Merry Christmas Everyone!

Seasons Greetings!

2010 has been great in many ways - busy, challenging and full of delightful moments thanks to all the lovely, clever and inspiring bead and jewellery artists I have had the privilege to deal with throughout the year :-)

Our beading challenges have been really successful and it has been such an honour to have all you talented people involved.  The feedback has been fantastic, so I've decided to continue in 2011 with beading challenges in April and October.  That should give everyone plenty of time to design and create!

The subdued economy has resulted in lower sales these last 2 years, but we're still ticking over and gradually adding new lines.  After 4 1/2 years of trading, Beads Galore is well established and I look forward to continuing to serve new and existing customers in the best way possible, whilst increasing and diversifying our product range.

I wish you and your loved ones a very special Christmas, as well as happiness and prosperity in 2011.

Blessings,
Jo :-)

Win in December Promotion ...

REVIEW OUR PRODUCTS FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN IN DECEMBER !! ...

We've all had a busy year ... I know myself that when someone asks me to complete an online survey or review I think twice about it if time is short, unless there's some sort of reward !

We currently have 44 product reviews on our website, which are particularly valuable for other customers. What we would like you to do is choose a product you have used and write a short review about it, which should take you a couple of minutes. You can review up to five items - ones without a review already would be the most helpful :)

So, what's in it for you? You could win yourself a divine collection of Swarovski pearls and crystals, plus a useful assortment of findings, to use in your Christmas creations - valued at over $50! Each review you post will give you one entry in a draw, with the winner being announced on 16th December.

All you need to do is:
1. Post your review(s) on our website
2. Email your name and email address to info@beadsgalore.co.nz OR post them below , including the number of reviews you have posted.

We will draw the winner on Thursday 16th December to allow enough time for the prize to reach the winner before Christmas :)

1/2 Price Pre-Christmas Sale on NOW!

With Christmas fast approaching, we'd like to give you an irresistible incentive to stock up on supplies and gifts in plenty of time. What better opportunity than a really decent SALE! Grab some bargains now and give yourself plenty of time to make your Christmas creations, whether you're selling your wares or making your own special gifts. All our beading packs are included in the sale this time too - these make wonderful gifts for beginners and younger beaders, as they are a delightful holiday pastime!
Over 370 items have been reduced to HALF PRICE until 20th November, or while stocks last. Head on over to our Specials category and have a ball!

Don't delay - once it's sold, it's gone!

Beading Challenge Winners

The votes have all been counted for the Beading challenge ... a high calibre of delightful work throughout made choosing very difficult, as many of the voters commented! Without further ado, here are details of the winners:
Open Category:
1st - Entry No. 7, Spring Escape by Claudine Maulgue
2nd - Entry No. 13, Parterre de Fleurs by Jen Meiklejohn of Jenz Designs
3rd - Entry No. 4, Love Bird by Amanda Dick of Pallina Designs

Beginners Category:
1st - Entry No. 5B, Colours of Spring Bracelet by Kelly Mustoe of Iron Butterfly Jewellery
2nd - Entry No. 3B, Spring Bloom by Chantel Kent of Southern Jewels
3rd Equal - Entry No. 8B, Manuka Flower Bracelet by Sarah Aska and Entry No. 11B, Swarovski Birds by Hayley Sharp

Congratulations to our winners! A $50 shopping spree goes to the 1st place winner in each category. We have also awarded a $5 voucher to each of the 2nd and 3rd placed entrants.

It worked well having 2 categories this time - having a beginners category encouraged a few newer designers to take the plunge and showcase their work. I hope you have all found it a rewarding experience!

Huge thanks to all you lovely, talented ladies for entering and inspiring so many with your beautiful work.

I'm sure we'll be doing it again next year :)

In the meantime, a gallery of all the fantastic work can still be viewed on the news page of our website.

"Joys of Spring" Beading Challenge is Launched - Time to Vote!

Wow - 24 beautiful creations have come in during October, so now it is time to choose your favourite.

All the fabulous entries are now listed for viewing on the news page of our website, so head on over and check them all out.

You have until 5pm on 8th November to cast your vote - remember, there are 2 categories this time, "Beginners" and "Open", so please vote for your favourite from each category.

Votes may be cast by leaving a comment below, or via email to info@beadsgalore.co.nz. To be valid, votes must include your name, email address and a brief description of your reason for your choice.

Thanks to all our talented entrants for taking part ... looking forward to another fun challenge :)

October "Joys of Spring" Beading Challenge Update

Just a brief update to let you know that we have now published a list of rules and guidelines for the October "Joys of Spring" beading challenge.

The aim of these rules and guidelines is to eliminate any grey areas and answer some common questions that arise.

Here's the link ... http://www.beadsgalore.co.nz/guidelines.php

Please let me know asap if you have any further questions or if any of the information on the page is unclear :)

Please note that there are changes to the details in our previous blog post, as well as those sent out in our September e-newsletter :

Firstly, the prize will be a $50 shopping spree in the form of a gift voucher for each category winner, although if the winning entry is made exclusively from our beads the prize will be a $100 gift voucher :)

Secondly, the rules for the voting process have been fine tuned. As per previous challenges, all entries will still be shared in our e-newsletter and displayed on our blog and our Facebook page, however votes will only be accepted via email or our blog. This is because Facebook votes are just too difficult to collate - I spent way too long during the July challenge counting, recounting and eliminating duplicate votes so really need to keep it simple from now on!! :)

I trust this will give you plenty of time to plan your entry and really look forward to the challenge unfolding ...

Cheers!
Jo :)


October Beading Challenge !!!

Greetings!

Just a quick update to let you know that we are holding another Beading Challenge in October!

I have decided to go with a theme for this one, "Joys of Spring", in the hope that by then the weather will offer appropriate inspiration!!!

There will be 2 categories this time, "Open" and "Beginners" (for first time entrants).

Entries open on 1st October and may be submitted to info@beadsgalore.co.nz any time throughout October.

As with the previous 2 challenges, there is no limit on the number of pieces you enter.

Voting will open 1st November and run until midnight on Monday 8th, with the winners being announced on Tuesday 9th November.

All entries will be featured in our e-newsletter, on our Facebook page and our blog, as with the July challenge. The format for voting will also be the same, ie via email, Facebook or our blog.

The one thing that will differ is the voting period, which will be 8 days instead of 14. This is because in our July challenge the vast majority of the votes came in during the first week, so I ended up feeling that two weeks was dragging it out a bit long.

And the prize .... this time it will be a $100 voucher, so the winner can choose whatever they like from our range, whenever they like!!!

FREE SHIPPING

There's free shipping worldwide to all our customers until Tuesday 7th September and for every order placed until the end of September, Beads Galore will donate $2 to the Christchurch earthquake fund ...♥

I would also be delighted if you'd stop by our website and sign our new guestbook!! It's at the foot of the homepage :)

$5 PACKS ARE BACK!!!

Remember $5 packs? Well, they're back! A great selection of loose bead packs and strands are just $5 from now until midnight on 31st August! This represents a saving of over 50% on some items, eg faceted glass crystal, millefiore and art glass ... all on our website under specials at http://www.beadsgalore.co.nz/specials.php ...

Congratulations Pamela Elsley!

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Out of all the outstanding entries in the Beading Challenge, one has attracted the most votes - Entry No. 1 - Swarovski Crystal Bracelet by Pamela Elsley of Pamelas Handmade Custom Jewellery . Congratulations Pamela, you have won the $100 prize, a selection of treasures to inspire your future creations! My thanks once again to you wonderfully talented ladies for your willingness to enter and share your beautiful work, which for the last few weeks has been viewed by hundreds ... and no doubt inspired every one . Incidentally, there were 130 votes and they were pretty evenly spread, so congratulations and well done to you all!

Still Time to Vote ...

Voting in the July beading Challenge is still open, but only until midnight tomorrow (Sunday) ... do support our talented entrants and vote for your fave if you haven't already ... thanks in advance!

July Beading Challenge is Launched!

I am so happy to annouce that we have 13 wonderful entries for the July Beading Challenge!

Photos and information on each entry, plus details on how to vote can be found on the news page of our website, where there is a copy of the e-newsletter sent to all our subscribers.  We have also added full details to our Facebook page.

You are welcome to vote here, on our FB page, or via email to info@beadsgalore.co.nz if you prefer not to make your vote public :)

Happy Voting!!!

31st July 2010

Just a quick update ... 115 Likers on Facebook - yay!  Last day for entries in our July Beading Challenge - we have 12 gorgeous ones for voters to choose from ... happy to accept more until midnight tonight.

Subscriber e-newsletter will be sent out tomorrow morning containing details and photos of all the entries -  these will also be posted here and on FB.  Voting can then commence and will be open until midnight on 15th August.  You can vote here, on FB or if you'd prefer not to make your vote public you can email it to us.

More tomorrow ...

Watch this space ...

Have had a glitch with our server today, the website won't even load ... rest assured it will be fixed first thing Monday as we have dozens of exciting new products to show you! We will definitely be back online in time to send out our next newsletter, which will be showcasing all the wonderful Beads Galore July Beading Challenge entries! They will also be on show right here from August 1st :)

Congratulations Katherine Wright!

We have reached our first 100 Likers on Facebook and drawn our prizewinner - congratulations to Katherine Wright! A gorgeous gift pack containing some Swarovski crystal beads, art glass beads, foil glass hearts, silver spacers, pearls and assorted findings is on its way. Next stop, 200 Likers, when we'll be drawing another winner ... watch this space and keep an eye on our website and Facebook page ... We are now using "The Hat" to draw all our winners - it's great software and is easy and reliable when working with several hundred names!

Only 8 more FB Likers til the Big Giveaway!

I'm gathering the goodies for the big giveaway to celebrate Beads Galore reaching 100 "Likers" on Facebook - we're now at 92!!! Thanks everyone for your support!

July Beading Challenge Update

The entries have started to come in and I can see that this challenge is going to be dazzling! There's still plenty of time to get your entry (or entries - there's no limit to pieces per entrant) in to us, as entries don't close until July 31st. :-D

Thanks Heaps - 82 Facebook Likers!

We're well on the way to 100 - just 18 more Likers on Facebook and the giveaway will commence!

Our aim is to connect with fellow beading and jewellery artists, so please join us - we will post regular updates here about Beads Galore's regular promotions and competitions, as well as interesting snippets and relevant inspiring and delightful ideas ...

The Beads Galore July Beading Challenge is Launched!

Now is the time to get those entries in and hey - your creations don't have to be made just from our beads! This is about showcasing your work, reaching a wider network and above all, having fun. There's also another $100 beading pack up for grabs - wouldn't that be a bonus?!

You can enter as many pieces as you like, all you need to do is email us a photo of each, with a brief description of the materials and technique you used to create it, to jo@beadsgalore.co.nz .

We will be accepting entries from now until the end of July, with voting to take place during the first couple of weeks of August.

Things of beauty have landed! Head on over to our website, http://www.beadsgalore.co.nz and check them out! You will find some gorgeous, quality sterling silver bracelet charms ... there are also new cameos and cabochons that arrived today, details of which will be added over the next day or so ... enjoy!

Beads Galore

Welcome to our new blog! We are excited about our growing number of "likers" on Facebook! 60 and counting ... as soon as we reach 100, we will be giving away a gorgeous gift pack worth $100, so watch this space!

Our website