ArtyBecca

I might really need these beads from her store (above)

I mentioned I had another post, about my new friend ArtyBecca! Rebecca happens to be from the 'burgh, and actually lives about 8 minutes away from me! She makes these really cool polymer clay beads, they are very earthy and really my style! I saw her etsy shop and sent her a convo just telling her I really like her beads. She shot me one back, saying she liked mine and did I want to trade? You bet! These are the beads she sent me, and I sent her some enameled beads and a pair of the ivory sparkle lampworked beads. I just took a look at her shop, and it's going to be hard for me to resist buying some - like I don't have enough beads yet, right? She is going to post the necklace she made out of her beads and my beads on her blog - check it out! It's gorgeous!

WINNER!

I almost forgot, it's Friday, and that means pick a winner for the giveaway! The winner was #22, Francy of 8 Second Studio! Francy, send me your address and I'll get your enameled beads in the mail!!!! Thanks to everyone for playing! (BTW, I took a screen capture of the Random Number generated, but it won't upload to this blog post. Please take my word for it!).

New Beads

Yes, new lampworked beads! I have more enameled beads to photograph, really cool ones, Katie! And a post later about my friend ArtyBecca! In the meantime, you can find these beads in the SueBeads etsy store!

Preview

Earrings

I made these earrings for my friend Jill's birthday. She wears a lot of black, so I thought these gray enameled bead would be perfect for her. She's more of a silver person than gold, too, so these earrings really worked for her!

Giveaway!!!!

It's about time I had a giveaway! Today, I am giving you a chance to win 5 enameled beads! They measure about 14mm. The colors are ivory, green, violet, hazel brown and a two-toned blue! Very nice! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, and let me know what you are looking for in enameled beads - pairs, small, large, colors, whatever! I'll pick the winner next Friday morning (April 30th) about this time (7am) using random number generator. Anyone can enter, but please leave only one comment per person!

New Enamel Beads Listed

www.suebeads.etsy.com

New Beads Listed

www.suebeads.etsy.com

Focal Beads

Find them here!

Commercial Break

And now for an important message:

OMG!!!!!!!!!!! This is the greatest stuff ever! Breyer's Inspirations Yogurt in Cherry Chocolate Chip! This stuff tastes like cherry ice cream with chocolate chips! It is SO good! You have to get some!

Ok, back to our regularly scheduled program!

New Heart Pendants

Keeping Time

Little Shell

I'm having a great time making these! See them here!

Two New Pendant Sets

I just listed two new pendant sets in the etsy store, and then I'm going to list some more beads in a bit. Check them out here!

New Enamel Beads

...in the SueBeads etsy store today!

Heart Pendant

Available on etsy

Already sold!

I listed a heart pendant yesterday, but it sold in like 1 second (thanks Katie!). Here's another one for today - a beautiful paper of a very subtle angel, and a key charm, in a copper pendant.

Mary, Queen of Scots

An appropriate ending to Tartan (or Scottish) Week is this post by Pearl, on The Beading Gem's Journal. She always does such great posts, and this one is no exception. This is a biography, in mini-style, so you can read it without having to buy a whole book. But she also gives you some reading choices if you wish to further your knowledge about this time in history! Her jewels are an awe, and her history is quite colorful! If you like this sort of thing, I highly recommend you visit Pearl's post!

Finally....

Bronze Infused Purple Turquoise

"A new variation of purple turquoise
created when blue compressed Kingman
turquoise is infused with bronze metal
to create a matrix, dyed purple and stabilized."
Dakota Stones web site

I LOVE this stuff! I got it from Dakota Stones - they have some cool stuff! They are going to be at BeadFest Wire this weekend, so if you're there, you should check them out! If you don't get there, I will be offering some as destash in my etsy store as soon as I figure out what I am going to do with them!

Jen Judd

Jen Judd is another person who has waited patiently for me to show you some photos of her work with my beads! Again, same excuses - concussion, surgery, spring break. I am going to try and time this to post tomorrow while I am knocked out with the Michael Jackson drug. Here are some photos of her work with my beads and enamel headpins - fantastic! Tip from Jen - if you work the headpins too hard, they crack. Just be a little gentle with them!

Phyllis Howard

I have to apologize to Phyllis Howard - I told her I would blog about this beautiful creation, and then my girl got a concussion, I had to do my medical tests, and then we went to Hilton Head for a week. This week, either me or my kid has had a doctor appointment every day. Today is the only non-doctor day, but I have to wait around to see what time I am scheduled for tomorrow's surgery!

So Phyllis, here is the promised look at your great work! Phyllis has an etsy store where she sells her work. She was a potter and now works with PMC and dichroic glass, as you can tell from the offeringings in her store. I love the piece on top with the turquoise - it's so pretty! I really like how the silver design curls around the turquoise round.

She made this necklace with some large hole beads I made for her. I really like how they look with the silver piece she made - the beads show off the silver, and the large silver PMC piece shows off the beads. This is a very striking necklace! Be sure to visit Phyllis' shop and see what she makes - it's all gorgeous!

Scottish Week

Gentlemen, The Tartan!

Here's to it!
The fighting sheen of it,
The yellow, the green of it,
The white, the blue of it,
The swing, the hue of it,
Every thread of it!

The fair have sighed for it,
The brave have died for it,
Foemen sought for it,
Heroes fought for it,
Honour the name of it,
Drink to the fame of it -
THE TARTAN!

Murdoch Maclean

You may not know it, but it's Scottish Week! And guess what? I'm Scottish! We have this book The Clans and Tartans of Scotland by Robert Bain (from 1954!), and I scanned in the pages of the Kennedy Clan/Tartan info. The only thing I'm disappointed in is, it seems Kennedy means ugly head. That's not very nice!

Stash From South Carolina

While I was in South Carolina last week, I went to two bead stores! One was called Beads on Cannon, on Cannon Street in Charleston. They had a cute little house with two floors of beads; on the top floor, it was all gemstones, pearls, swarovski, etc. They had a great stash of stuff from Tuscon, that I just couldn't pass up! This photo shows Dragon's Blood Jasper, Red Creek Jasper, and three colors of magnesite.I bought three types of magnesite, and it was really hard to stop there. The first is peach, the second is purple mosaic, and the third is the greatest shape of turquoise magnesite! I can't possibly use all of them, so I plan on destashing some of them in my etsy store in the near future! These are just so great!
I also bought these beautiful barrel beads in Red Creek Jasper - they are so gorgeous, you can't believe it! I think these need to be a bracelet for me!
The second store is Black Market Minerals on Hilton Head Island, in Coligny Shopping Center. We always go there - the kids love it. This year, my daughter bought a didgeridoo and my son bought a skull walking stick! I bought beads!
These are some pairs of tumbled agate, and some chinese porcelain beads.
These ones are gorgeous teardrop tumbled agate - I love the colors! I can't wait to use them.
These are some carved agate, looks like fire agate to me. We had a great time - we went to Charleston and went to the USS Yorktown at Patriot's Point, and we went to the South Carolina Aquarium while we were there. We went to California Dreaming for dinner before we left. All in all, a good day. We played Pirate mini golf at Hilton Head and basically relaxed and pooled and beached! More photos tomorrow!

90 Degrees Here Today!

Unbelievable!!!! By the end of the weekend, it's going to be cold enough to snow...

Art Bead Scene Monthly Challenge

Insula Dulcamara by Paul Klee, 1938

This month's challenge painting at the Art Bead Scene is Insula Dulcamara by Paul Klee. It's a very colorful painting, perfect for spring! I hope to have some beads listed soon that you may be able to use in your designs! Of course, I hope to complete an entry myself!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all my blogworld friends! I spent the day cleaning up, doing laundry, unpacking, making enamel beads, figuring out what the heck is wrong with my air conditioner, doing dinner with the family and telling my kids to unpack and do their homework! Tomorrow I take the girl for yet another doctor appointment for her concussion (not gone yet, so no softball yet this week - she's going to be mad!!!) and preparing myself for surgery on Friday. Hopefully I'll get those enamel beads listed and maybe make some glass beads - but it's too early to tell what my week has in store for me. I'd love to get some photos of the great beads I bought in Charleston! Hopefully that will work tomorrow!

Home

I'm finally home. It was at least 80 degrees here today, apparently, and guess what? My stinkin' A/C doesn't work... I was at Hilton Head for a week in cooler weather than this, perfectly happy, getting my tan on, and I come home to no A/C...

Can't wait to show you my stash tomorrow, and get busy making enameled beads. I got a BUNCH in the mail while I was gone!!!!

Also, more heart resin charms, and more glass headpins (I also got copper wire!!!).