Serena's Bead Blog

Etsyhacks via greasemonkey

2009-06-13T19:36:00.003-05:00

Listing on etsy just got a whole lot easier. I love etsy, but hate listing stuff there. Or I used to. I just discovered the most helpful site to make listing there just so much quicker. Its called etsyhacks. I guess this fellow's wife sells on etsy and he is the official geek-in-residence. I am so tickled that he has chosen to share all these wonderful little treasures. So far, I have installed bulk image uploader, fast tagger, section counter, copy listing, subtotals and a few more. These are all ideas I have wished that were available and now, in a flass, they are. There are still more hacks that I am sure I will enjoy, but this is a super start.
It has inspired me to get back to selling on etsy - just 2 items for now, hopefully more before the day is done. I'd love to be in a spot to be only selling more ready made items and not quite so much made to order. Someday....

Wanna see pictures from my time at Bead and Button last weekend. Hope to get that done realy soon. :)

Road Trip

2009-06-04T08:36:00.002-05:00

Headed to Bead and Button for my very first time! Woohoo. Can't believe I've never been since in my home town. Lots of firsts for me this weekend. More to come.....

more than frustrating

2009-02-03T13:05:00.005-06:00

The pussy willow tree in the backyard that I am going to miss dearly. It was right outside my kitchen window and was absolutely gorgeous.

The family out for a walk. This is on a dirt road near our house. Hard to believe this is even a roadway.

The warm and cozy studio.

ICE!! -pretty but yet so destructive.

Woke up this morning to no power! Ugh, this is more than frustrating. I got to make about 6 beads yesterday. In between cleaning, sorting, emailing, printing invoices, and running errands I hardly even got started on filling orders. Now I wish I would have just skipped some of that and just gone into power bead making mode. Since I can't go back and change that, I am just going to send out a huge apologys for all the delays in getting your beads to you. The wind was blowing rather hard this morning and I assume something new fell on a pole somewhere. All the ice has melted out of the trees, but its still covering the ground. Plus there are lots of 'widow makers' hanging in the trees everywhere.

Oh well, don't know what to say about my order filling progress. Email me if you are concerned about your order. The above pictures are ones I took when we were still out of power last week.

Ah, warm sweet home

2009-01-30T19:42:00.002-06:00

We have power! 70+ hours with no juice hanging about in less than 300 square feet with 3 inches or so of ice covering everything has been interesting. And even now that we have the entire house to enjoy, the four of us are sitting within arms reach of each other.

I have to say I really enjoyed the time spent with no electronics. I thought I would go stir crazy without my laptop, but I didn't even miss it. Although, I would be completely alright with never having to experience another ice cold toiled seat again. The house is all electric, but my studio has a vent less gas heater so that is where we have been bunking since Tuesday afternoon. Its just a hop, skip and a jump from the back door, but can seem quite far when you have to go potty at 6am. We stayed plenty warm, but space was tight by the time we spread out foam pads for sleeping.

I also pulled out all my beads and findings and stuff and created lots of earrings and a couple of necklaces. I will show everything off in a few days when I get myself back on track. I also hope to have some wild icy images too. Elijah even made some fancy necklaces that I proudly wore today.

Now to sift through an inbox full of unread messages I have been avoiding...... Not quite ready to get back to work.

Too much ice!

2009-01-29T10:35:00.002-06:00

Just a quick update from a friend's house. We are without power and have been since Tuesday afternoon. My website seems to be down for one reason or another. We got about 2 inches of ice and have lost a few trees. I have no idea how long this will last, but we are alright. I have heat in the studio, just no water. We have ventured out to take showers and get more supplies.

Disappearing act

2009-01-26T12:20:00.002-06:00

I might be pulling a involuntary disappearing act in the very near future. Besides suffering from the sniffles and feeling sick, we are supposed to be hit by a nice wintry storm. They are forecasting that we will be getting anywhere from 1" of sleet to 2" of ice. So, if I become nonresponsive, don't feel ignored. Just picture me sitting all snugly under a few layers of soft warm blankets with my own personal heater (Elijah) and a cup of tea.

New Special Production Colors

2009-01-22T21:15:00.003-06:00

I just finished listing some new special production sets from Bullseye on eBay. I hope to have many more bunches like these in the future. Bullseye produces some wonderful one time colors, but I have a hard time offering them on a made to order basis since they can vary so much from throughout a batch and even from rod to rod. By selling these gorgeous colors in a 'ready to go' format, we both win. I get to play with some of these to die for colors and you get to see them (and hopefully play with them too) more often. So don't be bashful if you like what you see. Let me know if you would like to see more like this and what colors.

Now to see if I can get you some links and pictures! And, it worked. Each picture should link you directly to the eBay listing.

Estancia Designs Deep Red Lampwork with Fine Silver Swarovski Crystals and Sterling Silver Earrings

2009-01-16T09:36:00.001-06:00

Estancia Designs Deep Red Lampwork with Fine Silver Swarovski Crystals and Sterling Silver Earrings
Originally uploaded by estanciadesigns

I have to say I was quite tickled to have stumbled onto these earrings this morning. I was hopping around Flickr this morning and found myself attracted to a couple pairs of earrings. Not much of a shocking thing for a self proclaimed earring addict. What was so delightful about these particular earrings was the fact that they were made with my beads. I just LOVE how these look. Estancia, you did a fabulous job of showing off these rather basic beads with fine silver. Yum, yum, yum. Thanks so much for the mention too.

What's coming......

2009-01-13T22:20:00.002-06:00

There is going to be a definite slow down in progress of all sorts around here starting tomorrow. DH, Mike, is having his shoulder fixed after a ....ah....um... skateboarding incident last August. Ladies, never forget to tell your guy not to take up skateboarding after 40. Believe me, nothing good will come from it. So, tomorrow, we get to leave out of here by 6:10 to get to Springfield in time for his surgery. He will be in a sling for 6 weeks. We'll see how long that actually lasts, but I can guarantee you, I will not be getting orders out as efficiently as expected. Hopefully, my chief bead cleaner and cook will recuperate quickly (and quietly, without complaints - might as well hope for the best, right?) and I don't go insane from trying to take care of it all myself.

order update and eye candy

2009-01-06T16:24:00.003-06:00

Everything paid for by 10AM on the 4th is in the kiln and should ship tomorrow. The picture is a glimpse of some beads coming up soon.

shipping update

2008-12-29T17:42:00.002-06:00

Just a quickie note to say that most orders are done, but since we had to venture to Springfield (2+ hours away) nothing shipped today. They should all ship tomorrow minus the one I have to finish. Email me if you are curious enough to see if yours is ready. Thanks!

new color alert - SEDONA

2008-11-28T09:54:00.002-06:00

OK, note to self: take better picture of sedona. This one really does not show how wonderful this new color is. Of course, its not brand spanking new. It has been around for several months I believe. But its new to me and my color gallery. I did a quick web search and could only find one other blogger's mention of this fun one. Here you will see that Dragonjools says talks about the manfacturer's number and that it is new. But this isn't so. The ever so expensive and highly sought for Streaky Pink also has this number (Which, btw, I need to take off that page and put on the odd lot page since it isn't a regular color. It is most definitely an odd lot and, in my opinion, was a catalyst in creating the craze for all future odd lot colors.) But for now, on my site, Sedona will be numbered 1257a to keep it unique.
So, back to talking about Sedona. I haven't played with this one too much and don't have anything worth sharing, but its a dusky pink, maybe even a browner version of evil purple - at least it shares some of the evil purple's detrifying torch issues.
Anyone have more comments about this one? I'd love to hear it!

Ahhhhh....earrings!

2008-10-10T08:38:00.002-05:00

I have a rather large and tender soft spot for earrings. Why? I don't know. Does it really matter? It won't change anything. When I shop for beads, that is what I focus on. Will it work for earrings? Are they too big/too heavy/too long? Why are they sold in an odd amount? What will I do with that extra bead? I know I am hopeless, but at the same time there must be others out there just like me. There must!
Another thing I don't know is why it took me so long to start designing earrings with my own beads. I have a rather large collection of earrings I have made over the years, but only recently began using my own lampwork beads. I need to do that more. So to stimulate my creativity, I am gong to start sharing my finished pieces with you. (I have actually made a few necklaces too!)
First up is a pair with pink and violet lampwork beads with a matte finish. I believe these are one of the longest ones I have, but I probably won't wear them with these long kidney earwires. I only used those for photographing them because they work so well with my brass candelabra. Yes, you read that right....I haven't even worn them yet. I don't even know if I own anything that matches....ugh. But I am so in love with these silver flower diamond shaped beads. Sure wish I could remember where I got them.
So, critique me. I would love to hear what you think. Would you wear them, what would you change, what can I do to make them better? Come on...I can take it!! I do wish I had a smaller gauge chain on hand, but they are still very stable.

SALE: Free etching

2008-10-01T08:39:00.003-05:00

Its a bit of a sale! On my website, I have just taken away the extra fee for etching your beads. Etched beads can really enhance a color, but because of the extra cost I think some folks shy away from playing with these too much. Now's your chance!
Did you know that etching is done with an acid and actually removes a small layer of glass?

2008-09-29T21:18:00.005-05:00

A few more new colors I missed. Oops!

Count von Count

Plum

Triton Lustre

Triton Wavy Disks

New Colors!

2008-09-25T23:03:00.008-05:00

I have been super busy working on adding new colors to both my website and eBay. Enjoy! The pictures will take you to my website, the name will take you to eBay. I would love to hear what your favorites are. For me, I am most looking forward to playing with pink champagne, chalcedony, and stone ground.

Pink Champagne
Desert Pink

Eggplant

A new web category

2008-09-23T10:20:00.003-05:00

I created a new category on my website called Website Exclusives. Everything listed here will only be seen on my website.
I sell my beads in several different places - eBay and Etsy are two more locations. Most of my business comes through eBay, which is great. That's where you can find anything ranging from single color spacers to bead sets and my fancy woven beads. Nearly all store inventory items (as opposed to auction listings) are made to order. More recently, I started selling on Etsy. My goal for that site it to listing mainly items that are ready to go. I do have a small category of some made to order items, but they are clearly marked. So far I am loving the idea of everything going out the door the same day it sells or darn near close to that. My hopes are to let that grow more and more.
My motives in offering certain items only on my website is to encourage more to use it for their lampwork bead needs. There are several benefits for you in shopping there. You don't have to order a set amount of different styles or colors. Most items are offered 'by the bead' with fairly decent discounts when ordering only 4-6 beads. You can also swap out colors to customize sizes, colors, finishes, or shapes to suit your needs. So check out Serena's Beadery (also home of the ever-growing Color Gallery) and let me know if you have any questions or requests!

Glass Bead Caps!

2008-09-19T09:35:00.004-05:00

I am so excited about this new bead style. Its a slight twist (or bend) from my wavy disks. Its a bead cap! Or at least that's one way to use it. I keep coming up with more and more fun ways to use these. I currently have some listed over on eBay.

Put them together like this for a light and airy bead hive look. Transparent colors really glow and show their true colors. I keep thinking some seed beads strung under a pale shade would be fun too.

Here are some with a few of my hand mixed spiral wavy disks.

Here they are with a 15 mm raku spree. Now to try them with a diamond shape!

And they nest together nicely too. I will have to try some different transparent colors to see how different colors will affect each other.

Computer issues

2008-09-07T18:59:00.002-05:00

Since Thursday everything seems to be breaking down computer wise. I have dealt with chargers that won't charge, software that won't run, and DSL that hasn't exactly been provided. Before I could even figure out how to deal with one thing not working right, the next issue was already in my lap begging for my attention. So, in other words, I am feeling highly disorganized right now and owe quite a few emails.
The charger issue for my laptop is fixed and I am nearly recovered and caught up on emails from being down from that, but I now find myself without my #1 auction management software program. It just up and quit working for me and it seems as though the whole program has been abandoned by the programmer. I spent most of yesterday researching alternatives. Since I first started selling my own lampwork beads over 5 years ago I have been using a program called Shooting Star. It was great and was the backbone to keeping me sane (aka organized). Right now I am feeling bit harried, irritated, and slightly confused as to which program to go with. I need to do more research and testing. Unfortunately, y'all get to be my guinea pigs as I try out a few different programs.
So, this morning I get up feeling a bit refreshed and ready to compare some minor details of a couple of different programs and I have no internet. It just finally came back about an hour ago. How frustrating to have all this stuff happen just about all at once. Hopefully its done and I can get a bit done tonight to prepare myself for a crazy week ahead! :)

So what would you do?

2008-08-27T09:13:00.002-05:00

First let me start by saying I hate shopping for anything but beads or glass. There I said it! Shew. I especially dislike shopping for big items like refrigerators and washing machines. There are just so many what-ifs and around here its hard to actually physically look at the product before you buy it. I have to depend on these little teeny tiny online pictures that aren't always accurate anyhow. Yes, there are the user reviews that you can't get when you walk into a brick and mortar store, but some of those negative ones can really scare you from buying anything at all. Basically, its all fine UNTIL something goes wrong. Right?
Remember that fridge I was anxiously waiting for? Its been here for nearly a month and I am not too terribly pleased. I am happy with my choice and I think in the long run it will be great, but its not working just so. It all started with the silly little flap on the ice dispenser. It doesn't close itself. I noticed from the beginning frost on the ice bucket inside the freezer and worried that something wasn't right. Then I figured that all those cubes on the kitchen floor were just from careless 5 year olds and their new found love of iced anything. Since that flap doesn't close itself, the ice in the bucket (which is in the door, btw) slowly melts creating moisture in the freezer (hence the frost). So now we get to test out a major store's customer service and repair shop.
So at nearly the exact same time that we are learning about the downsides of a rebellious ice flap, our washing machine quit working. Oh joy. And yes, we did decide yesterday which one to get. It just so happens to be the exact same brand as the refrigerator and I would be buying it from the exact same store. (For the curious, this is the fridge -- those reviews weren't there when I was fridge shopping and I am not having slow ice making issues -- and here is the washing machine.)
But the refrigerator saga continues. Its seems that now the fridge part is not keeping everything as cool as it should be. Its only around 60 degrees in there rather than the 37 like it should be. Its been 2 days since we first called the repair shop about the ice flap issue and we haven't heard a thing back from them. In my opinion it shouldn't take that long to set up an appointment to have this thing looked at. Granted the ice flap not closing isn't a major issue and can be put off, but what if it was something major like my milk is going bad because the fridge isn't working!!!!???? Why do I have to go over people's heads just to get something done?
So, with laundry quickly piling up and everyone running out of clean underwear do I just rush out and buy that washing machine so that I might get some laundry done or hold off until the fridge fiasco is taken care of just to see how it plays out?
Oh, such an exciting life I lead?

Cramming 2 into 1

2008-08-26T09:24:00.002-05:00

Its been awhile since I could find the time to say anything here. Life has been a bit stressful with all the back-to-school preparations, end-of-summer last minute to-dos, and who knows what else. While I was emailing a wonderfully friendly customer of what my day today is going to entail, I decided to copy and past a portion of that note here for all to be enlightened. (Hi Mom!)
Today is turning into a whacky day. My washing machine has quit working in a way in which it was purposed. We have always just bought used machines and they will just last and last for quite a while, but this last one only lasted 6 months. Ugh. So we are considering a new one this time. There’s nothing more exciting than shopping for a new washing machine. Can you hear my sarcasm. In between a full day of bead making, I also get to clear the kitchen table (at dinner time, no doubt) for my laptop repair guy. I fortunately paid for the complete care form Dell when I bought my machine. This means that when the cat jumps into my lap and grabs one of the keys and breaks it, I can get this guy to come to my house and fix it for me. Sweet.
If I manage to get this all done today, I will be pleased.

Greener choices

2008-07-22T23:12:00.002-05:00

I stumbled upon a discussion on LE about making greener choices. You know - changing all you incandescents to fluorescents, checking your vehicles' tire pressure, or running the thermostat a couple of notches up or down - in order to save fossil fuels. I would have to consider myself somewhat conservative already by many standards, but am not too naive or cocky to admit I can always make greener choices for some of my everyday activities. So here's a list of things I have adjusted recently. Other things like recycling, choosing products with less packaging, or using both sides of a piece of paper before disposing of it are all things I have been doing for years so aren't included here. This is just new stuff.... :)
*Biobubble - I use bubble wrap just about every day to protect my little glass beads. I've been searching for more eco-friendly shipping options that won't break the piggy bank and make each and every package weigh more. Up until I found some recyclable bubble wrap I had not found anything that seemed to work. Ah, bubble wrap that won't be around forever and a decade! I am also testing out using poly mailers over bubble mailers, but am unsure of those still. They take up a lot less room and therefore I assume use alot less resources but I'd love to find more pros and cons about these 2 choices. So from now on if you bubble wrap from me is blue, its recyclable!
*New energy efficient refrigerator - This one didn't happen so much by choice, but it is still a welcome addition to my kitchen.....can't wait for delivery day!!!
*power strips for TVs - I still have one TV to go (its in a weird spot and I need a longer cord) , but now all TVs are on a power strip that can be turned off when the television is not in use.

There are several more things that I am working on, but I think I will leave those for another day. So, what changes have you made recently?

More new style disks

2008-07-11T09:35:00.003-05:00

Another round of my renewed lampwork wavy disks.

Jay's Pandora Tubes

2008-07-08T07:41:00.002-05:00

And how about some new pandora lampwork beads from Jacob.....

A new look

2008-07-06T08:32:00.002-05:00

Here is a new look to the same wavy disks that I have been making.