WANTED: Pictures of your Jewelry Stash

Last year I blogged about several jewelry holders/trees that my hubs and I made for my Christmas jewelry shows and party. I have since been keeping my eye out for ways that people display/store their jewelry and have always wanted to blog about how I stash my jewelry (my method may surprise you)! So, I am calling for submission of what your jewelry stash looks like! Are you organized, or anything but? Do you hang your necklaces up or lay them down neatly in a antique jewelry box? Do you spend most of your time re-hanging your necklaces carefully or carefully untangling them? (This interesting little earring holder was found on Amazon - oh the places you can go on that website!!). I want to hear from you! Drop me a comment on this entry or e-mail me (christyn.beadup@gmail.com) with your method and a picture or two if you want to really make me smile! Everyone who submits will get FREE SHIPPING on anything in the Bead Up shop! Here are some interesting jewelry holders I found on Etsy:

Wall Mounted Asymmetrical Jewelry Tree, $85 Frame your bling, upcycled re-purposed hand-painted aqua blue jewelry holder, $16.95 Pink Sparkle Flower Earring Holder/Wall Display, $16.50 Attic Treasure Trinket Box, $50 Kiwi Green and Red Jewelry Tree, $32

And last but not least... Barbie Jewelry Holder, $20 There are no words, ladies and gentlemen!

New Items and A FABULOUS Giveaway!

Sometimes you just need a little ::umph:: to get motivated to get a daunting task done. Take for example posting new items on Etsy. This used to be one of my favorite aspects of selling on Etsy. Well, let me rephrase that -- SEEING my product finished and listed on Etsy is one of my favorite parts, actually photographing, measuring, and describing the items can be a little tedious. That said, I have had quite the pile of "new" items that I made before my Christmas jewelry shows. At the time, I figured I would show them and then post on Etsy that which didn't sell. Needless to say, this task has been hanging over my head for 3 months! So yesterday when I found myself with a whole day with nothing on the calendar, as I was staying home sick from work so as not to infect my colleagues with a head cold that's building, I FINALLY got around to listing some of said new items! Click on each image to see it's Etsy listing! The other main ::umph:: reason to get back on the ball was because Bead Up got alot of online visits yesterday! My dear friend Nilsa wrote the most lovely blog entry on the necklace I made for her a few weeks ago. Not only did she say some flattering things about Bead Up, but she and I also collaborated for a GREAT GIVEAWAY, featuring the following products! Also - anyone who mentions Nilsa's blog during checkout when buying a product from Bead Up will get FREE SHIPPING! It doesn't get any better than that, lovelies! Click here to enter the giveaway now :)

Nesting and Crafting and Showing and Selling!

Merry Christmastime! I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving break and are just as excited about this next month as I am! I had a very productive Thanksgiving weekend. Between eating and sleeping and cooking and cleaning, we also put up our tree and other Christmas decorations, went shopping on Black Friday, washed our cars, cleaned our closets, did laundry, went to the jewelry district, spent most of Sunday at church, had dinner(s) with friends, and even found a few minutes in there for me to nap, knit, and scrapbook! I would have to say it was a very productive weekend! I also finished a necklace that has been on my to-do list for far too long this weekend! A seminary friend of mine asked me to recommend some jewelry from my shop for her to give two new mommy friends of hers. While I showed her a few pieces I though would fit the occasion, I also told her that I was thinking of making an item I have had on my mind for awhile - a hand wrapped wire birds nest with pearls. Holly loved the idea and was kind enough to give me all the time I needed, which came in handy once I figured out how much wire these little guys need! After ordering more 24 gauge wire off of Amazon (a beading first, since my usual online resources only offer expensive sterling options), I finally reserved the time to make these little guys. I am not going to lie - they were a bit challenging, especially since I am not a wire-wrapping goddess! Either way, I think they turned out well... well enough to post in my shop! Speaking of posting in my shop, today is the last day to buy ANYTHING in Bead Up's Etsy shop and get FREE SHIPPING! I think the sale went well this weekend - I even sold a large order to someone in Australia! Lastly, if you didn't make it to the malls on Black Friday or still have some Christmas shopping to do and are in the LA area, let me invite you to come and check out all the Bead Up carries at one of two shows I am doing this weekend! Here is the information:

Friday, December 4th 1-7 pm, Burbank, California Providence High School's 7th Annual Christmas Boutique located in the school's MPR room (click here for directions). In addition to having a Bead Up booth, this show will also feature gift baskets, sterling silver jewelry, brittle and other Christmas sweets, and a raffle. From what I hear, this show is a big deal :) Saturday, December 5th

4-9 pm, Redondo Beach, California (south of Manhattan Beach) Riviera Hall Lutheran School's Who-ville “Christmas Means Something More” Boutique located in the school's Rygh Hall (click here for directions). This one promises good food, sales, and even some live entertainment, too!

I will of course be spending this week making new and re-newed items for the show and also my Etsy site :) The hubs and I scored lots of great deals this weekend in the jewelry district and I am excited to show them to you! It's going to be a crazy busy week - but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Holiday SALE! Free Shipping!

Etsy is having a HUGE Black Friday-Cyber Monday SALE this week - and Bead Up is fully IN! Bead Up is offering

FREE SHIPPING

on EVERYTHING in the shop! That's right - get it while it's hot! Click here to start shopping!

I literally spent over an hour today re-tagging everything in my shop to be included in Etsy's annual sale :) To find Bead Up's and other great Etsy products on sale, search for "EtsyHolidaySale" or "EtsyFreeShipping" in the search box on the Etsy homepage. Support handmade items and their sellers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I love you, Wednesdays.

Because, seriously, Friday is still 2 days away. I love you, Wednesdays is my bloggin' attempt at a.) shutting up about my products and sharing the love of others' with others! and b.) sharing sources of inspiration that often stands behind my jewelry and creative process. The following confession may mark the end of your readership, but I need to be honest. I have never liked the 4th of July. Now, let me be clear - I don't dislike it because of what it stands for. Au contraire. I love America and the freedom we have gained from events such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. But what I don't care for is what the 4th of July has turned into for many Americans - a chance to get drunk and sunburned while roasting animals on the grill (there's the vegetarian in me coming out!). I think fireworks are a waste of money and aren't all that great for the environment. And I have never been one to dig the American eagle or any other airbrushed on leather or thin white cotton t-shirts representation of what my freedom apparently means. I really hate the feeling that I am required to engage in any of these activities on the 4th of July when, in all honesty, I would rather take a nap or clean my craft room (which of course would mean I am un-patriotic, right?).

::stepping down off the soap box::

Whew. There, I said it. Moving on. That said, I DO like stripes... and I do like stars. And, as seen by last week's post, I love red polka dots... and I do like light and dark blue. Thus I LOVED these candles and napkins I bought from the TAG outlet store in Chicago. Here is a picture of them on my desk at work. I especially love the star, stripe, polka dot, and light blue modifications! Now this is a 4th of July decoration that I enjoy!

Seems like fellow Etsians dig the combination, too... look what I found!

Check out what else they have up their sleeves!

paperandcake, steppie, KMThomasDesigns, meganbalaban, LolaFalkDesigns, jennysbakeshop, NinisHandmades, SeaPinks, mooshoopork, mamax2, simplyserra, Itybitybags, thenook, thelab, wburley74, NinjaBowTique.

I must admit, I am LOVIN' that super cute rabbit card at the top, and the Sofie Clutch is hip! And the "Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake" print - my kind of 4th of July celebration! And can I give a thumbs up for the "American Ninjas," too? And that "Ellie the Elephant" clutch - how did the artist know I had a stuffed elephant named Ellie? I want them all! If these things can be part of my celebration, I guess I can't dislike the 4th of July after all! In fact, to prove that I am not a 4th of July Grinch, I have an announcement to make. ::mike check. testing 1-2. ah-hem::

FREE SHIPPING from now until July 5th! Let's celebrate our freedom with FREE shipping on all items in my Etsy shop! (discount will be reimbursed after PayPal payment). Get it while it's HOT!

Let's just say the 4th of July - no, our freedom - inspired me :) So, what inspires you this 4th of July?