Shop Update: "Dead Frida" Necklaces & Earrings, Fish & Swine Flew

I've been busily working on new things for my etsy shop!

Check out the goodness:

Etsy Buy Handmade Rainsembellishments

You know I can't help myself!

I just can't get enough of it! Enjoy! ;)

Happy Friday

I just received this video in an email and couldn't resist sharing! Enjoy! : D

Excitement! Glitter & Grunge Fall Design Team Announced!

Copied from Glitter & Grunge:

Meet Our Fall Design Team!

Oh my! I cannot believe the amazing entries we got for the design team. A-MAY-ZING!

It was so hard to choose and we really would have loved to have everyone. If you were not chosen this round - never fear we will be taking applications for the winter team soon. We would love for everyone to have a chance to showcase their artwork for Glitter and Grunge!

Over the next week or so we will be doing in-depth profiles on these super talented ladies as well as showing you examples of their impressive art work. I am so pleased with the variety of art forms these ladies create and hope that you are too.

Click their photos and say hello to the on their blogs!




Congratulations, Shannon, Rain, Jen, Kath and Leslie!!

A Good Saturday

Being a manager of a retail store it's rare that I get a Saturday off. When my co-worker asked if she could switch my Wednesday off for her Saturday I jumped at the chance! Chris (my bf) and I had the opportunity to finally sleep in on a weekend morning and we joyfully did! After waking & showering we had a very late breakfast and then took a day trip to Auburn. We took a stroll around the old town square, and visited the local bead store - I just can't help myself! (My bead addiction is a sickness I swear!)

When we finished our shopping/window shopping we meandered over to the local disk golf park. This place is huge! It's a regular park with a couple playgrounds, multiple ball fields, and it's very own lake! Oh yeah, and the disc golf range in the wooded area as well!

Here's a few pictures from the sites:

Since we were in the area, I had the urge to head over to Meadow Vista to see if my Uncle Jack (my sister's godfather) was home. I hadn't been that way for a visit for a very long time...Not since Auntie Nita (Jack's wife - my sister's godmother) had passed. I've been feeling guilty for not visiting and decided that this was the perfect time to go!

We arrived just as Uncle Jack was about to mow the lawn. We hugged, and I introduced him to Chris then we headed inside. He chatted about filling up the humming bird feeders, dating all the local widows, and the trips that he's been on. He talked so much that I barely got in three or four sentences of conversation! He even told me this cute story about a doll he had given my sister when she was little. It was this life size doll that my sister use to keep locked up in the closet at night because it would freak her out if she woke up and saw it in the middle of the night! (I digress.) We ended our visit while there was still time for him to get out and mow his lawn with what was left the the light of the day.

Chris and I headed back to our side of town to grab a bite to eat. Then we went to the movie theater to watch Funny People. We had some good laughs...and after the movie we headed back home for bed. All in all, a very good Saturday!

WARNING! THE PRISONERS HAVE ESCAPED!!!

So I downloaded this awesome Harry Potter app on my boyfriend's iPhone. It allows you to create your own "Daily Prophet"/"Azkaban" wanted posters. It actually looks a whole lot cooler on the phone because the app makes it look like you're moving in this series of four shots. Unfortunately, I could only email myself the stills of these photos. So I went to slide.com and created this:

Chris thought he would be cute by adding the caption "Eats Children Daily" to my pics because I was eating sorbet when he was capturing the frames of me! LOL! What do you think?

Who knew...

Who knew that all those years that I would begrudgingly sort beans (for the BIG pot of beans to go with every meal) was preparing me for work at the bead shop!? This is a random thought that has crossed my mind numerous times before... Including today while I was at work sorting through some horrendously mixed up crystals. I was sorting through them like I was trying to pick all the rocks & spoiled beans out of the pile. Just something I thought I might share! Hopefully, it even made you laugh!

And the winners are....

Drum roll please!

******************

Polyjuice Potion: Marianna - Use it wisely!

Felix Felicies: Yoli - Save it for something special

Amortentia: Marianna - Yes, I'm completely crushing on Zac Effron too!

Veritaserum: Kathy - Careful! You may hear something you don't want to know about!

Thanks for participating ladies! I'll get those packages to you shortly!

Etsy Shop Updated!

Hey folks! I just updated my Etsy shop with my favorite new pieces!

Grab the Harry Potter inspired jewelry while you can!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade Rainsembellishments.etsy.com

"how are you to win my fabulous prize?..."

Time for my first ever GIVEAWAY!!!!!

The prize: Potion Bottle stretch bracelet kits!

Amortentia

"It's the most powerful love potion in the world!"

Felix Felicis

"It's liquid luck"

Veritaserum

"...potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth"

Polyjuice Potion

"It transforms you into somebody else."

So listen up class: You don't have to create the Draught of Living Death; but you do have to leave me a comment. What you would do with each potion, should you have it in your possession? I will choose the most creative answers for each potion and inform who my winners are for each. (There are four winners here!) You have a week from today to send me your answers. Be clever and you shall win my fabulous prize!

*All quotes from Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince & Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets By: J. K. Rowling.

Update

Hey folks! Sorry I slacked off this past week...it was a really busy work week! We got new stock in at The Bead Shoppe that I've been trying to put into proper homes. All while constantly working on broken jewelry repairs and doing one-on-one classes! Then I had my niece Thursday & Friday...so I really didn't have time for blog!

Just to let you know...I'm planning on doing my Harry Potter giveaways this week!!! Also, I'll be posting new pictures on my Flickr from Harry Potter movie night; as well as trying to get some new things in my etsy shop! So please check back later this week! Until then.... ;)

Brick Stitch Lightning Bolt Pendant

Hello my fellow stitching enthusiasts!
As promised, here is my pattern for a
Lightning Bolt Pendant:

If you need some help with this, I found brick stitch instructions here. Please feel free to ask me any questions if you get stuck!

Potions & Quidditch

I got inspired by my friend, Melody, at craft night last week.

She was making these wicked awesome pendants using diamond glaze.

When I got home I remembered that I had all the ingredients to make some pendants of my own, and this is what I came up with:

I just used some HP stickers I got from a sticker book at Target, tiles I picked up at the scrapbook store, diamond glaze & glitter ... and voila! Instant necklace pendants. I'm going to make these into necklaces for my niece & I. Pictures of completed necklaces coming soon!

In Honor of Dumbledore

A bracelet to honor a truly magnificent wizard:
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore!

Can your broom fly?

It's time to get your head out of the broom closet & out to the Quidditch field!
Check out these broom earrings! So they're not Firebolts, or even Nimbus 2000's...but they're possibly Clean Sweeps!?!
Anywho, I flipped when I found these charms! I just knew that they were destined for earring greatness! Enjoy!

Go Gryffindor!

Golden Snitch Earrings

Can you believe it? Actual flying Snitches! I originally experimented making these using gold pearls and connected angel wings. Not quite the same effect...let's just say, my boyfriend wasn't very impressed. So after a bit of searching on Etsy, I found the wings you see in the picture below. The wings are now stretched out of the golden balls instead of lying on top of them. I wore mine to craft night and the girls loved them...so does my bf! What do you think?

I think they're quite magical myself! Let's play some "Quidditch"!

"Hedwig" Snow Owl Bracelet

Hello! Here's the second installment of my Harry Potter inspired Projects:

"Hedwig" Snow Owl Bracelet Tutorial.

Gather your Supplies:

1 - Owl Button (Found @ Jo Ann's)

1 foot Softflex wire

2 - Crimp Beads

1 - Hook Clasp

(I made mine using about 3 inches of Sterling Silver wire)

A Variety of white pearls & "crystals"

Start by clasping the button side of the bracelet.

String on a crimp. Run your wire through a wire guard.

String through the button and then back down through the crimp bead.

String your beads in your desired pattern.

Clasp the hook on the other side of your bracelet.

Trim off excess wire.

Enjoy your bracelet!

: D

This one's for my niece!

The Half-Blood Prince

Hey folks! Sorry about the unexpected blog hiatus! We were having issues with our Internet...we could log on for three minutes, and then got booted off. Needless to say, it was very frustrating and impossible to write a blog!

Now back to business. As promised, here is the first of my Harry Potter inspired projects:

Half-Blood Prince Earrings

Please stay tuned in for more...including a giveaway!

Summer Bead Classes

OH Yes! There are new classes lined up at The Bead Shoppe! Here's a few of my favorites:

Wire Lace Earrings Learn how to wire these intricately formed earrings by creating your own wire base. Prerequisite: Intro. To Wirework. Fee: $20. (supplies extra) Date: 5/12 Tuesday 6/16 Tuesday 7/22 Wed. 8/4 Tuesday Time: 6-8 p.m. 6-8 p.m. 6-8 p.m. 6-8 p.m. Place: Roseville Folsom Roseville Folsom

Braided Wire Cuff This class appears hard, but it's really easy to learn! With a bit of stringing we will braid various threads of wire together to create this astonishing cuff! Fee: $20. (supplies extra) Date: 5/25 Monday 6/13 Saturday 7/30 Thursday 8/17 Monday Time: 6-8 p.m. 10:30-12:30 p.m. 6-8 p.m. 6-8 p.m. Place: Folsom Roseville Folsom Roseville

The next one is my favorite! I'll be releasing the pattern (my own design) after the class has passed (before the movie *HP: HBP* is released!). Brick Stitch Lightning Bolt Pendant Make a pendant to wear to the movie about our favorite Wizard hero a week before the new movie is released! You will learn brick stitch basics using Delica seed beads. Prerequisite: Beginning Jewelry. Fee: $20. (supplies extra) Date: 7/8 Wednesday 7/9 Thursday Time: 6-8 p.m. 6-8 p.m. Place: Folsom Roseville