Bad work days

Well I haven't written in quite a while. We all have bad work days and well...i've been having a very bad work week. Everything that could go wrong... did. More than one metal smith tool broke, I nearly lost a finger, two of my newest projects presented huge problems I was unaware of and I managed to get a piece of hot solder shot right into my eye! Now that this wave of catastrophe has seemingly passed, it all seems rather funny. Especially since I still have all body parts intact. I have decided in light of my hellish week that I would love to hear from readers to see what sorts of shenanigans they themselves have gotten into around the workshop and how it turned out for them. Comment me about this with your own tale of workshop terror. Author of the best story gets to be featured in next weeks blog!

-Jani

Houdini Hair Systems

Hey everybody,

I know I had said I would be blogging on the polymer gauge controversy this wk but 

I've had a delay in some of my research for this particular subject, so I will save it for next time. I've decided that instead, I will blog about my Houdini Hair systems and what can be done with them. 

I call them Houdini hair systems because they are the ultimate hair illusion. First is the Houdini head cap (shown at top). This item is so amazing! You can wear it alone to change your style or your hair color, to cover up thinning hair, or to make you hair thicker and fuller. Not only that but it also acts as an extension set for the top of your hair. It can be worn with one of our clip in extension sets and helps to blend the top of the hair into the extensions so a person with the shortest hair cut can change their whole look without the discomfort of a full wig. The head cap can also be pulled back into a pony tail. To add even more pizazz you could pull it back with one of our transforming pony tails and wear it in a bun, a twist, a braid or whatever else you can imagine. Designs may be added for even more WOW right onto the top of the cap and no one will ever know it's not some incredibly expensive treatment you got at a salon that you must pay hundreds a month to maintain. All in all the Houdini head cap is one of the most amzingly versatile hair systems you will ever own. The only other would have to be the transforming pony tail- which I will discuss another time. Houdini head caps start at $215 and can go up to $260 depending upon the treatments, if any, you choose to add.

Houdini design pelts (shown right) are 4" across by up to 18" long pelts of human

 hair with awesome designs dyed in. We carry design pelt originals which must be worn under the hair which is then clipped back to reveal your design. Houdini design pelts are different because they can be worn directly on top of the head for all to see clearly. These pelts are a bit more expensive than their original counterparts due to the labor of their construction. You will find them starting at $75 and going up to $90.

Houdini hair streaks are also quit amazing. They are streaks made of human hair which can be worn on the top of the head. Buy them in many different colors and change them everyday. No one will ever know you arem't making constant trips to your local beauty supply for more bleach and dye. These come  1 for $39.99 , 2 for 59.99 or 4 for $79.99.

These are just three of the amazing customizable hair systems designed for the client and  hand made by me. Many of my clients have found that they are all worth the money- now it's your turn!  I will see you all next wk... or possibly sooner. Thank you all for reading and don't forget-  followers receive 10% off through May 1st 2009!

-JP

Starting a Blog

Artist of the week

                                                                     Nathalie Brault

Hello and thank you to all who have so far chosen to follow my blog. There were many feelings involved in starting this blog. There were many questions I needed to ask myself. Once I got through the first one I realized that there are quite possibly many of you out there who are unsure about how or why to start a blog. It is for this reason I thought it fitting to interview another artist/blogger about their first blog. 

Nathalie, who I will be featuring this time around, is a very talented artist of many different mediums who loves to blog about her craft. She is fairly busy with her work and her life in Canada but I was able to catch up to her this week. I took the opportunity to ask this French bi-linguist some questions about her feelings on writing her first blog. 

Q: What is the name of your blog?

A: Nathaliebrault

Q: When did you start your blog?

A: About three years ago

Q: Why did you start your blog?

A: A friend suggested it to me and mentioned that it would be good for my soul and for me as a person and that I would get to meet great people and she was right.

Q: What was your first topic?

A: " Hello and welcome to my blog" I believe

Q: Was your first topic hard to think of?

A: Well I had no idea what blogging was about, and I m french, I started with picture of my creations and of what I was selling in boutiques under consignment. I was only writing in french and then as time went on I went to see other fellow bloggers and started to write in both English and french to eventually give up french as I didn't have time any more to do that. I know I lost my french friends when I did that.

Q: How often do you post your blog?

A: I usually post every other day but this years was a hard one as I battle with chronic depression every winter and find it hard to post regularly. That is the reason I started to blog at first. Nobody said it would be easy.

Q: How do you promote your blog?

A: I just put myself out there by commenting relevantly on other blogs and going to regular blogs of mine.

Q: What is the best advice you could offer the newbie blogger?

A: Be true to yourself and always keep it short- have great picture too. People want to see great pictures. 

Q: If you could pick one post of yours to best represent you and your craft, what would it be?

A: http://nathaliebrault.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-shop.html

Nathalie works making very unique items in a very admirable way. She takes old things and recycles them into new things. Old jewelry, clothing and other items are all tactfully designed into fashionable, functional new items by this talented artist. Just like most of us, Nathalie has several shops she sells her art in. One of which is an Etsy shop I have asked 

her some questions about.

Q: What is the name of your Etsy shop?

A: I have two- Recupefashion and Recupefashionstuff

Q: What made you pick those names?

A: Recupe for recuperation and fashion, well the word speaks for itself.

Q: What is your favorite item to sell and why?

A: Tea wallets (shown above in green), They are my favorite to make and they are so sweet to have. I personally own 5 of them. One for each bag. Also my bath trio because you gt to try out all the items for a low price.

Q: What is your favorite medium?

A: Fabric, cotton yarn, beads, paper and anything that I can turn into something else.

Nathalie's work can be found in her  Etsy shops www.recupefashion.etsy.com and www.recupefashionstuff.etsy.com. I urge you all to have a look at her fine work and to follow her blog- www.nathaliebrault.blogspot.com. 

Thank you to Nathalie for being so gracious and patient with my questions and thank you to all those who have joined us for this weeks issue of JP Jewels~it!. Next week I will be covering the ongoing controversy surrounding the safety of polymer clay in gauged ear jewelry. 

-JP

Welcome

Hello,

I am JP, Owner of JP jewels~it! and www.JPJewelsit.com. I am happy to present to the world my very first blog. I have always had an artistic sense of style and I have been working long and hard to share that sense of style with the rest of the world. I design many forms of wearable art which I then craft into 

reality with my own two hands- nothing is more rewarding to me. Among these items are hair piece

s such as my very own, never before seen Flip'N'Clip transforming pony tail, hair designs,Candied hair, streamers, and my newest line of hair products called Houdini hair systems- all of which you won't find anywhere else. I also work to provide great looking and affordable hair loss solutions for clients with hair loss and victims 

of Cancer. 

My other line of work is Jewelry making. I am a professional metal smith and though silver is my favorite material to work with, I also provide bronze, gold and even polymer or acrylic. I offer all of these mediums so that fellow people of every budget may have a chance to purchase something nice for a loved one or themselves.

All in all my main theme is customization. The idea of customizing your look- trademarking yourself if you will, is so intriguing to me that 

I have made it my life's work to literally customize people. From your hair, to y

our nails, your neck pieces, bracelets, rings, gauges and even your clothing... My company can help customize it all to match! For a birthday, anniversary, wedding, party, or just because - More and more people rely on me to customize their look. 

I am so excited about the invent of this blog! Within it, I hope to be able to give the public a better understanding of what it is I can do for them. I will be, at times featuring other artisans that I admire, perhaps other bloggers. I hope also to share a few projects for fellow artists to try and to spread my creative gift to those who would accept it.  

That is the business for the moment. Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions or to subscribe and thank you for visiting my blog. Here's to many more posts and zealous followers.

-JP