Yummm…  I’ve been craving Mochi/Daifuku for a bit & while it could have been easy to go over to the nearest Japanese market & buy some premade, I decided to make some from scratch!  I did adjust the sweetness (I used a lot less sugar than the recipes called for) & I also halved the mochi recipe.  Anyway, I’m very happy with how they turned out & thought they would be a lot harder to make!  These are great with some freshly brewed green tea!

http://www.recipezaar.com/Simple-Mochi-146183

http://japanesefood.about.com/od/japanesedessertsweet/r/anko.htm

I know I’ve tweeted it and have put it on my Facebook, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to put this here too.  I can’t begin to imagine the devastation that has stricken Haiti & its people.  I made a donation to Doctors without Borders this morning & hope that anyone that can help in any way will.  It’s always amazing to see how the world seems to come together in times like these.

I will have the people of Haiti & everyone who is taking part in the relief efforts there in my thoughts.

The following link has a list of charities you can choose from.

http://www.networkforgood.org/

Thank you so much,

Misa

A few years back there was a HUGE flurry of Japanese/Asian style bead weaving.  I had so much fun with it, but put it down & hadn’t really made anything for quite some time.  These are the first of this style that I’ve added to Etsy & I hope you like them!  They are made with Genuine Swarovski Crystal & Japanese glass seed beads.  I also use sterling silver components in these necklaces.  If you don’t see a color or color combination you like, let me know what you are interested in & I will work with you.

I might do an instruction guide on how to make the round one if there’s interest!  Just let me know!

Otherwise, I’ve been totally addicted to the FS game (featured seller) on etsy chat.  It is a lot of fun, I get to explore people’s shops & then on occasion get to promote my own.  I’ve been meeting some fun people selling jewelry here & there as well as selling a lot of my excess beads (which is great).

Finally, I am happy to say that I’ve been getting great feedback for my sales am going to just share a few excerpts!

Misa, the packaging alone is worth the money in a purchase from you. Thank you for the greatrings, but also thank you for the pocketbook “wrapping,” the sweet tag and the card with your information. It was one gift after another!

I appreciate the effort that went into making a very simple package into something delightful! Thanks again

Thank you for your prompt shipping! I loved my free gifts! You put a lot of time into your packages! They are always fun to open! Thanks again! –April

The tags are adorable!!! I love the size and the decoration on them – they’ll be perfect for my packages!! Beautiful work and great quality. I highly recommend this seller to everyone!

Came very quickly, packaged BEAUTIFULLY!! Also came with a lovely matching keyring. My mom will LOVE this – thanks so much!

Thank you so much for stopping buy & I hope you have some time to check out my shop.  You’ll notice I have a Valentine’s Day Theme going on.

Until Next Time!

xoxo,
Misa

I have always loved paper, and what girl doesn’t love things that are “mini”?  As a little girl, I remember spending lunches & recesses in the library making tiny origami cranes.  I would challenge myself to create one using the smallest possible square of paper I could.  Creating these little thank you tags has brought  me back to that time.

Let me know if you have a certain theme you’re interested in, or certain colors & I can see if I can do a custom tag for you.

I think these tags are just great & are perfect for gifts, party favors, baby shower or bridal shower favors, and for goodie bags!

I have sold several sets of these thank you tags & look forward to creating more!  I am on the hunt for cute punches & stamps as well as embellishments.  The people at the craft stores near me will probably soon recognize my face (if they don’t already).

I am looking forward to incorporating beads into some future projects also.  I want to create some mini cards & other assorted paper goods as well.  I would love to hear what you think!

Thanks for reading & Happy Beading & creating to all!

Until Next Time,

XOXO,

Misa

Hey Everyone!

Just in time for the holidays!  I am offering FREE SHIPPING in the USA on ALL orders of only $20 or more!  I recently added several new jewelry items along with great deals on items I’m cleaning out of my bead stash!

I got the most amazing feedback from my very first customer and I just had to share!  She bought my “Autumn Leaves” earrings!  Here’s what she said:

“I was pleasantly surprised and shocked by your attention to detail. Your packaging is absolutely exquisite perfect for use as a stocking stuffer! Being your first sale has been a privilege. I feel so special. Keep up the good work and you will be amongst Etsy’s elite sellers in no time flat. Buy with confidence…fast shipping and the earrings are as beautiful as they do in your listing’s picture. Thank you!”

Don’t forget that all Jewelry items will come packaged in a fun gift box!  Perfect for little stocking stuffers!

Here’s to having a happy & stress free holiday season!  Hope you’re all well!

xoxo,

Misa

Especially For Black Friday Weekend!  Buy One Get One 50% off!  (Item must be equal or lesser value)

I’ve also added a new section.  So Far I have some earrings & a necklace for your special day!  Be sure to check it out

http://www.misa.etsy.com

Until Next Time,
Misa

Jewelry By Misa Yamasaki
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Just thought this was a cool little tool

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Sell Handmade

Last night I was obsessed with making some wire bracelets.  I have tons of pearls that I haven’t used.  I recently bought some copper wire & decided to create this bracelet as well as some fun earrings.  I haven’t had a chance to post them on my Etsy site yet, but if you’re interested feel free to send me a message!

Talk Soon!

xoxo,
Misa

My mother & I always have such a great time when we go shopping together.  We rarely buy, but we have so much fun looking.  This Thursday we ended up at the Stanford Shopping Center in  Palo Alto.  I hadn’t been there in years.  I’m so glad we went.

We started off wandering the Jewelry areas of Nordstrom & it was so much fun to peek at what is in style right now.  It’s also interesting to see that several things I’ve designed in the past are very similar to what they are selling right now.  Another thing I always look at when I shop jewelry is technique.  I know it’s petty, but considering what department stores charge for their jewelry I think it matters.

One of my favorite things to do is wire wrap & although I know my technique isn’t “perfect” BUT, when I see earrings marked at $80 & more & the loops are ovals or p shaped, it really bothers me LoL.  Is that crazy?  I am curious about how many beaders & jewelry designers go out & critique jewelry when they shop.

Anyway, aside from critiquing, I am always inspired by their selection of Swarovski Crystal & Semi Precious Jewelry.  They tend to carry things that are very unique.  I find that it’s a great place to go when I’m in need of inspiration.

The other department store we went to was Neiman Marcus.  Most of their items are of course much higher end.  It’s funny, but when we were there, I was thinking it was almost like being in a museum in some areas, so many of their merchandise is behind or under glass LoL.  I was inspired by some of the pieces I saw there also.  A lot of gorgeous one of a kind pieces with beautiful detailing.  I didn’t see any p, or oval shaped loops here ha ha!

So, as far as designing & creating, if ever one hits a dry spell, I say GO SHOPPING!  Window shopping LoL.  Even if it’s a teeny bopper accessory store, they carry what’s “in style”.  This is something that I’ve got to work on.  It can be challenging because I want to be relevant to what’s in fashion yet at the same time, I want to make what I like LoL.  I have to find a good middle ground .

Anyway,

Thanks for joining me!

xoxo,

Misa

p.s.  I’m thinking of doing little tutorials on some basic techniques on here.  If I get some comments or requests for them, I’ll definitely start getting to work on that

It’s 1:22am.  I’m sitting in a booth at Denny’s playing “superpoke pets” & now blogging.  I know, I’m pretty crazy, I’m also pretty tired.  I haven’t been getting enough sleep lately.  I’m obsessed with Twitter & my online shop.  I have learned a lot about different things to get my shop up.  I’ve really started playing with editing photos & stuff, & am happy to say I was able to make my banner on my own LoL.  It’s simple, but I’m happy with how it turned out.

I’m really excited about getting my jewelry seen.  I don’t care so much about making a profit, but it would be nice to be able to break even LoL.

I promised myself I wouldn’t buy beads until I made some sales & happily I was able to sell several items at the Craft Faire at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose.  I haven’t gotten anything yet, but I will be spending some time in a bead shop tomorrow!  Eeek, it’s UFO night at 3 Beads & A Button & to top it off, they’re having a Murano Glass Trunk show!  The temptation might just be too much for me.  I still have Murano glass that I purchased at the last show & the show prior in a ziplock baggie in one of my bead bins.  That alone should be enough to prevent me from buying more, but we’ll see how strong my will is when they’re in my line of sight.

Until Next Time!

xoxo,
Misa