Chic Infinity Jewellery & Design

Giveaway

2009-10-19T15:17:00.003+08:00

I've partnered with another blog to host a giveaway. Enter to win here

Inspiration

2009-09-29T16:05:00.004+08:00

I've been struck by a design mind block for the past two weeks. I had a massive spree of creations and then for a whole week, nothing. Absolutely nothing. So here's my question for you. What do you do when you're stuck? Do you take a break from making pieces and just take time off? Or are you one of those who force yourself to come up with X pieces by Y time? I'm aiming to have 100 listings in my shop by Nov which doesn't seem tooo hard but on the other hand, I also gave myself a week off to give my brain some rest. I've found that buying supplies always help kick start the design process but when I spend $US300 on supplies weekly and make a US$25 sale, it really isn't cost efficient. So what other methods are there? (PS, the image is the first that came up in google when you search for inspiration so I went along with it.)

Yes I know...

2009-09-24T13:00:00.000+08:00

I've been horrible with the Accessorise Me column lately. I've just been swamped and been on a jewelery making craze so all I do is make jewelry and try listing. I'm aiming to get 100 listings up by mid November so I'm churning away. I made a few sales offline this week though so happy dance!

If you take a look through my Etsy store, you'd undoubtedly notice that I've moved away a bit from the mesh although still keeping the pearl aesthetic. There are some pieces that I am absolutely in love with and I"m hoping that they will find good homes. I've also taken to coming up with names for my pieces. What do you think of the below? Name appropriate?

The Planets Are Aligned

Autumn Melody

Knotty by Nature

Giveaway

2009-09-20T23:19:00.003+08:00

I've partnered with the Shop By Hand blog to give away one of my rings. You can participate by visiting the the blog here. Be sure to let me know if you're participating! The giveaway ends Sept 30

Screaming Fans

2009-09-15T11:12:00.000+08:00

Finally got around to creating my Facebook fan page. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be as I haven't been using Facebook for quite some time now. After the redesign, I couldn't find anything and just gave up on it. Anyway, after scratching my head a few times, I finally got it to work so if you like my work, please become a fan! You can find my fan page here or scroll down the page and see it on the right hand side.

And if you have any tips on how to utilise the Facebook fan page, do let me know!

Sassy Hong Kong Writeup

2009-09-13T11:24:00.003+08:00

I was featured on Friday on the Sassy Hong Kong blog as one of their favourite designers in their Chic Boutique fair which I attended a few weeks ago. Do check it out here.

Quirky Infinity

2009-09-09T11:32:00.003+08:00

Many of you may not know that I have another shop called Quirky Infinity that sells more kitsch items. It's a much lower price point shop and I definitely treat it as the ugly step sister to Chic Infinity. I spend most of my time drafting designs and hand crafting Chic Infinity but lately I'm finding that I have the greatest time scouring for brass antiqued charms and pendants. It takes some work going through shops and what not to find the perfect pendant but I am absolutely in love with this manicure spa set charm complete with nail polish that I found over the weekend. I'm starting to understand why people want to go vintage shopping and appreciating the hunt for looking for that perfect charm. I always thought there can't be too much work involved in the piece in terms of design and crafting but understanding now that finding that one piece can also take a lot of time.

My first media clipping!

2009-09-08T12:09:00.004+08:00

Two of my brooches were spotted and showcased in this week's Weekend HK. So excited. It talks about how my brooches are timeless with the use of vintage buttons and plaid cloth

Accessorise Me (Steampunk Mania)

2009-09-02T14:53:00.007+08:00

I had never heard of the term steampunk before until I joined Etsy but I am in LOVE with steampunk jewelry. So this post is an ode to steampunk. The outfit:
See by Chloe Studded leather ankle boots
Grey Grunge Wash Shorts
More Miss Selfridge shorts

The accessories
Metropolis 3 -handbag from Garbagebag

Industrial Steampunk Dagger Staff Anchor 1930s Hardware Necklace with Gears from MechanicsDaughter

STEAMPUNK BRACELET-FABULOUS GOLD MESH STEAMPUNK BRACELET with VINTAGE ROSE GOLD WATCH MOVEMENT- MADE EXCLUSIVELY by TheSteamPunkTrunk

The aftermath of a craft fair

2009-09-01T14:45:00.003+08:00

By now, you probably know that I just did two craft fairs. In the buildup to the fairs, i've been frantically churning out pieces as I wasn't sure how much to bring. As a result, I ended up with over 100 pieces.. of course, I barely sold a fraction of the goods and now I have piles and piles of goods left over. What to do? Well I went on a listing rampage. If you take a look at my Etsy shop, you'll see that I have listed 16 new items in the past three days. There are more to come but I need to get more photographs taken. While I know that listing in big batches is not a good idea, and rather it's better to list slowly throughout the week to gain exposure. I have soo much stock left over that I was in a rather bad mood and felt like doing something positive to offset my crankiness. The result was an insane session of photographing, using two cameras no less and a lot and a lot of listing!

Thing is, now I still need to figure out what to do with leftover stock. Any tips?

Accessorise Me (Organic Statement)

2009-08-26T15:42:00.007+08:00

I've found an assortment of nature inspired jewelry where the organic emotion of the pieces have me coveting each and every one of them. But let's start with the outfit:

Jeffrey Campbell Ruffle Silver Zipper Detail Ballet Flat in Black
T-shirts agnès b.
Jupes agnès b.

Wear with:

Snail - Sterling Silver Ring from JiaStyle

or

Tentacle Ring from OctopusMe

and

Radiolaria bracelet (black) from nervoussystem

Crocheted beaded necklace in organic form 'Purple corals' from JaneBoFelt

Craft Fair Checklist

2009-08-25T12:17:00.003+08:00

Ok since it seems to be a rather popular post, I'm going to do a full checklist of what to bring at fairs. As I did my fair last week, I realised that I forgot a lot of important items so here's a checklist of what to bring. Please feel free to comment and add on!

Things to bring:
Your goods
Packaging material, (wrapping paper, tissue paper, boxes, scissors, tape)
Pliers (if you are making jewellery, you might be asked to shorten or lengthen pieces)
Alcohol wipes (so people can try on your earrings)
Mirror
Small change
Calculator
Notebook (to jot down any sales you make or if you want to get contact information from customers)
Lighter (Might only be relevant to me but my mesh pieces need a flame for me to do finishing)
Clip on earrings (Some of you customers might not have pierced ears. Rather than lose a sale, offer to change your designs from piercing to clip ons for free)
Business cards (an absolute must!)
Snack & water (You might not have time to go get food so would be a good idea to have some nibbles)
A friend (there's bound to be down times where you will be bored out of your mind. It'd be nice to have someone keep you company)

Have I left out anything?

Arts & Crafts fair

2009-08-24T13:57:00.002+08:00

i attended my first ever arts and crafts fair last Saturday and here are a few lessons learnt:

1) Don't go in with high expectations.. lots of the times your work may not be as good as you think
2) I'm not a good seller.. I'm fine in communicating in writing and what not, but I'm just too shy to approach people or call out to people to look at my pieces
3) Bring a mirror.. I had jotted that down and then completely forgotten about it! Doh..
4) Although my pieces might not be to everyone's taste, I did receive quite a few compliments so I've just gotta keep trying
5) Business cards are invaluable. I already got an order request today asking if it's true I offere free shipping and how they should proceed with purchasing! yippeeee

PS. That image is of my display that I had set up during the fair. What do you think?

Accessorise Me (Bookworm)

2009-08-20T10:46:00.006+08:00

Do you love reading? Do you feel that the term bookworm has a negative connotation? Well I'm a bookworm and proud of it. Show off your love for the words by wearing this kickass outfit and literary accessories.

Outfit Details
Top: H&M
Wide Leg Pants: Grey Jersey Wide Leg Trouser by Young Fabulous & Broke
Shoes: Balmain Suede buckled ankle boots

Wear this with:

The Original Literary Danglers from relishdress

Free. Dictionary pendant from anotherfeather

Asking for permission

2009-08-19T16:30:00.002+08:00

A lot of people have suggested that I don't ask for permission to feature Etsy pieces and just send them a convo afterwards saying they have been featured. While that would be the easier way to go about, I've actually had people who decline to be featured and I think it's a matter of common courtesy to ask them if they mind me using their listing photo. It's one thing if I have purchased the item and then take my own photographs. It's another to use someone else's work and not ask them. Maybe this is because I have a background in professional writing and so I take intellectual property very seriously and try to have my blog up to my normal ethical standards. Regardless, the downside of it, or upside depending on how you spin it, is that there will be times where I do shameless promotions of my work which at the end of the day can never be a bad thing for me right? =D

Accessorise Me (Shameless Promotion)

2009-08-18T11:44:00.007+08:00

Because I've been delinquent in contacting Etsians on whether or not I can feature their work in Accessorise Me, I'm in a bit of a bind for my regular column. So I am going to take this opportunity to use my jewelry in this post:

Outfit details: I Heart Paris Tee from Forever21, Grey Acid Wash Ruched Skirt and Christian Louboutin Bianca 140 pumps
Wear with:

White and grey pearl black mesh necklace that can be transformed into three designs

Handmade silver wire bead kidney wire earrings

Moonstone and crystal mesh bracelet

Kidney wires

2009-08-17T13:31:00.004+08:00

Whenever I go on a supply run, I'm always amazed at the variety of metalwork that is on offer. I finally picked me some kidney wire earrings to play with this weekend and am in love with how much more elegant each of my earrings look. The downside of kidney wire earrings though, is that you have to have very very simple designs and if you know me, that's not really me.
Case in point, this pair of earrings that I love and have made various versions of:

Not very kidney wire friendly is it? But now I'm discovering a whole new simple world and have created a bunch of elegant simple earrings.. only problem is, I lent my camera to a friend who is on vacation and so I can't show you until Sept! That also means no new listings until Sept. What a pity!

Accessorise Me (Simple yet elegant)

2009-08-14T11:53:00.005+08:00

I've chosen what could be seen as a rather demure outfit if it weren't for the striking Steve Madden purple suede shoes. The clothing comes from two up and coming designers; Alexander Wang's cutout jersey skirt and Jason Wu's tiered silk chiffon blouse.

I've found delicate and interesting jewelry from my fellow Etsians to go with the outfit:

Two PEA in a POD golden green freshwater pearl sterling silver necklace from muyinmolly

Two- Finger Lily Ring from ChadwickandRueling

Small Canary Earrings from joannarutter

Please hold...

2009-08-13T12:57:00.002+08:00

Real life has suddenly caught up with me and I've been overwhelmed lately so will not be able to post for a few days. Please hold for the next available operator. Your readership is very important to me and I will come back as soon as I can.

Accessorise Me (What a Stud)

2009-08-11T13:40:00.000+08:00

I'm sure you've heard by now that studs are back for another season and designers such as Miu Miu, Balmain et all are coming up with studded accessories. But you don't have to break the bank to follow the trend. Check out this gorgeous clutch I found on Etsy. While using studded accessories and more punk jewelry, wear a girly dress to contrast the effect. This outfit comprises of a Christopher Kane Dress with pleated skirt and Suede & Python Ankle Boots from Sak's Fifth Ave.

Wear it with

Studded Clutch from rjeanmarie

Steampunk Watch Movement Ring from LondonParticulars

KNOTTY BY NATURE...Copper Love Knot Chunky Style Necklace from designsbystephanie
C

The story behind Chic Infinity

2009-08-07T09:00:00.001+08:00

A lot of people have asked me how I came up with my brand name. After all, it has nothing to do with my own name and it's rather random. In fact, I'm still trying to work out if my brand name should be Chic Infinity or ChicInfinity. For those of you who are interested, I think I'm sticking with Chic Infinity and ChicInfinity is just going to be my username. Anyway, it took a while for me to come up with the name as there were quite a few parameters for me to factor in:

1) Is it available as a gmail account name?
2) if I search my shop name in google, how many search results come back (If you search Chic infinity on google, you'll see that my twitter account is the first result followed by my shop)
3) Does it reflect what I want to sell
4) Is there something in the name that I can leverage should I want to open a second store (I went with the Infinity idea. Hence my second shop is called QuirkyInfinity. It doesn't come up as well with Google search results but I have a link to it on my Chic Infinity shop so that's ok)

After multiple tries, I finally found my Chic Infinity combination which I'm pretty happy with. How did you come up with your shop name?

Accessorise Me (Punk Glam)

2009-08-06T09:00:00.001+08:00

As you can see from my previous post, I'm in a bit of a punk glam phase. I was thinking about my concerns with the bracelet and wondering what type of buyer would purchase the piece. This is who I came up with. Someone wearing a T by Alexander Wang fitted baby rib racer tank with black ripped jeans from Topshop and a pair of kick ass Giuseppe Zanotti Woven Metallic peep toe ankle boots.

Wear it with:
VEGAN leather Siouxsie bag in super bright fluro yellow from HydeSK which I'm absolutely in LOVE with but once again can't afford

Elegant Silver and Black Peyote Triangle Choker from SandFibers

And obviously this pale rose quartz and black chunky chain bracelet from yours truly

Style File

2009-08-05T09:00:00.000+08:00

I never thought I had the chops to be a stylist (a la Edna Mode who just might be my favourite PIxar movie character) but I’m having so much fun doing the Accessorise Me columns and getting such great feedback. Putting together outfits and then accessorising the clothes with Etsy finds have led me to discover so many new friends. I’ve been hearting so many items and it’s a wonderful way to see what is out there in the vast world of Etsy. Right now I’m still sticking with commercial clothing a la fashion brands that I adore yet can’t afford but maybe in the future, I will be able to do the entire outfit from Etsy finds. Till then, I’m going to keep reading my daily list of fashion blogs and scouring through Etsy to bring you my top picks.

Accessorise Me (Woody Notes)

2009-08-04T12:03:00.004+08:00

I actually created this look based on an incredible vine bracelet that is on sale for Etsy. While I can’t afford it, I’m sure there must be someone out there who can. For this outfit, I’ve paired together a Stella McCartney silk halter neck jumpsuit with L.A.M.B. Rhett strappy platform sandals complete with suede ruffles.

Wear this with:

Early Budding Vine Bracelet 3-Northern Lights from Giftbearer

Peacock Pearl forged sterling silver earrings from barrondesignstudio

Scots Pine original silk-lined clutch bag from redrubyrose

Punk Glam Bracelet

2009-08-03T06:51:00.000+08:00

Are there times where you feel a bit ambivalent towards your own designs? Normally I am pretty happy with what I make but with my latest listing of this bracelet, I am unsure as to how I feel about the piece. I deliberately tried to contrast a delicate rose quartz bracelet with a black industrial looking chain. I was hoping that this combination will be able to convey the dichotomy of a girl who may appear tough but is really fragile on the inside. I've been mulling over this idea for quite some time but now I'm not too sure how I feel about this piece. What do you think?

Accessorise me (Black and White)

2009-07-31T09:00:00.003+08:00

Black and white jewellery doesn’t necessarily equal boring. You just need to spice up the outfit with some colour. Take this pale grey 3.1 Phillip Lim Silk asymmetric column dress. Simply pair the dress with a pair of shoes that really pop such as these Alexander McQueen fuschia heart peep toes.

Complete the outfit with these accessories for the perfect finish:

Little Black Bag, Steampunk Evening Bag with floral lining by TheSteamPunkTrunk

O Rutilated Quartz Necklace by Occasionalgems
PS. Apparently I have very good taste as between the period of writing this post and choosing jewelery, the piece has been unlisted! Do check out her other designs though.

Mish mesh

2009-07-30T09:00:00.000+08:00

Every designer has a signature item or material and while I may be fond of pearls, I think my signature is definitely mesh tubing. Before I started my Etsy store, I was actually looking for a mesh tubing necklace and imaging my surprise when I couldn’t find one on Etsy. I decided to make my own as I have been making jewellery for several years now and after making it, a friend suggested that I should sell it online. It was then my idea for my store was born, as I sensed there was a niche that I could fulfil. Of course, until now, there hasn’t been a sale on Etsy yet and so it is slightly discouraging (am I the only one who likes mesh necklaces?) but after scouring through the forums, I’ve been told that summer months tend to be slower and I’ve had someone buy a mesh necklace from me in person so fingers crossed that my store will take off eventually!

Accessorise me (Golden Hue)

2009-07-29T10:07:00.007+08:00

There are so many Etsy designers that it’s incredibly hard to single out any one artist as someone to keep an eye on. Instead, I’m going to showcase pieces that would go nicely with certain outfits. Let’s start with the basics, simple black and white T with jeans and some killer structural heels.

Just FYI, there’s going to be a shameless plug for my jewellery in addition to other gems I’ve found on Etsy (for this first time at least). Here are some pieces that would look awesome with them:

Gold Italian ribbon mesh with faux grey pearls and ribbon-wrapped chain from yours truly

Gold Quartz Drop Earrings from Mickstonedesigns

Topaz and Brass Ox Filigree Cuff Bracelet from Serrelynda

Beauty of the pearl

2009-07-28T09:37:00.001+08:00

If you take a look at my listed items on Chic Infinity, you’ll undoubtedly notice that pearls are a big component in my designs albeit not real pearls (can’t afford them yet! But I do have some nice freshwater pearls that are just waiting for me to do something with them).

My fascination with pearls didn’t come about until last September when I had the opportunity to visit a pearl farm during harvest and experience first hand, how South Sea pearls are created. I used to think that pearls are rather ordinary beings, and after all, there’s a reason for why diamonds are chosen as a girl’s best friends but the more I learnt about how much effort goes into creating a pearl, the more enthralled I was with this jewel.

Did you know that for a well-cared for pearl, the oysters are literally treated like queens? They are injected with the nucleus at the beginning of the cycle and during the initial stages, divers go down to the seabed to ensure they are okay every other day and turn the oyster over to ensure the pearl’s roundness for several months. Then afterwards, the oysters, which are clamped into grids, are lifted up to the surface every week to be cleansed. After two years of hard work by the oyster, the pearl is taken out and if all goes well, the oyster would have spent all this time coating layers of nacre over the nucleus.

I’ve also discovered that pearls aren’t necessary for old ladies. Yes, the phrase clutching one’s pearls still make evokes an older woman but I’m hoping that through my designs, ladies out there can see that pearls can be incorporated into funky statement jewellery and that these naturally created gems are really something to marvel at.

Signing out from the “Pearl of the Orient”

2009-07-21T13:58:00.001+08:00

Will update and post soon! In the meantime, please visit my Etsy shop at http://chicinfinity.etsy.com