Singing the Praises of my Sonic Cleanser

For Christmas this year, I got myself a little sonic cleaner. It was really cheap on eBay, and I figured, since I wear so much jewelry, much of it costume, eventually, it would pay for itself.

Fast forward to February, when I bought a bunch of lots of gemstone, pearl, coral, and glass beads from two different sellers who each had them listed at steal worthy prices. Another seller had a few pounds of vintage jewelry, also for a steal, so I picked those up, too.

Well, when they arrived, I found out why they had all been listed so cheaply: they STANK!! Obviously, either the eBay seller or the person they had bought the beads from was a heavy smoker, and the beads reeked. I was understandably upset about this, as I am not a smoker, and actually have an over-sensitive sense of smell. The last thing I wanted in my stash was a bunch of smelly beads. And they hadn't all even arrived yet!!

I went online to try to find some remedies for cleansing the reek off of my beads. Some people suggested letting them air, So I put the bin outside in the sun. Others suggested washing them with dishawashing soap. That just gave me clean, smelly beads. Some suggested bagging them up with a dryer sheet. That just added to the stench. then I had someone suggest I bury them in clean cat litter, and the litter would soak up the smell, as it does cat urine. this sounded feasible, and I resolved that the next time I bought more cat litter, I would pick up some extra for this experiment.

As Fate would have it, before I got to the store to buy more cat litter, the last few lots of beads arrived. And one lot stank.....of cat litter. That lot actually smelled worse than the smoke, if you can believe it. And I have 2 cats, so I am somewhat desensitized to the stink of litter.

I was at my wits end. I was really concerned that I was about to have to throw out all of my super discount beads and admit to my husband that he had been right about the beads being a deal "too good to be true".

Then I remembered my sonic cleanser.

At that point, I figured, what the heck. I pulled it out of its box, muddled through the "not quite English" instructions (and giggled at the translations), and set it up.

The first load was the stinkiest beads. the instructions said that you might have to run the cleanser more than once to get your items fully cleansed, so I ran it five times. The water was dark brown by the time the last run was completed.

I pulled the basket out with my beads in it, buried my nose in the wet beads and inhaled deeply.

And......

Nothing.

The beads didn't smell!

At that point, I didn't really trust my nose, so I stormed upstairs to my husband, shoved the beads under his nose, and instructed him to smell.

He didn't smell anything either.

The stupid little $12 sonic cleaner had worked!

It has been over a month now. I have the cleaner set up next to the work sink in the kitchen. It takes 2-3 runs per load to get the beads to stop stinking. I run between 5 and 6 loads a day while helping the kids with their homework. I tried running the loads while I was working, and I kept forgetting them, so I have to limit my loads.

I am about 75% of the way through the beads. I purposely test myself when I come in from being outside to make sure they really don't smell. I ask friends to smell them (the true test of a friend is someone who actually smells the beads you ask them to without more than a strange look).

I LOVE my sonic cleaner. It has proved to be invaluable! I recommend to anyone that they get one. I use it on my jewelry sometimes, too. :)

Final steps!

Ok, I have been working like a madwoman trying to get things made so I can have a nice full looking display in the picture I need to submit for the shows I am applying to for this summer. I finally got enough to take some pictures, and I am sharing them here for all to see:

Not bad, eh?

It only took 3 hours for the husband and I to figure out where we had stashed the tent 2 years ago, get all 6 boxes out and unpacked, figure out how to put the tent up, start carting jewelry and display materials outside and set up, make a sale to a guy who drove by and wanted soemthign for his wife (yay!), rearrange things about 8 times, give up for now on the things I had hanging on the wall after they fell down three times in the wind, and finally decide things were "good enough" and take some pictures.

Then everything came down. Only took an hour to get everything put away. I figure next time we set up, it will be about 2 hours, now that I know where everything goes.

I wish I could figure out how to photoshop in my wall pieces, but I just ordered new ones that will (hopefully) stay up better.

Now, I can focus on getting pictures taken of all of my new items, and listing them! Woohoo!!

Dealing with Life's Little Quandries

So, I am trying to get things ogether so I can take pictures and apply to a few new shows. Every show seems to require a picture of your "display", and thought I have plenty of product, most of my selling has been online and face to face, so I still need to figure out a display.

I have a 10x10 canopy that I bough a few years ago when I was going to do my sewing as a business. It's a high end tent that hasn't been out of the box yet. I currently have tables set up in my living room for figuring out a display, got a cash register yesterday, and have a sign being made as I type this.

I just wonder how detailed these pictures need to be.....

Can I set my tent up in my back yard or driveway, artfully display my pieces in the tent on my tables, take a few pics, and send them in? Or do I really need the sign in place? I would LIKE to get everything set up this weekend, but the sign won't arrive for another week or two.

Also, as I have been setting up, I am realising I have plenty of some things, and definitely NOT ENOUGH of others. Can I set up light and go fromt here, or shoulf I put in a few LOOONG days and get enough for the displays to look full?

Am I making this more difficult than it needs to be? These aren't juried shows, but they are screened and popular fairs, and I would like to get in to them. I feel like all I have done for the week is worry about this, spend money, and make things to fill in display holes......

Maybe I'll just call them and explain the situation.....

More Etsy Lovin'! Unicorn's Pride!

Friday was my birthday, so I decided to break into our funds and buy myself a few gifts. As they have been arriving, I have been doing the happy dance. One seller whose package arrived the other day really outdid herself though, to the point that I feel compelled to give her a shout out. So HUGE shout out to:

Lana from UNICORN'S PRIDE

(Note the picture I am using for her shop has FROGS in it. I love frogs!)

My order was for one of Lana's dry room and body Sprays in "Love at First Sight" and a custom order of soap sacks and scrubbies in colors to match my bathrooms.

Well, they all came quickly enough to be here for my birthday, even though it was a custom order (!!!), and Lana threw in some extras! I was agog at her generosity!

Everything she makes is professional looking and lovely. My husband immediately stole the soap she had thrown in and popped it into "his" soap sack. I have a feeling I will be buying him more soap from her in the future.

To top everything off, Lana is a super nice lady. I can't say anything negative about her at all, other than the fact that she just hooked my husband on her soap. ;)

So, please add Unicorn's Pride to my list of "etsy sellers I highly recommend" and also to the list of "etsy sellers I will return to purchase from".

Oooh! Givin' the Etsy Love!

I have a confession to make: I am addicted to fuzzy things. snuggly sweaters, fingerless gloves, hats, blankets, and slippers are one of my weaknesses. I just love feeling all cozy.

So, when I found this awesome etsy seller who makes her fleece baby booties in ADULT SIZES, I just had to have a pair.

Who is this awesome seller, you ask?

Well, the shop name is Piddies and her slippers are awesome.

I got the Black Cat Slippers:

Aren't they adorable!?!

The sizing is perfect, they are all warm and snuggly and fuzzy, and my husband is very jealous, so multiple happy faces from me! I want another pair, but I just can't justify gettng any more. :(

If you also love fuzzy slippers, then I recommend that you pick yourself up a pair of Piddies! She'll make them in your size!