And the Winner is . . .

I chose the winner of my owl bead giveaway tonight - a day later than I had planned. I did it the old-fashioned way, with names in a hat. Then I had my son draw a name from the bunch. He picked out rosebud101, who I also know as Mallory, a talented lampworker friend. She also makes murrini! Check out her shop at rosebud101!

Thanks again to everyone who entered and spread the word on Facebook. I really appreciate everyone's support and enthusiasm for my beads. :)

1000 Facebook Fans Celebration ~ Giveaway!

A few days ago I hit 1,000 fans (or "likers") on my Maybeads Facebook page. I couldn't be happier to have this many people following my work. Thank you! And what better way to celebrate than to give away a bead! Here it is, fresh from the kiln:

It's an owl wearing the latest in feather fashion - layers. I've been experimenting a lot with this style of chest feathers, and I was quite pleased with this color combination of blue, green and orange.

So here are the rules:

You have to be a Maybeads fan on Facebook to enter. After that, just leave a comment below about anything (beads, glass color combos, the weather, the holidays, your pets, etc.). Also, be sure to leave an email address or a way to reach you.

For an extra entry, share the post I put on my Facebook page about the giveaway. Then leave me another comment telling me you did so.

I'll pick the winner Wednesday night (12/7/11).

That's it! Thank you so much for your support!

Lauren

Orange Tuesday at Beads of Courage

Black Friday was so last week. And Cyber Monday? Over. So what's left? Orange Tuesday! That's right, I said it. Orange Tuesday. Orange is the color for childhood cancer awareness. So it's only fitting that Beads of Courage, an organization devoted to children with serious illnesses such as cancer, would be the first to implement Orange Tuesday. Through midnight Arizona time (Nov. 29), all orders of $20 or more at the Beads of Courage Artists Gallery receive FREE shipping in the US. Enter coupon code ORANGE at checkout.

A bunch of my critter beads are off at Beads of Courage headquarters in Arizona, soaking up the sun, doing photo shoots and rubbing elbows (wings and paws) with pretty beads. But despite all the fun they're having, they'd much rather be purchased and turned into something pretty.

When you purchase beads at the Beads of Courage Artist Gallery, you can even have those beads wire-wrapped into wearable pendants - so no work for you!

Proceeds from the sales of beads in the Artist Gallery benefit Beads of Courage.

And don't worry, there are more than beads with goofy grins to choose from ~ LOTS of gorgeous beads by top lampwork artists are available.

Dora Schubert's exquisitely detailed beads are for sale at Beads of Courage.

Talk about gorgeous - Brent Graber's famous pendants are sure to please (I own two, and believe me, they are beautiful!).

Looking to fill your rope chain bracelet with stunning beads? Check out the beauties Astrid Boyce is offering.

So take advantage of Orange Tuesday and send some beads of enCOURAGEment to someone you love! Your purchase will benefit Beads of Courage. And don't forget your coupon code at checkout - ORANGE - for free shipping in the US. Happy Orange Tuesday!

Murrini Monday

Quick post today - I wanted to show off this sparkly murrini I used for this owl's eyes. It's from Lori and Kim, and boy is it fun! These were fairly large slices of murrini, and I placed them on the owl and melted them in. The little black spots on the inside made me want to plunge them, so I heated each one individually, then gave them a nice poke with my pokey tool. Next I topped them with clear glass and voila! Bubble eyes. Add that sparkly dichro on the edges of the murrini and this owl's gaze is just dreamy.

A side view:

Happy Murrini Monday!

Small Business Saturday

In case you didn't know, today is Small Business Saturday. It's a day devoted to supporting small businesses, which of course includes artists. So I've made it my business to make some purchases from some small businesses that I love.

I had been wanting to order a custom dog tag from Island Top Designs for a looong time. My lampworker friend Paula has turned her artistic talents to metal stamping, and she's been off and running with her custom dog tag business ever since. I'm a fan of her Island Top Custom Tags page on Facebook, and her happy customers are all there showing off their new bling. Each time I'd see one of these cute pooches or kitty cats sporting one of Paula's custom made tags in gorgeous mixed metals, I'd want to buy one for our dog, Chunky. I especially love the one pictured above, with the dog in the boat. But it just wasn't right for Chunky. I also love the Cowboy Boot, but Chunk is a midwestern dog without any cowboy swagger. So after much thought I asked Paula if she thought she could make a tennis ball tag - the perfect tag for our tennis ball-obsessed dog. And guess what? She could!

Paula also sells her tags in her Island Top Custom Tags shop on Etsy. And as Paula says: Every pet deserves a little bling. And Chunky agrees.

Another small business where you can't go wrong is Sunbasilgarden. I'll soon be restocked with my favorite body butter lotions - sugar cookie is so yummy! I cleared out the stock on that one, but I'm sure Lauren, master soapstress at Sunbasilgarden, will have more listed sometime soon. In the meantime, she has other delicious sounding scents like Milk & Honey (pictured above) and Pomegranate. Her lotions are all natural and non-greasy (perfect for winter!), and I bought enough to keep one for myself and give the rest as gifts for the holidays.

Sunbasilgarden is known around Etsy for much more than lotions ~ it's really all about the soap. Each bar is a work of art in itself. One of my favorites is the Eggs and Bacon soap, but there's also Cookies and Milk and Cupcake soap. I highly recommend "liking" Sunbasilgarden on Facebook for updates on new listings and sales.

Enjoy your Small Business Saturday, and be sure to support your favorite small businesses!

Turtle Tuesday

That's right, it's Turtle Tuesday. This is a brand new weekly holiday I invented. After all, what else could follow Murrini Monday? So every Tuesday I will have a turtle special in my shop. This week I'm marking down Joseph the Turtle and His Amazing Technicolor Dream Shell:

He is now priced at $10! Weeeee!

So be sure to check my SALE section for the weekly Turtle Tuesday deal - some turtles from past weeks are still available at the lower prices.

Happy Turtle Tuesday!

Murrini Monday

It's been a loooong time since I've done a Murrini Monday, let alone blogged at all. So here's to getting back on track ~ enjoy some murrini on this cold Monday!

A tiny slice of orange and pink murrini is just what this little hootie needed.

Murrini as owl eyes is always a good idea. This one is sporting two perfect slices with pretty pink centers.

If you let your cat outside, make sure he's wearing a collar and tag. This little fella is sporting a red, black and white murrini tag, so if he gets lost and someone finds him, they'll know exactly where he belongs (back home with the murrini hoarder!).

Murrini for this edition of Murrini Monday is brought to you by Lori and Kim.

Happy Murrini Monday!

pssst - tomorrow is Turtle Tuesday.