Bugalicious Beadwork

Can you feel them crawling on you?

Don’t worry, this isn’t a segment from an Indiana Jones movie made to freak you out about spiders and other creepy crawlies.

But I am referring to bugs. Bugs & Beads in fact, the official March theme challenge for the EtsyHeartsBeads team. Voting is going on now, until the 17th, in case you want to stop by and vote for your favorite:

For my entry, I did go slightly creepy, with a sort of avant-garde take on the challenge. I utilized square stitch, and created a beadwoven necklace depicting an enlarged trail of ants. The black bugs will encircle the neckline of whoever dares to wear it. This necklace is meant for whoever is looking for a more artistic take on the traditional black-and-white, and prefers a piece that is going to receive more than one look. Or two. Or three.

Naughty Winner ;-)

I just love being able to use the word “naughty” in unusual places. (Thanks Rhonda!) Rhonda from Odd Artist Studio was very generous and offered all of you fantastic readers a chance to win her sweet “naught bit” necklace. One of you lucky beotches was the Random.org selection. The rest of us: our jealousy is reaching a boiling point.

And the winner is… dun, dun, dunnnnn…

…Mateja! Congratulations darling, Rhonda will be contacting you shortly to find out where to mail your prize.

Thank you everyone for entering, and stay tuned for yet another FANTASTIC artist interview and giveaway tomorrow.

Meet Rhonda from Odd Artist Studio & Enter to Win a Free Necklace

Happy Friday everyone! Today I’m excited to introduce you to Rhonda Brewer-Chaparro of www.oddartist.com. You can read her interview before, and find out how you can win one of her “Naughty Bit” necklaces!

Can you sum yourself up in 3 sentences? Give it a go!
I don’t need 3 sentences. All I need to say is that my motto is “Weird is Good’.

Turquoise Hand Painted Recycled Tape Core Art Cuff – $45

Tell us about what you sell:
I am an experimental artist so the goods I offer online or at shows vary depending on whatever is ringing my bell at the moment. This has been the year of the hand painted recycled record. Last year it was my Original Naughty Bits. Next year I’m going to be getting back in to ceramics. That’s not to say I won’t still be painting records or shredding romance novels, it just means there will be yet another WePay shop added to my website. I think I have ADHD when it comes to creating.

What is your favorite thing about creating?
I can’t look at something without wondering how I could use it and all those little ideas bounce around in my brain screaming to be let out until I finally do something about it. Sometimes the ideas fail hugely, other times they are a resounding success. Creating stuff helps quiet my brain.

Recycled CD Mini Disk Choker – $50

Where do you find your inspiration?
I find inspiration EVERYWHERE. It drives my hubs crazy that I have such a hard time throwing anything away. He claims I’m a hoarder, I call it accumulating supplies. I even collect stuff when I walk the dog – bits of moss, interesting branches, cool rocks, etc. I’ll look at something and visualize what it wants to be. It pops into my head as a fully finished creation. All I do is follow it’s instructions.

CROSBY, STILLS & NASH Wooden Ships, Helplessly Hoping – Hand Painted Recycled Record Bowl – $30

Do you have any advice for other sellers?
Some people find one thing they do well and stick with it, others are all over the map like me. You have to do what makes YOU happy. There’s nothing worse than having to keep doing something you don’t enjoy. Doing shows is a great way to get feedback on what you do. If you keep overhearing the same comment then you want to explore it.

Green Breeze Hand Painted Wooden Plate – $40

Do you have a coupon code for us?
You can use the code WEIRD in my Etsy shop for 20% off. If you find something in one of my WePay shops simply ask for a discount via email/messaging and I’ll refund you 20%.

Where else can we find you?
You can find me on FaceBook as Rhonda Brewer-Chaparro (I have an art page but I never use it anymore). You can get first shot at calling dibs on new stuff because I usually post pics on FaceBook long before I list it online. Just add me to your friends and newsfeed. I have links to all my WePay shops as well as my blog at www.oddartist.com. My Etsy shop is www.oddartist.etsy.com

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Rhonda is being very generous and offering all of you awesome peeps a chance to win this seductive pendant necklace for FREE. See below for all of the easy ways you can claim this flirtatious piece of jewelry!

INSATIABLE CRAVINGS – Naughty Bits Pendant Necklace

1st Entry:
Follow this blog. Leave a comment below saying that you’ve done so (or already do so, cuz you’re awesome-possum.)
~Required entry before any others can be applied.~

2nd Entry:
Heart oddartist on Etsy.

3rd Entry:
Buy something from Rhonsa (either from her Etsy shop or any of her WePay shops). Show us what you snagged here so we can all turn green with envy.

4th Entry:
Blog about this giveaway, dropping a link to your post here afterwards.

5th Entry:
Tweet about this giveaway. Let us know your twitter ID afterwards.

6th Entry:
Share this giveaway on Facebook.

7th Entry:
Pin this giveaway on Pinterest. Share the link to your pin here afterwards.

Only the 1st entry is mandatory to enter, you can add as many additional entries up to the 7 as you want to maximize your chances of winning! Your comments do not all need to be separated for each entry as long as it’s clear how many entries you are adding. (Also, make sure it’s easy for Rhonda to contact you if you win!) Thank you for entering and thank you Rhonda for the great giveaway! You have until midnight Pacific Time on February 27th to enter. Winner will be random.org chosen and announced on February 28th. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Necklace for Amanda Seyfried

Attention celebrity stalkers! I need your help on keeping an eye out for me. A couple of months ago I gifted my citron yellow droplets necklace to movie starlet Amanda Seyfreid. Now that her new movie sensation, Les Misérables is set to be released on Christmas Day, the star will be appearing on the red carpet, at film promotion plugs, and award ceremonies. She just might choose to wear the necklace I gave her at any one of these events. In case I miss it, please let me know.

And if you are interested in your own necklace, there is still one available in my Etsy shop. Only one, though.

Freaking SHOW-OFF

Fair warning ladies and germs: I’m about to be a spam-a-licious show off.

See, the thing is, I’ve made all of these new pieces but I refrained from listing them in my Etsy shop because of the craft show season. Now that the season is finally over, I’ve been photographing and uploading like a madwoman on one too many caffeine pills.

I’m rushing to get them online just in case anyone needs their orders in hand before that Christmas party in which one of these unique accessories would be just perfect. Or, in case any of you are in desperation of a last-minute gift idea. I ship same or next day of your order, so unless you live at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, these goodies should have no problem making it to you in time.

Feel free to accuse me of whoring with such an outright promotional post.

Barrette – $19

Earrings – $9

Headband – $26

Barrette – $29

Necklace – $19

Brooch – $7

…and there’s more where these came from! See all of my new beaded goodies at my Etsy Shop.

Meet Gudrun Stolz from goodrun

wire beads necklace – $60

Can you sum yourself up in 3 sentences? Give it a go!
I’m creative my whole life long. I love to do something with my hands. I’m really happy to make something what i love.

Tell us about what you sell on Etsy:
Longer time ago i started to make jewelry. Jewelry from different materials like metal and stones, clay and polymer clay – but i think one year ago i started to do this with wire – colored wire. I made beads of wire in all different colors and then i made rings, earrings, necklaces out of these beads. I freeformed fishes and hearts with wire and i had so much fun in doing these works.

I have two little sons and it is often not so easy to be creative with them around – so wire is a really great material for working near kids. You can work with wire and it’s easy to make a break when they need help or something else. But most of all i love the handling with this great material – and i love the shine of it!

wireball earrings – $32

What is your favorite thing about creating?
At the end of the day i have something I can touch and look at it! that’s really great. Because as mother you do so many things – and nobody can touch them or look at them in the evening!

I’m a graphic designer and there most of my work is done in front of the computer – designing – but that i can’t do with my own hands!

Where do you find your inspiration?
Inspiration is everywhere. I find it in books, magazines but also in my garden or on the street or at the playground with my kids!

handmade wire beads bracelet – $42

Do you have any selling tips or tricks for other Etsy sellers?
be positive – stay positive – do what you love and stay tuned.

Where else can we find you?
www.goodrun.at
www.facebook.com/goodrundesign
www.etsy.com/shop/goodrun

Why May is the Best Month Evah

1. The weather starts to get nice.
Even if June has nicer weather than May, overall, we are more thankful for may weather because of the predessessing crappy weather that we’ve gotten sick of experiencing before. Like eating everything gross on your dinner plate and saving the best for last, it makes it taste that much better. The relief we feel when that May sun starts to shine, incredible.

2. My birthday.
Duh!
Plus, emerald is a fabulous birthstone color. I love making me some green creations in its shade.

3. April showers brings…
…you guessed it! May flowers! Gotta love all those beautiful blooms and fresh greenery. Speaking of which, the “April Showers Brings May Flowers” EtsyHeartsBeads team challenge is going on right now. You can vote for your favorite of the 3 entries by clicking on my entry below:

Gift Card Winner

47 loverly comment entries for the $25 gift card prize. Thanks to everyone who participated, you are all awesomesauce!

And the random.org chosen winner IS (drummroll please) : discocadaver !!

Congratulations! As soon as I get your e-mail address from you, your $25 gift card will be blessing your inbox. Enjoy!

Meet Lisa – Friday’s Featured Seller

Unlike recent weeks, for some reason this last one has felt like it has been taking FOREVER to go by. Last Friday seems approximately 3 weeks ago. It’s impossible, I know. Maybe I’m just itching for Christmas vacation, but that’s still a couple of weeks off. Speaking of Christmas, I’m just about done with my Christmas shopping. How is yours coming along? In case you’ve missed a couple of people, be sure to check out Lisa’s shop, putnamwitches. Find out more about her and what she sells below.

Can you sum yourself up in 3 sentences? Give it a go!

1.) I am an animal lover.
2.) I am happily married for 15 years and 9 months.
3.) I love to create Jewelry, CrossSitch, Crochet, some sewing, and collect fairies.

Tell us about what you sell on Etsy:

I sell mostly jewelry created by me but I plan on extending my shop with other items. I have a few vintage items as well. I have added some hair pins and combs something new that I just started to do.

Cameo Necklace/Pin Set - $5

What is your favorite thing about creating?

My favorite thing about creating is making it with my own special style; which is ~putnamwitches style~. My favorite thing about collecting is that you never know where you can find something.

Hair Comb Set - $5

Where do you find your inspiration?

My inspiration comes from everything in life. As in the great outside which is the greatest place to find different colors and to see how they come together. Sometimes I can look at my beads, relax, close my eyes and it comes to me.

Do you have any selling tips or tricks for other Etsy sellers?

I don’t really have any selling tips or tricks because I just started here on August 23, 2011. The only thing to do is be yourself, keep posting new items, make new treasury lists on a regular basis, and join teams but don’t forget to be active in them.

*Great advice Lisa, thanks for Sharing!*

Cyber Monday MADNESS

Had a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner, I must say. I also went on to do some sweet Black Friday shopping over the weekend. I heart shopping, no big secret there. What I don’t heart, however, are long lines and understocked shelves. I’m also not a huge fan of other shoppers stealing things from the inside of my cart (believe it or not, this has happened to me multiple times!) So this weekend I avoided the craziness and did my black Friday shopping from my laptop. Like a BOSS.

But the deals aren’t over yet. Today is the greatest shopping-from-your-computer day of all. It’s called Cyber Monday, and it’s projected to net over a record $1.2 billion in spending. Woah. That would amount a whole lotta new pairs of shoes!

Being such an avid online shopper myself, I’ve opted to place my Etsy shops in the midst of all of the craziness. That means, you can head over to Glamour365 or MegansBeadedDesigns and get a whopping 30% off your entire purchase with coupon code CYBERMONDAY2011. Today ONLY.

Here are just some samples of what this deal could mean to you:

Hawaiian Flower Necklace Reg. $24.00 Sale $16.80

Green Rhinestone Headband - Reg. $34.95 Sale $24.47

Nerd Power Cufflinks - Reg. $10 Sale $7

Silver Textured Bracelet - Reg. $14.95 Sale $10.47

This sale runs through today only! (Plus, many of my items are one of a kind, meaning if you aren’t the first to nab it – you lose your chance completely!) *coupon excludes shipping costs