Scottsville Batteau Festival

For 24 years, there have been groups of people that have recreated a trip along the James River in central Virginia in boats called batteaux or bateaux. (There seems to be some debate if there is one "t" or two. )

What is a bateau?
From Wikipedia :A bateau is a shallow-draft, flat-bottomed boat which was used extensively across North America, especially in the colonial period and in the fur trade. It was traditionally pointed at both ends but came in a wide variety of sizes. The name derives from the French word, bateau, which is simply the word for boat and the plural, bateaux, follows the French, an unusual construction for an English plural. In the southern United States, the term is still used to refer to flat bottomed boats, including those elsewhere called jon boats.

In the 1800's, they were used to transport tobacco and other cargo along the James River, and today, there is a week long festival and batteau (bateau, or even batoe, take your pick!) race. The crews of the boats travel for seven days, and leave from Lynchburg traveling to Maiden's Landing in Richmond. It's a week long celebration of the rich history of the river, and the people who worked on it.

One of the stops along the river is a small town named Scottsville. It it is about midway through the trip, and the town hosts a wonderful craft show, complete with music, activities for kids, and yummy food. It is a delightful day, held in Canal Basin Square, a lovely park, dedicated to the history of Scottsville, and not surprisingly, batteaux.

This will be the second year that The Beaded Branch will be a vendor at the craft show. If you live nearby, and have a chance to come on down, please do. It's a great day/evening for the family.

Here is a link with more information on the batteau festival: http://batteau.org/
Here's a link for the town of Scottsville's participation: http://www.scottsville.org/index.php/site/news/

We hope to see you there!!!!

A Sassy Affair Shopping Extravaganza

Mark your Calendar and plan to attend:



A Sassy Affair Shopping Extravaganza

Sponsored by Sassy Sisters In Sales

June 27, 2009

11:00- 3:00 pm EST

Various vendors representing a variety of products. There is something for everyone. Games, Prizes, Special Deals, Exclusive Savings! Invite your friends - they won't want to miss this either! All of our guests will be entered for a chance to win fabulous prizes , but you must REGISTER !!!!!!!

Event will take place on Momchats.com. In the menu select Chat rooms, enter your name, no password needed. Once logged in you'll be in "the lounge". At the top of the box click on the arrow & choose the room assigned to a Sassy Affair. Sit back and enjoy the fair! Chime in with questions or comments anytime.

If you are a vendor and are interested in participating, go to Sassy Sister Events and submit a vendor form. This is a free event. Your only requirements are to submit a prize (see terms for more details ) and you must publicize the event on your blog or other social sites.

Here's the schedule so far!

You will have to visit the site, or come to the party to get full details of each special.

11:00 - 11:15 Meet & Greet

11:15-11:45 Inspiranza Designs with (Independent Consultant) Jennifer Stoll

11:45-12:15 Jean May Originals with (Business Owner/Creator) Jean May

12:15-12:45 Perfect Party By Cody with (Representative) Kattia Gordon

12:45-1:15 Satisfy Your Senses with (Business Owner/Creator) Mary Reid

1:15-1:45 Mommy's Sunshine Designs with (Business Owner/Creator) Christina Strickland

1:45-2:15 Handmade by Andrea Baker with (Business Owner/Creator) Andrea Baker

Special: Free Shipping All day during the event Saturday!! Must put sassyeventfreeshipping in the notes to seller.

2:15-2:45 The Beaded Branch with (Business Owner/Creator) Theresa Landow

2:45 - 3:00 Closing & Prizes

Come Join The Fun!

FREE RIDE ON ART FIRE!!!!

The FREERIDE is back at Artfire. Sign up 12 friends and you AND a friend of your choosing get a free account for life.

I'm also looking for a free ride.
Sign up under one of my friends links and as soon as they verify that you joined under them I will add your name to my list of friends to help. Also, let me know as soon as you have reached your Free Ride so that I can take your name off the list, so everyone gets a fair chance at it!!!


Register on ArtFire.com smiss00
Register on ArtFire.com Wooleycreek
Register on ArtFire.com Baciscreations
Register on ArtFire.com TheBeadedBranch
Register on ArtFire.com ElegancebyMode
Register on ArtFire.com Lovetostamp
Register on ArtFire.com LaDeDaCreations
Register on ArtFire.com WhimsybyMari
Register on ArtFire.com CreativeCoveJewelryDesigns
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Register on ArtFire.com ChelseaLynnDesigns
Register on ArtFire.com ShadeJewelry
Register on ArtFire.com BirdysKnits
Register on ArtFire.com LiberTeas
Register on ArtFire.com inkwear99
Register on ArtFire.com BeadbugJewelry
Register on ArtFire.com dreamweaversculpts
Register on ArtFire.com Wilmothfarms
Register on ArtFire.com LiciaBeads
Register on ArtFire.com soopajdelux
Register on ArtFire.com Blockheadradio
Register on ArtFire.com AllAboutTheBeads
Register on ArtFire.com handarbeitskram
Register on ArtFire.com DortheaKing
Register on ArtFire.com VintageRain
Register on ArtFire.com Curiosities808
Register on ArtFire.com jennuinecandles
Register on ArtFire.com DontKnowPub
Register on ArtFire.com LadyBands
Register on ArtFire.com TheBlueDaisy



Here are the benefits of becoming a verified user...

* US $12.00 Monthly For life!!!!
* No Fees for Sales
* Sell Unlimited Items
* Make Your Own Categories
* Full Community Interaction
* Up to 10 Pictures Per Product
* Prefered Placement in Searches
* Shop Banner
* Forums
* Custom
* Google Analytics
* Global Shipping Profiles
* Social Media Promotion Tool
* Social Media Resource Library
* Real Time Statistics
* Instant Flagging
* Categories Displayed Randomly(No Relisting Needed)
* Fast, Clear Checkout Process
* Fast, Accurate Filtered Site Search
* One Button Relist
* One Button Vacation
* Sales Mode
* Education/Training
* Green Impact
* View Prices in Any Currency
* Google Base (Autofeed Every Item)
* Kudos
* Guilds
* Artisan Councils
* Artisan Profile with Photo
* Market Hub
* Site Participation Rewards (Artifacts)
* Automated Markdown Manager
* Rapid Cart

SPECIAL THANKS TO AUNTIFRANNI FOR STARTING THIS BLOG!!!

New Selling Venue--ArtFire

Hi everyone!!!

Are you looking for a new place to sell your handcrafted items? Someplace that's inexpensive, fun and helpful? A place where you can actually customize your store so that it can match your logo, your banner, and your general color scheme? Look no further! ArtFire is the place for you!!!

With a wonderful verified account (for only $12.00 per month) you can upload up to 10 pictures of your products. Write out wonderfully long descriptions, submit directly to a bunch of different social networks. The list is endless for what ArtFire helps out with. They make promoting your products as easy as a click of a button. (Because most of the time, that's all you have to do!!!)

They also have a really cool gizmo called "rapid cart". You can put this on your blog, your website, where ever you can insert different widgets. People can buy your products directly from the rapid cart. No need to register on the ArtFire website first. How cool is that? No need to register to buy stuff? A lot of custotmers are going to like that!!! (You can see what my rapid cart looks like over on the right hand side!!!)

So, is this tempting to you? Are you ready to sign up for a fabulous studio of your very own?

Register on ArtFire.com

What's for Sale Saturday

Hi all! Teri here, once again. I've decided that on Saturdays I will start to take a little time and tell you about new products that have been added to The Beaded Branch, new selling venues, and whatever else is new the world of The Beaded Branch.

So, what's new this week. A lot actually. This week, we have done some serious branching out, as it were.

New products: We have added some of the cutest bags you have ever seen, and hope to be adding many more in the near future. We call these bags our "bug bags", but they have also been known as "cicada bags". They are perfect little bags for when you need to run to the store, but don't want to have to take your entire purse with you. Big enough to store keys, credit/debit cards, cell phone, drivers license, and some cash. Small enough to not encumber you. Just slip it over your wrist and go! We have them in a variety of colors and hope to add more in the near future.
















New venue: The Beaded Branch has also opened a store on ArtFire, which is another online selling venue. We will not have as much in our store to begin with, but hopefully, as we make more sales, we will be able to more pieces.

Between these two new additions we hope that we can make your shopping experience with us a little easier, and a little more pleasant, by offering you a wider variety of choices.


This isn't really a new venue, as I have talked about the Palmyra Country Store before, but now I have a new display up there, with all new jewelry.

Just to reiterate, the Palmyra Country Store is not only a fabulous place for local crafters to sell their wares, it's also a great place to buy bulk food. It's very family oriented, and they have wide aisles that the kids love running up and down. (Yes, that's my darling hubby, Tim, trying to wrangle our two kids.)

Sand Is Always Blue

A little girl sits alone in her room coloring. Her coloring book is open to a page that has a wonderful picture of a seagull, flying over a stretch of beach. She can picture in her mind what colors to use. The sand, a soft lovely cornflower blue. The ocean, a beautiful shade of pink with green foam. The seagull, all the shades of purple and lavender her crayon box holds. The sky, a deep forest green, with bright yellow clouds. The lines are only suggestions of where the colors should go. The colors will blend one into the other, and create a kaleidoscopic picture.

Just as she finishes the sand, with nothing else colored in, another child--older and "wiser"--looks at the picture.

"Sand isn't blue."

"What?"

"Sand isn't' blue. It's tan, white, black, or brown. But it isn't blue. And the lines are there for a reason. Color in the lines."

Since the little girl values the opinion of the older child, she tears out the picture, crumples it up and throws it away, humiliated. The rest of the coloring book is colored in "normal" colors, and always inside the lines.

The girl grows older. She takes some summer time art classes.

"Find a picture of an animal in one of the magazines and draw it exactly as you see it."

She finds a picture of a giraffe, with its' tongue out. She takes her paper, colored pencils, and the picture and starts to sketch. Exactly what she sees.

"I told you to copy the photograph."

"No, you told us to draw what we see."

"Giraffes don't have purple spots. They aren't green. They don't have blue eyes and sparkling eyelashes. Their tongues aren't bright pink. Draw what you see."

"But this is what I see."

"I told you to copy the photograph. Now, if you can't follow simple instructions, then you will never be an artist. Do what I say."

The girl wants to be an artist, so, once again, the paper is crumpled up and thrown away. She then draws a tan and brown giraffe.

Roll forward a couple more years.

The girl is now in high school. Once again, she takes an art class. She follows directions. She plays by the rules. She does exactly what the teacher asks for.

Then one magic week happens. They study surrealism. Salvador Dali. The amazing pictures he created.

"Paint something surreal. Make it as symbolic as you want."

She paints a picture, fingers turning into paint brushes, eyes turning into paint colors on a palette. And incomplete canvas in the background, with the incomplete words "An artist lives...". Parts of the body she uses becoming the extensions of an artist. What she longs to become.

"I told you to paint something surrealistic"

"I did. See the symbolism?"

"That is disgusting. Cut off fingers and plucked out eyeballs are not symbolic of anything except possibly a disturbed mind. Do the lesson the way I told you to."

Another frustration. Another crumpled paper. Another failure.

She does another painting. Easter eggs for the paint colors. Flowers for the brushes. An unfinished bowl of fruit on the background canvas.

"Now. That's better. And now you understand what I was telling you."

Yes. The girl now understands. Conform. Bend to their rules. Become their vision or get the hell out. She gets the hell out. She hides her art. She feels lost, but never quite knows why.

She drifts for years. Unending, unsatisfying, boring office jobs. Always searching for the magic she once had in her life and never knowing where it went. Memories of disappointment and failure are buried deep.

One day, as she and her mother are watching her twins draw and color, one of them approaches and says "Grammy, draw ladybug?" He holds out a big purple crayon and a piece of paper.

"Sweetie-boy, ladybug's aren't purple. Don't you have a red crayon and a black crayon?"

Memories come crashing into the once little girl, now a grown, lost woman. She stands up, takes the crayon and piece of paper. She draws the biggest purple ladybug on the paper she can.

"Don't EVER tell MY children that ladybugs aren't purple!!!"

Her mother stares at her in disbelief.

"What?"

"Don't ever tell my children to color in the lines, that anything is a certain color. If the sand is blue in their eyes, then let it be blue!"

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"I never realized where my problems were. I was always told--sand isn't blue, giraffes aren't green, fingers and eyes aren't the extensions of an artist. Do NOT fill my children's heads with that nonsense! Anything can be any color, and lines are only suggestions, not rules."

I then proceeded to go to my computer, and find a photo of a seagull on the beach. I edited it so it would be black and white, then colored the sand a soft, cornflower blue. I printed it out and hung it on my refrigerator. My husband came home from work that day, took one look at it and said "That's awesome!" I explained what happened, and he responded, "Well, it's about damn time!"

I had found my creative block. Now I chip away at it daily, almost hourly. I'm still overcoming it. But through my children's eyes, I can see purple ladybugs, blue sand, purple and green giraffes, and extensions of the artist.

Here's a quick short one.

I don't have much time today. I just thought I'd give a little update. Life is so hectic!!!
Thanks ladies for showing the world about my business.

I'm really excited, because two different people have now featured me in their blogs!!!
This one is written by liberTEAS! Thanks so much for the plug for my business!!!
The second one is from Andrea Baker, who is one of my Sassy Sisters in Sales.
Here's Andrea's Blog!

Thanks for looking!!!!