BAO Item of the week

The New Post is up with the BAO Items of the week showcasing some of our work. This is an especially awesome grouping. Take a look at what each artist has to offer by visiting The Bead Art Originals blog.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

A very sweet friend of mine has had her 1500th sell on Etsy!!! Now if you don't know, that is a ton of tiny little beads. Visit her blog and comment for a chance to win this lovely lariat. When I first started out selling on Etsy I took a chance and asked a couple of questions about thread and tension on the forums and everyone said ask Carol Dean. Whew!! I was intimidated...Sandfibers was a name that everyone had heard of of on Etsy! Do I dare?
Be brave...
I met one of the sweetest, most talented beaders ever. My bead work has never been the same.
Hugs to my friend, Carol Dean and many more sells.

Showcase

The BAO team has a showcase each week where the members can  feature one of their items. This is the mosaic for the week. All different styles, colors, and textures.... a feast for the eyes.You can click on each item separately to see an up close view and if there are specials offered by the artist. Happy Friday!

New Photo

I decided to retake some of my pictures of items I had listed on Etsy. This is the first one. It is named Rachel Ruffled. It is a funky little fish, hand stitched in peyote stitch around a fishing lure. This isn't one of my son's lures, its new without the fishy smell!

I love using unusual items in my beadwork. If it isn't nailed down, I'll bead it!

Front Page and I missed it!

Thanks to my wonderful friend Carol Dean Sharpe, I made it on
the front page of ETSY.
Of course if you read my post from yesterday, I was working in the yard and thus missed the event!
But The wonderful friend sent me a screen shot ......
so here it is.
Thanks Carol Dean!

Summertime Fun

I finished this adorable pendant and Listed it in my etsy shop this morning http://www.dawnchastain.etsy.com
I love the fun lime green color
Its just like the plants look in the morning after a light rain.
I finished East of Eden last night, It is one of those books that you hear about but I'd never read before, I enjoyed it!!
I'm working in my side garden today, with the rain we've had, it has gone CRAZY! My brother is coming to get some plants so I thought I'd get a start on it.

Happy Summertime Fun!

Time to Vote

Once again those crazy Beadweavers are competing!

The theme this month was STORMY WEATHER

Check out the team blog at http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/

You can cast your vote there on the right side of the blog for

your favorite piece.

I've shown my two at the top of this post.

Enjoy!!

SPRING BREAK?

Think this is a trick?

Not hardly... It is actually the theme for the Esty-Beadweavers Beading Challenge for this month.

The theme was simply "Spring Break" I've always thought of tans, bathing suits, bright sun, flip flops and some good music. Sleeping late, off scheduling eating and staying up late.

Basically - No Rules!

Now don't get me wrong, I like rules and I like everyone to know and abide by them ...but every once in a while it is fun to just be free.

Thus, the piece I created.....totally freeform peyote stitch in bright , happy, sunny colors!

Enjoy the feast for your eyes and cast your vote at http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com

ON THE PATH OF RED

The http://www.etsy-beadweavers/ has their monthly beading challenge fast approaching.

I didn't participate in the last 2 challenges due to family matters, but I'm working on this one and thought you might like to see the process. They might kick my entry out because its not totally bead woven but also includes some bead embroidery and other textures. I'm all about using other findings and making them work. This is what i have so far, check it out and I'll post the progress as I make it.Happy last day of 2007!

November Challenge

I belong to an incredibly talented group of beaders known as the Etsy-Beadweavers.

We have started a monthly challenge and invite everyone to vote on their favorite piece. I was unable to participate this month because of family commitments but went and voted for another wonderful piece( I won't tell which one!!)

Go visit our blog and vote at http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/

Thank You!

The world of Beaders is such a fine place to be. I have found such wonderful friends among the Etsy beadweavers. It is a compassionate, friendly, giving and supportive team. Guess what? If we were to pass each other on the street, we wouldn't even know each other, except of course Wolf. She has purple hair! Carol Dean Sharpe has been one of my favorite cheerleaders as she unknowing lit my fire when I first entered the waters of Etsy and Internet sales. Sweet Regina didn't blast me in the forums when I asked what beading thread she used. Mary Lou graciously gave up the directions to her favorite stitch when I asked.It is amazing to be online talking and chating with the people that are in my favorite bead magazines. It is so fun to be at Barnes and Noble flipping through bead magazines and be able to say "thats by Beverly" I know her then to flip the page and know another name.This is a huge THANK YOU to a wonderful group of women known as the Etsy Beadweavers!! Check out the Beadweavers blog at http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/

September Etsy Beadweavers Challenge

Well the waiting is over. All 20 pieces for the September Challenge have been posted and compiled. Please go to http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/ to vote on your favorite piece.The entries are absolutely incredable and wonderful. The voting will be hard. I am honored to a part of such a talented group of Artists.

Something cool..

Just finished a Sweet little knot necklace.
This one was stitched in a free form Peyote stitch which I let ruffle a lot before attaching the focal beds. The colors are a great matte earth tone mix.One of the Focal beads is a soft blue green ceramic bead, the other is a vintage Lucite bead. it has "cracks" on the inside which really catch the light and sparkle.

The bad thing about these one of a kind pieces is that I really don't have more beads just like it to do one for myself.

The Etsy beadweavers group is starting a month challenge. We will get a theme, and them create a piece that goes along. This months theme is "Hot August Nights". I am struggling to come up with an idea! It is so hot here at night we don't want to do anything!!!
Stay tuned in to see what I decided to do.

Challenge # 60

Well, I bit the bullet and participated in one of the Etsy creative challenges. This one was to create something inspired by Paris, France. I did visit Paris on a band trip while in high school!
The architecture was what totally overwhelmed me and the fact that everything was old. Here, once its 20 yrs old, its old and you tear it down and build something new.
The next thing that stood out was the language barrier.
That's where the inspiration started.
I created a cabochon out of one of those glass bubbles with a reproduction print underneath. Next I beaded a bezel out of seed beads and voila, My take on Paris. Hope you enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Keith

Happy Birthday to my sweetheart!
We had the real estate agents out today to list the house. We should have a sign in the front tomorrow! This is a huge step. It is our first house and we've been in it for 18 years.

While all this was going on with the house, little did I know that I was on the front page of Esty in a treasury created by schoollocker.

The necklace that was featured in the treasury sold!

Wow! Hope that the house sells that fast.

So Honored!

Much to my surprise as I checked out the treasury on Etsy this morning before leaving for school, I was in 2 different treasury's. I've tried to take screen shots of both but haven't been successful. Please check out the Etsy stores of both of these treasury currators! Thanks so much guys!

http://www.craftychris.etsy.com
http://www.kchatmon.esty.com

While I was getting this store names I popped up on another.
Thanks goes to - - -

http://www.smartcakes.etsy.com

THURSDAY - April 12

Change and growth are Good... I am in the process of cleaning out my bead stash, as a result I'm opening a new Etsy shop called PACK RATS DAUGHTER. I am going to sell some of my beads, findings...things that I know that I'm not going to use even though I love them. There are beads that I've bought and thought would look great in a piece but then when I've tried to put it together it didn't work.I've also been amazed at how my taste and talent have changed. I actually started this beading process about 7 years ago. I started with seed beads and making anklets. Then a friend said that she had some old pieces of jewelry from her grandmother....did I want them...I jumped on that one. From there I started collecting beads from flea markets, thrift stores, consignment shops, road side markets... you name it. Family and friends would bring me bags of stuff. I started makeing killer bracelets and selling them for $10.oo. I sold hundreds!!!From there the obsession with learning beading stitches came. Once I "got" the peyote stitch, my whole beading obsession changed. This is all growth and good..so I'm cleaning my bead stash. I'm sure it will take a while. I have set the store up and will add beads as I get them photographed and a description. I'm glad I'm growing and changeing.