are you tired of the giveaways yet?

Alas, poor Yorick, er, I mean poor you! A few more days to put up with them!

The good news is tomorrow is December the 1st, so I'll quit hounding you about my newsletter giveaway. So if you want to enter that, please subscribe to the newsletter today!

Two of the BAO winners have been picked. Still on the table, Time2Cre8's custom Heart Pendant-- enter here-- and Lisa Peter's Raku Connector Beads (you don't really need those do you? I didn't think so-- leave them for me!) and if you simply must be difficult about it, enter here (no pressure on that one). Both prizes are pictured in prior posts.

Day 5 is a great pair of snowy earrings from juiceglass:

I really love these, but I'm willing so share-- enter to win here!

My own giveaway is still running. A chance so win $25 thebeadedlily bucks. That could be a couple of free items or a great piece for only $5 or a hefty discount off of one of my awesome cuffs. You pick your prize basically-- $25 worth of credit in my shop.

All you have to do to enter for a chance to win is find whatever you think you'd wear the most in my shop and then go to this post and tell me what it is and how to contact you if your name is drawn!

Don't forget that thebeadedlily is still offering free shipping and so are quite a few of the BAO shops. Check here for details.

And check back tomorrow for another giveaway and the usual flurry of fabulous photos from last weeks Treasury curators.

Thanks to you all for spending part of your day with me!

winged horses, fire tigers, queens, creepers and free stuff

Winged Horses and Fire Tigers Free Stuff!

Enter to win HERE.

There are still other pieces up for grabs!
The blue MistyRidgeBeads bracelet and the custom heart pendant by Time2Cre8, both pictured farther down in days gone by!

More chances to win are offered by signing up for the BAO Newsletter here.
And by signing up for my thebeadedlily newsletter on my top right hand sidebar.
And by visiting my shop, finding whatever you think you'd wear the most and going to this post and telling me what it is and how to contact you if your name is picked!

That's 6 chances to win 6 different beauties! Be sure to try for all 6!

Tundra Queen Meets Woods Creeper
Check back tomorrow to try to win more great stuff, and don't forget that thebeadedlily is having a free shipping sale till Monday night!!!!

sales and giveaways galore!!!

Thebeadedlily is offering free shipping from now till Monday. So much of my work is one-of-a-kind though, so be quick! Savings range from under $2 to over $20, depending on what you order and where you live!

Don't forget to enter my 250th sale celebration giveaway. It's easy!

What: $25 toward anything in my store.

When: Now! I'll do the celebration drawing on December 6th.

How: Visit my shop. Find whatever you think you'd wear the most, go to yesterday's post and tell me what it is and how to contact you if your name is picked!
That's it, you're in!

The Bead Art Originals Open House opened its doors at 12:01 this morning and will stay open until 11:59 Monday night. All participating stores are offering free shipping( includeing moi), and some have other specials in addition to free shipping. Check them all out! You will be tempted to do more than window shop for your Day Three GiveAway entry:

ARoseByName: free shipping
Humblebeads: free shipping on all orders and a free gift with purchases of $50 or more
Juiceglass: free shipping
LisaPetersArt: free surprise gift (at least $5 value) with any purchase over $30 (note that this special is being offered through the end of the year)
MAKUstudio: free shipping + 10% off purchases over $50 and 15% off purchases over $100
Malodora: free shipping
MistyRidgeBeads: free shipping
Naftali: free shipping
SalamanderHouse: free shipping
SandFibers: free shipping and a set of Sand Fibers coasters ($12 value) with every order
SmadarsTreasure: free shipping + 10% off the second item purchased
thebeadedlily: free shipping
thejadedog: free shipping
time2cre8: free shipping on entire order with the purchase of anything with the "bao team" tag
tqbdesigns: free shipping
triz: free shipping

Day Three GiveAway entry you say? What's that again?

On Monday, December 1, we will use a random number generator to select the winner of a custom Heart Pendant created in the colors of his/her choice by time2cre8:

Day Two is still open as well! So enter that while you're over at the BAO blog!

You could end up with a fabulous blue bracelet . . .

In other news Triz has decided on the next EBW Challenge Theme: Tropical Holiday

No bells going off in my head yet, I'll have to think on that one.

And don't forget to sign up for my newsletter (top of the right hand sidebar) for another chance at a $25 store credit at thebeadedlily!

Get ready, get set, go!

giveaway anyone?! or three? or fourteen?!

Who doesn't love a giveaway??? The thrill of seeing something new, the chance to get it free . . .

I hit my 250th sale last night, whoohoo! So I'll be hosting a giveaway here, as promised! More on that in a second.

The Bead Art Originals Team is having 12 days of Giveaways! Yay! You can enter to win each gift, but be sure to keep checking back so you don't miss one.

1st up, some major coolness, a 3D beadwoven necklace, from SmadarsTreasure. The winner will be drawn tomorrow! Go here to enter! And be sure to read the directions . . .

Up next! This fabulous crystal creation by MistyRidgeBeads! The drawing will be held Sunday, enter here to win!

A little break for my latest treasury: Pirate Rats and Windblown Manes

It's live so compliments, er, comments, are welcome!

Now as promised! A celebration giveaway! Half way to 500 sales, can you believe it?! Can you believe how many people out there have creations by yours truly? The mind boggles.

I've asked for suggestions here and gotten, sadly, no feedback. *tears up, pitifully*

Which just means I'm not really sure what to offer. How about this? It's a 250th sale celebration, so we'll go with $25 toward anything in my store. And I'll do the celebration drawing on December 6th.

What do you do to enter? Hmmm.

Visit my shop. Find whatever you think you'd wear the most, come back to this post and tell me what it is and how to contact you if your name is picked!

That's it, you're in!

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Remember December 1st is yet another drawing, but that one's only for my newsletter subscribers! Subscribe on my blog (top, right hand corner) before the 1st!

everybody wants a deal, an invitation

It's an Open House! From "Black Friday" through "Cyber Monday" (November 28-31)-- that's this weekend-- the Bead Art Originals team is offering even more of a good thing. In addition the the Items of the Week, these deals are on the table:

Anna (ARoseByName): free shipping
Lisa (LisaPetersArt): free surprise gift (at least $5 value) with any purchase over $30 (note that this special is being offered through the end of the year)
Mak (MAKUstudio): free shipping + 10% off purchases over $50 and 15% off purchases over $100
Dee (Malodora): free shipping
Swanee (MistyRidgeBeads): free shipping
Janice (Naftali): free shipping
Melody (SalamanderHouse): free shipping
Carol Dean (SandFibers): free shipping and a set of Sand Fibers coasters ($12 value) with every order
Smadar (SmadarsTreasure): free shipping + 10% off the second item purchased
Sarah (thebeadedlily): free shipping
Darcy (thejadedog): free shipping
MaryLou (time2cre8): free shipping on entire order with the purchase of anything with the "bao team" tag

If you purchase from one of these shops during the Open House weekend, make sure to include the code BAO OPEN HOUSE in the Notes to Seller when you check out.

I've added several new pieces in the past few days-- be sure to check them out!

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Remember Decemeber 1st is fast approaching! Please sign up for my newsletter on my right blog sidebar so be entered to win a $20 credit toward anything in my shop!

Keep an eye out here for a celebration of 250 sales giveaway too! I'm 2 sales away!

And there's something awesome *whispers giveaway* in the offing if you signup for the Bead Art Originals newsletter!

treasure hunting or the way I work

One of my least favorite part of beading is that feeling right after I've completed something. The 'oh, no, what's next' feeling.

One of my absolute favorite parts of beading is matching up beads with each other.

So I go and find a bead or strand of beads to work with and then it's a treasure hunt from there.

This is a short version as I don't remember everything I picked up and discarded, but I'd say that I only keep one out of four things that I look at.

But it goes something like this . . .

These amethysts were great in that last necklace but I pulled too many off the string can I use them? With what . . . Ohh this fabulous Lutrick tab, didn't I buy that for me? . . . oh well, but what goes with it? These purple glass? Too dark and clear and modern.

More raku? Sure.

This raku lampwork? Too dark.

What's this down on the bench? Red (forgot I had that), silver leaf agate (these go together and I should put them with the other sla I had out earlier) green! Ooh soft serpentine. Nice. (Smiles are a good sign. Means it's a sure thing, a definate go, a must do.)

What about this last rhococrosite bead? Prettiest I've ever seen, and I bought them for me, but I used some of them already. This one was left over. In the hand it goes.

Must have silver. What about this darker loner and the shiny ones?

Bone? Too something . . . (a grimace or a wrinkly nose is a bad sign . . . back up it goes)

One of my all-time favorite porcelain beads from Egypt, running low and hoarding now.

Blue agate? Too blue.

No chips . . .

Ah! That bowl of ancient Roman beads I bought a few weeks ago-- four of them work.

Mother of pearl from my beading tray. Nice banding, works great with the cream. Why not the pearls too?

One big verdigris round to match this swirl.

Moonstone? Maybe. A couple floating pieces of rose quartz (floating around the tray, on the table, on three of my work mats that is. Translation. I'm bad a putting stuff up.)

Missing something . . . something rustic and purpley. Turkish wound glass.

I put it together and I have beads here that I've had for *years*, so long I don't remember when or where or why I bought them. Beads that I bought on sale. Beads I bought for me. Beads I bought for friends wedding projects. Beads I bought because they were old. Beads from around the world. Beads from friends. Beads I got in assorted packages. Beads I hand picked in bead stores I'll probably never see again.

I love that part. If you want a closer look at Treasure, it's here.

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Remember Decemeber 1st is fast approaching! Please sign up for my newsletter on my right blog sidebar so be entered to win a $20 credit toward anything in my shop!Keep an eye out here for a celebration of 250 sales giveaway too! I'm 2 sales away!
And there's something awesome in the offing if you signup for the Bead Art Originals newsletter!

pretty as a picture

Bead Art Originals Items of the Week (Nov 24-30)
Originally uploaded by Sand Fibers

Check out the great BAO Deals for the week here. While you're thinking about it, sign up here for a BAO prize drawing! Yay!

Remember Decemeber 1st is fast approaching! Please sign up for my newsletter on my right blog sidebar so be entered to win a $20 credit toward anything in my shop!Keep an eye out here for a celebration of 250 sales giveaway too! I'm 4 sales away!

And, now, word from our sponsers . . . .

njema's Snow Queen Choker

njema's Dots and Chevrons Peyote Cuff

calloohcallay's Grape Glow Vintage Button Pendant

Always TACKY CorkBoard Pushpins from UNCORKED

aurorafedora's blue bird of happiness all occasion card

ErtheFae's Soaring Wyvern

gypsyeyesjewelry's Boa Snake Collar

aspeerstudio's Brown Bunny Cup

Insect 01 by KupKup

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I'm not so hot at this technology thing. I muddle. I get a tip here and there. I labor to grasp things that everyone else under 45 seems to breeze through like they were born to it. And I blog.

I've learned a lot from the blog actually, and recently I decided I just had to have three columns because the single side bar was just getting too crowded. How hard could it be?

I tried. I gave up. I tried again. I downloaded this. Copied that. Gave up. Tried again. This has been going on for quite sometime. And I've been very careful to back everything up so I wouldn't loose anything. Or so I thought.

Yesterday, languishing on the couch, tired of beading, too icky feeling to do much of anything I decided to try again. And I succeeded! Sort of. I downloaded another try that worked, but left all of my widgets behind. I uploaded my old template, only to find out that my widgets were lost for good. I uploaded the new one and it didn't work. I deleted it, redownloaded it, reuploaded it, and it still didn't work. I reuploaded the old template and stumbled on some super clear instructions (I'd already played with super unclear instructions more than once) on how to edit your pre-existing template to get three columns. Yay! It's done! I have no idea where those instructions came from-- classic Sarah-- lost the site.

Lost all my widgets. My beautiful blog role will have to be recreated from scratch, one blog at a time as I remember you or come across you again. If I had your link up, comment so I can find you again! I'm working backwards through my posts now, and comments, to get some of you back.

Also gone is my Twitter feed. Who knows how I got that there in the first place. I don't remember! Gone are my buttons leading to this blog and that-- I can't figure out buttons! I figured out one, but can't seem to get the others to work.

Gone are the badges from sites that feed my posts into their pools to be picked up by this subscriber and that-- I hope my Feedburner feed is intact!

So, I feel like I hit my blog with a wrecking ball and now I'm recreating it. Oh well.

Recommended Daily Dose of Art: Dandelion Rock

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Remember Decemeber 1st is fast approaching! Please sign up for my newsletter on my right blog sidebar so be entered to win a $20 credit toward anything in my shop!
Keep an eye out here for a celebration of 250 sales giveaway too! I'm 4 sales away!

And there's something awesome in the offing if you signup for the Bead Art Originals newsletter!

sickday

I really don't feel well. Woke up not feeling well. Did make it to the post office, didn't work out, cancelled a dinner engagement. Did bead, and list.

Kismet

shine

a bit of bedu

Enough words today. Hope I feel better tomorrow.

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Remember Decemeber 1st is fast approaching! Please sign up for my newsletter on my blog sidebar so be entered to win a $20 credit toward anything in my shop!
Keep an eye out here for a celebration of 250 sales giveaway too! I'm 6 sales away!

And you'll soon hear about another giveway from the Bead Art Originals Team!

the green project: a beading journal

I know that this isn't the first day I've worked on this. Beadwork begins with the conception of an idea, it's refining and shopping for beads-- even if the 'shopping' is all from your own stash.

As it happens I got the idea to create a beaded scarflette in a grocery store parking lot and then selected several hundred dollars worth of gorgeous green seed beads to work it up in. Since I don't have that kind of cash I enlisted sister mine to help me narrow it down it a bit less that a hundred dollars with of gorgeous green seed beads which arrived and sat for weeks.

Today I put needle to thread and began in earnest. I even have green 'thread'! When I wrote Beadalon about their giveaway offer they sent me two colors of their new WildFire beadweaving thread. One was a green that I had no idea what to do with. This of course!

I started by semi-randomly pulling 8 greens and pouring beads into two lids and stringing, again semi-randomly, just over 5 inches of beads. Then I used peyote stitch-- mostly single drop, but some 2 drop and one 3 drop area.

I started with a size 12 sharp, which I poked myself with several times and which ate a hole in the WildFire, which turns out to be a coating over tiny white fibers. I had to cut my thread and I switched to a 10 long, which broke the second bead I tried to put it through. Then I switched to a 13 long, which I broke very soon after threading. The dull end doesn't get caught in the WildFire though, so I'm still using it.

I got all of three rows done in a bout an hour of work, but it's a start. I do like the WildFire, it's easier on the skin than FireLine. And I had sistermine over and held the strip up to her neck and it looks like I've started the widest area first so I'll be decreasing here and there. I may throw in some herringbone, and I'm sure to throw in holes and larger beads-- which I'm already collecting.

This is certainly on of the largest projects I've started and I hope you enjoy watching it develop as I'll enjoy making it and sistermine will enjoy wearing it!

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Remember Decemeber 1st is fast approaching! Please sign up for my newsletter on my blog sidebar so be entered to win a $20 credit toward anything in my shop!

Keep an eye out here for a celebration of 250 sales giveaway too! I'm 6 sales away!

something to talk about

I just wanted to share something beautiful today.

There's not much going on, just a couple of ideas in my head. I'm wondering about doing the Savannah Market Bazaar again. They're going to give the artists their own little corner, and it's shopping season, still I have doubts . . . (what's new?)

Also, I've got my green project waiting for me to put needle to thread and I'm thinking of keeping a journal of it. That might be kind of cool.

carp, dragon or raven egg

Something fishy in the latte

evolution of inspiration or a day of words

I love my sidebar! I fill it with all sorts of goodies that prove to be a constant source of inspiration and pleasure. I mine it daily, checking on the latest from art sources, artists, quirky art pals and business advice columnists.

Today I hit The Altered Page (ever beautiful pictures) and got hit with poetry, which as you may know, I love. Seth shared James Wright's Beginning which ends evocatively,

"The wheat leans back toward its own darkness,

And I lean toward mine."

Then Seth speaks of, "This Day of Words, where bloggers post a poem so that we can all spend a day meeting "new words, new poets, new poems, new ways for the heart to beat." To see the list of other bloggers participating in this Day of Sharing Words, click here.

Awesome!

So, my contribution to the Day of Words, something that I've recently been hearing over and over in my head, though I hadn't read it in awhile, till today. It's probably not new to you, but perhaps you'd forgotten it.

One Art

The art of losing isn't hard to master;

so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

---Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.
-- Elizabeth Bishop

Check here today to participate!

are your guys hard to shop for?

My Grow a Backbone necklace was featured on Rare Bird Finds last night. It was such a cool surprise when I noticed the name on my sidebar and checked it out to discover that, yes, indeed, it was my necklace that was being featured!

Then someone mentioned regarding the new Bead Art Originals Gift Guide that more gifts for guys would be great.

Several items in my primitive series are perfect for guys who like jewelry. I have handmade chains, nose rings, earrings, rings-- but what if they guy isn't into jewelry?



BIL wear's something once in awhile, and fathermine rarely even wears his wedding ring. Answer for the beadily inclined? Key fob! Guys have keys, right?

So I sat down and made several out of rough stones, horn, bone and clay. I'll be listing them along and along today, but here's a sneak peek! (They're listed here now!)

I'd love to know what you think!

daily dose of pretty

And yet another Monday with yet more fabulous offers from the Bead Art Originals team

Bead Art Originals Items of the Week (Nov 17-23)
Originally uploaded by Sand Fibers

Please check out the great offers! I'm offering a $15 credit toward any second item with purchase of my marvelous Hana-Bi cuff.

I'm pretty open to offering different value-added specials for my Items of the Week. If there's something you'd like to see, leave a comment!

thebeadedlily was in 3 lovely Treasuries this week and I picked 3 items to share with you from the curators shops!

From the very talented Sand Fibers comes a newer style in one of my favorite colorways!

Color Study in Teals Peyote Cuff Bracelet

From ioulia comes a modern piece with a new twist on an old standby!

Cornflower necklace

And from the fabulous njema comes stripes you won't be able to resist!

Bright Stripes Peyote Cuff

Now that you've had your daily dose of pretty, have a great day!

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Remember Decemeber 1st is fast approaching! Please sign up for my newsletter on my blog sidebar so be entered to win a $20 credit toward anything in my shop!

Triz takes the ancestral expressions challenge and a room to paint

Triz's Let My People Go Collar is a serious work of art. I admit it. I voted for it and I almost never vote for the winner. It's gorgeous.
If you haven't seen it, here it is:

I'd like to give a special mentions this month to caraway's One World cuff. Also a stellar work of art.

I came it 3rd this month, which must mean I'm getting better, right? I'm very proud of this piece. Hands Against Time.

Thanks to everyone who voted this month and helped to spread the word about voting!

A most recent treasury with some subtle colors:

A Room to Paint
Remember to check my blog sidebar for that link to join thebeadedlily's new mailing list and get entered into a drawing on December 1st to win $20 toward any item or group of items in my shop!

the artist as missionary

Robert K. Liu says, "The bead enthusiast is also a missionary of knowledge, trying to enlighten the vast majority of people who are ignorant of their beauty, charm and fascinating history that characterize theses small perforated artifacts."
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Said like that it sounds so noble, these efforts we all make educate others about our crafts.
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I was thinking the other day about disposable incomes, luxuries, and art. So many are afraid that the economy will take a bite out of their income because art isn't what many of us would regard as a necessity.
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But every society, no matter how poor, has its art. It can be poetry, songs and stories, graffiti on tin walls, tattoos, drawings on cave walls, a string of beads wrapped around the newborn's neck. People, no matter what their economic situation, will surround themselves with beautiful things as they can.
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It's interesting that here in the West beads are used mostly for adornment, whereas historically their role is much, much broader. Lois Sherr Durbin goes so far as to say that, "The ways in which beads are used helps to define a particular group's conception of beauty . . . People have used beads to organize and symbolize their world."
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The mission is to help people see what we see, to encourage others to identify with the story of our art, to explore its meaning in their lives.

Low Tide in Autumn

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Reminders:Voting is going on for the EBW Challenge. I'm coming in 3rd right now, which is pretty exciting! Go Vote!

Check my blog sidebar for a link to sign up for my monthly newsletter. You'll be entered to win a $20 credit toward anything in my shop on December 1st!

blank pages and slates

I was reading recently about the difficulty of a blank page, how it can be hard to figure out what subject to broach, how to start writing. The author suggested just opening a browser and starting to type-- turning the post essentially from an article to a conversation.

I actually do that fairly often. Sometimes blogging can serve as a kind of catharsis. Sometimes, it just a way to share what's on my mind. Sometimes is helps me to explore ideas.

I sometimes do the same thing with beads. Instead of planning a piece out, I'll select a bead I want to work with, gather some that would look good with it, sit down and start beading with no clear idea of where I'm going. That's why I say that beads are my primary source of inspiration. Sometimes it's like they're pulling the strings, and not the other way around.

Recommended Daily Dose of Art: Breath of Winter

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Reminders:Voting is going on for the EBW Challenge. I'm coming in 3rd right now, which is pretty exciting! Go Vote!

Check my blog sidebar for a link to sign up for my monthly newsletter. You'll be entered to win a $20 credit toward anything in my shop on December 1st!

Mirka, daydreams and benedictions

My Snow Queen project! Finished last night, listed today!

When I heard the theme, I immediately thought white of course! Who didn't?

I Googled 'snow queen' and found out there was a story by Hans Christian Anderson (of The Little Mermaid fame) called The Snow Queen. Anderson's was kind of an evil fairy type character and that reminded me too much of my 'all moonlight and dewdrops' choker, which I made for the EBW 'A Midsummer Nights Dream' theme in honor of Titania.

I wanted something different. So I looked up 'snow goddess' which is close in my mind to 'snow queen'. I was introduced to a few who had very prickly temperaments!

Now I felt like I was on to something. Snow in mythology seems very mercurial, sometimes savage, always beautiful.

It seemed like a good idea to do a necklace-- it's been awhile since I've done one. I settled on a challenge for me, because it would be my first, a curved collar.

So I gathered some beads, many of the same ones I'd used in the netted choker, but I stuck with a more natural feel. The crystals were raw, a piece I acquired in NYC and a Herkimer diamond I bought a couple months ago from a rock hound at the September Bazaar. Some kyanite, iolite, moonstone. Labradorite, rock crystal nuggets, crackled glass.

By now I was really into the theme. I was seeing my snow queen as a wild woman, kind of a Genghis Kahn type character, but much prettier! I beaded the collar, being careful not to included too much glistening white, but instead straying towards the silver, grey, pale blue and clear beads.

When I finished that I set about embellishing it. (Sistermine and mothermine wanted me to stop before I added anything. It was 'beautiful as it was'. Well, of course! But not too exciting!) I added the Herkimer diamond first, wrapping it simply, but boldly. My Queen wasn't Mongolian. She was Tibetan, and she had no use for going overboard, but the one crystal, while fabulous, wasn't enough to satisfy her! I arranged the kyanite and crystal point in a pleasing but asymmetrical pattern and added them.

The plan was to encrust the surface with other bits and pieces, but when I held it up after the last bit of kyanite was in place, I knew that wasn't going to happen. It would be too much for my half-yeti wild woman.

I looked up Yeti and found the name Mirka. Local legend says anyone who sees the mirka 'dies or is killed'. My snow queen grins fiercely, turns and twists out of sight.

My latest Treasury is still up! Daydreams and Benedictions

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Reminders:

Voting is going on for the EBW Challenge. I'm coming in 3rd right now, which is pretty exciting!Go Vote!

Check my blog sidebar for a link to sign up for my monthly newsletter. You'll be entered to win a $20 credit toward anything in my shop on December 1st!

i have a problem or how do i do that?

Perhaps I shouldn't talk about this here. But where else would I talk about it? I want my work to sell itself. I don't expect it to make itself, so it's funny that I'd expect it to sell itself.

I, personally, don't need a reason to buy beautiful things. I see it, I want it. I think I'll wear that! It's different and special. If I can make up an excuse, I buy it.

I don't have to have much in the way of incentives. Free shipping saves a dollar or two, a percent off is nice. I'm indifferent to gift boxes. If you come across nice on your blog and listings that's a definite plus and may be a kicker if you don't, but honestly, I'm buying the piece because I've decided that it's for me or it's for someone I know so well that I can tell it's for them. (Or sometimes I need a gift which is less personal, in which case, saving is good because it can be tough to decide on things like that.) I'm buying because I desperately have to have that exact item and none other, or need 'it' anyway and 'this' fits the bill. If I wasn't buying from Merchant A I'd be buying a similar product from Merchant B.

The Wold in a Grain of Sand

I wonder if most of us are like that? And if so, how do I get to be Merchant A? In the first scenario, I see something an resonate with it. I've had that happen with customers. Sometimes I see something, but it's obviously out of my price range-- sometimes I only think it's out of my price range. That's happened with my cuffs especially. If they were $10, they'd be gone (and so would my mind . . . ) But I've had people walk away and I've had them walk back.

In the second scenario, I literally look at everything! I'll take hours trying to find the 'right' thing that sends the right message and the right price. But I don't really know what pushes me over the edge. I have to figure it out.

Either way urgency can be a factor, if it's ooak and I have to have it or if I'm in the market and the 'deal' is just for the weekend.

It seems to me that the work sells itself because I'm unconscious of the factors involved, beyond my own preferences and needs. I have to pay attention so I can adapt those factors to work for me too.

So, what makes you click the buy button? What makes you hold off? If you sell your creations has that affected how you do it?

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Reminders:Voting is going on for the EBW Challenge. I'm coming in 3rd right now, which is pretty exciting!Go Vote!

Check my blog sidebar for a link to sign up for my monthly newsletter. You'll be entered to win a $20 credit toward anything in my shop on December 1st!

all the colors of a zebra

I'm drifting today. Lot's of things are on my mind. I'm really wanting to improve my craft booth display. Right now it sits at amateur, because I've only ever done small shows, which is fine, but I'm considering taking it to the next level-- juried events-- and a booth can really define how people see your art and will even make a difference on if you get in or not.

I'm thinking of the pros and cons of hang tags and earring cards and design, cost and effort. Storage. Organization. Time management.

I'm thinking of ways to alleviate excess frustration.

I'm giving thought to this blog as well, what it should contain and what it should not.

All of that does relate to art and business. It also relates to quality of life. But all of that thought is of limited value unless it's acted on.


Recommended Daily Dose of Art:


Reminders:
Voting is going on for the EBW Challenge. I'm coming in 3rd right now, which is pretty exciting!
Go Vote!

Check my blog sidebar for a link to sign up for my monthly newsletter. You'll be entered to win a $20 credit toward anything in my shop on December 1st!

monday pick-me-up

Monday, Monday!

The Bead Art Originals Items of the Week are up on the BAO blog, along with their respective offers! With my Fish Stories cuff, for instance, I'm offering a $15 credit toward your item of choice in my shop!

Ten Treasuries for thebeadedlily this week which is awesome! I love making them and including beautiful things for folks to see, so it's great that other artists enjoy treasuring my items for more people to see! It's one of those good circles of life!

So here are some beauties from the lovely curators!

The lovely Swanee included two pieces in two Treasuries, so here are two of hers. A hard pick, as everything in her shop is wonderful!

Bead Woven Medallion Bracelet

Quiet Bracelet in Brown

Njema's Blue Flower Red Thorns Bangle

SandFiber's Wild and Crazy Red Peyote Triangle Pendant Choker

enchantedbead's Beaded Beads Necklace in Purple

MAKUstudio's Heart Necklace

Naftali's Black and White or Grey

bizzybcreations' Green Moss Wool Scarflette Neckwarmer

JunkyardGypsy's Madam Butterfly Recycled Assemblage Art

BeadsAndI's Purple Delight Beadwoven Bangle

And thanks, too, to Eclectibles!

Also, please don't forget to go vote for your favorite beadwoven art on the Etsy BeadWeavers Blog!

And remember December! On the 1st I'm going to do a drawing for everyone on my mailing list for a $20 credit toward anything in my shop! The sign-up widget is at the top right side of my blog, so sign up after you vote!