Upcoming Trunk Show

I'm gearing up for a virtual trunk show next week with our Bead Art Originals Etsy street team. We are giving away a few prizes for those who sign up for our newsletter this week. Take a minute to sign up. The newsletter will have announcements about our upcoming events and specials.

Click the link to subscribe and enter the drawing! (Sorry for the non-functioning link before.)

Lotus Lantern Earrings

This is the pair of earrings that you could win!

The trunk show will feature a show & tell with work from our very talented members of bead artists and jewelry designers. There will be specials and sales happening during the trunk show that you must be present to redeem.

Almost Guys!

I'm afraid to put up my new beads. You'll just have to wait a few more days until I'm on top of the pile again. The orders have been coming in like crazy these last few weeks and I've been running the show alone as Jess has been busy working for The Man. I need an employee and a maid and a cook...

Okay, so for those running their own business I give you three information packed websites to keep you busy while you patiently wait for the new arrivals:

First check out The Big Idea, which is a site filled with some great resources for small businesses. Lots of good advice here.

Business tips and resources: http://www.startupnation.com/index.asp

And if you sell on etsy, they posted a Seller's Handbook with all their articles on running an etsy business. Wow! Good info no matter where you sell online though.

Soon, I promise.

How many beads can a beadmaker make...

Never enough, it seems! I'm giving my weary little hands a quick break from shaping beads. Hundreds have passed through my hands this week. I have so much to share with you and so many new beads to list. I'm going to introduce them on etsy for a while until I have enough of a stock pile to put them on my website. I have been quietly making updates to the website. Owls, cardinals, canaries, sea urchins, poppies, tiger lilies and dandelions are now part of my regular bead collection. Which means they can be bought at wholesale and you can always find them.


I have new beads in my etsy shop. Variations of dandelions and lilies.
And new bead shapes, small tubes that are perfect for earrings.

In my camera are my additions to my Branch Beads, in some beautiful new fall colors. In the oven are the Gustav Klimt beads. Tons of them. I don't want to sell them, I want to keep them on my bead table and pet them while I utter, "my precious." But not to worry, there is the ever looming bills that keeps me from doing such silly things!


A little extra eye candy. A necklace I made a few weeks ago. I found those amazing wire wheel pendants (Michael's) with a hole in the middle that just screamed, toggle clasp. Amazonite, carnelian and seed beads in earthy colors come together with brass and copper components. I used one of my wafer beads in copper and a teal toggle.

Collaboration Exploration

It's time for another round of Collaboration Exploration! This is a design challenge where two beader makers and a designer team up to see how each interpret the same set of art beads. Pictured above are the beads for this collaboration from myself and Cindy Gimbrone. The designer joining us is the very talented Katie Hacker.

O- Ring Necklace

Brass oval rings and paired together with a dandelion wine bead, a glass link from Cindy, a sparrow's compass from Vintaj and lots of brass chain. This necklace measures 30" long.

Forest Through the Trees Necklace

Next up I used my little hoot owl bead with Cindy's glass link. I added in a pendant from Mary Harding, teal disk beads with stones, pearls and a brush silver-tone chain.

Nourish Creativity Necklace

This sweet collection features another glass link from Cindy, golden disk beads and an olive chrysanthemum from me. The bird and nourish pendant are from Earthenwood Studio. Glass ruffles and a raku bead round out the collection of art beads. The leaf and branch clasp are from Vintaj, warm chocolate pearls finish the back of the necklace.

The Brass Ring Bracelet

This is my favorite! A filigree brass ring from Vintaj is off-set by Cindy's glass links. In between the rings are my golden branch beads. The closure on this bracelet is a soft buttery piece of leather. The bracelet can be adjusted to fit any size.

Check out Katie and Cindy's posts with their designs.

Vintaj brass can be found at Bello Modo.

Endless Summer

Dear Heather,

I love your sea urchin beads, but I'm afraid since summer is over I'll have to wait until Spring to order some. Is it a faux pas to wear urchins after labor day?

Sincerely,

Endless Summer

Dear Endless Summer,

Jewelry is worn for many reasons. One reason is the story they tell or a memory they evoke. Regardless of the current fashion or season, if you love the ocean and the beach why not wear your urchin all year round?

Here are a few designs to help you transition using summer style beads into designs that can be worn during the colder months.

Autumn Ocean Necklace - pair up a summer style bead in tones that lend themselves to a fall color palette. Here I mixed a peachy terra cotta urchin with Vintaj brass, brass wheels, copper disks and copper pearls.

Key to the Sea Pendant - combine the current season's "in" thing with your beach inspired beads for a trendy look. Antique keys, vintage inspired pendants, hardware as jewelry components, are all big for fall. This pendant simply combines a skeleton key, hardware snap rings, gunmetal chain and a sea urchin in green. This is a very long pendant hanging 30" that would look at home paired with a sweater in a soft sage color.

Woods and Shell Bracelet - combine your beach beads with darker accents for the fall and winter season. Here I mixed an urchin with dark wood wobbles and a seaweed pewter button from Mamacita Beadworks.

It's okay to channel your inner mermaid off-season!

Metal Seed Beads

Yesterday on the Art Bead Scene Lynn Davis featured some of my work that incorporated seed beads. How could I not love seed beads? With Beverly Herman as my mom, it's in my blood! In fact she lives in New Orleans and when they headed out of town last week what did she take? 250 lbs. of seed beads traveled across country with her.

Lorelei had asked about copper seed beads so I wanted to share my source for metal seed beads, Charlene's Beads. Charlene happens to be a Bead Cruise sponsor and a very sweet person. I've purchased metal seed beads from other places, but Charlene has the best. I buy them by the 1/4 kilo and that's like 1/2 a sandwich bag full! I use them in almost every design. I love the antique copper and nickel the best. Neither changes color over time.

Okay, so your turn! Do you have a great source for your favorite bead or finding that you'd like to share? Post about it on your blog and add the link in the comment section. On Sunday I'll pick a comment from this post to receive one of my Chrysanthemum beads.

Bonus: directions for my dragonfly necklace that was first printed in BeadStyle and then made a guest appearance on Beads, Baubles & Jewels.

Distracted by the Bead Table

A quick little post to show what I've been up to in between orders and working on the new beads. See, I'm so easily distracted, that must be why the new line is taking forever to roll out. Darn you jewelry muse!
A crazy long pendant and tassel cascade off another strand of those decadent purple keishe pearls. I threw in some little brass filigree leafy looking dangles, so this fits in perfect with the Art Bead Scene's new monthly challenge, which is Filigree!
A close up of one of my new beads. Soon, I promise very soon! Oh and the copper disks and clasp, www.beadinghouse.com. I'm not sure if they have them online, I haven't checked out the website. They haunt our local bead shows here in SA and I always stop by their booth. (I wasn't holding out on your Rosanne!)

A Horrible Obsession!

Okay, I don't want to be a geeky obsessed fan girl but I can not help myself. I could watch Dr. Horrible at least 3 times a week. I want more! But come on, it's Joss. What's not to love?

And seriously, who knew Neil Patrick Harris was so hilarious? I had no clue.

I so want to throw a Dr. Horrible Halloween Party.

Item of the Week - Van Gogh Disks

I recently joined the Bead Art Originals Etsy street team. This is a group of phenomenally talented bead artists and bead weavers.

Each week they sponsor an Item of the Week promotion. So I decided since Van Gogh has been on my mind to offer a special incentive to those who pick up a set of my Van Gogh disk beads from my Etsy shop. You'll receive a small matching lentil bead, this offer is only for the Van Gogh disks in my Etsy shop. One per customer and while supplies last.

Visit the Bead Art Originals blog to see the other Items of the Week.

And for a little inspiration here is a bracelet I made this afternoon with a set of the Van Gogh Disks and a set of matching earrings featuring my gold disk beads.