GIVEAWAY!!! Enter Drawing for $20 Gift Card!

FREE BEADS!  Who doesn't want the chance to order beady things and get presents in the mail FOR FREE???!!!  All you have to do is follow, visit the sponsor's site and comment (on previous post here) what you would to buy.  And an extra entry for sharing on Facebook or your blog.  It's so easy!  Why aren't you entering??? 

UPDATE!!!  I got word from Bead Crafty, the sponsor of this giveaway, that they will be offering 200 lines that will go live in November!!!  Come on and enter so you can win one of 3 $20 Gift Cards to Bead Crafty!!!

Deadline is November 8, 2011 at 5p.m. EST.  Come on in and play!

Shopping for beads and more stuff

Hi, everyone.  I hope you are all doing well out there in Blogland.  This post may seem a little incoherent as I am seriously sleep deprived.  My pillow is softly, sweetly calling my name.  I will do my best to stay focused!

The past few days I have been doing some major bead shopping.  At least for me, it's been huge.  I have orders in with Artbeads, Beadaholique, and Fire Mountain Gems, and I am going to be ordering some wire here pretty quick with Bello Modo.  Honestly, I would rather have one place to shop because going to all the different sites trying to find the right colors, sizes, textures, etc. is so exhausting.  And then to meet the minimum order amount so I don't have to pay shipping.  ick.  Hey!  Did you know that Bello Modo has no shipping minimum and ALL orders ship free?  Yea for Bello Modo!  Artbeads is still reasonably low at just $10.  It's not hard to come up with $10 at all. 

Then there's Beadaholique which I think is pretty steep at $25 for no shipping.  I don't usually order that much at one time from one store unless I am doing a major purchase.  That's why I went to them this weekend.  That, and they had the colors and things that one of my students picked for our class later this month.  I still had to put in some few random items that I have no plans for to meet that  minimum.  Although I do like their Preciosa crystals and the prices on them.  It's just coming up to that $25 that's hard.  Of course I could spend less and pay s+h, but if I'm going to give them money, I want to get product in return for it, you know what I mean?

Now, FMG...they're a whole other story.  I doubt that I will order from them in the future.  I needed just 1 thing from them for less than $5.  Shipping and handling was almost $8!!!!!  So, $13 for a $5 item?  No thanks!  I ordered a couple other random things with them, too, just to feel a little more justified in my purchase and paying such high fees.  But I HAD to go to them to get the color I needed.  Do you remember the last post about needing an apple green color in a 6/0?  They had something close.  But I totally feel like I got robbed.

Exciting News!!!!!

I don't think I'm at liberty to give away too many details, but I will give you the basics.  You may not see much of me the next couple months.  That's the bad news.  But it's for a good reason.  A friend of mine who is a bead goddess just got a deal to write a new bead book.  She has asked me to contribute projects for the book!!!!!!  How awesome is that???!!!  I will be doing 2 for sure and possibly 4 projects for the book in different sections of it.  This will be quite a challenge for me, and I am learning so much about the process it's unbelievable.  That's the main thing I have been shopping for...supplies for the book projects.  And all 4 are due with instructions in both a photo story and written step by steps on a CD to the author with the finished pieces no later than SEPTEMBER 1st!!!!!  Yikes!  I better get my groove on, huh?  The bulk of my book supplies is coming from Artbeads, and they haven't even shipped my order yet!  Crazy.  I got my order in the mail today from Beadaholique, and my Artbeads order that I made at the same time hasn't even been picked yet.

So all I have to show today are my goodies from Beadaholique.

The gold and silver 3mm are just because I wanted them.  They are sterling silver plated and 22k gold plated.  I have beads like this in my stash, but they are the cheapies.  I wanted some nice ones like this.  So I got them.  The clear crystals are to finish a bracelet I've had in my UFO pile and the black bicones are for one of my students for our class.

These are the other beads for the class.  This student is addicted (I mean seriously addicted) to green.  These are the colors she chose, and they do look very pretty...more so in person than in the photo.  But isn't it always that way?

The tube clasps are for one of the book projects.  The red 8mm are just because I liked them...and I had to buy something to get to the $25 mark.

I just liked the color and look of these 8mm's.  Also a "no reason purchase except to get free shipping".

These are the most gorgeous color of capri blue I have ever seen.  I mean ever.  They are super gorgeous.  It will have to be a special project indeed to get these babies!

And that's it.  $27 worth of beads so I could get free shipping.  lol.  Am I crazy?  Should I just have paid the shipping fees?  No, I don't think so.  These beads will be the perfect ones for a future project.  It always works out that way. 

And my other exciting news?  I was a winner winner chicken dinner on a blog giveaway the other day!  I haven't got my prize package yet, but as soon as I do you will be the first ones to see it.  I won it courtesy of a great new blog I was introduced to, Spyder Jewels.  Thank you Mandy at Beads for Brains: 365 for the intro!

That's all I got today.  Hope you all have a super fantabulous weekend!

Mother's Day Giveaway

Artbeads.com is having another giveaway.  This time the prize is a big $100 gift certificate!!!  All you have to do is select your favorite item from their Mother's Day selection of suggestions and leave a comment on their blog on what you would do with that item.  To see the rules and links just go HERE.  I really really really want to win, but if I can't I hope one of you do so I can live vicariously through your purchases and projects.  :)

These are just a couple of the many pages of items to choose from.  Good luck!

Out of the Flames Giveaway!

Lori Cook of Out of the Flames has hit a milestone for her blog...150 posts!  To celebrate she is giving away a very lovely set of a bracelet and earrings.  All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on her blog, and maybe you'll be the lucky one.

My thought of the day...if the government shuts down this weekend, does that mean there won't be any mail service either?  That could really screw A LOT of people up.  My other thought...I'm super pissed off that Congress will get their checks on time but our servicemen and women won't.  How f'ed up is that???!!!  Ok...enough of politics.  I think it's the very first time I've ever mentioned politics here on my blog, and I probably won't ever do it again.  At least not for a very long time!  Unless they really make me angry again. lol

sharing a giveaway...come look!

As you have read recently, I am delving into the world of polymer clay.  Can I tell you how many times i typed "polymer clay", "polymer clays beads", and all other variations into google?  I found a blog over on Wordpress that has an amazing tutorial series on African Trade Beads with polymer clay.  At the same time my friend Beth kept mentioning the name Marie Segal to me.  Then Marie came and visited my blog here on blogger, so I went and visited her blog (also on Blogger).  Wouldn't you know it???  It's the same blog that is on Wordpress, and even though Beth had mentioned her name several times I didn't make the connection...it was Marie's blog!!!  Then to have Marie come visit my blog in the meantime.  How funny.  Small world!  Anyhoo, on Marie's blogger blog (not Wordpress), she is having a giveaway of one of her pieces she created using her polymer clay canes.  It's really beautiful!  I want to win it for myself, of course, but it's so pretty that I thought you should see it too.  Just go see her on her blogger blog (not the Wordpress one) at Art From My Heart for a chance to win.  And while you're there take a look-see at some of the other wonderful things she has done.  Good luck!

And the winner is....

I wish that I had something to give away to every one of you.  I received such nice comments from so many people and I could tell that a lot of you really did want to win this bracelet.  When I decided to do this giveaway, I wanted it to be something really nice.  I had this cuff listed in my shops for quite a long time.  It got lots and lots of looks, but I'm guessing the price tag must have put people off.  That's when I thought that rather sit and collect dust any longer (don't worry...it's been put away and not really dusty), I'd give it to one of my blogger friends.  The bad news is that there was only one Drops of Honey bracelet.  But the good news?  I've got a couple more cuffs that are sitting in my shops collecting dust.  They will make great giveaways for other milestones, right?  So there will be more chances to win something.

I used a number generator from random.org.  There were 25 entries and on the click of the button, it was number 4.  Congratulations......Mandy!!!!   Mandy is currently on a quest to learn and post something new every day for a year.  Why don't you go visit her blog, Beads for Brains, and take a look at the things she has done.

Last chance to enter my giveaway!

WIN ME!!!

I'm excited about the giveaway.  Remember, if you want to get in on the fun and have a chance to win my Drops of Honey embroidered cuff, deadline is tonight.  So hurry and get your name in the hat.  Go to the previous post for all the details!

I'm also excited about the new things I will be creating soon.  I have decided to jump head first into the pool of polymer clay.  I've seen such amazing things come from polyclay that I wanted to give it a go and see what I can do.  I am in no way, shape, or form talented in the area of painting, so making amazingly painted face cabs like Beth over at Bellesanbeaus is definitely out...but, I think I can mix clays and techniques to make some pretty cool polyclay beads and focals.  I'm hoping the birthday fairie (my daddy) comes this month.  I have on my wish list a pasta machine that I saw at Hobby Lobby, an extruder, some little cookie cutters and, of course, lots of colors of clay.  I bought a few blocks of clay about 2 weeks ago along with some tools and a bead roller.  I learned one important lesson already.  Don't use Fimo Classic!  It is soooooo hard and is nearly impossible to get soft enough to work with.  Fortunately I only bought one of those.

I have 2 books about polyclay beads on order at the library.  One of them came in and I'm going to try to get hubby to take me to the library to pick it up.  I can't drive myself....had a scare yesterday morning.  I got up early and went to the corner store.  I have no a/c so I was driving with the windows down.  I heard a swoosh-swoosh-swoosh sound coming from my tire as I was driving along.  I thought that maybe i need some air in the tire.  They sometimes make that sound if the air is too low.  Went home, got Sami ready for school and was headed out the door to take her to school.  I decided to take another look at my tire.  I bent over, put my hand on the tire as I started looking at it, and OUCH!!!!  Something cut me!!!  Holy crow...my tire is almost shredded!  The wires are coming through and the tire is all cracked around the side wall!!!!  I am sooooo lucky my tire hasn't exploded and come off already!  Especially on the freeway or something.  How dangerous is that?!  So, to make a long story short, I will not be driving my car until we can afford some new tires and I will be depending on my DH to take me where I need to go (I don't drive his van).  Sooooo I am excited about picking up the one book that came in and drooling over the pretties and learning whatever I can.  I will keep you all posted.

Also, I have learned how to make PDF patterns for beadwoven pieces.  I have made a pattern of my Wrapped in Red netted collar necklace and a pattern for my hematite flat spiral bracelet.  If you'd like to take a look, they are in my Artfire shop here.  And, I had some pros review my first patterns.  They were gracious enough to take the time to guide me along, give some critiques and suggestions, etc. to make sure that my patterns are as professional as possible.  Thank you Nicole from Beadwright and Kathy from England!!!  You two were my angels these past few days, helping me with something new.

Ok, kids.  I'm going to head off for now.  I have been rambling today, haven't I? :)  Don't forget...go to the previous post and enter the giveaway if you haven't already!

Something a little different

Did you know that I had a life of hand crafts before beads?  lol.  Yes, it's true.  I did lots of things before I did beads.  I was downloading pics off a flash drive from my dearly departed desktop the other day, and I came across a photo of one of my projects.  I learned how to do a technique called "filet crochet".  Have you ever heard of it?  It used to be wildly popular back in the day to make table runners, sofa arm covers, doilies, wall hangings, etc.

Filet crochet uses a series of chains and double chains to make a grid of open and closed squares.  The closed squares create a picture.  I found this free pattern that dated back to the Victorian era!  How neat is that?  The string is not black as it looks in the photo.  It is actually navy blue...the closest I could find to indigo. :)  It is quite big.  If I remember correctly it is about 22" long and I think 14" tall.  Something like that.  I am embarrassed to say it is folded up in my closet somewhere.  I really should frame this one.  Last I saw it, though, the folded side facing up was dusty so I would need to figure out how to clean it without completely destroying it first.  Here's a photo of my filet crochet Victorian Dragon...

I liked this patter so much, in fact, that I converted it into beading patterns for both peyote and loom/square stitch.  Both are for sale (just $4!!!!!).  If you would like to see (and consider buying) these patterns, just click here for the loom/square stitch and here for the peyote.  Because I am soooo creative (lol) I have them on the first page under "2 Tone Dragon". 


Now, I want to thank those of you who have voted for me so very much! Right now I am in the lead!  Yea!!! You have left some really awesome comments, and it sure was an instant warm fuzzy! However, some people have come to me because they aren't sure what to put in the blanks in order to cast a vote.  When you click here to see my entry page, scroll to the bottom of the page.  You will then see this:

The first blank is for your name.  You don't even have to put your whole name if you don't want to.  The second blank says "mail" and it is for your email address.  It won't be published.  The third space says "website" and you can leave that blank.  Then, just fill in a comment and click the submit button.  Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

Here's a reminder of my entry...Remember...the use of tagua beads (the type of beads this contest is promoting and giving away) SAVES THE LIVES OF ELEPHANTS!!!  It's a great cause.

AND
Did you know that I'm getting close to my 100th post?  Do you know what that means?  Yep!!!  It's going to be giveaway time!!!  So stay tuned...it's coming soon.

Can you please help me? I need votes!

I have entered my very first beading contest!  I am not a "bead diva" and I am not in the "in crowd", so I need all the help I can get from those of you who read my blog, because we're all friends, right?  YES!!!  I have entered a contest by Ecuadorian Hands.  They run a monthly contest to promote tagua beads.  Have you heard of tagua?  I'll give you a little info, because they really a great item to know about and use.  Tagua comes from the ivory palm.  When the tagua is dried out it can be used just as elephant ivory.  It is very hard, can be carved just like ivory to make things like figurines, and of course...beads.  Tagua is also dyed with some really gorgeous, vibrant colors.

They have just opened up the contest to include all materials, not just tagua, in an effort to more widely promote the use of tagua and TO SAVE ELEPHANTS!  And, if I remember correctly from when I bought some of these types of beads, some of the money from the sale of tagua is also used to help save rain forests.  Are these good causes, or what???!!! 

I am really hoping that you will take the time to go to my entry and leave a comment to vote for my hard work in making my netted collar.

To vote for me, please click HERE.

Thank you so much!!!

What a Sweepstakes!!!

I just got an email from Artbeads.com.  They have just launched a holiday giveaway called Stocking Stuffer Sweepstakes!  What's up for grabs is a stocking full of beads and a $100 gift card!  woohoo!  Who wouldn't want that?  I have already entered, and of course I really really really want to win, but in case it's not me...I hope it's one of my readers.

Click here to enter the contest.  Good luck!!!

Here it is the day before Thanksgiving, and I am going through my head all the things I need to do to prepare for our outing to visit family.  Gotta go shopping tonight for some goodies, gotta make the green bead casserole (as I do every year, because mine's the best :)  gotta get Sara's hair all curled up and a bit of little girl makeup on, gotta get myself ready.  In the meantime today I've got to clean the kitchen and cook a pork roast.  Oh, and I forgot that I also have to repair a necklace.  So many things to do!  But, I am taking a moment to slow down and smell the roses.  What is this holiday about anyways?  Thankfulness.  Not the rush rush rush.

What I am thankful for most in the entire world is my family.  I have the best husband in the world, and all four of my children are gems in their own unique ways.  I would be a lost soul if not for them.  They are everything to me.  Especially more so now than ever before.  A couple years ago my husband and I separated, and I was very ill so he was better equipped to take care of the kids.  It was a very dark and dreary period in my life.  So I am eternally thankful for my second chance.  And it has been pure bliss.

I am also thankful for you...those of you who take the time to come visit my blog in my little corner of the world.  And thank you to those of you who take precious moments from your own time to leave me comments of encouragement, critique, and just fun things to read.  I appreciate all of you and am glad to have the pleasure of calling you my friends.

With that said, I hope all of you have a very happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend, full of love and laughter.

What Inspires You?

I just wanted to tell everyone about this first-ever contest being held by Artbeads.com.  This is sure to be a great one with substantial $$$$ for beads!!!  Here's what Artbeads has to say:

"Artbeads is proud to announce our first ever ‘What Inspires You?’ jewelry contest! The theme of Artbeads.com’s first beading contest is to let beading artists share their inspiration with others. There are two categories, necklaces and other beaded designs for this contest. Voting will be open to the public to determine the top 3 winners in each category. A picture of the inspiration and design will allow the voters to see how each entry is represented.

The Grand Prize Winner in the Necklace and Beading contests will each receive a $500 Artbeads.com Gift Certificate, the 2nd Place winners will each receive a $250 Artbeads.com Gift Certificate and the 3rd Place winners will each receive a $100 Artbeads.com Gift Certificate.

This is a contest of originality, design, and vision. All entries MUST be an original design. At least 50% of the beads and components in a submitted entry must be purchased from Artbeads.com. Participants must upload one picture of their design and one of picture of their inspiration, such as you see below in the banners. This contest is open to beaders worldwide, aged 18 and older."

Here are examples of photo entries, one showing the inspiration and one showing the beaded work:

I hope you enter and win!  Happy Beading!