MOTHER'S DAY SALE

Mother's Day is just around the corner on May 13th.  I'm really busy at the store making new pieces of jewelry which I hope will find new homes during the Mother's Day holiday.  So here's a little sale to help fund those pieces we'll be making to fill our shops with fabulous jewelry for the occasion. 

Use Coupon Code - MOM2012 - To receive 15% off your entire purchase at Havana Beads on Etsy. Type this code in the coupon code area when checking out so it's automatically applied. Sale will run through May 1st.  Enjoy!

Enjoy your day,

Raida

NEW GOODIES ON ETSY

I've been busy this week creating new beads.  I worked this week with a wonderful customer on a new creation, "A double sided head pin".  This was a real challenge!  I made the head pin on a thicker 20ga wire instead of the usual 22ga. wire to help me work on the other side of the head pin without the bead drooping and falling on my table.  All in all I'm happy with the results, but more importantly so is my customer.  Here are some pictures of the head pins and some other goodies I posted this week.

Double Sided Head pins.  They're approx. 4" - 4 1/4" long, 20ga. copper.

Some new Sparkle Bead Colors

Black Raku Sparkle Beads

Seascape Silver Sparkle Beads

Butchart Gardens Silver Sparkle Beads

Enjoy your Day,

Raida



EARTH DAY AT THE FISH HOUSE ART CENTER

It's Earth Day at the Fish House Art Center today.  We will be having some fun today at the Fish House with giveaways, music, and food.  Come on by between 12 - 5 p.m.  I'll be having a little fish pendant giveaway, and Elizabeth the weaver will be raffling off her trike.  I'm also making some yummy brownies to share and other artist will be sharing other goodies as well.

Here's my little fish pendant.  Come by for a chance to win him.  No purchase necessary.

Fish House Art Center

4745 DeSoto Avenue

Studio B2

Port Salerno, Florida

Enjoy your day,

Raida

WRAPPED, STACKED & LAYERED CHALLENGE

Welcome to the Wrapped, Stacked & Layered Challenge hosted by Tracy Statler of Make Bracelets Blog. Thanks Tracy, this was a lot of fun!  The challenge was to use one or two bracelets that you already have and add several more to make for a stacked look.  This is what I came up with.

Here they are all stacked up.  Not easy to keep them this way for the picture!

Here they are on my wrist.

This one was made with little peanut seed beads, czech glass, silver beads and one of my lampwork leaves and some little flower and leaf dangles.

This one is made with my ceramic beads, glass seed beads and waxed cotton.  Check out Erin Siegel's easy tutorial to make your own Knot Bracelet here: Art Bead Scene - Tutorial - Sliding Knot Adjustable Bracelet.

This was my original bracelet.  The one that started it all.  This one has leather, autumn jasper and a lovely button by the Fire Goddess.

My last bracelet is a wrap bracelet or necklace.  This one is crochet with glass seed beads, czech glass, silver beads and a pretty silver button.

This one is long enough to wear as a double necklace.

The list below are the participants in this challenge and the links to their blogs.  Check them out!

Enjoy your day,

Raida

Make Bracelets Blog
Ahtees Blog
Song Beads Blog
Sadafulee Blog
Bead Lola Bead Blog

Strings Attached Cindi Blog
Carolyns Creations Wa Blog
Cathie Carroll Blog
Chris De Weerd on Pinterest
Beat n Heart Blog

Stories They Tell Blog
Tell Your Girl Friends Blog
Mamas Got To Doodle Blog
Copperdiem Blog
Copper Penny Designs Blog

Greenshoot Blog
Twenty Twelve Blog
Creations De Mon Coeur
Elizabeth Marengoal hajas Blog
Treasures Found Blog

Erin Siegel Jewelry Blog
Ferrari Originals Blogspot
Handcrafted Serenity on Facebook
Paisley Design Studios
Pixiloo Blogspot

Hint Jewelry Blog
Silver Rose Designs Blog
Daisy Chain Designs Jewellery Blog
Jazzierich Blog
Jkdjewelry Blog

Jeanette Blix
Glass Addictions
Jerris Jems
How I Enjoy Life 7997 blog
Over The Moon Design

Kate Richbourg Blog
Karen Kaplan on Pinterest - Stack-it-up-bracelets
Kimmy Kats
Kym Hunter Designs Blog
Lamp Light Crafts Blog

Lelamccracken Blog
Going Tribal on Etsy
Inspired Adornments Blog
Lorelei's Blog
Fresh Baked Designs Wordpress

Lindys Designs Blog
Mary Harding Jewelry Bead Blog
Maureen Meanswell Blog
Maybe Just Perhaps
Bead Recipes Wordpress

Teka and Zoe Blog
Miri 100 Blog
Melissa Meman Blog
Kensho Studio Blog
Beading By Malin De Koning Blog

HAVANA BEADS BLOG - YOU'RE HERE!
Eclectic Tea Enshrinements Blog
Roxi Designs Blog
Stefanies Sammelsurium Blog
The Studio Sublime

Sandi Volpe
Sharon Driscoll Blogspot
Sedillo Hill Studio Blogspot
Sunshine Bliss Blog
Sharrons Jewelry Garden Blog

Mishel Designs Blog
Aujourlejour-shelly Blog
Blueberry Crazy Deviant Art
Unique Boutique-Creative Touch Blog
Star Hitched Wagon Blog

Terra Beadworks
Thereses Treasures Blog
Sweet Bead Studio
Missy Rappaport Blog
My Life Under the Bus
Fred Beans Nook Blog

WE HAVE THREE WINNERS!

The lucky winners of a pair of my sparkle beads are:

#12 - Bobbie
#19 - Janet
#6   - Boot-C

CONGRATULATIONS!

Contact me at havanabeads@yahoo.com with your address so I can send you your gift.  Also, if you were not sure which ones you wanted let me know in your email.  Thanks to everyone who participated I really appreciate your support.

Enjoy your Evening,

Raida

MINI TOUR OF MY MINI STUDIO

Well I've been in the studio now for two and a half months now and I've added lots of new things.  The studio is really small and I have tons of jewelry and beads to display and only one wall to do it in.  The other side of the studio is for lampworking.  I thought you guys would like to see where I work.  Here is the mini tour.

This is a sign I made to go over the front door.

I have a large glass window in the front of the store which I love.  Makes the place seem larger.  I put this little table outside when I'm open so customers can see some of my jewelry while they pass by.  I also have a picture of me lampworking so they can see the process.  I need to change the color of the table cloth to something springy/summery.

As you can see lots of jewelry.  I've added some floating shelves which I purchased at Home Depot and TJMaxx.  I added a large mirror in the center of the shelves to break up the space.

Here are my trays of lampwork and ceramic beads.  I have some of them stacked to save space. My larger focal beads are on the wood shelf my brother made for me.

This is my little work table and check-out area.  Works well for the space.  It's tight when I have customers looking at the bead trays.

Starting from the window on the other side are my glass rods.

My lampworking station and my kiln.  I have all my tools, frit, enamel and such in the storage cart under the kiln.  Keeps everything nice and neat and in its place.

Table was cleaned before this picture was taken!

When I get tired of working and need a break, this is the view that greets me.  Love it!

This is the board walk from the studio to Finz Seafood Restaurant.  There are tables right on the dock where you can eat and enjoy the water.

Port Salerno, Florida

Enjoy your day,

Raida

Bead Trends April 2012

I'm so excited to have my necklace "Cashmere" featured in this months Bead Trends magazine.  The picture they took of my necklace is absolutely beautiful.  You can find my necklace on page 42-43 of the magazine.  Also check out my friend Cherrie Fick's beautiful earrings, "Spring Garden" using some of my lampwork head pins, page 86, and "Springtime Garden" necklace and earrings using some of my mini faceted lampwork beads in her earring design, pages 116-118.  You can find Cherrie's beautiful jewelry at En La Lumie're.

These are my pictures of the necklace.  I've asked for permission to use the photos from the magazine and will post them as soon as I hear from them.  Their picture is so much nicer.

Enjoy your day,

Raida

THANK YOU GIVEAWAY

Can you believe I've reached over 2000 sales on Etsy!  I'm so overwhelmed with my customer's generosity. To celebrate I will be giving away a pair of my new sparkle beads to three lucky winners.  Just let me know which one you would like to receive if you win.  I will pick a winner next Wednesday, April 18 via Random.org.  Here are some of the sets I've listed on Havana Beads.

GOOD LUCK!

Enjoy your day,

Raida

NEW GOODIES ON ETSY

I've been working hard this week making coordinated lampwork and ceramic sets.  I also have some new fossilized beads in spring and summer colors.  These are all listed on my Havana Beads Etsy store.

Since I moved to my new studio I've been watching a very gifted artist Elizabeth Esther Kelly weave the most amazing wraps.  They're so soft and luxurious and I've been wanting one pretty bad.  So Elizabeth suggested that we barter, which I was thrilled to do.  One of her beautiful wraps for a blue orchid set.  The necklace will be a choker style necklace and the earrings will be close to the ears.  We still have to work on the details of the pieces but I thought I'd share the lampwork pieces with you.  The large 3D flower took me almost three hours to make.  It's really hard to keep all the petals hot while you're working all the details so needless to say there was glass all over the place when I finished, but I'm really happy with the results.

 

Here is the focal in my hand, it's pretty big.

These are the two earrings.

Here are some of Elizabeth's beautiful wraps on Etsy.

Head over to her Etsy store for different styles and colors. Elizabeth Esther Kelly

Enjoy your day,

Raida