Margaritaville

Yesterday I found myself taking another ride across the Bonnie Carry Spillway to Turquoise Coyote. Every time I think I am going to walk out the door with just what I had on my list, Bob will say hey did you see these? I am like a woman possed turning my head around going what? where? only to find he has shown me something else I can't go home without. I struck it rich in Margaritaville with these 25 mm vintage Swarovski Margaritas. The picture shows them nestled between 8mm rose montees I spent a good part of the evening searching google trying to find simular margaritas in this size with no luck. I did find something fun at BeadFX along with a wonderful selection of margaritas. Now put on your parrot hat and sing with me. Wasting away again in Margarita-ville searching for my lost swarovski bead some people claim it was the bead thread to blame but I know ... it was that d--- knot's fault.

Kits and Bits Part Two

Finally!! I finished the Raspberry Mousse bracelet. Kit by Ann Benson. I learned a new technique and changed a few of the beads. Instead of the using the four leaves to surround the middle crystal I used 8 mm copper faceted rondell crystals. The part I liked the best is the hooks and eyes instead of a metal cuff. Gosh I love the colors of this bracelet. Another view. Thanks for stopping by.

Bead Those Winter Blues Away

Don't let those winter blues slow you down. Now is the time to play with your beads and try something new. Create something to please your self. Don't let those blues grab you by the seat of the pants. Grab those beads and bead happy!! (eat chocolate that helps too!!) Signs of springs Butterflies Dragonflies Daffodils Iris Strawberries Spring color trends Olive Green, Spring Crocus, Rococco Red, Pink Mist, Croissant, Freesia, Cantaloupe, Daiquiri Green, Snorkel Blue, Silver Gray. Spring colors to inspire you!!

Kits and Bits

I thought it was time to put my rivoli in a different kind of setting. My friend Audrey shared a picture of a bracelet she made using a pattern by Nikia Angel called the sparkly wheel. I have this pattern and put my rivoli in the middle. You can find the kit for a sparkly wheel at Buy the Kit.com. Kits are the perfect solution when you are not able to attend a class by your favorite designer. I bought this kit from Ann Benson at Beads East. It is called Raspberry Mousse. The directions are very well written and the kit is gorgeous. If you would like to try your hand at bead embroidery I would recommend one of these kits. This is a sneak peak of mine in progress. I am almost done. I am taking this baby on the high seas. It will be perfect to sport on Bead Cruise 2008 Support your favorite designer and buy a kit today!

Thread and A Tomato Cover

What does a tomato cover have to do with thread? My favorite thread is Nymo. You can get it in different size spools. A bobbin, a small spool and the large cone. While shopping at my local grocery in the produce section I saw these covers on the tomatoes. These covers are used to protect the tomotoes from bruising during shipping. My first thought was "Wow" this will make a great cover for my thread. It works like champ and keeps the thread from unraveling on the spool. You never know what you what will find when you are not looking to dress up your bead supplies. I purchased the large cone of Nymo from Cindy's Crafts. Those tomatoes were very good on BLT's!!

Romancing Red

The Etsy Beadweaver Red Challenge It is going to be hard to pick a winner for this month's challenge "Red". The Etsy Beadweavers have been very busy. There are some amazing pieces with 42 entries. Place your vote here on the Etsy Beadweaver blog.

Shout Out for Etsy Street Teams

If your an etsy shopper you might notice this avitar. A couple of months ago I joined the EtsyTexasCrafters. You don't have to be Texan. Just have your heart in Texas. For me this was easy with my family and many friends living there. Today is our First Monday Sale. I put a special sale section in my shop and I am offering special sale prices on selected pieces of beadwork and free first class shipping today. Check out the etsy forum link for a list of participating shops. You find 10% to 50% off sales, buy get one half off and free shipping

Cool Beadweaving Treasury

This treasury was created on Etsy by myfairladyvt4. The name of her etsy shop Inspired Jewelry By Ann Burke. January 7th voting begins for the Red Challange for the etsy beadweavers street team. I love the cool colors Ann chose for her treasury. It showcases a varity of beadweaving techniques and my favorite color scheme. Click on the picture to go to the treasury. Thanks for stopping by.

Just Another Beaded Rivoli

This year for Christmas I made a pledge to buy hand-made. I made beaded rivoli necklaces as gifts for family members. I heard they were a success. I made another one this afternoon to put in my etsy shop. Part of the description reads: If you need a little sparkle this black diamond jewel necklace is for you! It is just the right amount of bling to accent the t-shirt you wear with those jeans. Dress it up with your little black dress for a night on the town. Those rivolis are "Just like potato chips" You can't make just one and they do look pretty sassy on the gunmetal chains.

Branch Bead Lariat

I worked until the wee hours of the morning putting the fringe on my lariat. I couldn't wait to take a picture. It was 2:00 am and I was to tired to make the post before I headed to bed. Ta Da here it is! The rope is crocheted with dark metallic bronze iris seed beads. The focal beads were made special by humblebeads. I can't wait to see what Heather is cooking up in her bead oven for 2008. Completing the design are stick pearls, swavarski crystals and an assortment of coin and round pearls.

Happy New Year!! 2008

It is officially January 1st, 2008. I stepped outside just as the clock turned to midnight. The sky lite up with fireworks and the boats on the Mississippi blew their horns to welcome in the New Year. May this new year bring you peace, happiness and prosperity. I started a project just before Christmas. I had high hopes of finishing it this year. It takes along time to crochet 42 inches with size 11 seed beads! The fringe is layed out ready to be added as the finishing touch to enhance my humblebead branch beads. My muse has been amused making earrings. On the agenda for January is to finish writing instructions for my two bead cruise projects. Placing orders to make kits and planning our meetings for the Bead Society. That is enough to keep me busy for a while.