Taking a break

While the weather is not so great outside, I'm in and enjoying a little repose while I wait for projects to set, dry, and cure. Had some tea and took a nice shower with a fabulous chamomile and lavender soap, which did wonders for these muscles that I've been abusing lately. Most of the gardens are planted, now, though; we're making plans for a mushroom patch and just put in the broccoli and other cabbages. Still got some white and yellow onions to put in the ground yet---though they can wait until tomorrow. Today I'm particularly excited because later we're going to pick up three baby turkeys! I'll definitely have to post some pictures at some point. Young turkeys are so adorable, so inquisitive and alert.

You still have a chance to win fabulous beady prizes at the following blogs:

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton

Art Bead Scene

My Life Under the Bus

Are you feeling lucky this weekend? :D


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Massive Art Bead Scene Giveaway!!

Art Bead Scene is offering the biggest giveaway I've ever seen, and it's chock full of AMAZING things. Whoever wins is going to be the luckiest person in the world... at least for a while. XD

 

This is just one sampling out of DOZENS. I'm not even joking.

At any rate, there are three ways you can enter the giveaway. To participate and claim your chances to win, just visit their blog post here. And good luck!!

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A Poem and Sea Giveaway Winner Announced

Today I announce the winner of the sea beads giveaway! But first, I've been wanting to share a poem by a very talented friend of mine from deviantArt for a while now. Her work is meditative and illuminating for sure and, as a reviewer put it, "award winning poet Jade Pandora will transport the reader to worlds far and near---fantastic and familiar---but always grounded in her humanity." See for yourself:


Whispers
 by Jade Pandora, Shooting Star: Selected Poems*


lovers and their touch---
incoming waves
spent
against the curves
of shoreline

lovers and their whispers---
foam washes into an
abandoned conch,
holding
their secrets

lovers and their passion---
sea lions
call to each other
as swells roll in from
deep waters

lovers and their song---
floating above sunrise,
gull cries echo
again and again
into sunset

lovers and their dreams---
midnight ocean calm,
a shooting star meets
another
shooting star





 *republished here with permission

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And, without further ado, the winner of the sea-themed bead giveaway.

Random number generator says........... 

#2

Becca of CharmBling Jewellery!

Thank you to everyone who participated.

I love doing giveaways and am looking forward to the next one. :)

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Creating Worlds: Giveaway 2!

It is hard to believe that, even a week ago, there was a thick sheet of ice over all the waterways around here. All the snow is melting now, birds and bunnies have reemerged. Growing things are turning green again.

I had promised a second giveaway, and here it is! This time, it is a sea theme. Sailors in the old days had quite active imaginations. They shared a love/hate relationship with the sea; they couldn't stay away, but they didn't trust it to keep them safe. Old sea charts are riddled with the illustrations of imagined sea monsters and merfolk. Tales were passed down through the generations of wild experiences on the waves, sights glimpsed through fog that ignited speculation, heirlooms and stories of mystical things and places.

Jewelry can capture these sorts of sentiments; certain materials spark the imagination in the same way. So, for this giveaway, I am offering the following.

A strand of light blue glass tube beads, four blue faceted pearls, eighteen green/brown resin beads, one of the lime magnesite slabs I won from Rings&Things, ten black mother-of-pearl discs, four dark blue-green Czech glass beads, two artisan lampwork beads handmade by the extremely talented Copperrein, and a beautiful pewter mermaid charm from Green Girl Studios.

 

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment here telling me your favorite thing about the sea!

For up to three extra entries, repost about this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, and/or Twitter.

I will be accepting entries until the morning of Sunday, March 27th.

The winner will be announced at 6 PM EST on Sunday.

Good luck, everyone!

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Pay It Forward!

As promised, here is the post detailing the Pay It Forward giveaway. This concept did not begin with the fabulous Amybeads, but this round did.

My Story:

All through grade school, I used to get bullied by my classmates. When middle school started, I was so anxious about being bullied by even more people (it was a much bigger school than my elementary), that I actually gave myself physical health problems. It was the first week of classes in the new school at lunch period and I was standing in line straight-faced, not looking forward to sitting all along again, when I heard a voice next to me. "So what's your name?" I was so surprised, I didn't answer. "Hello! Earth to you! What's your name?" I said it guiltily. "Well, my name's Kim," she said. She started telling me all about herself. When I went to my table in the corner, she followed me and sat down, too. Even though I was chilly to her, she was determined to be my friend. It was this friendship that got me through those middle school years. Her sweet intervention was exactly what I needed; I hope she knows how grateful I am all these years later.

 
The Pay It Forward Details:

I am offering five handmade goodies to five individuals free of charge. The only stipulations are that (1) they share an inspiring story where someone helped them out in a situation, and (2) they offer five handmade goodies to others with the same stipulations in order to "pay it forward".

 

There is no limit as to what kind of handmade goodies one can offer; only one's creativity. ;) As many of us here are, I am a pretty multi-talented individual. The goody can be a drawing, a painting, a craft item, a piece of jewelry, something knitted or crocheted, something sewn, or so forth.

So the first five commenters, if they agree to carry on the Pay It Forward, will receive one free handmade gift each. :) All you have to do is comment with your inspirational story and pay it forward yourself on your blog!

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Giveaway Winner Announced and Pay It Forward

It's Sunday, the day I announce the winner for the first Creating Worlds Giveaway!

Who will take home this lovely collection of beads and elements?

The random number generator says.....

#4!

Deci over at Gem Trails!

Congratulations!!!

Please email me your address at jamberry_song at yahoo dot com

so I can get your prize out in the mail. :D

There will be other giveaways coming up soonish and a wonderful event called "Pay It Forward" that you may or may not have seen floating around on peoples' blogs recently. I have signed up to participate, so I will be offering five free handmade goodies within the next couple of days. In return, the lucky five people who sign up to participate must also offer five handmade goodies to others in exchange for the same stipulation---pay it forward. That post will be up with more details within the next couple of days. Stay tuned!

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First Prompt and Giveaway - Creating Self through Worlds

  "In a world where the moments of our lives can be captured and created in art of the everyday,

it’s important it reflects our own unique personality. Finding just the right objects, accents, and tools to use are most important. Whatever your artistic vision is, exploring the imaginative is a chance for our creativity to escape understanding. Remember life isn’t about finding yourself 

- life is about creating yourself."

---Tim Holtz 

~*~*~*~

Our lives are busy. There's work, networking and socializing (both for business and pleasure), responsibilities like getting the car's oil changed or cleaning the house, errands to run... hundreds of things pulling us in all directions at all times. Some believe that what we choose to do with our time is what defines us; and, even though we don't always have the privilege of being able to choose, what we do at our leisure is our own decision to make.

This weekend, take a bit of time to contemplate your sense of self. Imagine yourself in another time period and/or place. There are no limitations; you can be as fantastical as you please. Where and when does your imagination take you? What would your day-to-day life be like? What would you choose to do with your time there? It is often said that the best way to be true to yourself in what you make is to make things that you, yourself, would love and wear always. What would your work look like if you could follow your imagination to that place and/or time period?

Try to make something inspired by these musings. What sorts of materials would you use? Why? How does the piece capture your own personality as it is, but also become something more---capturing the spirit of the world or time period to which you ventured in your mind?

The first "Creating Worlds" giveaway is themed around fantasy worlds, nature, and times past.

Antiqued brass leaf charms, Baltic amber beads, carved bone* beads, tumbled citrine and tumbled agate beads, faceted glass, a faceted citrine and two faceted tiger's eye rounds, antiqued brass filigree, a hardware component in a floral design, two antique style brass buttons, two carved coconut leaves, an authentic antique key, and a Tim Holtz keyhole component.

*if the winner prefers not to use bone beads, I can substitute something else for them instead.

 

To enter, all you must do is leave a comment here.

For up to three extra entries, you may share pieces you've made

that capture your created self through your work.
For one extra entry, you may also reblog or tweet this giveaway.

Winners will be announced next Sunday, March 13th.
Good luck!

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Follow our "Creating Worlds" progress.
March is National Craft Month; how appropriate!

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Birthday Celebrations part II, and Winner Announced!

My fiance took me to the Freedom Run Winery yesterday to make up for the bead store fiasco, and it was a lovely place!

Sitting among the barren, snow-covered fields, the winery loomed up like a great, old barn. Once we stepped inside, though, we were barraged by colors and bottles of every kind.

I really loved the interior decorating. The owners have great taste. Apparently one of them is very talented, too; I was told he did much of the glass work and pottery that graced the counters and tabletops. Very impressive!

I really adore that counter. Here's a close-up of the gorgeous colored glass flowers.

 

Handmade wine bottle charms. They look tasty enough to eat!

 The vineyards off in the distance...

 

I didn't get any wine (I'm not a huge wine person), but my fiancé got a

lovely bottle of rosé to share with me, and I got this:

It's absolutely delicious!! And look at that color... Just like amber!

After the aquarium visit, I was inspired to make a piece with the silk cording 

that I got from Marsha Neal Studio.

Now, while we're on the subject of jewelry, it's time to announce the birthday bracelet giveaway winner!

(Can I get a drumroll, please?)

The winner is..................................................

#14!

Lisa Godfrey of Bead Happy!

Congratulations!!!

For those of you who didn't win this time, I'll be doing more giveaways in the near future, so stay tuned. :)

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A gear fab giveaway!

Lori Anderson over at Pretty Things is giving away this gear fab set of tools!

(Gear, as in tools, gear. Fab as in fabulously fabricating. Right? XD Yeah, ok, lame...)

If you would like a chance to win, check out this entry for details. And best of luck! :3

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First giveaway!!

I am so excited to announce our first ever giveaway!

I've gone through my beads and picked out pieces I've been saving, favorites, fun stuff, and unique things, and put together a kit to send to someone lucky. :) My theme for this first time around is "winter":

Let's see... We have:

- a string of milky blue glass beads

- a handmade ceramic snowflake pin I bought from an artisan at a craft show last fall

- two large textured acrylic rounds

- four pale stone rondelles

- one lovely quartz crystal point

- two white biwa (stick) pearls

- about a foot of white enameled chain

- six vintage acrylic tiger's eye-like beads (I've been saving these for something special!)

- eight faceted amazonite rounds (these are to die for!)

- two fun acrylic buttons

- one beautiful white enameled filigree

- five rose quartz and six blue quartz matte-finished spear beads

- two large blue lucite lilies

- six white and two light blue lucite baby's breath beads (some of my favorites!)

- five mother of pearl discs

- two very pale blue Swarovski crystal briolettes

To enter, simply leave a comment below. :) You can get up to two extra entries by reblogging and/or tweeting this giveaway on your Twitter (please leave a second and third comment with links).

I will be out of town on an emergency roadtrip at the end of next week, so the lucky winner will be announced on the evening of Thursday, January 13. This means we have five days to spread the word!

Good luck, everyone! :D

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