Beads Of Courage Auction From The Fire Divas

The Fire Divas believe strongly in giving back whenever they can, and here is a collection of gorgeous handmade lampwork beads that the talented artists of The Fire Divas team have contributed to in honor of the Beads Of Courage program. All of the proceeds from this eBay auction HERE will go directly to Beads Of Courage and make it possible for the brave boys and girls battling cancer throughout the United States to enjoy the amazing outreach and cancer support that this wonderful program provides. Not only will you be helping to put a smile on their faces, but you will receive 19 handmade Collector beads that you will cherish for a lifetime!!!

The beads shown were donated by 13 different Fire Diva artisans, who also created a similar set that will be sent directly to Beads of Courage for the children to choose from and enjoy. This is your unique opportunity to pitch in and lend a helping hand to this amazing organization too! 

Clockwise from top—Tribal heads: Barb (riversedgeglass); Yellow round: Sonja (SilverRiverGlassWorks); Magic Mice: Lori (ashlyndesign); Multicolor round: Judith (icarusbeads); Blue organic: Rosemarie (spawnofflame);  Shuttle: Lara (Lutrick); Blue nugget: Patrice (Shepherdcreations); Yellow car: Karen (giapet); Blue/brown organic: Susan (susanlambert); Critters: Sharon (rightturnartwerks); Blue cubes: Kathleen (uglyducklingbeads); Cupcake: Holly (HollysFollyGlass); Green inchworms: Abigail (abbielyn)

The beads you will be getting include:

     * Lovely free-form organics
     * A pair of Disney inspired "Magical Mouse" ears
     * A sporty roadster car 
     * A Space Shuttle with a monkey (a similar bead from the same artist went up on the last Shuttle!)
     * Fun and festive graphic designs
     * A sweet chocolate cupcake (calorie free, of course)
     * Happy "critter" face beads 
     * And the cutest pair of tiny green inchworms!

In addition to this special auction event, we would like to offer another opportunity to our customers and fans: for everyone who places a bid (whether you win or not), or donates directly during the auction week to Beads of Courage via their website, please leave a comment here after this post and let us know. You will be entered to win some great prizes from more of the Fire Diva members, chosen by a random drawing. How cool is that?! (more photos coming soon!)

Please help us spread the word about our first Annual Beads of Courage Auction and don't forget that the bidding will end on Wednesday, June 1st at 6 pm PST. Thank you so much for your support! *Ü*

WHAT IS THIS!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay I am not a bug person AT ALL. Especially when it interferes with my torching. Now normally I know the culprit- Mr. Horsefly, however this morning (as well as last night) I was bothered by a dragonfly like sound (that kinda humming buzzing) but when I turned around I could not see anything. Well this morning I went out to torch and heard it again. I looked at my screen and saw something that scared the crap out of me! This bug has wings like a dragonfly a hairy body that is greyish in color and these creepy LONG antennae that kinda have a mind of their own. I know I am being a scaredy cat but I do not even have the courage to go and swat at it for fear that it will buzz back in my face............................... I am hopeless! Can anyone tell me what this bug is??

ArtFire Change

I am torn between keeping my ArtFire Shop open or closing it for good. This is a tough one. I have had some sales on ArtFire more in the short amount time then I had in the same amount of time when I first started on Etsy.

My concerns are about some of the formats, one being that you cannot see when an item sold and what that item was. To me this is one of the features I love about Etsy. I can look at a persons shop and see, WOW the last time they sold was 2009 and there were lets say 2 neutral and 1 negative right before the sales dropped- I just may think twice about purchasing from that person. OR you can see a trend in what is selling.

The second reason is that customers do not have to have an account to purchase and therefore are not allowed to leave feedback even if they wanted to. Feedback keeps us informed and I believe helps. I had a customer tell me how sorry she was that she had not been able to leave comments on her positive experience due to not being a registered buyer.

The last issue is being able to dedicate my time on one selling platform something I have been talking about doing for a while and thought that ArtFire was the answer. I have developed a following on Etsy and have found a "family" of customers and followers- it seems harder to accomplish this on ArtFire?
So what to do??? I would love to know from those of you who have both shops, shop both venues, or have contemplated the same issue and found a resolve.

I will leave you with a little eye candy- one of my latest Tesoro Sets that sadly I found a small crack in most likely from the CZ I set.

Etsy Sale!

So after making my announcement to start my new business plan I wanted to make sure that you all knew about my SALE on Etsy!
As part of my de-stash to get ready for my new beads (and hopefully permanent) design line, I will have most items in my shop 25% to 50% off (price reflects discount)!!! This sale will last till stock is gone so come and enjoy amazing beads for amazing prices!!!! So feel like a princess for a day and treat yourself to a glass treat!! Here is a little sampling of what I have for sale

New Plan

So I have felt much like a human ping pong ball lately with my bead styles. I love so many different colors and combos and looks but unfortunately it is slowing reminding me of a crazy scrap quilt.

With this variable menagerie of beads I think that it is hard for jewelry designers and other artists to know if they would be able to get a duplicate style or design for future sets or collections. It is also hard for my followers to know what my true style is.

I have since studied some of the features that seem to make other bead artists successful and maintain sales. The one common denominator that I found in every case was 1 at the most 2 bead styles or signature beads that are offered. Now I have always been a believer that variety is the spice of life but in this case I think that where my beads are concerned I would do better having my 2 signature styles featured instead of my "crazy quilt" variety I have now.

Now my two series that I will be focusing on have always been my best sellers and are what I would truly love to be known for. So for the next 6 months I will be focusing my attention on these styles as well as a focal style that I have been designing.

The styles I am using for this 6 month trial are my Tesoro Beads and my Renaissance Garden Beads. Both beads reflect my natural, organic style while being elegant and unique. I have been excitedly sketching out layouts for sets and focals and even designing a few pieces of jewelry around certain pieces. I know this will be a time of reflection and personal growth and I thank each and every one of my clients for your support!

I am excited about this since I think that I will finally be able to measure my success as a bead designer and glass artist by these beads and leave my little piece of glass legacy behind.

I have decided to put my remaining bead creations on clearance so that I can make room for my "new" work. I hope to have my Etsy store, SunDoorBeads, updated and stocked in the next couple of weeks. I know that you will enjoy the sale and find some unique one-of-a-kind treasures to add to your bead collections!

Thank you again for your support and encouragement during this change!!!