Goodies in the Mail and Painted Beads

Look at what came in the mail today!  It's the wonderful prize I won from Gem Trails...

Yey! Look-sie at all the goodies. I already used one of the metal components (the one that looks like a daisy) as a stamp in making one of the beads that I am working on. (You can see it in the tray of beads below.) I plan on setting the cabochons in clay also. I'm so excited to play with these. Thanks so much Deci! I love the prize so much! 

Here's what I was working on today... first, I packed up a sale and scheduled a pick up from the courier for tomorrow. 

Second, I made a batch of beads (polymer) ...setting up even sized balls to be made into focals...

Here they are all stamped up and colored with pearl-ex and I also tried using eyeshadow to color them. I've only filled up half of the tray so, I need to keep making more to fill it up and have a full batch before I bake them. 

And lastly, I tried out painting the beads I had worked on over the weekend. (These ones are already baked)

I really love how they turned out...very rustice, antique looking and some even look like raku. The picture does not do them justice. I really need to learn to take better pictures of them for the online shop. I don't really know how to take pictures of beads or how to have product shots for them. (Note to self - research on bead product shots) I plan on putting these up for sale real soon. I still have one more step to do on them...sealing. I really wanted to finish them today, However, I don't have any available here at home. I'll be going to the hard ware store to check out some of the sealers I've read about online.

I really don't know how to price these beauties. I did a lot of work on each of them. Decorating them, stamping them, baking, painting, sealing.... the painting especially takes some time because I individually hand paint each one. Hm....any ideas would be welcome!

What I do know...I am totally addicted to bead making!!!!!

That's all for now....Have a great day!