BIG NEWS!

Well, maybe not that big! I just opened up a new shop on Etsy for rough cut crystal gemstones and semi-precious gemstone and stone beads. I've been listing them in my main shop, but the idea of opening up a new shop has been bouncing around in my head for a while. So, I took the plunge yesterday and opened up Milmine Design Annex! I've already had a few sales and am enjoying searching the universe (hee hee!) for unique and pretty beads and stones. I just posted some awesome rhodochrosite crystals tonight that I think are gorgeous! Please feel free to stop by and browse!

Here's the link to my new shop!

Milmine Design Annex

New Tab Beads

Amanda from Chloe Boutique suggested that I make some tabular earring beads yesterday. So, I went off to do so last night. Here's my results (thanks Amanda for the suggestion & for purchasing them!). It's funny, that used to be the only kind of earring beads I made. But, since I got the lentil press, I've been hooked ever since. As I explained to Amanda, it's much more time-consuming to make tabs because they are shaped by hand and not by a press. Getting 2 to be the same size is much more difficult. I do like them, though, and will most likely make more very soon! Oh, by the way, there's another pair just like them listed in my Etsy shop! :0)

Website Overhaul!

I've been putting this off for months now and finally decided to take the time to work on it. Since selling my beads pretty much exclusively on Etsy since the beginning of this year, I've been very lax in updating my website. So, I decided to streamline it and use it basically for information and a link to my Etsy shop. I'm very happy with how it turned out! Plus I got to use my favorite bead of all time! :0)

Doug's First Sale on Etsy!

So I'm so excited that Doug had his first sale on Etsy this weekend! Amanda from Chloe Boutique had him design a custom banner & avatar package to coordinate with her jewelry cards. He was having so much fun designing that we were up until after 2 am last night!

He's busy working on another semi-custom banner for another etsian tonight! I'm so happy for him! If you ever need a banner, avatar, logo or any other graphic design service, please don't hesitate to contact him!
DBM Graphics Factory

Amanda creates gorgeous jewelry and is one of the sweetest people I've met on Etsy & Flickr. Be sure to stop by her shop!
Chloe Boutique

My First Etsy Treasury!!!

I'm so excited - I snagged my first Etsy treasury today! Special thanks to my awesome friend, Sharon, from ManaMoon for her guidance and scientific calculations of when it would be available! Hope you check it out if you get a chance!

The Handbook to Handmade Volume 7

Can I tell you how excited I am to be a part of this wonderful book!? It is a fabulous concept from Timothy Adam Designs to promote Etsy artists. For a small fee you can be included in this gorgeous full color book with other talented Etsians!! When I saw the thread in the promotions section of the forums, I was intrigued. I contacted my great friend, Sharon, of ManaMoon Studios and said we should give it a shot!

For more information, here is the official blog link:

Handbook to Handmade Blog

Have a great Sunday!
Karen

Happy 4th!

Been pretty busy the last week with bead orders and keeping the lawn growing! It's coming along nicely, but we'll have to re-seed some areas for sure! Marla's looking forward to running and playing in her new yard. She's used to having 5 acres to romp through! Hope everyone had a safe & fun holiday!

Keepin' Cool!

Our newest kitty, Dezi, has quite the personality! He's one of those guys that likes to jump up on your shoulders (sometimes from quite a ways away!) and loves to be petted (on his terms, of course!). Well, today after we got home from work (Dezi and Marla (our Great Dane) usually join us while we change our clothes. Dezi decided that the sink was a perfect fit and was quite the ham! I got a few great shots of him and am posting one here. My Flickr site has a ton of Dezi & Marla pictures if you would like to see more!

Karen

Praying for Rain!

Our new house came without a yard and we have the daunting task of putting one in ourselves! Well, seeding and putting straw down on 1 1/4 acres is no walk in the park - just ask Doug! For 2 1/2 days straight he slaved away on this enormous job and when it came time to set up the sprinklers, well, we found out that we don't have enough water pressure to run more than one at a time! One of the drawbacks of being outside the city and having a well - one of the benefits is that you don't have to pay for the water, just the electricity to pump it! So, last night (since we didn't get any rain), we tag teamed hand spraying the entire property - I was done at 9:30 pm, but Doug kept on going (somehow!) until 10:30 pm! We were so excited that it rained quite hard at work today (about 12 miles from home), but were soooo disappointed when we got home and realized that it had stopped raining about 1/2 mile from our house! We never got anything! Keeping our eyes on the weather, and it looks like we may finally get something tonight - here's to hoping! It will look so nice when it's done, but, it certainly isn't something that either of us ever want to do again!

Pssst...Need a Banner?

I have the perfect banner designer for you! DBM Graphics Factory (new to Etsy) has posted some amazing pre-fab banners for your Etsy shop! Doug has 20 years experience as a graphic designer and loves to create. If you are looking for logos, brochures, catalogs, etc., he's worked for a wide variety of clients and has extensive printing knowledge. Of course, for those of you who know me, Doug is my husband! If you get a second, please stop by his new shop and say hi! You can find Doug at his Etsy shop: www.dbmgraphicsfactory.etsy.com

Newbie!

So, this is all new to me as I've never had a blog before.  Please bear with me as I will be learning as I go along!  My friend Sharon has the BEST blog!  As I sat here and read through it, I felt like she was right here speaking to me.  She is so expressive with her words - a trait that I so admire!  By the way, Sharon also happens to create incredible, one-of-a-kind jools!  I highly recommend you stop by her shop and take a peek!  She can be found at her Etsy shop: www.manamoon.etsy.com