Inspired by Bees Winner

The winner from last week's challenge is Backstory Beads!  

Karin has won a $25 gift certificate to Humblebeads.com. 

The winner was choosen randomly from all the enteries.

You can read about the 'backstory' on Karin's blog. 

Big Huge Giveaway - that's the BHG!

Have I lost my mind? 

I feel like one of those used car commercials - come on down to crazy Heather's and save, save, save.  Okay, maybe not that bad and certainly not desperate.  But I do have an abundance of beads that need to find new homes.  I'm in the process of a major studio purge and I have some huge bead bundles that I'm going to auction off next week, they are filled with amazing one-of-a-kind beads.  But this was a smaller set - and I thought, why not do something crazy like give it away.  So, that's what I'm doing.  Maybe my brain has melted from one too many days of 100 degree weather.

Some were experiments, some are discontinued items and others are just overstock.  They are wonderful!

So what do you need to do to enter? 

Leave a comment - tell me what your favorite Humblebead is - if you are new here, check out my Etsy shop and pick a favorite.  That is one entry - blog, facebook or twitter about the giveaway and you will be entered for each one that you do.  Leave a comment to let me know which ones you did.

So four chances to have this collection of beautiful beads heading your way!

And because I think my brain really has melted, I am having a sale until Sunday night at Midnight.  Save 20% off everything in my Etsy shop, excluding custom orders.  Use discount code TOOHOT when you are ready to check out.

I will draw one random winner on Tuesday.

Good luck with the giveaway - I have my fingers crossed for you!

Inspired by: Bees Prize!

Yeah, it might be a good idea to mention a prize for this week's challenge! 

This week's prize is a $25 gift certificate from Humblebeads.com, you'll get to pick a few of your favorites!  So pull out those bee beads and enter today.

You can find my tiny charms and all sorts of other goodies in my Etsy shop.  I just restocked some of my best sellers.

Ombre Necklace

This was an experiment I whipped up this weekend.  I wanted to try something that was a little modern and was definitely influenced by the ombre and color spectrums I've been seeing on Pinterest lately.

I created a set of disk beads in a green, teal and purple colorway using my willow, birch and floral designs for each bead.

I then fashioned a chain out of steel wire.  I love that every part of this necklace was created by me, from the beads, to the chain - even the jump rings and clasp.  (There are some tiny nickel seed beads tucked in between the disks.) It's amazing what you can do with wire.   

I'm working on designs for fall and holiday shows.  I would like to have a line of jewelry that I offer on a more regular basis. 

Sometimes I miss making jewelry and selling at shows, that is where I started when I was in art school.  Jess and I would do shows together on the weekends.  I miss those summer Art in the Park events, meeting customers, visiting with other artists, spending the day outside - hopefully under a canopy of trees and with a fresh cool breeze.  Yep, miss those days! 

In between the weekends of the big shows we'd set up for a few hours at the farmer's market - mixed in among fresh flowers and an abundance of zucchinis, crisp green beans and juicy tomatoes.  And then as September came we would enjoy our weekends in churches and high schools, selling at holiday shows until December.  Those were fun and simpler times.  Doing those smaller shows definitely have their place when paying your dues and building up your client base.  We sort of out grew the 'crafts-on-a-stick' shows while living here in Texas.  I know now to focus on shows that feature art work and higher end crafts. 

How about you - do you do shows?  What are your favorite types?  I still like shopping at all of them! 

Bead Table Wednesday - One Love

Well, my bead table is it's usual disaster so I thought I'd show you some goodies plucked from the wreckage rather than subject you to the horror of my creative aftermath.  Oh the beadmanity!

Here are two orders heading out the door today.  Some orders just make me stop and go 'ahh'.  Above someone has a lovely creation planned with these Illuminated Manuscript beads.  Since they asked for the holes to be drilled vertically I'm assuming these will end up in a necklace.  Won't that be sweet?

And I adore this combination of Dogwood Pendants in green, Birch Log beads, Branch Lentils in lime and in the corner are some of my Mum beads in olive green.  Sometimes filling orders can spark all sorts of creative ideas for me - combinations I wouldn't have pulled together are suddenly there whispering my name!

So what's on your bead table today? 

Share a pic. in the Bead Table Wednesday Flickr Group and connect to other bead crazed folks!

In honor of the love beads, here is a little Bob Marley for you!