I'm SoCrafty! Upcycled Sushi Tray Earrings (DIY or BUY!)

Upcycled Sushi Tray Earrings: DIY or BUY

Recently I was accepted as a regular contributor to Squidoo's brand new SoCrafty Magazine. I submitted my Sushi Bracelet Tutorial hoping to be included once, and they loved it so much they asked if I would write a monthly craft-related post for their blog! I am so excited about it; I can't believe I forgot to mention it!

My first contribution was a tutorial for earrings made from upcycled plastic sushi containers just like the bracelet. If you want to try your hand at making a pair for yourself, this link will lead you to the entire step-by-step tutorial (with photos).

I think they're pretty cool! I actually listed them for sale in my other Etsy shop, Jezebellamina, along with these super fun long star tassel earrings and large plate necklace.

Other Related Links:

Visit my profile page at SoCrafty, where I share lots of other fun upcycled craft tutorials and ideas.

More Cool Upcycled Jewelry for sale in my Jezebellamina Etsy shop.

Star Tassel upcycled earrings by Jezebellamina on Etsy

Large Plate necklace by Jezebellamina on Etsy

My New Handmade Packaging!

NEW! Click to see my tutorial on how to make your own pillow boxes {+ get a free printable template!}

 
After spending entirely too many hours online shopping for the perfect packaging for my jewelry, I gave up and decided to make my own. If you haven't noticed already, I'm a huge fan of anything DIY, and especially when it solves so many problems with such a simple solution.

✧ I needed something that wouldn't add bulk or weight to affect my shipping prices, or the size of the envelopes I ship my orders in.

✧ I needed something that wouldn't add too much cost to my product. I didn't want to raise prices to accommodate for packaging that isn't optional, but at the same time I wanted to reinforce my branding and make every purchase feel like a special gift!

✧ I didn't want to have to buy in huge quantities to get the lowest prices because not only is it a huge chunk of change up front, but I don't have a lot of space left to store any more boxes of stuff! (You betta belieeeeve I already have a whole room in the house dedicated to jewelry and arts & crafts supplies!)

✧ I wanted a "one size fits all" box of some kind, which of course doesn't really exist...unless you can make one any size you need at the drop of a hat!

✧ I wanted something that didn't add to the inventory I have to keep track of, as far as re-ordering and trying to guess how many I need without overbuying.

These handmade pillow boxes are the perfect fix for all these things, and I   L  ♥  V  E  the way they turned out!

Monday Musings: Peace of Mind

"Promise Yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind."

This line is an excerpt from a poem called "Promises to Yourself" (also known as The Optimist's Creed) by Christian D. Larson.

This week, I am focusing on this mantra. I know it is easy to let outside factors and things outside of our control worry us and cause negative thinking, but ultimately we are the masters of our own minds and should practice a positive outlook even at the worst of times. While we cannot control the things that may happen around us, we can control the way we react to them and how we let them shape our lives.

Things never go exactly as planned, but with presence of mind and clear focus, we can adjust our sails accordingly to stay on course when the winds change directions. And as captains of our own ships, it is our duty to weather these storms with strength and determination, and no matter how rough the seas, keep steering toward the destination we seek.