tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18096362338491836942024-03-15T18:10:05.348-07:00BeadinBabe, Everyday EleganceNature Inspired, with a Hint of Vintage Romance...beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-75028556942167212402014-05-21T16:24:00.001-07:002014-05-21T16:24:58.993-07:00<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgBug1StL7jV71dqRx__KvUbZJnOgBNlBqdKEGmELf6oS2fGsrAl-q_HL0GG5wKs0evlsYetZUk-TSXpMlnaRWHBwv1ZAb4hunRwc5F3deEZfNoxa4-IlWGCw9i4wnE-x5hcZWwb2seM/s1600/IMG_0046-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgBug1StL7jV71dqRx__KvUbZJnOgBNlBqdKEGmELf6oS2fGsrAl-q_HL0GG5wKs0evlsYetZUk-TSXpMlnaRWHBwv1ZAb4hunRwc5F3deEZfNoxa4-IlWGCw9i4wnE-x5hcZWwb2seM/s1600/IMG_0046-001.jpg" height="267" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /> <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/64145303/antiqued-silver-fold-out-accordion-owl?">Antiqued Silver fold out Accordion locket necklace, (Holds 4 pictures!) $34</a><br /><br />This is such a unique locket, it opens like an accordion to hold 4
pictures! Embossed on the front of the locket is an intricate design
with flowers, absolutely beautiful. I've given a brass owl a verdigris
green patina, to add a bit of color, lovely!<br /><br /><br />Length- 22 inches<br />Locket/Large- 31x20x10mm<br /><br />Closes with a lobster style clasp, and is hung on a high quality rhodium plated silver chain.</div>
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NICKEL/LEAD FREE </div>
beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-19408902820258797122014-05-21T16:19:00.001-07:002014-05-21T16:19:56.983-07:00<img alt="" src="https://img.bzzagent.com/image/coppertone.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=4132842102&Campaign=3862338196&Uid=1624031&token=a11d7a8d637ab75e72df80cb477abdb2" /><br />
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I know my blog is usually for jewelry finds, but I had to share this awesome sunscreen. I usually hate to wear sunscreen on my face, not with this stuff! This sunscreen is awesome, and smells divine! Try it out!beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-11001872235171464532012-02-01T18:45:00.001-08:002012-02-01T18:45:03.105-08:00Dainty Sterling hammered heart bracelet, simple modern jewelry - $22.50<a href='http://www.etsy.com/shop/beadinbabe' title='My Etsy SHop'><img src='http://img2.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.305308274.jpg' style='margin: 0px 20px 20px 20px; float: left; ' /></a>Delicate and petite sterling silver chain bracelet.<br>
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<br />Handmade, sterling silver hammered heart sits at the center of this little beauty. A fine oxidized sterling chain holds the heart. Finished with a toggle clasp.<br>
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<br />Please specify what length you would like the bracelet made in (5 1/2-8inches), other wise it will be made in the standard 7 inch length, thank you!<br>
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<br />Enter my s...<br/><br/><a href='http://www.etsy.com/shop/beadinbabe' title='My Etsy SHop'>Click Here to Visit My Etsy Shop!</a>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-13287894425051642712009-05-05T09:26:00.001-07:002009-05-05T09:46:50.737-07:00Summer Sensations Treasury- 12 wonderful artists!!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=56392"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 316px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieY1On6XWmr3_vWA4v4fvxMgA0q2QPjzzNOGRgeHr5p1EP0b15uB1o9QqnnY5jhe375FGt4E-29pQcpMC6-b3-tSSlDhlzjnJzCrDOKdH9DTZaj_Hi4WMyg4kgyYBewFHG0_qB27MXkIY/s400/Fullscreen+capture+552009+122505+PM.bmp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332377459909541234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">My latest treasury featuring beautiful summertime finds :) Hope you all enjoy the creations from these wonderful artists!</span><br /></span></div><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">(In Order From Top Left to right)<br /><br />1.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24575563">Eclectic Love Fabric Flower</a> by RoseisRose<br />2. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24354300">Happy Hedgehog Alternative Apparel Backstage Top</a> by rainbowswirlz<br /></span><h1 style="margin: 0px; font-weight: normal;font-size:18px;"><span style="font-size:100%;">3. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24248174">Signed 8 x 10 Fine Art Photograph</a> by NestaUsa</span></h1><span style="font-size:100%;">4. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21566433">Beach Waves Hand Painted Mini Wedge Heels Sz. 7</a> by Crafttastrophe<br />5. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21076512">flowering brooch</a> by fleurfatale<br />6. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20906955">MADE TO ORDER Set of Four Colorful Cereal Bowls</a> by LynnCardwellPottery<br />7. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23433329">Honey Bee Pin</a> by sheridesthelion<br />8. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19973437">Tree Wallet Mustard, Blue and Grey</a> by getfeltup<br />9. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19476455">Garden Party Fanfare Flower Messenger</a> by magnolyadesigns<br />10. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22583498">Spring Colors - Fabric Covered Buttons</a> by missbutler<br />11. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23813308">Spring colors soap trio ...</a> by swanmountainsoaps<br />12.<a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24461115"> A Single Tree .... Eco Tote ...</a> by seworiginal</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><3> Show these artists some love!! :)<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> <3><br /></span></span></span></div>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-11378586007352460662009-04-27T11:18:00.001-07:002009-04-27T11:22:51.546-07:00Free Earrings!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24022378"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 346px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcnpqSap7GpLXJHmUfHldAFjlX5tigVAPK0oMlINGTTRMENdA_rWY-Qpude2vcTb4yTt_z2zQlYzyGzobYdDT5EdHQEx8M9sVRMmVl9cUlFrsbp0NM37X06yIRjwjizFqEHH8j3s39Ug/s400/DSCF0635.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329438105299100818" border="0" /></a><br />I figured Mondays are always a little blah for me, so why not spice it up a little with a<a href="http://www.beadinbabe.etsy.com/"> free shipping sale</a>! I always love when one of my favorite etsians have some kind of sale like that, so I can go snatch up what I've been waiting to purchase! <br /><br />I hope everyone loves it as much as me!<br /><br />And whoever is my 300th customer, receives a FREE set of earrings (the ones pictured)! So spread the word so you can be the 300th! :)beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-13921342521904934152009-04-27T08:03:00.000-07:002009-04-27T08:09:17.078-07:00A big Thank you for a beautiful front page!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28488923@N05/3474477432/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqbxaMY2uZy7lQ_L1MWDJmYXwob4KcAIkz5hQ1jF7xGJLT0wkS3fMe7dGGsOwqvJSepyl9ID_G8v8WzIHoIDBMl2Dejn8A4mMVeyR0t6kG_K3AALWncGLNWzyt7kYKZiaimH1x8R0Ldw/s400/Fullscreen+capture+4272009+110144+AM.bmp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329387392934786850" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Thank you </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6256840&ga_search_query=Sigmosaics&ga_search_type=seller_usernames">Sigmosaics</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> for a beautiful front page treasury!</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"></span></span></div>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-22660903485547278392009-04-15T08:17:00.000-07:002009-04-15T08:24:12.016-07:00For the Love of Treasuries....<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=52856"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 305px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_AQdpf-LiLkaekmTqrSATu5uUmerCUggabbnv2BxYvSt_oaMObkPdLvdJ72hF19seZlnENrWnNsAYO41-lH3QqMsU3fIIl1AOwe96cYZQqaoQMKOXmHZ1GSVYZmvf75bN7ftpPwmjn_M/s400/Fullscreen+capture+4152009+111627+AM.bmp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324938514197906882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Here is my <a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=52856">latest Treasury</a>! I haven't done one in awhile, it felt great to actually get one this time! :-) I hope you all like it!</span><br /></div>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-80799361534224852952009-03-31T06:50:00.000-07:002009-03-31T06:59:52.641-07:00How to Create an Etsy Banner Using GIMP...<h3 class="post-title entry-title"> <a href="http://luchicreations.blogspot.com/2007/07/creating-etsy-banner-using-gimp.html">Creating an Etsy Banner using GIMP</a></h3><span style="font-weight: bold;">How do you like my new banner? :-) I used GIMP!! </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Took forever, but I love it!<br /><br />♥ </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">I just wanted to say a quick thanks to Luchi Creations for making this tutorial!</span><br /><br /><br /> This is the GIMP version of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5189285">daniellexo</a>'s instructions for creating an Etsy banner in PhotoShop. I am not a graphic artist, I don't work for Etsy, and I'm new to GIMP. Without daniellexo's instructions for PhotoShop Etsy Banners, I wouldn't have been able to figure out GIMP as easily. Thanks Daniellexo!! You can find her PhotoShop instructions <a href="http://etsylabs.blogspot.com/2007/07/skill-share-making-banner.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Follow daniellexo's <span style="font-weight: bold;">tip</span> on finding a font and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Step 1</span> to find a picture/graphic (not stolen).<br />Hint for fonts: <a href="http://www.dafont.com/">http://www.dafont.com/</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">GIMP Step 2</span>.<br />Crop your image by clicking the "select rectangular image" icon which is the top left icon on GIMP's tool panel.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitge3SVPtlFMAljO3oNcVdyhkDnPRbZKg5Bsjfqjpo5nHDCq-EUGCEjK70DGK4D2_LZ-DE-EjumOT0ADYSeNeDf3XrlKD6Nuo0CJR2_WehqN4tEQMEEnFHYzuXxp54e4rOb088cVz8SCUD/s1600-h/GIMP+tool+panel-2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitge3SVPtlFMAljO3oNcVdyhkDnPRbZKg5Bsjfqjpo5nHDCq-EUGCEjK70DGK4D2_LZ-DE-EjumOT0ADYSeNeDf3XrlKD6Nuo0CJR2_WehqN4tEQMEEnFHYzuXxp54e4rOb088cVz8SCUD/s400/GIMP+tool+panel-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091944594525224130" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Once you selected the icon go to your image and draw a wide rectangle, keep in mind this will be the area you are cropping to.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step 2 a: </span><span>On the menu bar, </span><span>select Image, Crop Image</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5xDElz3n7zjdb1uwzBl2NtFiMGOWNJKwOm9l99Rl8Ian74pAuyRp9ovP_KL6B1dhyhG63y8Jte-c_CFp2rO1uTF4_QEqMWbIm5kxymijYgQZRWioHnqRRHNhU0LIXIPJOoY-a02hppxS/s1600-h/Gimp-crop.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5xDElz3n7zjdb1uwzBl2NtFiMGOWNJKwOm9l99Rl8Ian74pAuyRp9ovP_KL6B1dhyhG63y8Jte-c_CFp2rO1uTF4_QEqMWbIm5kxymijYgQZRWioHnqRRHNhU0LIXIPJOoY-a02hppxS/s400/Gimp-crop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091949336169118946" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GIMP Step 3</span><br />Scale your image to the Etsy banner width 760.<br /><br />On menu bar select Image, Scale Image.<br /><br />In the pop up box enter 760 for the Image width.<br /><br />Click the button "Scale".<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS3gHUwTnJwOQSYFQZjGI8foTcd84v472JgH5ESLBhJXyLrddm5Nd-3FQghJWdF9nsRoYevzLj6z7zketkOq1aAQE8lvpm5_m__TfAHR4oEIFBo2go26nKTyK5HUCMAIQtCtAzRbqdlNLI/s1600-h/Scale.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS3gHUwTnJwOQSYFQZjGI8foTcd84v472JgH5ESLBhJXyLrddm5Nd-3FQghJWdF9nsRoYevzLj6z7zketkOq1aAQE8lvpm5_m__TfAHR4oEIFBo2go26nKTyK5HUCMAIQtCtAzRbqdlNLI/s400/Scale.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091951174415121650" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GIMP Step 4</span><br />Creating the Etsy banner length of 100.<br /><br />On menu bar, select Image, Canvas Size.<br /><br />In the pop up box, click on the image of the chain link that connects width and height together.<br /><br />Now the chain will look broken.<br /><br />Change the height to 100.<br /><br />You will see your image in the preview box of this screen, move your image around to make sure you are getting the part of the image you want on the canvas. When satisfied click the button "Resize".<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAByMWV2cLIE-eajbwwmsxCkher6SqVvkRalgCciNJq_dBeTjat6qA7QinTknvCwQbSqsg3VrlaFWL3JCf5f0oO0wQt_A8oF_kKwGr_bYN9yXuySoU4CczsBAt7KO6iRLNCKfU1hnS1u6/s1600-h/Canvas-size.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAByMWV2cLIE-eajbwwmsxCkher6SqVvkRalgCciNJq_dBeTjat6qA7QinTknvCwQbSqsg3VrlaFWL3JCf5f0oO0wQt_A8oF_kKwGr_bYN9yXuySoU4CczsBAt7KO6iRLNCKfU1hnS1u6/s400/Canvas-size.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091954494424841474" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GIMP Step 5</span><br />Add some text, like your shop name....<br /><br />In GIMP tool panel, select the T icon, third row, far right. Now select the area on your image where you want to place text. A GIMP text edit will open, enter your text here. Do not close the editor yet.<br /><br />Go back to the GIMP tool panel, choose your font style, font size, and color.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8IdeNKxvGK5l2wDg2THUcLcUL0oIhJqHXe6A1MPcIy9aODCRaDnXcG3sIy-Fr60Kka2EZi6I1Ic2ElYaS4JNXAa1shnElBYEORltjG0b66i_xNciOJu0panJ2D-EGKliMYQFnbGfzUcd/s1600-h/tool-bar-text.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8IdeNKxvGK5l2wDg2THUcLcUL0oIhJqHXe6A1MPcIy9aODCRaDnXcG3sIy-Fr60Kka2EZi6I1Ic2ElYaS4JNXAa1shnElBYEORltjG0b66i_xNciOJu0panJ2D-EGKliMYQFnbGfzUcd/s400/tool-bar-text.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091969110198549794" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span>P.S. You can later move the text around my selecting the arrow icon in second row, second from right. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final Step - Save and Upload</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">NOTE:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I didn't try out all the extras for growing images and such but GIMP does have the magic wand, see GIMP tool panel, icon first row forth from the left.</span><br /><br />After you are done playing and editing you are ready to upload! Make sure you save your new banner to your PC!!! File, Save as.. Chose a name! Remember you you saved it!<br /><br />Login to Etsy, goto Your Etsy, Appearance, under Banner select Browse. Find and select the image you just saved, select Open. Select orange button "Save changes".<br /><br />Your done! Enjoy your banner!!! </div>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-84630630999518599202009-02-20T06:06:00.000-08:002009-02-24T07:16:02.159-08:00For The Love of Nature- my new line<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinGAskWlh6attT-l5DjAhdq7RTkburBjcw1tKoVAQ6beTkgpaz7jYTc8r52ujlL8YyE7i2QayFweBXErc40BYqWaz22S3NY85aCGjPSE9gs3C_AGA-ipbNqjPPV_56KHhC5V42ebKIcAA/s1600-h/jewelry+100.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinGAskWlh6attT-l5DjAhdq7RTkburBjcw1tKoVAQ6beTkgpaz7jYTc8r52ujlL8YyE7i2QayFweBXErc40BYqWaz22S3NY85aCGjPSE9gs3C_AGA-ipbNqjPPV_56KHhC5V42ebKIcAA/s400/jewelry+100.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306382937060498866" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><br /><br />I'm so excited about my new line of bird's nest jewelry. This is my first<a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21251811"> bird's nest necklace</a>, and I also have the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21251811">earrings listed</a>, with even a cute <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20945738">ring</a> to match!! I have to say I made myself one and wear it constantly! I love it! I hope everyone else will too... I haven't had much time to blog lately, I've been working quite a bit, and I will be working even more this weekend (probably about 24 hours in 2 days) So I figured before I went into work I would show everyone my new design. This week I am going to set aside some time specially for blogging, I have some great ideas for adding tutorials to my shop that I want to share with everyone. Pretty exciting! </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-51716200201512641742009-02-03T18:14:00.000-08:002009-02-24T07:19:01.147-08:00Gotta Show the Men Some Love!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TFXmvVIuDI6dBL0IJj2cz-5bvIxQIYshKCe26_5uvAWN5LdobvuMWM3NyHpnHz-2tK75xTWlX7jTrgo36CuE_9SEKkFfmUHS3turdOM46mRLb1VjgVZZeHrWdbBP_AYjyoPmdfak0-w/s1600-h/jewelry+088.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TFXmvVIuDI6dBL0IJj2cz-5bvIxQIYshKCe26_5uvAWN5LdobvuMWM3NyHpnHz-2tK75xTWlX7jTrgo36CuE_9SEKkFfmUHS3turdOM46mRLb1VjgVZZeHrWdbBP_AYjyoPmdfak0-w/s400/jewelry+088.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306383670756004930" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><br /><br />I decided after having several of my Husband's friend's ask me why I didn't have any guy's jewelry on my site, to add some! So this is one of my first of hopefully many more men's designs. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Of course</span> I like the rings enough, I made myself a set :-) So I guess it could be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">considered</span> unisex, what do you think? I love them! Stay tuned for more of the manly men series :-D</div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-37751824666094802822009-01-30T13:11:00.001-08:002009-01-30T13:15:20.812-08:00My Latest Treasury...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=36890"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 316px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfW1v-9q9o-dUuMZ5_D_GhW1VVesaU4hMXuijPjpnOBp4ii81pjtiqBS_HT1IgANpF13e9lFCnmMtvTyuHsDuaE0r6qgyQK0HcMS_pvu6tWJan5mpcYQ6PiQH9TPvVPHtQkkSqAnf3C0/s400/TREASURY.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297197552589543298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">What a wonderful <a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=36890">collection</a> of talented artists! I absolutely LOVE these colors, I hope it gets the artisans some extra exposure! I know we need everything we can get on Etsy :-)</span></span><br /></div>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-53601206641797948842009-01-29T13:16:00.001-08:002009-01-30T08:13:12.288-08:00A day in the Life..<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SgCPD4iGQiftteLpWW9a_61-YmaRitjhjMKWYgZGcNvNUsyC6qKjUTD8cqdepjKfLU6cNGIdNlq1AGKJTeJdzKiptHqiouzlOitbLp-L6FzfBcmvMnddQsdPv1E8GzX4x-wGXwTtIK8/s1600-h/jewelry+013.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SgCPD4iGQiftteLpWW9a_61-YmaRitjhjMKWYgZGcNvNUsyC6qKjUTD8cqdepjKfLU6cNGIdNlq1AGKJTeJdzKiptHqiouzlOitbLp-L6FzfBcmvMnddQsdPv1E8GzX4x-wGXwTtIK8/s400/jewelry+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296831093809874802" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMp2bg5YUVvxOrqE3KyRU4hyMfWdwvIq-6jOnXQWNoqEGBSjd1nL3QHXcQ7Jr7HQPjwacb_2c6gQYst5dtiC2Ek0bzzoC4wW1Y9UAhqlYtRg5S4lGeyjr-1y_lyIh-sEi1vcak-Lfn5w/s1600-h/jewelry+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMp2bg5YUVvxOrqE3KyRU4hyMfWdwvIq-6jOnXQWNoqEGBSjd1nL3QHXcQ7Jr7HQPjwacb_2c6gQYst5dtiC2Ek0bzzoC4wW1Y9UAhqlYtRg5S4lGeyjr-1y_lyIh-sEi1vcak-Lfn5w/s320/jewelry+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296830509809876770" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivxMeeP7horxbqlQB6gL9CGmeoIRDr243EHMj9OlMpTsrYggh4yr-OMgJ3mKATvKzKkoWU08Qc6uLAxkXFZdMqRyquLHr8D9mveuoL7aU23VesHBStHaH92YGjRGtsKe0vUd94unSNUqg/s1600-h/jewelry+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivxMeeP7horxbqlQB6gL9CGmeoIRDr243EHMj9OlMpTsrYggh4yr-OMgJ3mKATvKzKkoWU08Qc6uLAxkXFZdMqRyquLHr8D9mveuoL7aU23VesHBStHaH92YGjRGtsKe0vUd94unSNUqg/s200/jewelry+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296828026480923602" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A Day in The Life of Amber........<br /><br />That was this morning when the girls were coloring..... on themselves.... I take the markers away and up on the table they go. Well it's been about an hour (I hadn't given Ava a bath yet to get the marker off) and as I'm walking downstairs from putting laundry away, I see Ava looking at me while sitting on the couch, with another marker in her hand!! Where she found it I don'tknow, but now this is what I see.... LOL I had to take pictures of course!beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-8362438732598346662009-01-29T10:52:00.000-08:002009-01-29T11:01:10.498-08:00How to Find People on Twitter....One of the benefits to spending time on Twitter is that it's a great way to network. But if you are new to Twitter, it can seem difficult to find people that are in your industry or that share your interests. Here's some tips to help get you started meeting new friends on Twitter!<br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.akwbooks.com/"></a><p><br /></p><p>There doesn't seem to be any way to "find" anyone unless you already know them from somewhere else. How do you make new acquaintances with similar interests? What's the point in marketing via Twitter if you can't figure out how to get heard?"</p><br /><p>This is a real concern, but thankfully there's several resources that can help you expand your network of friends on Twitter.<br /></p>First, start on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/">Twitter</a> itself. At the top right of your Twitter homepage you will see a search box that lets you not only search for people, but also by location or any other term that might be in their Twitter profile. If you are looking for other Twitter members in Michigan, search for Michigan, and Twitter will give you a listing of all the members that have their location identified as being 'Michigan'. Or you can search for anyone with 'Etsy' in their profile, or 'social media', or any other term you can think of.<br /><br /><br />Another great way to find people that share your interests is with the <a href="http://twitterpacks.pbwiki.com/">Twitter Packs wiki</a>. Here you can find Twitter users by subject matter, you can find companies that have a presence on Twitter, and even locate people by region. If you are interested in meeting other Twitter members that focus on <a href="http://twitterpacks.pbwiki.com/FindPage?SearchFor=jewelry">'jewelry'</a>. for example, you can view the list, and even add yourself to this same list so that other members can find you!<br /><br />My favorite search tool for Twitter is <a href="http://www.tweetscan.com/">Tweetscan</a>. With <a href="http://www.tweetscan.com/">Tweetscan</a>, you can search for topics, people, places, anything. You can also search and make sure that you have seen all the replies to you that other Twitter members have left. Just search for <a href="http://www.twitter.com/beadinbabe">'@YourTwitterName'</a>. Sometimes the web version of Twitter as well as Twhirl will miss some of your replies.<br /><br />But perhaps the best way to meet new people on Twitter is to follow the people that your friends are following. Watch the conversations unfolding, and if you see that one of your friends is having an interesting conversation and replying to someone that you aren't following, then click on that person's name and check out their Twitter page. It could be that they are someone that you would like to follow.<br /><br />With these tools, you should be able to expand your Twitter network significantly. And the best part is, your Twitter experience becomes much richer and more rewarding as you follow more people.beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-62630835195863342472009-01-29T07:43:00.000-08:002009-01-29T07:45:22.478-08:00List of Jewelry Suppliers<p><strong>Beads and Gemstones<br /></strong><a href="http://anybeads.com/index.php">anybeads.com/index.php </a>~ great variety & prices<br /><a href="http://www.beadwright.etsy.com/">www.beadwright.etsy.com</a> and <a href="http://www.nicolecampanella.com/">www.nicolecampanella.com</a> - seed beady supplies and tuts<br /><a href="http://crysallisgems.etsy.com/">CrysallisGEMS.etsy.com </a>– really super quality and great service.<br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5205483">DerondaDesign</a> - fabulous lampwork goodness. Great customer service.<br /><a href="http://www.studiomarcy.etsy.com/">www.StudioMarcy.etsy.com</a> - SRA lampwork artist with fabulous and cute works of lampwork art<br /><a href="http://inmcrystal.com/">inmcrystal.com</a>/ GREAT prices on Swarovskis, plus Bali<br /><a href="http://www.artbeads.com/">thebeadyeye.com/shop/<br />www.artbeads.com </a>- free shipping on all sales, regardless of size<br /><a href="http://www.auntiesbeads.com/">www.auntiesbeads.com/</a> ~ sign up for newsletter on sales <img src="http://shinyadornments.com/wordpress/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="wp-smiley" /><br /><a href="http://www.beadaholique.com/">www.beadaholique.com </a>- they have some items no one else does<br /><a href="http://www.firemountaingems.com/">www.firemountaingems.com </a>- well, really, what can’t you get at FMG?<br /><a href="http://www.fusionbeads.com/">www.fusionbeads.com </a>- very much like Artbeads, a little different selection, with free shipping<br /><a href="http://www.gemshow-online.com/">www.gemshow-online.com/</a> ~ sign up for sales newsletters, free ship over $25.<br /><a href="http://www.halsteadbead.com/">www.halsteadbead.com </a>- great prices but $100 minimum order<br /><a href="http://www.jewelweaver.com/">www.jewelweaver.com</a> - gemstones, Bali silver<br /><a href="http://www.lampwork.net/">www.lampwork.net/</a> ~ Gorgeous Lampworks by Kandice Seeber<br /><a href="http://www.nilecorp.com/">www.nilecorp.com</a> - packaging, displays, jewelry trays<br /><a href="http://www.purebeads.com/">Pure Beads</a> great variety of mostly Czech glass beads, fire-polished and pressed glass.<br /><a href="http://www.riogrande.com/">www.riogrande.com</a> - equipment and metal, lots of cool cabs too<br /><a href="http://www.tammystreasures.etsy.com/">www.tammystreasures.etsy.com</a> -<br /><a href="http://www.theearthbazaar.com/">www.theearthbazaar.com</a> – great gemstones<br /><a href="http://www.whimbeads.com/">www.whimbeads.com</a> - flip tops in different sizes, plus seed beads and czech glass<br /><a href="http://www.znetshows.com/">www.znetshows.com/</a> - Wholesale beads and gemstones tins<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://beadbead.etsy.com/">beadbead.etsy.com/</a> (used to be bluewater studio)<br /><a href="http://lillysbeadbox.etsy.com/">lillysbeadbox.etsy.com<br />rtsy.etsy.com</a><br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.beadznmore.etsy.com/">beadznmore.etsy.com</a><br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://serenasbeadery.com/"><span style="color:#7d9786;">http://serenasbeadery.com/</span></a><br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.studiorent.etsy.com/"><span style="color:#7d9786;">studiorent.etsy.com</span></a><br /><a href="http://stoned.etsy.com/">Stoned.Etsy.com</a><br /><a href="http://duetsupplies.etsy.com/">Bellbohemian.Etsy.com<br />Brightlings Beads.com<br />Beads2String.etsy.com<br />Eavesdrop.etsy.com<br />DuetSupplies.etsy.com</a><br /><a href="http://www.magpiegemstones.com/home.html">Magpiegemstones.com</a></p> <p><strong>Findings, Wire, Chain</strong><br /><a href="http://www.monsterslayer.com/">www.monsterslayer.com</a> - lots of cool metal, fine silver, etc, also some stones and other odds and ends. AWESOME service!!<br /><a href="http://www.azur1.com/">www.azur1.com/</a> Finished snake chain<br /><a href="http://stores.channeladvisor.com/accessoriessusan/">stores.channeladvisor.com/accessoriessusan/</a> brass and silver beads, wraps, finding, and other vintage style and free shipping<br /><a href="http://www.finedings.com/">http://www.finedings.com</a>- findings, Swarovskis, some Bali, all at competitive prices<br /><a href="http://www.thunderbirdsupply.com/">www.thunderbirdsupply.com</a> - mostly metal for me<br /><a href="http://www.tierracast.com/">www.tierracast.com</a> - lots of really cool jewelry findings and charms<br /><a href="http://www.mermaidsdowry.etsy.com/">www.mermaidsdowry.etsy.com</a> - cool brass findings<br /><a href="http://www.ninadesigns.com/">www.ninadesigns.com</a> - wonderful silver charms<br /><a href="http://theringlord.com/">The Ring Lord </a>Chainmail supplies, including jump rings in aluminum too<br /><a href="http://www.shiana.com/">www.shiana.com/</a> gorgeous Thai Karen Hill Tribes & Fair Trade silver</p> <p><strong>Shipping and Packing Supplies<br /></strong><a href="http://www.royalmailers.com/home.php">www.royalmailers.com/home.php</a> - Bubble Mailers *Free Shipping* Best prices online. AWESOME service!!<br /><a href="http://www.fetpak.com/index.html">www.fetpak.com/index.html </a>~ great bulk rates for gift packaging & free shipping<br /><a href="http://www.papermart.com/">www.papermart.com/</a><br /><a href="http://www.skunkgrove.com/">www.skunkgrove.com</a> - flip tops<br /><a href="http://www.specialtybottle.com/index.asp">www.specialtybottle.com/index.asp</a> - Supplier of bottles, jars and tin containers.<br /><a href="http://www.nashvillewraps.com/">Nashvillewraps.com</a> - Great gift boxes, bags, ribbon and paper. Great prices too.</p> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span> <p style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">If you are a jewelry artist, I’d love to add your favorite suppliers to my list. Know any more you can recommend?</span></p>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-1561904598611607542009-01-27T10:25:00.000-08:002009-01-28T19:44:29.088-08:00TOP 10 TUESDAY for Jan 27th<span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;">♥ </span>Top 10 Tuesday For Jan</span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 27th <span style="font-size:180%;">♥</span></span></span><br /><ol><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/dets4w"><span class="entry-content">Fused Glass Candleholder</span></a></li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/d9seox"><span class="entry-content">Secret Love</span></a></li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/8t6gol"><span class="entry-content">Felted Tea Cozy</span></a></li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/bwethh"><span class="entry-content">Sterling Silver Button Cufflinks</span></a></li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/dzovt5"><span class="entry-content">stick it to the cell dominOh effect pin</span></a></li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/6vwudo"><span class="entry-content">Spread the Love Card</span></a></li><li><a href="http://tr.im/jan12num7"><span class="entry-content"> </span></a><a href="http://tinyurl.com/9753og">Handpainted Purple Tree Resin Pendan</a>t </li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/abbaqk"><span class="entry-content">Winter tree Art Photo</span></a></li><li><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17255696"><span class="entry-content"></span></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17255696">Brown and Black Fleck Bag</a> </li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/amuvah">Copper Tab Earrings</a><br /></li></ol>Tune in to <a href="http://twitter.com/timothyadam">my Twitter channel</a> every Tuesday at 1:00 for the top 10...beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-86500784710494402172009-01-27T07:40:00.000-08:002009-01-27T07:51:30.195-08:00TOP TEN TUESDAY!!<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >♥ TOP TEN TUESDAY!!</span> <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">♥</span></span><br /><br />I decided that I wanted to give some love to my fellow Etsy artists by holding a top ten contest each week. So this is the first week for the top ten! WooHoo!!<br />Hop on over to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/beadinbabe">my Twitter channel</a> every Tuesday at 1:00 for the top 10, I have over 1,800 followers that are ready to see the top ten!<br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">*******************************************************************************</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">If you would like to have your Etsy shop considered Leave a comment on this blog post showing me your favorite items!</span><br /><br />Also post your Etsy shop in the Forums><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6016542">HERE</a> is the Thread for this week.beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-54072846992646054872009-01-26T09:02:00.000-08:002009-01-26T09:19:42.304-08:00My Favorite Search Keywords<p>I installed Google Analytics on my Etsy site (<a href="http://www.beadinbabe.etsy.com">www.beadinbabe.etsy.com</a>) last month. I sell wire wrapped jewelry, and custom soldered rings and the like. It's pretty funny to see some of the searchwords used to find me.. wierd, but funny!<br /></p> <p>People have found me through the following keyword searches:<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></p><p>1. Instant Human, Just Add Coffee <-- HAHA, Best By Far!!!</p><p>2. Cheap Rabbit Treats<br /></p><p>3. Willie Warmer</p><p>4. Etsy Sellers Who Have Been Blacklisted <--( what is blacklisted??)</p><p>5. Zebra Light Switch<br /></p><p>6. Talk Nerdy To me Tee Shirt</p><p>7. Cheap, Ugly, Made by inexpierenced jewelry makers <--- Now that's just Mean!! And untrue! LOL</p><p>8. Corn Poo Blog</p><p>9. Pierced Boob Magnets </p><p>10. Thai Fisherman Pants</p><p>11. Table Runners, Pinecones</p><br /><p>Now That's what I call some crazy search words!! hahaha<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></p>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-43753736207079956192009-01-23T16:59:00.000-08:002009-01-23T17:05:09.009-08:00How To Increase Your Etsy Business..Twitter is an amazing promotional tool as well as a way to meet some awesome people! It definitely helps increase your Etsy views and business. If you aren't utilizing it to it's fullest, here's how :-)<br /><br />On Etsy your RSS feed is linked directly from your shop, and every time you update or renew an item 'twitterfeed' will automatically post it to twitter for you. You can even set up the timel you want them to update, like every hour or every 24 hours, it's great! You can set up your twitterfeed account to automatically update to twitter like this... :-)<br /><br />1. Go to... <a href="http://twitterfeed.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://twitterfeed.com</a><br /><br />2. Make an Open ID, Click the blue (more), it will take to to where you can create an openID, I used vidoop, and created a new OpenID with my Etsy Username...<br /><br />3. It will give you an activation code sent to you email, after you get that, you can log in to <a href="http://www.twitterfeed.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.twitterfeed.com</a> with your New OpenID name,<br />For example, mine is now <a href="http://beadinbabe.myvidoop.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://beadinbabe.myvidoop.com/</a> ...<br /><br />4. It will have you fill out your info..name, birthday ect. Then will ask for the RSS URL of the account you want to feed<br /><br />**To find your RSS go to your Etsy Site to 'Shop Home' on the right side of your screen, scroll down and you will see a little orange and grey RSS feed box, click on that..It will take you to your RSS feed, go up the the URL, highlight that and copy it. This is what you will insert in the twitterfeed as the URL you want to feed from :-)<br /><br />4. It then asks what you want to feed (title and description or just title) You can choose whichever you Like. The Prefix for each tweet is what will be put up in front of every RSS that is sent through to Twitter.<br /><br />6. Make sure your active box is checked.<br /><br />7. Click Create! You are all set!! This will make things much easier when using twitter since all of your renewals and new listings will automatically be posted to twitter for you. Good luck! :-)<br /><br />Have fun tweeting!! :-) <a href="http://www.twitter.com/beadinbabe" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.twitter.com/beadinbabe</a>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-37408937835086977982009-01-23T11:08:00.000-08:002009-01-23T11:14:14.451-08:00Season of Love...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15146510"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 153px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1Sr9Albw5JMU7GB1COv0k3wSpYWHrTFWxB37nToRhSoKaG6CKuls4dHkIVvVhgiVtD1HAiELj0xjDwTAp-Z9ArV5DJHzGUMBC7AuGZ-1w5caD1Rx_ZqmY1F8N2hLJzsneEgueWtDhy4/s200/jewelry+182.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294569467433415778" border="0" /></a><br />WOOHOOOO!! I'm SO excited!!<br /><br /><br /><br />My <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15146510">heart necklace</a> ^ was selected for the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/voter_list.php?ref=voter&room_id=28">*Season of Love*</a> poll on the Storque!! This is my first time ever being picked for anything! Even a poll! lol<br /><br />Katie, an intern for the Etsy blog contacted me and told me to "Make sure to spread the word, blog the link, and let people know about it so that they can vote for your item! The top favorite items will be featured in the Gift Guides and on the Etsy blog. Share the love!"<br /><br />So that's what I'm doing!! Will you help me? Thanks everyone!<br /><br />PLEASE VOTE FOR ME! > <a href="http://www.etsy.com/voter_list.php?ref=voter&room_id=28" target="_blank">http://www.etsy.com/voter_list.php?ref=voter&room_id=28</a> Thank You Everyone!!!beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-77257296788408051792009-01-17T18:20:00.000-08:002009-01-17T18:34:42.168-08:00I've Been Tagged.....<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">I've Been Tagged</span></span><br /><br /><a href="http://court-lynn.blogspot.com/2009/01/ive-been-tagged.html">Courtney</a> just tagged me with a meme. This is my first one.<br /><br />The way it works:<br />1. Go to the 4th picture folder on your computer.<br />2. Post the 4th picture in that folder.<br />3. Explain the picture.<br />4. Tag 4 more people.<br /><br />Here’s my picture:<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirTPsuVGiE5Plzh1QC59hXNBSNGieKicuUOdTm5AghACmY3HADIXD0Z8FnskDXMdFjB1_JL3WOOvEj-1SzMmBcsrKkerodE1b9OEu9LJnEAzwxfnZCAFKCDRU7equeVnkTwpbzsqmrcR8/s1600-h/dorkyface.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 187px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirTPsuVGiE5Plzh1QC59hXNBSNGieKicuUOdTm5AghACmY3HADIXD0Z8FnskDXMdFjB1_JL3WOOvEj-1SzMmBcsrKkerodE1b9OEu9LJnEAzwxfnZCAFKCDRU7equeVnkTwpbzsqmrcR8/s200/dorkyface.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292453656325612386" border="0" /></a>This is so funny!! This is a picture of my little girl almost 1 1/2 ago when we were in Florida at Disney World on vacation, we were waiting for the bus to take us back to the hotel. She looks like such a goofball! LOL! She had just eaten dip-n-dots and decided to make a hat out of the container, I took a picture just as it was falling off her head! What sweet memories :-) Thanks Courtney!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">http://www.thismilitarymama.com/, http://athenasolivetree.blogspot.com/, http://tiltcreations.blogspot.com/, and http://lemondropstudio.blogspot.com/<br /><br />But, if anyone else wants to do it, go ahead<br />& leave me a comment if/when you do! :]<br /></div>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-14020924857253281952009-01-15T06:44:00.000-08:002009-01-15T06:46:33.413-08:00Some Amazing Etsy Artists...<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZJBfGQz7loRaYQ6-Z3UTT37PyKyhcgDbaPx41YHI6_mVCUtSuGd0y_xfaMly0VILqsy-4kFNcLQSxUbfIv9Ae6BmbahjH_VVcMqmfeXKOB6thdQ4Fing-4q0jZQqr1xAjfr7x9QZ5mM/s1600-h/Etsy+Treasury+-+For+the+Love+of+Black+and+White+-+Mozilla+Firefox+1152009+93807+AM.bmp.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZJBfGQz7loRaYQ6-Z3UTT37PyKyhcgDbaPx41YHI6_mVCUtSuGd0y_xfaMly0VILqsy-4kFNcLQSxUbfIv9Ae6BmbahjH_VVcMqmfeXKOB6thdQ4Fing-4q0jZQqr1xAjfr7x9QZ5mM/s320/Etsy+Treasury+-+For+the+Love+of+Black+and+White+-+Mozilla+Firefox+1152009+93807+AM.bmp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Well I finally was able to snag a treasury, and there are some amazing and talented artists in it! I chose a black and white theme, just seemed to fit nicely with the temperature of -7 outside! lol Hope you all enjoy! Go ahead and check it out and leave some comments! :-)<br />--> <a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=33635">FOR THE LOVE OF BLACK AND WHITE</a><br /></div>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-24127921822590695822009-01-12T11:02:00.000-08:002009-01-15T06:47:02.609-08:00Tips for Finding Unique One of a Kind Gifts Online<div class="KonaBody"><p><script type="'text/javascript'" src="%27http://www.etsy.com/etsy_mini.js%27"></script><script type="'text/javascript'">new EtsyNameSpace.Mini(6084941, 'shop','thumbnail',4,5).renderIframe();</script><table style="text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><br /></td></tr><tr><td><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>Many people find gift-giving to be difficult and complicated. But it doesn’t have to be stressful, so relax and take a deep breath. You can find a wonderfully unique item to give to your loved one and this article will give you tips to finding that one of a kind item they will treasure.<br /></p> <p>When looking for a gift, we often just “go shopping,” with no plan in mind. Before you start shopping, it is best to have a plan. So first, get a cup of tea or coffee, sit down, and think about the person you are shopping for. You can even do this first step while taking a walk – it might help you focus your thoughts! But a walk outside might be more helpful than one in a mall! Think about the obvious distinctions like whether the person is male or female; older or younger; a child or an adult; or the always difficult-to-shop-for teen. Beyond those obvious attributes start to consider the receiver’s likes and dislikes, interests and hobbies.<br /></p> <p>People all have something they are interested in, though it might not be quite as obvious for some as it is for others. Are there certain things they talk about a lot? Have they ever expressed a strong opinion about a news item? Have they shared a dream they have, or remarked on something on television, in a book, or at the movies? If you can recall these types of comments, they can give you insight into what the person you are shopping for might like.<br /></p> <p>After you’ve pinpointed what the person’s interests are, you will start thinking of some possible places to look for gifts, and other places will not need to be considered. You won’t need to look at automotive places for a gardener; you won’t need to look at antique shops for someone whose house is filled with contemporary décor. By identifying specifics, you’re simultaneously able to eliminate those things that won’t be of interest. You’ve taken care of two things at once and by knowing where you don’t need to look, you’ve narrowed down the options to something more manageable.<br /></p> <p>Driving around to places matching the interests and likes you’ve identified is one way to start. There are numerous gift shops and usual places to drive to where you might find a gift. But you probably won’t find a one of a kind gift. You will often locate more interesting, unique, and hard to find items online. This is especially true if the person you are buying for lives near you and regularly shops at the same places you might be thinking of driving to! Besides yielding a better selection of unique items, shopping online allows you to save on gas. You do need to plan ahead and start sooner rather than later to <a href="http://www.etsy.com/"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><a id="KonaLink0" target="undefined" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-weight: 400; position: static;font-family:Verdana,Arial,sans-serif;" ><span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-weight: 400; position: static;font-family:Verdana,Arial,sans-serif;" >shop </span><span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-weight: 400; position: static;font-family:Verdana,Arial,sans-serif;" >online</span></span></a></span>, unless you want to pay for express shipping.<br /></p> <p>Looking online for a gift that will wow might sound intimidating since there is so much of everything on the <a href="http://etsy.com/"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><a id="KonaLink1" target="undefined" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-weight: 400; position: static;font-family:Verdana,Arial,sans-serif;" ><span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-weight: 400; position: static;font-family:Verdana,Arial,sans-serif;" >internet</span></span></a></span>. So we need to narrow things down a bit more before you start searching. Most often, a one of a kind item is a handmade item. Many shoppers know about eBay as a place to find a one of a kind item. But items here are often used, not handmade, and the quality may not be good enough for a gift purchase.<br /></p> <p>One way to narrow things down and find handmade gifts is to go to your favorite search engine and use specific keywords. Words that came to mind when you thought of your receiver’s attributes can be typed into the search engine along with the keyword “hand-made” and will probably result in hundreds or thousands of possibilities.<br /></p> <p>An alternative is to go straight to a website that sells handmade items. Online craft malls are one place to find hand-made gifts. A new popular alternative is a website called Etsy. Etsy is “the place for all things handmade.” It has something for everyone, from trendsetting hipsters to traditional vintage lovers. It’s a good bet that something there will match whoever you are shopping for. Here’s where you can use the attributes and keywords you thought of earlier.<br /></p> <p>Shopping on Etsy will bring up-and-coming designers and new artists to your door. You’ll amaze and delight your family and friends with your stylish finds. Jewelry, housewares, embroidery, and quilts abound. Country, rustic, contemporary, and vintage things are in abundance. Hip, geekery, modern, and trendy items are aplenty, too. Do you know someone who loves anything made of fabric? Or maybe you’re shopping for a teen – hip young designers sell everything from funky t-shirts to vinyl wallets to “geekery” to robot-themed items. Whatever the interest, search for it and you’ll find wonderful items for it such as <a href="http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=tag_title_description&search_query=soaps"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><a id="KonaLink2" target="undefined" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-weight: 400; position: static;font-family:Verdana,Arial,sans-serif;" ><span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-weight: 400; position: static;font-family:Verdana,Arial,sans-serif;" >soaps</span></span></a></span>, punk, quilts, gardening, automotive, executive, animals, sports, décor, teas, candies, glitter, and so much more. You can shop by person (mom, dad, teen) or you can even shop by color. So if your Aunt Edna has an all pink house or room, or young Tommy only wears black, go to the search-by-color page and have fun!<br /></p> <p>Finding a unique gift does take a little sleuthing, identifying the receiver’s preferences, and thinking ahead, but once you’ve done some pre-planning, going to Etsy will yield hundreds of gifts to match any taste. The hardest part might just be choosing only one item! Have Fun and Happy Shopping!!<br /></p></div>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-26985808733453522632009-01-11T06:52:00.000-08:002009-01-11T06:52:41.166-08:00<a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19357305"><img style="CLEAR: both; FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6LnK9auAY2MyjEQ3AiSGZaQdoHM_05v_PMIBCKcFDmW3nI0kAAk64LmpA_7ecGAA9-hLOQTpv_Afy-TitW1c1Tjf9WSVSbO6LJ-ZDWZOd_0JD-mosANJysvujEHpfA4H7O3Kjt2KfkM/s320/jewelry+008.jpg" border="0" /></a> These are the second of my new <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19357305">heart </a>line, I absolutely LOVE these. The <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=19429774">first</a> ones are just silver with no embellishments, but I'm an embellishment kind of girl so I had to make some more! <br /><br />So my second pair is made with fine silver wire and wrapped with AAA pearls. I wanted to add a little punch of color so I added a cute little pink cubic zircon. I must have hearts on the brain because I have been making so many new heart pieces! Hopefully everyone else will love them too :-)<div style='clear:both; text-align:RIGHT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-42294752962959451262009-01-10T09:55:00.000-08:002009-01-10T09:55:06.255-08:00Love Is in The Air....<div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://www.beadinbabe.etsy.com/">Ahh Amour<a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15146510">...</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XV-Nj0vtdWowahxi3eEf8CyQynjSIYs61oEIO7wyWK3mdcFiG_3ivAo7k4p6-7BsoZZDdTM84Xb_O-e3Vjiu1WXgrflfobtF9DWXUnMKQqGuISr6doJsnRiIItFsFRjsicyPDfUcXOw/s1600-h/jewelry+182.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XV-Nj0vtdWowahxi3eEf8CyQynjSIYs61oEIO7wyWK3mdcFiG_3ivAo7k4p6-7BsoZZDdTM84Xb_O-e3Vjiu1WXgrflfobtF9DWXUnMKQqGuISr6doJsnRiIItFsFRjsicyPDfUcXOw/s320/jewelry+182.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></a>Valentines Day is coming up soon, so I have started to add some of my new line of heart items to my site. I'm a mother and a wife, but to me Valentines Day is just another day... so when I create these love inspired items it takes me back to the time when my husband and I used to 'court' each other, and puts a smile on my face. :-) Not saying that we still don't have the romance, but it was a lot easier 5 years ago before we had two little ones running around. Now they are our Valentines Day, and my hubby is going to take out 3 year old on a date, just her and Daddy, how fun! Valentines Day to me, is a time for to show your love to all the people who are most important in your life. What does Valentines day signify in your life? wishing everyone a wonderful V-Day filled with lots of love and happiness!! :-)</div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809636233849183694.post-7492520970430871952008-12-02T12:41:00.000-08:002009-03-20T15:54:55.598-07:00How to Give Brass an 'Aged' Look...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20679474"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vA6Z5GfNGa-Wz5RP7Pqs0In47U-lZDFOOf77Zb44lOpn3XKjn7Rv947oyKycDsew6GM_VThUDBLHjwJVlnOWD2vQJKfcBAoYUrSA1wwYsl1KjxufJgi0VjP_xfZ4dyDQsgUfjjHxYgs/s200/jewelry+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307210524553541922" border="0" /></a><br /><div class="post hentry uncustomized-post-template"><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giving Brass an Aged Look</span></span>...<br /></div><br /><div class="post-body entry-content"> <div align="center">Brass has been gaining more and more popularity with jewelry artists, as vintage style jewelry comes back in vogue, plus for some artisans you can still get the look of gold with out the cost. An alloy of about 70% copper and 30% zinc and sometimes a small addition of other metals, the usual color is a pale yellowy-gold with the most sought after brass components being reproductions of victorian era brass stamping, filigrees, charms, wire, jumprings and chain all arriving at your home after you buy them looking all shiny and brand new! So the question inevitably always comes up... "how do you get that beautiful aged look old brass has?"<br /><br />There are several methods for oxidizing and aging brass and I have tried my fair share. This is a list of the ones I feel work the best for achieving this much desired look.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);"><strong>No matter which method you choose...<br /></strong></span>The first step you should take when aging any brass is to clean the piece well and remove any dirt or oils that may exist. Even if it looks clean I advise not skipping this all important step for your best results. I know a lot of people recommend using fine steel wool for this but personally I don't care for the brushed or satin finish look it leaves on the piece, plus it does not allow you to get into all of the nooks and crannies and may even leave an ulgy pattern of deeper scratch marks if the steel wool is not even. The method I use to achieve this it to completely scrub up the piece using a non abrasive material, like a soft brush, both front and back, in warm water with a few drops of dawn dish liquid, rinsing well in clean water afterwards and dry with a soft cloth. The next step is to soak it in a solution of 1 tablespoon of salt to 1 cup of vinegar for about an hour then rinse thoroughly in warm water. *If you know the piece you want to age has a laquered finish you have to remove that finish first in order for aging methods to work. 1 part laquer thinner to 3 parts denatured alcohol and a toothbrush works wonders for this and once the laquer has been removed make sure to follow the steps above to finish cleaning the piece. Cleaned pieces should be aged as soon as possible afterwards.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Safety Note: I want to caution you when using either the baking or flame (heat) methods detailed below to make sure your brass is unlacquered. Lacquer is very flammable and can do a lot of damage if it catches on fire. This is also why it is very import you clean your pieces first and remove any lacquer that might be present. Whenever you are using chemicals to age your brass, or remove laquer always use rubber gloves, safety glasses and good ventilation.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);"><strong>SALTWATER METHOD</strong></span><br />You can use a small paintbrush to brush a mixture of 50/50 salt and water over the entire surface of the item, front and back. This oxidizes the brass, which is actually what happens to the metal naturally over time only this will speed up the process and can give you some very natural looking results including that beautiful aged green patina. It will take a bit more time and patience on your part to get the desired look though then some of the other methods described below. You can let your piece set for several days/weeks adding a new coat of the saltwater daily and checking to see if the color is what you would like. Make sure to rinse the piece thoroughly in warm water once you are happy with the results. I would say only use this method if you have a little time on your hands and only want a little darkening or a lighter aged patina on the brass.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);"><strong>BAKING METHOD</strong><br /></span>If you have access to an oven, a cookie sheet and some foil this is a great methoed, especially if you want to age several pieces at the same time. Preheat your oven to 450. Lay your pieces out on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake at 450 for about 30 minutes, some pieces may take longer - up to an hour or so - and since not all brass is created equally some pieces might darken quicker then others so it is best to keep on eye on it and remove them from the oven once the desired color is achieved. There is a chance some brass can turn multi-toned with blues and purples. If this happens once you remove it from the heat and it cools completely you can dip it into a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water and rinse thoroughly in cold water right afterwards. Make sure you just do a quick dip or you may end up removing a lot of the oxidation and end up having to rebake the piece. Of course if your piece has come out too dark this will also be a good way to remove some of the oxidation too.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);"><strong>FLAME METHOD</strong></span><br />You don't have to slather your work in harmful chemicals to get some great color but you have to experiment like never before and work with the flame heat. Not unlike the baking method brass reacts to heat by turning a beautiful mellow gingerbread aged color or more toward the coppery reddish color depending it's makeup, holding a piece over an open flame just speeds up the process and allows you to play around a little bit more for different aging effects. With the baking method you tend to get a more uniform coloration to your pieces and with the flame method that is not always the case, but it can make for some gorgeous aging effects more like natural aging would appear. A small tourch or gas stove burner works pretty well and you will also need a pan of cold water and somthing to hold your piece over the flame with. When I use this method I hold the piece above the flame, never in the flame, with a pair of pliers and watch for it to change colors. This can happen pretty rapidly so as soon as you see the changes remove it from the flame and immediately emerse the piece into cold water. If it is not as dark as you would like you can repeat the process again and if your pieces comes out too dark you can remove some of the oxidation with the 50/50 solution of vinegar and water and rinse thoroughly in cold water right afterwards or buff off some of the oxidation. One thing I should add about the flame method is your piece might loose it's temper (strength) due to the extreme and uneven temperatures of this method making the brass soft and pliable, so I don't recommend it for wire, chain, jumprings or other small pieces.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);"><strong>AMMONIA VAPOR</strong></span><br />Ammonia vapor produces a greenish brown oxide finish on your brass, like a coppery color and is said to be as close as you can come to a natural patina. You will need a plastic container with a tight lid. I use the white pickle’ buckets used by preservers and home-brewers and you can get them at most hardware stores, or any other well sealed plastic container will work. Pour a cup of full strength or “Clear Ammonia” into the bottom of the bucket. Full strength ammonia (not common household ammonia) can usually be obtained from the grocery store. It is an extremely unpleasant fluid and should only be handled in well ventilated areas or outside. If you are only going to age one or two pieces the easiest way is to stretch a nylon cloth across the opening to suspend your pieces above the liquid making sure they are not touching eachother. For more items I recommend a piece of plywood to make a shelf that will sit a few inches off the bottom. You can sit on three blocks of wood or bricks to ensure it remains level. Place the items for antiquing on the plywood or nylon cloth and snap the lid in place. Depending on the temperature and humidity the antiquing will take minutes or hours so take the occasional look to see how it is progressing being careful not to breath in any of the fumes. The color will darken a little and inclusions of verdi-gris will form when the items are removed from the container. Rinse well in warm water and dry with a soft cloth.<br /><br />An alternative method is to place your brass items in a large plastic bag with a rag soaked in ammonia – just make sure they are not touching each other to avoid spotting and get an even finish. Also, if it is warm and humid ammonia vapor can condense on the inside of the bag and run onto your brass producing an uneven finish – so only use this method if you want a very light patina and don’t need to leave it in the bag too long. Always advoid breating in any of the ammonia fumes and only do this in a well ventilated area and be sure to rinse the piece well in warm water once it is removed from your container and dry with a soft cloth.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);"><strong>AMMONIA BATHS</strong></span><br />You will need a covered container, pennies and common household ammonia. Fill the container with common household ammonia and put some copper pennies in the bottom, the more the better! Put your pieces into the ammonia along with the pennies but make sure they are not touching. Cover up the container to create a decent seal, it does not need to be airtight. The amount of time you leave it in the ammonia will determine on how much aging you see. Soaking it overnight will give you kind of a varied brass and brown finish, a few days will give you a great rich brown color and five days or more will give you that great green patina! Once you're happy with the results, remove the piece, rinse in warm water and dry with a soft cloth.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);"><strong>VINEGAR VAPOR</strong></span><br />You can use the exact same method as described above for the ammonia vapors to age your brass using plain ordinary household vinegar instead of ammonia and it is a lot less caustic for you personally. Either plain white, balsamic, or cider vinegar purchased at any local grocery store can be used. I have never had anyone tell me one is better or worse then the other for this as far as final results go. I think the main difference for me between the ammonia and vinegar vapors were the aging results were achieved much faster with the ammonia and ammonia gave the brass a richer more natural aged color. Vinger vapors usualy take several hours to an overnight stay in the container to achieve darker results, but, I feel the vinegar vapors gives the brass a beautiful gingerbread color aged patina and it is a lot safer. Make sure to rinse your piece well in warm water after removing it from the vapors.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);"><strong>Tarn-X</strong></span><br />If you read the directions on a bottle of Tarn-x tarnish remover it will tell you not to use this product on brass. Why? Because it turns it dark! Make sure you apply the product to both the front and back of the piece and clean afterwards according to label directions for other metals, it will usually take a day or two to achieve the desired results. I have had good success with this product and it turns the brass a nice dark rich natural looking aged color but it is important to make sure your piece is well cleaned or you could end up with pieces that will not turn or ones with patchy uneven color.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);"><strong>BURIED PATINAS</strong></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);"> </span><br />Just about equivalent parts of lemon juice, white vinegar, ammonia, and a bunch of salt all mixed in with wood shavings. Mix the liquid ingredients first, add the salt, then SATURATE some wood shavings with the mix. The shavings should look wet. The longer it is buried the better the patina and the evel of 'acretions' that form on your piece. For alot of patina (including lots iof greens and blues, leave the piece buried for 10-14 days. If left to their own the piece will 'grow' several large acretions that are easily knocked of if not handled properly. However, if it is your intent to NOT have the 'acretions' on your piece, let the piece air 'dry' and then lightly brush the wood shavings (that will become attached to your piece) off with a disposable paint brush. Another way to create a 'textured' patina (with the same formula - less the wood shavings) is to soak the mixture in furniture strapping and 'wrap' your piece with the strapping only 'moist', NOT saturated, and then 'bury' the piece in an air tight plastic trash bag for 10-14 days. You'll get similiar results as the wood shavings but with the texture of the strapping echoed on your piece. This way is quite nice and produces a 'pattern' that would be otherwise dificult to achieve. Use gloves and eye protection AT ALL TIMES and DO NOT breathe the vapors. Keep the remainder of the mixture well sealed and out of the way and access of kids or any animals and DO NOT dispose of into any body of water. The wood shaving mixture can be used for quite a period of time, but will lose it's 'potency' after awhile. Also, for more blues, use more ammonia, for more greens, use more vinegar and lemon juice. Do this work in a VERY WELL ventilated area and observe all cautions at all times. Have fun and prepare to be pleasantly surprised. One last word; if the results are not what you want, rinse off the old patina and try again trying longer (or shorter) buried times. Also, if you have the patience, DO NOT let your piece dry out too quickly and you will notice the patina changing (almost daily) as it matures. I have a piece that has changed as many times and into as many different colors of blues and greens as you can imagine. Final word; if you want to 'preserve' the patina as you see it, coat the piece (after it's COMPLETELY dry) with a polyurethane paint product and use whatever level of 'glossiness' you want to achieve by using that level of polyurethane, ie, glossy, semi-gloss, flat, etc. Be aware that no matter what you use to coat the piece with, your piece will get darker when the coating is applied.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);"><strong>AGING WITH CHEMICALS</strong></span><br />There are a number of product out there that are made to give brass that aged look and a few you can mix up on your own. I will name just a few that I have tried and had good results with or heard good things about but I do not endorse any of these methods/ products specifically. Please keep in mind most products like this will only work on (clean unlaquered) solid brass or copper so if you are in doubt I would try one of the other methods first. PLEASE remember <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">safety first</span> when using any type of chemicals!<br /><br />Copper carbonate 3 parts by mass<br />Copper acetate 1 part by mass<br />Ammonium chloride 1 part by mass<br />Sodium chloride 1 part by mass<br />Cream of tartar 1 part by mass<br />Acetic acid (10%) 8 parts by mass<br />Mix in a big glass jar (about 1 litre). Will froth and foam as the acetic acid reacts with the copper carbonate. Stir. Leave to settle. Stir. Leave to settle. Stir. Leave to settle …. Until it settles down for good and has a thin creamy consistency. Paint mixture onto the brass and watch the change happen. The longer you leave it, the more developed it will be. Once you achieve the desired results rinse well in warm water and dry with a soft cloth.<br /><br />http://www.jaxchemical.com/</div><div align="center">makes a line of products for darkening, coloring, cleaning, polishing, finishing and even adding the green patina some desire. All JAX metal finishing and polishing solutions are easy to use, produce authentic, consistent results, require no heat or electricity, are water-based, contain no sulfur, are non-flammable and react within seconds. Produces a permanent, authentic, antique finish on copper, brass and bronze.<br /><br /><br />Acid Dripping </div><div align="center">This method involves dipping clean and unlacquered brass in a proprietary antiquing solution. These solutions are a dilute mixture of acids, copper sulphate and sometimes additional chemicals to improve color consistancy and resistance to contamination. The process is substantially the same regardless of which brand of solution is chosen.<br /><br /><br />Liver Of Sulphur </div><div align="center">It's toxic and can be noxious, so follow directions. This works great although it does smell like rotten eggs. Another caution with this prooduct is a friend of mine uses it frequently on her silver jewelry creations and found other jewelry pieces that were just in the same room as where she was using this product tarnished quite badly.<br /><br />Houseofantiquehardware.com sell a product creatively named "Brass Ager" that works very well it comes in a ready to use 8oz size that I used on brass hardware.<br />Also one from rockler.com named "Brass Darkening Solution" It changes color gradually so you can control the darkness that a friend of mine swears by.<br />Hubbard-Hall has Mi-Tique Patina . This is a room temperature process for copper and brass.<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">For a less then</span> permenant aged look RUB 'N BUFF The Original Wax Metallic Finish work nice. Minwax and Reniassance wax also makes some waxes/gelstains that are commonly used.</div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);"><strong>After you have aged your brass</strong></span> </div><div align="center">One thing you might want to try is buffing the "high spots" on your piece making those areas brighter while leaving the gorgeous darker patina in the deeper areas, this will give it more of a true worn and aged look. How much or how little buffing is up to you and the look you are trying to achieve with your piece. I use a buffing wheel with my dremel tool for this but you could also use something as simple as a fingernail buffer or jewelers rouge, stay away from any abrasives or steelwool unless you want swirl marks in your finish. When you are all done and happy with your results I have personally found the best way to protect them is with carnubia wax. I have also been told that Treewax, Johnson’s paste wax or even natural beeswax also works well.<br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center">I hope this has helped you with your brass aging process. Don't be afraid to play around and experiment a little to see what works best for you and if anyone has a better, new and exciting way they would like to share please drop me a note, I would love to add it. Good Luck! </div></div></div>beadinbabehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09225477486149795144noreply@blogger.com0