Beads of the Month YEAR ELEVEN: themes, packages, how to order
We are taking Year Eleven BotMo orders as of right now, September 29, 2014, though you can certainly order a package (or several packages) any time you like during Year Eleven, which runs from October 2014 through September 2015. (Year Eleven?! Our second decade begins already? Goodness gracious. This year, we're trying something quite unusual, so hold on to your hats!)
Welcome to Beads of the Month! It's pretty simple: you send me money and I send you beads. That's been our traditional greeting and it remains the same, but we've completely changed how the themes and package sizes work.
Some of you have said to me that you wished it could be Jasper month all year long. Others have said they like certain themes enough to have tiny packages but for others they want humongous packages. Still others have favorite themes that never seem to match up with their birthday month, which is when they'd love to treat themselves to a package of that theme to celebrate.
This gave us ideas. We're going to try a wild plan to make Beads of the Month fit better and have even better beads. Here's how it works:
1. For each month you purchase, you choose the theme of your Magpie for that month from these options:
Cabinet of Curiosities
Focals and Earring Pairs
Glorious Glass
Jasper and Agate
Look What I Found!
Treasure of the Deep
Tricks of the Light
Blood and Roses and Elegance
(More details about the themes below.)
2. For each month you want, you choose the size of your Magpie by selecting any price you like as long as it's a multiple of ten.
You can get a one-star Magpie for ten dollars. You can get a three-star Magpie for thirty, or a five-star Magpie for fifty -- or get a gargantuan Magpie with all the stars in the sky, if you like. Get a two-star Magpie for every month except your birthday when you get a seven-star Magpie, or get a different size package every month -- it's completely your choice.
3. Choose your shipping option. (More info below.)
4. Get FREE BEADS in September, when you will receive a Pirates Beads of the Month package equal in value to ten percent of whatever you paid for all packages purchased during the other eleven months. Whee! You still pay for shipping for September, but the beads are on us -- and they will be glorious loot as is usual for our Pirates packages. There could be anything in these packages, and there usually is. Any especially nifty beads that I only have four of, or a weird amethyst, or sometimes special things I've been stashing away in the workshop but haven't used in three years might end up in a Pirates package. (If your shipping for September is higher than the worth of the beads, you can convert your Pirates package to a credit towards next year's Beads of the Month or shinies, if you would prefer.)
So, themes! These are the ones that have been most popular over the years, so these are what we're going with.
Cabinet of Curiosities
This is where cool science beads go, beads with history, and curious and unusual beads. Tektite beads wind up in here, and so do Roman glass beads and other nifty things.
Focals and Earring Pairs
Just what it says on the tin. Focals! Earring pairs! Not necessarily matching sets of three, mind, but there may be some of those as well.
Glorious Glass
I love glass, and I love finding wonderful and interesting glass. (I've even tempted scotia_girl into getting lovely glass, which is quite a feat given how devoted to stones she is.) This is the best range of that glass I can find.
Jasper & Agate
This is definitely the most popular theme over the years. If you get several months with this theme, you'll see a LOT of different jaspers and agates, and we will have most excellent fun.
Look What I Found!
The latest goodies, the treasures I found on my last scouting expedition to the wholesale shows or to NYC's bead district.
Treasure of the Deep
Love pearls? This is the package for you. Pearls, ocean and water themed beads, and the occasional mermaid delight.
Tricks of the Light
Sparkle and shimmer and shine. This is where the labradorite hangs out. And the opal. And all sorts of other goodness.
Blood and Roses and Elegance
Every now and then a person needs carved flower beads and pressed glass leaf beads and garnets (or other red beads) and some of the classic gemstones.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT DOING THEMES MORE THAN ONCE: If you get the same theme for more than one month will you get exactly the same thing in all the packages? NOPE. We're keeping track. There may be a tiny bit of overlap, but not much; we're going to give you mainly new and different goodies each time. (And seriously, are you really going to object to seeing Botswana agate or ocean jasper in more than one package? OK, then.) Personally, I'm hoping someone gets twelve months of Jasper & Agate, because I've been going "mwahaha!" about that prospect ever since Charlotte and I came up with this wild system.
Also, this year we're trying a new labeling system for clarity and convenience, so you'll accumulate a nice collection of labeled bags with a good variety of beads.
Shipping costs:
Shipping is $6.75 per package in the US, $20 per package to Canada, and $25 per package elsewhere. We use international flat rate shipping. For previous customers I am willing to experiment with shipping first class foreign mail, with the understanding that I cannot replace or refund things that get eaten by the postal services between here and there.
You can always combine shipping with purchases of jewelry, so if you want to buy something from Current Shinies or a sale and you already have a Beads of the Month package ordered, please ask for a combined shipping rate so I can save you some money. (Usually there's no additional shipping at all, but necklace-crowns or hairsticks sometimes need a larger box.)
Orders and questions go to LionessElise@gmail.com -- please put BOTMO YEAR ELEVEN in the subject header, and I will send you an invoice.
Once you get the invoice for packages and shipping, PayPal payments go to elise@lioness.net. (Payment can also be made via check or money order.)
EDITED TO ADD:
Questions and Clarifications:
If I get a three-star Magpie, does that mean I will get three identical one-star Magpie packages? Nope! You'll get a three-star Magpie of expanded glory, is what you'll get, with more and different beads. Bigger Magpies are a chance for us to put special groups of beads in, things you otherwise might not see.
Can I get two different Magpies in the same month? If you want a two-star Blood and Roses and Elegance Magpie and a one-star Glorious Glass Magpie for the month of December, you can do that. They'll come packed together, so it's still only one shipping charge.
Can I order Magpies for September? Sure! While I didn't expect people to do that, some have, and it's just fine -- and you will still get a Pirates package free, shipped with whatever else you get for September.
Thanks, and I hope you enjoy this year's Beads of the Month.
Welcome to Beads of the Month! It's pretty simple: you send me money and I send you beads. That's been our traditional greeting and it remains the same, but we've completely changed how the themes and package sizes work.
Some of you have said to me that you wished it could be Jasper month all year long. Others have said they like certain themes enough to have tiny packages but for others they want humongous packages. Still others have favorite themes that never seem to match up with their birthday month, which is when they'd love to treat themselves to a package of that theme to celebrate.
This gave us ideas. We're going to try a wild plan to make Beads of the Month fit better and have even better beads. Here's how it works:
1. For each month you purchase, you choose the theme of your Magpie for that month from these options:
Cabinet of Curiosities
Focals and Earring Pairs
Glorious Glass
Jasper and Agate
Look What I Found!
Treasure of the Deep
Tricks of the Light
Blood and Roses and Elegance
(More details about the themes below.)
2. For each month you want, you choose the size of your Magpie by selecting any price you like as long as it's a multiple of ten.
You can get a one-star Magpie for ten dollars. You can get a three-star Magpie for thirty, or a five-star Magpie for fifty -- or get a gargantuan Magpie with all the stars in the sky, if you like. Get a two-star Magpie for every month except your birthday when you get a seven-star Magpie, or get a different size package every month -- it's completely your choice.
3. Choose your shipping option. (More info below.)
4. Get FREE BEADS in September, when you will receive a Pirates Beads of the Month package equal in value to ten percent of whatever you paid for all packages purchased during the other eleven months. Whee! You still pay for shipping for September, but the beads are on us -- and they will be glorious loot as is usual for our Pirates packages. There could be anything in these packages, and there usually is. Any especially nifty beads that I only have four of, or a weird amethyst, or sometimes special things I've been stashing away in the workshop but haven't used in three years might end up in a Pirates package. (If your shipping for September is higher than the worth of the beads, you can convert your Pirates package to a credit towards next year's Beads of the Month or shinies, if you would prefer.)
So, themes! These are the ones that have been most popular over the years, so these are what we're going with.
Cabinet of Curiosities
This is where cool science beads go, beads with history, and curious and unusual beads. Tektite beads wind up in here, and so do Roman glass beads and other nifty things.
Focals and Earring Pairs
Just what it says on the tin. Focals! Earring pairs! Not necessarily matching sets of three, mind, but there may be some of those as well.
Glorious Glass
I love glass, and I love finding wonderful and interesting glass. (I've even tempted scotia_girl into getting lovely glass, which is quite a feat given how devoted to stones she is.) This is the best range of that glass I can find.
Jasper & Agate
This is definitely the most popular theme over the years. If you get several months with this theme, you'll see a LOT of different jaspers and agates, and we will have most excellent fun.
Look What I Found!
The latest goodies, the treasures I found on my last scouting expedition to the wholesale shows or to NYC's bead district.
Treasure of the Deep
Love pearls? This is the package for you. Pearls, ocean and water themed beads, and the occasional mermaid delight.
Tricks of the Light
Sparkle and shimmer and shine. This is where the labradorite hangs out. And the opal. And all sorts of other goodness.
Blood and Roses and Elegance
Every now and then a person needs carved flower beads and pressed glass leaf beads and garnets (or other red beads) and some of the classic gemstones.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT DOING THEMES MORE THAN ONCE: If you get the same theme for more than one month will you get exactly the same thing in all the packages? NOPE. We're keeping track. There may be a tiny bit of overlap, but not much; we're going to give you mainly new and different goodies each time. (And seriously, are you really going to object to seeing Botswana agate or ocean jasper in more than one package? OK, then.) Personally, I'm hoping someone gets twelve months of Jasper & Agate, because I've been going "mwahaha!" about that prospect ever since Charlotte and I came up with this wild system.
Also, this year we're trying a new labeling system for clarity and convenience, so you'll accumulate a nice collection of labeled bags with a good variety of beads.
Shipping costs:
Shipping is $6.75 per package in the US, $20 per package to Canada, and $25 per package elsewhere. We use international flat rate shipping. For previous customers I am willing to experiment with shipping first class foreign mail, with the understanding that I cannot replace or refund things that get eaten by the postal services between here and there.
You can always combine shipping with purchases of jewelry, so if you want to buy something from Current Shinies or a sale and you already have a Beads of the Month package ordered, please ask for a combined shipping rate so I can save you some money. (Usually there's no additional shipping at all, but necklace-crowns or hairsticks sometimes need a larger box.)
Orders and questions go to LionessElise@gmail.com -- please put BOTMO YEAR ELEVEN in the subject header, and I will send you an invoice.
Once you get the invoice for packages and shipping, PayPal payments go to elise@lioness.net. (Payment can also be made via check or money order.)
EDITED TO ADD:
Questions and Clarifications:
If I get a three-star Magpie, does that mean I will get three identical one-star Magpie packages? Nope! You'll get a three-star Magpie of expanded glory, is what you'll get, with more and different beads. Bigger Magpies are a chance for us to put special groups of beads in, things you otherwise might not see.
Can I get two different Magpies in the same month? If you want a two-star Blood and Roses and Elegance Magpie and a one-star Glorious Glass Magpie for the month of December, you can do that. They'll come packed together, so it's still only one shipping charge.
Can I order Magpies for September? Sure! While I didn't expect people to do that, some have, and it's just fine -- and you will still get a Pirates package free, shipped with whatever else you get for September.
Thanks, and I hope you enjoy this year's Beads of the Month.