Knocked our socks off!

Do you see that pile of purple and gold fiber over along that wall, and the blue boring pile on the other side?  That’s our socks, which were knocked off by the response to our Groupon Deal on Wednesday.  Really.  We are stunned, grateful, and a teensy bit shocked.  Who knew earring classes would make that much of a splash? 

Don’t get me wrong, we all did the HappyPants Dance (for about 10 minutes), and then immediately went to work scheduling more and more and then even more Beginning Earrings classes, and calling our suppliers and saying “uh, those beads??  We need a lot more.  A Whole Lot More, as in Boat-Load, OK?  And soon!”

Very exciting it was, for all concerned!

So that’s all taken care of, and now we have several Important Announcements:

First of all, the “We’re Bringing Tuscon to You!” Czech glass trunk shows are next week!  Tuesday from noon till 8 in Carrollton, and Friday in Fort Worth.  Our wonderful Czech Glass Guy is on his way to Tuscon, and we bullied convinced him to stop by our stores first!  So grab it while you can, the really wonderful stuff won’t make it back, you know how that goes, right?

And then on Monday, January 31st, we leave for the Annual Tuscon Buying Trip, so watch this space for all the fabbu finds nightly.  Or the “too many miles, too little sleep, ooooo! shiny!!!”(drool) that seems to always happen.  I guess you never get immune to Bead Fumes, huh?

Again, a huge Artful Bead THANK YOU to all of our new Groupon friends!  We can’t wait to meet you in person, so come in any time and look around!  (Oh, but don’t look under the table bottoms, pleeeeeese, because nobody has dusted in a little while, OK?  I’m just saying…)

New Year weekend hours

We will be closing at 4:00 on Friday, so we have plenty of time to get ready for New Year festivities, and we will be closed on Saturday, because it’s January 1st.

And then, on Sunday, the Carrollton store will be closed because we are all going to Fort Worth to count inventory!!

But we’ll be open our regular hours next week, so come and see us! Except for Sunday, when all of the Fort Worth employees come over here to count the Carrollton store!

Happy New Year everybody!

Today’s sale is a Big One!

All day December 24th, any one item of your choice (except
books and gift certificates) is 40% off! Really. That strand of
rubies? Go for it! A new set of tools? Sure!

Any one item. So please don’t waste that kind of a deal on a single tube of seed
beads!

And don’t forget that we are closing today at 4:00, but the
Carrollton store will be open Sunday from noon till 5:00, in case
you need a post-last-minute gift, or want to spend those gift
certificates!

Oh, and gift certificates are still on sale!

Merry Christmas!!!

The 12 Days of Christmas!

Yes, that’s what we’re down to now!  Actually, we have only 11 shopping days left,  and for each of those shopping days, we’re going to have a sale here at The Artful Bead stores. 

Today, Tuesday the 14, we’re having a 25% off of all stone strands and singles in both stores.  And, of course, our ongoing Gift Certificate sale, where you buy a $50 dollar gift certificate and get another $10 one for free!

Tomorrow will be something else on sale, so check back here or on our Facebook pages to see what it is!

What about that leftover turkey?

Thanksgiving is officially over, and I’ve heard a few “what to do with the turkey” comments, so I thought I’d share my favorite turkey leftover recipe.  This is from my friend Donna, and when we had turkey, it saved my sanity for several years.

DONNA’S TURKEY LEFTOVER RECIPE

Assemble the following ingredients before you start:

  • leftover turkey on the carcass
  • 1 medium plastic food container of appropriate size (Tupperware or similar)
  • 1 carving knife and fork
  • Bloody Mary fixings (in the South, Margarita fixings may be substituted)
  • pet food bowl(s)
  • 1 large (11 – 30 gallon) trashbag
  • gift wrapping ribbon (optional)

Ready?  OK.  Make your drink, and have a nice long taste and consider the carcass.  Carve off any slices of turkey large enough to make sandwiches and put them in the food container, seal it and put it in the fridge.  Pick off any smaller pieces and place them in the pet food bowl, including any bits of skin that look particularly tasty.  Make sure you don’t get any bones.  Place bowl on the floor.

Have another taste of your drink, and have an assistant hold the trash bag open, around waist high.  Holding the turkey platter firmly with both hands, tip it briskly inside the trash bag, giving it a nice flick as the turkey slides off.  Scrape off any remaining bits into the bag.  Tie the bag closed, and if you simply MUST channel Martha Stewart, tie the ribbon around and make a nice bow.

Instruct your assistant to take the bag outside and place it in a Suitable Receptacle.

Finish your drink.  Congratulate yourself on discovering another Fantastic Holiday Tradition for your family to enjoy!  And no turkey broth hanging out in the freezer until August!

Happy Black Friday!

Today’s sale is:  (hold your breath and wait…)

Everything that isn’t a book or made of silver or gold! 

Wait, that sounds peculiar.  How about “everything is on sale except for books, and sterling, Hill Tribe, vermeil, or gold filled.”  That still sounds peculiar.  Oh heck.

And we have refreshments, so be sure to come by!

After Thanksgiving Day – Black Friday?

Well, we’ve been hearing all about different stores and how early they are opening AGAIN on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  And once again, we are… well, perhaps “reluctant” is a good word, to join the crowd. 

Eat a holiday feast and then be somewhere pressed, dressed, and vertical at 5AM the next day?  Even 7AM seems awfully radical and extreme.  Actually, “brutal” was the word several employees tossed out.  Along with several more colorful words about “crazy management” expecting, having the nerve to even bring up such a ridiculous plan in the first place.  (The most polite phrase was “you are out of your freakin’ mind!” followed by “you have fun with that, OK?”)

So here’s what we’re going to do.  We will arrive at The Artful Bead sometime between 9:30 and 10:00 AM Friday after Thanksgiving.  If you have a TRUE bead emergency, we’ll let you in before 10.  (Good stories help, especially if they’re funny.)  And we’ll have juice, hot chocolate, tea, and pastries or muffins available so you can build up your strength while you shop.  Think of it as Second Breakfast, or Elevenses – just enough to keep you going till you can stop for a nice lunch.  And we’ll have SOMETHING on sale for a nice whopping 25% off!

And we’re doing our Gift Certificate Add-Ons this year too – buy a $50 gift certificate, get a $10 additional gift certificate for free.  Buy a $100 gift certificate and get a $20 one for free.  Heck, you can even buy several smaller gift certificates that add up to $100 and we’ll do the free $20 one too!

Wow!

You should’ve seen the beads!!!  OK, a lot of you DID see the fabulous handmade art from Ginnovations, and more of you will see it next Saturday in Fort Worth, but I just wanted to share a bit…

See these?  They’re mine.  HA!  Mine-mine-mine!  And they’re even prettier in person!

So go to Fort Worth next Saturday for your chance to get some!