This and That

Hi y'all,

Well I am taking a break from sewing those little beads and thought I would post some pictures of some treasures I have been accumulating lately.  Warning this is a lengthy post.

My Son went to Australia and New Zealand in March and these are the beads he brought back to me from New Zealand. 

A tube of Paua shell beads and buttons.

Shell beads, died Mother of Pearl coin beads, and two blue and clear glass beads wrapped in copper wire. My Son said out of all of these beads the two little wire wrapped beads were the most expensive.  He did a good job! I love my shell and glass beads.

I participated in Amy Severino's  Spring Fling Challenge and she had a giveaway to those of us that participated in the challenge.  I was the lucky winner of this beautiful kit of beads.

High Strung Beads is the one and only locally owned brick and mortar bead store in Montgomery, AL and I  enjoy going and shopping there when she has a trunk show.  This month she has a trunk show with gemstones, fresh water pearls, and other beads.  Here is what I got at the show. I do not know the names of some of these so if any of you know please tell me I will appreciate the information.

I know these are died, but not sure if they are Agate or Jasper. 

I have no idea what these are I just know when I saw them I had to have them!

Amethyst, Mookaite,  Fire Agate died aqua, and Fire Agate died olive green.

Jasper donut

On Monday May 7th I went up to visit my Sister in Alabaster, AL.  We went to lunch and then went to a bead store in Birmingham, AL.  This is what I got there, they were also having a gemstone trunk show.

I believe these are Agate but not sure. I love the color and pattern on the beads.

I do not know the name of these but I love the color.

Jasper bead and a Paua shell cabochon.

My Sister has commissioned three necklaces for three different friends of hers they are all from the Caribbean and are Rastafarian.  

She wanted a Lion of Judah on one of them with the red yellow and green colors of the Jamaican flag. She picked out the red Jasper and some Red Creek Jasper at a bead store in Helena, AL that we went to back at the end of March. I found the lion pendent at a store on Etsy.  I did not like the red Jasper and the Red Creek Jasper together so I looked in my stash and found some gold 3mm Czech glass beads and some 4mm Aventurine rounds. I made links with the beads and attached the brass chain that came with the pendant to the ends of my hand made chain. 

When my Sister and I were at the trunk show in Birmingham she picked up these wooden barrel beads and asked if I could make a necklace using these and the Red Creek Jasper. I laughed and said "Why sure I can!" I picked up some brass tone metal 3mm bicone beads at Hobby Lobby and the second necklace was born.

At the same trunk show my Sister got these green and variegated red and yellow glass beads. I added the gunmetal colored metal beads and the wooden spacer beads and the third necklace was born. 

The rest of what I have been up to lately has to do with challenges.  First challenge for May is revealed tomorrow.  Come back tomorrow and see what I created for Sharyl's Bead Packet Challenge hosted by Sharyl McMillian-Nelson.  Then on the 31st I will be revealing two challenges, Michelle Mach's Tiny Tins and Erin Prais-Hintz's Challenge of Literature.  June 12th is the reveal date for mine and Christine's A Time To Stitch challenge and last but not least the Beading Babe's reveal on June 24th.

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese