Gorgeous Pillow Giveaway

As I was tripping through blogs I fell into another lovely giveaway ... Beautiful pillows the winner gets a choice of either pink or blue ...  over at The Penny Candy Blog ...

The prize a lovely handmade pillow.   I think they are just divine and yes, they're very special,  designed to be a baby's keepsake pillow or just as lovely as a ring bearer's pillow. 

But for me, should I be so fortunate to win, I have my eye on the blue pillow and it will hold a special place of honor in the very middle of my pile of decorative bed pillow.  So go on now, check out Jamie's :  The Penny Candy Blog.   I figure the more giveaways I enter, the better my odds are of winning something. :)

REMINDERS

Plantress has taken some new photos of her large baroque pearl earrings and they look better than ever in the proper lighting...hey, don't we all, hee, hee.
What a pair of gorgeous earrings and they will be absolutely free to the winner of Plantress' Giveaway Drawing...but hurry as the drawing is just about coming to an end, only 1 day remains.

ANOTHER GREAT GIVEAWAY.

Lately I've been finding that giveaway fever has seemly struck the blogging kingdom. So for those of you who love giveaways, and I haven't met many who didn't, I've discovered another great blog with an amazing giveaway.    
One of my lovely blogging friends is having one outstanding giveaway!
The blog is Freely You Have Received - Freely Give

The prize is :

A GOLD LIMITED EDITION IPOD SHUFFLE. Now there's a giveaway prize just about anyone would love to win.  Post a comment on her blog and let her know you found her through A Beader's Blog.

A Pearl of a GIVEAWAY from Plantress...

Now confess, you love getting something for nothing...right? Well I know I sure do! That's why we all love to enter giveaways, the chance to win a prize, get a lovely gift, a little freebie.

Well here's a wonderful giveaway that you have to check out. Plantress has a pair of enchanting pearl earrings that would look divine on any girl or lady and her requirements are simple and easy...Just head on over to her blog and check it out ... tell her aBeader'sBlog sent you. :)
But hurry as this Giveaway ends on Sunday...

MysticWynd

I have been away from my blog for a little while and allowing my batteries to recharge but this morning I received a notice from Karen at the  MysticWynd  blog, that drew me back into the lovely world of blogdom.  Karen has featured my handcrafted beaded flower bead in her blog post.  Today's MysticWynd post is all about plum and purple, it begins with a mouth watering recipe for plum pierogies, followed by some absolutely gorgeous etsy finds in rich and regal plum-purple.

HOPE FOR A CURE

Rose Quartz Heart Pendant with Sterling Silver awareness ribbon bail.

This morning I listed a new item in my supply shop on Etsy. Being that October is not that far away and happens to be Breast Cancer Awareness month, I thought there'd be many shops featuring a few Hope For A Cure items in their inventories. I went into the Etsy promotions forums and proudly posted a thread encouraging others to post their own Breast Cancer Awareness items. Pink ribbons, hearts anything!

Now I'm not sure if no one really had absolutely nothing or if everyone was so eager to participate in all the many BNR's on the promo forum that they could not take a moment to check out what they might have had in their own shop that would qualify.  All I do know is that October is just around the corner and people should be focusing on a very important calendar event, a reminder to all women ... as we all share this common fear and if we haven't battled this enemy personally we all know someone who has.  Breast Cancer has left no life untouched by its indiscriminate hand ... any color, any race almost any age. 

Maybe I just expect too much and find this subject close to my heart as I've lost a couple of close friends to this disease and have had several other friends who've had to go through mastectomies and chemo.   All that's left to say is I pray and HOPE FOR A CURE. 

SHADES Of GREASE

Not long ago I had a mishap with my camera.  As I attempted to extract the photo memory card from its safe little recess, the door (or cover) to the card access literally fell off.  On inspection I found that one of the plastic hinge pegs had broken. 
To make a very long story short:
1. Camera will not turn on without door/cover being completely closed.
2. Having this cover replaced entails sending the camera back to the manufacturer which means it would be cheaper to just purchase a new camera.
3. My camera is currently being held together by a purple 1/4" thick rubber band. Thankfully my hubby did not use duct tape or chewing gum.
4. This is definitely not the best solution and hopefully only temporary...of course if I have to buy a new camera with profits from my Etsy shop it could well BE a permanent situation.

So today I post  pictures that my daughter took of my granddaughters gone retro...shades of "Grease", Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta.  Can you tell which girl is the ham in the family?

Oh yes Grease is back and better than ever, that fluff of a feel good movie will never die and neither will its music.  Remember; "Beauty School Drop Out" ? "Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee" ?

GORGEOUS ALASKABORO BEADS...

One of AlaskaBoro's divine beads

Slept last night...what a blessing !!!  We never fully appreciate something so simple and so basic as sleep until we miss it.

Just wanted to share with all of you a most fantastic website and artist.  The art; beautiful handcrafted glass beads, in particular Beautiful Boro Beads.  Please take a moment to visit Jim's website (Jim lives in Alaska) any one of these beads would look amazing on a simple little chain or cord.  Jim's site:  AlaskaBoro  .  Or visit his lovely glass pendants:  PENDANTS  ( just click the highlighted link to view, may have to use the forward/back buttons to return?) 
Jim's beads are stunning and very, incredibly, reasonably priced.  Now all that's left to do is decide on which one's to get;  as for me I want them all and I bet you'll find at least one that catches your eye. Let me know what you think.

TO SLEEP...Perchance to...sleep...

Sleep, blissful sleep.  We never fully appreciate the simple act of dozing off until we can't.  For the past 4 nights sleep has been elusive for me and today I am running on empty...head feels like its filled with sawdust or cotton...keep losing my balance and bumping into things.  I've never had it this bad before.

The first night it started out with a fitful night of no sleep, a night of tossing and turning, of getting up countless times until the early light of dawn drug me out of my torture.  This  followed by 3 nights of finally falling to sleep around 3:00 am and waking again at 6:30 am.  Last night was the same, unable to shut down the brain and fall into soothing deep slumber. 

Insomnia, perhaps...or perhaps just the constant worry of having a failing business and what to do next.  Since Google took over the syndication of all of etsy's shops my views and sales have basically flat lined and nothing I've done seems to resuscitate it.  It's as though Google has stopped crawling my site and even my new listings have been known to sit there for days with only 1 view...which of course is my view !
So perhaps it's worry over what am I going to do with over $10,000 in beads and jewelry making supplies...all I do know is right now I would gladly pay $10,000 for a full night of restful, refreshing sleep.

An Award to Present

The other day I was obliviously minding my own business, much like this little duck all alone in this pond,  when I a get a comment on my blog..."Hi I have something for you over at my blog."

Kristen, the creator of the blog Kristen-Bead Journey, has just bestowed me with the Versatile Blogger Award. I am very honored to accept this award though I realize that versatility is almost a prerequisite for maintaining a healthy and current blog.


Kristen's own blog, http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com/ , is one filled with delightful posts about items ranging from the practical to fantasy and each of her posts makes our life as a reader, richer. Kristen, I thank you deeply for this honor and will gladly pass it on, as is expected. True it is a very difficult choice to choose from so many wondrous and diverse blogs and one I wish could be passed on to each and every blogger on my "Blogs I am Following List" but like all things there are rules and the rules of this award is to thank the giver of the award and pass the award on to 7 others so the honor may be shared.  One must also list 7 things about themselves to  share with their readers.
So...drum roll please....

1.   PrettyMuchArt  - A gorgeous blog filled with stunning finds, lush, rich and colorful. A blog that makes you dream of having the moon and the stars within your reach.


2. Wired4Style13 - Does beautiful wire work using gorgeous cabochons, this blog is more than just eye candy it is inspiration for all of us.


3. LittleGrayFox  - Whose blog is cute, entertaining and full of whimsy, a blog to lighten your soul and make you feel good.


4.  Southern05Belle  - A real southern belle with a blog that is picture perfect and a joy to visit.


5.  KateAndOli  - With a blog that is fresh and sweet and simply lovable, like getting a warm hug.


6. Hauplight  - Fantastically written blog, intriguing to read. This one is on top of my favorites list as her blog is delightfully addictive.


7.  Alygatr  - Yes another favorite of mine, don't let being number 7 fool you because in this case, I've saved the best for last. Aly's blog is filled with humor, wit and charm. Wonderfully written by a charming young lady that is one of the busiest around and one gifted with an abundance of talent.

Most honorable bloggers ... your prestigious award, may you display it proudly ...

Now 7 things about myself...


1. I can't imagine eating escargot, perhaps they taste great but I can't get past what they were before they were cooked.



2. There are at least 2 things I absolutely can not and will not eat without milk...peanut butter sandwiches and cookies. I usually eat brownies or cake with milk, but if the milk jug's empty then it has to have a scoop of ice cream to make it ala mode.



3. I think laundry is a dirty word. You can never get caught up with laundry, the best you can do is stay just one step behind it.



4. I really don't mind growing old...it's the falling apart that I object to.



5. Some people love the desert, some love the sea, I love mountains. So why am I living in the flat land of south Florida ?



6. Show me a craft store that I don't like and I'll show you a store that has gone out of business.



7. And for heaven's sake don't take me to a huge bead shop as you'll never be able to get me out again.



Kristen really had 2 awards that she was passing on to others, this second award I share with any and all bloggers. It is here for you to download and display on your blog it is your award for creating and caring for your blog. For the work you put into it, the time and thought you spend, for having it constantly in your mind night and day. For always striving to give your followers, your readers the best of yourselves, I present you all with the "Sweet Blog Award" for all you sweet bloggers ... Bravo. Keep up the good work ...
 

Working With Beads...

A few years ago I attended a Bead Expo where I picked up a couple of rather expensive kits for beaded beads. One was for a beaded flower bead, I thought it was cute but wouldn't really call it a bead as I'm not sure how one would string it in bead-like fashion. However when I attempted to follow the instructions my flower fell apart...time and time again, also had the same problem with the other beaded bead kit. It seemed that whoever wrote the directions had left something out, finally I gave up on the directions and constructed them my way, the way that seemed most logical.  After incorporating a couple of small changes, the flowers were quite secure...only, what to do with them ?

Photo above...one side of flower has a white center.

Photo below...the other side of the flower sports a black center.

With experimentation I found they could be adapted for use as a small pendant in beaded necklaces.

Photo below...Beaded Flowers in use

Even to this day I can't help but wonder about those poor souls who, with little beading knowledge, faced the frustrations of misleading and incomplete instructions.


I'm considering offering these in my shop AlmostPrecious for use as focal pendant beads but I'm not sure if there'd be any interest. I would truly value and appreciate your input and opinions on this.

Groovy Girl Designs...

I have had unexpected good news for today.    Teachergurrl  of GroovyGalDesignsOnline has chosen one of my lovely jewelry making supplies to place in her Groovy Finds  Sunday Features.  Normally she features only handmade Groovy Finds but she found my pewter and enameled butterfly,  2 strand spacers irresistible.

Photo above...These are really small enough to be used in an earring design but are adorable in a two strand bracelet or a sweet ankle bracelet.

Check out her other Groovy Finds at GroovyGalDesignsOnline or her etsy shop at Teachergurrl.  Thanks teachergurrl, you are indeed way Groovy.  :)

Wishing you all a lovely, serene and very blessed Sunday.