Links

I just love etsy.com. What is etsy, you ask?

About: Etsy is an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade. Our mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers. Our vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice. Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade.

I was browsing on some blogs and came across a link to this. One of a few beautiful resin pendants on Etsy in Wyanne's shop. There are some nice paintings also! And I think that I might have found Honey's next leash in Anniessweatshop. Check it out. I can come up with a long list of items like this that go on my wish list from etsy.

Then, I signed up to swap on swap-bot.com. What is swap-bot, you ask? Swap-bot is a service and a community.
About: Swap-bot facilitates group snail mail and internet swaps. It removes the hassle of collecting swap participants and assigning swap partners. Swap-bot is also a community where swappers can connect, share, and have fun. Swap-bot was created in the summer of 2005 by Rachel and Travis Johnson, a designer and computer programmer. Swap-bot was originally created to be a tool used by blog owners to facilitate mail swaps with their readers. The site has grown from a simple utility to a meeting place where at any given time there are over 400 public swaps being hosted. Swap-bot is completely free for our users.
So, I signed up to be a snail mail pen pal with 3 people. As if I don't have enough to do...but, this looks SO fun. It was suggested to me by the craft meetup leader, Denise. She has done tea party set swaps, music swaps and a journal swap. It sounded really interesting so I thought I'd give it a try.

Beaded Beads

I was asked over the weekend how these beads were beaded. Here is my best attempt at describing the process.

Depending on the size of wooden bead you are using, you can choose the right thickness of terrifically tacky tape.

The tape is double sided. Add the tape to the very middle of your bead and rap around (the tape would be the equator and the holes would be the north & south pole). When tape meets tape and creates the entire equator, cut off. If you want to make the bead smoother, cut small triangles into the tape on both sides (not necessary). Then you can press down the tape from the equator to the north and south poles. Peal off the protective coating. Roll in your largest beads first, Treasure Beadz. Dip in Micro Beedz, Sparklerz or Microfine Glitter to cover the entire surface area. Voila - a beaded bead.

Tips:

Wear gloves and don’t let your bare skin touch the tape or the beads.

Put the bead into a plastic bag for 24-48 hours to let the beads set into the tape without any exposure. Once set, the beads will be permanently applied to the surface area.

The 24/24 Daily Sale is officially over, as of noon (PST) today. I was just scanning over some of the comments that we have received about the sale and thought that I should share.

Very interesting information conveyed.

Very nice and great prices please run it longer.

Top quality gems.

I was tempted but very rarely buy semi precious beads sight unseen. I need to pick the strands myself. Glass beads are more standardized and I have no problems buying them.

Could not at this time, but will be prepared if there's a next time.

I purchased several strands of super quality beads at the BABE a couple of years ago. Everyone who sees what is left of them is so impressed. Your quality is soooo high.

I enjoy getting all your information and love your beading wire.
I think it's a fabulous promotion and look forward to another one.

I love the selection of different gems! I couldn't believe it--Tanzanite! Tourmaline! Wow!

Over 90% of the survey takers say that they enjoyed the 24/24 Daily Sale. That is so good to hear! I hope that you all enjoy your new goodies from our gemstone collection. We are considering making this semi-annual. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, July's sale is pretty wonderful too! Art Accentz at 50% off! That's right - the flowers above are all beaded using Terrifically tacky tape. These flowers are by Diane Trepanier. There was no base for the flower. In other words, these were created out of thin air using wire, art accentz products & floral tape for the stems.

Need another version, here you go:
Have a great weekend. Josh, Honey and I plan to lay low and get caught up on our rest & relaxation.

Today just gets better and better....

Exciting News!

Jean just sent me a snippet of a page in the upcoming issue of Australian Beading Magazine. Jean Yates and Lisa Kan have a 4 page section that featured products and projects from U.S. I believe that it is caller "Our Beading World". Lisa Kan not only mentions me, there I am in full color too! Wow - THANKS Lisa!!!! She also talks about our Metallics beading wire in copper color and antique brass color. I can't wait to get my copy and read it from cover to cover!

Lisa Kan is a trooper. She signed up to walk as my team member on Team Beadalicious in the Breast Cancer 3day. 60 miles is a long walk - but I know that we can both do it. Lisa is currently still looking to reach her $2,200 minimum to be able to walk in the 3day. So if you have a few extra dollars that you are willing to spend on a good cause, you should donate on her behalf.

Jean Yates and her most amazing blog

I got mentioned in Jean's blog - YAY!

Snap out of it Jean! There's beading to be done!

Jean has the most entertaining blog of all! If you need to smile or perk up - I suggest stopping by her blog and checking out what she is up to.

I'm off to Double Joy Beads in Scottsdale to take a photo of the shop for our Spotlight on...section in July. I'd link to it, but they don't have a website. You will have to check out my photos next month to see what it looks like. :)

Good Quality Crimps

The importance of good quality crimps:

Crimps are so little, it is easy to forget just how important they are. Many times, they hold an entire design together. It is important to find a dealer that will stand behind the quality of their crimps. Our crimp tubes are double the wall thickness of most and are also seamless. Sterling silver is a soft metal - so it is important that there is enough sterling silver in the crimp tube to withstand the force used when crimping.


Above and beyond the crimp tube itself, the most common errors that I see when using the regular crimping pliers are easy fixes. 1. Don't use a lot of force with the regular crimping pliers. As I said above, sterling is pretty soft. It doesn't take much force to compress a crimp tube. 2. Also, after you fold the crimp tube with the "rounder", go around the crimp several more times with the "rounder" gently compressing. This will allow you to mold it into the perfect shape and make sure that the crimp is snuggly attached onto the wire.

Basic Crimping Instructions

Too much to do...too little time to do it all...

Josh's parents live on a ranch in the high desert of southern AZ. We drove down last weekend to spend time with his dad while his mom was out of town. It is always nice to get out of town. The only problem is that when we were helping with a few chores out doors on Sunday, I didn't put any sunscreen on. I thought that I could get a pass from Mother Nature, walk around in the hot sun for a few hours and be just fine. Ummmm no, it didn't quite work that way; I'm sun burned....REALLY SUN BURNED. The kind of sun burn where you can feel heat radiating from your body. 2 miserable days later - I feel silly. Moral of the story, don't forget to wear your sunscreen this summer.


Kristen (Soft Flex web graphic designer) and I have a date set in two weeks to make more resin jewelry. I'm so excited. So, we are going to pick up the supplies tomorrow and then have a few weeks to work our creative juices. Kristen & I both love to paint and draw so we want to incorporate other forms of art into our jewelry. Pretty cool.

I'm finally home for a few weekends and am trying to not book them up with too many commitments. I need to clean my house, pet my dog, read my book, cook dinner at home and make some art.

What a nice compliment...

Couldn't have said it better myself,

Susan Beal - Spotlight on Soft Flex

You can find Susan on etsy.com.

Are you new to beading?

I suggest this wonderful new DVD from beading expert Kate Richbourg. It is fabulous and covers all of the beading basics that a beginner should know and it is being sold at a great price. This dvd is only $19.95. :)

Beadissimo Basic Stringing Techniques

That is a LONG necklace

Check out this link that Lisa Vernon (bead store & distributor manager for soft flex company) sent to me.

Long Necklace

Volunteering on my mind

The jewelry that Elizabeth made on our outing together:

Eliabeth's jewelry

Elizabeth's latest update

I am a firm believer in giving back to your community and working hard to make the world just a little bit of a better place. There are so many different places to volunteer, I suggest choosing a volunteer job that really fits your lifestyle. I also suggest volunteering with a friend or family member. If you love animals, volunteer at the local animal shelter. If the elderly are more your cup of tea, then find a nursing home to visit or meals on wheels is a great program. If you love the outdoors, being a park steward might be a perfect fit for you.

Obviously, if you are reading this blog, you probably bead. If you know of any really neat volunteer beading programs in your area, please drop me an email and tell me about it. I am thinking of starting something up here but would like to see what else is already out there in the world first.

Have a bead-i-ful day!

Tree of Knowledge

"Tree of Knowledge" on beadingdaily.com

Presents, presents & more presents

My cousin Denae is graduating from high school on Thursday in California. We (Josh & I) are planning a trip this coming weekend to celebrate with her and her family. I just created a choker for her as a graduation present and thought that I'd share.


Products used in this project:

• seed beads 11/0
• gemstone briolettes (black tourmaline)
• czech glass beads
• single strand clasp
• black soft flex .019 (use other colors)
  
• 2x2mm crimp tubes
• cutters
• crimping pliers

I wove the black soft flex wire back and forth into the czech beads to create circles. Hopefully this is hip enough for an 18 year old! :)

I see that a few customers snagged diamonds & emeralds at 60% off last weekend - what a GREAT deal!?! To see what is on sale today, until noon tomorrow - go here.

The flights home last night were pretty rough. We hit a lot of bad weather and we came in a few hours later than expected. I've been lost in a hazy fog today...the combination of the time change and the late night has left me feeling a little off kilter. Hopefully, I'll feel more like myself tomorrow.

I am looking forward to my 4 day weekend of fun in the sun!

Good Reads Review

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Picked this up for the plane ride to and from Milwaukee. It has been a real page turner. I ended up reading this 650 page book in just about a week. I was traveling and had long flights - but I also found myself opening it up at night for a quick read (even when exhausted). So, it turned out to be a pretty good book. What really makes it interesting is that it is based from the true story of Henry VIII and his 2 first wives. I picked up another one of her books for my next read.


View all my reviews.



View all my reviews.

Bead & Button Aftermath...

I've almost made it out alive.....but barely. I'm exhausted but had a great weekend! Lots of scary tornado warnings and thick rain storms. I have my ruby slippers ready just in case I need them!

Here are some of my favorite award winning designs from the front cases (forgive me for the reflection in the glass, I am by no means a talented photographer):


Design By Heidi Kummli


Design By Hiroko Yokoi (with tatting - very nice!)


Design By Irina Astratenko


Design By Laurie Saikin


Design by Miyuki Sugimura


Design By Sherry Serafini

And here I am at my demo table on preview night.


It was a great weekend. Our new booth lay out looked great and is actually a lot easier to set up and to tear down (BONUS!). I really enjoyed teaching lots of different techniques - from WigJigs to knitting spools to using Soft Flex in colors & Soft Touch Very Fine in black and white. I demoed my Double Strand Earrings Project quite a bit, but using CZ's instead of Czech glass beads - very pretty! I picked up myself a kumihimo board and plan to toodle around with that this coming week. We are currently introducing a new product, Econoflex. It is not for sale yet - we are taking pre orders for stores & distributors. It is a beading wire for craft & hobbyists as well as beginners. It will be a lower cost bead stringing wire. It is not for a professional designer but more for someone that is either just getting started, cost conscious or just use wire for craft projects (beaded lampshades, fan pulls, embellishing drapes, etc).

I have an afternoon flight home tomorrow. I look forward to seeing Josh & Honey. I miss them both terribly. Josh & I will be off to California to visit my family for a 4 day weekend from Thursday - Sunday, this coming week. I look forward to some time on the beach as well as some quality time with my Grandma, Aunts, Uncles & Cousins. My cousin, Denae is graduating from high school. Boy, I am so excited for a mini vacation.

PS - It is soon to be $20 for each extra bag on a flight now. Time to pack tight. My bag was at 45 lbs on the way here - hope I didn't buy too many beads & shoes.......

Bead & Button Show

Hi everyone,

This will be a quick post from Milwaukee. The Bead & Button show is starting in less than 2 hours and you can feel the energy throughout the hotel and the convention hall. I still have yet to set up my demo table and probably should be at the show now but wanted to drop a few words into my blog.

Our booth looks gorgeous. I'll be sure to try to take some pictures this evening to post. I'm most impressed by our new free standing signs. They are super nice!

I will be demo-ing a lot of different products: WigJigs, knitting spools and of course crimping!

If you didn't make it to Milwaukee, take full advantage of the 24/24 sale. It is a great deal. 60% off & free shipping - who can beat THAT!

In the meantime, I'm off to the races!!! Will post again soon.....

24/24 Gemstone Sale

BIG NEWS!!!!

24/24 Gemstone Sale

We will be putting a group of gemstones on sale each day at 60% off.

The catch, you ask? You only have 24 hours to purchase from that group before they get swapped out. From noon to noon (PST).

Why 24/24? We also decided that paying the flat rate shipping fee every day might become cumbersome - so the first 24 customers get FREE SHIPPING.

So, if you want to get a good deal and not have to pay shipping, you gotta get your order in first!

Go here to be added to the daily e-list to be the first to know when the new sale gets loaded online.