Go Steelers!

I spent the night glossing Steeler beads. Here's a picture of the work in progress. I also ordered more supplies from Fire Mountain Gems yesterday. It's only been a day, but it feels like I'm waiting for Christmas. I ordered a few basics - spacers, clasps and wire but also picked up a few fun items including crystals and a gem stones. One of the items was an assorted mix of stones...I'm so curious to see if they sent trash or treasures!

Obsession or Passion?

My sister-in-law are having a debate over the word "obession." So, let me give you a scenario. I make a run to Ann Taylor (my favorite store) and pick up a cute peach top for my trip back to Grove City. A quick rummage through my jewlery box resuls in zero matches; so, at 8:30PM the night before my flight I decide that I can't wear new digs without jewlery. Normal people might throw together a quick string of glass beads. However, I decide that a true match would look better out of clay. So, fast forward 4-1/2 hours and I'm glazing my new beads at midnight! Attached is a picture of the new shirt and necklace. So...now the big question. Is this called "passion" or "obsession"?

Beading in the 'Burgh

I spent the week back in Grove City (near Pittsburgh) for a sales meeting and spent some time with friends and family - huge bonus! On Friday I went hiking in Kennerdale and finished the evening with a Barbeque party complete with great food, wonderful friends, washer toss, creamsicles and beads! You couldn't ask for a better day. :-)

My girlfriends decided that we should make clay Steeler beads to kick-off the football season in Pittsburgh. The Steeler logo was a new and interesting challenge - more difficult than the flower designs I'd been making. The pattern was not symetrical and included funky shaped diamonds. I was a little nervous making the 1st cane slice...but I think it turned out pretty neat. I finished the sets on Saturday (with help from Mom & sister), then delivered them to the girls!

Lori has already asked for 2 more sets as gifts!

Beach House Bead Party

I held my 1st official party at Laura's beach house yesterday. Seven ladies made a necklace and earrings while a few fast beaders came away with 2 sets and repairs to old jewlery. Everyone proclaimed to have a great time and seemed excited to model their new pieces. I personlly found it rewarding both to teach people and to see looks of satisfaction with the finished pieces. It was a great learning opportunity for me.

• People loved the ear ring display on the wire tree! (Great job Mom.)
• I sold less than I'd expected. Most ladies used the pieces for inspiration only. I need to find another outlet to sell finished pieces.
• The handmade clay beads didn't attract much attention. (boo hoo...I love making these!)
• 7 people was about the maximim I could handle.
• Next time, I'll bring more silver chains, Swarovski crystals, gold seed beads, and temporary crimps. The "shiny and flashy" beads were more popular than the stones.
• I think ladies would pay extra for the expensive beads.
• The hand made links were a hit
• The party lasted for over 6 hours...way longer than I thought! I had a blast because I knew the people; but If I extend parties beyond my circle of close friends I'll need to set a time limit.

In the end, I thought it was neat to have a bead party in the comfort of someone's home with food & friends. Both Laura (my friend) and her mom asked me if I'd be willing to do it again. :-)

Getting Ready to Party

One of my girlfriends has asked me to host an official beading party! Of course I blew all hopes of making a profit by running out to purchase loads of supplies. Oh well...at least I'll have fun in the process. I figured this would be a nice setting to try selling a few pieces. I've been thinking about how to display, tag, and price my work. So far, I've turned a wire tree into ear ring art. Also, I'm planning to use my Christmas gift tote (Thanks Tam!) as a convienient way to carry and sell my necklaces. I purchased a scrapbooking tool to create my own tags and I'm toying with the idea of decorating the gift boxes. My idea for a color scheme is a deep pink, black and white - a little girly with a classy look.

Crystal and Gold Set

We flew to the Vineyard this weekend in hopes of offering our friends a flight. Unfortunely, the weather had other plans. So, we ended up just mooching a meal and a bed. As always I brought a few beads and tools and finished this set on Sunday. The links were made with a WigJig tool that allows me to bend wire around pegs. The beads are a deep purple Swarovski crystal that I think goes well with the gold. This is the 4th time I've made this style. The others were given to my sister-in-law, Emily (still waiting for that pic), my mom and another sister-in-law, Kari. Pictures welcomed ladies!

I'm planning to sell this one. What do you think it's worth?

My $50 German Beads

Bonjour and Halo! I just got back from a trip to France and Germany. Lots of work and hardly any time to play. I did, however, manage to get a few hours to sight see around Darmstadt, Germany. In my wandering and broken German I managed to drink a glass of diesel (that's German beer and coke!) and find a bead shop. It was a nice collection of stones and carved pieces. I thought I was getting a bargain when I saw each bag of beads priced at only 1 to 3 euros ($1.5 - $5). The cashier spoke no English but simply pointed to the price tag and took one bead from each bag. HA! Go figure....my bargain turned into a small fortune. I couldn't bear to go home empty handed so I cut down my stash but made sure that I left with several of the cherry colored carved beads. I think they look German!

A few other pics from my trip...