Beading Contest: Happy Mango's Trash to Treasure!

 "Green Mango Tree" Image from Happy Mango Beads

I got this contest email yesterday from one of my favorite on-line sources:  Happy Mango Beads.  They've put out the challenge to Go Green with

This immediately made me think of my bud, Susi D., and her Artsy Fartsy jewelry...I haven't seen her in ages so I hope we'll reconnect with this inspiration!!  We met at a
We met at a Del Ray Artisans show as I was ogling her fun, funky, amazing beads!

She makes them out of plastic from her recycling bin!!!  LOVE IT!!

Anyway, I digress...it is early this morning and I'm only a half a cup of coffee into my morning process.

Back to business:  Happy Mango Beads is having "Trash to Treasure" beading contest.

"Recycle, Repurpose, Rebead"

Click on the link to get the full set of rules, but the deadline is 15 September.

Here are the entry categories...

Trash to Cash - paper, plastic, bottle caps, etc.

Compost Happens! – natural, organic, sustainable
Is that my old windshield? – recycled glass
Heavy Metal – metals, old keys, interesting parts
No Earlybirds! – yard sale/second-hand finds revamped
I'm not a dang hippie, I just want to enter this contest! – trashy elegance


Sounds like a fun challenge to me...gonna break out some of those funky recycled glass art beads I have!

I Got Lost on Boll Weevil Circle

There were lots of potential titles for this post:
- "I 'heart' Julianna Cannon"
- "Glass Really Does Melt In Your Hands"
- "It's Some Sort of Molecular Thing"
But, Boll Weevil Circle captures the spirit of my latest adventure...

On Friday, I was truly blessed to meet Julianna Cannon from Julsbeads fame down in her stomping grounds of southern Alabama.  :)  I drool over lampworked glass like there's no tomorrow.  So,when I noticed during the Bead Soup Party back in January that Juli was at "Location: Alabama" I figured I might as well invite myself over to her "shiny shack out back" and see her goods and meet her craziness in person!

I mean seriously...look at these...aren't they yummy?  Even a non-bead-pscyho person can appreciate them!  haaaaaaaaaa  If you feel like getting some for yourself, she's stocking up her etsy shop.

Well, as you might have guessed, or seen in Juli's post, we hit it off.  A little shared enthusiasm goes a long way in turning a beautiful sunny day into an even more beautiful adventure!  I know the value of shop time, so I'm still so amazed at how generous she was.  :)

So, let me get to the good stuff...I demanded, right away, to be taken to the shack and taught something!  haaaaaaaaa  Look at this?  She cleaned it up so this gorgeous rack of colorful, amazing glass was just waiting for us!  And, of course, she got her teachering skills on by explaining about all the different types and their melting points and such.  It's a molecular thing, you know.  haaaaaaaaa  As the good student that I am, I just nodded, didn't take any notes, and made her rush to get the fire on!  haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  I wanted some action!! 

Juli worked through the basics for me and then she let me sit down in front of the torch.  Uh, how awesome is that!!!  I used a hot-ass fire to melt these luscious raw materials into a mess!  haaaaaaaaaaa  Actually, they weren't too bad of a mess.  Besides, when you're learning something new you're supposed to make a mess, right, so you can learn how to work the materials and fix mistakes.  That's what I told myself, anyway...haaaaaaaaa  She was lovingly patient, but then we were both starving.  Off for a lunch break.

After lunch it was my turn for teachy-teach.  Juli's a seed bead master...for instance, when I showed up she was wearing this gorgeous piece:

So in her mind, I actually had something to teach her--how intimidating!  I was wearing one of my new art bead bangles because I thought it would be a perfect way to showcase her glass, too!  She agreed and a bit of tutoring ensued.  If any of you have ever crafted with me, in any medium, you know I have a little trouble being patient and letting other people do the work.  Luckily, Juli picked up on that right away while she was working on coiling and sent me back out to the shack.  I got to do fire and glass for hours!  Playing with colors...trying to make dots that didn't string all over the place...all while hoping I didn't burn down the place.  When she finally came out to get me I was totally in the groove.  And exhausted!  It was soooo fun and I was concentrating so hard!! 

That takes us to the end of the day...you may be asking, "Where are those wonky beads you made?"  Well, they have to get annealed in the kiln so they don't breaky-break so Juli's firing them up for me and I'll have them to show off next week.  And, believe me, even if they're ugly messes, they're going into a piece of jewelry for me!!  haaaaaaaa

As for Boll Weevil Circle...I had a 90 or so mile drive home after this day of creating and joy and friendship.  With all that excitement and new ideas racing around in my head, I was ready for a good hour and half drivve home.  But, I was singing loudly and ignoring the directions to get home while enjoying my Route 44 Diet Cherry Limeade from Sonic.  :)  I didn't seem to be getting any farther away from Enterprise, Alabama (think Army Aviation if you're wondering about the scene down there) as I passed the same buildings over again.  Ahhhhh, It's Boll Weevil CIRCLE.  That means you have to turn off of it to actually go somewhere else!  With that mystery solved, I trolleyed north and made it home to my sweet boy kitties who smelled dog and excitement on me and then just begged for treats!  So, it was a day of treats for all of us!!!  Whoo hooooo!

Featured Artist Sweepstakes...passing the word

There's a supply website out there...House of Gems...that's looking for a few good featured artists:

Do you do a happy dance when you come across a gemstone you don't already own?
Do you find that every conversation you have comes back to your latest jewelry project?
Do you love to help other people on their projects by giving tips or showing them step-by-step how to do things?

If you answered to yes to any of these questions, we may have the perfect opportunity for you. If you answered yes to all three, then consider this destiny. House of Gems is looking for Featured Artists to spotlight and promote on our website. In addition to the opportunity to present yourself as an artist, you will also generate traffic to your personal blog, Etsy store or social media profile.

Artists may also be given opportunities to test new products, receive additional discounts and be the first to be informed of new releases.

Grand Prize (1): $1000 Shopping Spree on HouseofGems.com
Runners Up (1): $500 Shopping Spree on HouseofGems.com
Consolation Prize (5): $100 Shopping Spree on HouseofGems.com

Timeline: Contest runs July 18th, 2009 thru August 15th, 2009


Submissions: Contestants upload a maximum of 5 original jewelry designs to the House of Gems Flickr "Featured Artists" group http://www.flickr.com/groups/featuredartists/. Any and all design types and styles are welcome.