Sue Beads

I listed more beads in the SueBeads etsy store today - take a look!

Heather Powers, from Humblebeads , is having a week long challenge called "Fun With Focals." She is giving away a gift certificate to Humblebeads and a subscription to Stringing Magazine! Each day requires a different task; above is my entry for Day 1, which was creating a horizontal focal. The necklace focal is made from my Champagne Tundra swirl beads and my own handmade beaded bead in copper lined blue. The chain is copper as well - they all go together very well! I have some other ideas for Days 2 and 3, but have to wait for some supplies to arrive in the mail - UGGHH! I hate that! I wish there was a really good store here where you could buy everything you needed for all your ideas!

My pal Kris ( krissy5271 on etsy) has purchased a BUNCH of beads from me in the past few months! All summer long, she made these great creations for the store where she works in Long Beach Island. They were beach-themed bracelets and earrings that sold wonderfully for her. She recently had surgery and now has time to stock her etsy store while she recuperates. Some of her work is shown above! Isn't it great? I love her style - I love the "English garden" effect of the bracelets - full of beautiful things one right after the other! The autumn earrings are especially nice too! Take a look at her shop! I know she'll appreciate it! She makes things that don't include my beads, too!

I had a request for info on what to do with buttons in jewelry design. Besides using them as dangles or earrings or focals on a piece (just string them on the beading wire, and use some bicones to hold them in place), you can also use them as clasps. I used a shank button and my aqua rainbow beads to make a bracelet for my sister-in-law's birthday. This button was from Fusion Beads - they have some nice ones! I also made my mom a bracelet with a Scotty Dog button and some black decorated beads (mine, of course!).

I think I've mentioned before that I don't do a lot of shopping. I do the grocery store, things the kids need, etc., but I don't do shopping for fun or sport. Today I went out to 5 stores (shudder): Target, post office, JoAnn's, Kohl's and the grocery store. When I was at JoAnn's, after I found what I needed (black ribbon for a necklace idea) I decided to have a look at the buttons. WOW! SO many buttons, so little money! Here's a look at what I got today! Fun! (Excuse the photos - crop to mask and me don't really get along).

Find them in the SueBeads etsy store today!

I listed some more beads in the etsy store this morning - take a look!

I'm behind on everything this weekend, it seems. Behind on laundry, bead listing, bead making, house stuff, posting on blogger, reading my daily blogs! But I wanted to show you a photo of some beads I am sending Beads of Courage this week. You can read about it by clicking the link, but basically the program provides donated beads to children in various stages of cancer treatment. After each treatment, they receive a bead to string on their necklace, to mark off the procedures they have gotten through! It's a great program, and I wish I had done this sooner. But better late than never, I guess! They are all swirly beads made on a 3/32" mandrel for ease of stringing.

I just listed a bunch of new beads in the SueBeads etsy store - take a look! I had a nice time yesterday making beads with no particular purpose in mind! That's the best kind of day! Today I have an order to complete for my pal Kris - I'll post her stuff here tomorrow so you can look at her store!

Drumroll, please! The random.org number generator gave me the number 12, and that would be LeAnn from Summers Studio. Congratulations LeAnn! I'll get you your beads in the mail tomorrow. I listed some beads this morning , and more are coming tomorrow, so please take a look!

You have until tomorrow night at 8pm to leave a comment ( see this post here ) and enter to win the set of beads in the above photo! They were wound on a 3/32" mandrel so they'll fit things other than beading wire! They were made with a discontinued frit called Turquoise Trail and are way prettier in person - it's hard to photograph blues! I was quite jetlagged today (but not yesterday for some reason) so I didn't make any beads today. Later, I hope to have some beads listed that I made yesterday!

As of right now, from what I can tell!!! the SueBeads web site is now back up. Pappashop apparently got their act back together today. Please visit if you were looking for made to order beads!

Some new beads in the etsy store , although a lot of them sold just a bit after I listed them! I am going to California later today - the engineer is presenting a paper at a conference, and I get to go along! I am going to see my friend from college, and also my Aunt who lives out there! Should be a nice trip, but short! I'll be home on Sunday night, all jet-lagged and everything! I am going to keep the etsy store open, but won't be able to mail things until Monday. Also, my web server is still not working - I'm not happy about this at all. Does anyone have any suggestions for web server services???? Don't forget to enter the giveaway on the post below!

I think it's time for a giveaway! These 8 beads were made from clear glass and turquoise trail frit - a frit no longer in production, so they'll even be collectable!!!! How about that??? They were made on a 3/32" mandrel, so they can go on cord or other such stringing materials! Just leave a comment on this post only - let's see, why don't you tell me what colors you are working with right now? I'll draw one name randomly on Wednesday, October 21st around 8pm. Anyone in the world can play, but please only one comment per person!

My web site server, Pappashop, is apparently having problems and my web site it down. Hopefully it will be up again soon. Please let me know if you are trying to order and can't get on my web site -if you know what you want, just let me know!!! In the meantime, is anyone else having problems with Pappashop????

How about another poll? I used to sell on ebay, but with many changes and business going down there for a while, I stopped. Now it seems that business is picking back up for beads on ebay, so I was wondering: Do you buy beads on ebay? I'm trying to decide if I should give it a try again. Take a minute and answer my poll, if you like! Thanks!

Today, I went to Ohio with my friend, Beth, to Christmas in the Woods, a big giant craft show at Shaker Woods. This is a photo from their web site . It was a really nice day, and we had a nice time talking and eating cheese fries! I didn't buy any crafty things, but I did buy a giant caramel, chocolate peanut apple that we are going to cut up later, and some soup mixes and a dip mix. Tonight we are going to attempt once again to light the chiminea. I hope it works!

Early American Classroom (supposedly haunted!) from the wiki page Today my son had a field trip to the University of Pittsburgh Nationality Rooms. For those of you who don't know what they are, they are a series of rooms in the Cathedral of Learning at Pitt (the big tower you see in photos) that were donated by local ethnic groups. There are 27 rooms in all depicting many of the cultures that founded Pittsburgh. Here is the wiki link . I included the wiki because you can get a good overview without having to have adobe flash. If you'd like to see the University of Pittsburgh link, click here . Most of the rooms are actually used as classrooms for Pitt students. Lots of rooms have art and museum pieces. There are about 6 or so more rooms being planned. I know I must have seen these rooms - at some point, every schoolchild in the Pittsburgh area does a field trip here (along with the zoo, Kennywood, the Carnegie Museum!!!). But for the life of me, I just can't rememb...

I listed some new beads yesterday, including two pairs of beaded beads made with size15 japanese seed beads - I love those! And I'll be listing some more later today. Make sure you already ate before you read the following, fair warning!!!!! But first, I get to go change my clothes. Why, you ask? Because I get to go outside and "lime" a dead deer in my backyard. Seems that even though you call the game commission when you have a dead deer in your backyard (which I did't know until this occurrence), and they say they'll send a warden out to "lime" it, they don't really mean it. I just can't wait another day with the smell, and the potential for vermin, rodents and disease... Edited to add - not much to do - nature's food chain took care of most of it! Oh, and a very helpful person at Home Depot told me that you get powdered lime, not the granulated lime that you can get at the Home Depot. You have to go to your local hardware store to f...

Lynn, from ExpeditionD on etsy, makes the most wonderful creations, including polymer clay faux antiquities and artifacts. I have purchased many items from her! I won a giveaway on her blog - a beautiful glass bird pendant. I had to send her something in return, so I sent along some beads. She used two of the beads to make these wonderful earrings with her medieval tab charms . Check them out!

Doesn't that sound like it should be a song? I ordered this chiminea - it came last week, but the engineer and I (well, mostly the engineer) put it together yesterday. It has a dragonfly motif on it, and it's black cast aluminum. You can cook on it too - you remove the top and put a cooking grate on. Doubt I'll do that - I have a grill. But I'm sure the kids will want to roast marshmallows! We were going to use it last night, but just plain forgot! So maybe tonight when the kids get home, we'll try it out - we'll see, there's a Steeler game on at 8:20 that we don't want to miss, either. And homework, and Youth Group, etc. etc.! Happy Monday!

Look what I was lucky enough to pick up!!!! Barbara Lewis of etsy makes these incredibly amazing things, including these enameled lantern pendants! I got it today and am totally thrilled with it! Way more amazing in person! I can't wait to buy another item from her!

LeAnn, from SummersStudio on etsy , made this bracelet using one of her connectors and two of my little disc beads! Isn't it a great bracelet? She claims to not make jewelry, but I think this is fantastic. Her wirework is really great too! Thanks for sharing LeAnn, and for using my beads!

Find them in my etsy store! I had to turn the heat on last night! It's really fall, and it's really October already!