a jillion pieces

Mililani High School ABC Craft Fair

2011-11-18T11:17:00.001-10:00

It's tomorrow! Come check us out. I have been packaging and crafting and crafting and packaging. Did I mention crafting...and packaging? It's been a joy. ^_~

A Pain in the Neck, Literally (Not Figuratively)!

2011-10-19T09:38:00.000-10:00

I have turned into a one-person factory for the past two to three weeks (perhaps more but I lost count), trying to make a decent amount of products for this Fall and Winter Season. It has been a joy to start creating again, and it has been exciting unveiling new designs as well as a higher quality product. It's hard to stop once you get started!

Being hunched over for hours, forming the clay by hand and squinting to see every little detail has taken its toll. As the days and weeks have gone by, my neck and shoulders have ached like crazy. Creating has turned into a pain in the neck! I never thought I'd ever say that, but you should know that I mean it literally and not figuratively (hahaha). I will always love creating and no minor (or even major) neck discomfort will prevent me from continuing on. I will always love doing what I do. ♥

;o)

New Glue-less Construction

2011-10-11T14:44:00.001-10:00

What makes us better is that we are constantly striving to be better! Our old construction involved using resin to connect our beads to the posts. Now our beads and the posts are connected as one piece, with no need for glues to finish the job. Even though it is a more difficult and time-consuming process, we do it to make a better product for you, so you can enjoy your pieces for a long, long time!

In Production

2011-02-13T12:17:00.002-10:00

Working on some new style ice cream cone studs. Here is a preview:

What's new about it?

♥ New cone style
♥ New swirly ice cream top
♥ New larger size

Look for them in the upcoming week! If you're interested in pre-ordering please let me know. ^^

Packaging

2011-01-27T13:37:00.005-10:00

I've been enjoying packaging some of my recent creations today. Been spending weeks restocking our collection of sterling silver post earrings. Many find this kind of work boring and unfulfilling but I find it fun!

Hope you like the new items, as well as the "classics." Don't worry, I'm not done creating yet. It just takes a lot of time to get everything done. (^_^;)

Sterling Silver Stud Earrings only $5 - $8 dollars! Plus hurry, January has a free shipping offer. Spend $25 or more and get free shipping (International customers spend $35 or more and get free shipping too).

Honolulu Gift Fair 2010

2010-12-12T20:47:00.004-10:00

Our website, ajillionpieces.com, will be closed this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. All orders placed prior to these dates will be shipped. We will be selling our products at the Honolulu Gift Fair at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall and would like to invite you to come see our products in person.

12/17 FRI 5pm - 9pm
12/18 SAT 10am - 9pm
12/19 SUN 10am - 5pm

Alert on Stolen Images.

2010-12-06T19:21:00.010-10:00

Any Etsy seller or seller online is in danger of having their images stolen. I found some of mine on Alibaba last night, on a "manufacturer's" website. I type "manufacturer" in quotation marks because I'm not sure if they really are manufacturing these items. The company is called Fanhua Jewelry Factory.

I requested to have about five of my images removed. They complied. Strangely, they removed the entire product page, which leads me to believe that they never had the products to sell in the first place, but maybe added images just to have in their catalog? Or possibly to pretend that have the item, then a customer makes a bulk order, then never receives the items while Fanhua walks away with their money.

I was relieved when they removed the images, but I came across a couple more. They took a while to remove this one [image above]. My question is if they are carrying products that are rip-offs of mine, then why not take pictures of their own version. Why mine? It is also laughable how they take credit for designing these products (read underlined part) and their long creative process, which really is false especially since it is my item.

I hope nobody comes across these problems, but I will be patrolling this website more often checking if other sellers have stolen my images. Here is an easy way to find out if your images are being stolen: Go to google.com, type "alibaba" then type any key words for items you may sell, then click images. I typed in "cupcake charm" or something like that. Basically all the images I found were stolen by this one seller.

Fall Fest

2010-10-19T13:15:00.005-10:00

We will be at Kapolei Middle School's Fall Festival on:

Friday, October 22, 2010
2:00pm to 8:30pm

See you there!

View Larger Map

Dear Friends,

2010-08-02T12:45:00.004-10:00

Just wanted to post an invitation to join us on Facebook. :)

It is a fun and friendly space and everyone is welcome.

♥ Play our guessing games
♥ Post pictures
♥ Receive exclusive discount codes
♥ Post discussions and comments
♥ See the newest items in our shop first

Hope to see you there!

Extending June Coupon to July!

2010-06-28T15:05:00.003-10:00

Just wanted to spread the summer break love to everyone! We are extending the expiration date for the coupon code to the end of July. Yay for discounts!

~♪~♪~♪~♪~♪~♪~♪~♪~♪~♪~

Facebook Friends ~

Receive 10% off your order by using the discount code found on our Facebook page. Just click on the "Shop Promos" tab to get the code.

_{*Does not include custom work, made to order items, or gift certificates. One promo allowed per order.}

Receive 10% Off Your Order for the Month of June

2010-06-07T08:33:00.002-10:00

Facebook Friends ~

Receive 10% off your order by using the discount code found on our Facebook page. Just click on the "Shop Promos" tab to get the code.

_{*Does not include custom work, made to order items, or gift certificates. One promo allowed per order.}

Clip Earrings Option - Now Free

2010-04-07T15:24:00.007-10:00

Now available: ajillionpieces.com is now offering to change pierced earring hooks (for dangle earrings only) to clips as a free option. The clips are sturdy silver-plated brass, and have adjustable screwbacks, so you have control over the tension of the hold. They are sized for adult earlobes.

Just go to the earring product page, and scroll down, click on "Change to Silver-Plated Clips" and add it to your shopping cart. You won't be charged any additional fee.

Website Maintenance Completed

2010-04-05T17:14:00.003-10:00

Thank you for your patience. The website is now updated, and is sporting a slightly new look. The goal was to make a website a little easier on the eyes with a cleaner, larger layout.

Check it out at: ajillionpieces.com and tell us what you think! =)

Unscheduled Website Maintenance

2010-04-03T10:15:00.002-10:00

Announcement:

ajillionpieces.com will be forwarded to etsy.com/shop/ajillionpieces until further notice, due to unscheduled website maintenance. We will update you when we will be back online.

The links to the product pages will not work in the meantime, so we'll be happy to answer any questions you may have about the products. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you for your patience.

Custom Orders

2010-03-07T13:07:00.002-10:00

Thank you to all who placed custom orders this last period! Custom orders are once again, temporarily closed in order to prepare for upcoming craft fairs.

Time is flying! While there are new items ready to be placed in the shop, we have not been able to photograph them just yet. So we will work hard to get some of them up before the end of this week! We'll give you a heads-up on Facebook. Thank you for your patience.

♥,
Jill

Our Kawaii Earrings Giveaway Winner!

2010-02-28T08:02:00.005-10:00

Congratulations to Amita, our February drawing winner. Hope you love the earrings!

How our winner was chosen: All blog entries were numbered in the order of posting, then 2 entries were numbered for each Facebook posting in the order of posting after. We used a true random number generator from Random.org to select the winning number.

1. Jennifer N.
2. Brittany J.
3. Hillary A.
4. Jamie
5. Almost Precious
6. Carapace
7. Jennifer N.
8. Jennifer N.
9. Brittany J.
10. Brittany J.
11. Amita S.

12. Amita S.

Thank you to all who participated! We will have another drawing again in the future, so stay tuned!

Craft Fair Preparation

2010-02-22T10:40:00.003-10:00

Being that the Mililani High School Craft Fair is coming up in about 5 weeks, I have started my crafting schedule in preparation for it.

As far as the products go, a few familiar favorites will be there, as well as a few favorites in other forms. What does that mean? Well, I have had numerous requests to have my necklace or earring designs available in the form of cell phone charms, so I'll be doing that this craft fair. The people have spoken so I plan to deliver! I'll also be premiering new designs at the craft fair, and I'll be unveiling some new products that will be exclusively available online at ajillionpieces.com within the next few weeks.

If you're planning on attending the craft fair, comment on what you'd like to see there. I might be able to make it in time. I'll be busy crafting away and coming up with new designs in the meantime.

♥,
Jill

Participation in Mililani High School Craft Fair - Confirmed!

2010-02-21T11:39:00.007-10:00

After a busy holiday season, we are happy to announce our participation in our first spring season craft fair. We chose to participate in the Mililani High School Craft Fair, which is organized by the MHS Athletic Boosters Club.

The event will be held on Saturday, March 20, from 9am to 2pm. We will be located inside the Gymnasium, and we are pleased to be located near the right entrance to the gymnasium (after entering the main front entrance) so we hope you will be able to find us easily!

If you are planning to attend, let us know what kinds of products you'd like to see there. We might be able to make them. Hope to see you there!

View Larger Map

Happy New Year

2010-01-17T14:09:00.009-10:00

ajillionpieces.com is celebrating 2010 by offering 10% off any purchase totaling $10 or more. Grab your coupon code today by going to our Facebook page. This promo started on January 6, but the last day to use this code is January 20, so there is still time!

Holiday Wishes and Other Announcements

2009-12-25T06:57:00.001-10:00

Today is Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season to you and yours.

Just a quick heads up on a few things:

Get your orders in before 2010, as there will be site maintenance at the beginning of the new year.

We will begin taking custom requests in January. Custom requests are requests to make something out of stock, in a different color, or in a different type (e.g. make a cell charm design into a sterling silver necklace, or make what's normally an earring into a charm, etc.)

A new Facebook coupon will be set up on our fan page for the month of January, so check that one out!

Have a safe holiday season full of joy and laughter!

♥,
Jill

And the winner of the $10 e-gift certificate is...

2009-11-29T13:07:00.003-10:00

Thanks to all who participated in our first giveaway! It was a lot of fun! Let's have another one again soon. =)

Win a $10 E-Gift Certificate for ajillionpieces.com!

2009-11-08T13:14:00.007-10:00

Yes it is true! I finally opened my own website and as my first giveaway, I am giving away a $10 gift certificate to shop at ajillionpieces.com.

To participate, please join the A Jillion Pieces fan page on Facebook. You must enter via Facebook so I can monitor your entry or entries, and contact you if you win.

Here is how to enter:

I will ask a question pertaining to ajillionpieces.com. To enter, you must comment on my post (A Jillion Pieces fan page), answering the question on Facebook.

Optional:

If you have purchased from me before, you can receive an additional entry by posting a testimonial on my website here: Feedback. If you posted feedback, please post the name you left feedback under on the wall of the fan page, so I know you are making an additional entry to the giveaway.

A drawing will take place on Sunday, November 29 to announce the winner. Please read the rules and disclaimers below, and if you have any questions, please leave a comment below. Thank you and good luck!

Rules and Disclaimers:

All people are welcome to participate, as long as I am able to ship to your area. Please check.

Participants not following the directions will not receive an entry.

One entry per person, unless you leave feedback, in which you will receive another entry.

Questionable feedback will not receive one additional entry. Some examples include:
- Repeated feedback (like multiple similar entries, or feedback copied from a prior entry.)
- Vague feedback with minimal wordage (like "Cute!" or "The Best", or "I love it.")
- Mean-spirited feedback (unwarranted negative feedback.)
The gift certificate is only redeemable on ajillionpieces.com and is non-transferable.

About A Jillion Pieces

2009-07-07T00:52:00.011-10:00

About AJP:
A Jillion Pieces is a small craft retail business founded on October 1, 2007, by Jill S. A Jillion Pieces is located on the island of Oahu in the state of Hawaii.

I specialize in creating jewelry and accessories with a medium called polymer clay. Every polymer clay bead or charm is hand sculpted with my own two hands, so each item is unique and treated with special care.

My Style:
My style is influenced by simple drawings like those seen in cartoons, coloring books, or doodles, where the lines are simple and bold, yet you know exactly what is represented in the rendition. This style makes the proportions very appealing to the eye and is exclusively created by my two little hands. It is a very clean style that translates well into very wearable accessories. I'm also inspired by unique Japanese street fashion, particularly the "Sweet Lolita" style. I usually have that image of beautiful dresses in mind when creating cameo necklaces.

My Wonderful Customers:
Who wears A Jillion Pieces? It takes a special person to wear these pieces, and my customers have proven they are just that special. I have sold items to bakers, pastry chefs, school teachers, moms, cute-aficionados, cupcake-lovers, dessert-lovers and many, many more! I created these products for teens and adults who enjoy adding a little cuteness and fun to their wardrobe. Kids have all the fun. Now it's our turn! ♥

It's that time again...

2009-06-30T23:47:00.017-10:00

...Tax time! ( '-_-)

*Sigh* I can almost hear the collective groan of every tax-paying citizen. Well, in any case, I'm definitely groaning enough for everyone. :P

June is over and now I must pay my taxes to the state. SO, while I am currently on a schedule to run my operation more smoothly, these periodic monkey wrenches are going to put further delays on the production of new products. It will also put off my being able to take custom orders. All together now: "Boooo!"

I know I've been saying it a lot lately, but thank you for your patience. Hopefully it'll take less time than I'm anticipating. =)

On a more positive note, I get to visit my parents tomorrow. My boyfriend and I miss them so we will be dropping by to spend some quality time together.

Another good thing is that I finally listed the stock of earrings I've been hoarding for quite some time. They are all sterling silver studs (and backings) with my handmade polymer clay pieces. Click the picture to get there. Some are on clearance to make room for some new stock. Sale items are up to 50% off so buy now!

Happy shopping!

♥,

Jill

"Mini Sweeties" Treasury

2009-06-21T08:24:00.011-10:00

I am so grateful to have one of my pieces included in a treasury called "Mini Sweeties." My little pink creamy doughnut studs are in the second row from the top in the middle. =) You can check out this treasury and the other featured artists by clicking on the image below.

Thank you to the curator of this treasury, Amanda Yu Design on Etsy!

Amanda makes unique feminine jewelry. She has two shops, her second shop is called Exotic Flavour. Exotic Flavor has beautiful jewelry woven with colorful cords. I absolutely love the look of her "Mother and child Sakura in blue necklace."

Also check out her blog Amanda Yu Design -- Stockholm Dreamin', and her gallery at Flickr.

Thank you!

"Chocolate Cupcakes" Treasury

2009-06-19T15:20:00.005-10:00

Thank you to cupcaketree for including my cupcake ring (top left corner) in her delicious treasury just created today! If you love chocolate cupcakes please check out the other talented artists featured there. Click the image below to go to the treasury page. The treasury is only available for the next three days. Hopefully we can get enough clicks and views to get on the front page! XD

Cupcake Tree hand carves rubber stamps! Really cute and unique stamps. Check out her blog Cupcake Tree Designs and shop Cupcake Tree on Etsy.

Thanks for reading!

♥,

Jill

Happy Music

2009-06-17T09:00:00.006-10:00

Like most people, I am susceptible to the negativity in the world. All this negative energy--bad news, hateful remarks, anger based on stress--can ruin your day by bringing you down. I often listen to music to make me feel better. Usually it's something sad that relates to what I feel inside, and sometimes something totally unrelatable that just makes me feel better just because the music is that good. Of course, it is all a matter of opinion on what is good, but I just mean good for me. :P

Lately I've been on a happy, upbeat, it's gonna be okay music kick. I've been listening to Jimmy Eat World's The Middle. It's like that song was written just for me, and I know there are many others who feel this way too. ^_^

Jimmy Eat World

When I work on my business in the morning (writing e-mails, packing shipments, etc.), I like to listen to upbeat music by Tim Myers. If you watch TV, you will definitely know his music, as most of his music are featured in TV shows and national TV commercials, notably for Target and Saturn. The songs are so catchy and happy. It is definitely fun to sing along!

Tim Myers Music

I did not create these videos, just simply used the embed link on the YouTube page. Just wanted to share the happiness, and hope the lyrics make you smile. :)

♥,

Jill

Currently Playing Catch Up

2009-06-12T09:46:00.010-10:00

I had been blessed with pretty decent success when I first started out. I had (and still have) a lot of support from family and customers (Thank you peeps)! Since then I have taken sporadic breaks, which has led to a continuing decline in interest. The breaks in previous times were to prepare large custom orders, or to prepare for craft fairs during the holiday season, not to mention the move we had during Thanksgiving.

While it seems I have shunned my Etsy customers on custom orders, please do not think that is the case. I am and have been working on things that have been long overdue--things that should have been taken care of when I first started out. At the beginning of this year, I had to implement an accounting system (one better than Excel). In spring I had been working on new products, some of which will make an appearance this summer (stay tuned)! And now I am working to refine my brand and product line. All of these little wrinkles that need ironing out will in the long run make things run smoothly in the future. There are more surprises to come, it is just taking a lot longer than expected. I don't know how others do everything on their own. I am trying my best! I will prevail! And I will deliver! o(^o^)o

♥ Always,

Jill

Tweet, Tweet... Splat!

2009-06-11T18:54:00.012-10:00

Back in about Fall of '08, I created a Twitter account. Unfortunately, I never got the hang of it. The format was hard for me to grasp. The idea was to promote my creations, not myself, so I didn't like having to put what I was doing every moment of the day as Jill and not a jillion pieces. I'm also incredibly shy, even on the internet, so the forwardness you need to @ somebody, especially somebody you don't know, on Twitter was too much for me to bear. I just couldn't take the rejection of somebody ignoring me! Being a pest is not my thing, and I always feel like promoting my products in that format is so "in your face" and obnoxious. I don't want people to have a soured opinion of my shop before they even see what I have to offer.

Recently I tried again, because I am trying my best to participate in the social networking craze. This time, Twitter was even more saturated with users, many of them being bots or abandoned accounts. I would follow certain people, then almost immediately I would get followers back. A dream, right? Not so. When I'd check who was following me, they had usernames composed of random letters, and had profile pics that would make your grandma blush, well, depending on what kind of grandma you have. ;)

I was disappointed with my experience today, I'm sad to say. It turned me off enough to leave the site completely. I'm not saying the site is terrible for everybody, it's just not for me. I'd rather blog and post on my Facebook page and interact with people at craft fairs, and through my shop. :) Maybe I'm closing myself up to opportunities there, but being one person, I have to come to terms that I can't be everywhere at once, and that I do need time to create as well! :)

New Facebook Page Launched

2009-06-03T08:09:00.012-10:00

Being social networkly challenged (or is it network socially challenged?), it has taken me quite some time to get used to my surroundings on various social networking sites. Right now, a jillion pieces has spots on MySpace, Blogger (of course), Twitter, and finally, Facebook.

After using the various networking vehicles, I've developed a great appreciation for Facebook most of all. It has allowed me to reconnect with old friends, and as an added bonus, it's really fun! If you're an avid Facebook user, please add me. :)

I am definitely not perfect at using all of these sites, but I am working on it! I am currently working on how to incorporate Twitter into the mix. If you have any hints or tips, or have a twitter profile and want me to follow, please let me know. I've used it before without much success, so I could probably learn from following you!

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Jill

The New Blog

2009-05-22T11:07:00.019-10:00

Welcome to the new official a jillion pieces web log. This blog will be used to make announcements, including new products, promotions, craft fair appearances, and any updates related to a jillion pieces. I will also be posting any cool things I come across, or would like to share with you. :)

a jillion pieces is a small business based in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. All creations are original designs, and these creations are both handmade and hand assembled. The current product line includes: Sterling silver earrings, sterling silver necklaces, sterling silver bracelets, and sturdy silver-plated rings, all featuring unique beads and charms meticulously handmade by me (What can I say? I obsess over them).

All items must pass my personal "delicious-cute" design test. Every charm must have that element of cute with just enough reality in them to make them look delicious enough to eat. It's like blurring the lines between cartoons and the real world, adding a "little girl" style for adult jewelry, and doing that without ignoring quality materials and construction. It is my design style and personal philosophy that I pour into each piece, and it is my wish that you will always love them as do I.

With Love Always,

Jill