Birds of a Feather

I am, like a lot of you crafty girls out there, in love with owls and birds. I can't seem to get enough of them. I'm constantly on the lookout for charms, beads, pendants, ANYTHING with birds. I especially have a soft spot for owls. They are so mysterious one minute and so cute the next. Even their sound is cute and scary at the same time. How can that be??? Anyway, I had to pass on an Etsy shop that makes these cute little creatures in macrame form.

macraMe
The more I looked at them the more they grew on me. This shop has a whole array of colors from the rainbow too. But, I kept noticing something...well... different about her pictures. See if you can spot it. Ok, I'll just tell you. She has taken her cute little owls and placed them on the faces of people. At first I thought maybe this was an accident. No, couldn't be an accident. It's like this in every photo just about. Interesting choice for a photo. It does catch your attention, doesn't it? Maybe she's come up with a new kind of advertising we don't know about yet. Hm.... Well, I'm putting the pretty prussian blue owl on my never ending Christmas list. I'd love to hang it from the rear view mirror in my car. I think he'd look quite nice there.

Mystery Solved

Yesterday I had asked about a beautiful vintage swarovski bead and where to find one. Lorelei directed me to Kat at Jewels by Kat. Kat found several beads in this same style at Beadbyus.com with so many color combinations to choose from. I'm in love with this vintage feel with a little bit of bling, bling. Lorelei also found similar beads at AD Adornments. Take a look at both of these!

And how did I come to ask about this bead? Check out this bracelet if you haven't already. I'm intrigued by the colors, materials, and style of this piece. Kat has done a wonderful job! Please check out her shop when you have the time. Jewels by Kat

Both of these ladies were loads of help so a big THANK YOU to them!

I was watching this show last night that I was intrigued by so I thought I would spread the word. It's called "Out of Egypt" and here is an explanation on the show's basis, "Using Egypt as a starting point, Cooney embarks on a journey to find links between the social, cultural and religious practices of several ancient civilizations. She discovers that despite being completely disassociated from one another, the societies had striking similarities in behaviors, traditions and beliefs." The lady hosting the show teaches Egyptian art and architecture at UCLA. Last night's show was about how other cultures cherish the remains of loved ones after they have deceased. Sounds rather morbid, doesn't it? But they believe that there is a connection between the bones of the deceased and their spirit or the heavenly world. Day of the Dead is a good example of this and I was surprised to find that several other cultures around the world embark on the same type of practice holding festivals and eating meals with the deceased. Ok, I guess it's the science geek in me coming out but give it a watch sometime.

On to today's piece for the shop.

October Moon
Gray beach stones play along the deep brown of the Vintaj chain. Soft aquamarine, smokey quartz, a shiny silver bead, and a Vintaj moon charm dangle from the piece which stand out against the muted browns and grays.

I thought I'd add a little groove to your Tuesday. My daughter and I love this song by Shakira and we've been known to howl at the moon when we hear it on the radio. It's named "She Wolf" which is fitting. It's a real sight to see two girls howling in the car driving down the road. Yeah, we're weird, so what. Enjoy!

C'est la vie

Hello and good morning! How did everyone's weekends go? Lots of sunshine and fun I hope.

Well, it looks like I lost a follower so hence the title of today's post. I'm trying to not let it get me down. So, "C'est la vie"! You win some, you loose some!

I've decided to lower some of my prices in my shop and also add free shipping. This might bring in more traffic, who knows. Pricing is kinda tough and I feel like I'm all over the place. I'm hoping if I narrow down the range of prices I can zero in on a more specific group of buyers. What works best for you when it comes to pricing? Do you price a piece by adding every bead and piece of wire along with exactly the length of time it took to make? Or do you price your items based on what you would pay or what you think others would pay? I love advice!

Ok, I'll throw today's piece out here real quick and then get on with today's post.

Happy Buddha

Happy Buddha charm looks content hanging out on this piece made with sterling jumprings, silver wire, beach glass in muted mint green and a darker forest green. Also includes a soft suede strap and sterling swirl clasp. I like the silver with the brown strap, it really stands out.

Ok, I need your help. I've desperately been looking for a bead with no success. Here's the picture. I am trying a find the swarovski filigree brass ball bead like on this bracelet. I love this vintage look. The stones are of a dark hue and not super shiny. Any idea where I can find one? Maybe this is an older bead that they no longer make. Also, for those of you who buy chain, where do you purchase it from? I am looking for all types of metals with a larger size link and a more intricate design.

Hope your Monday isn't going too bad. I know how Mondays can be. Ugh!

Use the Muse Bracelet

Happy Friday!

I realized last night that I hadn't posted my entry for the Use the Muse contest. For those of you not familiar with the contest you can check it out here. Mine is the very last one in the gallery (I'm use to being last since my last name starts with a Z) and mine is rather simple compared to most of the entries but that's what I like.

Over the Top
I used all the items in the kit except I added the Bali silver beads that mimic the design in the muse, silver wire, and a silver sliding clasp. I love the blues and purples.

I thought I would add a picture of my daughter's craft project that she did recently. There is a place close to us called "The Crafty Shack" where we love to paint pottery. This place has so many different pieces to choose from and they offer classes on making your own pottery. Lauren loves it because she's able to make so many choices for herself from picking out her own piece of pottery to all of the colors and what technique she wants to use on painting them. As you know, kids usually don't get to make too many decisions for themselves. Just look at the Subway commercials! Anyway, here's the piece she made when we last went there. She first painted the background using a bubble method where she got to blow bubbles in the paint with a straw. What fun! Then she glued the mirror onto the piece and finished it off with wire along with beads. Some of these are paper beads that we created earlier with scrapbook paper and glue. I think she did a great job! I know some of you are into mixed media, scrapbooking, quilting, etc. and I'd love to see some of your art work.

Mermaid's Song

Finally, finally done with the Art Bead Scene challenge. I had so many ideas which I started on and decided I didn't like that's why it took FOREVER!!! Any way, here she is. The sexy mermaid from Green Girl Studios is the star, of course. She's holding several of her treasures from the sea which include a large beaded bead from The Bead Goes On, a lampwork bead from JavaBead, sea glass in green and cobalt from Ecstasea, a "flame" charm from Mamacita Beadworks which reminds me of ocean waves, and various Bali silver. Blues and greens from the ribbon make up the length of the piece which is held together with a handmade sterling S hook. Let me know what you think!

This piece re minds of the tale about the beautiful mermaid's song luring seamen into the deep blue. And woul dn't you know last night while I was making this I was listening to Scott Hardkiss who sings Underwater Ball. It dawned on me while I was "chair dancing" to it so I had to add it to today's post. Give it a listen!