Though Linsday confesses she is OCD when it comes to her jewelry collection and drawer, I would like to introduce you to her contender: Rachel Zoe. InStyle magazine recently did a magazine feature on the Bravo star and how she organizes her own jewelry creations (which she features on QVC). In one word: excessive. At least she admits to being loud in her style: "I'm definitely not a minimalist and definitely over-the-top. In my mind, being overdressed is not a bad thing at all. What's the worst case scenario? That you are the best-dressed person in the room? Who cares!" Um, sure, if that's what you want to call it! Here are a few pictures:
Well, John's day has finally come. After months of searching, I finally found a mustache charm that I thought was Bead Up worthy:
Of course John bought a few already ;) Can you blame him? John already blogged about it:
"ok, this is the coolest thing to happen to me in this lifetime. my friend christyn has an etsy store. she makes a bunch of great jewelry and even does custom orders. somehow, we started this game where we’d pass on links of mustache jewelry and other mustache related goodness. i’ve always told her that the day she makes a piece of mustache jewelry, i would be the first to buy it. today, the 15th of mustache march, i did just that (if there’s a bigger creep out there who bought it before me i’m a little scared). since i don’t have anyone to give this to, i guess it’s time to start wearing jewelry."
Click here to see the Etsy listing - and note that they are available in both gunmetal/antique silver and bright silver!
(While you are at, you should really take a look at John's online store of college-related clothing and accessories. The dude in your life will thank you for it!). John even has a doggie blog and did an entry about Ping, my new doggie, a few weeks back :)
Do you have a concept/idea that you would like to see Bead Up carry? I really dig these kinds of requests -- though to be fair, it may take a few months for me to find the parts! If you have a request and I successfully am able to carry it on my Etsy site, you will get a copy for FREE (unless it's one-of-a-kind, then I will include free shipping instead)!! So... leave a comment on this post or e-mail me at christyn.beadup@gmail.com ! The next featured item could be yours (and could even be free)!
Along with this simple and fun Strawberry Necklace...
Or this Butterfly Necklace as well, but.........
The one I instantly fell in love with was the Wishbone Necklace!!!!
It is so simple and I really love it!! I was able to review the Wishbone Necklace and I couldn't be happier. I wore it with a nice brown sweater and skirt to church on Sunday and it laid perfectly for all to see. I had a couple ladies ask where I got it--they had never seen one like it!! I would recommend it with a v-neck, lower-neck line blouse or dress, or a turtle neck higher neck line. The chain is shorter and I think it would look best with these types of clothes.
Now for the fun part, Christyn is generously offering one of you the WISHBONE NECKLACE that I was able to review!!"
You heard it, chickas. I figured that you could use another way to enter to win this darling little necklace. Not that I am a new dog owner and am getting into the habit of feeding treats to those whom I love to make up for my absence. It's not like that at all...!
Speaking of which, have you had the chance to enter my other 2 giveaways?
Not quite sure why it took me so long to find the website Regretsy, but once I did, I was both touched and humiliated. More touched, really. Regretsy is a website dedicated to, how should I put it, "interesting" items on Etsy. The kind that you would perhaps find in a freak show or a trash heap. Or make in 5 minutes during a team building retreat with objects found within reaching distance. My husband was the humiliated one that my jewelry was on the same site as the other products on Etsy. I figure it's good marketing because it makes all my items look all the more better ;) But rather than ruining all the fun with my words, why don't I let the pictures do the talking, mmmk? (Click on each picture to see the actual listing - though be warned that lots of stuff on Regretsy is for "mature audiences" - so this is your fair warning -- Bead Up of course does not endorse any of these products!)
And my personal favorite, read the text at the bottom:
Man, these totally make shopping for Christmas gifts a lot easier ;) On a totally, hopefully not Regretsy-ish level, Bead Up is having another giveaway!! My sorority sister Lindsay and I are giving away this precious little necklace:
(here is an aerial shot of the floor and arrow pointing to the Hubs on the right and me on the left!)
I spent the next half and hour in awe of the studio itself. I have heard that it’s not as big in person as it looks on TV, and though I logically understood that, I was completely amazed with the small size of the studio (this was also the same studio in which they filmed So You Think You Can Dance, which was also small but felt a lot bigger than DWTS). The dance floor itself is about the size of a half-basketball court, and the “large” staircase is no more than an exaggerated flight of stairs. I made sure to see through the wife-angle camera lenses when they walked by me – those things were also catching fish-eye angles! The camera could be literally underneath an object in the air (like a chandelier) yet catch it at the top of its screen (my camera seems so ghetto in comparison). Having been placed directly behind the judges table, I was also amazed with how primitive the thing was. It was merely a series of 2x4’s and dowels painted up, with rickety chairs behind them and little leg room. Each judge got several bottles of water and a can of Red Bull, in addition to their score pallets and personal notebooks.
We of course could not see the dance floor in it’s entirety from where we were seating (we had prime views of the judge’s backs!), so from time to time I stood up to see who was making their appearance on the show. To my amazement, Sharon Osborn was sitting a mere 5 feet away with some of her friends. Next to her sat Latoya and Joe Jackson (dress in all black – still). Across the dance floor sat Iron Chef’s Mark Dacascos’s wife and three kids, next to (and chatting with) Gilles Marini from last season, who also sat next to a gal from the show Brothers and Sisters, in which he is co-staring this season. Down the row sat Marie Osmond and “all of” Donny’s kids and family. And for whatever reason, Joey Lawrence and Jason Biggs sat at the first row of the VIP section at the end of the set. He spent most of his time chewing gum and checking his phone.
In attempt to kill time but keep the audience involved, the emcee asked if any guys were willing to come forward to shake their groove things. One really flamboyant teenager gave us a show that will be hard to forget and left us all laughing. Then the emcee asked for any ladies who wanted to dance – and of course yours truly was the first gal on that dance floor ;) He had me do the Beyonce, and running man, and the Charlie Brown (though I did my best, I had to be careful not to fall out of my dress!). I returned to my seat with the realization that, though I will never be famous, I indeed just got to dance on the Dancing With The Stars floor! Wahoo!
With a few minutes before taping left, the emcee announced the judges. Carrie Anna InabaLen Goodman, who looks in person exactly as he does on camera and acts just as stuffy (in a loveable kind of way!). Then came Bruno – who literally shook his THANG on the stage until the emcee told him to stop and take a seat. He then finally came to his chair and I said “Shake it Bruno!” He turned around and gave me a little “What’s up?” look ;) It was going to be a long night for him with me sitting with a direct view of his tush ;) looks grand with a beautifully long and golden dress that suited her perfectly. She said hi and waved to us as she took her (double cushioned) seat. Next up was Len Goodman, who looks in person exactly as he does on camera and acts just as stuffy (in a loveable kind of way!). Then came Bruno – who literally shook his THANG on the stage until the emcee told him to stop and take a seat. He then finally came to his chair and I said “Shake it Bruno!” He turned around and gave me a little “What’s up?” look ;) It was going to be a long night for him with me sitting with a direct view of his tush ;)
Before we knew it, the lights dimmed and Samantha Harris and Tom Bergeron took the floor. Samantha wore a BEAUTIFUL navy pearl necklace and chandelier looking earrings along with a long blue cheer dress. She glowed as if it was her wedding day (how does she do it?). Tom looks as ordinary as ever, but he had some great one-liners when put on the spot during the evening. The footage of last week’s show began playing on the side screens as the heads of the dancers poked out behind the staircase. The light came back up and we were forced to cheer our lungs out (and thankfully I still have a voice today!). The celebs and their dancing partners strutted down the stairs as the band played loudly. I still could hardly see them with the judges booth in the way, though figured it was worth it. Each dancer took the floor as footage of last week’s individual dancing playing on the side screens. It was especially interesting to see how they prepared for their dances. Some people were totally focused and didn’t interact with anyone (Chuck, for example). Others, like Chelsie Hightower and Louie Vito, watched the footage on the screen and laughed at what they said. Aaron Carter and Karina interacted with the crowd (Aaron LOVED the attention). (to watch the first half of the show, click here).
We could only see the tops of the dancers heads during the performance, which was kind of a bummer but totally worth it (I mean, come on, we get to be on tv!). The gal sitting next to me, who knew nothing of the show and kept asking me who everyone was and what they were famous for, kept complaining that she couldn’t see and wanted to switch seats (are you kidding me? We are going to be on TV!). She therefore took it upon herself to CRAWL to the side of the judges table during each performance in order to see the dances from the floor. If you watch closely, you can also see her standing up during most of the performances, as if she had special access and privileges that none of the rest of us had (another case of LA narcissism). I made a point to try to lean over toward my husband, who had a better view than I did, during the judges’ critiques in order to at least get my necklace on camera. Of course, my husband, who was having a near panic attack when we were first seated in fear of being on TV, was the one who was seen on camera in nearly every shot of the judges. All you can see of yours truly is the side of my hair. LAME! (here are some of the MANY shots of the Hubs on the right).
During one of the commercial breaks, the emcee walked toward us and mentioned how he feels for us since we can’t see. I told him it was OK since we had a prince view of Bruno’s butt ;) As if I hadn’t embarrassed myself enough (who am I kidding? I love this stuff!), he then had me say that into the microphone for everyone in the audience to hear. Bruno turned around and said that they should charge me more for the show, and proceeded to do a little dance of some sort for me. He then blew me a bit of a kiss and said thanks. Later on, during the next dance after Mya performed, Bruno again started moving his butt, which of course induced a shrill on my part. You can barely see it on camera, but Bruno turns around and gave me a little lick of the finger and wink afterward ;) I guess that was my 2 seconds of glory (see it at 32:30 and on the second clip). (Here he is looking back at me... I love Len's confused face!;)
Other noteworthy moments included waving to Sharon Osborne, having model Joanna sit behind the judges booth before her performance and say “hi” to us (that girl is literally the size of a 10-year old around the waist – I can’t image her ever being to bear children with those itty bitty hips!), and watching Marie and Donny Osborne sign dolls of their 80’s selves that someone in the audience brought out of adoration (creepy!). Oh, and during Donny and Kim’s dance, he flipped her around and I was the first to shriek “AH!”
Before we knew it (at least me, anyway, I am sure the Hubs was ready to go!), the show was over and the whole cast was standing in front of us again. They had us stick around for a few extra minutes after to get some additional crowd reaction audio footage, during which Melissa Joan Hart stood right in front of us for it's duration (I loved Clarissa Explains It All as a kid!). We were herded out of there (involuntarily for me, I wanted to try to make my way backstage!) and back in the gray and cold LA evening. Our phones (which we had to leave in the car) were loaded with messages asking “Was that your Hubs on DWTS?” We rushed home to see that, indeed, Hubs had a better seat (albeit against his wishes) than I did and made nearly every camera shot of the judges. I guess Bead Up’s TV premiere will have to wait until another day...
If you live in the LA area or are willing to travel out here to see a taping (seriously, there was a lady in the audience who flew in from
My first award! Thanks so much, Cherry Tart - I am honored! Make sure you check out her blog, too = she does super cute graphic design and even features yummy looking recipes, too!
So the rules now are that I have to list 15 other blogs that I dig and inform them that they have won the award, too :) So here they are, blog of people that I already know or have met along the way that I dig. And in no particular order:
Beading clearly makes me happy :) Here I am in front of "Happy Beadium" in Chicago (and yes I am aware that I am wearing clashing colors!). I had hoped to get pictures in front of every shop we visited, but got so caught up in the moment that I forgot!
That said, I plan to bead for the majority of the weekend and have lots of new things to post next week. I had hoped to finish more items this week, but I ended up selling several items I WORE TO WORK to some co-workers (they had to force me not to just hand them the items right off of my neck!) and spent my evenings filling their orders (while watching So You Think You Can Dance, of course). The only thing that might get in my way is that my parents are arriving tomorrow for a 3 week (yes, that's 21 days) visit. Riiiiiiight. So I might not get much work done after all. Fingers crossed.
Here's to a great weekend!
