Great Deals and Fun Tutorials!

I think today is a day for lightness. I found great deals and fun tutorials to share with you.

Get 5 eBooks for $7.40!

Have you heard of Bundle of the Week? Every week is a new topic and you can buy a bundle of five different ebooks on that topic. I LOVE that idea. This week the topic is Paleo as in a way of eating. More and more people are interested in "getting off the grid" as much as possible. People see the value in sustaining a wholesome and healthy life through energy efficiency and savings, growing their own food, creating their own textiles, and believing through sustainable living we will survive this difficult time in history, like our greats and grandparents did! And how our ancestors ate is what a Paleo Diet is all about. Paleo diets are based on fruit, vegetables, nuts, and meats. For those people who are sensitive to gluten, this diet is a very healthy way of eating.

This bundle includes the following ebooks:

• The Paleo Miracle by Joe Salama
• The Paleo Snack Recipe Book by Suzanne Crawt
• Eating Out and Traveling on the Paleo Diet by Aglaée Jacobs
• Toadally Primal Smoothies by Primal Toad
• Paleo Ice Cream by Ben Hirshberg

$10.00 bottle openers!

Karen Thomas has great prices, but now through the 17th of June she's having a great sale on her Beadable Products! She has different kinds of bottle openers, wine stoppers, serving utensils, pens, key rings, swizzle sticks, and beadable bangle bracelets! Great and easy ideas for Father's Day!

 

I'm also having a great sale for a week 50% off EVERYTHING! 

Use coupon code CLEANOUT50 at checkout. 

 Here's one of my favorite tutorials, this Shambala bracelet. I just made my second one last night! TooCuteBeads has a lot of nice tutes; here's my first one.

Here's a wonderful tutorial by Bizsugyar that is simple to follow, simple to execute, great for using my lampwork beads, and very high impact and beautiful! 

The language is not English, but the pictures are worth more than 1,000 words! The supplies are easy to get from the craft and/or hardware store. 

If you like DIY's check out my Pinterest DIY board!

Free Bead Friday: Butterfly

I will be giving away the bead pictured here to one lucky entrant. If you want to be that lucky person you must complete each of the following steps by Wednesday, May 22, 2013, midnight (PST), when I will make a random drawing from the entrants.

• Like my Facebook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/MonaRAEbeads
• Subscribe to my web site, MonaRAEbeads.com, here:  http://monaraebeads.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=e2138147dc1e11a052eab57bf&id=1552eb8a5a

If you are already a subscriber and a Facebook fan, please leave a comment below to get your entry. Everyone who enters will be an instant winner of two coupons for 15% off at my shop, which can be combined for 30% if you want, or passed on to a friend! Good luck!

 

LookBook: Pansy Skies

Pansy Skies is one of my favorite beads. I love how perfectly balanced the amount of colors and the placement of dots turned out. I have an issue with color...more is better I say, but not necessarily better looking. Often my work looks like (at least to me) I just didn't know when to stop.

Margie Deeb

Some people have such a talent in the area of color, and two "masters" I admire are Brandi (Brandi Girl Blog) and Margie Deeb.  

Brandi Girl Blog

There is so much inspiration, but never enough time or money to create all the things I would like. I think that is what I love about websites like Pinterest and Polyvore. They let me plan to create. Here I planned to create a necklace with Pansy Skies using complimentary beads by Lori Bergmann. I had a lot of fun designing an entire ensemble around my imaginary necklace, including a FABULOUS pair of shoes I can only think about wearing!

Paired with beads by Lori Bergmann

If you ever want to see how I would design jewelry with my, or even your beads, subscribe here to my blog, follow me on Polyvore, or just send a request.

Even better, create your own designs with my beads and share them with me on my Facebook page; I'll give you a coupon for 15% off if you do! And if you "Like" my Facebook page I'll give you ANOTHER coupon to combine for a total of 30% off!

Tutorial Tuesday: Scales Pendant

Here in the Mother Lode (Murphys, California to be precise) we have a great little bead shop, Murphy's Bead Gallery. It is a "Gallery" in every sense when you walk in and see the amazing beaded pieces made by the owner Sue Horine.

I go into Sue's shop once a week; she's next door to the Murphy's Music Co. where my son takes guitar lessons. I love to chat with Sue about her art and techniques, as I paw through the beads in baskets and hanging on the walls. I swear I see something new every time. But there's almost always something I fondle every time I go in, and finally give in and buy it.

This week I had to have these turquoise shell coins!

As I created the jump rings I knew I'd need for each of the coins a vision of a mermaid tail came to mind.

I love working with wire, and the idea of a diamond shape covered in scales felt just right to show case the shimmeriness and pearliness of these beads.

I had to decide how big I wanted the pendant to be, and I had a limited number of beads, and then I would need to calculate how big to make the wire frame. I started by thcounting the number of coins I had and what number would make the widest row of the diamond. Then I threaded some coins on a wire, spaced the way I wanted them to hang, and measured that width. The problem was that they wouldn't stay lined up so I decided I needed beads between the coins; I found the perfect shade of metallic turquoise tubes to use as spacers.

I used the grid on my table as a measuring device and cut a length of wire long enough for the diamond shape as well as the bale and wrap. I created the bail by bringing both ends of the frame wire around a mandrel and wrapping them together at the neck using a finer gauge wire that would become the lattice support for the beads on the pendant.

After securing the bail I strengthened the wire, shaped in the diamond. I used a hard rubber mallet and that flat, iron, gadget which is actually a concrete curb shaper from the hardware store. I use my knees as a vice around the shaper's wooden handle (on the back side) and the flat side forms a table like surface.

I moved the bale ends up, and planned to create spirals with them. Now the fun begins. I decided to fill the top of the diamond with these great metallic and textured dark blue rounds. I began coiling one side of the diamond base just far enough to fit the bead in the crook; after coming out the other side of the bead I wrapped again around the frame to the point where the second row of dark blue beads would fit, adding a coin between them.

Then I resumed wrapping wire around the base until the next row would cross under the coin on the first row about 3/4ths of the way down (enough to show as much of the next row while keeping the first row from falling behind it). I continued in this manner, adding a dark blue bead to the beginning and end of each row, and using three lighter blue, smaller tube beads as spacers between the coins.

To finish the pendant I made a spiral from the bail ends and spread the loops at the top to form a "v". Here are back and front views.

I hope you have enjoyed watching me work, and that it inspires you with some design ideas of your own! Here's an image you can pin to your own pinterest boards. Unitl next Tutes and Tubes Tuesday!

Yeah! New Beads listed!

If you want more information you can go to my shop here. Keep your eyes open because I have a few more listings coming up AND a new posting format including "Tubes n' Tutes Tuesday" "WeDesire Wednesday" and "Free Bead Friday"!

I'm Queen of the Bongo, Here me When I Come!

I guess it has been a week or so; that's a really long time after posting almost daily! I've been beading; I'm working on this ammonite and creating a Cellini Spiral as a component. I bought it at the Bay Area Bead Expo; I've been wanting to post about my trip there...soon I promise! I love the bed of "coral"; do you?

The impetus for my daily blogging was Danielle' LaPorte's The Desire Map, a program that is helping me set "Goals with Soul". I have been taking it slowly, going at my own pace, and not feeling pressured to "finish" or "catch up" and I'm not looking for a "miracle cure." I can't remember ever proceeding on a project in this way, and I'm LOVING the quality results with my pace and process.

This morning I decided to take the next step in the workbook, and look at my "long list" of Core Desired Feelings (CDFs): Lucrative, Prevalent, Enlightening, Unlimited, Luxurious, Nourished, Spectacular, Incomparable, and Flowing. I'm now looking for what is really behind wanting to feel these ways, and for feelings that overlap in all areas of my life. During this specific process Danielle notes,“But let me point out something about the subtle but powerful way in which words can orient our energy. They can steer us to look outward, or they can anchor us to look inward, so we’re consciously looking to our inner power, or unconsciously looking to the outside world for what we want.”

One Love Journey

What is wrong with looking outside for what I want to feel? I want to be in a world that I create; in the same time I want situations that permit me to create, I want situations that GIVE to my being. Yes, creating the world means I look inward to create the feelings I want, but that feels like work….I don’t want to work; I want to produce. I want to be in environments that are conducive to my production. I want to be able to distinguish the environment as conducive, or not, by the way I feel. If the environment makes me feel nourished, I feel safe in that environment. Yes, when a feeling is dependent on the outside, there is the risk that feeling will go, be taken, away; “fearless” means that I feel safe and faithful inside, enough that I don’t even consider that, or any other, risk.

Is looking for feelings that are dependent solely on my internally-realized desires another way of “doing” and “giving”? What does the world look like when I am responsible for the realization of all my feelings? Shouldn’t it be a simple choice, “I want to feel nourishing; pooof! I’m nourishing”? Even if it’s not that simple, what does the world look like when I’m nourished vs. nourishing? I want to feel nourished means someone else cares about me enough to see my needs; it’s about receiving love from the outside. I want to feel nourishing means I care enough about myself and others to give love from the inside; does loving myself include the desire for others to show they love me, to receive from the outside? What is receiving love REALLY about? When someone cares enough to give to me, they are approving of me; I am enough, I am good, I can trust, I will feel safe. Aye, there’s the rub!

Would I rather give or receive? If I give, I don’t rely on others for love. But that leaves me feeling like I must be satisfied with receiving love from myself; my arm is tired of patting my own back. I don’t feel loved by giving to myself, I feel loving. When I don’t’ feel loved, resentment builds and then I look to myself for why I don’t feel loved, and that starts the vicious cycle of self-deprecation.

The two MOST important questions, the ones that work best for me, are, “What would my life be like?” and “What is it REALLY about for me?” As I go through the long list of CDFs, and write the “real” feelings my core desires around these words, I notice that I can often say “I want to BE”; this is so antithetic to “confident”, as if I am not already these things….maybe I’m not….maybe it is ALL about feeling confidence?

But I DO have confidence. Sometimes it fails me, and when it does I'll remember I'm the Queen of Bongo!

"Bangin' on my bongo all that swing belongs to me
I'm so happy there's nobody in my place instead of me"

 

Mona, Mona, How Does Your Garden Grow

Well the first week of September has come and gone. Kids are back in school, I'm back to work,  and soon it will be frosty. It is hard to believe this gorgeous weather will end soon. Well, it won't "end" but will  transform to crisp, frosty, and snowy, another beautiful weather here in Arnold.

Click the Pic to see all  my garden pictures!

It is also hard to believe that my garden is finally producing fruit! I hope the rest of it gets a chance to mature before the first frost. I have a gorgeous zucchini that I JUST found, but it's already 3+ inches  long; lots more new ones showing too.  I wonder if the female flower at it's end is telling me to pick the fruit; I know that if you pick the bloom the fruit stops growing...does it matter if the bloom is dried up? I have two baby tomatoes at the site of my first blossoms. Green beans aren't done, but I only have a few flowers. Next year I'll have to plant at least 3 times the amount and stagger plantings so I can have larger and longer harvests. Cucumbers are amazing looking! Big ones are growing in the pot near the roots, the flowers are still coming, and the longest vine must be 4 feet! I FINALLY have peppers, well the buds at least. I checked to see if  the carrots are ready to harvest but the shoulders are still deep under the surface. I've been using the basil a lot; the more I use the more the plants produce.

I emailed my subscribers a new update on my web site. The update includes beads that have not been listed yet; they are exclusively for sale to my list subscribers, and they make an  offer instead of me setting prices. If you want in on that deal, you need to subscribe to my web site by clicking here. You also will get 15% off of your next purchase and the coupon doesn't expire!

Murder at Half Passed Midnight

Halloween will soon be here. To get me motivated, my dreams gave me the worst nightmare I've ever had! I retell the story on my website. Click the Pic to read it.






 I also tried out some of my hardware store findings to make a bracelet. What do you think  of it?  It's kind of wide and top heavy, but I love the beads, the style and the colors.

 Lampworker Extraordinaire, Jennifer Geldard,  introduced me to a  new blogger and she's Hilarious!! Check out Pintester: (Effing up Pins so You Don't Have To!)  here! 

My Favorite Pins

Speaking of Pinterest, I love  it! My home page looks like a Pinterest page! Here is a collection of my favorite pins this week. Click the Pic above to see them!

Besides watching both political conventions, I did put up new listings of beads and Jewelry this week. I made lots of posts to my web site.

I am thinking about making an official FaceBook page, but I'd like your opinion. Please take my poll and leave an opinion by clicking here.

New Dawn, New Day, and I'm Feelin Good!

I made new beads today for a custom order, and a couple for fun and to learn a new technique. Click the picture of the beads (below) to be redirected to my NEW WEBSITE, where  you will see all the new beads from last week.When you subscribe to my new website you get 15% off your next order of beads!

Come check out my new beads here!

My garden continues to grow, and soon I will have tomatoes and green beans to eat!

See the zucchini developing!?

My first tomatoe blossom

Green Beans will be ready in 2 inches!

I watched a couple movies this week, and I posted about some of my existential discoveries. Click the links in the pictures below to read all about it!

Isaac is back in school, we've been watching Dr. Who, and I'm back to work, finally, with a  great substitute teaching position that will keep me busy through September!  (Read about by clicking the pictures)