Look What Staci Made! And what's new?

I love it!
I made the Flower-cupish bead at center.
Staci bezeled a fossil for the bottom part of the focal.  She's so super fancy!
Check out Staci's Blog here

I'm been a busy bead maker this past few weeks.  My birthday sale was a much bigger success than I imagined it would be and so was my last trunk show and so I have been a very busy bead maker.  I fired the kiln again yesterday and made a bunch of new disc beads for Heather Power's Bead Cruise.  I also have my next Trunk show lined up in Kansas City, Missouri....   because I'm taking myself and my daughter's to Kansas City for Easter and why not schedule my next trunk show to be picked up in person???  Yes!  Why the heck not? 

Next I should schedule a trunk show in the Portland area I think...  Why the heck not?  I'm sending myself on a vacation to see my great friend Debra.  Because I love her and I miss her.  And I don't let many people close to me and she is very close to me.... yet very far--- Eugene Oregon to my Philly burbs far.

I can't really believe how busy my spring is with travel and camping trips.  I haven't been on a vacation in 2 years and now I'm going on 2 vacations and 2 camping trips before June!  I am very excited, yet very nervous that I'm not going to be able to handle my workload with all this fun.  --And be the awesome momma my kids deserve at the same time.

I am 99.99% sure that these little hearts are in the current issue of Stringing Magazine..... I have seen a photo of the layout online and I have been told by a customer that they saw the earrings in the Magazine, but I have not yet seen a copy or received my earrings back in the mail.  I think that there is even a second pair of earrings in the issue that I designed... but these things get fuzzy for me, as they happen so far in advance and I don't usually contribute very often.   So... once I get a copy, I'll do a little "fancy like in the magazines" post.

So all the beads in this post are in my etsy shop as of this moment and more new pieces not pictured.... and soon I will add things from yesterday's firing...  As soon as I pick out pieces for the Bead cruise and for my greedy little self!
Oh yeah!  I get to go to the Berks Bead Bazaar in Reading this weekend with my girlie Staci and squeeze some hugs out of Joan Miller and Lisa Peters!  Watch out ladies!  I'm gonna get you!  It's been too long!

new

Contemplating things about my business this week.
Thinking on a new project- don't know where I found the energy for all the scheming, but I'm happy for it.
Ideas, plans, talking with friends-- if it goes nowhere, so what!  The scheming is dreamy, the doing is grand.  I'm not in a rush.  Enjoy
Planning a trip, too.
Spring is in the air, drip drop, thawing.  I saw some fresh green in a moss today.  The light is brighter.
Anyway-- I found this in the bottom of a warm kiln this morning.

Fresh out of the kiln

I opened the kiln this morning.

I made a lot of Dot Cabochons.

And these larger Cabochons with the painted rim.

I really like that yummy bleed of color along the edge.  :-)

And check these out!   They are a collaboration between myself and Marla James.....  They are made from the bisque from her Bisque bead supply website.  You have seen her bisque work used by quite a few ceramic artists, but maybe you didn't know it.  :-)

I really like these bright clean colors.  I do love making this style of bead.

And I made some pottery!  I should have spread them out to take photos.  There are tumblers, and serving bowls and one "perfect" soup bowl.  I am going to be taking these pieces to the Accessories Boutique in Bethlehem (next to the Hotel Bethlehem-Moravian Book Store area )  But I felt bad sending them off so soon, so I decided to have a sidewalk sale and let my Facebook friends know about it.  :-)

Sidewalk sales are my kids' FAVORITE thing to do!  As soon as I said it, the kids grabbed their handy work and set up shop with me.  I sat on the porch and the kids sat out by the sidewalk.  Lydia sold 2 butterfly necklaces and Sonya sold 2 of her beads.  :-) 
Then they spent it all at the grocery store.... Belgian Waffles and ice cream for dessert tonight! 

I filled the kiln up again as soon as I emptied it.  I am kicking myself for it.  It's 8pm and I am going to be awake tending it for a while....... But tomorrow morning, when I get to see all my new pottery..... It will be great!

Show me your LOOT! Art Charm Swap

The AWESOME Jennifer Cameron recently hosted an Art Charm swap on her blog.

These are my goodies.

I tried to include each artist's contact info in each photo. 

 Here they are clockwise from top:

http://www.suebeads.etsy.com/

http://www.lorettasboutique.etsy.com/

http://www.janeldudleybeads.etsy.com/

http://www.glassaddictions.com/

http://www.spiritedearth.etsy.com/

http://www.emakaye.etsy.com/

http://www.copperdiem.blogspot.com/

http://www.paigemaxim.com/

me-- http://www.artisanclayetsy.com/

and my FAVORITE! http://www.maybeads.etsy.com/

This bead is so tini tiny!  and so detailed! 

Everyone did such a good job!

I actually forgot to add a jumpring to my charms....Whoops!  So much for the reading rules.

Anywho--- get in on the next round of fun.

Jen is thinking of doing another swap. Check out her blog for more info

New Work

I added new work to my Etsy Shop last week. 

I also added these bead sets to my shop as part of a DESTASH SALE.  The prices listed are a steal!
Check it out.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Beads Giveaway!

This is the post folks! This is the place where you can leave a comment and be entered for a chance to be the next person to win a turn with the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Beads"==== FYI~~~We're equal opportunity around here and brotherhood is ALWAYS welcome!

Here's the nitty gritty!
I'm going to be following Heather's lead and use the same rules.....So one international winner will be chosen from the entries placed from outside of the United States to win an Artisan Clay Grab Bag.... and sharing this blog post will get you an extra chance to win.

So here's the text from Heather's original blog post laying down the rules---

This is a box full of goodies from my studio purge.



One woman's tossed out beads is another woman's treasures!


The giveaway: The entire box of goodies, over $200 worth of beads.

 The stipulations: You'll pay for shipping: $15 for flat rate priority mail.

The rules: You'll take what you want from the box, add in items from your own bead stash to replace the items you took and do the same giveaway on your blog. We'll keep the beads traveling for as long as we can.

To enter: Leave a comment, include your email.


Bonus: Blog, facebook or twitter about it to enter twice. Leave another comment letting me know you helped spread the word.

Deadline: March 26 at 12pm (Central time) 
I WILL CHOOSE A WINNER ON FRIDAY THE 22ND----That way the box is leaving my studio in time for the two week deadline

International bloggers: I'm sorry, but due to shipping only those in the U.S. can play along. But I'm suddenly feeling really bad for my non-U.S. blog readers. If you are outside the states leave a comment and I'll also draw one international winner for a bead grab bag from my Etsy shop.
So for my portion of the Bead Box, one Grab bag of Artisan Clay Beads will be awarded to an international entry (please let me know you are outside of the US in your comments)

I will be blogging more about the contents and the items I am adding to the box soon, but this is the only blog post where the winners will be chosen.

Yay! Picasa!

Ohh la la!  I just discovered Picasa thanks to a few awesome friends!  Thanks for the suggestion!

I finally added new work to my etsy shop this week.  All the items here were added to the shop and that pile in the middle is mostly for the upcoming charm swap organized by Jennifer Cameron aka Glass Addictions by Jennifer Cameron.  

I have been having a blast making these charm sets and then making some of them into earrings and some of them into pendants....  I hope you like them too!  I've already started to make another batch since I think they are going to sell really well in my consignment venues.

I also added 5 smoke fired pieces to the shop......  I think I love this picasa program!  Your gonna get sick of seeing everything in mosaic before I get sick of making them :-)