beautiful bracelets!

i love having "in-house" talented designers!! the other day, i said, "i wish we could have a small stamped bracelet as a pretty sample in the store". and wishes do come true! stamped and executed by the girls last week, i love it! look carefully at the 9:00 pm disc. I was so delighted, yelping, "rosettes, so cute!" michelle laughed and told me it was a snail. what we perceive as our reality is amazing, huh!

this was made very recently by lois in a custom herringbone class with me. i love how it stays twisted! we went a little too far in length, so instead of using a clasp, we made it a "roll-on" claspless bracelet - so awesome! creativity is always spurred by necessity, and i love it when it has the chance to happen!

pretties for your viewing pleasure

featured today, are some jewelry pieces that I think are pretty! sandy made the top 2 bracelets with a needle and thread technique (which you can learn in our class, aptly named needle and thread - coming up this month!) her style tends towards colorful, embellished, rich, jewel-y, pushing the limits and borderline excessive. I LOVE IT!

amanda made the gold necklace and gold bracelet. her style is sparse, simple and clean. I LOVE IT!

i love that i don't have to be one way, or another. i am both. i can be all. so can you!

my favorite thing that happens at the store almost everyday is this:

customer looks me straight in the eye and asks about a jewelry piece: "is this too much?" meaning gaudy, over the top, excessive.

me laughing: "i'm wearing 8 bracelets, earrings, 2 necklaces and 8 rings. i adorn every limb and extruding part of my body."

beauty is in the eye of the beholder. i see beauty everyday, and i love it!

happy bday sale at TBG!

bye bye pretty bracelet! sandy made this a couple of years ago, and i stole it as a store sample! we are finally returning it and here is my farewell pic... it's needle and thread stitched turquoise, sterling silver and apatite gemstones, sooooo AWESOME! bye bye.. :(

ON a happy note, it was jason's birthday, and to celebrate, we are having a 40% off sale on all freshwater pearls and garnet by the piece and by strands, until the end of the month!

stay tuned for more pics.. got a new camera!

seed beading rocks!

you ever had that friend, the one who does amazing things and says, "oh no, anyone can do it." and then you're thinking, yeah right, UGH, if only! Well, Arlene is that friend of mine - she's so talented, and her mental strength and discipline is inspiring to me.

In doing anything, a craft, sport, hobby, job - it takes more than skill - you need to have determination and the will to go to the end - AND the spirit to finish it with a great attitude and with the same purposefulness and care that you started with.

arlene, i know you think i'm the teacher, but you really have taught me a lot- just by watching you complete your beautiful projects over the years. thank you!

arlene's just completed right-angle weave layered seed bead bracelet!

so awesome!

mary k.'s bling

lookeee, it's the diamond mine in 6mm bicones - so blingy! mary whipped this up for me in less than 2 hours - maybe even in 1 hour? it was so fast - her needle was a blur! this bracelet done in larger crystals is so eye-catching - the sample is on display at the store.

gotta jet to the eye doctor today - i've been slacking in my eye exercises (did you know there was such a thing?), and now i can't see unless it's 2 feet from my face!!! so hard to bead!!

golden herringbone

isn't this beautiful? sandy rosa (my needle and thread assistant teacher) made this and then, sad to say.... SHE GAVE IT TO MICHELLE! What?? HELLLO??? It fit me!!!!

well, i DO get to wear it at work... i love it.. it's so pretty!!! the seed beads have real gold lining in them too, shazam!~

today was a great day at work. lots of nice people came in, cathy o. had an awesome art clay class, akiko made like 20 charms in class.... and i limped around with hardly any pain. jon came in and re-taped my sprained ankle so it's all good now! i think i'll blog about my sprained ankle next. bye bye!