Lisalu Jewels + Holiday = HOT!

Blue Planet


Dress: Nordstrom
Shoes: Zappos Canada
Earrings: Lisalu Jewels

Grey Scale


Dress: Nordstrom
Shoes: Zappos Canada
Earrings: Lisalu Jewels

Crystal Lagoon


Dress: Nordstrom
Shoes: Zappos Canada
Earrings: Lisalu Jewels

Apple Martini


Dress: Nordstrom
Shoes: Zappos Canada

Earrings: Lisalu Jewels


Cosmopolitan


Dress: Evening Dress 100
Shoes: Zappos Canada
Earrings: Lisalu Jewels

Bead Happy

It's been over a week since my last blog post and what a week it has been!

I contemplated posting a few days ago but the truth is I just couldn't muster up the energy and here's why...

Last Sunday (November 21) my husband and I were in a car accident.

Thankfully our son wasn't in the car at the time and we were both able to walk away with only minor injuries. Our car however was undrivable. The airbags deployed and the left side of the car was a mess.

I have to say, this was an extremely scary and upsetting experience for me. I've been out-of-sorts ever since. With a sore back and rattled nerve I didn't set foot in my studio all week. Today however I was reminded by Erin, of Tesori Trovati that the Challenge of Color Blog Hop is this Friday, December 3rd! Not wanting to miss my first ever blog hop challenge, I made my way down to my studio (which was nice and tidy after the big clean) and got to work.

And guess what? It felt GOOD. Really good.

Here's a sneak peak at my entry. Can you guess my color palette?



I am now reminded of why I like to make jewelry.

~It's my escape from the world and all the troubles in it.
~When I make jewelry time stands still for me and I forget everything else.
(even to eat!)
~It is my much needed creative outlet.

I crank some music (today was Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds), grab myself a drink (often wine), and just bliss out with my beads.

I am also reminded of why I named this blog Bead Happy.

~It has nothing to do with the song "don't worry, be happy".
~"Bead Happy" is a sense of joyous abandon.
~It's a state of mind.

Thank you Erin for getting me back on track.

Bead Happy Today!

Color Spotlight: Winter White

I'm looking out my window and seeing tiny little snowflakes beginning to fall. The temperature has dropped and it's looking awfully wintry out there. I was thinking about which color to spotlight today and Winter White seemed to be the perfect fit. I had so much fun making my Chartreuse Treasury last week that I decided to do it again. Now unlike Chartreuse, where my options for selection were very limited, there was an abundance of Winter White. 'Tis the season I guess!

Cozy up for these Winter White pics!

'Winter Whites' by lisalujewels

Snow Squall - a single solit... Raceytay $27.00	Lampwork Bracelet Snow White... fiorejewellery $40.00	Ivory.....Ruffled Scarf JANNYSGIRL $18.00
Handmade Vintage Inspired Ca... ClothandPatina $12.00	16 So Not Boring Vanilla Bea... FusionSweets $8.99	Let it Snow Newborn Baby Gir... OopsIKnitItAga... $24.00
Betsy in Winter White Nubby ... ThreeLittleBir... $14.00	Felted white and black scarf... Baymut $38.00	Hand Knit and Felted Wool Sp... Blackbirddesig... $54.00
Winter Rose Bergamot handmad... swanmountainso... $6.00	Snowblind - Fine art photogr... irenesuchocki $30.00	White Berry Wreath AprilHilerDesi... $39.00
Glittering Ice Frosted Hoops... fussjewelry $178.00	Fingerfull Warmers - Nuno Fe... JurgitaMi $35.00	Three Soda and Wood Fired Bo... khphillips $91.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

It was time...

It was time... My studio was a MESS and it was time to clean it up. Normally I work quite well in a mess (See my post Creative Mess) but this was getting ridiculous. I had left myself no space to work.

My desk before the big clean:

Ugh...

Well, it took me a couple of days but I can see the top of my desk now!

I picked up all the stray beads and organized them into my colorful "bead soups". Sure I could have put them all away into their own little sections in my drawers and containers but I find these little soups so inspiring! Plus, that would have taken forever!

I found them so inspiring that I had to take a few pictures of them!

The Neutral Mix, The Blue Mix, The Black/Brown Mix, The Green/Aqua Mix, The Red/Yellow Mix and the Purple Mix!

A close up.

The Green/Aqua Mix

It feels so much better now! Watch for a surge of stuff being added to my shop. I'm sure my desk will be back to the "before" in no time. ;-)

Color Spotlight: Chartreuse~ Love it or hate it?

The color chartreuse brings out strong emotions in people. It's one of those colors you either love or hate. It's rare for a person to feel completely neutral about chartreuse. I personally love it. Would I wear a chartreuse sweater? Probably not but it small doses chartreuse can add a much needed pop of color. It's beautiful in home decor and looks fantastic combined with bluish greens like peacock or teal and with brown for a retro vibe. Combine it with black and white for a look that's classy and modern. I had fun searching Etsy today for some lovely chartreuse items. Instead of listing them one by one here on my blog I decided to do an Etsy treasury. What fun!

Here are some fabulous chartreuse finds. Enjoy!

'Chartreuse~ Love it or hate it?' by lisalujewels

LA FEE VERTE Absinthe Green ... TianaCHE $145.00	Dipping dish - ginkgo in cha... hopejohnson $22.00	Set of two (2) 18 inch throw... MasonMoonbeam $27.00
Chartreuse Enameled Earrings... OxOriginalArtJ... $42.00	ORIGINAL ABSTRACT PAINTING -... msbetsy $250.00	Chartreuse Modern Eco Friend... kissadesign $20.00
Chartreuse Circles - wirewra... LiciaBeads $40.00	Peacock Feather Silk Dupioni... mermaidsdream $65.00	Ruffle Scarf, Hand Knit Wool... beadedwire $28.00
Green Cameo Feather Nerd thenerdsofafea... $30.00	Tree Silhouette Wrap LEATHER... hollyhawk $25.00	Christmas Nested Mini-Bowls ... baileybowls $28.00
Touch - 8x10 Fine Art Nature... flandersfield $20.00	Bag Purse - Sun Lemon Lime rntn $68.00	Split Pea Versatility - Butt... fibrevolution $70.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Rosy Rouge or Mango Parfait?

I love reading jewelry related blogs. I follow several (see sidebar) and have come to feel like I know many of these bloggers. I read about their work, their families, their personal struggles and what inspires them. Although I feel like I know them, I realize that they know nothing about me. It's kind of strange having these one sided friendships. Well, I'm setting out to change that.

One of the ways bloggers get to know each other is by participating in contests, challenges and blog hops. I'm happy to announce that I will be participating in my first ever blog hop challenge! The challenge is hosted by Erin Prais-Hintz of Tesori Travati. It's called The Challenge of Color and you can read more about it on her blog.

Basically each player chooses a color family and Erin will send them a paint chip in that color family. I have a tendency to work in the blue/green color family and have decided to push my boundaries a little and chose the opposite side of the color wheel... RED!

Here's the chip that Erin sent me.




Here are the rules posted by Erin:

1:Choose a color family to work with (i.e., blue, green, brown, etc.). It can be something that you feel safe with... or pick a palette that is challenging for you. ;-)

2:Email your name, address, and color family to enjoytheday@tesoritrovati.com with the subject line Paint Chip Challenge. If you have a blog, include that link, too. {Email must be received by Friday, November 5th.}

3:I will mail a paint chip palette chosen just for you. {If you live outside of the US, I would still love to have you play, but I will email you a scanned color palette instead in the interest of time.}
3::You will create jewelry using your paint chip in any percentage of color that you like from the chip. Bonus points if you can use all the colors provided!

4::Select a name from your palette for your piece.

6::Blog Hop on Friday, December 3rd about your color palette and creative process. Be sure to show the paint palette you receive!

I can't wait to play! I just ordered some snazzy art beads in my color palette. I'm going to use all three colors. I'd love to show them to you but you'll have to wait until the big reveal December 3!

Wish me luck!

Now on Etsy!

I did it! I finally got my shop up on Etsy! It will have everything that my website has listed but is great for those who prefer to shop on Etsy. I think it looks pretty good! I will be adding product gradually over the next week. I'm so tempted to throw everything up there right away but according to Etsy experts it's best to list a few products a day for the best exposure. I guess I'll have to be patient.

Lisalu Jewels on Etsy

I have also joined the Etsy for Autism Team. I'm hoping to raise awareness and draw attention to the difficulties families living with autism face. You may know that my son has Autism Spectrum Disorder. Much of my day is spent taking him to therapy appointments, cooking special meals for him and teaching him to be the best little boy he can be. Many of the things the average person takes for granted are a struggle for those living on the spectrum. We see this everyday with our son but we keep moving forward with our chins up. He's making improvements and we have high hopes for him.

If you would like to read more about our story, see my first blog post Let's Dance.

Flying Saucers

Here's a new necklace that I created today. Aren't these beads from HMB Studios just the coolest? They look like little flying saucers. I have combined them with black onyx and sterling silver in this necklace I call "Swirls".

Swirls Necklace

HMB Studios has lots of cool looking disc shaped beads in their shop. Love them!

Check out these beauties!! Drool!

Or these crazy cool beads!

I am so addicted to lampwork beads! I think I may have a problem. ;-)

Color Spotlight: Fall for Fuchsia!

I have decided to do a regular feature on my blog called Color Spotlight! I'm such a lover of bold color and I would like to showcase some of the incredible art beads being made by talented artisans all over the world. I would LOVE to make my own art beads and this is a dream I hope to fulfill one day but for now I'll have to be content ogling the sparkly lovelies being crafted by others. Today's color spotlight is Fuchsia!

Fuchsia is one of my absolute favorite colors. It's bright and cheerful. It's not as hot as red but not demure like pink. It's bold, sassy and oh-so-girly. I've been known to pile it on. I have multiple pairs of fuchsia shoes, fuchsia handbags and more fuchsia shirts than any one girl should have. I really try not to wear them all together. I think sometimes you really can have too much of a good thing. ;-) Today was a fuchsia shoe day.

While browsing through Etsy (something I do frequently) I did a search for fuchsia lampwork beads. Check out some of these finds that I'm drooling over!

These gorgeous beads from Radiant Mind. I'm anxiously awaiting an order that I placed with them last week.

This beautiful pair is from one of my favorite lampwork companies, Fire and Fibers.

and these babies are from Sharon Johnson Designs. They're just so juicy looking!

How's that for eye candy?