Where did the time go? and Catching Up

Wow!  Time really got away from me, I had no idea that it had been so long since I had been able to sit down and make a post.  With all these boys, I am surprised that I remember to brush my teeth.

Let's see ...

First  - I created 3 bracelets for the 7000 Bracelets for Hope blog hop, but I was so excited to get them in the mail that I didn't take any pictures.  Seriously - my mind decided to take a break for a couple of weeks.  My youngest, however, was sweet and made sure that he created a special picture to be included with each of the bracelets in addition to my notes.

Second - My creative mojo has been missing. Literally gone bye bye.  I don't know the cause, but I am glad that it is over!  I have been able to sit down and make a couple of new bracelets.  I hope to get a couple more completed before Sunday and will post pics of all of them then.

Hmmm Let's see what else is going on .. Oh yeah!  I have been enjoying making my way through the Bead Soup Blog Hop.  Sadly I wasn't able to participate this time, but I have been so inspired with the beautiful designs that I have seen so far.

Little League Baseball has begun here in Georgia and the youngest is excited to play again this year.  So far he's already missed 2 out of 6 practices due to his breathing issues, but he's a trooper.  Rescue inhaler is definitely at the ready all season.  Spring mixed with running around outside in temps that range from 70s to 30s here wreak all kinds of havoc on him.   Be prepared for a multitude of pictures as the season continues.

Oh! Oh! I went shopping and found me some wonderful chain and beads.  Wanna see??? I so can't wait for everything to arrive ...

First the chain - I purchase my chain from a variety of vendors, but this time I went to one of my favs which is Antiqued on Etsy.  Here is what I picked up from her .. and aren't they all just gorgeous!

Then I went looking for beady goodness .. Let's face it we all know that there is no such thing as too many beads ... For the beads I went to Beads by C (Beads and Botanicals).  She has some amazing sample mixes so I grabbed up 5 of her mixes.. and let me tell you .. when she adds them to the shop they sell fast!  Just beautiful!  

And I have asked Melinda Orr of Orrtec to create some S-clasps for me that I can incorporate into my designs.  I am excited to see what she comes up with.. and by the way have you seen her new patina pieces??!!  They are fantastic.  I will be ordering some soon. 

I guess that just about catches me up for now... How are you all doing? What are you creating? What components have you been grabbing up?  If you've blogged about it put the link to your blog in the comments :) 

Much love

Shell 

Blog Hops and Fog Lights .. Who knew?

I have to keep up with my promise for two posts a week. I was at risk of missing my goal until I realized that today was Saturday - YIKES! 

So first there are two challenges going on.. 

First is the Copper Component Blog Hop hosted by Kristi Bowman.  Participants could choose between two different copper components.

This ammonite one

Or this sea urchin one

You have got to check out Kristi's blog DreamSomeDreams to see the list of participants.  The different designs are all beautiful! 

Another blog hop in the works is the 7000 Bracelets for Hope blog hop co-hosted by Erin at Elysian Studios and Christine from One Kiss Creations.  

This is an amazing opportunity for jewelry artisans across the world to come together to benefit a great cause.  Head on over to either of their blogs to get more details, sign up and to grab yourself a button.  

On a non-jewelry related note, I realized two things

The first - friendships are born in many different ways.  I made a friend this week that I never would have thought of as a friend.  Actually we were kind of frenemies.  This week something clicked and I can see the beginning of a wonderful new friendship blooming.

The second - never underestimate the usefulness of fog lights. I have never used mine before tonight, but to all those skeptics out there.. they really do work!

This week I have learned that amazing things can spring from people and things that have been in front of me for a while.

Much love
Shell