First Annual Karuna For Animals Art Show & Auction

This is one of my newest piece especially created as a donation for the First Annual Karuna For Animals Art Show & Auction.
All proceeds earned from your generous donations will benefit Karuna For Animals' education and advocacy efforts, as well as help them to reach their goal of opening a local rescue and rehabilitation center for any and all animals in need.

Admission to the event is free. Join them this coming weekend, Sunday, September 23, 2012 from 2:00 - 6:00PM, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington, 109 Browns Road, to celebrate their efforts to expand the circle of compassion.

Find out more on their website where you will find other artists also contributing to this event. You can also find them on Facebook, support and like their page.

Karuna For Animals: Compassion In Action, Inc. is an all volunteer, yoga-based, 501(c)3 non-profit organization, whose members seek to promote compassion (karuna), peace (shanti) and loving-kindness (metta) for animals of all species. It is their mission to raise awareness and funds for the rights of all animals. Through a dedicated practice of the science of yoga, community outreach, humane education, vegan cooking and nutrition education, and monthly fundraisers, they aim to cultivate the change they hope to see in the world.



KARUNA is the sanskrit word meaning COMPASSION.

"Once we experience and feel this inter-dependence of all living beings, we will cease to hurt, humiliate, exploit and kill another. We will want to free all sentient beings from suffering. This is karuna, compassion, which in turn gives rise to the responsibility to create happiness and its causes for all." ~ Suresh Jindal


Photo credit Karuna For Animals

Jewelry Joy: I Was Interviewed!

Some of Corrinne's creations.
 
The lovely Corrinne from Pin and Tack offered to interview me about my handmade jewellery making. She is actually hosting a grand Jewelry Joy week at her blog featuring different artists and their work. Corrinne is such a creative person herself and I am very fond of her handmade cards which remind me so much of the ones I used to make for the family and friends. She does a lot more than cards though!

If you would like to read more about me and how I got into making jewellery, head over to this post at Corrinne’s blog where she also featured my 'How To Make Paper Beads' tutorial. For this Jewelry Joy week, I am also offering a 20% discount on anything in my shop until the 30th May. 

Get the discount code from Corrinne’s post then use it at checkout in my shop.

There are also some other giveaways/discounts happening at her blog at the moment from other artists. So, have a look!

I hope you enjoy! 

How To Make Paper Beads

It's been a while since I posted some crafty things on here. Ever since I got my first batch of paper beads from Paper to Pearls™, I have been fascinated by them; they look so gorgeous that you wouldn't think they are made of paper. The batch I got have a nice selection of beads from which I've made a lot of nice jewellery, earrings being my favourite.



However, I kind of wanted to make some of my own. Not that I will stop buying from Paper to Pearls and support them, but I have a lot of paper, junk mail leaflets, old magazines, left-over gift wrap paper etc around the house that could benefit from a little upcycling and turned into great looking and eco-friendly jewellery.

So, here's how I make them myself - a little project that might keep you busy if you are after some crafty thing to do.


How to make Paper Beads

You will need:

• Colourful pages from old magazines, calendars, gift wrap paper or any colourful paper. You will lose the designs on the paper as you roll them into beads, so just try out different papers to see the effects you get. But remember the thicker the paper the fatter the bead!
• Scissors
• Pencil or pen
• Ruler (preferably a long one)
• Toothpick (or needle)
• Liquid glue (paper or all-purpose craft glue will do)
• Resin or Clear varnish - most clear varnishes from local store will do or nail varnish.
• Any other jewellery items like wires, threads to make the beads into jewellery.

First lay your paper flat. Measure 1cm intervals on one side. On the other side start with 0.5cm then 1cm intervals from it. Score the paper. Depending on the size you want your bead to be you can increase / decrease the width.



You can experiment with different shapes of paper cutting; this will result in beads of different shapes.



Cut along the lines.




For the next steps:

1. Take your toothpick and starting at the thickest end of the strip.
2. Start rolling it tightly around the toothpick. Using your nails to catch it in at first.
3. Ensure to keep the paper central.
4. Apply a dab of glue at the end.
5. Roll the last bit and press down on it for a few seconds to hold the bead in place.
6. The finished bead.

The finished beads.



If you are making a small batch, you can leave them on a toothpick each (this is what I tend to do). Some people thread the beads on plastic wire or fishing string. Whichever you choose, make sure the string is thick enough for a snug fit and the varnish cannot seep in to block the holes.

If using resin, prepare according to package instructions. I use a 2 part epoxy resin.



Start varnishing. I use a brush and give them at least 2 coats of resin / varnish. Leave to dry for 2-3 days, and your beads are ready to use!



You can use some firm foam or anything you can hold the toothpicks on. The only thing I had on hand was a potato!



Make into jewellery: earrings, pendants, necklaces... You can add other beads and charms, hooks and wires; I leave it to you imagination. I hope you've liked this tutorial.



But then again, if you already have enough to do and would rather just buy some, you may want to have a look at some paper bead jewellery in my shop.







By the way, if you are looking for more awesome craft projects with paper, check out this book: Paper Made!: 101 Exceptional Projects to Make Out of Everyday Paper:



For more handmade jewellery visit the Bijouxlovlie store.

Drum Beats for the Giveaway Winner, "I ♥ Trees" Pendant!

Drum beats as I announce the winner who was picked by the random number generator:



Number 6 is Jenn!

Congratulations Jenn! You'll be receiving an email shortly so I can get your details.

Thank you everyone for participating. Those who didn't win this time, stay tuned, I have plans for other giveaways soon.

Coming up soon are the photos I took from the Vegan Bake Sale. If you are following me on Facebook or Twitter, you'd know I've been busy baking. I made Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Coconut. It was a hit and the cake disappeared in no time! There were loads of other goodies too brought in by other fellow vegan bakers.

**Closed** A Giveaway: I ♥ Trees Pendant

It's been a while since I hosted a giveaway. Well, here it is! This one is a thank you for all the new Facebook fans I've been getting recently. It's really awesome and I have to say a special thank you to My Attitude - My Life - My Rules for sending them my way.

So what am I giving away?

This "I ♥ Trees Pendant" (a unique piece, handmade by me) to one lucky winner. The rules are simple. Just visit Bijouxlovlie on Etsy and tell me what's your favourite piece of jewellery in the shop. Leave your comment on this blog (not on Facebook). I can only count entries in just one place to keep it more organised.
Please only leave one comment.
Entries close Friday 27th April 2012, 11:59PM GMT

**Update: Entries are now closed. A winner will be announced soon.**



The winner will be chosen with a random number generator.

Important: Be sure to leave me an email or link on which I can contact you in case you are the winner.

To make sure you don't miss out on updates (and sometimes posts on Facebook only), please like Veganlovlie on Facebook. You can also follow me on Twitter @Veganlovlie.

By the way, the pendant will come nicely gift wrapped, just if you wanted to give this away in turn to someone else.



I hope you like this one. Good luck everyone!

Some New Jewellery Designs: Ethereal Plant Beings Pendants

It's been a while since I talked a bit about what I've been up to with my handmade jewellery making. I try to fit in some jewellery making into my schedule, as I find it very relaxing and I haven't stopped enjoying it ever since I started. I've recently explored more with air-dry clay and stamped style jewellery. These are some new pieces I've made, Ethereal Plant Beings Pendants:





These imprints are actually drawings, made by Boyfriendlovlie, that I've nicked used.
Here are his original drawings:









These are entitled 'Observing the Observer' © 2012 Kevin Mangaroo.
They are also available as t-shirts...
Boyfriendlovlie has been drawing all his life, from monsters to cute characters, environment and landscapes, comic book and concept art. With illustration and graphic arts as his specialization, he has worked in various fields. He particularly enjoyed his last job as a Concept Artist at Realtimeworlds UK which was a game production studio.

A few samples of his work here:









See more of his other works.
If you would like to say hello to him, don't be shy, or if you have any need for illustrations / drawings / some digital paintings, just email him. He'd be delighted. :)


For my part, I've sent these drawings to be made into stamps that I then applied on the clay. The indentation are then enhanced with acrylic paint, after which I coat the pendant with a layer of eco-friendly resin to protect the paint and increase durability.
I really like how they've turned out.

Here's another one I've made inspired from nature. 'I Heart Trees Pendant'. This one is my own drawing made into a stamp.





How do you like them?

Pendants are available in my Etsy store. They all come in a handmade linen bag and kraft paper pillow box, ready for gifting.

Vegan Copper Jewellery

Really love those vegan copper jewellery by Susmitha. I particular love the 'Vegan for Life' one. It would be the perfect Valentine gift for a vegan girl! Find more in her shop. Also check out her Veganosaurus blog with loads of yummy food!

Vegan Dish - Functional Pottery for Vegans

Some nice vegan stamped dish by Jeannette Zeis. Have a look.

Re-organising Veganlovlie Blog

If you haven't already noticed, I have made some changes on the Veganlovlie blog. Initially, when I started my handmade jewellery project, I started to write a separate blog which would be a collections of things I like, crafts and my adventures in jewellery making. However, after a while, I found that I wanted to sometimes share similar things on Veganlovlie. So I've decided to merge the two blogs and have everything in just one place.

You can navigate through the different sections by using the tabs above where I've classified related posts. Additional tabs are Handmade Jewellery, Crafts and Newsletter (which, if you join the mailing list, is a low frequency email that I send out for updates, promotions, giveaways etc).

Those of you subscribing by email or in a reader would probably have had a surge of new posts being delivered. This happened when I did the merge. Sorry about the slight stir; I hope you will enjoy the new content though.

That said, I have loads of plans and ideas coming up for the new year and I'm very much looking forward to them. I hope you keep enjoying your read at Veganlovlie. And don't forget to like Veganlovlie's or Bijouxlovlie's Facebook page for updates and news. If you've ever made one of my recipes and want to share a photo, I would very much like to hear from you; please share on Veganlovlie's Facebook.


Now then, is it time for tea yet? Of course, it's always tea time for me!
Here's a nice Rooibos blend (no. 25 Rouge) that I bought at Le Palais des Thés in Wicklow Street in Dublin.



It's a tasty Christmassy blend of South African Rooibos, scented with citrus fruit, rose, almond and spices: vanilla, cinnamon. Really nice for celebrating the festive season!



If you are new to Rooibos tea, you should definitely try it if you can get it where you are. It's naturally caffeine free and packed with antioxidants. It grows in South Africa and is also known as redbush tea. Rooibos is purported to assist with nervous tension, allergies and digestive problems.



You can purchase this particular blend online here.

This is my own review of this tea. I have not been contacted by Le Palais des Thés to blog about their teas. I am just sharing my love for their teas!!!

Because kindness keeps the world afloat

Life Vest Inside
Their mission:
"By creating an exciting and accessible kindness experience, we will become more aware of the opportunities that surround us and recognize our potential to change the world, simply by changing ourselves."

Is it possible for us to thrive?

I recently watched the Thrive movie which I wanted to share with you as it gives a clear picture on energy, how the world economy is managed and where our world is heading to. Visit the ThriveMovement website for more info and to rent/buy the movie. It is well worth your time.

It is crucial to know where our money is going - an important stepping stone for change.

New items in store

These are a few pieces I have been working on. Find them in the Reminisce Mauritius section of the shop. I hope you like them!



Plumeria and Blue Leaves
Hibiscus and Leaves
Plumeria and Autumn Leaves
Plumeria and Lilac Leaves

A Friend's Birthday and Visiting Howth...

Today is one of my friends birthday. But as I wasn't going to see her during the week, we met on Saturday for a little trip to Howth which is a small cosy fishing village north of Dublin city.

I made her a little handmade jewellery gift which I think she liked and some cupcakes!





The cupcakes was a good excuse to make some for me as well. They are vegan and the recipe is coming soon here.



Happy Birthday!



Our day trip in Howth was a really refreshing one. Howth is actually close to where I live but I had never been around the area before. It is more than a fishing village actually. There's a nice mix of picturesque residential development and a breathtaking serene hillside.

We spent our time leisurely, walking around the cliffs and up the hill. We were lucky to be blessed by great calm weather on that day, Ireland being windy and rainy for most of the year!





















At the end of the day, we came back to the village centre for an early dinner or late lunch.



Howth is definitely a place to go back and visit anytime. There is still a lot more to see in this little village.