iridescent | Bead Happily Ever After

Welcome back Kids!

How was your weekend? 😀

Sir Beads and I enjoyed ours. It was the perfect blend of rest, chores, and fun with the family.

Some of my happiest moments as a child were spent with a small plastic bottle of watery liquid soap and a bubble wand. What bliss it was to to sit on our front steps, and dreamily blow strings of colorful bubbles! Magic, for sure!

This week’s giveaway features gorgeous Czech glass beads that bring back memories of those iridescent bubbles and how they glinted in the sunshine!

I’ve added limited edition Swarovski crystals that coordinate beautifully with the “bubble” beads! All findings are sterling silver, including the artisan-crafted ear wires. Overall length is 1-1/2″.

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:

Describe your favorite snack, your favorite shirt, and your favorite piece of jewelry. 🙂

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 06/06/10, and the winner will be selected on or about 06/07/10.

Do not adjust your set – this picture is not upside down. 😉

I had to take it at this angle to get the colors to photograph realistically!

Here’s a necklace and earrings that I made for a special order. Can you see that the button-shaped beads have a swirled texture and an iridescent finish? I used a mixture of Czech and Swarovski beads, and the color scheme is a rainbow of teal, violet purple, and royal blue, along with touches of black.

Taking pictures of jewelry can be quite a challenge, especially if the piece is very reflective, or glittery, or in this case – has an aurora borealis flash on it.

From time to time, a customer will write to me, after she has received a piece of my jewelry, and say that it’s even “prettier in person”. I hesitate to write those words in a description, because I fear that it sounds like an exaggeration, but it’s often true! Most jewelry really is more beautiful when you have it in your hands. A photo just can’t capture the sparkle and 3-dimensional shape.

I do keep trying to get better photos, though! It’s comforting to read that even professional photographers struggle when it comes to pictures of jewelry. In fact, many of the very high-end jewelry stores allocate a hefty portion of their budgets to hire only the most talented photographers for their catalogues and advertisements.

Besides lots of practice, good lighting is key. Carol gave me a tip about using a plastic wastebasket for a light box, and Luciana sent this link, which describes how to make a light tent from a cardboard box! There’s also a wealth of good information on photographing your artwork in the etsy forums.

If you have any tips to share, I know we’d all love to hear them!

In the meantime, you can find me putting the camera on the tripod and practicing . . . some more!

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Bead Happily Ever After

Tag Archives: iridescent

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