Violet Pendant Giveaway - winner!

June 22nd update:  Twitter follower @Quadrivii won the pendant/necklace!  I've contacted you regarding specifics.  Thanks to all the Facebook and Twitter followers, and to everyone who helped spread the word!

June Giveaway! Violet flower . . .

June 22nd update:  Twitter follower won the pendant/necklace!  Thanks to all the Facebook and Twitter followers, and to everyone who helped spread the word!


It feels like SUMMER outside!  Let's talk violets. I love them.  Johnny Jump Ups are my favorite - little punches of color that remind me of Alice in Wonderland (remember those flowers?!?!).  I haven't done a give-away in a while, so here is one!

Want this? (if you look closely, I did an *oops* and couldn't get some small air bubbles out!)

 Back side:

If you don't win, you can still purchase one here:  Blue Beehive on Etsy.

RULES TO ENTER:
(rewritten Monday June 10th, 12:00pm EST to clarify!)
Accepting either option, from now until midnight, June 21st, 2013, Eastern Standard Time

OPTION ONE:
1.  Follow me on Twitter @theBlueBeehive  (if you are already a follower, that part is done!)
2. Tweet about the giveaway, include the following in your tweet:
       a.  The words:  "FREE pendant"
       b.  My twitter name:   @theBlueBeehive
       c.  The link:  http://bluebeehivestudio.blogspot.com/2013/06/june-giveaway-violet-flower.html
 3.  If you want to comment below and tell me that you did so, great, but not necessary! 


OPTION TWO :
1. Follow me on Facebook at Blue Beehive Studio (if you are already a follower, that part is done!)
2.  "Share" the sweepstakes announcement from Facebook entry June 10th (the sweeps announcement) on your Facebook page.
3. If you want to comment below and tell me that you did, great, but not necessary!
    
One June 22nd, I will draw ONE winner from *followers* who tweeted the above line or "Shared" the Blue Beehive Studio Facebook sweeps entry information from June 10th.  I will post the name here, and will contact you (DM on Twitter or FB message).

You'll have 5 days (until June 26th, midnight Eastern ) to claim your prize (if you don't, I'll have to re-draw another name!) 

I will ship you the pendant & necklace for FREE - but you are responsible for paying any taxes / import taxes / fees.

Good luck ! ! ! !

Mercury Dimes, Sodalite, Silver, oh my!

Took a break from cleaning the porch (getting ready for bbqs and outside meals!) and snapped some pictures... Loved how this one turned out - silver and blue are probably my favorite combinations.  Might do another one with rose quartz... and I seriously need to make matching earrings! 

Necklace can be found here:  1944 Sodalite Necklace

Buy Two Watercolor Earrings, get the THIRD for FREE!

Spring is here!  Starting to officially celebrate it by collecting flowers, planting seeds, and figuring out where all the kids' bathing suits are.  Crazy weather these days - hats, gloves and jackets this weekend, and 88' bathing suit temperatures by the end of this week!  In the spirit of the weather not being able to make up its mind - I'm offering a buy two get one sale on the earrings shown below, just in case you can't make up YOUR mind on what color to get....  Available now at the Etsy store:  Blue Beehive Studio on Etsy
 

Winner: Bracelet for TeamBrad2013

Update May 1st:  Flora - will you please claim your prize by MONDAY, May 6th.  Thank you!

At last - potential winner for the bracelet pictured on the blog entry here:  April 12th Blog Entry.  Folks in Alabama drew a name... *HOWEVER*, online names sometimes don't match with bank records (different names, etc...).  So, name that was drawn:  Flora Pinkerton.   Flora - would you please email me (info (at) bluebeehivestudio (dot) com) or message me on Facebook at BlueBeehiveStudio with your donation date and address, I would appreciate it ! ! ! !

BLUE!

Celebrating the blue jewelry at the shop....  Just added some rocks (sliced n' dyed agate, which is in the quartz family). . .   Available now at Blue Beehive Studio on Etsy.  Think I need to make some blue rings to go with these . . .

April - Fundraising Give-Away (April 12th - April 26th, 2013)

April 29th Update:

At last - potential winner for the bracelet pictured on the blog entry here:  April 12th Blog Entry.  Folks in Alabama drew a name... *HOWEVER*, online names sometimes don't match with bank records (different names, etc...).  So, name that was drawn:  Flora Pinkerton.   Flora - would you please email me (info (at) bluebeehivestudio (dot) com) or message me on Facebook at BlueBeehiveStudio with your donation date and address, I would appreciate it ! ! ! !



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

So I've got a personal favor to ask...  I have a very remarkable friend who I admire from high school.  Like many folks, she got married, had a child, then separated.  Her and her ex-husband eventually found new spouses, but both stayed on great terms, in part to be amazing role models for the son they share. 

Unfortunately, her ex-husband has been recently diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer.  He and his current wife have five children, and while they have insurance, it does not cover everything.  To help them out, I'm doing a fund-raising giveaway (details below) for the charm bracelet pictured above.


HOW TO ENTER:

1. First, help out and show support!  Please "Like" their Facebook page Team BRAD 2013  Their family is very appreciative of all the showering of support and caring words they receive. If you've already done so, terrific!

2. Please donate to help them out - donations between April 12th and April 26th midnight will be used for the draw.  They have an account at Regions, their local bank in Fayetteville, TN, as Team Brad under Brad & Michele Wright.  Give what you can, but please try to put in at least $4.00.  You can pay via PayPal (using PayPal or Credit Card) at teamBRAD2013.

3.  Lastly, when you are feeling down, what inspires you to keep going? A walk in a garden? A particular song?  Follow this blog, on Twitter @theBlueBeehive, or my Facebook page Blue Beehive Studio and if you would like, comment on what keeps you going.  Please write "TeamBrad2013" at the start of your comment, or #teamBrad2013 in Twitter.  You do not need to write what inspires you, but following one of the sites will help me contact you if you win!

On April 27th, one name will be drawn from folks who have done ALL THREE above in this give-away fundraising event, so please check back in!!!  I will post your name here, on Twitter, and on my Facebook page so you can contact me regarding your mailing address.  I will send the package to you, but you are responsible for your own state taxes (and any international taxes/fees if shipping out of the country).  Thank you!
 
The charm bracelet is designed in the Team Brad 2013 color blue from my shop Blue Beehive Studio.  Bracelet is rhodium plated, approximately 6.5" (can be lengthened or shortened).  Charms used are imitation turquoise, natural shell, acrylic beads, and small Swarovski crystals, with a silver plated lobster claw clasp. 

Feel free to email me at: info (at) bluebeehivestudio (dot) com if you have any questions!









 

Spring is finally in the air....  warm enough to finally stop the 24-hr day burn of wood in our wood stove that heats our house.  I decided to splurge a little and buy some 22K gold plated material for the studio....  Made some pendants and matching earrings.  Now just planning on what flowers to purchase for the yard this year....

Sunny day coupon!

Gorgeous sunny day - heading off to play outside!  Sharing with you some "sunshine" as well - SUNNY15 is the coupon code for 15% off your total purchase (not applied to shipping).  Good from now until April 4th, 2013!  Enjoy!  Blue Beehive Studio on Etsy

NEW ARRIVALS section of the store is open!

So I found some neat beads.  And the bead-hoarder I am, I had to buy a whole bunch.  Love, love, love the individual watermarks on each bead - so much character in each one!  Now its trying to find the time to string them together in so many different patterns and pieces.  Maybe I'll just breakout my watercolor paints and create an individual pendant for these....  hmmm....  Anyway, part of the NEW ARRIVALS in the Etsy shop to celebrate the arrival of Spring.  Enjoy!

Mercury Dime charms

I can't help it.  I just love mercury dimes - what can this girl say?  Although I do have some yen on the craft table that I'm contemplating new pieces with!  Coins into jewelry - wearable art.  The history the coins have, the paths that they have traveled - its amazing to think about....  Feel free to check out the shop for more coins / stone jewelry! 

Mercury Dime Necklace

Finished up another custom Mercury Dime necklace!  Love how this turned out.  The customer wanted a meaningful necklace for her dear friend who was part Lakota.  She gave me some specifics, and we came up with this - which included a dime from her friend's birth year.

Interested in a custom piece?  Feel free to contact me here or via: www.bluebeehivestudio.com

Gunmetal Skeleton Key earrings

LOVE gunmetal.  It is so earthy, so natural looking...  it doesn't tarnish, either!  Big plus for me, as time is sometimes at a minimum and when rushed, don't have time for a quick swipe of a tarnished piece with a jeweler's cloth.  So a friend gave me some little skeleton keys to make her some jewelry, which I did.  As payment, she gave me more keys...  So now, my friends, I can make them for you!

These and some new charms are now at the store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/bluebeehivestudio

And don't forget - 10% off sale still going on!  Check store banner for details!

March COUPONS ! ! !

Happy almost March!  The time of year when we all are just a wee-bit part Irish and look forward to Spring.  Green items to arrive soon to the store, including charms, charm bracelets, etc.  In the meantime, sorry, no pretty pictures.  *HOWEVER*, willing to share a coupon code : )

10% OFF your purchase at the store (does not apply to shipping costs!)
COUPON CODE: 0313PATTY12
From now, Feb. 28th, 2013 until midnight (Eastern Standard Time), March 12th, 2013 (or possibly 7am the following day if I fall asleep) - you can enjoy 10% off.  So go head, feel lucky, and check out the items at the store!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/bluebeehivestudio

Mercury Dime Pendant, black waxed cotton necklace

Mercury dimes have a pretty neat history.  They were only made for a short time between 1916 and 1945.  Interestingly, the design created by Adolph Weinman was that of a young Liberty and given the name Winged Liberty Head dime.  However, the common name, the 'mercury dime', stemmed from the confusion of young Liberty with the Roman god Mercury.  The backside depicts fasces (yes, I had to look that up!), which is a bound bundle of wooden rods that represents strength through unity, and olive branches which signify peace.

Makin' jewelry AND learning history. Best. job. ever.

Mercury dime necklace, recently listed on Etsy.  If it has sold, convo me and I can make another!

Mercury Dimes

E-6000, great, but *ufff* it smells bad.  Working with resins and glues and wishing it were 80' outside.  Much better ventilation working on the porch!  But alas, finishing up some pieces.  Then its off to coordinate with stones, chains or beads - it all depends upon the piece!

Mercury dimes turned into pendants and charms . . .

A pair of mercury dimes a client wished to be made . . .

Found a break in the past week to devote some time for inner-peace jewelry making.   Between sicknesses in the house, parties at the school, catching up on laundry (who knew a family of 5 could produce such a mess!), and home projects - I was feeling a bit overwhelmed!  After a quick upload to Etsy, today was spent napping and playing board games with my kids.

Did you know?  According to Wikipedia (hey, if its on the internet, it has to be true, right?) Jet is a "minor" gemstone, in that it is derived from decaying wood under high pressure.  The adjective 'jet-black', meaning as dark a black as possible, derives from this stone.  It is wonderfully lightweight, which makes it terrific if you want stone earrings that are a true black, and not too heavy.  Just worked a custom order with Jet beads... wonderful working with the customer, the creative process, and the final result!

Thank you everyone for entering in the sweepstakes!  Names have been entered into a hat and randomly drawn.  Congratulations to the sweepstakes winner:  Westley Moore!  Was so much fun doing this, I think I'll have a fall sweepstakes!!!

Happy February!  Starting off the month giving out a little love....  15% OFF your total purchase from now until Feb. 2nd midnight (eastern time zone)...  Enter Coupon Code 1321SAVE15

You know, for those days when you just want to grab something that goes with most of your outfits....  simple loops with cat's eye stones.  Because yes, I am currently in love with green...

Silver plated hoop earrings.  BlueBeehiveStudio.com

Stones, stones, stones. . . .

UPDATE:  Yes, free pendant give away is still going on - see first entry in this blog for details!

Thanks to the sunny day and a cooperative 4-yr old, I was able to take some pictures of earrings made from semi-precious stones to post on the Etsy shop.  Who doesn't love stones?  They just have their own magical properties . . .  I can't tell you how many boxes of "rocks" I've moved from state to state! And yes, rocks in quotes, because they are more that just some random aggregates of minerals - they are memories, they are meaning.  And now, years later, my own kids are turning my car into a geological and botanical museum of pine cones, acorns, and yes, rocks.

And for those interested, Huffington Post had an interesting article on shaman stones collected sometime between 4,000 - 4,800 years ago...  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/16/shaman-stones-panama-magnet-crystal_n_2481670.html

Corydalis Pendant SWEEPSTAKES! Win a pendant!

Hello 2013!  Starting off the year with a FREE giveaway... 
 
Between now and February 5th, 12:00pm Eastern Time Zone, if you check out my Etsy shop and like what you see - follow this blog, on Twitter (@theBlueBeehive) or on Facebook and you'll be entered in my first sweepstakes of the year! ONE follower from one of the three sites will be randomly drawn to win this pendant (one entry per person). It is a Corydalis flower, pressed and set into a antiqued silver pendant. Good luck ! ! ! Winner will be contacted February 6th for their mailing address! (if you live out of the U.S.A., you'll be responsible for any taxes / fees on your end!)

Feel free to invite your friends to enter in the sweepstakes!