October Give-Away by Happy Cloud Moments

Win a $45 gift certificate from Happy Cloud Moments! Just post a comment telling us what you love from her shop! And, if you want, pick items from our other shops, too!

Want extra entries? Of course you do. After you do each of the following, post a comment here and it'll count as an extra entry.

• Tweet about this giveaway and leave the link here. You can use the retweet button above. Suggested Tweet: "Enter the $45 Gift Certificate Giveaway for Handmade Swarovski Jewelry and Accessories! http://tinyurl.com/hcm-giveaway @EtsyJewelryTeam"
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• Blog about this giveaway and post your link here.
  
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Happy Cloud Moments is Joyce Chau, who lives in Germantown, Maryland, US of A.
Q. What is your favorite thing about where you live? What is it like living there?

A. My favorite thing is probably the cherry blossoms in the spring. I have always loved Japanese culture and what's more Japanese than cherry blossoms? When all the trees are blooming, I can pretend for just few seconds that I am on Mt Fiji in a buttercup yellow kimono, sipping green tea. It is very suburban here, but it's close enough to DC that I can enjoy city life if I feel like it. There are a lot of places to eat and hang out with my friends. I think it has a good balance of urban craziness and suburban sleepiness.
Q. What kind of jewelry work do you do? Why do you like doing it?

A. I do mostly sterling silver and Swarovski crystal jewelry with wirewrapping. I dabble into bead weaving, but in general, I don't weave or string. I also can't resist really cute charms such so I make charms for gadgets also. I love the movement of the beads when they are swinging on a chain. The way a pair of long dangly earrings or a Stardust bracelet sways with you is like having your own fairy groupies scattering fairy dust as you saunter around. I just love seeing that and being able to create that magic.

Q. What materials do you work with? What colors do you work with most?

A. I work with sterling silver, Swarovski crystal and pearls, cubic zirconia beads and lampwork glass charms. I tend to use warm colors and I am biased towards yellow and purple. Of course, clear crystals with AB coating is always a favorite.

Q. Describe your art education. Are you self-taught? How did you learn? What attracted you to making jewelry?

A. I have always loved art. Every time I had a chance to pick my extracurricular classes, I have picked various art classes like origami, drawing, painting, pottery and more. There were times that I would go to libraries to look at various craft and art books. I actually wanted to major in graphics designs, but decided on computer science. I did take a few computer animation courses and focused on computer graphics for my masters, so you can say that I never really left my love for the arts behind.

I am a fairly practical person, so I love jewelry because it's like art with a purpose. Besides, who can resist all those sparkly crystals?
Q. What was your most exciting piece to make and why?

A. Every new design is the most exciting piece for me at that moment. From the moment I get a design in my head to the moment I put the last bead on, I am excited. All my jewelry are like my children and I love them all equally.
Q. What is your most interesting/disasterous/funny story about making jewelry?
A. Right before my brother's wedding, I rushed to make a necklace and earrings set for my mom and I was so happy to be done. I left it on the table and went to get some water. I came back and saw my cute little puppy happily chewing on something on the couch. So, I went there to pet him and realized that he was happily chewing on the newly finished jewelry! He unraveled the pendant from the necklace and broke a few crystals in half in the 2 minutes that I was gone. I had to rewrap the pendant and remake the earrings instead of sleeping and getting ready for my trip the next day. There's nothing like seeing your work destroyed, even if it's by the cutest puppy in the world.

Q. Tell us about 3 of your pieces.

A. This is one of my Stardust bracelets. I love these bracelets and I have made them in a lot of different combinations. This bracelet is the reason I started making jewelry again. I think every girl should own something like this. It is a classic style, extremely sparkly, but not overly dressy. I made three for myself in yellow, purple and all clear. I wear them just about every day.






A. This is basically the most popular item in my store. I personally love stars and I was very excited when Swarovski came out with these beads last year. This necklace is simple but so delicate and pretty. I also have matching stud earrings and many other colors.







A. I think these are the cutest charms in the world. It's polymer clay doll heads with dress and shoes made from Swarovski crystals. They are great as charms for all your gadgets like phones, Nintendo DSi's, PSPs, and cameras. It is also perfect for hanging in your car. I learned how to make them when I traveled to Hong Kong last year.