But I don't WANT to get up early...

Yay! It’s beady eye candy day! And also Friday – which I would normally be excited about because it would mean that tomorrow morning I get to sleep in.

But not this week.

Tomorrow morning I will be getting up at some godawful-painful-dark-and-irritating time in the morning so that I can take my son on a Cub Scout fishing trip.

Where I get to do fun things like stick chicken livers on hooks.

I’m sorry, but, one should NOT have to deal with chicken livers when it’s still dark out.

Actually, one shouldn’t ever have to deal with chicken livers at any time, but apparently, they make good bait.

Oh, and that reminds me, I’m supposed to stop by Lowe’s tonight and get myself a pair of heavy gloves because apparently, we are going to catch catfish…which have spines that will stick you when you try to unhook them and release them.

Whatever happened to nice, friendly bass or trout? No, we have to catch dangerous, poky, spiney catfish.

All I can say is this kid BETTER come visit me in the home in 30 years when I’m all drooling and decrepit and stuff. Come to think of it, he better pay to put me in the Taj Mahal of Homes for the Drooling and Decrepit.

If I have to get up in the dark on a Saturday and handle chicken livers and poky fish, I better rack up some credit, dammit.

(Can you tell I’m REALLY STOKED about having to get up early tomorrow? LOL!)

Okay, on to the beady stuff.

Here’s the really ugly bracelet I promised you:

Wood, copper chain, links, and wire, coral shell beads, peach flowers, and turquoise glass beads. I named this piece “Canyon Road” after the famous street of art galleries in Santa Fe. I was hoping that maybe the spiffy name would make me like the design more, but I don’t think it worked.

And yes, I’m making you look at this thing first BEFORE the eye candy because I know how you fickle blog readers are – if I post the eye candy first, you’ll look at it and leave before you have to look at this monstrosity. I know how you roll.



Closeup view – I keep thinking that wood bead needs something on it. Like a design or something. If I was really talented, I could paint or etch something into it. But I’m not that talented.

Copper lobster claw clasp.





Here’s another view of the whole thing. Hey, I warned you yesterday that the Muse came back nursing a bad hangover…and this is the result.

Okay, on to the eye candy:




This beautiful set of beads came from The Orange Bell on Etsy. And yes, I bought them way back before the “Bead Diet.” There was a bit of a mix-up as apparently, this set had already been sold to someone else so the nice folks at The Orange Bell did their best to recreate it for me and even added in some extras so what I got is not EXACTLY like this picture, but is actually BETTER.


I loved the muted, beachy colors and yeah, I know, it’s getting late in the season for beachy stuff, but I don’t care. This set sort of reminded me of what it’s like at the beach AFTER the summer is over but before fall/winter really sets in. The tourists are gone, it’s not quite as hot so the colors are more muted and you can go for a nice serene walk on the beach by yourself.

Then I got these wood coins – used one of ‘em in the bracelet posted above.

Stick pearls.

I'm totally in love with stick pearls lately for some unknown reason.

Then I found Cathy Dailey's site on Etsy:

Got some great oxidized silver chain.

Two sets of these links - which she recommends for earrings, but I think I might try them in a bracelet if that stupid Muse ever decides to quit partying and cooperate for a while.

I've also had a couple of multi-strand designs on hold waiting for me to find some new silver cones.

I especially like the sort of "free form" one that looks like it was just pinched together by hand (which it probably was).

Lastly, I got this great toggle bar. A month or so ago, I bought a beautiful blue porcelain "ring" from Round Rabbit and I wanted to use it as the clasp/focal of a necklace. Just needed a toggle bar to go with it and am hoping this will work.

That’s about it.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

KJ