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!

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!

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! :)

New Items Mondays

Hey readers! From now on, I have a little bit of a schedule made up for what I'm going to post each day of the week. I think it'll help me be more active and keep the blog more up to date. Monday's posts are going to be New Items in my shops.

As you know, I have two shops, Bisou Bisou Beads and october102006 In the first shop, I have altered art pendants, including Scrabble pendants. In the second, I have handmade bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and more.

Today in Bisou Bisou Beads, I posted a new Scrabble pendant. It's one of the custom initial designs where you tell me what initial you want and I make it especially for you. It's super cute, black and white damask with pink trim. I absolutely LOVE this pendant!








In my other shop, I posted two new items, a pair of Twilight inspired earrings and a pretty pearl bracelet. I love the bracelet and the earrings are perfect for Jacob Black fans.









Check them out if you have a chance and let me know what you think! Feedback is always welcome! :)










Hope y'all have a great Memorial Day! ♥

10% off sale is almost over!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to remind you that the 10% off sale at Bisou Bisou Beads is almost over! All you have to do to get the discount code is to check out my Facebook group/event. Check out the Upcoming Events section to see the event page and get the code!

The discount is good for both Bisou Bisou Beads and october102006- just type the code in the Message to the Seller Box at checkout and I'll refund your 10% via Paypal before I ship your jewelry.

See something you love? Get it now while it's 10% off! Hurry- the sale ends Monday, May 31st at midnight!

More new goodies!

Hey everybody!

I made some great new Scrabble pendants yesterday and I just love all of the new designs. For these, I just found a bunch of cute pictures online and edited them for the pendants. They are totally random pictures but some of them include Tree Hugger, Not in Kansas, and Fish are Friends.

Check them out if you have a chance! Let me know what you think! Which is your favorite? What would you like to see in a Scrabble pendant?

SALE!!! :o)

Hey guys! Check out my event on my Facebook group to get 10% off on your next purchase at Bisou Bisou Beads! Join the group and event for this special deal and hurry- the sale ends May 31st!

New, new, new!

Well, it's that time again. Finals are just around the corner and the whole student body is going insane from too much studying and not enough sleep. I've been working in my Etsy shop these past few days to get some much needed stress relief!

How does this pertain to you, you ask? Well, I've got some GREAT new designs listed and have a ton more to come! :D As of right now, I have all of my necklaces and about half of my bracelets listed. Earrings, Twilight-inspired designs, and "other" are coming soon.

I've also been feeling pretty creative lately. I got this awesome bag of broken vintage jewelry at the church yard sale this past weekend. There is so much cool stuff in there- the ideas are just bubbling over as to what to make with it all! See the old cameo? I think that's my favorite!

I haven't done much beading lately but I'm going to have some free time soon (hopefully!) and I'll be working my little fingers off! I have so many great ideas in my head but I just never have the time, materials, or cash to make them a reality. It's the sad truth of being a college student, unfortunately.

Anyways, I just thought I'd share with y'all what I've been up to lately. Check out my necklaces and be on the lookout for new goodies coming soon!

Oh! Are you a fan of my page on Facebook? What about of the Facebook group? Join today for special discounts, sales, and more that are only offered there!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!

Tax-Free Weekend Sale!

Hi everyone!! While I don't charge tax at Bisou Bisou Beads, this weekend is tax-free school shopping weekend in Alabama so I'm having a sale! Receive an 8.5% refund on all purchases at Bisou Bisou Beads and Bisou Two this weekend only, through Sunday!

Pearl Earring Giveaway

With the creation of my newest line which is inspired by Jane Austen, I have decided to have another jewelry giveaway.

These beautiful earrings were handcrafted with faux pearls elegantly wrapped with sterling silver wire. They are on sterling plated French hooks. Visit my Etsy listing for more photos and color options.

The Giveaway: One lucky reader will receive a pair of hand twisted wire and pearl earrings in the color of her choice. (Available in dark green [as seen here], light green, cream [Swarovski pearl], chocolate [Swarovski pearl], beige, and dark rose.)

To Enter:
Visit my Etsy shop, Bisou Bisou Beads, and comment here on your favorite item. (REQUIRED) Please leave your email address so I may contact you if you are the winner.

Additional Entries:
1) Follow my blog.
2) Add my button to your blog or website.
3) Follow me on Twitter and tweet the giveaway.
4) Blog about my giveaway and leave me the link.
5) Make a purchase from my shop (5 extra entries). Use the code BLOG10 to receive an extra 10% off of your order.

*Additional entries should be in individual comments- only one entry per comment will be counted. Please include your contact info in all comments. If I can't get in touch with you, you can't win!*

Other Detals:
The giveaway will end Sunday, July 28th at midnight CST. The winner will be contacted on the 29th and will be given 48 hours to respond with their mailing information before a second winner is chosen.

Good luck!

Exciting New Happenings at Bisou Bisou Beads

Hello all! I've made some great renovations to my Etsy shop, Bisou Bisou Beads (aka Bisou Two) and I wanted to share it with all of you wonderful followers.

• FREE shipping to all countries
• Now accepting money orders
• Rings have been discounted by $2-$3 each
• 10% off sale for *new* customers
• 15% off for *returning* customers
• Special disounts for Twitter followers. DM me for details! ;)

Check out the new stuff and I promise there are many more great designs to come! Thanks for following me and supporting my dreams. :)

Social Networking: Sell Your Jewelry Online the New Way

Are you a jewelry designer who wants to grow your online business? I definately fit into that category so I purchased Social Networking: Sell Your Jewelry Online the New Way. While I've only read about 50 pages, this book has some GREAT tips that I'd never thought of! It's the best $40 I've spent!

So, check it out if you need some new ideas- it's great! ♥

Pick your own sale!

What item would you like to see 10-25% off at Bisou Bisou Beads? Visit my site and let me know which item you want to be on sale and I'll make it happen for you! ♥

New at Bisou Bisou Beads!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I've just completed a shop makeover at Bisou Two and I've added lots of new products at Bisou Bisou Beads! Don't forget that 10% of all orders in May is going to help save rainforest frogs!

Random Musings

Well, the semester is almost over and I'm so thankful! It's become a huge burden and I haven't been very successful at anything lately- I'm getting spread to thin, I think. This summer, I'm transfering to an new school, one that is closer to home, and I'm moving back in with Mom. I think it will help me get things back in order and that it will be good for me.

I've been trying to live two lives it seems; one here at school and one at home with friends and family. By transfering, I'll have it all in one place and won't have to spend 3 hours a week driving back and forth.

Somethings I've been putting off that I'm looking forward to doing at home:
1) Make environmentally friendly laundry detergent!
2) Make lots of jewelry that I've bought materials for but haven't had time to create.
3) Get motivated about school again. I've changed my major recently so a new school is the right place to get started, I think.

Somethings I'm not looking forward to between now and then:
1) Finals! One tomorrow, one Monday, one Tuesday, and a paper due Wednesday. I can do it!
2) Packing! I've accumulated so much stuff in the last two years- I don't know where it's all going once I move home!

Well, that's all of my musings for now. I need to go study for my Art History final. It's tomorrow but I'm not feeling too bad about it. I just need to keep studying! Wish me luck! ♥