Supplier Sales Saturday

If you haven't already started working on other holiday items, now that Halloween is here and you've only got 25 days 'til Thanksgiving and just a few weeks after that comes Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, Kwanza, etc., and then the New Year...here's where you'll want to be shopping for your sparklies and goodies!

abeadstore.com Beads, Findings, & Beading Supplies are 15% off through November 4. Dare to Bead Different items are 25% off enter the coupon code ABSCADARE as you check out.

Everything on sale at AlphaStamps all on one page! This is my go to place for mixed media projects. It's a richly designed site, lots of ideas and inspiration. If you're not familiar with AlphaStamps, you need do visit right away. Even if you never work with anything but beads, stones and findings, you'll still want to visit. They've got findings and charms and more stuff you can use. Sign up for their newsletter here.

Artbeads Pendants and Charms on sale, 15% off until 9am (PST) on Thursday, November 5, 2009 - enter coupon code SCW15P-PCS at checkout . Also, always check the: Weekly Coupons Clearance items, Weekly Specials. - there's just too much stuff on sale to list here (but the Red and Black sale has my attention). Subscribe to the newsletter for exclusive newsletter deals, too.

Update! The Beadin Path just sent me info on this deal: "Lucite Bead Coupon! Fresh vintage lucite has just been added. Retail customers: Use coupon code FRESHLUC to save 20% on your entire purchase. Wholesale customers: Use WFRESHLUC to save 10% on your entire purchase. Offer valid now through Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at midnight EST or at store's close. Offer available for in stock items only. Orders are filled on a first ordered, first served basis, while supplies last."

According to my newsletter, Blue Buddha Boutique has "LOWERED prices slightly for18ga and 16ga AA rings".

ChoiceJewelrySupplies.com Save 15% on economy jewelry findings, more than 80 jewelry clasps & findings on sale.

Consumercrafts.com find discounted items in the Hot Buys categories.

Create for Less: Save up to 70% off when you shop the CreateForLess Clearance Department. Craft, scrapbooking and sewing supplies. Save on idea books, patterns, paper, stickers and more. Quantities are limited. Also, check the Weekly Specials.

D&I Beads 40% off orders over $35.00 ends tomorrow - use coupon code BEADSPECIAL40 - you can also select a free shipping option (US only)

Dry Gulch Beads & Jewelry valid between 12:01 am, Friday, October 30 and 11:59 pm, Saturday, November 7, 30% off entire purchase of beads, findings and jewelry. The discount does not apply to shipping or insurance fees. Use the code, HALLOWEEN in the comments box in the shopping cart during checkout.

Fusionbeads.com - check out this page for specials and a discount code good through November 2nd.

A Grain of Sand - in their latest "Jabber Blabber" newsletter (subscribe) they're offering 10% off $100 if you enter code "Welcome Grandbaby" in the comments at checkout (congratulations on the new arrival!). There's also the Jabber Blabber Specials and Closeouts to take note of.

JewelrySupply.com weekly sales refresh every Monday and Closeouts are offered while supplies last. Newsletter sign up is here.

Kalmbach Bookstore (Art Jewelry, Bead & Button, and BeadStyle Magazines) is having a Special Editions sale.

Lima Beads Lunch Specials are every Tuesday - sign up for their email reminder.

Magpie Gemstones has a number of great deals going on - check here for the closeout specials (it was 30% off Olive jade beads last time I checked) and if you subscribe to the newsletter before November 30th, you'll be entered in a $200 shopping spree drawing.

Rings & Things - 5-day sale ends tomorrow.

Also, check out Sedonastones.com Clearance items pages and subscribe for great email offers.

I get the weekly newsletter from Shipwreck Beads as well. I don't recall seeing any coupons or discounts, though. They do offer flat rate UPS shipping for $5 in the 48 contiguous states and a huge selection. Plus every week newsletter subscribers have a chance at a prize drawing of at least $250. Every now and then it's $1000. (like yesterday...which I didn't win... again) And on January 1, 2010 they'll announce the winner of their $2500 shopping spree. Sign up for the newsletter here.

Soft Flex is offering 50% off their exclusive short strand gemstones through midnight PST Monday, November 2nd. Enter coupon code SWEET at checkout. This offer is not valid with any other discounts. If your purchase qualifies for two or more discounts, you will receive the best discount, but not a combination. Don't forget the Soft Flex monthly specials, either. (and here's a handy link showing how to enter a coupon code at checkout!)

Trader Lou's has many gemstone pendants on clearance sale you could incorporate into your work. They also sell beads, gemstones, and supplies.

Don't see your favorite online shop here? Just leave me the link in comments and I'll be sure to check them out and share their specials and sales here.

Also, if you follow* this blog, you'll never miss a sale because you forgot to check - I'll be delivered right to your reader or Blogger dashboard every day!

*Look up at the uppermost left hand side of this page - see the boxes that say "search blog" "flag blog" and "follow blog" - just click the "follow blog" box!

As always, sign up for the supplier newsletters where offered, to get special offers and early notification of great deals. Most of the info you see here, you could have seen earlier this week in the supplier newsletters, 'cause that's where I found it!

Come back tomorrow to Wander the Beadosphere with me - so much to see out there!

Tuesday Tidbits - Halloween Necklace

Owl graphic from Graphics Fairy

Some time ago I did a Friday Pick from Rings & Things with a Halloween necklace in mind. I've finally gotten around to making it, and I thought I'd share the process.

First off I tidied up and set out all my stuff. I've left the bags on the mat for these pictures. I do leave stuff in the original bags (or save the labels) so I know what to re-order if I run out - and so I can identify what I've made stuff with - I didn't always and learned better over time. I don't usually line them up like this on the mat, they're normally on the right side of the work area, since I'm right handed.


Here's a close up of the rubber tubing I'm using, wooden cat charms and rubber tube ends. The cat charms come in left facing and right facing and are plain wood. I am considering some sort of decor on the charms, just not sure what quite yet. Those experiments come later.

I was enticed to try using rubber tubing by Margot Potter - she features it in crafts on her blog, in her Beyond the Bead and there are also pieces with it in Bead and Wire Jewelry Exposed which she co-authored with Katie Hacker and Fernando DaSilva.

I've put the tools I'm going to use in this nifty holder right in front of me so they're easy to swap out as I need different ones. You'll note the Baby Wubber flat nose pliers - those are from Blue Buddha Boutique and simply wonderful - they fit my small-ish hands perfectly, the grip is soft and non-slip, and the very smooth finish on the pliers doesn't mar the rather delicate matte finish on the jump rings at all. I'm also using a flush cutter, bent nose full sized Wubbers pliers (everything except the 'fit my small-ish hands' above applies to these, too), and round nose pliers, to make the simple loops.

I have these great 7/8" gunmetal headpins from Rings & Things. Great because there's so little wastage when I make a dangle with tiny beads, because the finish does not chip or flake, even when I'm less than extra cautious, and because the finish color is true gunmetal. I also liked the matte black jump rings from the Black Lace (from Michael's) assortment for this necklace because they practically disappear on the black rubber tubing, so I used them instead of gunmetal. However, the black headpin/eye pin coating will chip and flake when you use them for a wrapped loop, if you don't treat it with the utmost care, and even then it might anyway, which is the ultimate reason I used the gunmetal ones from Rings & Things, instead. The matte black jump rings didn't have the flaking/chipping issue when I opened them, although they were easily marred if my tools (yes even Wubbers) slipped - which with such tiny rings happened. I used a Sharpie to color in the flaws. Unfortunately, as you'll see further on, it turns out the idea I had for them didn't work out so well.

Ok, so now you know what's going to be on the necklace, on to how I assembled it.

First, I put one Swarovski 4mm bicone from the Rings & Things Kokomo assortment and one gunmetal bead (I am not exactly sure where I got them - I have the bag, but there's no supplier logo or name printed on it!) on a headpin.



I trimmed the head pin by about a quarter inch. I don't actually measure that with a ruler, I use the distance between my fingernail and base of my left index finger as a gauge for the length I cut off, but I decided to actually measure it for this post. Then I made a simple loop, hung it from a Black Lace matte black jump ring and moved on to the next color Swarovski to do the same again.

As you can see from above, I'm making all the dangles first, then I'll "string" them on the rubber tubing.



I also made a couple "black cats on a wall" beads using two oval wooden beads, Ranger jet black archival ink and black embossing powder (purchased at Michael's). I used just the top part of a rubber stamp from Alpha Stamps (Feline Expo) by covering the bottom half with tape before I inked it.

These oval beads plus the round wood beads are recycled from a beaded belt I've had in a 'junk bag' for years. I really don't remember how I ended up with a wooden bead and faux leather string belt. Must have been some fashion delusion I had in the 80s when I had a waistline...

Anyway, I was not happy with the way the crystal dangles looked because of the way they were clumping together when I held the necklace up as if hanging from my neck. I had hoped for a cool, swinging type of attachment, but that was not to be. So I un-strung the whole thing and took the dangles off the jumprings. All that careful effort for naught. Such is life.

Here's where I am now - dangles hanging directly from the tubing. It's definitely not finished. I just haven't been hit by the right particle of inspiration for what I'm going to do next.

Any ideas? I did consider embellishing the wooden cat/moon pendants, but I'm kind of liking the folksy bare wood look. By the way, the "line" on the pendant that creates the cat's leg - it's carved straight through the wood, not drawn on or burned in. Nice touch. I have a lot of these, I plan on making some earrings soon and listing them on ArtFire.

Come back tomorrow and read about some magazine contest stuff I've participated/am thinking about participating in.

FTC compliance disclosure notice of material connections: All items referenced in this post, with the exception of the Kokomo mix Swarovski crystals and Baby Wubbers, were personally purchased for the express purpose of creating this necklace.

Friday Pick - Halloween Necklace Picks from Rings & Things

Image courtesy of Graphics Fairy - Halloween Vintage Clip Art

I've made my Blog Partner choices from Rings & Things and since I want to make a Halloween necklace, I'm working on a design using the items pictured below.

Photos from Rings & Things Online Catalog - see below for product links

From top to bottom and R to L:

• An unfinished wood charm - I built the whole idea around this. I think will give the charm a copper and gold coating with metallic paints or inks - I actually purchased 3 of these charms - two right facing and one left facing so I can also make earrings to match.
• Swarovski Crystal Pearls - 6mm bright gold - there are lots of these as they're sold at five 24" strands per package, so I'll use them generously and also have leftovers for other Autumn jewelry.
• Black rubber tubing - 25 meters (approx. 82ft) of 1.7mm hollow matte rubber tubing...I can sure make a lot of stuff with 82 feet of tubing!
• Gold plated tube end
• Crystal Jams "Kokomo" 4mm faceted bicone assortment, #5301 CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements - there are enough of these in the assortment to make the necklace and embellish the earrings plus use in a bracelet.

When I make the necklace, I'll post a picture (maybe even a 'how to') of it and give a guestimate of the cost - even with all the Swarovski, I don't think it'll end up being too pricy.

There are a number of fun Halloween themed items featured at Rings & Things - glass beads, metal charms...if the beads themselves don't inspire an idea, check out the Design Gallery.

Hope you visit tomorrow for Supplier Sales Saturday & maybe a picture of something I've finished? Depends on if I actually finish anything!