What I have been up to...

Besides a ton of laundry due to 2 sick kiddos, you mean? Oh. Well, I did send off some merchandise to my first brick and mortar store!  Recycologie by name. Check them out at recycologie.com or on Facebook.

New to the Tropical Blonde line....

 Handmade brooch/hair clips and scarves!

 These last two are fresh yesterday and will be staying in my personal wardrobe for a bit. But I love them so much I see more in the near future. If you just HAVE to have one, I will entertain the possibility of custom orders, shoot me a note :)

Bead swap with the Gossiping Goddess

There was a smaller, lesser known bead swap recently with no finished project required. My partner was Lesley the Gossiping Goddess. I have no idea how much she gossips but I sure can tell you she does awesome bead swapping! Take a peek...

Adorable paper (that was complete with sari silk bow but I couldn't keep my hands off it ;))

TONS of goodies (see the ribbon?!)

Lesley does some fabulous bronze clay work. These are some of her textured discs and inspirational pendants. 

Lampwork, textile beads, chain and goldstone to name a few.

Hand dyed silks

Gorgeously intricate glass

Textile beads (I had never seen anything like this and can't wait to play!)

Saving my favorite for last...bronze clay pendants by Lesley! Love, love LOVE these!!

And now that I have finally gotten this post up I can go play with it all!  Don't forget the Virtual Craft Show that is going on this week. Go comment on Lori's blog to have a shot at some AMAZING art. Use the code VCS20 in my Etsy shop to get 20% off your order until December 4th!

Virtual Craft Show starts today!!

Guess what?! Lori Anderson's first annual Virtual Craft Show starts today!  Head over to Pretty Things and leave a comment on Lori's posts to get a shot at winning oodles of fabulous merchandise from all kinds of amazing artists. 70 different artists will be giving away their art and many of them are also having sales in their online stores so check them out each day between now and December 3rd. Comment on her post to have a shot at winning one of the fabulous prizes (I think my art bead bundle will be going up on December 1st so watch for it).  I will be having a sale in my Etsy shop starting today for 20% off everything in my Etsy shop!  Use code VCS20. Get started on that gift list!

Honoring our Veterans.

11-11-11. A special day this year to honor those who volunteer to die, if need be, so that we can enjoy the freedoms of our amazing nation. To the beady blogland's veterans like Jennifer and Lori and all of our devoted men and women who have served or are serving, we thank you!

I have not been posting as regularly for the past three months for several reasons but  I think things might be "slowing down" as the holidays begin. Is that even possible? I am hoping to be able to post a little more regularly again, if not quite as frequently since I have some long term plans that might be taking up more of my time. I will let you know about what's up when it's a little more concrete.  

One of the things I jumped on board with is this....

Brought  to you be the fantabulous Lori Anderson.  Check back for more details.

Right now I am off to start on my secret project ;).  Hope you have a great Thursday!

Winner of the giveaway!

So I was web surfing and came across this guy...

heehee!

I decided to name my spacey earrings in honor of our no longer recognized friend, Pluto.  But since I still have stuff to give away I went to the random generator and had it pick a winner.  Congrats to TeriB (number 5, thank you to random.org)!

RIP, Pluto!

And thank you to all who participated!

Click this if you are looking for my Bead Soup Blog Party post!

Tutorial and giveaway!

Ok, folks, I am stuck. I have not been able to come up with a name that I like for these earrings!  So here's the deal. I will show you how I make said earrings and you then leave me a comment with a name suggestion. Whoever's name tickles my fancy will either receive a pair of earrings (custom made for the winner after consulting them) OR a pair of my own art beads to make your own earrings!  I will take entries until the 16th of October and I will announce the winner on the 17th. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you don't have your email on your blogger/commenter ID. 

So here you go...

String a bead onto 20 gauge wire.  If your looking for the particular style I use here go check out Julsbeads. Even if your not looking for that style go check her out. She totally rocks. I know I say that a lot but it's true. 

*unpaid advertisement over*

Make a loop to keep the bead from falling off (that might kinda ruin your look ;))

 Wrap one time around a regular Sharpie marker...

Then twice more.

 Slide the marker out and bring the coils over the top of the bead and pull them down around it. Depending on the shape and size of your bead you might need adjust the wires shape to suit yourself.

Tada!

So now for the hard part! What to call it?!!  Leave your suggestion in the comment section for a chance to win earrings or beads.