The Twelve Giveaways of Christmas are Coming - Here's How to Enter!

TO ENTER ONE OF THE GIVEAWAYS, PLEASE BE SURE TO LEAVE YOUR COMMENT ON THE POST FOR THE PARTICULAR GIVEAWAY, NOT ON THIS POST.  COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG POST WILL NOT COUNT TOWARDS ANY OF THE GIVEAWAYS.  

We are very pleased to announce our 3rd annual "The 12 Giveaways of Christmas!"  We have so much fun with this event every year, that we are excited to bring it back for another holiday season. Throughout the month of December, we will be hosting 12 giveaways filled with inspiring beads, beading supplies, tools, and other goodies. It was an absolute delight putting these giveaways together—we hope you find them as inspiring as we did.

In case you're not familiar with The Twelve Giveaways of Christmas, we'd like to take a moment to introduce the event and how it all works in this post.  The actual giveaway posts will start on Thursday, so be sure to stay tuned!

Each giveaway is valued at a minimum of $75 and many are worth much more than that. We will be revealing the details of each prize on the day the giveaway starts in the form of a post on this blog and an email announcement to our newsletter subscribers. (Not on the list? Sign up now using the form in our sidebar and get a $5 coupon!)

To enter each giveaway, simply leave a comment on the blog post for that giveaway. The duration of the giveaway and your time to enter will be clearly listed in the post. When the giveaway ends, we will not allow further comments, we will mark the post as "This Giveaway is Now CLOSED", and we will draw a winner at random.

There will sometimes be several giveaways active at the same time. To help you keep track of all the happenings, a schedule is below as well as on a special page at Beadaholique (complete with hints as to what the giveaways are). Please note, each giveaway will start at 12AM ET and end at 7PM ET on the dates listed.  For those on Pacific Time, this is actually 9PM PT the date before, ending at 4PM PT.


Giveaway #1: Thursday, Dec. 5th - "'Begin at the beginning,' the King said..." Ends Dec. 9th
Giveaway #2: Friday, Dec. 6th - "Are you properly kitted out for the winter weather?"  Ends Dec. 9th
Giveaway #3: Monday, Dec. 9th - "None shall argue that variety is the spice of life." Ends Dec. 11th
Giveaway #4: Tuesday, Dec. 10th - "We shall learn the rope of life by untying its knots."  Ends Dec. 12th
Giveaway #5: Wednesday, Dec. 11th - "By cultivating the beautiful we scatter the seeds of heavenly flowers." Ends Dec. 13th
Giveaway #6: Thursday, Dec. 12th - "We weave our stories together and our friendships are made." Ends Dec. 16th
Giveaway #7: Friday, Dec. 13th - "Do we shape our tools, or do our tools shape us?" Ends Dec. 16th
Giveaway #8: Monday, Dec. 16th - "I get a kick out of you!" Ends Dec. 18th
Giveaway #9: Tuesday, Dec. 17th - "With books and broidery, we’ll pass the time bravely." Ends Dec. 19th
Giveaway #10: Wednesday, Dec. 18th - "Beads?  Check.  Bounty?  Check.   Beauty?  Check, check and check." Ends Dec. 20th
Giveaway #11: Thursday, Dec. 19th - "There are little gems all around us that can hold glimmers of inspiration." Ends Dec. 23rd
Giveaway #12: Friday, Dec. 20th - "Every particular in nature, a leaf, a drop, a crystal, a moment of time… partakes of the perfection of the whole." Ends Dec. 23rd

To enter a giveaway, leave a comment on the blog post for that particular giveaway. You can comment on as many giveaways as you like, but you can only win once. Please only comment once per individual giveaway. Multiple comments by the same person on the same giveaway will result in that person being disqualified for that giveaway, and the comments being deleted.

The duration during which comments (entries) for each contest will be accepted will vary and will be stated for each contest individually. For instance, there might be a longer comment period for a giveaway started on a Thursday vs. a Tuesday.

The winner for each giveaway will be drawn at random.

As an added bonus, there will be a 24-hour flash sale launched with each giveaway!  All details will be revealed on the dates listed above.

IMPORTANT: When entering, please do not comment anonymously; we must have a way to notify the winner.  Also, please do not use your Facebook, Twitter account, or Google Plus account when commenting.

We will send a notification email to the winner. Winner must respond within 2 business days or a new winner will be randomly selected.

We are sorry, but we are unable to ship prizes to addresses in the Middle East or Africa (with the exception of Egypt and South Africa).

By entering this contest, you give Beadaholique, Inc. permission to use your name for promotional purposes.

The terms & conditions that apply to all Beadaholique contests and giveaways also apply here.

TO ENTER ONE OF THE GIVEAWAYS, PLEASE BE SURE TO LEAVE YOUR COMMENT ON THE POST FOR THE PARTICULAR GIVEAWAY, NOT ON THIS POST.  COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG POST WILL NOT COUNT TOWARDS ANY OF THE GIVEAWAYS.  

Small Business Saturday - November 30th

After all the mayhem of Black Friday, but before Cyber Monday, don't forget about Small Business Saturday.  This coming Saturday, November 30, 2013, is the designated day to go out and support the small businesses in your local community.

Look for this seal at participating stores

Small Business Saturday was started in 2010 by American Express with the goal of boosting the revenue for small business owners during the busiest shopping season of the year.  The competition for the best deals in town heats up this week as everyone makes the mad dash to find the perfect gift.  And I know we all love our giant TVs from the big box stores but when you are looking for unique gifts, turn to the mom and pop shops in your city.


One of the things I love about this tradition is that it affords us the wonderful opportunity to get to know our community.  It is such a great thing that we can celebrate the small businesses around us.  Many local merchants and artisans have been cut out by larger stores and we have seen this decline more and more in recent years.  By going out on Saturday November 30th and purchasing from small businesses in your area you are helping to support our community.  Don't be afraid to try a new place.  Who knows, you may discover a new favorite shopping spot.

When you need to take a break from running around, don't forget about the small businesses that you can find online.  There are many online marketplaces, like Etsy and Zibbet, that have been giving new life to local artisans and designers.  Sites like these help keep the spirit of handmade gifts alive.  If you have an online shop, or small business, help those around you by giving back to the very community that supports you.  The best thing you can do is spread the word about a great small business.  Let those around you in on your great find.

Did you know that there are over 27 million small businesses in the US alone?  Many of them may be in your city.  Here is a great site to find the local small businesses in your area that will be participating this Saturday.  If you have a shop, visit www.shopsmall.com to find out how to promote your business this Saturday.

ENDED - Christmas in July SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Giveaway

 CONGRATULATIONS to Karen from New York - She's the lucky winner of this giveaway!

Let the festivities begin!  You may not have the urge to break out the candy canes and hot chocolate just yet but how about a wonderful giveaway to put you in the Christmas spirit?  It's never too early to start planning all those lovely handmade gifts for your friends and family.  We're giving away over $150 worth of SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS to help you get started!  It's our way of saying, "Happy Christmas in July".

One lucky winner will receive a great variety of colors and sizes, as shown below, to add to their beading collection.  Everything you see here can be yours!

To enter, please leave a comment on this blog post letting us know what your favorite SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS bead or pendant style is.  Giveaway ends next Tuesday, July 16th at 4pm PT.  At that time, we will choose one random winner from those who left comments on this blog post.  Please do not comment anonymously (as a guest) and do not use your Facebook, Twitter account, or Yahoo Pulse Profile when commenting.  Please do not comment more than once per giveaway post.  Please adhere to all Beadaholique rules and conditions for this giveaway.

All About Color: Holidays & Trends

The world of color ties in to trends and holidays in many interesting ways. The four seasons dictate our use of color in fashion, décor and everyday design. Here at Beadaholique, we believe in the importance of color and the role it plays in iconic holidays and changing trends. Both should be considered when it comes to jewelry making and designing.

Let's explore color a bit by talking about a popular trend going on right now—neon! Super bright, fluorescent colors like acid green, neon pink and electric blue seem to be popping up everywhere. They highlight your personality (pun intended!) and just look fun. Neon has made its inevitable comeback from the 1980s and we currently see this trend everywhere from clothing to jewelry to nail polish. "Highlighter" colors are all the rage and designers are integrating these colors into jewelry, especially with baubles and beads, to create stand-out pieces that add mega flair to any basic outfit. Pairing a super bright neon pink necklace or earring with a soft white or black minimal outfit makes for great contrast. Whether neon is one of your favorite color schemes or you are just testing out the trend, it's a fun way to add some brightness to your summer wardrobe.

Another pretty color trend happening right now is rose gold. This copper-gold tone is both unexpected and familiar; it somehow manages to look new and old at the same time. Pairing darker metallics with blush tones is a color combo that manages to feel feminine and soft in a vintage-inspired way. My personal favorite is pairing rose gold with black; it gives it a great romantic yet edgy look.

With fall 2013 rapidly approaching, we can start thinking about which color trends will be making appearances in fashion magazines and runways across the world. And with that said, Pantone's Fall 2013 color selections are here! This seasons colors include: Emerald, Linden Green, Mykonos Blue, Acai, Samba, Koi, Deep Lichen Green, Vivacious, Turbulence and Carafe. Pantone's color of the year is the rich, lush Emerald. Incorporating emerald as an accent color in jewelry or even as the main staple is a very glamorous, eye-catching option. It's both timeless and fresh and looks beautiful on everyone.

As we quickly move towards the holiday season, what better way to commemorate the festivities than with new and unexpected color twists?

As we all know, most holidays have universally recognizable color schemes. Christmas has red and green, Halloween has orange and black, Valentine's Day has pink, and so on. We have a fairly good idea of which holidays are associated with which color schemes, but did you know that by altering certain hues and shades, we can end up with color pairings that add a bit more glamor and intrigue?

Since it's Fourth of July, why not commemorate the red, white and blue by creating a cool new look? A wonderful example of this can be seen in our "July on the Yacht" necklace project. This piece incorporates lovely sea glass in red. Also, by adding silvers, golds or a palette of earth-toned neutrals such as charcoal gray, cream, pearl or slate, we can add variety and modernize the look of our jewelry while still maintaining its classic charm!

When it comes to Christmas, our minds automatically think red and green. However, when making Christmas jewelry, we don't always have to stick to these traditional colors. A lovely way to embrace this holiday season is to add colors that are reminiscent of the holiday without being too predictable. Instead of using that basic green, try a more brilliant aqua, mint or emerald (Hello, Pantone's color of the year!) instead. And maybe instead of that middle-of-the-road red, you can try a cool maroon, a dark burgundy or a rich purple. As complementary colors, red and green are visually pleasing together to begin with, so different hues and shades will just naturally look great together! You will end up with a look that is warm and festive.

Another look to play with involves frosty blues in contrasting shades that mimic winter's cool, crisp snow. Pairing unexpected chains and findings in rose gold with hints of dark pewter also create an interesting fall/winter look. Metallics like gold and silver always have a way of looking magical during the season. By incorporating touches of gray and black to all the colors above, you can end up with a chic, wintry palette.

If bright and bold is what you seek, then how about trying something new with your jewelry? By adding brilliant gemstones, crystals and beads in pear, orange, magenta, lime, purple and turquoise, you can completely redefine your holiday look. These lively colors will make any brooch or cocktail ring truly stand out, amidst the usual red and green. Why not pair a lovely bright magenta or royal purple with a warm gold? The possibilities are endless.



Playing around with color is a fun, whimsical way of getting into the holiday spirit! By adding simple yet unique variations into the mix, we can make beautiful new color stories that can be worn throughout the year.

-Karlin