Enjoy!

Carla Bruni Rocks!

Can't Decide

I apparently haven't found my niche yet.  I like everything that has to do with beading (except seed beads because I don't have the patience).  We all have so many different things that we like.  Why must we choose?  I'll show you what I've been busy working on lately and you'll see what I mean.

I got a little creative with some of those backgrounds.  :)  Art beads are, of course, the most impressive and the most fun to work with.  I hope you had a chance to visit the Beads-of-Clay Open Studio on Sunday.  There were some major buys and lots of prizes.  I'll be showing off what I purchased soon.  But until then, here's a few items I made with Gaea's ceramic beads.

 

 

I can't say enough good things about her beads.  The glazes are amazingly rich!  And so many different creatures and whimsical items to choose from.

I also made some "magical" earrings.  Oh yes, magical.  They grant wishes.  Well, I wish they did.  These are made from the canteloupe Swarovski crystals that change colors depending on what type of lighting they are in.

OUTSIDE

INCANDESCENT LIGHT

FLUORESCENT LIGHT

All of these pretties will be going into the Bei Mondi shop and Etsy in the next few days.

I've got my earrings ready for the exchange but I'm waiting on the "extras".  Every gift needs some extras, right?  "Mr. Postman, where are you?  My friend needs her stuff."

I'll leave you with the music of Regina Spektor.  Her voice and piano playing captures my heart and won't let go!

***My First Etsy Treasury***

Please check out my first Etsy treasury when you have the time. 

Simply Spooky Charms

My Halloween charms from the Charmsters group came!  Look at these goodies in their packages.

And out of their packages!

There was so much talent here.  So many different stories and wonderful charms.  There was even one with the whole story wrapped around a skeleton hand.  You can see that one up above in the photo.  Even though they were all very creative, I had one in paritcular that I was most fond of.  Here it is!

Can you tell what well known story this goes with?  Unfortunately, I can't seem to find which artist made this piece otherwise I'd give her some credit for such a cool work of art.  Notice there is a picture of a girl with red (blood) on one side and a mirror on the other.  Ring any bells?

Thanksgiving Treasures Earring Exchange

Everyone participating in the Thanksgiving Treasures Earring Exchange should have received an email from me yesterday.  If you didn't please let me know.  There's info in there that I'd like everyone to read when they have the time.

Enjoy the weekend!

~Here's My Weekend~

Thanks, Mr. Postman!

"Must Have Brains!"

My DH is a nice, kinda quiet guy. Very normal for the most part. He is a software engineer who enjoys playing video games with his buddies and reading books.  Anyway, normal guy, right? Then why this?

What is this you ask?  This is my zombie hubby.  He comes out every year around this time for the ZombieFest in Pittsburgh.  Weird?  Well, not really when you think about it.  What grown up wouldn't like a chance to dress up with fake bullet holes in your face and stagger around (without being drunk) moaning, "Brains!  I want Brains!"

And these guys go nuts.  Last year they broke the world record for most zombies in a zombie walk.  Unfortunately, the record was broken later that year in Sydney, Australia.  And where do they walk?  The Monroeville Mall, of course.  Why in a mall?  Because this is where "Dawn of the Dead" was filmed back in 1978.  People come from all around to see the mall and do the zombie walk just like the extras in the movie.  And several of the actors in the movie usually stop by to say hello as well. 

And some of these guys really get into character.  Check out these photos.  Creepy!

"Wow, you really should have someone take a look at that."

"Dude, these are zombies not ghosts!"

"So true."

 

Totally cool complete with a coffin purse.

Apparently zombies like music too!

"What?  Who invited Micheal?"

And since zombies need friends to stagger around with, here is Shawn's friend, Luke.  "Luke, you seem to be missing your eyeballs.  Do you want me to help you look for them?"

One more thing.  Anyone know who Jonathan Coulton is?  Check out the video and song.  Listen to the lyrics closely.


Have an awesomely cool Friday and weekend!

Sale on Swarovski

Just wanted to let you gals know about a bargain. Gem Mall has Swarovski crystals 20% right now. If you buy wholesale like me then you'll be paying like $.07 for a 4mm bicone. I love using these to fill in color wherever needed and to add some sparkle. Use coupon code PVSC20 at the checkout and it should give you the discount.

I've been staying away from the computer to finish up some projects. It's impossible to get stuff done when you get sucked into the blog scene. You know what I mean. I'll hopefully have some pictures tomorrow.

Take care!

what i'm listening to

Black Dog and Brown Dog

Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to take my pictures if this keeps happening?

Ok, I understand Miss Em would like her picture taken too but I don't need a nose print on my camera. Each time I venture outside to set up for photos I get a nudge in my side. Hum, wonder who that could be?

And because I feel like I keep leaving poor Miss Molly out, I will add her photo as well. She could care less about having her 15 minutes of fame. Leave her be with a good bone and she's just fine. Oh, and that mud pit she is standing in is my backyard.  It use to be beautiful before the hounds took over.

And one more pick of "Em" because she was looking at me with those big puppy eyes.  I lovingly refer to these two as "brown dog" and "black dog".

Here's what I was trying to take photos of when I was so rudely interupted.

Am I going Swarovski crazy or what? I guess there's something about that sparkle. And Norma Brink's lampwork is kinda translucent in the light. Love the browns and blues with the sterling silver. I'll be throwing this one into the Bei Mondi Etsy shop later today.

And here's a mystery photo for you.

It's been metal etched but apparently not long enough. I think my etching solution is getting weak. Maybe I accidentally left it in the light. Can you make out the picture? This, of course, will take some more time but not bad for a first try on such an elaborate stamp.

I need to absorb some of the sunshine outside before it's all gone. See ya!

*Color with Your Bling, Bling*

Good Monday Morning, blogging buddies!  I hope everyone had a beautiful and restful weekend.  Trying to stay busy here with the creation of Christmas presents, more metal etching, stamping, charm projects, earring exchange.  Well, you get the idea.

 

Here's the latest creation in the shop this week.  And I'm getting more and more creative with the names.  It's called "Color with Your Bling, Bling".  Kinda like sugar with your coffee.  Lots of jewel tones which are a hit right now.  I checked Pantone fall colors and these are right on.  Norma Brink lampwork once again with Bali beads and lots of Swarovski bicones and cubes in colors to match.  Nice heavy piece with lots of shiny bits.  This bracelet is my spotlight item so I'll be giving a 10% off for this week only.  Please check it out at the Bei Mondi store.

Pantone 2009 Color Trend


I'd like to give a little reminder that Thanksgiving Treasure Earring Exchange packages should mail out in 12 days.  Not much time left so get those earrings finished and out the door.  Oh, and after Oct. 31st, could everyone please send me a picture of your creation along with a little description?  I'd like to post it on the blog for everyone to see the magic.  Whoever has my name can wait a little longer.  I'm sure I'll be posting pictures of my gift as soon as it comes in the mail and then you'll know it's ok to send your pictures in an email to me.  How exciting!  You gals are such a great group of artists and friends that it makes this just too much fun to bear.

I was featured in a Treasury on Etsy for coffee.  I had to send the link since I'm a big, big fan of coffee.  We go way back.  It's a love hate relationship.  I love coffee first thing in the morning and I hate the morning until I've had my coffee.  Here it is!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=72388
I can't seem to cut and copy the photo so give it a look when you get a chance.  Thanks again to Bat Chen Designs for featuring me.

You girls know I like to spread the love when I've found a product that I like especially when it's handmade.  Check out Hot Pack Huggies.  Here's a photo of my favorite the sea turtle.

We went to a craft show over the weekend and, after Lauren begged me to buy her one of everything in the place, we finally decided on one of these functional little creatures.  These guys are so cool!  They look and feel like a regular stuffed animal but they contain heat packs in their bellies.  I just take her horse "Spiffy", pop him in the microwave for 2 minutes, and she has a nice warm creature to cuddle up to all night which is a huge help for when the temps get down into the 20's or lower.  The stuffed animal stays warm for about 5 hours under the blankets.  Please check these out if you have little ones!

I'm off to buy new shoes which would be most girls' favorite thing to do besides shopping for jewelry but truthfully I'm not a fan.  I'd rather be shopping for beads.  Hope your Monday is sunny! :)

Sharing My Love for Artisans

Just a few months ago I was likely to purchase beads from the internet from any number of beading businesses out there.  I would get my items and be thankful to have more stock to play with.  I would try to create something from the ordinary hum drum beads everyone has and try to mold them into something with some character.  As I spend more time on my favorite blogs I realize there is a whole world of beading out there to explore.  It's not from the shop down the street carrying another color of the same Swarovski crystal or even the big bead business that offers every shape and size imaginable of yet again the same old beads.  No, these are simply little works of art.  I thought I would show off some of the latest purchases I've made from such talented artists recently.

Do you remember the Narnia charm bracelet I mentioned a while back?  It will be a special present for my daughter in remembrance of the time we've spent reading the books together.  My first charm for this bracelet is from Hint Jewelry.  Beth Hemmila is incredible!  I don't know how else to put it.  Each one of her charms tells a story.  She's also a wonderful person with a big heart!  For each purchase at her Etsy shop she will donate 10% of the profit to a nonprofit organization.  This was the perfect starting piece to this charm bracelet project.  The detail in these pieces is remarkable and each one is made by hand.  And I had to buy something for myself, of course, so I purchased this spooky but fun sugar skull.

And take a look at these!

Gaea makes some rockin' beads!  She is one funky chic!  Love her style, just so happy and fun.  I ordered a few focal pieces from her and asked if she would be kind enough to find complimentary beads to match.  She did a great job!  My favorite is the heart with the lock in the middle.  These have a cool vintage look to them.  And I have to mention the little owl.  Big fan of owls as you know.  He's so sweet!  And the sugar skulls, they are a favorite too.  Ok, so I love them all!  Oh, but there's more.  I asked her to make a large focal bead for me with my business name and colors.  She not only made me one, but she sent three different designs.  I plan on making a little decoration for my studio with these.  Once again, Gaea, you rock!

And I've mentioned several times one of the best glass artists there is (in my opinion).  Norma Brink has a way of catching the light and having it dance around in her beads.  The colors are gorgeous and even though each bead has it's own style they all fit so well together in the set.  These were a special order and I'm so happy with the way they turned out.

Ok, and last but not least, the yummy copper.  Big, big fan of copper right now and I've been purchasing from Bopper on Etsy.  I've been extremely happy with the items I've received so far.  Her seletion of sizes and styles is great and she'll custom cut pieces for you as well.  She also does sterling and brass as well.  And the shipping is always super quick.  Oh, and the copper links in this picture are from Gaea.  Super cool!

I'll add in just one more.  This one doesn't have anything to do with beads but I'd like to mention her because I love the product.  I bought soap from Osayin Holistics recently and I've really enjoyed it.  Please try the Limon Rosa if you are looking for something to brighten your spirits during that morning shower.  Her soap is very creamy and lathers up well.  Love it!

I'm going to try to put all these lovely beads to use today.  I have so much to work with and I haven't made anything in over a week.  I think I'm going through beading withdrawal!  Need to bead!  Must bead now!  Bye!

Charmingly Spooky!

Here's a few pics of the mystery project I was working on.

 

I joined a group called the "Charmsters" a few months ago.  The group members swap charms with each other for different themes.  This one was for the Halloween Story swap.  We were supposed to create a charm based on a favorite spooky story.  Here is my story for anyone who is interested.  

Sweet Cicely

This is supposedly a true story from Sylvan Dell, Pennsylvania about a breath taking Indian girl named Cicely.  She had lived in this area all her life with her Mingo Indian tribe and had fallen in love with a fellow Indian named Wild William.  The two were happily in love and inseparable.  They spent many hours along the water at their favorite stone ledge about 10 feet above the water of the Loyalstock Creek.  They spoke of their future together and Cicely would wait for him each day in that very same spot to arrive after a hard days work.  While waiting, Cicely was known to sing such beautiful songs.  The townspeople loved to hear her sing and said the forest would stand still for her voice.

Being in the time of the mid 1800’s, the Mingo Indians were becoming more and more scarce.  Despite that, many people of the town loved the Indian couple and greeted them each day with happy smiles and big waves.  But there were still some who held prejudice for the Indians.

One day as Cicely sat upon her favorite rock waiting for her Indian beau, a man appeared who was a stranger to her.  This man was a rafter and had seen Cicely and heard her great song from the water as he rowed towards the shore.  He made advances toward her and when Cicely tried to fight back, the stranger choked her to death.  The man fled just as Wild William was making his was to his love.

The townspeople were shocked and outraged.  They wanted vengeance on this stranger to their town.  They wanted revenge for Sweet Cicely.  Then a peculiar thing started happening.  The townspeople said that they would hear someone singing with a haunting voice when rafting along the creek close to where she was killed.  And the number of deaths along the Loyalstock was increasing dramatically.  Even experienced rafters were having a tough time navigating through the waters and said they kept hearing a woman singing.  They said the singing almost seemed to rise up out of the water.  Many rafters were dumbstruck by the song and smashed into rocks along the creek.  And boats were being flipped upside down in the water near where Cicely took her last breath.

One day a man stopped by the local pub furious but scared.  After a few drinks the bar tender was able to coax some information from the stranger.  He confessed that he had been the one that killed the sweet Indian girl years before.  And he believed that she was singing her song along the water to drive him mad.  The bar tender loved the Indian couple and knew this was his chance to seek vengeance.  He told a group of local raftsmen about the story the man had told.

The next day the stranger set out once again along the rocky stretch of the Loyalstock creek.  The group of raftsmen surrounded him and tossed him into the rough waves where he ended up knocking into several rocks.  By the time his body washed up to shore he was dead.

That was the end of the song for Cicely.  The town no longer heard her Indian song.  They knew that vengeance was finally met.

These charms really crept up on me.  I had plenty of time to finish them but, of course, I waited until the last minute to complete everything.  These were simple enough to make.  I found digital prints of Indians which I glued to one inch wooden circles.  The Indian girl went on one side and the Indian boy on the other.  I tried to use photographs that looked rather sad.  I applied a layer of Modge Podge to the outside of the picture and let them dry.  I then drilled a hole and added a jumpring.  Leather cord was then used along with some beads in turquoise and red and other traditional native American colors.  I wanted to add a feather as well but couldn't figure out how I should get it to stay on the charm so I decided to just add one to the package.  We shall see what everyone thinks.  This is my first exchange so I'm kind of unsure of the time and effort that the group usually puts into each charm.  I hope I don't embarrass myself.

I have so many blogs to get caught up on.  I tried my best to give my parents my attention while they were here although it was tough not getting online to see what was going on.  I'll slowly be getting back up to speed during the next couple of days.

My parents are back in Tallahassee.  We had a short but great time together.  Here's a few pictures.

My mom stuck between two rocks in Laurel Caverns.

 

My dad trying to eat the bananas at Phipps Gardens.

 

Lauren made a friend at Phipps Gardens.  He was loud but cute.

Enjoy your afternoon!  :)

Let's Get Started!

Everyone who joined in on the earring exchange should have received a name and info last night.  Please let me know if you did not or if you have any questions.  Here's a list of participants.  We had 16 in all!  I added everyone's blog link in case you have someone you aren't familiar with.  Maybe you can do some "stalking" and get to know that person better.  Have fun with it girls!

 (Just a random picture of mine to get you guys in the earring mood)

• Jeanette Blix - http://jeanetteblix.com/
• Lorelei Eurto - http://lorelei1141.blogspot.com
• Véronique Perez - http://verodarmor.blogspot.com/
• Sharon Palac - http://sharonsjewelrygarden.blogspot.com/
• Erin Prais-Hintz - http://treasures-found.blogspot.com/
• Judy Glende - http://judithbdesigns.blogspot.com/
• Cindy Wimmer - http://www.sweetbeadstudio.com/
• LeAnn Weih - http://summersstudio.blogspot.com/
• Renate Starke-Krammer - http://putalittlemagicinyourlife.blogspot.com/ 
• Leslie Zabel - http://beimondi-leslie.blogspot.com/
• Lisa Harrington - http://lucidmoonstudio.blogspot.com/ 
• Shelby Foxwell - http://sundownbeaddesigns.blogspot.com/ 
• Esther Ramos - http://lilibulle-illusions.blogspot.com/
• Erin Siegel - http://everyheartcrafts.blogspot.com/  
• Barbara Lewis - http://jewelryofdistinction.blogspot.com/
• Julie Pishny - http://www.gardenology.blogspot.com/   

My daughter is doing much better today.  By noon yesterday her fever was completely gone.  I took her to the doctor anyway and he said he thinks its just a cold.  Yippee!  She's back at school today and every time I ask her how she's feeling I get a thumbs up.  

My parents are coming in from Tallahassee on Thursday so I'll be busy getting things ready.  You may not see much of me until next week.  Enjoy your Tuesday and let me know if you have any questions about the exchange.

It's Kinda Spooky!

Well, the kiddo has a temp. of 103 and not doing so great.  I caught her still trying to get ready for school, she must really like it.  Poor thing!  It's scary, there have been two cases of H1N1 in the middle school here.  So, I'm keeping a steady flow of cold juice and Motrin going.  Trying to make a doctor's appt. but still just a busy signal.  Ugh!

Ok, while she's sleeping I thought I would jump on here and show you my inside Halloween decorations.  I bought several of Yankee Candle's Bones tealight holders.  The one with the farmer couple holding the candles dripping red is one of my favorites.  And the ornamental grass to the right in the picture is some from my back yard that I've been trying desperately to get rid.  Glad to see it's good for something besides cussing at.  Oh, and no, I don't normally light these candles.  It was just for the picture and I know it's a fire hazard having the candles close to the dry grass.

 

And check out these owls.  I didn't actually buy them to go with my Halloween stuff but I stuck them in to fill up the space.  And they are so cool when the candle light shines through their eyes.  I'd love to see pictures of your Halloween decorations.  This is always such a fun time of the year!

Now onto other things.  That beauty over there -----------------------------------------------------------> at the very top of the page is the spotlight item for this week.  It's name is Bling Bling Bali Bracelet.  This guy is a heavy one all decked out with sterling silver Bali beads and Swarovski crystals to add the bling, bling.  He'll be 10% off for this week only.  Any takers?

And here's another item I added recently to the Bei Mondi Etsy store.

 

Autumn's Abundance Lampwork and Copper Bracelet

The wonderful colors of autumn! This piece combines the yummy warmth of copper with some breath taking lampwork beads. The little cubes of cinnamon and spice are created by Crazy Cat Lampwork and the blue/burgundy ruffles were made by Norma Brink. The lampwork is connected by various copper bead designs with many swirls and whirls to adore.

Have a great Monday and I'll be emailing each of you some time tonight about the Earring Exchange after the hubby gets home.  He'll mix up the names and send one to each of you (me included) so no one knows who gets what name.  This should be fun!