Beady Advice For Happier Times:

Believe good things are going to happen.

Surround yourself with precious friends.

Just bee yourself darling.

Remember, wishes do come true - make at least one a day!

There are seasons of growth, embrace change.

Variety is the spice of life, mix things up every now and then. 

Share your favorite quote or words of wisdom that have helped you lately.

(Click on the images to read more about the beads.)

Humblebeads + Stinky Dog Beads

My Mission: Create something with the owl beads and Czech glass provided by Stinky Dog Beads

Current Obsession: Tassels

Little Touches: Tiny faceted copper beads and fun magnetic clasp (from my trip to Puerto Rico)

Realization: Of all the beads I make, I'm still smitten with my disk beads above all others. 

You can find the directions to make the tassels here.

For these tiny ones I used 4 strands of floss, wrapped 3 times around on a 1" x 1" piece of cardboard with 10mm jump rings. 

Ceramic bead: White Clover Kiln. 

Stinky Dog Beads has an awesome shiny new website that causes drooling and bank accounts to dwindle! The owls are available in several colors. Be sure to sign up for their mailing list for a great discount to use on your first order. 

Inspiring Bead Shops: Perfectly Paired

I thought I would try something fun today and feature a few online bead shops that are worth a visit. These are friends of mine, but this is just me saying "oh, look here at what they've got" because these three hardworking beady women sure do inspire me! I've paired up their beads with a few of my Humblebeads Bead Mixes. Enjoy!

Ornamentea + Humblebeads
Ornamentea is a brick and mortar bead shop located in Raleigh, North Carolina run by Cynthia Deis. Ornametea has a super inspiring website with lots of free projects from trendy designers. They offer an eclectic array of mixed media and jewelry making supplies.Cynthia works with several different bead artists to round out her collection, which I love to see!

Humblebeads: Wild Bird Bead Mix

Ornamentea: Chexx Beads, Beveled Bayong Wood Beads, Green Girl Shibuichi Bird, Antique Brass Metal Spacers,  Harvest Gold Dupioni Silk
 

Stinky Dog Beads + Humblebeads
Kitty Bozzini has carved out quite the bead inspiring beauty of a website at Stinky Dog Beads. This is an online only bead shop that offers a beautifully curated collection of beads with photographs that just make you want to shop! Stinky Dog Beads offers lots of unique items that have my nature-lovin' heart going pitter-patter. Must shop the clasps.

Humblebeads: Woodland Bead Mix

Stinky Dog Beads: Central cut Picasso Czech glass beads, Double link chain, antique brass, Mykonos Peace dove, twig connector, Halo Heavens English cut Czech beads

The Curious Bead Shop + Humblebeads
Rebecca Anderson is the curious bead propieter behind The Curious Bead Shop. Rebecca's popular Etsy shop is run from home in Scotland! You may have seen Rebecca's jewelry featured here on my blog, she has a way with Humblebeads.  Rebecca's shop offers mainly Czech glass in so many yummy colors and styles but she is also branching out with findings, metal spacers, waxed linen and leather.

Humblebeads: Tribal Pattern Bead Mix

The Curious Bead Shop: Copper faceted cornerless cube, Orange Evening Ember Faceted Rondelles, Royal Blue Faceted Glass Bicones, Violet Opal Petals, Burnished Pink Leaves

Birds, Butterflies and Retreat Sneak Peek

It's 5 o'clock on Friday. It's been a week. Crazy. Busy. Not at the top of my game kind of week. But orders are going out the door. Deadlines are being met.  New ideas are churning.  But I'm tired today and should have something witty and awesome to say about these little birds, but I will let them and the poets do the talking instead.

"A bird doesn't sing a song because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song." - Maya Angelou

"Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best."  - Author unknown

"Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings." - Victor Hugo

Blooms and Birds Sets on Etsy

BIG SNEAK PEEK!!!!

So what is this bit of amazing butterfly action about? Oh, just a little fantastic mixed media class I will be teaching at my Inspired by Nature Fall Retreat this year.  Mark the dates, this year it's going to be October 17-19th here in South Haven, MI.  I will only have 17 spots this time around so if you have been dreaming about attending for the last 3 years - don't miss out this year.  Tomorrow I will have the complete details on the blog and registration will open.  No early bird registration this year.  

"Just as the bird sings or the butterfly soars, because it is his natural characteristic, so the artist works." - Alma Gluck

Flourish and Thrive Academy Multiply Your Profits Volume 2: Bread and Roses

Where are you in your jewelry business now?

My jewelry business is on the precipice, with wings extended, the breeze rushing past - on the edge and ready to soar.

Over the last few months I've created a beautiful and cohesive collection of nature inspired jewelry. I've delved deep into discovering who my ideal customer is, how to reach her and why she buys and wears jewelry. I've laid the foundation of my jewelry business, building on my past experience and the knowledge gained from the Flourish & Thrive Academy.

I have been selling my jewelry retail online and at shows for the last few years and love creating pieces that help women remember to slow down and cherish the natural beauty around them. I am taking off into the wholesale market this spring and working on getting my jewelry into shops across the country.

What’s holding you back in your business and your life?

Not having better systems in place for expanding and growing my business have been holding me back. Delegating work and hiring help is a challenge but one I'm ready to face and have been utilizing more. Knowing that I can not physically create each piece of jewelry to meet my financial goals is also a stumbling block. I only have two hands and 24 hours but it's hard to let go of control!

What is your vision for your business? Where do you want to go? What are your biggest dreams and desires?

My vision for my business is that it will provide bread and roses for my family and impact my community in a positive way.

What do I mean by bread and roses? I not only want a business that pays a living wage for my husband and myself, I want a business that provides quality health insurance, a robust retirement fund and college expenses for my children - that's the bread.  But I also want a business that affords roses - that doesn't mean a lavish or luxurious lifestyle, but rather the time and energy to enjoy life.  I want the freedom to not toil from sun up to sun down, but have time to feed our souls while we make a living for our family.

I live in a small town with scarce job opportunities.  It would be wonderful to have a business that could afford to hire a few local women to work for us assisting assembling our jewelry and shipping out orders.  I would love to know my creativity is providing bread and roses for other families too.  

I'm so thankful for my life and feel like I'm living so many of my dreams.  We live in a 1910 farmhouse in my sleepy hometown on the shores of Lake Michigan. I want my days filled with making beautiful things, connecting with amazing clients and sharing my work with those who love the beauty of nature as much as I do.  My dream is to grow a business that let's me feast in my creative pursuits and allows us the luxury of a balanced life with work that feels rewarding not all-consuming!

www.humblebeadsjewelry.com

This is my essay entry for the Flourish & Thrive Academy Mulitiply Your Profits Volume 2 course.  I took their volume 1 course and it has been life changing!  To learn more about the next course and sign up for their free webinar visit Flourish & Thrive Academy.

Pin It to Win It Contest

I'm busy this week working on the final details for my retreat so I won't be able to work on marketing mojo as much as usually. I thought hey - you guys could help me this week and we'll turn it into a fun contest.  And what better place to play than my favorite social media site, Pinterest!

So on to the contest.  First up - what can you win?
A $50 credit to my Etsy shop and the item you pin! *

How to play:
1. Pin your favorite Humblebead from my Etsy shop.
2. Share the link from your pin in the comments below.

Enter as many times as you'd like.
One link per comment please.
I'll pick one random winner on October 29th.  

Have fun and happy pinning! 

*One Exception: excludes grab bags or bead bundles.

This contest is now closed.

Owl Beads & Charms

I'm never more creative when I have a deadline looming!  I don't know what it is, but I find all sorts of ways to procrastinate when I should be gettin' down to business.  I call it creation procrastination.  This morning, I was stuck with the sudden need to make owls.  Probably because everyone is buzzing out this contest.  And hey, who isn't up for new owls.  Whooo, I ask you, whoooo?  Okay, went overboard there.  

 These guys started out as sketchy little characters this morning. 

 I created these pieces in April 2011, and decided they would the inspiration for the new owls.

I pulled out some copper bezels I had stashed away and added my clay.  I then sketched out each little guy with my tools and popped them in the oven.  A little splash of paint and they were ready for adventures in the great big world. 

Yep, adventures indeed - they have already been flying out of my Etsy shop.  Back to the to-do list for me, now that I have those out of my system!

Fall Beads

September? I really shouldn't be surprised. I think I live in some science fiction time warp bubble where months disappear in the blink of an eye. My teens are back in school, which means more of a set schedule here in the Humblebeads headquarters. 

Over the next few weeks I will busy (translate: consumed) with making new fall beads for my trunk show at Rustic River Finds in Galena.  This is the new bead store owned by Trish Italia, the very lovely and talented mother of Jess Italia Lincoln of Vintaj fame.  My trunk show will be going on during the Vintaj 2-Day Workshop and Oktober Fest.  Rosanne and I are planning a whole weekend out of it and enjoying a little mini-vaca in the beautiful and inspiring town of Galena. 

So if you are in the area the trunk show is September 22nd from 11am - 6pm.  Check out the Rustic River Finds Facebook page to keep up to date with happening at the store.  I will be selling beads and signing books.

These just popped up on the table yesterday - I didn't plan them but I'm glad they showed up.  If they look somewhat familiar - they are the same design used in my Chrysanthemum beads. 

Lots of new things happening this month.  Fall is my favorite time of year and this one is already action-packed and filled with new work, events and opportunities that are waiting for me! 

Catching Up

Some of you asked to see my booth at Bead & Button - so here it is.  It was fun to have the book on display this year! I also had jewelry from the book at the booth.  I met so many lovely customers this year.  It was nice to meet some people I've only known in name. 

There where a few shy souls who came up and introduce themselves and they said, "Oh, I'm nobody. I don't have a blog or anything."  I wanted to let everyone know on the other side of the table, I love meeting everyone who enjoys my work.  There are no small beaders, only small bead stashes.  Ha! Which I work very hard to remedy. 

I love meeting new people who have no clout, no publication credits, but they love beads and that's all I need to have a fun conversation!  So many people who make jewelry just do it for themselves, often they have stressful jobs and beads are something fun.  You are all important to me and I'm thankful for anyone who is a Humblebeads fan, you are a big deal to me!

The beads that go on for miles!  Big sellers this year were owls, tiger lilies, starfish, urchins, nest pendants, bird house beads, dogwood pendants in cream, eggs and birds, clasps and headpins.  And the hedgies got so many ooh and ahhs I thought they were going to get big heads.  They are always a favorite.

Loved the Bohemian inspired collection - these were quite popular too!

A garden of headpins - piles of beads make me giddy.  

So I have been a zombie, just filling orders, recovering and letting plans simmer.  I have all sorts of fun things to share soon, including details about my fall retreat.


Check out the Art Bead Scene for a chance to win one of my Birch Log beads and get a coupon code to save 10% in my Etsy shop!

Colorful Pendants

I've been working on new beads for Bead & Button. I shared a few posts ago about my inspiration of wood block stamps from India and spice markets.  Here are some of the paisleys that I designed.

I had pressed out a ton of these pendants last week and they were sitting there staring at me - questioning with possibilities.  Milky white clay beckoned, what colors?  So I went back to the source of my inspiration and picked my palettes from there.

My first group summoned the soft muted shades of this market photo featuring all sorts of flowers, pods and petals in lavender, lilacs, golden yellow, sage and  that lovely muted copper color.  I created a lotus pendant, some graphic flowers - I don't know what they are, I saw a print with the design and did my own version and then the paisleys.

Photo Credit: Jenn Garcia of the Purple Passport.
. 

My second grouping picked up the spicy warm shades of red, purple, orange and ochre. If I had to pick just one palette, it would be this one.

Photo credit: unattributed on Pinterest

My third color set comes from the colors of the colorful powders sold in Indian markets.  I pulled out the pink, purple, teal, kelly green.

Photo credit: Shrimaitreya

Do you have a favorite?  I'm going to put a few of these in my Etsy shop and I will make more to take to the show too because I love these for summer designs!  Hmm, maybe I'll make some jewelry with them this weekend. 

20,000 Leagues Collection

I was so excited to spot my 20,000 Leagues Urchin Toggle in the Vintaj's Mixed Metals book earlier this year.  If you haven't picked up this booklet I highly recommend it.  It's filled with innovative ways to combine Vintaj components, altered art techniques and jewelry designs with lots of art beads sprinkled throughout projects.  The Vintaj team is so stinking creative, I don't know how they constantly come up with new brilliant designs, but they amaze me every time.

I love this bracelet by Jessica Klaaren from Beadful Things Jewelry using one of my 20,000 Leagues Urchin Connectors.

The days are getting warmer and June is getting closer - are you feeling summer yet? 

A Curious Collection - Alice in Wonderland Beads

Here is a little inspiration for the Curious Design Challenge and blog hop that Genea and Staci Louise are hosting.  Unfortunately the hop is the week of Bead & Button so I can't play along - oh I love Alice!

But for those who are playing along here are some picks from my website that fit the theme:

Tiny Mushroom Charms, Baby Hedgies, Teal Spacer Beads and Mushroom Beads.

This is a necklace I created using one of Jesse's pendants, a Green Girl Studio snail, and one of my mushroom beads and teal spacers.

Sign up for the blog hop is closed, but Alice is always trendy, her tale timeless - so jump in and create something just for fun. 

Clever You!

I love seeing what you guys do with your Humblebeads.  You can share you links or photos on my Facebook page.  Today my friend Rose Noble sent me the link to this necklace - she totally rocked my tiny charm into an eye-catching pendant.  Love lemon and teal!

Fellow ABS blogger Rebbecca Anderson created this garden-inspired bracelet with one of my dogwood beads.  Love the tiny wisps of threaded knots between the beads.

My dear friend Erin Prais-Hintz used my beads in this FABU tutorial and feature on the B'Sue Boutiques website.  This is going to be an ongoing series with Erin using art beads paired up with the product line from B'Sue Boutiques, so it's one to watch.  Erin always inspires me and amazes me with what she can create.  Now, the sad news is I don't make these pendants anymore.  I couldn't get consistent results even with using the exact same materials - but I think this bracelet would be pretty fantastic with my new Hibiscus pendants or even the dogwood pendants above.  You can find the tutorial here.

My final show and tell today is a fun pair of earrings from the talented designer and long time bead buddy Lorelei Eurto.  She makes it looks so effortless.  She paired up my disks with some ceramic charms from Elaine Ray.

You know what I would love to see? Your projects inspired by my book or the projects in there.  Have you made something inspired by Jewelry Designs from Nature? 

Now I have you all worked up to pull out your Humblebeads right?  Heck yeah!  So guess what I'm also offering 20% off in my Etsy shop for today and tomorrow.  Sweet inspiration sent right to your door.  Use discount code BLOOMING when you check out.

Happy Creating!