Archive: 2009 on The Fresh Daily

Hi, happy beaders! I have a quick announcement… the annual Lima Beads Gift Giveaway is winding down, and there are only 3 more days to get a free gift with every order! So hurry and place your order by midnight (US eastern time) on December 31, and remember to choose your free gift. We’ve got a wide variety of gifts to choose from–and we added even more last Thursday, so check them out and choose YOUR gift!

Here’s to the last week of 2009! We know that 2010 is going to bring new challenges and opportunities. We want to make the most of it with you! Be sure to sign up for our e-mail list if you’re not already… we may or may not have a fun little announcement this week!

Without further ado, here’s a wrap-up of the inspiring work our customers have been up to!

New Pickers for November

Our Fresh Picks section keeps growing and growing… here’s a list of the newest pickers from November. Feeling inspired? It’s easy to design your own!

• Shawn l
• Pamela E
• Janz Joolz
• Peace Love Hollybeads
• Lynette O
• tiny chick aka kelsey
• Lorri G
• JulzJewlz
• Thissideofgaudy
• Cathy d
• Nicki - Taylored Designs
• LizzCreations
• Reina
• Regina
• A Regina
• Cattywumpuss
• Carla d

Top 15 Favorited Picks

1. Uluru Ayers Rock by Breezy Chick aka Bree
2. Brass Menagerie by Chicky ChaCha
3. his eyes by M mccallister mrs chick
4. A Winter Iris by Cotopaxi Chickie Sue
5. Orange Delight by Anita QoG Funny Chick
6. Septaria Sensations by Luv2bead - Little Chick
7. Snow Falling on Cedars by J Yee smart chick
8. Roast Chestnut by Chicky Zee aka Alice
9. walk on the beach by Shelly m
10. Silvery Red by FaeryGoth Chick
11. Winter Winds - MPS by Smoky Rose
12. Grapevine by Cuban Queen Crazy Chick
13. Simon, Do Something! by Little Round Chick

I love the combination of subtle and calm fresh picks with the zippy ones with splashes of color such as chartreuse, orange, red, and purple. Great work choosing less obvious stones for your picks – septaria, Mexican painting stone, agua nueva agate, Monaco agate, … I could keep going on and on…

Top 15 Favorited Design Gallery Pieces

1. Broken Glass by Luv2bead - Little Chick
2. For the Love of Dragons by Nicki - Taylored Designs
3. The Beauty of Septaria by Wemai Coffee Chick
4. Pearly Dewdrops by Starsparkle Spiral Chick
5. two autumn improvisations by doktordesigns
6. Crowned Jewel by Wickwire Jewelry
7. In Love with Amazonite by Froggy Chick aka Wendy F
8. What a Whopper Copper Cuff Bracelet by Jewelry by Shannon Leigh
9. All the leaves are brown by Brenda H
10. The Bronze Age by K H
11. Blue Sky Chalcedony ring by Irina s
12. Ocean Jasper by Little Round Chick
13. Sandy Waters by Gemme Designs by Johanne
14. Mediterranean Sea by Dutchy Madelon
15. opal spirals by Jeannes Gems - Gem Chick

There seems to be quite a bit of crossover in colors and themes used in Fresh Picks and Design Gallery pieces this time around. I’m not sure if it’s just a coincidence or if they are inspiring each other. I hope it’s the latter.

There was a lot of beautiful wire-work this past month. Personally, I do so much stringing with some basic wire wrapping (when Payton is napping and the little boy in my belly isn’t kicking me… really, it’s the “perfect storm”) that it’s nice to see interesting styles like the What a Whopper Cuff Bracelet and the Blue Sky Chalcedony ring. But it doesn’t stop there… all of the designs posted in the Design Gallery have been wonderful, and I’m pretty sure tons of people have been inspired by the pieces they get to see. We talk to customers all the time on the phone who mention it!

If you haven’t picked up a copy of Bead Star 2009 yet, you should Check Out our ad towards the front to see who was featured. I wish we could have fit everyone… You are all great!

The Lima Beads holiday parties are always fun, but this year’s gathering ended with a challenge. I won’t say who, but somebody suggested a “Dance-Off” between the office staff and the distribution team.

We would have laid down some cardboard and settled it the old fashioned way but nobody wanted to get hurt. Instead, we decided that each team would create a dancing elf video on ElfYourself.com and let you vote on which team wins.

Watch the videos and cast your vote below. Which team of dancing elves do you think wins the First Annual Lima Beads Holiday Dance-Off?

The Jingle Bell Jammers

Ho Ho Do-Si-Do

They say good news comes in threes. They couldn’t be more right! Imagine our surprise not too long ago when we found out that not one, not two, but THREE Lima Beads babies are due in the spring.

Andrew’s wife Elizabeth, Matt’s wife Deidra, and Ali are expecting little Limas on March 27th, March 30th, and April 11th respectively. And guess what? They’re all boys!

The newborns will be the first for Matt and Andrew, and of course Payton is excited about having a baby brother. So far, everything is looking good and we are all excited as can be. Stay tuned for more updates and if you have any boy name ideas, we’re all ears.

Also, if you want any beads, make sure you get them before the 3rd week of March. Things are going to get crazy around here!

Lima Beads is a big believer in giving back to the communities that we inhabit. It’s never been a better time to contribute to worthy organizations that help others in need.

We are supporting the following 5 charities in 2009 by donating a portion of our profits based on your votes. This does not increase the cost of your order because the donations are taken from our profits. To select a charity, all you have to do is remember to choose one in the menu on the bottom of your shopping bag. We’ll take care of the rest!

Next to each name is the percentage of “votes” each has received so far. It’s not too late to help these wonderful organizations by choosing your favorite the next time you place an order.

C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital (Ann Arbor, MI) – 29%
Every day, University of Michigan scientists are developing the next generation of therapies for children…and Mott patients are among the first to benefit from these discoveries.

Food Gatherers (Ann Arbor, MI) – 13%
Works to reduce food waste through the rescue and distribution of perishable and non perishable food; coordinating with other hunger relief providers; educating the public about hunger; and developing new food resources.

Hope Clinic (Ypsilanti, MI) – 8%
Offers medical care and dental care to the uninsured, plus a variety of social services to minister to the whole person.

Sasha Farm (Manchester, MI) – 23%
Provides a safe and secure environment, lifetime care and medical treatment for unwanted, neglected, misused, and abused farmed and domestic animals, as well as fostering through education a better understanding of these animals.

Women Thrive (Worldwide) – 27%
Develops, shapes, and advocates for policies that foster economic opportunity for women living in poverty.

To see more details about each charity and links to their websites, visit our Lima Gives Back page.

Charities for 2010

We will select 5 new charities for 2010 in January. Look for a blog post from Ali next month about choosing the new recipients.

Thanks for helping us improve the lives of others!

It’s officially “the holiday season” and a lot of us will no doubt be eating a lot of leftovers. This post is about a different kind of leftovers – leftover beads.

My definition of leftovers is (a) beads that are remaining after a planned project has been completed, or (b) components that didn’t get used or are from an item that is broken or lost. I never seem to use all of the beads I buy for making a birthday or Christmas gift, I always seem to lose one earring out of the pair and I also have a habit of buying funky pieces that don’t end up getting used. All of that is about to change…. I hope.

Here are some great ideas (I think) that I have come up with so that these treasures don’t go to waste:

• Share your beads with friends or a group.
• Create a simple (or difficult depending on the recipient’s experience) project and put together a homemade bead kit to give as a present.
• Make a funky/unexpected piece of jewelry – throw everything leftover in a baggie, shake it up and start stringing.
• Make a charm bracelet out of those lone earrings. I recommend a heavier duty chain, like the Tiffany chain bracelets that were so popular when I was in college. Also, I would go with an antique finish on the chain, with all of the different metals and stones that could be in your lost earrings you probably don’t want to use a chain that will look shiny and new when the earrings or other parts probably don’t.
• Make bead chain.  If you are familiar with rosaries, then you know what I am talking about. A couple different ways this could be done:

1. Just use your leftover beads along with a decent gauge wire (not too thin or your chain will break). If the beads won’t fit on the wire, I would recommend not using them in the piece rather than using a thin wire that could potentially break on you.
2. Use a combination of your leftover beads as described above, but instead of linking each bead together using wire, add in leftover bits of chain in random or consistent lengths in between the beads.  This will add great movement and interest to the strand.

How do you use leftover beads? What would you think of an easy way to swap beads & supplies online?

It’s time for another round of First Come, First Served deals!

The past two times we’ve done this, the majority of the items have sold out within hours, so if you see something you like, get it fast! This particular batch of items could be considered a sample sale. These are all items that we’ve purchased as samples over the past couple of years and decided not to carry for various reasons. The most common reasons are price (too expensive) and material availability (we can’t reliably stock them). None of these items have quality issues. Because they were ordered as samples, most of the quantities are very low. We have an average of 10 strands of the gemstone beads and about 20 pieces of each CZ item. See all of the items now!

You’ll find some interesting stones that you’ve never seen at Lima Beads and also some funky CZ cuts that we’ve decided not to carry on a regular basis. Good luck!

About First Come, First Served items

Before you add these deals to your shopping bag, you should know that all of these items are FINAL SALE. So take a good look at the photos! If you like what you see, we’re confident that you’ll love the beads. Here are a few more guidelines to read over before you place your orders:

It’s that time of year again. Starting tomorrow, the holiday season is officially in full swing. We’ll eat great meals, give and receive some gifts, and hang out with friends and family. All of the lucky Lima Beaders get to do one more thing every holiday season — they get to choose FREE BEADS with every order they place at Lima Beads. We do it every year to say thanks for another great year and for helping us make the Lima Beads web site a special place.

We’ve got some great gifts this year. We’ve expanded the number of selections to as many as 8 per level. With any order you can get Stampt Metal, Vintaj, TierraCast, or choose from some great gemstones. If you spend $75 or more, your choices include: olive green or pearly white pearls, Green Girl Studios, African green jasper, or some awesome smoky quartz nuggets.

Sapphire CZ

Get up to $150 and it really gets interesting. We’ve got the most popular piece of Green Girl Studios pewter (owl), amethyst (A) round 8mm, big gorgeous pearls, and two pieces of CZ never before seen on the Lima Beads site. This is the only way to get them. A lot of people ask for sapphire blue and ruby color CZ and the fact is, it’s just too expensive to carry. We ordered samples this past year and they’re gorgeous, but we’ve decided not to sell them, but we thought, why not give them to our customers?!

Tanzanite Rondelles

If you get all the way to $300, you can get the coolest toggle clasp I’ve ever seen (Green Girl Shibuichi), Mexican fire agate nuggets, or (and I’ve saved the best for last) a strand of blinding tanzanite faceted rondelles.

See All The Gifts

Again, thanks for being with us this year. Lima Beads has grown a lot with full lines of chain, metal beads, and findings. The Lima community has also grown, which is shown by more than 2,000 gorgeous designs in the design gallery.

Next year, we plan to keep pushing forward with more stringing material, more silver, and a Stampt Metal surprise that is going to provide you with hours of fun.

Thanks again everyone. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

-Kevin

You may have noticed that it’s been a little quiet around the blog lately. That’s because we’ve been working on something top secret that we think is going to help everyone in a big way when you shop at Lima Beads. Starting today, the Shopping Bag just got a lot smarter!

Easy Shopping from Different Computers

We have so many ways to get special deals (daily Fresh Pick sale, the Big Green Bead Machine, Lima Lunch Specials), but it wasn’t easy to do all your shopping from different computers or locations… until now. As long as you’re signed into your account, your shopping bag will be available from any computer, at any location. All your special deals will stay with you!

More Informative

When you have a special deal in your shopping bag that expires (from the Bead Machine, for example), the shopping bag now tells you when it will expire. Moving your mouse over the clock gives you additional information, and you can even sort your shopping bag by expiration time to get a look at how much time you have left on your deals.

Shipping Estimates

Another new feature we just launched is the ability to get a shipping estimate right from your shopping bag. This will be ultra-helpful for holiday shopping when shipping times are so critical!

Have Feedback?

We’re always happy to get your feedback so we can improve your experience with our web site. Have something to say? Leave a comment below!

As much as I love the season of fall, I love the Christmas time of year even more. So much so that I’m usually one of those people that like to decorate the tree the weekend after Halloween. We’ll, it’s been a couple of weeks since Halloween and to my wife’s dismay, the tree still is not up.

She’s been hounding me for these past two weeks, but I haven’t really had the urge to set up a Christmas tree.
I get why all of the stores are setting up early. Based on the numbers, it totally makes sense. One of the local radio stations started playing 100% Christmas music a week ago. Every time Deidra turns it on, I say to her, “Really?”

A couple of years ago, I would’ve said, “Crank it up!”

So, “Why the change of heart?” To be honest, I can’t really put my finger on it. I still get the same, warm, fuzzy feeling every year around Christmas time. Maybe I’m just getting grumpier in my old age.

I’m trying to weigh the pros and cons of decorating early. Here’s what I could come up with.

The Argument Against Decorating Early for the Holidays

This gem came from my Father-in-Law: “Whatever happened to Thanksgiving? I’d rather put the Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving and take it down in January, than put it up the day after Halloween and take it down the day after Christmas!”

Not only is there the risk of growing weary of the holidays, but I think that starting the holidays in early November starts to diminish the integrity of this special time. It only comes once a year, but when it lasts for over two months, I think it loses the “Wow!” factor.

The Argument For Decorating Early for the Holidays

For me at least, the obvious argument for setting up early is that it is, in Andy Williams’ words, “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!” It’s undeniable. In most cases, there’s no time like Christmas time.

On top of that, regardless of how early I set up the tree and turn on the Christmas music, I always feel like Christmas just comes and goes so fast! There’s always something that I wished I would’ve done, but didn’t really have the time. The last couple of years, it’s been Holiday Nights at Greenfield Village. I hear it’s pretty great, but I’ve yet to check it out.

Here are a couple of things that I absolutely have to do each and every holiday season:

• Set up the Christmas Tree and other decorations
• Go to Frankenmuth and Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland
• Visit my Grandparents
• Go to Cincinnati to visit family the weekend after Thanksgiving
• Help Mom set up her Dickens’ Village
• Listen to “Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis“
• Watch the following movies:
  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
  • Frosty the Snowman
  • A Charlie Brown Christmas
  • Christmas Vacation
  • The Santa Clause
  • White Christmas
  • Home Alone
  • The Nightmare Before Christmas
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (TV Special)
  • Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town

The realization that I’ve come to after writing this is that Christmas time can be as long or as special as you make it. It could last all year, so long as we keep the spirit in our hearts and the peace in our lives. The stores and radio stations shouldn’t decide when we’re supposed to be preparing for this most special of times. It’s up to you.

What about all of you Christmas lovers? Do you love that the holiday season seems to be creeping earlier and earlier on the calendar? When do you start decorating? Do you have a list of things you absolutely need to do every holiday season?

This past weekend, I found myself going through my now out-of-control bead room with Payton. I thought it would be an easy project to gather all of my favorite finds and organize them while she was playing with some fabric beads. There can’t be too many favorites, right? Well, as it turns out I have a lot of favorites and a lot of beads in general. Then I thought, at least I can thin out my bead stash by donating or reselling. The problem with that is that my favorite beads change with the seasons, my mood, etc. What am I supposed to do? This is my mission for November: Get my stash together before I start jamming on Christmas jewelry for gifts.

This is what I’ve tried in the past that worked at the time:

• Dixie cups: Works for holding head pins and eye pins
• Big red “keg” cups or a box: Works great for holding tools (these were always on hand in college )
• Tackle boxes: traveling with beads. They have great little compartments for taking beads on the go. The only problem is that I now have too many beads to choose from and the tackle box I would need is the size of a small piece of luggage. I will say though that this also worked great when Kevin and I lived in a small apartment and I had to bead at the dining table. Tackle boxes are also great for storing glass or cz beads.
• Plastic storage drawers on wheels: This worked in my apartment when I didn’t have a permanent beading spot. What I didn’t like about this storage method is that if you make the drawers heavy with too many beads, they don’t pull out very easily.
• Beads in baggies inside of Tupperware bins with lids: This option worked great for the last year and I think that concept behind it could still work if I could find a better storage option. I used to store all my gemstones together, all my pearls together, all my vintage together, all my glass together…you get the drift. The problem then became that I would miss out on using a cool red bead because I had only been looking in my gemstone bin. I then decided that the best way to organize my beads because of the way I design was to do it based on color, regardless of material. For instance, I take all of my red beads no matter the type, put each in a Ziploc bag and put it in the bin labeled RED.

The last option is by far my favorite for actual bead storage. The only remaining issue is that Payton likes to play with beads almost as much as I do. Our house is not huge, so her playroom doubles as my beading room. There are two problems with this. First, I have a limited amount of space to work with. Second, every time I go in the room, my beads are pulled out of their containers and strewn across the floor, because my little designer has been hard at work when I wasn’t looking I think what’ll happen is that I will find an amazingly perfect desk and come up with a fantastic wall storage for above. Sounds realistic right?

I would love to see pictures of your bead storage and/or studios. Not necessarily your beading desk or table, but the place where you store the beads and supplies you’re not actively working with.

What you think the best method for organizing your beads, tools, and projects is?

What special circumstances have you had to work with?

Please help!

Are you familiar with the theory of “Six Degrees of Separation“? It states that all 7+ billion humans are linked to each other by no more than 6 connections. So, if I know Steve and Steve knows Matt, I am connected to Matt through 1 degree (Steve). If Matt knows Ali, I am connected to Ali by 2 degrees.

I’ve always thought the idea is fun to think about in theory, but it’s even cooler when you discover some of the completely random connections between people in your life.

My Favorite Customer

My siblings and I ran a small lemonade stand every weekend during our summer vacations as kids. We set up shop on the corner of a busy street in suburban Atlanta that attracted hundreds of runners, walkers, and cyclists each weekend.

Thanks to the Atlanta heat and “Rock Bottom Pricing“, we sold gallons of watered down lemonade at $0.25 per cup. On a good day, we would each profit $5 or more (after paying mom and dad back for expenses, of course). That was BIG money in those days. Now I wish I had listened to my parents and saved it.

We began to attract regular customers, but one British lady always stuck out in my mind because I loved hearing her accent, peculiar jokes, and strange phrases from “across the pond”. She also packed extra quarters in her fanny pack to buy our lemonade before and after her morning run. She quickly became our favorite customer.

Of course, eventually we grew up, got out of the lemonade business and never heard from her again. But the story doesn’t end there…

About 10 years later my grandparents took a sightseeing trip to London and stopped in a pub for a pint and some fish and chips. They started talking to the British lady on the next stool about travel and living overseas. Wouldn’t you know it…this woman had lived in the States just outside of Atlanta and was a frequent runner. (You know where this is going…)

It didn’t take long for them to figure out that the nice British lady was our favorite customer! They laughed at the near impossibility that they would end up at the same pub after 10 years on an entirely different continent!

We’re All Connected

I love the random moments in life that remind us how connected we are to each other. I’ve got plenty more, but I’m sure you do too. So, it’s your turn. What random connections have you discovered that seem to prove the theory that it really is a small world after all?

Photo Credit

Winter warmth by Carolinawren

New Fresh Pickers for October

• Monkeykat Rhi
• whistling bird
• Froggy Chick aka Wendy F
• Carolinawren
• dawni-jo
• Faith
• Tracine
• Silver Leaf
• tweetybird59
• Sweet n Sassy
• Artful Accents
• Sarahcita
• Kitty Girl
• Charlene C
• L Soponis
• Traci C
• Aussie YoKel
• MONIKAPIP
• Melissa
• lizzieo68
• Lis G
• P Canales

Top 15 Favorited Picks

1. 100% Chance of Rain by Chicky D aka Debra
2. Pinked!!! by Leigh D
3. Spa Delight by Alice t
4. Sister Goldenhair by Atomic Toad
5. Caelia by FaeryGoth Chick
6. First Impressions by Breezy Chick aka Bree
7. Wild Purple Asters by Mary S AKA Sweet Chick
8. Walk Softly by Cuban Queen Crazy Chick
9. Vintaj Venture en Bleu by Chicky ChaCha
10. Copper and Ice by L Soponis
11. Winter warmth by Carolinawren
12. out of my comfort zone by M mccallister mrs chick
13. Olympic Peninsula by Smoky Rose
14. Cinnamon Toast by Jane MS
15. Smoky Impressions by Luv2bead – Little Chick

100% Chance of Rain by Chicky D aka Debra

This group of favorite picks really showcases the use of subtle and warm tones. There are however a few that feature purples and blues. I always say that purple is my least favorite color, but oddly enough I was reading Vogue UK and found that they are saying the top colors for fashion this winter (2009/2010) are: Indigo (the more saturated and intense the color the better) and regal tones of violet, purple and inky grape. I guess I’ll have to embrace these colors, at least for this season…

These colors are gorgeous when used the right way.  How would you use them? Let’s see some Fresh Picks!

They are all beautiful combinations.  Which Fresh Pick would you be most interested in creating a piece of jewelry out of and what would you create? If you do, be sure to show us in the design gallery

Top 15 Favorited Designs from the Gallery

1. Waterfall of Pearls by Taylored Designs
2. Amazonite by Chanda C
3. Amber Waves by Jeannes Gems – Gem Chick
4. Blue Jeans by Starsparkle Spiral Chick
5. SANTORINI by Beadazzled
6. Jasper ‘n Copper by Little Round Chick
7. A mermaid for my friend by Wemai Coffee Chick
8. Misty Morning Sunrise by John M
9. Turquoise and Copper by Kathryn Lobert
10. Autumn Wine Charm by Chicky D aka Debra
11. Bon Jour! by Sali Jo GemsChica Chick
12. Bohemian Tigress by Judith Ann Boyer
13. Chocolate and berries by Gunilla B
14. Two Favorites by Brenda H
15. Laboradorite Nugget and Faceted Gemstone Necklace by Jewelry by Shannon Leigh

Waterfall of Pearls by Taylored Designs

I have to say the design gallery has never looked so good!

The designs you’re creating and sharing with the rest of us are really beautiful. There are some great textures, colors, and metal work – especially in the top 15 this month.

I do have one request, and I know it might seem cumbersome because everyone is getting so busy this time of year, but I’m going to ask it anyway. If you have a piece that requires more than basic stringing technique, would please add some instructions or tips applicable to your piece? I think that it would really help, because the pieces are gorgeous and inspiring but it would also help to teach people how to achieve the same coolness. Again, if you have time

Thanks everyone!

Thanks to everybody that helped make Scream Week such a success! We had a blast putting it together for you. Even if you weren’t scared by our haunted warehouse video or didn’t laugh at our pet costumes, many of you took advantage of the Scream Week sale and entered the drawing for a $250 Lima Beads Gift Certificate.

The Gift Certificate Winner Is…

We randomly chose an email address from all the brave souls that survived the video. I’m happy to announce that Seema M. from Overland Park, Kansas is the big winner! Seema is going to receive a $250 Lima Beads Gift Certificate along with the envy of lots of beaders.

Thanks for playing, and if you didn’t win this time stay tuned for the next round of sales, games, and contests. Who knows what the mad Lima scientists will come up with next?

Ali and I just got back from trick-or-treating with Payton. It was a perfect Halloween. Cool, crisp air. Orange, red, and yellow leaves strewn about and a couple of neighbors that are really into Halloween. Payton was Snow White this year and I might be biased, but she definitely achieved maximum cuteness. We got all of the usual goodies: M&Ms, Snickers, Twix, Licorice, Milk Duds, and my personal favorite, NERDS. Lucky for me, at only 17 months, she’s not allowed to have much candy.

Our first trick-or-treating

I hope you all had a great Halloween. Now, onward to Thanksgiving…

At Lima Beads we thought it might be fun to share our pets’ Halloween costume pictures.

Dakota

I can honestly say that we’ve never dressed Dakota up in anything. We’ve tried our T-shirts, bandanas, and booties, but he is never very excited. So when it came time to shop for a costume, I headed to Target. I know a homemade costume would be much cuter, but I barely have time to make a pair of earrings I enlisted the help of Payton (17 months old) to choose the right costume. She loves Dakota and loved nothing more than the idea of dressing him up to make him even more furry and cuddly. It came down to a chicken or a squirrel and as you can see, Payton chose the squirrel.

After putting Dakota through all of this without being able to enjoy his candy, I am feeling a little guilty so I was thinking about baking him some fresh doggie treats (recipe courtesy of The Martha Stewart Show October 2009)

Izzy’s Apple Cheddar Dog Biscuits

• 2 cups barley flour
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1/3 cup shredded cheddar
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients and about 3 tablespoons water to form a dough. Roll out mixture between two sheets of plastic wrap to 1/4-inch thick; remove plastic wrap and cut out biscuits with a 3 1/2-inch bone-shaped cookie cutter. Reroll scraps and continue cutting out biscuits.
3. Space biscuits 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes until nicely browned and firm.
4. Transfer biscuits to a wire rack. Turn off oven and place biscuits on wire rack in oven overnight. Remove from oven and store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

The rest of the Lima staff also got in on the action:

Andrew

Sammy

This is Sammy, our 5-year old Yorkie. He’s not really the costume type and I couldn’t get anything else on him. Just getting these pics cost me 2 milk bones. I’ve had this candy corn tie forever, which apparently he didn’t mind wearing because it’s similar to a collar. He’s all set for a night on the town.

Matt

Minnie

Here’s our bunny Minnie! I mean our dog Minnie. Which I think most of you have already met in our “We Love Our Pets” post. She’s generally pretty easy going, so dressing her up in ridiculous costumes is loads of fun. The ashamed look on her face is the only reason we don’t dress her up more often. If she only knew how cute she was…

Steve

Reesey

This year, Reesey wanted to have a little more bite with her bark, so we fashioned a tiger dog coat and booties. It was a tight fit, but I think she appreciated the ferocious twist on her typically laid-back personality! That is, until she shook the whole thing off.

You!

Do you have a photo of your pet all dressed up? Submit it in the comments below!

Just our luck. It’s only been a few months since we moved into our new warehouse and we are already getting calls from our neighbors and the alarm company about strange things happening after dark. As if Scream Week weren’t spooky enough, now we have a potentially haunted warehouse to deal with.

Last night, Steve, Matt and I decided to investigate the disturbances. For the record, I was opposed from the beginning. Ghosts, goblins and ghouls don’t like to be annoyed! Matt brought his video camera to record the evidence and we have posted it below. Just a warning, it’s a little scary!

Trick or Treat? Win a $250 Gift Certificate!

Now it’s YOUR turn to help us investigate. Click the button below to watch the video. At the end, we’ll ask a question about what you saw (or thought you saw). If you get the right answer, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a $250 Lima Beads Gift Certificate. Don’t worry if you get it wrong, we’ll give you one more chance to watch the video and look for the answer.

Welcome to Scream Week at Lima Beads. All week long, we’ll be handing out deals, steals, and screams right here from the blog. So, stay tuned to the blog all week!

A Sale of Ghastly Proportions!

We’re kicking off the week with a SALE on cubic zirconia, pearls, chain, findings and metal beads! You get 20% off of CZ and pearls and 15% off all chain, findings, and metal beads!

Dare to enter the Scream Machine…

On top of the scary good deals already available, you’ll find that your favorite price-slashing machine has seen a maniacal tune-up by Dr. Steve! That crazy evil scientist has turned our loving little deal creator into the Big Green Scream Machine!

It’s the same machine that we all know and love, with an insane twist: you have only 3 minutes before the timer runs out, instead of the normal 5:00! Also, Dr. Steve has added hundreds of new products to be devoured, I mean delivered, right to your computer. So hurry, the Big Green Scream Machine is set to transform back to its old self at the end of Scream Week.

Crazy Cooking by Chef Lima

Tomorrow, we’re cooking up a frightening menu of Lunch Specials that are sure to make you scream! I don’t want to give anything away, but I can think of a couple of reasons to check out the Lunch Specials this week. If you’re not signed up to receive Lunch Special emails from us, you can sign up here.

And more!

If by Wednesday you’re ready for more, you won’t want to miss the special halloween video we’ve produced! You’ll have to put your detective hat on to help us find some clues and figure out who, or what, is causing a stir in our warehouse almost every night. And there’s a special twist that you’re sure to love!

Thursdays are always special at Lima, and this Thursday is no exception! Check back for the regular additions (and maybe even some old favorites).

On Friday, Ali’s brewing a fun post that will be sure to have you and your little furry ones howling (or meowing) with laughter. Don’t miss the chance to show off your pets… in costume! Get your photos ready.

And finally, we’ll be shipping a little “treat” with every order this week. Don’t worry, it won’t bite… it’s just our way of saying THANKS for being a Lima customer!

Enjoy, if you dare!!!!!

Ever since the early days at Lima Beads, we’ve had a $500 shopping spree that we award to a very lucky beader every few months. Last time around, we had the pleasure of calling Traci from Dayton, Ohio to tell her that she was the winner of the shopping spree–and boy, was she surprised! We caught up with Traci over e-mail and she told us a little more about herself. We thought it would be fun to share a few facts about our latest winner…

Traci makes Fresh Picks!

Traci has been a part of the Lima Beads community for almost a year, and her mother in law told her about the web site. She makes mostly necklaces, but really wants to learn how to make earrings. (Note to Traci: check out the earrings in the Design Gallery!) With the $500 winnings, she plans to buy a lot of beads–like many of you, she’s planning on making necklaces for Christmas presents this year. But she’s not going to give everything away… she plans on keeping some for herself, too

The next $500 shopping spree contest is on December 31, 2009. So make sure to get signed up if you haven’t already!

Now for some daydreaming…what would you buy with the $500 if you are our next winner? Which lucky people would you make jewelry for?

Just when you think you’ve seen it all! I found some really cool beading world records that might be enough to make any hobbyist question their dedication to the craft.

1. World’s Largest Bead Flag

World's Largest Bead Flag

Measuring nearly 9′ x 4′6″, the world’s largest beaded flag contains 288,400 beads and weighs over 22 pounds! The flag represents the United Arab Emirates and is was completed during many sleepless nights by Jeyaraman Ravi. Photo: Ahmed Kutty/Gulf News

2. World’s Longest Chain of Beads

World Record Bead Chain

Alayna Salter of the UK strung together 80 meters of beads to create the world’s longest bead chain. That’s over 260 feet, more than enough to wrap around the outer lines of a tennis court! Her efforts began at her kitchen table but soon took over an entire room. Sound familiar?

Ms. Salter creates her own jewelry and got the idea to string this piece when audience members at her musical gigs asked her where she got her unique necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.

3. World’s Largest Bead Mosaic

World Record Bead Mosaic

What do you get when you combine 372,000 beads and 1,000 fourth graders? Besides a migraine, of course…

If you answered “The World’s Largest Bead Mosaic”, you’re right! The kids chipped in to pay tribute to President Obama by creating the giant piece of art which is now housed in New York City. Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

4. World’s Largest Pearl

World's Largest Pearl

Okay, it’s not really a beading world record, but it’s still a huge pearl that would make one heckuva pendant. It’s known as the Pearl of Lao Tzu and weighs in at 14.1 pounds!

The pearl’s history is shrouded in secrecy and mystery. Some legends even trace it back to the rise of one of China’s ancient dynasties.

We may never know the full story behind the Pearl of Lao Tzu, but it’s an amazing piece of natural beauty no matter who you believe!

5. World’s Longest Strand of Prayer Beads

World Record Prayer Beads

Mustafa Kara of India carved 999 wooden beads to create his record-breaking 25 meter strand of prayer beads. When fully assembled, it weighs over 130 pounds and requires 3 men to move.

Kara’s prayer beads are primarily used for decoration and he has since created many (smaller) copies that have been sold all over the world.

Are You Next?

You never know what might happen the next time you start getting carried away with a beading project. You might just end up in the kooky list of beading world records!