Paige Maxim Designs

Challenge of Music Blog Hop Reveal

2012-02-29T13:06:00.001-05:00

(sorry for the late posting and semi-crappy photos. I lost my camera, and hadn’t uploaded the photos yet…so I had to take some quick shots with my phone…and than that was a fiasco getting them to my computer! So there aren’t many photos. Hopefully I can find my camera soon and get better/more photos.)

It took me nearly two weeks to figure out what music I wanted to choose to use for inspiration for this challenge. When Erin sent out her welcome e-mail to participants, she mentioned that we didn’t have to choose a specific song—that entire albums were good for this challenge as well. And so I started thinking that way, too. And one day, it hit me. American Idiot by Green Day. The single. The album. The Broadway play.

I was introduced to Green Day by one of my older brothers when I was 11. I’ve loved every song on every album since then. I’m not sure why, but American Idiot has been one of my absolute favorite albums of theirs since it was released. I think part of the reason is that the entire album is a complete story--listening to it is like watching a movie in my head. I was so excited when I read that it was being turned into a play, and I was able to see it last month in Boston through Broadway on Tour. Best 90 minutes of my life!

This video from the 2010 Tony Awards with a performance of the first song/opener has a Billie Joe introducing it, and he explains a bit about American Idiot. I’ll let you watch for yourself.

The inspiration for the necklace came from the entire album, since I couldn’t choose just one song. So I decided to draw inspiration from the common themes in the different songs, the sets from the play, the costumes, album cover art, and posters/playbill artwork.

“Rebel”

I chose to stick with the black/red theme that’s in most of the artwork, and throw in some gunmetal chain & wire components. For texture, I used some red suede cording. I used a mix of glass, hematite, dyed howlite, and lava stones. I absolutely love the red glass heart bead I found…the black line through reminded me of the lines in the heart shaped grenade from the cover art!

“Rebel”

The name of the piece comes from one of my favorite songs, She’s A Rebel. My favorite line is “and she's holding on my
heart like a hand grenade”. In the play, the mashed it up with a song from 21st Century Breakdown, Last of the American Girls. I love the two songs, and I think the character of “Whatsername” would wear this type of necklace.

I absolutely loved this challenge. I was so inspired by this music, and plan to do a series of jewelry based on American Idiot. All the songs have different feels to them, and I think it’ll be fun and different…and a project for me this summer.

To hop along, click the links below!

Michelle Escano-Caballero

Paige Maxim *You Are Here*

Looking back, moving forward

2012-01-04T17:20:00.001-05:00

In 2011, I chose to pick a word to help me through my year, as a lot of bloggers were doing. I chose the word Simplicity. I needed some simplicity in my life, and while I had some very lofty goals for the year, and things to do, I think I kept up my simplicity. For the last few weeks, I was feeling like I had let the word down…that there was nothing simple about my life. It seemed like there were a million things left to do on my list of goals for the year, each with many steps in order to be completed. And then it hit me, just as I was feeling like crap about not finishing things—by not finishing everything, I had kept my life on the path to simplicity. There were many things that did get completed, and while they may not have all been huge accomplishments, some were and they made up for everything else. I chose to keep my life simple in the last half of the year, and focus on my family and not so much my business—which isn’t great, because I still need to get that balance thing down. But it worked for me, since my jewelry business isn’t what I rely on right now. I’m still figuring out what my word for 2012 will be…I have quite a few written down, and none seem quite right, and I wish I could choose them all—so I’m going to wait a few more days to see if one jumps out at me.

Anyway, looking back on my year, here are a few things I did accomplish, all of them from my 28 Before 28 list (which was supposed to be done in September…oh well.) I’m in the process of making a new list with 30 things to accomplish by the time I turn 30, which should be done any day now. And will give me almost 2 years to complete. :D

1. Read 15 books—for fun. Almost done. :D

I didn’t finish this one completely, but I did read 13 before my birthday, which I feel is really good for me, given how hectic my summer was. My favorite book of the year? I totally loved The Help—and watched the movie, which was just as good!

2. Decide on a major, switch it, and do it already! Done-ish

I haven’t really completed this. I’ve narrowed it down to two options, though. Art History (which really excites me), or just be done with college altogether. I feel peace with that option…I think I feel that so many people in my life expect me to finish college, and that designing/selling jewelry isn’t enough or “a ‘real’" job”. But I do, I love it, and why should I spend thousands of dollars, and years of my time if I’ve found what I enjoy doing, and it doesn’t require a college degree? I’m still really struggling with this task.

5. Take a day trip to Boston with my sisters. & 6. Go to the New England Aquarium-Done!

I took a trip down to Boston with 3 of my sisters, and we went to the NEAQ. We had a blast, the girls loved it, and they can’t wait to go again this summer. Our favorite exhibit was the penguins of course, but the seals were a close second.

10. Submit designs to a jewelry magazine & 11. Have design selected to be shown in said magazine (this is one I have no control over…but really want to happen!) DONE!

Back in May, I submitted 3 designs to Bead Trends Magazine for November’s issue. I’m so excited that this one was able to have “Done” written next to it! If this were the only thing that was accomplished this year, I’d be happy. One of the designs I submitted to Bead Trends was selected to be in the November issue. It’s been almost 2 months, and I’m still reeling from excitement. :D (And guess what—it was a design I made with simplicity in mind!)

(Bead Trends 2011…lampwork beads from StudioJuls.com)

15. Organize craft closet. Done!

I did complete this, but as I do every January, I feel it needs to be completely reorganized, gone through, sorted, etc.

16. Sort through craft supplies, and only keep what I’m really going to use. Done!

It feels so good to only have the supplies I’m going to use…I had a few great giveaways, and hope to have a few more in the next few months as I go through my supplies yet again.

19. Learn to use my camera, without using the “auto” feature or pre-set scenes (which will prove tricky, since I can’t find my manual). Done!

I finally figured out some good stuff, and then decided I wanted a newer, better camera for Christmas. Thankfully, Santa heard my request and now this year I get to learn a whole new camera. At least this year I have a manual to help! I’m already loving this new camera, and all the great features it has. I can’t wait for there to be some really cool snow falls or great sunny days to really get a chance to use it outside.

26. Watch every episode of every season of Monk. Done! & 27. Play Mario Kart. Come in 1st place in a Championship Race. Done!

These were probably two of the most fun goals I had…Monk is a great show, and just when I was going to give up on Mario Kart, I decided to try one last time…I couldn’t let a a bunch of kids be better than me all the time. And now I can say “well I beat you all once!”. I’m sure they let me win, so I’d shut up about it, but whatever. :)

28. Donate to a charity. TBD which one, and what will be donated. Done!

I actually donated to a bunch of charities this year, which isn’t unusual for me. I gave money to some charities that needed it, bought toys & clothes at Christmas time for the tags on trees in local stores, and made/bought a bunch of blankets to donate to the Children’s Hospital in Boston. I wanted to do something bigger, like a fundraiser of sorts, but that will go on my 30 Before 30 list.

An Unannounced, Unintentional Hiatus

2011-11-03T10:26:00.001-04:00

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I last posted! I feel absolutely horrible, especially since I was supposed to announce the winner of a giveaway. That night a mini-family emergency happened, and after dealing with that and summer coming I decided to take a break from blogland and jewelry/beady goodness. I think this break over the summer/fall was good for me. I had a lot of fun with my family. Including traveling down to Boston with 3 of my sisters to go to the New England Aquarium.

The penguins were one of our favorite exhibits, and we spent a good portion of our day there. But we also loved the seals!

I also went to see Lee DeWyze in Boston with my sister. He is such an amazing singer!

I also celebrated my birthday in September. I had a “28 before 28” list going, and I managed to cross a few things off the list—which will be in another post soon. The rest will be going on to my new “30 before 30” list. :D

And now, how about that winner for the Fairy Flower Mega Giveaway from back in May? Random.org says the winner is:

Comment #2:

Do Be Do Bead Do said...

Tweeted this @sandileejames

I’ll be contacting to later today—hopefully it’ll be a nice surprise for you! :D

Lucy’s First Road Trip

2011-05-30T21:21:00.001-04:00

On Sunday, my family took our annual day trip to New Hampshire…Santa’s Village to be exact. My parents have taken us “kids” there every Memorial Day weekend ever since I can remember. The deal is that when the youngest child says no more to the trip, we’ll stop going. There were a few years when I was a teen that we didn’t go, but then when my parents became foster parents, a whole new slew of little kids came that say “Yes, please!” to the trip. Last year, a couple kids (well, teens) were sick so Lucy wasn’t a problem. My dad stayed home with them, and Lucy stayed with them. This year though, everyone was well and Lucy came with. She’s never been in the car for more than 30 minutes, so we were a bit worried she wouldn’t like the 2 1/2 hour drive there.

She sat at my feet and on my lap in the front, and liked it a bit at first.

This was her face about an hour into the ride. She didn’t like it much.

But soon she laid down and slept, and we enjoyed views such as this:

And that picture above? My favorite. I love riding through the White Mountains

and seeing the white birch trees. They’re absolutely gorgeous. And everywhere!

My favorite part of the park is seeing the littlest ones having fun. But I also love

seeing the reindeer and looking at the beautiful trees and flowers. Check it out!

One of the babies! So cute.

Prancer, my family’s favorite reindeer. Sadly, Rudolph doesn’t make an

appearance in the Reindeer barn.

I feel really dumb, but I can not tell you what kind of tree this is.

I’d be forever grateful if someone let me know. It’s absolutely beautiful,

and the petals flew off the tree and covered the ground below.

We stayed until closing, and picked up Lucy from the Canine Condo’s.

Then we had to endure another 2 1/2 hour trip home with her.

She said, “Really, Mom??” Thankfully, she fell asleep soon and was really a good

little puppy the rest of the way home. But she was really excited to get home!

Fun With My Camera

2011-05-28T13:22:00.001-04:00

This week I took some time to learn a little about my camera…it’s on my 28 Before 28 list. I didn’t really do much that was different. I used the macro setting (like I usually do for jewelry/bead photos), and the weather has been amazing this week. I also made sure to pay attention to using the focus more, and tried to hold the camera as steady as possible.

I love the colors on this flower…and the drops of water? Didn’t notice them until I got the photos uploaded!

That spider? Didn’t notice that until I got in my computer, either. Amazing!

May Giveaway Bonanza: Fairy Flowers

2011-05-27T08:43:00.001-04:00

It’s time again for another HUGE giveaway! Everything in this package reminds me of a fairytale, so I’m calling it “Fairy Flowers”. :) Here’s what you could win!

Retail value of this giveaway? Over $75!!!!

Here’s a rundown of what’s in this giveaway:

5 2x3 bags of flower beads in a bunch of colors, from Blue Moon Studios

1 2x3 bag of glass leaves in greens & browns

1 2x3 bag of vintage lucite & plastic flowers

1 3x3 bag of vintage lucite beads from their “Neapolitan” mix.

2 vintage lucite grape leaf pendants

1 package of 6 owl links/chain

1 package of ear wires, with swarovski crystal accents from Jolee’s

1 large button with a bird on it (great for a pendant!)

1 small bag of glass pearls in bright green, bright blue, and pink

1 bag of handmade (by me!) felted balls in pink with sparkles. :D

1 small bag of pewter angel wings (fairy wings? :D)

I think that’s it!

The Rules:

All you have to do win this gem stone stash is leave me a comment with which of the items in this giveaway you’re most excited about! Yep, that’s it!

Of course, you can have an extra entry if you tweet about this giveaway or blog about it or Facebook or share it in some way. Just make sure to leave a separate comment for each item. And be sure to leave a way for me to contact you, in each entry in case you win!

Winner will be chosen by random.org and announced sometime Tuesday night (5/31/11), after 8:00 PM EST. All entries after 8:00 PM EST will not be included in the drawing. Sorry, this giveaway is for U.S. residents only.

We Have A Winner: A Little Variety

2011-05-24T21:05:00.001-04:00

Here’s the winner for “A Little Variety” Giveaway. I used random.org, as usual:

#7 was megansbeadeddesigns! Congratulations! I’ll be contacting you soon—enjoy!

Don’t forget to check back Friday for another giveaway!

Dance, Dance

2011-05-21T12:20:00.001-04:00

Last night was Em’s (my lil sis) 8th Grade Celebration—a dance to celebrate the end of 3 years of middle school with their friends and teachers. It’s kind of a big deal, since it’s the only dance for middle school students in our district. It’s not quite as formal as a prom, but the girls all feel it is every year. My mom, Em, and I found the perfect dress for her—she wanted all black, and a dress that wasn’t too dress-like, since she hates dresses. And the while my mom and I won that battle more than Em did (it was mostly black, with big white buttons, and it was a dress), she was still very happy with it.

I decided to make her jewelry for her, since she’s always begging me to make her some, and found the most perfect beads from Juls over at Juls Beads. I wanted her jewelry to be simple, elegant, and timeless. I feel it’s important for girls these days to have a set of jewelry that they can where to more than one dance. I think I achieved that goal in these pieces. The beads are gorgeous, black & white with silver swirling through them. The bracelet and necklace I made will go with any black or black & white dress she could choose for future dances. And because I know she’s still growing a bit, it will be simple enough to adjust the pieces with a bit of chain as she grows. And the best part? She got tons of compliments from everyone at the dance about her jewelry….which makes me feel good knowing that someone other than myself and Em like it! Below is a collage of photos of the jewelry.

The necklace is made of gunmetal chain with a silver plated toggle clasp. It measures about 16 inches long, and is a bit longer than choker length on her, which is what she wanted. About an inch up from the center on the chain on each side are links of tiny vintage lucite white rounds and 8mm lava stone rounds (which she absolutely loves.) The focal is comprised of one of the lampwork discs, with jet black swarovski bicones. Hanging from the link is 3 cat’s eye type glass beads in white, and 2 more jet black swarovski’s. It hung perfectly on her.

The bracelet is made with the focal barrel and 2 smaller barrels from the set of beads, each paired with some white seed beads. In between the links of lampwork are links made of vintage lucite moonglow white rounds and white opal swarovski’s. A bit of chain and a toggle clasp finished it off. The bracelet was a little big, so it rolled about her arm a bit, but she like that, so I left it as it was.

Aren’t those beads gorgeous? I’m so happy I didn’t use the complete set with Em—I still have a few left to play around with, and you may be seeing more of this necklace style coming to my shop soon. And since I just bought a baggie of orphans from Juls, there will be plenty more in different colors as well.

28 before 28: One down, 27 to go

2011-05-20T13:41:00.000-04:00

26. Watch every episode of every season of Monk.

8 seasons. 125 episodes. 89.58 hours. 5,735 minutes. And I’m done. This can be officially crossed off my list. I have to say, I’m sorry I never watched it before. I loved every minute of every episode. I laughed. I was scared out of my mind a few times. I’ll admit it—there were a few nights that after watching a few episodes, I stayed awake with the lights on watching reruns of The Nanny or My Wife & Kids to help myself not be too scared. I didn’t expect to cry like a baby during the last episode though. Seriously, for the last 30 minutes of the last episode, I was crying my eyes out, and couldn’t stop for another 10 minutes after it ended.

As happy as I am that I can cross this off my list, I’m sad that there aren’t any new episodes to watch. So I’ll just have to re-watch them. Or read the book I picked up at my local book store, Mr. Paperback. Gosh I love that store. Anyway, it’s kind of an after-the-show-ended book, which is nice, because it’ll be like a new episode. :D

Did you watch Monk when it was on? Do you watch reruns on tv? If so, what do you think of it? Any recommendations for shows like Monk for me?

May Giveaway Bonanza #3: A Little Variety

2011-05-20T10:13:00.001-04:00

Welcome to another giveaway! Here’s what’s up for grabs today:

“A Little Variety”

This package is small—it ways about 5 oz—but packs a big punch. Retail value is about $40!!

(Sorry for the crappy photos. We’re on day 12 of rain/gloomy weather here,

and there is absolutely no sun or light anywhere in my house. ugh.)

The Run Down:

1 oz bag of vintage lucite/plastic flowers
small bag of dyed candy jade faceted rounds—5 or 6mm, I believe
Small bag (almost a whole strand) of ceramic squares in green, with black round spacers
Swarovski pendant-Snowman
Heart pendant w/rose (Blue Moon Beads, I believe)
Large square flower pendant
Large circle pendant with blue bird
Large circle mother of pearl light blue pendant
7 pieces of handmade felted balls—made by me!

The Rules:

All you have to do win this gem stone stash is leave me a comment with what you’d do with these beads. Yep, that’s it!

Winner will be chosen by random.org and announced sometime Tuesday night (5/24/11), after 8:00 PM EST. All entries after 8:00 PM EST will not be included in the drawing.

And guess what?? This giveaway is open to international readers! I made sure this one was small enough in weight that it wouldn’t cost a fortune to send. :)

Gemstone Madness Giveaway Winner!

2011-05-17T20:22:00.001-04:00

I remembered to pick the winner on time this week! :D Yay! As a reminder, here’s what the giveaway was for:

I used random.org to to choose the winner.

Congratulations, Hyperspace Hippo!

I’ll be contacting you shortly! Can’t wait to see the bracelets you make, and hope your sister enjoys hers!

Make sure to check back here on Friday for the next giveaway. This one will be for a variety of materials, and will be open to international readers! Yay!

New In The Shop: 5.16.11 + a Coupon!

2011-05-17T08:06:00.000-04:00

I listed a few new pairs of earrings in my shop over the weekend. Here’s a quick look!

Violet Velvet Earrings, $20

Swarovski bicones and lampwork beads from Spawn of Flame

Yellow Velvet Earrings, $20

Swarovski bicones and lampwork beads from Spawn of Flame

Banded Onyx Earrings, $15

These might be one of my favorite pair of earrings I’ve made. Yeah, I know they’re simple, just a wire wrapped

stone…but they are so versatile—they’ll go with just about anything, for any occasion!

And for the month of May, you can use coupon code “Daffodils” to receive 15% off your entire order.

Spring 2011 Art Charm Swap

2011-05-16T14:04:00.001-04:00

Jennifer Cameron is hosting another art charm swap! Of course I jumped at the opportunity. Instead of using certain colors like last time as our common theme, this time it’s the word “Play”. And this time, we’re creating an extra charm that will be auctioned off at the end of the swap, and the proceeds will go to Beads of Courage. The deadline is June 20th, and I haven’t officially started my charms yet. I thought I had everything I needed, and then I had an amazing idea when I was organizing my new supplies to enhance what I was going to do already, and so now I have to head back out to the store for a few more items. I’m super excited about playing with a new technique/craft, and can’t wait to actually get started.

Spring 2011 Participants:

1. Jennifer Cameron: Glass Addictions by Jennifer Cameron

2. Sandi Lee James: Do Be Do Bead Do

3. Paige Maxim: Paige Maxim Designs (that’s mes!)

4. Mallory Hoffman: For the Love of Beads

5. Sue Kennedy: Sue Beads

6. Sally Russick: Wireworked

7. Erin Prais-Hintz: Treasures Found

Don’t forget, there’s still time to enter my giveaway of gem stones! Click here to take a look!

May Giveaway #2: Gem Stone Madness

2011-05-13T15:28:00.001-04:00

Are you ready for giveaway number two? This week’s giveaway consists of just over a pound of gemstones, worth over $40! These beads come from a variety of sources. These include: Lima Beads, A Bead Store, Michael’s, Joanns’, A.C. Moore, and a few vendors on Etsy.

(Click to enlarge…I think!)

Here’s what’s included:

3 small (2x3) bags of a mix of gemstone chips (a mini gemstone soup, perhaps? :D), weighing a total of 5.8 oz
Brazilian Sodalite, in ovals, squares, and coins
Botswana Agate rounds (I believe they are 10mm)—there are a lot, the baggie weighs 2.4 oz!
Jasper mix-a few different jasper forms, including chips, a large oval, coins, and rounds.
Fluorite rounds, 8mm
Snowflake Obsidian briolette, 4 pcs
Dyed orange coral rounds, 10 pcs
Yellow “New Jade” rectangle pillows, 10 pcs
Malachite mix-rounds of different sizes
Purple crazy lace agate coins, 1.1 oz
Carnelian nuggets, LARGE, 11m-17mm, weighs about 1.8 oz
A VERY large Mookite focal pendant. It’s the one in my hand in the picture—it’s huge and weighs 1 oz. It also has a large hole.

The Rules:

All you have to do win this gem stone stash is leave me a comment with what you’d do with these beads. Yep, that’s it!

Of course, you can have an extra entry if you tweet about this giveaway or blog about it or facebook. Just make sure to leave a separate comment for each item. And be sure to leave a way for me to contact you, in each entry in case you win!

Winner will be chosen by random.org and announced sometime Tuesday night (5/17/11), after 8:00 PM EST. All entries after 8:00 PM EST will not be included in the drawing.

Sorry, but due to the weight of this particular package, this giveaway is only open to U.S. Residents. I feel really bad, but next week’s giveaway will be open to international readers! :D

Mega Lucite Giveaway Winner!

2011-05-12T08:27:00.000-04:00

So sorry I’m late…I’ve been so busy this week that I lost track of the days! But without further ado, here’s the winner of the Mega Lucite Giveaway from last Friday.

Comment #3 is:

Congrats, Deci! I hope you enjoy this amazing amount of beads! :D Check your e-mail!

Check back tomorrow for the next giveaway!

New In The Shop! 5.7.11

2011-05-07T10:13:00.001-04:00

I listed 3 necklaces and a pair of earrings in the shop this week. I made these necklaces last fall for quick impulse buys, but most of them didn’t sell at the craft fairs. So I decided to photograph them and list them and hope they sell on Artfire.

Opalite Necklace, $18

(This is my fave…thankfully I had another of these opalites and can make one for myself!)

It was a funny site to see me photographing these items on Monday.

Labradorite & Honeysuckle Earrings, $15

Because of the time change, and spring came along, the sun isn’t where it was over the winter/last fall.

So I had to go around the house with my little photo studio and try to find the best spot.

Golden Opportunity Necklace, $15

My older brother, who’s visiting with us for a while, thought I was crazy.

Acts of Kindness Necklace, $15

In the end, I found the best spot for 10 AM-Noon in our house. It may be the most awkward spot of all. There’s an amazing 3 foot spot for sun in our pantry. I just have to set up my “photo studio” on the steps, and open the back door to let the sun in. And then sit on the floor to take the photos. The saddest part is that I know in a few weeks, the great photo spot will change, and I’ll have to go through this all again.

Don’t forget about the bead giveaway from yesterday! There’s still plenty of time to enter.

May Giveaway Bonanza! #1: Extreme Vintage Lucite

2011-05-06T19:02:00.000-04:00

Remember when I posted about a possible big giveaway coming up? Well, I finally went through the huge tub of beads and findings and such that I no longer want/need/will never use this morning, and decided to break it up into 5 or 6 giveaways. But don’t worry—each one is a stash worth winning! Each giveaway will be posted on Friday and the winner will be picked the following Tuesday. And each week’s prize fits into a small priority flat rate box, and is stuffed to the brim with goodness. I tried to keep each giveaway different, with some being one type of bead, and some being a mixture of all of them. First up: Vintage Lucite Madness!

Most of it is vintage lucite, purchased from The Beadin’ Path. The stacking flexible flowers are mostly from various vendors on Etsy. Be ware: some of this lucite isn’t vintage…though most of it is.

(I think you can click the pictures to make them larger.)

Here’s a collage of close ups of what you’ll get if you win!

And here’s a run down of what is in this amazing package:

1) School Bus Yellow (I swear it’s really the name!) and white rounds, I believe they are 10 or 12mm.

2) A 1.3 oz baggie of blues and greens mix lucite rounds (teeny, the biggest is 6mm).

3) A 2 oz baggie of a green and white lucite mix, all sizes.

4) A 0.6 oz bag of pink and purple lucite mix, all sizes.

5) 0.5 oz bag of pink and green two-tone vintage lucite ovals

6) a 0.2 oz bag of glow in the dark!!! vintage lucite rounds, about 6mm.

7) a 0.2 oz bag of dusty pink rounds

8) a tiny 0.1 oz bag of tiny yellow moonglow rounds.

9) A 0.5 oz bag of various colored lucite leaves

10) 4 Pineapple lucite beads with tops.

11) 2 grape leaf pendants

12) 2 large light yellow chandelier pendants

13) a 0.4 bag of mixed lucite pieces

14) 3 Large clear frosted leaves (pendant sized)

15) A 0.5 oz bag of flower pendants

16 & 17) 2 bags of small flexible stacking flower mixes, totaling 1.7 oz.

18) A 0.6 oz bag of Large stacking plastic flowers

19) A 0.3 oz bag of large flat stacking leaves/flowers

Whew! All of this weighs in at just about 12 oz or so, and at retail prices is worth over $50!!!

The Rules:

All you have to do win this mega lucite stash is leave me a comment with what you’d do with these beads. Yep, that’s it!

Winner will be chosen by random.org and announced sometime Tuesday night, after 8:00 PM EST. All entries after 8:00 PM EST will not be included in the drawing.

Sorry, but due to the weight of this particular package, this giveaway is only open to U.S. Residents. I feel really bad, and hope that at least one of the giveaways I’m doing will be able to be open to international readers.

30 Day Music Challenge: Day 6

2011-05-06T17:38:00.001-04:00

Day 6: A Song That Reminds You of Somewhere

“Down In My Heart” – A Sunday School Song

Okay—so this was another hard one. I’ve never really thought of songs reminding me of a place before. But this song popped in my head---it’s an old Sunday School song that we used to sing when I was kid at my childhood church. I don’t hear it often now, because we don’t it’s not a song my current church really knows. I play it for my students in Sunday School occasionally, and when I do, I’m instantly brought back to my childhood church. I’m also reminded of the different verses my friends and I made up to go with it, that weren’t “acceptable” to our parents. Nothing horrible, but they didn’t want us to sing them anyway. hahaha.

30 Day Music Challenge: Day 5

2011-05-06T16:34:00.001-04:00

Day 5: A Song That Reminds You Of Someone

“Motown Philly” by Boyz II Men

There are a lot of songs that remind me of people, but this is a biggie. My childhood best friend and I used to spend our summers listening to music as making up dance routines/music videos. Neither of us had MTV or VH1 to go on, and sadly, the internet wasn’t really around, so we had to do it ourselves. Boyz II Men were one of our favorite groups, and “Motown Philly” was our favorite of theirs, and we would listen to it constantly. Even if it meant constantly rewinding the cassette.

30 Day Music Challenge: Day 4

2011-05-04T08:33:00.000-04:00

(I guess you actually have to hit “publish” in order for these scheduled posts to post, huh? Oops!)

Day 4: A Song That Makes You Sad

“My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion

I had to think long and hard about this one…not too many songs make me sad—is that weird? I mean, there are plenty of songs that make me think or angry or happy. But it took me awhile to think of a song that makes me sad. I finally settled on the theme song from one of the few movies that makes me cry, “Titanic”.

30 Day Music Challenge: Day 3

2011-05-03T08:33:00.000-04:00

Day 3: A Song That Makes You Happy

“Cover Girl” by New Kids On The Block

I’m a total Blockhead. Any of their songs make me happy, but “Cover Girl” is the one that puts the biggest smile on my face. I honestly have no clue why this song, but I’ll go with it! :D

30 Day Music Challenge: Day 2

2011-05-02T14:31:00.001-04:00

Day 2: Your Least Favorite Song

“Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga

Actually, most anything by Lady Gaga that comes on the radio or Pandora gets immediately tuned to a different station when I’m in control. I don’t watch many music videos, and most certainly not any of songs I dislike, so I’d never seen any of Lady Gaga’s. When I went to YouTube to find this one? I decided to watch it. And about 90 seconds into, decided that I didn’t want that posted on my blog. So I decided that since I really dislike all of her songs, I’d go choose another video. So I checked out another one…and that one took all of 60 seconds for me to make the same decision. So I decided that maybe “Born This Way” wasn’t a horrible video, seeing as how the song is supposed to be so positive, and it took all of 10 seconds for me to be so disgusted that I decided that today’s post in the challenge would be video-less. Sorry. I’m sure these videos are probably visual masterpieces in short film or whatever, and will probably win (or have won) many awards for best video whatever, but I’m just not feeling it.

So clearly why this song is one of my least favorites isn’t because of the video (though it does have a major impact on it now). It’s not because of the actual music either—I’ll listen to anything that has a good beat. It’s really the lyrics. They’re just plain disgusting and filthy for the most part, and I cringe when I hear my 8 year old sister singing this song—she only knows it because of the radio on her bus ride to/from school.

30 Day Music Challenge: Day 1

2011-05-01T11:29:00.001-04:00

So I’ve seen this challenge thing on a bunch of Facebook pages from my friends lately. I’m not one to post a bunch of stuff like that on Facebook, but thought it would be a neat way to give you all a glimpse of me as a person—people’s choice in music can tell you so much about them. Anyway, each day has a different prompt, and I’m going to do this through the month of May. I’m hoping it will get me back in the habit of blogging regularly, too. So here we go.

Day 1: Your Favorite Song

“Fire” (Glee Cast Version")

Well, I should say that I have a lot of favorite songs. So this is just my favorite of today/this week. I just can’t get enough of it.

Yes, I’m a Gleek with a capital G. This show totally makes my Tuesday night, and most of my 25 Most played is made up of songs from Glee. And I’ll admit it here: I am in love with Matthew Morrison.

New items listed in the shop!

2011-04-30T16:01:00.001-04:00

So I finally got around to listing a few bracelets in my Artfire shop. I’m way behind in that…I made these bracelets last October/November, and photographed them all. I found the pictures on my hard drive last night, and decided to list them today. Then when I went to list them, I realized that the reason I hadn’t listed them before was that I hadn’t actually taken any measurements for the bracelets. So I had to dig them out from my newly organized closet, which was super easy (thank God!) and measured them.

And then I found a whole slew of necklaces that needed to be photographed as well as a ton of earrings. Those will get photographed and listed over the next week or so. I’m so excited to be working on my shop again. I think I was in a funk this winter, and with spring happening I’m coming out of it. Which makes me super happy. I’m hoping to have some time to make some new pieces over the next few weeks too. Anyway, here are some newly listed pieces in the shop:

Gum Ball Bracelet

Simple Amethyst Bracelet

Simply Floral Bracelet

Everyday Simplicity

These bracelets are all part of a new line of jewelry for me—Simplicity. It consists of jewelry that is simple. Most have minimal work involved (like these, basic stringing or basic wire work), and are great for everyday wear or if you need a simple piece of jewelry for an event that won’t over power your outfit. There will be necklaces involved, too…I just need to make more and get them photographed. :D

Ketchup. Catsup. Catch Up.

2011-04-28T11:03:00.001-04:00

So I’m a terrible blogger. Obviously. That’s evident from the lack of posts in the last (almost) two months. So here’s a bit of a random post filled with total randomness and ketchup. Or catsup if you’re fancy. (Ketchup/Catch up…get it? My inner elementary school self loves that…we used to have “ketchup” days in school once a month or so and if was my favorite day.) (See? Randomness.)

* Spring has finally arrived here in Maine, and I’m really loving it. The last of the snow in my backyard finally melted yesterday, so I can say it’s spring now. Except that it’s kind of mud season, but it’s a pretty tame mud season this year so we’ll just kind of skip over that and head straight to the pretty flowers, sunny rainy days, and warm no-jacket weather.

* I saw a friggin coyote yesterday morning. Yeah, morning. Just standing in a field near just 2 minutes from my house. I hear a pack of them (Coyotes run in packs right? Not herds or gaggles or bunches?) at night in March/April and again in September/October, but have never really see one except in photos or at the Maine Wildlife Park. I have, however, stood inches away from a full grown lion and pet it. At 12 years old. A classmate in elementary school brought it in for show and tell. And yes, I really mean a real lve, breathing HUGE lion…her step-dad owns a wild animal kingdom about 20 minutes from here, and she was allowed to bring in one of their lions for show and tell one day. How cool is that? Anyway, the coyote was just standing in the field, really close to the road, and he stared at me and my mom in our car while we drove by. I’m kicking myself now for not getting a photo, but I was too shocked.

* I finally got an IPod Touch a few weeks ago, and am totally loving it. Especially the apps. Like Instagram. (I’m @PMaxim) And all the other free photography apps. I’m having a blast playing around with them. For those of you with IPhones or IPod Touches, what are some of your favorite apps? Bonus points if they’re free! Oh, I’m also totally in love with Angry Birds.

* I had a nasty cold/sinus thingy going on for all of March and the beginning of April. And then it went away a few weeks ago. And guess what? It’s back! Well, I’m sure it’s not the same exact cold/sinus thingy, but I have another cold, and it’s really pissing me off. Because when I’m sick, I don’t really feel like making jewelry, which means I haven’t really touch any beads since the end of February. And I want to friggin make some! So I did a little bead shopping last night, from Juls, because she listed some black and white abso-friggin-lutely drop dead gorgeous beautiful beads that will go so well with my little sister’s 8th grade celebration (read: 8th grade more-casual-than-senior-prom prom) dress. And since my sister so kindly requested (read: demanded) I make her necklace/bracelet for event, I couldn’t not buy them. Did I mention that they’re beautiful?

* I’m finally going to be photographing and listing some new pieces in my Artfire shop over the next week or so. Well, unless I loose either my camera, camera batteries, or camera battery chargers before I get around to taking the actual photos. And then there’s the editing the photos thing and the actual listing process. Which is much simpler than on Etsy, but still a PITA.

* Lastly, whilst doing a major clean out of my bead storage (okay, so it wasn’t by choice that I did this really, it’s more because my dad was working in the pantry where my storage closet is, minus a door, and he forgot to close it off and dust and sawdust and sanding particles and other nasty stuff got all over everything, so I was forced to remove everything from the closet and dust it and clean it, and if I was doing that, I figured I’d go through all my supplies, too, and so there we have it). Anyway, I found a ton of beads I no longer want/need and other beady supplies and so I’m going to be doing a major giveaway in the very near future. Just thought you’d like to know.

P.S. While I’m a terrible blog poster, I do enjoy changing the look of my blog. So I did again at some point in the last few weeks. And I’m loving it. What do you think?

Color Palette Blog Walk #2, Day 3

2011-03-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Day 3 of the Color Palette Blog Walk! The theme this time is what inspires us. And we had to use photos that we took ourselves. So what inspires me? Lots of things, but color is right up there—and besides that, my top inspirations are flowers, nature, animals, and memories. Yep, memories! So here are some photos that inspire me because of their colors, are of flowers and nature, and hold dear memories for me.

Prouty Garden Flower 1

Taken August 2008, in the Prouty Garden at Children’s Hospital Boston.

It was taken the day my little brother was told he could come home after spending 5 months in the hospital, and another 2 weeks close to the hospital. It also happened to be taken exactly one month after his heart transplant.

I’ve always loved this photo…I didn’t ever do much editing to it, and the colors are just so vivid without enhancement. I’m not usually a big fan of pink…but the different shades of pinks in this one flower is just so cool. And It’s a great variation on the honeysuckle color Pantone has picked for the color of the year.

Prouty Flowers 2

This photo was also taken in the Prouty Garden at CHB in August of 2008.

The flowers were quite droopy (it was pretty hot that summer), but I thought they were still pretty.

I love the earth tones I picked out from the photo, and think it would be an awesome palette for an autumn piece of jewelry—with subtle hints of pinks/purples amongst the browns, yellows, and greens.

Prouty Garden 1

Taken June, 2008 in Prouty Garden at CHB.

Can you tell we spent a lot of time there that summer? :D

There’s a bird on that bench surrounded by flowers and trees and bushes.

I remember every thing that happened that day. It was one of the rare days that everyone in my family was able to drive down to visit my brother and my mom (who stayed with him the entire time). It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, and even though B couldn’t leave his room (darn CICU and the VAD and other machines), we had a lovely picnic in the garden and playground with another family my mom had met in the hospital. It was beautiful and sunny, but while we ate it got very windy. My youngest sister (she was 5 at the time) saw 2 little birds flying around, and begged me to take some photos of them…while the grown ups were also trying to keep napkins and straw wrappers from flying all over. I was able to snap this photo, along with another one, before they flew away. This palette is perfect for Spring, don’t you think? I love the pinks and purples and oranges and yellows. A bright palette for a bright memory.

Mt. Nebo Apple Orchard, September 2009

This photo was taken while picking apples at the Mt. Nebo Apple Orchard, right down the road from my house, with my family. I love the vivid greens in the leaves…and the pink/red/yellow colors in the apple. Even though this was taken in September, and picking apples is associated with autumn, this palette makes me think spring.

Prouty Garden, June 2008

Yep, Prouty Garden again! Taken the same day as the windy picnic—after the wind stopped (for a few minutes anyway), I was able to snap this photo of the bird alone on the walkway. I really love the different shades of brown in the bird’s feathers. And I love that I found a bit of pinkish brown in his little legs. And the silver/grey of the tar? Love it!

Be sure to check out my fellow color palette makers for today:

Kristy at Simply Shiny Blog -http://shinyadornments.com/simplyshiny

Jescalyn at Peach Honey Love -http://peachhoney.blogspot.com

Paige at Paige Maxim Designs -http://pmaximdesigns.blogspot.com (That’s me!)

Katrina at Ma Joie Press -http://www.majoiepress.com/blog

And here’s a list of other participants for the week.

Monday

Brandi at Brandi Girl Blog -http://www.brandigirlblog.com (the mastermind behind this all)

Erin at Treasures Found - http://treasures-found.blogspot.com

Jen at Jen Judd Rocks -http://www.jenjuddrocks.com

Shari at Exploring the Wonders of Life -http://exploringthewondersoflife.blogspot.com/

Tuesday

Karen at Creative Thoughts and Inspirations -http://karen-creativethoughts.blogspot.com/

Julia at UlvDesign - http://www.ulvdesign.com/blog/

Jessa at The ReArtingDotNet Blog -http://www.ReARTing.net

Lyn at Lyn Foley Jewelry Blog -http://lynfoleyblog.com/category/lyn-foley-blog-jewelry/

Thursday

Christie at Displaced Urbanite -http://www.displacedurbanite.blogspot.com

Rachel at TatterBeans -http://tatterbean.blogspot.com/

Brittany at The Home Ground -http://thehomeground.com/blog

Cindy at Sweet Bead Studio -http://www.sweetbeadstudio.com

Friday

Rachel at Balanced Crafts - http://balancedcrafts.com

Jenni at Jenni's Beads - http://jennibead.blogspot.com

Wren at Each Day - http://blog.theapronthief.com

Kelly at Mackin Art - http://mackin-art.blogspot.com

Monday Randomness

2011-02-28T11:05:00.001-05:00

*It’s Monday morning…and my siblings are finally back in school after February break…but not for long. It’s snowing/freezing raining/icing/crappy out for the third day here in Maine, and so our school district decided it would be amazing for everyone to get up, get ready for school, go to school on slippery roads, and then send the kids back home at 11:30 AM. All so that they can save a snow day. Really guys? I know it’s Maine and all, but it’s Feb. 28…the chance of having to use another snow day is pretty slim. And it’s not like we don’t build them into our school calendar, and going an extra day in June is really not gonna kill the kids. But making them drive in busses on nasty roads? Yeah, that just might.

*I had a super fun time at the Bead Soup Blog Party over the weekend. But I’m not done yet! I still have over 150 blogs to visit! But I’m loving every minute of it. If I haven’t been to yours yet, don’t worry, I’ll get that soon! And I’m trying to reply to all the comments I received on my post…if I haven’t e-mailed you back, I’m getting to it, I promise! And Holy Comments! Thank you so much for them all—they do mean a lot!

*Did I mention I hate winter yet? Cuz I do. Wait. Scratch that..I hate snow and ice.

*I twisted my foot/ankle last week tripping on some stairs. And it still hurts a little. And it’s still swollen.

*Lucy keeps walking around the living room like she’s lost. I think she misses the kids.

*I’m totally loving the Color Palette Blog Walk so far. I can’t wait to see the rest of them this week!

*I made a header for the blog. See it up there? I just used a photo I’d taken of some beads last month, and used Picnik to resize/crop/edit/make it cooler. Do you like? I like it better than the plain old crap header from before.

*Pretty Little Liars is on tonight…and I’m super excited! Yeah, I’m 27…but I still love young adult/teen dramas. Especially ones like Pretty Little Liars. And since Pretty Little Liars is on, that means Greek is on right after…which I also love, but hate that there is only one episode left in the series after tonight. :(

*I just realized that because I’m so behind in everything, and I watch House online, I’m 4 episodes behind. Tonight will make it 5.And those episodes start to expire next week. Eek! I better get watching.

*I also just realized that I’m a TV freak. I watch too much. Oh well.

*In other news, I lost the chargers for my camera’s battery. Yep. I have two chargers, because I keep loosing one. But now I’ve lost both of them. Anyone know how that happens? And both of my batteries are dead as well, so I can’t take any photos of anything. It’s on my list of things to trick the kids into helping me find this afternoon. [insert evil laugh here]

Color Palette Blog Walk #2

2011-02-27T00:10:00.000-05:00

I’m participating in the Second Color Palette Blog Walk next week! :D I’m super excited! There are 20 bloggers total, so 4 bloggers each day will post their palettes. There are some amazing bloggers and talents in the mix! My day to post is Wednesday…I can’t wait. I’ve been working on my palettes since I signed up. This time around, instead of having a theme for our photos, the only requirement is that they are our own…so no photos others took! I’ve been spending the last few weeks going through photos on my hard drive (OMG, I have soooo many!), and have found some very inspiring photos for my post. I hope you’ll join me and the rest of the Color Palette Blog Walkers for a colorful week!

Here’s the schedule:

Monday

Brandi at Brandi Girl Blog - http://www.brandigirlblog.com (the mastermind behind this all)

Erin at Treasures Found - http://treasures-found.blogspot.com

Jen at Jen Judd Rocks - http://www.jenjuddrocks.com

Shari at Exploring the Wonders of Life - http://exploringthewondersoflife.blogspot.com/

Tuesday

Karen at Creative Thoughts and Inspirations - http://karen-creativethoughts.blogspot.com/

Julia at UlvDesign - http://www.ulvdesign.com/blog/

Jessa at The ReArtingDotNet Blog - http://www.ReARTing.net

Lyn at Lyn Foley Jewelry Blog - http://lynfoleyblog.com/category/lyn-foley-blog-jewelry/

Wednesday

Kristy at Simply Shiny Blog - http://shinyadornments.com/simplyshiny

Jescalyn at Peach Honey Love - http://peachhoney.blogspot.com

Paige at Paige Maxim Designs - http://pmaximdesigns.blogspot.com (That’s me!)

Katrina at Ma Joie Press - http://www.majoiepress.com/blog

Thursday

Christie at Displaced Urbanite - http://www.displacedurbanite.blogspot.com

Rachel at TatterBeans - http://tatterbean.blogspot.com/

Brittany at The Home Ground - http://thehomeground.com/blog

Cindy at Sweet Bead Studio - http://www.sweetbeadstudio.com

Friday

Rachel at Balanced Crafts - http://balancedcrafts.com

Jenni at Jenni's Beads - http://jennibead.blogspot.com

Wren at Each Day - http://blog.theapronthief.com

Kelly at Mackin Art - http://mackin-art.blogspot.com

Bead Soup Blog Party: Reveal Day!

2011-02-26T07:22:00.000-05:00

(Warning: very long post, with lots of photos. Hopefully you’re here for the blog party and already have your coffee, tea, or hot cocoa in hand.)

Today’s the day! The big reveal! 210 pots of all kinds of soups to look through! I’m so excited that I was able to participate in this round. As a reminder, here’s what I was sent from Sarabeth over at Chronicles of Sartia:

A beautiful mix of autumn colored beads, one of my favorites. I was able to make one necklace so far. I’m hoping to make another necklace and maybe a bracelet and earrings to match. I added some beads from my own stash, and this is what my bead tray looked like yesterday afternoon, remaking my piece for what thankfully turned out to be the last time.

And here’s the final piece, “Autumn’s Fire”:

This necklace measures about 18 inches, and the pendant hangs another 1.5 inches or so.

glass beads, tiger’s eye rounds, silver spacers, glass pearls and fresh water pearls make up the body of the necklace.

With some seed beads as a little filler, and to help the pendant hang freely. I didn’t like the bail that was on the pendant, so I took it off and just used a big jump ring.

I really love the colors—mostly greens, browns, and golds…but with a few pops of deep red/cranberry.

And there’s the clasp. It’s a really good sized clasp, but not overly huge—just perfect. And so easy to put on and off.

I hope you enjoyed this pot of soup…and be sure to check out the other blogs over the next few days—I hear some have giveaways going on! :D

The list of the other chefs:

1. Lori Anderson, Pretty Things
2. Kitty Durmaj, Perles and Life
3. Michelle Heim, Life In the Bead Lane
4. Lisa Petrillo, Lucid Moon Studio
5. Anitra Gordy, Leelu Creations
6. Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs (You Are Here!)
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, Homeschooling Life

Week 7: Falling Out Of Love

2011-02-25T23:35:00.000-05:00

Since last week was all about falling in love with creating, how about a story about how I fell out of love with one of my many, many creative endeavors. Today I’m going to write about how I fell out of love with a specific craft: Knitting.

When I started knitting, I was obsessed with it. I bought yarn like it was my job, needles, stitch markers, needle gauges, and every other knitting tool on the market. I knit constantly. I joined knitting groups on Yahoo!. I spent most of my time learning about knitting, reading books about knitting, and dreaming of my next knitting project. I often had 5 or 6 projects going at one time (always a hat, a scarf, a dishcloth, and usually a blanket or 2 or 3), and worked my fingers off finishing them so I could move onto another project with the latest cool/gorgeous yarn I bought.

And then when I started beading and making jewelry, I still knit a lot, but just worked on smaller projects like the hats, scarves, and dishcloths. Then one day, I noticed that while knitting, my fingers and hands hurt like crazy. They felt tired, and weak, and I thought something was really wrong. So I stopped the project I was working on, and within a few minutes the pain was gone. I let it be that day, and then the next day when I picked up my knitting again, the same thing happened. So I took another break for a few days, to see if it would go away. I went back to my project a few days later, and it happened again. I didn’t understand, and still don’t to this day. The pain doesn’t happen when I’m typing or writing or making jewelry or doing anything else. I still pick up some knitting from time to time, to try it out, but the pain is instantaneous still, so I never finish a project.

Learn To Knit Kit on Etsy

Bead Soup Sneak Peek

2011-02-25T19:44:00.001-05:00

Back in this post, I posted what I received in my Bead Soup package. I’ve been busy designing and redesigning, and finally came up with a design I like today! Tomorrow is the big reveal, but here’s a sneak peek at what I made!

You didn’t think you were going to get an awesome shot, did you? Of course I hade to play around with Picnik and this photo. :) But don’t worry—stop by tomorrow for the real full photo, along with photos of the whole piece. And of course, there will be a handy list of all the other blogs participating in the Bead Soup Blog Party, too.

P52: Weeks 4-8

2011-02-25T11:08:00.001-05:00

Here’s my catch up post for my Project 52. Enjoy!

Week 4: January 28, 2011

Week 5: February 4, 2011

Week 6: February 11, 2011

Week 7: February 18, 2011

Week 8: February 25, 2011

“Don’t Postpone Joy” handmade pendant by Erin of Tesori Trovati

A birthday present for my mother, a keychain for her many keys. I found these great screw together keychains (like a cable choker, but smaller), which makes it sooo much easier to get keys on and off! The phrase is her absolute favorite, one she has kept with her everyday for the last 8 years. She has it written down in a million places for her to remember, but when I saw the pendant in Erin’s shop, I couldn’t not make her keychain with it. The pendant is more red in person—this photo does not do it justice. Erin’s work is amazing, and I’m so happy I have 2 more of her penants/charms to work with.

And with that, I’m caught up with Project 52. Whew!

Week 6: How I Fell In Love With Creating

2011-02-25T02:25:00.000-05:00

**Warning: Long post ahead. Grab some coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and a cupcake or other snack of choice.**

How did I fall in love with creating? I’m not 100% sure. I’ve just always been a crafty person. I was always coloring and drawing or painting as a kid, and I made decorations for each and every holiday. And I’ll never forget the times when I was really young, about 3 or 4, and my mom would get out her sewing box—usually just to mend a button or hem (though she did sew amazing clothes, too) and I would just sit and watch her. I loved watching her with a needle and thread, and bothered her enough that eventually she gave in and gave me my own needle, some thread, a button, and a scrap of fabric. With much guidance, I learned to sew a button. I loved every minute of it, and proceeded to learn bits and pieces of hand sewing throughout my childhood. At 8, I was using a sewing machine and sewing simple pillowcases for my family and friends.

But sewing wasn’t the only creating I did as a kid. My Grampa and my dad weren’t carpenters as a career…but they did build a multitude of items throughout my life. Including some family houses/summer camps. They were always building something when I was young, and I was under their feet if possible. Again, after bothering my dad enough, when I was around 5 or so, he handed me a few nails, a hammer, and a little scrap of wood and told me to hammer the nails in. Looking back, I think it was just to get me to shut up and get out of his hair enough so he could work. But I loved it! I don’t do much wood work anymore…or ever, really. But I do know how to use a hammer!

My Grammie always kept a special drawer for me and my sister (it was just us back then) in her desk…it was the first thing we did when we visited her. It always had something new in it, and was filled with markers (and not the washable kind…the grown up “marks-a-lot” permanent ones in either blue or red), scrap papers, scissors, tape, glue sticks, and stickers of some kind. Our favorite stickers were the ones that different organizations would send them in hopes of a donation—you know the kind. My sister and I had a blast playing with our new treasures, and I know my Grammie loved watching us. She took this special drawer one step further as we got a little older, and gave us a “box o’stuff” as we called it for Christmas each year. It always contained a new pair of scissors, paper of some sort, glue sticks, pencils, erasers, tape, and crayons/colored pencils/markers depending on our age. Believe it or not, it was one of the first presents we used on Christmas morning/afternoon, often leaving our much “needed” toys in a pile on the floor.

Crazy Lucy shot to break up post. Thanks for reading this far! :D

Creating stayed with me as I grew up, and when I was 10, friendship bracelets were crazy hot with my friends. So I made them for everyone, and learned how to do a bunch of different knots and braids—my favorite was always the 9-way braid (I admit, I sometimes clear my mind by making them). From friendship bracelets, I moved onto hemp jewelry, and simple strung necklaces and bracelets.

My creative side wasn’t always handcrafts though…I took piano lessons for 5 years and loved every minute of it. I also played flute in the school band, starting in 4th grade all through my junior year. My senior year of high school I decided to take off from band (I was a little burnt out I think), and took the intro to art course for a change in pace. I really loved my years in music, and still enjoy playing once in awhile. But I also loved my year of art class, learning many different art forms (including making a pin-hole camera and developing my own photos. Favorite part of the year, hands down).

In middle and high school, I stopped doing much creating…I got lost in school work and friends and teenage drama. When I was 18, I decided to learn how to knit (remember those skinny furry scarves? Yeah, I knit a lot of them. With matching hats.). So my mom taught me, and I knit like crazy for a few years. Then I discovered beaded stitch markers for my knitting. I joined a group on Yahoo where we made our own stitch markers and swapped them with themes. I had so much fun buying beads for these stitch markers, and making them, that I decided I could use the same techniques to make earrings….and then it happened. From earrings for my little sisters came matching necklaces & bracelets, and I couldn’t stop buying beads and supplies. And then my brother went into the hospital to wait for his heart transplant to happen and I was home by myself all day while my other brother and sisters were in school, and I made jewelry and stitch markers to pass the time. And that summer is when I opened my Etsy shop.

So as you can see, I’ve always been a creative type. I think I was born to create something…anything. I’m not sure there’s any one reason why or one specific time that I fell in love with creating. And while no one else in my family is really the “artsy” type, my family did encourage and support me in any way possible.

Bead Soup Is On!

2011-02-19T16:11:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, I received my pot of bead soup from Sarabeth over at Chronicles of Sarita. She sent a lovely mix of autumn colored goodies…one of my favorite color groupings that I almost never buy for myself. Here’s some photos:

A really cool dark yellow/gold flower pendant, some floral toggles, and some floral slider focals.

ivory seed beads for filler/accents. I’m currently out of ivory, and was in need of some!

And three sets of accent beads.

Top: Glass bead/pearl mix in autumn colors.

Right: Autumn colored glass pearls.

Bottom: More glass beads in autumn colors, and a gorgeous diamond stone focal.

And here’s a photo of what I sent to her. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with. :)

The big reveal is next Saturday. Be sure to check back to see what kind of soup is made! And there are over 200 participants, and I’ll have links to them all for you to hop around to. Hopefully you’ll be hungry for some soup. :)

Week 5: Questions

2011-02-19T12:22:00.001-05:00

So I’m a few (3? 4?) weeks behind with this, but I’m going to catch up. Week 5’s post from 52 Weeks to Blogging Your Passion is supposed to be a question of any kind. I have a bunch of questions I’d love to hear answers to, so I’m going to list a few, and I’d love it if you would answer one or two (or all!) in the comments. Thanks!

How did you find my blog? If you follow it, why?
Are you a fellow jewelry designer? If so, how did you get your start?
Do you prefer necklaces, bracelets, or earrings?
Silver or gold? Or brass, copper, etc?
When buying jewelry for yourself, do you tend to buy jewelry that is more simplistic or bold and statement-y?

And because you’re answering these questions for me…or at least one of them…I’ll leave you with a cute photo of Lucy Mae chomping on her Nylabone.

Apologies & Promises

2011-02-19T11:23:00.001-05:00

I want to apologize for my lack of blogging the last few weeks. I’ve been sick (hit with a few different bugs one after another), my family has been sick (those same bugs—aren’t those great gifts?), and so much is going on in my life that I seem to not have much time for online stuff lately. Which really irks me. I’ve gotten so behind on my personal blogging goals/commitments (Project 52 & Blogging Your Passion), and e-mails and facebook messages are building up. Things seem to be a bit better now, and I’m having more time for online things again. So…expect a bunch of back posts of Project 52, and some possibly daily posts from the Blogging Your Passion for me to catch up with. And then there are the Bead Soup posts, which will be coming today and next Saturday…I’m having fun with this.

Oh, and if you’ve e-mailed me or facebook messaged me, I will get back to you today or tomorrow. I promise! I’ve hopped on facebook all of twice this week…and I know things are building up over there. So it’s a priority for me today and tomorrow.

Also…I’m very excited to say that I’ve been planning a bunch of website/artfire studio updates over the last few weeks. I’m not going to say much yet, I’ve got some more planning to do. But it will come soon. And I hope others will be just as excited as I am! Oh! And do you like the new blog design/layout? I think I like it, but I’m not sure. :D

Drawing Lab: Weeks 4 & 5

2011-02-07T17:32:00.001-05:00

Since I missed posting last week’s assignments, this week is a double for you. First is week 4’s assignment, and one of my fave so far: word art!

my name, stacked…with Zentangle-like drawings in between letters. I loved this assignment!

number two for week 4—i decided to focus on the Zentangle-like designs, and made that funky “s” thing from elementary school in the middle. Then I doodled around, and practiced some shading and such. This was fun, and I really got to feeling zen-like.

Week 5 was about negative space. I wasn’t feeling well, and so I didn’t do my best work…but I tried! Here are a few of my attempts:

Negative space around a pair of scissors

A lamp. This one sucked majorly. But I had a massive headache while doing it, and the lamp is funky anyway.

And The New Sister Is…

2011-02-06T11:09:00.001-05:00

First off—I want to apologize greatly for not posting this last Sunday night. I’ve been having one problem after another since the Friday before—both computer issues and major headaches and I was sick for awhile. What a week! Anyway, without further ado, the next sister for the Sisterhood of the Traveling Beads is:

Cristi Baxter-Clothier in Florida! The box is going to love getting away from all this snow!

Sisterhood of The Traveling Beads Giveaway!

2011-01-27T11:04:00.001-05:00

(just one little section of the box. There’s so much more to it!)

If you're tracking the Sisterhood around the country, here's the path she's taken so far:
1. Heather Powers of Humble Beads- San Antonio, TX.
2. Mikki Ferrugiaro of MFD Beadwork Originals- UT.
3. Nancy Dale of NED Bead -Vermont.
4. Hannah Rosner of Good River Gallery- NM
5. Chris Neit of Good Quill Hunting-Maine
6. Sandy Spivey of Sandy’s Treasure- California
7. Katie Nelson of Katie’s Creations- TX
8. Kristie Roeder of Artisan Clay- PA
9. Lorelei Eurto of Lorelei Eurto Jewelry- New York State
10. Becky Caldwell of The Gritty Bird- North Carolina
11.Cindy Wimmer of Sweet Bead Studio – Virginia

12. Cindy Gimbrone of Lampwork Diva- New York State

13. Paige Maxim of Paige Maxim Designs- Maine

The Deets:

The giveaway: The entire box of goodies, NOW WELL over $400 worth of beads.

The stipulations: Must have an online forum to host the next giveaway. Must be living within the United States to enter and be willing to pay for shipping: $15.00 for flat rate priority mail billed via Paypal.

The rules: You’ll take what you want from the box, add in items of equal value from your own bead stash to replace the items you took and then do the same giveaway on your blog. We’ll keep the beads traveling for as long as we can.

To enter: Leave a comment below, be sure to include your email.

Bonus Entry: If you want to up your chances, blog, Facebook, or tweet about it to get another entry. Leave another comment letting me know how you helped spread the word.

Deadline To Enter: Comments will be accepted until Sunday, January 30th, 2011 at 6pm (eastern time).
Winner will be announced after 6pm on Sunday, January 30th, 2011

Drawing Lab, Week 3

2011-01-24T12:59:00.001-05:00

Last week’s assignment was blind contour drawings. I love doing these! :) Here are my attempts:

I’m also super excited about this week’s assignment. So much so, that I’ve already done 2, and am hoping to be able to do more.

Metal Stamp Giveaway over at Pretty Things

2011-01-22T16:06:00.001-05:00

Just quick post to let you all know about the amazing giveaway over at Lori Anderson’s blog—a set of metal stamps in the coolest font ever! It’s super simple to enter, and the stamps are worth $70!!

Above: The stamps in ballroom boogie lowercase font. How cute is it?

Below: Earrings that Lori made using the l, o, v, & e stamps. I love the pattern it made! Lori is a genius!

Week 4: Goals

2011-01-22T12:13:00.001-05:00

I’m a very goal oriented person—I love having goals, something to reach for and work for. I have about a million goals at any given time—just look at my 28 before 28 list! And that’s just one list of goals! I have 5 notebook pages of goals I hope to accomplish in 2011…each page for a different aspect of my life. I know I probably won’t accomplish them all, but I will attempt to. And yes, there are a few goals on my list I don’t have much control over…and if they don’t get met, well, I’ll just slide them over to 2012’s lists.

Two of those five pages of goals for 2011 center around my business—advertising, listing, creating, selling, etc. And I have to goals that I really wish to accomplish this year.

1) Have 50 sales in my Artfire Shop. I tend to neglect my shop, but I’m setting out whole-heartily February 1st for advertising, marketing, and even changing some things up in my shop. That will leave me 11 months to get 48 sales—only 4 or 5 sales a month. I think (hope!) I can do that! If anyone has any tips or ideas for me, please feel free to share them!

2) Be published in a beady magazine. Yes, I understand I don’t have much control over this. I can’t make a magazine editor want to show off my jewelry. But I can try my hardest to get my work out there an be seen. I’ve read on multiple blogs that the more pieces to submit to a magazine, the more likely it’ll be that they’ll choose at least one of your pieces. So I’m going to create and submit like crazy, and will consider this goal accomplished if I’ve received word by 12/31/11 that one of my pieces will be in an upcoming issue. Even better if a piece gets chosen early in the year for publication before 12/31/11!

P52:: Jan. 21

2011-01-21T10:03:00.001-05:00

It snowed this week. A LOT. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and today!

The above photo was taken at night on Tuesday (I think) during a Lucy Potty Run.

The one below was taken Wednesday afternoon. The snow had stopped a bit, and looked

really pretty on the trees. And I still can’t stop myself from hitting the “1960’s” button in PicNik.

P.S.--

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Beads giveaway will be posted tomorrow or Sunday. Sorry for the delay!

BTW 1/19/11

2011-01-19T11:52:00.001-05:00

On the table today: The Beadin’ Path Color Challenge kit, some beads from the traveling beads box for a valentine’s day-ish bracelet, and a mess of seed beads, spacers, and jump rings. Click here for the BTW Flickr Group.

Beadin’ Path Color Challenge

2011-01-18T09:21:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago on Facebook, The Beadin’ Path posted a question on their Facebook Page. The question? What two colors do you never work with in your jewelry? There were over 80 responses, and the lovely ladies decided to send all who answered a color challenge bead kit. I got mine last Saturday, and love it! The most popular (least popular???) colors answered were yellow and orange, so we got an amazing little challenge kit to work with, using those colors. Heather hinted at another giveaway if we post what we’ve made with kit to their facebook page, which is what I’ll be working on this week.

Gorgeous vintage lucite buttons, rounds, and teardrops…and some orange/yellow seed beads as well. I originally thought some earrings would be cool, but after trying a few things out last night I’m thinking necklace. I have a few ideas in mind, and I’m hoping one of them will work!

It’s All About The Birds…

2011-01-17T09:26:00.001-05:00

For last week’s assignment in my Drawing Lab E-Course, we were to draw birds. I had a ton of fun drawing birds, and actually learned a lot! Below are some samples of my assignments.

My first attempt. It was a “copy” of our inspiration drawing in our assignment.

I absolutely shocked myself at how well I did on this one. :)

My extra credit assignment…a bird in its natural habitat….ish.

I’m not quite as impressed with this one, but I did better than I thought I would.

This week’s assignment is going to be fun…but hard at the same time. I’m looking forward to the end of this week, when I’ll have time to do the homework. :) You’ll have to check back next week to see what it is.

Week 3: Overcoming Obstacles

2011-01-15T22:24:00.001-05:00

In my life, I’ve had many obstacles…and I’ve overcome most of them. But the biggest for me (both personal and business-wise) was deciding to sell my jewelry. It took a long time for me to decide that maybe my jewelry was good enough for people to pay me for it. I made earrings for my sisters and amateur necklaces and bracelets. I never intended to sell my wares, ever. I made beaded stitch markers for knitting and joined a yahoo group where the members exchanged sets of stitch markers with different themes once or twice a month. What made me think I could sell them? Well, in 2008 one of my brothers was admitted to Children’s Hospital Boston while he awaited a heart transplant. My mother stayed with him most of the time, while I stayed at home with my dad to hold down the fort. Occasionally there were times when my mom needed to be home, my sister or I would go down and stay with my brother. One week, I brought some beading supplies with me to make some stitch markers I needed to send out. I worked on them in the Resource room on the 8 East, while my brother played video games with other patients. While I was working, numerous people floated in and out of the room, and most commented that my work was good and that I should sell it. So I started thinking about it. And in the middle of the week I was there, there was a beading activity going on, and my brother and I went to it. There was a lady who came in with loads of beady goodness and tools to help the kids (and their family members =D) make jewelry. Of course I jumped at the chance to make some jewelry with free supplies—who wouldn’t? The woman who came also told me my work was good. And that was what cinched it—I told myself that over the summer I would look into how I would sell my jewelry. I had heard of Etsy.com the fall before, so I started there. It looked simple enough and by the end of June I had opened up a shop.

It’s been 2 1/2 years since I made the decision, and I couldn’t be happier with it. Looking back, I’m amazed that people did want to buy that jewelry—it wasn’t really bad, but it definitely wasn’t the best in the world. And my photography skills were pretty bad as well. I mean—just look at this photo, taken about 6 months after I opened my Etsy shop:

December 2008

And this is a current photo of some similar, more updated earrings:

November 2010

in the last 30 months, my jewelry making skills have increased tremendously, as did the materials I use (though I can’t help but love those rubber spikey balls from Shipwreck Beads), and my photography skills. I’m still in shock every time someone purchases a piece of my jewelry. And I’m working on my photography skills constantly—who isn’t?

Project 52: Week 2

2011-01-14T10:34:00.001-05:00

The sun coming up this morning in my backyard, about 8:00 AM EST.

This week’s photo would have been an amazing photo of the most amazing sunset with clouds from last night, but my camera battery died before I could snap a photo.I was soooo upset! It looked like a painting!

And because I seem to be thoroughly obsessed with the 1960’s colorization feature in PicNik, here’s the same photo 60’s-ized.

LOVE IT!

[I failed to mention last week that The Curious Pug inspired this project for me. :D]

You can see all Project 52 Photo posts by clicking here.

The Traveling Bead Box Has Arrived!

2011-01-14T08:55:00.001-05:00

It’s a good thing Cindy bundled up the Sisterhood of the Traveling Beads box when she sent it to me—it traveled through a mighty Nor’easter! When my mail lady delivered it to my door yesterday, she apologized that she didn’t get it to me on Wednesday--it was so snowy and the roads were bad and my driveway wasn’t shoveled out well. So it sat in a lonely post office overnight, and I just know it was longing to come to my house. :) I finally got around to opening the box for a quick peek around midnight last night—so these first photos aren’t great. But all I can say is O.M.G. and WOW!!!!!!

I’ll be going through it for real today and over the weekend. Make sure to come back here next Thursday for your chance to be the next sister!

Concerned Analyst

2011-01-13T08:50:00.002-05:00

Yep, that’s me. I’m a concerned analyst. I know this thanks to Erin at Treasures Found and PersonalDNA. Erin posted about this quiz the other day, and I’m curious, an avid quiz/test taker, and needed to know my personality! It took about 20 minutes to complete, but oh so fun. Here’s my color palette(yay!), and some information about the concerned analyst.

You are an Analyst (This is about me)

Your attention to detail, confidence, sense of order, and focus on functionality combine to make you an ANALYST.

You are very curious about how things work, delving into the mechanics behind things.

Along those lines, how well something works is usually more important to you than what it looks like.

You find beauty and wonder mainly in concrete, functional, earthly things.

You are very aware of your own abilities, and you believe that you will find the best way of doing things.

Accordingly, problems do not intimidate you, as you believe in yourself.

You trust yourself to find solutions within the boundaries of your knowledge.

You don't spend a lot of time imagining how things could be different—you're well-grounded in the here-and-now.

It is important for you to follow a routine, and you prefer the familiar to the unknown.

You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.

You prefer to have time to plan for things, feeling better with a schedule than with keeping plans up in the air until the last minute.

You do your own thing when it comes to clothing, guided more by practical concerns than by other people's notions of style.

Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.

You are Concerned (This is how I relate to others)

Your understanding of others' emotions, your sense of right and wrong, and your skeptical nature make you CONCERNED.

Your observations of your environment, in concert with your clearly defined worldview, leads you to be aware of the feelings of others.

Because you can read people well, and because you can understand their feelings, you are often bothered by others' insensitive behavior.

While you appreciate others' emotional nature, you don't think their emotional concerns should take precedence over their obligations to society.

You prefer to be in smaller groups, as big groups can occasionally get out of hand.

Order and structure are somewhat important to you—you believe that people's feelings are better protected when others are respectful and follow certain societal guidelines.

You tend to share your feelings with a few individuals who are close with you, but otherwise you are a somewhat private person.

You can hover over the colors and see my personality traits, which is pretty cool. And I think the quiz hit me right on…while I wouldn’t have really considered myself an analyst, reading the descriptions seems to be right-on with who I am, how I act, and what I do.

Thanks, Erin for showing me this super cool quiz! :)

Bead Table Wednesday

2011-01-12T14:40:00.001-05:00

Heather Powers of HumbleBeads and Art Bead Scene started a new group on Flickr—Bead Table Wednesday. I’ve seen it on a few blogs and decided to join in. :)

I don’t have a “bead table”—I have a lap top beading tray that I take from room to room with me while I’m beading. It has its own shelf where it sits, untouched, so I can keep a project on it until I’m done. Today’s project is a necklace for my personal paint chip challenge…and possibly a piece to be submitted to a magazine? I haven’t fully decided on that. :)

The gorgeous ribbon in the photo arrived in today’s mail—I’m so excited! It’s from JodyPoesy. My fave ribbon Etsian. :)

28 Before 28

2011-01-11T11:45:00.000-05:00

I’ve been reading a lot of blogs lately in which the blog writers have “30 before 30” lists. Some writers are almost 30, others are in their early 20’s. I realized that I’m going to be 28 this year! That’s pretty scary to me—when I was younger I thought by the time I was 28 I would have accomplished all my life’s goals. That didn’t happen, mostly because my life’s goals are different now then they were when I was 8. But I decided to jump on the bandwagon and make a list of 28 things I’d like to do before I’m 28. I’m going to post these goals on here, to keep a record of them. Some are simple things, some will be harder for me to achieve—but not too hard. They’ll take a bit of extra courage and planning is all. My birthday isn’t until the end of September, so I’ve got a solid 9 months to do these items. I’ve got a countdown on the bottom right of the blog to help me countdown the days until my birthday. Here’s the list:

Read 15 books—for fun.
Decide on a major, switch it, and do it already!
Take my youngest siblings to a play.
See a movie in theaters that is rated at least PG-13.
Take a day trip to Boston with my sisters
Go to the New England Aquarium
Sew myself a purse/bag
Teach a jewelry-making class
Submit designs to 3 jewelry contests
Submit designs to a jewelry magazine
Have design selected to be shown in said magazine (this is one I have no control over…but really want to happen!)
Visit the Maine State Museum (it’s been awhile since I’ve visited.)
Complete 5 mixed-media collages, using mostly supplies I already own
Make a quilt
Organize craft closet
Sort through craft supplies, and only keep what I’m really going to use
Lose 25 pounds
Try new veggies/fruits, and find one I actually like. (I’m very picky!)
Learn to use my camera, without using the “auto” feature or pre-set scenes (which will prove tricky, since I can’t find my manual)
Go on a picnic
Try a new hobby
Watch a classic black and white movie (to be determined later)
Spend a night in a hotel—by myself
Take a beading class
Write and post a tutorial on my blog
Watch every episode of every season of Monk
Play Mario Kart. Come in 1st place in a Championship Race.
Donate to a charity. TBD which one, and what will be donated.

Drawing Lab 2011: Week 1

2011-01-10T08:32:00.001-05:00

Our assignment last week for the Drawing Lab was to draw cats….lots of cats. I was a bit nervous about that assignment—cats? To start with? Really? But after Monday rolled around, I figured hey—Jeannie knows what she’s doing…she’s the teacher after all! So I started drawing more and more cats—I think there were about 35 total! Below are some scans of a few pages of cats that I feel comfortable sharing.

This is one of the first pages I did.

This one was drawn towards the end of the week.

A bigger cropped portion of the second scan. I love this kitty. :)

I had two cats to help me with this assignment this week, which was great. They lay around on top of things a lot, so that’s why there are 3 pages of these types of drawings in my sketch book. I love being able to see others’ work as well. We got this weeks assignment yesterday, and I’m really feeling it…I’m itching to have the time to sit and draw tonight. :)

Sisterhood of the Traveling Beads

2011-01-08T12:24:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I found out that I’m the next sister to receive the big box of traveling beads, from Cindy! I can’t wait until it gets here—I just know it’s full of wonderful beadiness! And it’s going to be a great motivator to go through my stash and really decide what I’m not going to use, so it can go into the box. Haven’t heard of this traveling box o beads before, check out Cindy’s blog (link above), or check out Heather Powers’ original post—she’s the creator!

And make sure you keep checking back here for updates on the box and its contents. And here’s a photo from Cindy’s blog of what it looked like when it got to her:

Week 2: The Beginnings of A Necklace

2011-01-08T10:49:00.001-05:00

In November, Erin held a Challenge of Color where she mailed participants paint chips with 3-4 colors. We were to create a piece of jewelry using the colors in the paint chip. I had so much fun, and loved it so much that I thought I’d do my own little color challenge by myself this year, aiming for one a month—more if I have time and have enough inspiration. During December, I went to every store in my area that has paint chips, and collected a bunch in every color family.

For this week’s “52 Weeks of Blogging” post, I thought I’d show you my first Paint Chip Challenge colors, and the beads and supplies I’ve gotten together to work on the necklace. This one will be for me, and the best part? I had every bead and supply needed for this piece.

My inspiration box. Paint Chip Colors:

Vesuvian Garnet (red), Ginger (beige), and Hoot Owl (brown)

Botswana Agate rounds and Amazonite Faceted Rounds

Oh, and some chocolate brown Swarovski Pearls

See the matchiness in the pendant and the Botswana Agate? And the pearls?

The amazonite is purely there to enhance the light blue=green in the pendant.

I know I don’t have any red beads…I couldn’t find any of my red beads when

planning this piece out. But I’m totally looking this weekend for some.

The pendant is made by Spirited Earth. It actually came from

the Art Charm Swap I participated in last fall.

And here’s all the supplies!

Pliers, cutters, wire, jump rings, and daisy spacers.

And the box o' beads.

I plan on working on this piece next week. I’ve got the idea in my head, and I can’t wait to get it made. But cleaning must come first…especially since I need to find my red beads!

Project 52, Week 1

2011-01-07T14:33:00.001-05:00

Yep….another project for my blog. :) This one is simple though—take one photo a week and share it on my blog, on Fridays. I’m hoping it will be a motivator for me to work on my photography skills and my photo editing skills.

Today’s photo was taken a few hours ago, and edited with PicNik (through Picasa—did you know that button was there? Is it new??? I think it is!) with the “60’s” feature. I love it!

Bead Soup Blog Party Sign Ups!

2011-01-02T15:19:00.001-05:00

The next round of the Bead Soup Blog Party is going to be starting soon! Sign ups are January 7-14, so head over to Lori’s blog, Pretty Things to check it out! It will be my first Bead Soup I’ve participated in,and I’m so excited! I blog hopped with the last party, and found so many new inspiring jewelry designers to follow through it. I can’t wait to see who will participate this time around, and who my partner will be. I’m also excited for the challenge of working with components that are sent to me…I’m ready for some challenges!

Week 1: My Mission

2011-01-01T09:09:00.000-05:00

For the first week of the 52 Weeks of Blogging Your Passion course, I’m supposed to post my mission statement. I had a hard time writing this…in fact, I’ve been working on it for 3 weeks straight, and I’m still not 100% thrilled with it. I had the most trouble with slimming it all down to a few sentences, but I think it’s there. I may tweak it later, but here it is for now:

I am inspired by many things, including nature, color, art, art beads, and other artists & designers. I create jewelry & gift items using a variety of material & techniques. I use mostly basic stringing and simple wirework, but love learning and using any technique I can. I also love using art beads, vintage lucite, gemstones, and Czech class in my work. I hope you will gain a better understanding of who I am, what I do, and how I do it, and maybe even be inspired!

This year, I’m going to use my word of the year in my jewelry designs as well. I’ve come to realize in the last couple of months that my work doesn’t always have to be over-the-top-outrageous-lots-of-stuff-going-on to be good. Simple can be good, too. So this year I’m going to work on creating more simplistic designs. I’m also going to work on my brand, blog, and website this year to make them more simplistic.

Do you think simple is better or just as good? In jewelry design? In branding? Websites? I’m curious to know what others think.

Year Long Projects…

2010-12-31T13:42:00.001-05:00

In 2011, I’m embarking on two year long projects/classes. The first is one I’m most excited about—52 Weeks of Blogging Your Passion. I’ve read quite a few blogs this year that did this, and loved every post for it. So I decided to do it myself, and will start tomorrow. My 52 Weeks posts will be on Saturdays. I’m very excited, and have been working for the last 3 weeks to prepare for this adventure. I can’t wait to share my first post with you all tomorrow!

photo by me. first snowfall in Maine, december 5, 2010

My second project/class is the Drawing Lab 2011. It also starts tomorrow, and I can’t wait to learn to draw better, to enhance my jewelry skills. I don’t sketch my ideas often, but I’m at the point where I’d like to begin doing so and my drawings are…well…let’s just say a pre-schooler could do better. I’ve got my sketch book, pencils, and scanner ready to go. My assignments for this course are due on Mondays, so you can look for posts about my week’s assignments then.

I’m really excited for 2011. I usually don’t care too much for the new year or goals or anything, but for some reason I’m really feeling it this time around. Maybe it’s because I’m older. Or because I feel like I need to be doing something with my life. I’m not sure. But whatever it is, I’m going for it!

My Word For 2011: Simple

2010-12-29T16:34:00.001-05:00

Whimsy Doodles by J.L.Nilsson

This last year, my list of blogs to read grew tremendously—I had about 25 on my list this time last year, today I have about 250 and growing. One thing I kept reading about on some of my favorites were these “word for the year” things. And no one had the same one—so I was confused. I read a little more about it and realized what it was, and really loved how other bloggers and artists were using them. So this year, I decided to give it a shot. I’ve never been big on resolutions anyway, and this seems like a perfect fit.

I made a list of words that I love, strive to be, do, or live by. Words that inspire me, my art, and will help me grow. The first on my list is the one I eventually chose. It was one I thought of a month ago when I first thought of doing this.

Simple.

I was curious to know what the dictionary says is the definition of simple, so I looked it up. I was shocked to see that there were over 25 definitions for just the adjective form! I’ve chosen to post only the first 10 here…and they are exactly what I’d like to encompass this year.

sim·ple adjective, -pler, -plest, noun

–adjective

1. easy to understand, deal with, use, etc.: a simple matter; simple tools.

2. not elaborate or artificial; plain: a simple style.

3. not ornate or luxurious; unadorned: a simple gown.

4. unaffected; unassuming; modest: a simple manner.

5. not complicated: a simple design.

6. not complex or compound; single.

7. occurring or considered alone; mere; bare: the simple truth; a simple fact.

8. free of deceit or guile; sincere; unconditional: a frank, simple answer.

9. common or ordinary: a simple soldier.

10. not grand or sophisticated; unpretentious: a simple way of life.

And all day, while writing this post and looking up “simple” things, this song kept running through my head.

“Simple Gifts” (A Shaker Hymn)

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come round right.

So my year will be simple in all things. My jewelry designs will be more simplistic. My “stuff” will become more simple. I will be more simple. My goals will be simple. Life will be simple.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. ~Leonardo DaVinci

A Very Juls Christmas

2010-12-09T10:37:00.001-05:00

I started making Christmas gifts for my family yesterday…I’m getting started early this year. :) A few weeks ago, I won a giveaway over on JulsBeads’ blog for a focal of my choice. I asked Juls for a cross (because they are extremely cool/awesome/beautiful/stunning), and told her to go for it with colors, that I’d like anything she made. I received the cross very quickly, and I must say, it’s absolutely gorgeous. I couldn’t have asked for a better color palette.

side 1- a beautiful muddle of blue/purple/green up there

side 2- a gorgeous muddle of browns and coppery colors

I decided to use this for a Christmas present, and make a simple necklace for someone special—I won’t say who, just in case they read this. But I know they’ll love it. It’s only part of their present, though…I’m making them a pair of earrings as well, which will come in a later post. Here’s the necklace all finished up:

It’s an adjustable cord necklace, so it’ll fit no matter what, and they don’t have to fiddle with clasps. I apologize for such awful photos. But the lighting is horrible here, since it’s usually cloudy/snowy, and I had to take these photos in secret. :)

I purchased this focal from Juls awhile back, and it’s also going to be a present for another special someone. I’ll post photos of that once it’s finished as well.

It’s beginning to look like a JulsBeads Christmas around these parts….

Things I’ve Learned About Craft Shows

2010-12-09T07:55:00.001-05:00

And some photos of my most recent show’s set up, too.

Two hours may sound like a lot of time to set up, but it’s not.

Christmas makes people stop, look, and comment on your stuff.

And then they move on.

There will always be that one kid shopping with their mother, grandmother, or aunt, who makes you smile like crazy as they spin in circles up and down aisle.

People will stop and look at your items if you have interesting/cute displays.

There will always be one shopper (usually a little old lady) who forgets their checkbook, and only has a $100 bill. And wants to buy one of your least expensive items, when you only bring enough change for a $50 bill.

Shoppers enjoy candy. And will take a few pieces at your display as they pass by.

No matter how short or long the day is, you will come away from a show learning something new, having advice from other vendors, and usually having a fun day.

And last but not least:

Set up may need more than 2 hours, but taking everything down? Well, it only takes 30 minutes!

Challenge of Color Giveaway Winner

2010-12-07T20:50:00.001-05:00

I’m pleased to announce that the winner of these lovelies from this post

is….

And comment #6 was from Silver Parrot….aka, Queen of Bead Porn, Kelly!

Kelly, congratulations!

E-mail me at knitster23@gmail.com with your address, and I’ll get your prize out to you!

Craft Show Reminder

2010-12-03T15:26:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to remind everyone that I will be at the Winthrop Grade School in Winthrop, Maine tomorrow from 9 AM until 2 PM. The show is the Winthrop High School Holiday Craft Fair, and is located in the gymnasium near the football field. There’s plenty more to do in Winthrop tomorrow, as well! Check out the list:

Rotary Club Christmas Tree Sale
Wonder Awhile Annual Holiday Fair at Methodist Church 9-1
Winthrop Congregational Church Holiday Fair and Lunch 9-3
Open House DR Struck 9-5 (Visit from Santa from 11- 1)
Cookie Decorating at Mia Lina's 10-2
Winthrop High School Craft Fair at WGS Gym 9-2
Bailey Library Open House 1-3
Holiday Parade 3:30
Holiday Concert at Winthrop Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m

Hope to see you there!

Challenge of Color Reveal & Blog Hop

2010-12-03T12:30:00.002-05:00

About a month ago, I signed up for Erin’s Challenge of Color. She sent us a paint chip palette, and we were to create a piece of jewelry (or 2 or 3…) based on the colors in our paint chip. I loved the paint chip I received…it’s totally out of my comfort zone of colors, and gave me an opportunity to branch out. There’s also a giveaway involved, and we get extra entries for all sorts of things, like naming our piece from a paint color on our chip, using an art bead, using all our colors, etc.

Like always, my life got crazy hectic in November. Between holidays, craft fairs, trips to Boston, family illnesses, etc….I forgot to shop for art beads to use. I did look a few nights, but couldn’t find anything that spoke to me. And then I kind of forgot about the challenge and then I remembered last weekend. And it was too late to buy any art beads. So I decided to make my own. I bought some images from Piddix that happened to have most of the colors that were in my palette—perfect! I had some wood squares I had bought for the charm swap and didn’t use, so I made an art bead out of the square, an image, and a paint chip I had found at Home Depot that match the colors perfectly. When it was dried, I wrapped a Vintaj filigree around it with a dab of glue to hold it in place. I love it! I used some crystals and flowers and made some dangles to hand from the necklace with copper findings, and a copper chain finished it off. I actually love the necklace, and finished it off just this morning—just it time! I made a collage of photos of the piece. It’s entitled “Sun Lover”…the name of the yellow in my palette. And I think I got a close match for each color in my palette!

Click the picture to make it bigger! And below is a bigger picture of the full necklace.

I had a really fun time making this piece…even if I did throw it together. I’m going to do projects like this again, by myself. I love looking at paint chips, and I’m going to spend some time after Christmas finding some and putting little kits together for inspiration through the next year.

And since this is a blog hop, here’s a list of everyone else who is participating in this challenge…there’s a lot of them, and you’ll find participants from all over the world.

And since you’ve read this far, hows about a giveaway? I made 3 different art beads to go with the project…and I only used one. So the other two will go one lucky winner! And all you have to do is comment on this post! And here’s a collage of photos for the two charms. I didn’t add any filgrees to them, so that you could drill holes or add it yourself or whatever else you wanna do with them. Just don’t eat them. Wood, Diamond Glaze, and paper doesn’t taste good.

And now I’m off to blog hop, and get ready for my craft show tomorrow!

NOTE: Winner of giveaway will be chosen December 7th at 8:00 PM!

Cuddles from the Heart Drop Off Day

2010-11-30T21:50:00.001-05:00

[So I changed the look of my blog today…as if you couldn’t tell already. I decided that it needed to reflect the new season, and as much as I hate that white stuff on the ground outside on my lawn, it’s really beautiful in photos. I’m really loving this new theme, and I hope you do as well.]

I’ve written about the Cuddles From The Heart program before—if you want to know more, just click the tab up top—well, last week my family and I packed our car up and headed down to Boston to deliver the blankets. Not everyone could fit in the car (there are nine of us, after all), so we decided that my dad would go because he’s the only one who will drive in Boston, B (my brother who had the transplant, and is the reason for this project) would go, D (my littlest sister who was also born with CHD), and I would go since my mom needed to work on Thanksgiving dinner—yeah, we went the day before Thanksgiving! We left at 9 AM, our car packed with 83 blankets. Thank God for Space Bags---there would be no way we could have fit those blankets in our car without them!

Collage of photos of the blankets, pre-space bags.

We got to Boston around 1 PM, and met up with Caroline, the lady in charge of the Resource Room on the Cardiac floor. She was ecstatic to see how many blankets we were delivering! We visited for awhile, catching up, and were able to see some of the nurses and doctors that helped with B’s treatment while he was there. We also met a mom who is in the hospital with her very young, sick son, who needs a transplant. She was so happy to see the blankets, and found a few to bring her to baby, and she also seemed happy to meet a family who’s been through the heart transplant thing before. We talked with her for a bit about what happened, and how well B has been doing since he received his heart, and I think it was just what she needed that day.

Lynn (another Cardiac floor child specialist), the blankets, Caroline, B

After our visit, we went out to the Prouty Garden. We visit the garden every time we visit CHB, and we spent a lot of time there during B’s stay…it’s a really peaceful, restful place. The kids love it because there are these cute little animal statues all over the garden. Some of them are hidden, so it’s like a human hidden pictures. Below is a bunny, sitting next to some trees, and surrounded by fallen leaves.

In the spring, it’s also full of beautiful flowers, and there’s usually not any flowers still in bloom in November. But this year, there were some beautiful white/pale pink roses still in bloom. So naturally, I had to take some pictures. There were a few other flowers still in bloom as well, but none this pretty.

We got back home around 8:30 PM, and did a little shopping—there were some amazing 1 day sales on Wednesday at KMart, and I just had to stop in. I mean, who can pass up $6.99 Zhu Zhu Pets (Christmas presents for the two youngest kids) and $1.99 fleece throws? Between me and my dad, we got 15 of the $1.99 throws, to store for next year’s Cuddles delivery. We got home around 10, went to bed, and woke up bright and early the next morning. I won’t bore you with our lame Thanksgiving festivities, but they consisted of the parade, football, turkey, football, food, football, and sleeping. Oh, and Lucy Mae enjoyed a wonderful meal as well—complete with her own table and tablecloth.

Black Friday Sale!

2010-11-26T12:03:00.001-05:00

Christmas Lampwork Earrings, now $15.00

The Christmas season is officially upon us! I’m running a sale is my Artfire shop all weekend (it started yesterday, actually), through Tuesday night (November 30th). Everything is currently marked down by 25%! Yes, you read that right! And along with the 25% off, I’m also offering free shipping to the U.S. and Canada. Live in another country? Don’t worry—shipping is currently priced at 50% off the usual shipping prices! See? Deals all around!

Christmas Cluster Earrings, now $11.25

And if the sale prices aren’t enough enticement for you, how about a drawing? Starting today, through December 15, every item you purchase will get you one entry into the drawing. Random.org will be used to pick a winner on December 16, and the winner will receive a gift certificate to my Artfire shop in the amount of $20.00!

Snowy Christmas Tree Earrings, now $11.25

And don’t forget to check out my blog giveaway here. There are two prizes to be won, and only a few days left to enter!

Silent Night Wine Glass Charms, now $9.00

A Thanks-Give-A-Way

2010-11-21T20:18:00.001-05:00

I’m feeling in a very holiday-ish mood lately…and I want to give things away! So I thought, why not have a giveaway on my blog to kick start the holiday season? And instead of one winner, why not have TWO winners? So here we go!

The Details:

Contest runs November 21, 2010-December 1, 2010 at 7:00 PM EST. Winners will be randomly

selected through a random number generator on December 1, and posted here on the blog by 10:00PM.

The Prizes:

Winners may choose between a Flower Garden stretch bracelet, custom made in any color scheme they desire.

Or they can choose from one of the gemstone shape adjustable necklaces I have in stock.

Both photo collages are just examples of what the winners can choose—some colors/shapes may be out of stock,

and there are plenty more to choose from! Better photos of those coming this week!

To Enter:

Mandatory Entry: Comment on this post. Yep, it’s that simple!

Extra entries:

-“Like” my Facebook Fan Page (leave your name in the comment so I can find ya on my page)

-Suggest my Fan Page to your friends—tell your friends to let me know who you are!

[One entry per friend suggestion who “likes” my page]

-Follow my blog

-Follow me on Twitter

-Tweet about the giveaway (Make sure to tag @PMaximDesigns so I can see it)

You can tweet once a day for an entry!

-Blog about the giveaway

-Facebook about the giveaway

-Sign up for my newsletter [over on the right side bar]

-Visit my Artfire store, look around, and tell me your favorite item currently in stock

Remember—if you plaster this giveaway somewhere, please let me know—I’d love to read your tweets, facebook posts,blog entries, etc.

Alright, now that we’ve got all the rules and stuff down, go and enter! You know you want to! :)

Thanksgiving Sale!

2010-11-20T13:57:00.001-05:00

Just a quick update to let everyone know that I put my shop in sales mode this morning—everything is 10% off from now until I remember to turn the sale off on Wednesday! And don’t forget about the free shipping, too! Use code “Free Shipping” at check out to receive it. I’ve been busy listing new items to the shop, and have about 25 left to go, so check back often. And remember—I love custom orders, so if you see something you like, but want it in a different color or size just ask me! Most of the time it can happen.

Cluster earrings in Christmas colors—now in the shop!

Also—be sure to check out the shop and blog next Friday (or Thursday night if you’re lucky!) for some amazing Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales, deals, and contests! You won’t want to miss it!

The New Logo…and other stuff!

2010-11-16T21:23:00.001-05:00

This is going to be a long post…and I apologize in advance! But there’s lots to write about tonight, and I don’t want to put off these posts any longer.

First—my new logo. I set up a poll with a bunch of different logos a few weeks ago. And I thank you for voting and letting me know your opinions. Buuut…I changed my mind again….completely. And I love it. I’ve already started changing things online, and made up new signage and biz cards and the like for the craft show last weekend. And whether you want to see my new banner for my shops or not, here it is:

So my new colors are a chocolate brown and aqua/light blue. And polka dots. Cuz who doesn’t love polka dots? I love that it’s simple, and there’s a blank spot over on the right to announce sales and such. :) What do you think?

Next—Saturday’s craft show. It was a very small show, only 20 or so vendors, at one of the local elementary schools. It was really slow, and I didn’t do very well. But I made my table fee back, and gained some experience. My table display isn’t the greatest, and I know what works, what doesn’t, and how to change up my display for the next show (which is only 2 1/2 weeks away!!). Here are some photos of my table:

Half my table- signage, biz cards, post card flyers,

newsletter sign up, knit dishcloths/bibs, and simple necklaces.

Necklaces, and part of the bracelet section & more

elaborate necklaces.

bobby pins on the faaar left, earrings, and mirror.

Close up of the earring displays. I totally love them, and made them myself! :)

I’m not going to use the big necklace displays again…the ones for the simple necklaces.

I’m thinking of doing something like these frames fro the necklaces—still figuring that out.

Close up of the signage and cards/flyers. And hand sanitizer, because germs are not okay! :)

And last but not least, I have some new listings up in my Artfire shop! Finally! A pair of earrings, and two sets of wine glass charms.

Silent Night Wine Glass Charms

Primary Wine Glass Charms

Gushers Earrings

Now, I think that’s all for tonight. :)

Wanna win some beads???

2010-11-16T09:06:00.001-05:00

I’ve got a couple giveaways to tell y’all about today. And they’re both beadalicious. And completely drool worthy. And I’ve been thinking about keeping these giveaways to myself…but blogging about them gets me an extra chance…sooooo…here ya go!

Up first: A $50.00 Gift Certificate to the Gemalicious Beads Etsy shop! They have the most amazing gems I’ve seen, and I drool just about every time I check out their shop. Seriously. And you get to choose anything from their shop with that $50! Like This:

or this:

You can enter by clicking here!

Giveaway #2: A giveaway from JulsBeads. Yep. That’s right. They amazing Juls with her amazing Julspeak and mad lampwork bead making skillz is giving away some stuff. And there’s not just one winner. There will be THREE!

You could win one of these:

or these:

Aren’t they beautiful???

You can enter to win here. And be sure to check out her Etsy shop for more beautifulness.

I’ll be back later with a post about the craft show this past weekend, new items to be listed, and holiday specials!

Craft Show Today! Yay!

2010-11-13T06:36:00.001-05:00

I’m off to do a craft show this morning. I’d be lying if I told you I’m not a little nervous. I’ve only done one craft show before, and I “knew” everyone there (it was an Etsy Maine Team Show)….today? I don’t know if I know anyone who will be there. And it’s just down the road from where I live, which makes me a bit more nervous. I’m taking my 15 year old sister along with me, and I’ve got everything packed and ready to go. I’ve gone through 6 different craft show check lists I’ve found on the internet, and checked off nearly every item on all lists. Yay! I just need to print one more thing out, and then pack my snacks. And I might wanna get dressed, huh? Yeah…I might do that. :) Oh! I just read my horoscope (I don’t really believe in it, but it’s fun to read sometimes!), and I’m supposed to “be extremely creative today” and be able to “artistically redesign” something. So maybe I’ll have a great day! :)

If you live in the central Maine area, come see me! I’ll be at the Manchester Elementary School from 9:00-2:00. I’d love to see you there!

Wine Glass Charm Set in Christmas colors. I’m debuting

my wine glass charms at the show today!

The Challenge Of Color

2010-11-09T14:40:00.001-05:00

Last week, Erin of Treasure’s Found posted a new “Inspired By…” challenge on her blog. I’ve been trying to challenge myself to use ifferent colors than normal, and decided to sign up for the challenge right away. We were to choose a color(s), and Erin would send us a paint chip/palette for us to work with. I chose to put down one color, and let her choose from there for more of a challenge. The color I chose? Red. Not a color I work with a lot…but a color that I’m surrounded with. My laptop is red, my wireless mouse is red, my family’s living room furniture is red, etc. I have an 8 year old sister with Autism, and one of her “things” is that she only wears red, and likes everything else to be red as well. So we’ve got red coming out our ears. Yet I don’t use it in jewelry very often…I guess I tend to think of it as more of a holiday color, and only tend to use it in holiday designs. So, to challenge myself, I chose red. I received my paint chip in the mail yesterday, and am totally digging it.

It totally makes me think of kindergarten, in a grown-up way. It’s primary colors, but a little muted. LOVE IT! The colors are named “Windburn” (reddish), “Silent Night” (Midnight blue ish), “Sun Lover” (yellow), and “Gullie Blue” (light blue). One of the parts of the challenge is to name the piece of jewelry one of the color names…and I think I lucked out big time! I’m really loving these color names! Art beads are also encourage in this challenge, and so I spent some time last night looking around Etsy and Artfire for a few possibilities, but didn’t find anything that jumped right out at me. I’m going to be spending a little more time tonight searching, and hope to find something!

The date of the big reveal is December 3rd, so you’ll have to check back then to see my finished piece. But if you want to see everyone’s, check out the blog list on Erin’s blog, here. There are lots of people from all over the USA *and* the world, so be sure to check them all out!

Only 54 Days Left….

2010-11-01T15:54:00.001-04:00

Until Christmas, that is! And I’m getting ready! This weekend, in between the Halloween festivities, I made an entire forest of Christmas trees. Okay, so they’re tiny and earrings, but I made 18 pairs! I’ve filled out a few applications for some local school held craft fairs, and am hoping these earrings will be a hit….I love them! They’re different from most Christmas tree earrings I’ve seen, and I hope that sets them apart. And by using this design instead of the crystal stacked design, I was able to save a considerable amount of money on supplies, which translates into more savings for customers! I’ll be putting a pair up for sale on Artfire this week, and so online customers don’t miss them, and if you’d like more than one pair, just let me know!

Christmas Tree Earrings ($12.00)

Aren’t they cute? I’ve got to get better pictures of them….but it’s been cloudy, dark, rainy, and even (yes, it’s true!) snowy the last couple of days. And before I get into Christmas too much, let me show y’all some of our Halloween fun.

Spider Pizza

Halloween Cupcakes…sprinkled with spiders

Spider Punch (delicious!!!)

And Lucy the Ladybug enjoying her treat for the night.

New Logo Help

2010-10-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking the last few months about my little business. One of the things I wanted to do before opening up shop again on Etsy was to come up with a new logo. I’ve designed a ton over the last month or so, and I’ve liked them all…for a few days at least. I’ve finally come up with a couple that I really like, and that will be usable all over the internet, as well as in print. But I need your help to choose which one to use officially. Below are my choices, and I’ve put a poll on the side of the blog for you all to vote. Voting will remain open until October 29, 2010 at 8:00 PM.

^^^ Logo 1 ^^^

^^^ Logo 2 ^^^

^^^ Logo 3 ^^^

^^^ Logo 4 ^^^

^^^ Logo 5 ^^^

I’d love to hear your comments on the logos….love them, hate them, if i should use a different font, etc. So please post your comments, and don’t forget to vote! :)

They’re Here! They’re Here!

2010-10-21T10:56:00.001-04:00

The charms from the Art Charm Swap, of course! They came in the mail over the weekend, and I’ve been super busy and haven’t had a chance to blog until now. I am in absolute love with all my charms. Here are photos, with blogs for each artist underneath each photo.

MayBeads Janel Dudley

Spirited Earth Designs by Loretta

Glass Addictions Sue Beads

Copper Diem Artisan Clay

P.Maxim Designs (ME!) Ema K

I am absolutely in love with each and every one of these charms. I still don’t think mine are as wonderful or creative as the other ladies….but I’m working on getting better. Next up? I’m going to participate in the next round of the charm swap! I don’t know the theme yet…it hasn’t been decided, but I’m truly excited! Check out Jennifer’s blog at Glass Addictions for more info!

We Have A Winner!

2010-10-02T20:22:00.001-04:00

It’s time to announce the winner of my Birthday Give Away! There were only 4 entries…and all from the same person! I went ahead and drew a comment number from random.org anyway, and here’s the winning number:

So, Scott, send me an e-mail to pmaximdesigns [@] gmail [dot] com, and I’ll send you your gift certificate! Happy Shopping, and congratulations!

Art Charm Swap: Part 4

2010-09-29T14:33:00.001-04:00

My charms are finally finished and off to their new homes, with a layover at Jennifer of Glass Addiction’s house. I’m pretty pleased with the results! I enjoyed making these charms a lot, and still have some supplies leftover and I may have to make some more for to use myself…or maybe sell. We’ll see!

If you’re part of the swap, and want to be surprised…then close this post now! Because below is a collage of photos of the finished charms. Click on it to make it bigger. :)

Birthday Give-A-Way

2010-09-25T18:23:00.001-04:00

I’ve been wanting to have a giveaway for the longest time. And what better reason to have a give away than my birthday?

THE PRIZE:

A $15.00 gift certificate to be used in my new Artfire shop!

You could buy these:

Or these:

Or these babies:

Or anything else you see in my shop.

HOW TO ENTER:

There are a few ways to enter:

Leave a comment on this blog post. (this is the only have to!)
Follow my blog.
Tweet about this give away. (be sure to put @knitster23 in the tweet so I know!)
Blog about this give away.
Post on Facebook about the giveaway.
Become a fan of my Facebook Fan Page: Paige’s Beaded Designs

THE DEADLINE & RULES:

Winner will be selected using random.org at 8:00 PM on Saturday, October 2, 2010. All entries must be posted on this post by 7:00 PM, Saturday, October 2, 2010. Please leave a separate comment for each of the 6 ways to enter, saying you have completed each task, and provide a link or user name if needed to verify. Winner will be announced on this blog by 8:15 PM on 10/2/10, and winner is responsible for e-mailing me to collect their prize.

Birthday Bead Porn

2010-09-25T09:45:00.002-04:00

Today’s my birthday! Yay! And as a celebration, I did a little bead shopping yesterday. I finally made it to my local bead shop, Beads On The Kennebec. It’s a fantastic little bead shop! I hadn’t been able to make it there yet—I never seem to be in the area when it’s open! I found out the owner was working on the next quarter of classes, and am hoping to sign up for one…or two. Here’s some (not so good) photos of what I snagged:

I found some really cool lava beads. I’ve been wanting to get some for awhile, and thought these would be cool on a necklace.

And of course, this lava bead focal would go in the necklace as well. I’m really loving the lava beads!

Aren’t these giraffe beads adorable? They’re going to be earrings for someone for Christmas.

And they had czech glass flowers and leaves! Lots of them! In the coolest colors, too!

These pictures don’t do them justice, those green leaves are the coolest shade of green I’ve seen. And the blue flowers? The perfect shade of blue for a project I’m working on. :)

Again, these photos suck too. There’s some pale yellow flowers (I’d never seen that color either!), some white/yellow flowers, and the most perfect shade of pink ever.

And they had bronzite beads! I’ve been looking for a few smaller ones to work with this ginormous bronzite focal I got from Lima Beads last year.

And labrodorite coins…great for some earrings.

And I needed these wood circle beads too. I don’t know why, but they just called my name!

And then I went to Michael’s, because they had all their bead strands at 50% off this week. And who can resist that??? So of course I bought a bunch!

They had some lava rounds….so of course I had to get them!

Some wooden barrel beads, that look like wooden discs.

Some carved flowers….red coral on the left, and I believe the ones on the right are new jade.

They had some mixed agate rounds, which made me happy for some reason. And they jumped in my basket.

And then I saw it. The beautiful dyed jade. Big rounds, small rounds, and some rectangles.

Look at those blue, pink, purple, and green giant rounds! I’m not usually a fan of bright colors. Or giant gumball like beads. But I just had to have these!

And some orange rounds, purple rectangle, bright blue rounds, and a strand of mixed dyed jade rounds.

I’m really loving these bright colors. And I can’t wait to start creating with these items!

And thanks to Kelly of Silver Parrot Designs for the idea of Bead Porn! :) Check out her blog for the most awesome bead porn every Friday.

Art Charm Swap, Part 3

2010-09-19T19:56:00.001-04:00

Last night, I sat down and tried (again) to work on my charms for the art charm swap. I didn’t have enough domino beads, but I did find some 1 inch wood circles in my stash, so I used those. I ended up making 16, and prayed to God the whole time that at least 10 of them would be good enough to use for the swap. They’re still not 100% done, I’ve got to do some finishing on them, but didn’t have time today. Hopefully tomorrow! I’m still not sure exactly how I’m going to fully finish them. To wire wrap or not? Drill a hole or not? What do you think? Here’s a few sneak peek photos at the process, and one finished one (that won’t be sent to anyone, as I’m not 100% loving this one. It’s still good, but didn’t turn out exactly as it looked in my head.

Aren’t these papers pretty? I’m really loving the Italian floral paper.

I was a bit worried that after 2 hours of work, it looked cloudy with the last application of Diamond Glaze.

But then they dried/cured, and this morning they looked absolutely gorgeous. This one, not so much. I honestly thought that the pinkish flower would look good on this pink/coral paper. Yeah, I know. Worst thought ever. ;) In all honesty though, it does look a lot better in person!

So what would you do with this? Drill a hole in the top for a jump ring? Or do some wire wrapping with a wire wrapped bail for a jump ring? I’m not sure. I’m leaning towards the drilled hole, so it doesn’t interfere with the collage. I can’t wait to see all the charms the other participants have made. I’ve seen some sneak peeks, and I’ve seen the usual work of others, and man. There are some talented gals there! I hope my fun little charms don’t feel insecure next to the other more talented and beautiful charms. :)

Color Palette Friday #2: Containers

2010-09-17T11:41:00.000-04:00

Vintage Empty Gumball Containers

Vintage Plastic Daisy Containers

Mosaic Tea Light Holder

Squares and Flowers Box

Click the links to be taken to their listings on Etsy. I love containers, and loved searching for some for today’s palettes.

Art Bead Scene September Challenge

2010-09-16T21:15:00.001-04:00

I discovered the Art Bead Scene blog over the summer, and enjoy every single post there is. I really enjoy the monthly challenges, and decided that this month, I would enter.

The artwork for our inspiration this month was this painting, Persia by George Barbier (1882 – 1932), from 1912. I made a color palette, to help me pick up some of the colors I wanted to feature. I was also inspired by the vines, pale pink flowers and butterflies sweeping through the painting.

So I set off to find some components to work with. The hardest part for me, was finding just the right art bead to use. I knew I wanted it to be the focal point, and was hoping to find something blue or orange, since those are the two colors that my eyes are drawn to in the painting. I just found the right focal pendant the other day, and am still waiting for it to come. I found in my stash the Swarovski crystals, and even found some perfect pale pink Swarovski butterflies at A.C. Moore. So I added in those to the necklace as well.

The other components that I found, happened to all come from Bella’s Beads And More on Etsy. I knew I wanted to some pale pink flowers, and have seen numerous gorgeous dyed flower beads over on Kelly’s blog, Silver Parrot Designs, so I headed right over. Not only did I find some beautiful pink lucite flowers, but I also found some gorgeous pink & cream czech glass flower beads that were the exact shade I pulled out of the painting! While I was browsing through the store, I stumbled upon these cool vine links in antique bronze….it was like God sent them down to me, and I knew they needed to make up the “chain” of the necklace I was seeing in my head. So in my cart they went, along with some matching jump rings & headpins.

I also received as a “thank you” gift a mixture of metal findings and flowers/leaves. One of them happened to be a gorgeous tiny orange lucite flower, and an antique bronze flower that stacked beautifully with it. I added a deep dark blue Swarovski bicone as the center, and have it in the center of the necklace…for now. I’m not exactly sure where that dangle will end up once the focal comes and is placed on the necklace. But I’ll figure that out when the time comes. I also decided that I needed some regular chain to help the necklace hang better, so I ordered that up this morning and hopefully it arrives early next week so I can finish this piece up. I’m really loving it so far. What do you think?