Goodbye to Blogger Hello Sundoorbeads.com

After some long thinking, www.sundoorbeads.com will be the new home of ALL of my news and blog posts. In the past before I changed websites I had a blog and a separate e-commerce sites. I want to be able to reach as many of my customers as possible and I feel that merging my blog with my .com is the best way to do that! 

Since I use Wordpress for my site it seems only natural that I transfer over blogging to sundoorbeads.com So for all of my loyal followers of my Blogger- Glass Gurl I would so appreciative if you would subscribe to sundoorbeads.com! I will be posting this as well over on blogger so that all of my current followers have the chance to switch over before I close out my Blogger next month. 

Thank you to all of my blog followers who made getting, and creating a blog so fun and memorable! I look forward to seeing you over on sundoorbeads.com! 

Warm Wishes, Michelle

Back On Ebay!!

I have been a dedicated Etsy seller for a year now (on longer but hence the word dedicated!) and I must say that it has been wonderful, however I was urged by a colleague to try Ebay again. Now the reason I left had more to do with fees than success and I was at a point where I needed to nickle and dime my budget so I had no choice.

Well with the Holidays fast approaching I felt like it was well worth the effort and with a few incentives I decided it would be worth it to give it a go. Here are some sets I currently have up on the "Bay" stop by and take a look!!
Deep Tides Tesoro Collection
Indian Summer Tesoro Collection
Shades Of Phlox Charm Bead Collection

I will be listing several items in the coming weeks leading up to the Holidays with my focus being on my Tesoro Collection- being simpler in style and design I can easily make larger sets of them in a variety of shapes that seem to appeal to the Ebay crowd. I will offer my Renaissance Garden beads as well and with my new Christmas designs I have in the works I am super excited about showing off my new glass creations!

I will leave you with a preview of my latest Christmas design it isnt even off the mandrel yet
Sorry I just get so giddy thinking about snow and pine trees!!

Happy Friday- Customer Gallery!!

Hi Everyone!!,

I would love to say that I have been away for my health or other reason but simply put life got in the way!!!

I am happy though to finally get down to business and present some amazing designer jewelry ensembles and pieces from some of my amazingly talented clients!

Cherie Smith of Glitterbug Originals is a woman with posh elegance and style and can add a little bling and color to any wardrobe! Her distinct designs really and truly set off the beads that she chooses to work with- I for one think that when my beads find their way into her studio they are transformed from "plain beads" to works of art!

This ensemble that she created using my "Adam & Eve" lampwork beads is called "Forbidden Fruit" and is dripping with crystals and glass pearls and amazing chain accents- I am reminded of incense burning and crowded streets some where in Morocco or India! This set is in two of the seasons hottest colors Honeysuckle and Emberglow!! Trust me this will be a treasured set for that one lucky buyer!!! 

Kim Fisher of Kim Fisher Designs is an artist who adds a little vintage charm to each piece that she lovingly creates. I have always had a wonderful sense of nostalgia and present style when I see her pieces. I love the way she picks a set of my beads and creates "little stories" about them with her finished pieces and added touches! 

When I saw "Lavender and Heather Necklace" I thought of the gorgeous colors of lilac and lavender that used to grow on my grandparents property- I was taken back to time of innocence and the smell of a cool spring day just as the Virginia countryside is blooming in wildflowers! The wearer of this elegant piece will forever be reminded of sweet flowers and the sultry calming scent of a lavender bouquet! Her feel for this kind of design makes her work come alive with natural and organic beauty! 

I have taken a handmade pledge this Holiday Season to purchase as many gifts as I can from talented artisans and crafters such as these fine women. The memories and treasures you can create when you give a gift that has come from the heart of the creator is one of the finest. 

I will leave you with these words from a fellow artist- 

When you buy from a local artist or a small business, you are not helping a CEO buy a third vacation home. You are helping a parent put food on the table, a little girl finally gets those dance lessons or helping a student pay for college. Our customers are our shareholders - and they are the ones we strive to make happy. Thank you for supporting artists and small businesses! - Karen Klomparens Glass Bead Artist

Following My Plan

It takes a great friend to point out when you are not doing what you should! Chrissy is that friend! There are days when I feel like the world is just not going right and then there she is! She is a very special person and since we are both glass artists she also gets that little bit of me that a lot of others don't understand.

Well you might remember that I developed a business game plan a couple of months ago in which I was going to stick with 2 signature styles, My Tesoro Collection and my Renaissance Garden Collection. Well I cheated the other day after feeling like my styles were not getting the recognition I would have liked by now (I know patience is a virtue) It was then that she sat me down in the Cyber chair and said "I am sorry but that is not showing your true potential!" I somehow knew she was going to say that..... deep down I know who I am as a glass artist although I struggle with this more than any other part of my life!

So she showed me picture after picture of the original Tesoro beads I had made and you know what? I could not believe they were my work!! I loved them and knew that I had been trying too hard to be someone I was not! So I started making them again! I had been so heck bent on the Renaissance Garden beads that I had forgotten them entirely! Well here is the latest edition of Tesoro- Coastal Wheat named after the murrini I used to accent these beads. Enjoy and let me know what you think!!

Say It With Words Fire Divas Challenge!!!

It is Challenge Time again with the Fire Divas! This challenge really made us all put our glass noses to the grindstone and test our skills! You know what you need to do! Head on over to the Fire Divas Blog and vote for your favorite bead then make sure to leave a comment on the blog below the blog post, and you could win a $50 Gift Certificate to Holly’s Shop! Voting ends at noon on Sunday, September 25th.  You can find the poll on the right hand side of the blog.

Entry 1

Entry 2

Entry 3

Entry 4

Entry 5

Entry 6

Entry 7

Lack Of Torching!

I am now officially on withdrawl! I was unable to torch this holiday weekend due a shoulder injury I sustained while attempting to be Super Woman! Now for my readers who don't know me personally I am all of 5 foot nothing and was operating a professional landscaping weed whacker above my head for a good half hour. Now I have been pretty fit my whole life and very flexible so muscle pain is "new" to me! As my Aunt said the 30's are the NEVER stage of life:

NEVER thought I would have back pain

NEVER thought I could tear a muscle

NEVER thought I needed aspirin and Ben-Gay

NEVER thought I would have heart burn

This list could go on and on!! But this was all news to me! I act like I am still 16 years old! I feel great I am getting back into shape (just joined the Y) but this injury threw me for a loop!!! I had pain in my neck, shoulder and back, I felt like a 90 year old (no offense intended to my Gran!!) well this is where my wise 30 something years of life experiences told me STOP! You are obviously not doing something right! 

I wasn't, for starters I never thought to warm up for doing yard work, then my wise younger sister said "Did you ice it?" NO, "Did you heat it or put an analgesic on it?" NO "Did you rest or do anything to help it?" NO NO NO okay! Well there was my answer, At 30 something you cannot do the same stupid  things you did at 16 and not expect your body to answer in protest to your imbecilic mentality that you are invincible!

Why am I sharing this? Well for starters maybe to prevent anyone who has not yet "felt their age" from feeling it the way I did! Second I need to rant- the result of this injury made it so it was virtually impossible to do the things that I both love and need to do- I could not torch, knit, fold laundry (no love lost there!), cook- I have a new respect for people who are truly disabled! 

I will be back at my torch tomorrow though and feel like it is well deserved I have learned a hard lesson! I also know that I need to trust more in my faith in God, I worried unnecessarily for days and finally spent an evening in prayer and laid my worries at God's feet! Me + Worry = STRESS, LAY IT AT GODS FEET= PEACE!! VERY simple equation and one which I am guilty of not always using to solve my life problems! I have to say that this has been miraculous to say the least, one day I was in tremendous pain the next I had almost full movement and only a dull ache in my neck! God really does work when we put our faith in him!

I wish I had some great photo of a bead to share but I don't so I will leave you with this devotional for this Sunday: 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God- Philippians 4:6

Etsy Team Treasury Giveaway!!!

Fire Divas Team Treasury Giveaway!

This month, the Divas are breaking out all the stops and creating a fabulous treasure trove of beads to be featured in the Fire Divas first ever Etsy Team Treasury Giveaway!

Most of you are probably familiar with Etsy's Treasuries, which are collections of items illustrating a special theme chosen by individual curators. Well, the Fire Divas are doing something a little extra special! Not only are we creating a Treasury featuring many of the Fire Divas showing off their renditions of a "Bead Jeweled" theme, but we are giving them all away to four—yes we said, FOUR!—very lucky winners! All you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment on our Treasury HERE and "heart" or add all the featured shops in it as a favorite.

Only one comment/person, please! Winners will be chosen at random on August 21, 2011.

The best way you can show your love and support for the Divas is to make sure that you and everyone you know stops by to view this amazing Treasury! Please also take a few moments to spread the news by posting a link to Facebook or your blog, tweet it, StumbleUpon, or any other social media you prefer to use.

And in the style of those infamous infomercials…"WAIT! There's more!!"

Since some of our team members don't have their own Etsy shops, we're also offering a separate Blog Giveaway here to one lucky reader, who will win a wonderful prize from Patrice of Shepherd Creations!

To enter our Blog Giveaway (separate from our Etsy Treasury Giveaway!):
Please leave a comment HERE on the Diva team blog and one winner will be chosen at random at the same time we pick the other four Treasury winners.

They say that a person's greatest treasure is their friends—and you, our fans—are some of our greatest treasures too! Thank you very much for your support from all of us here on the Fire Divas team!!