Good Morning, Tuesday!

good morning-

I hope you were able to join us on Sunday for the BIG Pop-Up Sunday Vintage Market. It was ah-may-zing, if I do say so myself. The weather was perfect, those baked potatoes from Stufd were better than I imagined, and we had a great group of vendors. The very best part? With the help of Big Boss Brewing, we raised over $500 for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Triangle AND they recruited some volunteers for their programs.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters seeks to pair adults with children who need a strong adult presence in their lives. These children gain a trusted friend and someone who will help them navigate life; the adults gain so much more. I heard story after story on Sunday from volunteers who told me that the time they spend with their little sister or brother is the highlight of their week. Thanks to everyone who came out on Sunday, we were able to hand them over $500 to put towards programming and administrative needs. Through June 21st, we'll also be passing on all the money in our Round Up jar on the counter to this worthy organization. Learn more about Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Triangle here. 

The big news I have for you this week is that we will be having an Elaine Ray bead final Trunk Show on Thursday evening from 6-8 and Friday from 8:30 am -7 pm. Elaine has fired her last batch of ceramic beads and she's delivered them to us to sell. We hope Elaine will be on-hand Thursday night to get hugs and well-wishes, and we hope you'll join us, too. If distance prevents you from joining us in person, you can call the shop on Thursday after 6:00 and we'll be set up to offer shop-by-phone service. Please join us if you can. While we are sad to see Elaine leave the bead world, she has a good reason.Read more here. 

I'm also happy to announce that Erin Siegel, on of my favorite jewelry designers, has produced an e-book with us here at Ornamentea. Punk Chic Jewelry has 16 amazing projects that will inspire you to add a bit of edgy glam to your beading work. We've created wonderful kits for each project in the book. Erin is a talented designer, and her instructions are always easy-to-follow. If you want to learn more about Erin's e-book, including a free peek inside, check out the Punk Chic Jewelry page. 

P.S. At the advice of a talented young friend, I'm going to be posting my letter on our store blog each Tuesday. This content also appears in our store newsletter. It is free, and I send it out each Tuesday morning. If you'd like to subscribe to our weekly store newsletter, click here to find out how.

Elaine Ray is retiring...

Sad news today:

Elaine Ray is retiring from the bead-making world. 

We bead users will miss her, certainly, but she's leaving us to go back to her career as an Occupational Therapist. I've heard Elaine talking in glowing terms about how excited she is to find that one tool or trick that can help a child to cope with school, to understand the work they need to accomplish, to feel like they belong. 

She's talented as a bead maker, but I've known Elaine long enough to know that one of her unique abilities is to look at a process or activity - any process or activity - and figure out a way to simplify it, to make it smoother or faster or easier. She did it for years with her beads; she'd discover a way to cut the production time on a square or round or diamond bead so she could happily concentrate on the finishing or the glazing. I think the children who she now works with are so lucky to have her to help them navigate a confusing or scary or difficult task and school day. I know she's making an important difference in the world. 

I remember the day that Elaine walked into our store, years ago (in 2002?) with a basket full of glazed ceramic beads. Lois, the designer behind It's By Design (and one of our fabulous alumni staff) greeted Elaine in the store and then came upstairs to fetch me. 'There's someone downstairs you should meet, she has interesting beads...' This wasn't something Lois would say every day, and it was so true. I've got a box full of Elaine beads I've been assembling over the years. Some of them I've used readily, but others have been hard to use...too special to me, perhaps? I think I am going to get that box out this week and make myself some new earrings. 

I'll miss her, but I know she's doing what she should be doing. 

If you want to see the remaining Elaine Ray beads, click here to visit her pages on ornamentea.com.

UPDATE Elaine will be glazing one last kiln-worth of beads some time this spring or summer. We will notify customers via our newsletter, this blog, and our facebook page when those beads are available. If you do not subscribe to our newsletter, the link is in the sidebar of this blog. (cmd)

UPDATE Elaine's last trunk show will be Thursday, May 29th and Friday, May 30th. Join us on the 29th as the show opens for shopping. Elaine will be joining us that night. 

Balanced Crescent Necklace

Elaine Ray bead sorting - Elaine is having a SALE!

Are you ready for Elaine's next trunk show? It's Friday, October 4th from 6-9 pm.

Skip the mall this holiday season and make your own holiday fun. We'll have a party to kick off the craftiest time of the year and you are invited. Elaine Ray will be here with a collection of her beads, including some special, one-time-only grab bags with fab prices. There will be wine tastings, delish food from D'Burritos and a free First Friday project you'll love. 

join us for:

-Elaine Ray trunks show with special sale prices on selected beads

-New product debuts, including a findings line you'll love!

-Wine tastings from Sip ... a wine store

-Food from D'Burritos

-Three fabulous drawings:

for a professional craft studio organization (courtesy of Raleigh's Green Gables Organization, a $225 value) 

for a $25 Ornamentea class gift certificate

for a Handmade Holiday starter pack, with kits and more!

-all finished jewelry samples will be 1/2 off their marked prices (so you can give handmade, without making it with your own hands!)

-we'll have a free project in our classroom (the super-sweet Acorn Earrings!)

-we'll have make-n-takes you'll love!

Oh, those beads in the pic? They are some of Elaine's sorting work for the Grab-Bags. She's planning a way for you to purchase these EVEN if you aren't local. Keep up to date with the specifics by subscribing to our Newsletter or following the store facebook page...the links are right there in the side bar >>>>>

5x5 Challenge with Elaine Ray beads

Elaine Ray is the featured artist in this month's Bead Chat Magazine. The 5x5 test group takes 5 jewelry makers and gives them 5 components from bead artists. You have to visit the on line magazine to check out what the artists made!

Check out the Elaine Ray 5x5 Test Group beads and the magazine here.

Vote and help us out, you could win beads!

Elaine can't decide.

Neither can we.

Help us out and you could win BOTH of these bead groupings. 

Leave a comment below telling us which color you think we should add to the site. If you want an extra chance to win, visit our Facebook page (see the link in the sidebar) and share this image on your own Facebook page. 

If you want another extra chance to win, retweet the original 'Which orange is better?' tweet on Twitter. 

If you want another extra chance to win, find this image on our Pinterest page (in the Design Contests board) and repin it! 

All retweets, shares, pins and comments placed by Sunday night will be entered in the contest. 

Yes, we are happy to ship the beads to you if you win. 

Elaine Ray new items preview

Why is this sideways? Well, Cynthia held the camera sideways because she was so darned excited about the beads...if you are in Raleigh, come by the shop on Friday, April 26th, 8:30-10 and let Elaine know what you think of her new clasp ideas. She may even have more goodies to show off!

New Elaine Ray Shapes for the Trunk Show!

Tiny ceramic books...for the reader and writer in your life...

See them all on Friday or Saturday at the Elaine Ray Trunk Show.

Mis-matched earring swap!

Elaine Ray, magical bead maker, participated in a Mis-matched Earring Swap organized by Diana of Suburban Girl Studios. This swap sounded pretty exciting to me, but this time of year I can't take on any more 'extra-curricular' activities. I abstained.

I was actually pretty surprised that Elaine DID the swap. Read her blog post to find out why I was so surprised. 

Kudos to Diana for organizing the swap. I know, first hand, how MUCH work goes into planning and executing a swap. It can seem kinda thankless when you are the organizer, up to your eyeballs in charms or earrings or bead mixes. It can seem overwhelming. Diana did a fab job on this swap, however. I especially love the theme. Mis-matched earrings are super-trendy right now (yes, again!) as you can see right here on this website among others. We have super-hip 20 year olds making them at our work table every week.

What do you think about mis-matched earrrings? Are they for you? Is this a trend you'll wear or ignore?

Cascade Glazes are back!

Elaine Ray will have some of her favorite Cascade Glazes at the October trunk show. If you remember these drippy, mixed-color glazes from a few years back you'll know why we are so excited. The glazes present a mix of tones and look like wet paint. These pictures don't begin to do them justice!

Join us at the trunk show-if you aren't local we suggest you stay at one of these hotels, located near the store:
Days Inn ( a short walk away!)
Clarion Capital (a short walk away!)
Sheraton Downtown (a 15-minute walk or a free, R-line bus ride)

New Bead Shapes from Elaine Ray

These are some snapshots from Elaine Ray, featuring two new bead shapes she's trying out at her fall trunk show. You can come see them in person at our store on Friday and Saturday, October 5th and 6th. Elaine always creates new shapes and plays with new glazes in the months before a trunk show-this year she's been very busy.

What do you think?

Get the trunk show details here.

New Tutorial - The Barcelona Necklace

I love this new shape from Elaine Ray...the flat discs have matching-up holes along the edges that are just perfect for lacing and linking. The full tutorial even has an idea for keeping track of your lacing. I always get confused unless I draw it out first.

Check out the DIY instructions here.

New Tutorial - Bird of Paradise Tassel Earrings

Like floating feathers, these tassel earrings will alight above your shoulders. The sparkling, hand-painted fibers make these pretty additions to your wardrobe.

New Tutorial - Eudora Statement Bib Necklace

Oh, this necklace makes me swoon. I really adore it. I know, I'm not supposed to have 'favorite' designs but this one IS a favorite. The ribbony bits at the back are so pretty...and the stacked jump rings on the sides are almost Egyptian. It looks like something a crazy, Egypt-mad flapper would have worn to a luncheon with the local Ladies Art Society.

Hence the name. That Egyptophile Flapper would be called Eudora, wouldn't she?

Click the picture for the full project. The ribbon is bias-cut silk dupioni, the ceramic fans are the work of the talented Elaine Ray.

New Tutorial - Garden Path Earrings

This pair of dangly earrings can be made to any length you prefer. I prefer to make them just long enough to show off some Elaine Ray beads...get the free PDF printout of the project right here.

Have you made something fab with Elaine Ray beads? Post a picture on our Facebook page and you could win a $25 gift certificate good in our Raleigh, NC store OR on line. Just visit our facebook page and you can enter or vote by clicking the Photo Contest tab in the header bar.

Elaine Ray Photo Contest on our facebook page

This photo by Susan Reynolds was posted in our Facebook photo contest. You can go vote for it. The winner of the contest will receive a $25 Ornamentea gift certificate.

The photo contest details are under the Photo Contest tab on the top of our page. You will need to 'like' Ornamentea to see them. Visit us here.

New Tutorial - the Laced Hearts Necklace

click on that pretty picture to see the full instructions for this necklace...and the hearts come in:

 

Elaine Ray's blog

Did you know that Elaine Ray has a blog? She does. It is part ceramic-bead-how-to and part gratitude blog and both parts are interesting. You can see how she makes some of the amazing beads she makes and you can read about how she does it with such joy.

Click here to visit Elaine Ray's blog.

And yes, those Cascade Glaze beads are making their way to Ornamentea. You can see them in her on-line boutique soon, or join us for an Elaine Ray trunk show on March 16th and 17th at Ornamentea.

Click here to join my newsletter so you get all the trunk show details.

New Tutorial - Cozy Colorwash Necklace

click here to see how to make this Cozy Colorwash Necklace with our newest hand-painted fiber.
click here to see Elaine's newest bead color, Aztec.

Elaine Ray Trunk Show