Humblearts Journal

Holiday Open House

Tomorrow I'm hosting a cyber Open House in my Etsy shop.  I hope you'll stop by and see if I can help you with your holiday shopping list.

To celebrate I'm offering free shipping, a special free gift for each customer and surprises that will be listed throughout the day.   

As part of the festivities I'm moderating a Handcrafted Holiday chat.  We'll be sharing ideas, inspiration and holiday how-tos!  Join me during lunch at 12pm (CST). We'll meet in the Red Room in the virtual labs Monday, Nov. 5th.
http://www.etsy.com/virtual_labs.php
You must have an etsy account to login to the chat.

Tomorrow is also the 1st Monday of the month and the Etsy Texas Crafters have great sales in their shops.  Visit their site for details on all their members' specials tomorrow.

Etsy Buy Handmade humblebeads

Internet Math

2 businesses divided by a need to focus = weblog division.

I have decided in order to use my blog more effectively, they needed to split into two.  I love using my blog to keep on track and measure my progress as I move forward.  I felt the best thing would be to create a blog devoted entirely to beads and this one will now focus on illustration and my marketing efforts. 

The new Humblebeads Blog can be found here.  Please bookmark it and visit me often!  Also if you have a bead related blog, email me to exchange links. 

Humblebeads News

Some new additions at the ol' humblebeads ranch...

Lariat Necklace Kits are now in 5 different colors - teal, purple, copper, blue and olive.  Instructions are included along with everything else to make this necklace, except the tools.  : )

Sale now through March 3rd, choose either

Free Shipping with discount code M2006 or

10% off your entire order with discount code Spring07. 

Oh, look she's back!

My, oh my.  I am a long lost blogger.  I can't believe how busy the last few weeks have been.  I have a million unanswered emails, but those will have to wait until tomorrow when I have a few more recovered brain cells.

BUT, I did want to tell you about some places you can spot my beads in print this month.

First, for the new beaders there is Bead & Button's Beading Basics, Essential Techniques.  Inside you can find my cuff bracelet project and it's on the DVD that is included.  You can find it on newsstands December 19th.

I have two articles in the December issue of Step by Step Beads.  A very fun and funky tassel necklace and my first polymer clay bead-making project; a faux lampwork technique using oil paints and liquid sculpey. 

So now you can tell everyone you know someone famous.  HA, HA!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our celebration doesn't start until this evening, so while I'm sitting here dreaming about turkey and pumpkin pie I thought I'd show you my leaf cookies and blog about my Thanksgiving day sale.

I love making sugar cookies.  The best part is decorating, so I cheat and buy refrigerated cookie dough.  I have my favorite butter frosting recipe from a Betty Crocker cookbook my great grandmother gave to me.  After I frost them I dip them in sugar, so they are sparkly and just a little too sweet.  (Thank goodness I only make them once or twice a year!)

Click on over to humblebeads.com for my two-day sale, 20% off everything today and tomorrow.  Lots of cute gifts in my holiday shop.

Enjoy the day with your loved ones!

Holiday Shop at Humblebeads

The Holiday Shop at Humblebeads is now open!

Along with jewelry, I have some limited edition bead sets:

 

Snowmen Beads

 

Holiday Disk Beads

November Bead of the Month   

lights, camera, auction!

New eBay auctions, lots of fall inspired colors. 

A San Antonio Autumn:

Scarves and sandals

pumpkin empanadas

Eighty degrees.

Dead grass, brown leaves,

neighbors emerge from

air conditioned cocoons.

Small changes

before

skeletons, ancestors, memories

and obscene amounts of candy.

   

The Tale of Two Beads, part 1

Here are some new beads that I have added to my website.  I decided it was time to expand my line a bit.  So some nice fall editions have joined the humblebeads family. 

Cuff beads in Gold/Bronze and Rose. 

Making and selling beads is my day job.  It's what brings home the bacon. It's something I can work a few hours every day and still have time for illustrating.  I work during the week while the girls are in school and sometimes in the evening.  I do beads as the first thing in the morning, just like a regular job.

Garnet Disk Beads.

I have some goals as a bead artist.  Like writing a polymer clay bead-making book.  But would ultimately love to illustrate full-time and do the beads as a hobby.  Someday.  Until then, I'm happy to work at home making beautiful things and helping jewelry-makers add a little art to their designs.

New Spacer beads, shown here in blue, teal and purple.

bead gallery

Just thought I'd show off my Bead of the Month gallery that I put up on my site.  It has the previous bead of the month jewelry designs to inspire humblebead collectors.  If you've made jewelry using my beads, send me a pic.  I might use it in a future customer gallery.

Back to the ol' beads

Bead of the Month for September: Summer's Shadow.

A few of this week's ebay auctions