Raising Funds for the National Wildlife Federation

Jewelry by Bean is proud to announce my invlovement in this online auction that is taking place right now through the end of the week. I'm happy to be able to help out with supporting this cause. In memory of the devastating oil rig explosion that took place last year at this time, Upcycled by Ash is hosting an online auction to raise funds for the National Wildlife Federation. Please click on the link above to go to Upcycled by Ash's blog- you can read all about what she is doing and how you can be part! Its so easy! There are some amazing artists that have donated items for this auction~ I have donated some of my jewelry as well. The auction is being held on Upcycled by Ash's facebook page. Click on the link to go there and start biding on items Now! I've already put a bid in and I think I'll be going back! I'm a sucker for lovely handmade things...but even more so when its supporting a cause that I believe in! My favorite piece in the auction is "Genuine Turquoise Ring" By: Alissa B. Custom Jewelry. To see more of her funky fresh jewelry go to:

www.AlissaBcustomjewelry.etsy.com
www.facebook.com/AlissaBjewelry

I'm in an ETSY treasury...

All things from Buffalo Artists! This tresury has been put together by Marinette of BUFFALO PRINCESS; I love that she featured all us Buffalonians~ Theres some talent in this city! Hear what Marinette has to say....

'Buffalo Creations' by BuffaloPrincess

"We here in Buffalo, NY are surrounded by some very creative people, here is just a small sampling of some great creations! For more, join us at the Buffalo Etsians Team!"

Buffalo Etsy Team

Pretty Shell Necklace jewelrybybean $24.00	Frog Meets Fly - A Scul... washmycloth $56.00	Pretty Little Fairy Flo... Clementinyclot... $42.00
Cheers series of three ... jonbender $45.00	Large Heat Therapy Wrap... fellfortomorro... $10.00	Cupcake Photo Holder - ... melaniescrafts $5.50
Jamaican Gazebo Top bphdesign $10.00	Set of 6 Tea Cup Paper ... TriggerHappyTr... $10.00	Fine Silver Unique Text... DaVoria $139.00
Easter Bunny Hat/Diaper... sebastianseven $	Buffalo BFLO Scrabble T... Buffalovely $60.00	Circus Memory Game With... icepurplepengu... $18.00
Aladdin Diner Outing Ki... lilliefaith $21.98	Customized Wedding Logo... forevermorewed... $28.00	LittleBrownCow $
ANY 5-Letter Word in AS... MoonlightAura $40.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Gemstone Monday

If you've been following my blog or facebook, your aware of the recent jewelry giveaway that happened over at String Bean Studios. I gave away a pair of Turquoise earrings to a lucky winner that will announced tomorrow on Keri's blog. So, for Gemstone Monday...lets stay in the spirit and talk about Turquoise!

Turquoise has such a diverse look. Some stones have more markings than others. There are also different hues of Turquoise. The blue colour is created by copper,

the green by iron and a certain amount of chrome. Often, the material has veins or blotches running through it, which are brown, light grey or black depending on where it was found.

In recent times, turquoise, like most other gems, has been devalued by the introduction of treatments, imitations, and synthetics onto the market. The most well known deposits of turquoise are in the USA, Mexico, Israel, Iran, Afghanistan and China. The most beautiful turquoises, in a splendid light blue, come from deposits in the north of Iran.

Turquoise is one of the birthstones for the month of December.

I personally LOVE this gemstone. I've always been a earthy kind of girl, and to me this stone is the epitome of earthy loving hippy. I often create jewelry using this stone and find much inspiration from turquoise. Here is just one sample of how I have used turquoise in my jewelry designs.

Tribal Turquoise Teardrops

Jewelry by Bean Giveaway~

Hi friends! I've got exciting news to share with you all today! My good friend Keri with String Bean Studios is hosting a giveaway on her blog. If you dont know, String Bean Studios frequently hosts giveaways and so if you like pretty free things then you'll want to subscibe to her blog so you wont miss out on all the festivities! This current contest is going on from now until the 21st and you can enter in for a chance to win my Turquoise Teardrop earrings! Multiple entries are allowed so go visit now to see what I'm talking about!

www.string-bean-studios.blogspot.com

Ocean Project

Today is the perfect day to be working on my next project, Seashell Barettes! The sun is shining in Buffalo today reminding me that spring is right around the corner and alas the hot summer sun will be blazing in no time! Seashell Barrettes are perfect for your spring/summer wardrobe. The story behind this project goes back to my Honeymoon. We were in Puerto Vallarta Mexico in a resort that was right on the beach. Everyday for a week we got to see the tide come in and go back out, watch the sunset and sunrise over the sea and take long walks up and down the sandy shore. What started as picking up a few shells during a walk, turned into carrying arms full back to our resort room. Gorgeous shimmering shells! The ocean is a huge inspiration to my work as alot of my work is featured in a beach town boutique in Hull, Ma. These seashell barrettes were hand picked from the shores, hand drilled, wire wrapped onto French style hair clips and loaded with sparkling crystals, gemstones and fresh water pearls. I've made 1 so far and it sold and I've had many people asking about it. So, today I've designed a whole collection of these barrettes to be available through my Etsy store soon.

Here's a look at other ocean inspired jewelry I've made

http://www.etsy.com/listing/66419720/paua-shell-pendant

I'm looking forward to showing you this collection soon. Its going to be fun making these barrettes while thinking thoughts of the ocean and the beach. Peaceful, calm, salty air, tropical sounds and sights

“I have always loved the beach. The smell of the salty water, the wind in my face, the gentle roar of the waves all combine to create a sense of peace and calm.”

--Anonymous

Gemstone Monday

Monday monday. Its a rainy monday here is Buffalo and while the rain is washing away the snow it is unveiling the earth below us. The ground; grass, pebbles, hunks of earthen soil clumped together. But dig a little deeper than just the ground into the earth below our feet and we discover one of my biggest inspirations to jewelry creations. Gemstones! Rocks! Beautiful, raw, organic, natural stones. A gemstone or gem (also called a precious or semi-precious stone, or jewel) is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. Here are some that may be familiar to you; Turquoise (my favorite), Amber, Quartz, Amethyst, Moonstone, Tigers eye and Amazonite to name a few. There are so many beautiful gemstones that God has created and it seems that more are discovered as time goes on.
Ok! So, today's our first gemstone Monday and I'm featuring the famous Amethyst! That rich, royal, velvety purple color that so many adore! If your birthday is in February you get the honor of wearing this gorgeous gem as your birthstone. Amethyst is found in many different areas of the world including Brazil, Uruguay, South Korea, Austria, Russia, US and Canada. The largest mining field in North America is actually very close to us East coasters...is found in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

So how has Amethyst inspired Jewelry by Bean? Although I appreciate this gemstone and reckognize its beauty, I have to admit it is not my "go-to" gemstone. I gravitate towards more warm colors and earthen colors. However, I do create pieces with this gemstone because its important for me to make things that everyone will love. I came across a gorgeous strand of amethyst last summer while in Northern California. It reminded me of rock candy with distinct irregular cuts so I jumped on that find. When shopping for supplies and gemstones in particular, I look for rarities and unique pieces. This strand made the cut! Here is just one beautiful piece I've created from that luscious strand of "rock candy".

www.etsy.com/listing/57496042/amethyst-earrings
So what do you love about Amethyst? What gemstone would you like to hear more about?

Why Working from Home is both Horrid & Superb...

Working from home...I wake up and have my routine...big cup of tea while I sit and let my mind be stimulated from the slumbernes; I read and meditate. OK...I'm semi-awake....time for med's. (wich is a whole crap load for us Lymies)! Then I need to work out, shower and eat food. Ok...by the time I have done all that most of you that are employed at a workplace have been there for 3 or 4 hours working away. This is horrid if you look at productivity...superb is if you look at flexibility and the fact that I am fighting Lyme disease...the flexibility is wonderful. I could post about the daily routine of Lyme treatment in itself...it requires flexibility.
So, I'm ready to go for the day...Now, if your very driven and motivated you would have a plan for the day of what projects to tackle. Here's the horrid part for me...I'm not always driven. I'm a feeler who says "what do I feel like doing today? Should I design, create, take photos, up-load to Etsy?" Then there are the days when I do none of that, granted my income from the business is not the bread & butter money...but maybe I should start treating it that way? Thats a great thought!
Working from home for an artist can be a dangerous thing altogether! If all I had to do was create to have a successful business, I would be quite successful. However there are a million other things to tackle...this is where it gets dangerous and can make or break it for you. There's marketing, promoting, networking, financial aspects, getting new fresh material out there and available, designing, shipping orders, searching and applying for art shows, etc.
No body told me that you need a personal assistant for this job! What the heck!
I love what I do though and thats more than most people can say. I'm so thankful that I get to do this. However I've been re-ordering how I manage this business the last few days and I have a huge list to tackle:
1..Clean & Organize my studio
2..Label & Price inventory for Seabreeze (consignment store)
3..Work on blog
4..photograpy shoot
5..Add new inventory to Etsy store
6..work on getting ready for up-coming art show
7..Design new business cards/packaging
8..Get on consignment in more stores.

Today...I'm taking my Studio on with force!
So, for all you artists who get the priveledge to work from home, whats your strategies for keeping things running? I'd love to hear from you?


A perfect quote to describe my artist life
::: Alice Neel ::: pioneer great american 20th century painter said...

"When I work, I work very fast, but preparing to work can take any length of time."