Summer Design Contest from Happy Mango Beads

I found Happy Mango Beads through an advertisement in a bead magazine and was thrilled at the selection of exotic beads they carry from far-a-way lands. They have ancient beads and modern day beads, the store is a history lesson on beads!

Some of the purchases I made from them resulted in this memorable necklace, using a handcrafted brass face mask and recycled sandcast glass beads from Ghana in West Africa.

Happy Mango Beads is now sponsoring a beading contest and the theme is 'Songs of Summer'

You must hurry as the contest deadline is August 6, 2010. The categories that you can enter in are as follows:

Summertime Blues  - all shades of blue

Under the Sea – seashells, coral, pearls, fish

California Sun – yellows that feel like sunshine, touches of orange and red

Hot Fun in the Summertime – fun & funky!

Kokomo – a tropical flare using colors such as: lime, aqua, hot pink, orange or coconut wood

Saturday in the Park – green grass, leaves, blue/green ponds, specks of floral

Rocky Mountain High – nature inspired, gemstones

Under the Boardwalk – wood, recycled glass

Summer in the City – metals, glass, ceramic

Tiptoe through the Tulips – think flowers! 

That pretty much covers every creative avenue, and you do not have to use beads purchased from Happy Mango Beads!

The overall winner gets a $100 gift certificate to Happy Mango Beads, while winners of each category get a $25.00 gift certificate to be used at the store. Check out the contest rules and lets get beading!

Christmas in July

The Child Abuse Council of Hillsborough County, FL is holding their fund raising event 'Christmas in July' tomorrow Friday July, 23 from 6 - 9 pm at the Child Abuse Council's Baby Bungalow at 3106 W Azeele St. in Tampa. The event includes a Silent Auction and Taste of Tampa Bay. It is for a worthy cause, I have heard the testimonies from the children they help, it is heart breaking! The organization is a private, non-profit agency that provides programs to prevent, educate and treat children and strengthen families.

This is the second year that I have participated in this event with a donation of a piece of jewelry for their Silent Auction. I wanted to show you the piece I donated this year.

The necklace is made of lime green chalk turquoise smooth nuggets, one larger asymmetrically placed red coral nugget and all the beads are separated by tiny red coral round beads. I finished it with some sterling silver chain and trigger clasp and a pair of matching earrings. I think this necklace is so summery and christmassy at the same time and so Florida! 

I hope they get some good bids and raise lots of money.

You can check the Child Abuse Council out on Facebook if you want to know more about the work they do.

A Gift from the SuperNicePeople

The SuperNicePeople at HipChickBeads.com sent me an email and asked that I share it with my friends, so here it is... a coupon for free shipping ... for a limited time!

How can you go wrong with a group that call themselves SuperNicePeople!

Happy Shopping!

Use the Code

NOSHIPPINGFEE

when you shop at www.HipChickBeads.com on the checkout page

Hurry, this offer ends midnight Tuesday, July 20, 2010.

The Chihuly Collection in St. Petersburg, Florida

This weekend the spectacular and colorful glass sculptures of the world renowned artist Dale Chihuly comes to town. The Morean Art Center, in St. Petersburg. FL is providing a home for an exhibition -The Chihuly Collection- which opened today. This will be the only permanent museum collection of Dale Chihuly's glass art.

The Chihuly Collection will be housed in a building specifically designed (by architect Albert Alfonso) so that the architecture enhances the artworks. Each room and exhibit space has been designed to complement the glass work to provide visitors with a unique visual experience. The exhibit will also include the 700 lb. Ruby Red Icicle Chandelier, created specially for this collection and a blue Chandelier donated by Joan Stonecipher from Naples, FL. Mrs. Stonecipher is said to have told her ex-husband Harry Stonecipher, the former CEO of Boeing that for her 60th birthday, she wanted a Chihuly "a women can only wear so much jewelry, but a Chihuly I can look at everyday!"

Ruby Red Icicle Chandelier

(photograph courtesy of The Morean Art Center)

The opening events were held this weekend with a premiere tour of the collection today and general admission begins tomorrow, Monday July 12. Combination tickets to this event also includes a tour of the Morean Art Center and a hot shop where visitors can watch demonstrations of glass blowing. Cool! 

I must confess, I had not much knowledge of Dale Chihuly, but the publicity surrounding this exhibit made me research and learn more about him. Dale Chihuly has certainly elevated glass blowing to a fine art! Check out his 2000 hand-blown glass blossoms Fiori di Como that adorn the ceiling of the Bellagio in Las Vegas. I have not been to Las Vegas, but a trip to see this masterpiece might be worth considering.  

The ticket prices for the opening events of the Chihuly Collection were out of my price range, but I certainly plan to see the collection and tour the hot shop. The Morean Art Center I have learnt, also conducts classes in Lampworking, Dichroic Glass, Borosilicate Glass jewelry and Metalsmithing.  Nice to know there is such a place so close to home that I can go to, when I find the time and money! 

Have a Great Weekend!

Last weekend was a rain event here in the Tampa Bay area, this weekend promises to be sunny, and even cooler than many parts of the Northeast USA!

No matter where or what your plans....

at the beach....

or in your backyard....

Or if you plan to do some beading, check out the discount coupon to Artbeads.com that is valid though the end of July.

Enjoy the weekend!

I Love Artbeads! Don't you?

As many of you already know, I am a Design Partner with Artbeads.com and today I received an exclusive discount code that I can share with all my fellow bloggers and friends.

This discount code allows you to take advantage of a 10% discount on all purchases until July 31, 2010.
Here is the magic code!

SCF10P-ARTBEADS-0125


Combine this with the 4th of July BLOWOUT SALE they have going on now, with prices slashed on over 1000 items and we are talking about some serious savings.

Happy Bead Shopping!

Have a Safe and Happy 4th of July!
Enjoy!

Disclosure: As part of the Design Partner program I have received free of charge beads/supplies from Artbeads.com to be reviewed. All they ask in return is my honest opinion.  I am not being paid by Artbeads.com for endorsements and/or reviews.

Thornton's Thursday Treasure

 Check out the thursday treasure that is being given away by Andrew Thornton.

This week he is giving away to one lucky blogger a copy of Kate McKinnon's book and DVD 'Sculptural Metal Clay Jewelry'. Wow!

You can read all about the book in Andrew's book review,
and check out some of Kate McKinnon's amazing jewelry at her website.
She even has room in her upcoming class for Metal Clay in Tucson, AZ in November!

All you have to do to win is to hop on over to his blog and post a comment.

If you write about it again in your blog, or facebook, or other social networking site you get your name in the hat again. Just make sure you let him know about it.
Good Luck, but I hope I win this one!