Day of the Dead Challenge Entries

 I won't be linking away from our blog or posting another blog until January 10th, 2012 to allow all of these entries to get the most comments (which are VOTES) as they can, so please leave a comment below for your FAVORITE design.


We've had a great year. I hope 2012 is better...of course I always hope for progress but it would be really nice to move forward in leaps and bounds instead of the snails pace I've endured in the past 7 years. I often imagine myself in one of those time lapsed filmography's - I am standing still and everyone else rushes past me? Do you feel that way as well? 


We sold 10 challenge kits and have 8 wonderful entries. The Challenge was to use 75% of the kit contents (pic below) in their designs. They must use 75% to get scored in five categories: Theme, Creativity, Functionality, Creative use of techniques and BONUS of 5 extra points for using ALL or MOST of the Lucite sent to them. 

Here they are - our Day of the Dead entries, one by one. 

# 1 Stephanie Haussler - Garden of Skulls

#2 Shelley Nybakke - Pleines - Hangmans' Noose

#3 Jennifer VanBenSchoten - Garden of the Dead

#4 Katie Nelson - Muerta Hermosa

#5 Beth Dewey - Remembrance

#6 Diana Palmer -  Never forget Katrina

#7 Wendy Baker - Twenty flowers for Catrina

#8 Susan Jaisle - Sugar Shack

Good Luck to all our beautiful entries! Leave a comment with your favorite design - we'll be tallying all the Facebook votes for these designs with the comments left here. 

Facebook links:

The Hole Bead Shoppe FAN page

Kelli Burns Facebook page

Here are the prize packages:

Grand Prize:

$100 Cash (sent to winner in the form of a check)

$75 retail value seed beads (selected by Hole Bead Shoppe Staff)

$75 retail value Lucite flowers (selected by Hole Bead Shoppe Staff)

$40 gift certificate from Palmtree Queen Beads

1 year subscription to Bead Design Magazine 

Second Prize:          

Refund of Challenge Kit fee or gift certificate equivalent

$25.00 retail value seed beads (selected by Hole Bead Shoppe Staff)

$25.00 retail value Lucite flowers/leaves (selected by Hole Bead Shoppe Staff)

Third Prize:            

$25.00 gift certificate to The Hole Bead Shoppe awarded by e-mail

FB Prize:

$25.00 gift certificate to The Hole Bead Shoppe awarded by e-mail

Friday Giveaway with Lucy

Trivia Question October 21st, 2011:

What were original rhinestones made from and where did they come from?

Answer posted here: FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

Send your answer here: TRIVIA ENTRY FORM
form is having issues - PLEASE E-mail 
theholebeadshop@bartnet.net
name
email address
answer

General Information: 

Our Scavenger Trivia Game began October 7^th at noon CST. It will continue – every Friday at noon CST until December 16^th, 2011. Each week we’ll post a TRIVIA question on our Blog asked by Lucy – our Lucite Ambassador. The correct answer to our question will be posted on our Facebook Fan page before midnight CST every Friday. The FIRST four correct answers sent to this link: TRIVIA ENTRY FORM wins a $25.00 gift certificate to shop with us.

Since the TRIVIA ENTRY FORMS are sent to us there is a time and date stamp. Every answer will be posted as it is received. And only correct answers will be counted to win the gift certificates.

You can share the blog and questions with your own friends to get in on the fun. Some of the questions and answers will be bead related – some will not – but we’re still looking for very specific answers – so if you’re not absolutely right – you’ll lose the gift certificate.

RULES:

1. The questions will be posted on our blog – every Friday at noon CST.

2. Answers will be displayed on our FB Fan page before midnight CST every Friday until game ends. The answer must be the one we’ve posted on our Facebook page and must be sent to this link: TRIVIA ENTRY FORM You must fill out the form in it’s entirety to be entered.

3. You can only win ONE time per month.

4. You can only use one gift certificate per shopping trip. (our website only allows one coupon)

5. The first FOUR correct answers will win a $25.00 gift certificate to shop with us.

6. Gift Certificates will be awarded by e-mail, are not redeemable for cash and can take up to 48 hours to process - please make sure to check your SPAM filters. We're not responsible for lost gift certificates but will do everything to make sure you know the code.

7. Winners will be posted each week on our BLOG and FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

Remember - the answer will be on our: FACEBOOK FAN PAGE and you must send answers via our TRIVIA ENTRY FORM

The first FOUR correct answers posted at this link: win a $25.00 gift certificate. There will be other giveaways in the next 10+ weeks that won't be advertised so you better check back!

Lucy is the creation of Eddie Howe - contact Eddie here: Eddie's e-mail

Share it. Join our blog. Leave a comment. Check a box. Thanks for reading and playing along.

The new face of LUCITE - Meet Lucy.

My journey with beads began accidentally. Technically, like so many of us, I was a hobbiest, a "scrapper". I worked with stamps, mica's, paints, Marvy markers, stickers and more. I loved scrapping (I still do but have no time?) - to me, it was like coloring with crayons? Every page is a new pallette, a new adventure, a one-page artistic representation of my feelings towards the subject. I also made cards for birthdays, holidays, special occasions and just because?

Early work 

I was doing just that, making cards - when I found beads at a local craft store. And my bead journey started there on that isle in 2003 and I've not looked back since.
After I found beads at my local craft store - I found Lucite on E-bay and the rest is history.  

Rose Gold - one of my earlier works

I tell my story for the simple fact that if you're reading this then you will know that with time, patience, persistence and dreams - you can do anything in this life. You can make a simple thought into a reality, you can make a lifelong dream a lifelong plan. You just need to see it and go there - your path may split and take you down an unexpected road but every road is a journey, right? 

Early LUCITE work

So - on to the unveiling of our new logo - Lucy. In 2006, I had a thought to make a cartoon representation of the Lucite we sell. We call Lucite flowers and leaves - Lucies' and if you didn't know, we've made a series of designs based on the name Lucies'. So what could be better (well, maybe ice cream) than having a Lucy logo? I talked to at least 10 different artists about creating her image - each said they could/would but never did. But as I said before, your path my split and take you down an unexpected road but that's the journey! 

A custom order for a woman who was the Watermelon Queen of her town. 

I was introduced to Ed Howe through his wife Sheryl, who over the years has been a customer and friend of ours. Ed, a retired fire fighter - has always dreamed of being an artist. I looked at Ed's work and thought he could be the man for the job. Turns out - for once in my life, I was right! ha! After working with Ed for a few weeks - he came up with the perfect Lucy. 

Summer's Gate won BeadStyle's glass challenge.

Lucy is the artistic face of Lucite at The Hole Bead Shoppe and she was conceived, created, designed just for us. Her creation will officially start our 10+ week Trivia Scavenger game with our Facebook Fans and our website customers!


In less than three months - The Hole Bead Shoppe will GIVE away more than $1500 in prizes and gift certificates to our FANS and CLIENTS! More than we've ever given away, at one time in our 7 years of business.

Lucy. I love her...I hope everyone else does too! 

If you would like to reach Eddie Howe - E-mail Eddie here

Leave a comment. I'd like to know what you think! Will you play our trivia scavenger hunt starting in TWO days? It's going to be great!

She looks like my muse. . .

It's almost 1 a.m. in the morning, Tuesday. I am working at home tomorrow for many reasons...I'm tired and I can't sleep? Do you ever have that happen? My eyes are heavy but when they slowly close, they pop open just as fast?

Only a few people know (not anymore, haha) but many of my designs come from what I call "my muse." Okay. I am crazy. Go ahead and say it. My muse has no name (I call her Lucy) but I can see her clearly in my mind. The strange thing about my muse is she only comes to me while I sleep.

She came to me in a dream and handed me Lucies' Daisy Patch. She had it in her hand and gave it to me. She said "Make it and they will love it." And she told me how to make it. When I woke up, I knew how to make Lucies' Daisy Patch and I had never made it before. My muse gave me several other designs but they were not as clear as Daisy Patch and our newest Metal and Lucite Poseur rings.

The girl in the picture above, looks almost exactly like my muse. Everything about her is the same except the color of her hair, which is lighter blond than the small child above. When she appears in my dreams she has a yellow and white gingham dress on and a laurel wreath of white baby's breath flowers with yellow and white daisy's lacing in and out of the wreath. She has white Mary Jane's on with white socks that have tiny yellow and white daisy's on around the hem.

As I type about my muse, I wonder if putting her story on paper will cause her to go away. I have only told a very select people about her in fear that she might not like me talking about her! I guess it's like a baseball player wearing the same pair of socks while on a winning streak.

But my muse has been on my mind lately. I often wonder why she appeared in the first place and why she doesn't appear more and why she is so elusive.

I've never been able to summon her and she appears and both opportune times and inopportune times. There is absolutely no rhyme nor reason why/when she appears but I always know where. In my dreams.

For now, I guess I will have to be happy with whatever she gives me. And not look a "gift muse" in the mouth.

Do you have a muse? What is it? Write and let us know....

Thanks for being here. Thanks for reading. Post. Comment.

x0x0x0

K~