I finally got a chance to see the new Trollbeads. I had been wanting to for a while. I was a very good girl. I did not buy any of them. I just looked and planned.
I didn’t see the gold : mini heart, golden wreath, or brilliant hearts; or green or yellow jade.
Surprised by
I was surprised by paradise birds — I loved it, and had thought from seeing it online that it would be one of my least faves.
The lock
Love the swan lock!
The glass
I thought all the glass were a bit smaller than ones in the past, except for the baby boy/girl/hope beads. I prefer them the larger size.
The amazonite
The amazonite was pretty, but had a lot of white in it. I expected it to be more solid green.
Carved flowers
I loved carved flowers — @ $97! But I was pretty sure I would love it, sight unseen. Oh yeah. Love it. Book Girl said it was her favorite of all of them.
Silvers: The chick is adorable!
Zucchini flower and heart ball are large and ornate, very nice. Soccer ball should be a hit.
Fantasy butterfly is beautiful and just like the ones with glass.
The kiss is hard for me to see.
Heartbeat is great for nurses or doctors.
Do you have faves? Have you bought any?
Are you planing to buy any?
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I enjoy beading so I thought I could figure out how to bead a bracelet from a leather lariat. I have one of the early Pandora leather lariats. Mine is quite short, maybe 18-20 inch. Now they make it 36 inches, which is what they should have done in the first place.
Anyway, consequently I didn’t wear it much because I generally like my necklaces to fall longer. I have on occasion worn two lariats together to get the length.
I noticed in one of the Pandora brochures, they showed the lariat as a bracelet, doubled, but they only had one bead on it. Consequently they didn’t need to worry about a number of beads sliding together.
I WANTED THE BEADS TO STAY IN PLACE, not float into each other. FIRST ATTEMPT
In my first attempt, I knotted between stations and only went around once. This works good too.
SECOND ATTEMPT
I thought I’d see what I could come up with using some of the ideas I’ve seen elsewhere.
DIRECTIONS:
Take your leather cord and double it. (It can be just cord you buy, not a finished necklace as I had to work with.)
Knot the end where the silver ends are (or where your cord has the cut ends.)
Pass the doubled end through your beads.
THIS IS WHAT I FIGURED OUT BY DEFAULT.
You will be passing the doubled end through the beads a second time. Some of mine didn’t have a big enough hole. When I figured that out, I staggered my beads so that the ones that wouldn’t pass through twice were in stations by themselves, so that the cords passes through 3 or so a single time, then passes through 3 or so doubled, then 3 or so singled, etc.
THE BEADS STAY IN STATIONS
The result is that the beads stay in stations and do not fall into each other when you wear it.
THE CLASP:
After you have gone around the bracelet twice (with some only once) make a knot about 1/2 inch down from the doubled end. This becomes your clasp that you pass over the knot at the other end (which is now at the same place on your bracelet.)
To take it off, take the loop off the knot, and loosen the bracelet enough to get it off your wrist.
Open
To put it on, put the bracelet on your wrist, tighten it, pass the loop over the knot, spread out the stations and they stay all day.
ALTERNATIVE CLASP:
Attach the two ends with a Troll Clasp or other similar clasp — or one you make yourself, which I have also done.
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Flipping Brilliant is a short little inspirational book based on penguin life, but it is filled with wonderful, wonderful pictures of penguins.
It is also available as a Kindle book for $6.39. But I’m not sure you’d want it as an ebook yet, because you would lose the color photos. I don’t think black and white would be quite as good, despite the majority of penguin color being black and white.
I had no idea there are 17 different kinds of penguins!
Ever wonder why the Emperor Penguins march so far from the sea before making their nests? This book has the answer — because when the ice begins to melt, if they are too close to the sea, the entire colony would be lost.
I rate this book 5 star for the photos, and the inspirations drawn from them are better than I expected.
Have you read it?
Trollbead/Pandora/Chamilia/etc. penguins
BTW, for those of you who collect trollbead bracelets or Pandora, there are plenty of different styles of penguins to choose for your bracelet. Barbara Maria has one (she designed TB geese) that is really cute.
Another management book: Our Iceberg Is Melting by John Kotter
If I had time right now, I’d read this book among the first of the books I have to read. But it will be on a later agenda, even though it is an approximately 45 min read. It looked very interesting at the book store. Additionally, you can find it at $9.99 for your Kindle. This fable is about a penguin colony faced with a potentially fatal problem. Along the way, the author teaches 8 insights into how to understand and manage change.
Have you ever thought that change either comes too quickly — or not soon enough.
Managing change, the unexpected kind, might be a good thing!
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I’m hoping it will be a great resource for many of us.
So far, there are several artisan glass makers who have joined and have their information posted as well as some gorgeous silver compatible Bali beads from a shop in Australia: redbalifrog.
You can see pictures and meet new friends who share the same interests.
I’ve also posted pictures of the new Murano beads for Pandora that will be available shortly and Jasper beads for Troll that are not available in the US.
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10. They make you happy.
9. They are easy to transport ’cause they’re small. That is, until you collect several drawers full as some aficionados have at their finger tips.
8. It’s nice to be able to commemorate a happy time.
7. Once you get into collecting them, you can do themes in your designs.
6. There’s no end to available beads. Isn’t that great!
5. They aren’t just for bracelets and necklaces. If you’re creative, you can come up with lot of ways to wear them.
4. They are lovely to give or receive as gifts. Duplicates welcome of many of them!
3. They add color and fun to your life.
2. The hunt takes on a life of its own.
1. You meet some of the nicest people, online and in RL.
What can you add?
I know you love your beads too! I suspect there are as many reasons for loving Troll beads as there are beads to love. I love this bead…and this bead…and this one…and that one…and the one on your bracelet…and where did you get that one? and those OOAK (now called Uniques) are pretty terrific too.
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The back story is that years ago my great-aunt brought me back lovely charms from Scandinavia. I had put them permanently on a bracelet. Lately I wanted to make it more Troll-friendly. It was just blah, sort of, without any Troll — and feeling quite lonely, LOL! And I wasn’t wearing it . I purchased several clip beads that I felt I could clip between the charms. That worked, but didn’t give any color, and I was afraid I might lose the clip if it wasn’t clipping tight enough over the chain.
Yesterday I beaded pearls and Swarovski crystals to alternate between some of the charms — that added color and left me with lonely clip beads.
After some tweaking, I made a ring. It’s going to be a favorite!
IF YOU WANT IT TO BE ENTIRELY INTERCHANGEABLE: USE 1-3 CLIP BEADS depending on the size of your finger across or if you want to wear it on your little finger.
MINE IS PARTIALLY INTERCHANGEABLE: I can change the two outer clip beads (these open and shut as stoppers.) I knew I’d keep the center bead as it has moonstone and never really showed up on my other bracelets, but it is central to the ring.
DESIGN POSSIBILITIES: Use clip beads with non-clip Troll-type as I did or use a central bead with beads that are simply large hole beads.
I bet we could get one of our glass people at Addicted to Troll Beads and More to make some small large hole beads to use on rings!
If you’d like to join the yahoogroup, send an email to: Addicted2Trollbeadsandmore-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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Do you have a serious love for these little suckers?
It can be addictive and expensive. More so if you are into collecting any of the all gold ones.
Sometimes it’s good to be a beader to come up with some alternatives. It’s great if you are a glass artist and can make some of your own lampwork beads. Alas, I am not. But I do appreciate a beautiful bead.
Do you have a favorite local shop or do you buy online (or online too.)
I’m an equal opportunity beader. I collect the beads I like, regardless of brand. I shop online and locally. Haven’t yet found any when I vacationed, but it would be a good excuse to add another one.
Do you have bracelet(s) only? or necklace (s)?
Do you tend to put them together and then leave them? or do you move them around?
I put mine together how I like, then start another one. I do re-do them if I have a great idea.
OTOH, I know folks who put theirs together every morning for their outfit and have loads of beads in a tray that they pick and choose from. I can’t imagine doing that! We all could use ideas for storage.
Good news! I started a yahoogroup as a resource for all of us.
It is not affiliated with any one brand or any store. I’m reluctant to talk about other brands in a store or forum that sells another brand. Here, you can talk about them all.
If you are a store owner, you are welcome to list your store in our files. Tell us what is special about it — and if you do online business.
If you are a customer who particularly loves your store, be sure to tell us.
If you are a lampwork artist or a silver bead artist, tell us about your products!
Let us know any good ideas or design ideas that you have. You can post pictures in the photo section.
Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Addicted2Trollbeadsandmore/ and sign up. I hope to see you there!
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Today was a lovely, lazy, very busy — oxymoron, I know — happy, productive, fun day. I did nothing — and everything.
Meanwhile some tropical storm or other is likely sitting off the coast because after having no rain for longer than we’d care to remember, we are getting inundated with it. No thunder; no lightening; just lots of glorious, wet weather. Good weather for ducks.
I like rain — any rain. I like the sound of it. I like the overcast nature of it — which can be overcast in one place and across the street the sun can be shining. Unlike Michigan where it would be overcast all over for days.
I like it that it breaks the heat and humidity.
The temps dropped from in the high 80s, low 90s, to the high 60s. Glorious weather.
I like the smell of rain. I look for the perfect scent of rain in a fragrance, and I’ve tried out several. Some I just like to have around to smell when I want that ozone/dirt perfect fragrance. The latest I’ve tried is Thundra — a truly lovely, interesting fragrance. I might review it tomorrow.
And I stayed in all day except for all the schlepping of the kids. The 11 yr old had a field trip today in pouring rain. I sent her off with a sweatshirt and an umbrella. She came back wet.
Night products Admission: generally I don’t take my makeup off at night. Bad Karin. But I don’t perspire, so my face is still clean. Last night was no exception, but I wanted to use the Arbonne night cream. So after I cleansed my face today — with the Arbonne samples — I put on night cream and enjoyed the day. I actually think I could apply my makeup over the top of it, but I never got to it.
When I was in my 20s, night creams were too rich and would break me out. And moisturizer alone, without something to seal it in, wasn’t moist enough. I’d wake up drier than I’d like. So, for me, my regimen has been pretty much no night products, unless I wore them in the daytime, or unless I was jump starting my face.
I don’t recommend this if you have oily skin or if it doesn’t work for you. But whatever works, works!
To buy Arbonne from Bookgirl, if you don’t have a representative, just ask.
So what did I do?
You got me, but the day flew!
No, seriously, I did a lot of beading to catch up with projects I had.
Oh! and I started a yahoogroup for serious bead addicts of Trollbeads, Pandora, Chamilia, Biagi, artisan or other beads http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Addicted2Trollbeadsandmore/ It will be a place for resources of all kinds, including shops or artists that might want to tell about themselves.
I helped my 13 yo learn to iron so her skirt would look better for school. Schlepped the kids, including waiting at the bus stop until she was picked up — and again until she was dropped off — as it was raining too hard to let her stand out there in the elements.
Talked to the Arbonne rep (hi, Sherri!). Talked to a lot of friends (you know who you are.) (I can tell Sherri will be one too.) Talked for a long time with my sister while I waited for youngest to return from her field trip. Did a bunch of adoption related stuff. Cannot ignore the horror story now going around in RL or the adoption related horror movie that will be coming out soon.
Knew I would write in my blog, if I could break away from beading long enough.
Helped BookGirl decide some things about her art work. She helped me choose between patterns of beading.
Will write another Arbonne review in a few.
Leave me a message so I know you are out there.
I’m going to enjoy the sound of the pouring rain. How about you? Do you like rain? Is it raining where you are? Do you need rain? We were parched here.
Karin
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