Viking Knit, Anyone?

Yesterday I ordered a kit and a tutorial - the tutorial looks fantastic - you can find it here: JewelryLessons.com. The kit I ordered also looks great, but I don't have it yet: Rocio Viking Knit Set.

I also spent a lot of time surfing around looking for ideas - some wonderful bracelets out there... like this one: SNOW FLOWER Woven Wire Sterling Bracelet by Donna Millard - it's beautiful, check it out!



And this necklace, which is equally yummy - Copper Viking Knit with Green Fire Agate by Sneekbead.



Can't wait to get my supplies and give it a try!

Not Resolutions

There are things I want to do this year. I'm not talking about resolutions... none of that nonsense! Just things I want to do, a bucket list for the year - before 2011 kicks the bucket, not me.

Just for starters... I may add to this, I may not...

1.) Try more new recipes. Including making bread from scratch. Including starting a sourdough starter. Including more candy recipes. I also want to make a cake from scratch - can you believe I've never done that? Seriously. Box mixes with hundreds of creative variations... but no cake from scratch. Besides coffee cake and quick bread, but I'm not talking about those.

2.) Try (again) working with metal clay. I may need a class for this.

3.) Dump half my house-load of stuff I never use.

4.) Use up a bunch of stuff in the studio.

5.) Make more jewelry. Because it's been awhile, and the seed beads are whispering to me...

6.) Do something about my garden. I mean *something* interesting and beautiful that will inspire me to keep up the interest all summer and not just let things die out in dry August. Time to pull out the gardening books again.

7.) Finish my bedroom, make it a place I want to go spend time in rather than just sleep in. This can't happen until the master bath is done though, since I have a huge box which contains my bathroom vanity, taking up half my bedroom. And that won't happen until I pick out some tile. Which I will do very very soon.

8.) Join ISGB and the local Fire & Rain group.

9.) Find a good, hopping, friendly jewelry making forum. Know of one?

10.) Learn to play my guitar.

More Teaser Photos!

Things are moving slow today. Three photo shoots. Zero beads listed. Getting there...

UPDATE: All beads are listed now! Thanks for looking :)

First New Bead of 2011

I have a new bead! Four actually. I'll list them on Etsy as soon as I get photos of them that I'm happy with. Here is a teaser!

A Blank Page

Yes, you are seeing it correctly, there is nothing at all on my Etsy page. Completely white, fresh and clean as a blank canvas. (Have I taken my "de-cluttering in 2011 goal" too far? Nah! I can't wait until I really get started!

Back to the Etsy store... I wonder what I'll put up there? I have a couple Kalypso beads, and I'm making more this afternoon (if all goes well)... so stay tuned!

More Good Bye 2010

Something happened today that made me think. That sounds funny, doesn't it? Well, it's true. I've been beating the drum of good riddance to 2010, because the past few months have been so difficult... like it's kicked my butt and got the best of me, but really, I think, now that I'm, um, thinking, it was *me* that did the kicking - I'm the one that kicked 2010's butt.

This is what happened:

Today, one of my 2010 goals was realized: I got my work published in a real magazine. Check it out, The Flow, Winter 2010 issue, page 7, number 17: two tiger beads by me, aka The Blue Between.



Goal number whatever, get published - check! Just in the nick of time, but that's ok. What were my other goals, do I even remember? Why yes, I do. There were two others - one I didn't manage (getting into a gallery/shop/show/whatever), and one I did - that was a health goal, I was going to finally figure it out and get my body back. And I did that too, thanks to persistence, a handful of good books, and my awesome doctor, not to mention a gazillion dollars in supplements and such... but still, I feel 10 years younger by the end of this year than I did when the year started. If that was all that I accomplished, I'd be more than happy.

But that wasn't all.

* I also jumped into this homeschool stuff head first and I think we are doing pretty amazing with it, now that we know what we are doing.

* I fell in love with Kalypso glass and made some really amazing beads. If I do say so myself.

* I designed my very own Rawr! Tribe of Tiger Beads - original to me and like no other beads I've seen anywhere else... very proud of that, it's a great feeling!

* I started a new store on ArtFire, with my jewelry designs.

* I learned how to make Almond Brittle, one of the highlights of my Christmas holiday this year.

* And! I! get this! reached 500 bead sales on Etsy! And to make that accomplishment even sweeter, I never even blogged about this one, but at that 500 bead sale mark, $500 was sent to the University of Washington's Alzheimer's Research Center and was matched by Microsoft.

So as you can see, a GOOD year. More good than bad. We won't talk about the bad... that is just recent history and won't stick around, unless I keep thinking about it, right?

Time to set some new goals... hmn...

Happy New Year, friends, I'm wishing you all a happy, healthy, creative focus for the new year as well.

Oh Yeah! The Disappearing Sale at Etsy

I should also tell you about the Disappearing Sale - everything in my etsy store is under $20.00, and has free shipping. After 2010 slips away, so will all the beads there. A fresh start with fresh beads for 2011! So if there's something there you want, get it while you can!

Good Bye 2010

Has it really been a month since I posted here? Yes, I do believe it has. I think I missed wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving, and a Merry Christmas and other Happy Holidays, but here I am to say Happy New Year to you! 2011, I'm ready for you. I have plans and goals and intentions... but first, here is a look back at 2010. A year full of good things and bad things. I'm not sure how the scale tips, but there it is.

The pictures only show the good, and I like it that way. Goodbye 2010.

Five New Beads

I just listed five new beads on Etsy! Thanks for looking :)

Last Post Today

I promise, this is my last post of the day. I know, I know, I go months with no posts at all and then wham! I slam you with 4 or 5. Crazy. But this is it. Really.

First, I want to remind you about this promotion/contest/game thing I've got going on over at FaceBook:

"Come on over to my FaceBook fan page and play! You will find a photo album with my nine new necklace creations in it - all you have to do is "like" the fan page and then leave a comment in that album! So easy. I'll pick a name at random on "Small Business Saturday" -Saturday the 27th - and the winner will get a $25.00 gift certificate good in my new store. Recommend a new fan to my page and if they win the prize, you'll win a matching prize too!"

And second, last, really, I promise! Three necklaces I unearthed from my studio that I just finished listing over at that ArtFire store I've been going on and on about. (I have more, but they will wait.)







Thanks for looking! Happy Shopping, tis the season after all :)

PS. Speaking of shopping, don't forget to use this code: "SmallBizSaturday" - in my Etsy store for 20% off from now until Tuesday morning sometime, whenever I get around to turning it off!

Five Fabulous Pendants

I really like these. For one, I love all these beads. So much. But also, I love the bails. They are really cool with that cutout spiral, and they slide right on and off almost every chain - this is how I wear most of the beads I keep for myself - I have two silver chains, one long, and one short, and all my beads are on bails like these - just mix and match to go with whatever outfit! It's the best system. And now you too can start a collection! Or... you can start one for someone else, they make great stocking stuffers - I know I'd be thrilled to have any of these stuck in the toe of my stocking! All available in my ArtFire store - right now!

Blue Between Mad Shopping Sale!

Starting NOW, Black Friday, and going through tomorrow, which is Small Business Saturday... into Sunday, which should be a day of rest, but probably isn't... and all the way through the end of Cyber Monday. Pretty much covers it all, yes? Use code "SmallBizSaturday" in my Etsy store for 20% off from now until Tuesday morning sometime. Happy Shopping!

Grand Opening Celebration - Two Chances to Win!

Come on over to my FaceBook fan page and play! You will find a photo album with my nine new necklace creations in it - all you have to do is "like" the fan page and then leave a comment in that album! So easy. I'll pick a name at random on "Small Business Saturday" -Saturday the 27th - and the winner will get a $25.00 gift certificate good in my new store. Recommend a new fan to my page and if they win the prize, you'll win a matching prize too!

See you over there!

A Grand Opening!

There's a new shop in town! And it has a bunch of lovely necklaces made with my beads! Come on over to ArtFire and check out my new store!

You'll find necklaces like these:








and more! Let me know what you think!

Sneak Peak

My Vintaj chain came! Here's a sneak peak of what I'm up to. Coming to either an Etsy or Artfire store near you, very soon. I'll let you know which one I finally decide upon.

Snow!

It's easy to be excited about the first snow of the season, isn't it? We are enjoying the birds and squirrels today... we have lots of birds visiting... just in time for us to start Project Feeder Watch!

ArtFire vs. Etsy

I just got done visiting ArtFire for the first time in a long time and I have to say, the site seems to have grown up a bit since I last looked (so many great features for sellers!) and best of all, it even worked without crashing my browser.

I have to say, I love the name: ArtFire. Seriously. It's perfect, right? It seems to give me lots of ways to communicate with my buyers, a built in blog... links to FaceBook, etc. And even at the current price of $9.95 a month, that's a better deal than what I'm paying at Etsy.

But then, there is the matter of my 400+ feedback on Etsy. I hate to walk away from that - that took some time to build up! And Etsy has been pretty good to me all these years, I've kept out of trouble there and it's worked out just fine. I am hearing horror stories about people trying to buy things and other buyers stealing the item right out of their carts though, seems like that's always been a danger for people who wait to pay - I don't know why it seems to be a new issue. And I don't even want to think about all the non-handmade things on there. Does Art Fire have them too? I didn't look that close.

Anyway... What to do, what to do?

Six To Go

Just heard the sad news that my grandmother, the artist, is no longer creating art. Art of any sort. I knew it was a matter of time... her art has gone from "wow, she's amazing" to "we are glad it keeps her busy". But no longer even that. Alzheimer's. It sucks. And yes, I do believe it's an epidemic. I know too many people, personally, who have it to think otherwise.

Here is an article by Dr. Mercola, with what seems to be some very commonsense ways to try to avoid it - they are all just smart ways to stay healthy in the first place, so it can't hurt.

Six more beads to go for my "500 Beads Alzheimer's Disease" donation. I'm looking forward to writing that check. For doing something, no matter how small, to try to put an end to this horrid disease. Thank you to all of my customers for all of my sales - each bead sold makes me so happy to be one closer.

Just in time for the... gasp... holidays!

Hello! I'm back from Florida where we had a very nice and moving service for my father-in-law. The veterans came and gave him a 21 gun salute - it was so emotional. And loud! And a little bit frightening as one of the veteran's guns seemed stuck or something and he had it pointed right at us for much longer than was comfortable. But, obviously, that all worked out ok. Thank you for all the kind words about my FIL, it's such a relief for us (and him, I'm sure)... Alzheimer's is just the worst, and it's really good not to worry about him, to know he's in a better place now and free of Alzheimer's disease.

We also managed to soak up a little sun and for some reason, I'm feeling recharged and ready to take on some new projects.

I'm not finding much time for glass melting, and soccer is over so I've just lost two nights a week that I was trying to use for that. But I was thinking I could make some necklaces for the holiday shoppers. I ordered some of that nice Vintaj brass chain and clasps and I'll take some of my beads that haven't sold and make them wearable. I think the brass will look great with many of them, and it's less expensive than silver, by a lot. So, they will be affordable, and I'll be able to make them between homeschool assignments and all the other life commitments that are taking over.

Stay tuned, pictures to come! And if there is a bead you've been eying, now's the time to snag it up before I do!

PS. Here's a new one that I didn't show you here! It's on Etsy :)

Tiger, er... Snow Leopard Beads?

Remember a bit ago, before I got hooked on Kalypso glass, when I was all Tiger beads all the time? Yeah, I only have a few of them in the shop left - I should make some more, don't you think? One of these days. In the meantime, I found these three beads. They were my prototypes for my Tiger beads. I was so bummed with them at the time - they were not the vision I had in my head... and I just tossed them aside. But I found them again and now I think, hmn... they are not so bad, in their own way. They are certainly not Tiger beads, but I can see some snow leopard in them. Can't you? They sure don't deserve to sit in a dark box all the time, so I'm going to list them on Etsy.