Queen for One Night!

Back in 2007, while visiting my sister-in-law in New York, I noticed this strange and scraggly looking leafy cactus in her kitchen and commented on it. Well, she told me it was called 'Queen of the Night' and that it blooms for just one night in mid summer. I was intrigued and came back to Florida with a leaf cutting from her plant.

This plant is also called Night Blooming Cereus Epiphyllum Oxypetalum. The flower buds appear along the notches of the flat, scallop edged leaf. After 2 years of careful and not so careful nurturing, it bloomed in September of 2009. Only one bud survived all the way to a full, dinner-plate size bloom. Here is a sequence of the large bud (about 10 days old) blooming.

10 pm

11 pm

Midnight

2 am - absolutely stunning. It is supposed to have a very fragrant smell, but I did not smell anything.

5 am - begining to close up and droop, her short reign over.

This year two buds made it all the way! September 2010 - 2.00 am one morning last week -  two flowers! How about that? I did not take pictures all night long as I did last year, it was a week night and had to get up for work the next morning. But I woke up at 2.00 am and was a beautiful sight. I got to take better care of my plant, repot it into a larger container, for more blooms next year.

Have you heard about this plant before? If anyone wants a cutting to start their own, let me know and I will figure out a way to mail it to you. It would have to be within the mainland of USA, due to agircultural regulations about shipping plant material outside mainland USA.

Lori's New Website and Giveaway!

You got to check out Lori Anderson's (of Bead Soup Fame) new web site for her jewelry

It is beautiful!

Wonderful selection of jewelry!

Great pictures!

Very buyer friendly!

Check it out!

In order to celebrate the opening of her new website, Lori is giving away three great books. So hop on over to her blog and make your choice and comment to enter the giveaway. Hurry, the giveaway ends September 29th.

Giveaway Sunday!

What great giveaways from fellow bead bloggers... please visit them and leave a comment to get your name in the hat.

Isn't that one gorgeous necklace on the cover?

Barbe Saint John has reviewed Margot Potter's latest book Bead Chic and is also giving away a copy to one lucky blog commenter. So hurry on over, to read all about it and enter the giveaway, but you got to do it before the 28th of September.

Dazzling Ceramic Pendant

Many of you might have already visited Andrew Thornton's blog for his weekly Thursday giveaway. This week he is giving away an eye-catching raku-fired ceramic pendant from Suburban Girl Studio LLC. This giveaway end tomorrow night, September 20th, so you better get over there, time is running out!

Red Creek Jasper Pendant/Necklace

Next roll on over to Rosy Revolver to celebrate her 500th sale and enter to win this gorgeous necklace. Her metal work is outstanding and her designs so feminine. Hurry you've got to get there before the 24th of September.

And don't forget my necklace giveaway, it ends September 30th.

Good Luck to all...

Happy Sunday!

On this beautiful Sunday morning, I wanted to share with you a pair of earrings I made with lampwork beads from Blue Seraphim. Jennifer makes some beautiful beads, the ones I purchased were Turquoise colored with Ivory dots. I added some genuine Turquoise rondelles and they are oh so beautiful!

They are currently on sale at Sundancegems! You can also take advantage of a September Sale now going on for some great savings. Enjoy!

And do not forget my necklace giveaway!

A Necklace Giveaway - Your chance to win!

I am sorry I am behind schedule, I promised to post the giveaway over the weekend, but the weekend got in the way. I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend. I had an additional three days off last week, spent sometime completing and delivering a custom order of jewelry for a friend's wedding party, spent sometime/lunch with a very good friend, and some doctor's appointments.
Then the weekend, all chores done, restful and ribs on Labor day!
On Tuesday it was back to work and the two hours of Glee!
Wednesday got away, and today is Thursday... and here is my post.

I am giving away this necklace I made with the beautiful stoneware pendant from MaryAnn Carroll to one lucky winner. You can read all about it in my previous post.

But first I would like you to answer a few simple questions about your experience (or not) with FaceBook. Here are some interesting facts about FaceBook. 

Did you know that 54% of FB users are female? And that FB users grew by 145% from January 2009 to January 2010. The greatest growth was in the 34 to 54 and 55+ age groups. (www.istrategylabs.com).

This is the age group to whom many of us sell our jewelry, therefore it stands to reason that to market our jewelry through FB would be a great idea. Agreed?

Many years ago, RubyLane encouraged its shop owners to join FB in order to market one's business. And I did. At first it was whoa.. overwhelming, but soon I came to enjoy being in touch with family and friends here in the USA and from all parts of the world. The best part is getting to see their photos, being connected in their lives, even though I am not a very chatty person, keeping in touch this way was easy. So personally, I enjoy it.

I, then started a business page with not much success, I must admit.

So here's the catch

To be entered to win, you have to do one of the following:

• Be a follower of Regina's Writings (that's my blog!) - one entry
• Post about this giveaway in your blog - another entry, please come back to tell me about it to be counted for the second entry.
• Answer the following questions for another entry: 

1. Are you on FB to promote your business?
2. Has it helped your business? If yes, how?
3. What advice would you give me to help me with my business on FB?
4. Be a fan of Regina's Writings on Facebook for another entry. Somebody, please show me how to link my FaceBook page to my blog? I have also been told that the FB page should be in the same name as your shop, what do you say? 
5. Should I just forget about FB?

I hope you will take the time to play (hope I did not ask too many questions)... and who knows you might be the lucky one.
The winner will be drawn at random on the last day of September and the winner's name posted on the 1st of October. Thank you all for your time.

Look at What I Made!

Back in late May, I won this beautiful stoneware pendant from MaryAnn Carroll.

Wouldn't you agree that it is the perfect fall pendant?

So check out what I made with it.

I used Blue Tiger Eye rounds wire-wrapped with Copper wire (good practice and therapeutical for me), a couple of yellow Tiger Eye rounds, three bronze coin pearls, with one circled by a flat Abalone ring. I thought the Abalone ring captured the blue arc markings on the pendant. I made the necklace extra long (20 inches), so that it could be worn with a thicker, fall, layered wardrobe. The copper clasp was made by Kira of Original Beadwork.com.

If you want to see more of Maryann's stoneware pendants and beads check out her shop, artisanbeadsplus.com. I am saving the pearls and two beautiful stoneware buttons that she sent me along with this pendant for another project. Thank you Maryann.

I like the way the necklace turned out, do you like it? Well, if you do, and you would like to win this necklace, please check back tomorrow. I am planning to give it away! In return, I ask that you let me pick your brains! For answers to some simple questions, your name will be put in a hat to win this necklace in time to accessorize your fall wardrobe.

Trash To Treasure Beading Contest

Check out this new beading contest!

I know that many of you are very ingenious when it comes to recycling items from everyday use into great jewelry pieces. This contest is for you! Happy Mango Beads is launching the contest, begins today and you have only 15 days to get your entry in to them and its only one entry per person.

They have categories to accommodate all types of media and artists:
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

I must confess I do not have much imagination when it comes to expanding beyond gemstones, pearls, and glass beads... but maybe I will give it a try, maybe trashy elegance? wonder what that means?