And The Winners Are...

So I just received this email, and wanted to share the results.

Hi Designers and Judges of The Day of the Dead Challenge,

We're happy to announce the winners of our Day of the Dead Challenge. First, I'd like to say two things!

Thank you so much for all your hard work. We so appreciate all the effort you each put into your designs and we know from experience how hard deadlines are - but even with the deadlines you all did a SUPER job.

All of the JUDGES......including Lauren Vasil and Debi Cogwell had lots of questions and worked so hard to judge fairly, by the contest rules for participation and make sure they got all information they could from the entries before casting their votes.

As a matter of fact - MOST of the judges votes were cast at the LAST minute because all the designs were so beautiful.

A note to the judges - thank you for complying with my harsh rules of NO likes or comments on the designers pictures before we announced the winners....you may NOW post whatever you like on the photo albums and blog. You're both amazing judges and I can't say how much we appreciate your hard work with your busy schedules.

So - I'll stop blabbing. WINNERS: Please CONTACT ME with ALL your information so prizes can be sent and forwarded. You can see all prizes on the blog...http://theholebeadshop.blogspot.com/

And thank you Debi RAE Cogwell and Pamela Hawkins of Bead Design Studio for your gifts.

And of course, you can announce that you won. We're going to list all the winners after our "Jar oh' Lucies" contest is over - but we would LOVE it is you told your friends that you've won. And congrats! And.......AGAIN thank you ALL for making our FIRST Bead Challenge so much fun. We LOVE you all....very much.

First Prize: Stephanie Sanner Haussler

Second Prize: Shelley Nybakke - Pleines

Third Prize: Beth Dewey

Fourth Prize: (Facebook FAN -Blog - People's Choice): Wendy Baker

Thank you again for all your efforts to make our contest a success.

Kelli and The Gang.....much love. 


Did you see what that says?!!!  It says I WON!  Oh MY GOSH!!!  I can't believe it!  I never thought I would win, maybe second but never first!  

Now for my Thank You speech:

I have to thank Chris and Mina foremost for putting up with all of my beading craziness, and for supporting me.  I am a VERY lucky woman to have you loving me every day.

First I would like to thank Kelli, Michael, Tarlee, and the Gang at The Hole Bead Shoppe!  You guys have been awesome and encouraged me since we "met" on the web.  Thanks for such an awesome challenge!  So fun, and I have NEVER put more work or time into one piece.  Thank you.



I would also like to thank Carla for teaching me to bead, it has enriched my life in a way I could never have imagined in the beginning and for your friendship I am very thankful.  Thank you to Julie for giving me a job that is never a job, because I am the Bead Girl and I love it! To Sherry Serafini and NanC Meinhardt for completely changing how I bead.  I want to thank Lori Anderson because without participating in her Bead Soup Parties in 2011, my beading would not have moved to the harder design level that has also completely changed my beading.



Thank you to all of my friends, family, and customers for your support of my beading passion (obsession) and for making me thankful every day to have something I love to do that makes others happy!  Thank you for letting me share your lives!

Thank you to Debi Cogwell for the fabulous focal!  I really loved your beads before I got to work with one, but now I am a huge fan!  I can't wait to use my gift certificate! 


Congratulations to all my design challenge competitors, your bead work is also very beautiful!  I never thought I would win!