I've got BEADS!

Ok, so the topic is a little obvious. Of course I've got beads, otherwise I couldn't make jewelry. But what I'm actually referring to is the fact that I received the special beads I was waiting for, to use in a special project. They're really awesome, too, but that's all I have to say until I finish the project.

Anyway, things have been going fairly well in Erthe Fae Land. Halloween was fun; I made great yarn hair ties and a yarn fringe belt for my Gothic Tribal dance costume. The whole costume turned out really well, so I look forward to wearing it again, I'm just not sure when. I can't wear it for dancing at home because my cats + yarn belt = disaster waiting to happen. And I can't wear it to the Renaissance Faire, because straw bale seats + yarn belt = straw belt. I'm house-sitting for my friend Helen in two weeks, so at the very least I can wear the belt then, when I take advantage of her large living room and dance it up a bit. I'm pretty sure that her dogs will not be as entranced by yarn fringe as my cats are!

Things also seem to be shaping up well for the business my husband is trying to start, which is definitely a relief for both of us.

The final for our Chinese class is a skit, and we've already been assigned work to start on that. It's going to take an insane amount of practice -- especially since we're not allowed to have a script to read when we perform, it has to be by memory. I'm not that great at memorizing English, so Chinese is going to be rough. The good thing is that we were allowed to choose our partners, so I'm working with Chris. It will be really easy to come up with a concept and practice together that way!

Class 'n' stuff.

So, Chinese class was pretty small tonight. I'm not sure if a lot of people just happened to not show up, or if they all decided it was a rough class and quit. Most of the cool people were still there, though, so it's all good. We had our second test and other than not remembering the character for the name Yu, I think I aced it. And even though I knew most of the words in the chapter that we started tonight, I learned some new things about grammar, which was great.

One thing that I like about class is being able to see what other people are wearing. Lets face it, most of my socializing is with gamers, and most of them wear shorts and t-shirts, which is fine, but not very inspiring. My Chinese teacher, though, has a very good sense of style. Her outfits are always well put-together and the colors and styles that she picks are good for her complexion and build. My classmates have a pretty wide variety of fashions, and tattoos, too, so there's always something visually interesting to look at. I just hope they don't think I'm staring at them for weird reasons!

At this point, I'm trying to decide whether I want to work on jewelry right now, or write some, or just goof off and play video games. I had a very busy day, with homework and housework and class, and now I'm ready to relax.

Class and things.

Tuesday through Thursday is turning into a rough time for me! Chinese class itself is very easy right now; I already know all the words and grammar rules that we're learning, so it's just a matter of practicing how to say and write them properly. Honestly, I get pretty bored in class. But there's so much homework! I feel sorry for anyone who has made this class part of a full workload. The homework isn't even that difficult, it's just very time-consuming to write all those characters. As such, a good chunk of my daytime on Weds and Thurs is spent doing the homework that was assigned Tuesday night. It doesn't help that we have a game on Wednesday nights, which really can't be moved because everyone already planned their work and class schedules around it (yes, it's that good).

In other news, I had a lot of fun on Talk Like A Pirate Day. I indulged in a little pirate speak, and cobbled together a makeshift pirate costume, which of course involved a lot of jewelry. I really do enjoy any excuse to dress up in a costume. Was it just me, or was there less of a big deal made about Talk Like A Pirate Day this year than there was last year? Are most people pirated out after three Pirates of the Carribean movies? Is the trend slowly dying out? Are the ninjas winning?

On the bead front, I've only made one necklace this week. I got distracted by aforementioned homework, and working on my book. I think I'll spend some time in the beadroom this weekend, looking for new inspiration.

Home again, home again

I'm back in Arizona! My last few days in NY were far too busy for me to find any time to blog, and my first two days home were far too sick for me to find energy for anything other than sleep and Dr. Who. I'd felt this sickness coming for days, and although it's annoying to be under the weather when I should be unpacking and getting back into the daily grind, I'm glad that I managed to stave it off until I left NY. I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on all the fun, and the time with my in-laws. Oh, and the delicious food. Mmmm, Exotic Mango Chicken.

On Thursday, we went into New York City. I simply love NYC. Yeah, it's crowded, and dirty, and some parts of it smell funny, but it's still an awesome city. I love window shopping. I love people watching. I love looking at all the cool old buildings, with their frescos and other architectural niftiness. I love glancing at the menus of the restaurants I pass by, knowing that I'll never, ever eat there. Oh, and I love Chinatown, which was our main destination for the day.

In all fairness, I most disclose a certain amount of hypocrisy. Chris's stepfather didn't want to go spend all day shopping with us in NYC, but he did have breakfast with us before we left. There was a TV in the diner playing news about the toy recall, so naturally our conversation turned towards China and its business practices. We complained about poor quality control, bad employee treatment, how they're driving other countries' industries under, and how our country blithely goes along with it... and then we took off to Chinatown, where we purchased cheap goods from China... *sigh* Well, ok, a lot of what I bought actually came from Japan, but I am still a freakin' hypocrite.

My problem, of course, is that I want to like China. I enjoy learning Mandarin. I love Chinese food (and while I realize it's highly Americanized, the inspiration had to come from somewhere, right?). I'm a martial arts movie junkie. Etc etc. It's hard to accept that all of these things that I enjoy come from a country whose policies and actions I can't really support.

Moral quandaries aside, I really did have a good time in the city. It was a pretty nice day, with just a little rain, so we walked the entire way from Penn Station to the store we love, Pearl River. I'm not sure exactly how far we walked, but I believe it was something like a zillion blocks. In fact, the only way I can justify all the food that I eat while I'm in NY is by pointing out how much I walk while I'm in NY! Anyway, Pearl River is the only place we shop in Chinatown, because it's the only place we need to shop. They seriously have everything there. Clothes, food, dishes, knick-knacks, musical instruments, furnishings, housewares, everything. And not just imports from China, but also a lot of stuff from Japan, and maybe a couple of other Asian countries. All of this is held in a clean, bright, well-organized store. We must have spent a couple of hours there, getting things for ourselves and presents for our friends.

All that walking and shopping built up some hearty appetites, so we made our way over to Singapore Cafe. If you read last year's NY trip report, you'll remember that we absolutely loved that place. It was just as good this year. Delicious food, food service, and incredibly fast for a sit-down dinner. If you go there, definitely get the lemonade iced tea to drink! It is delicious and refreshing.

After dinner, it was time to make our way towards the theater for the Blue Man Group show. We arrived there with over an hour to spare, so we went around the block to Barnes and Noble, where Chris and I picked up some reading material for the flight home, and I also got a cute plush dragon, made out of that soft chenille fur. We got done right in time for the show. I really enjoy Blue Man Group's music, so I kind of wish that the show had been more music and less... stuff, but it was still a lot of fun. By the time the show was done, we were all tired enough to take the subway back to Penn Station, then we took the train back to Long Island and were home somewhere close to midnight.

Well, this post is getting way too long, so let's do a quick rundown of other things I did while in NY: We saw my sister-in-law's band, The Good Luck Affair, play at a local club. I don't have the exact URL, but you can find them on Myspace. They're a rock kind of band, but Grace plays violin, cello, and sax on some songs, which changes things up a bit. We walked the Brooklyn Bridge, which was kind of cool, except I was exhausted so I kept wondering if I could close my eyes and walk on auto-pilot. We went into Little Italy and ate delicious dessert. Coincidentally, we were in Brooklyn right when the fire at the Deutsche Bank fire started, so we saw a lot of fire trucks going by. Luckily we were not anywhere near the fire itself.

In a way, I'm glad to be back home, with my kitties, and my beads at hand, and my friends nearby, and the ability to just laze around in quiet... But I also can't help but miss NY, with all of the fun things to do, the great people to do them with, and the delicious food to eat when we're done.

Fashionable Friday -- Asian Flair

(My apologies for not posting this yesterday, my site was down which I meant I couldn't get the necessary links!)

The use of Asian elements and Asian influence in fashion is not a recent trend, but it does seem to be a lingering trend. Whether it's kimono-sleeved tops, or Chinese brocade used in a decidedly Western corset, "Asian Flair" is everywhere!

I'm not immune to this trend, of course. I'm drawn to Chinese carved beads, artistic depictions of Geisha, and of course, anything with a dragon on it. While I mostly have a bad habit of hoarding these items for myself, I do occasionally relent and make them into beautiful Asian-inspired jewelry for sale. One of my most recent creations is Almost Ready, which features a beautiful Geisha image as the focal. Also new are the nicely coordinated Empress of Butterflies bracelet and Imperial Butterflies earrings, both made with Chinese lacquer butterflies and vintage jade-inspired glass beads. Looking a little farther back, you can see the delightful Of The Earth bracelet with its beetle focal, and the teal-hued Tranquil Butterfly necklace. During Gem Show this year I picked up a nice selection of carved Chinese focals, so expect to see some more Asian-inspired necklaces in the next few months.

I am also a huge fan of Asian textiles and clothing. The internet is a wonderful source for clothes, whether they be authentically Asian or just inspired. For genuine vintage kimonos, be sure to check out Kyoto Kimono. I purchased from them during Gem Show and found them to be polite, friendly, and bursting at the seams with Japanese clothes and fabric! I am really enamored, however, with this short Kiki Lee Kimono by designer Wai Ching! Way out of my budget, but just look at those colors! If you view the designer's other items, you will find more gorgeous modern kimono dresses and tops. And don't forget to accessorize! Might I suggest either this obi-style belt, or anything from Kimono Momo's line of scarves and handbags?

For a casual, unisex look, you really can't go wrong with t-shirts. SquidFire offers this great Praying Mantis shirt. And ethaibid has this very cool woodblock wave long-sleeve top. I love this shirt and am really tempted to get it for my husband! Be sure to check out their other items, as they have many Asian print tees.

Many other jewelers are inspired by Asian artwork and textiles as well. This great matchbox Geisha pendant even has a mirror on the back for checking out your hair, clothes and makeup while you're out on the town. The Sounds of Japan inro box features a lively musical scene, and would make a nice addition to any Japanese-inspired outfit. Meanwhile, this wonderful Kimono Flower Ring would be the perfect compliment to just about anything you wore! If you need a safe place to keep this jewelry, or a nice way to present it as a gift, what could be better than this Omiyage Daffodil Pouch? I love it!

This is only the tiniest selection of what you can find if you look for it. I could have easily made this blog 5 times as long and not mentioned all of the great Asian-themed items I've seen on-line. If I've only whetted your appetite, you may want to visit the Asian Buzz blog, for Asian business and products!