Coupon Codes

I'm finally making use of the coupon code options in my Etsy and ArtFire shops. I did a coupon code a while back on Etsy, but only one buyer took advantage. So when I realized my Etsyversary (3 years selling on Etsy!) was last Saturday, I decided to celebrate with 20% off orders in my Etsy shop as well as my ArtFire shop.

For Etsy, use coupon code 3YEARS at checkout. The Etsy coupon expires tonight - April 27. These three Big Hole Beads are in my Etsy shop, in the Pandora section.

Mini Turtles in my Esty shop.

For ArtFire, use coupon code APRILSHOWERS (it has not stopped raining here in days!). The ArtFire coupon code is good through Friday, April 29. Gino the giraffe (above), is hanging out in my ArtFire shop.

Pinky the owl is also in my ArtFire shop, just waiting for a home. Who who will use the coupon code and snatch her up?

Happy Wednesday, and stay dry!

Happy Birthday Chunky!

Yesterday was our dog Chunky's 9th birthday. It was also National Pot Day, but we celebrated our dog instead. We had a cake that I under baked, so it was more like brownies with icing. Chunky got a rawhide bone.

I tried to take a picture of him with the bone, but every time I got close enough he'd take off down the hall. He must have thought I was after his rawhide. He was very possessive of it. So I got an action shot of him running back toward me (notice I didn't put the economy-sized toilet paper in the closet yet).

My husband got this shot of him and his bone. I guess he trusts him more than me.

Chunky did take a second to look up at our daughter when she tried to get in a picture. But then it was back to the bone. He gnawed on it until it was gone.

I think he had a good birthday.

Murrini Monday

I took a couple weeks off from Murrini Mondays, and also from blogging. It wasn't on purpose, it just happened. So let's not waste any more time - let's see some murrini!

I'm having a lot of fun putting murrini on the tops of turtle shells. This one is a really cool piece from lori and kim that I think has silver in it - I love it how it spreads out over the shell. I did not put clear over this murrini.

These mini turtles remind me of candy, like Lori's Candy Jacks beads. I topped each of these murrini slices with clear for a magnifying effect.

Plummi the elephant has found a perfect slice of murrini and she is not letting go. Not even for a peanut.

This murrini works well as decoration on a mushroom.

Dinosaurs like murrini, too! This one is sporting a gorgeous sunny slice to match his sunny personality.

All of the murrini in this week's edition of Murrini Monday is from lori and kim.

Happy Murrini Monday!

Dinosaur Roar

Recently made dinosaurs

When my son was little (he's 14 now), he was obsessed with dinosaurs. He could not get enough. We had countless dinosaur books, and his favorites were the ones that were fact-based. He liked me to quiz him on the different kinds of dinosaurs. Pachycephalosaurus and parasaurolophus were common words coming out his toddler mouth. I had never paid a whole lot of attention to dinosaurs, so I was learning along with him. His enthusiasm was contagious and his preschool teachers were quite impressed (and probably a little annoyed by his obsession with the dinosaur bin). He had a huge collection of dinosaurs and he named each and every one (names like Clammy, California Jim Johnson, Salty and Beanie). He kept track of their names and their species - Salty was a Saltasaurus, Clammy was a Euoplocephalus (yes, I had to look up how to spell them).

When I first started making animal beads, I made a few dinosaurs. I still have this one that stands guard under my computer:

I really liked this dino when I made it, and I was disappointed when it didn't sell. But now when I look at where I put the bead hole, well, it's pretty obvious why he's still here.

So now I've been giving dinos another shot, and I'm happy we still have my son's all-time favorite book The Big Book of Dinosaurs. It really helped me get some of the details down.

I know there will be lots more dinos coming out of my kiln, evolving and changing as I go. They're really fun to make.