Have you been bitten recently?

Hello friends!

I know, it's a late update for me. I got bit by the creative bug this afternoon and then I spent the rest of it taking pictures. So before I go on about my day and other goodies....

Today I have some fab purple, lime and aqua for you!
Here is a fringe bracelet with lots of wonderful pressed czech glass danglies. The bracelet is even adjustable with a super awesome lampwork dangle bead at the end of the chain!

Who doesn't love EDP? Yeah, that's what I thought. And what looks super pretty with EDP? Yep! Lime Green!
This is one of my Love & Harmony ring designs! It features a pretty little lampwork heart, a sweet jingly bell, a yellowy lime cube and a dazzling lavender ab swarovski crystal. They are super fun to wear and make the most magical sound :)

So how's about that inspired piece from this morning? I have been purposfully leaving out my spade drop beads I got from Jane's Fiber and Beads waiting for them to turn into something awesome.
This little baby is an anklet. I was thinking I needed some new ones to match all of the jewelry I wear. Why not all all of the color to one anklet while I dream up some more designs? This one will accomidate most of my clothes :D I even added a bell to the end to I tinkle when I walk :D Incase you didn't notice.. I like BELLS. Why? I am really not sure? Maybe they sing to my soul. Who knows..

I also made this little pretty yesterday to distinguish which water bottle is mine. It turns out Holly and Brandon got the exact same water bottle as me and it was a little difficult to figure out who's was who's. My bottle also blended in with the chrome finish of all of the equipment at the gym and I had trouble finding it a few times. How do we remedy this problem? With beads, of course!!

Pretty huh? It is pretty much like my keychain designs only a tad shorter. Who has the spiffiest watter bottle ever? That would totally be ME <<<< :D

I ended up twisting some glass yesterday that inspired me to make this sweet little bead.
I am calling her "The girl with the sun in her head" after an Orbital song.

Lastly I have a cool bead I wanted to share with you. I forget what they call this "style" bead, but I tried a different base and this is what I got :D:D:D
You should really zoom on this image to see it in it's full glory. It is really ripply and pretty. I named it "water ripples". Since I am a super swell girl I am going to tell you how I made it. I used a purple filligrana and wound a disk. Then you place 4 dots 9like when you make a triangle beads) on each side. I used light aqua for the transparent dots. Then you melt in the dots slowly until the bead goes round. When placing the dots make sure to get them as close as you can to the mandrel. You can put the dot down close to the mandrel and push to the edge of the bead so that it goes from hole to beads end. You will get what I mean when you actually make the bead ;)

Well that's all for today. I think we are working on the fence and tomato climbers today.

Go outside and enjoy the sun :D

Much love,

Genea

Gardening goodies and Glass

Hello friends!

I have a few HOT items today. Some yummy pink and orange!
There is just something about pink and orange that I love. I absolutely love flowers too! Fun, fun, fun for your ears:)

Who doesn't love glitter? This lovely was made with Vetrofond odd Pineapple Sparkle and Tangerine Sparkle. The flower and spacer bead are this lovely glittery glass.
Here is what it looks like on. Cute huh?!

We are still waiting to work on the new addition to our fencing around the garden area. We got the tomatoes in the ground and they are, thankfully, still small enough to not need supports.
Here is our "tomato mile" lol. This runs along the fence line. Can you see how "misty" the picture is? I realized that was HUMIDITY! Yes, it was actually THAT humid. Ugh...
Here is a close up of the tomato. I can't wait to see what kind sprout. We got the tomatoes all unmarked so it will be a surprise when they all fruit :D


Here is a pic of the peppers we planted. These were also part of the plants we got from Holly's cousin. I think we got 7 poblano peppers, one mystery veggie and maybe chives? I guess we will see when they fruit!

I have been SUPER busy with life so I don't have new pretties at the moment. I have some important testing to do today. I will get that done first and then see what creative things come out.

I hope you all are enjoying your summer in your garden or elsewhere.

Much love,

Genea

Fantastic fibers

Hello friends!

I have some warm brown pretties for you today. First I have some Golden Wave Tangled Vine earrings. These are such a wonderful golden tone all around so if you love those wonderful warm earth tones and ambers these would be perfect!
Next I have some of my Crazy 8's Periwinkle Mocha earrings for you. This design came about while I was inspired by another 2 earring designs. These are also another earthy color with some deep purple.
I am excited to present you with my finished fiber "I" cord bracelet too! I worked on it the other night when it was stormy.
Here is the front of the bracelet. I used some neutral khaki coat thread to sew on the beads, but I think next time I will look for something inbetween beading thread and coat thread. I think I would like the stitches to "disappear" a little more. Holly said she really liked the fact that you could see the threads. What do you think?

Here is the back of the bracelet with one of my lampwork freckled daisy bubble buttons. I would suggest wearing this bracelet with the clasp in the front. I thought it might be irritating to have a "sticky outie" on the front and back of the bracelet so I just used the button instead of embellishing with more lampwork.

Last, but not least... Here is a picture of my hippy head wrap that Holly made for me! I am SO in LOVE with my new "hat". I am wearing it as I am typing this :D I always like to save the best for last. I like to do those little build ups. I would even show my lampwork beads to Melissa saving the very best for last :D
Isn't it AMAZING?! I love how the color fades! I even used one of my peace flower buttons to attch both ends together :D

Well I must be on my way. We are working on getting all of those little plants into the ground. I will click some pics so you can celebrate with me!

Much love,

Genea

Where do you spend your online time?

Hello Friends!

Today I have some fun jungle vibed jewelry!

First off I have some more tangled vines earrings called "Tigress".
Next I have a tiger button that would make a fantastic clasp for jewelry, some knitted project, or whatever else tickles your fancy.

And now for something completely different.....

Where do you spend your time online? Having a business you are told to connect all of your online presences. What happens if you have like a bagillion? Where do you spend your time and effort to reap the most benefits? I don't know about you, but I am currently a member of the following online sites, Etsy, Flickr, Blogspot, Twitter, Facebook, and Lampwork Etc. It takes FOREVER to make sure that each place gets a daily update!

Did you know that I spend more time onlilne trying to update everything than I do actually making beads or jewelry?! Have you found this to be the same for your online business? I was just kind of curious to see if other's out there are experiencing the same sort of things.

Today I will not be creating indoors in the form of beads, but rather creating outside in the creative form of gardening. Our friend Brandon brought over something like 20 small tomato and pepper plants that he got from Holly's cousin's house. I guess they were kind of overloaded with plants as well and needed to find homes for these young plants. So today we will be building a climbing place for the plants and getting them in the ground. I hope we can get it all done today.

I hope you are staying cool while we are currently in a freaking HEAT WAVE(98 degrees)!

Much love,

Genea

Alice in Wonderland

Is anyone else as excited as I am?!


Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

Incase you didn't know, I am HUGE Alice in Wonderland fan! I am in LOVE with the cheshire cat. I even got a tattoo. This image is from the rave that was Alice in Wonderland themed called Nocturnal Wonderland put on by Insomniac!
This is the Nocturnal Wonderland's Cheshire cat with the word "PLUR"(Peace*Love*Unity*Respect) inbetween the cheshire cat's claws.

A little bit of everything

Hello Friends!

Wow.. this is a LATE entry huh? I hit the gym early with Ricky and did some things around the house. I also took care of my poor little garden that is just FRYING outside in the 98 degree heat! I have been editing my pics for you too and took a little lunch break before writing this entry. So here goes...

Today's listings are green and purple! The first one is another pair of my tangled vines earrings. I just love making these earrings. They are so fun to make and so pretty on :)
The next listing is for a swirly heart with a loop at the top. I am really excited about the picture too since you can really see that pretty peacock metallicy scroll work in the picture.
Maybe you also want to see what I've been working on as well :) I made some "I" cords with the help of my friend's Holly and Brandon. The "I" stands for "idiot" since an idiot could make them. I guess I am indeed an idiot! I did a few stitches on the orange and green one, but when it came to the black I "lost my groove". Brandon and Holly decided to give me a hand.
These both have one of my lampwork buttons stitched onto the end and have been felted. I am going to embellish them with beads :D I am excited to work on these :D I will post pics when I am done. Now you have an idea of what do do with my fabulous buttons!

I also had a special request from an old friend, Sandy for a bead with a dragon fly on it. This is my very FIRST dragon fly bead! I am pretty pleased with the beads :D I used some sparkly dichro on the wings and eyes and used some silver plum for the swirly scrolls.
The base is teal with hints of lemon grass. I made the other small lentil too just to see how it would be to make something teeny after working on such a large "canvas".




Look what I got in the mail from Tracee Dock of The Classic Bead! Isn't it absolutely GORGEOUS? I just LOVE pottery! :D I was the kid in class that had their pottery blow up in the kiln :( It never was one of my strong suits so I just enjoy everyone else's creations. Can't do everything right?!

Were you wondering how my little garden was doing? Here it is!

Ok so it's not much, but it is BOOMING with veggies! I think next year we are going to find a way to do a raised garden. Not only are we fighting the elements, but those GD bunnies keep nibbling my tomatoes to a stem! Luckily my sweet little tomatoes wanted to live and actually grew all of their leaves back after being nibbled to a stem! WOO HOO! Go survival of the fittest! We got some of that animal spray for around our garden so hopefully that will help. I think it got washed away last time we sprayed it on since it rained. Don't worry! We got the organic stuff. It has garlic and dried blood in it or something. Sounds pretty yuck, but hopefully it will keep the vermin away!

Here is a picture of my goodies from Target. It is a "bamboo" beach mat and lime green and aqua placemats. I got 2 beach mats for $2.50 each in their cheap section and got the placemats 2 for $2.50 at 50% off discount! Not too shabby for table coverings for shows huh?! I was EXCITED!

And... last, but not least. I am sending these babies to a silent auction in Denver, CO at Gravitiy Defied. If you follow the link you can get more info on this event.



Have a wonderful day!

Much love,

Genea

Back on track and GREEN with envy

Hello friends!

I think I have survived the show whirl wind! It sure did take me awhile to get back on track. I think I still have a few things to finish. I am, however, back on track with my listings!

Today I have some GREEN for you!

First I have another Passion Heart in green and blue. This is made out of the lovely Bullseye and Bullseye odd lots :D I just love the gilttery glass :D
I just love all of the streaky odd lots too. You can see all of the color variation in the center raked heart :D

Next I have another button! This button has a green envious eye!

I really only have one picture of a piece made up using a button and that was the bracelet I just made for Melissa. I suppose I should get some more stuff made up with buttons to inspire you all :)

It has been awhile since I have had some doggie pics up so I have a few new ones for you!

Leeloo and Kayla's cousin came to visit with Ricky's parents! Meet Francesca aka Frankie!
Isn't she BEAUTIFUL! I can't believe how different she looks as an adult from what she looked like as a pup. She totally looks like her dad!

It was stormy the other night and Kayla found comfort hiding behind the papasan chair in our living room.
Awww...

Are you adventurous with your food? We are especially when they cut it open for you at Whole Foods and give you a taste! If you have not been to Whole Foods I would totally recommend it. They have the most wonderful things! All of the employees are super nice and the selection is amazing, not to mention all of the local items they carry :)Here are our fruits. On the left you can see Feijoa's from New Zealand. These fruits are picked by finding a somewhat soft fruit. You then cut them open and eat them skin and all. They have a somewhat grainy texture in part of it like a pear and taste somewhat like a kiwi. They are sour and delicious!

To the right are Passion Fruits. I am not sure where they grow these. You want to look for the exact opposite of what you would think! A ripe passion fruit is VERY wrinkly! To eat them you cut them in half and sip the seeds and pulp from the middle. Passion fruits are very sweet and juicy with a wonderous taste. I am not sure what they are closest to tastewise, but they are delicious!

Here is a Feijoa cut in half. You can just slice them up into small spears and eat them.

Here are the passion fruits cut open. You can sip them out of the center or eat them with a spoon.

Here is how we served the fruits. The passion fruit is very soft and can't really be cut into small servings so we just put them in Asian soup spoons :)

I got some really cool new things from Target the other day! I just looked to see if I could find the pics on target.com, but it turns out they don't have my items on there. I will just click a pic tomorrow. I was super excited cause I found things for my booth displays for $10 total! Woo hoo!

So what's on my agenda for today? Well I need to make a dragon fly bead for Sandy and some pet type pendants for the VCA vet hospital in Fort Collins.

Next I need to start figuring out where I will do my first travelling trunk show. Any ideas? If you suggest a store and they contact me to do a trunk show I will offer you some FABULOUS Genea Beads!

Well I should be on my way!

Have a fabulous day and STAY COOL(it's 97 degrees here today)!

Much love,

Genea

The Bead Mercantile Show

Hello Friends! Are you ready to hear about my adventure in Sharonville, OH ?!

Here you can see Melissa next to her car. She has a little orange Chevy Aveo. Isn't it amazing how much stuff fits in one?
Here is the first picture of us on the trip. Melissa was the " stand- in bead fairy", and I played myself lol. Ugh.. it was EARLY! I so look my dad in this picture especially since I don't have ANY make up on!
Melissa wanted a picture of us in the car driving so I took one of her and refused to take another. She was lucky she got the first picture of me after waking up early! lol

Did you know that there is actually a city called "Effingham"? LMAO. I about died. I had to take a picture so you all would believe me!
I was trying to keep these in order, but I forget if Effingham is before or after the Mississippi on the way from KC to Ohio... Anyways...

Do you believe the SIZE of this cross?! Now what was that about not constructing false idols?!

Here is the mighty Mississippi! It was SO huge and amazing!
Here is a picture of us going under the bridge. It looked pretty cool :D

I made Melissa one of my huge butterflies and she made it into a rear view mirror pretty. I got to look at it the whole ride :D Isn't it pretty?!

The morning before the show we checked out the continental breakfast coffee and it looked like tea! We decided to get some pre-show grub at the BK Lounge(aka Burgerking). Isn't their coffee funny?! It cracked me up!



Hello Sharonville, OH Bead Mercantile Show!!!

Thanks to Robyn and Jane for putting on this fabulous show! You can see Jane's wonderful shop online if you can't make it to one of their shows. www.janesfiberandbeads.com

Here you can see the "stand-in bead fairy setting up our table. This is the right side of the table.

Here is the left side of the table.


Melissa and me at the show the first day :)

Here is one of the cute girls we talked to at our booth. I totally forget her name! I want to say it started with a "K" or "C" like Carrie or something... Anyways, isn't she darling? We were all about her tattoos. She was sweet enough to let us photograph them.

Here is the outside of her arm.

Here is the lower part of her arm on the outside.

Inside of her arm.

I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Patti Cahill of Dyed in the Fire Designs! She is so sweet and makes the most colorful, amazingly precise and intricate beads I have seen! She was kind enough to let me snap a picture of her at her booth with all of her creations. If you have not yet gotten one of Patti's beads I encourage you to check out her shop if you can't catch her at one of her shows. Patti Cahill on Etsy

Patti was wearing fabulous jewelry both days, but I just had to snap a picture of her necklace when I found out she had also made all of the little shimmery blue beads! Her entire necklace was lampwork! She made all of the little blue spacer beads and croched them together into this breath taking rope. 4 large holed beads sat in the center and a large tube focal was at the back. Isn't this GORGEOUS?! She is so stink'in talented!!

It was super hard to get a picture of Megan as well! She was also a vendor at the show. I am not sure what the name of her company was, but you can see her in a pic with Melissa :)

After the show we were invited to go with Jane and Robyn to their favorite Vietnamese/ Thai restaurant!
The apetizer we ordered was these fresh spring rolls that were prepared for us as we ordered them! The sweet lady that owns the restaurant also serves you and makes your food.

I tried to catch a picture of the owner, but she was constantly moving. You can see Robyn cracking up! She is such a HOOT! If you get the chance to go out with Robyn and Jane I would strongly suggest it!

Here is another attempt at catching the owner as she was serving us.

I ordered my favorite Thai dish, Panang Curry!

Mmmmm... I can almost taste it just looking at the picture!

After we at at the restaurant Jane and Robyn suggested we go check out Jungle Jim's. It's a huge grocery store that is somewhat like a themepark. It is HUGE and has these animated things all over the inside. Here is a picture of the monorail that was outside of the building.

In the produce department there was a huge boat with - Lucky Charms, The Trix rabbit and the Cheerio's hunny bee!
In the England section Robin Hood sat in the tree tops and talked to you.


On the inside of the asile you could see the inside of the tree Robin Hood guarded with all of the treasures he stole from the King.

Melissa thought it was cool. I thought it was kinda creepy!

Here are some of the funny things you can get while you are there....

LOL.

Here is Melissa's booty from the show.


Here is what I got. From Left to right- glass strands were from Jane's fiber and beads
Peace Raku pendant was made by Sue from www.beadandgemstoneimport.com You may have seen her at our local show, The Bead Blast. She makes lovely Raku, but also casts silver pieces and is a silver smith. She had some beautiful things at her booth. We traded for the pendant you see above. Dyed in the Fire Designs, Patti Cahill made the super coloriffic beads. Teeny silver heart charms were from Saki Silver Colored hemp and African trade bread bracelet were from Small and Beautiful beads The African trade bracelet was made to save Darfur. The purchase of the bracelet provided 2 months of education for a student :) I love purchasing things that go to a good cause. I bought the bracelet for Ricky and he just loved it :)

After the show Melissa and I relaxed by making some jewelry. She was super amazing cause she just used a set of my beads and some of the things she brought to make this awesome bracelet for Andrea.


I was, however, not so lucky! I finally came up with an idea, but didn't have what I needed so I deconstructed many things to make the braclet I made for Melissa. No beads were injured in the making of this bracelet!

My side of the table.

Melissa's side of the table with Andrea's bracelet.

Birds-eye view of the table mess.

Pulled open bead drawers.

*Whew* and FINALLY the bracelet! The colors are a bit off since it was taken in flourescent lighting. The blue is actually more of a lavender.

Melissa constructed the chain clasp loop and wire wrapped the button.

The day we left for KC we had some more yummy Burgerking. I thought it was funny that Melissa had one circle and one square cup holder. I guess they made them for things like this!
There were little mushrooms growing in with the flowers by Burgerking. Melissa thougtht it was funny so I clicked a pic.

While we were on our drive back to KC we saw this and had to click it for Robyn!

LOL!!

I hope you enjoyed my trip to the show!

Much love,

Genea