Hello all!  

I know you've all been patiently waiting for news regarding the USE THE MUSE IV kit and shipment.  This is a note to let you all know that at the beginning of the week I will have the structured timeline with ship date, submission due date, news about the categories, and photo of the kit to share with all of you.  We've been waiting on confirmation about production of the Muse and I'm finally going to know everything for sure after the weekend!  This kit is coming together sooo beautifully and has so many creative possibilities I am just very excited to share it all with you. Over the next two weeks I'll have blog posts introducing our new guest judges that will help oversee the new categories, more prize giveaways, and a very very cool free project for pre-order participants only!  Thank you so much to everyone who has joined in thus far, it's a very talented group!  The Muse for this round is the most versatile yet so I know we are in for some very diverse and inspired entries!

~Beads, Bliss, and Blessings~

          *Scarlett*

As the 2009 comes to a close I asked you all to reflect on the question: What are your beading goals for 2010?  It's wonderful to hear all that everyone has accomplished and are now striving for in the coming year.  I look forward to reading about your progress in the coming months!  So many of you are aiming to further your skills in beading by taking classes, submitting your projects to contests (like USE THE MUSE IV!) and magazines (like Beadwork!).  I too share the desire to take 2010 as the opportunity to get organized, finish incomplete projects, share more with the beading world, and design new and innovative projects.

The winner for the Heart of the Ocean Giveaway, who was selected at random, is Kim from Kusz Jewelry and More...

Her thoughts and goals can be read at her blog post here.

Some additional comments that I loved are below.  I wish you all the best in achieving your goals!  I have found that in my life all accomplishment begins with a clear view of what you want and the Universe begins to put things in place for you as soon as you voice your wants.  You have all already begun achieving your goals by putting them out there and opening the door!

Glena says: "I would like to enter the next Beader's Muse contest. This was so much fun and challenged me greatly! I just completed making a lovely area to bead in and I want to finish the organization in my new studio and maybe enter some more contests. I want to increase my expertise and challenge my creativity. Making new friends in beading is also a priority. Thanks for this opportunity!!"

Erin says: "Good question Scarlett! I was very successful in setting goals for myself (for the first time) last year that I have to do it again. They are like self-fulfilling prophesies...if you give them a chance! I want to continue to be published in 2010 (I set a goal to be published 1x month in 2009 and did it..this year I will be a little less ambitious...say 8 times in the year) And I will continue to donate one piece of jewelry to a cause that I believe in each month (total 12). Did that last year as well and went over that limit by almost double! Get online in 2010...I have a blog, and a gallery website, but I need to be selling my work online in some way shape or form. Set up my new studio in my new home (I am working from the ground up and can go crazy building a dream studio for myself!) I would also add that I want to continue to be inspired and to inspire. I do hope that I can enter one of your contests again, as it was so fun with the first one and I love a challenge!"

Diane says: "In 2010 I want to expand my beading business by establishing a website and find another retail outlet for sales. Its been hard to devote much time to this aspect of beading since I also work 4 days a week. Of course I will continue to explore new materials, techinques and approaches and perhaps will attempt other contests."

Tammy says: "One of my beading goals for 2010 is to be able to bezel a beautiful crystal stone like the one you are gifting some lucky winner of this contest! The copper seahorse and turle are "oh so cute" - another one of my goals is to continue to order from Artbeads.com!"

Cj says: "My beading goal for 2010 is to actually DO all the beading that's swirling around in my mind--not just dream about doing it. So hard to let the creative part of the brain overcome the other side--sometimes I try to remember what it was like to be a child--totally unaware of failing and ready to have a go at anything. I'm going to work harder at it this year."

Reading through all the comments to my question: How has expressing your creativity through beading enriched your life? I reflected at how amazing the creative spirit is and the manner in which it finds us all.  If you have time, please read through all the comments because so many of them were so touching and I felt a lot of the more personal ones really resonated with me.  So many of you use beading as your therapy, outlet for artistic growth, and a way to cope with a difficult time and turn emotional pain into something beautiful in a positive way.  I am continually amazed by the strength and unity of beaders around the world.  Thank you so much for sharing all your stories with me!  

Our randomly selected winner for the Last Leaf Giveaway is Nikki Knoll!  Congratulations Nikki!

Nikki says: "Dealing with chronic illness can make time pass slowly. At age 30 I began having small strokes and found that beading helped me pass the time and recover my manual dexterity at a much faster pace than traditional physical therapy. The days now pass much more quickly and I have something beautiful to show for them."

Here are just a few of my favorite comments.  Please read the rest if you get a chance, there really are some unique ideas and experiences expressed by my many contributors.

Pam says: "I think beading has given me a confidence in myself like I've never had before. My artistic abilities have been zero on most of the forms of expression I have tried before. Sewing, counted cross stitch -- the finished product was good enough for me, since they are not my profession. But for others to take notice? I've actually had friends and strangers comment positively on some of the bracelets I've made since I began beading! I've moved from single stringing to learning weaving stitches. Beading is something I do not see myself ever tiring of. It relaxes me, it gives me a chance to be introspective, and I love the knowledge that if I like it when I'm done then wonderful, but if it isn't what I had in mind I can cut it up and start over and let my creativity take a new direction."

Erin says: "The most rewarding thing is simply the act of telling someone else's story through my wearable works of art. I love it when a client tells me that the piece I made is more perfect than they could have dreamed, or that I nailed their style, or that I understood something about their personality that went unsaid. That is high praise to me. I especially love it when that happens with people I have never even met, people I worked with primarily through emails or phone calls. I have a knack for listening... to all that is said and unsaid... and translating that into a really personal reflection of style. I also find it rewarding that I now call myself an artist. I struggled with that for so very long. I love to be inspred by what others are doing and saying out there, and this whole blogging community has been the greatest blessing. And I have a burgeoning love of artisan created components and beads. I think that the fact that we can each take the same exact components and come up with as many variations as there are participants is God working through us to be the creatives that we are all called to be. Thank you for these inspiring contests, Scarlett. I was only able to participate in the first one... perhaps I will be able to jump in again sometime."

Karen says "This reminds me of answering essay questions on tests in school! I always liked them over multiple guess.  I have been searching for my purpose in my life of more than 60 years. In May in the Thompson Center Atrium in Chicago while participating in an Illinois Artisan Art Spree, a woman looking at my jewelry said that I certainly found my gift. I was a little wowed that a stranger would let me know that I was on my path. I had never thought of beading that way but still felt there is something more...that beading is too simple to be a reason to live. To take a needle and thread and some beads and create something is so simple (for me), just like breathing. I like to add beauty in the world. There is so much out there that is violent, tragic, awful, whatever words you want to describe life as the news media reports it. As I am only one person taking baby steps, it is inspiring to participate in a contest where others are creating beauty in their lives. I look forward to the Big Reveal and seeing all the wonderfully unique designs."

Kat says: "During the course of creating my Use the Muse III project, the health of Butch Poodle (she's an oxymoron), our 14 year old person in a black toy poodle body began to fail. There were many trips to the vet to try to correct one symptom after another as we could not see the forest for the trees. All through this time I was working on the rope portion, and then the net portion, and planning how to do the opposite side of the rope for this project. The symbolism of the Muse in the project worked for me on many levels in those final days, and in the final days of creating the project... the 'net' folded over and became another version of the Muse. Completing the project gave me purpose and focus at a very difficult time. Everytime I look at it I think of Butch and I know she is flying on the back of the Muse, free."

Helen says: "Beading is so wonderful because you can hold color in your hand. There's no end to the variety of shapes, colors and sizes of beads. And everyone does something completely different with the beads. Beading distracts me from the pain I have from a genetic disorder, so that means less pills. I have a group of friends who come over to bead with me. It's a fabulous distraction and such fun to see what everyone makes."

I received nearly 100 responses to my question "What is your favorite part about the USE THE MUSE Contest experience?" as entries for the Lucky Elephant Giveaway!  Thank you so much for your time and thoughts! 

The winner (who was drawn randomly from the entries) is Carol-Anne from www.beadynoid.blogspot.com.  Her comment was : "I've thoroughly enjoyed the challenge each Use the Muse contest has provided for me. Without a doubt, the whole process helps me to "grow" and stretch a little more, each and every time! It has been a delight to use the different materials for each kit and I have a greater comfort level now with diverse materials, thanks to Scarlett and her wonderful Muse choices! I still feel I have a long road in front of me and think that the most exciting part of the UTM contest for me is seeing the big reveal and drooling over the talented works of art produced by the many gifted entries from all over the world. I am very grateful to Scarlett for providing this forum -- it's a wonderful undertaking! More comments on my blog!"

Carol-Anne is the recipient of the prizes featured here.

I loved reading all your comments and picked out a few of my favorites to share with you:

Sharon Wagner says: "The best part is seeing all the creativity of our beading community. We all start with the same kit and so many different pieces are created. It is inconceivable how many different possibilities result from these small beginnings. The fabulous and boundless imagination of the human mind! The joy we share in reveling in each others creations and the new sparks of creativity that drive us on to create even more! For a few months 150+ of us around the world shared in the same creative process and we all saw a different vision. It is all fascinating and exhilarating to comprehend! Thanks Scarlett, for a wonderful shared experience!"

Debbie S. says: "Thank you so much for offering such creative promotions. I have been making jewelry just a few months and I am hooked. Through ArtBeads.com I found your UseThe Muse site and competition. I ordered the kit and was thrilled with the amount of items and the choices. I was motivated to order a variety of Swarovski crystals in olive, copper, and amethyst to make my necklace. While I wasn't confident enough to send in my design, it was a joy and very self-rewarding to create with objects chosen by another person. I will definitely participate again!!! Your website is really great. Love the pictures."

B. morris says: "It's hard to say what I like most about the Use the Muse contests. I guess it's being part of a group of people who are all taking the same test, each coming up with different yet correct answer. It's as if we're members of a secret society. Most of the world doesn't even know we exist, and yet our brains churn, needles, thread and beads fly and we follow the Muse wherever it takes us. And in the end we share our results with each other (thanks to all of Scarlett's hard work) and we individually smile and say "ooh" and "ahh" and eagerly await the next contest. It's just plain fun."

This competition would not be possible without so many incredible beaders participating!  Thank you!

Click here for the first peek at the complete entrant galleries and winners for USE THE MUSE III!

More posts to come shortly.

"Oval of the Ocean" genuine Swarovski crystal fancy stone in "Montana" sapphire color. Big - bold - beautiful - begging - to - be - bezeled at 39mm.Tomorrow's the BIG DAY!  I have another giveaway for all you anxious beaders anticipating the launch of the USE THE MUSE III gallery.  I call this The Heart of the Ocean Giveaway because the giant Swarovski sapphire fancy stone reminds me of the blue diamond in the necklace from The Titanic movie.  It is just so beautiful and captivating - begging to be bezeled!  To go with the ocean theme, I've also got two super-cute copper pendants, a sea horse and sea turtle to be included in the package.  All of these items can be found on our sponsors site Artbeads.com. Click on the individual photos for more info.

Here's how to be entered into the drawing, there are TWO ways to win:

To have your name entered into the drawing 1 time: Leave a comment on this blog post answering the question:

What are your beading goals for 2010?  

This is a big one that I think we should all think about as the close of the year begins.  I have so many plans for The Beader's Muse and the USE THE MUSE Contest that I will finally be able to execute in 2010. 2009 was an incredible year of transition and growth and chaos - all rolled into one.  I have been clearing up my busy plate of deadlines and projects so I can focus on the parts of my life and business that are most important to me.  I am looking forward to being able to devote more time to the blog and my connection with the beading community and contest participants.  I am so grateful and happy to have the support of so many talented and sweet beaders from all over the globe.  Thank you for making 2009 a year of Great Things.... I hope you'll join me with beading in 2010 for a year of Spectacular Things!

This super-cute copper sea horse will certainly draw compliments!Channel the relaxed energy of the majestic sea turtle in 2010 - coast through your obstacles!Be sure to leave your name and email in the comment so I can get back to you.

To have your name entered into the drawing 3 times: Leave a Reference on this blog LINKING to a BLOG POST you wrote answering the above question on your personal blog, favorite beading site, or forum.

You have until Monday, December 21st to comment or submit the link to your post answering the question. Only comments answering the question will be entered.  The entries will be drawn randomly from the comments.  The winner will be announced Tuesday, December 22nd.

There's still time to enter the Lucky Elephant Giveaway and the Last Leaf Giveaway.

Come back tomorrow for THE BIG REVEAL!