Enter our fun contest for a chance to win $25 to $100 in gift certificates!
Entry Rules:
1. Only 1 entry per person.
2. All entries must be received by midnight on Feb 14, 2012.
3. Your entry must be newly produced with the ‘Bead my Valentine’ Beading Contest in mind.
4. There are 8 categories which are listed below, you may place your entry in only 1 category. Happy Mango Beads reserves the right to move an entry to a different category if necessary.
5. Your entry can be ANY beaded craft, not just jewelry (but it must include beads, of course).
6. Judging will be based on originality, visual appeal, best use of beads and how well it fits our ‘Bead my Valentine’ theme and categories.
7. There will be 3 judges, all are artists in various mediums and in jewelry design as well.
8. Prizes: Each category winner will receive a $25.00 gift certificate to Happy Mango Beads and an overall, grand prize winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to Happy Mango Beads.
9. You DO NOT need to be a customer of Happy Mango Beads to enter this contest and it is NOT necessary that the beads you use in your project be purchased from Happy Mango Beads – we know there are other great sources!
10. To enter this contest please fill out the contest ENTRY FORM and then email 1 or 2 images of your design to contest@happymangobeads.com and include your name in the subject. Note: If your photos are tiny or of poor resolution it may be hard to judge your work. The best image size is 640×480 pixels or larger.
11. All entries (photos) will be posted on Happy Mango Beads Facebook page – look in photos: http://www.facebook.com/HappyMangoBeads
12. Happy Mango Beads retains the right to use all photos, as they may be used in future promotional material.
13. Winners will be announced on February 20th and prizes will be awarded on Feb 21st.
Categories:
Following each category we offer suggestions. Please realize you are not limited to or expected to use all these ideas, be creative and have fun.
Loves Me Like a Rock – gemstones, organic
Rose are Red, Violets are Blue – flowers
I Heart You! – hearts
Unchained Melody – chains, metal
Puppy Love – animals
Second Time Around – recycled, re-purposed
Peace & Love Man! – hippie, funky
Love Makes the World Go ‘Round – ethnic
Please share this contest!
Feel free to share this contest via your website, blog or other social media. The following url will take you to our contest rules page, just copy and paste: http://www.happymangobeads.com/bead_my_valentine_beading_contest.aspx
The first time I laid eyes on a strand of Ancient Roman Glass beads I was in love. Each remarkable piece tells a story; some dating as far back as 400 AD. The true value of these rich beads lies in the history, but you cannot look at the history of these beads without looking at the history of glass its self. It is believed that glass was discovered accidentally during the production of faience beads. Egyptians first produced glass vessels and Syrian craftsmen invented glassblowing, but the Romans are considered to have perfected the art of glass making.
Ancient roman glass beads can be sorted into three categories: intentionally produced beads, broken pieces of ancient glass excavated and fashioned into beads, and lastly (my favorite!), “moils”. Moils are sections of glass left over after producing a vessel. They make my heart skip a beat. I know what you’re thinking… “Big deal! Anyone who blows a piece of glass has a left over moil.” This may be true today, but in Roman times moils were recycled almost always without fail. That’s right – RECYCLED!
We can now date recycling all the way back to Roman times. Motivations for recycling glass were different from today. Glass was difficult to make. It was primarily carried in from the East in large, solid blocks. It was then melted down and blown into vessels. Pieces of broken glass, moils and mistakes were melted down and the glass was reused. There was even a large trade for this type of material, much like a modern day recycling center. Each of these rare moils represents an individual vessel and likely enough glass to cut an entire strand worth of glass beads. Mother Earth has carefully packaged this fragile Roman glass in her Mediterranean sands preserved for our continued enjoyment. Using Roman glass in jewelry offers the wearer a connection to world history.
