Osram Ne Nsoromma

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of my favorite adinkra symbols is Nsoromma, which means "child of the heavens (stars)". It is the symbol of guardianship and a reminder that God is the father and watches over all people.

One of my husband's favorite adinkra symbols is Osram, which means the moon. This is the symbol for patience. The related proverb is 'it takes the moon quite a while to go round the world' – you need to show patience when awaiting a particular event or outcome.

While looking through The Adinkra Dictionary, we found another symbol that combined both of ours - Osram Ne Nsoromma. This means "the moon and the star". It is the symbol of love, faithfulness, and harmony. This symbol reflects the harmony that exists in the bonding between a man and a woman.

The related proverb: "Kyekye pe aware." (The North Star has a deep llove for marriage. She is always in the sky waiting for the return of the moon, her husband.)

This would also make a wonderful addition in your wedding decor to incorporate West African culture. For more adinkra symbols click here.

Gift Card Giveaway

I just designed new gift cards, so as a way of promoting them I will giveaway one FREE $10 gift card each month. You will have to join my mailing list to be entered into the monthly drawing. The winner will receive an email pdf file of the card, which can be printed at their convenience.

April Winner: jcfoldmedic

Next drawing: Thursday, May 1.

Etsy Wedding Team

I am so excited about the new Etsy Wedding Team that is forming. Our tagline is "Plan your Perfect Wedding! (We can supply everything but your spouse!)" The group membership is for etsy sellers who make handcrafted wedding items. Our goal is to promote our Etsy shops which feature quality wedding related items for the perfect handmade wedding! We also have a blog, which you can click here to view.

What's in a name?

During my senior year in college, I took time to learn about myself and what I wanted out of life. During this period of self-discovery I learned more about my heritage, African American history, the African Diaspora, Black hair, etc. While learning about Adinkra symbols (West African symbols that are used on cloth, pottery, jewelry, etc), I decided to informally rename myself Nsoromma (pronounced: N-soar-row-mah) as a way to connect with my African heritage. Nsoromma is a star and means "child of the heavens (stars)". It is the symbol of guardianship and is a reminder that God is the father and watches over all people.

My real name is Crystal, which means pure and clear. I am by no means ashamed of my real name. I only use Nsoromma as my poetic name.

Ain't God Good

It's so amazing that we sometimes believe we are the only one going through something. While talking to my friends, I realized that we have similar struggles and tests. This past year I had lost sight of what's most important, my relationship with God. I have been letting my circumstances determine how I feel and react to certain things lately. So it's no wonder why I've been so tired. I just thank God for carrying me, literally, through 2007 and staying with me even though I've strayed. Here's a poem that I wrote last year while I was reflecting on some things.

AIN'T GOD GOOD

Do you know how good my God is?
The Alpha and Omega
Fed me when I was hungry
Gave me peace of mind
Healed my body
Do you hear what I’m saying?

Do you know how good my God is?
The bright morning star
Sent His angles to protect me
Answered my prayers
Took away my pain
Do you understand what I’m saying?

Do you know how good my God is?
The beginning and the end
Blessed my finances
Blessed my marriage
Blessed my everythang
Do you believe what I’m saying?

Do you know how good my God is?
He’s so awesome
So merciful
So wonderful
That He wants to bless me
Beyond my understanding
With His unlimited resources
Ain’t God Good!

- Nsoromma 2007

Seeds of Life . . .

My husband and I carpool to work every morning. After we drop off our son, we turn to the Yolanda Adams Morning Show just in time to hear the Points of Power. They have been reading from Proverbs, which is all about wisdom. I have challendged myself to become wiser this year so I'll be posting some of my "seeds of life" lessons that are revealed to me. This way I can also incorporate my love of poetry and social justice. I hope inspire, encourage and motivate others through my seeds of life. Please enjoy and let me know if you have any comments. Have a blessed day.

New Logo

Okay....I have been thinking about a new logo for a while now. My biggest problem was deciding on which colors to use. Right now I'm loving the rust, burnt orange and coppery colors. This is what I worked on this weekend. I'll keep it like this for now...depending on how inspired I feel to make another one.

200 Hearts and Counting

I just receive over 200 hearts on Etsy. Thank you so much everyone for hearting my shop. :D

Paddle vs. Artistic Wire

As you know I went to B&B the other day for red seed beads for my sweetheart roses (click for previous post). When I was ready to make them, I remembered that I am extremely low on red wire. Since I didn't feel like going to the store, I decided to use green paddle wire instead. I started working on a rose for the boutonniere, but stopped when I taped it together. I don't like seeing the green wire from the front or the back of the bloom.

Front View

Back View

I actually prefer paddle wire, especially since it's cheaper than artistic wire. 26 gauge paddle wire is also stiffer than 26 gauge artistic wire. When I first started making beaded flowers, I used 24 gauge wire and hated that my fingers were sore at the end of the day. I love artistic wire because it's available in a wide range of colors. I can only find paddle wire in green, gold and red (only in 24 gauge) at my local craft stores.

So even though I love the mini-sweetheart rose I made for the boutonniere, I think I'll wait to get red artistic wire before I continue.

New Web Site

I have just designed and launched my own website. Don't worry, I'm not leaving Etsy. I just wanted a site for those who have not yet discovered the wonderful world of Etsy. I used Google Page Creater to create my pages. So, for your viewing pleasure . . . I present {drum roll} . . . . Ayana Creations ONLINE!

Think Green Etsy

I am a member of Etsy for Charity, which is a group of Etsians who donate a portion of their sales to charity. This month's theme is Think Green and the monthly charity is Sightsavers International. Sightsavers work to combat blindness in developing countries, restoring sight through specialist treatment and eye care. They also support people who are irreversibly blind by providing education, counselling and training. They help the people who need it most - those living in poverty in some of the world's poorest countries.

For this challenge I made a green beaded dragonfly. This time I included antenna; the gold dragonfly I made does not have antenna. It measures approximately 3 1/2" in length and wingspan is approximately 5". 100% of the sale proceeds will be donated to Sightsavers International.

View my beaded dragonfly and other great handmade items in the Etsy for Charity Shop.

Bouquet Styles

There are various styles of bouquets that you can choose from depending on your personal style and type of wedding.

NOSEGAY
This classic style, which is a tightly packed mound of flowers and greenery

HAND-TIED
This bouquet is a bunch of flowers that have a just-picked, natural look with a casually tied ribbon. This is the perfect bouquet for informal wedding.

CASCADE
Also known as the "shower" bouquet, this is the most formal and traditional of the bridal bouquets. Flowers drape down from this bouquet to create a cascade.

PAGEANT
Also known as a presentation bouquet, this has a bunch of long-stemmed flowers that are cradled in the bride's arms.

PROMANDER
This is a small, compact ball that is covered with blooms.

Love Your Heart Sweetheart

I will donate 25% of the proceeds from my beaded sweetheart roses to the American Heart Association. Go Red For Women is a national movement founded by the American Heart Association to help raise awareness about heart disease, which is the Number 1 killer of American women. For more information go to http://www.goredforwomen.org/

Show your sweetheart just how much you love them with beaded roses, the gift that lasts a lifetime. Each stem includes 1 bloom and 6 leaves and is wrapped with embroidery thread to give it a silky finish. Measures approximately 12-13" in length and bloom is approximately 3" across.

Pennies add up

Hey everyone. I wanted to tell you about Goodsearch.com. It's a search engine from Yahoo that donates a penny to your choice nonprofit every time you do a search with them. You can change the charity you want to support at any time. As you know pennies add up and the best part is...IT'S FREE!!! You search and Yahoo donates.

Make Something for Yourself

So last weekend we went to Bangles & Beads (B&B for short) so I could get some seeds beads and Swaroski crystals. I plan on making a red sweetheart or either miniature rose bouquet with the crystals. I also bought some fresh water pearls for another bouquet in the making. For some reason it always takes me a long time to get what I need at B&B, mainly because I'm looking at everything else they have. :D While I was looking at the crystals, I mentioned that I liked the sea glass beads. My husband, Gary, asked me if I wanted them and I said yes, but I would wait since that was not on my list of things to get. A few minutes later, I'm still looking around and he gives me one of their fancy bags with a gift card in it and tells me I can buy whatever I want FOR MYSELF.

Now of course I was thinking about everything I wanted from B&B and for a while I couldn't decide what I wanted. This made me sad for a moment because I haven't made anything for myself in a while and thus haven't gone shopping for myself either. Since it was getting close to closing time, Gary started giving me the "incremental time warnings". I did buy those sea glass beads I was eyeing and I plan to go back and buy something else for myself soon.

Earlier that day I told Gary I planned on selling a pair of earrings that I love and he was surprised because he thought I made them for myself. While we were in the car he told me that even though he's not the most romantic person in the world, he wanted to do something special for me. Since I don't make a lot of things for myself, the gift card was perfect.

Moral of this story: Don't forget about you!

New Buzzing Bugz Collection

Here's the first addition to my Buzzing Bugz Collection. There are few insects in the world that I actually don't mind being near me. Sorry for you bug lovers out there, but I don't do bugs. I do like this one. I used the pattern from Dalene Kelly's book More French Beaded Flowers. I plan on makinng butterflys, bees and other buzzing bugz soon. So check back often for updates.

St. Patrick's Day Sales and Promos

Etsy Artists of Color Team is celebrating the color green in honor of St. Patrick's Day! The following shops are honoring these promotions now through March 17, 2008. Save some green on your green. Just mention code EAOC GREEN during checkout and wait for an adjusted invoice.

mosaicsbyah - 10% off anything green
ayanacreations - Free gift with every purchase
theivorymagnolia - 17% off any Cucumber Melon, Lime Mint, or Kiwi item
lamarlynch - Free shipping throughout the continental US
jamilary - Free pair of $10 earrings with a $65 purchase (total before shipping)
callidora - 10% off anything green
raghousenternational - 15% off anything greenHappy St. Patrick's Day!

Ayana Weddings

Ever since I received my first request for wedding flowers, I have been doing research on weddings. I wish I could tell you I made my own beaded wedding flowers, but I didn't find out about beaded flowers until a year later. So I've decided to focus my blog on weddings, especially African American weddings and of course beaded flowers. Please enjoy.

Hand-tied Lily & Stephanotis Bouquet and Boutonniere

Easter BOGO

I'm having an Easter BOGO promotion on my French beaded lilies. Buy one get one half off. This applies for lilies only. This promo ends on Easter Sunday, March 23 at 11:59p EST. Cannot be combined with Ayanaversary Sale.

Ayanaversary Sale

I started my business on March 16, 2007, so to show my appreciation for everyone who has supported me, I will be giving customers 25% off their orders (sale items not included/cannot be combined with Easter BOGO). Sale ends March 16 at 11:59p EST

Phalaenopsis Orchids