From Novice to Selling Handmade Accessories by the End of June

This is LaLaLa, currently in the midst of trial and error.

Whenever I look at my followers' notes, I always think the same thing.
They are neatly organized, and you can really feel the sense of them steadily building something up, one step at a time.

Compared to that, my note is—
completely like a child's toy box.

And not the organized type, but the kind where things are just tossed in from the top.
Whether it's something made with AI or written on a whim, I just put it in. Keep adding more and more.

However, this toy box...
Sometimes I dig around the bottom myself, pull out something I think I can use, tweak it, remake it—and now I'm posting those as novels on TALES.

It's a sort of homemade excavation and recycling project.

But the interesting part isn't just that.
Sometimes, my followers or readers find things deep inside this toy box.

They'll quietly leave a 'like' on some past article, making me think, 'Wait, you found that now?'
Every time that happens, I'm a little surprised and a little happy, thinking, 'Wow, you really found that.'

So, if you'd like, please try turning this toy box upside down yourself.
You might find some unexpectedly shining things mixed in at the bottom.

A spontaneous challenge in handmade crafts!

A single spark moved me.
The catalyst was Aoba-san's challenge.

Seeing someone facing forward again, trying to take on a new challenge. When I felt the passion behind not just their words, but the actions they were building up, a clear impulse sprouted within me: 'I want to step into something new and inexperienced right now.'

You can find Aoba-san's article here.

Watching them, I made up my mind.
I am going to challenge myself to make handmade accessories.

I am aiming for pieces that combine the antique texture of brass with the natural, raw form of Herkimer diamonds. I want to create a set of rings and earrings that stand on their own as 'one-of-a-kind' items.

And I have set one constraint for myself.
The deadline is the end of June.

From selecting materials to production and sales, I will record every step of the process in real-time on this note.

I am a complete beginner.
I am starting from a point where I don't even know the names of the tools or how to handle them.

That is precisely why I will leave not only the beauty of the finished products but also my clumsy trial and error and failures exactly as they are.

This is not a polished success story, but a record of the process of shaping something from scratch.
As someone who was encouraged by Aoba-san's challenge, I want to pass this momentum on to the next step.

Please, watch over this challenge with me.

How I, a complete beginner, am choosing materials and tools without going to a store

Although I decided to "make and sell by the end of June," I am a complete beginner.

I don't know where to buy things or what criteria to use to choose them.
So this time, I decided to get all my materials and tools exclusively from online shops.

Comparing items through a screen, I am building up a series of choices that won't lead to failure.
This process itself is an important part of this challenge.

The first thing I gathered were the tools that serve as the foundation for creation.
I chose a beginner's set from the online store of Kiwa Seisakusho, one of Japan's largest handmade supply stores.

Regarding what I should gather first, I can already see the direction at this point.

This is because I have already consulted with AI to suggest the "materials and tools needed first," so I have a grasp of the minimum configuration.

Specifically,

・3-piece tool set (flat-nose pliers / round-nose pliers / wire cutters)
・Brass wire (thick and thin)
・Earring findings (brass)
・Herkimer diamond (drilled raw stone)

I have managed to organize the list up to the point of knowing that these are necessary.

Furthermore, a design that works as a set of earrings and a ring has already been presented as one idea.

However, I am not just committing to that right now, but am currently in the stage of considering, "Is this really the right choice?" and "Are there better options?"

In other words, it's not that I haven't done anything, but rather that "the candidates are all out, and I am in the middle of narrowing them down."

From here, I will actually open the pages of each shop and decide what to finally purchase while comparing prices, textures, and reviews.

Once June begins, I plan to enter the purchasing phase.

Right now, I am just at the threshold of, "Should I go with this, or look one step further?"

Next time, I will record the process of picking up tools for the first time and making the base for the ring.