GlasstasticTreasures

My Blog Is Moving

2011-12-18T07:59:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone! You may have noticed that it's been pretty quiet around here. I've been busy with Christmas orders and decision making.

I've decided to make my life easier and lower my overhead by combining my Metal Amore hand stamped metal jewelry shop with my Glasstastic Treasure shop. Everything will be under my Glasstastic Treasures link but will be renamed Dzign by Jamie! Please visit my new blog and follow it, I'd really appreciate it. You can Click Here to do that.

After the holidays I'll be moving items over to Glasstastic Treasures and emptying out my metal shop. It will be sad, I love the name I created for it and love stamping metal. But I am really going to love Dzign by Jamie. Because now no matter what my hands decide they want to do I can include them all in one sweet location!

I hope you'll join me in my new blog. See you there!

Summer Can Begin Now?

2011-08-04T20:53:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to update you all on Eric's condition. So far he's getting stronger. He still isn't able to stand or walk like he used to. Luckily he can sit at work through most of the day, so he still gets a pay check.

His second Lyme Disease test came back negative again. But he's been on his second dose of doxycyline so there's no sense doing another test.

Now what he needs is insurance. It's too late to help pay for the bills he already has, which is too bad because he's got a small fortune in bills. We're hoping Badger Care Plus will get to his application soon. Although he was 100,000 something on the waiting list when he applied. How sad is that? But if they can get to it in the next three months and he's eligible, they'll go back three months. We have our fingers crossed.

I want to thank everyone for their well wishes. It means a lot!

My Summer Vacation...can it begin now?

2011-07-17T09:46:00.000-05:00

Hello again everyone. First I want to thank everyone for the very kind words during my son's illness. You are all wonderful!

I wanted to give a little update on my son. He completed his first week at work. Normally he stands and has to move around a lot, but he had to sit for the majority of his time there. His legs are still week, but he made it through the week.

Yesterday he called and asked me if he could come out and help me set up the pool. It's a daunting task, there's a lot of standing and moving around to do. But we worked well together and took a lot of breaks. And 3 hours later we were filling the pool.

It was a great relief to see him back to his (almost) normal self!

Here's what we learned in our medical endeavors:

ALWAYS ask for the insert to any new medications your receive! And don't be afraid to talk to your pharmacist about over the counter drugs that might interfere or react with new meds. My son's first Rx of doxycycline did not specify in the small insert that he should not take antacid medicines with his medication, but his new pharmacy had that information included with his meds. He takes a lot of antacids and this could have inhibited the effectiveness of the medication. We're not sure. I always always ask for the insert that the pharmacy gets with their medicines because it has way more information in it. You are only given the basic and most important info with the small inserts you receive with a prescription, and you'd be surprised what information you don't receive.
Don't be afraid to ask your doctor to repeat tests. We recently asked for a Lyme test repeat because the first test was negative and a couple doctors my son had seen were sure they were wrong. We pay for the test, so there's no reason why they shouldn't do it!
If your doctor won't listen, get a different doctor. My son's doctor is wonderful, and she listened to all our concerns. She spend well over an hour with us. And she asked US what we might have thought of that would be of help. This was good because we asked for a tox screen, you just never know. So she checked for lead, just because that's the most common toxin in many environments that harms people.
I can't stress this enough...YOU pay the doctor, they should be listening and helping you decide what's best to do. If they can't give you a valid reason (I hate hearing "because I don't think...." grrrrr) for not doing something, then move on to a new doctor.
Do your research online. Doctors might not like that because not everything online is accurate. But if you use valid sources for your information then you have a valid point. Medical sites are great places for info. Blogs, like mine, are not! My information is just from my experiences, nothing is medically proven here.

Be smart and assertive about your healthcare. It's about you, not the doctor!

My Summer Vacation

2011-07-12T20:05:00.004-05:00

I know what you're thinking...Why is she writing a post about her summer vacation when summer has barely started?

Well, because my summer vacation is basically over and now the work begins. For the last few weeks I've been sitting in emergency rooms and hospital rooms with my son. We were hoping to get answers during our last visit, but we still have so many questions.

You can read a bit about my son Eric to the right. His summer vacation ended one day when his legs suddenly gave out from under him while he was at work. He said they simply felt like they just weren't there.

The doctors ran tests and found everything was fine, his blood, his EKG, no abnormalities were found. So they gave him an IV and sent him home stating he was simply dehydrated. What?

Well, he seemed a bit better so we were hoping it was over, but it started again not loo long after that. Except this time he had discomfort in his chest and neck that was so bad he thought he was having a heart attack. So off to the ER again. They ran another EKG, same results...everything is fine. "Go home, take it easy and relax, you're not going to die" was what we were told. They thought he just had a panic attack, so they shooed him out the door again. Well, of course he was having a panic attack, he felt like an elephant was standing on his chest! Grrr!

The third time we went to a different hospital. This time we demanded to hear more then just "we don't know". We had two doctors consulting with us and going over the previous tests from the first hospital. And although they weren't certain they thought he had Lyme Disease even though the lav had said the results were negative. The reasoning was the symptoms and the fact that his blood platelets were low. So we left with a prescription for doxycycline and some hope. At least they were trying to do something!

The next couple of weeks were touch and go. He'd steadily improve, only to suddenly slip backwards. He started sleeping all the time, and again couldn't walk, so we had to go back to the ER. He should have been better but he could hardly walk. I had to use a wheel chair to get him in to the hospital.

The scary point for me was when the doctor made Eric walk as far as he could. He made it about 8 feet and had to stop. He was walking hunched over like he was 110 years old. It was so sad to see. But worse then that was when he sat down he started to twitch. Every thing was twitching, his feet, his fingers, his head. It was the hardest thing to see. I thought for sure he had something horrible. MS, neurological issues, I didn't know, but I was scared.

The cat scan came back normal and they came in to release him again. But we refused to take that as a solution. We argued, stood our ground. If he left the hospital it would take him 6 months to get tested and see a neurologist. We couldn't afford to wait that long! He'd already missed two weeks of work and was going to lose his job if he couldn't go back.

Luckily Eric's doctor agreed to put him in the hospital. They ran more blood tests and this time they included a full head/body MRI, much to our relief. FINALLY!!

The results were bitter sweet. They found nothing wrong, which was great. But that meant that they didn't find any answers either. My son was angry, I was happy yet disappointed. Then the doctor proceeded to tell us that this was my son's way of dealing with his anxiety so they prescribed more pills.

Okay, so just the previous day my son was sitting curled up and twitching and this is supposed to be all in his head? Are you serious? Now what are we supposed to do? We were told to take comfort in the fact that there were no physical issues and take the pills and see how he does. Luckily my son had another week off from work so we'd give the pills a shot and see how it goes.

I bought him cases of bottled water so he wouldn't have to drink the tap water where he lived. He came home with me a lot and ate good home cooked meals. He built up his strength and was able to come out with his daughter. In stead of sleeping 23 hours a day like he had been, he was awake, alert and able to get around slowly, but steadily, his legs held him and he walked around a lot. Whew, finally, he's getting better. Or is he?

When he went home I gave him a notebook so he could journal everything he did, ate, and felt. We needed to keep track of everything so we could find out what was triggering these episodes.

Just the other day he had a bad night. He was pouring sweat and twitching again. My heart sank when I heard this. Two steps forward, one step back. This is NOT normal, this isn't depression or anxiety or anything normal. Modern medicine wants to see test results that show what's wrong, but it's obvious that's not always going to be possible. They need to think outside the box!

Yesterday at work, someone mentioned a documentary they heard about, Under Our Skin. It's about Lyme Disease and she said the symptoms many of the people had were exactly like Eric's. I went home and watched it. It was amazing, scary, disheartening, and hopeful all at the same time. I was angry and cried, but I was hopeful now that I had more information and immediately did research on the Internet.

Tomorrow we go to the doctor for a follow up. This time I'm going to be armed with information on Chronic Lyme Disease. I'm going to demand a new test just for this condition since early stage Lyme tests don't catch this. I won't wait until my son is laying on the floor in a twitching pile unable to move or breath like one of the people in the documentary.

I recommend everyone watch this. It's scary but eye opening. And there's a lot of information that could be valuable to everyone!

I hope no one else has to see their child go through this, but I'm sure that's an impossible wish. Don't be afraid to take a stand and do what you need to do.

More to come! Thanks for reading this, I know it was long and probably boring. But if this information helps just one person!

Resources found during research:

http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/jemsek/charges.shtml

http://www.canlyme.com/postlymedebunk05.html

http://www.underourskin.com/

http://www.underourskin.com/tv?state=wisconsin

https://www.facebook.com/UNDEROURSKIN?sk=wall&filter=12

http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/303550/ae9f92d0d2/1309001641/75b71b5cac/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9610974?dopt=Abstract

http://www.prohealth.com/library/showarticle.cfm?libid=8441

http://www.prohealth.com/lyme/library/showarticle.cfm?libid=16345

Say It Outloud & Stamp It In Metal Giveaway! What Madness Is This?

2011-05-20T19:26:00.006-05:00

Metal Amore wants to have some fun. Fun with words and fun with metal. Are you ready for this? Put on your thinking cap and get out your sense of humor. We're going to have a little bitty contest.

All you have to do is post a word or phrase that you would like to see stamped on metal. Letters only please. Spouse bashing is expected, after all I am married. Nothing racist or sexist will be allowed.

You'll have to like my Fanpage
Then, just go out and get "Likes" on your comment/entry by:

Having your voters like my Fanpage
& have them comment on your post

The person with the most "Likes" on their post will win their entry stamped on a disc with a pretty organza necklace! If you are the winner you must still be a fan of my page after the fun is over to receive your prize. You can "like" and comment on as many posts as you choose. "Like" them all, or just like one. It's up to you.

**I reserve the right to delete any comments or postings that I feel are inappropriate**
**I also reserve the right to use entries for sale or give aways**

Keep in mind this is supposed to be fun an humorous. This may not be a child friendly contest. There may be swearing and X rated entries. If you will be offended, please do not go to my facebook page.

A winner will be picked the weekend of May 29th!

Great Wire Wrapping Tutorial Giveaway from Danagonia

2011-05-03T17:51:00.001-05:00

I really love the wire tutorials that Danagonia offers. And now she's offer 5 free ones! It's really easy to enter. Just give her a little loving promotion and post it to her blog. Simple as that!

Pplease click here ore the pic below and check out this beautiful pendant tutorial you could win!! You've gotta see that pendant! wow!!

The Stalkers Guild Strikes Again

2011-04-11T21:08:00.000-05:00

Last week we had the pleasure of promoting Michelle Ballard's Artfire Studio. If you love sea glass like I do then you need to visit her studio.

The Stalkers Guild Promoted MichelleBall...

Curated By: agreendress

ArtFire.com

Unique Gifts

I'm Just Saying...

2011-03-20T09:34:00.002-05:00

So, this morning I was trudging around Etsy, my least favorite place, looking for assorted Picasso flower beads. I found a shop with lots of great stuff I wanted. But then I saw this: $10 minimum purchase required.

What?

So I went into her policies and sure enough! $10 minimum purchase. Well, after all, she has kids and pets to feed, don't you know! What? Seriously? Maybe she needs to hock some of her hamsters. What a turn off. I immediately removed her from my favorites.

People of Earth! Do not "demand" a minimum purchase! It's a turn off. Come on, use your brains. That's like saying: "Hey, will you go out with me? And if you do, I demand sex afterwords." Again...what??

If you want to get on my good side try rubbing me the right way. A little, "hey baby, you rub my back and I'll rub yours" will get you a lot farther!

Do you want higher sales? How about you offer a small and affordable free gift to get that minimum up there! I would have been a lot happier to see that, and I wouldn't have really cared what it was, because it was free, and it was offered to me as a courtesy. It wasn't a demand. I much prefer to hand out my hard earned money to those who do not have their hand in my face.

I'm just saying.

Edited to add: Althought I have been told this is against Etsy's TOU to require a minimum purchase, I have yet to find it in the labyrinth of blather on their site. And no, I do not know if blather is a real word or not.

Introducing....Metal Amore!

2011-03-05T09:58:00.001-06:00

After some deliberation and many cups of coffee I've decided to split up my glass business from my metal stamping. And with that I'd love to introduce to you - Metal Amore.

Metal Amore will be the new home for all my metal stamping designs, as well as my wire wrapping jewelry and goodies. So if it contains metal it can be found at Metal Amore. And over the next month or so I'll be relocating my metal items from GlasstasticTreasures to Metal Amore.

As you know, I've been having a BLAST with my metal stamping. It's really been an inspiration to me and has brought me a lot of joy this long cold cold winter! Take a peek at what I've been up to. I'd love to hear what you think.

Celebrate Nature - My favorite piece yet

Win Stamps From PJ tools Impress Art Metal Stamping!

2011-02-26T10:32:00.001-06:00

NOTE: This contest is now closed. thanks.

You've heard me ranting about how much fun I've been having with my metal stamping. I spend more time at my day job jotting down ideas then I do getting my work done. I've been inspired.

And now I'm even more inspired because I can win some cool toys from PJ Tools Impress Art Metal Stamping Tools. Check them out on facebook and this cool Blog for your ways to win.

I'm so excited to enter and win. I've been having so much fun and I totally need more goodies to keep creating. And I need this type font...

More Metal Stamping Madness

2011-02-20T19:48:00.001-06:00

I have been having a blast with my metal stamps. It's amazing how the ideas flow through my mind through out the day. At work I jot down doodles and notes of ideas. Today I spent the day on the internet looking for inspirational ideas. One thing I found out, well, I should say...one thing that I've proven again...is that I'm not a very serious person.

My humorous side just can't help itself. I get all these snarky ideas and witty comments bouncing around in my head and my mind laughs outloud. So here's what I came up with today. Oh, and by the way, it's so much fun banging that hammer and making noise! I'm such a big kid. Anyways, tongue in cheek humor is just a scroll away.

My Granddaughter's Key chain
She picked the words

Dedicated To My Know-It-All Husband
Whom I LOVE ;)

Thank God For Spell Check!

Snarky St Patrick's Day

A Package to Beads Of Courage

2011-02-17T08:14:00.000-06:00

It's so great to see the lampworking community donating, sharing and helping others in need. It just makes me tear up! I have my donation all set out and ready to pack up. This is my second donation, and just as the first one I'll be packing the beads with a tissue in one hand.

It's so sad to know that there are children out there who have to suffer through cancer, the whole family suffers. And as I think of this again this year, I again am so thankful that my grand children and healthy. Cancer is a scary thing, and I only hope that one of my beads will bring a smile to one child's face.

You can donate too, check this out!

Great Customer Service Is The Key

2011-02-14T08:36:00.000-06:00

Notice I said "great". Good customer service is nice, but why settle for the standard when you know you can do better?

If there's one thing I've learned from these online handmade venues it's that I can provide customer service above and beyond anything companies and corporations can provide. Why? Because I'm in charge. I have control, I decide, I listen, I read, I respond and I take action.

When I had first started selling I wasn't really sure what to do when I made a sale. So I'd pack up the order and ship it out and wait for my feedback. Then as I started buying items from others I started receiving thank you messages and notes about when the item would be shipped.

I was ecstatic! Wow, now here's something I hadn't thought of. And I came to appreciate and expect those messages. I also adopted that small yet important service.

Then, one day I did the scariest thing ever! I mailed out the wrong item for a freebie I had offered. I received a message and they thanked me, stated it wasn't the same item they expected, but that they were happy to keep it. OMG, did I really do that?

Yes, I did. I went through my inventory and found out I had mailed out a similar looking item. Oh man, now what? It wasn't her fault I mailed the wrong item. I didn't want her to be upset that I messed up. So I apologized, told her to keep the wrong item and would immediately send her the correct one. Sure, she got the first item for free, but I made a mistake and the only way to make it right was to get her the correct item, for free.

You're probably asking yourself, "why didn't you have her send back the wrong item?" Well, why should I make her go through all that for something that she had no control over? No way was I going to make her pack up the item, go to the post office and pay for shipping, just so I could get my stuff back. It wasn't worth it. To me it was more important to make her even happier with both items. I hope she was.

So, what's my point in all this? Well, I'm sitting here waiting for a replacement item I ordered. I was shipped the wrong item. Of course, I didn't want the seller to be out and money, so I offered to send the item back, which they said to do. But let me tell you how irritated I was with that! I had hunt for packing tape because I found out I had forgotten to buy more when I used the last roll. I had to use a purchased shipping label, I had to pay for shipping, and I had to get the package to the post office. NOT happy, but I tried to be understanding.

That is, until I found out that the returned item has made it back to the seller some three days ago and I still have yet to see my replacement item!

I'm sorry, but that is just a kick in the ass to me. Sorry for my bad language. But first of all, they messed up my order, they wanted the wrong item returned, and I have to wait longer to get my item then they did for the return? Really? And, still no reimbursement for the postage.

Needless to say, I will not buy from them again, no matter how good their prices are. It would have been very easy to appease me in this situation. Just a couple little things would have made a huge difference:

Most importantly, pay me ahead of time for shipping PLUS some!!
Ship the replacement item ASAP!
Contact me to let me know when my item has shipped.

Does that sound unreasonable? I didn't think so. So please, if you sell online it's so incredibly important to take care of the customer. Little things make a huge difference! Remember: great customer service is the only thing you can offer that will make the difference to most people.

GameKitty was promoted by The Stalkers

2011-02-06T19:47:00.000-06:00

The Stalkers Guild Promoted GameKitty

Curated By: GlasstasticTr...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

Happy Valentine's Day Deals

2011-02-03T19:43:00.001-06:00

Have I told you lately that I love you? Probably not, but I am now! And I've got a little gift for your too! A great deal, or maybe even two.

Everything in my shop is 10% off.l But you can also save another $5.00 off every purchase of $25.00, What a DEAL! This deal could end at any time.

SAVE $ 5.00 On Order Total (orders above $25.00)

Use Coupon Code:

LUV2011

during checkout.

Childrens Products

Congrats Remarcs! Winner of the Bead Bar Give Away!

2011-01-31T19:56:00.001-06:00

I had 21 comments on my Bead Bar Giveaway. I used Random.org to chose the winner. And the lucky winning number was 21.

Remarcs WINS!!

Stay tuned for more great give aways! I love giving goodies away! What's next? Oh, I think a lovely metal charm might be in order.

Say It With Charm!

2011-01-27T20:16:00.001-06:00

Well, I've gone and gotten another bee under my bonnet. I was reading some of my oh-so cool jewelry magazines and came across some hand stamped metals and thought, "now wouldn't that be fun?!" But you know, then I thought, "hey, you don't need another hobby you big goof!" So I put the magazines away.

But then I took them out again and thought the same thing!! After the third time I finally caved in and got some cool letter stamps and an adorable set of swirl stamps and I pounded a new hobby right into my heart! I totally love stamping on metal. And I used up my first set of discs and practice metal playing with them.

I sat at work this morning doodling on a piece of paper instead of working. I just couldn't help it! Now I am waiting for my second batch of metals to come in. I have aluminum squares, copper and brass discs, and copper rectangles! I'm so excited, and my goodies should be here next week.

Here's a peek at what I've done so far. Some of these are not perfect, but I'm still very proud of them. I'd love to hear what you think, and what you'd like to see. You just never know...a metal stamping might just be my next give away!

WOW Charm

Snarky WTF Charm With Clasp

XO Hugs & Kisses Charm

Snarky KMA Charm (Kiss My A**)

Lululalaland Supplies, More Then Just A Cute Face!

2011-01-23T13:33:00.001-06:00

I don't know about you, but I have all these cool ideas running around inside my head. So today I went looking for some goodies to supplement my imagination. And that was when I found Lululalaland!

So I was peeking at all the goodies and adding stuff to my shopping cart, and I thought "Hey! I should check and see if they have any specials going on!" I ALWAYS look for specials and coupons, by the way.

And what did I find? Well, when I clicked on "more" in the announcement I saw .....

***Special Free Shipping Promotion***
Please see policies for details

So I ran off to the Policies Page and there was the coolest promo idea ever!!! I'm not going to tell you about it, I'm going to let you click the link above and go check it out. And then when you see how easy it is to get a little something for yourself for Lululalaland, and you'll be so glad you went shopping there! I know I am ;)

Thanks a bunch Lululalaland! I'm going to enjoy shopping with you!!!

Give-Away Introducing My New Bead Bars!

2011-01-18T10:22:00.002-06:00

This drawing is now closed! Thanks :D

I'm going to really make this one simple. Only one comment needed, but I'll give you more chances to win by doing one or all of the following:

Post a comment here and tell me which you prefer: a premade bead bar, or a changeable bead bar you can stack your own big holed beads on
Post a second comment telling me you've signed up for my newsletter. It's over on the top right over there. If you already subscribe to my newsletter, then just post a second comment telling me that.
Post a comment here telling me you blogged, tweeted or posted (include link please) somewhere in your social networking system about my give away.

And now, I'd like to introduce my new Bead Bars! Made with genuine copper, which I love because it's such a warm and inviting color, and it brings out the natural beauty in everything.

Floral Bead Bar Necklace

Blue, pink and white flowers

Brown satin ribbon necklace

This is the Lampwork Bead Bar Necklace you will win. It has one of my handmade floral beads, which I don't make very many of these days. And it features one of my copper bead bars wrapped in copper wire hugging that little floral bead. A simple brown tie on ribbon necklace completes this necklace. This particular pendant is completely finished and ready to wear.

I also sell just the bead bars. Why you ask? Well, I'm a huge fan off the Trollbeads, Pandora and Biagi bracelets. And I love making beads for them. But I can't really wear an big beady bracelet to work since I work on a computer all day. So I wanted something to wear my beads on and show them off. So I created this cool bead bar that you can slide beads on and off of to decorate and adorn yourself!

This has a larger bail for Pandora and Biagi Beads

This has a smaller bail for the Trollbeads, which have smaller holes


This is the Trollbeads Bead bar with multiple beads

This is another pre-finished bead bar, ready to wear

I'd love to hear any other comments and feedback you have. I'm very excited about this design. I hope you like it as well.

Winner to be selected on 1/31/11!

Come And Get It!

2011-01-17T09:56:00.000-06:00

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding......

January is cold, so let's warm it up with a little discount. Good now until January 31st, 2011.

SAVE 10.00 % On
All Items

Use Coupon Code:

SMOOCH

during checkout.

Handmade Christmas

Happy Holidays

2010-12-25T08:16:00.001-06:00

The end of the year is full of holidays, and always a time to remember what you are thankful for in your life. Over the years my family has grown with my internet friends, and I am very grateful for that. I'm also grateful for my business and the fun it's been.

I would also like to thank all my customers for their support. And I wish everyone out there in this big wide world a joyous and peaceful season.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

The1st Day Of Christmas Specials Count Down

2010-12-24T06:00:00.001-06:00

On the 1st day of Christmas Glasstastic Treasures gives to you a great deal on this Tourmaine Gemstone Copper Wire Worked Necklaced. Read more here about the 12 Days of Chirstmas Deals.

I love gemstones and copper. And tourmaline is one of my favorite gemstones. Actually, I say that about almost every gemstone. But I do love the browns, greens and pinks of mixed tourmaline.

This is a unique handmade item, and only one is available, so hurry on over.

For today only (12/24/10) you can purchase this great bead at 50% off. Use coupon code 1STDAY during check out! Happy shopping!

The 2nd Day Of Christmas Specials Count Down

2010-12-23T06:00:00.003-06:00

On the 2nd day of Christmas Glasstastic Treasures gives to you a great deal on this Penguin Lampwork Bead. Read more here.

Dichroic glass is so beautiful. It's reflective and vibrant with all the colors of the rainbow flashing in the light.

For today only (12/23/10) you can purchase this great bead at 50% off. Use coupon code 2NDDAY during check out! Only one available, so hurry in. Happy shopping!

The 3rd Day Of Christmas Specials Count Down

2010-12-22T06:00:00.004-06:00

On the 3rd day of Christmas Glasstastic Treasures gives to you a great deal on this Penguin Lampwork Bead. Read more here.

This lampwork beads capped with gunmetal remind me of little flowers a pixie would pick while flitting around the sunny fields. Made with really cool miracle beads that are little colored light reflecting beads.

For today only (12/22/10) you can purchase this great bead at 50% off. Use coupon code 3RDDAY during check out! Only one pair available, so don't wait. Happy shopping!

The 4th Day Of Christmas Specials Count Down

2010-12-21T06:00:00.001-06:00

On the 4th day of Christmas Glasstastic Treasures gives to you a great deal on this One Perfect Changeable Necklace for Lampwork Beads. Read more here.

This great necklace is all you need to wear your really awesome lampwork beads every day. Simply unscrew the bead post and add different bead(s). A new look every day!

For today only (12/21/10) you can purchase this great bead at 50% off. Use coupon code 4THDAY during check out! Happy shopping!

The 5th Day Of Christmas Specials Count Down

2010-12-20T06:00:00.011-06:00

On the 5th day of Christmas Glasstastic Treasures gives to you a great deal on this Penguin Lampwork Bead. Read more here.

For today only (12/20/10) you can purchase this great bead at 50% off. Use coupon code 5THDAY during check out! Happy shopping!

The 6th Day Of Christmas Specials Count Down

2010-12-19T12:52:00.003-06:00

On the 6th day of Christmas Glasstastic Treasures gives to you a great deal on this Amethyst Wiggle Lampwork Bead. Read more here.

For today only (12/19/10) you can purchase this great bead at 50% off. Use coupon code 6THDAY during check out! Happy shopping!

The 7th Day Of Christmas Specials Count Down

2010-12-18T08:30:00.002-06:00

On the 7th day of Christmas Glasstastic Treasures gives to you a great deal on this Choose To Be A Survivor Key Chain. Read more here.

This would be the perfect gift for someone who has survived breast cancer. Or a great remembrance for someone who had a loved one who did not survive.

Use coupon code 7thday to get 50% off this very special item, for today only!

The 8th Day Of Christmas Specials Count Down

2010-12-17T06:00:00.004-06:00

And on the 8th day of Christmas Glasstastic gave to me....A Flower Garden to wear! Read all about it here.

This bead is made with an implossion technique where colored glass is added to one side of a disk bead, then slowly melted so the clear glass surrounds the colored glass and pulls it into petals or leaf shapes. This is a really fun technique and can be really interesting with multiple colors.

Now is your chance to get this great necklace for half price. Use coupon code 8thday to save 50% today only.

The 9th Day Of Christmas Specials Count Down

2010-12-16T06:00:00.004-06:00

And on the 9th day of Christmas Glasstastic Treasures gave this great "wiggle" of a deal! Read all about it here.

I love Raku glass. It has such beautiful colors that the heat pulls out. Every time I use it I get different results and it's so fascinating!

Now you can have this wonderful bead for 50% off, use coupon code 9thday. Enjoy!

The 10th Day Of Christmas Specials Count Down

2010-12-15T06:00:00.002-06:00

And on the 10th day of Christmas, Glasstastic Treasures gave to you....this great item at 50% off. Read all about it here.

Today's item is so dang cute! So cute I bet it won't last til lunch time (hint hint). Save 50% off this item with coupon code 10thday. Remember, each item is only available at this discount for the day it is offered.

So go, go now (Arnold impersonation).

The 11th Day Of Christmas Specials Count Down

2010-12-14T05:00:00.021-06:00

And we're working our way down the list of specials. Read all about it here.

I know, we're supposed to work our way up. But I posted the first blog post from work, and well....was in a bit of a hurry. lol And, it is a count "down" so we'll go down the list.

Todays hot holiday special is ready. So whether you are naughty or nice you'll love this special (this is your hint!). Use coupon code 11thday to save 50% on today's great item.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Specials

2010-12-13T11:33:00.002-06:00

Each day until Christmas I'll have one item available at half price! How will you know which one? Well, that's up to you to find out! I can't make it too easy on you, now can I? Maybe I'll give a hint, maybe not. And the items won't always be Christmas related. The closer we get to Christmas day the more items I'll post that are not theme related.

So, to start it all out today I'll give you a direct link! Use coupon code 12THDAY to get the below item for half price! Only one item will be available per day, so hurry in! Check my blog often, and wait for the post!

Every day I'll post the coupon code and maybe a hint so you can find the item and get a great deal. I can't guarantee the item will make it to your house by Christmas as this is a very busy time of year for the Postal Service. However, if you want to upgrade to Priority mail it's only another $2.55 (added on to the already $2.50 shipping charge: total $5.05 priority for a bubble mailer envelope). Just message me after your purchase and I'll send you an invoice for the extra fee. I'm glad to help, and this is the best way to ensure your item reaches you before Christmas.

I also have a free upgrade to priority in my shop if you purchase $25 or more. You can only use one coupone code at a time, so just message me and I'll know your $25 purchase needs to be shipped via priority mail!

"It Wasn't Me...They Did It!"

2010-12-10T08:00:00.002-06:00

"Warning....lengthy post about businesses who won't take any responsibility for anything....with colorful adjectives, deep anger and light humor. Read on if you dare!

This last week has been one of the most stressful and annoying weeks I can remember. And the worst part is that not one person bothered to help me. Well, that's not true, I had someone say they were helping, but where they really?

It all started the week of Thanksgiving. A time when you get to reflect your life and be thankful for what you have. That's all good, I'm thankful for a lot of stuff. But I'm also very irritated by a few things as well.

The first thing that went wrong was having half of my grand daughter's fund raiser items disappearing from the school gymnasium while members of the PTA, who sponsored and organized the fund raiser, supervised the order pick up. Okay, no problem they said. All you have to do is this....blah blah blah. This was November 23rd. Uhm, excuse me! YOU lost my items, don't you thing that YOU should take care of this????? I guess not!

Well, guess what! It's now December 10th and I still do not have my missing items. It took the school over a week to find the order form, and then multiple calls to the fundraiser center to get everything straightened out. And quite honestly, I can't understand how the fundraiser company is still in business the way they run things there! I was missing paper items and they called me 3 days AFTER I reordered the missing items to ask for my address to ship the food in dry ice. WHAT??? Even better news....the paper goods are all out of stock. Fricking NICE!! (excuse my language).

Okay, well, hopefully they have that straightened out. I was told I should have just let them send me the food again, but it was $100 or so worth, and I couldn't do that in good conscience. And my philosophy is that if you are good, then good things will happen. I'm starting to rethink that theory!

The second disaster was on November 24th I mailed 2 orders and 1 give away from my job. I found out a week later from a new customer that her order had not arrived. Sure enough, a quick check with USPS verified no delivery. Oh oh, I'd better check the other two. No delivery....no delivery. OH MY GOD!!! **really, at this time I was praying out loud**

I call the PO-they say they never received it. I asked about the tracking numbers. Here's the gist of the conversation:

PO: Oh, those are only scanned at the receiving post office.
ME: ah, that doesn't seem like a very good idea since the package is being tracked. How do you prove it's been picked up.
PO: yes, this is a complaint we get a lot of, And we will be changing this in the future. If you bring your package to a window, they'll scan it, but if it's not dropped off with a postal worker it won't be scanned. Let me put you on hold why I check something.
ME: **waiting....waiting***
PO: Um, yes, your office is in charge of picking up and delivering your mail to the post office, so check with them.
ME: **great!**

So, I go to my mail room at work.

Me: Hi, I dropped off three packages for mailing all three are lost, can you look around and see if they fell out of the bucket somewhere?
Dude: They aren't here. All we do is gather it to be picked up by a third party. You'll need to call them.
ME: Well, could it have fallen out of the bin? Could it have fallen behind something somewhere?
Dude: No.

Again-fricking NICE!!!! Thanks a lot you lazy

So, I call the delivery company, the lady is nice, and concerned, just like the post office lady. Which makes me feel better. And she takes some info and will call me back. Well, she calls back and asks about the packages-again.

Gal: OH, I was looking for white envelopes.
Me: ugh
Gal: Well, we've looked all over, and have gone through some of the security footage and we can't find anything. I've talked to everyone here except one person. I'll talk to him and call you back.

That was two days ago. I'm still waiting. Like hubby says: she said she was doing all that stuff, but did she really do it? Probably not.

One of the packages was a very important brain bead made as a custom order for a lady whose friend was having brain surgery. Now that's important. So I contact her, make another item and ship it out priority on Tuesday. And this time I dropped it in the mail box AT the post office.

Three days later, that package is still not showing as tracked. Priority is supposed to be THREE day delivery. So, I call the receiving post office. Again, the lady is very helpful, yet has no idea where the package is.

Me: Today is the 3rd day, it should be delivered today and it should be scanned as received.
PO: This is a really really busy time of year and we're doing everything we can to get his mail sorted and delivered. I'm sure it's here, but it won't be scanned until tomorrow. Check then and call back if you don't see it.
ME: **really mad so I don't want to say "I paid for three day delivery, NOT four day", but I keep my mouth shut**

Luckily it showed up this morning and is noted as being delivered today. I should make a screen print of that, just in case. Stranger things have happened, and this fiasco is so messed up that I wouldn't be surprised.

Well, that's my messed up life's story of the start of the holiday season. Yay me! Oh, and today I get to go get "retakes" of my right side mammogram. Can it get worse then this? Let's hope not. Okay, I'm done whining now! Thanks for listening!

By the way, one of the other lost packages is being delivered today. Wish me luck on the third replaced item.

GOOD NEWS: My mammo is fine, they couldn't anything! whew!

Winners Of The Where Is Santa

2010-12-05T06:56:00.000-06:00

We have the winners for the Search for Santa Contest!! Whoohoo!!

1st Prize : a shopping spree on Artfire for 300$ is for Michael from Florida

2nd Prize : a shopping spree on Artfire for 150$ is for Erin G. from Massachusetts

3rd Prize : a shopping spree on Artfire for 100$ is for Linda H. from Florida

Congrats to the winners. Have fun shopping on ArtFire!

I Am Such A Slacker!

2010-12-04T06:54:00.000-06:00

I have to apologize for being such a slacker. And I have to admit that sometimes I make bad decisions. So now you're probably wondering what I'm talking about.

I came across a blog one day and noticed that they didn't do new blog posts to announce winners. Instead they just posted at the top of the original blog post who the winner was, and that was it. Well, I thought "what a time saver!" So I did that same thing with my last give away.

Then, as time went on, the more I thought about it the more impersonal it felt, and wrong! So I would like to apologize for being a slacker. I should really follow my instinct and do what I know is right.

So, with that, I'd like to make an official announcement that Star from ColtPixy was the winner of the Beary Cute Giveaway.

Thank you to everyone who participated. I love doing give aways. Stay tuned for more.....

Get Ready, Get Set, Shop!

2010-11-21T09:39:00.002-06:00

Holiday shopping can be fun. But shopping crowds are not!

I am not a Black Friday shopper. But I am a Cyber Monday shopper!! I love shopping online. I can sit at my computer with my coffee and my mouse and click on all sort of cyber goodness. As a matter of fact I just found a couple more items to put on my list...for myself!

Love these ceramic coasters by tscrapper

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aren't these hand dyed silk ribbons yummy? These are by flamekissedartglassII

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Here's some yummy goodness to make my doggie smell better by essensu

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And this delicious jewelry by MzzThang of Fo Shizzle Designs. WANT!!!!

Anyway, enough dreaming and lip-licking. If you need unique gifts for your family and friends, I have some great ideas in my Studio at GlasstasticTreasures. I make lampwork beads, but that isn't all. I also make jewelry from them. I have items ready to go, like this great Christmas Light Necklace:

Or, you can choose your bead and an option to make it into something special. I offer keychains, necklaces, cell phone charms, you name it, I'll fix it up for you.

How about this little cutie on this necklace! Perfect!!

Want to know something else? I offer a flat rate shipping fee for all purchases. That's right. Your full order will be shipped for $2.50 or less, depending on whether you buy beads or jewelry! Oh, and even better, check out my coupon codes below. You can save up to 20%, depending on order total.

So shop now and save. This special is going on now through Cyber Monday, November 29th!

Visit GlasstasticTreasures's Studio

SAVE 10.00 % On Order Total (orders above $20.00)

Use Coupon Code:

THANKSGIVING

during checkout.

Handmade Clothing

Visit GlasstasticTreasures's Studio

SAVE 20.00 % On Order Total (orders above $40.00)

Use Coupon Code:

THANKSGIVING2

during checkout.

Techcraft

A Beary Cute Give-Away

2010-11-14T16:38:00.006-06:00

This giveaway is closed: Random.org chose #1 and Coltpixy won!!
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This super cute Polar Bear Purse Charm will look great adorning your purse this winter season! The polar bead lampwork bead is handmade by me. Created with sturdy metal findings and a nice big toggle clasp, this charm will fit any purse.

A round keyring is included just in case you need something extra to attach it to your purse. You can also use this Beary Cute Charm as a keychain, a zipper pull, or clip to your belt loop for a cool change of pace!

HOW TO WIN

Complete one or more of the following to be for eligible chances in the drawing for the above Bear Cute Purse Charm. Post a comment here for each requirement completed with links. Up to six entries are possible. Drawing will be held on November 21st.

Follow my blog: post one comment
"Like" me on Facebook: post one comment with your facebook name/link
Follow me on Twitter: post one comment with your Twitter name/link
Visit My Studio and post a link to your favorite item and tell my why you like it
Write a blog post about my give away: post one comment with link\

Bonus Entry:

Recommend me to a friend and have them follow my blog: post a comment with their blogger name/link (Your friend must follow my blog for you to qualify for this bonus entry)

**Edited to add: For example, to get six entries you'll need to have six separate comments.

Rules:
You must complete at least one of the requirements to be entered into this drawing. Each requirement listed above gives you one entry, with a total of six entries are possible. A winner will be chosen using Random.org. No substitutes are available, the winner will receive the prize pictured above. The winner will have one week (7 days) to contact me with shipping instructions, or they will forfeit the prize and a new winner will be chosen.

These rules are subject to change, but most likely will not.

Win A Great ArtFire Shopping Spree For Christmas!

2010-10-27T11:38:00.001-05:00

I know, I said it: Christmas!! It's just around the corner. Seems like just yesterday I was packing up that darn tree. Now it's almost time to take it out again.

Well, don't worry, there's still time for that. Better yet, how about thinking about some holiday shopping instead! And what could be better then a FREE shopping spree.

Some great ArtFire Studios have gotten together to have a great contest to Find Santa and win some spending cash on ArtFire. The best part is that you can find really great handmade items that are so totally unique that you may want to keep them all to yourself ;)

Click here for the rules and entry form. And don't forget to scroll down the whole page and visit the great sponsors for this wonderful Shopping Spree!

Plurking Is Cool

2010-10-24T11:10:00.000-05:00

Plurk is a cool social networking site where my online friends go to chat, brainstorm, promote, and have fun. Here's a list of their online presence, please visit them and see what great things they've been up to.
No Particular Order:

Mama's Little Monkeys and Other Personalities

www.mamaslittlemonkeys.etsy.com

www.mamaslittlemonkeys.artfire.com

www.micromops.etsy.com

www.micromops.artfire.com

www.badgereels.etsy.com

www.badgereels.artfire.com

www.destashcity.etsy.com

www.destashcity.artfire.com

www.napmatcovers.etsy.com
www.facebook.com/shopmamaslittlemonkeys
www.facebook.com/MicroMops

Sunny Days Embroidery/Aunti Franni:

www.auntifranni.artfire.com

28Sides Designs

http://www.artfire.com/users/28sidesdesigns

Designs of Avalon:

http://www.artfire.com/users/dsignsofavalon

GundoWorks:

Blog: http://gundowerks.blogspot.com/

http://www.artfire.com/users/gundowerks

http://www.facebook.com/gundowerks

Butterfly Crafts:

http://www.butterfly-crafts.com/

Emily Claire Creations
http://www.artfire.com/users/emilyclairecreations

Fo-Shizzle Designs, etc.
www.mzzthang.artfire.com
www.earthwindandartfire.artfire.com
www.mischabridaljewelry.artfire.com
www.Fo-Shizzle.com

Jewelled Trellis
www.jewelledtrellis.artfire.com
www.jewelledtrellis.etsy.com
www.zibbet.com/jewelledtrellis

Jewelled Stitches
www.jewelledstitches.artfire.com

Aislins Erotic Jewels and Serenity Grove
http://aislinnseroticjewels.artfire.com
http://serenitygrove.artfire.com

M2bC - Meant2bCherished
www.M2bC.artfire.com
www.M2bC.blogspot.com

Rhythms
www.Rhythms.artfire.com

handarbeitskram
http://handarbeitskram.artfire.com

Skyline Candle Company
www.skylinecandle.com
www.skylinecandlecompany.blogspot.com
www.skylinecandlecompany.artfire.com

NightMaiden
www.nightmaiden.artfire.com

Simply Smiss
www.smiss00.artfire.com
www.facebook.com/simply.smiss

C Turtlez Oddz n Endz

www.cturtlezoddznendz.com
www.cturtlesoddsnends2.webs.com

www.artfire.com/users/CTurtlezOddznEndz

www.zibbet.com/CTurtlezOddznEndz

cturtlezoddznendz.ecrater.com

www.etsy.com/shop/CTurtlezOddznEndz

www.artfire.com/users/CTurtlezCentral

tdfirmoafm.blogspot.com

www.mineralmakeupmama.com

EagleHawk
http://www.artfire.com/users/cnewcomb
http://www.artfire.com/users/awoodworkingodyssey

Stitches in Cotton
www.stitchesincotton.artfire.com
www.facebook.com/stitchesincotton

SewHappy Designs
http://www.artfire.com/users/Sewhappydesigns
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SewHappyDesigns
http://sewhappydesigns.blogspot.com/
http://icanquilt.com/

Positively Charming Things
http://www.artfire.com/users/PositivelyCharmingThings
http://www.artfire.com/users/positivelycharmingbeads
This list is not yet complete.

All Wired Up

2010-10-22T18:49:00.002-05:00

And not just on coffee. On wire, real wire! Mainly copper. I love copper for it's earthy color and feeling. Yes, I do believe copper "feels" earthy! lol

Coil wrapping always baffled me. I always wondered how can that fine and flimsy wire stay wrapped on the fatter wire? How? Well, instead of wondering I would just have to give it a try. And from this came the above pendant. I am so happy with it. And best of all, I now know the wire will be perfectly fine, and once it's wrapped it's no longer flimsy!

I am off to get all wired up again. I have a cool tutorial waiting for me. Stay tuned for more!

Did I Forget to Mention this?

2010-10-13T18:02:00.002-05:00

Yep, I did. Sorry about that. But I'm here now to let you know that I have marked down my Halloween lampwork 20%, and the Halloween Jewelry and lined BHBeads are marked down 10%!

That's right. So now is the perfect time to stock up on those ghoulish beads and goodies you've had your eye one for some time now. Click here to go shopping!

Halloween Ghoulishness And Fall Fun

2010-10-09T06:14:00.004-05:00

This is my favorite time of year to make lampwork beads. The colors, the whimsy, and the Halloween fun! I know I say every season is my favorite. And I guess that's true. But Halloween has a little extra special something.

This time of year I can let my freaky morbid side show with my finger beads! Totally gross, yet oh so fun. Now there's a twist on "lady fingers", lol. Or, how about some eyeballs. Every wish you had an extra set of eyes?

I've posted some of my ghoulish goodies below. Along with some great fall themed goodies. Enjoy!
Visit my shop to purchase any of these cool items!

What A Great Surprise!

2010-10-03T20:20:00.002-05:00

Today I received my email newsletter for Artizen Magazine. It's a really cool ezine featuring all sorts of great artizens. And it's a lot of fun to read, especially since you can just click on a picture and go right to that site, page or item. I love ezines! (I really need a bigger monitor though! lol)

Well, imagine my surprise when I flipped to page 26 and found THIS (go to page 26)! Look, it's ME!!! What a thrill, I'm so excited and honored to be featured in this really great ezine. And what a great write up! I love love love Halloween and this is a really great issue.

One note: My business name, in full, is GlasstasticTreasures. Part of my name was left off, and I want to mention this because there's a really great stained glass artisan who has the name Glasstastic. So please don't get the two of us confused! ;)

Thank you Artizen Magazine! And the rest of you-go sign up for this great ezine!

What's With All The Smooshing?

2010-09-30T20:07:00.000-05:00

Smooshing, not to be confused with mooshy, mushy or smushy, is a great group of Polymer Clay artisans from who have named their group Polymer Clay Smooshers. And you got it, they smoosh clay. Doesn't that sound like fun?

The Smooshers have a great Masquerade Clay Ball going on soon. It's going to be totally awesome. So check out their blog on October 1st for more details! Hey, that's tomorrow already! Whoa!

Check out this Smooshers bracelet that you could win! It's from HaffinaCreations! Hey, there's still time to blog and enter the contest, so let's go!!

Wow, Pouchees ROCK!

2010-09-30T19:57:00.000-05:00

These awesome Aussie Pouchees are the bomb! I read about it on Menopausal New Mom's blog. That blog rocks too :D So git on over to Menopausal New Mom's and check out this great giveaway. Go, now!!

Ever Wonder How To Core A Lampwork Bead?

2010-09-27T19:52:00.000-05:00

I found this great video on how to use the Impress Bead Coring tool to line beads with silver, copper and even brass. I have this liner and it's a lot of fun to use.

Thanks Heather, for the great video. Please see Heather's Blog!

Great News: The ArtFire Pro Deal Is On!

2010-09-24T08:23:00.000-05:00

Yep, it's true. With all the changes that have happened in such a short time concerning online selling, AftFire admin crunched the numbers and decided they were going to go ahead with the Pro Deal. So now instead of having to have 20k sign ups they're going to go with the Pro Deal October 1st!!

So if you sell online and have been on the fence about whether or not you want to try ArtFire now is you chance. At just $5.95 per month you can list and sell unlimited creations!! No other hidden fees. How cool is that?

So click the picture above. What are you waiting for?

Everybody Loves To Win Prizes, Right?!

2010-09-17T19:46:00.000-05:00

I know I do. And ArtFire is giving away a ton of prizes for helping spread the word about the Pro Deal!! ArtFire is offering the opportunity to sign up for a studio for just $5.95 a month! There are great seller tools, options for coupons, sales mode, and more cool stuff.

And September 20th one lucky AF person can win this Cannon camera! Wow, I was so excited when I heard about this giveaway. I'd love a new camera!! And you can win too. Help spread the word about ArtFire's Pro Deal and you could get this sweet camera ;) Click here for all the details on how to win!

But wait! That's not all. ArtFire has all kinds of great prizes during their Pro Deal giveaways! So if you're an online seller of handmade goods, then not only could you win fabulous prizes, but you can also get a monthly membership for a great studio on ArtFire for under $6!! Woohoo!

I know a lot of people have questioned how this Pro Deal works. You sign up now to commit to the $5.95/month fee. If ArtFire gets at least 20,000 sign ups the deal is on. If not, your current subscription will not change. So if you are a basic member, you remain a basic member. If you have a current subscription at a specific rate, it would stay at that rate.

But this is such a great deal I known we'll get there. And some wonderful people will win some great prizes too!

Want To Go Pro For Only $5.95? I Sure Do!

2010-09-15T19:38:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the copy/paste. But what more can I say? lol ArtFire is my favorite venue, I've been very happy there. You will be too. So click here to find out more!

What I Did Today - Halloween Style

2010-09-06T10:08:00.000-05:00

Fall is my favorite time of the year. I'm not a fan of hot weather, so when it cools down I'm happy. I love the rich fall colors of browns, oranges and yellows. But most of all I love Halloween and all the cool stuff I can make into beads.

Yesterday my imagination was full of mummies, skulls, cauldrons and pumpkins! My new favorites are the skulls. I think I might have to make those year round. Just add some seasonal embellishments and girly colors and voila! I mean, who doesn't love a skull with a cutesy bow on it's head? lol

I also made a couple of bhb (big hole beads) for Pandora, Biagi and Trollbeads bracelets. They turned out really nice. But my favorite is the one with the yellow flower on it's head.

I have more ideas then time. I could be at the torch all day and not run out of ideas. Too bad my day job takes up most of my time. Ah well, such is life.

Don't forget, I enjoy making custom orders, so if you'd like something special just let me know.

Crackers Aren't Just For Cheese Spread!

2010-09-05T09:07:00.003-05:00

I'd like to warn you that the POLYMERCLAYLAND blog is a content thief! I'm starting with this line because this is the line that will show up on Google searches and the "spiders" out searching for info will "crawl" this line first. I want everyone to know there is another kind of "thief" out there. Read on....

According to Associated Content, quote: ' "Crackers", in the computer world, are those who use their hacking knowledge for malicious purposes.' I'm going to use this definition because some "crackers" are stealing SEO. And whether or not SEO is a tangible item, it's still stealing.

In the handmade world we work doubly hard to earn our Google ranking in the SEO world. It takes a lot of time and effort. People selling handmade are trying to make a living doing what they love, and the work they do is very personal and close to their hearts. And to have someone come in and STEAL their hard earned SEO by stealing blog posts and such is just wrong and unethical.

Learn more from Tina Holden who found out her hard earned SEO was stolen by a cracker who is now making money off their clicks by reposting her blog posts. Surfers think they're going to her blog, but they're really going to a bogus blog who is stealing her blog posts word for word, and only replacing the pictures. Not cool!

I think it's always a good idea to Google yourself now and then. It's fun to see where you show up, but now that there are cracker thieves out there, you can also see who's stealing your SEO!

Please go visit Tina's blog and show your support. At the bottom she has a link to help fight off SEO thieves.

What I did today....

2010-08-21T10:38:00.000-05:00

Well, actually I started this the other day. But today I feel I chose a great theme and I'm really happy.
So what did I do? I set up a Tumblr micro blog. It was easy and posting is fun! I think I might be addicted :D

What is Tumblr? you ask. Tumblr is a micro blog. Nice an short and sweet. They even have this nice little tool that you drag into your bookmark bar and you can post from any page on the internet. You can see an example down at the bottom of this blog. Check it out. I really like it.

See you on Tumblr! Click here to go to my Tumblr micro blog!

Thank You, I Now Feel Really Rotten

2010-08-12T19:58:00.003-05:00

I have to admit that I am not very happy with myself. I've acted pretty unprofessionally. But I'm not sorry. I'm still very irritated with Cargoh for not making it clear who they wanted on their site before they invited people to take the time to set up shop.

My time is valuable to me. Right now I spend a lot of time caring for my mother who had knee surgery over two months ago and still cannot walk short distances.

So you can imagine how upset I was to spend over half a day of my valuable time setting up my Cargoh shop, then more time listing, only to be given the, "oh, sorry, we lost our direction."

I felt like a new neighbor who saw an add in local paper inviting people to a house warming party only to be escorted back out the door because my green bean casserole wasn't "gourmet" enough for them.

Was I hurt? Sure. Was I mad? Absolutely. And I still am. But I do feel badly that I acted almost as unprofessional as they did by commenting on their Facebook page about their lack of tact.

I woke up at 3 am suddenly remembering that I had given them credit card info. During set up I had that sixth sense telling me something wasn't right. I should have listened. Now I'll have to monitor my cc. Cargoh's name will be the first thing mentioned if I see anything suspicious!

My estimation is that no matter how hard they try and with the way they're running things, they won't do well. Doesn't really matter any more.

And the good news...they'll never be as big as ArtFire!

Edited to add:

Interesting that after being told my account was being deleted I've had to email them TWICE now and ask that it actually BE deleted!! GAH. Seriously?

I totally sound like a big whiner up there, don't I? See what I've been turned into?

And in all reality, Cargoh will most likely do fine.

Thanks for nothing!

2010-08-11T20:15:00.002-05:00

Well, I've said it before, I'll say it again....no one ever gives away the good stuff for free. And yet again the cosmos proves this saying to be true. So, how good can it be if they can't even decide if they want to give it away or not?

Just recently a new website, Cargoh.com was advertising for a free lifetime Pro account if you signed up by a certain date. I read the TOS (terms of service) and FAQs (frequently asked questions) to see if I qualified. Did I see any requirements or regulations? No.

So I spend a whole day setting up shop, and adding items every now and then. And then today I get a wonderful love letter. Not only was I slapped in the face, but someone needs to learn to space between paragraphs.

--------------------------------------------

Hello,

Thanks for taking the time to register your shop on Cargoh.com. When we launched twelve weeks ago, we set out to create a smaller forum for independent artists and designers to showcase and sell their work, looking to provide a home for people who perhaps had not yet found a place to truly call their own on the Internet. To help communicate this, we focused our efforts recruiting sellers whom we felt represented that niche community to join our fledgling marketplace for it's beta launch. We hoped that hand picking our first round of sellers would help paint the picture of what we hoped to build.

Our company is in it's infancy, and we're learning every day. Thanks to the incredible power of social media, word has spread quickly about our little venture, and we could not be more grateful. But while our marketplace has grown faster than we ever imagined, we've lost control of it's original direction, and the work we set out to highlight has gotten lost in the fray as a result. The concept for Cargoh has always been a really difficult one to define, but it has never been our intention to compete with the already flourishing handmade marketplaces you may know and love. With that in mind, and in order to stay true to our vision for Cargoh.com, we've made the difficult decision to curate our marketplace.

Unfortunately, at this time, we won't be asking you to stay on as a seller at Cargoh. This decision is in no way a commentary on the quality of your work - there are so many creative, talented people out there, and we simply can't accommodate all of you and maintain our business model. We're learning that the hard way right now, and we deeply apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

We will take the utmost care in deleting all of your private information from our databases. Please feel free to re-submit work that you feel might be a better fit in the future.

Again, we apologize for any confusion, and as always, we're here if you have any questions.

Humbly,

The Cargoh Team

----------------------------------------

Here's what I read: Thanks for signing up when we were begging for sellers. But we decided you're not good enough for us, so we're wiping your bug splatter off our windshield. Oh, but if you decide to create REAL art, come on back and we'll totally pull the rug out from under you again!!

What am I supposed to say to that? Sure, I'll come on back later after I lick my wounds, waste another week with you, only to be hustled out the door before anyone sees me. No thanks.

All I can say now is Cargoh, go away!!

PS: No, I did not include any hyperlinks to Cargoh. If you want to go see them you can look them up yourself. They don't deserve the boost to their website google ranking.

Beads of Courage....

2010-08-07T10:34:00.002-05:00

I just packed off a box of cute little beads to send to Beads of Courage. With a tear in my eye I thanked God that my children and grand children are healthy. And I only hope that at least one of my beads will be treasured by a special child in need of some hope and encouragement.

You can read about Jean Baruch, a nurse has touched the lives of thousands of sick kids with her idea of Beads of Hope.

Hot From The Kiln....

2010-08-03T20:58:00.000-05:00

This weekend was a great weekend. I got some torch time in, and I really love melting glass.

As you can tell, I was feeling a little froggie. They turned out really well, I think. I started with the tall style, seen in the back row. And quickly changed to the horizontal form. The legs are really fun to make. But I'm thinking they need to be just a touch fatter!

But my favorite one was the fat little penguin. He turned out so cute! I went with a chubby shape. I love chubby!!!

The last ones I created where the Potato heads. Believe it or not those really drive me nuts. First of all, I always forget the ears on the first one. Not that it really matters, you could make him with one eye. I mean, after all, Mr. Potato Head is a totally customizable toy. But then I finally remember the ear and I one goes off center!! GAH Then, there is so much tiny detail, it's hard not to melt them all in. So the going is slow. And last, I never make him chubby enough. I like chubby!!!

But he's still cute. And that's what came from my kiln last weekend :)

Last Day For Chirstmas In July And A Bonus!

2010-07-31T08:09:00.001-05:00

Sorry, bonus and sale is over!

Just a reminder that today is the last day for my Christmas in July Sale. Save 20%!! And all items are already marked down. I love ArtFire's coupon codes!!

And as a bonus I'm also offering FREE shipping on orders of $35 or more! Use coupon code: CIFFREESHIP

Last day, so don't wait!

What I did today.....

2010-07-30T13:08:00.001-05:00

Cleaned. Blah!

Anyone who knows me knows that I do not like cleaning. I hate it. I have better things to do, like chat with you guys. I try to keep the house fairly clean, there's no mud on the floors, or cobwebs strung across the ceiling. But there's dust in the corners, and every now and then I get a bug up my butt to clean. And today is one of those days.

The bathrooms are first on my list today. I started in the guest bath which is the smallest bathroom; cleaned the toilet and washed rugs, but quickly moved on to the master bath when I realized that was where I left my Swiffer (I love my Swiffer).

I took one look around in there and realized I needed to get that done first, or it would never get done! I have a corner spa tub which is amazing for catching dust in the back corner, right where it's the most inconvenient to get at. Kitty-corner from the tub is the shower. This layout creates little nooks which are wonderful places for dust and hair to collect on the floor. Let's just say there are lots of little nooks and crannies for dust and dirt to collect around the base boards.

It's not a huge bathroom, so it shouldn't be so hard, but it is full of CRAP. My mother is right, if I had less stuff to dust, I'd also have less stuff to move to get the cleaning done. But, sadly, I have the decorator blood in me from my old Home Interiors days and I just have to decorate!!

I'm half finished, and I've already removed a lot of items, so I can't do too real before and after pics. Suffice it to say that just picturing the worst scenario in your mind is most likely accurate. But I will take some pics and be back with "after" shots. Wish me luck!!

***********************************

Okay, so remember when I said up there that I was half finished. I lied!! It took me THREE hours to clean the master bath, top to bottom!!! Ugh. I even used a toothbrush for those hard to reach places.

Following are before and after. Now remember, I had already started cleaning the tub area. You can click on the pics to enlarge them.

***********************************

Oh, and yes, I have a toilet and a shower. I just didn't think you really cared to see those. But if you do I'll come back and post them.

So, this is what I did today. I don't think I have the energy to do the other bath. But it is pretty small, and way cleaner then this one. So maybe......

What'd you do today?

Project Wonderful is here!

2010-07-29T05:18:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to post a short update and let you all know that I know have Project Wonderful add space on my blog. If you are in the market for affordable add space, check it out.

Not sure what Project Wonderful is? Well, it's pretty darn fun, that's what it is. You can bid on add space that is found mainly on blogs, and some are on forums and personal websites. You bid on the spaces and it's more fun then Ebay! Well, at least I think so.

You can bid on which sites you want your add to appear on. Or you can set up a campaign which you set parameters for, and the site bids for you! PW even emails you when your bids expire so you can go renew them.

They have stats so you can see how much traffic a site gets that has your add, and how many clicks you've received from that site.

Please check out the totally awesome sponsors who now have adds up there; click, click, click!!!

I'm Certifiable!!

2010-07-27T17:22:00.001-05:00

GlasstasticTreasures

Handmade Unique Gifts

It's true, I've been certified! Certified as a Handmade Artisan and Seller on ArtFire, that is.

This certificate is your assurance that all the items in an ArtFire shop are completely handmade by the artisan. You'll see this badge on the left side of the shop's homepage.

Christmas In July is still going strong!

2010-07-24T06:14:00.004-05:00

The Christmas In July Sale is still going on over at ArtFire! Now is the great time to get your loved ones some awesome handmade goodies. You can find just about anything you could ever imagine.

I still have 15% off all items, even sale items, until July 31st (items already marked down!). AND, today I just added free shipping for purchases of $35 and over!! Woohoo :D Use coupon code FREESHIP (COUPON CODE HAS EXPIRED AS OF 7/26/10)

Visit GlasstasticTreasures's Studio

Receive free shipping on Order Total (orders above $35.00)

Use Coupon Code:

FREESHIP

during checkout.

Woodwork

SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!!

2010-07-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

Save 15% off everything from now until July 31st! Click me. Go ahead, I know you want to!! CLICK ME!!

Okay all my ArtFire friends! Post your CIJ sales here ;)

Do You Know - About Artisan Lampwork Beads

2010-07-11T08:55:00.001-05:00

Recently I explained a little bit on what lampwork is. Today I'd like to explain something that is very important to all jewelry designers, and is very close to the heart of every lampwork artisan.

Today lampworkers have been labeled artisans. I often describe some lampworking styles as "painting with glass" when a scene is made that is reminiscent of a painting. Lampwork landscapes are a great example. And it truly is a beautiful kind of artwork to behold. (see the example above from MyJoyfulCorner)

So, what about lampwork beads? Well, there are two types of lampwork beads: Artisan made and what has been coined as imported or manufactured lampwork.

ARTISAN LAMPWORK

Artisan made lampwork is handmade by the artisan with great care and detail. These beads are properly kiln annealed (kept hot for the required time, and slowly cooled to realign the crystal structure properly). This tempers the glass making it stronger and more durable. Care is also taken to properly clean the bead release from the hole. **Please note, not all artisan lampwork will be kiln annealed, and should be labeled as blanket annealed if that is how they are made.

Artisan beads are unique often one-of-a-kind items which are used as focals in a design or creation. Some are made as matching sets. And all are well done and beautiful works of art.

The artisan lampwork community is also very knowledgeable in proper safety and working conditions. Molten glass gives off carbon monoxide and other dangerous fumes depending on what the glass is made from. Some glasses actually have metal in them, and these fumes can be unhealthy to inhale.

We are also very aware of the dangers of looking directly at the flare which occurs when glass is held in the torch flame. This can do severe damage to the eyes, and we buy special glasses or other eye safety gear to block those harmful rays. (the photo of the Bench Mount Shield is the type of eye safety I use)

IMPORTED LAMPWORK

Imported lampwork is still handmade. But we call them "manufactured" because of how they are made. Manufactured beads have come a long way in the last few years. But if is very important the buyers understand what they are purchasing, and the differences between artisan lampwork and manufactured lampwork.

The main "flaw" (for lack of a better word) of manufactured beads is the fact that they are not properly kiln annealed. You may often see visible cracks in the beads. However, sometimes these cracks will not show right away, but will appear later when the beads are mishandled or stressed in some way, like being dropped. Proper cleaning is another clue to help identify manufactured beads.

Manufactured bead | Artisan Lampwork

The above bead, on the left, is a great example of a manufactured bead that was not properly cleaned. You'll notice the hole is full of bead release, click on it to enlarge it for a better view.

So you have the combination of poor working conditions, improper annealing and uncleaned beads with manufactured beads.

CONCLUSION

So now you're probably wondering how in the world you can possibly tell whether or not you're buying artisan lampwork or imported lampwork. Even at craft and art fairs there are still many unscrupulous people who will buy imports and pass them off as their own.

Here are just a couple tips when searching for artisan quality lampwork beads:

Price: Artisan lampwork is always more expensive due to the time it takes to create a bead, the price of the glass, and the equipment/overhead cost to make quality annealed beads.
Volume: Immediate supply is a good gauge. Lampwork beads take time, and high volume may indicate the seller may not have made the beads themselves. Ask the seller how many sets they have of the same design/color. Chances are that some beads may be imports if they have many of the exact same sets of beads. This is just my thought, and in no way is a guarantee that the item is or is not made by that person. Look the person directly in the eye and ask them if they made the bead you want to purchase.
Quality. The bead hole should be nice and clean. There should be no visible cracks or sharp edges. (Please remember that someone just starting out in lampworking may not make "perfect" beads, but they'll make up for that in enthusiasm, which you'll feel when you talk to them!)

I hope this helps give a little more understanding on the quality and cost of artisan made lampwork. I'm not saying there should be no imported lampwork beads. But I do want to make sure people are aware and are able to choose the beads that are best for their budget and designs. And to help give a little more knowledge to buyers so they are not duped into buying beads they think are artisian made when they aren't.

AND THE WINNER IS....

2010-07-05T20:05:00.003-05:00

I want to thank everyone who participated in my drawing for Nobody Ever Gives Away The Good Stuff For Free!! I had 32 entries and Random.org chose #20. Can I have a drum roll please!!! *inserts drum roll*

The winner is Holly, from SpoiledBratzwear!! I want to thank everyone who commented and signed up for my newsletter and "liked" me on Facebook!! I love you all!!

Holly, just contact me with your address info, either via Facebook or ArtFire!

I know some of you worked your butts off, so I'll have a surprise for you all in my next newsletter, which is coming this week!!

Have you lost it?

2010-06-23T06:33:00.005-05:00

Do you ever feel that way? Like you've lost it? Lost your mojo, your creativity, your inspiration, your mind??

That's how I feel today. I've been pondering these odd feelings, and I've had them for some time now. And it suddenly occurred to me what I've done wrong-again!!

I get so wrapped up in the marketing aspect of my business that I forget why I started this. I didn't start GlasstasticTreasures because I wanted to learn how to market, I started because I love creating lampwork beads.

I haven't been at my torch in weeks, maybe a month. I can feel my creativity draining. I feel like I no longer have any idea what to make or what to do.

So, I think it's time to put the "business" part of my business on vacation and have some fun. And that means, you guessed it...LAMPWORK BEADS!!!

Time to fire up the torch and let the creating begin! woohoo!!! Feel free to let me know what you'd like to see when I'm done melting glass. I love to hear your ideas, that's the best inspiration I could ask for!

Nobody ever gives away the good stuff for FREE...

2010-06-17T19:28:00.007-05:00

...EXCEPT ME!!

That's right. Check out this awesome handmade key chain with one totally awesome handmade artisan lampwork tree bead :) I picked this great bead which is great for guys and gals, and has a great wow factor. And with the oil spill in the Gulf, we need to celebrate Mother Nature more then ever!

Is there a catch you ask? Well, of course there is. But it's nothing too drastic, I promise. But the more you do, the more chances you'll get ;)

All you need to do is:

sign up for my newsletter (it's on the right)
subscribe to my blog (also on the right)
blog about my drawing with a link back here
like my facebook page (let me know if you already like it)
make a purchase at GlasstasticTreasures during the contest period
comment on this blog post with which requirements you did and links to your blog and facebook page (Very important you do this so you get all your chances. This gives you an extra chance too, for a total of 6!)

It's as easy as that! I told you it wouldn't be too difficult. Do one & get one chance, do all six & get six chances to win!! The more you do the better your chances.

Here are the rules:

Fulfill one or all the requirements for chances to win. Each completed requirement will give you a number. Six total chances are available. The winner will be randomly selected by the super awesome random drawing site random.org . Contest starts on 6/17/10 and runs until 6/30/10. Comments posted after 6/30/10 will not be added to the drawing, maybe, well, I'm pretty sure. Drawing will be held the first week of July. The winner has one week after they are notified to provide mailing info or an alternate winner will be drawn. Winner will be announced via the newsletter so don't forget to sign up for that!! I might try to look you up on blogger, but if I can't find you or contact you that way, then that's going to be very very difficult!

Subscribers to my newsletters receive special deals offers and goodies. I won't ever send out more then 2 newsletters a month. As a matter of fact, sometimes I don't even send out one a month. There's just too much life interfering with my crafting!

I look forward to meeting all you great people!

Do you know - What lampworking is?

2010-06-13T11:49:00.004-05:00

Do You Know is a new blog series designed to offer information in a fun way.
I am all about fun, after all!

One question I'm often asked is, "what is lampworking?" I love this question because lampworking has such an old history. It's just amazing.

The term "lampworking" was actually coined because our ancestors once used oil-fueled lamps to melt glass. But our ancestors didn't just make beads, oh no!! Small glass vessels were a common item as well. How cool is that!

Today's lampworking is born from techniques mastered by Venetian glass artists. Previously, artistic beads were a European delicacy, but today people around the world enjoy the art of lampwork bead making. Especially me!

Today's heat source has evolved tremendously since single fueled oil lamps. Above I show a picture of my dual fueled Nortel torch. This torch uses propane and oxygen to produce a small yet hot flame. I'd like to thank my husband for keeping my gas tanks full!!

This information is just a minute bit of all the info that can be found on the World Wide Web. The internet makes it so easy to find out more about our world, including the great endeavor of lampworking.

Go ahead, research something! Learning is fun

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lampwork
http://www.theglassmuseum.com/lampwork.html
http://www.artofvenice.com/art/Lampwork1.htm

It's tough to be a grown up

2010-06-05T09:53:00.005-05:00

That's my feeling today. Oh sure, there are plenty of benefits. Like strawberry daiquiris , snuggling with your sweetheart in front of a warm fire, shopping sprees on payday. But you also have to make good decisions: what career do I want to do for the rest of my life; which is the best car for me; where should I invest my money.

Then there's the sucky decisions. Like the one I just made. I work full time and also, as you know, have an online shop called GlasstasticTreasures. Selling online is a lot of work and takes a lot of time. I've made great friends, joined some awesome groups, and learned a lot. But there's only so much time in a day, you ever notice that?

So, I had to make the very difficult decision to release some of my responsibilities. This one was hard emotionally. But logically it was easy. I wasn't spending enough time helping the other members and I would forget things. So, with sadness in my heart I had to say goodbye to the Fire Divas.

I met some great gals, and made some even better friends. And that's a wonderful thing. But, for now at least, I have a small hole where the group used to be. Oh sure, I'll get used to it, and it will fade, but after these last couple years it's still sad.

I won't say goodbye to the Fire Divas, just...hope to see ya around facebook and stuff. And hopefully when life calms down (yeah right) I'll be better able to rejoin them!

Get it free, now at Glasstastic Treasures

2010-05-23T10:38:00.005-05:00

If you've been to my ArtFire Studio and browsed my sections you would have noticed a Not-So-Perfect section were you could get some really great beads at some really great prices. Not-so-perfect doesn't mean they're not usable. On the contrary, they are quite usable. And I've had people ask me what was wrong with the items because they thought the beads were fine.

Well, there may have been a nick, or something a little off center or I simply wasn't happy with the end result. And I love to offer my customers good deals, and what could be better then a great price on a bead with a slight flaw?

Well, how about FREE! Yep, that's right. I'm now offering my not-so-perfect beads free with a purchase from my Studio. Each Get-Me-Free item has a coupon code and minimum purchase details in the listing.

So go check it out, and get some goodies for free! And check back often, as I'll be listing more items that you can get for free!

Sorry, but you've given me no choice!

2010-04-21T07:01:00.003-05:00

It's all your fault, you know. All you anonymous people leaving spammy comments on my blog! I moderate my comments you know. So every time your greasy spammy fingers throw a spammy comment on my blog I have to log in and REJECT IT!! Yesterday I rejected FIVE spams.

So really spam people, I'm not even reading your stupid comments or links or whatever you're putting in there. And I'm certainly not going to go to any of your spammy websites either.

SO STOP SPAMMING MY BLOG!!

I have now set my blog to accept comments from registered users only. Thank you! Oh, and the only spam I want to see is a gelatinous slab of SPAM fried on toast with lettuce, tomato and miracle whip! GAH!

Happy Anniversary Baby!

2010-04-20T17:46:00.003-05:00

It's been one year today!! Woohoo! My ArtFire Studio has been opened for one year today. Wow, I can't believe how quickly time flies.

I'd like to celebrate by giving you a gift, save 25% off any order using coupon code: ANNIVERSARY. Oopsie and sale items are excluded from this sale due to their already amazingly low prices.

Stop by, wish me happy anniversary, and check out my automated sales girl. She's on the right side. That's my sunny cheery voice, but unfortunately I'm not quite that cute! I also have some fun videos and other gadgets at the bottom of the page.

Enjoy!

:D

My, how time flies!

2010-04-18T07:48:00.002-05:00

Can you believe it? One year!! I've been with ArtFire for ONE whole year! And what a great year it's been.

You know, I have always said things happen for a reason. Let me elaborate....

Way back when, I needed a job so I could take care of myself. No more being a housewife/mother. Went to school, got a job, hated it. But met some cool people, made some great friends, had a customer talk me into going to college.

At college met some of my best friends every, loved school, loved the research I did. Graduated, got an awesome job. After 6 years hated the new owner, quit, got a crappy job with awesome people and great benefits.

Had a friend at this job talk me into taking lampwork classes, found my new passion, sold stuff on Etsy. Etsy started to irritate me, I moved to ArtFire, LOVE it, met some even more awesome friends (waves to all her great Etsy, AF and Plurk friends) which brings me to my one year anniversary.

That's my life all summed up in a couple paragraphs. And because I am really happy at ArtFire, and really do love all my great friends and customers, I need to do something special!

So stay tuned...more to come :)

Tax Day Freebie at Glasstastic Treasures

2010-04-15T06:43:00.002-05:00

Today only, enjoy free shipping on purchases of $10.00 or more. Just use coupon code TAXDAYFREEBIE2010 upon check out!!

Tax time can be stressful. And you certainly deserve a little something to cheer you up. So feel free to visit GlasstasticTreasures and enjoy free shipping.

Have a wonderful day! And here's hoping for a HUGE tax return for everyone!

What's In A Hollow Bead?

2010-04-09T21:18:00.004-05:00

Nothing but hot air, really. Well, air is something, after all. So let me explain ;)

A hollow bead is made by creating two thin disk beads close together, and curing towards each other. Creating two dome-like structures that curve towards each other. Then, finally, they are connected. The hard part is making sure there are no holes. Because, you see, as air is heated it expands and if there are holes, well, the air escapes. If the air escapes, the bead will collapse and no longer be hollow.

Easy to explain, but hard to picture, so I'll include a video I found on YouTube. Isn't YouTube great!! (She's listening to Pearl Jam, nice song)

Hollow beads are great for creating larger works of glass because air is light, and a larger bead will be lighter too. Nice for pendants. And perfect for my handmade fish beads! This adorable guy just might still be available in my ArtFire shop. Click on him to see.

Sanctuary....

2010-03-06T06:37:00.005-06:00

All the little grand children are sleeping on the floor like a indoor camp out. Coffee is steaming in the pot. And all I hear is the click click of the keyboard.

Ah, heaven. Early morning is my favorite time of the day. The quiet, where I get time to unwind from the stresses of the day before. I regroup my thoughts, make plans, dream.

Or sometimes I just goof off! Hey, why not? lol I am a grown up, after all!

swiekysiggies Rides the Crazy Train!!

2010-02-09T20:47:00.003-06:00

It's time to get back on the Crazy Train. Today, we feature SwiekySiggies. What great graphics! If you are in need of a sweet unique banner for your shop, then look no further.

You can also find some cool tags, logo designs and business card designs. Custom, premade, you name it. Check it out....

Hosslass Rides The Crazy Train

2010-02-04T03:00:00.000-06:00

The artwork done by Hosslass is amazing!! I love the rich colors, and the calming style. Horses, buffalo and eagles, the wild west comes to life with the soft touch of the brush.

What is Sanity, really?

2010-02-03T19:52:00.004-06:00

Do you ever wonder? I mean really!

I'm pretty sure it's not my husband who is in the bedroom yelling about how his legs are cold. And apparently none of the 8 million blankets we own will ever be able to warm him up. And I'm supposed to drop everything I'm doing to go warm up his cold legs.

Apparently he totally forgot that it's his fault his legs are cold. I mean after all, he makes me work a day job.

Seriously, I only have the evenings to work on my lampwork business. And it's really hard work too. I mean my fingers get so sore from typing and all the plurk....I mean work stuff I have to do. All because I have to spend all day at work. Working! Gads.

When what I really would rather be doing is making beads and plurking...I mean working (why do I keep doing that?) After all, I don't have time for keeping legs warm! I'm too busy with my second job which I love WAY more then my day job sitting in a cube being a Dilbert.

So hubby, if you want your legs warmed up you're going to have to let me quit my day job. There's no other way to solve this!

Blue Moon Inspired Challenge for the Fire Divas

2010-01-31T15:59:00.001-06:00

In honor of the blue moons this month, The Fire Divas are holding a January Blues Challenge! You can see big pictures of the entries below, then vote for your favorite on the Fire Diva Blog! The voting will be open for one week, and will end on February 7. Please go vote!

Entry #1

Entry #2

Entry #3

Entry #4

Entry #5

Entry #6

Even the best of intentions can go awry: beware indie artisans

2010-01-24T20:57:00.005-06:00

Last year a bunch of indie artistsans from ArtFire and Etsy rallied together to raise money for a fellow artisan, Larry Hamm. Prizes were donated, funds were collected. Money was given from the pockets of the sellers themselves. Many did not really have the funds to donate, but our friend needed a surgery. Right?

We had a great auction, raised thousands of dollars, I think somewhere around FIVE grand. Invoices were sent out. Larry was sick, in and out of the hospital. He would come online long enough to tell us he was in the hospital and then nothing.

Pretty soon people started getting antsy. They wanted their items, and we wanted to get our donations mailed out to the winners. Emails were sent to Larry and pretty soon he just never bothered to respond.

Was he sick? Was he even okay? We had no way of knowing. But we did know he wasn't coming out of the woodwork. NICE!!!

Then, the wonderful couple who hosted the fundraising auction disappeared. Advertising was sold, money was given to them, and then they disappeared too. Hmm. Huckleberry Arts and Blockhead Radio (BHR). Very nice people, or so we thought. Friends? We thought so. But we were wrong.

Being friends with Annette of Huckleberry Arts, I agreed to a trade of $100 worth of custom made beads, and I also gave a free $35 bead, was traded for a years worth of add space.

Then they left town. Packed up for and adventure. Never to be heard from again. It's been a months of emails from various artisans, with no replies back. I waited patiently for BHR to come online again so I could see my add. Nothing.

Until one day the site came back up...under new owners. Fricking nice!!! Excuse my language, but I'm sure you understand.

I feel terrible having to write this out loud, over the Internet. But please, PLEASE! Be careful of how much you give to others. They will take advantage of you if they can. Not all of them, but the ones who will are watching, and waiting. They offered great advertising at even better prices. Only to give nothing.

My husband always says, "No one ever gives the good stuff away for free." And that's true. And in this case the old saying, "too good to be true" plays a big part.

We all wanted to help Larry. We all wanted to believe that Annette and Rod would be great friends and even better advertisers. But we were wrong.

And so I say, even the best of intentions can go awry. We tried to help a fellow artisan, and it appears we've been scammed.

So please beware, be careful. Don't offer too much. We think they'll be back, because we were too kind, had big hearts, and opened our pocketbooks and offered a piece of ourselves. And were taken for a ride.

No wind in the hair, no sunshine on the face, so sigh of contentment. Just a swift jab to the gut.

Happy Belated New Year

2010-01-11T05:50:00.002-06:00

I'm sitting drinking coffee, wondering where 2009 went. And yes, I realize it's already the second week of 2010, but I have to tell you all Happy New year.

I'm hoping to find more time, to do what-I'm not sure, but more time. Running an online business takes a lot of time.

Oh wait, tax time is just around the corner, so I'll have to find more time.....some other time! Sure, isn't that the way it goes? Dang!!

I'll be back to blogging again, now that the Holidays are over. Hope you all can find the time you need to get everything done!

6060 Rides The Crazy Train

2009-12-12T14:09:00.002-06:00

Crafters of soft and plushy stuffed animals will love the googly eyeballs of all types offered in this shop. 6060 has a great variety of colors, sizes and designs. Get your teddy bear ready!

Vote on the Fire Divas Thanksgiving Challenge

2009-11-22T15:45:00.002-06:00

To celebrate the season of giving, the Fire Divas are having a Thanksgiving Challenge! Some of our members have made wonderful pieces for YOU to vote on. First, enjoy viewing these wonderful treasures. When you're done, please vote for the bead you are thankful for on right side of the Fire Divas' blog. The voting will stay open for one week - then the winner will receive a really cool prize!

Click here to go to the Fire Divas blog and vote, see the right side of the page! Thanks for voting! We appreciate your time :)

JewelOrry Rides the Crazy Train!

2009-11-21T07:44:00.003-06:00

What a delightful little shop JewelOrry is! It's full of crystals and shiny silver and bright colors. I love it! Just think of the people you can cross off your Christmas shopping list with some great items from this shop!

Check it out...

Butterfly-Crafts Rides The Crazy Train

2009-10-26T18:46:00.002-05:00

Butterfly-Crafts Cards and Gifts is the perfect place to find great greetings for any occasion, and some other goodies too!

I love hand crafted cards. And with Christmas just around the corner you can't go wrong!! I love the cards featured in this shop. Check them out, and you'll see what I mean!

"Not all treasure be silver and gold, Mate."

2009-10-15T18:52:00.003-05:00

...Quote Jack Sparrow.

The ArtFire Stalkers guild is usually hard to detect, hidden in the shadows and lurking behind doors. We watch, we wait, we post links to our victims' awesome shop items and dare others to look at their creations!!

But we're not ominous! We're really a lot of fun And we'd like everyone to join us in our Stalker Treasure Hunt. There will be great prizes donated by our very talented and stealthy stalkers.

It's your turn to stalk the Stalkers! Check out our blog starting October 15th for details! Get details, see prizes.

Something wicked this way comes....wickedly fun!!

Catinalife Rides the Crazy Train!

2009-10-06T05:38:00.002-05:00

Catinalife has the most amazing jewelry items! It is like a gemstone candy store with all the yummy goodness going on in there! And what amazing wire work jewelry as well. Catinalife is a great jewelry artisan and I can certainly see there are many beautiful items that would make wonderful and unique gifts this holiday season!

Take a peek, you will be amazed!

Aquariann Rides The Crazy Train

2009-09-21T18:57:00.003-05:00

One of my all time favorite artists is Aquariann on ArtFire! Her artwork is fantastic, romantic and whimsical. She is the creator or beautiful creatures from fairies and dragons to pirates with parrots.

She has bookmarkers, magnets and framed art! I love the vibrant colors and can feel a world of wonder open in my imagination every time I visit her shop! Just take a peek....

CreativeCritters Rides The Crazy Train!

2009-09-05T09:11:00.003-05:00

CreativeCritters is such a fun ArtFire studio to visit. She's a true polymer clay artists, and her items range from fashionable to whimsical and fun! What a great place to get some great unique gifts for the coming holiday season!

DoMosaics Rides The Crazy Train on ArtFire!

2009-08-29T10:15:00.004-05:00

This is such a fun shop, with tons of unique gift ideas! ArtFire is a wonderful place!! Go and visit DoMosaics to knock off some of those items on your Christmas List!!

SpunSisterDesigns Rides The Crazy Train

2009-08-26T13:28:00.001-05:00

Oh, do I love lampwork beads and gemstones. Earrings and, well, all kinds of jewelry. This is a really great shop with tons of unique gift ideas. Check out SpunSistersDesigns!

KraftlyLady Rides the Crazy Train!

2009-08-13T19:55:00.002-05:00

Oh, I have to tell you that KraftyLady's shop is FULL of amazing Christmas items. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas!! But wait! That's not all she has. There were a couple of oh-so-adorable hand knit baby dresses. I really wish I had a baby to buy them for. And she has some beautiful jewelry, and felt ornaments, and....and....well, you just have to go see for yourself.

Enjoy a browse and have some fun...

Smiss00 Rides the Crazy Train on ArtFire

2009-08-09T16:13:00.005-05:00

Smiss has some awesome hair clips and pony tail accessories! I love the fabric covered buttons :) She also makes rings from them, they are adorable! I also saw some bobbypins and jewelry! Just take a peek below, and go visit her shop :D I know you want to!

Believe it or not.....

2009-08-06T05:29:00.020-05:00

The holidays are just around the corner! I know it seems too soon to think about it, but if you plan ahead, you can ease the strain on your pocketbook, AND get some really unique gifts that your family and friends will simply adore! And ArtFire is the perfect place to shop!

It's easy for me to say "shop early", and I am usually the one in the stores on Christmas Eve...well, close to it! But when you buy handmade you can't wait til the last minute. Because items are usually one of a kind and totally unique the don't usually last long.

Now, if you know someone who loves jewelry, lampwork beads, or both, have I got a great shopping experience for you! Just take a peek at my lampwork beads. Find something you like? Great! Now what? How about we build you something totally one of a kind. Let's go.....

You can buy something already made, like this--->

Or, buy separate components and make something really special, like maybe this....
<--- And mix it up with some of this...
My pendant posts and findings will create something really unique for you -->
:)

And get something cool, like this pendant below!

So, this holiday season, don't forget to shop ArtFire.com for unique gift ideas. Did I mention unique gifts, all handmade? Yeah, I think I did!

aKimberlyDesigns Rides the Crazy Train!

2009-07-29T05:23:00.002-05:00

aKimberlyDesigns has some absolutely gorgeous artwork! She also has beautiful jewelry and she has awesome little purses! Check her out :)

Read more about her on her Artists Bio.

JewelryByJoy Rides the Crazy Train

2009-07-25T07:07:00.001-05:00

Take a look at the beautiful jewelry below! JewelryByJoy really has some talent. That wire wrapping is so stunning! Check out her shop!

HeatherDesigns Rides the Crazy Train!

2009-07-23T05:44:00.003-05:00

HeatherDesigns is a great studio, full of handmade lampwork beads and jewelry. She also has ribbon and cording for your beads! This is one awesome shop, go ahead, visit her studio! Enjoy :)

Andrea Designs Rides The Crazy Train

2009-07-20T08:27:00.001-05:00

AndreaDesigns knits some awesome handmade scarves and shawls! And she has some really cool colored yarns! Take a peek and go visit her shop and take advantage of her Christmas in July Sale!! This lovely summer isn't going to last forever!

One Great Giveaway

2009-07-19T09:46:00.003-05:00

Don't miss this great giveaway by GemsByJerri. I was just visiting her shop and bought myself some great little packs of gemstones! Can't wait to make some cute little necklace and bracelets with some of these beauties. Amestyst, Jade, and Moukaite Jasper are just a few of what I bought.

Now don't forget to got to GemsByJerri's blog and find out how you can participate in her great giveaway! Here are a couple pics of some items you just might win!

Oh, and I wanted to show you my favorite item in her shop. Turquoise! LOVE IT. Okay, you ca stop drooling now!