Green Opal

I sold this new necklace and the longer earrings on Saturday. It used copper links and a copper clasp with fall toned glass seed beads and copper accents. The pendant stone is green opal.

From the customer I learned that the green opal is the matrix that surrounds raw opals. She pointed out  the green flecks of shiny opal running through the stone. So nice to know that the necklace went to someone who knew what it was and who really appreciates the stone.I have several more of these beauties to turn into new treasures.

I was also invited to go to a meeting of a local gem and mineral club. I could really use more education on the stones I work with. I just might have to check out this group.

Handmade Holiday Gifts

A fellow artisan, Andrea of Beadmask, has a great post on her blog about why buy handmade this season....."One reason that I am so passionate about this is that your purchase from a big box store is really just a drop in the bucket of their profit margin; while your support of an independent artist actually has a powerful impact on the life of an individual! Buying handmade also benefits you and your intended recipient, in that you're choosing to give something unique -- which (at least in my book) is wonderful and special."

Read the whole post at on her blog.

View from my Tent - Corena's Creations

Last weekend one of my neighbors at the North Kitsap Holiday Fest was Corena Chamberlain who makes luminaries and paper sculptures. She uses recycled and handmade papers, wax and natural treasures. 

I fell in love with the snowmen! The arms are real sticks, the noses are clay. 

Each one is individually sculpted and have their own personality!

 Don't they just make you smile!!?

One of these cute little Snowmen has found its way to my house :)

You can hang them from your tree. An opening in the back allows you to put a light inside so they will glow.

You can find some of her items online . You will also find Corena's Creations (as well as Beadware) Nov 18-20 at the Bremerton Food and Gift show at the Kitsap Fairgrounds.

Autumn Hues

These new necklaces all use autumn hues of ambers, browns, golds and reds.
All have been  SOLD

 A picture jasper pendant with black and hex cut satin gold glass seed beads.

 A delicate gold and pearlized glass seed beads necklace with a jasper pendant.

 Two strands of hex cut satin gold glass seed beads with an agate pendant.

 A beautiful green opal pendant with copper links and glass seed beads.

Another picture jasper pendant with satin brown and amber glass seed beads.

It ain't easy being green

Feeling Blue

Time to stock up on earrings for all the holiday shoppers.....

View from my Tent - A Wee Bit

This past weekend I had a booth at Holly Daze in Port Orchard. 

I shared a "store" with Blue Fox Glass and A Wee Bit. 

John and Lynn Cassidy of A Wee Bit (a wee bit of this and a wee bit of that) make 

beautiful handcrafted leather and sewn goods. 

 John's leather cuffs use cowhide and stingray, dyed, hand stamped and decorated with silver and stones. 

 

 

 They also had an assortment of barrettes, hair types and hair wraps (great for us biker chicks!)

 And a new addition is a holder for electronic readers like Kindles. All their items would make excellent holiday gifts. You can find them, as well as Blue Fox Glass and Beadware at this coming weekend's North Kitsap Holiday Fest in Poulsbo and the Nov 18-20th Food & Gift Fair at the Kitsap Fairgrounds. 

Shopping Local

My holiday show season starts the end of this month. There are so many local artists in our area with such a wide variety of wares. Every weekend will provide a new shopping experience and most of these events support great causes. Here is where you can shop Beadware in the coming months. You will find this list on the event section of my Facebook page. And if you are on my email list, I send out a monthly note with similar information. Hope to see you at one of these fun events. Happy shopping!

Holly Daze Craft and Gift Show

Oct 29^th - 30^th Sat 9 to 5pm, Sun 11 to 4pm

Towne Square Mall, 1700 Mile Hill Dr, Port Orchard

Over 60 vendors of homemade gifts will be scattered throughout the mall.

A great way to kick off your holiday shopping season!

N Kitsap High School Holiday Fest

Nov 5^th - 6^th Sat 9:30 to 5pm & Sun 11 to 4pm

1780 NE Hostmark, Poulsbo

High school shows are so fun. Lots of beautiful things and

funds raised support school activities.  

CKBB Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair

Nov 12^th - 13^th Sat 10 to 5pm & Sun 12 to 4pm

CK HS, Anderson Hill & Bucklin Hill Rds, Silverdale

Another great cause and shopping to boot! 

Bremerton Holiday Gift and Food Fair

Nov 18^th 20^th Fri, Sat & Sun 10 to 6pm

Kitsap County Fairgrounds, Bremerton

Peninsula High School Winterfest

Nov 26^th - 27^th Sat 9 to 5pm & Sun 11 to 4pm

14105 Purdy Ave NW, Gig Harbor

Walk off that Thanksgiving feast while browsing arts and crafts.

Much more fun than the mall!

Beadware Holiday Art Show and Sale

Dec 3^rd - 4^th Saturday & Sunday

Southworth, Port Orchard

Music, demos and art!

Sign up on my mailing list for an invitation to this annual event.

www.beadware-designs.com

Other places to find Beadware!

Crimson Cove Smoked Specialties

They carry my Stemware for wine glasses.

Smoked salmon, cheeses, NW wines and other local products.

18928 Front St, downtown Poulsbo (360) 697 - 1767

http://www.crimsoncove.com/

Juliana – It’s a great little store

Check their Facebook page for current specials and winter hours.

1541 Piperberry Way, #105, Port Orchard, WA (360) 895-8542

Juliana on Facebook

Mad Hatter & Co

They carry my Bead Art Pins.

926 Water Street , Port Townsend, WA  (360) 379-1859

Mon – Sun 11 – 5:30pm

 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mad-Hatter-Co/130386380357330

Old Town Custom Framing & Gallery

3295 NW Lowell St, Silverdale, WA (360) 698-1507
Tues - Fri  10-5, Sat 11-3

 http://www.oldtowncustomframing.com/

Olympic Peaks Optical

They carry Beadware eyeglass leashes.

1740 Pottery Ave Ste 3, Port Orchard, WA (360) 876-4742
 2655 Wheaton Way, Bremerton, WA (360) 377-0097

Perennial Vintners

They carry my Stemware for wine glasses.

Poulsbo Farmers Market

Saturdays 9-1pm

http://www.perennialvintners.com/

Stemware

Know which glass is yours at a party with Stemware. Makes a wonderful host or hostess gift (along with a bottle of local wine of course!)

Thanks to my friend Heather, I now have 2 wholesale accounts that carry my Stemware. Perennial Vintners of Bainbridge Island has been selling Stemware at their Poulsbo Farmers Market booth. And by next week, Crimson Cove Smoked Specialties of Poulsbo will be including Stemware with their gift baskets of locally produced smoked salmon, cheeses, wines and other food products.

These These require patience and tough fingers to make! It is like making a miniature bracelet. Cutting the memory wire - bending the ends - filling the wire with beads -  making the silver dangle.

Seeing Red

I am trying to stock up before all my holiday shows. This day was all about red.

 

 

 

 

Halloween Masks, Dishes and Bling

Are you ready for Halloween? Several artist friends make great things for Halloween.

Looking for a costume? Andrea of Beadmask makes the most incredible leather and beaded masks. Check out the variety and order one up from her online boutique. You can see many more of her pieces and learn about her process at her website, just click on costumes to see the variety of masks she has.

Having a bash? Kandyse of Blue fox Glass has some fun candy corn and spider dishes.
Check out more on her website.

In need of a little bling? Then Beadware has just the thing. 

Pendant Swap

A customer liked the picture jasper pendant on this necklace,

and the 3 strands of gold beads in this agate necklace,

So I swapped out the picture jasper for the agate,

And made a new jasper pendant for the other necklace.

All have been  SOLD

An Opportunity for Improvement

Occasionally I hear from a customer that something they purchased from me broke, or that a bracelet was lost due to a faulty clasp or failed part. I always feel very bad when this happens, but I am also thankful that folks let me know. The feedback is very important so that I can change out the offending material or improve my technique.

I guarantee all of my work - regardless of how long someone has had it. If you ever have any problems with any of my designs please let me know. I will fix, remake, or replace any piece that fails or causes an issue. I want you to enjoy wearing my designs.

And don't forget my orphan earring guarantee: Do you have orphan Beadware earrings looking for a partner? Send them my way and I will repair, remake or replace.

Cheers, Ann            beadware@wavecable.com

French Paper - An American Original

 I print my onward business cards, jewelry tags, postcards and signs. There are less expensive ways to print things, like Vista Print, but I like the flexibility of being able to change things as needed and also the cool papers that are out there. This year when I updated Beadware's look I found some new papers to use. I have had difficulty finding them ins stores to restock so I went online and found the paper mill that makes the paper, I pulled the company description off their Facebook page.......

Established in 1871, the French Paper Company is a sixth-generation, family-owned American company. And after 140 years of continual operation, French has not only persevered in an industry notorious for corporate acquisitions, name changes and outright shutdowns, they’ve emerged as one of the strongest, most consistent paper brands around.

As one of the last remaining small, independent mills in America, French Paper takes their direction from customers, not corporate bean counters. They spend their days improving product lines instead of the bottom line. And when they talk about the quality of their stock, you can be sure they mean their papers, not shareholder value.

Long recognized for their iconic designer paper brands including Speckletone, Dur-O-Tone, Pop-Tone, and Construction, their impact on the design world has been enormous. Their environmental footprint, however, is tiny. French uses no petroleum in the manufacturing of their papers, and instead generates their own clean, renewable energy. Hydroelectric generators installed on-site in 1922 have saved over one million barrels of fossil fuel to date. And French was an early pioneer of recycled, 100% post-consumer, and other environmentally friendly sheets.

Today, French Paper continues to innovate by becoming the first mill to go beyond pulp to provide not only distinctive papers, but the equally amazing images to use on them. By offering the world's most extensive and highly regarded free digital design resource, French has created a powerful new means to enhance the work of creative people everywhere.

If you need paper in your work check out http://www.frenchpaper.com