Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I thought this would be a fun piece to share tonight. I love the "freedom" charm dangling from the bird and beads.

This is great "ornament" that can be used in multiple ways. I received it from the Cousin Corporation and have wanted to use it for a while.

I don't make a lot of necklaces, but this would make a very fun long dangle on a neck chain or beaded strand.

Wouldn't it also be cute hanging off a purse strap or zipper pull? So adorable!

The little "freedom" charm makes this very special.

New Year Fun & Bead Blogger Friends

Wow, the new YEAR is right around the corner! 2013 seems a little more futuristic than 2012 did for some reason.

Each new year passing probably impacts each person a little differently depending on what is going on in their lives or world at that moment.

Regardless of whether things are "good" or "bad" or "otherwise" one thing rings true, the beat goes on and the BEAD goes on, THANK GOODNESS!

There will be new beads and beading products coming our way this year and that is exciting! Yay, beads!

Here are some fun acrylic beads from Cousin Corporation that would be great in any season, but I'm thinking of the ball dropping!

I also wanted to share a few updates from our bead blogger friends. Stay tuned for more New Year's fun tomorrow!

About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy reviews another bead weaving book from the "I Can" series by Lark.

Art Bead Scene
Rebecca shares some simple ideas to spruce up gift packaging that are good all year round!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean writes about the incredible excitement of working for the brand new magazine, Digital Beading Magazine!

What is Blu-Purp?

Maybe these are better off called "blurp"...actually that doesn't sound much better than blupurp...

While I'm not sure "violet" is good enough for this bluish/purple awesomeness, I guess that makes more sense.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on a color name for these half blue/half purple beads. :)

For now, they are just "yumm".

By the way, if you are making New Year's jewelry, please share a link or email me a picture so I can post it here. It's fun to see how people interpret special holidays into jewelry pieces.

Ooh, I know, how about "blurple"?!

I could probably live with blue-violet....how about you?

More New Colors

Here's the strand of beads I mentioned yesterday. As we move into 2013, it's time to check out some new bead color combos and techniques.

For now, these are the colors I'm considering mixing in with yesterday's strand for a unique piece for the new year.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and also find out what all of you are working on for the new year...whether it's actual bead projects or new philosophies or techniques.

New Year, New Color Combos

It's always fun to contemplate new color combinations as seasons change or as we move into a brand new year...yay 2013!

I think the more I say "Yay 2013" the easier it will be to believe it's almost 2013! It's so cliche, but true...time flies!

New color combos, new jewelry designs and of course, new jewelry pieces to wear, will all make the transition so much easier! :)

Back in November, the Cousin Corporation introduced a new line of beads that can be found locally in JoAnn stores. It's called Second Skin.

I received some of the products at that time and the strand shown here really caught my eye.

There's another strand that I'll share tomorrow, that could be combined with these too. I haven't gotten that far in my thought process yet.

Surprisingly, these are acrylic beads and are designed to appear as though they have some wear and tear, sort of a shabby chic or found object look.

The turquoise and purply colors are cool together. I don't think I would have thought about combining these, but I like the vibe. Stable and grounded, yet eclectic.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on creating with these beads...so share 'em if you got 'em!

Happy New Year & Final Giveaway Winner Announced!

It's almost 2013! Happy New Year everyone! Almost time to set those resolutions...

I had a chance to make some holiday earrings for family and friends on Monday. 

I ran to Walmart for a gift card and found these fabulous, impossible to resist, beads by Cousin Corp. No, I wasn't supposed to be in the bead/craft aisle, but I don't make it to Walmart very often.

Here's a peek at some of the earrings I made. Very simple, but so cute. I made myself a pair of the blue ones too. :) So sparkly!

And now, moving on to announce the final winner of the Cousin Corp Jewelry Making Class in a box...thanks to Random.org, the winner is....Beth of the Meandering Threads blog. Yay and congratulations Beth! Enjoy!

We're heading back to a "Bead A Day" so stay tuned for fun new posts and lots of great beads! 

Thank you all for continuing to hang out with me here. Just holler if you would like to be featured. 

FINAL Holiday GIVEAWAY! Jewelry Making Class in a Box

Well, things are winding down, Happy Holidays everyone!

It's time to announce the winner of last week's giveaway AND share the final Jewelry Making Class in a Box up for grabs.

The winner from last week is: Jamie of Glasstastic Treasures

Congratulations Jamie! Yay...

Pictured here is this week's giveaway...it's the Bright Chain Class in a Box featuring some great colors like red, green and gold.

I love the fact they included ribbon to tie onto the necklace and earrings. Too cute!

Everything you need to make three necklaces and three pairs of earrings is included here along with a beading mat and 3-in-1 tool. Very nice!

In hindsight, this probably should have been one of the first giveaways considering the color palette, but I can also see some fabulous St. Patrick's Day pieces coming from this kit too! :)

Just leave a comment on this blog post through Tuesday of next week for a chance to win. PLEASE make sure to include your email address if your google profile does not lead back to one. I just don't want you missing out.

I'm so glad you're hanging out with me this month, it's been highly enjoyable on this end.

We'll be getting back to daily posts in the very near future and I promised to share the progress of the "traveling" jewelry project very soon too!

New Online Beading Magazine: "Digital Beading Australia"

Congratulations to the NEW "Digital Beading Australia" online magazine! They launched their first issue this weekend, Yay!

You can access/purchase the magazine using the above link. I have a feeling things are moving more and more in this direction. I really like getting instant access to things, so an online magazine sounds like a great idea.

The best part about the new "Digital Beading Australia" magazine is that our friend and superwoman, Jean Yates, is writing for them. She'll be doing a column about current trends. I can't wait to see it!!

Here's a link to Jean's blog if you'd like to catch up with her there or on her Facebook page.

I would also recommend liking the Digital Beading Facebook page, they have been sharing lots of fabulous designs lately.

NEW...Week 4 - "Jewelry Making Class in a Box" GIVEAWAY

Yay, it's always a great day when a giveaway winner is being announced!!

I am happy to share the winner of the Jewelry Making Class in a Box from week 3 is Lisa of Pine Ridge Treasures!

Congratulations!!

You know what that means....

It's WEEK 4 GIVEAWAY time!

Tomorrow I'm going to be posting a fun story about what the other four Cousin Corp Ambassadors and I have been up to this month. We are collaborating on a project using beads from one of these great Class in a Box kits...so fun! It's a traveling jewelry adventure!

For now, this week's new giveaway is pictured here, it's the Natural Glass Jewelry Making Class in a box! The box includes everything you need to make 3 necklaces, 3 bracelets and 3 pairs of earrings in addition to a 3-in-1 tool and instruction booklet!

Enter for a chance to win by leaving a comment on this blog post. Please make sure your profile name includes a current email address. That's it!

Happy Holidays everyone! One more giveaway to go next week!

Bead Blogger Inspiration!

Yay, it's the weekend! Phew, good to see you my friend!

I can't wait to get creative first thing tomorrow morning.

For now, it's time to recharge...After checking out what our bead blogger friends are up to of course.

Enjoy!

Beading Arts
Cyndi is featuring quick and easy jewelry projects all month long for your holiday gift-giving, including this special bracelet...sooo pretty and sooo fast!

About.com Jewelry Making
December's jewelry designer interview focuses on blogger, book author, and jewelry designer Lisa Crone.

Awww, thanks Tammy!! :)

Art Bead Scene
An icy Erte illlustration provides the wintery inspiration for this month's Art Bead Scene challenge

Resin Crafts!
This week Carmi showcases a vintage children's reader in a resin filled pendant.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean has the most fabulous news from Lark publishing--a big gorgeous sale is going on right now, before the holidays! It is a bountiful cornucopia of beautiful books!

Week 3 Jewelry Making Giveaway - YAY!

"Yay" seems a little tame for how I am really feeling. In my mind it's a bit of a cheer - YAY!

I am happy to announce the week 2 winner of a jewelry making class in a box is Trish Thompson.

Congratulations Trish!

THREE more giveaways to go!!

Here we go, let's get right to it! :)  This week's giveaway is the Black/Silver Chain Jewelry Making Class in a box by Cousin.

This is a great kit that comes with a bead mat, 3 in one tool, instruction book and the pieces and parts needed to make 3 necklaces, 1 bracelet and 3 pairs of earrings!

Just leave a comment here by next Tuesday, Dec. 11, for a chance to win. PLEASE make sure to leave your email address if your profile does not link back to one.

It's that easy! By the way, I use the random number generator at random.org to pick the winners. That makes it easy for me as long as I have an email address. :)

Make the Holidays Bright Project

Yay, my 2012 Holiday Project has materialized! I was inspired to create this project so I had something new to teach for a holiday craft night over the weekend.

Considering I've been making a red/green type project every year for quite a few years, I like to try changing things up as much as possible.

For me, elements of this design are not unusual since I love multiple strands and dangles, but the colors and textures are unique. This design was sort of inspired by the orange/black Halloween project using black craft lace.

All three pieces to this project were found at a local Meijer store on Saturday morning. Yes, I was creating my craft an hour before teaching it! :)

The red craft lace, package of cool acrylic green beads and a bright silver tone toggle clasp are all by the Cousin Corporation. I LOVE being able to see so many of their products in real life. The basic instructions are to cut 4 strands of craft lace, a couple feet each. Knot them to the clasp directly and then just start with one strand, make a knot, slide on the bead, make another knot, to keep the bead fairly secure, etc.

You might have to trim the lace to get the smaller beads on, but it is easy to do. I hope you like it and it makes you SMILE! :)

Before signing off, I also wanted to formally thank my blogging friend and beading pro Tammy Powley for posting an interview with me today on About.com. THANK YOU Tammy! :)

AND, for anyone who hasn't left a comment yet, a beautiful jewelry making "class in a box" kit is up for grabs. Follow this link to leave a comment through Tuesday. A winner will be announced Wednesday and a new kit will be posted for the next giveaway. Yay, love the holidays!