Grab your piggy bank...

and shake it out for all it's worth!

It's TIME! You've seen the button on my blog... you've heard me 'talk' about the Pink Artist and subsequent Block Party.

Please, please - RUN, don't walk on over to Monica's blog for all the details on the amazing quilt (a collaboration between artists from all over the world) offered up, a long with all the other beautifully crafted items - any of which can be yours.

Here's the official flyer:



Go now... check it out, I don't think you'll be sorry, but I do think you'll be amazed!

Pink Artist Drawing, Part 2...my contribution

Did you notice the button over to the side? --->
Please take a minute to visit Monica's blog to learn more about how you can contribute to a wonderful cause as well as have a chance to own some beautifully crafted items, not to mention a FANTASTIC block art quilt!



I recently completed the bracelet I'm offering up for the drawing.



The beads were generously provided by Artbeads.com
The photos above and below are progress photos of the bracelet





I took a class at my local bead shop a year or so ago and learned this 'coil' pattern. I've been having fun with close up photos



I really like these 3 colors together



The bracelet is 7 3/4 inches from end to end. In addition to the size 15/0 beads and the purple Delica's, I used a Swarovski 15 x 11 mm Crystal Golden Shadow Cosmic Oval Ring (also from Art Beads) as part of the toggle clasp.

I'm really looking forward to seeing all the wonderful items offered this round. It seems many of the stories that go with the pieces are as heart warming as the pieces are beautiful. Monica has a special way of attracting that kind of energy and spirit to her projects.

Spend a few minutes (or more) and go check it out!

Faces...

*** WINNER*** is... Nologic

Congratulations - I hope you'll let me know (and post pics) when you bead it up!

Thanks to all that participated.



I recently signed up to participate in a face swap over at All About Beads. I enjoy participating in swaps and the ladies that participate from that group will often share items I have not previously seen or worked with.

For this swap, we are to put together 3 packages containing a face or any other cab with complimentary seed beads. I thoroughly enjoy putting together this type of package, since it gives me an opportunity to look through my stash of faces and all those wonderful seed beads.

I figured while I was at it, I'd put together a package to share with you kind folks that stop in and say hi. It's been quite awhile since I shared anything here so I'm over due!



This package will include a beautiful face by the very talented Jen Martin from GraphixOutpost which measures about 1 1/4 inch around. Also included are plenty of seed beads in a range of sizes including 15/0, 11/0 and 8/0. A few leaves and some pinched beads.



While I was at it, I pulled out a coordinating piece of stiffened felt, ultrasuede (they are each about 2 1/2 inches) and enough lavender C-Lon thread to get you through the project. I thought I might as well include a couple of needles - so you should have everything you need to make a bead embroidered face. I would be happy to include a pin back if you'd like .



Maybe you'll even be inspired to enter the annual face swap by SassyArtGoddess? I'm making a big assumption that she's doing it again this year. Even if she isn't - there's tons of inspiration for beaded faces there - so check the links for each swap year.

All you need to do is leave a comment here by midnight eastern time on April 10 and I'll add your name to the virtual hat. Please make sure you leave some way to contact you in your comment

I think it's a great way to kick off spring and since it finally looks like we might actually experience some spring weather soon, I'd like to celebrate - won't you join me?

OWOH Winners!

This has been a spectacular event! I managed to visit the blog of every participant, and boy what a treat! I now subscribe to over 220 new blogs between those maintained by participants and others that left their names here. I have had a blast traveling around the world via your blogs - really how could I not?

I did not count how many times I added my name to drawings, but I did my best to limit myself to items that really struck me or that I could actually use. There were some really neat things/art/objects offered up or created for the event, it was challenging at times not to get caught up in the frenzy and just throw my name in everywhere!

I ended up with 354 entries for my giveaway. I requested an active blog be in place by those that wanted to throw their name into the drawing. I did visit each and every blog from those comments. After culling the duplicates (there were only 2) and those that did not have active blogs, the final number of entrants was 320. Pretty amazing, I think.

I mulled over how I might choose my winners. I know lots of folks planned to use random number generators, but I just couldn't. I wanted it to be a little more hands on - I'm crazy like that (control issue perhaps?).

I have giveaways here frequently and I enjoy the name drawing process as much as the rest of it. Over 300 is a LOT of comments though. So here's how I managed it - for anyone that's interested...



All my comments go to my Yahoo email account. I set up a separate folder for the OWOH giveaway and another folder for 'rejects' and saved all the incoming comments in one of those folders in the order of date/time received. I then added the number of posts to an Excel spreadsheet (in this case 318) so I could cut each one out and add them to my little basket. Since messages are numbered 25 to a page in Yahoo, it makes the process a snap!



After midnight struck, I drew two numbers out of the basket. Here are the winners:

The flower goes to Farmchick of Fresh from the Farm

and

The lips go to Jana of One Hillaceous Dream

Congratulations ladies and a big thank you to everyone that visited!

I'd like to take just a moment again to thank Lisa Swifka for organizing and managing the event. It was no small task to visit each blog - I can't imagine how much time it took to manage the links and the blog.

BRAVO Lisa... take a bow, it was another great year!

Happy New Year!

Time to usher out 2008 and invite in the new year with all the surprises it holds! I wish every one a year filled with good health and abundant success, oh and beads... LOTS of beads!



The cute little butterball of a baby pictured above was one of our guests over the Christmas holiday and this photo made me think of the Baby New Year. I think he's the perfect poster child for 2009


In playing around with my camera I also snapped a shot of our Christmas tree the other night.

We are still cleaning up from the ice storm and subsequent winds that hit just before Christmas, some of the really big clean up will have to wait for spring.

A couple of other items...

I eagerly follow the Etsy team of BAO (Bead Art Originals), I subscribe to their blog and have many, if not all, of their artists marked as Etsy favorites. It is a fun group of extremely talented artists. Do yourself a favor and take a little tour of their blog for some mouth watering close up photos of their work.

Before Christmas they had a BAO GiveAway extravaganza - 12 days of give aways, 12 lucky winners of amazing creations by the artists. I happen to be one of those lucky winners (I LOVE it when that happens) and wanted to share a photo of my prize.



Isn't it wonderful? The pendant was designed and created by MaryLou Holvenstot at 'time2cr8', she was generous in offering to make the pendant in colors of my choice. Does it get any better? I mean really!?!

Speaking of giveaways - have you noticed my latest button... up there on the right side of my blog? The one that says "One World One Heart", yeah THAT one! I was a participant last year and plan to take part again this year.

There were several hundred bloggers last year that gave away wonderful items on their blogs, all kinds of stuff, handmade, store bought, candles, food, jewelry, art of all kinds - and the best part? Anyone can win! The only requirement, you must have a blog - that's it!

I plan to bead up a few items for the event and I will do my best to make my rounds to as many of the other blogs as I can to see what everyone else is doing/giving away. It's a great way to find new blogs and make new blog friends!

So mark your calendars... the big give away will be held on February 12. I encourage you to click on the badge above to read more about it and join me in the fun.

I also finished the doll shown in teaser shots in my last post, my plan is to get full photos of it up in the next few days. I'm also happily working away on my November Bead Journal Project, I should be able to finish that up in the next day or so and get started on my December page.

For now... relax and enjoy what is left of 2008 and look forward to ringing in the new year!

Winner!

I picked the name for Spring doll/sachet drawing. Tammy, I thought of you as I did it - it would NOT have made a good video as I as multi tasking. I was on a conference call when I pulled the name. Picture headset in place, reading glasses, hair in pony tail, wearing sweats (not terribly presentable). The things one has to resort to without enough hours in the day!

Anyway... the important stuff - the winner is...

MONICA - from Girl Gone Thread Wild.

Monica, I'm so pleased you finally won something - it seems you've entered just about every drawing I have had with this being your first win. Congratulations! I know you've been working hard on our doll (Love Squared), you deserve a break and a little treat!

Thanks so much to everyone who participated. I hope to have another drawing in the not too distant future.

Winners...

That's right - winners, plural.

First, I'm a winner (and a grateful one at that). Before I threw all the names in a hat for the drawing, I discovered a surprise in the mail for me. I received a beautiful crocheted bag from Phyllis. Phyl, I want you to know I LOVE the colors.


Take a look at this wonderful button.


And the inside is just as beautiful!

Thank you so much for the unexpected surprise, I appreciate it more than I can articulate.

Now, for the winner of the beaded doll kit ... it's KATIE! A big thank you to all of you for participating. Check back, I'll have another giveaway within the next week or so.

*Note to Tammy, I tried to videotape it just for you - and I had a little technical difficulty. Maybe next time.

Have a wonderful week!

Would you look at that?

I was a winner for one of the One World One Heart drawings. This one was held by QuiltDivaJulie at Me & My Quilts ~ Exploring the Possiblities. Aren't these fabrics beautiful???



Six different pieces in all.



How can I possibly complain about anything - after so many great mail days? Okay, well I might consider whining about the weather... it's been soooo cold! Snowed off and on all day today and was windy. I think it got up over zero degrees but not by much! More of the same tomorrow and the next day, and the next day after that. I believe we might see 40 degrees mid next week, I hope anyway. It's all the more reason to stay indoors and BEAD!

I'm almost done with my January Bead Journal page, I'll be happy to get it completed as it is a bit dark and depressing, but alas all a part of the cycle of life.

I also have several ideas in mind for February and March - maybe even incorporate one of these happy new fabrics. I'd love to work on a beaded doll again too, but alas I have a few projects in the works to finish first. I'm tossing around the idea in my head (plenty of room for that!) of having a beaded doll kit drawing here soon, if I can't make time to bead a doll, I'll at least put together all the parts so someone else can!

I hope your week is going well!

Another great mail day...

I am one lucky girl! A while back I won a drawing on Noel's blog, an amazingly generous giveaway... just because.


First of all - before I even get to the contents - the box itself is BEAUTIFUL! Then the treasures inside the box...

She included some of her hand painted buttons

As well as a really cute cup cozy

Next ... some beautiful fabrics

A really neat tile

An awesome doll form

How about these paints? I'm so excited to play with these!

And last but certainly not least... this absolutely beautiful Icicle doll


Make sure you click on the photos for a larger view.

Thanks so much Noel - you made my week that much more special with your thoughtful package. I appreciate it so very much, you're the best too!

One World One Heart drawing winners...

This has been an incredible event for me. It certainly generated more posts than ever for one entry (150 to be exact) and has led me to some truly wonderful blogs that I otherwise may have never found. I am thrilled I was able to participate and look forward to seeing how it grows even bigger next year.

If you didn't get a chance to participate, please do visit the OWOH blog for links to some incredible places on the web. I think you will be inspired and amazed by the talent found through the links there.

Without further delay, let's get to the drawing!

The winners for the One World One Heart give away are...

Pick #1 - Kelly Snelling of Soul Humming. She has chosen the coil bracelet

Pick #2 - Tina of Garden Goose. She has chosen the Valentine Dotee doll

Pick #3 - Betzie of Time Enough. She will receive the blue peace brooch

Congratulations! And a big thank you to everyone for stopping by and entering my drawing, the response was amazing. My hat's off to Lisa from Heart of the Nest for putting it all together, well done!

I have a confession...

Remember the last giveaway... the beaded ornament with a Snowman on the front? Well I am embarrassed to say that after I made the original post to give it away, I could not find the ornament. I searched high and low - every where the cats just might have stashed it in the off chance they actually got a hold of it. I still could not find it. At that point I was searching my memory... did I give it away already? Did I hide it so well that I just could not find it?

Rather than stress out about it too much, I thought I would just start on another one, hoping the original ornament would turn up. Thankfully I had a couple of extra snowman cabs and quite a bit of time on my hands since I took a few days off work for the holidays.

I confessed to Helene earlier today and she was so gracious about it. I am hoping it turns up at some point or I figure out what I did with it.

I must say - I do enjoy beading these up. The bezel is even count peyote stitch and the outside is a twisted edge as found in Beading with Cabochons by Jamie Cloud Eakin

We have a winner...

I took the names for the beaded Christmas ornament drawing with me to my son's house yesterday and enlisted the help of my grand kids in picking a name. I'm happy to report that Hélène H is the winner. Helene, please send me an email through my profile when you get a chance - I need your mailing address.

I have also added a short video of the drawing for those that might like to see it.

A little background on the video - I set my camera up on a tripod and my son, DH and daughter-in-law were all sitting in front of us as I filmed. Neither of my grand kids are at all shy!

A time to be thankful - giveaway

I had the perfect little container in which to place the names for the latest giveaway drawing, an adorable little pumpkin Longaberger basket; which up to this point had never served any purpose other than to look cute. It was nice to put it to work.

And the winners are...



Tammy - I have your address. Kathy - I need yours. Please send me an email with your mailing address through my profile when you get a chance. I will get these in the mail no later than Friday, the 29th.

Congratulations and thanks so much for playing!

Another giveaway is already being planned - check back next week for more details.

A time to be thankful

I do my best to count my blessings and be thankful for each of them every day, but this time of year there are so many more reminders. I appreciate it - I have much for which I am thankful.

With that thought in mind I wanted to have another give-away. This time I'm offering up 2 items.

First - a beaded brooch. The colors are purple and brown, however my photography does not do this pin justice, the colors are a bit brighter in person. The pin is about 1 1/2 inches across. To give you another frame of reference the bicones used in the fringe are 4mm.


Second is a purple and green brooch. The beautiful center is a polymer clay cab created by Melissa Bell. It measures 2 inches across.

When I put this one together, it had been several months since I beaded up my last cab and in the process of assembling it, I forgot to glue the pin back on before the ultra suede, so it doesn't look nearly as tidy as I'd like, thankfully it's not seen when worn!


If you'd like to throw your name in the hat to win either of these pins, please leave a comment by midnight (Eastern Standard Time), November 23. It is open to everyone, I will pay for postage anywhere in the world.

I will pick two separate names and announce the winners on Saturday.

Thanks for playing and good luck!

***Updated to add 2 great links for other give aways, check them out when you get a chance!***

An Etsy Giveaway Extravaganza!
Contests Anonymous

Have fun!

We have a winner!

***Update*** October 31 - I removed the video - it takes up a lot of space and for the folks on dial up it takes so much longer to load. If you've made it to the post and want to see the video, let me know and I'll send you a link to view it.


Okay, so I thought I try something a little different and film myself picking the name for the beaded doll. Well when it ran through my head it was brilliant - reality is just a little bit different. Suffice it to say - I will not have a career in the theatre arts any time soon, but hey - I'm a star in my living room (not really, but a girl can dream!). I added a couple of out takes, warm ups if you will. Enjoy!

Will the winner please contact me via email - I'll need your mailing address.

She needs a name and a home

***UPDATED***
There were a total of 13 names entered for the drawing... stay tuned for the results tomorrow evening (Oct. 11). Thanks to all that participated!



I was inspired to have a drawing/giveaway ever since Lora posted her face pin giveaway (see the post just before this one for details). This is my offering for a giveaway, it for anyone that has a desire to participate. The requirements are pretty simple as follows:

Leave a comment here offering up a name for this doll (one that has not already been posted), please include your name. A link to your blog or website would be appreciated, but is not necessary in order to play. I will accept names until midnight (Eastern time) Wednesday, October 10.



By Friday I will put all the names in a bowl and draw one. I will contact the winner via email to obtain a mailing address. Everyone is welcome to participate, I will pay postage - domestic or international.



The only thing I ask in return is that the winner consider having some sort of give away of their own.



Doll details:
She is 3 inches tall, fully beaded. Form by Monica Magness, face by Jen Martin. She has 3 vintage green round nail heads on her front side as well as a Swarovski butterfly sewn to her right 'hand'. Dangling from her left hand are three 4mm Swarovski bicone beads. Her back side sports a vintage German glass sew on heart in green. Beads used range in size from 15/0 to 11/0 and are both Japanese and Czech.



I look forward to hearing from you.