Shop Update Today!

Just a quick post today to show some of the bright beads I put up today. Don't know about you but I'm ready and waiting for spring!




It's my husband's birthday today, we're going to see Avatar tonight. Have to get going, have 3 people asking me stuff at once, lol.

Hi, My Name is Karen & I'm an Over-Packer

Remember the line in the out-takes of the movie "Liar Liar" with Jim Carrey when an actress improvises and calls him an "Over Actor"? It's hilarious because he didn't see it coming. Quite often I think of that scene when I'm packing my wares for travel via the US Post Office. I tend go a little overboard.

See the small white bundle below by the 3" yellow candle holder? It is three bead listings wrapped separately in foam padding and then wrapped together with another piece of foam. The 4" box on the postal scale above has one 7 x 13 mm bead in it, wrapped in foam sitting in a bunch of packing peanuts. The box weighs in at 2.6 oz. (an empty box weighs 1.8 oz.).

Of course, all this isn't really necessary to get a few beads safely to their destination.

Or is it?

Many years ago I had safely padded, bubble wrapped and shipped some earrings in a padded envelope only to find out later the post office had destroyed them somehow. Haven't used a padded envelope since. Call me paranoid, it fits.


Here's another order going out in the morning. It consists of a bundle of beads, one 4"-5" votive candle holder, and three tea light candle holders. The unwrapped yellow piece is to show how much bubble wrap is on the other tea light holders. You'll also notice the top, bottom and sides of the box are lined with 1" styrofoam pads. Had the styrofoam (and the 16" x 12" x 12" boxes) here because they're the perfect size for shipping my oak bead displays in.

Here's a picture after packing peanuts were added along with the bundles of glass goodies. Yes, I added some peanuts to the bottom of the box first. Used to order from a large well known glass company and they would put your goods in the bottom of the box and pour the packing peanuts just on the top. DUH???

Ready for the packing list and business cards before sealing it up with way too much tape. ;-)   The styrofoam pads add extra support if heavy boxes are set on top of it during transit. They also keep the box from collapsing if the postal workers abuse the heck out of it. I've heard you should never mark a package "fragile" since it might be too much temptation for bored workers to resist.

A few other things I've learned about shipping your goods.
Paying extra for insurance is more about peace of mind than actually being able to collect on a claim if needed.

I once shipped two 18" bisque-ware molds from MI to CA. I had taken the time to open each box they came in and wrap them with several extra layers of bubble wrap. Then the two boxes were taped together and wrapped again more layers before going into a huge box with padding. One of the molds was broken by the time they reached CA. I went to the UPS shipper I used to file a claim. The claim had to go through the account holder with UPS which was a local drug store. They said UPS would pick up the package and the packing materials for review. I emailed my customer who was an online friend and asked her to set everything out for them since she would be at work when they came to pick it up.

UPS denied the claim due to "insufficient packing". Later I found out UPS had only picked up the small box the mold came in, not the huge box it was shipped in or the packing/padding materials. I was pissed, how could they review my packing job fairly when the UPS guy only took 1/4 of the stuff back with him. The owner/pharmacist of the drug store was there when I went back to explain this to the clerk and said he would cover it. A few days later I had a check and refunded my customer.

I usually ship via the US Post Office and used UPS for these molds because of their $100 of insurance coverage, and the rate was cheaper on such a large box going to CA. The Post Office has broken things too so it really doesn't matter which one you use.

The way I see it, over-packing is my best option for hassle free safe arrival. Being a little paranoid, sometimes I document how an item was packed up just in case. LOL, your looking at it now!

Just a few hours left to save 20%

My 20% OFF SALE is winding down! Save on my lampwork beads and pendants. Shop and Save for your spring beads.

When the sale is over I still have to edit all the listings back to their original prices. The sale prices are good until I have the time to edit them all. That could takes hours since there's quite a few of them to do. Why not hurry and save while you can?

Sale Time Again?

The Fire Divas are having a sale to celebrate our new team status on Etsy. Individual team members will be offering a variety of discounts or free shipping from their shops. The sale runs from February 11- 17.



I've included all my loose beads, sets, and pendants in this sale. Stayed up till the wee hours of the morning editing my listings to show the 20% Off sale price and the original price. Don't miss this one, might be awhile before I do another sale.

Last Day for my BOGO Sale!

This is the last day of my BOGO Sale! Really loving the look of the barrel pandora bead above and think I see a series of them in different colors in my future.

Here's another design I'm partial to and works well with organic earthy beads.

Another side wrapped bead with brighter colors. These are a great way to showcase contrasting colors.

The Bogo sale runs till midnight, maybe longer if I crash before then. In that case I'll honor the buy one get one 1/2 half until I edit out the sale info from shop announcement.

In a previous post I talked about Tanya needing an operation to save her life. Her insurance company denied it, the funds were raised by the caring online community of artists and followers on facebook. Tanya has had her surgery and is recovering. She is very grateful to have this behind her and especially all of those who have helped by donating or getting the word out. May God bless her again with a speedy recovery!

Bogo Sale & Drawing Winner

The Etsy Glass Artists (EGA) are having a "February Fling" Sale from February 1st through the 3rd. Checkout participating shops below to see their particular offerings! Please use the code "FEBFLING" in your notes to seller upon checking out to get the sale price. Great sales just in time for Valentine’s Day! You can find perfect gift for your sweet hearts or little sparkling treasure for yourself!!

Etsy Glass Artists "February Fling" Sale
February 1st - February 3rd, My sale will run all week through the 6th!
Participating Members:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/giapet - BOGO 1/2 Off

http://www.jewelrybynatsuko.etsy.com - BOGO 1/2off or 15% off on one item

http://www.glasscat.etsy.com - 20% off all fused and dichroic jewelry

http://www.MyCabinCreations.etsy.com - 20% off everything

http://www.StudioMarcy.etsy.com - BOGO 1/2 Off

http://www.popko.etsy.com - FREE shipping on all jewelry

http://www.prizmatic.etsy.com - BOGO 1/2 Off

http://www.kimvglass.etsy.com - Free Shipping

http://LeahPellegrini.etsy.com - 20% off

*BOGO - Buy One Get One 1/2 off

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Congrats to the Winner!

I had isp issues yesterday, between my teenager's downloads and Hughes.net's poor limited bandwidth allowance I was unable to post the drawing winner on Sunday. The biggest drawback to where we live, I can't get a decent internet service out here.

The lucky winner is Liyana Othman, Congratulations!

To be entered in the next drawing all you have to do is sign up for my newsletter. I promise you I won't bombard your inbox, I'm lucky if I get it sent out once a month.

Tip of the day: If you are paying 18.95 monthly for On Star service you can call them and get them to lower the price if you request to cancel the service. We're now paying 12.95 monthly.