Gail Nettles

Archive for the ‘Other Stuff’ Category

I'm going to take a break from jewelry at the moment to share something with you.

We all know that Christmas all started with celebrating the birth of Jesus.  The cast of characters includes Gabriel, the bearer of good news; Mary, an about-to-be unwed mother; Joseph, the bewildered fiance.  Not to mention the shepherds, the Magi and all the animals in the stable.

But do you ever wonder what it might be like if instead of all this happening 2000+ years ago, it was happening today?  What might that be like in today's world?

Here's a video my hubby showed me, that I got a huge kick out of, and I think you will like it, too.  It's how technology changes the world.

Enjoy, and MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

I have a very special sale going on from right now through midnight of Tuesday, September 15th 2009.

Sale Amount

15% off everything!  This includes Pandora style beads, bead sets and jewelry (all handmade by me).

How it Works

When you put the items in your cart, you'll see the full price, as well as at the checkout.  What I do is then refund you 15% on your entire purchase, not including shipping.

Save Even More

The more you buy, the more you save!  If you buy at least $60 worth (not including shipping), your discount goes up to 20%!

Coupon Code

When you check out, put BLOG in the message area. This lets me know you want the sale price!

Where's the Store?

Glad you asked!  The store is located at www.tasminann.com.  You'll want to get there soon for the best selection.  Remember, the sale only goes through midnight on Tuesday, September 15 2009.

See you there with my lampwork beads for sale!

Yep, more Pandora-style lampwork bead information and photos!  This time, created with my own two hands.  Along with glass and a torch and...you get the idea!

If you're not up to speed on what exactly Pandora beads are, take a look at my lampwork Pandora bead post -- it will give you the "hole" story!

Unique Lampwork Pandora-Style Beads

Pandora-Style Kitty Bead

I've been working on some new ideas, to make some of these wonderful beads different from the beads sold on the official Pandora site.  Not that they aren't nice, but they are a bit on the plain side (which can of course be good at times).

Meanwhile, I decided to go in a totally opposite direction, and my cats were my inspiration!

The kitty bead you see on the right is rather small, at just 15mm tall, but it plays well on a Pandora (Biagi, Chamilla, Troll) bracelet.  Enough to stand out from the everyday, without overwhelming the bracelet.

You may notice that the bead isn't silver lined.  Some of my kitties I left "au naturale" and some I did line with sterling rivets.  Thought it might be nice to have a choice.

OK, that's one kitty; are you up for another?

Seal Point Cat Pandora Style Bead

Here's what I call my "Kyle Kitty", after a seal-point Ragdoll cat that I once had.  And you might notice that I did put the sterling silver rivets in my "Kyle Kitty".

Right now I'm trying to figure out the color I need to use for my "Rusty" cat bead.  Rusty is my orange tabby, and finding just the right color in glass has been daunting!  But I'll figure it out eventually.

And if you're wondering...yep, I will eventually make pint-sized dogs and bunnies and other assorted critters into my Pandora-style beads.

A More Traditional Pandora-Style Bead

Still, I haven't abandoned a more traditional bead, like the one you see to your right.  After all, sometimes a gal just wants to be a little more traditional -- in shape, if not in color!

At any rate, feel free to mosey on over to my store site and see all the Pandora-style bead goodies I have to offer.  Along with other kinds of lampwork beads as well.  And in the meantime, I hope you've enjoyed the picture show!

Do you use Bead Manager Pro?  Do you like it?  Do you use it?  Let's talk about it!

Do You Make Jewelry?

The first question is this:  do you make a lot of jewelry? 

OK, if you're a bead lover (like me, for instance) you probably have a ton of supplies.  Make that a ton of supplies all over the place!  And when an idea for the perfect piece of beaded jewelry overcomes you, naturally you go looking for the components. 

Here's what happens to me; I know where my most-used supplies are, and I have a pretty good idea what I have in stock at any given time.  For instance, I know that I have a lot (and I really mean a lot) of 4mm round sterling beads.  But as for sterling daisy spacers...I don't use those as often, so right now I couldn't tell you if I need to order more (which probably means that I do).

I was making a gemstone and seed bead necklace early this week, and I wanted to use my amethyst beads.  I knew I had some, so I went hunting for them.  Ok, found some.  Not what I thought I had but oh well.  So I went and made the necklace.

Naturally, after the necklace was done, I saw the beads that I originally wanted to use.  Yes, I still had some and they were just hiding from me (don't you hate it when they do that?)!

And then there was the clasp situation.  I honestly thought I had a dozen or more lobster claw sterling clasps, so blithely went on my way.  OK, time for the clasps...what do you mean I only had 2!  Grrr, time to get more, and in the meanwhile, change my clasping plans.

Does any of this sound familiar? 

Do You Make and Sell Jewelry?

Taxes.  I hate them, you hate them, but if you make and sell jewelry, you have to do them.  I know that every year towards the end of December I get depressed with the thought of doing inventory.   I have to balance what I bought, versus what I used and sold then compare it to what I have on hand.  Because I can only write off in taxes what I actually used and sold.

Lampwork Bracelet, "Watercolor Garden" (Click to Englarge)

Did I use 10 or 12 Swarovski bicones in that bracelet?  And what the heck did I pay for those Swarovski beads to begin with?

Which brings up another point -- how do you know if you made a profit on your jewelry?  I know that technically, once you get some supplies (let's use my 4mm sterling beads as an example), you should figure out the price per each.  So say I paid $70 for 1,000 of them.  OK, that's 7 cents a bead.  Now say I use 20 of them in a bracelet.  That's easy enough, $1.40.  But what about the rest of the materials?  It all adds up when it comes to jewelry.  Was that clasp $2...or $10?  How many of those $5 per bead lampwork beads did you use?  Now, what did you sell that piece for?

OK, point made.  You need to know what you bought, what you've used (and sold) and what you have in stock (either unused or made into jewelry and as yet unsold).  At the end of the year, you need to know if you've made a profit or not.

Do You Use Bead Manager Pro?

I don't have the Bead Manager Pro software (yet, at any rate).  I know the benefits of it, and when it comes to the end of the year, I'd bless anything that let me do inventory easier/faster/better.  And it would be nice to know exactly how much it cost me in supplies to make that piece of jewelry. 

So I want to hear from you folks.  Do you use it?  Do you like it?  (Do you want to find out more about the Bead Manager Pro software in general?)

Leave me a comment.  Tell me about it.  I think it sounds like a great idea, but what do you think?