Author Archive: Steve on The Fresh Daily

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?

I think everyone around here agrees with Matt that autumn is a great season–and the colors are beginning to change now! This weekend I was fortunate enough to enjoy the outdoors with some friends and I wanted to share some photos. We stayed at Fort Custer State Recreation Area and hiked, biked, and “geocached” (read on if you don’t know what that is!).

Battle Creek Linear Park

One of the reasons we chose the location is the bike path in Battle Creek, MI called Linear Park. It’s a network of over 17 miles of scenic paths that travel through downtown, parks, residential areas, and along the river. After a few wrong turns and some unplanned detours, we rode about 26 miles (note to self: next time, don’t print the color-coded map in black & white). I was feeling it the next day!

Geo-what?

On Sunday morning we hit the trails again, this time on foot. Equipped with a GPS unit, we went geocaching, which is basically a mini-treasure hunt. The goal is to find a “cache” (a box with stuff in it) that was hidden there by someone before you. The GPS unit helps you find the cache, and sometimes there are hints when it’s hidden especially well. I’ve only done it twice, but both times I discovered new paths and places that I wouldn’t have found otherwise.

Eagle Lake at Fort Custer State Rec Area

Next off on my fall checklist: pumpkin carving and candy! Keep your eyes on this blog in the next couple weeks… I have a hunch that there might be some treats (and maybe a trick or two). In the meantime, what’s keeping you busy this fall?

To all designers (everyone reading this blog, right? )… I have a short announcement about the Design Gallery. Some people have expressed a desire to share their displays, spreads, and booths from craft shows. We wanted to give these pictures a home of their own, so we created a new “Displays” area in the gallery. If you’ve got a display to share (or any other jewelry you’ve made lately), head on over to the gallery and add your design!

We’ll surely be adding more categories to the Design Gallery in the future. Do you have any ideas of what the categories should be? Remember, we’d like to keep everything focused on beading and jewelry, so we’re primarily looking at wearable, beading related ideas. We’d love to know what you think for the future!

OK, the title of this blog post is a little scary. But don’t worry, we won’t be sharing any horror stories about the beaders who shop at Lima. Instead, we have a few anonymous stories about how awesome our customers are! We get to hear these little bits and pieces by phone and e-mail, and wanted to share.

Unfair Refund

I spoke with a customer the other day who received a refund of $8 for beads she returned to us. She demanded that we take the money back! There was a misunderstanding and we had actually sent her replacement strands because the first ones were damaged. How honest and sincere of her! We truly appreciate it.

If you build it…

Recently, we received feedback from a customer about the Big Green Bead Machine. She said she loved it because it was like “building your own sale.” I liked the analogy so much that I wanted to publish it here! It really sums up the Machine because it churns out deals especially for YOU.

Secret Santa

Several months ago, we were contacted by a customer who wanted to send a gift to another beader who was having a bad few weeks. They had never met before (only through creating Fresh Picks), and we were honored to connect the two so the gift could be shipped out. How cool!

Smooth Move!

During our move to a new warehouse, we received countless e-mails from our customers wishing us a smooth and safe move. We’re ecstatically grateful for your notes along the way–it really helped during the late nights! So, thank you again.

Be a part of the story…

We truly value the opportunity to be a part of these storylines. Whether you’re a first time shopper or a long time Lima Beader, we’d love to play at role in your beading story. Who knows what will be next!

If you’ve been following along with the blog, you know that Lima Beads is moving into a bigger, better warehouse. We’re keeping our digs in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but we still have a lot of beads to move. So we’re having a BIG SALE to help lighten the load! Our big move is THIS weekend, so we need your help pronto… Read on for the details including revised shipping times during the move, or just check out the Moving Sale page!

First Come, First Served Deals!

In preparation for the big move, we’ve unearthed (literally!) dozens of beads that we want to sell at amazing prices so we don’t have to load them on the trucks. These are one-time-only deals on beads that we may never carry again. We have very limited quantities on some of them, and the prices are AWESOME. We expect them to sell quickly, and when they’re gone, they’re gone! Check them out on the Moving Sale page.

Here are some important notes about these deals:

• In order to secure these items, you need to place your order and complete the transaction. If they sell out before you do that, they will be removed from your shopping bag.
• These items are all FINAL SALE, so we can’t accept returns for them
• We can’t offer rain checks–when they’re gone, they’re gone!

All Gemstone Beads 15% off!

During the big move you can also save 15% on EVERY gemstone bead we carry! From Abalone to Zebra Jasper, they’re all on sale. That’s a LOT of beads… and you can check them all out on the gemstone beads page. These deals are available through Tuesday night (8/18) at midnight Eastern time.

Vintaj, Stampt, CZ, and Pearls all 20% off!

When we have a sale, we mean business! That means you can save on metal, cubic zirconia, and freshwater pearls, too! Like the beads above, these discounts are available through Tuesday night (8/18) at midnight Eastern time. We rarely have sales on so many items at once, so be sure to check out all the following pages to save:

• All Vintaj Natural Brass 20% off
• All Stampt Metal (Gold, Pewter, Copper) 20% off
• All Cubic Zirconia 20% off
• All Freshwater Pearls 20% off

Shipping Information

We’re starting the move tonight at 5pm, so we have a modified shipping schedule over the next week. If you place your order today (8/13) before 3pm Eastern, it will still ship out before the weekend. However, all orders placed after 3pm today will be shipped next week by Wednesday 8/19. So if you need your beads right away, make sure to place your order today by 3pm Eastern!

A Final Note…

We want to send a big THANK YOU to all our customers who have supported us during the past few years while we’ve been in our current warehouse. We’re moving so we can carry exciting new product lines and serve you better in the coming years with a growing staff! Stay tuned, it’s going to be a pretty wild ride this fall!

Boy, our customers have been busy in the Design Gallery! There are over 900 designs to browse, with more being added daily. I have two quick updates that we think will make the Design Gallery more useful.

My Favorite Designs

As of today, you now have the ability to mark a design as a “favorite.” It’s easy to maintain your favorite designs–just browse the design gallery, and when you see a design you like, just click “Add Favorite.” The design will instantly be added to your favorites list. To see your favorites list, just click “My Favorites” in the yellow bar at the top of the page when you’re browsing the gallery. So start browsing and add some favorites!

Rings, anyone?

The other thing we’ve added is a “Rings” category. As more and more rings were added to the gallery, we thought it was appropriate to give them their own space. See all the awesome rings that have been added so far!

Finally, a big THANK YOU goes out to all the customers who have helped make the Design Gallery a huge success by sharing your work! If you’d like to share your work, just head on over to the gallery and add your design!

Hello, Fresh Pickers! A while back, I gave you a preview of some work we’re doing here to organize our growing collection of Fresh Picks. While the work isn’t finished yet, we were able to release a small feature that we think will be very helpful in the meantime. As of today, you can search for Fresh Picks by typing in part (or all) of the name in the box on the Fresh Pick Search page. Here’s how it looks:

Searching by Fresh Pick name...

We hope you find this feature useful for when you remember a Fresh Pick’s name, but not when it was created! Here are a couple fun searches to try out:

• Flowers
• Breeze
• Candy
• Shine

Let us know in the comments if you find this feature useful!

We’ve talked before on the blog about the challenges of keeping the creative juices flowing (see my posts about beating creative block and being a night owl or an early riser). Everyone has a strategy, but one thing’s for sure: creativity is tough to come by when you’re tired, hungry, sluggish, or buried in the busyness of life. I’ve never been a big breakfast guy, but I’m experimenting with some morning meals to see what cooks up the best balance for my day.

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It’s been a couple of exciting weeks at Lima Beads. Last week, we launched The Garden, a community for beaders to collaborate and share ideas. This week, we’re launching the Design Gallery! The Design Gallery is a collection of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and other pieces that are created by YOU! Everyone’s pieces can be included in the gallery, and you can check them out here.

The Design Gallery has photos and descriptions of the pieces, along with a listing of components that the designer used. Some designs will even include step-by-step directions on how to create the piece yourself. And of course, anyone with a Lima Beads account can comment on the designs and share their thoughts, ideas, and compliments.

Adding your own designs is easy…

• Log into your account
• Head on over to The Design Gallery
• Click “Add Yours Now!” to start your submission!

We’re excited to see what all of our beading customers create! And we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have in the comments.

Yesterday we released an update to our web site that we’re very excited about: we launched The Garden, a section dedicated to meeting new beaders, sharing ideas, asking questions, and more. I’d like to give you an overview of some of the things you can do in The Garden…

Your Profile

A profile page

In The Garden, everyone has a profile page. It’s an overview of what you’ve been up to, along with your bio (if you choose to write one), your picture, and a link to your web site. Your profile page also has a “comment wire”, which is a place for your friends to leave you a short message, or for you to post a status update (more on that below). So check out your profile to begin!

Finding Other Beaders’ Profiles

To see what everyone else is up to (and drop them a note if you want), you can look at their profile pages. To find other beaders like this, just click on their name or picture when you see it appear somewhere (a good place is the “Who’s Online?” section on the main page). We also have a directory of the members–check it out!

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While half our team has been working on expanding our product line (a top priority for us in 2009), the other half has been working on something completely different. I’d like to tell you a little bit about it today. It’s called “The Garden,” and it’s a place where beaders can congregate, share ideas, meet new people, join groups, and showcase designs.

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This week, we had an important milestone for Fresh Picks. It’s the first birthday of our customer-designed Fresh Pick gallery! It’s been a giant success, and we have one person to thank: YOU! You’ve made the gallery a huge success by creating, critiquing, and commenting on thousands of picks made by our customers. Here are some stats from the first year:

• Over 8,000 total Fresh Picks have been shared
• 1,200 different beaders have created picks
• 4,400 different products are represented in the picks
• Most used item: Champagne Freshwater Pearl Semi-Round 4.5-5mm

To celebrate, we’ve got a fun little game. Try and solve the puzzle below by dragging and rearranging the squares to reveal the hidden scene… UPDATE: the prize offer expired Monday night (5/11), but you can still solve the puzzle just for fun

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Getting up in the morning has never been my strongest suit. It’s probably because I’ve been a night owl most of my life, trying to squeeze out every last living second of the day before succumbing to sleep. But over the years, out of necessity and curiosity, I’ve tried to transform into an early riser. So, I wanted to take a little poll from our creative audience: are you an early riser or a night owl?

Here are some observations I’ve made about myself on both sides of the coin…

Me as an early riser: Breakfast is necessary. Put the alarm 10 feet away. Routine is key. Clear your mind the night before. Have your clothes laid out and coffee ready to brew. Try not to snooze it (haha).

Me as a night owl: My best work is done at night. Snack, but don’t chow down. Drink water all night, not Mountain Dew. Waking up naturally is the best. Avoid infomercials, they are evil incarnate.

I’ve got my theories. Now let’s hear it from you: where do you lie (no pun intended)?

It’s hard to believe that over that past year, the community of Lima Beaders has designed over 6,000 Fresh Picks! These wonderful idea-generators are featured throughout the web site, but it’s growing harder every day to swim through the variety of concepts, colors, and combos that inspire us to create. So, we’re looking to get a little organized.

In addition to being able to search for Fresh Picks by name (think: “ocean” or “wedding”), we think it would be neat to allow you to browse through the picks by category. This brings up an interesting question, though: what categories do we use? Here are some interesting ideas we’ve had:

• Seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall)
• Holidays (The typical ones…)
• Occasions (Weddings, Birthdays, Celebrations)
• Nature (Flowers, Landscapes, Water)
• Emotions (Happy, Sad, Thoughtful, Pride, Sympathy)
• Animals (Pets, Cats, Dogs, The Wild)
• Going Out (Food & Drink, Night Life)
• Locations (Landmarks, Cities, Countries)
• Pop Culture (Movies, Songs, Famous People)
• People (Family, Friends, Myself)
• And more…

What do YOU think?

Since you’re the designers, we want to know what you think! Love it? Hate it? Have any good ideas? We’d love to hear the different ways you think Fresh Picks could be organized so they’re easy & fun to browse. Let us know in the comments! And if you’re new to designing Fresh Picks, give it a try!

Anyone who’s reading this right now has probably experienced “creative block.” If you haven’t, you’re either lying or I really want to meet you! No matter what you’re designing–a necklace, a bedroom, a dessert platter, or lesson plans for an 8th grade literature class–chances are, you’ll have to get un-stuck some point.

This happens to me all the time while I’m working on the Lima Beads web site. I mean, there are only so many times I can draw the Lima Guy before I start running out of ideas! There are creative minds all around me, but sometimes I just need to bear down and beat the block.

Here are five tips from my experience.

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Back in January, the Lima Team declared our resolutions for 2009. Like every year, mine was filled with good intentions: to find something creative, handy, or fun to focus on in my off time. After two months and a lot of television, I finally did something about it, and I thought I’d share the results. The “HGTV Queen” (what I affectionately call Shannon, my girlfriend) wanted to make a 3-panel room divider, so I strapped on my funny looking safety glasses and we got to work.

After a quick sketch and some measurements, we bought the lumber (6-foot pine boards) and began planning the three frames. The 45-degree cuts went fairly well after I ruined the first couple pieces (note to self: check after the first cut next time). We fastened the frames with wood glue, then used screws to reinforce the joints.

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Last week we had a typical Michigan “heat wave” in the middle of winter… 60 degrees!!! Don’t worry, we’re back to freezing temperatures. But the reminder that Spring is just around the corner got me thinking of what’s been going on at Lima since the new year. Here’s a breakdown!

1700 comments — Beaders are a talkative bunch, and we love it! You’ve started hundreds of conversations with our staff and other customers. Are you a long-time listener and first-time caller? Let us know what you think and add a comment of your own!

1300 fresh picks created — WOW! We never dreamed that designing your own Fresh Picks would be this big of a hit. This year alone we’ve had over a thousand picks crafted by customers just like you. Thank you!

270 new products — Thursdays have been busy around here with all the new additions to our store. Weeks 1, 3, and 5 were all about gemstone beads. We added some striking new Freshwater Pearls colors in week 2, and some BIG gemstone pendants in week 4.

150 Stampt Metal pieces — they’re brand new to the market, and they come in copper, pewter and gold finishes. Don’t miss the cute charms and filigree pieces! See them all!

54 Lunch Specials — every week, 9 new items are on special for Tuesday only. These are fantastic deals on awesome products, and we even offer FREE beads sometimes! It’s been a huge hit, but you need to sign up to receive the e-mail at your lunchtime on Tuesday!

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For all the movie fans out there, February is Oscars month. And we thought we’d have a little fun by putting Lima on the red carpet! Try and solve the puzzle below by dragging and rearranging the squares to reveal the hidden scene… there’s a prize waiting for you if you succeed! UPDATE: The prize expired on 2/9/09, but you can still have fun solving the puzzle!

Did you solve it? How many tries did it take?

Bonus question: what’s your vote for Best Picture this year? Tell us in the comments!

Meet the man behind the mittens in our exclusive interview with the Lima Guy on The Fresh Daily. I sat down with Lima between photo shoots for a candid chat–check out the transcript below, and ask your questions in the comments!

Steve: Thanks for joining me today.

Lima: No problem, I was in the area.

Steve: The world wants to know… what have you been up to lately?

Lima: Have you seen our ad schedule this Winter? Yeesh, it’s been photo shoot after photo shoot. Have you seen me on the home page? We’ve got a lot lined up for the new year!

July 2005

Steve: Yes, yes we do… can you tell me a little more about your early career with Lima Beads?

Lima: I started in July ‘05 for the fall promotion that year. As you can see in the picture, I sure had a lot of fun playing in those leaves!

Steve: OK, tough question: gemstone beads, or freshwater pearls?

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Today we’re making the official announcement about some things that have been in the works for the past month at Lima Beads. Some of you have already discovered (and used!) a few of these features, but there’s more to announce, and I hope you’ll read on.

Commenting on Fresh Picks

Today is the official launch of Fresh Pick Comments. When you’re browsing any of the Fresh Picks on Lima Beads, you can add your comments and questions at the bottom of the page. Already we’ve seen conversations flourish about design ideas, color usage, our pets, the weather, and just about everything else! You can even upload pics of finished jewelry that was inspired by the Fresh Pick. To quickly browse all the conversations, just click the Fresh Pick Chat topic on the right side here in the blog. Or, follow along under “Recent Chatter” on the main Fresh Picks page. We hope you like it!

New Snapshots page

With our growing collection of Fresh Picks (thanks to YOU!), we knew we needed a better Snapshots page to browse the picks. We’ve organized it with tabs to make it easy to see the latest picks from the past few weeks. And we added the “Who’s Picking” area to feature the designers that create all these great ideas! Check it out, and let us know what you think!

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