Beads for Busy Gals

Surprises in the mail are my FAVORITE

2012-02-11T23:10:00.027-05:00

I am actually writing this on Thursday night. We are mostly packed (man are we taking a lot of crap for a one week trip!) and I am stalling on the rest. I am adopting the "throw the rest together in the morning" style of getting ready.

Before I get on to the BEAD part of this post, I have to tell you a funny packing story. My friend Stella said she once overslept for a flight, so got her suitcase, ran to the dryer and dumped all of the clean clothes into it, ran to the airport and made her flight. When she arrived at her destination she announced to her startled husband, "We need to go shoe shopping." Packing right out of the dryer....now that's a technique I need to remember.

So, the reason I am stalling is because

I GOT THE MOST AWESOME PACKAGE IN THE MAIL TODAY.

Even better, it was a puffy envelope that rattled slightly that I did not order myself. It was from my #1 crazy best bead nerd friend Jen Velasquez. She sent it to me to say congrats on a recent non-bead-day-job promotion I have received. Take a look at the awesomeness....I think I recognize some work by talented artists I follow...do you?

Topping it off was this striking note card made by Jen herself. Isn't it amazing? Girl has got mad camera and Photo Shop skills :-)

And here is another crazy rabbit trail....

2012-02-09T22:01:00.048-05:00

I posted Tuesday about how the crazy internet world sometimes converges in a way that is interesting. See if you can follow this trail...(it ends with beads, just hang in there :-))

I live near Washington DC, the city with the worst traffic in the world, I swear. To stay sane I started listening to podcasts. Those tricky iTunes folks always hit the mark with the "You might also like..." suggestions that lead me to Manic Mommies.

The Manic Mommies are two gals, Kristin and Erin, who meet to chat once week with hysterical and often familiar sounding stories about work, kids and husbands. The last few years they have sponsored what they call the Manic Mommies Escape, and this years key note speaker was Mel Robbins.

Wow! Listen to the podcast, it is inspiring, but in a let's-roll-up-our-sleeves-and-get-it-done kind of a way and not in a find-your-inner-peace way. I mean inner peace is cool and all, but I am more of a get-it-done-now-where's-the-wine kind of gal.

Mel wrote a book called "Stop Saying Your Fine" which after hearing her speak I downloaded from Audible.com. I am still listening, but here is the basic premise. If there is something you want, some change you want to make, some dream you want to pursue, then you need to write it down or say it out loud. And when you do it must meet three criteria...

1. It must be embarrassing
2. It must be selfish
3. It must be detailed

So here is mine: I want to be a full time lamp work bead artist by 2015.

Embarrassing: Hello, artist? Never had that duty title before
Selfish: Um, how to accomplish this while finishing up a full time job and taking care of the family
Detailed: 2015, there, I put a date on it

If you want inspiration check out this podcast where the Manic Mommies asked guests at the Escape what there goals/dreams were.

Have a great weekend everyone!

See if you can follow...

2012-02-07T21:53:00.001-05:00

What I love about the internet, blogs, Facebook and my new obsession, Pinterest, is that sometimes information and ideas converge in a way that is interesting.

As I said, a new obsession is Pinterest, where I saw a cool necklace using metal Army stripes and a heart from a really interesting Etsy shop, Ecolibrio. You should see all of the up cycled wire jewelry the shop has - very awesome.

At the same time, my friend Missy posted on her blog about the upcoming deployment of her husband. You can follow her and the adventures of her active 3 boys at The Diaries of Princess Missy. We were stationed together in Germany many years ago, and while technically I "work" with her husband, I spend more time chatting with Missy - she's a hoot!

Hmmmmm...so I thought maybe something cool for Missy while her husband is deployed is to have a talisman, something that reflects the service of the entire family. I asked Missy for everyone's birth months, and bought an Air Force air traffic control badge just like her husband wears on his uniform*, which I clipped the pins off of. The heart, the crystals and the suede all came from my stash. It's long**, so I'll send Missy a shorter chain also.

* Technically this is a "basic" badge and he wears a "master" badge - I took a little artistic license because the basic badge makes a better necklace :-)
** Because that was the length of cord that I pulled out of the tangle :-)

Clean Sweep Sale Ending

2012-02-06T19:59:00.000-05:00

My sale is going to end on February 10th - now is your last chance to clean up!

I'm Still Here, Swear!

2012-02-05T20:37:00.000-05:00

I just had an awesome few days with family and friends, and we leave in a couple days for our annual, fall-off-the-grid-for-a-week family ski trip, so my blogging will continue to be a bit sporadic. But the end of February through the end of March will be very bead focused...

On the 3rd of March is the Bead Soup Blog Party reveal - I am lucky to be paired with the amazing Eva Sherman. You can see what she sent me here - amazing copper!

I also just signed up for a Challenge of Music Blog Hop hosted by the lovely Erin of Treasures Found. The blog hop will be February 29th and I think I am going with the one song that never fails to turn my mood around - Pink's So What. Trust me, blast it as loud as you can stand it when you drive down the highway next time you've had a bad day, and you will feel a zillion times better.

And because Sally over at Studio Sublime combined bead shopping and a blog hop I am joining her Colors of Spring Blog Hop which will happen on March 31st. Sally is making up beads in the new Pantone Spring 2012 colors. Of course, by the time I figured it all out only Starfish and Driftwood was left (I went with Starfish) but I am up for the challenge of making something so muted bright and springy.

I also hope to have my mini-lampwork studio set up and my kiln ordered by the end of February. It's a goal - let's see if I can make it happen :-)

Have a great week everyone!

I Heart Macro - Bead Soup Arrived

2012-01-28T18:00:00.001-05:00

My lovely Bead Soup partner Eva Sherman sent the most luscious collection of copper components and carnelian, at it was a fantastic blue sky day today, so voila! A new set of macro shots happened.

See other Macro Goodness HERE.

Bead Table...errr...Friday

2012-01-27T08:16:00.000-05:00

Man this week flew by! Not much happening on the bead front, other than a necklace I finished during Emma's choir practice last night. It's random and simple but also has a pattern - fitting my constant right brain-left brain power struggle. The beads came together in a packet of goodness from my dear sister-in-law Cynthia - no two are alike, but some are similar colors and similar shape. Of course I had to make sure that if it was going to be non-matching it had to be 100% non-matching - no two matching colors or shapes next to each other. Even typing this makes me sound so OCD. I guess there's a little bit of that in all of us (just nod and agree :-)) Have a great weekend everyone!

Bead Soup is Ready to Send...

2012-01-24T00:08:00.000-05:00

My wonderful partner Eva already has her beads in the mail headed my way - yay! So I needed to get my act together and get some great soup ingredients for Eva. Eva does incredible wire work - you should check her out HERE. Until then, you can try and guess what I am sending her :-)

By the way - if you are headed to Tucson - Eva is teaching some wonderful classes. You can find her schedule HERE.

Earrings for Every Outfit

2012-01-23T09:43:00.000-05:00

If you make jewelry, and by default, accumulate a large stash of beads and supplies, then you fall prey to the "Earrings for Every Outfit" syndrome. I was wearing a pink t-shirt and a darker pink fleece, a common weekend outfit for me, and decided that I NEEDED EARRINGS TO MATCH...NOW. I have a set of fantastic beads from JulsBeads and made these lickety split (I'm kinda obsessed with the large loop ear wire):

They are a little loosey goosey because I didn't wire wrap the beads, and I'm not sure if I like them like that or if I need to make a change. Regardless they were comfortable to wear and I felt put together even if I was wearing jeans, sneakers, a t-t-shirt and a fleece :-)

p.s. - Thank you Federal Government for a delayed work arrival this morning due to an ice storm that did not materialize - the quiet morning home has been wonderful :-)

I Heart Macro - Chocolate?

2012-01-21T20:19:00.001-05:00

Or is it?

It's Michael's Pine Wood Derby car. He wanted a car shaped like a candy bar - we tried to talk him out of it - but he stuck to his guns. This is all his vision with a little technical help (Daddy: Power Tools; Mommy: Creative Advisor on wrapper and lettering)

Ahhhhh...

2012-01-20T13:45:00.001-05:00

A peaceful image from our trip to Virginia Beach to kick off your weekend...

The tiny splotches below and to the left of the moon were bugging me until I zoomed in and figured out it was two birds - they happened to catch a bit of the setting sun behind us!

Studio Work In Progress

2012-01-19T22:36:00.001-05:00

This is the time of year, when we get the Christmas stuff put away, I tend to go on a clutter cleaning rampage.

I. HATE. CLUTTER.

We used to move about every 2 years, so clutter was less of a problem. It's easy to ignore what's under your bathroom sink until you unpack it from a moving box into an empty house :-). I keep threatening to remove all horizontal surfaces from the house to keep clutter from happening but it would find it's way into our house someway somehow. It's just life, kids, school, work, etc etc, I tell myself as I secretly throw away half a year's school work and weed out the pencils with unusable erasers and toss the heels of bread that no one will use for lunch but someone has returned to the bread box.

One very important point though - there is no such thing as clutter on a bead table - that's not clutter - it's a "work in progress." Besides, if it's all in containers it doesn't count as clutter :-)

So why am I babbling on like a nut? Because I stayed up way too late last night (and got my husband sucked into) decluttering our laundry room. The laundry room is large as far as most laundry rooms go, because it also has all the house machinery and came with lots of shelving - it's the only spot to store stuff that's not the garage. It gets destroyed in December because it's where we store most of the Christmas decorations, plus it is the designated hiding spot/present wrapping area. And as I said here, I have designs on claiming a small portion of the room to make lamp work beads. Lucky for you I didn't take a true "before" picture - but this should give you an idea of how packed with stuff it gets...

We straightened up, got rid of some things (and an entire book case) so I could claim part of the shelving unit...trust me when I say I haven't seen this much of the laundry room floor in ages...

My plan is to add a desk top to the top shelf, possibly hinged so it can get folded away. The door next to the shelf is to the outside, so I thought I would put tanks outside plus can leave it cracked open for ventilation. My as-yet-un-ordered kiln could go on bricks on the floor under the bottom shelf, plus tools, rods and other supplies can get stashed on the shelves. I am tingly with possibilities!

January Art Bead Scene Challenge

2012-01-15T12:12:00.001-05:00

A couple months ago I bought a lovely Pretty Fairy Pendant from Earthenwood Studios which I wire wrapped with a beautiful rose bead my husband brought me from London....then I got stuck. I was thinking brown suede cord, maybe braided, tried also some peachy pearls and glass leaf beads, but that wasn't working for me either (see the work in progress here). It got put aside in the holiday hubbub and subsequent bead table "clean up" because the office/studio is a sometimes guest room.

Then I saw the January Art Bead Scene challenge piece - The Trellis wall paper designed by William Morris. I saw the lovely olive color and peachy flowers and I knew exactly what to do!

I used sari ribbon from GoldenOneToo combined with long wire wrapped links of olive faceted glass in a long necklace and am very happy with the result. It's a chilly yet brilliantly sunny day here, and the light was perfect for picture taking.

You can find more inspiration over at the Art Bead Scene Flickr group.

I Heart Macro - Mmmmm, Pizza!

2012-01-14T18:27:00.001-05:00

My wonderful husband replaced my aging bread maker for a new one for my birthday last spring and we have that machine going a couple times a week. At least once a week it makes wonderful pizza dough, which we scarf down as soon as it's not roof-of-mouth-burning-hot. Enjoy!

See other macro goodness here.

BTW - Many Projects in Store

2012-01-11T22:27:00.000-05:00

My mother-in-law received a lovely frog brooch that she would like made into a necklace. I was going to dig through my stash but she had a vision of what she wanted so I am the lucky recipient of two great strands of beads and a picture to work from. I am hoping the muse will strike this weekend. It's been a bit crazy in the Auld House but the three-day-weekend-that-sneaks-up-on-you is right around the corner - let's hope for some quiet time sometime soon!

Layla knows that the best way to deal with a busy day is to curl up and take a nap. She also managed to artfully curl her ear over her eye to our great amusement, so Emma snapped this picture.

I've been playing around with my blog header and the patterns and colors on ColourLovers for backgrounds - what do you think?

What? It's the New Year Already?

2012-01-10T05:06:00.003-05:00

While I have very much enjoyed the many blog posts about plans and resolutions for 2012, my brain still hasn't gotten all the way into 2012. Part of it is my lack of motivation after lots of time off, part is because some of my family is still visiting due to my brother's Change of Command, and part of it is that when you look at our January, it's just scary:

This is not meant as a complaint, truly. The activities the kids are involved in they LOVE and they never complain. Greg and I are involved in various ways with a lot of what they are doing and seeing them grow and succeed and goof around with their friends is great. But working my creative goals into the slices of time between other events is sometimes tough, and sometimes I waste time worrying about how I stack up.

I've been kicking ideas around in my head about what I really want to accomplish in 2012 that is within the realm of the possible, and here is my list:

1. As much as I would like to be published and have awesome Etsy and craft fair sales, that takes more time than I have, so I need to just let that go. For now :-)

2. My Etsy shop does sell a little, and quite frankly, I don't know what else to do with all the stuff I make, so I am going to keep my shop open. I would like to pull stuff out that has been listed for over a year and rework it in some new way.

3. I want a semi-permanet, indoor place to make beads. Greg and I kicked around ideas to use a corner of the laundry room that is next to an outside door - I can stash the tanks outside for a bit of extra safety and crack the door for ventilation. This will require a purge/rearrangement of all the stuff stuffed in there, but that will be good - I love the satisfaction of clearing out clutter.

4. While in the decluttering mode, I need to not just straighten up my bead table from time to time but also make better use of the storage I have and perhaps (sharp intake of breath) destash a little.

5. I may go to Bead Fest Wire in Philly and ArtBliss here in DC, but only to take classes that are in my lane. I would love to dive into etching, metal smithing, soldering...ooooh there is so much to learn...but glass, enamel and a torch is where I want to concentrate.

6. I've gotten away from Art Bead Scene monthly challenges, which I really enjoy. I plan to dive back in this month.

7. I would like to host a challenge of some sort myself. I have an idea to use this book, pointed out for me by Amy at Copper Diem, as a basis.

Ha ha ha! I said here is my small list of potential possibles and already I am up to 7 :-) Add eat healthier, exercise more, and get my 2011 Christmas cards done before my birthday (April) and my plate will be full. I'll count on you all to keep me on the straight and narrow this year!

Easy Tutorial - Blog Backgrounds

2012-01-09T04:43:00.003-05:00

I love following non-jewelry blogs because they provide such great inspiration! I follow Pugly Pixel, a wonderful graphic designer, who posted one day about ColourLovers. ColourLovers is filled with a trillion patterns and palettes, but I was goofing off the other day and found out how to color your own pattern. How cool is that? Here is how you do it...

1. On ColourLovers, click "browse" and select "pattern templates"

2. Choose a pattern - I chose "Tree Fell"

3. Click on "color this pattern" (on right under the pattern). Click on each block and a color palette will come up you can slide across the spectrum to select colors. You can also name your pattern, add your name, and what I find really fun - if your exact color hasn't been used already - you get to name it!

4. And here it is!

4. See the "share this pattern" box on the right? Click the size you want to down load, and then you can upload it to your blog as your new background. If you scroll down on this post you'll see the "seam" on the left that shows the pattern name and my name, since I made it!

Enjoy!

I Heart Macro - at the Beach

2012-01-07T21:31:00.000-05:00

We've been in the Virginia Beach area for the last couple days and stayed at Fort Story - isn't this old lighthouse great?

While there we took a walk from our cabin past the lighthouses to the beach. I love going to the beach during the winter - it's so different - even though the temps in the 60s was far from wintery. Of course I had my camera along on our walk and played with my macro lens some more :-)

First trip to the beach for Layla

Not sure what this is - some kind of ocean flotsam and jetsam

I love this girl!

We were in Virginia Beach to see my brother's change of command at Norfolk. He just finished command of the USS Cole. I am ENORMOUSLY proud of him :-)

Find other great macro stuff HERE

BTW - Small Talk = Beading

2012-01-03T23:46:00.001-05:00

In the rush, rush of getting ready for Christmas I left one undone project - I needed to complete a necklace for Snap, who won it as part of the Virtual Craft Fair giveaways. I dashed off a quick e-mail saying that it would have to happen sometime in January and she graciously gave me all the time in the world. Who knew that in the many hours of small talk around the dining room table I could get it done - it was a life saver really. It kept my hands out of the Christmas cookies (kinda), it passed the time, and it gave us a whole new topic to discuss. Beads....they really solve all, do they not? I am waiting for Snap's address and will mail this off to her. Her necklace is pictured with an awesome bead I won from Sea of Glass which was also part of the Virtual Craft Fair giveaway, and a necklace I started of random beads that came packaged together in a lovely box of treasures from my sister-in-law Cynthia. No two match, but they are all such fun colors, I decided they needed to stay together in the same necklace.

I owe a giveaway - will do that tomorrow night - then might be quiet a few days - big fun family event on Friday (so you know there will be pictures) - and also want to post an idea to makeing Santa's visit more fun for older kids (is it to early to talk about next year?). Oh, and I found a cool new way to make backgrounds on Colour Lovers. More on that soon!

I hope your first week of 2012 is great!

I Heart Macro - Happy 2012

2012-01-01T13:00:00.000-05:00

There can't be a better way to ring in the New Year :-)

I am still learning like Lori - this was just a lucky shot out of about 15.

Head on over to Studio Waterstone to see more macro goodness.

***You can win something from my shop by helping me to promote my sale***

***Go to this post to get the details and enter :-)***

Thank You Miss Molly

2011-12-29T05:13:00.000-05:00

***You can win something from my shop by helping me to promote my sale--->>>>>
***Go to this post to get the details and enter :-)

Speaking of giveaways....I entered one over at Beautifully Broken Me, on the last possible day, and received the most amazing gift box from Molly! The awesome elephant pendent and beads were from Magpie Gemstones and were, hands down, exactly the kind of thing my Mother-in-Law would like. I also ordered some wonderful ribbon and sari silk from Goldenonetoo and had a great time making a colorful statement piece that was very well received :-) Thanks Molly! I didn't get pictures before I had to wrap it up, but now that the presents are open, I got some pictures...

One last thing...I was the lucky recipient of a macro lens for Christmas. My husband was goofing around with it last night and got some good portraits...isn't this one so cool?

Time for a Clean Sweep

2011-12-28T09:12:00.000-05:00

It's time to clean out the shop, an inventory fire sale!

I am offering

50% OFF EVERYTHING

in my shop.

Please spread the word

...And you know I wouldn't ask for help without sweetening the deal :-)

Post on your blog, on Facebook or Twitter and let me know in the comments, along with the name of anything you like in my shop, and I will draw names on January 4th to send a lucky winner their favorite Beads for Busy Gals creation.

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I Heart Macro - World's Best Santa Version

2011-12-26T16:53:00.001-05:00

I am blessed with a wonderful husband. He totally supports my hobbies, and lucky for me, he loves gadgets and technology. The result: I got a macro lens for Christmas! I have no idea what I am doing, and as per my usual MO, I skimmed the directions and dove right in. Here are the best of my first few shots - 100% raw. I have to say THANKS also to Lori of Studio Waterstone, she is such an inspiration :-)

My Christmas Wish For You

2011-12-23T14:03:00.000-05:00

The days are counting down...not quick enough some would say :-)

The house(s) are decorated...

The presents are wrapped....

Family is gathered from far and wide...

As we reflect on the highs and lows of the year, my Christmas wish for you is that you get a chance to enjoy all the best of the holidays, that you get a chance to be with the ones you love, and that you say a prayer from those far from home and away from loved ones. I hope the turn of the year helps you leave behind any woes of 2011, and bring the best of the past year into 2012, to grow into wonderful blessings and joyfulness. Thank you for being part of my life, for all the great comments and encouragement, and I can't wait to see what happens and what paths open in 2012!

Getting Ready for the Big Day

2011-12-19T22:28:00.000-05:00

I am stalling on some chore or another, so instead thought I would share some pictures of our Christmas preparations and other fun stuff...

First, the great Christmas tree hunt...

This one is too sharp...

This one is too soft....

Where oh where is the perfect one...

Here it is!

Yay! Found the perfect tree!

Layla approves :-)

Greg, Michael and I went downtown to check out the National Christmas Tree

I love this boy somthin' fierce!

We put up enough lights to make sure Santa knows where to find us!

Macro Sunday - The Elves Have Been Busy

2011-12-17T21:48:00.006-05:00

See all the macro greatness here.

BTW Christmas Addition

2011-12-14T21:29:00.000-05:00

I love those times at the bead table when you have a list of ideas or projects in mind, and they just flow from your noggin right out your fingers quicker than you can keep up. Wire, tools, and beads were flying as things came together. Poor Greg, who was equally involved in his own project, was constantly interrupted as I said, "How's this?" "This length?" "Will so-and-so like this?" And here are the results...

Lampwork beads by Sue Beads - I like the mix of silver and gunmetal wire

Sage Leaf Pair by Floridity

Freebee lampwork sent in my order from Teri Persing.... (she makes amazing lamp works cat beads)

Lampwork bought at Bead Fest Philly from Louise Mehaffey, sari silk from Goldenonetoo

A little glam for Grandma

More sari silk goodness from Goldenonetoo... Pendants made by me

My Mom went to Alaska this last summer and panned for gold. She gave me her treasure and asked me if I could work it into beads somehow. Without knowing what I am doing, I rolled a hot bead through the flakes and then covered in clear glass. Not the most artistic shape, in fact, kinda clunky, but I hope she digs it. I put it on a long chain so that she can see her gold!

I bought this vintage button from my pal Juls. I used black Czech glass beads and small matte antique gold seed beads to put together a glamorous collar necklace for my glamorous aunt.

One problem was I only had silver crimp tubes, and even though I redid the clasp behind he button 3 times, I couldn't get it to all to stay hidden. Grrrrr. But then I remembered some liver of sulfur gel that I got in my ArtBliss swag bag. I've never used it before but it sure did the trick - as soon as the crimp tubes got tarnished up they completely disappeared.

Non Macro Macro Sunday

2011-12-10T23:19:00.003-05:00

No macro shots from this week - instead I'd like to share a great event we got to do with my son's cub scout den this weekend. It's the annual Christmas wreath laying at Arlington Cemetery. Several years ago, a wreath company in Maine, Worcester Wreath Company, had wreaths that they knew would go unsold. The owner of the company wanted to donate them to Arlington Cemetery, particularly to the back areas that don't get many visitors, as pay back for his success that he felt was only possible because of the freedoms we enjoy as Americans (there is a much better recap here). This has become an annual tradition and over time it's become a really big event. It was a great way to do something Christmas related with the boys that also brought home the message of service, sacrifice, and honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. This group of rambunctious kids totally got it, and it was great to see a life lesson take hold in person. Have a great week everyone, and check out real macro greatness HERE.

10 Things You Don't Know

2011-12-08T22:55:00.001-05:00

I talk about my family, what we are doing, and stuff I am making. For reasons even I can't explain, I thought you needed to know 10 things I haven't ever written about before...

1. I am an oldest child married to an oldest child. It's supposed to make for a disastrous marriage, but it works for us - we'll be married for 16 years this December.

2. Reality TV...yep, it's my brain candy. But I'm not a Survivor/Big Brother fan - I am more an American Idol, Top Chef and (naturally) Project Runway kinda gal. And I am addicted to the episode recaps on EW.com.

3. Since I started my current job I've changed offices 5 times. Am I a problem employee? Nope, just a bureaucracy's attempt to be "efficient."

4. I am a horrible speller...just horrible. I don't even have the right instinct on how to start the word right in the first place. My poor son has inherited this trait. Spell check will soon help, my friend, I promise.

5. I can tell you random facts about celebrities but can never recall my license plate number. If only I could spend all my brain cells on useful information - think how smart I could be :-)

6. I'm a total sucker for romance - movies and books. I can watch and read Pride and Prejudice over and over. I just heard about a new Austin-esque book, Death Comes to Pemberley that sounds awesome. And you have to check out Mr Darcy Takes a Wife, a sequel that is awesome and not prim at all - hubba hubba!

7. Christmas trees must be fresh cut! Must! We go to a farm out towards Shenandoah here to cut it down ourselves, but you should have seen some of the crispy critters we bought when we lived in Texas. When you are wearing shorts while shopping for a fresh cut tree, "fresh" is relative.

8. How did I marry someone who does not like guacamole? Good thing I like to have people over so I can make up a fresh batch from time to time.

9. My grandmother was an incredible seamstress - she grew up very poor in a family with 8 kids - remaking hand me downs was the only way for her to have "new" clothes. She taught me a lot of what I know and we made some things together before she passed away. I don't make clothes, but hems, patch applying, and other projects sure are easier thanks to her.

10. I worked at an Ace Hardware the summers between college. While I was assigned usual girl duties (cashier and nursery attendant) I sure learned a lot about everything else you might find at a hardware store. Another experience I sure appreciate more than I did at the time.

So what's something you have never shared on your blog? I would love to get to know you better! Have a great weekend!

Bead Table Wednesday - Sigh - A Reoccurring Theme

2011-12-07T02:21:00.001-05:00

It's a battle hardly worth fighting...my desk top keeps hiding underneath all my stuff! I'm digging my new red chair - super comfy. There is often a little person twirling around in it.

It's now the time in December when I panic because all that's left on my Christmas list are the presents I am making. Ticking, ticking, ticking is the clock, especially since the office/bead studio becomes a second guest room on December 22nd!

Maybe by next Wednesday I'll have something great to show you....until then check out the other great BTW pictures over on Flickr.

Everyone Loves a Winner

2011-12-05T01:13:00.013-05:00

Many, many thanks to all that left comments during the Virtual Craft Fair and the Challenge of Color Blog hop. I promised that I would giveaway something in my shop to those that left comments, and decided, why not two?

I had a new helper pick names for me as it was late in the evening and my usual helpers were long ago in bed. He took the job very, very seriously...

Kayz Kreationz has won my Little Bit Naughty necklace...

And Pixiloo won my Butterfly necklace.

I have also been very, very lucky - look what I won from Miss Molly! You can find here in all kinds of wonderfully creative places:

www.missmollysdesigns.com

www.beautifullybrokenme.blogspot.com

www.MollyJAlexander.etsy.com

This has my mother-in-law's style written all over it. It is my excuse to order some sari ribbon, 'cause it just calls for that, don't you think?

And if you are feeling very generous to your fellow jewelry lover or just need one more small pretty bit of somethin' to fill someone's stocking, please check out my huge sale! I want to start 2012 with an empty shop so I can fill it with all the ideas filling the creative side of my noggin these days :-)

Holiday Macro

2011-12-03T23:37:00.000-05:00

Christmas is all about balance -

balance between life-long traditions -

and new ones :-)

See other great macro HERE

By the way - it's time to find new homes for my treasures - use the coupon code HAPPYELF and get 40% off anything in my shop!

Obsessed

2011-12-03T16:05:00.000-05:00

With large silver rings...

...tear drop lamp work beads I have had FOREVER...

...and crystals!

(And still digging suede too.)

Challenge of Color Blog Hop

2011-11-30T01:19:00.004-05:00

The lovely Miss Erin challenged us to play with color. We could pick a color family inside or outside of our comfort zone, and she would assign us a color palette. I chose gray - because who designs jewelry in gray? Not me! My work clothes (uniform) are not the most exciting colors, so I tend to avoid faded colors off duty. All of our palettes came from an awesome site called Design Seeds, and here is mine:

I had some gray, matte tear drop beads that I have had forever that I decided would be the focal of whatever I made. I just so happened to receive my newest order of Parawire last week, which included a new color of copper wire - gunmetal. I also had a selection of pastel suede that I have been using to experiment with wrap bracelets, and wouldn't you know they fit with the palette? I still wanted to work in some of the pink, plus I felt that I needed a tiny bit of sparkle, otherwise my piece would look dull. I added some purple-y faceted rounds and some small pink crystal rondelles and I was happy. I was even happier when I realized that the entire necklace was made without a purchase. Is that luck or a sign that my bead stash is reaching hoard like properties?

It took a couple attempts to be happy with the clasp - my original one looked flimsy, so I decided to use some thicker steel wire. The next one was too small, but finally the third try was just right.

I had a chance to play with my torch a bit this weekend and played with the colors there too. The only gray I have is opaque and is a bit too close to the color of my brother's ship, but it was fun to play.

Before you dive into the Color Challenge blog hop, don't forget about the Virtual Craft Fair over at Pretty Things through December 3rd. Leave a comment at Pretty Things and you'll get a chance for one of the prizes. The prize drawing will be a couple days after the fair closes.

Shop in the Beads for Busy Gals Store and use the coupon code LORIROCKS and get 20% off with free shipping and gift wrapping!

Leave a comment to any of my posts on this blog between now and December 3rd saying which piece you like best in my shop and you will be entered to win that item INCLUDING MY COLOR CHALLENGE NECKLACE! No limit - all is fair game - as long as it hasn't sold during the craft fair. I'll issue a $25 gift certificate if your chosen item sells during the fair.

PHEW! Now on to the other blogs - there are some fantastic friends and talented designers - I can;t wait to see what everyone made! Happy hopping!

1 Norma Turvey ~ Teal ~ Color Crave

2 Jeannie Dukic ~ Green ~ Mineral Tones

3 Mary McGraw ~ Teal ~ Embellished Hues

4 Jo Tinley ~ Red ~ Decadent Tones

5 Rebecca Anderson ~ Pink ~ Tulip Tones

6 Kristi Jaro ~ Red ~ Temple Entrance

7 Stephani Gorman ~ Green ~ Dew Tones

8 Melissa Meman ~ Green ~ Fruit Star

9 Kathleen Lange Klik ~ Teal ~ Silk Hues

10 Cynthia Riggs ~ Red ~ Autumn Comfort

11 Heidi Post ~ Teal ~ Flora Bright

12 Cece Cormier ~ Teal ~ Merino Teal

13 Amy Freeland ~ Gray ~ Cultured Tones

14 Alice Peterson ~ Blue ~ Island Play

15 Rose Noble ~ Gray ~ Autumn Stacked

16 Kristina Johansson ~ Yellow ~ Sunny Flower

17 Kirsi Luostarinen ~ Teal ~ Dragon Hues

18 Tari Kahrs ~ Orange ~ Citrus Tones

19 Mallory Hoffman ~ Purple ~ Petaled Dark

20 Molly Alexander ~ Brown ~ Peppered Tones

21 Regina Santerre ~ Red ~ Frosted Berry

22 Emanda Johnson ~ Teal ~ Color Purl

23 Amy Severino ~ Orange ~ Winged Tones

24 Bobbie Rafferty ~ Teal ~ Lime Hues

25 Tanya Goodwin ~ Gray ~ Pecked Tones

26 Lisa Lodge ~ Blue ~ Nocturnal Tones

27 Hope Smitherman ~ Blue ~ Bloom Tones

28 Linda Landig ~ Green ~ Cacti Dark

29 Ambra Gostoli ~ Teal ~ Perched Autumn

30 Lori Bowring-Michaud ~ Blue ~ Sharpened Blue

31 Pippa Chandler ~ Teal ~ Hungarian Hues

32 Keirsten Giles ~ Purple ~ Mineral Brights

33 Jennifer Justman ~ Blue ~ Autumn Rays

34 Sandy Richardson ~ Purple ~ Moroccan Brights

35 CJ Bauschka ~ Teal ~ Teal Air

36 Shaiha Williams ~ Teal ~ Sushi Hues

37 Kay Thomerson ~ Purple ~ Autumn Spectrum

38 Sally Russick ~ Purple ~ Golden Gate Tones

39 Cilla Watkins ~ Purple ~ Autumn Infused

40 Shirley Moore ~ Purple ~ Frozen Heather

41 Jenni Connolly ~ Gray ~ Paw Tones

42 Tamara Soper ~ Green ~ Field Tones

43 Sharyl McMillian-Nelson ~ Blue ~ Nested Blues

44 Jen Velasquez ~ Pink ~ Sweetened Tints

45 Maria Grimes ~ Red ~ Bright Bloom

46 Elisabeth Auld ~ Gray ~ Petaled Tints <----YOU ARE HERE!

47 Susan Kennedy ~ Pink ~ Zinnia Tones

48 Shannon Chomanczuk ~ Gray ~ Autumn Leaf

49 Holly Westfall ~ Yellow ~ Sprinkled Tones

50 Patty Gasparino ~ Red ~ Color Carton

51 Angela Little ~ Pink ~ Singapore Brights

52 Lizzie Zawinski ~ Green ~ Budding Hues

53 Kristen Stevens ~ Pink ~ Scooped Tones

54 Dawn Doucette ~ Brown ~ Jarred Tones

Today's My Day at the Virtual Craft Fair

2011-11-28T01:00:00.001-05:00

I hope you have taken a look at the Virtual Craft Fair...but especially today, run, don't walk, to Lori's blog
Pretty Things.

Because today you will find ME there! Here is what you can win from me...

For a chance to win this group of goodies or any of the others, run over to Pretty Things, and lead a comment on her blog, post on your Facebook, post on your Twitter, or post to your own blog and you'll get a chance for one of the prizes. The prize drawing will be a couple days after the fair closes.

But wait there is more!

Shop in the Beads for Busy Gals Store and use the coupon code LORIROCKS and get 20% off with free shipping and gift wrapping!

But wait there is more!

Leave a comment to any of my posts between November 26th and December 3rd saying which piece you like best in my shop and you will be entered to win that item. No limit - all is fair game - as long as it hasn't sold during the craft fair. I'll issue a $25 gift certificate if your chosen item sells during the fair.

I Heart Macro - the Great Flour Incident

2011-11-26T21:52:00.001-05:00

A snowy footstep?

Nope - just an unfortunate flour incident. Amazing how big a mess you can make with a couple cups of flour. So appreciating the vacuum right now :-)

See other Macro Goodness here.

Don't forget to hop on over to the Virtual Craft Fair - mucho delicioso giveaways

Hit the Beads for Busy Gals shop - use the code LORIROCKS and get 20% off!

Leave a comment anytime this week with your favorite from my shop and you'l get a chance to win it!

Today is the Day!

2011-11-26T01:00:00.002-05:00

Run, don't walk, to Lori's blog Pretty Things.

There you will find 70 artists over the course of 7 days and each of us giving away something. Here is what you can win from me...

But wait there is more!

Shop in the Beads for Busy Gals Store and use the coupon code LORIROCKS and get 20% off with free shipping and gift wrapping!

But wait there is more!

Getting into gear...

2011-11-25T04:28:00.003-05:00

I had a squirrel moment as I was listing some more stuff in my shop...I decided to create a treasury using the search term "gear." Enjoy! Click on the image to go to the treasury on Etsy.

This way....

2011-11-24T11:07:00.001-05:00

To an awesome Virtual Craft Fair!

From November 26th (Saturday) to December 3rd (next Saturday) run, don't walk, to Lori's blog Pretty Things.

There you will find 70 artists over the course of 7 days and each of us giving away something. Here is what you can win from me...

But wait there is more!

Shop in the Beads for Busy Gals Store and use the coupon code LORIROCKS and get 20% off with free shipping and gift wrapping!

But wait there is more!

Greg, Emma, Michael, Layla the dog and I all wish you and yours the happiest of Thanksgivings!

Bead Table Wednesday - Let's Shop!

2011-11-22T21:30:00.000-05:00

I am all about pictures and listing in the Beads for Busy Gals Shop this week - getting ready for Lori's Virtual Craft Fair. Seven days of sales, 70 great contributors, and 70, yes SEVENTY giveaways - to include one from me! Now here is an extra special deal just for you...use the coupon code LORIROCKS between November 26th and December 3rd and get 20% off anything in my shop. Did I mention that shipping is always free? And I gift wrap :-) And you can do all your shopping wearing your PJs and slippers :-) :-)

Here is some of what I will be getting into the shop for this sale...

Fun, Fellowship and Macro

2011-11-19T23:44:00.000-05:00

I had a little get together tonight with a couple gals I have gotten to know through my church. In the course of the last few years I have somehow morphed from Sunday School substitute, to "full time" Sunday School teacher, to Church Council member. They are great people but we only ever see each other during the Sunday School to church transition or as we are picking up and dropping off kids. Of course here and there jewelry creeps into the conversation, how to make/fix/redo, so I decided have a little jewelry class really as an excuse to get to know these wonderful women. Invited along were a dear neighbor and two great friends met round about through the Air Force. What a great night! Nothing crazy or earth shattering - just a nice evening sitting around the table half talking about jewelry and half talking about just about anything else...the awesomeness of Pintrest (there's an app!), what do teachers really like as a holiday gift (Starbucks Cards), steps to kick off a home business (join the blog-o-sphere and read, read, read), kids, home, holidays, etc etc. As I was cleaning up I took these two fun macro shots...enjoy! (and catch the other macro goodness here)

Stay Tuned for Color and a Sale!

2011-11-18T19:09:00.000-05:00

I am very excited about two things coming up soon - Erin's Challenge of Color Blog Hop and Lori's Virtual Craft Fair!

Erin of Treasures Found:Inspiration is Everywhere asked us to pick a color, either in our comfort zone or out, and then I get assigned a color palette to design around. I picked gray - something I never, ever use, and this is the color palette I got assigned:

Delish, don't you think? Dreamy, romantic, and not dreary like a storm cloud at all. We'll be showing the results of the challenge at the Challenge of Color Blog Hop November 30th. All of our palettes are from a great site called Design Seeds - you should go check it out!

But before you join me on the blog hop, stop by Lori's Virtual Craft Fair. There will be 70 of us showing our wares and Lori will have 70 giveaways. Plus, I'll be offering HUGE DISCOUNTS in my shop!

In Virtute Sunt Multi Ascensus

2011-11-17T21:26:00.000-05:00

Hey beloved readers and bead buddies - been a little quiet lately and thanks for hanging in there with me! Tonight I was helping my son study for a quiz in Caesar's English (click on photo to link to publisher). It's a great program that teaches kids stems (aqua, semi, cede, etc) and their meanings to help them with spelling and vocabulary.

As we studied I happend to glance at the next page and it had the latin saying:

In Virtute Sunt Multi Ascensus...There are many degrees in excellence.

LOVE THIS! Did I end today with kids that are happy and healthy? Excellent! Did I end my work day in one piece? Excellent! Could I have gotten more done? Probably. But that's a degree of excellence for tomorrow :-)

I Heart Macro - From the Pitch

2011-11-13T20:53:00.000-05:00

Some motivation to help forget a sore wrist....musta worked because they won 3-1, last game of the season. What a way to end on a high note! I think she agrees :-)

It's Wednesday?

2011-11-09T22:12:00.000-05:00

Yikes, how did that happen? BTW just blew right by me. No surprise - my brain is just a bit scrambled these days. The family schedule is even more packed than normal for the next few weeks (a sign of great things going on :-)), work has been busy (my office is moving locations, again. Sigh.), Aldersgate Holiday Market this Saturday, Lori's Virtual Craft Fair is coming up, blah, blah, blah! I am an early Christmas shopper, and I haven't even started yet (and that just makes me twitchy.) So I think I am going to take a little blogging break. This will last maybe a week :-)

Late Entry to I Heart Macro

2011-11-07T17:41:00.000-05:00

I was about to type, "Kinda a crazy weekend, and time was short..." but when you type that every weekend it loses it's impact, wouldn't you agree? So let me start again...

Lots of fun this weekend, and it was made even better because we got an extra hour of sleep on Sunday and since the kids have no school today, Greg and I decided to take the day off also. We went downtown to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving to see money printed and then to the American History museum. I didn't have any good macro shots to share yesterday, but I do have some now. Enjoy!

Believe it or not, this is the ceiling of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing Gift Shop

Marble bin at the American History museum shop

Emm'a height in 100's - $1,491,300

Bunny ears by Daddy :-)

BTW (and a cookie idea)

2011-11-01T23:23:00.001-04:00

First the cookie idea: make chocolate chip cookies, nothing fancy, the recipe on the bag works great. EXCEPT, instead of chips, swipe a mixture of chocolate from your kids' Halloween loot, chop it all up, and throw that in the batter. I think our mixture was M&Ms, peanut butter cups, chocolate bars, and maybe some bite sized Milky Ways and Twix. YUMMMMMMMY.

Now for what's on the table this week. I am playing with rose beads that my husband brought me from London, Parawire, and an Earthenwood Studios pendent. I like the rose/Earthenwood combo, but haven't found the right combo of materials to string it on. I really like how the white rose and green crystal necklace and earrings came out. The set is likely to migrate over to my own jewelry box :-) And the gorgeous etched copper owl bracelet in the background? I got that in the mail today from Patty of My Life Under the Bus. I won it! I love it!

Have a great rest of the week everyone!

I Hear Macro - with Heart

2011-10-29T19:44:00.003-04:00

It's amazing to me how paths cross and how they make your life richer. In March of 2008 I was deployed to Iraq, and one of the folks I got to know was Brian. He's a tall guy so he was hard to miss, and he liked to have fun in the odd way you do when you are deployed. Turns out he was assigned as a young guy to the same base with a really good friend on mine, and we all got together when he and his wife were visiting DC. Angela is a hoot, and we seem to have similar lifestyles - working mom + athletic daughter(s). Long story longer, Angela contacted me to say she had some pearls from Brian's grandmother, and had two sets of earrings made for her two eldest daughters. Now the third daughter is ready for a set of earrings and her earring making friend moved away...which means she asked me to fill in. Yay! Angela also sent an orphan earring that she wanted me to use with the balance of the pearls in something she could wear. I asked her to send me one of the original pairs of earrings so that I wouldn't be too far off, here's what they looked like:

Turns out Michael's is having a sale on it's sterling silver components this week (40% off!) and I found all the supplies I needed plus some really cool earring wires. Here are the earrings I made:

I took the orphan earring and put it on a bail, then strung it on a silver chain I also got at Michael's, adding the remaining pearls and some crystals as dangles:

There were just enough left to make a second set of earrings for Angela:

It was fun to put together, partly because I like helping people preserve memories, partly because the crazy Virginia weather gave us a free day home to play, and partly because taking macro pictures of crystals and pearls was a new challenge. Thanks Angela!

See more MACRO GOODNESS here.

BTW - Some Pretty Things to Play With

2011-10-26T22:39:00.001-04:00

I have a lot crammed onto my messy table, to include a give away - so keep reading all the way to the end!

I seem to be on a bit of a shopping binge, to get my bead money just call yourself StudioJuls and tell me you have a coupon code because you are destashing. Fish, caught. But she had some pretty awesome stuff, to include this vintage button I HAD TO HAVE. Because it says Aunt Lornel to me, a sleek, Anna Wintour looking gal that has all of her style but is a gazillion times nicer (sorry Anna, but that's what they are sayin') who only wears black accented with gold. I already ordered some luscious black Czech glass beads and matte antique gold seed beads to make a beautiful multi-strand collar. I hope it looks as great for real as it does right now in my head.

Next to that is a pair of earrings that I need to copy with the pearls in the bag behind it. My friend Angela saved the pearls from her husband's grandmother's necklace and had earrings made for her two oldest daughters, and now needs a pair for her youngest. I looooooove projects like this. She wants the rest of the pearls and an earring made into something she can wear. What fun!

Now for the giveaway...Lori of Bead Soup/Pretty Things fame is putting on a virtual craft fair - 70 artists over 7 days and 70 giveaways!

Here is what I'll be giving away over on Lori's blog, sometime between November 26th and December 3rd. Plus I will be having a massive sale in my shop - time to sweep it clean! I'm thinking maybe 30%??? I'll keep you posted on details.

So the little bit of bead table doesn't in the first picture look so bad, but take a look at the rest. Out of Hand! If only I didn't need to sleep I could get alllllllll of my intended projects done!

I Heart Macro From London

2011-10-22T17:22:00.000-04:00

My sweetie (he just told me he prefers the term "studdog, with two dees") had a business trip to London and asked me if there was something he could bring me. Well you know what the answer was...a little google research and an e-mailed address and he brought home this lovely bag...

First he found these....he said, "I know they are made in China but I liked them!"

Then he found a nice sales person and asked for "something unique to an English bead store" and he chose these:

Then of course got directed to the lampwork section of the shop:

(the disks are the size of silver dollars - they are going to be fun to play with)

I am a very lucky gal!

Late Night Bead Table Wednesday

2011-10-19T23:26:00.001-04:00

Some how, yet again, the 11 o'clock news is on and I am not in bed. It's been a good day - a briefing at work went well, I WON A BRACELET from Patty at My Life Under the Bus, and we got some important chores done at home. So here are two craptastic pictures of my bead table, and a lovely picture of one of the chores I helped get done today - an aluminum foil top hat. Bet you didn't see that coming :-) Emma has an "adopt an element" presentation to make Friday - can you guess which one? I keep calling the foil "tin foil" and she keeps saying, "ALUMINUM foil, Mommy, I have aluminum, Sally has tin!" Yes, ma'am. Enjoy the rest of your week!

(now with bails)

(what I plan to string them on - the top right one is supposed to be "brown/olive" yet looks almost exactly like it's lower right neighbor, "gray.")

and Rockin the ~~Tin~~ Aluminum Foil!

Craft Fair After Action Report

2011-10-16T22:35:00.003-04:00

We are chillin' in post-Five Guys-food-coma, Amazing Race-watchin mode. All four of us spread to the four corners this morning - Emma to a friends and then a soccer game (first victory of the season....awesome!), Michael to his BFFs for go-carting and legoing, Greg on a work trip to London (anyone know any good bead stores there I can send him to?) and me to the Falling for Handmade craft fair sponsored/organized by the Capital Region Etsy Street Team. Everyone except Greg is back home and my military training requires that all "operations" be reviewed, assessed, and lessons learned.

1. My new shutter earring displays baaaaaaarely fit in my car - but they do fit - yay! Of course I did not think about transportation AT ALL until Greg and I loaded the car last night. And I needed to drop off the kids on my way--good thing I could scrunch them into the front seat.

2. I ended up getting there about 45 minutes before the doors opened. Not much time but I decided the night before that I wasn't going to stress out about the logistics. It feels good knowing that I can get everything unloaded and set up by myself. Here is a fuzzy "before" picture:

Here are the after pictures:

3. The CREST team picked a great facility, the spots were well marked, and they promised power - something I haven't had access to before (the twinkle lights were a spur of the moment purchase and I dig 'em). I had also added hooks to my display to hang my banner up high - diggin' that too.

4. I love meeting new crafters/artists--like Barb of Buttons by Barb, Street Team Lead Jennifer of Crafty Stitches, Andrea of The Crafty Professor (great intro, "I should be writing papers to get tenure, but instead I make jewelry"), Suzanne of Beautiful Universe, Linda, my immediate neighbor and a wonderful creator of handbags, and Stephanie of SG Designs, my other neighbor, who had the best line of the show, "Who would have thought the pillow lady would have the most customers!"

5. I got lots of compliments on my display and my designs, except for the one customer, you know the one, "This necklace is nice, but it needs to be longer - see how it would be too busy up near your face? It should be longer. That way you can shorten it if you want and have it drape down your back." Wha?

6. Unfortunately there weren't too many customers, and few who made purchases. I think while the facility was great, it wasn't obvious from the outside what was going on inside. It could be the 3 million election signs that didn't make our show's signs obvious. I seem to be stellar at collecting fun new friends at craft fairs because I keep finding the ones with not too many customers. But I never come away without learning something new, and I am looking forward to my November craft fair 'cause I know it's one that is full of fun customers :-)

Have a great week everyone!

I Heart Macro - Playing with Resin

2011-10-15T20:54:00.002-04:00

I haven't played with resin too much, but I did get my hands on an Ice Resin kit and I find it relatively fool proof - or at least this fool can get some decent results. I bet it would look cooler had I Mod Podge'd the paper, but I kinda like that it's translucent. I also found that my husband's desk (shhhhhh - he was out of town for two nights) and my new and wickedly bright photo lights are great for working with resin.

See the empty bottle cap on the left? Ooops, missed that one :-)

BTW - Waves of Resin

2011-10-12T20:47:00.003-04:00

Ever have an idea, seemingly simple, that becomes much, much bigger than you thought? I am happy with the resin results, but this is just step one. I decided that the simple holes drilled in the bottle caps wouldn't work for me - so now am committed to gluing on bails. A couple click clicks on eBay and I found what I wanted - but there is no way I'll get this project done by Sunday**, when I'll be at Falling for Handmade. It's my first foray into a non-local-church-craft-fair venue - hosted by the Capital Region Etsy Street Team - wish me luck!

** If you are in the DC area please stop by - Sunday, October 16th - 11 am to 5 pm -

Ernst Community Cultural Center
              @ NOVA Community College Annandale
        4001 Wakefield Chapel Road
        Annandale, VA

I Heart Macro - Almost Halloween

2011-10-08T22:11:00.000-04:00

Dear Mums - you are beautiful and rich looking and are about to bloom in brilliant autumn colors. Please accept my apologies for thickly covering you in fake cob webs. It looks really cool, trust me. Love, Me

p.s. - The large purple spider made me do it!

p.p.s. - Check out my Lima Beads challenge here.

p.p.p.s. - Check out other Macro goodness here.

Yummy Lorelei and Shannon Lima Beads Challenge

2011-10-08T09:29:00.002-04:00

I am short on time, and SO thought I was ahead of the game. That was until I drug myself to bed last night after a long week and realized that I still had a bit of work to do and no pictures had been taken. So here it is short and sweet:

1. I loved the colors and the materials that were part of the Lima Beads kit (but don't have the list of materials - "yellow" and "green" will have to suffice)
2. I love pearls but find them so hard to work with unless you use stringing wire - I used one of the stick pearls to make a toggle and was able to get some of the small yellow pearls on to thread before the needle broke - grrrrrrr.
3. I meant to use the small yellow pearls on the necklace with the big yellow stones, and got distracted and used the copper dumbbell chain. I liked it better, so used the strung pearls on the chain with the green stones
4. I love the antique copper color - and thankfully had a spool of wire in that color that you see throughout my pieces
5. I bought some vintage buttons ages go and had a purple one that went great with the mother of pearl bracelet
6. At the bottom you'll see a first attempt at a wrap bracelet - not related to the challenge but inspired by one Lorelei made - I used a lampwork bead I made as the toggle

Check our Lorelei's blog for links to all other participants!

And here is my Lorelei-inspired wrap bracelet.

BTW - Before and After

2011-10-05T02:48:00.003-04:00

Ahhhh, the Bead Table. A constant effort to keep it clean and/or organized. Kind of like pushing the waves back with a broom, isn't? For instance, this is what it looked like in my half of the office earlier this week:

But a little effort, a need to clear the decks mentally and in reality, and this is the result:

Do you see how stuffed the trashcan is? Awesome Sauce.

Phew! 27 New Items Listed

2011-10-02T17:04:00.000-04:00

About Thanksgiving last year, after the 3 craft fairs I participated in, I turned my focus to Christmas gifts and got out of the habit of listing on Etsy. The holidays came and went, our annual ski trip came and went (I was going to get caught up on listing while on vacation...yeah, right!), and the longer time went by the harder it became to get back into it. All I've been doing was relisting expired listings, so that my shop wouldn't fall into total obscurity. By now there are some things I have relisted so many times I'm not sure why I don't pick someone and just send them the item for free :-). But I digress. The upside of the stall is that I have learned lots more things, have been able to participate in fun swaps and classes, and as I have spoken about obsessively, I have some mad new photo skills thanks to Kerry Bogert's Snaptastic course (which you should sign your self up for, seriously!). In celebration of my shop refresh I am offering a 10% discount (and shipping is free) - just put in the coupon code ALLNEW when you check out!

Listed Here

Next task - my desk/bead table. Ugh. (x 3 million).

I Heart Macro - Michael Style

2011-10-01T22:01:00.001-04:00

Do you have a lego fanatic in your house? There is no "kind of" when it comes to legos, is there? My son Michael IS IN TO LEGOs. In fact, "legoing" is a common verb, as in, "What'cha doin' Michael?" "I'm legoing."

I do love the colors and shapes. Good thing. 'Cause the entire floor of his room is covered in the darn things!

A Light and Dark Challenge

2011-10-01T08:29:00.003-04:00

Feeding my current obsession with pictures is a need to get 6 months of creations listed on Etsy. I have a Square ordered and have heard that you can link accounts so that you can easily create invoices which is my kick in the pants (along with better pictures) to get cracking. My challenge was a necklace I made with dark purple enamel beads, and dark green-y/purple-y roundels, and black wire, and then shiny silver and nearly clear lavender glass beads. Settings on my camera that worked with the light beads made the rest of the beads look black, and settings on my camera to bring out the purple totally washed out the lighter beads. For example:

But with some tweaking I think these work:

It's now listed in my Etsy shop here. Thanks for stopping by!

Yes, Even More Fun with Photos!

2011-09-29T20:06:00.000-04:00

Teach me Picasa, teach me some cool stuff about my camera and lighting, and then you'll never get me away from my laptop. I've been playing every chance I get! Kerry is offering Snaptastic as an eCourse - find the details HERE!

BTW - Playing with Pictures

2011-09-28T05:31:00.003-04:00

I'm still on a high from all the great stuff I learned from Kerry at Art Bliss. Here are a couple pictures I took at home, all on my own! I did have some assistance with styling - Emma said the one necklace needed to be "like a snail" (see second photo).

And here are some more...

What's on your Bead Table today? Click on the icon to go to the Flickr group.

Bead Soup Giveaway!

2011-09-26T20:29:00.000-04:00

Thanks so much to everyone for your wonderful comments! My beautiful assistant helped select the winner of my Bead Soup Blog Party giveaway:

The winner is Tapping Flamingo! Please contact me with your address so I can send you these goodies:

I Heart Macro - at Art Bliss

2011-09-25T15:26:00.004-04:00

I got back late last night from 24 hours of bliss - Art Bliss that is. I got to spend Friday and Saturday with my best bead nerd friend Jen V., got to see lots of good bead buddies (too many to name), took two classes, plus participated in the charm swap and Jen V. taught us all to make these awesome paper boxes. Whirrrrrlwind! Much more to follow, but since the main class I took was on photography, from the awesomely awesome Kerry Bogert, I'll share some of my work as my entry today for I Heart Macro:

(work by a fellow student)

(my necklace)

(beads and design by Kerry)

(some of Kerry's beads that I brought home :-))

(work by a fellow student)

(Jen, Kerry and Me)

Two important notes:

1. Kerry is turning this class into an e-course - and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it!

2. I'm delaying my Blog Soup giveaway drawing until tomorrow - I am typing like a mad woman right now because dinner guests are arriving any minute - so go HERE and enter if you haven't already!

Tonight's Project - New Earring Display

2011-09-19T21:08:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who have left lovely comments on my Bead Soup (pssst...there is a giveaway!).

Go here to see what I made.

Go here to see what my partner Jennifer did.

And go here for the full list of partyers.

This morning I convinced myself I was crazy to do the craft fair (that I have already signed up for) October 16th. Since I signed up for CREST Falling for Handmade we've gotten the soccer schedule (Emma has two games that weekend) and the Scout schedule (Webeloree campout for Michael that weekend). Huh. But my awesome husband said I should go for it, and we'll figure out how to make it work. Yep, he's pretty awesome that way. So while the boy's were at thier Den meeting tonight I enlisted the help of Emma (and Layla) to put together an earring display that's been kicking around in my mind that needed some action.

Old door to our kitchen, hardware removed.

Shelf brackets - only decorative because they were bought for a long ago project and not used after all.

Paper, ink, stamps (on sale at Hobby Lobby!), world's coolest earring card punch...the paper we used was okay, but something thicker would be better.

Almost there....

...ahhhhhh, much better.

And here is a look at my "help."

Soup, Macro and a Happy Birthday

2011-09-17T22:17:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who have left lovely comments on my Bead Soup.

Go here to see what I made.

Go here to see what my partner Jennifer did.

And go here for the full list of partyers.

Now for macro this week. I went out to Middleburg, Virginia last night for a church retreat, and on the way home this afternoon I bought some lovely mums and other fun plants for fall, including these great ornamental peppers:

Definitely check out the rest of the macro awesomeness over at Studio Waterstone.

And finally, September 18th marks the 64th birthday of the United States Air Force - woohoo!

Have a great week everyone!

Bead Soup Blog Party - the big reveal!

2011-09-17T01:36:00.059-04:00

Lori, the amazing woman behind the Bead Soup Blog Party phenomenon, paired me up with a sweet partner this time - Jennifer of Soul's Fire Designs. Jennifer sent me a pile of lovelies in soft blues, with some pearls and wooden disks and lucite flowers, and a vintage brass focal and clasp. I LOVED the focal, it was so detailed and delicate (and the complete opposite of what I sent Jennifer), but I didn't want it to get lost in a larger design. I tried wiring some of the small gemstones to it but it wasn't working for me. About the time I got my soup, I also got an order from Heather at Humble Beads. It was supposed to be a grab bag collection, but what I got was a collection of her sea urchin beads (yum!). One was the perfect blue to match my soup. So I used wire and some of my soup to dangle one of the sea urchin beads for the brass focal, and then kept it simple by finishing it with bright blue suede.

Here is a look at the entire necklace - I wired some of the gemstones into the connectors between the suede and the clasp:

I love transforming a pile of mixed beads in a great color combo into something multi strand, so I used the rest of my soup to make a two strand bracelet:

I'm loving the lucite flowers:

There are many, many wonderful Bead Soupers for you to go check out, but before you check them out, leave me a comment and I will draw a winner on September 25th to receive this:

Have fun blog hopping!

The Hostess, Lori Anderson and her partner, Manuela Wutschke

1. Aimee Wheaton and Barbara York
2. Alice Craddick and Sandra Richardson
3. Alison Sachs and Amy Severino
4. Allison Scott and Cynthia Abner
5. Amanda Cargill Austin and Charlene Sevier
6. Amanda Davie and Patsy Evins
7. Amber Dawn and Kim Ballor
8. Ambra Gostoli and Christine Hansen
9. Amy Freeland and Christine Altmiller
10. Ana Krepel-Novak and Eleanor Snare

11. Andrea Morici and Hope Smitherman
12. Andrea Trank and Jayne Capps
13. Andrea Turini and Charlene Jacka
14. Angela May and Emanda Johnson
15. Anitra Gordy and Elizabeth Owens Dwy
16. Ann Rishell and Debbie Price
17. Ann Sherwood and Lynne Bowland
18. Anna Lear and Barbe Saint John
19. Anna Sabina and Erin Siegel
19. Nan Emmett and Erin Siegel
20. Astrid Boyce and Birgitta Lejonklou

21. B.R. Kuhlman and Deanna Chase
22. Barbara Bechtel and Bryna Lumb
23. Barbara Blaszczyk and DaviniaDesign
24. Barbara Judy and Holly Westfall
25. Barbara Lewis and Cathie Carroll
26. Barrie Edwards and Lyn Foley
27. Becky Fairclough and Jana Tarhala
28. Bella Borgouise and Gillian Lehman
29. Beth and Evie McCord and Erin Prais-Hintz
30. Beth Bricker and Heather Pyle

31. Beth Emery and Cassie Donlen
32. Bobbie Rafferty and Cindy Cima Edwards
33. Candice McGinnis and Sally Anderson
34. Carol Bradley and Cece Cormier
35. Cathy Khoury and Molly Alexander
36. Carol Tannahill and Hilary Frye
37. Carrie Tahquechi and Cris Peacock
38. Cat Pruitt and Cindy Gimbrone
39. Charlene Gary and Doris Stumpf
40. Charlotte Pevny and Kate Gardenghi

41. Cherrie Fickand Cathie Carroll
41. Claire Maunsell and Cherrie Fick
42. Cheryl Roe and Jenny Vidberg
43. Chris White and Norma Turvey
44. Christa Murphy and Kathy Alderfer
45. Christie Murrow and Dana James
46. Christina Miles and Collette Collins
47. Christine Brandel and Elizabeth Woodford
48. Christine Damm and Cynthia Deis
49. Christine Hendrickson and Debbie Goering
50. Christine Stonefield and Dee Wingrove-Smith

51. Cilla Watkins and Johanna Rhodes
52. Cindy Wimmer and Riki Schumacher
53. CJ Baushka and Cory Celaya
54. Courtney Breul and Joanna Matuszczyk
55. Cristi Clothier and Kathleen Robinson Young
56. Cryss Thain and Serena Trent
57. Cynthia Tucker and Kitty Durmaj
58. Dana Johnson Jones and Eva Sherman
59. Davinia Algeri and Janet McDonald
60. Deci Worland and Lara Lutrick

61. Diana Ptaszynski and Kristy Abner
62. Diane Cook and Kerry Bogert
63. Diane Hawkey and Jen Judd Velasquez
64. Dorcas Midkiff and Jill Harris
65. Doris Radlicki and Heather Goldsmith
66. Dot Lewallen and Gaea Cannaday
67. Elisabeth Auld and Jennifer Justman <------Me and my awesome partner!
68. Erin Fickert-Rowland and Geanina Grigore
69. Erin Grant and Julie Jones
70. Eszter Czibulyas and Helena Fritz

71. Fiona Christie and Michelle Heim
72. Gail Zwang and Genea Crivello-Knable
73. Geneva Collins and Jana Haag
74. Gretchen Nation and Heidi Post
75. Heather DeSimone and Karin Slaton
76. Heather Marley and Terry Carter
77. Ingrid McCue and Jennifer Pride
78. Jackie Ryan and Nicole Keller
79. Janna Harttgen and Joanne Tinley
80. Jean Yates and Lori Anderson

81. Jelveh Jaferian and Jenny Davies-Reazor
82. Jenni Connolly and Jennifer Heynen
83. Jennifer Cameron and Kristi Bowman
84. Jennifer Geldard and Lisa Liddy
85. Jennifer VanBenschoten and Kim Hora
86. Jess Italia Lincoln and Lori Greenberg
87. Jill MacKay and Lori Bergmann
88. JJ Jacobs and Karen Tremblay
89. Joyce Becker and Kathy Welsh
90. Judy Glende and Karen Sinkowski

91. Judy Riley and Kelly Morgan
92. JuLee Wolfe and Julie Bean
93. Julianna Cannon and Julianna Kis
94. Julie Nordine and Lesley Watt
95. K. Hutchinson and Shea Zukowski
96. Karen Firnberg and Karyn Bonfiglio
97. Karen Williams and Kimberly Roberts
98. Karen Zanco and Polly Barker
99. Kari Carrigan and Laura Twiford
100. Karin von Hoeren and Laura Blanck

101. Kate Richbourg and Lorelei Eurto
102. Kathleen Lange Klik and Maria Clark
103. Kathy Engstrom and Keri Lee Sereika
104. Kay Thomerson and Loretta Carstensen
105. Kelley Fogle and Laurel Bielec
106. Kelly Ramstack and Sally Anderson
107. Kim Stevens and Tiffany Long
108. Kristi Harrison and Mandy Williamson
109. Kristi Kyle and Lana Kinney
110. Kristina Johansson and Sue Hodgkinson

111. Kym Hunter and Laura Sanger
112. Laura Zeiner and Susan Kennedy
113. Laurel Steven and Mary McGraw
114. Laurie Hanna and Lisa Boucher
115. Lesley Weir and Liz DeLuca
116. Linda Djokic and Tracey Weiser
117. Linda Inhelder and Pam Brisse
118. Linda Landig and Lori Dorrington
119. Linda Murphy and Lisa Hamilton
119. Line Labrecque and Marianne Baxter
120. Lisa Lodge and Monica Johnson

121. Lois Moon and Melissa Muir
122. Lola Surwillo and Therese Frank
123. Lori Bowring Michaud and Marci Brooks
124. Lupe Meter and Norma Agron
125. Maggie Towne and Marge Beebe
126. Malin de Koning and Susie Hibdon
127. Mallory Hoffman and Shirley Moore
128. Marcie Abney and Patty Miller
129. Marcy Lamberson and Melissa Clarke
130. Margot Potter and Suzann Sladcik Wilson

131. Maria Grimes and Wendy Blum
132. Maria Horvath and Melinda Orr
133. Maria Rosa Sharrow and Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp
134. Marian Hertzog and Melissa Mesara
135. Marianna Boylan and Sandi Lee James
136. Marina Dobrynina and Michaela Pabeschitz
137. Marsha Neal and Miri Agassi
138. Mary Ellen Parker and Melissa Meman
139. Mary Elliott and Tamara Soper
140. Mary Hicks and Laurel Steven

141. Melissa Pynn and Michelle Buettner
142. Michelle Hardy and Niki Meiners
143. Michelle Mach and Moira McEvoy
144. Missy Rappaport and Norma Agron
145. Molly Alexander and Poranna
146. Mylene Hillam and Nicole Rennell
147. Nadezhda Parfyonova and Stacey Curry
148. Nan Emmett and Nancy Peterson
149. Nancy Boylan and Natalie McKenna
150. Natalie Monkivitch and Niky Sayers

151. Natasha Lutes and Pam Ferrari
152. Noemi Baena and Penny Ilagan
153. Pamela Petry and Rebecca Sirevaag
154. Pat Haight and Mary McGraw
155. Patty Gasparino and Vonna Maslanka
156. Penny Neville and Sandi Volpe
157. Pepita Bos and Wendy Chamberlain
158. Raida Disbrow and Rebecca Watkins
159. Rebecca Anderson and Sabrina Staub
160. Regina Santerre and Rose Binoya

161. Rhea Freitag and Tari Kahrs
162. Rochelle Brisson and Sheryl Stephen
163. Sally Russick and Tracy Bell
164. Sandra McGriff and Shay Williams
165. Sandra Wolberg and Sara Hardin
166. Sarah Elder and Salla Small
167. Saskia Kaffenberger and Sharon Gardner
168. Sharon Palac and Shannon Chomanczuk
169. Shay Stone and Suzette Bentley
170. Shiraz Biggie and Tammy Powley

171. Staci Smith and Tracy Stillman
172. Stacie Stamper and Tracy Martin
173. Stefanie Teufel and Vicky Taylor
174. Stephanie Dixon and Stephanie LaRosa
175. Stephanie Haussler and Valerie Norton
176. Suzanne Tate and Terri Wlaschin
177. Sweet Freedom Designs and Tammy Jones
178. Tania Spivey and Tari Sasser
179. Tara Plote and Terry Matuszyk
180. Terri Gauthier and Deana Hager
181. Theresa Fosdick and Tracey Nanstad

Bead Soup Blog Party is almost here!

2011-09-14T22:18:00.001-04:00

Can you believe it? Bead Soup Blog Party - the most ginormous one ever - is Saturday. Sometime in the midst of my day job workey work it dawned on me that I wasn't going to be home on Friday night or Saturday morning, so I best get my post scheduled tonight. But I will leave you with this tease....as part of my reveal on Saturday I am having a giveaway! You only need leave a comment (on the Saturday post) to win. Here is what I'll be sending one lucky winner:

The ceramic on the lower left is from Gaea, the stones are most likely from one or both of my trips to Bead Fest Wire Philly. The orange link (also ceramic) is from Michaels, and the funky two fish focal is from a little local bead shop in Montgomery, Alabama. The brass tag is from the Queen copper mine in Bisbee, Arizona. It's a reproduction of the tags the miners would wear when the entered the mine (so that they wouldn't lose/forget anyone). I have a couple more I want to try and torch fire enamel.

SEE YOU BACK HERE SATURDAY!!!

BTW - Beach Treasures

2011-09-14T06:08:00.002-04:00

Our end of summer jaunt to the beach included bringing home some treasures that may or may not end up in a future jewelry project, we'll see how things come out -- with help from Waylon Jennings :-)

I Heart Macro - Poolside

2011-09-10T22:43:00.000-04:00

As part of Michael's birthday present we signed him up for a PADI Seal Team class - a scuba class for 8+ year olds taught by a certified dive instructor in a pool. Kids can't get officially certified to scuba until they're 10, so this is a way for interested kids to try it out. The class was today and Michael loved it!

While I was hovering near by, camera in hand, as is required of 21st century mothers, I got a close up shot of the lane blocks. I love the bumpy lines, and the "toy camera" filter in Aperture made the colors deeper and made it more macro-ish.

Check out more macro goodness over at Studio Waterstone.

Today's Fun

2011-09-10T10:18:00.000-04:00

Greg was up early for an all day (!!!!) Assistant Soccer Referee class, so I had a quiet house to myself for a bit while the kids slept in. Here is what I did with my time:

Off to conduct kid transport and grocery shop - have a great Saturday!

p.s. - For my 14 friends doing the ArtBliss charm swap, this will give you a good idea of what I am bringing you!

Thank you Lori!

2011-09-09T22:34:00.000-04:00

My lovely friend Patricia at My Life Under the Bus alerted me on Monday that I had won the leather wrap bracelet give away over at Studio Waterstone. Wow! that really made my day! Lori, ever efficient, put it in the mail right away, and it was waiting on my desk when I got home today (my family is trained to put all smallish padded envelopes on my desk :-)). Isn't it awesome (despite the way not awesome self photo)?

It is made of the soooooooffffftest leather, and I felt exceptionally hip for a 40-something mama at dinner tonight. And Faith is the EXACT word I need right now. I think there might, or might not, be a job change coming for me in the next few months, which may or may not require a move. And I just need to keep the faith that the right thing will fall into place for me and my family. It always has. Even those odd jinks in the roads that throw us for a loop have ended up being the right thing, even if we didn't know it at the time. To add to the awesomeness of the package from Lori was this great clutch with her signature embroidered flowers:

A while ago after a mass closet purge, I sent Lori the couple of jackets that had outlived their usefulness that I thought she could re-use - you should check out her store! Lori added the lovely clutch to my gift package as a thank you. Another indication that I need to keep doing what I think is right and goodness will be returned to my life. That's attaching a tad much importance to this sweet clutch, and might be related to the delish Punkin Ale(s) I had with dinner, but you get where I am coming from, don't you? See you Sunday for I HEART MACRO!

BTW - Projects Ahead

2011-09-06T23:15:00.001-04:00

So....the desk is ever so slightly cleaner. You can see some of its surface even. Time to check off some due dates for projects. Bead Soup is right around the corner, and thanks to a very slow moving file transfer project yesterday (yep, that's the exciting way I roll) I got my Bead Soup project(s) done. Yay! Now on to the ArtBliss charm swap. Making 14 charms, especially for the talented folks that will be at ArtBliss, is a bit intimidating, but in my usual style, I jumped right in. My friend Jen V is swapping too, I wonder what she is making? My charms include silver and copper wire and bright blue glass beads. Six made, at least eight more to go. The project after that is to sign up for Square and come up with significant inventory for the Etsy CREST Team craft fair, Falling for Handmade, on October 16th. I did that jumping thing again :-)

If you are thinking of signing up for ArtBliss - DO IT! I am taking Kerry Bogert's Snaptastic and DeFindings classes.

The Last Day of Summer....

2011-09-05T12:28:00.000-04:00

...means that school starts tomorrow around here. What that means also, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, is that the volume of PTA and room parent e-mails will escalate hugely, often with pleas for help or donations toward this or that party or bake sale. I inherited a chocolate cake recipe from my Mom’s Mom that is NO FAIL, and does not require anything more exotic than baking cocoa and a cold cup of coffee. Seriously. This is something I pull out when I remember at about 9:30 (PM, naturally) that I promised to send in cup cakes the next day. It’s my go to recipe when I need to bring something to a party – in fact I made one this morning to take to a BBQ this afternoon. It’s simple enough that the kids can even help you make it. It’s perfect without frosting. One caveat – if you do frost it – it’s a very “crumby-y” cake, so if you are a frosting perfectionist this cake could drive you nuts. If you use twice as much icing it covers all the crumbs :-)

Chocolate Cake

2 eggs

1 cup veggie oil

1 cup milk

1 cup cold coffee

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup baking cocoa

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

Mix well, pour into pan, and bake at 300 degree for one hour. Sprinkle with sugar to decorate. Less baking time is required for cupcakes (1 recipe makes about 3 dozen)...if a cake tester/knife comes out clean it is fully baked. Recipe halves and doubles well.

(Here it is in Lego Mini Figure form :-))

I Heart Macro - Last Piece of Summer

2011-09-03T22:39:00.001-04:00

Lovely huge pink hibiscus bloom...Awesome.

Found while sitting on the deck of a renown ice cream shop, sampling their wares...Awesomer.

In a lovely seaside Virginia town, Chincoteague, on the last weekend of summer...Awesomest.

See other macro goodness at Studio Waterstone.

BTW - Taking the Mess to the Next Level

2011-08-31T22:00:00.001-04:00

Wow - my bead table has reached a new level of messiness. It has layers of mess now. And by mess I mean unfinished projects and half started ideas. Sigh. Let's just call them potential pieces of pure genius. There are a couple treasures on the top (that gray rectangle is my laptop case - it's become a fill in bead mat). I got my first purchase of Humblebeads in the mail today - a bunch of Heather's beautiful sea urchin beads. There is also a stunning necklace by my friend Marice at La Balla Joya. She's taking a break from selling her treasures to concentrate on other things. She still has her tutorials in her Etsy shop - if beadweaving is your gig check them out.

But on the right hand side of the "bead mat" is something that I actually finished! Inspired by the August Art Bead Scene Challenge....

I made this...

I made it at the very last minute! The wheels of the bicycle in the inspiration picture is what caught my eye, as well as the beautiful mustard yellow. I made the dog tag charm in Barbara Lewis' Painting with Fire class. The handmade lampwork donut I got in a holiday bead swap with Linda of Bella Bead Jewelry. The czech glass beads and yellow seed beads are from my stash. The seed beads are real live seeds - my girlfriend Stella brought them to me from South America.

I Heart Macro - Paper Chase

2011-08-28T00:03:00.000-04:00

The winds are howlin' outside, but so far so good at the Auld Homestead. Still have power, inside the house is dry, trees are still standing. We should be through the worst of it by sunrise. We've watched movies, have been outside earlier to jump in puddles, and rearranged the garage to squeeze both cars inside. But once the kids were in bed I needed something to keep me busy rather than worry about the storm. I have a pile of bezels that I want to fill with pretty paper and some resin for a "make your own necklace" idea I have for my two fall craft fairs. The first part is done, resin is on the agenda for tomorrow...

Check out the rest of the macro goodness here.

Beads for Busy Gals

Surprises in the mail are my FAVORITE

And here is another crazy rabbit trail....

See if you can follow...

Clean Sweep Sale Ending

I'm Still Here, Swear!

I Heart Macro - Bead Soup Arrived

Bead Table...errr...Friday

Bead Soup is Ready to Send...

Earrings for Every Outfit

I Heart Macro - Chocolate?

Ahhhhh...

Studio Work In Progress

January Art Bead Scene Challenge

I Heart Macro - Mmmmm, Pizza!

BTW - Many Projects in Store

What? It's the New Year Already?

Easy Tutorial - Blog Backgrounds

I Heart Macro - at the Beach

BTW - Small Talk = Beading

I Heart Macro - Happy 2012

Thank You Miss Molly

Time for a Clean Sweep

I Heart Macro - World's Best Santa Version

My Christmas Wish For You

Getting Ready for the Big Day

Macro Sunday - The Elves Have Been Busy

BTW Christmas Addition

Non Macro Macro Sunday

10 Things You Don't Know

Bead Table Wednesday - Sigh - A Reoccurring Theme

Everyone Loves a Winner

Holiday Macro

Obsessed

Challenge of Color Blog Hop

Today's My Day at the Virtual Craft Fair

I Heart Macro - the Great Flour Incident

Today is the Day!

Getting into gear...

This way....

Bead Table Wednesday - Let's Shop!

Fun, Fellowship and Macro

Stay Tuned for Color and a Sale!

In Virtute Sunt Multi Ascensus

I Heart Macro - From the Pitch

It's Wednesday?

Late Entry to I Heart Macro

BTW (and a cookie idea)

I Hear Macro - with Heart

BTW - Some Pretty Things to Play With

I Heart Macro From London

Late Night Bead Table Wednesday

Craft Fair After Action Report

I Heart Macro - Playing with Resin

BTW - Waves of Resin

Ernst Community Cultural Center @ NOVA Community College Annandale 4001 Wakefield Chapel Road Annandale, VA

I Heart Macro - Almost Halloween

Yummy Lorelei and Shannon Lima Beads Challenge

BTW - Before and After

Phew! 27 New Items Listed

I Heart Macro - Michael Style

A Light and Dark Challenge

Yes, Even More Fun with Photos!

BTW - Playing with Pictures

Bead Soup Giveaway!

I Heart Macro - at Art Bliss

Tonight's Project - New Earring Display

Soup, Macro and a Happy Birthday

Bead Soup Blog Party - the big reveal!

Bead Soup Blog Party is almost here!

BTW - Beach Treasures

I Heart Macro - Poolside

Today's Fun

Thank you Lori!

BTW - Projects Ahead

The Last Day of Summer....

I Heart Macro - Last Piece of Summer

BTW - Taking the Mess to the Next Level

I Heart Macro - Paper Chase

Ernst Community Cultural Center
@ NOVA Community College Annandale
4001 Wakefield Chapel Road
Annandale, VA