BOGO Sale Saturday - Monday at Risky Beads

Risky Beads' 3 year anniversary on Etsy is August 7, 2010, so I'm having an end-of-summer BOGO sale to celebrate. This is a great opportunity to get some fabulous deals and stock up on some gifts, too! Here are the rules:

1. There's no limit to how many items you can get for free. Buy 1 or buy 10. Whatever! It's up to you! Everything, except supplies, ships free worldwide!

2. Do NOT purchase your free item choice; request it in notes to seller at checkout. Purchased items are not refunded. I'll email you to make another freebie choice.

3. Hand-stamped jewelry or accessories cannot be your free item. You can, however, get them for 50% off with purchase of a regularly priced item. If you choose this option, let me know via email or convo ahead of time what you want to buy, and I'll set up a listing for you with the correct pricing.

4. Your free item must be of equal or lesser value than your item purchased. Example: if you purchase a $45 bracelet, you can get another piece for $45 or less free. If you also purchase an $8.95 pair of earrings in that order, you can choose another freebie for $8.95 or less. That's a killer deal!!!

5. Sale ends at midnight on Monday, July 26, 2010. My mailing list subscribers knew about this sale a week ago! Want to get on the list? Email me and let me know and I'll add you asap! This sale is only valid at my Etsy venue.

If you have any questions, please ask. Also, I'm in the process of re-shooting pictures for my shop, so if you're looking at an item and it suddenly vanishes, I'm probably editing the photos. Please feel free to inquire!

Here's to another great year!! Shop now!

~Lori

Well, it's official.......I finished re-shooting my earrings!

Well, I finally finished re-shooting pics of my earrings, and now I just have to move on to bracelets, necklaces, bookmarks, and key chains.  By the time I'm done, I'll probably feel a need to start all over again, NOT!

Earrings are always buy 3 pairs get 1 FREE everyday in my shop, so now that I'm done re-shooting, I'll give you a sneak peek at a few new pairs!

Condensation, $8.95

 Sugar Plum Sparkle, $9.50

Hot Cocoa, $8.95

Nudity, $8.50

There were a couple pairs I chose not to reshoot, and I've decided to give them away, so stay tuned to this blog for the upcoming freebies and tell all your handmade jewelry-loving friends!

~Lori

I Blame the Summer Heat for This...

Boy, sometimes it just gets too hot, doesn't it?  Look what I found for hot ladies everywhere!

*Whew* I need a cold shower now!

~Lori

Keep Me in the Loop - A Treasury

Had a lot of fun putting this together!

~Lori

Recent Handmade Purchase-Silver and Copper Stacking Rings from Minty Fresh Fusions

So, as I promised yesterday, here's my other ring purchase of late. I decided to order these really cute stacking rings from Minty Fresh Fusions on Etsy. They come with 3 silver and 3 copper. Aren't they adorable? They also came with great customer service, which is always a plus.

Flowered Copper and Sterling Silver Stacking Rings, $38

I ordered them in a size 8 which is a tad too tight, so for now, I wear 3 on each ring finger. I figure if anyone asks, I'll just tell them I'm married to Etsy because it's practically the truth anyway! Did you know that you can be nosy and read about what else I buy? :)

See you tomorrow,
~Lori

Recent Handmade Purchase-Sterling Silver Stamped Ring from Tiny Tokens

Well, it's confession time again.  My handmade soap and lotion fetish is completely out in the open, but there's another fetish I have that's less well known and that's rings!  Here's a picture of my handmade ring collection from several Etsy shops.  I've had these for a couple of years...

 Lately though, I've been in the mood for smaller rings because I smack the big ones on every thing I touch...bull in a china shop somedays around here.  So, I went with Tiny Tokens on Etsy and bought this sterling silver ring below and had it stamped to read:  EXIST * INSIST * PERSIST * because that's my mantra.  So this is 3 shots of 1 ring below:

 It was $16 and I absolutely love it.  I never take it off.  Stay tuned for details about another ring purchase tomorrow!  Be nosy and read about what else I buy.

~Lori

Reshooting Pictures for My Shop

Argh. I've gotten to the point where I want a little more context to the pictures in my shop, so in true Lori-fashion, I thought about it for 3 or 4 months before I decided to go to Lowe's and search for some tiles.  I wanted something gray, something with texture, and something with a matte surface.  I ended up buying 2 pieces of slate and 4 small accent tiles.  The entire cost was...$11.67.  Can't beat that with a stick can you?  The rest of the setup is my old homemade lightbox and my lamps that came with a light tent I don't like.  Love the lamps; just not the tent.  I've taken a couple of shots with the new background...new pieces.  Whaddya think?

 Smooth Operator Necklace

Nudity Earrings

Boy, I can't wait to reshoot my entire shop.  (i.e.: sarcasm).  But I think I like the look. :)

~Lori

Haut Totes - A Tale of Handmade Inspiration

If you're a handmade seller and want to be inspired, you have to read this article about Melissa Lewis of Haut Totes.  You won't regret it!

~Lori

Patriotism for the Lifelong Liberal

WeeRPatriotic, Kim Bade, $15

The older I get, the more I feel like 'patriotism' has become code for something else in America today, and it's not generally something I want to align myself with.  I have a different view of 'American Exceptionalism,' the idea that America is the greatest country in the world regardless of the way we as a nation behave at home or abroad.  I think what would make America truly exceptional would be accepting the fact that we're one of almost 200 countries in the world and can co-exist peacefully.  We don't need to be the best, no country does.  We're part of a bigger picture on an ever-increasingly fragile planet.  The 'greatest country in the world' would know this, wouldn't it?

~Lori

Sweet and Sour Chicken from Scratch for Lunch

I've been dieting and exercising lately, (10 lbs gone today), and I've started cooking as well.  I've never enjoyed cooking in the past, and I don't do anything super-involved, but I'm having fun trying out a few not-easy-to-mess-up-recipes.  Today, I made Sweet and Sour Chicken from scratch.  It's a hybrid of two different dishes I make:  Sweet and Sour Pork and Chicken and Rice Casserole.  Yes, this is cooking for dummies.  :)

I use this recipe to make the sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
6 tablespoons of canned pineapple juice and pineapple chunks
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 teaspoons of soy sauce

I mix everything together in a saucepan, add lots of pineapple chunks as well, bring it to a boil, reduce heat and let it cook until clear and thick.  Then I add the sauce to the chicken breasts and brown rice when they're done baking in the oven.  The chicken, uncooked rice, and water cook for 1 hour at 350 and then uncovered for another 15 minutes to absorb all the water.  Season your chicken a bit before baking.

I like this recipe because you get sweet and sour sauce that doesn't look neon orange.  It's sweet and tasty and keeps me full until my next meal.  It's simple, but it's yummy, and you can make the same dish with pork chops.  I think I like it better with pork, but chicken was thawing, so chicken it was!

~Lori

Please Stand for the Star Spangled Banner - A Treasury

Okay, I had a lot of fun making this!  The first time I made it, it didn't save and I had to do it again.  Argh!  But, I like the end result a lot. :)  Click to visit...

~Lori

Success with Diet and Exercise

It's been one of my goals to lose weight and get back in shape, and I'm having some decent success at it. I've lost 9 pounds in about 2-3 weeks. Now, I realize that's not a lot, but I'm changing my lifestyle, not just my eating habits. I've lost my appetite for fast food, and exercising has also helped curb my appetite. I'm watching what I eat and going to the gym several times a week. When I'm there, I do a strength training circuit, stretching, and a few minutes on the treadmill. I'm getting to the point where I look forward to the moment I strap on my sneakers and head out. So, in honor of steady success, here are some nifty handmade exercise-inspired things!

So Glam I Sweat Glitter Vinyl Decal, House Hold Words, $19

Retro Stripe Yoga Mat Carry Strap, Lotus Pad, $12

Rainbow Chainmail Hacky Sack, Binary Soul, $23

Vintage White Leather Roller Skates, Cornucopia, $25

Exercise More Hypnosis CD or MP3, Hypnotransformations, $16.99

Metal Pendant Necklace Fitness Scale, Pink Top Hat, $10

Original Hand Painted Art Swimmer On Canvas, 5x7, Magic Markings Art $25

Daily Food Journal, Using Talents for Him, $16.99

I Want to Ride My Bicycle Tank, size L, Caustic Threads, $14

Old Fashioned Cast Iron Dumbells, Susantique, $25

Clive's Exercise in Expressionless Expressions, BACLORI, $20

Now, get to stepping!

~Lori

Deal of the Day Info

Look left... <----------------------------------------------

The Deal of the Day will now be posted in my left sidebar each day. It only lasts 24 hours, and it's a great chance to get a steal of a deal! You purchase thru Bixbe which is a cool, independent listing service that will take you straight to PayPal. Questions? Please ask!

Did you look left? <--------------------------------------

Deal of the Day, June, 28, 2010-Peaching Aventurine Leaf Pendant

Today's Deal of the Day is a peach aventurine leaf pendant called 'Fading Innocence.' Save $5 off the sale price in my shop and enjoy free worldwide shipping.  Click the listing to see details!  Only 1 in stock. 

I'm Selling This:

Fading Innocence ...
$12.95

~Have a great day!
Lori

Deal of the Day - June 26, 2010 - My Etsy Guide to Success for only $5.95

Hi, everyone! Starting today, I'm going to have a deal of the day thru the end of June. I'm using a new service called Bixbe developed by 1000 Markets. (The 2 sites are not related.) Bixbe allows you to set up a listing and sell anything (that's legal!) directly to folks without going through a venue. There are no fees (except PayPal) and you can set the listing to expire for up to 2 weeks. Today's deal is my Etsy guide to success: How to Make It Small When You're Trying to Make It Big. Click below to purchase to get my book for $3 off the regular price.

I'm Selling This:

How to Make It Sm...
$5.95

Have a great day!!

~Lori

Recent Handmade Purchase-Body Frosting from Caribbean Scents on Etsy

Well, it's Friday, and what better day to pontificate effusively about my recent Body Frosting purchase from Caribbean Scents on Etsy? I am always on the hunt for the perfectly aroma-therapeutic bath and body experience and this one did NOT disappoint! I like it when bath and body shops offer sample sizes because try as I might, I can never get the scent feature on my monitor to work. ;-) So, I opted for 4 samples of body frosting for $7. I chose Brown Sugar, Lime Crystal Kisses, Pineapple Coconut, and Ginger Peach.

I'm impressed with this cream. It moisturizes well and doesn't feel at all greasy. I've also noticed a small improvement in my skin. I say 'small' because anyone who uses as much handmade soap and lotion as I do, already has sufficiently drenched skin, lol. Of the 4 scents I purchased, my least favorite is Pineapple Coconut; it's not quite pineapple-ly enough for me. (I'm ALL about the fruit!) I'm very pleased with the Lime Crystal Kisses and the Ginger Peach. It's pretty hard to mess up lime, and the Ginger Peach is a really interesting scent. It has a little kick to it that I really like. (Yes, I know that's the ginger, lol.)

You can sort of tell from the picture above that Brown Sugar is my favorite! And when I say favorite, that's an understatement! I LOVE this scent. I'm an Om gal, a discontinued scent from The Gap that you can only find on Ebay on the second Tuesday of every week and while I still have some left, I'm also searching for a comparable scent to take over when my dealer runs out of it. Brown Sugar might just be it. Ana, the shop owner, describes it as: a magical, complex fragrance composed of top notes of Fresh figs, peaches, and passion fruit; followed by middle notes of coconut milk, vanilla orchid, jasmine, muguet, and freesia; well-balanced with base notes of vanilla beans, caramel, maple sugar, fig leaves, and musk. Now I've purchased similarly described scents on Etsy before and many of them have gone right in the trash because they were harsh and overbearing. I like my perfumes to warm to my skin and make you wonder why I smell so good rather than make your nose implode on your face. This Brown Sugar is delightfully mysterious, and while I realize how goofy that sounds, it's just the truth!

Hope you enjoyed yet another foray into my penchant for purchasing! Be nosy and read about what else I buy. More confessions coming soon....

~Lori

Battling the Heat Wave In NC - A Treasury

It's hot here in Raleigh, NC.  We hit triple digits yesterday and are hovering around a nice and blechy 96 the rest of the week.  We had a vicious thunderstorm yesterday which gave us a bit of relief.  I wish that would happen again today!  Click my Treasury to cool off!

I'm so tired of sweating...lol.

~Lori

Victimology...A Handmade Collection

Those real and unreal...
Nothing like a little thought provoking on a Wednesday!

Brown Pelican (after being rescued and cleaned in Louisiana) Fine Art Photo, Eye Shutter to Think, $15

Nasvhille Rising Necklace, Proceeds Benefit Tennessee Flood Victims, Flap Your Wings, $75

 There Are Days, The Quiet Canadian, $27

Victim of Jealousy, 8x10 Original Painting on Canvas, Some Unknown Entity, $45

 Rescue of a Seaworthy Creature, Kat Hannah, $21

They Will Never Understand Original Framed Watercolor, Marcia Furman, $150

Earth Sun Moon Handmade Catholic Rosary, Cold Hands Warm Art, $17.50

Hurt, Set of 2 11x14" Prints, Camillo Longo Photography, $40

Broken Heart, medium, Ton Art Raku, $30

Hope you enjoyed. 

~Lori