The Birds and the Beads

The holiday rush is keeping us busy this year, and for that we are unbelievably grateful. Many thanks to you, our beloved customer! So in order to keep the orders moving out the door, I’m going to keep this newsletter quick, just a little December note with a few items of interest including our latest TierraCast sale and holiday shipping schedule. I’ll be back in 2010 with a full-length newsletter filled with new beads, projects, and animal stories. In the mean time – Eric, Owen and I wish you a safe, happy and colorful holiday. Thank you for being a part of our lives! Happy Beading — Erin
http://www.123bead.com

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The Year of the Hound
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This coming Monday will mark the one year anniversary of “the finding of the hound” – a story chronicled in previous newsletters and on our blog. In the past year, Mouse has gone from a starving, sad creature we found at the local dump to a sleek, happy, and healthy pup. There is nothing he likes better than snuggling up on the sofa with one of us for a little TeeVee, or playing with his best buddy Sunny (our other dog). Mouse is the most incredibly loving and demonstrative dog – I can’t believe how lucky we were to find him. For some really sweet pictures of Mouse and Izzy the Kitten, click on over to the blog:
http://lythastudios.com/blog/?p=638

Best wishes for a safe and happy Thanksgiving! – — Erin
http://www.123bead.com

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Did you know that kittens can start purring by the time they are seven days old? I didn’t know this myself until recently. We are fostering a young mama cat and her “Father’s Day kitten” (born on June 21st) for a local animal rescue organization, and this is the kind of fascinating information you pick up while doing so. Also, at two weeks kittens are apparently ready to play “nom-the-finger”. Oh, and at one day old they’re already cute enough to bring out the sun on a cloudy day.

Are you intrigued enough yet to want pictures? Click the link below for photos, and a little more about our guests.
http://lythastudios.com/blog/?p=594

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer! — Erin
http://www.123bead.com

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In my last newsletter, I shared the story of unexpected surprise we found at our local dump – a skinny, hungry, pathetic, lonesome hound dog – whom we of course brought home. The note in my last newsletter linked to a few photos on the blog, and garnered more comments than anything else I’ve probably ever written. Well – I have good news for every one wrote, and anyone who thought about it – Mouse has officially been adopted to a good home. Our home.

Yes, it was inevitable as many of you predicted. My contact with our local rescue group called every week for most of December, to ask if we were ready to have her come over and take pictures so she could start the process of finding him a home. And our answer was always – we’re still thinking – lets talk next week. And so on…

In the past 10 weeks, Mouse has made himself a part of the family. He and Sunny (our first dog from the Animal Welfare League) have become best buds and playmates. Mouse is on fantastic terms with the cats, and understands that Lady Indira is the queen of the household and not to be crossed. He is my sofa buddy – he loves TV time for the opportunity to snuggle up, half on the sofa, half on me. He is an incredibly smart dog, and an even more incredibly loving one.

When we first found Mouse, I was just grateful and glad that we found him so we could help him – glad for his sake. I am now, very firmly convinced that we got the better end of the deal. I’m glad we found him for our sake.

I want to thank everyone who wrote about Mouse in November. We all appreciated your messages.

Wishing you all a happy Mid-Winter! — Erin

http://www.123bead.com

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So on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Eric, Owen and I made a trip to our rural dump (there is no trash collection here). It was a bitterly cold night (the temperature eventually dropped to 18 degrees) and we got there right at dusk. Standing in the middle of the entrance to the dump was what could be described as a dog, if one was feeling generous.

This poor soul was a bag of bones. His muzzle had bites and scars all over it, he was missing the tip of one of his ears, and he was favoring one of his legs, but oh how his tail could wag. And wag and wag and wag – he was so happy to see us. And he was right to be so – we were all in the right place at the right time.

Needless to say – he was part of the caravan heading back home, having already been named “Mouse” by Owen (who got the name from a story he’d just read about a dog). With his first good meal in who knows how long, Mouse settled in for a good night’s sleep, safe and warm in a nest of blankets in Sunny’s old training crate, curled up near the wood stove. He’s been here ever since, and we’re officially “fostering” him for our Animal Welfare League. He’s been to the vets, is putting on weight, and is healing. He is gentle, loving, smart and absolutely endearing. I’ll post more about his progress on our blog, and if you want to see pictures from last Friday – you can click here:
http://lythastudios.com/blog/?p=331

Eric, Owen and I send you our warmest holiday wishes! Peace, love, and a happy New Year, too! — Erin
http://www.123bead.com

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123BEAD – November 2008
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On Thanksgiving day, Eric, Owen and I always have dinner with my mother, grandmother and my aunts. Our job is to bring “Theresa’s Sweet Potato Casserole” and a pumpkin cheesecake. Theresa is an old friend of the family who brought the most amazingly delicious concoction of sweet potatoes, brown sugar and walnuts to our Thanksgiving dinner each year. When she moved to Scotland a few years ago, the recipe and duty of preparing it fell to us. And now I’m sharing it with you (via a blog post). This dish puts the yams and marshmallows standard to shame – I highly recommend it (and suggest you double the recipe if you’re feeding more than six people).
http://lythastudios.com/blog/?p=313

We will be closed for Thanksgiving from Tuesday, November 25th through Thursday, November 27th. Our Friday hours will be very limited. Please order by noon (EST) Monday (at the very latest!!) if you need an order shipped before we close. We have no other scheduled closings before Christmas.

Have a very happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday. Wishing you the best — Erin
http://www.123bead.com

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A quick, “mini-newsletter” today with a update on our our 15% off TierraCast bead cap sale. This sale was originally planned to end Friday night, but due to the overwhelming response, I’ve decided to extend the discounted prices through this Sunday, November 9th. Your order must be submitted before the end of the weekend to receive the discounted pricing. This sale applies to all of our TierraCast bead caps, from the delicate little 4mm caps up to the large cones and flat bead caps for lentil beads.
http://www.lythastudios.com/123bead/sale.html

I hope you’ll check the website in the next week for two new projects I’m putting together right now – a new chandelier earring set, plus an easy wire wrapped beaded ring project. And look for my regularly scheduled November newsletter, full of bird stories, new beads, and a new sale in about a week.

Happy beading! — Erin
http://www.123bead.com

It is a stunningly gorgeous Autumn day here in Virginia. It began with a crisp, cool morning, which warmed up to a moderate 70 degree day with sunshine like you wouldn’t believe. Lady Indira the peahen, who celebrated her first birthday about a month and a half ago, is perched in a shady corner of the yard with her best friend, Sunny the dog.

Peacocks are known to be domineering and sometimes downright mean to people, animals, and anybody else they can torment. Maybe it is because Lady Indira was hand-raised since she was just a few days old, but she is a good companion to us, and to our furry friends. She and Sunny spend most of the day together in the fenced yard outside our door. Now, the fence is only four feet high, and Indira sometimes hops up onto the edge for a better look at the outside world, but she never jumps over the edge unless Sunny is outside of the gate. And then – she goes where Sunny goes. Eric took a camera and followed Sunny and Indira on one such ramble today. There is a lovely series of photos of the two friends on this beautiful autumn afternoon posted to the blog.
http://lythastudios.com/blog

I hope you enjoy the new Lady Indira pictures (and thank you to those of you that have requested them). And I’m wishing you all the best, and hoping you’re weathering the (economic) storm.

Happy Autumn! — Erin
http://www.123bead.com

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A nor-easter blew into Virginia overnight, and I woke up this morning to a cool, misty gray day – time to break out my fuzziest fuzzy socks and a long-sleeved shirt. I love the beginning of fall! Lady Indira the peacock is strutting around in the drizzle, enjoying the rare nectar of autumn rain on her favorite grassy seed-heads. From the crock-pot issues the fragrant promise of a delicious dinner, and I entertain notions of a small fire in the woodstove tonight, although it may yet be too warm for such a thing. All in all, a beautiful autumn day – a perfect day for staying inside, dreaming dreams, and of course, playing with beads.

Wishing you a lovely autumn. — Erin
http://www.123bead.com

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It’s a funny thing, but I didn’t realize how far along the year had gotten until I looked at the calendar a few days ago, and realized it was only four months until Christmas. In this business, the last four months of the year are usually the busiest. I’ve made the most of the slower summer months – reading, swimming, gardening, playing with my kitten and Lady Indira, and re-watching old episodes of Battlestar Galactica, but I’m glad my “vacation” is just about over. The last few months of the year are the busiest, but also the most exciting!

Wishing you all the best as summer wraps up — Erin
http://www.123bead.com

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Although we do not live or work on the waterfront, with the Corrotoman and Rappahannock rivers both within a mile or so of us, our family is literally surrounded by water. This week I’ve been taking the kayak out at dusk and staying out until after the moon and Jupiter are high in the sky. It is difficult not to be inspired by a trip through a world flooded with the deep blue hues of night, pursued by glowing trails of bioluminescence that flow behind my paddle and boat.

There has been a lot of sea and water at 123Bead this month as well (ok, not literally) — from our “Summer by the Sea Sale”, to Erin’s By-the-Sea Charm Bracelet project.

Whether you find inspiration in the mountains, the sea, or somewhere in-between, we wish you a luminous and creative summer — Eric & Erin

http://www.123bead.com

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Back in November, when InStyle Magazine called and requested samples, I sent them of course, but never imagined it would actually amount to anything. So you can imagine my astonishment when one of our items was featured in the April Issue of InStyle – a national magazine with a circulation of nearly two million! Now they didn’t feature beads, or anything made with beads, but I’m not going to complain. They featured my 18-color set of Marvy LePens, and though the feature was in the very back of the issue (page 452!), InStyle readers must have enjoyed them because Eric and I spent most of March and a good bit of April making and shipping pen sets. You wouldn’t believe some of the names that have popped up on my caller ID – I hardly believe it myself!

While it was exciting, there is only so much excitement a person can handle! There’s a new issue of InStyle on the shelves, and I’ve been very glad to have the time to get caught up on website updates and projects, not to mention my laundry, my garden, and “Lost”.

Wishing you a delightful spring — Erin
http://www.123bead.com

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Hello folks! I have a short and sweet newsletter for you today. Eric and I have been busy bees over the past month – working long hours on the first major update to our website in ten years! This update to both the design and infrastructure has been a long time in the planning phase and even longer on our wish list. It feels like a dream come true to have finally made it happen. Please take a look at the “new” website, and let me know what you think!

Next month – expect a return to our regularly scheduled newsletter with new beads, new projects, and a new sale! In the mean time, I hope you’ll enjoy the extension of the TierraCast® spacer sale through March.

Happy beading! — Erin
http://www.123bead.com

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It is a leap year, and my inner nerd always gets excited by that. Leap year is a tacit acknowledgment that human constructions (like the calendar) do not always accurately map to the natural world (the path of our earth around the sun). At a more tangible level, it is kind of cool that leap year is also always an Olympics year and a United States presidential election year. Of course I also always enjoy that “free day” to catch up.

So enjoy your extra day this year, and I hope you are having a safe and comfortable Winter! Happy Beading — Erin
http://www.123bead.com

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Howdy Bead Lovers! It’s my birthday today, and Eric and Owen took me out for breakfast to “The Car Wash” – a cute (and delicious) little diner in town. I can smell birthday cake baking, and I’m looking forward to an evening of luxury and laziness on the couch – a fire in the woodstove, a yummy dinner in my tummy, and a favorite movie (Star Trek IV – woohoo!) on the TV.

Here’s hoping your 2008 is off to a great start, and in the words of Mr. Spock – Live Long & Prosper!
– Erin
http://www.123bead.com

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