January Artisan Clay Design Team Reveal!

Today is the day where the Artisan Clay Design team reveals what they have made with the mystery beads which I have sent them!

I can't wait to see what everyone has made.  I sent each designer a different kind of bead, so we should be treated to some very different styles of jewelry.

I took the day off from work today to have an Artisan Clay/Mental Health day and I am really excited about that.... The kids are headed to school in an hour and then I get to be alone.... well not entirely alone, because I live with other people, but more alone than I've been in a long time.

The big plan is
1) kids to school
2) find the sun on this rainy day and get my design team projects photographed and posted.
3) pick up my jewelry and pottery from a store that will no longer be selling it
4) go to a wholesale button appointment
5) find a better shop to sell my jewelry while still visiting the same town

So---- I will blog again once I get good photos of my project, but for the meantime, please visit the design team's blogs and see what they have created.

----UPDATE time--
I looked everywhere for my tripod and I have decided myself an expert tidy-upper... because it is so tucked away in such a perfect spot that it has made itself invisible to me.

So-- here is what I made this month.

It's not a new design for me, but it is new work and I really needed to break back in with some production type making time.... and I have been itching to get out and contact new stores to carry my work and this is what I want someone to carry. 

These necklaces are so fun to wear and I have made quite a few for friends/customers in the past few years.... and they have been loved, really really loved.  It is just a really simple natural style that suits my breezy spirit and seems to suit quite a few other natural breezy spirits too.

Now I'm off into the world-- new necklaces and buttons in hand and adventuring into the shopping district.  Wish me luck!

Don't forget to check out everyone in the design team's blogs.

This month Staci is auctioning off her necklace to help out a friend who is going through a tough time.  SO!  Check it out!

Thanks for coming!

Trunk Show EXTENDED! And Open Studio BLOG HOP SALE this weekend!

Philly folks!

  The Artisan Clay Trunk Show at The Bead Garden in Havertown has been extended for one more week! 

Get 'em while they're hot folks!  After this week my beads will be packed up in a big box heading to Kansas City, MO...   So, if you are in the Philly area... go to the Bead Garden... If you are in the North Kansas City area.... check back for more details about my next Trunk Show scheduled to begin around Mid-March....

And if you are nowhere near either of those areas..... come by this blog and my Etsy Shop this weekend and SHOP my BEADS OF CLAY OPEN STUDIO BLOG HOP SALE AND GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA!    ha!

If I'm really hardworking and I don't get dressed and don't stop for food ( for either myself or my children) than I might have some really fun experimental beads to share with you... on Sunday..... to giveaway.... maybe. 

And if I don't then I will still have a killer sale and great bead studio spring cleaning surprises in every order.

GIVEAWAY and CYBER SALE!

CYBER SALE! BUY ONE GET ONE HALF OFF SALE IN MY ETSY SHOP!

(not including gift certificates) 

Enter to win everything pictured above by leaving a comment on this blog post below.

That  includes a $25 gift certificate, A pile of Smokefired Art beads valued at @$100 and Four faceted funky Stone Donuts from Rings-n-Things.  I received these stone pieces as part of the Rings & Things blog program.

 There's more-- you will get one free smokefired bead of my choice with every 2 items purchased.  Buy 2 items, get one smokefired bead-- buy 4 items get 2 smokefired beads,.... buy 10 items get, 5 smokefired beads--- ALL while getting the buy one get one half off sale pricing.    Why?  I just love surprise giveaways!  They make me smile-- that's why!

Also you will get one giveaway entry for every item purchased now through Sunday 12/5/10.

There is no purchase necessary to win, just leave a comment below.  If you would like an extra chance, you may leave a comment linking to your favorite item in my etsy shop or you may share the news of my sale on Facebook, twitter or your blog :-)

So there is about a million and one ways to enter for ya! 

All of these items have been photographed and will be added to my etsy shop in the next day or so as family responsibilities permit me to do so.  I will be adding as much work as possible to the etsy shop during the duration of the sale which will run now through 12/5/10.
  Thank you!
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

Who won?

First of all--- Thank you so much for stopping by my blog!

I started off by listing everyone's names on a big piece of paper, dividing up the international entries from the Bead Box entries.  We ended up with 41 comments for the bead box and 3 comments for the grab bag!  That's a lot of entries!

When I won the box, it happened at a time when the good news was plentiful.  I felt the beady world was smiling at me and I was smiling back.  I think that the Bead Box Goddesses sensed that again because my instant reaction to learning the winner was..... "Some girls have all the luck"

The next stop of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Beads Box is New York State and the home of Lorelei Eurto!  Congratulations Lorelei!   Katie Nelson stocked the box with TONS of Art beads from many different artists prior to my turn with it and now the box is HEAVY with Artisan Clay beads. 

The winner of the Artisan Clay Grab bag is Maria from Edinburgh, UK!

Maria--Please contact me via my http://www.artisanclay.etsy.com/  shop or send me an email thru blogger with your address

 I really enjoyed the freedom I felt by cleaning up and destashing my work area!  I get the feeling that there is still going to be tons of my beads in that box all the way to it's last stop..... which is OK if you like my work.

I feel like I am allowed to fire up some more beads now..... and make some new jewelry with my great new stuff!     I am free!  and inspired!  This is such a great idea!  I am so glad you started this Heather!

So... Thank you for stopping by!  and while I have you here, I'm going to let you know about some fun stuff that I am involved in :-)

We are having a big Open Studio Blog event over at The Beads-of-Clay group this Sunday!

A large group of Ceramic Bead Makers are having special sales and giveaways on their blogs and websites from 2-5pm!

I am not officially on the list since I will not be home on Sunday, BUT I am still going to be posting for the Open Studio and holding the same giveaways.  My winners will be chosen on Monday and my SALE is going on now thru Sunday.  

The destash feeling from the Bead Box is wonderful and I have decided to mark EVERYTHING in my Etsy shop at 40% off their regular prices!  I see some of you noticed the sale prices even before I got a chance to announce it :-)  Thank you!

I will be adding new work to my etsy shop over the weekend at the sale pricing and if all goes well I will be adding some WHOLESALE LOTS and GRAB BAGS as well :-) 

Last but not at all least--- Check out the Best Little Bead Box project and follow along on that bead box's travels before it is finally divided up to benefit Beads-of-Courage....  this week it is headed someplace pretty fancy if you ask me!

OK commercial over..... back to the beads :-)

Sisterhood of the Traveling beads--- My gives, Round 2- The beads I make

I was able to take some quick photos early this morning as the sun was still coming up.

These are the bead I have gathered to give to the Traveling Bead Box.

These are all beads I have made, some experiments, orphans, some things I made over 5 years ago.

I could have really piled so many more beads in this pile.  It is a shame the way I pack things away and forget about them. They really deserve to be used!

I still haven't decided what I will be taking from the bead box, but Katie Nelson added so many fresh goodies that I am sure in for a treat.  In the event that I cannot fit all these lovelies in the box and in my international goodie bag, I will be adding them to the Best Little Bead Box Project to benefit the Beads-of-Courage organization late in the year.

SO!!!  Get your entry in to win the next turn at the Sisterhood of the Traveling Beads Bead Box! 

I will be picking the winners tomorrow!  

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........

GUESS WHAT!!!!!!

Come on......   Take a guess what I'm about to say.......

...........

Did you guess it yet?
yeah?
I WON!  I AM THE NEXT STOP FOR THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING BEADS!!!!!!

Can you believe it?  I can't!  Have you been following this box's journey?  I have just been catching up on where it's been...  what's inside..... OH MY GOSH!

Have you been reading all the good news on my blog lately?  I feel like the Beady world is smiling at me with a big toothy grin and I'm smiling back and waving like crazy!   Hi There!!!!   ~waves~  :-)  
Thank you for being a friend!

I have still only seen the contents via the photos that other winners have taken.  It's not in my hands yet, but I have been warned that I need to take a good deal of loot from it~~~  Because it is nearly impossible to close!  and it's coming to me in two packages!

So, I just wanted to acknowledge winning the box and let you know that soon.... I don't know when...maybe Sunday.. maybe Monday.. (maybe later than that since I have to go away to a training next weekend).. I will be holding the giveaway to see who will have a turn with the box next.

I won the box from Katie Nelson and if you want, you can read the rules here, on the Humblebeads Blog

What's new?

I added some new work to my etsy shop this weekend.....

Teal and White charm set

I also had my etsy 500th sale!  That's pretty cool.

I feel like I haven't been adding very much new work to the shop since the beginning of the summer, but I hope to be better about that now that the holiday season is near.

Black and White Charm set

I am starting to blog for the Beads-of-Clay blog again this week.

I have been given a big box of beads donated by Beads-of-Clay members and I will be in charge of giving them away randomly and via our 2nd Wednesday giveaways. 

 (Psst,...... I just might do that on some Mondays, and Fridays)

Mostly I'll ask a question and ask readers to answer it via a comment on the blog. This week's question is on E-mail.  As in, I am buried in E-mails and I am often not very quick to answer them.  :-) 

But I want to... and they are important.....

Black and Red charm set

Today I was taking photos of a nice pile of beads/pendants etc for the Art Bead Scene Blog.  I will be a sponsor of the next Monthly challenge :-)

I don't know what the inspirational artwork is for the month, so I had a hard time narrowing down what I wanted to give.

Turquoise and Black Charm Set

****This post has been modified due to special secret announcement stuff which I had not realized****
;-)

Lagoon/Turquoise Bulls Eye Pendant

Today I drove up to a shop what sells my work to bring some new stuff and um, hm, ut oh! 

 It was closed!

  I totally forgot that the owner had a big 3 day festival over the weekend and likely needed the day off ;-) 

Monday is my day for these things so either I will have to mail in the new work or wait another week. 

Bronze Black Cresent

So that's what's going on today.....

Are you getting ready for shows?  Did you have one last weekend? 

Did you make anything new lately? 

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 :-)