((Don’t forget that I have a giveaway going until June 24th, midnight EST ! If you havn’t entered yet, please don’t forget to do so ! <3))


I woke up to to the fact that a gnome sneaked balloons to my work chair. (The gnome looked oddly dad-shaped…. Hmm.)

And to my assistant trying to bat the whole thing down, but anyone who is owned by a cat knows how that goes.

(Don’t mind the mess. Im good at chaos theory)

Im old.

Yikes.

I kid, mostly, but there are certainly days where I feel like a 50-something in a 20-something’s body. GOD DAMN KIDS GET OFF MAH LAWN. Ahem.

But that’s not the point of this post. There are a few things I would like to talk about, as well as a question to ask :

First, I attended a very swell party on friday. A virtual party. Wait, what ?

The lovely Jenny of Glass Addictions held out a 3 hours long blog party where she gave away very nifty door prizes as well as put many lovely beads for sale. We exchanged drink recipes and I made out like a bandit.

What’s my loot, you ask ? Glad you asked~

This one is from her aptly-named Alien Skies collection. It was love at first sight. There’s really no other way to explain me and this bead. It went up and I couldn’t reach for my paypal account quickly enough ! I am not exactly sure what I will do with it yet… But nonetheless. MINE.

And this one is from her Nightmare Insomnia line. Isn’t that GORGEOUS ??? It looks like a tiny little nebula encased in some alien bottle ! Ow, right in the muse. The clue fairy was quick to chime in as well. I had to buy it, for the good of mankind.

So I did. And if I am lucky, the third bead I was eyeing will make it to etsy and I can yoink it on my next paycheck… <<

Which brings me to my question. Even as there are some components we can do ourselves (I fear I am getting addicted to resin and bezels… Uh oh.) there are still things we cannot make ourselves. Either we don’t know how (lampwork, for me), or we tried and found we have no talent in it howsoever (Oh, polymer clay… Something should be done about our love/hate relationship).

We all have our little insider secrets. Our favorite haunts. The shops we go back to, again and again and again. It might be seen as giving out trade secrets… But I don’t care. XD  Here are my haunts, for your enjoyment.

Beadaholique – This is where I get most of my tools, and the silk ribbon that I dye with markers. The shipping to Canada is actually very very low, which is amazing for bigger tools and parts I might not be able to get locally. They have a wide selection of well, EVERYTHING, and the instructional videos are very through and easy to follow along. The free designs section is also an amazing muse kickstarter, and they have weekly sales that tend to fall right when I need to stock up on something. XD Subscribing to their newsletter will give you 5$ off your first order.

B’Sue Boutique and The Backroom – Some people are meant to be forces of natures. I believe B’Sue is one of those people. She reminds me to my aunt, who sadly passed away last november. The same kind of attitude, the same kind of sass… I bawled through my first video and then it actually started feeling good. That aside, B’Sue is such an incredibly helpful and talented person. Her tutorials are very helpful AND hilarious. I love her humor, her sass, and how she will actually show us things go wrong when it happens. I get all my brass stampings (she made me love metal focals. True story.), my Swellegant and my sari ribbon from her. Also, free candy. You can’t go wrong with free candy.

Mixed Mayhem BEADs – Bee‘s bead/kit/supplies shop. Which she has yet to fill. See how polymer clay and I do not get along ? She’s my crack dealer. Or would be if she actually filled her shop with shines. So I could probably buy it out. HINT HINT. <3

Shakti Beads – Sharon has a little bit of everything, which definitively comes in handy ! Her orders always make it to me at light speed, and her beads are so lovely and very well priced for the quality. I definitively recommend buying from her ! I love her focal/bead kits, in particular.

Gemalicious Beads – This is my go-to for pricier gemstone, or if I need utter flawless quality. The gem gals never fail to bring out the bling and the shines. Once you buy once you get a 10%off coupon for your next order, and there’s always a freebie in your package !

Lytha Studios – My go-to for findings and tierracast components. Can’t beat her prices for those, and her service is excellent. Also a freebie in every order.

Tea House Treasures – Treasure is right. AMAZING beads, for very, very cheap. She has a wide selection of natural materials and things I havn’t seen anywhere else. Go pay her a visit ! You won’t be dissapointed.

Cabcabana and Balibagus – This is where I get all of my bone components, and some of my gemstone focals. Be sure to check both shops !

Unkamen Supplies – Jump rings. Lots and lots and lots of jump rings. This is where I get my seed bead mixes, my tiny little drops, and where I got my amazing travelling pouch. Also, mystery boxes are my kryptonite. SIGH.

Metal Me This – THOSE CLASPS. Oh we will make magic together darling <3 And while I am pretty well-stocked in patinas, I can’t wait for the launch of Color Me This – there are a few of Lisa’s colors that I ADORE and I certainly wouldn’t mind getting my hands on them… Ahem~

Donna Millard – I pimped out her lampwork once. Allow me to pimp it again. One day I will win the lottery and I will buy everything. Oh yes, I will.

Fall In Love Gems – Local is awesome. Getting your goods two days after you brought them is awesome. Just saying. A wide variety of everything <3

Now you know what they say… Sharing is caring ! It’s your turn now. Show us your secrets !