Spice up your Sunday.....every Sunday....

 by MaryAnn Carroll

And today, we are offering an extra sprinkle of spice.....  Once you have finished reading about Elisabeth Strong of Lizard Breath Beads, check out the winner of the fabulously generous bracelet that she offered for our Bi-Weekly giveaway. 


And .... it wouldn't seem right to not ask Elisabeth where she came up with the name Lizard Breath Beads since Elisabeth was so kind to donate to our giveaway inspiring the question, "How did you come up with the name of your shop?"

Elisabeth shared this...... "So, my older brother initially pick, pick, picked on me with the name growing up, but it slowly transformed into something of a more endearing nickname. So, strangely enough, I have to thank him for all the lizard breath comments because it allowed me to create a unique and personalized name that I felt was fun but at the same time a little off beat."

How did you first get interested in creating lampwork beads and jewelry?

I discovered it through a craft television show and shortly thereafter bought a starter kit. I was hooked after experimenting in my garage for hours and made the leap for all the heavy duty equipment. I haven’t stopped since.

Do you design the beads with a finished piece in mind?

I like the freedom to let the bead design the piece but I also enjoy the challenge of having a bead in mind and creating it. I will usually split each firing 50/50 so I have room to explore but also ensure that I have productive and piece producing firings.

How long have you been selling and how did you first decide to sell?

I first sold about three years ago at a local community festival and slowly increased frequency, size and confidence thereafter. I was constantly making and producing so it seemed like the next natural step to take. To meet the demands of customers I joined in on etsy at the end of last year.

What have you enjoyed the most about selling online?

I love sending the pieces off and imagining how they will be met on the other end. It’s sheer delight to imagine making someone happy with something I have sent them.

Have you set any goals for your future in terms of creating and selling?

I am always trying to improve my techniques, use new color combinations and manipulate and explore all the magical things glass can do it the flame. I will always focus on keeping a strong etsy site and producing a consistent and creative blog. I have just recently started to sell in local shops as well.

Lastly, Elisabeth, when you are not creating these beautiful designs, what are some other ways that you spend your time?

When I am not creating beads or designing jewelry, I am playing duck, duck goose, completing my master’s degree in counseling and soaking up as much inspiration as possible. I blog at lizardbreathbeads.blogspot.com and try to stay active on facebook as well. I truly enjoy just creating and sharing a connection with others that like to create in their artistic forms or in life’s work.

Check out more work from Elisabeth at her Etsy shop Lizard Breath Beads by clicking HERE.

and

Learn more about her by following her blog by clicking HERE.

And what a great way to finish this interview by announcing the winner of this fab bracelet.

Using the random number generator.....

The winner is.....

KRISTI BOWMAN

Congratulations Kristi......  Please contact Elisabeth with you address.

Please stop back next Sunday for another fun giveaway :O)

Our Giveaways are now on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month.

Spice up your Sunday.....

Calling all bracelet wearers..........

This is one giveaway that you DEFINITELY do NOT want to miss out on!!!

This gorgeous bracelet was created by Elisabeth Strong. 

Elisabeth, who so generously donated this for our giveaway, has an etsy shop called Lizard Breath Beads.

Check it out by clicking HERE.

Here is Elisabeth's description of this beautiful piece....

"This has seven of my lampwork beads (two simple orange beads and five orange beads rolled and worked in a shimmering frit). The findings are copper and antiqued copper with a lobster clasp and the bracelet measures 9 3/4 inches."

To win???

Well....of course we just can't give this awesome bracelet away without asking a question.  I found the name of Elisabeth's Shop very interesting.  It made me wonder what goes into naming shops. If you have a shop and you would like to win this gorgeous bracelet, here is the question:

"What went into naming your shop?"

"If you don't have a shop, what are the kinds of names that you tend to remember the easiest as a buyer on Etsy?"

Feel free to share this giveaway on your facebook, twitter, blog, etc. and come back each time to let us know EACH TIME that you did.  Each must be a separate entry as each entry will count once.

On another note, we have been making some changes on our blog, to hopefully, create one that is different and fun to visit.  Here are a couple of the changes:

Mondays we invite you to join us for ART SPARK!!

This is a new challenge that will be replacing our former "Call-to-Create."

Check out our first challenge HERE.  Lots of great prizes to add to the fun.

Sundays will be a mix of giveaways and introductions to designers that create handamade with handmade.

Thank-you to everyone who has been following and participating with our blog.

And I can't forget this today......

Happy Mother's Day!