Elfbeads - A Sensational Launch Offer!

Elfbeads really started to gain momentum in 2014 and it the was the launch of the brand in the US at Great Lakes when I finally decided to join in with all the fun.

Elfbeads bracelet & lock (view is of the bottom of the lock)

4 beads duly ordered to qualify for the amazing promotional offer of a free bracelet, lock and Limited Edition Dragon bead and I was away.

Double helpings of Midnight Flames and Stardust Dunes were ordered and these have already featured in my Spirit in the Sky Bracelet and complementary bangle last month.  However what you won't have seen yet is the middle bead below which was a gift from Great Lakes due to a longer than originally anticipated wait for the order.

My first 4 Elbeads with an unexpected free bead!

I really didn't mind waiting as both Great Lakes and Elfbeads had been very clear that if they opened up the promotion to those online (originally it was only ever intended to be an in store promotion) then the wait could be very long indeed as they promised they would honour all online orders by making extra beads, dragons, chains and locks, no matter how long it took... given how popular the promotion was I'm surprised they managed to meet all the demand before Christmas!  Do you think they actually had to employ real Elves to achieve this?

Midnight Flames and Stardust Dunes in use on my Spirit in the Sky Bangle and complementary bangle.

I don't have many navy beads (they are nearly all on this bracelet and bangle) so it was quite unusual for me to start with the blues, but I adore the Elfbeads blue beads.

My favourite use of them so far is in this Bracelet that was put together by Victoria over at Endangered Trolls using Alex Cramariuc's Octopus.  I foresee there may be a few more blue bracelets in my future, and hopefully some of Alex's fabulous work too!

So what about the Dragon?  Well as you know if you've read Curling Stones for any length of time, or followed my A to Z series, I'm rather fond of  Dragons, so a dragon in glass curled around a bead as a body was definitely going to be a hard one to resist.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my lovely glass dragon, now called Idris, but I never worry about where beads will ultimately end up... it generally all works out in the end!

Finally the lock and bracelet in more detail.

The Elfbeads system is similar to my Karma bracelet in that you have a hinged lock that closes around the bracelet end, but different in that the bracelet is completely free of the lock (like other modular jewellery systems) so that it's completely interchangeable with different locks, or will be once Elfbeads move on to their next design.

Elfbeads bracelet - beads are loaded on the smaller end and the cap at the larger end stops them falling off.

There is 1 lock design currently, the Elfbeads Treasure Chest.  Mine is clearly in silver... but this has also seen a version in Gold that debuted at the Great Lakes launch.

The lock also has two separate sides to open, the trick is to remember which end the beads come off so you don't open that one first!! (A common issue for charm enthusiasts)

Elfbeads Bracelet and Treasure Chest Silver Lock

There are 2 different ends to the bracelet, the smaller one is where you load your beads on and the larger one stops your beads falling off.

Elfbead bracelet ends in detail

What makes this bracelet and lock system interesting is that the lock completely sits on the bracelet as a bead in it's own right.  I'm really looking forward to what lock they make next!

I'm hoping they'll make some stoppers as well... and I've definitely got my eye on some of their silver beads... but one thing at a time!

Have you discovered Elfbeads?

What do you think - have you indulged, want to, or will you pass?

Spirit in the Sky Bracelet

Themed bracelets have been a relatively steady staple for me this year and although this one has been a particularly long time in the planning; I do feel it has been worth the effort in securing the right beads.

Skeleton Spirit was released as part of the Fall Collection in 2013 and I was there on release day to pick up Lenny, my first, and very thoughtful, head inclined to one side, skeleton.

Trollbeads Skeleton Spirit

This remains one of my favourite silver beads, and Lenny has been to a lot of places with me over the last 12 months; however it was time for Lenny to have some friends...

Friends for Lenny

Recently the US had a 4 for 3 promotion, similar to the old Trunk Shows, and this was the perfect time to buy friends for Lenny, I'd always intended to do this via a Trunk Show, just before they were stopped - so despite my budget concerns I wasn't going to miss out on this promotion, just in case it was a one off!

Really I wanted 8 friends for Lenny, but even I have to draw the line somewhere.  Well for now at least; the original version of this bracelet included 9 Skeleton Spirits.

Over the last 18 months I have also been very slowly picking up as many of the Navy Galaxy beads from the Small/Big & Beautiful releases as I can, this has been a long term project for me and I'm still very thankful for the 8 I've found so far, I've also been backfilling my collection with 7 of the now retired blue goldstone beads once I realised I couldn't afford 8 more Skeletons!

My bracelet is almost ready to go... I've only shown a few friends the progress I'd made at each stage over the last year, but I'm sure they will be equally pleased that I've finished it to this "almost" version, as I've never been satisfied enough to wear it (or indeed blog it) until now - although they did say the other 99 versions were fine...

I had just enough beads, or so I thought, but due to a gap on the 17cm bracelet, I also tried this on a 16cm RBF chain, but it was too tight and didn't look right... what to do?

Another reshuffle, back to the 17cm bracelet, 1 blue goldstone out and 2 Elfbeads to the rescue with the inclusion of of a pair of Midnight Flames and I was good to go.

Spirit in the Sky Bracelet

Of course, if you know me well, you'll be wondering where my complementary bangle is?  Time to pick up that recently discarded blue goldstone and pair it with more Elfbeads, a couple of Stardust Dunes this time and voila!

I still want a few more blue goldstones and navy galaxies (also called navy meteors) to finish this bracelet but I also wanted to wear it now - I shall call this version T minus 1!

Are you searching for any particular beads to finish off a project?

How long would you wait for the perfect bead?