Shopping Season!

Just checking in to see if any of you were out and about on the busiest shopping day of the year.

I'm sitting here at home looking at beads, watching HBO movies and thinking about the craft I'm going to take to craft night tomorrow.

I wanted to share this little necklace project that I just finished. As always, my projects tend to be quick and easy.

I love using ribbon to finish off the neck when possible. It adds some decorative flair and also cuts down on extra time beading that part of the necklace. :)

All of the beads here are from the Cousin Corporation and all can be found at Meijer and probably JoAnn, etc. as well. There's a Meijer store not to far from me that has an ENTIRE aisle of nothing but Cousin beads. It makes me so happy to hang out there.

I enjoy looking at beads in online catalogs, but there's nothing like seeing them in real life, taking them off the hooks and putting them up next to others while designing on the spot.

That's my favorite way to figure out a design or get ideas for things to make.

By the way, if you don't have a Meijer or Walmart nearby and you tend to shop at JoAnn's or Michael's make sure you use your coupons!!

There are usually coupons in the mail or when you enter the store. If not, look them up online and print them before you go. For smart phone folks, make sure you either use their app or bring the coupons up while you are at the checkout!

Let me know what you're making this year for holiday gifts by posting a link in the comments of this post or sending me a picture via email. I'll use them all in a holiday jewelry making post in a couple weeks.

Happy Holidays, happy bead shopping and gift making too!! :)

Peace, Love & Bead Blogger Inspiration!

Just in case you're looking for beading inspiration, our friends have come through by sharing some of their latest activities.

Thank you bead bloggers!

Have you noticed that people everywhere have crossed over into holiday mode?

Crafting, shopping, cooking and more! There's definitely a vibe in the air!

For those of you traveling, be careful out there AND don't forget to share links to your holiday creations in the comments so we can all enjoy! :)

Shown here is one of my all time favorites that just materialized as I was creating in preparation for Thanksgiving a few years ago!

It still holds a special place in my heart for some reason. It's a cornucopia! :)

About.com Jewelry Making
Copper is the new silver....as in much more affordable and thus much more popular. Here are loads of jewelry tutorials that include copper.

Art Bead Scene
Check out Tari's super-cute festive ornament tutorial!

Beading Arts
Sometimes a project takes you two steps forward and one step back, but not to worry...!

Carmi's Art/World Life
While most people would turn gifted fabric into a quilt or clothing, Carmi felt it was best to showcase it in a bib necklace.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviews Cindy Wimmer's great wireworking book, The Missng Link -- it is wonderful!

Resin Crafts Blog
This week Carmi shares her newest bezels made from painted gilded samples from her journal.

Bead Stash Winner Announced!

Yay, the time has come to announce the winner of the pre-holiday bead stash giveaway!

First of all, thank you ALL so much for stopping by and checking in, it means so much to me!

As any blogger, beads or otherwise, knows, you can share info and you really never know who, if anyone, stops by.

So, THANK YOU!

And now, the winner of the bead stash giveaway is... Carolyn of Carolyn's Creations! Congratulations Carolyn!

I can't wait to hear back from Carolyn so I can get this package shipped out!

It seems like the perfect time to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and fabulous holiday season!!

Don't forget to let me know about all the sparkly creations you are all making for friends and family this holiday season! I'd love to share them here!

My Beadly Duty a.k.a. Sharing the Bead Obsession

Just in case you haven't seen these bead combos yet, I just HAD to share!

These are new packages from Cousin Corp.

The group photo shows just a handful of them, it looks like there are 26 combo packs in total.

I have this one particular package out on my bead table right now, which also happens to be the living room coffee table :)

I just can't stop looking at it and I don't know why...

There's something about the combination of these beads and the way they are strung on this card, I don't know.

Not sure if you get the same effect from a photo.

It's like staring at something you don't quite understand.

I know I should be doing other things like taking beads of the package and making a gift to give later in the day or at the very least doing some chores, but these are sort of mesmerizing...

If you can figure it out, let me know.

Pre-Holiday Bead Stash GIVEAWAY!

Yay! It's giveaway time!

I love a grab bag, especially one filled with beads!!

It's always fun to get beads selected by someone else.

Since I've already done an early holiday bead giveaway with Cousin's new Tis the Season line, it seemed like a good time to do a random bead stash giveaway.

This giveaway includes a selection of pendants, beads, findings, etc. These are fun pieces, all from the ultra-generous Cousin Corporation. :) Yay!

If you are interested in winning this fun little collection, just leave a comment here by Friday, Nov. 22.

Good luck! :)

Bead Bloggers & Upcoming Giveaway

If you're looking for a little bit of inspiration before gearing back up for the week, here you go!

I can't believe it's already 10pm on Sunday, yikes! I still have things I want and need to do.

Keep an eye out for tomorrow's blog post, it's GIVEAWAY TIME!

I spent a couple hours today while watching the movie, Elf, digging through my bead stash and organizing beads into actual containers.

I cleaned out the containers months ago, so I guess that's sort of how things evolve around here. You take the time when you can and when you're inspired.

So, here's a little inspiration, catch you tomorrow for giveaway time! :) Kicking things off we have Carmi's cool resin video.

Resin Crafts Blog
If you have ever wondered about how to make unique cabochons for jewelry designs, this new EasyCast video should be a big help!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean enjoys some special jewelry creativity with the help of the season's first snow, some friends, and a camera!

Art Bead Scene
Check out how ceramicist, art bead artist and jeweller Kylie Parry updates and personalises her holiday packaging!

Beading Arts
Vintage hinges make a wicked cute bracelet!

A Few of My Favorite Things

Okay, this pendant makes my top ten list of all time, LOVE IT!

The last few times I had a love connection with a jewelry making component, you might remember it being a little more sparkly. :)

Just in case you are new to A Bead A Day, here are a few love story flash backs from the vault.

1. Sparkly Shamballa Beads
2. Druzy-licious
3. Celebrating mirror beads one and two

There's just something very special about this pendant. I don't know if it's the mix of metal and cording or the black/silver mix, but it really brings a wow factor.

Not only have I received so many compliments on this necklace (I hope she doesn't mind me mentioning it here) the Sales & Marketing Manager at Cousin Corporation used it to make a very quick wow necklace for herself by hanging it from a chunky chain with a huge toggle right next to the pendant. It was definitely a WOW!

I'll have to ask if I can post a picture of her finished product. In the meantime, here's my original design.

Sometimes you just need to see a jewelry component in action to get inspired for your own project.

Love those Bead Bloggers!

I just love our bead blogger friends who share fun stuff every week!

Sometimes they share what they're up to or new techniques, freebies, introductions to other beading related artists and so much more!

Thanks to all for sharing! I know it keeps me inspired.

First up, Jean Yates is once again offering the chance to win a great new book by Scott David Plumlee.

Make sure to comment by Tuesday, 11/12/13 to be sure you are in the running!

Have a great new week everyone! :)

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean is hosting a giveaway on her blog for Scott David Plumlee's wonderful new book, SILVER SOLDERING SIMPLIFIED, and it is a very special giveaway--it is INTERNATIONAL! How Great!!!

Art Bead Scene
Check out Brandi's new colour palette for this month's challenge piece by Cezanne.

Resin Crafts Blog
International themed clear stamps look wonderful stamped into resin clay.

Beading Arts
Have you had an opportunity yet to play with Bezel Effects paints?

Carmi's Art/Life World
Is there anything more satisfying than completing a project while watching tv? These fabulous fabric cameos all represent a block of down time.

Versatility is Key!

Just a quick post to let you all know I just saw these tubes on sale over on the Primabead.com site.

I got really hooked on these last year and made LOTS of gifts with them.

All it took was a little bit of ribbon and a ribbon clasp - different Colors of ribbon based on the person you are gifting.

So versatile and SO EASY!!!

That's definitely a theme with jewelry I make especially if I am making more than one for gifts!

So, here you go:
20x65mm metal textured curved tube pendant-silver

If you end up using this in any of your projects, I'd love to see how you incorporate it. :)

Here's the one I made last year for quite a few people, including myself.

Last Minute Bead Blogger Fun!

It's time to gear up for a new work week, so it's time to pay attention to the clock and get back on schedule.

I suppose if you have to watch the clock, it might as well be swarovski crystalled! :)

How about just a few more minutes to read through some fun bead blogger posts?!

I'm with YOU!

Have a great week! :)

Beading Arts
If you're going to make gifts for the Holidays, it's probably time to get started...

Art Bead Scene
Check out the beautiful entries for this month's challenge piece - spooky! 

Carmi's Art/World
Baroque style is the type of jewelry I most want to create. It begins with a purchase I spotted online.

Resin Crafts Blog
You can turn your favorite pencil into a pendant with resin clay.

Snap out of it, jean! There's beading to be done! 
A story of a jewelry piece by jean which became a holiday gift instantly! See jean's blog!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Check out what the participants of the Inspired by Reading Book Club made in response to the October selection, "My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me" edited by Kate Bernheimer!

Super Standout Components

WOW, these components are so superly fabulous!

I just received two sets of four links in red and green. Yes, I'm also going to be making some traditional holiday jewelry.

After the last post about non-traditional jewelry pieces, all I could think about was traditional sparkly red and green, yikes!

Why Lisa, why? Honestly, I don't know why, but I'm going with it! :)

My vision is something simple. A necklace with two strands of chain, one showcasing the red components and one showcasing the green. Not intermingled, just two layers of single holiday colors.

In fact, I might just make that right now!!

My husband's tradition of getting in the holiday spirit early (meaning the day after Halloween has apparently rubbed off on me!)

Soon, we'll be watching Elf and Holiday Inn. I've already made low cal hot chocolate, so I think I have arrived. :)