October

Apple harvest should only last a few more days, then it's back to full time bead making!

This morning we picked apples in the rain.

And it really made me want to be warm and cozy in my studio!

Okay, so I'll have to do a LOT of cleaning before it looks like that again. But first, more beads! 

The best part of being a beadmaker

Do you know what the best part of being a bead maker is?

Even if it's October, and raining, and 11pm ~ I can still pick a bouquet of flowers out of my kiln!

I LOVE MY JOB!!

Watch for some of them in my Etsy shop tomorrow :)

RINGS!

I've been wanting to make rings out of my beads for a long time, and I've also been looking for a new use for my square beads.

SUCCESS! 

SQUARE RINGS!

I'm so excited about these :)

Here's a close up

You know I'm going to be making more of these!

They really are fun to make, fun to wear, and way easier than I thought.

If I can get a friend to do some photography for me, I might just put up a quick free tutorial. Stay tuned!

Here's the song that's been stuck in my head all week ~ enjoy!

New Tools!

ZOOZII'S BUBBLE PRESS

I was fortunate to be able to attend the International Society of Glass Beadmakers Gathering this year.  It was an amazing experience!  I learned so much and met so many great people.  And of course, I also did a LOT of shopping! Thankfully Dusty went with me and not only carried everything, but even encouraged me!  

One of the purchases I made was the Zoozii's Bubble Press. 

I was a little intimidated because it looks so difficult to use, but it made such fun beads I couldn't resist! Amy even showed me how to use it during one of the open torch sessions,

I've made about 15 of these so far, but I already only have these few left at the house.  

I swear the only thing happier than bubbles is bubbly beads!

More of these will be turning up in my Etsy shop in the days to come and of course you can always find them locally at The Sun Dog Bead Co.

Happy Beading!!

Just for fun ~ here's a little music that always makes me feel bubbly!

Richie Spice - Yap Yap

Scavenger Hunt!!

Let's have a little fun!  

My kiln is currently undergoing maintenance so I can't make beads for a couple days. 

So I thought we'd have a scavenger hunt!

There are 3 randomly chosen items currently for sale in my etsy shop with the number 50 in the listing.  If you find one of them send me a message either here, on etsy, or on facebook  and I'll give you

 50% off that listing!! (first one to contact me on each listing is the one who gets the discount)

Good luck and have fun!!

MONDAY?!

Ouch!  Looks like I fell off the blog again.  I think I may have skinned my knee this time ~ they ought to make training wheels for these things!! 

Okay, today's motivation ~  hmmm....  Flowers!  I've been working on improving my flowers lately, and I've come up with quite a few things I like.  But I think I'm ready to up my game!  Let's try something like this: 

Or this:

These might be wishful thinking, but I have to keep pushing myself!

I guess a little music about flowers is in order :)

Scarlet Begonias by Jimmy Buffett

Have a great week, and stay motivated!

Motivation Monday - Custom Orders

Oh, so it's not Monday? It is still early in the week though right?  I hope so, because I still have a LOT to do this week!

I didn't have much time during the past week to play with the cupcake patterns I posted last Monday because virtually everything I made was a custom order.  Did I tell you I love custom orders! They often inspire and push me to try things I may not have otherwise considered.  Please don't hesitate to let me know if there is something special I can make for you!

Here are a few from the last few days, and I have several more on the board for this week.

Matte Pink Italian Marble

Pink Flowers

I think a little Bachman Turner Overdrive is in order for this week's motivation!

Have a great week and stay motivated!