Stainless Steel vs Sterling Silver Earrings

I have a slight problem with sterling silver. As much as it is coveted in the jewellery world as a cost-effective alternative to white gold, I do not enjoy getting green-stained ears after wearing silver earrings for a few days straight. Yes, I am that lazy that I do not enjoy taking off jewellery unless I absolutely have to. Thankfully, I'm not allergic to nickel; white gold is my favourite metal but I obviously simply cannot afford to have my jewellery all made with it. 

Unfortunately, when you head to a fashion-jewellery store (in Australia for example: Diva or now known as Lovisa), you more than often end up with earrings that very well might tarnish even though they are labelled "hypo-allergenic". 

With most stainless steel earrings I've encountered in the market, I feel that there isn't enough "hook" earrings sold. They are mostly made into studs, or thick hooped earrings - there are simply more choices sold in sterling silver.

Along with my perler bead project, I purchased a few stainless steel earring findings from a wholesale website. However when I searched for some pretty charms to add to the findings, there are obviously more choices made in sterling silver. So, por que no los dos? 

Voila!

 The pair I made for mummy dearest <3 The photo does not do it justice! It's quite sparkly IRL. 

Made with 316L grade stainless steel which is "the same grade used in industrial and food-processing applications ... [it] resists moisture and will not oxidize". The charms themselves are made with sterling silver, so best of both worlds indeed.

If you enjoy sturdier findings, then stainless steel is for you. Like, how can you not love stainless steel? Might not be as shiny as sterling silver but who gives a hoot?

8-bit/Pixel Christmas Wreath

Time surely does fly! How is it that it is almost the end of November already? 

The last festive season was Halloween (which was surprisingly quite dull as I had anticipated more Halloween spirit in Canada), and then BAM, everyone has their Christmas decorations up. My partner has been telling me that Christmas highly celebrated here in Canada in comparison to Halloween. 

To pass time, I had decided to take up Perler bead crafts - I might have jumped the gun a little and overspent on large quantities of beads. 

Whilst "window-shopping" on the web, I stumbled upon an 8-bit wreath for sale on ThinkGeek.com and was like 'Whoa, I really want one', but then realised that it was made of EVA foam. Not that I have a problem with foam, it's just that something about the word "foam" makes it seem 'durable' in my mind. 

8-Bit LED Holiday Wreath 

(http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/e9fc/)

With much motivation and inspiration at hand, I Googled the shit out of 8-bit wreaths and Perler beads. There were quite a few people who made Perler wreaths with the same design as the wreath above. However, it didn't really pay homage to my personal childhood influences. 

So, armed with thousands of beads and plenty of spare time, I made my own damn wreath:

2.5 days later, the wreath is complete:

Inspiration: Hayao Miyazaki, Pokemon and Sailor Moon 

The problem I encountered (which nearly made me cry out of frustration) was the novice mistake of attempting a large scale bead project without the proper ironing technique. Some beads decided to fuse easily whilst some decided not too .... urgh. At the end, a lot of dedication and patience resulted in a somewhat successful project. 

I don't know whether it is because I didn't iron out the flip-side out properly or whether it is due to its size, but it feels slightly flimsy (this was like an hour after ironing). After cooling down, the wreath has somewhat hardened up a little more.

I am waiting to maybe buy a good temporary wall adhesive to then stick it on our front door! :)