Time to do something with all that sea glass?

This is a batch of sea glass I found last time my sis and I were by the sea, must've been some weeks ago by now. Even picked up a piece of sea pottery.

The last two years or so I've taken up the habit of combing the beach for glass and pottery every time I've been down by the sea. Sometimes even forgetting to take photos, which is usually why I do by the sea. Sometimes I don't find much, sometimes I get a handful of shards, mostly white and some almost new, sharp and unfrosted -- while not as pretty, I pick up that too just to keep the beaches clean.

Add to that my collection of our own tumbled glass plus a few "sea glass" beads (= etched or tumbled glass beads sold as sea glass even though they're absolutely not). But of cause that's not as special as real sea glass/beach glass and sea pottery.

But now I have enough to more or less have to start thinking about what to do with it all. Most pieces aren't that special as they're plain frosted clear glass. But they're still sea glass and I don't want to "waste" it on mediocre projects. I love, love the pieces in this tutorial, but don't think there are enough big pieces of glass for me to use -- it might be better to tumble some broken glass for that. A few pieces are even smaller than a little finger nail (there's one piece I'm saving for a real metalsmith's bezel setting as the shape and size is so pretty).

Another idea along the line of the image transfers would be to add variegated metal leaf as I did with this cab or paint the back with some cool effect paint. But, again, it feels like ruining it and something that should be left to tumbled glass.

Beaded bezels would be too thick and I can't yet make metal bezels. Wirework isn't on the agenda right now. Drilling holes for stringing or chainmaille techniques doesn't really tempt me. WOrking them into embroideries might work, but I don't have any ideas yet to wow me into "sacrificing" a piece or more of the limited stash.

And still, while shooting down every idea I get, I would like to not just collect. Though sometimes I wonder if it's just that the maker part of me doesn't want the collector part to decide, maybe because collecting without a collector's goals and organized purpose is akin to hoarding and hoarding, we are told, is bad. Or at least not really good. Beaders can write about being hoarders and often it will continue with statements about daring to use a precious component or complaints or apologies for hoarding or saving something for "that special project". It's not something to brag about, not using components in the stash. But sometimes we should perhaps abandon that guilty feeling and just remember the joy of collecting these small treasures, just like we did as children. No one expected us then to use the little knick-knacks we gathered in a special box just for looking at, picking up and admiring. It's not wrong to buy supplies without the intent of using it. It can be beautiful just the way it is. It doesn't always need to be processed (förädlad) to get a value and justify the purchase [or in this case, the acquiring] of it.

It's not wrong to want to make something awesome with supplies, to be creative with something in order to enhance it. It's great! You make something that gives you a chance to showcase the special component, make it possible to carry it with you -- you deserve to feel good about doing it, about creating something really beautiful and/or meaningful from something you love. It's just that it's easy to make the opposite of right be wrong and define something as a supply makes it sound unfinished, incomplete, a part that can only become whole when put together with something else. It also makes it sound like you're a bad beader/crafter/artist for buying new things when you already have supply, as if supplies are interchangeable without specific characteristics and uses -- especially people that don't create themselves will let you know this! It's easy to feel guilty about spending money without using the things you buy (which, as said before, don't have value until you use them due to their definition). To feel stressed about a growing -- I'd say thriving! -- stash or about not having the urge to make those special components "complete".

But really, some things are beautiful as they are and shouldn't be seen as merely supplies, but objects to adore all in their own right. They are complete, they are wholes from the day we acquire them. And while a beader never has that bead she/he really needs and she/he sometimes even forget about some beads in the stash, just having a stash is more than just a practical thing. More that a cress physical resource for jewellery making and beadwork. It's not just about having the right supplies at hand for a project. Maybe you never used that bead you bought, but the colours have still inspired you -- many times over! Maybe you forgot a beautiful bead as you kept buying new ones, but one day you'll find it in the stash and it'll be just perfect for a project you're working on or it'll inspire a new design on a day when you feel like you've lost the mojo for good. Maybe just looking at the beads every now and then will make you happy -- for the beauty and feeling of the object itself, for memories of the person giving it to you, for your adoration of the bead maker. Maybe you one day will give it to someone who'll create something amazing with it and she wouldn't have been able to do that had you not gifted her with that particular bead or component at that particular time. Maybe you just need the rainbow of colours that's your bead stash to sort and touch in order to infuse yourself with creativity and inspiration or in order to relax and feel harmonious. Beads, ribbons, yarn, charms, design papers, effect paints -- all creative supplies have values far beyond merely its intended practical use. And you don't need to feel bad just because everyone and everything focuses on that particular, narrow value. You know better!

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I should've stopped there, but just I just realised that a simple post showing some relatively so-so sea glass, a post mostly posted because I took a five minute break and wanted to write something to keep the blogging going, turned into something very different. How did that happen? Apparently it was an issue I had/have opinions on and feelings about...

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UPDATE: Fun thing, today (the day after writing the text above)  I started finding reveal posts for the Bead Hoarders Blog Hop in my blog feed. Talk about interesting coincidences. Wonder if anyone participating in that hop read this -- before or after posting on their blogs -- and I wonder what it made them think... Should I note that it was a reaction to myself and my own feelings, not towards anything anyone else did, certainly not a reaction prompted by the blog hop? It's just a different perspective to alleviate guilt -- we all get fed guilt, especially females, in our society about what we do or don't do and how we look. I wanted to ease this particular little guilt a bit, remove a nagging, stressing feeling of "ought tos" from my mind. I wanted to free myself -- and I didn't know it until my fingers began writing this text!

Being one of those who are so bad at starting (see this post on start buttons and sparks),  I sure need challenges (from myself or someone else) and encouragements to get going. To rev up and set the ball rolling. The Bead Hoeaders Blog Hop could've been useful for me -- unless my creative drain and inert resistance would stall me and made me feel guilty about that too -- and I firmly believe that we need to challenge ourselves and push ourselves to pick something up and start doing instead of just thinking. I just wanted these two things, letting go of ideas about what one should do and "forcing" yourself to use something up, to be equally morally good and acceptable. Not for the latter to feel productive while the former is lazy and unproductive, passive/negative when taking the bull by the horn is active/positive. Both strategies alleviate the "guilt" of having unused supplies and all those energy-draining "I shoulds" as I see it. Sometimes we need to be active, sometimes we need to let go in order to feel good. It's all about where we are and what we're doing and feeling at the time. And for the "I shoulds" to not always be there as a constant reminder, a nagging gulit-tripping mom to make use feel bad for not doing something. That adds such unnecessary stress, albeit just a tiny one, a restless, negative undercurrent that can make you head into a negative spiral if you're at a point where you feel like you've lost your creativity and can't find the joy and positive energy in creating.

About the text, I added a few sentences and adjusted a couple of others as I wrote from the heart yesterday -- with a tired head. This is just a spontaneous text, not some well thought through manifesto or anything, but I still wanted to clarify and add important words that I didn't think of yesterday when I hadn't slept on it.

The reveal!

Yes, welcome to this latest edition of the Bead Soup Blog Party! I hope you will enjoy seeing what I've cooked up for you all today.

Penny, my bead soup partner, sent me a delicious soup in spring colours. I ended up using the beads and other supplies in multiple pieces, adding some of my own materials to the soup. In some cases this meant finally using beads and things I've had lying around for ages as I couldn't think of something good to do with them. Yay!

Here's a pic of the soup. If you want to read about my reaction when I got you can find a post on that here. Now to see what I did with my soup. As usual you can click on the photos for close-ups (that especially goes for the first pic below).

This is not the first piece I did, but since it uses the focal and clasp (as was mandatory) it will be presented first. And considering the time it took me to make it deserves the most of the limelight. Cutting a long story short, I had several ideas but annoyingly most of them where random and didn't really work as a whole. As you saw here, I just recently had to scrap half a dozen beaded beads because, while the colours matched the focal so well and I wanted to include some seedbeading, there just wasn't any good way I could think of to use them i a necklace design using the other ingredients.
 
The key to solving the puzzle came when I selected my flower focal. I wanted to layer the ceramic focal and also use it as part of a toggle clasp (yes, I've only used half the mandatory clasp, namely the key-shaped toggle bar). After having tried and scrapped several ideas, I looked through a container of fabric flowers and found a beige leather flower bought ages ago. It looked good in the pic, but the one I got was poorly cut and some of the smooth surface was sliced off. Disappointed I put it away, almost forgetting it. But now it looked like a good candidate and to make it more attractive -- and to add some colour to the earthy focal -- I painted it with three shades of ink: ash rose, purple and raisin (wine coloured).

After that the rest of the beads were adding as I chose anything that matched the focal or flower. More or less: the pink/rose/crystal fire-polished nuggets could've been redder (looked like they had more red flecks and no purple tones when first selecting them) and the mustard-orange-salmon in the half picasso rondelles adds a colour not intended from the beginning. But you've got to use what you have. I also added the filigree beads from the soup for more earthy browns.

Final design decision was which side to use as the front as the ceramic focal had different textures on each side. In the end I went with the texture you can see above instead of the side you see in the secon pic above.

The colour of the matte seed beads was so pretty and in one of my boxes of forgotten beads, I found a bag of matte 4 mm shell pearls. A perfect match! Quite soon I came up with the idea to use this technique/design. Originally to make a wrap bracelet, but then -- while getting ready to start -- I remembered an idea I'd thought about ages ago: what would happen if you add a second row to the "berries and vines"? Just had to try. And this is the result.

The reason it ends with two loops is not because I wanted to make a laced ribbon closure (which would work, have tried it), but that I wasn't sure the idea would work so I made sure to make the bracelet in such a way that it would be easy to remove the second row and still have a good, finished bracelet if it didn't work. But, at least in my eyes, it worked.

This necklace was actually the first thing I did. I really liked the colours in the Beady Monkey wooden bead and the soft spring green in the silk cord. They were perfect for a piece of light -- in weight and colour -- jewellery and so I made a very simple design, stringing large beige lustre seed beads on the cord and adding the bead as a small pendant. The necklace i adjustable as it's finished by threading both cord ends through one of the large-hole seeds.

Fourth piece -- yeah, I know, lots of pieces this time around --  is this bracelet, which isn't really finished. I made it by threading the ribbon through the shank of a matching glass button and then knotting the ends to create a loop for the closure. On one side, I began embroidering using a dark brown thread. Feather stitches with a whipped "stem" (if you follow my blog and have seen what I've done in the Take a Stitch Tuesday embroiery challenge you know I like whipped stitches).

My idea was to add some (dark) bronze beads too, but before I had the decided on a design the clock reminded me it was time to take some photos and compose this blog post. So I'm afraid you can't see the finished result. Hope you like what you see so far, though.

If the bracelet is a WIP this is probably no more than a hands-on sketch. My idea -- that I never got the time to realise -- was to wrap the metallic green seed beads around the oval links of the chain after having removed the "antique gold" links it was orinally equipped with (meant to use them in the necklace, didn't happen). For the wrapping I'm using a thin light green coloured copper wire. For now you'll just have to imagine the finished result...


And that was the last of it.

Thank you so much for giving me this delicious, inspirational and challenging soup, Penny! And thank you so much, Lori, for making this party happen again! And, last but not least, thank you, who are reading this, for stopping by!

Now it's turn to go and see what my bead soup partner Penny at the Copper Penny Designs blog and all the rest have made. Below is a peak of the soup I sent Penny. I bet you're interested to see what she made with them -- I know I am!

Bead Soup Blog Party participants list

(A full list of participants can be found on Lori's blog Pretty Things.)

Clay and I

I'm not sure what it is with me and clay. I kind of like the idea of working with it, but when I have it I end up not doing that much with it. Be it a lack of inspiration or lack of the proper tools, I just don't seem to be able to do anything good with it. Part of me says it's because I'm no good at moulding and sculpting. Let's face it: I've always spent more time painting and embroidering, working with flat images. Sometimes dimensional, but rarely in "full 3D" as you -- most of the time -- do with clay. So maybe I'm just supposed to admire ceramics and other clay artists rather than work with it myself. Perhaps, eventhough I wish it was otherwise, clay -- of any kind -- just isn't my thing.

Let's review it. When I first heard about silver clay as a newbie beader and jewellery maker, I was really interested, but like many things it fizzled out. I didn't have the money to buy everything you needed and the clay itself was expensive. I'd printed a lot of how-tos from the Net and even got a book, but to this day I've never touched it. I became very dedicated, as I always do when I hear about something new and interesting that I want to know more about. For example, I spent months reading photo mags, learning about cameras and photo editing, before deciding which camera to buy. I can spend days researching a feature for Manekis Pärlblogg. If something catches my interest, I easily become that way. It can be a good thing, but sometimes I have to tell myself to stop and think it over so it doesn't just end up being a matter of acting on any whim I get flipping through a bead mag or reading about jewellery techniques/media/products online. Because that doesn't work in the long run.

So I didn't act on that first crush I got on metal clay. My wallet thanked me and I found new things that seemed to be a better match for me when it came to jewellery making. Then I got to see the artsy side of polymer clay. I grew up with Fimo and Cernit. It was clays for children to make cute and childish sculptures, beads and more with. Then I saw what kind of stuff adults could make of it. Sofisticated jewellery and effects that couldn't be replicated using ceramic clay. (Now, ceramic clay I had used before as a kid in school and children's art classes -- pretty ugly things, but in the eyes of a child they were fantastic.) So I read all I could about PC as a bead making medium and bought clay, glitters, Deco Gel etc. Did a few things -- including some fun mirror-image beads -- but found it probably wasn't really my thing. At least I didn't find inspiration to work with clay and it was hard to find the time to sit down in the kitchen and claim the oven for my beads and pendants. Sold off some of the clay and glitters, but still have some left. Can't sell it all if inspiration strikes: after all, one day I'll probably get an idea that requires PC.

What happened then? Because we both know that's not the end of the story. No, cue base metal clays. Ah, I love base metals! Much more than I've ever cared for silver. And here they came. First bronze clay. Then copper clay and last but not least steel clay. Oh, these are so cool. I want to work with them and they brought back some of the things I felt when I first read about silver clay. They rekindled my love of metal clay. But they require special equipment and are even more cumbersome than silver clay to fire. The price of it all makes me hesitate: what if it all just ends up like with the polymer clay? Though I've got ideas for these clays -- carving molds for pendants rather than sculpting -- I fear it'll all be a lot of money for a small output. But steel clay... I want it so badly...

Now, is that the end of it then? No, recently I've gotten an interest in resin (epoxy) clays and Fuwa fuwa, japanese paper clay. Like with PC it doesn't require a lot of equipment and cumbersome firing. In fact, it doesn't require that one thing that was partially responsible for me not working with my polymer clays: an oven. These are air-dry clays. Ok, there are two problems: paper clay has interesting textures -- perfect for Swiss rolls and similar miniature cakes for kawaii charms -- but it needs to be sealed to withstand moisture in the long run. And I generally don't know how durable it is. And resin clay can be very sticky. And I know things like that can have a -- a-hum -- negative effect on my mood if things start to go wrong.

So that's where I stand right now. I know I haven't exactly shown that I'm any good at working with clay, though I thing part of it has been that I either haven't found the right clay techniques for me (or the right type of clay) or that I haven't had the space and equipment to work with clay when I've had the desire to dabble in the medium. So one voice in my heads keeps saying "resin clay looks cool and useful, I should try it", while another voice is just telling me " yeah, right, it'll just end up like with the polymer clay, much ado about nothing".

If I have the money I probably will buy some resin clay (or putty) at least. It seems like a lot of fun and it can be used in so many ways compared to many other clays, seeing how it can be both a clay and an adhesive. The rest will have to wait. Even it I want to dabble in it, I will not buy any other clay until I've got some actual ideas about how I want to use it. Not just one or two, but a handful of good ideas worth the investment (of money and time) in yet another material. Sensible. Not fun -- I'd love to be rich enough to follow all my creative whims -- but sensible.

Sometimes you're lucky

Like I mentioned in the giveaway post earlier, I feel like I've won several giveaways and prize draws lately. It's always been my intention to do something to show off on the blog and thereby also send a little thank you to the generous people that've given these beads and components to me. But seeing how I've not blogged much lately, I haven't really gotten around to do that. Sure, I've mentioned a couple of the things on my other blog, but today I thought I'd at least show you some of the things I've got and who I got them from.



This first pendant -- without the bail I've added just to test an idea of mine -- is from Clay Designs by glee. I won it in a Beads of Clay open studio event. If you, like me, love ceramic beads, be sure to check out the Beads of Clay website and blog.


Recently -- ok, probably some months ago, but it feels recent -- I also got some lovely patinated bronze clay components and a polymer clay heart by Staci Louise Originals from her Artisan Accents jewellery components line (in a giveaway at Lorelei Eurto's blog). One of the bronze pieces are missing from the photo.


What more have I got? Yes, I won a monthly prize draw as a Rings & Things blog partner. (That was probably a few months back by now -- time flies!) This included sparkly Chines rondelles and a small swarm of butterflies.


I love the butterflies, but one thing I really liked was the colour in these little rondelles. It's called 2-tone green and it's a sort of light sage green finish on crystal, which glitters with hints of mauve and also a slight blue tint. And, boy, does these rondelles sparkle despite their small size (3 mm)!


Then, this week I got this loot by Beads Direct. Not a giveaway, but a prize I won in their "bloggers and writers competition". I was one of three winners with my blog post "Grey looks best with colour!". In line with the colour I chose, I got this handpicked mix of monochrome beads. I especially like the lentils. I'd probably never buy them myself as I don't use chunky lentils that often and would've focused on other beads, but having them here in my hand I just love them.

(Click on each pic to enlarge it: they don't look as dark then.)

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There you have it, just some bragging. Sometimes it really pays off to enter giveaways and competitions, even when it feels like you never win. Because one day you will. I'm not luckier than anyone else and see what I got! It's just a matter of not giving up just because of the odds and of finding the opportunities.

One good way of finding these opportunities is of cause to follow blogs (as well as following people on Twitter and FB) and sign up for newsletters. In the newsletters, shops and magazines will announce upcoming and current contests they arrange. As for blogs, follow blogs where you know giveaways are common, but it also pays to follow other blogs as bloggers often gets extra chances to win if the blog, tweet or write something on Facebook about the giveaway they want to enter. Some bloggers -- like me, over at Manekis Pärlblogg, or Michelle Mach -- will also blog about contests, calls for submissions etc that we hear about.

If you're active on a forum, there might be a section where members can post tips about contests etc. If not, you might want to start one. You can also start a section or thread with giveaway tips. Help each other to find all the fun contests and giveaways/blog candy online.

Most of all, if you find a giveaway or competition, don't pass up just because you keep telling yourself you never win. Who knows, this time it might be your name they draw or your creation the judges will choose. Maybe you win, maybe you don't. You won't win most of the time, that's just the way it is, but hang in there and you will win one day. The only way you're definitely not going to win is if you pass up when the opportunity arises. And it's always the things we don't do, not the things we do, that we regret later. So take the chance whenever you can. Find the opportunities. Just do it!

I love ceramic beads

I have several favourite materials that I use. Some are constant, others come and go. I rediscover old loves and find new ones. When it comes to beads and pendants, two materials I do like a lot are ceramic/porcelain and glass. I guess one big reason is that you can get it in so many different styles and -- most of all -- colours/finishes. And as I think I've made pretty clear by now, colours and finishes fascinates me.

Like with glass, ceramic beads and pendants can come in so many different styles, finishes and price ranges. I like both cheap and expensive ceramic beads, but I prefer those that have more of a personal touch. Those that are hald-sculpted or hand-painted. Those that have a bit of personality and individuality. As with glass, I love looking at different colours and finishes. With glass you add colour to the actual glass or cover it with a surface effect. With ceramics you've got glazes and paints that alters the look of the bead. And that I love, seeing all the different faces of ceramic and how the choice of glaze or paint determines the whole look of the finished product.

As with other beads, I prefer it when they aren't too shiny: I want to see the colour and shape, not just reflected light. Not just because they're hard to take pics of, like the Lumina inspirations bead above. Most my ceramic or porcelain beads have a matte or silky finish. But as you can see, there are some exceptions.

One type of beads I often enjoy buying are the peruvian ceramic beads that you can find in so many different shapes and sizes. From tiny cartoon cats like these to "faux raku" pendants like the dragon in the first pic. Also, they're reasonably priced. There are so many motifs available too that you can find something for everyone, from pirates and Einsteins to cakes and chocolates to flowers and animals.

In the first pic you can see a pair of maneki neko beads as well. Chinese lucky cat porcelain beads that I sort of collect. There are so many variations of these, I seem to keep finding new ones. Most of them are small, but I have one that's 47 mm tall.


But I do wish I could afford buying more beads and pendants from artisans. Not all of them are, after all, as expensive as my beloved siamese cat by Laura Mears. Her porcelain beads and pendants are divine! The pendant above is from Clay River Designs by the way. They do shiny ceramics, which I said I didn't like that much, but I do like their designs. Also, they have a couple of lovely glazes on their chiclet beads.

In the first pic you can also see a word bead by Diane Hawkey. Love it and hope to get a chance to buy more from here in the future. She does cat beads so of cause I love her work. Not everything she does is to my taste, but I think it says a lot that her work made me buy a word bead. I normally don't like word beads.

But there are even more clay bead makers on my wishlist:

• Earthenwood Studio (AKA Melanie Brooks) have some really nice pieces. Gritty steampunk as well as lovely leaves -- and cats. She's got some pieces with lovely glaze effects like the crackled white on a dark background.
  

• Gaea has something I really, really like: crackled glaze beads. It's like adding patina to metal, crackles add a feeling of age as well as interesting surface to ceramic glazes. She also have some pretty flower and leaf pendants and fun Day of the Dead pieces I like. And I'd love to buy some of here cool ceramic-and-metal clasps.

• The same way I like crackled glaze, I fancy crushed glass fused to ceramics, like in pendants and cabs from Artisan Clay. She also does some gorgeous smoke fired pendants/donuts. Smoke fire is probably going on my list of favourite finishes on ceramics.
  

• On my wishlist you can also find Elaine Ray bezels. She's got some nice beads and pendants too, I just happen to really like the bezels.

• As I often find my inspiration in nature, it's probably not surprising that I fell in love with some of Mary Harding's pendants years ago. Apart from th gorgeous pendants featuring naturalistic flora, she also makes toggle clasps I want.

• Recently I found another ceramic artist to add to my "fan list" via the Beads of Clay blog, Norwegian Lise Nilsen of Trollsmed. Love her crazy donuts with their uneven shapes and sometimes multiple holes. As well as her "sun crosses" (solkors).

• Natalie Pappas (NKP Designs), on the other hand, is a clayer I stumbled upon a couple of years ago and fancied one of her crackled decal beads. She makes a lot of other types of beads too.

• And Indian Creek Studios I've already mentioned this weekend (Andrew Thornton's giveaway).

• I also have to mention Emma Ralph. She makes beads in ceramic clay, polymer clay and lampwork glass. Mostly the two latter and she's well known for here PC work. Of her currently available ceramic work, though, I especially like the Autumn leaf charms and heart buttons.
  

• ...and then I almost forgot Golem Studio. Some of their designs are too, well, colourful and buzy for me personally, but they do cat pendants. I prefer their simpler designs like the "stick kitty" and tiny bat pendants. They also make a pendant featuring both a bat and a cat -- that's two out of three of my favourite animals! And cute flower pendants/beads.
  

I know there are many more clay artists out there that does beads or other jewellery components I'd love. I shouldn't make my already look list even longer, I guess, but I'll keep looking for new "clayers" to admire and to my list. And hopefully some day afford to buy something from.

I could've finished the post there, with the list, but I have one more kitty to show you. This little ceramic charm -- actually a key rings that I removed the ring from -- is the only item in my collection made by a Swede. I bought it at Fredriksdal in Helsingborg, but I'm unsure of the name of the potter. Googling it, it seems like Greta Pott might be the person behind the charm.

A lovely siamese

I haven't really been in the mood to write much lately, but of cause I could never abandon my blogs. So what do you do if you're not in the mood to write something special or edit flower pics to upload? Well, you find a pic or two of a special bead and do some bragging.

This is my most expensive bead and I haven't even told my family what it costed (20 USD) as I don't think they'd understand why one would pay so much for such a simple thing as a bead. Or maybe they would? Because they do understand paying for quality and beautiful things and this really is a marvelous bead.

The siamese is made by Laura Mears as part of her Animal Totems series. It's a hollow porcelain bead with hand-painted details. Very lifelike and just adorable. I chose a siamese with a typical colouring. Not that I'm especially fond of siamese cats in particular, but I really liked the colours.

This is a rather unique necklace -- normally I just keep my most expensive and exclusive beads in my "treasure chest", taking them out only to drool over them and pat them. My preciousss. But there was this colour challenge where I was challenged to make something using purple, brown and beige. And the cat was perfect so put her/him on an "antique gold" hatpin and added a lavender/mocha silk ribbon. Very simple, but a nice way of keeping the focus on the focal piece.

Cute cat beads

I sort of collect cat beads (along with dragon and bat beads). I love cats so of cause I began buying cat-related beads and jewellery findings when I became a beader. Later I realised I rarely used my cat and dragon beads. They were too pretty. So now, instead of a bead stash I call it a collection.

The sweetie above is a tiny Peruvian ceramic cat bead from a mix -- or litter if you prefer that -- of fun cats in all sorts of colours. Yet another thing I bought with the money I won over at the R&T blog (which I've already mentioned).

Below is a Chinese porcelain cat I got from an eBay seller. The thing with these porcelain cats and especially the lucky cats/maneki nekos is that there always seems to be a diffent one: new posture, new colour, new patterns etc. I can never get one of each type of cat bead made. Every seller is bound to have a version slighly different from all the ones I already have. Which makes me want to buy that one as well...

It's only words

Normally I'm not that fond of affirmation/message charms and beads, but I did fall for Diane Hawkey's word beads. I'm tempted to buy more as I really like the lime green beads, but I'm not sure there are any words of interest. (I'm not even going to check out her website as I might find more stuff I want -- message heart beads, cats -- my bead I bought at FusionBeads.)

I chose a bead saying magic because I think we always need a bit of magic in our lives. Plus I liked the colour and shape of the bead.

Still no idea what to do with it, but I have found some matching beads. Lovely czech flat lily flowers and maple leafs in a "rusted" opaque turquoise. Now I'm just waiting for the right inspiration to come along. Like that affirmation bracelet I made for myself -- yes, I know I just said I don't like those charms with the same old words. It says: dream, create, inspire. I need to dream som more right now...