More Goodies to Show Off

More goodies for the Bei Mondi shop and the I Made It! Mine show in February.

 Lampwork from Java Bead and Norma Brink with lots of Bali silver.  This one has the color changing Swarovski crystals that go from soft pink to gray to light green which are all colors that compliment the bracelet.

Amber onyx rounds with lots of oxidized copper

More lampwork with Swarovski crystals.  Are you seeing a pattern here?  I guess it's what I love to do.  Mostly blues in this one with just a touch of purple.

Ok, I'm spending the day with the kiddo and working on some artsy stuff.  I hope to have a little tutorial for you by tomorrow.  You girls enjoy your Friday!

My Take on the Vampire Movies

Second post of the day!  Slow down, Leslie!  Haha.  Just a quick look at something very, very simple I made for the "Twilight" and "True Blood" fans out there (I happen to be a fan of both).

Does that look like a moon or a banana?  I keep seeing banana on that first one.  Well, it's supposed to be a moon with a few stars.  Or maybe a banana with sprinkles???  Whatever!

 

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!

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!

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!

It's Monday already! Yikes!

Happy Monday! All of us here worked really hard on the yard yesterday. We had 4 yards of top soil delivered and spent the day spreading it around the yard to fill in the tire tracks from having the walkway poured. I spent so long making sure it was all even and this morning I woke up to footprints all in the dirt. It just so happens that right next to where we were working there is a crab apple tree and deer love crab apples. Enough said! Ugh!

Frozen Lake Tilicho Bracelet
Well, I'm adding one to the shop today. This bracelet has several different elements to it. I just love the spiky silver ball. That's my favorite part. It also includes a lampwork bead by Java Bead, a Swarovski square crystal ring, apatite, yellow turquoise, rhyolite, and lots of silver. It's a bit delicate since this is made with 24 gauge half hard wire but I like the look.

I'm trying out something new. I paid to promote an item on Etsy on their bracelet page for today. I would be astonished if it created a sale but I would at least hope for looky-loos. I'll let you know the results. It was $7 to promote which seems pretty steep but if it adds more traffic to my Etsy page then it was well worth it. Mama needs to bring home the bacon! hehe I'm also on Facebook now but I'll be posting the same thing each day as my blog. Where do you gals sell your jewelry? Anyone do anything other than Etsy? And what has worked best for you? I'm new to this so I love advice!

Oh, and here are some photos of last weeks "girl day". They are a bit on the blurry side but it's pretty hard to take pictures in a place that's so dark. We had sushi for lunch (yum) and then headed over to Monster Golf! This place is so cool. The whole place is dark when you walk in but soon you see why. Everything is painted to glow in the black lights and there are monsters that move and make noise throughout. It's a bit distracting when you are trying to get a hole in one. Enjoy your morning!

Finished Bracelet for "Use the Muse"

A couple of teaser photos for the "Use the Muse" contest. Of course, I still can't show the main focal bead so these are just of the sides of the bracelet. Once the Use the Muse site has presented pictures of the bead then I'll post pictures of the whole piece. This was so much fun to make! I incorporated all the beads within the kit and added these silver Bali beads which have a design close to that of the "Muse". I can't wait for the next contest. This really offers a chance to try something new with beads you may not have thought to buy.