Hoots & Fruits

I've finished updating the Beads-O'-Whimsy section of my shop. There are now owls and strawberries in there.

Just like the sheep, ladybirds and Bumblebeads, the owls and strawberries are available as individual loose beads, as charms and stitch markers and also as feature-bead-and-a-dozen-spacers sets.

I had some backing cards printed for my stitch marker sets and I'm pretty pleased with the way they look.

I'll soon have some sets featuring beads that don't have eyes, so stay tuned ...

Hello to you

Hello! I am here and I am making beads. It's just that they're sold by the time I get to publish a blog about it. This is how I usually sell beads:

1. Edit bead photos
2. Create shop listings for them
3. Set up Facebook post, blog and/or newsletter ready
4. Make the shop listings live
5. Go to publish the Facebook post, blog and/or newsletter
6. BAM. The beads sell before I can carry out all of step five.

Now, please don't think I'm moaning because it's wonderful that my beads sell so fast, it truly is, and I thank you very much for liking them so, but I do get a few emails and messages from people who are desperate to get hold of some of my beads but just can't seem to. All I can suggest to those people is that if you have a Facebook account, please be sure to follow my bead page and using the menu under the 'like' button, click 'get notifications' to be kept right up to date. I think Google Alerts also allows you keep an eye on website updates but you'd have to check that out because I'm not one hundred percent sure.

But yes, those are two potential ways in which you can try and get to the front of the bead queue.

I know I'm a bit of a pain in not listing my beads in one go on one night at a certain time but to be honest, that doesn't suit me financially. Selling beads as I make them keeps a steady cashflow meandering in which I prefer, for various boring reasons, to having larger chunks of dosh less often. I guess it's a bit like the difference between being paid weekly or monthly.

Anyway ... I have been making beads, see?

These all have new homes now. And yes, I know they all look like pretty much the same set but in different colours but there is a reason for this. I'm heading up to my ten year anniversary of making beads and as such I have amassed a ridiculous stash of glass rod odds and ends. In this stash are lots of discontinued colours or odd-lots but in some cases there's only one or two rods of each. I'm trying to use up as much of this old glass as I can because it seems like such a waste for it to be sat there quite literally gathering dust. These sets are like mini patchwork quilt kind of beads; a way of using up scraps in a pretty fashion. It also makes me use colours together that I might not usually use together which is always fun. So please bear with me whilst I continue working my way through my substantial glass scrapyard.

Finally, I know I said I don't do orders these days but quite a few of you have written and asked when there will be owls so I had a think and have decided that I will temporarily take orders for owl beads and necklaces.

This ordering window is open until 7.00pm on Sunday 6th April. After this date the ordering window will close and I will make and post all the ordered owls. As such, please allow up to fourteen days from the time of ordering (it'll most probably be less than this, though) for me to make and dispatch your owl bead order.

After all the orders are in I'll set aside a couple of days to make the owls. I get into a rhythm this way, you see, and making a whole batch is actually less stress-making for me than doing them in dribs and drabs.

I'll more than likely do a similar thing with the ladybirds and Bumblebeads at a later date.

Owls can be ordered here. 

What a lot of waffle. I'm heading shedwards now.

Thanks for reading, have a good Friday, don't get sniffing too much Saharan dust and enjoy your weekend.

(PS: The tulips at the top of this post bear zero relevance to it. It's just they're sat on the coffee table and they look nice and I thought they could pretty up my blog as well as the lounge.)

Shop Update

Evening! Bit of a late update from me but hey, it's that time of year where time suddenly loses all meaning and what the heck it's Christmas, yes?!

I've just added some lovely glassy things to the shop including this pretty 'Purple Pinecone' sterling silver necklace.

There's also a similar focal for sale along with some scrolly beads ...

... an owl necklace ...

... and a ladybird one too. 

They can all be found here.

And if you'd like any of these in time for Christmas you can select Special Delivery (£6.50 per order) at checkout and I'll make sure your beads are with you by Christmas Eve.

Necklaces, Ladybird & Gift Tags

What a truly beautiful day! I want to pack up a lunch and go for a walk around the country park but alas, I have to work. Maybe the weather will hold and I can do the whole country park thing on Sunday. Maybe. Perhaps.

Yesterday I added three 'Brown Owl' necklaces to the shop. Two have flown off to new homes already but there's one left.

There are a few ready-to-go  'Acorn & Oak Leaf' necklaces left so if you've started your Christmas shopping (I salute your organisational skills) or if you need a gift for someone or hey, if you just fancy treating yourself, I can have one of those in the post to you today.

A little Ladyird bead has been sat on the kitchen window sill for ages now so I've photographed her and she can be found in the Lonelies section.

She's a tad larger than my usual ladybirds and I think she'd make a nice pendant.

I'm often asked to include a note with orders that are sent as gifts. I've opted for these luggage tags which are plain, simple and just NICE.

If you're ordering beads or jewellery as a gift and you'd like me to write a tag (in my bestest handwriting) then just ask me to do so in the 'Notes' section at checkout. Just so you know, when you place a gift order I send it to the recipient without any prices printed anywhere.

Don't forget you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I like to interact with you lot and those platforms make it mega easy to do so.

Enjoy your Friday!

Lonelies

I decided to sort out my Lonelies jar. With the contents I've made three strands of eighteen beads.

Each strand contains an owl, a cupcake and a matching pair. I'm selling them at £19.50 per strand and they're available here.

I've also reduced (and I mean reduced) the price of my Purple Blush beads and my Eton Mess and Triple Chocolate bracelets so there are three bargains to be had there.

I've also had to change the owl bead ordering page. Why? Because of the increasingly on-tits-getting way that glass companies keep discontinuing and changing glass colours, that's why. The colour I was using for the 'tawny' owls no longer exists so I've replaced it with an auburn shade.

If you've ordered tawny owls, fear not, they will indeed be tawny but from now on the tawny colour option no longer exists.

Back to packing up bead orders now and then I'll be off to the Post Office.

Have a good rest-of-the-afternoon!

Owl Update

I've added three colour options to the owl ordering page. Admittedly the options are a touch Henry Ford in that you can have any colour you like as long as it's brown, but yeah, you can choose. There will be some wackier-coloured owls at some point but for now I'm sticking with the more 'natural' look. 

You can also opt to have your owl turned into a pendant or a charm.

All owl-related bead stuff can be found right here.

And now I'm heading shedwards ...

Owls On Sticks

Order yours here. (Stick not included.)

Shop updates and Pinterest

I've been as busy as a busy thing today. I still am. I'm just having a quick blogging break to show you these 'Banana & Strawberry' beads that I've just put in the shop. They remind me of milkshake. Such happy beads.

I've made more owl beads and I've also made a couple of owl pendants and those are over in the bead shop too.

I'm really yawny. That's probably because I was up until 1:30am looking at Pinterest. You know how the other day I said that I just didn't 'get' Pinterest? Yeah, well I'm eating those words and I now I do get Pinterest. The place is addictive! So many beautiful, ingenious and wonderful things to look at. My username over there is beadsbylaura, if you fancy following or whatever.

Right, I must get on with bead stuff. I have orders to pack up and a newsletter to write.

Don't forget to enter my owl bead giveaway, if you've not done so already.

Happy Wednesday night,

Owl Giveaway

I'm overrun with these little fellas. The owls are sitting in the kitchen window sill and whenever I walk in there it's like they're staring at me.

How do you fancy a shot at winning one of my owls? (Of course, if you want a guaranteed way of owning an owl bead, there are some for sale over in my bead shop ...)

This little owl - Rufus, I'm calling him - is made in dark grey-brown and he comes with a strand of a dozen 7mm spacer beads that match him.

To be in with a chance of winning him, all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post. If you've not got a Blogger profile, please leave your full name or a Twitter username or something that I can use to notify you if you're the winner.

On the evening of Friday 10th May I'll draw a winner at random.

The prize draw is open to anyone anywhere but it's only one entry per person.

Good luck!

PS: You might want to sign up to my mailing list to receive news of future giveaways and special offers, as well as general bead news.

A parliament of owls

Yup, a 'parliament'. That is the collective noun for a group of owls. Personally, I prefer a 'wise' or a 'hoot' but there you go. I don't make the rules, which is probably a good thing.

Anyway, yes, owls. Look at them! Six of them. Half a dozen little chestnut-coloured wit-woos waiting for new homes.

At only 13mm tall they would be great for charms, dangles and pendants. Because they are handmade each one is ever-so-slightly different. They might have different sized beaks and ear tufts and varying levels of staring intensity, but I guarantee you that your owl will be downright lovely.

If you fancy rehoming one (or more) of my owls, they are £9.00 each and are available over in my bead shop.

Thank you to everyone who has liked my Facebook page so far. I'm still finding my way about the place over there. It's a whole new language but I think I'm muddling through okay.

I've added a Droplets Bracelet ordering page to my bead shop, should you want to purchase a bracelet similar to the one I blogged yesterday.

Hasn't it been a gorgeous day? I know, right? A Bank Holiday Monday and sunshine? What is this witchcraft?! Chris and I had our first barbecue of the year earlier and we even got the patio table and chairs out for the occasion.

I hope you've had a lovely day and that it's been sunshining in your part of the world too.

See you later,

Droplets Bracelet

I've just made this summery Droplets bracelet for a customer. She wanted lime greens, oranges and aquas to match the fabric of a dress that she is making.

The beads did a spot of sunbathing after their clean and wash. Isn't morning sunshine through coloured glass one of the prettiest things in the world?

The beads are strung on three strands of clear elastic beading cord. I just had to try it on and I didn't want to take it off. The bracelet is so light and gently rattly and it catches the light beautifully. I'm definitely going to have to make one of these for me.

If you'd like me to make one of these Droplets Bracelet for you too then please click here for ordering details. All you need to do is tell me what colours you'd like your bracelet to be. These bracelets cost £25.00 each and postage within the UK is free. Postage elsewhere is £3.50.

Thank you to everyone who emailed or commented about the owl bead on my blog and via Twitter. There will be more so stay tuned ...

Now, to do some houseworking! My dad is visiting this afternoon and I must clean the windows. Sunshine through coloured glass might be all kinds of lovely but sunshine through double glazed windows covered in rain marks, dust and cat nose smears? Not so much.

Have a wonderful Sunday and if you're lucky enough to be having a barbecue, have a burger for me.

Wit-woo!

This little fella was waiting in the kiln for me this morning. He's quite sweet, isn't he?

The owl bead is only 13mm tall and would make a nice charm or pendant. He comes with a strand of twenty co-ordinating spacer beads. If you'd like to give him a new home, he's for sale over in my bead shop.

I'm going back down to the shed now; I've got to finish some beads for a bracelet order.

Have a fab evening!