Featured Item Wednesday

Morning readers! This week's featured items are two of my favorite items. As always, they are 10% off from now until July 7th. This is the perfect time to take advantage of a great price!

From october102006, the Ultimate Twilight Charm Bracelet is one of my favorite creations to date. It features 12 sterling silver charms representing each of the characters from Twilight, plus a few other things. There are beautiful Swarovski crystal beads and a Swarovski crystal heart similar to that which Edward gave Bella in Eclipse. At 8" in length, it can be shortened to better fit your wrist.

From Bisou Bisou Beads, the featured item of the week is one of my cool rectangular glass pendants, Red and Pink Flowers. They haven't hit it big yet, and I just can't understand why- they are SO pretty! At about 2" long, they are the perfect size to wear on a long chain or cord. They're so unique, everyone will love them!
Thanks for checking out my Featured Items of the Week. Don't forget they are 10% off! Just add them to your cart, pay via Paypal, and I'll send you the refund right away. Have a great day! :)

5 Gifts to Give Tuesday

Hey readers! Hope y'all are having a great day! This week's 5 Gifts to Give were inspired by a close friend of mine who has a birthday coming up. She's a bit of a geek so I decided to choose items from the Geekery section on Etsy.

I just love this Playstation Video Game Controller Necklace! It's perfect for the geeky girl in your life and it's only $6! Cool!











These Star Wars Darth Vader Helmet Earrings are so cool! They were made from Lego pieces and are very affordable at only $17.












I just love this button. It makes me laugh! Wine is for Classy Drunks is a fun little gift that would be cute attached to the ribbon of the "real" gift. It's a great price at only $1.50











This Rainbow Keyboard Decal is really cool! They're so creative and will make your MacBook one of a kind! At $14.99, it's a great price!













I love this Jet Black Robot T-shirt! It comes in four different colors in all sizes. It's only $18, too. I might just have to buy one.... ;)













Be sure to check out the links and the other items these great sellers have to offer!

Open!

Hey readers! Just wanted to let y'all know that Bisou Bisou Beads is open and up for business again. I've been out of town this past weekend and will resume normal shop work tomorrow morning!

Blog Comments

Hey again readers. I just wanted to let y'all know that I've had to change the settings on who can comment on the blog. It was open to anyone, anonymous comments included, but I've changed it to members of this blog only due to excessive adult content spamming lately. I know that's kind of inconvenient for those of you who aren't being inappropriate but I don't know what else to do. All you have to do if you'd like to comment is to follow my blog. There's a link towards the bottom of this page.

Thanks for following me and I hope you enjoy the blog! :)

Out of Town

Good morning readers. I just wanted to let you all know that I'm not going to be posting this week or working in the shop much. I'm going to Tampa tomorrow for my sorority's international convention and will be gone all week. Be sure to check back next week for regular posts will everything you'd like to know about Bisou Bisou Beads!

Promo Friday

Hey readers! I feel a giveaway coming on! What do you have to do to win you may ask? Follow my blog! And, if you have a blog, grab my button and put it on your blog. I'd greatly appreciate it!

Also, if you have a Facebook, please join my Fan Page. I post all of my new pictures there and keep it very up to date.

Now what's this talk about a giveaway? Next Friday, I'm selecting someone from the followers list on the blog and the fan list on Facebook and they'll win a Scrabble pendant. Simple as that. :)

Have a fabulous weekend and good luck in the giveaway!

Interview Thursdays

Good afternoon readers! I'm running a little late on the blog post today, so sorry!

This week, I interviewed Heather from Beautiful Soaps. I've purchased several things from her in the path and I just love all of her products! My favorite is the tea tree oil soap. I use it to make my own laundry detergent.

Here's the interview:

1. Please tell me about yourself (background, interests, how you got into soap making, etc.)

I've always been beading, sewing and crafting something or another but never thought about getting into soap making. One day I really wanted to smell like incense, so I started browsing though the handmade shops to find an opium bar of soap. I didn't find it but I did find lots of other wonderful treasures. After spending a small fortune on buying handmade soap (I sometimes still do!) I decided I could make my own.

I researched everything I could on soap making and then took the plunge. I made my first bar of opium poppy seed soap and it actually turned out. After that, I was hooked. I purposed in my heart that I would never copy work from anybody else, with the small exception of 'inspiration' and wondered if it would be possible to come up with all my own recipes. I've never had a problem :-) Ideas will come to me daily. I love soap making!

2. What can you tell me about your store? What types of items can one find there? How long have you been in business?

I've been selling on Etsy since 2007 in my "HeatherRai" shop and opened up "BeautifulSoaps" so I could concentrate just on handmade soap. I am a sucker for a natural bar of soap. Natural color, essential oils, clays, aloe vera, butters, and luxury oils. These are my absolute favorite bars for personal use. I do make a little bit of everything. I get bored very easily. My shop also carries natural laundry soap, balms, butters and lotions. Someone told me when I first started that I'd eventually be doing all these extra things, and they were right.

3. What or who inspires you?

I am inspired and excited by natural goodness. I love every herb yielding seed, within seed. I am very passionate about natural health. I get sick to my stomach thinking about all of the corporations in this world who will put every cancer causing, sick chemical filler into our food and health products just to make a dollar! Soap making is my way to make a difference :-)

4. Where would you like to see your business go in the future?

I am not a futuristic person. I have a hard enough time deciding what to do from minute to minute. I hope that I'm still making soap and learning about herbs and gardening. I pray that I'll be a kinder person and sharing my knowledge and learning new things with anyone who wants to talk with me.

Heather also included a picture of her first bar of soap to share with readers.

Hope you enjoyed the interview. Be sure to check out Beautiful Soaps and see all of the great products that Heather has to offer.

Wednesday's Post

Hello readers! As you may remember from last week, I struggle to write Wednesday's post each week. Something about In the Studio Wednesday is just tough for me to write about. That's why I've decided to change Wednesday's topic to Featured Item Wednesdays.

From now on, I'm going to post one item from each shop, Bisou Bisou Beads and october102006. Here's the best part- those items will be 10% off for the next week! Be sure to check out Featured Item Wednesdays for great savings each week!

Bisou Bisou Beads
This week, this American Flag Scrabble Pendant is featured. It's a popular pendant and is perfect to wear to those 4th of July BBQs. Buy it while it's on sale and enjoy it from now until the 4th!

october102006
This Turquoise and Coral Coin Necklace is featured in my original shop. It's a gorgeous design that anyone will love. It would make the perfect gift for Mom's birthday or even as a gift to yourself!

5 Gifts to Give Tuesday

Father's Day is just around the corner and if you're like me, you may still be trying to think of something to get Dad. I have an idea.... just not the actual item yet. haha

This week, I decided to feature Father's Day gift ideas on 5 Gifts to Give Tuesday. Maybe you'll see that item that's just what you've been looking for!

I love this card for the irony. What kid didn't buy Dad a tie at least once? This year, get him this cool tie card and a little bit more creative gift. Ties Collection for Father's Day- Printable Card ~ $5









Does your dad like to golf? This personalized Golf Ball Market with Key Chain will be perfect for him, if so. You can put up to 28 letters around the marker including the kids names or the date this gift was given. ~ $29.50








You know if it involves Scrabble pieces, I love it! haha This Scrabble Tile Desk Sign is a really unique way to tell Dad you love him. He'll think about you every time he sees it! ~ $6






I don't know about in the rest of the country, but in the South, EVERY dad likes to grill out! If your dad falls into that category, he'll love this BBQ Gril Adult Apron.~ $22









This is such a cute idea for a Scrabble piece. I've been trying to think of ways to use them other than pendants and I think this is a great idea! Get your dad this Personalized Scrabble Keychain with the year he became "Dad" on it. A cute idea for a dad with young kids but maybe not so fabulous for a dad whose kids are old enough to be touchy about the year they were born! ~ $6.75






I hope you like the selection. Be sure to check out other items by the featured sellers- they all have a great inventory. Have a fabulous day, readers, and don't forget to get Dad something really cool this year!

New In Shop Monday!

Good morning readers!

What's new this week at Bisou Bisou Beads? Well, I've been buying up lots of new image sheets to make Scrabble pendants. A friend suggested that I make some rockabiliy/pin up inspired jewelry so I got some great pin up girl images.

I'm going to make some of those great pendants this afternoon and will post them in the shop soon. I've run out of sections so they'll be put in the "Other" category.

Let me know what y'all think of them!!

Promo Fridays

Good morning readers! It's far too early on a Friday morning to be doing much blogging (or anything else for that matter) but, alas, I am up all the same. Between the babysitting and the dogsitting and the getting the kid to VBS, it's been a full morning already!

I don't have too much to say today... I'm not sure I've had enough coffee to say much, in fact. lol

As you probably know, Glass Pendants are Buy 2, Get 1 FREE (of equal or lesser value). I listed some new ones this week so there may be some designs that you haven't seen yet. Check them out and be sure to take advantage of this great buy- you can save up to $8.99!

Interview Thursdays!

Interview Thursdays are possibly my favorite day of the week! I love getting to know some of my favorite sellers better is just so great to me. It's nice to find out what other artists do and what their goals are with their shops.

This week I interviewed one of my favorite sellers, Marcy from Eclectic Orchid. I've bought 3-4 beautiful necklaces and a gorgeous pair of earrings from her. As a jewelry maker myself, I must say that her work is excellent!

Here's the interview:
1. Please tell me about yourself (background, interests, how you got into jewelery making, etc.)


I am originally from a small town south of New Orleans. I moved to the Charlotte area a little over 4 years ago with my husband, daughter, and son (okay, he’s actually a dog but he doesn’t know it). I have a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. I used to manage a group home for physically and developmentally disabled women, but left shortly before my daughter was born and am now lucky enough to be a full time stay-at-home mom and craftster.

I love to craft, play with my daughter, read, listen to music, spend time with my family, take pictures of anything and everything, make jewelry, make jewelry, make jewelry….haha.

I have always dabbled in the arts since I was young, taking painting classes and experimenting with photography. A few years ago my mom wanted to take a jewelry class and thought my sister and I would enjoy it as well. I learned basic techniques that day. I would pick it up now and again, but for the most part had no time to enjoy it. After my daughter was born, I was going through some boxes and came across my old jewelry supplies. I originally started making jewelry again to break the monotony of being home all the time. I realized how passionate I was about it and that’s how Eclectic Orchid came to be.

2. What can you tell me about your store? What types of items can one find there? How long have you been in business?

My store is my passion, my hobby, my love. It is my creative refuge, a place to translate my dreams into works of wearable art and tell fanciful stories. My jewelry and accessories range from simple and delicate to extravagant and sometimes over the top. I love color and whimsy and always try to incorporate a bit of both into each piece. I also love vintage components because I feel they tell a tale and incorporate them whenever possible. Eclectic Orchid has been open since August 2008.

3. What or who inspires you?

I draw inspiration from anything and everything. I see creative potential in everything around me: my family, nature, movies, music, art, words, colors, love, life, etc.

4. Where would you like to see your business go in the longrun?

I am not really sure. I hope that it will continue to flourish and grow over time. It makes me happy to share my art with others, so as long as I get to continue doing that I will be thrilled.

Well, I hope y'all loved learning more about Marcy. She has such beautiful designs and I know you'll love them, just as I do!

Be sure to check out Marcy's beautiful designs and take advantage of her Summer Sale going on now! :)

In the Studio Wednesdays

In the Studio Wednesday is the hardest day for me to write about, it seems. My "studio" is more like stuff taking over the whole house. I don't have a special room set aside for my work but I desperately wish I did! lol I do have a small section of the computer room that I keep my design books and finished jewelry in, however.
Today, I'm going to share a little about how I make my Scrabble pendants. They're really fun to make and don't feel like work at all! The hardest part about them is picking the images to use. I've got so many pretty images that it's hard to pick what I think will be most popular.

After I've got the picture picked out, I attach it to the back of the Scrabble game piece, which then becomes the new front. Trim the edges, add a little varnish, let it dry, add a bail, and BAM it's done! :)

If you're interested in a detailed tutorial of how to make your own Scrabble pendants, leave me a comment with your email address and I'll send it to you!

5 Gifts to Give Tuesday

These items are from my Favorites list on Etsy! Any one of them would be a perfect gift! :)

I LOVE these Flip Flops with Bows by BellaLouCo. At $15.95, they're the perfect gift for the girlie girl in your life- or even yourself! I'm sooo tempted to buy a pair!







This is an adorable Little Sparrow Necklace from WhiteCockade46. I have a pair of earrings just like this little white gold plated bird. This necklace would be a great gift for any young lady. She's sure to love it!






This Starfish and Co necklace and earring set is a little more expensive than some other items I've featured, but it's just gorgeous! Seadrops did such a great job making this that you're sure to love it! As they mentioned, it would be the perfect gift for bridesmaids at a beach wedding.






This Pink and Chocolate Name Plaque is the perfect accessory for a new baby's room. InitiallyByEmma hand painted this beautiful plaque- any girl is sure to love it.









This Three Peas in a Pod necklace by Sudlow is the perfect gift for a mom with three kids. The pod is handmade and there are several different versions so your mom can get exactly what she's looking for!

New in the Shop Monday

Hey readers! Sorry that I've been a little behind with the posts lately! My mom has been here for the past four days and I haven't had much time to work in the shop. So... let's pretend it's Monday and that I'm not behind on this post! ;)

I was able to make some glass pendants this weekend and I just posted them in the shop! I've got four new pendants and a couple more to list. The new ones are round!! :D

Check them out and let me know what you think!

Promo Fridays

Whoops, I lost all track of time yesterday and forgot to write the Promo Friday post!

While there aren't any "special" specials going on right now, as always, my Scrabble pendants are Buy 3, Get 1 FREE and glass pendants are Buy 2, Get 1 FREE! Just buy the 3 or 2, depending on the item, and tell me in the "message to the seller" box at checkout which pendant you'd like to get for free!

I made several new glass pendants yesterday and am also working on a vintage line that will be coming soon (today? tomorrow?). I have new round glass pendants that are super pretty! All of the items in the "vintage" section will be made from old beads I got at a recent yard sale. I'm going to post a little bit of information about each piece in the description, in addition to the usual details.

Hope y'all have a great weekend! I've got big plans, so I know mine will be fun! :)

Interview Thursdays

Happy Thursday, readers!

Each Thursday, I'm going to interview one of my favorite Etsy sellers. I'm going to try to pick someone each week that I've purchased from so I can give a little bit of a review, too.

This week, there is a special BONUS at the end so be sure to check it out! ;)

This week, I interviewed Lisa Rusmiselle of EYESview. She makes wonderful collage image sets to make Scrabble pendants and much more. She has a great selection of designs and is always adding more. EYESview is my favorite shop to buy pictures for my Scrabble pendants. Lisa offers many different sizes and always emails them very quickly. I've never had so much as a formatting problem with her images.

I interviewed Lisa yesterday and I really enjoyed reading what she had to say. It's so nice to get to know an Etsy artist better!

1. Please tell me about yourself (background, interests, how you got into digital art, etc.)

I'm Lisa and I am a work from home mom. I have 3 handsome boys (13,10 and 10) and am married to John an amazing, supportive husband. I am an avid digital scrap booker, I love photography, and I am a late blooming artist. I am a bit of a new comer to digital art.


I started my venture into the digital art world when I stumbled onto digital scrap booking. I was a traditional scissors paper scrapper for years but when I saw digital I was HOOKED. I sold off all of my stamps and scrap booking supplies and used the money to buy a new computer with LOTS of Ram and found a copy of Photoshop elements on Ebay. I learned the basics of digital scrap booking and then decided I wanted learn to make those kits. I self taught myself on Photoshop elements and then I upgrade to Photoshop CS3. Then I discovered Scrabble tile necklaces on Etsy. I was amazed by all the images and decided that I wanted to make those; they reminded me of little tiny scrapbook pages. I plunged head first into Photoshop illustrator took classes online and locally and I fell head over heals in love with digital art.

2. What can you tell me about your store? What types of items can one find there? How long have you been in business?

My store is a bit on the eclectic side; you will find a wide variety of images. I try very hard to have something for everyone. The bulk of my shop is made up of Collage sheets I am currently expanding into Digital Clip art and doing more Scrap booking kits. I am also trying to get every collage sheet I have into all sizes I offer until then I do offer free resizing if a size that is not listed is needed. I have been in business on Etsy for 1 year and it has been an AMAZING year!!! I have been so blessed to meet so many wonderful and kind people!

3. What or who inspires you?

Pretty much anything and everything inspires me. I am a “Color junkie” I just LOVE color! Right now I am having a pretty big love affair with blue/brown and pink/ brown, such gorgeous combinations!! One of my favorite artists is Charlie Harper, I was first introduced to his art in a science book I had in elementary school that was full of his illustrations. His illustrations are full of Clean lines and very contemporary in style. I just loved flipping through that book looking at all the pictures of birds, animals, and plants. You will find his art has inspired some of mine.

4. Where would you like to see your business go in the future?

I would love to see my business continue to grow and expand in new directions. This is what I do; it’s not just a hobby. I spend LOTS of time while the boys are in school and after they go to bed working on making new graphics. I have to admit it feels more like “playing” than working most of the time. I am in LOVE with making art. I am continually taking classes to hone my skills and learn new things that I can use to enhance my business. Etsy is an AMAZING place with lots of wonderful artists and I am so lucky to be apart of it.

Here is an example of the images Lisa offers. I love this one!
BONUS!! Like what you see at EYESview? The first person who comments on this post will receive 1 FREE sheet of images (up to a $2.50 value)! Just include your email address and the name of the sheet you'd like when you comment and I'll pass it on to Lisa.

Hope you enjoyed reading about this week's featured seller, Lisa of EYESview. Be sure to check back next week for an interview with another one of my favorite sellers!

In the Studio Wednesdays

Hello my lovely readers! Today is In the Studio Wednesday. I thought it might be interesting to tell y'all a little about the behind the scenes work at Bisou Bisou Beads. I love learning about what others do so I thought some of you might enjoy this.

The behind the scenes working at Bisou Bisou Beads today is that I'm working on making some vintage jewelry. I bought this huge bag of broken vintage jewelry at the church yard sale a while back and it has got some amazing stuff in it! I posted some pictures the day I bought it, you may have seen them.

I'm still not sure what I'm going to make with it all but I'm fixing to dump it all out in the floor and hope to be inspired!

I'll keep y'all posted about what goodies I'm inspired to create! :)

Blog Formatting

Anybody know why when I put pictures in my posts that it puts those spaces between the paragraphs? Help me fix it! I looks sooo bad! lol

5 Gifts to Give Tuesdays

Sticking to the schedule, it's 5 Gifts to Give Tuesday!

Etsy has some of the most talented artisans that I've ever found. I love that all the great items featured there are handmade. A handmade gift is so special to me. :) Here are 5 items that would make perfect gifts. They're all from the "Undiscovered" section of the Pounce feature.





I love this Owl Ribbon Tag Blankie! Actually, I love anything with an owl on it... This blanket was handmade from a soft cotton fabric and is the perfect gift for a baby shower.















I found this Market Tote with Braided Straps and fell in love! It's completely handmade and is super cool. I love how the button is made from found pieces of wood and how the straps are from repurposed leather.

















I LOVE these necklaces! I've played around with making them, but mine are no where near as pretty as this Family Necklace. You know I love this one because it already has my name on it! ;)











Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies. Enough said!








This bracelet is so pretty! I love the Coral and Onyx Mantra design. It makes me want to visit China and see all the sights!