And the Winner of our Giveaway Is ......

Good Morning! 
It's time to reveal our giveaway winner! First we want to say a big "thank you" to everyone who entered.  We had a wonderful time reading everyone's comments and we welcome our new blog followers.  Random.org was used to draw the winner.  We put in 88 names - minus our one comment - Lol :)  The winner is Kim!!  Woohoo!!  Congratulations!!  Kim if you could please email us with your address at swallowtailjewellery@gmail.com we will send you the earring and necklace set below :) 

We currently have 280 FB fans and will announce another giveaway when we reach 350 fans.  Stay tuned to this page! 
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
~ Karen ~




There were 88 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Kim
2. Alicia
3. Kimberly, Bakin#39; Goddess
4. Despina
5. Quiltingjewel39
6. Shannon
7. Ginger Bishop
8. Lisa Chapman
9. Melinda Orr
10. Tumblestone Handmakery
11. Helen Bowen
12. Pixiloo
13. Penny Neville
14. Shannon
15. Sandra
16. Alicia Coats
17. Kristibasket
18. Patti Van
19. Shannon
20. Sweetrose 74
21. RoEnchanted Designs
22. Shyme
23. Fireflymyst
24. Lorraine
25. Sarah Bunney
26. Pine Ridge Treasures
27. Cheri
28. Kashmira
29. Sweetrose 74
30. Despina
31. Cheri
32. Marla James
33. Rochelle
34. Lisa Chapman
35. Yolanda M
36. Marla James
37. Kashmira
38. Fireflymyst
39. Pine Ridge Treasures
40. Marla
41. Hurrundi
42. Helen Bowen
43. Rochelle
44. Quiltingjewel39
45. Yolanda M
46. Alicia
47. Kim
48. Quiltingjewel39
49. Sweet Freedom
50. Alicia Coats
51. Sarah Bunney
52. Kashmira
53. Patti Van
54. Penny Neville
55. Kim
56. Sweetrose 74
57. Kimberly, Bakin#39; Goddess
58. Dreaminofbeads
59. RoEnchanted Designs
60. Patti Van
61. Shyme
62. Shannon Chomanczuk
63. Fireflymyst
64. Shyme
65. Kimberly, Bakin#39; Goddess
66. Lisa Chapman
67. Sweet Freedom
68. Lorraine
69. Lorraine
70. Helen Bowen
71. Mary Hicks
72. Marla
73. Patty
74. Tumblestone Handmakery
75. Dreaminofbeads
76. Dreaminofbeads
77. Marla James
78. Quiltingjewel39
79. Sandra
80. Lisa S
81. Ginger Bishop
82. J-Lynn Jewels
83. Alicia
84. Sweet Freedom
85. Penny Neville
86. Traci
87. Marla
88. Stepha

Timestamp: 2012-04-19 20:16:45 UTC

Woot! Woot! It's Giveaway Time!!

Hello and Welcome to our new blog followers! We've had a wonderful month with some gorgeous weather.   Hope you have all had the chance to enjoy some outdoor time too.

Exciting news!! We hit 250 fans on our Facebook Page so to celebrate we are hosting a little giveaway. If you would like to win the earrings and necklace in the photo below, here's what you need to do :)

You can enter to win up to 3 times. 
1.  Leave a comment on this post.
2. Share on Facebook and leave another comment on this post to say you shared.
3. Join our blog and leave another comment on this post to say you joined. 

GOOD LUCK!

We will pick a winner with Random.org on Thursday 19th April 2012.

We will post the winner's name on our blog on Friday 20th April 2012.

Have a wonderful day!

~ Karen ~

Yippee! Join us for Bead Soup Blog Hop/Reveal

Hello and welcome to Bead Soup Blog Party!  I am so excited to see everyone's designs.  My blog partner is Helene Goldberg.  She lives in Melbourne, Australia.  Helene has a busy life looking after her mum and her new grandson as well as juggling her own household commitments.  She is a crafty lady - check out her blog - she sews, knits and quilts as well as jewellery making and card making. My beading goodies consisted of two sizes of turquoise beads, two sizes of zebra jasper beads, tiny brown glass beads, silver spacer beads, silver toggle clasp and gorgeous metal flower focal.  I love the flower focal because it is very different from the beads I usually buy.  I haven't designed with silver components for a very long time so I had to venture outside of my sometimes narrow creating box to think of ways to incorporate them with my existing bead stash. This is good!  I like and need to be challenged.  Thank you Helene :)   

Bead Soup lovelies!


Here are my designs.  The first is a necklace using the scrummy flower focal.  I wanted to create a frame for the focal and I love the jingly jangly noise the beads make when you pick this necklace up.


Shabby Chic Rose Necklace

Blue Bear Bracelet

The blue bear bracelet uses turquoise beads, zebra jasper beads,

large silver beads from my stash, brass disc beads and brass bead

caps.  The little blue bear was waiting patiently in my bead stash. I

thought he was ideal for this bracelet.  At first I wasn't sure about

the silver and brass together but I think it works and I won't be

frightened to use that combination again.   

Turquoise Earrings

The turquoise earrings are very simple.  I paired the turquoise beads with a carved bone bead.  



 

After the Rain Bracelet



I used the silver spacer beads in the "After the Rain" bracelet.  They are paired with Czech glass beads, the small turquoise beads and a blue seaglass bead.  I made a simple S hook for the clasp.  The brass is blank is textured and has a scarab attached to it.  

Shabby Chic Rose Necklace

Thank you so much to Lori Anderson for organizing this amazing Bead Soup Blog Party.  She is truly an awesome lady.  Thanks also to my wonderful bead soup partner Helene for sending such a gorgeous selection of Bead Soup to play with. 

Click on a name below to visit other participating blogs.  Thanks for visiting and have fun blog hopping! ~ Karen :)

Hostess, Lori Anderson Special Book Sneak Peeks, Cindy Wimmer

1.  Adlinah Kamsir (Singapore) and Hajer Waheed (Kingdom of Bahrain)

2. Adrienn Lukacs (Hungary) and Agata Grygiel (Poland)

3.  Agi Kiss (Hungary) and Carolien Muller-Genger (the Netherlands)

4.  Agnes Asztalos (Hungary) and B.R. Kuhlman

5.  Alesha Conklin and Becki Mendivil

6.  Alice Peterson and Carol Dillman

7.  Alicia Marinache (Canada) and Dita Basu

8.  Amanda Dittloff and Brandy Thomason McNair

9.  Amanda Tibbetts and Andrea Trank

10.  Amy Freeland and Kay Mallery 

11.  Andra Weber and Christine Murrow

12.  Ann Sherwood and Diane Welte

13.  Barbara Bechtel and Kerry Bogert

14.  Barbara Lewis and Cat Pruitt

15.  Bonnie Coursolle (Canada) and Fay Wolfenden (Canada)

16.  Carmel McGinley (Australia) and Tracy Stillman (Australia)

17.  Cassie Donlen and Deryn Mentock

18.  Cathie Carroll and Janel Dudley

19.  Cece Cormier and Morwyn Mullins

20.  Charlene Jacka and Christina Hickman

21.  Cheryl Brown (Canada) and Diana Ptaszynski

22.  Christina Stofmeel (the Netherlands) and Eva Kovacs (Hungary)

23.  Christine Damm and Deb Brooks

24.  Cilla Watkins (Canada) and Elaine Robitaille (Canada)

25.  Sabrina Straub (Switzerland) and Kathy Combs

26.  Cindy Cima Edwards and Eleanor Burian-Mohr

27.  Cory Celaya and Rhea Freitieg

28.  Courtney Breul and Dana Hickey

29.  Cynthia Abner and Jennifer Boreck

30.  Cynthia Tucker and Jean Peter

31.  Debbie Goering and Heidi Post

32.  Dee Elgie (UK) and Joanne Lockwood (UK)

33.  Dian Hierschel (Germany) and Eniko Fabian (Austria)

34.  Diane Cook and Lyn Foley

35.  Donna Bohler and Lisa Lodge

36.  Donna Millard and Kiersten Giles

37.  Doris Stumpf (Germany) and Eszter Czibulyas (Hungary)

38.  Elisabeth Auld and Eva Sherman

39.  Elke Leonhardt-Rath (Germany) and Marjolein Trewavas (UK)

40.  Ema Kilroy and Laurie Keefe-Cecere

41.  Erika Nooteboom (the Netherlands) and Giorgia Rossini (Italy)

42.  Erin Grant and Jean Wells

43.  Evelyn Duberry (Canada) and Gaea Cannaday

44.  Genea Crivello-Knable and Heather Powers

45.  Ginger Bishop (military, Okinawa) and Martina Nagele (Germany)

46.  Heidi Kingman and Lori Greenberg

47.  Helen Kemp and Lisa Wangeman

48.  Helene Goldberg (Australia) and Karen Vincent

49.  Jamie Hogsett and Jeannie Dukic

50.  Jeanette Ryan and Jelveh Jaferian

51.  Jennifer Cameron and Tania Spivey

52.  Jennifer Justman and Kari Carrigan

53.  Jennifer Tough and Lorelei Eurto

54.  Joanna Matuszczyk (Poland) and Julianna Kis (Hungary)

55.  Joanne Tinley (UK) and Michaela Pabeschitz (Austria)

56.  Julie Anne Leggett and Kelley Fogle

57.  Karen Hess and Linda Landig

58.  Karyn Bonfiglio and Kathleen Lange Klik

59.  Kashmira Patel and Kat White

60.  Kat Barron Miller and Kelly Morgan

61.  Kathy Lindemer and Rose Binoya

62.  Krafty Max and Sandra Miller

63.  Kristen Latimer and Pam Ferrari

64.  Kristie Roeder and Lea Avroch

65.  Kristina Johansson (Sweden) and Penny Neville (Canada)

66.  Krisztina Erlaki-Toth (Hungary) and Nicole Keller (Germany)

67.  Lara Lutrick and Lisa Suver

68.  Laura DeMoya and Lisa Hanna

69.  Libby Leuchtman and Melanie Brooks

70.  Linda Koch and Rosemarie Cowit

71.  Lisa Chapman and Menka Gupta

 72.  Lisa Liddy and Marion Simmons

73.  Lori Anderson and Marcie Abney

74.  Lori Bowring-Michaud and Mary Govaars

75.  Lori Dorrington and Maria Rosa Sharrow

76.  Lori Finney (Canada) and Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp (Canada)

77.  Lynn Bennett and Mandi Ainsworth

78.  Marta Kaczerowska (Poland) and Milla Starchik (Canada)

79.  Mary Harding and Shannon LeVart

80.  Mary Jane Dodd and Stacey Curry

81.  Melinda Orr and Molly Alexander

82.  Melissa Meman and Michelle Escano-Caballaro

83.  Michelle Jensen and Sandra Young (Canada)

84.  Nan Emmett and Nicole Valentine-Rimmer (Canada)

85.  Nancy Boylan and Suzette Bentley

86.  Natasha Lutes and Patti Vanderbloemen

87.  Pam Hurst and Rebekah Payne

88.  Patty Miller and Sara Rhoades

89.  Rebecca Anderson (UK) and Lori Anderson

90.  Rebecca Sirevaag and Sharon Driscoll

91.  Rochelle Brisson and Shannon Chomanczuk

92.  Rosa Maria Cuevas (Mexico) and Tejae Floyde

93.  Sabine Dittrich (Germany) and Sally Russick

94.  Sandi Volpe and Sarah/Saturday Sequins

95.  Shanti Johnson and Tracy Mok (Canada)

96.  Skylar Brez and Theresa Buchle

97.  Sonya Stille and Traci Zeller (Canada)

98.  Stefanie Teufel (Germany) and Tania Hagen (New Zealand)

99.  Stephanie LaRosa and Vonna Maslanka

100.  Terri Wlaschin and Wendy Blum

Bead Soup Reveal is nearly here!

Join us tomorrow Saturday March 3rd 2012 for the 5th Bead Soup Blog Hop.  I am so excited to see everyone's designs!

Here are the beads that I sent to my bead soup blog partner Helene Goldberg.  I hope she has had fun creating some jewellery for herself using these goodies. 

Helene sent me the gorgeous beads pictured below. Check back tomorrow to see what I made with these lovelies :) 

Have a wonderful day ~ Karen  

Helene sent me these gorgeous beads

Cakie Fix

Close up of the cakes in my previous post for anyone who needs a cakie fix this morning Lol :) I'm putting on weight just looking at them!   Have a wonderful day ~ Karen

Fun in the sun and a shot of sugar





Osprey with catch of the day

After a week of sun and sand hubby and I arrived back in Iowa to 8F temps.  This was somewhat of a shock since we had been basking in 80F temps all week.  We were in south west Florida on vacation.  Had a great time kayaking in the mangroves, cycling around Sanibel Island and just walking on the beach every day. We saw loads of wildlife, gators, manatees, otters, dolphins, osprey, pellies and loads of seabirds.  Oops almost forgot about the No-see-ums, they certainly saw me Lol.  Now I have to admit to being a bit of a twitcher and have always been fascinated by birds of prey so when this Osprey landed right in front of us on the beach it made my day.  Luckily we had the camera with us and managed to get several good photos.  We also visited Tarpon Springs the Sponge Capitol of the World :)  I had never seen sponges like the ones in the photo before. Some of them are huge. The docks are well worth a visit if you are ever in the area.  There are lots of Greek restaurants and cafes and of course we had to save room for one of the scrummy cakes in the photo!
Enjoy your day ~ Karen

Sponge Vases





Scrummy Cakes and Pastries



They arrived from a land down under!



Hello!  Exciting news! A parcel of beads arrived this week from my bead soup blog partner Helene Goldberg in Australia.  They are gorgeous and I cannot wait to create something with them.  Check out Helene's blog 25 Reasons. I love the silver toggle clasp, tiny silver beads and flower focal.   Helene also sent me a beautiful card and some tags. She also sews and has been busy with her new grandson and looking after her mum. 

I have a few ideas of what I want to make with these scrummies but can't let you in on that little secret just yet :) 





Love the gorgeous handmade card and tags!  Thank you Helene!

Have a great weekend everyone.

~ Karen