Sue Beads

Have you seen the new Beads 2009 Magazine? I love the overview they give - all kinds of different beads, from art beads to czech, to whatever! If you noticed the magazine, you may have noticed there's a key bead on the front cover - not mine, of course, but a key bead nonetheless. I think these are very cool things to use in your jewelry. As pendants, for sure. Are there other uses? I'm sure someone is going to come up with one. I can think of using it on your key ring, or on your purse as a decoration. Can you think of others? I know I enjoy making them!

Just a quick post, we're just back from Baltimore, have to unpack, etc. before kids get home! But over the weekend, I received an email from Susan of susantique on etsy , that she put my beads in a treasury! My second one! That I know of! I wanted to share a photo - since we were on a laptop, doing the screen capture only gave us the first three rows, which worked for me since I was in the second row! Thanks Susan - I so appreciate it! I didn't realize the photo was this small; if you click on it, it should appear bigger. See you tomorrow with pics of Baltimore (after I make beads of course, tomorrow being that LAST full day of no kids!).

Quick post - there's some cool new beads in my etsy store and I'm off for a fun weekend in Baltimore Maryland, Inner Harbor! Back on Sunday with photos! Have a great weekend!

Help!!! I'm down 18 votes on the Creative Glass Guild contest ! Please vote for me!

You can find this new key bead in the SueBeads etsy store !

If you are so inclined, please go to the Creative Glass Guild of Etsy blog , and vote for my Under the Sea bead in their May contest! Only one more day left!

The July 2009 BeadStyle Magazine is out, and I'm in it! I did not get my copy yet, but my friend Lorelei did! She's in it too, along with some other great designers! If you want beads from the magazine feature, they aren't listed on my web site yet, but you can request them from me until I get them on there, by Thursday evening, I promise! Plus you can order the beads in different colors if you want!

Here's just a better photo of that cute little trio of beads I showed the other day. I think they'd be great in a necklace or bracelet design!

I love this part! Pam, from cooljewelrydesign on etsy, made these totally happy sunny earrings from beads she bought from my etsy store! I just had to show them - don't they make you happy!?!?!? You can find them now in her store!

Earth Trio Here's a cool little trio available in my etsy store right now. These were made during different lampworking sessions, but when they found each other in the bead bowl, it was love at first sight! They really go together so well! I'll get better pictures up later, but wanted to get them in the store. I took the photo outside today in the amazing weather we are having! Click on it to make it bigger!

Turquoise Silver Stripe large hole beads I love these large hole beads (5mm). They are fun to make - I like making them freeform, meaning they are not "perfect"ly round beads, they are shaped the way they wanted to be! These are striking, because they are etched. They can be found in my etsy store today, along with the new key bead!

You don't have to buy your children toys. You just have to give them large boxes. You heard it here.

The key bead I made yesterday! This key isn't round, so it moves up and down on the key, but doesn't spin. It's in a desert southwest twisted flower pattern - hopefully in etsy later!

Coral Silver Stripe Earring Pair I just listed some more beads in the etsy store; I had fun making beads today and have a backlog of photos that need to be taken. Hopefully this weekend! Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

The cool key bead is for sale, along with some other nice things! I'm listing more tomorrow and really need to hit the bead scene!

Here's another key bead I made today - I love it! It's bullseye antique white with Kaleidoscope frit by Glass Diversions. I really like the earthy colors! I think this will be the first one in the etsy store - maybe tomorrow! Click on the photo to see it bigger. This bead spins around the key, so you can play with it!

Treasury by Simone of Huismus, I'm on the lower left - Amber Sparkle Beads Simone, from Huismus , put me in a Treasury ! Unless I missed one, this is the first Treasury I've ever been in!!!! Thanks so much, Simone! Does anyone know how to do a screen save, so I can post a photo? If you know how, can you help me?!?!? Thanks! Thanks to everyone who gave me hints and tips to get this photo done. I didn't realize blogger only liked jpeg! Now I know - thanks so much again!

I got this cool key bead mandrel from Jelveh, and made my first key bead the other day. I can't wait to make more - it's fun! I used the worst rusty key I had, in case I messed up because the key is not round but flat; it came out great for a first try!

The Deep Sea Focal bead can be found in my etsy store! I listed some new beads in the SueBeads etsy store today, including this bead that reminds me of the deep sea - maybe something you'd find there?

I have joined the Creative Glass Guild on Etsy, and each month, they have a themed monthly challenge. This month the challenge is Summer Fun. I have entered my Under The Sea bead in the contest! Soon, you will get to vote on the pieces! I'd love it if you would vote for mine! Here's a link to their blog , so you can see the entries!

I was featured on the blog, A Bead A Day , by Lisa! She liked my Peach Persimmon mini beads! Thanks so much, Lisa, for featuring my shop on your blog!!!! Kid Update: the boy got 3rd place in forms at his karate tournament and is playing a solo clarinet piece at his Fine Arts Festival, the girl got 9th place out of 250 in her level of the Grand Concours, a national French test, and she got accepted to a summer program in Italy for next summer - 1 month in Sicily! I'm so lucky I have such amazing kids!

Here's a blog giveaway from Fab Fibers ! A set of cool Calypso beads from Bluheeler! You can enter on the blog!

Eye candy, for your viewing pleasure, available in SueBeads etsy ! Hey! I'm in two people's blogs! Yay! Check out Simone's from Huismus and also Julia's blog, Drawn to the Sea ! Simone makes beautiful jewelry and Julia makes beautiful poetry! Thanks!

I used random.org to pick a number (someone left two comments, in a row, so I counted hers as one comment) and random.org gave me the number 20. I don't know how to do the screen shot thing - please just trust me! Marie Cramp is the winner! Congratulations! Marie said: "I just discovered you from silver parrot designs, and I cannot wait to explore your site. I am a new designer so I hope you check out my site and blog. Marie" I'll be contacting you for your address, Marie!

I'll pick the winner of the giveaway tonight about 8pm eastern time.

Happy Mother's Day to everyone! My kids are out right now, with my mom, at McGinnis Sisters to pick up a very good pizza for dinner - their idea! They wanted to cook something tonight so I didn't have to! How cute!

Wild Orchid Sparkles, the beads you'll receive in the giveaway! Today's my birthday! I'm 29 again! It's like Groundhog Day! I was actually born on Mother's Day! And it's my 300th blog post! So, I must have a giveaway! Leave a comment on this post, that's all you have to do. I'll choose via random number generator on Tuesday May 12th from this post. One comment per person, please! Have a great Mother's Day, too!

Photo Courtesy of Kelly, Silver Parrot Designs I promised you some customer work that I was very impressed with! Kelly, from Silver Parrot Designs , made this necklace with my bead set called Silvered Aqua Terra . I really love how she pulled the colors from the beads and made an impressive three strand necklace! I love to see what customers do with the beads I make for them, especially when they create something like this! You can also read Kelly's blog, here !

Some new beads in the SueBeads etsy store ! And tomorrow, I'm going to show you some customer work by Silver Parrot - you won't believe what she did with the silvered aqua terra beads!

Nebula Squeezed Beads I just listed a bunch of new beads in my SueBeads etsy store - some got picked up pretty quick, including the ones above. I will make more though, because I think they turned out so cool!

Thanks to everyone who has commented so far on my "crisis of confidence!" I won't be doing the sale, I already pretty much told them. I was invited to sell at the Holiday Sale so I think my strategy is to go on Saturday, see what's what, and decide then if I can hold my head up and sell with some really great lampwork artists!

Large lentil with hand-pulled twistie, given some twists! Remember that ketchup song from the 70's (yes, dating myself, ohwell!)? That's how you should say this word. I was going to sell at the Pittsburgh Glass Center this weekend, until I received an email and saw who I would be sitting next to - Mike Mangiafico, Karen Leonardo, Diana Dugina-Reibling... I decided not to do it. I think it may have been a mistake, but I already told them I'm not coming. I have a new friend who has an artist husband; she told me he says my stuff is good! My other friends have told me my stuff is good. Why don't I feel that way? I don't know. But it's a new challenge for me, to figure this out! Thanks for listening!

Here's a photo of our rat, Flash. He's really a gerbil (a nicer way of saying Desert Rat!!!). I call him Ratty or Ratboy. I find he looks like a chipmunk. He stinks, too. (Edited to add: I Do like his little hands!)

This month, the Art Bead Scene Monthly Challenge is Monet's Waterlilys. I love all his waterlily paintings and we actually have one of them here in Pittsburgh! I just happened to make the bracelet you see here, before the ABS blog post was done! Talk about serendipity! This is going to be my first entry to the ABS challenge! It's made with my own lampworked beads and some beautiful blue rutilated quartze I picked up at that rude Philadelphia bead store! I'm glad I bought them!

My beady friend Cristi, of 2ifbysea on etsy , made this bracelet with one of my focal beads! Isn't it striking? You can find it later in her etsy store!

Bleeding Hearts Gerbera Daisy Lilac Tulip (my favorite flowers!) Blueberry Bush Daffodils Wisteria (had it for 9 years, third year blooming!)

I like these new beads - I made them the other day based on a tutorial I bought from Frogsong Studio. I don't like copying people so instead of making lentils I made regular old donut shaped beads. (Speaking of donuts, my friend Wayne has a funky foody blog in Atlanta - if he doesn't mind, I'll share it sometime in the future). I like them -they are very funky and if you are the kind of person who likes one of a kind beads, these are for sure for you! I'll list tonight or tomorrow am - it's just crazy with 3 kids and 2 adults and all three are going in different directions - we are outnumbered!