different ways to wear this necklace since I can't list more than 5 photos in etsy.

1. Here's the "Lariat" necklace. I have 2 strands of chain hanging beside the flower focal, so you just loop one over the other (just like the first step in tying bows).



2. In this one, I clipped the 2 chains to one side of the flower focal using the detachable drop.



3. This is the same setup as the second necklace. The focal has been moved to the left of the mannequin.


4. Now, I've clipped the chains to the other side of the flower.


5. And this is the same setup as #4, it's just clipped at a different point so one chain is longer than the other.


6. Here's how the necklace looks when I clip the 2 chains across the front.



I'm sure as you play around with it, you'll find more intersting ways to wear this necklace!

Newbie Monday - Red, White, and Blue

In honor of Independence Day, I'm featuring Newbies with Red, White, and Blue in their shop this week:


sassypantstutus

We'll start with sassypantstutus from Friendswood, Texas.

If you have a little girl, you'll want to check this store out for adorable tees, hair accessories, and of course, tutus!

This patriotic number is called Hello Dolly Tutu Set. The set includes the Miss America tee and the red, white, and blue tutu with star embelishments.

My personal favorite is the Pink Lemondade Tutu. This listing is worth looking at even if it's just to see the precious baby model :) Show up at the BBQ with your little one in this tutu, and everyone will forget about the summer heat!


preciouscurls

Now that you have your little girl dressed up in a patriotic tutu, don't forget to top her off with this Starts and Stripes Bottle Cap Hairbow!

Preciouscurls, a grandmother from Kentucky has lots of cute hairbows for little girls, including Bottle Cap Hairbows, Double Hairbows, as well as Hairbow Sets.

She has several other patriotic bows like the 4th of July Bottle Cap Patriotic Hairbow and lovely summertime hairbows like the Sunflower Sunshine Teal Double Hairbow.


KonaCreations

My favorite animal is sheep, so this Dream Handmade Primitive Pillow immediately caught my eye. But besides that, it's such a great Americana piece to have this week or any other time of the year. From the red, white, and blue fabric to the stars on the sheep, it'll remind you to keep dreaming the American dream.

This seller from Boyertown, PA also has other country-style decors and soy candles in her store, so go check them out, and don't forget to wish this Patriotic Kitty Cat a Happy Fourth of July while you are at it!

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Enjoy your Independence Day, and to our neighbors up north, Happy Canada Day!

金曜日は日本語で - Japanese Fridays USN版

***Please scroll down for English translation***

他の地域にお住まいの方には失礼ですが、今週はニューヨーク近辺にお住まいの方に耳寄り情報があります。

毎週土曜日、午後５時から６時半の間 日本のテレビ番組をタダで見られるの、ご存知ですか? U.S. Nippon という会社が NYC-TV 経由で放送しているのですが、私の住んでいる所ではチャンネル２５で見られます。

土曜日の夕方なので出かけている事が多いのですが、家にいる日は夕食のしたくなどそっちのけでテレビの前に座りこんでいます。番組内容としてはクローズアップ現代、旅行案内の他、日本のドラマやミュージックビデオ等も見れます。 また USN が製作した USN Report でニューヨーク内の新しい日系事業を見つけるのも楽しみです｡

詳しくは USN のホームページをご覧になってください｡

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My apologies to those of you living in other areas, but I have some great information for those of you living in the New York City area.

Did you know that you can watch Japanese TV for free every Saturday, between 5 and 6:30 pm? It's broadcast by a company called U.S. Nippon through NYC-TV, which is on channel 25 in my area.

Since it's on at late Saturday afternoon I tend not to be home, but when I am, I hunker down in front of the TV not even bothering to prepare dinner. Programs include Today's Closeup and travel Information as well as a Drama and Music Videos. I also look forward to finding NYC's new Japanese businesses through USN Report produced by USN.

To learn more about the show, check out USN's website.

Sneak Peek - Asymmetrical Lariat Necklace

I've got a sneak peek of a new item for my etsy store!

I wonder if it's the influence of my Gemini dual personality, but I like things that are more than what it seems. This powder blue necklace that I just finished yesterday is no different! It has this cool (but surprisingly simple) feature that allows you to wear it as a lariat-style necklace or a couple of different asymmetrical necklaces.

I can't wait for good weather so I can take pictures of it and post it on etsy! Hopefully, I can get it done this afternoon. We'll see!

I saw the sun!

I don't know about where you live, but it's been really gloomy for days on end in Staten Island. So when I saw sunshine filtering through the clouds yesterday, I was faced with a difficult choice.

Do I take my son out for a walk, or do I take pictures of my new bracelet?

...And the winner is... My Bracelet!

Sure, I felt bad about it, but my etsy shop hadn't seen a new item in weeks. And I can still take him out for a walk on a cloudy day, but pictures turn out really blurry on days like those.

He was still a good little boy, though, and helped me take pictures of my Coffee and Toffee Spiral Chain Bracelet :)

Doesn't he look like a pro? And yes, his camera has an automatic flash, but please don't use it when you are taking pictures of your products! :)

Find a Feature

There's a new helpful site for people looking to feature an artist in a blog! It's called Find a Feature. It's also great for finding opportunities to promote yourself. Just check out the list and see if you fit the criteria on any of them!

I'm looking for more newbies to talk about on Newbie Mondays and already got a convo through this site.

If you want to learn more about this site, read "How to Use Find A Feature" and the Guidelines for submission.

Newbie Monday - Cute Animals

This week, I'd like to introduce to you 3 newbies with adorable animals in their shop:


CynthiaKayoDesigns

First up is CynthiaKayoDesigns from Vancouver, Canada.

She also sells jewelry in her shop, but today, I want to tell you about these melt-your-heart Cat Rocks!

They are all adorable, but I'm particularly in love with this little guy named Finn, who seems to be looking up at me asking, "Won't you take me home with you?"

I also love the sweet and classy Coco, and wish I could adopt them BOTH!


auleecreations

Last week, I told you about a fantastic French Photographer named Dongedyframe. This week, I want to introduce to you another artist from Paris named auleecreations.

She makes these precious wedding cake toppers and other little felt creations.

But when I saw the My funny donkey bag shown, I said, "I HAVE to share this one in my blog!" I mean, how cute is this fella?! And it looks like he'll hold plenty of stuff for you too.

The only thing that I wonder is, "If I'm 30, am I too old to be walking around with this bag?"


rabbizdesign

I had a hard time choosing my favorite from rabbizdesign's shop, since everything in there is sooo kawaii! Rabbiz is a seller from Thailand, and she has lots of amigurumi animals as well as PDF patterns.

After drooling over the crocheted cuties, I decided to feature the 2 brown chihuahuas shown above in honor of Rusty, my sister-in-law's brown chihuahua. The amigurumi puppies are named Chichi and Aki respectively.

Wow, this week's newbies turned out to be quite an international bunch!

There are many more fantastic newbies I'd like to introduce to you, so please come back next week for another Newbie Monday!

金曜日は日本語で－Japanese Fridays プラレール版

***Please scroll down for the English translation***

日本人ならたいていの人は知っていると思われるプラレール、我が家の息子にも２歳の誕生日に贈られてきました。

今、家には「N７００系新幹線のベーシックセット」と「レールいっぱいセット」があるのですが、これを組み立てるのが結構一仕事なんです。　坂道を作ったり、３連のレールにしてみたりとか面白いことは面白いのですが、最後にちゃんとつながってくれなくて悪戦苦闘することがわりとしょっちゅうあります。　また、あまり懲りすぎると、たまりかねた息子が作っている端からぐしゃぐしゃにしてしまったり．．．。

でもとうとう完成したプラレールを息子と一緒に眺める時って結構幸せです。　その時の満足感はネックレスが完成した時とよく似ています。

もちろん２歳半の子が相手なので、どんなに頑張ったって１５分もすればまたバラバラになってしまうのがちょっと悲しいのも本音です。

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Short for Plastic Rail, Pla-Rail is a toy train set that is very popular in Japan. My son, too, received them as a gift on his second birthday.

Currently, we have the "N700 series Bullet Train Basic Set" and the "Lots of Rail Set", but putting them all together can be quite a job. It is fun to build a steep hill or a 3 lane circuit, but it is frustratingly common for the ends of the rails not to connect. It's also common for my son to get impatient and break apart an area that I just assembled when the design gets too complex.

However, when the track is finally completed, watching the train go around with my son can be quite rewarding. The satisfaction that I feel is rather similar to the feeling I get when a necklace is finished.

Of course I'm a little sad to report that, with my son being 2 and a half, the rail is usually in pieces again 15 minutes later, no matter how hard I work on it.

Kawaii Finds - Rilakkuma

Maybe it's because I'm a girl. Maybe it's because I'm Japanese. Maybe it's the combination of the two. I don't know, but for whatever reason, I'm a sucker for cute little things.

Last Friday, I went to a Japanese supermarket called Mitsuwa in New Jersey, and found this adorable figurine/calender by Kabaya. And I HAD to get it. Hey, I can use the calender forever and ever, so it's worth the money, right?!

To be honest, I went through a phase several years back when I tried to be more "grown up," and eschewed anything that was cute and childish. There's still a part of me that feels guilty for getting something like this.

But now that I have a son, I've got a perfect excuse to indulge my craving for cuteness. Of course, I would never allow my 2-year-old to play with this calender since there are small pieces involved...which, in turn, clearly illustrates that the purchase was made solely for me!

I shudder to think what I would allow myself to buy if I had a little girl. :p

Newbie Monday

I think one of the hardest thing for a newbie etsian is the excruciating wait for that first sale. Sure, there are a lucky few that get their first sale within hours, but most of us wait days, weeks, if not months for the first sale.

And once you get your first sale, you can't breathe a sigh of relief either. Getting the second and third sales can take just as long.

So, in an effort to provide a new outlet for etsians like me, I've decided to start a showcase on my blog that features talented newbies with 5 sales or less.

Here are this week's newbies:

Dongedyframe

I love, love, love her sweet and quirky photos! Each one has a story to tell.

Dongedy is a photographer from Paris, France. She has some very evocative and romantic photos of flowers and animals, but my favorite has to be her photos of Mini People.

Many have a great sense of humor, while others are a little bit melancholy like the one shown above titled Waiting for You.

My personal favorite is titled Fallen, and shows two skaters on top of a flan. It puts a smile on my face every time I look at it, probably because I'm a total klutz too.



AListCreations

AList is a Texan from Corpus Christi, and has some lovely jewelry made with natural and glass beads.

Her designs are usually simple and classic, making them perfect for everyday wear.

Of course, you don't need to limit them that way. For example, I can see this Grey Marble Necklace with jeans or with the little black dress.

AList's husband is currently deployed in Iraq right now, so please let me use this space to say, I'm praying for your husband's safe return!


GingerKisses

My final newbie for this week is GingerKisses, a seller from Denver with lots of fun vintage finds.

I love the way they title their items! The look-at-me! boots shown above is called Hot Tamale Vintage Red Boots.

With creative titles such as Meet Me In Montauk Nautical Print Square Scarf and Into the Deep Blue Snakeskin Pumps I can't help but click and see what they are all about.

There are many more fantastic newbies I'd like to introduce to you, so please come back next week for another Newbie Monday!

Overlapping Circles

Back when I was in first grade, my brother got a compass for school.

Thus began my love affair with circles. I was so enamored with this neat little tool that lets you draw a perfect circle that I often tried to "borrow" it while he was not around. This did not go over well with my brother, and my mother soon had to get another one for me.

I loved my compass. I used to do these mandala-like drawings with multiple circles in various sizes. Then I would carefully color them in with my colored pencils. The one in the picture is from about 10 years ago, but I know I have some from my elementary school years stashed away somewhere.

Funny thing is, I always thought of them as fun little doodles and didn't really see artistic value in them. That is, until I was introduced to chain maille by a coworker a few years back.

Chain maille is just like drawing a pattern with a compass. It's just in 3D. I now use chain maille in a good majority of my jewelry designs, and I don't think I would be here if it wasn't for all those years of playing around with circles and learning about color coordination from my "doodles".

Yes, it took me over 20 years, but I do belive I have now made a full circle. (Sorry, couldn't resist!)

Who is SonoSono?

So, a little bit about my self.

My name is Sono, and I was born in Japan. Moved to Virginia Beach when I was about to turn 12, and have been in the U.S. ever since. I currently live in Staten Island, NY with my husband, our 2-year-old son, and a yorkie.

I call myself SonoSono because while taking an Italian class in college, I learned that "sono" means "I am" in Italian. And when I introduce myself, I'm supposed to say "Sono Sono". At first, I was a bit annoyed when everybody in my class called out "Sono Sono!" as I walked down the hallway. But after a while, I began to embrace it. It was a good reminder that I am who I am and that's the way it's been since the day that I was born.

Most of my days are spent looking after my son, but when I get a chance, I design some jewelry, which I sell at my etsy store . I love etsy since it's a community filled with creative people like me, and I love being inspired by the items I see there.

I'm sure I'll be talking a lot more about etsy in this blog, but I also plan on looking at some things from the past, and I'll share some thoughts on being a mom as well. So stay tuned!

New Decade, New Me

Well, it happened. I turned 30 today.

And looking back on the past decade, I'm struck by just how much I worried about what other people thought about me.

Take blogging, for example. I've been thinking about starting a blog, but I always put it off because I cringed at the thought of being judged as someone so smug that I had nothing better to do than talk about myself every day.

But lately, I've been seeing things a little differently. Maybe blogging isn't just about people declaring to the world, "I love me!" Maybe it's more about self discovery. I mean, if you have to write about yourself constantly, you eventually have to delve deeper within.

So, here I am. 30 years old and starting a new blog. Hoping to figure out who I really am instead of what other people want me to be.

And hoping that you and I will have a fun journey along the way...