My Favorites for the Season

I decided that a list of some of the great seasonal merchandise in my Etsy shop would be a good idea. I've got some really cute pieces that are perfect for autumn and the holidays and wanted to share my favorites.

Autumn Beginnings: This is a vintage plastic bangle that has been wrapped with strips of an old decor magazine. The oranges vary in shade from bright to dark and dusky giving it a cool gradient effect. The leaf and vine pattern was handrawn by me in between coats of sealant. Very pretty and eco-friendly too! Check out my other recycled paper wrapped bangles here.

Dragon Empress: This necklace was made using art clay silver, a mixture of pure silver powder, binders and water. Before firing it can be shaped and molded just like any other clay. When fired the binders burn off and what is left is pure 99.9% silver. Silver Art clay is a recycled product and uses reclaimed silver from products like film negatives. It is manufactured by Aida in Japan. It has been molded after an antique button that reminds me of dragon scales. In the bail is a bezel set ruby colored cubic zirconium. Check out other great fine silver jewelry pieces here.

Falling Leaves: This pendant is a recycled domino covered with a bit of recycled magazine paper. The design is a deep chocolate colored background with pale cream leaves. It's great for the autumn months. The domino has been coated in a water and heat resistant 2-part epoxy resin (not diamond glaze) for a high gloss shine. A silver plated bail has been attached for hanging on a necklace. These pendants are one of my favorite things to make so there are always lots of different designs listed here.

Tokyo Rose: This 24" long necklace features an alternating pattern of recycled paper beads, green malachite chunks and gold enamelled cloisonne beads. The recycled paper beads are formed from old newspapers and junk mail that is soaked until the fibers break down and then reformed into beads. I paint lot of layers on them and sand it down to give it the unique look. The beads are then sealed for protection and luster. So even though they are large beads (biggest 1 1/4" across) they are very light weight. Recycling has never looked this good - check out some other pieces here.

Squishy Sushi Craft Booth Rock Make Festival '08

Squishy Sushi Craft Booth Rock Make Festival '08
Originally uploaded by Squishy Sushi

I recently participated in my very first craft show - Rock Make in San Francisco. Now, I don't have much experience (being my first show and all) but this show was awesome. It was put on by a new fabric store here in town, Whizbang Fabrics. They had two stages with about 12 bands and 50 artists and crafters. It was great to meet some of the people in the neighborhood and get to know my fellow crafters here in San Francisco. My booth neighbor was so nice and shared a few tips about craft fairs in general and let me know what it takes to accept credit cards. I am proud to announce that Squishy Sushi does now accept MasterCard and Visa.

The pic shows my set up for the booth. My mom sewed some great table clothes out of burlap (wanted something natural looking) the day before the show. She is just amazing and helped out the day of the show as well. I bought a whole bunch of velvet displays off of craigslist. So they are second hand but in great shape for the most part - and it helps out with our reuse - recycle philosophy . The black risers are actually a set of antique lacquer stacking boxes inherited from my husband's grandmother. They make a great side table in my living room when we aren't using them for craft fairs. I forgot about a sign so the tiny one on the side was all I had to use. About halfway though the day, I decided the booth looked plain so my mom cut up some plastic tables clothes I had brought as back-up. She made some great little flags to hang from the top and a runner for each of the tables in bright orange.

Squishy Sushi's very first blog!

I finally broke down and did it - Squishy Sushi now has it's very own blog! So here's a little bit about us to get started.

To begin with, Squishy Sushi has really nothing to do with Sushi or even squishy things. At a craft fair last weekend a neighboring booth confided that they were thrilled not to be next to a sushi stall. They sold baby blankets and I bet the smell of fish wouldn't have helped sales. Squishy Sushi is actually just a memorable name for my jewelry design business. Don't try to say it three times fast, though.

I've got a thing for Asia. I was married in Thailand and spent some time traveling through Japan and China as well. I love eastern art and have done a lot of research on Japanese Ukiyo-e prints. So most of my work has a bit of an Asian influence to it.

I'm also striving to use as many recycled and eco-friendly materials in my work as well. I was originally a graphic designer so I have tons of pretty papers and magazines that I cut up and use with resin and old game pieces. I still do a little graphic design here and there but it's mostly for myself now. Check out the cute little kokeishi doll logo I designed for Squishy Sushi. I've got t-shirts, hats and even a thong with the logo for sale at cafepress.

I also really enjoy working with Art Clay Silver, an innovative new product made from reclaimed silver. It's made of small silver particles mixed with an organic binder. The clay can be formed like any other clay but when it fires the binders burn off and all that is left is pure silver. Very fun to work with and makes beautiful jewelry pieces.

I'll be posting more about myself, my jewelry and Squishy soon. In the meantime please feel free to check out my Etsy shop: www.squishysushi.etsy.com

Nicole