Customer Gallery

I'm always thrilled when I see what you have been up to with my Humblebeads.  Some of these were shared with me quite awhile ago but I thought they needed a little time to shine in the spotlight.

I love these earrings made with tiny crocheted snowflakes by Leslie Smith Gidden, she paired them up with some tiny blue spacer beads in a winter branches pattern.  Perfect as I'm impatiently waiting for the ground to be covered in white fluff here in Michigan!

Next up is a Blue Bird and wood bracelet by Sasha and Max.  Those bittersweet orange lampwork beads were the perfect touch and give the design a modern edge.

I really, really love piece from Jess Italia-Lincoln.  Even more so because it's the perfect memento of my trip to Galena and all the fun things we did during the Vintaj workshop.  Notice the willow branch wrapped into a toggle - awesome!  and I love the wire nest bead.  Jess used some of my Bittersweet Branch disks, one of my Robin's eggs and paired them up with a Simple Truths pendant from my dearest bead buddy, Erin Prais-Hintz.

Have you made something with your Humblebeads that you'd like to share?  Stop by my Humblebeads Facebook page and post a photo or two on my wall!

Black Friday Deals!

Okay, it's not really Friday - but we are going to be crazy busy this weekend, so I wanted to share this with you today.

I'm offering the Bead of the Month Club for 2012 and you get a bonus month because I'm starting it in December!  The club will go from December 2011 until December 2012

This next round will be a little different - each month you'll receive an exclusive set of disk beads inspired by the paintings from the Art Bead Scene's monthly challenge.  Each package will ship on the 1st of the month.

Did I mention you'll save more than 1/2 off for this 12 month subscription?  I know, I know - but it is that time of year for deals that make your mouth drop right?  There are only 20 available - hmm early holiday gift to yourself - why not!

Click here for the complete scoop and to scoop up this deal.

And for those of you who want to pick up a few goodies my Black Friday - Cyber Monday Sale is 20% off orders from my Etsy shop.  Use discount code Holiday2011.  This will be my last sale for quite a while.  The sale starts today because I know you'll be all sorts of crazy busy this weekend too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

SNOW!

It's a case of life imitating art!

Yesterday was the first snow of the season.  Which led me to burst into song:

It's snowing, it's snowing, it's S-N-O-W-I-N-G!

Michigan is all together lovely - I thought I might feel a little sad when all the trees were bare, but I had forgotten how enchanting the woods are in their minimalist state.  Each time I'm outside I find myself completely overtaken by nature's abundance.

I'm looking forward to the Holiday Trunk Show at Bead Quest tomorrow.  

I'm off to work like a little elf finishing up a few more holiday beads.

Bead Table Wednesday

Charms and pendants waiting to be painted.

Enamel pieces that I made a few weeks ago while visiting my Aunt Rosanne.  

They are rough, but pretty cool and I will be using them in jewelry shortly.  

I would like to take a class to learn how to do it right, it was trickier than I thought it would be.

 And finally - the view from my window.  

AWESOME!

So that's what's on my Bead Table.  

What's on your table?

Check out the Bead Table Wednesday flickr group to see what's going on with other bead bloggers.

Holiday Happenings

I have three holiday events that are fast approaching.

The first one is this weekend, Saturday November 12th from 10-5pm at Bead Quest in Grand Rapids, MI.

Bead Quest is hosting their annual holiday event with several artists and a crystal event.  It should be quite the party.  I am teaching my nest class in the morning and then from 2-5pm I'm signing books.  My beads will be available throughout the day.  I am making lots of the new holiday items, they flew out of my Etsy shop as fast I could make them this weekend.  I have a feeling they will do well at the open house too.

(Photo credit: Bead Quest)

And speaking of making things quickly, I'm also preparing to take items for the South Haven Art Center for their annual Mistletoe Market.  That is a holiday boutique that goes from November 18th until December 11th.  I'm making lots of impulse buy items: pendants, earrings, hair pins, etc - it's a tourist town that is pretty slow in the winter, but the artsy folks in the area brave the cold and support local artists.  Don't you just love that?  Ah, that makes me feel nostalgic - I remember shopping for Christmas gifts at the Mistletoe Market when I was in high school and then selling at the market for many years when I was a budding jewelry designer.  Oh, those were the salad days.

And finally, my last event of the year will be the Artist's Market at the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts.  We used to do this show back in the day too.  Now the UICA is all spiffy in their new big building and it's their 23rd annual show.  This will be the show I pull out the big guns and get all super high end creative with designs like the ones in my book. 

I haven't even started to explore Grand Rapids.  There are all these hip little shops in my old neighborhood - it's totally urban chic.  I want to go check out The Sparrows coffee shop - okay, I just love the name.  There are some wonderful galleries and shops and I'd like to visit.  Hopefully at the beginning of December when I slow down a bit and we are all settled here in GR.  

Overwhelmed - nope, not really.  Way more excited about living my dream everyday and rising to the challenge.

"And you could say, because it’s your right to, that you’re feeling “overwhelmed”. 

But don’t. Don’t go there. 

Stay with me, on the light side of change and bursting creativity; on the front end of pressure, and greatness, and the best and worst kinds of challenges." 

From Danielle LaPorte, read the whole blog post here: Strike "Overwhelmed" From Your Vocabulary. (Via MissFickleMedia on twitter - thanks Shannon!)