Sweet Bead Studio — Handcrafted jewelry by Cindy Wimmer

Announcing ArtBLISS 2011!

by Cindy on May 4, 2011

Without further ado, Jeanette and I are thrilled to announce ArtBLISS 2011!

Back by popular demand, ArtBLISS 2011 is going to be better than ever! With an additional day of classes, a fantastic venue, and an extraordinary line up of Instructors, you won’t want to miss the 2nd annual event this September! ArtBLISS 2011 will take place from September 23rd through the 25th in the Washington, DC area.

Would you like to learn a brand new skill to add to your “tool box”, or maybe brush up on a skill you learned in the past? How about the chance to get away with your art/blog friends, or the opportunity to meet new like-minded souls? Are you looking for inspiration or a fresh perspective? Our fabulous returning instructors will be joined by instructors teaching at ArtBLISS for the first time. Just wait til you see their line up of classes! Many of the classes will be offered for the first time at ArtBLISS 2011…..both full day and evening classes. Resin, etching, soldering, encaustics, photography, clay, faux-bone, metal, wirework, fibers, bezels……our fine Instructors will be teaching these techniques and mediums – and more!

Join us in September for classes with these nationally-known artists and authors:

Here are just a few of the great workshops we will be offering this year. Watch for highlights coming soon, featuring the individual Instructors and their workshops.

Heartstrings tassle by Diane Cook

Snaptastic - jewelry photography with Kerry Bogert

Wax On with Deryn Mentock

Whimsical Blooms - Layered Polymer Pendants with Christine Damm

We’ve got a super vintage-Americana inspired logo this year. You can find the image & code here, and we’d love it if you’d help us spread the word and display it on your blog.

Registration opens Saturday, May 7th at 9:00 a.m. EST. We hope you will enjoy us for a day or for the weekend!

Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have!

-Cindy

*ArtBLISS 2011 logo designed by Amber Brien.

ArtBLISS 2011 blog badge created by VintageSusie & Wings.

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These guys make me proud!

by Cindy on May 2, 2011

Hello everyone!

Thanks to all who stopped by recently to share their story of how they named their blogs….I enjoyed reading each and every entry. If you are just stopping by, please share your blogging naming stories here, I’d love to hear your story too!

It was a big family weekend at the beach. First I joined Lori for dinner en route to the shore with two of my sons. I finally had the opportunity to see her beautiful to-die-for studio in person AND see her incredible bead storage unit (and the amazing collection of beads organized inside). I’m crazy about my vintage storage pieces, but her storage unit has me thinking that really may be the way to go!

The opportunities for my siblings and parents to get together seem to happen less and less, so this weekend was special. My Dad has been preparing for the Nanticoke Swim and Triathlon, going to the pool at 5:00 a.m. before work to swim every day. He’s been preparing for the 3-mile open water swim portion and my brother decided to join him. Flying in from Florida, my brother and one of his sons joined us at the beach for a mini family get together.

My sister, my little guy, and I watched the race from a point on the rocks. I was filled with admiration for each and every swimmer as I watched them, fighting the current and choppy water to keep moving. Not to mention the cold water! I lost my camera lens cap as it bounced down between the rocks and in to the water, but I got some great shots.

They did it!! Here’s a shot of my Dad and brother after the swim….I was just so proud of them both! My Dad at age 66 was the only one in the 60 and up age group. He is an inspiration, always pushing the limits and raising the bar with his relentless, can-do attitude. My sister and I were just beaming for these two special guys. This was one of those days I know I’ll always treasure.

Thank you for visiting & have a great week!!

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How did you name your blog?

by Cindy on April 28, 2011

I was asked recently by an online friend, how did I name my blog? And by the way, I would link to this friend IF she had a blog! This sweet lady is someone who shows many of us such support by her thoughtful blog comments. She just might start a blog soon. I’m hoping she does…..Sally, this post is dedicated to YOU! 🙂

Hmmm….how did I name my blog? It started back in 2007, in April to be exact! I didn’t realize I hit my 4-year blogaversary last week. Well this topic is perfect timing then. I was just starting my online jewelry business and talking about it with my kids, driving along in the car. I had 3 boys at the time, all ages 5 and under. Little did I realize the new journey that I was about to embark on…..one that would eventually lead me here where I am today. So thankful to have met so many of YOU both in person and online. When I asked the kids for ideas for my new shop, my oldest son called out, “how about Sweet Beads?” I liked it! I added “Studio”, and the rest is history!

The little guy who helped create my "brand"...

Now would I chose the same name today if I were to do it all over again? It’s true what they say that people and interests changing over time. I like that by including the word “bead”, it helps define a large portion of who I am (jewelry designer). But on the flip side, I have grown to include so much more here than just jewelry. This blog has become home to stories of my children, photographs, baking, antiquing, and travels to many local destinations. These things are not conveyed in the words “bead” or “studio”.

Tara Fray, author of “Blogging for Bliss”, discusses this very topic in her blog post, “Naming your baby”. She shares how she was able to change her blog name. It’s good to know it’s possible to make a change, but for now I like mine just fine. I am hoping to change the look of my blog in the near future. It’s been 2 years since I made a big change, hard to believe. I was rifling through some pictures I took in the last several months and found this one – sure captures a few of my favorite things – photography, old rhinestones and my favorite shade of blue….could make a nice blog banner.

If you are reading this, chances are you already have a blog. But if you’re out there contemplating starting your own blog, where do you begin? Your name is one of many considerations – but oh so important. In an old post on Blogging Startup, the author – Jim, shares 10 great tips for naming your blog:

1. Chose a name that can be used as a domain name.

2. Chose a memorable name.

3. Find a name that describes your blogging topic.

4. Keep made-up names short and easy to spell.

5. Keep the name to as few words as possible, preferably not more than 3.

6. Easy to spell – keep it short and simple

7. Chose a name that is easy to pronounce.

8. Consider using a name that is easily converted in to a logo.

9. Look at the names in Technorati’s Top 100 to see naming conventions.

10. If you have a short name and the name is taken, considering using a simple prefix or suffix.

Jim adds a few bonus tips: testing the name on friends, and adding a “keyword” in your blog name.

Additional blog-naming tips can be found here, here, and here. Blogging advice and tips are abundant on the Internet, thank goodness. But best of all, our blogging friends (you guys!) give the best advice of all – thank you for being my sounding board time and time again.

I would LOVE to hear how you came up with your blog name. Please leave a comment and share how you came up with your blog name. If you were to do it all over, would you chose the same name? If you are thinking of starting a blog, care to share some potential blog names?

Thanks so much for stopping by – I look forward to hearing your stories. 🙂

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