Weekend Wrap Up

Before I begin today, I just want to let everyone know about my Holiday Sale!  All orders from now until the end of the year (or until I run out) will get a free pair of earrings.  And if you use coupon code NACHO20, you'll get 20% off your order.  That includes clearance items as well as patterns.  So what are you waiting for, go buy handmade this year!

Well that was a long and relaxing weekend.  I know, I know, how could it have been a relaxing weekend, are you kidding me, it was Thanksgiving.  The first time of the season that hoards of family and friends get together to gorge themselves on food and get into arguments over which is the best ball team.  Oh, but not for us.  We stayed home and hid from our family and friends.  Well sort of, we did have a friend come over Wednesday and Thursday to eat our food and watch MST3K with us.  But that was it.  J's really close to being done with school (two weeks until his final project and three weeks until he graduates), so there was a lot of homework that needed to be done.  And I had to go into the lab and collect media (it was as fun as it sounds).  So no craziness for us.  That will just have to wait until Christmas time (we normally have between 6-7 Christmas parties/dinners to go to).

I did get a little bit more work done on Christmas gifts.  I now have the beadwork for three of them done, that only leaves three more to go.  I can do this.  What else?  I finished up my latest custom order, well I finished up two of them.  I finished up the leather gauntlet (photos soon) and I finished up a guitar string bracelet.  Now I'm just waiting for the final okay, and this pretty thing will be on it's way to it's new home.

I also got a little bit of work done on my "left overs" blanket.  This blanket is made out of all the yarn I have left over from other projects.  It's taking me a long time to make, but that's okay.  I like working on it.

And of course, the Christmas tree is up.  Yay!  I love the Christmas tree.  It makes me so happy.  I wish I could leave it up year round.  Unfortunately, the lights in my tree topper aren't working, even though I replaced them last year.  So I'll have to fiddle with that to see if I can get it working.  

So how was everyone else's holiday weekend?  Did you have a big get together?  Did you brave the crowds and go shopping?  I'd love to hear what everyone else did.  :-)

Friday Freebie

Use coupon code NACHO20 to get 20% off your entire order.  Also all orders (except digital downloads) come with a free pair of earrings.  Keep them for yourselves or give them as gifts.  (while supplies last).  Stop by my etsy shop today! 

I hope everyone survived Thanksgiving and is surviving Black Friday (if you do that thing).  We have opted to stay at home and not do anything.  Well I do need to go into the lab for a little while today to collect some media, but other then that, we're staying home.  This is the holiday that we hide from the world.  We do it to stay sane and so J can finish up homework.  It's the perfect time to get caught up on projects and just chill out.  It's wonderful.

But enough about us ignoring friends and family this time of year, let's get to that freebie.

This is such a neat freebie.  This pack contains three page elements.

Don't have My Memories software, don't worry about it.  You can use my promo code, STMMMS11215, to get $10 off the My Memories Software and then an additional $10 off any purchase in the store. That's a pretty cool deal. The My Memories folks have some really great scrapbooking things. And even if you don't scrapbook, the software and extras are really awesome. I don't scrapbook, but I love the software to make interesting blog post pictures. I even used it to make some labels for my homemade granola bars, so J wouldn't have to guess flavors anymore. Just use STMMMS11215 to get the discounts.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and stay creative. 

Don't forget that I'm running a sale right now.  Use coupon code NACHO20 to get 20% off your entire order of anything in my etsy store! 

Thursday Treasuries!

Hello Thursday, how are you?  Please be kinder to me then Wednesday was.  Yesterday was tough, little things just kept trying to get me down and one hell of a migraine to boot.  But, today is a new day and I'm ready for it.

I will be attending an artists reception tonight at Ebling Library.  They are displaying artworks from health science workers in the library for the next few months and I have three pieces on display.  No one from work will be able to attend, but that's okay, J's going to try and come, so hopefully I won't be all by myself.  And even if I am, I'm pretty excited to see my work on display and see some of the other pretties.  If you're intersted and live in the Madison area, stop by the Ebling Library on the UW Madison campus.  The arts will be up until January 9th.

And because it is Thursday, I have some treasuries to share with your (I know it's been a while since I've done one of these).

'Abstract Modern Design - SRAJD' by MorningStarStudio

Members of the Etsy team for the Self Representing Artist in Jewelry Design (SRAJD) have created some fabulous jewelry pieces that reflect a distinct Abstract Modern design aesthetic.

Clear Square Dichroic Fused ... CityGirlGlassD... $9.99	CLEARANCE - Unique Beaded Tr... ThreeFatesDesi... $20	Winter Stars in Blue Sky / N... NaasArt $64.99	Copper Art Jewelry Statement... AtoriaStudios $105
Peyote Stitch Cuff with Bez... HoldenAccessor... $67	Carnelian Pendant Necklace- ... OmiSilver $58	Glittering handmade teardrop... MaryClaires $12	Swirl earring, blue green ea... BeadafterDarkJ... $23
Purple Amethyst Bronzy Tips ... CravingSilver $20	Texturized Linked Copper Bra... JujensoDesigns $85	Large Polymer Clay Pendant... HelenkaWhiteDe... $25	Set of four Hand Made Fused ... Glassimo $20
Lampwork Glass Focal Bead Bl... fusionillusion... $20	Collage Pendant with Pearl GldnRamMtlsmit... $90	Textured Silver Metal Clay a... GinasCreativeA... $56	Red Spiny Oyster Double Stat... MHParsonsJewel... $180

'THIS CAT IS OOAK!!!' by COSIMITA

♥ =^..^= ♥

Artist: Jack Babiloni / OOAK... UCRONIA $39	Boy Patchwork Placemat Break... iasio $23	THE SASSY CAT- ooak- Thick c... PenelopeMeatlo... $24	Little witch/ Home Deco Wall... Adushkas $200
Christmas dress pretty print... NATIPUREIDEA $279	Love Cats OOAK necklace MetallicMuseCr... $200	Fanciful Felines on a Golden... LouAnnsdesigns $215	My Blue Nouveau Art Pin - OO... ApacheMoon $175
Down the Rabbit Hole - Bead ... ThreeFatesDesi... $225	Cuff Egyptian Setmet Cat BondsJewels $425	Purple Jade & Turquoise Cat ... LifeTravelsDes... $265	Funky handmade cat and deer ... PlanetNathalie $139
Here Kitty Antique Fork Ne... WoodsEdgeJewel... $85	Life Size Black Wire Cat Scu... PoppySeedCats $250	Cats & Kittens "Proud M... ACutAboveMemor... $275.24	Artist teddy bear cat, ooak ... ShabbyGoesLuck... $75

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Nacho Update!

Before I begin - Don't forget that I'm having a sale to help easy the pain of more vet bills.  Use coupon code NACHO20 to get 20% off anything in my etsy store.  That includes clearance and patterns.

Poor little Nacho.  So if you didn't read the last blog post about our little tortie cat, she has another abscess.  Which we think was caused by fighting with Toonces, AGAIN.  It's been a stressful month.  As soon as Nacho get's her bandages off, her and Toonces start fighting again and we're right back where we started.

This time, the abscess opened.  Which is gross, but at least it drained a little (gross, I know).  I'll spare you the photos of the open abscess, it's not for the faint of heart.  Even though it opened, it still needed to be cleaned and she needed to be put on antibiotics again.  Fun times.  Luckily, the vet could get me in right away.  And surprisingly, Nacho didn't even need to be put under for the cleaning.  The vet tech just held her and the vet was able to clean the abscess.  I couldn't believe she was being so good.  She definitely got some cheese when we got home, she earned it!

After her neck was cleaned and bandaged, she was free to go home.  In less then an hour, we were on our way.  Now she's on Clindamycin twice a day for 10 days and needs her bandages change 1-2 times a day for the next few days.  It was also suggested that we put Nacho, and possibly Toonces, on Prozac to reduce the fighting.  We'll have to think about that and that might be a solution to the fighting, if not, we might still need to re-home Toonces (which would be the absolute last option).

I'm hoping that things calm down around here a bit and maybe, just maybe, we can avoid going to the vet for the next couple month.  That would be nice, but this all comes with pet ownership.  Oh the joys of pets.

Monday, Monday

Ugh, this post was supposed to be up last week, but due to my inability to get photos taken, it had to wait until today.

I've got a ton of projects going right now.  Well, I guess it's not that many projects, just a few.  Three or four at best.  It's funny to think that when I first started beading, I never wanted to work on multiple projects at once.  I wanted to focus on one project and not move on until that one was completely finished.  There were times where I would bead through the night to get something done.  Now, I'm more then happy to work on multiple things.  It helps me from getting board.  So what am I working on right now.

I only have one more planet to finish up for my solar system project.  Okay, I have to go back and work on Saturn's rings, but I'm almost done with all the beading.

Here is the work I've accomplished on Uranus.  I'm hoping to have it done in a week or two so I can start putting the project together.  I'm so excited to see all the planets together.  Maybe I will have this project done before Christmas.

I also have been working on a few custom orders.  I'm working on making large leather gauntlets for a customer.  This is a first for me.  I love going big, but I've never beading a gauntlet before.

Here is a little sneak peak at the first one.  It's just going to be an all matte white with white glass pyramid beads for accents.  I like that we're starting out simple.

And here is a little sample of bead embroidery for my customer.  We are going back and forth between if these should be done in embroidery or if they should be done in peyote stitch.  I vote for embroidery, but the final word is up to my customer.  It just depends on which one looks better to him.  I'll see what he says next Wednesday, that's if I can get this sample finished.

And last, but not least (okay, that's a lie, I may or may not have some other projects going), is a pair of purple tassel earrings that will be going to their new home in Georgia today.  I love these guys.  They are so playful and fun.  And if you are interested, they are now available as custom orders.

So that's a few of the projects on the board right now.  What is everyone else working on?  Any fun Halloween projects?  I would love to hear and see them.

A Blog Giveaway

So I haven't done a blog giveaway in a long, long, long time.  I think it's been about a year, yup like I said, a long time.  So I think it's time for a little giveaway.  Next week will mark three years with etsy and I'd like to thank everyone that has made it a wonderful experience.  So time for the giveaway.   

So what exactly is up for grabs here?  Well let take a look, shall we.

First up is a pair of blue dangle earrings.  These are fun bright blue earrings made with tiny little silver lined beads and then accented with glass bicones.  I have a pair of gunmetal ones like this, and I get complements everywhere I go.  But these earrings are not for the weak of heart, they measure in at 3 inches in length.

I'm also going to be giving some lucky person a beaded cuff.  Yup a really cute blue butterfly cuff.  It's fun and playful with two light blue butterflies dancing around your wrist.  It measures about 2 inches wide and has an adjustable wrist size.  


So what do you have to do?  There are a few simple ways you can enter.  

First you can leave a comment on this blog post.  It can be anything; you can tell me what you would do if you won or just say hi.  Any comment will equal one entry.

You can tweet about this giveaway, don't forget to add #threefates to the tweet so I can find it.  Then come back here and let me know you tweeted the giveaway.

You could blog about this giveaway.  Just write a short blog post describing the giveaway and link back to my blog.  Then don't forget to come back here and leave a comment to let me know.

And finally you could make a post about it on Facebook.  It can be a post on your personal page or your business page, it doesn't matter.  And like before, just come back here and leave a comment letting me know you did it. 

**I've also decided to add a 5th way to enter my giveaway.  If you are not already a fan of the Three Fates Design Facebook page, become a fan and leave a comment here letting me know you did.  That will give you a 5th chance at winning one of the fantastic prizes.**

Each one of the things above will count as one entry, so you could have your name entered in the drawing up to five times. 

I'll leave this giveaway up until the end of August.  That will give everyone plenty of time to enter and it will give me plenty of time for art shows and everything else that's crazy here.

I will randomly choose two lucky winners on September 1, 2010.  So don't forget to stop back here and see if you won (please leave a way for me to contact you in one of your comments).

Comments must be in by midnight (central time) on August 31, 2010.  Sorry no choice on which item you win (one person will win the earrings and one will win the cuff).

Green Triangles

Just a quick post for me today.

I listed these great little beaded triangle earring this morning. I made them last spring and I just forgot to ever list them, I can't believe it. I love these little guys. They are so much fun. The beads are this great super bright green color. They really pop.

If you'd like to learn more click HERE to go to my etsy store.

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I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year.

We had a quiet celebration with just the two of us. We went to one of my favorite Italian restaurants for dinner (it's in an old church) and then just spent the night at home celebrating with some wine J brought back from his last trip to Canada (we forgot to get champagne). It was very nice.

Now with only a few days left of my vacation I'm trying to get everything done that I promised myself I would get done over these last two weeks. I do this every year. The only real thing we accomplished was spoiling the dog into thinking she doesn't need to be in the kennel any more. Now she just sits in there and whines, bad owners!

GO AND VOTE!!!

It's that time again, time to vote for your favorite in the Etsy Beadweavers September Challenge. The challenge this month was Indian Summer Dream, and boy are there some fantastic entries this month. Please stop by the Etsy Beadweavers Blog to vote for your favorite. Voting is on the right hand side of the blog (don't forget to hit the vote button at the bottom). Thank you for voting!!!

New Necklace (well just relisted)

I relisted this fun and pretty necklace this morning.

I really love this one; it's super simple, but still so elegant. I might just have to make one for myself.

I used ice blue glass rounds and a deep transparent blue seed bead to create this wonderful pendent.

It has sort of a wavy look to it that makes it very lovely.

You can check it out HERE in my etsy store.

**I'm not sure if I've already posted about this necklace, but oh well. I feel in needs a little repost. And I also love this picture of it. It turned out so nice.**

Ooooh, a Treasury

I found myself in this treasury today. I always feel a little special when I find myself in these.

This treasury is so pretty, it's all black and white beadwoven items. These items are so beautiful, and who doesn't love black and white. It's so elegant.

My modern circles cuff was featured, you can see it in the middle.

I want to thank Green Envy Designs for featuring my cuff in the wonderful treasury. Don't forget to stop by and check out all of the items in this treasury.

Busy Day Today!!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥Don't forget about free shipping on everything in my Etsy Store. This is only good until May 10th (Mother's Day), so get your mom something as special and unique as she is.♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

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It's only Wednesday and I've already had a full week. But a good full week, so that makes it okay.

First off a little Job update. I was offered the research position in pediatrics. So that takes a huge burden off of me. I won't have to go on unemployment and I can start focusing on more bigger and better things, like beady goodness, instead of trying to find my next paycheck. I am going to work with them today to set up a time line, so when I get more news, I'll share it with you :D

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Next, I was interviewed for the Inspirational Beading by Mortira. I was so excited because this was my first interview. I was so honored to be asked to do this. I'm always inspired by others, but I've never considered myself the one doing the inspiring. Thank you very much Mortira . Check out this blog, it has fantastic bead projects inspired by other art work and great interviews with other artists.

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I also am featured The Soap Seduction. Go over and check out her blog. You will find all kinds of great posts on handmade soap and other handmade goodies. I try to stop by everyday to see what she's up to. And don't forget to check her etsy shop.

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And finally, I've entered the Handmadeology's Etsy Worthy Photo Contest. I'm pretty excited about this, I have worked really hard to improve my picture taking skills. I'm always trying to improve my ability and I'm happy with my progress. I entered the first picture of Eternal Daydream. I really love this cuff, and I really love this picture. So I'm going to ask (ok I'm down on my knees begging) for my readers to go and vote for my entry. Please!!!!! *sad puppy eyes* Click HERE to go to my picture to vote and click Here to see all the entries. Thank you!

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Well I think that's all the news for now. Have a great day everyone ☺