A BEAD-UTIFUL DAY...

Heading over to the Etsy shop to list, but HAD to drop by here first.  I have spent the past several evenings sitting at the kitchen table "oohing and aawing" over my bead stash, while finishing up some projects that have been pushed aside recently.

A formal/black and white bracelet, for a dear friend who just flew into town (boy, her arms must be tired...ba-dump-bump!), and a Gothic romance inspired one for etsy (while I hate to jump on that Vampire bandwagon right now, I'm not stupid, either...and the colors are so good together).  Both of these are the same pattern bracelet as the one I posted a month ago (beadmetaler), in a picture with the Vampire wine.  Full of Swarovski crystals, crystal rose montees, glass pearls, and loaded with seed beads...sterling silver toggles, both.  The black and white bracelet also sports a vintage glass bead and crystal bauble.

Yes, that's the Vampire wine behind, again!

And, finding myself wrapped into Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo" last evening, and not ready to hit the couch, where I would have fallen asleep immediately, I dragged this back out to finally attach it to the satin neck cord.  This is a BEAUTIFUL, vintage coat button - not Bakelite, but a plastic from that era.  1-3/4" wide...2-1/4" with all the beading and Swarovskis on the edges.

This button is spectacular...it is a full 5/8" thick (actually, just a shade over that)...reminds me of an Oreo cookie, for some reason (obviously, I didn't eat breakfast).

As funky as it was already, it NEEDED the piece of zebra print Ultrasuede I found for the back.

And finally, I had to include this.  Though it was not made last evening, I did make this for my daughter's birthday last year - she collects St. Christopher medals (the patron Saint of travellers and surfers), and I had found this 1930's piece (there was a very cool story about it from the person I acquired it from...it came over with it's first owner from the "old country"...however, I AM hungry and can't remember it now).  It looked to have been attached to some sort of base in it's previous lifetime...it is heavy and beautifully detailed - 1-7/8".  I beaded around it for her, added pearls and crystals and a hot pink, Ultrasuede backing - it's one of her favorites (or at least I like to think it is).

The lovely old silver-plated piece, next to it, arrived in yesterday's mail.  This will, somehow, be turned into this year's gift...I just haven't figured out how to use it, yet.  It was a car visor clip, with the lethal looking, sharp prongs still intact behind it.  It's a full 2-3/8" long.  Perhaps a project for the next few days, just to stay out of the 115 degree heat we are expecting - my computer said it was 105 degrees last night at 11:00!  THAT is why I don't pay attention to the actual temperature readings here (those of you from out of state who always ask and I can't tell you - this is why)...can't do anything about it anyway!  Happy weekend - hope yours is cool!