Announcing the Winners of the 12 Giveaways #1 - 6!

Beadaholique's 12 Giveaways of Christmas is going strong, with nine giveaways announced so far.  We are having so much fun reading through your comments and seeing the amazing response to the giveaways!

The winners for the first half of the giveaways have been confirmed, and we're very happy to announce them:

Giveaway #1: Kristy S. from California has won the Beginners Tool Kit, Basic Supplies, and $50 Beadaholique Gift Card.

Giveaway #2: Patricia G. from Pennsylvania has won the Five Exclusive Beadaholique Kits and Pink Tool Kit.

Giveaway #3: Patsy B. from California has won the Nunn Design, Crystal Clay, and Gel Du Soliel.

Giveaway #4: Wendy M. from Pennsylvania has won the Braiding and Knotting Supplies, Focals, and Macrame Board.

Giveaway #5: Shelly U. from California has won the Seed Beads, Two Beadweaving Books and Seed Bead Case.

Giveaway #6: Denise G. from Michigan has won the Deluxe Kumihimo Kit.

Congratulations to our first six winners, and good luck to all of our entrants for the upcoming giveaways!

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.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Now that we've reached November, I've been thinking a lot about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and all of the yummy food!  Every year, many of us have to get creative with ways to use all those Thanksgiving leftovers.

Christmas Wishes Necklace

In much the same way, a lot of beaders do a huge amount of creating during the holiday season, and end up with their own version of leftovers - leftover beads!  How do you get creative with ways to use those leftover beads and bits?  If you think outside the box, you'll realize that you don't need to let any of those goodies go to waste.


Beads

Using leftover beads as an accent can be a great way to use them up, and also to add that extra little touch to a project.  The red crystal bead in the Christmas Wishes Necklace adds a great finishing touch.

Calypso Earrings

If you have a couple of lingering beads that look pretty together, try making a pair of simple linked earrings like the Trini Earrings.  They're quick and easy, and very wearable.


A pair of interesting gemstone beads can become a great pair of wire wrapped earrings in a snap.  Just wrap them up with a spiraling end like the Calypso Earrings.

Seed Bead Bangle Bracelet Set

Rings are another great way to use up leftover beads.  They're small, so you can make a big impact with a small number of beads.  Try gluing Tila beads into a bezel like the Checkerboard Tila Ring or make a bauble ring with any combination of small beads like the Cabana Ring.

If you have a few seed bead tubes that are getting too low to use in bead weaving, mix them together and press them into Crystal Clay.  Becky Nunn used this technique in her Seed Bead Bangle Bracelet Set, and the results are so unusual and pretty.

Margot Earrings in Montana Blue

Chain

Chain remnants can be the perfect way to add something special to a project.  Try using your smaller remnants of chain to add swags to a pair of earrings.  The Margot Earrings are a beautiful example of how a bit of chain can really finish a pair of earrings.

Even if you only have a few inches of chain left, it can make a great foundation for a pair of earrings.  The Emerald Spiral Earrings use only 2.5" of open link chain for the pair, which forms the base for the SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Crystal Channel Charms to hang from.

Elizabeth's Necklace

If you've used gemstone chain, you'll know that you don't want to throw away a single scrap.  Even if you've cut your chain into small pieces, you can still make something lovely with them, just like Julie did in the Gilded Amethyst Earrings.

Rhinestone cup chain might just be the most versatile product I've worked with lately.  I've been using it in everything - and often in pretty small quantities!  One of my favorite applications is as an accent around the outside of the bezel in Elizabeth's Necklace.  It gives such a subtle sparkle to the piece.

Regal Bumblebee Ring

The Regal Bumblebee Ring shows just how much impact a few inches of chain can have.  The rhinestone cup chain makes a gorgeous and eye-catching border for this stunner of a cocktail ring.


Mixed Media

Another great option for using up a potpourri of leftover components is to create a mixed media piece.  This is an especially great option if your pieces tend to fit within a certain color scheme or style.  Julie, who is our Beadaholique Mixed Media Queen, used an extremely wide variety of bits and pieces to create Dreams in Flight.  This amazing statement piece was made using 35 different components, and in many cases, only one or two pieces of each were used.  It's the ultimate leftover project!

Dreams in Flight

Most beaders that I know have quite the stash of leftovers - what's your favorite way to use them up?

-Megan

Contest Update: Halloween!

There's just over a week left to get your entries in for our current Beading Contest: Halloween!  Have you shown us your spooky best?

Halloween is one of my very favorite holidays, and I am always really inspired to make fun, whimsical, and spooky jewelry when this time of year rolls around.  In fact, I was so inspired that I wrote a whole Inspiration Monday post about it last year!

We hope you'll be equally inspired, and will share your Halloween-themed jewelry with us by entering the contest.  As you plan your entry piece, don't forget that there are many, many ways to be inspired by a particular holiday.  You can go traditional with orange and black and classic Halloween symbols like this black raven.  Or you could take a whimsical approach, incorporating greens and purples into your piece.  We'd love to see what your own personal interpretation of "Halloween" is!



The entry deadline is Tuesday October 8th at 4pm PT.  Be sure to check out the contest post here for all of the details.