Just in the (St.) Nick of Time

After making the small oothecal bede designed by Rachel Nelson-Smith, I was determined to tackle the large version.

I thought it might be a possible Christmas ornament, depending on how big it turned out to be. WhooHoo! Add a bit of embellishment to the one end, insert a knotted ribbon into the other and voila-it makes a perfect ornament!

I finished it just in time to be gifted it to my co-worker (and friend) Shannon. She smiled :)

I just wanted to take a moment here to wish everyone and your loved ones the merriest of holidays.

Hug more, eat too many cookies, sing your carols for everyone to hear (my daughters especially love this one -- not), and reflect upon all the good in the past year.

I'm very blessed with love and health in my life and I wish the same for all of you--priceless gifts indeed.

Cheers!

Bling Bling Bling

I am very happy to be a part of the beading bloggers program with Artbeads.com. Not only are they super friendly and nice to deal with, they encourage me to try new products I would probably would not have otherwise.

So with that said, I was given the choice of a vast array of cubic zirconia beads. Hmm, Nice. There were so many shapes, sizes, colors, all beautiful. I randomly picked some lavender and black shapes with a vague idea of a necklace and earrings set. I'm not much of a stringer-type beader and earrings always leave me stumped. Definitely a personal challenge to come up with something decent.

So I drifted through some blogs and came back once again to Marcia DeCoster. I couldn't believe she had made a pair of earrings using the exact beads I had just ordered! Fate. I quickly ordered up her latest book Beaded Opulence, and then since I was in the book buying frame of mind, tossed in another one I've been wanting for a while; Rachel Nelson-Smith's Seed Bead Fusion (both of which I would highly recommend).

Anyhooo, this is what I came up with. I so wish the pictures were better. These CZ beads are so incredibly beautiful - full of facets and a nice heavy feel.

The pendant is crowned with Rachel's small version of her oothecal bede. So much fun to watch it develop.Can you believe the facets in this pendant?? LOVE ITThis is Marcia's medici drop earring design. Quick and easy and elegant - could you ask for anything more? Believe me when I tell you these drops are just as faceted as the big pendant (it's just my lame photo skills that make them look a bit blah)

But the best part was seeing Meghan wear it to the winter formal ! (The earrings were a bit too long for her taste--go figure)

P.S. I understand Artbeads.com is giving away a $100 gift certificate on Facebook. Enter here

And then go make your wish list! Artbeads.com

FTC Fine print: I received the aforementioned cubic zirconia beads free of charge from Artbeads.com in exchange for my honest opinion on the product. I did not receive any additional compensation other than the product.

Old Dog - New trick?

Oh brother! I've spent the last 45 minutes attempting to customize my blog so it is wider. Well, limited success--I was able to expand the main part but not the header! Any suggestions???!

Maybe everyone can just ignore that annoying cream colored shadow running down the length of the blog........