purple | Bead Happily Ever After

No beige for me!

Posted on June 23, 2010 by crystal

You’re probably familiar with the following line:

“When I am an old woman I shall wear purple…”

from the poem, Warning by Jenny Joseph.

I figure I’m way ahead of the game on this one…

I’ve been wearing purple ever since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. 😉

Someday I’ll be a little old lady who boldly wears purple, or fuchsia, or red!

But ya know, kids, it occurs to me that we haven’t gone shopping together in months! So, just for fun, let’s pop over to etsy and see what we can find in purple! (If you’d like a shopping trip in your favorite color scheme next time, just holler!)

Fashion meets art with this gorgeous shawl from sweetknitting.

There’s something special about handblown art glass. This vase is from infiniteglassworks.

As an iris-lover this adorable wristlet purse from KnitzyBlonde caught my eye!

Here’s a lovely linen and crochet pincushion from namolio.

And finally, a pretty Hydrangea Pillow from dedeetsyshop.

‘Til next time,

Giveaway – Fairy Tale Necklace

Posted on May 10, 2010 by crystal

Hello, hello!

I’m so glad you stopped by. 🙂

Welcome to my weekly giveaway!

Today, I have a sweet little necklace that’s sure to add a bit of sparkle to a summer neckline. It’s airy and delicate, and perfect for a sultry day, when heavy jewelry can feel too hot to wear!

I’ve used beautiful Swarovski tanzanite crystal pendants and bicones, along with silver-lined glass seed beads. The necklace features an extender chain so that you can adjust the length, as you wish. All findings are sterling silver.

Contest Rules and How To Enter

Any day you leave a comment on this blog – it is counted as a chance to enter that week’s giveaway.

For example, if you answer today’s question (you’ll find it below!) that will give you one chance.

But if you then come back another day this week and comment on a different post – you will have earned another chance in this week’s giveaway! There are usually 4-5 posts per week – Monday through Friday – so you can have multiple chances to enter!

When you comment you do not have to mention that it’s an entry in the giveaway. My blog program shows me all of the “comments” as they come in – so I do not miss any of them, and all will count to be entered into the drawing! 😀

Today’s question is:

What do you love about summer?

The Boring Stuff . . .
You must be 18 yrs. old. After the completion of the contest, the name of the winner will be listed here. The winner will also be notified by email. If the winner fails to respond to email within 3 days from the time notification email has been sent, the win will be null and void and a new winner will be chosen. The prize will be mailed via USPS First Class Mail

All entries must be received by 9:00 p.m. EST on 05/16/10, and the winner will be selected on or about 05/17/10.

Violets and Lace

Posted on November 24, 2009 by crystal

If you know me even a little, you probably know that I LOVE purple!

So… I was absolutely powerless to resist this week’s color challenge over at the Play Date Cafe. 😉

The color palette for Challenge #5 was Purple, Lt. Blue, Silver and White.

Here’s my entry . . .

(click photo twice to enlarge)

I used a pretty blend of beads here including:

Vintage Lucite “Icy Shimmer” Elongated Ovals available in my shop!

Vintage Moonglow Lucite “Paper Lanterns” available in my shop

Swarovski Crystals, Czech Crystals

Swarovski Faux Pearls

Silver Bead Caps.

These weekly challenges are not only fun but they’re also great for inspiration AND motivation!

And when you stop and think about it – what could be better than that? 🙂

Giveaway – Lilac Moon Pendant

Posted on October 5, 2009 by crystal

Happy 1st-full-week of October!!! 😀

Hope you had a lovely weekend and welcome to my weekly giveaway. Today, I have a sparkling little bauble that would make a wonderful holiday gift or maybe you’d prefer to keep it for yourself.

As I often say . . . “Nothing sparkles like a Swarovski.” Well, this pendant has four of them! The focal point is a 10mm faceted round crystal in light amethyst. The accent crystals are also light amethyst – but with an aurora borealis flash that reflects a rainbow of blues, greens and purples.

This pendant is suspended from an artisan-crafted sterling silver bail, which should accommodate most chains in your collection. Or perhaps you’ll wear it on a leather or satin cord!

Measurements: just over 2″ long – including the sterling silver bail.

Contest Rules and How To Enter

This week, you will have up to three (3) chances to enter the weekly giveaway.

You can choose any or all of the following 3 ways to enter:

1st Chance:

Leave a comment answering the first weekly question:

Name a website that you visit daily.

2nd Chance:

Leave a comment answering the second weekly question:

When you choose a greeting card, which is more important to you – the words or the picture?

3rd Chance:

Comment on any other post except this one. You can do it today or another day this week. You do not have to tell me that you left a “comment” on another post. The blog program shows me all of the “comments” as they come in – so I do not miss any of them! 😀

The Boring Stuff . . .
You must be 18 yrs. old. After the completion of the contest, the name of the winner will be listed here. The winner will also be notified by email. If no valid email address is given at time of entry, or if winner fails to respond to email within 3 days from the time notification email has been sent, the win will be null and void and a new winner will be chosen. The prize will be mailed by USPS First Class Mail.

All entries must be received by 9:00 p.m. EST on 10/11/09, and the winner will be selected on or about 10/12/09.

Where’s the beef – I mean BEADS!

Posted on July 30, 2009 by crystal

Since the banner on the top of this blog says “Bead Happily Ever After”, I should be posting about beads some of the time – or at least about things that are made with beads, right? Right! 😉

Here are a few things I finished last week . . .

This first pair of earrings feature elegant Vintage Swarovski round faceted beads in a gorgeous shade of forest green aurora borealis called “Turmaline AB”. I think they would be beautiful for bridesmaids in deep green gowns – maybe for a Christmas wedding!

Speaking of weddings, these earrings are a marriage of Czech baroque-shaped glass beads and Swarovski crystals in one of their newest colors, “Air Blue Opal”. The blue has an iridescent quality that coordinates very well with the swirling blues and rose pink hues of the Czech beads.

Finally, because you just KNOW I’m gonna make something purple if I have the chance, here’s a bracelet in a classic style. Tanzanite Swarovski crystals and high quality cat’s eye glass beads are accented with beautiful floral bead caps.

What are you working on lately? Hope you can find a little time to make something soon . . .

Remember! Crafting truly is like taking a vitamin! 😀