Fabulous Friday vs Saturated Saturday

So who else has new collection news exhaustion?!

Bravo to all the "Hot Off the Press" Bloggers and Retailers alike as I was pretty much glued to my mobile and then my computer screen for most of yesterday... what a Friday!

Trollbeads Gold Love Art Collection and the People's Bead Winner "Perfect Balance"

Trollbeads Christmas Collection 2014

From Trollbeads we had the previews of the new Gold Love Art Collection, the announcement of the People's Bead Winner (Congrats Mirjam!) and previews of the Christmas Collection, all available to buy on the 1st, 10th and 17th October respectively.

Then came an unexpected preview of the new X by Trollbeads Christmas Collection entitled Glow X Amaze - available 5th November.  Initially when I read the title I thought there might be a glow in the dark link (my mind works in weird ways) but when I saw the new red Limited Edition links I got a little bit excited!  Black & Red, Red & Bronze, Silver & Red, Red & Silver & Bronze, oh my!!

X by Trollbeads Christmas 2014
Glow X Amaze

So, now, on Saturday, I'm sat with my coffee mulling over the choices... what on earth do I do next with my current budget - I am determined to try and make good my promise to myself to spend less on jewellery this year, as well as my "upgraded" New Year's Bead Resolution to have saved more than I spend on jewellery.  I am well on my way with the former and hoping to meet the latter with 3 months left ticking on the clock.

So back to the beads...  What are my top picks from the affordable?  I say affordable as whilst I am very taken with the Gold Love, Live and Forgive bead and the Silver and Gold dangle Lucky Love, these are way out of my league unless I have some unexpected dramatic change of fortune.

Trollbeads Gold Love, Live and Forgive and Silver and Gold Lucky Love Beads

X by Trollbeads Visible Path

There isn't a price point for Visible Path yet from the Christmas X release but I've not yet bought any of the X pendants and I'm assuming this one will also be unaffordable on my current budget.  I do see some X pendants in my future but not my immediate future!

Initial thoughts are again I favour a lot of the X links... I'm beginning to see a pattern here, not bad for a brand that are barely a year old!

X links Flash of Light and Single Lots of Love

Limited Edition Red Rubber X Links for Christmas!!

X double link Slide Ride and Bronze My Star

From the Trollbeads Christmas release I've been a lot more choosy, there aren't individual pictures of the glass yet and I know I don't want either of the two kits in full.  So they are very much a wait and see, and also a see in person for actual finish - I liked a lot of the glass last Christmas, but found the finished designs could be a lot less like their perfect stock photo examples.

Trollbeads Heart 4 You and Holly Bush

Trollbeads Snowballs

Just 3 of the silver, unusually for me I really like one of the heart offerings, definitely want to see the other side but from the "front" I do like this.  I'm also so glad to see Holly in silver, being a bit of a fan of Holly in a nice hedgerow!  Finally I've chosen Snowballs as a possible contender, I wasn't sure at first but the more I look at this bead the more it grows on me!

Finally the People's Bead was announced and again I like the simplicity of this glass bead, I'm not a fan of black and white beads normally, but I think this is nicely done and as long as the quality control is handled well I think it will work beautifully on a bangle for those of us who've never quite mastered those black and white combos!

People's Bead Winner 2014 - Perfect Balance from Mirjam Seling

Right I don't know about you folks but I need another cuppa and possibly a lie down after that little lot!

What do you think of the new previewed Collections?  Splurge or Save? 

How do you decide what to get first if your wishes exceed your budget?

Trollbeads Space - Sky at Night Bangle

I've always liked the 2 tone Trollbeads with silver and gold, but even despite my spending on jewellery in general I always find it difficult to part with the big sums for statement beads.

This is slightly illogical because in some ways when I look at my bead box in hindsight now, there are beads in there that I would happily swap out for those statement beads, but I think this is a natural progression that a lot of collectors go through, first you want variety and lots of choice and once you've achieved that you start to turn your thoughts to those "other" beads you've always admired from afar.

Space is one of those beads, and as it only has a tiny bit of gold it's at the more affordable end of the silver/gold range, ironically I think it's one of the nicest.  I love the gun metal grey beads in the collection and especially those to do with space and the night sky.

I've had an idea for a Sky at Night bangle for a long time and I finally got to make it when Space arrived...

I've always counted myself very lucky to have found 2 Navy Galaxies; even now, knowing how lucky I was (timing and a wonderful trollfairy), I would still love to have more!  Those Galaxies, paired with Blue Goldstone, and the two silver and gold planet themed beads have finally allowed me to finish that Sky at Night bangle I've been dreaming of.

Amber & Blue Daisy Bracelet

I love amber and I've added a couple of great beads recently to my collection.  I decided it was time to rejig my current amber bracelet but first I needed to dismantle it and add the new beads to the pile...

My amber bracelet is one of the few bracelets I have that remains permanently made up, so taking it apart always feels a little odd.  I absolutely adore amber and these are mostly uniques, apart from a couple of the Limited Edition World Tour Amber beads, as I have 3 Baltic Gold and 1 Runes; I've not collected any of the production ambers yet.

Out of habit I started to make another all amber combo, and then stopped.

I always do this (who doesn't love an all amber bracelet) but for once I gave myself a new challenge, to finally make "that" bracelet with amber and my Daisy bead; an idea I'd had way before I ever got my first amber or my Daisy bead.

To add some spice I threw myself a curveball; I'd also acquired a new glass unique, shown above, from the recent D4E big unique sale and I was keen to use this too.

Plan B was shaping up... an amber, blue and Daisy bracelet!  I set to work!!

I had to fiddle with the placement and choice of amber beads quite a lot - my beads are mostly all different but I did want some semblance of symmetry, well as much as you can have when the beads are all different shapes, shades and sizes.

It's taken a while to get used to this bracelet as it's not one of my normal colour combinations (and I've been wearing a lot of X and my black lambskin Story bracelet recently) but after a day or two on the wrist I'm beginning to appreciate it all the more.

Rocking my Daisy - black leather and all silver bracelet

Original photo snapped and tweeted on the night

For me, this is third time lucky.  

Long term readers will be aware of my previous failed quests to acquire the silver and gold Trollbeads Daisy bead.  It's not rare; it's a lush 2 tone, large and very detailed chunk of a bead in current production; I was just trying to collect one at a price I could afford, which was nowhere near it's RRP.  I have been watching every sale opportunity, and have made several attempts to buy, two of which resulted in orders, money taken for the bead, which were later cancelled due to no stock available.

Buying Daisy has become a bit of a running joke between myself and my troll friends as it slips out of my grasp time and time again, so it was really exciting when one of those friends sent me a message about one becoming available.

Trollbeads Daisy is made up of 3 Daisy heads back to back with petals cast in silver and each disc in gold.  Each daisy head is different and together they form a large organic triangular shape.

You get quite a lot of room around the chain when it's on a silver bracelet, nothing to worry about - it's the same with a leather bracelet and it just means you can sit the bead where you like in the design.  

Never have I been so happy to buy a particular bead and to feel exactly that same way when it arrived, and several days later - no artificial high of being able to find it at the right price to succumb to a later comedown.  I still can't quite believe I finally have *my* Daisy.

Recreated shot - slightly more in focus!

This is what I did with it on the day it arrived and I've not changed it since.  I love the leather/all silver bracelet combination and can see this being a firm favourite long into the future.

I will get around to playing with Daisy on a silver chain eventually - my original plan, way back then, was to have a Daisy & All Amber bracelet... still sounds good after all this time!

Somebody pinch me; I think I'm still dreaming.

Red leather bracelet with a very special bead - 2 tone Planet

Initially starting out as just an enabler for others in the July sales, I soon ended up joining in myself, I just couldn't resist those bargain prices!

Despite 2 failed attempts, six months apart, to buy Daisy, (the 2 tone bead I have been trying to source at a rock bottom price), I had better luck with my 2nd choice of 2 tone bead in the recent sales - Silver and Gold Planet.

Now I had it though, I wasn't 100% sure what to do with it, it's still quite hot in the UK so I really didn't fancy wearing a full silver bracelet and I wasn't getting any inspiration (yet) on a bangle combo.

I really enjoy looking at different ways to wear my leather bracelets and as I'd picked up a red leather recently in the same sale I thought I'd try to do something a bit different with it to showcase my new bead. 

I decided to try wearing my bracelet with a ribbon necklace I picked up at a craft fair earlier this month, it has 3 ribbon strands with a simple clasp and will wrap around my wrist 3 times if I'm careful.

Red leather and ribbon bracelet: includes Snow, Silver and Gold Planet, Sparkling Stars
Endless, Brew of the Moor, Taurus

I love the look with red leather and ribbons and I think the different reds really show off the gold in the bead without it being too in your face.  I've seen a really great combination using 2 tone Planet and Space showcased by Trollbeads Studio so I think I know what other 2 tone bead I'd like next!

I haven't forgotten you though Daisy, you will be mine one day! 3rd time lucky?

Silver Wisdom (and a peek at Gold!)

"Five precious stones that together symbolise wisdom.  An opal for loyalty; an amethyst for peace of mind; a garnet for devotion and grace; a turquoise for courage and success, and a lapis lazuli for competence."

Wisdom photographed by Pauline

That is the official description for this next bead, Silver Wisdom.  I've been really lucky to be able to secure this bead for my collection, and at a really great price, this was down to luck, timing, a lovely seller and a helping hand from Grandma in the form of Birthday and Christmas present money to help me out!

I'm really glad that it was my Grandma that helped me buy this bead, I enjoy having beads that remind me of experiences, friends, families and stories.  It was my Grandma who taught me to read before I went to school which started my lifelong love of reading, she did the same with her children before they started school, and with all her grandchildren and she's now making a start with her great grandchildren!  So for me, Wisdom, is a very apt bead to have come from my Grandma!

Here are the different sides of my wisdom bead, showing all the stones.

As soon as I got it I started playing around with combinations to see what it would look like with different beads, as it has several colours and some very different stones there is quite a lot you can do with it, here are some snapshots of what I tried...

  

However whilst I had fun playing with mostly glass beads, what I really intended was to make something with my zodiac birthstone stars.  

Here is my Wisdom & Stars bracelet, I opted to include a lot of colour in this one and I think it will remain a keeper for quite some time, unlike my usual make, wear and unmake approach to finished bracelets.

Wisdom as worn by my Trollbead friends!

Wisdom is such a versatile bead that I asked a few friends if they would allow me to show you some of their bracelets and necklaces using Wisdom.  They kindly photographed their creations for your viewing pleasure! 

(Warning - you may experience some pleasurable bead envy looking at these photos as they have some fabulous beads in their collections, I just love looking at these and including them has been my pleasure!)

Bracelet featuring Gold Wisdom, photo and bracelet by a Trollbead friend

Wisdom Bracelet "Perfect Purples" and photo by Anne

Bracelet featuring Silver and Gold Daisy and Wisdom, bracelet and photo by a Trollbead friend

Wisdom, photo and bracelet by Jules

Wisdom Bracelet and photo by Pauline

Wisdom Bracelet and photo by Jules

Wisdom Bracelet "Ferns" and photo by Anne

Wisdom bracelet and photo by a Trollbead friend

Wisdom necklace and photo by Jenny

Gold Wisdom bracelet and photo by a Trollbead friend

Wisdom bracelet "Teals" and photo by Anne

I love all of these combinations; the bracelet immediately above also contains beads from one of my favourite artisan bead makers, Christa Keizer at Luccicare, Christa makes some lovely beads so it's not a surprise to see other trollies making such good use of them!