The Birds and the Beads

TierraCast® has been making these gorgeous earring posts for years, but I’m afraid I just now am getting around to adding them to my catalog after receiving a couple of requests. (I like requests – keep ‘em coming!).

There are seven new styles of posts, most available in Silver, Gold & Copper finishes. The posts are made from nickel-free titanium – strong, light weight, and hypo-allergenic.

These posts are fantastic for “dressing up” a simple drop style design (as shown right). To view the complete collection, click here.

The price of sterling is through the roof right now, but fortunately the price of pewter stays fairly constant, and our extensive line of Excelsior Pewter jewelry may help ease the pain to your checkbook. But don’t let that be the only reason you look at this jewelry!

Our Excelsior Pewter jewelry is phenomenal! It is made in American by skilled craftspeople, and the attention to detail and form is amazing. The pieces are solid and heavier than their sterling counterparts. Each design is filled with symbolism, history and myth, and each piece comes with a card explaining the lore and history of the design.

For our newest Excelsior pewter designs, click here. There are several hundred (older) designs listed through-out the website.

Not that you can tell from this fireside photo, but Tigger is one grumpy kitty. She pesters Burt the cat, chases Sunny the dog, glares at the humans, and just generally tows a black cloud of discontent from room to room. However, when a roaring fire is going in the woodstove (most of the past month), she is quite content to simply snooze in the warmth.

Just don’t displace her (or even wake her), or you’ll be treated to a fearsome glower!

The other night I thought I might work on a new project. Ostara had other ideas. Namely that I hold her and lavish her with love and attention. Wisely, I complied. She has a sharp beak and a certain sense of entitlement. This photo is vastly over-exposed, and I apologize – I thought it wise to photograph quickly and get back to the desired head scratch before she took her impatience out on my fingers….

Howdy Bead Lovers! It’s my birthday today, and Eric and Owen took me out for breakfast to “The Car Wash” – a cute (and delicious) little diner in town. I can smell birthday cake baking, and I’m looking forward to an evening of luxury and laziness on the couch – a fire in the woodstove, a yummy dinner in my tummy, and a favorite movie (Star Trek IV – woohoo!) on the TV.

Here’s hoping your 2008 is off to a great start, and in the words of Mr. Spock – Live Long & Prosper!
– Erin
http://www.123bead.com

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Many of my customers are Awareness crafters – making jewelry to sell at fund raisers – raising money to fight cancer. I designed these Awareness earrings with this in mind – they are easy to craft, quick to make, and inexpensive when the parts are purchased in bulk. They are made with top-notch materials, and the result is a lovely pair of earrings, with lots of sparkle and swing.

They are pictured here with pink beads for Breast Cancer, but could easily be made in other colors to represent other cancer types. Alternatively, they could be made with twelve 4mm cats eye beads in the various cancer colors, with the ribbon in the middle.

Step-by-Step instructions for this project are available here.

Over the past few days, I’ve been busy photographing and listing new colors of 3mm Satin Rattail Cord. This cord is made in the USA of a cotton/rayon blend, and is incredibly soft and comfortable. The comfort factor is very important to me – I’ve bought some 100% polyester rattail cord before – it was scratchier than sand paper, at least to this sensitive skin.

There is a new related mini-tutorial on using spring cord ends to finish the cord, and of course – spring cord ends are now available. Another new cord accessory is large hole spacer beads from TierraCast®. String your pendant or focal on the cord, run the two cord ends through the large hole bead, and slide it down to keep the focal snuggly in place. It keeps your necklace from sliding around when you’re wearing it – the clasp will stay in the back and your focal will stay in the front. The spring cord ends and large hole beads are listed on the Rattail page.

I’ve added a couple of new stringing materials to the website this month. There are two new types of stretchy elastic cording – Elasticity and Elonga – both from Beadalon®. These cords are nice for stretch bracelets, and are available in convenient 25 meter spools. I’ve also added Beadalon® Supplemax Illusion Cord – a flexible nylon stringing material. I bought this with a project in mind – I thought it would be great for making beaded sun catchers! I’ll do a formal suncatcher project page with it at some point – I made some for Christmas gifts last month, and they were a hit! The one I made for my office sparkles and makes rainbows on the floor on sunny mornings and afternoons.

Our sterling aromatherapy lockets have a “pocket” in the back that can hold a bit of cotton ball, imbued with a few drops of your favorite essential oil, chakra oil, or perfume. Your skin will gently warm the locket as you wear it, slowly releasing the applied fragrance. For our complete selection of lockets – click here.

When I was a young lady – I had a locket like this, and oh – how I loved it. We didn’t have essential oils or aromatherapy supplies in the house, but I felt so special with a few drops of my mother’s perfume on the locket liner. Nostalgia hits – I feel as though I ought to go buy a bottle of “Toujours Moi” perfume for my new locket…