Lucid Moon Studio

Jade Scott Flower Challenge

2011-11-28T05:00:00.000-05:00

I was one of the 7 lucky winners of Lorelei's giveaway for a Jade Scott flower headpin! All I had to do was create something with it and share it in a blog hop...not a bad deal at all! I used the awesome turquoise enameled flower headpin that I received to make a simple, but cute necklace.

I attached the flower headpin to a brass filigree flower shape, then wire wrapped an enameled filigree bead by yours truly! I attached it to copper chain and added a copper clasp. Simple, but easy to wear!

I enameled the robin's egg blue bead using Barbara Lewis' Torch Fired Enamel kit...not bad for a first time attempt! I practiced the technique with Barbara Bechtel and Shannon LeVart...if it weren't for them, I might not have ever mustered up the courage!

I have a few enameled flower headpins from Jade Scott that I have been hoarding, so I decided to use one to also make a ring. Lorelei made a ring with one, and I think they are ideal for a ring. I simply wired the flower headpin to a ring blank.

Check out the rest of the participants in the Jade Scott Flower Challenge blog hop!

1. Lorelei Eurto

2. Serena Trent

3. Susan Raber

4. Shawna Tobias

5. Lucid Moon Studio

6. K Hutchinson

7. Gigi- Gigi's pics will be on Lorelei's blog post because she doesn't have a blog.

8. Lois Moon

Three more people have joined in on the fun:

http://cherishdesigns.wordpress.com

http://mariagrimes.blogspot.com/

http://peacockfairy.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!!

http://cherishdesigns.wordpress.com

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T12:26:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone got lots of treats and no tricks! I have been lurking in the blog world while I try to settle into my new living space. We sold our house, and we are living temporarily in our inlaw's house while we continue our house hunting. They are not here right now, but will be spending Christmas here. I must say, it was quite an adventure moving out of our house. We are storing about half of our things in a pod while the rest is in the 3-car garage. I definitely don't have room for all my beads and supplies in the house, but they are being stored in the garage so I can still access them. I will probably set up a crafting area in the garage or on the screened porch since the weather in FL is starting to cool off nicely.

I am healed from my running injury and back out running races again. It feels so great to be back! This past Sunday I did the Daytona Beach half marathon. I came in 1st in my age group. The week before that, I ran a Halloween 5K race (placing 1st in my age group as well) dressed in costume, and Mark and Cooper joined in on the fun by volunteering on the course. Here we are before the race:

We ended up winning the costume contest that was held afterwards! Lots of fun :) I hope to be back making jewelry in time for the holidays and will also share my running adventures with you.

*NOTE: I did not mean to add the same photo so many times...I kept trying to add it and nothing would show up, so I kept trying. It only showed one on my end. Stupid Blogger.

Kiln Advice Needed

2011-10-09T11:45:00.000-04:00

I need some help from my crafty friends out there! I want to get a basic kiln to try my hand at firing ceramics (I'm thinking beads, pendants and maybe small dishes). I took pottery classes in HS and college and would love to get into it again. However, I have no idea what kind of kiln to get. I found a used one for sale, but I don't know if it is a good one for what I want it for. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to get a used one or not, but it seems like a good deal. Here is what I know about it:

Like new Evenheat model PF 1413 kiln with furniture and full and half shelves. 13" x 13". 230v, 3600w. Internet price for new one and accessories is over $1000. $500 obo. Must go. No reasonable offer refused.

Also, it was bought about 5 years ago and never used. It has been kept in storage and looks new.

I couldn't find a "PF" 1413 model, but there is a model that looks just like this one that is a "HF" 1413 model. Any suggestions for questions I should ask? Your opinions and advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!!

Art Bead Earring Swap

2011-10-05T09:49:00.000-04:00

Diana of Suburban Girl Studio had the fun idea of putting on an Art Bead Earring Swap, so I jumped at the chance to participate. I was very excited to be paired up with Staci of Staci Louise Originals. She sells her amazing jewelry (LOVE her salvaged sea glass bezel necklaces!) on Etsy here and her jewelry components here, where she sells stuff made with PMC, bronze clay, polymer, etc. I was lucky enough to win one of her giveaways for her butterfly cuff component, and I plan to use it in a bracelet just for me...mwa ha ha!

Isn't the blue patina amazing?

My earrings arrived in this pretty, creative packaging! I love the sewn pouch and pretty ribbons (which I've stashed to use in a future jewelry design!).

Below are the lovely earrings I received from Staci. I forgot to ask her what the charms are made of, but I'm pretty sure it is bronze clay. They are so cool! I love that these earrings are something I can wear every day, and they are the perfect length and very light.

I really enjoyed this swap and I would definitely participate in a future one...thanks, Diana, for the fun idea!!

Here is the list of the rest of the participants:

Diana Ptaszynski http://www.suburbangirlstudio.com

Jenny Davies-Reazor http://www.jdaviesreazor.com

Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp http://www.skyejewels.blogspot.com

Lisa Petrillo http://www.lucidmoonstudio.com

Patty Chaban Gasparino http://www.mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com

Susan Kennedy http://www.suebeads.blogspot.com

Shannon Chomanczuk http://www.formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com

Cilla Watkins http://www.tellyourgirlfriends.com

Diane Hawkey http://www.dianehawkey.blogspot.com

Pam Ferrari http://www.ferrarioriginalsyahoocom.blogspot.com

Lori Bowring Michaud http://www.artfullyornamental.blogspot.com

Stacey M. Curry http://www.starhitchedwagon.blogspot.com

Linda Landig http://www.lindasbeadblog.com

Norma Turvey http://www.moonlitfantaseas.blogspot.com

Melinda Orr http://www.orrtec.blogspot.com

Holly Westfall http://www.silverrosedesigns.blogspot.com

Rosemarie Cowit http://www.gemrosedesigns.blogspot.com

Staci L. Smith http://www.stacilouise.blogspot.com

Sarah Elder http://www.mysocalledjunkylife.blogspot.com

Enjoy!!

Very Vintage Challenge

2011-10-04T07:29:00.000-04:00

I foolishly signed up for several jewelry challenges while our house was for sale, thinking it would probably be on the market for awhile. Of course, our house sold, and we have to move everything out of our house the same week the challenges are due! It is totally worth it to have sold our house though. So, I am going to apologize now if this is half ass or doesn't make much sense...I worked all day, then packed for several hours, finished up my pieces, photographed them, and now I am blogging. I am exhausted! I still have to make the jewelry for another challenge, due Saturday, but I am not sure if I'll get it done in time or not. We plan on being completely out of our house by this weekend, so we'll see. We have not found a new house yet, so we are staying at my in-laws winter house until we do. My studio is packed up and will be stored in a storage pod, except for my beads, wire and essential tools, which go where I go!

Below is a sample of the kit I received from Michelle Mach, the hostess of the challenge. I forgot to take a photo of exactly what I got, but it was very similar to this. I didn't use some of the cool, unique vintage beads, but I look forward to using them in future designs.

I worked on the necklace a few weeks ago, but struggled a bit with my idea. I wanted an owl to sit on the branch, so I decided to do a layered chain look. I like the idea of how the focal hangs, but I think I could work on it a little more (when I have time!) to improve the design a bit.

I also made a pair of fun fall earrings. I had fun playing around with the lucite leaves and vintage beads that I wouldn't normally work with.

Now, join me in checking out everyone else's creative designs!

Andrew
The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton

Cat

Boo Beads

Chris
beadjewelry.net

Cilla

Tell Your Girlfriends

Cyndi
Beading Arts

Cynthia
Cynth's Blog

Dawn
Morning Glory Beading

Donetta
Simply Gorgeous

Heather
As I Bead It

Holly
SilverRose Designs

Kate
We Can Make That at Home

Kristina
Wild Roses and Blackberries

Lauren
Laurel Moon Jewelry & Beads

Linda
Lutka & Co

Lisa (You are Here!)
Lucid Mood Studio

Lola
Bead Lola Bead

Mary
MLH Jewelry

Melinda
Melinda Orr Metal & Clay Jewelry Designs

Michelle H.
Firefly Visions

Michelle M.
Beads & Books

Salla
Blog by Salla

Shannon
Falling into the Sky

Shay
Shaiha's Ramblings

Shel
MiShel Designs

Shirley
Beads and Bread

Stephanie
Pixybug Designs

Tari
Pearl and Pebbles

Terry
Pink Chapeau Vintage Jewelry

Tracy
The Bead Junkie

Thanks, Michelle, for the FUN challenge!! Speaking of challenges, this is what my current work area looks like!

e-workshops: LAUNCH GIVEAWAY

2011-09-30T21:03:00.001-04:00

e-workshops: LAUNCH GIVEAWAY: Check out Riki Schumacher's new website and while you're at it, enter her giveaway for several great prizes!

Lorelei's Shadowbox Challenge

2011-08-26T23:14:00.001-04:00

Back in July, Lorelei (who, btw, invited me to be her roomie at Philly Bead Fest this past weekend, and I am SO glad she did!) had a giveaway on her blog for 23 spots in her Shadowbox Challenge, and I was one of the lucky winners! The wonderful enameled shadowboxes were created by C-Koop Beads whose booth I had the pleasure of visiting while at Bead Fest. As soon as I saw the shadowboxes, I envisioned various miniature scenes in them. Some of you may already know that I used to work at a dollhouse shop, and I made dollhouse miniatures for many years before I made jewelry. I think this is why the Shadowbox Challenge really appealed to me.

As usual, I waited until last minute to work on mine, but an idea came to me almost immediately. I remembered a small 3-D owl bead that I had picked up in NC and chose to use it in my scene. I also found a tiny Vintaj moon charm in my stash and decided to do a scene of an owl in a tree with the moon in the background.

I used very fine 28 gauge wire to wire the owl to a branch that I picked off one of our bushes. My shadowbox came with two holes on top and one on the bottom, so I strung the wire through the top holes to make a loop to hang it from and dangled the moon charm from one hole. At first I dangled a brass star charm from the bottom hole, but then decided to use a glass leaf headpin by Anne of Gardanne Beads (who I had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with in Philly also) instead. I think it looks much better.

I was planning to do a combination of beads, chain, wire wrapping and/or ribbon, but when I spotted my rusty orange sari silk and tied it onto the pendant, I realized it was perfect by itself. The pendant has so much going on that I decided it was better to keep it simple. Afterwards, when I was photographing it, I realized it looks like a Halloween design! I did not intend to do that, but I must subconsciously be excited for fall, my favorite season.

Thanks for checking out my design! Now go see all the fabulous creations from the other 22 participants! I can't wait to see all the creative designs.

2. Ann Rishell

3. Malin de Koning

4. Gray Girl Studios

5. Maria Grimes

6. Beads of Busy Gals- Elizabeth

7. The Silly Pearl

8. Shay Stone- Shays creative journey

9. LissC

10. the Beading Yogini

11. Grubbi

12. Jenny Davies- Reazor

13. Beth of Elizabeth Williams

14. Artybecca

15. Stefanies Sammelsurium

16. KreativeKsapylet

17. Shirley - Beads & Bread

18. Hilary Frye- FryeStyle

19. Heather Wynn Millican

20. Staci Louise Originals

21. Suzette- Ellie's Bijoux

22. Marina - Fanciful Devices

23. Andrew Thornton

Thank you Lorelei and C-Koop for the awesome and fun jewelry challenge!!

Stay tuned for my blog post on my trip to Philly for Bead Fest...I'm still unpacking all my goodies in between house showings!

The Road to Bead Fest Sale!!

2011-08-15T14:00:00.003-04:00

I am very excited that I am able to go to Philadelphia Bead Fest for my first time ever this year! I am flying there this Friday until Sunday and will be meeting up with Lorelei Eurto, Kelley Wenzel, and Nancy Schindler. We are also meeting up with a huge group of jewelry/bead makers Saturday night for a swap and dinner. It will be so cool to meet all the people in person who I've known for years online. I can hardly wait.

In celebration, I will be having a sale in my Etsy jewelry shop. Use coupon code bfps2011 to receive 20% off anything in my Lucid Moon Studio Etsy store! The sale will run Monday, August 15 until Sunday, August 21, but keep in mind if you order over the weekend, I won't be able to ship your order until Monday. I will be listing more jewelry in my shop all week, so be sure to keep checking back!

Check out the other beaders who are also having sales in honor of Bead Fest:

Lorelei Eurto

Andrew Thornton

Marsha Minutella

Melanie Brooks and Earthenwood Studio Etsy

Back Again!

2011-08-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's been so long since I blogged last that I don't even recognize the Blogger format! Everything has changed! It's incredible to me how fast time flies anymore. I would like to say you will be hearing from me more regularly, but unfortunately I can't make any promises. My full-time job is so much more demanding on my time, and it has been crazy hectic there lately. We also decided to put our house up for sale recently, so we have been busy cleaning it out and getting it in "model" condition. If we sell our house and don't have another one to move into, I may be without a studio for who knows how long. Hopefully everything will work out fine. For now I am trying not to worry about it and just go with the flow! There are lots of things I would like to catch you up on, but I am going to try to stay focused on the reason for this particular post.

I was chosen to be this month's blog partner for Chinook Jewelry! I received a pretty heart charm and a flowery pendant. I immediately envisioned a necklace for the flower pendant and a bracelet for the heart charm. The necklace took quite awhile to create because I kept changing it, but I am happy with the final result. I like the color combination, although it was a bit out of my comfort zone. The color palette gives it an ethnic feel.

I used copper wire, dragon's blood jasper ovals, purple recycled glass rounds, fuchsia pearls, a copper filigree bead, purple faceted Czech rondelles, yellow opal rice beads, copper chain, a green faceted clay bead and a disc shaped clay bead from Spirited Earth, and the flower pendant from Chinook Jewelry.

Detail of pendant by Chinook Jewelry

Detail of hand forged copper hook clasp

The second design I made was quick and easy. I was glad it came together pretty effortlessly. I really like the colors too.

I used faceted cherry quartz ovals, another clay faceted round by Spirited Earth, pink and blue seed beads, vintage speckled porcelain rounds, blue pearly glass discs, sterling silver toggle and the flower/heart charm from Chinook Jewelry.

Detail of heart charm by Chinook Jewelry

I am not sure who the other blog partners are, so you will have to visit Mellisa's blog to find out. It was an honor to be a blog partner, and I really enjoyed designing with these great components. Be sure to check out Chinook Jewelry for some awesome ceramic pendants and artisan jewelry!

Artbeads "What's Old is New Again" Challenge

2011-06-15T05:30:00.009-04:00

The current challenge for the Artbeads.com blogging team is "What's Old is New Again!". We have been asked to create a design that incorporates old, vintage or antique elements with modern elements - a theme that has been very popular in jewelry recently. I was excited to participate because I love using old and new components in my designs. Adding vintage components makes the piece unique and can also personalize it if the items have special meaning to the designer or wearer. I chose two antique brass pieces from the base metal jewelry findings category on Artbeads.com as the main components of my design. I punched holes in the butterfly stamping so I could hang it and also decided to add some dangles to the wings using lampwork glass headpins from Gardanne Beads. I thought the bee/flower clasp was perfect to go with my whimsical nature themed necklace called, "Jardin de Papillons".

I also wire wrapped two vintage pearly buttons of my late grandmother's into my design. I used Vintaj bronze wire to wire wrap all the beads together.

Below is a close up of the vintage flower button dangle that I added to go with the "old" element of my necklace.

Close up of antique brass bee and flower hook and eye clasp. The oval turquoise bead is an enameled bead by Gardanne Beads.

The tiny teal lampwork glass beads above the flower button are by Pinocean.

Thank you to Artbeads.com for another fun jewelry challenge!

FTC compliance disclosure: The products attributed to Artbeads.com in this post were provided as a promotional gift by Artbeads.com in relation to the blogging program. My comments pertaining to these products are my personal opinion, no compensation has been received.

Butterfly Garden

2011-06-09T06:00:00.009-04:00

I still have not finished my post on my trip to Ohio and the new jewelry I made recently, but I am going to skip ahead and share with you the adventure my husband and I went on this last weekend. I discovered a butterfly garden open house and decided it would be fun to check it out. The butterfly gardens are located at a residence in Palm Bay, FL. They have a website and blog. We weren't sure what to expect, but we were very impressed with the layout and couldn't believe how much there was to look at. Judi, who lives at the residence, was our tour guide and was incredibly knowledgeable about butterflies and their life cycle. In fact, we were overwhelmed with all the information. Here are some photos I took:

This is the butterfly room, which is full of butterflies.

One of the gardens with nectar plants that butterflies (and bees and wasps) love.

A newly added pond with water plants that are a host for butterflies.

The side yard and nursery area.

Inside the beautiful screened porch. We took a break and enjoyed some cake and lemonade in here. I love the pebble tile on the floor.

Mesh cubes that house freshly hatched butterflies to keep them calm and safe while their wings harden, then they are released.

A box containing chrysalises, which are the pupa of butterflies, similar to the cocoons of moths.

The view from the enclosed patio.

Inside the butterfly room.

A Buckeye butterfly inside the butterfly room.

A Julia Butterfly in the butterfly room.

A Cloudless Sulfur on pretty flowers in the butterfly room.

Judi had host plants for sale, so I picked a plant that is a host for Buckeye butterflies, and she gave me 4 Buckeye caterpillars to go with it! The photo below shows 3 of the caterpillars - they sure do eat and poop a lot! The fourth caterpillar climbed up the wall and made a chrysalis already - see last photo.

Hungry caterpillar

Check out Judi's Butterflies for more information and lots of photos!

Enamel Bead Giveaway!!

2011-05-27T14:33:00.000-04:00

Barbara Lewis of Painting with Fire Artwear is having a fun giveaway to promote her new book on torch-fired enamel. I am so excited about the book because I received one of her kits for Christmas, but I would feel more comfortable trying it if I had her book to guide me!

Win these beads when you go to her blog and enter!

Do Over Challenge Blog Hop

2011-05-25T10:55:00.001-04:00

Jeannie over at Jeannie's Blog posted a Do Over Challenge on her blog that intrigued me. The basis of the challenge is that she sends participants an "old, tried, boring" piece of her jewelry for free, and then the participants try to rework it into a new, cool, updated design and share it on their blog today. I love doing jewelry challenges because it gives me some direction when I am creating. It is hard for me to just sit down and create something without some sort of starting point or guidelines.

Here is the piece she sent me:

Now, I will make an embarrassing confession (blushing) - I neglected to take a photo of the jewelry when I received it, and one night I was talking to my mom on the phone as I absently started taking the necklace apart. When I hung up, I realized I hadn't taken a photo of it for my "before" photo! Doh! So I pieced some of it back together and took a photo of part of it. The actual necklace was the same pattern repeated in a very long necklace, but you get the idea! Lesson learned :)

Pink, and this shade in particular, is definitely a color I never use, so I knew this was going to be a difficult challenge for me. Added to that, I made a last minute decision to travel to Ohio to visit my parents, and I did not have a chance to make my design before I left. That meant I needed to pack as many beads and supplies as I could so I could work on it at my parents. Last night, I reworked my design many, many times, but I was limited by what I had on hand and finally decided I needed to leave it alone for now. (Btw, isn't the background awesome? My mom has this old side table that was my grandmother's, and it makes an awesome background in my opinion...now to figure out how I get it to FL!):

Leslie of Mad Maggie Designs sent me this awesome beaded toggle clasp, and I thought the colors worked well with the MOP triangle beads and some Czech beads I had.

I did not have any pendants with pink in them, but this mermaid pendant by Nan of Spirited Earth had touches of pink in it and introduced a blue shade to the color scheme. I also used two of her beads in the same shade of blue. I thought the mermaid went along with the ocean/sea theme of the shell triangle beads.

I thought using the triangle beads would be easy, but I was wrong! I think they are too big compared to the other elements I used. I repositioned them a few times and liked this pattern the best. Then I wrapped some beads on them with wire trying to liven it up, but to be perfectly honest, I just wasn't happy with my final result.

These are the matching earrings I made:

As for the pink beads, I just couldn't bring myself to use them. I realize I failed in this part of the challenge and accept that I need to get out of my comfort zone more, but I am definitely not there yet! As a result, there may be a Do Over of my Do Over in the future! It is disheartening when you struggle with a design and end up unhappy with it, but sometimes you just need to set it aside and try again later. I plan to do that with this piece. I believe I can come up with a better design and possibly use the pink beads, but I need to give it a rest for now.

I apologize for such a long post, but maybe you can at least relate to my frustration, and even give me some advice on what you do when you get stuck in a rut on a design :)

The good news is that the rest of the participants came up with some really amazing designs using the jewelry they received, and their creativity is truly inspiring. Go check out all these awesome blogs and their Do Over designs:

Sally http://www.wireworked.com

Dagmar  http://kokopellidesign.blogspot.com

Donna(No Blog) See it on Jeannie's Blog: 

http://site.jkdjewelry.com/blog/2011/05/25/do-over-challenge-blog-hop/

Lisa http://lucidmoonstudio.blogspot.com You are here :)

Christine www.onekisscreations.blogspot.com

Erin http://treasures-found.blogspot.com

Leslie http://www.madmaggiedesigns.blogspot.com

Shannon http://www.formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com

Niky  http://silverniknats.blogspot.com

Diane http://www.dianehawkey.com

Barbe http://www.barbesaintjohn.blogspot.com

Elisabeth http://www.beadsforbusygals.com

Lori http://www.PrettyThingsBlog.com

Linda http://lindalandig.wordpress.com

Jamie(No Blog) See it on Jeannie's Blog: 

http://site.jkdjewelry.com/blog/2011/05/25/do-over-challenge-blog-hop/

Pam http://www.ferrarioriginals.blogspot.com

Patty http://www.mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com

Nancy http://nedbeads.com

Kim http://www.kimmykats.blogspot.com

Marci http://www.moosepetals.com

Charlene http://clay-space.com

Thank you, Jeannie, for a fun, creative challenge!! Jewelry challenges are great because they encourage our creativity and get us to move out of our comfort zones so we can grow as artists. Not to mention, you meet great people and their blogs in the process!

Weekend shopping fun!

2011-05-19T11:28:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I decided to check out a local estate sale. I had never been to one, so I was excited to see what they are like. This particular house was full of things mostly from Japan, but also things from other countries. As I walked into the living room, I spotted a glass case filled with dolls. I've never been particularly fond of dolls before, except for the dolls I played with with my dollhouse as a child, but some of these dolls just really seemed cool to me. Everything in the house was half off, so they were priced very cheap. I know nothing about them and couldn't find any info online either. If anyone has any info about them, I would appreciate it! They are approximately 7 inches tall.

I also bought these Russian Nesting Dolls that say "made in the USSR" on them.

I thought this stuffed seal was cute. It is leather, and I am hoping it is fake fur, not real seal fur!

There were walls of bookcases full of books, but it was too crowded to go through them. However, I spotted these Alice in Wonderland hard cover books published in 1946 and grabbed them. I don't know if they are worth anything, but the color illustrations in them are really cool.

I scored a bag of various snippets of lace, ribbon and thread. I save this sort of thing thinking I will use it in jewelry some day...time will tell!

Lastly, I bought a box of vintage ornaments. It was hard to tell what was in it, but when I got home, I spread it all out to view.

These three vintage glass ornaments are what caught my eye:

The day before, Mark went to an auction and picked up these cool vintage spoons for me. He also bought me a larimar and sterling silver necklace and earring set for a very good deal. He knows what I like :)

I love the patina on this one!

I don't know anything about these either, but I plan to research them a little. I'm not sure what I will do with these yet - either sell some on eBay and/or use some in jewelry.

Custom Design

2011-05-11T05:30:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine asked me to create a necklace for a Mother's Day gift. His main request was that it have an Irish theme, since his mom is Irish. I immediately thought of the porcelain shamrock pendant by Nancy of Round Rabbit that I had been hoarding. Although it was a little difficult to part with, I was happy that someone who would appreciate it was receiving it.

I tried to keep the design simple, so that it could be worn with many different outfits. I made a matching pair of earrings, but I forgot to take a photo of them.

Update...

2011-05-06T12:36:00.001-04:00

Wow - so much has happened recently that I don't know where to start! The last month or so has been a whirlwind of emotions. I won't get into too many details regarding some of it, but I was dealing with some family and personal health issues, which have gotten better fortunately. Two weeks ago my husband became unemployed because of the federal shutdown of online poker. I only work part-time, so the stresses of life just started piling up. Fortunately, the woman I job share with agreed to retire if it meant I could go full-time with benefits. I waited anxiously for an answer for a week and a half and FINALLY got the answer yesterday that I was approved to go full-time starting the end of this month! Such a huge relief since I have been without health insurance for two and a half years and have fallen further and further in debt during that time. I'm hoping things will start taking a turn for the better and that my husband will be able to find work soon as well.

The good news is I will have more income, but the bad news is I will have less free time, which means less time to spend in my studio. However, I definitely prefer more income at this point! Hopefully one day I can retire and be able to do what I enjoy most full-time - being crafty. I still plan to continue running regularly and racing, but I will probably cut back on it a little since I have started to feel burned out and have been fighting a slew of annoying injuries. I'm hoping to strike a balance in my life, but it always seems so hard as one thing or another always seems to take precedence.

Well, I think you are caught up on the nitty-gritty, so onto some fun stuff! Hubby and I went to our first auction recently and had a blast. He bought some silver coins to resell, and I found a neat basket of old mini perfume bottles that I got for only $5! I doubt they are worth much, but I thought they were really cool. Plus the metal basket is pretty cool too. We have started watching the shows American Pickers and Storage Wars, both of which we love. Mark just went to his first storage locker auction and really enjoyed it...thankfully he didn't buy any though! We are supposed to go to another one tomorrow and possibly an auction this evening.

There was also a strange little monkey toy in the basket...

I also received another package of awesome goodies from Nan of Spirited Earth to add to my growing collection and finally got some of her coveted beads (especially the faceted ones!):

Here is my whole collection of Spirited Earth goodies:

As you can tell, I've been having fun just collecting them, but I do plan on using some of them soon :)

I'll leave you with a photo I took of Cooper with my phone recently...it has become my favorite photo of him!

Although I think it is tied with this one:

It's good to know that no matter how bad things get, this sweet boy is always there to cheer us up, and we will forever be thankful for that!!

Fun Blogging Challenge

2011-04-24T23:42:00.000-04:00

There is a fun Do Over Contest going on over at Jeannie's Blog which involves reworking an old and boring jewelry design that she will send you into something new and cool! You can read about the guidelines on her blog. Everyone who participates will blog about their creations (or if you don't have a blog, she will post it on her blog for you) on the same day - May 25. Then she will choose random winners to win cool beady prizes! Go check it out soon - the deadline to participate is April 30.

Above is an example of a design that you could have the opportunity to makeover...

I am excited to participate because I love jewelry design challenges!!

BBQ Chicken Pizza with Fresh Herbs

2011-04-11T06:00:00.001-04:00

The other night, I made acorn squash ravioli (boxed from World Market) with brown butter, shallots, Parmesan cheese and fresh sage leaves from my herb garden for dinner. It turned out delicious, but I was rushed and didn't get any photos.

The next night, I made BBQ chicken pizza with some chopped garlic chives from my herb garden. I snapped some photos this time and decided I would share the recipe here on my blog.

Ready for the oven!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Recipe and photos by Lisa Petrillo

Flour
Store bought pizza dough ball (from bakery at grocery store)
Barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's Honey BBQ)
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Shredded cheddar cheese
Leftover chicken (shredded, approximately 2 chicken breasts)
Red onions, sliced thinly
Chopped garlic chives (from the garden)
Salt & pepper to taste

Let dough sit out for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle some flour on pizza stone and stretch and flatten dough onto it. Pour and spread some barbecue sauce evenly over dough (I like to go heavy on the sauce).

Spread shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over sauce until well covered. Shred the leftover chicken breast (or use rotisserie chicken for a quick option), season with salt and pepper, and spread over cheese evenly. Slice half a red onion and spread over cheese. Top with shredded cheddar cheese until covered evenly (I go heavy on the cheese too). Finally, sprinkle chopped garlic chives evenly over top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

YUM!! It was delicious!

And for dessert...

Pepperidge Farms Chocolate Fudge 3-layer cake!!

Featuring Two Talented Jewelry Designers

2011-04-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

So, sorry this is overdue, but I guess it's better to post late than never, right? In the last few months, I was lucky enough to win two amazing pieces of jewelry by two even more amazing and talented artists. The crazy thing is, the pieces, a bracelet and necklace, look like they should go together! The first design I won was an oxidized sterling silver wire wrapped bracelet by Carol Bradley Designs. I have admired Carol's jewelry for quite some time, and she is definitely a person I look to when I need inspiration.

The second piece of jewelry I won was an oxidized sterling silver wire wrapped chain by Mary Newton Designs. Mary is another metal and wire jewelry artist that I greatly admire. I commented that I loved her handmade silver chains on her blog, and she was thoughtful enough to send me one as my giveaway prize.

What I love most about both designs, besides being beautiful, is that they are techniques I have not tried, and I don't have the skill or patience to try yet. I have no idea how Carol made the wire spun beads, even after close examination, and I definitely don't have the patience to connect all the jump rings and S-links like Mary did! The other bonus is that both pieces look great together.

Please take a minute to check out Carol Bradley Designs Shop (where she sells similar bracelets with the wire spun beads) and Blog, as well as Mary Newton Designs Shop (I especially love her etched metal!) and Blog - tons of inspiration!! And lastly, thank you to both women for having such generous and awesome giveaways!!

Bead Giveaway!!

2011-04-07T13:17:00.000-04:00

Check out the generous art bead giveaway on Jeannie's Blog! The prize is worth over $400...I think any of us would love to win that! Oh, the possibilities!

The winner will be announced April 11 - Good luck!!

Adventures in Spring

2011-04-05T13:11:00.000-04:00

The weather here in FL has been perfect lately. It has been 60 degrees in the morning with a high in the 80's during the day- not too hot, not too cold! My husband and I decided to venture into gardening this year, something neither of us have really tried before. Mark decided he would like to grow some veggies, and I decided I would like an herb garden. We visited a fantastic garden center called Rockledge Gardens over the weekend and picked out our plants, containers, soil, stakes and plant food. I had already bought a basil plant that I planned to transplant into my herb garden, and our overly friendly (bordering on pesky) neighborhood squirrel decided it would be a nice spot to munch on a peanut...which is fine as long as he doesn't have some basil with his peanut.

"What?! I'm not hurting nuttin!"

After some persuasion, he moved to my St. Francis statue where he belongs!

Here is my potted rosemary and herb container garden just after I transplanted everything:

I can't wait to snip some fresh herbs for my next recipe! I will get photos of our vegetable container garden soon and keep you updated on how it goes.

No April Fool's Joke!

2011-03-31T16:15:00.001-04:00

I know it has been way too long since I've blogged, but I have resolved today to start blogging regularly again. I think my problem is that I spend way too much time reading other people's blogs, and then I run out of time to post on my own blog! I also want to give my blog a much needed makeover, but that might take some time.

Yesterday was my mother-in-law's birthday, so we celebrated by going out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, called Concepts on Highland. My husband bought a VW Thunderbolt cell phone earlier that day, so I took the opportunity to try out the 8 MP camera on his new phone. It would be so much easier to blog if I had a phone like his...I don't even have a phone with internet! I am also going to resolve to stop spending money on beads for awhile so I can save up for a cool phone...

For an appetizer, I had a potato bisque soup with a parmesan crisp and a balsamic vinegar and basil oil drizzle.

I had grilled salmon with a kalamata olive, caper and tomato relish over a garlic potato croquette with asparagus and a balsamic glaze for my dinner.

We ended the evening sharing a slice of heavenly key lime pie (but we ate it too quickly to snap a photo!). Everything was delicious and the presentation was fantastic.

I whipped up a pair of earrings for my MIL's birthday as well. I found some plastic flower cabs in my stash that I had bought a long time ago, and they were the exact color of coral I was looking for. These earrings are very different from anything I've made before, but I really like the way they turned out. Kind of a modern vintage look.

I may have to play around a bit with the other flower cabs I have.

Bead Soup Party Reveal!!

2011-02-26T01:29:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the 3rd Bead Soup Blog Party!

What is a Bead Soup Blog Party?

Each beader was paired up with another jewelry designer and tasked with sending the following:

~ A focal
~ A special clasp (not just a lobster claw)
~ Some coordinating spacers or beads

Using the focal and the clasp was mandatory, but we could use anything from our own stash to round out the rest, and choose to use the coordinating beads or not.

I was paired up with Suzann Sladcik Wilson of Beadphoria for the Bead Soup Party. Just a glimpse of all the goodies she sent me:

Go here to read more about the amazing stash she sent me. I have to say, Suzann was so generous that at first I was overwhelmed when I spread out everything that she sent me. Almost immediately though, I saw two distinct design ideas stemming from the silver and gold leaf pendants. I saw in my mind exactly what colors and beads I thought would look good together. I knew designing with the silver would be pretty easy since I tend to create with silver the most, but there were still beads and components that were different from what I normally create with. I also knew designing with the gold would definitely be difficult for me since I never create with gold. I did struggle a little because I have no components or beads in gold, but I managed by using brass wire to wire wrap the beads with.

The first necklace I made used the gold leaf pendant, dyed purple howlite, gold round beads, diamond gold beads, and gold hook clasp from my bead soup supplies. I added lavender seed beads, lavender porcelain disks, large faceted czech disks, and a gold toned pine cone charm. As I mentioned earlier, I used brass wire to wire wrap the beads.

Below is the second necklace I made. I used the silver leaf pendant, aqua faceted glass rounds, silver beaded spacers, silver disc beads, and silver flower clasp from my bead soup supplies. I added small and large link oxidized sterling chain, turquoise seed beads, sterling twisted links, dark blue limestone rounds, and flower disk beads from Beady Monkey. I used sterling silver wire to wire wrap the beads.

I love the way both necklaces turned out, and I still have tons of beads left to create matching earrings and whatever else I desire!

Unfortunately the Bead Soup Party is the same day I am going out-of-town to run the Gasparilla half marathon in Tampa on Sunday. I am hoping I will have a decent internet connection where I am staying so I can check out everyone's designs first thing on Monday.

Now, go see what everyone else made!!

1. Lori Anderson, Pretty Things

2. Kitty Durmaj, Perles and Life

3. Michelle Heim, Life In the Bead Lane

4. YOU ARE HERE! Lisa Petrillo, Lucid Moon Studio

5. Anitra Gordy, Leelu Creations

6. Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs

7. Marianna Boylan, Pretty Shiny Things

8. Cheryl Roe, BeadRoe

9. Heidi Post, Ex Post Facto

10. Cindy Wimmer, Sweet Bead Studio

11. Terri Gauthier, Blooming Ideas

12. Rachel Walsh, Balanced Crafts

13. Marian Hertzog, M's Place

14. Mary McGraw, MK's Musings

15. Sarabeth Burke, Chronicles of Sarita

16. Deci Worland, Gem Trails

17. Erin Prais-Hintz, Treasures Found

18. Laura Zeiner, Stick Lizard Designs

19. Kristin Latimer, MJM Jewelry Designs

20. Cathryn Brooks-Williams, Chile Cats

21. Holly Westfall, Silver Rose Designs

22. Janna Harttgen, Palima-Lim

23. Libby Leuchtman, Libby Leu

24. Rebecca Anderson, Songbeads

25. Deb Hunter, Living On Air

26. Diana Ptaszynski, Suburban Girl Studio

27. Jennifer VanBenschoten, VanBeads

28. Margot Potter, The Impatient Crafter

29. Cyndi Lavin, Beading Arts

30. Courtney Breul, Beads by Breul

31. Stefanie Teufel, Stefanie's Sammelsurium

32. Patricia Gasparino, My Life Under the Bus

33. Tari Khars, Pearl and Pebble

34. Kristi Bowman-Gruel, Kristi Bowman Design

35. Jayne Capps, Mama's Got to Doodle

36. Becky Fairclough, Chameleons Designs

37. Evie and Beth McCord, EB Bead & Metal Works

38. Lynne Bowland, Islandgirl's Insights

39. Barbara Lewis, Painting With Fire

40. Lorelei Eurto, Inside the Studio

41. Stacy Hartis, Sissy & Jack's

42. Jennifer Cameron, Glass Addictions

43. Marcie Abney, La Bella Joya

44. Johanna Rhodes, Fire Phoenix Creations

45. Nan Emmett, Spirit Rattles

46. Melissa Mesara, One Eared Pig

47. Amanda Davie, Articulations

48. Cherin Poovey, Lanyard Lady

49. Virginia Joste, ViviBijoux

50. Andrew Thornton, The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
51. Lori Dorrington, Lori's Glassworks

52. Melanie Brooks, Earthenwood Studio Chronicles

53. Kate Gardenghi, Tropical Blonde

54. Serena Trent, PinkIce Jewel's Blog

55. Malin de Koning, Beading by Malin de Koning

56. Shai Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings

57. Francy Inman, 8 Second Studio

58. Amy Freeland, Copper Diem

59. Lisa Liddy, Joolz By Lisa

60. Sandi Lee James, Do Be Do Bead Do

61. Mary Harding, Mary Harding Bead Blog

62. Stacey Curry, Star Hitched Wagon

63. Leslie Gidden, Mad Maggie Designs

64. Elisabeth Auld, Beads For Busy Gals

65. Niky Sayers, Silver Nik Nats

66. Linda Djokic, Lutka and Co.

67. Tracy Bell, Copper, Glass, and Recycled Trash

68. Laurel Steven, Rue's Daftique

69. Ingrid McCue, Wrapped In Silver

70. Birgitta Lejonklou, Create With Spirit

71. Diana Hawkey, Diana Hawkey

72. Norma Turvey, Moonlit Fantaseas

73. Jeanette Ryan, Jeanette Blix

74. Jackie Ryan, Silver Lodge Gems

75. Jean Yates, Snap Out of it Jean, There's Beading to Be Done!

76. Debbie Goering, Prairie Emporium

77. Valerie Norton, Hot Art

78. Jana Trupovniece, Stories of the Secret Garden

79. Amy Severino, Amy Beads

80. Emma Thomas, Fred Beans Nook

81. Karen Zanco, Everyday Gypsy

82. Suzann Sladcik Wilson, Beadphoria

83. Janet McDonald, Singing Woods

84. Dana James, Dana's Jewelry Designs

85. Kristina Johansson, Wild Roses and Blackberries

86. CJ Bauschka, CJ Bauschka

87. Angela Barribea, Re: Angela Rae

88. Marcy Lamberson, Studio Marcy

89. Tanya Floyd, Glass Migrations

90. Lisa Kavanaugh, Beading Bliss

91. Sue Hodgkinson, Hello Gorgeous

92. Jenni Connolly, Jenni's Bead

93. Nally Parfyonova, Nally's Creations

94. Karyn White, Releases By Rufydoof

95. Emanda Johnson, Artemisia Studio

96. Sandy Richardson, Sandy's Coloring Box

97. Cindy Dolezal, Cindy Dolezal Designs

98. Stacie Stamper, Park Avenue

99. Mallory Hoffman, For the Love of Beads

100. Linda Landig, Linda's Bead Blog and Meanderings

101. Nicole Valentine-Rimmer, N. Valentine Studio

102. Jacinta Meyers, Jamberrysong's Creations

103. Charlene Gary, Gray Girl Studios

104. Rubiee Hayes, Glitter and Keys Galore

105. Marge Beebe, Rock Creek Creations

106. Elizabeth Freeman, Turquoise Sky

107. Shelby Foxwell, Sundown Bead Designs Rhetoric

108. Lynda Moseley, Diva Designs

109. Grace Danel, Grace Beading

110. Lois Moon, Que Onda Quitman

111. Agnes Shapiro, Beader Bubbe

112. Terry Carter, Tapping Flamingo

113. Judy Glende, Judith B. Designs

114. Mary Ellen Parker, Bee Tree By Me

115. Barbara Bechtel, Second Surf

116. Charlene Sevier, The Bead Dreamer

117. Alice Craddick, Alice's Beads and Baubles

118. Cory Celaya, Art With Moxie

119. Ronda Adams, The Ravished Heart

120. Sandi Volpe, Sandi Volpe Designs

121. Anna Lear, The Laughing Raven

122. Susie Hibdon, Vintagesusie & Wings

123. Amanda Austin, Sea Shore Glass

124. Jennifer Velasquez, Jen Judd Rocks

125. Hazel Ward, All Those Things

126. Brenda Salzano, Salzanos

127. Dee Gordon, Runako Designs by Dee

128. Anna Denisova, Anita-M

129. Margaret Saari, Mags-Jewelry

130. Genea Crivello-Knable, Genea Beads

131. Penny Neville, Copper Penny

132. Angela Blasingame, Hopemore

133. Helena Fritz, Beadwork by H's Blog

134. Stephanie LaRose, Confessions of a Bead Hoarder

135. Stephanie Haussler, PixyBug Designs

136. Diane Cook, Rosa & Josies

137. Maryse Thillens, Glass Bead Art

138. Jennifer Pride, Jewelry by J.P.

139. Shannon Chomanczuk, For My Sweet Daughter

140. Lisa Godfrey, Bead Happy

141. Heather Pyle, Welcome to My Muse

142. Regina Santerre, Regina's Writings

143. Liz DeLuca, Creative Arty Facts

144. Sig Wynne-Evans, Beaded Bear's Nonsense

145. Loretta Carstensen, Loretta's Boutique

146. Raida Disbrow, Havana Beads

147. Amber Dawn, Inventive Soul

148. Shelly Graves, Stars Dance With Me

149. Jess Italia Lincoln, Vintaj Blog

150. JJ Jacobs, Coming Abstractions

151. Carrie Tahquechi, Carrie T

152. Staci Smith, Staci Louise Originals

153. Katarzyna Kwiatkowska, Quiet Area

154. Ema Kilroy, Ema K Designs

155. Magdalena Sikora, Poranna Gazeta

156. Nicole Keller, Nicki's Reef

157. Ann Rishell, My Critical Eye

158. Noemi Baena, Fire, Metal, and Color

159. Christa Murphy, Adventures of One Beady Woman

160. Barbara Blaszczyk, Labotorium Flory

161. Collette Collins, Firefly Myst

162. Carola Greiser, Polymer Clay Shed

163. Joanna Kopijczuk, Bizuteria z Filcu

164. LeAnn Weih, Summers Studio

165. Cassandra Watsham, Design by Cassandra

166. Anna Motz, Stunning

167. Shea Zukowski, Gr8findings

168. Susan Kennedy, Sue Beads

169. Lisa Boucher, Lisa's Clay Happenings

170. Hope Smitherman, Crafty Hope

171. Alison Crenshaw, Beads by Earth Tones

172. Dorcas Midkiff, Wondrous Strange Designs

173. Melissa Rediger, Sea of Glass

174. Marina Dobrynina, Savon Feutre

175. Julie Nordine, Julie Nordine | Credit River Art Glass

176. Menka Gupta, Menka's Blog

177. Patsy Evins, Patsy Evins Studio

178. Cherrie Fick, En La Lumie're

179. Suzette Bentley, Ellie's Bijoux

180. Molly Alexander, Beautifully Broken Me

181. Lyn Foley, Lyn Foley Wearable Art

182. Tara Plote, The Newbie Beader's Blog

183. Natalie Schuetz, Natalie S Perlen

184. Kim Hutchinson, Running on Ink

185. Haley Frank, Wide Eyed Smilin

186. Grace Caputo, Suddenly Last Summer

187. Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp, Skye Jewels

188. Erin Siegel, Erin Siegel Jewelry

189. Janea McDonald, Organized Chaos

190. Kristi Evenson, Colie Bug & Co.

191. Linda Inhelder, Must Haves Jewelry

192. Hilary Frye, FryeStyle

193. Whitney Lassini, Whitney Lassini

194. Nancy Schindler, The Rabbit Muse

195. Pam Brisse, The Blue Between

196. Beth Bricker, Vintage Sweets

197. Ruthie Stickney, Rose Works Jewelry and Gifts

198. Rose Noble, Lady Noble Designs

199. Karen Williams, Baublicious

200. Claire Maunsell, The Next Bend

201. Christine Damm, Stories They Tell

202. Kerry Bogert, Kab's Creative Concepts

203. Wendy Blum, Sand & Sea Designs

204. Juli Cannon, Julsbeads

205. Jenny Robledo, La Dona Boutique

206. Krista French, French Elegant Jewelry

207. Pam Krinski, Ewa Beads

208. Melissa Meman, Melissa Meman, Art, Life, Love

209. Dana Jones, Dana's Jewelry

210. Shirley Moore, Beads and Bread

The next party's sign ups begin August 1-3, 2011. Don't miss it!

Thanks to Lori Anderson of Pretty Things for putting together yet another amazing Bead Soup Party!!

Artbeads Winter Enchantment

2011-02-25T12:11:00.000-05:00

The current challenge for Artbead's Blogging Design Partners is to create a "Winter Enchantment" design that represents what is beautiful or inspirational about the winter season. Living here in Florida, it is difficult to be inspired about winter when there is no snow. This may be why I chose the focal pendant that I did. Even though it has a wintry feel, it has a cheerful little sparrow and accents of green, yellow and blue in it. I also love the stoneware pendants offered at Artbeads.com, having used one in a spring design that I blogged about last year that turned out really nice. I also picked out some matching stoneware round beads. Since it is difficult to match colors when looking online, I like that there are coordinating beads in the same color glazes as the pendant, so you know they will match perfectly!

I wire wrapped the beads with sterling silver wire and used some wood beads to pick up the brown in the pendant and add to the nature theme.

Closeup of sparrow stoneware pendant (on Clearance at Artbeads.com right now!)

I picked out this silver-plated rectangle connector because I wanted to try out the new metal stamps that I won from Pretty Things recently. I could not believe I won such an amazing giveaway! I already have a cheap set of plain alphabet metal stamps that I bought at Harbor Freight and had been a bit disappointed by them. These ones from Impress Arts, on the other hand, are MUCH better and well worth the cost in my opinion. Artbeads.com also has a pretty vast selection of metal stamps sold individually, and as I put the necklace together, I had wished I would have ordered a star or snowflake-like stamp to decorate my tag. Instead, I tried to use the "I" stamp to make a snowflake design, and it didn't work that well.

I used a Green Girl Studios ring that reminded me of a snowflake and a hand formed sterling piece to make a toggle clasp. I paired some sterling cable chain with some fire-polished linked crystal chain that I had ordered from Artbeads.com last year, and I thought it added a little more wintry charm to the necklace.

So, there you have it! I like that even though this necklace has a wintry feel to it, I think it would be perfectly fine to wear any time of the year.

Disclosure: The products credited to Artbeads.com in this post were provided as a promotional gift by Artbeads.com as part of their blogging program. The items are for review or design purposes. My comments pertaining to these products are my personal opinion, and I have not been paid for any endorsement.

Bead Soup Jackpot!!

2011-02-15T12:33:00.000-05:00

My Bead Soup partner is Suzann Sladcik Wilson of Beadphoria. She is a pretty amazing person who not only makes jewelry, but also teaches jewelry making, runs a jewelry business, contributes to jewelry design magazines, is writing a book, and is active in the beading community and with several charities. You can check out her blog here, and become a fan of Beadphoria on Facebook here. I love that by participating in a Bead Soup Party, one has the opportunity to meet many wonderful people who share the same hobby that one might not have met otherwise. Here are some of Suzann's designs from previous Bead Soup Parties:

The first Bead Soup necklace "Caramel Swirl" by Suzann Sladcik Wilson

Bead Soup #2 Necklace "Reflections of Lorelei" by Suzann Sladcik Wilson

I love that Lorelei has a necklace named after her! This is the third Bead Soup Party that I have participated in, and I always forget to take a photo of my soup before I send it out to my partner. This time, I remembered after I had it packaged up, but not before I sent it! So here it is packaged up:

The bird focal pendant is by Spirited Earth, one of my new favorite bead sellers! I included an assortment of coordinating beads and some copper findings, plus I threw in one of my handmade resin pendants and some etched copper rings. I can't wait to see what Suzann creates! Now on to the Bead Soup I received...Suzann really went all out, and I was flabbergasted by how much loot she sent! When I opened our mailbox, I was astounded by the size of the box, then I opened the package to find a lovely wooden hinged box:

I excitedly opened the treasure chest to find:

Lots of cute pouches full of goodies all wrapped in a beading mat!

Each item carefully packaged and labeled

Suzann sent TWO focals and NINE clasps! I definitely want to make 2 designs, one in gold and one in silver for the challenge

Here are the silver focal, clasps and matching beads all together

The gold focal, clasps and matching beads

And as if that wasn't enough, a whole pile of gorgeous strands of gemstones and beads!

I definitely have a lot to choose from, but fortunately my designs are coming together pretty effortlessly. I can't wait to unveil them February 26th!

Metal Stamp Giveaway

2011-01-23T11:45:00.000-05:00

Lori Anderson of Pretty Things is having a generous giveaway for a cool metal stamp alphabet set from PJ Tool & Supply!

Visit her blog to get the details of how to enter!

Studio Tour...Finally!

2011-01-18T15:46:00.000-05:00

This post has been a long time coming! I've been wanting to share a tour of my jewelry studio for quite some time, but it wasn't "finished" to the point where I wanted it to be, so I just kept putting it off. I finally completed the main project that I have been wanting to do for the room, which was making table skirts/curtain panels to hide all the crap under my craft tables! I was first inspired by Molly Alexander's (her blog is Beautiful Broken Me) studio which she posted on her blog in June of 2010 as part of "Where Bloggers Create: 2nd Annual Blog Party To Share Your Creative Space". The table skirts/curtains she made were exactly what I wanted for my studio, but I was apprehensive about making them because I have no experience with fabric or sewing. I decided to go the same route as Molly and use fusible iron-on hem tape. I spent one whole day searching online for fabric I liked and ended up getting fabric from Heather Bailey's Pop Garden collection. I purchased curtain rods, cafe clips and plastic clips from Lowe's (which I screwed into the table to hold the rods). I am very happy with the way they turned out, and it is simply a miracle that I had just enough fabric and didn't screw it up!

I took a gazillion photos, but it was difficult to show everything in relation to the space, so I also did a fun video using my Flip. This will probably be my longest blog post yet, so you may want to grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, if you haven't already, and sit down for awhile. I hope you enjoy!

First, the video:

Here is my studio "before", taken about 6 months ago. It has changed a bit since then, and you can see how cluttered it looks under the tables.

Here it is now!

My trusty mannequin jewelry model and a closet jam packed with yet more craft supplies!

Photo light box with props.

Soldering area

Wall shelf (from Michaels) with supplies and artwork. Painting on second shelf up on the right is by Andrew Thornton, owl and "create" painted blocks by Allen Designs, and colored wood owl (3rd shelf up on right) is by my friend's daughter, Talon, who is 6 years old. She is always sending me cool owl stuff :)

Wire hanger (Ikea) with various business cards (you might see yours!) and inspiration.

Owl mixed media artwork by aspiring artist, Cole, who is 9 years old (although he was younger when he created this).

Awesome owl clock with swinging pine cone pendulum by Allen Designs...oh man, as I was copying the link for the store I noticed the owl clock below...I may need to start a collection of them! (yes, I get sidetracked VERY easily...)

Convection oven that I use to fire polymer clay.

Beads, beads, and more beads!!

Who can resist Smurfs?! When I saw them at Target, I was transported to my childhood and had to have them!

Resin supplies and resin rings made recently (mug from Anthropologie...I discovered it had a crack in it when I got it home, so now it is an art supply holder!).

My favorite little dragonfly trinket dish made by LeAnn of Summers Studio.

A peek behind the curtains.

Wall plaque from Hobby Lobby with hooks to hang jewelry from.

French doors leading to spare bedroom.

Spare bed that is really Cooper's bed...Eiffel Tower wood wall hanging from Hobby Lobby.

Closeup of bird paintings (Bed, Bath & Beyond) and French wood wall hanging (Hobby Lobby).

Sewing table - now I'm thinking I want to make a table skirt for this table as well!

Another wall plaque with knobs perfect for hanging jewelry! (from Hobby Lobby)

More beads (mainly seed beads), jewelry books and magazines, artwork, and vintage jars (I painted lids) filled with collections.

Second cabinet...I found these cabinets while on a run at the end of someone's curb with a "free" sign on them. They were white with stickers and markings all over them. I cleaned them up and painted them to match the studio.

View into the studio from spare room.

"Can we go play Frisbee now?"

I hope you enjoyed the tour, and I hope it gives you some inspiration!

It was a good mail day....

2011-01-11T16:08:00.000-05:00

I received two packages in the mail yesterday of jewelry supply goodies that I had ordered online. I thought I would share with you what came! The first package was from Nancy's Round Rabbit Extra shop. She had posted a preview of what she planned to list a few days before, and I spotted several items I wanted. I was lucky enough to be off the day she did her shop update, so I stalked her shop all afternoon and anxiously awaited the listings. As soon as I saw the pieces I wanted, I selected them, checked out, and paid for them in about 10 seconds! Or close to it. Someone beat me to another item I wanted, but I was happy I got most of the items I wanted. These are from her shards collection:

They are even more stunning in person. Anyone who knows me, knows I can't stay away from the color turquoise, and I just love the shade of these.

My second package came from Artbeads.com. This was sort of a random selection of components that appealed to me. I have been drawn more to copper lately...could have something to do with the price of silver these days!

I can't wait to use the vibrant copper heart in a Valentine's Day inspired design. The chain is really cool too. I thought the silver clasp was unique and would look neat in a necklace design. I have an idea for the brass filigree flower, but we'll see if it works out!

I can't wait to use all of my new finds soon! I have been busy making jewelry over the last weekend, and one necklace I made in particular turned out gorgeous (to me!), but, alas, I can't show anything to you yet because I submitted them to magazines. Hopefully they will be accepted. I set a goal for myself of trying to submit my designs to magazines and challenges more frequently in 2011. I'm already off to a good start for the year, so let's hope I can keep up the momentum!

Bead Soup Party Time!!

2011-01-08T12:28:00.000-05:00

It's time for another Bead Soup Party hosted by Lori Anderson of Pretty Things! I did not participate in the last one because I was too busy with marathon training, but I did the two before that, and they were a blast! I can't wait to do it again. Here is the info to sign up:

If you want to read more about past Bead Soup Parties, go here. Here is the jewelry I've made with my bead soup in the past:

My partner in 2010 was Anne of Gardanne Beads

My partner in 2009 was Lynette of Rockhill Designs

Update: There are already 81 people signed up to participate....this is gonna be a BIG one! I might need to take a week off work just to view everyone's designs!!

New day, New Year...

2010-12-29T23:34:00.001-05:00

I am not even going to comment on how long it's been since I blogged last, because, let's face it, it's embarrassing! Since I have not been making jewelry lately, it has been hard for me to find the motivation to blog. Afterall, I originally created this blog to share my jewelry making adventures.

There has been plenty happening in my life that is non-jewelry related though. I completed my marathon on November 28th in 3 hours, 29 minutes, and 5 seconds, although I almost stopped with only a half mile to go! I was a little delirious, probably from low blood sugar and a little heat exhaustion, but I snapped out of it (thanks to my coach yelling at me!), and managed to finish strong and qualify for the Boston marathon. The qualifying time for my age group is 3 hours and 45 minutes. Unfortunately the Boston marathon is already full for 2011 (sold out in 8 hours before I even ran my marathon), but I hope to register for 2012.

I thought this moment would never come...

Of course my sweet boy was there to congratulate me!

A few days later, my husband and I celebrated on a 4-day cruise which was very nice and relaxing.

We celebrated our first anniversary on the cruise

View from the water in Cozumel

Mark went SCUBA diving while I opted for snorkeling

POTENT Coco Locos...all I have to say is you can't taste the alcohol in these, but, man, are they strong!

Unfortunately, when we got back, I found myself overwhelmed with preparing for Christmas. It seemed to sneak up on me, and the rest of the month up until Christmas was pretty much a blur! I got everything done though and had a FABULOUS Christmas!

Front of our Christmas card...

"It's not easy being a greeting card model!" (Back of our Christmas card)

I even managed to have a jewelry party at our house shortly before Christmas, but I was so rushed with the preparation that I didn't even get any photos! Oh well, only a few of my closest friends came, but it was very successful, and I was thankful to have the extra Xmas shopping money!

I did manage to snap a photo of some new resin rings I made - I love making them! I painstakingly cut out the butterfly and bird images by hand, then layered them in the resin to give a 3D effect.

This is a necklace I made using vintage lace, and I tried a knotting technique with buttons and silk beading cord. The clasp is a vintage button I won in a blog giveaway - although I can't remember whose blog :(

I struggled a lot with this design and remade it twice. I still wasn't too happy with it in the end, but then my friend borrowed it to wear with a glitzy gold top, and it looked fabulous. I think this was a bit out of my comfort zone, but it's growing on me.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas spent with friends and family! I am looking forward to the new year, fresh starts, and planning new goals. I love making New Year's resolutions, and although I don't usually end up meeting all of them, I still try again each year! I hope everyone has a safe, healthy and happy New Year!!

Oh, one more thing...Santa brought me a torch fired enamel kit by Barbara Lewis, and I am giddy with anticipation to try it out! I love Santa ;)

Giving Thanks

2010-11-24T16:08:00.000-05:00

Only 4 more days until I run the Space Coast Marathon on Sunday, and I am so nervous and excited! I think the days leading up to the race are even more nerve-wracking than the actual race. I need to carbo load with just the right carbs, get plenty of sleep and run only enough to stretch out my legs. The day before the race, I need to make sure I drink plenty of water, eat my dinner by 6 p.m. and make sure my meal is one that I know won't cause me any trouble the next day. Somehow I need to go to bed early that night (ya, right!) and wake up by 4 a.m., be at the race around 5 a.m., and start running at 6:15 a.m. Hopefully around 9:45 a.m., I will be crossing the finish line and ready to gorge myself on pancakes, sausage, pizza and mimosas (all provided by the race, except the mimosas, which I will be providing!).

On this eve of Thanksgiving, I am reflecting on how much I have to be thankful for, and it is A LOT! I am thankful that I made it through the marathon training uninjured and that I am able to run a marathon. Several years ago, after having knee surgery, I did not think I would be able to run a 5K again, let alone a marathon! I am incredibly thankful for my supportive and loving family and friends, my health, my job, our house and basically everything in my life! I am also thankful for my blog readers who still pop over to see what's happening even though I don't post as frequently lately! I hope everyone has a happy, healthy, and blessed Turkey Day!!

I'm also looking forward to hopefully meeting up with Kelley of Kelley's Bead Studio for some dinner and chit chat while she is in Florida for Thanksgiving weekend. I will be sure to share photos from the race and my weekend soon! After the marathon weekend, my hubby and I are going on a 4 day cruise, which I decided would be a spendid way to recover from the race! I'm looking forward to some R&R, and then I hope to be refreshed and ready to dive back into jewelry making when I return.

GOBBLE, GOBBLE!!

It was bound to happen.

2010-10-26T14:12:00.000-04:00

I realized at some point a few months ago that by deciding to train for my first marathon, other things were going to have to go to the wayside. Well, basically everything but running went to the wayside! Despite all the hard work, injuries, aches and pains, I’ve really been enjoying this new venture! I have a great group of runners that I train with, and I don’t think I could have done the training as well as I have without them. We have been meeting approx. 6 days a week, averaging 8 miles a day with 1 long run of 15-20+ miles for an average of 55-60 miles a week. We are 5 weeks out from the marathon, and the next 2 weeks are going to be the hardest yet, then we taper for 3 weeks, which means we cut our mileage way down and rest our legs so that we are fresh and recovered for marathon day.

I have struggled with a lot of guilt about not having time to work on jewelry, and I feel bad when I see magazine deadlines wiz by me and fun contests/challenges that I can’t participate in. But I have realized that if you want to excel at something, you really have to give it your all, which usually means no time for other things. I am really looking forward to getting back into jewelry making and crafty things after the marathon though.

The good news is that my running and training is already starting to pay off. I have improved my 5K-race time by 4 minutes from last year, and just this last weekend I ran my fastest 5K race of my life! My goal since I started running again about 7 years ago has been to run my high school times again. You have no idea how much harder it is to do as you get older! This last weekend I finally beat my fastest high school time by 3 seconds. Now I have to wonder, “How much faster can I get?” I am training much harder than I ever did in high school, so it’s possible I can get even faster. I am excited to see how fast I can get. I am 3 years from the big 4-0, and I think I am going through a pre-midlife crisis by trying to relive my high school cross-country days! Oh well, at least it’s a healthy activity.

So, that’s what has been going on with me since I’ve been absent from the blogging community. Since I don't have any new jewelry to share, I thought I would share some photos from my recent races.

Turtle Krawl 5K - September 18, 2010

Turtle Krawl Awards. That's my hubby, Mark, behind me to the right. He was the race director of the race and helped coordinate everything on behalf of the Sea Turtle Preservation Society (STPS). The race was a smashing success!

My next race was the Pirate Plunder 2-miler on October 2nd, which I ran in costume. It is not easy to find a costume condusive to running a race!

I thought it would be cool to have my eye patch on when I crossed the finish line, but I quickly changed my mind, and so my photo is of me trying to rip it off!

I came in 3rd overall female and received a pirate hat, eye patch, sword and a message-in-a-bottle award! My costume is complete!

The next race I ran was the Chain of Lakes 5K on October 17th. This race was more like a cross-country race through the grass, over bridges and around lakes (with alligators!). Another fun race, and it was actually a little cooler for once.

Receiving my award

All the local runners together with our awards

The most recent race I've ran was this last Saturday evening, the Witch Way 5K. In the past, I have dressed up, but I didn't have time to put any thought into a costume, plus it was too hot, so I just went as a runner. Fortunately Cooper got into the spirit and dressed up as Cooperman! Or Superdog...not sure which.

Crossing the finish line in my record time.

It was all worth it to get a congratulatory kiss from my little superhero!

Receiving my award from "Sue Sylvester" of Glee!

My next race is this Saturday, October 30th, and it is the Ghostly Ghecko 5K. I plan to run this one in costume, and Mark and Cooper will be volunteering on the course in costume as well. I will post photos from that soon! So, I hope you enjoyed my blog post, even if it was completely unrelated to jewelry...at least now you know what I've been up to :)

I leave you with a photo of me and my superhero puppy from last year's Halloween race:

Mommy's little helper?

2010-09-03T13:04:00.000-04:00

It is not easy to put together a new task chair for my studio when someone is laying on the instructions...and has to lick everything. Just sayin'.

Why are you looking at me that way, mom? I is just tryin' to help!

Where in the hell is Lisa??

2010-09-01T14:54:00.000-04:00

I'm here!! Lol. So, if I thought I was busy before, my life just got even busier! No, I'm not expecting! I got a second part-time job, and I signed up for my first marathon. Exciting things are happening, but unfortunately they haven't been jewelry related. In fact, I haven't had time to even sit in my studio for the last 3 weeks! It's all good though because other doors are opening for me. Things may not always go the way we expect, but it doesn't always mean that's a bad thing. I am working at the local running store, Running Zone. I am already on their racing team, and, as one would expect, I spend a lot of time there, so when the opportunity arose for me to work there, it seemed like a great fit. I really enjoy it! I already know quite a bit about things running related, and I already know most of the customers, so it is a very comfortable fit. A nice discount in the store and an extra paycheck aren't bad either!

Unrelated to my new job, I had been planning on running my first marathon in November, so I finally made up my mind and registered for it. It is the Space Coast Marathon on November 28. I have been gradually increasing my mileage in preparation and am now running about 45 miles a week, and will probably keep increasing in the next few weeks. Needless to say, I don't have free time for much else lately.

I did have yesterday and today off, so I went in my studio to make some jewelry and realized it was a disaster area. In fact, the entire upstairs was quite a mess. I decided to go on a massive cleaning and re-organizing spree. I completely rearranged my studio and the spare room connected to it, then proceeded to empty an entire dresser of clothes and go through 2 closets of clothes! I ended up with 2 garbage bags of garbage and 5 garbage bags of stuff for Goodwill. What a great feeling though! And I have so much more room. I will take photos of my studio to share soon, but I'm not quite finished yet.

I have still been keeping up with everyone's blogs for the most part (although I am behind for this week already!), and I have enjoyed reading everyone's adventures at Beadfest in Philadelphia - even though I was very jealous! I am already planning for making the trip next year so I can join in on the fun. And saving up some bead shopping money!

I hope you are all having a wonderful week, and I hope to be back again soon to share some fun things that I won recently!!

Stringing Fall Blogging Carnival

2010-08-17T09:43:00.001-04:00

I have been anxiously awaiting the fall issue of Stringing magazine because it is the second issue my jewelry has been published in. Stringing magazine was one of the first magazines I started buying when I first started making jewelry. I just love the magazine, and I always find tons of inspiration in it. You can see why I was so excited when two of my designs were accepted back in April! In addition, I agreed to participate in a Fall Stringing Blog Carnival between all the designers in this issue, which should be on newstands today! Michelle Mach is hosting the Carnival, and you can find out more information on her blog about some giveaways she is having as part of the celebration. All you will need to do is comment on one or more of the 24 designers' blogs to be entered.

Here are my designs:

Be sure to check out the rest of the designers from this issue!

Molly Schaller

Kristy Abner

Kelly Angeley

Marianne Baxter

Ruby Bayan

Carrie Beckwith

Melanie Brooks

Gaea Cannaday

Lorelei Eurto Amy Haftkowycz

Beth Hemmila

Tari Kahrs

Stephanie LaRosa

Michelle Mach

Denise Yezbah Moore

Kelly Morgan

Sharon Palac

Anne Perry

Lisa Petrillo

Erin Prais-Hintz

Erin Strother

Heather Trudeau

Jennifer Judd Velasquez

Jennifer Zeiger

EDIT: I don't know if anyone noticed, but I didn't have a chance to finish my blog post before I got called into work, so I had to just post it as is. I just wanted to add a little more about my jewelry and explain my inspiration for the pieces. As many of you know, I love owls and have loved them for many years. Recently they have become very popular, and, much to my delight, many designers have been creating owl beads and pendants. I had been experimenting with stamping metal when I created my "HOOT" stamped owl pendant. It was this pendant that I used for inspiration in my owl necklace. I wanted it to have a fall color scheme, so I used beads in shades of browns, dark greens and oranges. I thought copper was a perfect compliment to the fall colors. I also like having more than one type of metal for contrast so I went with a silver owl charm and used a silver ring for the clasp. I had fun creating this necklace, and it is perfect for fall fashions!

The silver leaf earrings were, honestly, a very rushed design! A pair of earrings that I had submitted to the magazine was not accepted, so I decided to rush and make another pair of earrings to get in just before the deadline. I've found that I often work better under pressure and deadlines! Sometimes I contemplate too much on a design and keep changing it. I just immediately had an idea for the design of the earrings when I looked at my stash of silver leaf charms, and it went together easily and as planned. I love the look of the filigree leaves and think they are cute for fall or any time of the year!

Thanks for taking the time to check out my designs, and be sure to pick up this fall issue of Stringing magazine for tons of inspiration!! Also, don't forget to check out the blogs listed above and leave comments for chances to win prizes!!

Thanks so much...

2010-08-03T22:55:00.000-04:00

...for all your wonderful comments and encouragement!! I was really blown away by all the nice comments left on my last blog post! I wanted to let everyone know that I appreciate your comments, and I'm very thankful to have such great blog readers. I want to respond to everyone personally, but I just haven't been able to find the time yet. But be patient with me, I will try. I am working every day this week, and I have been super busy at work lately. I now realize how much I cherish my days off! I hope to find time this weekend to get caught up on my blog reading because I miss it so much. I feel like I'm so out of the loop, lol.

Also, I'm happy to report that my knee is better thanks to a few visits to my massage therapist, and I'm feeling much better all around. Cooper has been feeling left out of my blog lately, so I promised him I would share with everyone what he has been up to.

Cooper at aThursday night fun run staring longingly and intently at someone's piece of pizza.

Cooper will do anything you ask if he can get a pizza crust for it.

He will play dead, roll over, shake hands, give a high-five, beg or, in this case, wave goodbye for a piece of pizza crust!

Cooper is also taking an agility class and a tracking class, and is doing amazingly well in both, so I hope to get some photos from those soon!

Hope everyone is doing well and having a terrific week!!

Absence...and Good News :)

2010-07-29T13:10:00.002-04:00

I know I haven't been blogging or visiting others' blogs as much as usual, and I just want to apologize and say I'm still here! I have been dealing with some minor (I hope!) health issues, which I think I'm getting a handle on, and a pesky knee injury, which seems to be getting better. I have just been focusing on getting things together outside of my time online lately. Trying to get more organized, cleaning, and doing all those chores and tasks that I love to put off! I feel like I need a little break from my computer and my online jewelry business. I tried to make a concerted effort to get my online jewelry and supply stores going, but it seems like no matter what I try, I just don't get the sales. So, I am a little disenchanted by the whole selling on Etsy thing! It's just so frustrating. Every time I think, if I do this, it will help my sales, it turns out to be a big disappointment. I know part of the problem is that so many people are trying to sell their jewelry on Etsy so it has become oversaturated with jewelry. But, there are people out there who are successful at it, so it is possible. Maybe a little break from everything will help me rejuvinate, and I can come back with lots of fabulous ideas!

On the flip side of this, I have been surprisingly successful selling my jewelry outside of the online world! Almost all my sales have come from friends, family or word of mouth from these people. I am very grateful for all the people who have purchased my jewelry - thank you!! It's been way too hot to do any craft shows lately, but I am hoping when the weather cools a bit, I can start doing a few. I also want to do a home party with my friend who makes handbags, so I hope to plan that as the holidays near as well.

I started writing this blog post yesterday, and I was feeling a little blue about everything, but then the doorbell rang and the UPS deliverer left me a package. I hurriedly cut open the box and found two August issues of Bead Trends magazine along with the return of my very first published jewelry design! Needless to say, I was immediately cheered up! I submitted my design back in February, so it has seemed like an eternity since then!

My necklace features a pewter bird pendant by Lynn Davis and a pewter nest bead by Green Girl Studios.

(Click on the photo to enlarge and see the whole spread)

I think they did a beautiful job photographing my necklace, and I am very happy with it! There are tons of other amazing designs in this magazine, so I hope you'll pick one up next time you are out! I have had several projects accepted to future issues of Bead Trends, as well as some other jewelry magazines, so, who knows, maybe they will help my online sales :)

I hope you're having a great week!!

Etched Copper - FREE SHIPPING!!

2010-07-20T18:04:00.000-04:00

I have some new earrings to share, some using my etched copper components. They have not been listed in my Etsy shop yet, but just shoot me an email if you are interested in any of them.

Sterling silver, pearls and ceramic bird charms - $18.00

Lime green Czech glass beads and fern copper etched discs - $24.00

Snakeskin Jasper and swirl copper etched discs - $23.00

Amazonite and meadow copper etched discs - $23.00

I realized I just hit 200 followers of my blog, and July 27th is my 2-Year Blogiversary! So to celebrate, I am offering FREE SHIPPING in either of my shops - lucid moon studio OR lucid moon supplies - until July 31! And I think I will try to plan to have a giveaway on July 27th - so check back soon!

Here are some of the new etched copper supplies just listed in my Etsy supply shop:

They are all without holes and flat, but I can drill as many holes as you'd like wherever you prefer and dome them on either side. They are all in matching pairs, but I can also sell you just one of any of them for half the price. Just let me know your preferences and how you want them customized in "message to seller" or an email!

Industrial Chic Reader Challenge

2010-07-12T06:00:00.014-04:00

Back in June, Objects and Elements announced on their blog a reader challenge using Susan Lenart Kazmer's Industrial Chic line of jewelry supplies that can be found at Michael's craft stores. I had just bought a bunch of components from the line, so I though it would be fun to enter. Of course, being the impatient person that I am, I didn't bother to read the details. Specifically that you are only allowed to enter one design. I made a necklace and 4 rings. No big deal though, I entered the necklace since it was more complex and used more components. However, I ended up loving the way the rings came out! They were so much fun to make! In fact, last week I ran out to the 2 Michaels stores in our area to grab up any ring blanks that were left, and one store was completely out, but the other store still had 3 packs of 2, so I bought them ALL to make more fun rings with. Here is the necklace I entered:

As soon as I saw the hand and ring pendant, I knew I had to have it for a necklace. I basically designed the rest of the necklace around it. Everything is from the Industrial Chic line except the vintage buttons (my grandmother's), oxidized copper wire, pearl, and turquoise glass beads. Next up, I purchased several silver ring blanks from the line because I have been playing around with resin lately, and they were just what I had been looking for.

The blue bird and blue butterfly ones were made with etched copper and brass discs as the background. I then cut out graphics from Piddix and added some Swarovski crystal flatback accents, and finally filled them with resin.

For the next two, I used Piddix background graphics and then added the cut out bird and butterfly graphics on top adding crystals and tiny copper balls as accents. The graphics and accents are layered in the resin, so it gives them a 3D effect which is hard to see in the photos, but looks really cool. Plus the rings are incredibly comfortable to wear! I was actually very surprised by it.

The blue butterfly ring has already sold, but the rest are available in my Etsy shop. Go to Objects and Elements blog to see the rest of the entries for their Industrial Chic Reader Challenge - the talent will amaze you!

New Bezels

2010-07-09T15:47:00.000-04:00

A while back I bought some cool handcast pewter and copper bezels made by Lynn Davis of LLYYNN. I have been playing around with resin lately, so I decided to fill these bezels as well. I felt bad covering up the etching inside the bezels, but I think they came out really nice.

The first two are made using Piddix digital collage sheets, and I used scrapbook paper on the last one. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with these yet...but I think it would be fun to design pieces around them.

Here is some new charms and pendants that are available in my Lucid Moon Supplies shop:

Clicking on the photos will take you directly to the listings in Etsy!

I won, and there's MORE giveaways!!

2010-07-05T22:17:00.000-04:00

So, I don't know if you noticed, but I have been on a giveaway kick lately! There have been so many giveaways ever since the Bead Soup Party that I can barely keep up. I think it is great that there are so many very generous and kind people in blogland. I just recently won some cool vintage buttons from Regina of Sundancegems:

Aren't they pretty? I can't wait to use one as a clasp for a necklace. Check out her awesome jewelry for sale here, and her blog here! My husband says I am so lucky because I frequently win online giveaways, but he doesn't realize just how many I enter a day! lol. It's A LOT.

I have yet another giveaway to share with you. This one is on Erin's blog, Erin Siegel Jewelry. This one is a GOOD one - she is giving away THREE prizes in celebration of her second published design in Bead Trends magazine and also the beginning of her new blog. On a side note, if you were following her old blog, be sure to update your blog reader with her new blog! Not that I would forget to do this or anything....um, anyways, here is her necklace that will be in July's issue- I LOVE it! Congrats Erin!!

Be sure to go here and enter her giveaway because she just might be giving away some of her amazing handmade stoneware sand dollar pendants along with some other fun stuff!! I already have one, but I could certainly use more, especially since she will not be selling them anymore....waaa!!! Maybe she'll change her mind one day though :)

Hope everyone had a SAFE and FUN 4th of July weekend!!

Bella-Bijou Jewellery Giveaway Alert!

2010-07-03T17:39:00.001-04:00

Jaime is giving away this beautiful Plume Necklace on her blog! This is totally a necklace I would wear every day, and I even have earrings that would match it...hope I win!! She has beautiful jewelry for sale in her Etsy store - and she's offering 15% off until 9pm PST July 4th!

Have a FANTASTIC 4th of July weekend!!!

Coming Soon...CSN Review

2010-07-01T16:22:00.001-04:00

I was contacted by a CSN stores representative recently and offered a $60 gift certificate to review a product(s) chosen from their 200+ online stores. I was immediately overwhelmed by the selection they offer! They have everything from home decor and furniture to lights and pet supplies. And their prices are very reasonable with free shipping on most items! We are in desperate need of a new outdoor light/fan for our screened hot tub room, so I considered reviewing this:

Minka Aire - F620-ORB - 52" Bolo Ceiling Fan in Oil Rubbed Bronze - $199.95

But then I thought, although it would be nice for us, it isn't the most exciting thing to review for my blog readers. So, I decided to ask Cooper, our Weimaraner, what he would like to review. He picked out a very fun item to review, and then I picked out an item to review that Cooper was not too sure about. I am going to let it be a surprise for now! I will give you one hint - the items were chosen from this website: http://www.petsbycsn.com/ But then, you probably could have guessed that! Be on the lookout for our review in the near future...I'm sure Cooper will make it enjoyable!

And the Winners are...

2010-06-29T22:14:00.001-04:00

(drumroll, please) The winner of the $25.00 gift certificate good in either or both of my Etsy shops is

moonlitfantaseas!!

And the winner of the lovely seashell bezel bracelet is

Kella!!

Congrats to the winners!! I will be contacting the winners shortly, but feel free to email me with your mailing address if you see this first. Sorry I am a little late with the results, I got a little behind on everything. Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments and for checking out the Bead Soup Party!! The Bead Soup Party was once again a smashing success and loads of fun! I can't wait until the next one in January. Thank you, Lori, for all your hard work putting it all together!! Also, Lori is giving away her beautiful Bead Soup pendant on her blog, so go here to enter by July 2nd!

Mother of All Giveaways

2010-06-27T22:16:00.000-04:00

The giveaway that Denise Yezbak Moore is currently having on her blog puts my little giveaway to shame! This is what she is giving away:

It is bead heaven!! Go HERE to enter before it's too late!! Or don't and give me a better chance at winning! Muya-ha-ha!!

Giveaway Extension

2010-06-27T14:18:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday!! I have decided to extend my giveaway until midnight tonight because I realized some people might still be making their way through the Bead Soup Party list...I know I am! So, I'll add a little extra time since I know not everyone has had a chance to visit my blog. Last year I had 86 comments on my Bead Soup...this year only 39 so far! Strange since there are more participants this time! I will post the winner first thing tomorrow morning! My "bead soup" sale will also extend until tomorrow.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your day!! I'll leave you with some pics of Cooper and I at the last Running Zone fun run:

Just finished, and Cooper is already scoping out the pizza

Begging for pizza (and beer)

This is his "you don't really want that pizza crust, do you?" look

Doing tricks for pizza crust

Did I mention Cooper LOVES the pizza party after the fun run???

Happy Saturday!!

2010-06-26T11:07:00.000-04:00

Only ONE MORE DAY to enter my GIVEAWAY and save 20% at LUCID MOON STUDIO by typing "BEAD SOUP" in the "message to seller" and then waiting for a revised invoice from me!!!

Also, it is the LAST day of the Bead Soup Party (Boo hoo, I don't want it to end!)!! Be sure to check out the blogs below and follow Lori's blog so you'll know when the NEXT Bead Soup Party is...you won't want to miss it...TRUST ME!!! Without further ado, here are the Day 8 Bead Soup reveals:

85. Melissa, One-Eared Pig Beads

86. Rebecca, 2SistersBeadwork

87. Karyn, Releases by Rufydoof

88. Denise, Bling on the Blog

89. Doris, Glaszwerg

90. Megan, Churchy & Her Sailor

91. Jo, Daisychain Designs

92. Jen, VanBeads Jewelry and Design

93. Kristie, Artisan Clay

94. Jess, Vintaj

95. Suzann, Beadphoria

96. Sharon, Sharon's Jewelry Garden

97. Michelle, bMichelle

The full list of participants can be found by clicking here.

I am looking forward to catching up on Bead Soup blogs and working on listing new stuff in both my shops today!! Hope you have an enjoyable Saturday!!

Bead Soup, Bead Soup, Bead Soup!!

2010-06-24T09:13:00.000-04:00

You still have until this Saturday to enter my giveaway if you haven't yet!! Thanks to everyone who has entered and left such nice comments!! I am so thankful for all of you!!

My Bead Soup swap partner, Anne of Gardanne Beads, revealed the designs she made using the beads I sent her and some amazing enamel and glass beads she made.
Here is the bead soup I sent her:

Check out the beautiful necklaces she made!

I love the look of my etched copper discs with Anne's enamel discs...they're a perfect pairing! This necklace could be worn a variety of ways depending on your mood.

Anne did an AMAZING job showcasing the Green Girl Studio shibuichi bird toggle in this one! We share the same favorite color combinations and coincidentally both sent the other beads in turquoise, browns and copper!

Also, Anne just added some yummy enamel beads to her Etsy shop, so take a little jaunt over there and check it out!

I am a little behind on visiting everyone's blog for bead soup since I had to go back to work yesterday (blah!), but I plan to get caught up tomorrow night. Everything I've seen so far has been amazing and so inspiring!

Today is the sixth day of the Bead Soup Blog party, so be sure to check out these blogs for their awesome reveals!

60. Carol, Carol Bradley Designs

61. Wanda, A Frayed of Fibers

62. Diana, Vintage Blue Studio

63. Marieke, Marieke's Blog

64. KJ, Silver Parrot

65. Maire, Maire Dodd

66. Shannon, Miss Fickle Media

67. Dana, Dana's Jewelry Designs

68. Charlene, The Bead Dreamer

69. Elisabeth, Beads for Busy Gals

70. Cathryn, Chile Cats

71. Missy, Melissa Rappaport

The full list of participants can be found by clicking here.