V is for Velociraptor

Last year in the A to Z I did V is for Vernier Scale, as I was desperately avoiding the obvious... it was my least popular post of the challenge!

This year I had resigned myself to cover Valentines as there are plenty of beads to show you for this.

I've already shown you one in L is for Love Hurts which was a fabulous Valentine's Release by Ohm Beads, there's my RAF Benevolent Fund bead (shown above) which is very dear to my heart, another Valentine's Day Release, this time by Trollbeads, and bought in memory of my Father-in-Law who'd passed away the year before.

However, late one night as I was going to bed last week I got hit with an obvious stick, repeatedly... I actually have the MOST AWESOME V bead which hadn't occurred to me until now.

Velociraptor from Ohm Beads Rawr Collection.  You can read all about my Dinosaur beads in detail here and how I swapped my car for them - but for today, V is most definitely for Velociraptor!

Phew, saved by Dinosaurs!!

P.S. I still don't have a Vernier Calliper!!

I seem to struggle with V... any suggestions for next year?

Themed Jewellery - Valentine's Day: Traditional Bracelet, Bangle & Fantasy Necklace Set

Sometimes when you're just bead playing you end up making something a bit special; at least that is what happened to me when I received some beads and a lock in the post.

Trollbeads don't have that many true red beads in the collection so when I picked up a second scarlet bud, two white stripes, another red stripe and a Heart Lock in a sale (one of the infamous liquidation sales earlier this year), I knew I wanted to have a go at making a more traditional Valentine's Day bracelet, and I had just the right heart unique to build the bracelet around.

Only I didn't stop at just the bracelet, I got a bit carried away and made a necklace and 2 bangles as well.

I tend to only dabble with themed jewellery when the mood takes me, or I've been inspired by a particular bead or set of beads; yet I know that this seems to be one of the most popular ways of putting together bracelets for some.

My everyday method is a bit more functional, I tend to match jewellery to my outfit (or in some cases choosing an outfit to go with a ready made bracelet) but I've played around with a few themes recently, just for fun like the set above, and quite enjoyed myself!

Now I'm curious! Do you make / wear themed jewellery at certain times of year?

What do you wear / make and what themes are your favourites?

Hit the comments and tell me more...

Oh by the way, you also need to "forget" ever seeing this post so I can reuse it come next February ;)