Murrini Monday

It's Murrini Monday! Let's look at some murrini!

I've been having a lot of fun making "patchwork" owls. I make them when I just feel like using lots and lots of murrini. I use murrini from my friend Mallory at rosebud101. I have such a fun variety of Mallory's murrini, and I like to pick out about 12 pieces of different sizes and colors for each owl. I usually can't use every piece, but I sure try! I love the effect of them melting into each other to form the owl's colorful patchwork chest.

A while back I bought a pack of snowflake murrini from Lori and Kim. At the time, we weren't getting any snow, so I guess I wasn't inspired to start using it (why jinx our Chicago record for most winter days without snow?). But we did finally get our snowfall, so my elephants were out catching snowflakes with their trunks.

Speaking of Lori and Kim, they are having a President's Day murrini sale! Through February 20, all their COE 104 murrini is 15% OFF! I'm eyeing the 3-Peat Airstream murrini in the above picture - I see lots of owl eyes. 

I think I'll join the President's Day celebration and also offer 15% OFF in my Etsy shop. My sale will end tonight, so act fast! Use coupon code PRESIDENT at checkout to get 15% OFF your entire order.

HAPPY MURRINI MONDAY!

Turtle Tuesday ~ Turtle to the Rescue!

If you love turtles, you will love them even more after watching this video showing one turtle helping  another. We could learn a lot from turtles. :)

And here's my example of a helpful turtle. This one is transporting an octopus around ~ and he's even smiling while doing it. :)

In celebration of Turtle Tuesday, I've marked down the Turtle Taxi bead. It will be on sale for the rest of the day. There are still two other turtle beads in my shop that are on sale. You can find them in my Turtle section.

HAPPY TURTLE TUESDAY!

Turtle Tuesday ~ Fall Edition

Today I have actual living (not glass!) turtles to show you. We saw these leaf turtles during a trip to the zoo over the summer. Isn't it cool how their shells look like leaves? And the turtles are flat like leaves, too. I'm not sure why they look like this - maybe to hide from turtle hunters? I hope the disguise works.

          This is my version of a leaf turtle. He's not flat, but he's covered in leaf murrini. I don't think he's fooling anyone.

And this is the Turtle Tuesday Deal of the Day. I just marked this sweetheart of a turtle down to $13 - but just for today.

HAPPY TURTLE TUESDAY!

Turtle Tuesday/Murrini Monday

With yesterday being Columbus Day and my kiddos all being home from school, I completely forgot it also was Monday. So I guess I blew off Murrini Monday. To make it up, I've combined Murrini Monday with Turtle Tuesday. 

So first up, here is a new turtle with an encased spotted shell. To the outside I added my new fall leaves murrini (from the Cornucopia blend from Lori and Kim). The leaves are so pretty!

I know, this is not a turtle. But I had to show off the cupcake murrini (again from Lori and Kim) in action. When it came in the mail, my daughter looked at it and said I should make an elephant holding a cupcake, and I very much liked that idea. :)

And now for the Turtle Deal of the Day! These two rainbow turtles have been hanging around my shop for a while now. They'd like nothing more than to be turned into something fun ~ like earrings or charms. So to help them find a new home, I've marked their price down to $18.

A belated happy Murrini Monday to all, and have a terrific Turtle Tuesday!

Turtle Tuesday

What's better than a turtle? Two turtles! 

I've been busy making mini turtles and turning them into earrings. 

 I love making earrings that don't match. At first glance, these turtle earrings do match, but I slightly altered their shells. One is green with periwinkle spots outlined by blue. The other shell is periwinkle, with green spots outlined by blue. Everything else matches.

At a recent trip to a local bead store, I bought a strand of these tiny antique bronze hearts. I love them! And because I also love turtles, I wire-wrapped this pair with the little hearts. ♥♥

And now for the Turtle Deal of the Day - this patchwork turtle is sporting a whole bunch of rosebud101 murrini on her shell. Melted in together, the murrini reminds me of a patchwork quilt. I've marked this turtle down from $14 to $10!

Happy Turtle Tuesday!

Turtle Tuesday

Turtle Tuesday is a weekly holiday I made up. Turtles are one of my favorite beads to make, so I decided they needed their own special day. Each week on Turtle Tuesday, I'll mark down turtles that are in my shop, and sometimes I'll add new turtles at the sale price. Turtles in my shop's Turtle Tuesday section will be $10 or $12. At the end of the day, the prices could go back up to their original price. Sometimes the turtles stay on sale. The Turtle Tuesday section in my shop will also have other beads that in it that I've marked down, so be sure to check it out from time to time.

Here's a new turtle I'll be adding today. He's got a violet shell, spotted with intense black, more violet and turquoise.

This chubby turtle has been in my shop for a while, and he's looking for a home. Despite his round appearance, he really doesn't eat much. :)

It's not exactly Christmas in July, but it sure feels like July here in the Midwest. So I've added a couple Christmas beads to my SALE (Turtle Tuesday) section. This patient pug has been hanging out in a stocking since before the holidays. He seems comfy enough, but I know he'd much rather be turned into something pretty, like a pendant.

This orange tabby cat still hasn't recovered since I stuffed him into a stocking last December. Now he's hanging out in the SALE section and will likely torment the turtles.

Happy Turtle Tuesday!

SNOW DAY!

We're having a major snow day here in the Midwest, so I've decided to try out my Etsy coupon code again. Use SNOWDAY when you check out of my Etsy shop and you'll get 15% off your entire order through tonight. How's the weather by you?

This is the view out our back door. My husband shoveled a path so the dog could go outside and do his business.

Here's our dog Chunky in the path he created running around looking for his tennis balls. When the snow melts, we expect our backyard to be covered in tennis balls.

Look at the snow drift coming off the roof - isn't that cool?

Look! There's the driveway!

Inside, the kitties are getting a little crazy. Bert jumped on top of the bookcase - something he's never done before.

Hope you're staying safe and warm. :)

Merry Christmas!

To those who celebrate Christmas ~ Merry Christmas to you!

Christmas Tree Cat

To everyone ~ I've just put a bunch (ok, 27) of beads on SALE. I'd love to clear out a lot of the critters who have been waiting around patiently for their turn for a ride in the bubble-mailer. So I've marked them down 40%! This is the biggest markdown I've ever done, and I hope the little critters aren't insulted. :) I'd just love for them to find homes.

The beads in my shop that are on sale are in my Holiday SALE section, and they are already marked down. Obviously some are Christmas beads, but there are a lot more non-holiday beads and lots of doggies.

Lapis Blue Owl

Happy The Turtle

Mel The Metallic Black Dog

Warning: Sale Ahead

That's right - there's a sale just up the road. This is your one and only warning, because it will be here before you know it. The Fire Divas Team, now an official Etsy team (thank you very much), is celebrating its new status with a SALE! Search "Fire Divas Sale" on Etsy and ArtFire for shops that are participating. I will be offering FREE shipping on all orders. Plus, I'll run a Special of the Day each day of the sale - look for it in my featured items on the first page of my shop. The sale will run from Feb. 11 to Feb. 17, and I'll be adding new beads throughout. I know my teammates are stocking up as well. Here's a sneak peek of some beads that will be listed in the coming days:

Look out for the gang of owls

Adding more pandora critters

It's not a party without a wiener dog

This SALE is for the Birds

The birds haven't exactly been flying out of my shop. So to help push them out of the nest, I've put them all on sale. Every bird, including chickens, is now $10 - now that's something to tweet about! I think I'll go tweet about it right now! To see more of my "cheap" birdies, visit HERE.

Critters on SALE

Capn' Jack the Pirate Wiener Dog

Great news! More of my critter beads are eligible for the SALE section of my Etsy shop! They don't like to hear that they've been "marked down" or put "on sale," so I figured I'd put a positive spin on it and say they're "eligible" - and now they feel privileged. Much like when my daughter's first grade teacher called and said my daughter "qualified" for extra reading help. It sounded like she won something!

Lucky the cat

Sppoooooky SALE

My Halloween beads are itchin' to get out of the bead box and go scare up some fun ~ so I've put them on SALE! Check out the SPOOKY SALE section in my shop . . . if you dare.

Franken-Turtle (a lab experiment gone horribly wrong)

Spider Skull

Turtle in a Candy Corn Costume (don't eat the candy corn with toes)

Bat & Ghost Pair (these would make fun earrings ~ and I'd be happy to make them for you for a small fee)

Warning: Sale Ahead

From Friday, Oct. 16 thru Sunday, Oct. 18, I'll be offering 10% off of all sales in my Etsy shop. Just make your purchase and put "Weekend Deals" in the note to seller, and then wait for a revised invoice with the new price, or pay and wait for a refund. Easy as pie.