9 silver toned metal multi-ring bracelets. Good for making charm bracelets. Each one approx 7.5 inches long, with lobster clasp. Purchased for $17.07 plus shipping from Oriental Trading Company.
Overall, I estimate my cost, including shipping, to be somewhere in the ballpark of $70-75, but would be willing to entertain reasonable offers. I do want to get rid of this stuff and maybe offset some of the cost of new materials to play with. If you're here from the ad, make me an offer!
Thanks to being featured on Huggermugger's Blog, these little guys are all packed up and ready to make a trek over to Green Mountain, North Carolina. I have a grand total of 4 pairs of these guys left. They're super cute! 
With the exceptionally dreary weather and the realization that Christmas is less than 2 weeks away, I am completely stressed out. I have several project ideas in mind, but haven't figured out how to make the leap from the brain to the fingers... for example, I found some neat pineapple shaped buttons very similar to these on a cheesy kiddie aloha shirt. They would make really cute upcycled earrings. I have 6 buttons, so I may make a bracelet instead. I just have to figure out how to string them together.
We've been having massive rains, high winds, and flash flooding since Thursday. Unfortunately, I went to a couple of different stores, looking for red tulle, and so far, nada. I did, however, manage to make it to the post office to ship these earrings off to their new owner! (She's an old friend of mine, from back in the Academy days. I hope she enjoys them!)
A bunch of ladies on Etsy have custom made tutus, including the one pictured (listed here). How cute would it be to have a few shots of the baby on the beach in a fru fru tutu? Am I crazy? Probably. I would actually have to make one to have it in time for pictures this weekend. 
It's time for the Army-Navy game again!
Since you can never really have too many puppy-on-the-beach pictures, here's a shot of my two fur babies running around on Dam Neck Beach in Virginia. They're only 4-5 months old in the picture. Ace (the white one) just turned 3. Roxy (the neurotic one) will celebrate her 3rd birthday next week. Both are German Shepherds. In fact, you can read Ace's pedigree here and Roxy's mom's pedigree here and her dad's here.
A friend of mine has sensitive skin and can't wear earrings unless they're gold. She asked for a charm bracelet instead. I experimented with attaching charms to silver chain bracelets and with single strand, beaded bracelets, but was never really satisfied with the outcome. In my opinion, when working with lampwork beads as charms, the heavier chain maille is a much better option. Since it really doesn't make sense to "experiment" with brand new ideas/techniques using top notch materials (likely to be ruined during the creative process), I started making up a few charm bracelets using pre-fabricated nickel bracelets. 
If you're on Etsy, make a profile on We Love Etsy and then add me as a friend! Think of it as myspace for Etsy-ers. I found some new "favorite" Etsy stores, including MadisonGre which has lovely handbags, clutches, and wallets made in beautiful Asian inspired prints.
Unfortunately, strep throat is going around and I've been out of commission for a few days. So here's a picture of my son and two friends at their school's Halloween parade. (My son is the Dementor in the Middle.) Hehe, oh, by the way, I made his costume. 
Ok, so this has nothing to do with beading. Maybe it's just me, but I'm fascinated by pirate stories. How stupid do you have to be to think you and maybe a dozen of your craziest associates could basically cruise around in a speedboat with some rifles, hijack a huge cargo or cruise ship, and get away with it? 
