Bead Soup Revealed Tomorrow

There will be a delay in my posting as I have had to go out of town on family business ... sorry ;). Please check back tomorrow!

 Cheers,

  Stacy ;)

BTW - But on Thursday!!

Well I am a little late for BTW so here it is:

The first picture is of a custom piece I did as a surprise birthday gift from one sister in Ecuador to her sister in Ohio. It was such a sweet gesture of love since they will not be able to see each other for over a year. It made me feel really good to create the necklace.

The second is one of my Bottle Tags for an  order in progress and the third picture is my Bead Soup Mix that is due on Saturday and I am no where near done. I guess I better get movin!!

Until later ....

Cheers,

   Stacy

How To Drive Traffic to Your Sites

This is a repost from April of Eluna Jewelry. What a great way to drive sales and blog readers.

This wonderful idea was started by ChristieCottage and has already brought in sales and promotional opportunities to those involved.  Remember “A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds. Francis Bacon. ”  I saw that quote posted on Twitter and it seems to fit the idea, so let us create more opportunities to be seen.

The Twitter Tree will be hosted by a different shop each business day.

Monday: http://christiecottage.blogspot.com/
Tuesday: http://audreyscountrycrafts.blogspot.com/
Wednesday: http://elunajewelry-nc.blogspot.com/
Thursday: http://aneedleinthehaystack-debbie.blogspot.com/
Friday: http://sweetybird09.blogspot.com/

If you follow me on twitter - please let me know. I don't follow everyone back if I don't know who they are :)

The Twitter Tree Instructions:

You post the item(s) you tweeted for me along with your twitter account so I can follow you, and list 1-3 items (clickable links, Twitter Ready please) from any of your online shops that you would like for me to tweet for you. ( No "mature" items, please). Be sure the item is twitter ready. (Please include a description, not just the link and any #hashtags you would like to use.) 

You may list from multiple stores. However please respect other twitters and post no more than a total of three items. 

Some tweeters use applications like Tweetdeck. This application automatically shortens URLs, and has a difficult time distinguishing between hashtags and URLs when they are not properly spaced. Please place spaces between your URLs and hastags. Failure to do so may result in lower views as your tweets may get corrupted in the system.

Check back throughout the day to tweet the other items listed in the comments. To make life simpler for all those tweeting, please add the hashtag #bluebird to your links. This way it will be easier to re-tweet later in the day. Also if you add the #bluebird hashtag to your items, it will give you a random chance to be featured in the #bluebird daily twitter paper. 

By reaching out through our blog and twitter network, we hope to increase promotion for all our stores and hope to gain a new audience and possibly some sales. 

 
Hope you have a wonderful day and see you in tweetland.

http://elunajewelry-nc.blogspot.com/2011/02/twitter-tree-wednesday-2-23-2011.html

Here are the three items I posted today:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/67587421/sterling-silver-cast-discs-three-discs 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/60774211/charmed-series-run-like-a-girl-sterling

http://www.etsy.com/listing/59826754/charmed-series-sterling-insignia-stamps 

Thanks again to April for a great post! Don't forget to check back on Saturday for the big reveal of the Bead Soup Blog Hop. Until then ......

Cheers,

Stacy

Carol Bradley Designs - Blog Giveaway

The fabulous Carol Bradley is having a giveaway on her blog of one of her Twistie Bracelets. The sterling beads are very cool! I have admire her work for awhile. Go on over and take a look.

Cheers,
    Stacy

The Soup Is Simmering ......

I was SO excited to open my mailbox and see the package from my bead soup partner Tanya Floyd from Glass Migration. Look at the goodies that she sent, and the beautiful colors. The focal is made by Tanya and set with Swarovski crystals along with the round lampwork beads encased with sterling silver strands.

The big reveal is on February 26th so check back so you can see what I create. Also you will be able to hop to the other Bead Soup Participants blogs and check out what they made. Until next time .....

Cheers,
   Stacy

I am starting a new segment on Wednesday's and joining a wonderful group of talented artisians doing the same. When you have a chance you need to hop over and see their "Bead Table Wednesday" (you might already visit them regularly as I have often mentioned them), Lori Anderson of Pretty Things, Cindy Wimmer of Sweet Bead Studio, Heather Powers of Humble Beads, Lorelei Eurto, of Lorelei Eurto Jewelry.

Currently mine is messy, messy, messy as I am trying to play catch up from being back and forth to Charleston with my dad on top of my REAL job!

 

The rest of the groups BTW are nice a neat, mine is all over the place, but I know where everything is and that is what is important. 

I am working on some etched rolled pods to make pendants. My daughters bracelet that needs to be made larger. Some soldered trinkets to add to something! So I guess I better get going! Until next time ......

Cheers,

   Stacy

SSD Jewelry Art Show Debut

I want to share a little about a friend who had her art exhibit debut last night. She is a wonderful metal smith Melissa Lowery of SSD Jewelry. She has the best inspirational and positive quotes on a lot of her pieces along with etching a patinas.

Great leather cuffs

Wonderful Patina Cuffs

My Favorite Necklace

 Also, check out the wonderful photography of Leigh Moose of Side Yard Studios who shot the above photos of Melissa's work. 

Blog ... Blog ... Blog or Blah ... Blah ... Blah

I am so far off my mark this year it is crazy. I usually keep this blog to beading and show stuff, but decided this year to expand and include part of my life. The last six weeks have been a wild ride in our home and writing and blogging about it, I believe, will keep me a little more sane!

To start I want to share a very true quote that I saw on a blog that I read religiously Pretty Things by Lori Anderson. It is truly how I feel right now.

Since December 26th when I had to go to the emergency room for which turned out to be a severe bacteria infection that left me with a perforated eardrum, violently ill like nobody's business and the fact that I still cannot hear out of my right ear. Then, the end of December my mother-in-law passes away then my father is diagnosed w/ leukemia. Our family has checked off all the bad boxes for 2011! The doctor is still working on my ear issue, there seems to be nerve damage from the infection and there is a 70/30 chance that I will get it back. Good news, my dad is cancer free after his bone marrow biopsy last week. Whew, I feel better all ready!

Now onto bead and fun stuff .... here is a seek peak and what I sent my bead soup partner Tanya Floyd of Glass Migrations:


She is a great lampwork artist and ironically she lives only about 30 minutes away from me. I am excited to receive her beads (we both are delivering a bit late), and hope to meet up soon. She even offered to show me how to make lampwork beads!

Until later .... Stacy

Metal Stamp Giveaway

Lori Anderson of Pretty Things is giving away a very nice set of metal stamps from PJ Tool if you take a look and comment on her blog.

Lori is a wonderful lampwork artist, blogger and all round beading diva! She runs the Bean Soup Blog Hop that you see me writing and blogging about. The Bead Soup is a great opportunity for people to get out there with their blogs and swap beads with fellow bloggers.and to show what we can create with what other people send us.

Stay tuned as I will post this week what I will be sending to the person that I was matched up with.

Bead Soup Blog Party

It is that time of year again when Lori Anderson hosts her Bead Soup Blog Party. The rules are that you must have a blog and then you send her an email with all the pertinent info:

a) Your full name

b) Your blog address

c) Your shop address, if you have one

c) Are you willing to ship internationally, yes or no?

d)What best describes you -- sterling, pewter, plated, brass/copper?

I did this for the first time last year and it is the perfect exercise for the A-type like myself to get out of the box.

I highly recommend that you give it a try. It is great exposure for you and your blog. Think if it, if you have 75 people participating you will have that many people, plus more visiting your blog to see your soup ingredients and how it come out!

I can't wait! Stay tuned for my ingredients.