please vote for maoiliosa!

lovely customers, i could really use your help!  if you have a spare moment, i would really appreciate your vote at http://www.missionsmallbusiness.com - just click 'support', then type in maoiliosa, then click on the 'vote' button.  with enough votes, my business could have a chance to win a small business grant, and that would mean to world to me!  thank you!


also, i will post more about this later, but i've had an incredibly busy past month, and i am now back in austin!  to celebrate, i've created all kinds of new beauties, but for now i will just share this one :

jade bamboo

♥,
melissa

new mini pencils

gentle spring

the siren's haven

renewal

mod in mauve

vintage denim

bamboo forest

♥,

m

spring bazaar

pictures from yesterday, if you missed me at the spring bazaar in cedar park, texas :

♥,

m

build-your-own mini pencils re-vamp

i spent a big chunk of time yesterday rephotographing 1 each of almost every single pencil i make.  several patterns that i had been using on the popular build-your-own mini pencil set that i offer have, sadly, been discontinued, and i have finally run out of the paper that i, personally, had in stock of those patterns.  

it's always sad for me to see a pattern go ( they're all so lovely, and i admit i sort of covet them ;) ), but while some styles are gone forever, others have entered the scene!  i am always buying new japanese chiyogami that strikes my fancy and that i think my customers will adore, so, happily, i added several new patterns as available choices for the build-your-own set. 

 

you seriously don't want to know how long it took me to arrange all those pencils just so ;p.

with this update, there are now 54 beautiful pencil patterns to choose from!  get your set of 10 here.

♥,

m

'mysterious garden' journal set

i made these beauties today and i'm so happy with the way they turned out!  i think this one is my favourite journal set so far.

get yours here.

♥,

m

the journals have arrived

vibrant lotus (purple)

copper autumn

in the fishbowl

the siren's haven

dreams of a geisha

all $16 per set, all earth friendly, all gorgeous!

♥,

melissa

notebook/journal sneaky-peeky part 2

5 notebooks, ready to be listed in the etsy shop!  i'm so pleased with how these turned out.  i think my favourite part is the spine.

i will be photographing these properly within the next few days and listing them for purchase just as soon as i can.  i apologize for the delay, i swear i'm not meaning to tease!  i've got a wholesale order to complete (which takes priority over photographing/editing/listing new items), and one of my husband's family members isn't in good health, so we've been preoccupied planning an impromptu roadtrip to new mexico to tend to that matter.

you can probably expect to see these in their full glory, packaged as gift sets, on monday or tuesday of next week.  meanwhile, enjoy the preview! 

♥,

melissa

notebook/journal sneaky-peeky

i've been busy ironing out the details on my new journals, but i wanted to share a little preview with you (i've been raving about how excited i am about these on the maoiliosa facebook page for ages, it seems!).

5-7 different styles will be listed in the maoiliosa etsy shop early next week, and will make their fair debut on march 24th, when i attend the vista ridge high school spring bazaar (in cedar park, texas).

each expertly adorned notebook (100% earth friendly, i might add!) will come packaged in a clear gift box with 1 matching full-sized pencil and 1 white pencil cap eraser.

check back throughout the next few days for more sneaky peekies on these lovelies!

♥,

m

glossy pendants

as promised, a few pendants with glossy finish have been added to the maoiliosa etsy shop this morning.  the new finish is subtle yet effective at making the pieces 'pop'.  they don't at all look like cheap costume jewelry, like you often see in gloss-finished pendants, as there is not a thick, plastic-looking dome of sealer - just enough gloss to really make the pendant special :).  these are pieces you will be wearing and enjoying for years, ladies.

and would you believe that within an hour of listing these beauties, 'ambrosia' (middle pendant, below), already sold?  it's since been relisted, of course ;).

you can expect more gloss-finished pendant styles to be available soon!

amethyst lotus

ambrosia

secrets

♥,

melissa

new wooden bangles

as promised, three new wooden bangles have just been listed in the maoiliosa etsy shop:

twigs and brambles

lucky koi

learn to swim

♥,

melissa

glossy pendant sneaky-peekies

glossy, gorgeous, and coming soon!

♥,

m

more coming soon

i've been working on a new finish to my pendants.  matte finish is nice, and in the past, i've preferred it to the glossy look, which i think turns out looking plastic-y and cheap a lot of the time, but i decided to give it a go.  i'm pleased with the results.  there's just the right amount of gloss, and the piece isn't topped off with a thick dome of it, either - just an even layer, enough to give it some dimension.  the result is a more professional-looking pendant.

these aren't the best photos, but i think you get the idea:

the real trouble is photographing them well.  if you've ever tried to photograph anything shiny before, you know this plight:  light bounces off the piece so readily.  how frustrating!  the key is to find the right balance of diffused natural light - too little light, and you're not properly showing off the piece; too much light, and your photo is washed out and your glossy piece practically turns into a laser beam ;p.

photographing items has always been my weak point in running my business.  despite how much i've learned and how much time i put into practicing with different methods, i'm just not an amazing macro photographer. one day, hopefully i can either afford a high-end camera that can make me look like an expert or pay someone who actually -is- an expert ;).

anyway, i plan to offer both glossy and matte styles in my shop, at least for a time, to see which people like more.  i also plan on glossing some of my rings and stud earrings, so stay tuned for those!

♥,

melissa

coming soon

new things to (hopefully) be listed in the maoiliosa etsy shop later this week:

three new wooden bangles to suit your fancy.

three new fanciful katazome-wrapped pencil sets.

♥,

m

full-sized pencils

patchwork sakura

for your writing and viewing pleasure, a selection of full-sized pencils (with erasers) are now available in the maoiliosa etsy shop.  for $10, you receive 5 beautiful, standard length pencils wrapped in gorgeous japanese chiyogami, all delicately packaged in a gift box tied off with raffia ribbon.  fabulous and functional - what more could a writer ask for?

forest floor (brown)

beauty at sunset

dreams of a geisha

swimming lessons (seafoam green)

mysterious garden

namaste

these beauties are already proving to be quite popular.  more styles will be following in the footsteps of these 7 sets soon!

♥,

melissa

whew! where has the time gone?!

hi everyone!

yes, i am still alive (hah!), and i have survived my first really, really big holiday season since opening my shop in 2008!

there really is no excuse for my long absence from my blog... time just has gotten away with me.  i've been keeping insanely busy selling at fairs, making merch, and packing orders.  in fact, early this month i hit a milestone:  10,000 pencils made by my own little hands :).  i think now i'm floating somewhere around 10,700, even!  crazy!  but i am still loving it, of course.

i guess this post isn't terribly interesting, but i did want to take a moment and thank you SO much for all your support this year and every year - maoiliosa loves you :).

i have so many new things planned for 2012, so please do keep in touch.  i can tell you right now that full-sized pencils are coming, as well as a new line of home decor items (secret for now ;D) and, of course, brand new patterns in your favourite items:  mini pencils, pendants, bangles, and more!

happy new year, all!

♥,
m

a much-needed vacation

hello, internet darlings!

i am about to go on a long-awaited and much-needed vacation.  as you might remember, a friend of mine won a trip for two on a caribbean cruise and invited me to go with her - i'm terribly excited!  i am leaving this friday, and will be soaking up the sun in the bahamas, st. thomas, and st. maarten until the next saturday.

before i go, though, i wanted to share a new pencil set i've whipped up:

this stunning set is called 'dreams of a geisha' and can be found in my shop here.

all pencil sets are created equally, but shhh, don't tell anyone:  this one is my favourite ;).

i will have dozens of new items available as soon as i get back from the cruise and get settled into my routine again, so stay tuned!

also, just a quick mention well in advance:  if you are in the austin area, maoiliosa will have a booth set up at the caffe medici  autumn art fair taking place 11 september, so be sure to stop by and say hi to me!

that's all for now!

♥,

m

aloha!

exciting news!

if you are lucky enough to be able to visit honolulu, hawaii, or are even luckier to live there, you will soon find a selection of maoiliosa pencils on the island!

these beauties were packaged up this morning and started their journey across the ocean to their new temporary home, the adorable 'sugarcane' boutique.  i say "temporary" because, well, let's face it: locals and tourists will be taking these pencil sets to new homes soon enough, right? ;)

so if you're in the area, stop by 'sugarcane' and say aloha! to my pencils!  better yet, grab some while you're there, and use them to journal about your hawaiian adventure!

♥,

melissa

giant update

hello, all!

i know, i'm a terrible, terrible blogger... i haven't blogged since last year (!).  it's been a very strange and stressful 2011 so far (with the worst behind me, thankfully), so i think you will understand when i explain myself a bit.  just a warning: this post will be quite long and detailed.

as you might know, as long as i've had my business, i've had problems with endometriosis.  it's not a pretty tale, but suffice to say i was at stage iv when i was finally diagnosed 4 years ago, but due to complications (it had adhered my lady organs to my colon, for one thing - not fun!), i was never really rid of it completely, even after 2 surgeries and a 6-month round of an awful medication called lupron.  i started having a lot of problems last april and may, and after a few months and lots (and LOTS) of tests and procedures, it was discovered that an endometrial lesion was pushing through my colon wall, blocking the inside and killing about 5 inches of my colon.  i began another 6-month round of lupron in october, and for those who aren't familiar, it makes life pretty miserable.  i continued to work (after all, launching my business was what kept me distracted from the bad stuff going on through the first round), but when my surgery date finally approached, i had to close up my shop for a few weeks.  thankfully, the surgery was a huge success:  yes, i had to have a hysterectomy and colon resection, but it looks like the lupron did its job, as my surgeons found no active or living endometrial tissue in my abdomen, meaning i should be rid of endometriosis once and for all at this point.  recovery has been difficult at times, easy at others, but i am glad to have this chapter of my life come to a close so i can finally LIVE.  having endometriosis really screwed up my metabolism over the past decade, but soon after surgery, i began to lose weight, and happily i have lost 17 pounds so far (i was a beanpole before all this, so i am thrilled i'm finally getting thin and healthy again!)

as soon as i was cleared for work by my doctor (6 weeks post-op), i began making up for lost time.  i participated in 2 art fairs recently and also offered a deal on heartsy (like groupon for etsy sellers, if you're not familiar), which kept me plenty busy for a while ;).

i also created new chiyogami bangles, released some sets of stud earrings and wine glass charms, started selling to a few new brick-and-mortar shops, and began an email newsletter (you can sign up in the box in the top right corner of this page ^).

it feels great to be productive again :).

here are some photos from the art fairs, starting with 'japan-aid' which took place on april 29th:

the middle of my display table

my pencil sets on display

and the 'may day' art fair at caffe medici in austin, tx on may 1st:

my set-up.  ignore the computer and sign in the background - those aren't mine :p

the middle of my table again, only this time i upgraded my price tags

my pencils on display again.  these were so popular!

and i have to say - i've got a really great husband and wonderful friends!  brandon helped me out for 'japan-aid', and my best girl friend brandie assisted me at the 'may day' fair.  she was so awesome that i'm going to have her help at future shows, too.  here we are at a restaurant afterward, celebrating a job well done:

i will be doing more art fairs this year (i have 5 planned), so i will keep you updated on the details for those.

life outside work has been good, too.  my husband and i took a short trip to galveston island on the texas coast right after the 'may day' fair, which was lovely, though i wish we could have stayed longer (we were only there 2 nights and 1 full day).  also, my friend carena won a cruise for her and a guest through her work, and she invited me to tag along.  i've never been out of the country nor been on a cruise, though i have always longed to travel, so i am very excited.  the cruise is in august, and sails to the bahamas, st. maarten, and st. thomas.  then, in september, brandon and i will be going to new mexico (a first for me) to witness his cousin hudson marrying my fellow 'shana logic' artist lauren king (small world, right?), who is now, after discovering this happy coincidence, my friend.  it's going to be a fun rest of the year :).

so now you're pretty well updated, at least on the major things.  whew!

oh, one more thing:  my mother bought me a tassimo coffee machine as a 'get well' gift, and i have now become a coffee-lover.  if you'll excuse me, i'm going to go make an aromatic cup of maxwell house french vanilla coffee right now ;).

♥,

melissa

ps - thank you SO much to all of you who have sent kind messages my way throughout the last few months - your support means so much to me!