Instagram with Curling Stones for Lego People

As I've been a bit quiet on the blog lately, only posting when I have something I want to say, I find I'm using my Instagram a bit more often for bangle combos and updates...

If you want to follow me there, you can find me at curling_stones_for_lego_people but here are a few shots of what I've been buying and wearing this year so far...

L-R: New copper and brass bangles from Cottingley Treasuers, Work Wear - X Jewellery & Born of Fire,
Gig Time - old favourites with Eske Storm / Trollbeads / ACA Kreations / Endangered Trolls

L-R: Work Wear - X Jewellery and Born of Fire, Time for a Walk - Bluebell Woods, Iron Age Fort in Wales,
Old Favourites Returned - Eske Storm / Trollbeads, Born of Fire glass with Cottingley Treasures Bangle/Stoppers

John Grant's North Atlantic Flux - Sounds from Smoky Bay
L-R: Saturday, Sunday & Monday, newbies on Monday were Chocolate links X Jewellery,
Ohmbeads Typo Collection, Pandora leather with Born of Fire Glass.

My last Instagram post was showcasing that new Brass hammered bangle from Cottingley Treasures, had been umming and ahhing about what to pair with it to get the most out of it... I looked down at the pattern on my top and voila!

Cottingley Treasures Brass and Born of Fire Glass

I often think my Instagram can be quite an odd mix at times, lots of wrist shots but mixed in with walks and cups of tea!

Do you have an Instagram Account?

If you do/did, what do/would you post?

Purple leather bracelets oh my!

Bead wise, or should I say bracelet wise, it's Trollbeads that's had me a bit perky this week as they've launched their new look single leather bracelets in a variety of colours and with a unique bead as part of the package... and they've finally done one in PURPLE* leather!!

New purple leather bracelet from Trollbeads - Stock Image

I love leather bracelets, from being a teen and tying leather thong around my wrist and leaving it on way longer (without taking it off) than is probably sanitary, through to the bigger brand and jewellery options from the likes of Trollbeads, Rebeligion and Story and a variety of artisan makers inbetween.

A word of warning for newer collectors - the leather on this version of the bracelet, is 4mm so your regular Trollbeads WON'T fit, other larger hole brands will, as well as some select silvers and of course the Trollbeads larger core range, called Universal Uniques, which is the bead that's being sold with the new bracelets.

New Trollbeads Single Leather Bracelets with unique beads

The beads you get are a bit of a lucky dip with only a few retailers showing you which bead you might get with your bracelet.  They are selling in the UK at £40 for both the bead and the bracelet.

I've mostly stopped buying outside of the UK since sterling took a dive last June, however I did find that one jewellery store worked out cheaper despite the exchange rate, so it's always worth having a quick check if you don't mind hunting out a bargain.  I'm fine with the wait knowing I've saved a few pennies - as that's always been the downside of buying outside of the UK for me.

I have a black and a purple bracelet on their way, I'm so glad the new versions just have the logo embossed onto the leather rather than printed, or my logo issue (I dislike obvious logos on jewellery) might have made these a no no for me.

I'm also really excited to try these with my own beads, as I'm hoping my cores will be compatible, especially as I get to make exactly what I want to wear - skills permitting of course!

What's got you a bit perky this week?

*yes I do know there is a purple two tone version, but I've longed for a purely purple one since I started collecting...

...and on the 7th day, I'm waiting for the 7th bangle

I've been having a love affair with bangles ever since I plucked up the courage to try the Trollbeads bangle.

Trollbeads Carved Amber with the first Trollbeads Day beads
on the silver bangle

I've never really worn bangles much before this, the odd cuff that could be bent to my super small wrists, or perhaps the 80's fashion of multiple stacked metal bangles but generally bangles don't suit me.

Then there was an oval shaped one that did, and the rest is history.

3 silver bangles with Summer Stones

Very quickly I acquired 3 silver ones, who doesn't like to stack?

Rebeligion Skulls, X Jewellery and 2 silver bangles

Then came the copper version... Then the twisted silver and copper versions, add to this copper and dark oxidised stoppers followed by decorative stoppers and I barely wear anything else.

Copper, silver twisted and silver bangles

Copper and Silver Twisted Bangles

So what is the 7th bangle?

Well you'll just have to wait as although I'm camped by the letterbox it hasn't arrived yet...

Do you stack your jewellery?

Is it piled high, or artfully aranged in it's simplicity?

Favourites from 2016

I haven't posted many photos recently, and partly that's because I keep wearing the same combos over and over again! So what were some of my favourites from my new buys this year?

ACA Kreations / Endangered Trolls collaboration - I have one each of the high shine and oxidised versions launched in late September. What tickled me is they came the day before I went to Denmark - so I took them straight back to Denmark the following day for a visit.

Ohmbead's Luna / Oxidised - I adore this bead, I have both versions but it's this bangle with the oxidised Luna that is so often on my wrist. I've barely changed this since it arrived, here is a pic taken only this week, still going strong from May!

Trollbeads Twisted Bangle / Silver - as you can see below the twisted version is pretty much constantly on my wrist, I love this version of their bangle. It was only released in early September but it's a firm favourite already.

Ohmbeads Typo Beads / M - I only have the M so far, but I intend to get ARS in January to add to it.

True story,  a friend asked why I'd spelt ASS wrong, when I mentioned I needed A, R and S and another friend asked "Didn't I need an E?"... they're all obsessed, or they're trying to tell me something!  In time I also want "Born of Fire" too, and okay, okay, I want all the alphabet plus multiples!!

I do have other favourites (who only has 4??), but these have all stood out for me and either have got, or will get, a lot of wear and be going strong into 2017!

Notes from 2016 - it seems I'm still quite the bargain hunter; there were a lot of preloved and sales buys in my box!  In fact most of the new full RRP items were either very Limited Editions (buy now or forget it!) or stoppers - I seem to have bought a lot of stoppers last year!

Name wise, for 2016 a combined variety of artisan makers topped my buying list, I bought more beads and jewellery from artisans than the big name brands.  In this list I include the lovely Eske Storm, Scott Bouwens and the fabulous ACA Kreations/Endangered Trolls collaboration shown.

Second on my list, unsurprisingly, were Trollbeads, with Ohm coming a close third, plus a much lighter scattering of X Jewellery, Elfbeads, Thomas Sabo Karma and Pandora (only bracelets for the last two).

I wonder what 2017 will bring?

What were your favourite beads or buys of 2016?

Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen

Earlier this month I packed my bags, a few beads and got on a plane.

Endangered Trolls / ACA Kreations Trolls

It's a trip I've been longing to do for some time and a few chance conversations on the Internet (don't you just love the ones that lead to adventure) and one emergency Passport Application later... I was in Copenhagen!

The timing couldn't have been better, Tivoli Gardens, the world's second-oldest operating amusement park in the world (the first one is in Denmark too in case you were curious) had just opened up for Halloween 2016, a long time after first opening it's gates in August 1843!

Now I must confess; Trollbeads is the reason I'd even heard of Tivoli in the first place...  However my longing to go to Copenhagen had way surpassed my love of Danish Jewellery quite some time ago - the more I read, the more I wanted to visit.

There is only so much one can accomplish in 72 hours across 4 days, however Tivoli was right up there on my list.

I'm not a fan of rides, but I love wandering around fairs and one permanently set in the middle of a city, with extensive gardens and an unending supply of Glogg to take the edge off an October Denmark chill was just the ticket.

I spread my visits across two days, one with friends during late afternoon to early evening, and one at night so I could indulge my photo habit at leisure.

The decorations for the seasonal opening for mid-October to early November are beautiful, it's definitely worth having a look at the gardens during the day, and then a visit at night to appreciate how beautiful it is when it's all lit up.

Trollbeads aficionados will no doubt be disappointed by the closing of the Tivoli Flagship Store, (it now sells nuts), however I recommend you don't skip Tivoli Gardens on any shopping trips; you'll be missing out otherwise!

I love spontaneous trips, I love the adventure of something last minute!

Are you a planner or a "Let's go!" "When?" "How about next week?" person?

Budgets and Decisions... and a pre-order discount!

Bank Holiday Weekend in the UK and I have a rather sedate time planned.  

The weather is somewhat grey today, and as I had unexpected expensive expenses this month (as both my car and my fridge/freezer needed repairs and replacement respectively) - you can imagine some online shopping for beads with my budget next month seems super exciting by comparison!

I've actually been really good over the last few months and have been underspending my budget which is practically unheard of, plus it means I have a bit extra to spend for September.

So what to choose? 

As a fan of Ohm's Bead of the Month I've been given a break as I was less keen on August and September's offerings, lovely charms just not for me!  The new Trollbeads release is ready for pre-orders for September delivery and X Jewellery have just released details of their new collection, oh, and I did rather like the new Thomas Sabo Karma release and it's not long before details will emerge on Redbalifrog's next release, Enchanted Glade.  Plus at the end of next month it's Endangered Trolls first release partnered with the fabulous Alex of ACA Kreations. 

I was going to wait to see what Redbalifrog had to offer, and I definitely wanted a Troll from Endangered Trolls and Alex's collaboration, so I thought my spending would be at the end of September... but I have been tempted down a different path a bit earlier than planned.

New twisted bangles in silver and copper from Trollbeads - release date 9th September 2016

Trollbeads 15% off Bank Holiday Weekend deal via Acotis, who are offering the 15% on new pre-orders as well as existing collection, spend over £100 and you can throw in a free travel case too!  

I had to stop at just Trollbeads as they are offering the deal across all brands!!

My choice?  One of each of the new twisted bangles and lots of stoppers are on order... I still can't get them until September but it will be something to look forward to next month!

What's tempting you at the moment?

Meeting myself coming back...

I don't think anyone would be surprised if I mentioned I was a wee bit busy at the moment... it seems to be just what I do these days rather than being anything out of the ordinary!  It does make blogging a tad difficult though... loads of content, not enough time to write about it!

I did almost meet myself coming back at the end of the month due to two epic trips - of the travel kind not the oops accident kind thankfully.

The first trip went without a hitch and a marvellous time was had by all, but the second, which although last minute, should have been relatively straight forward... turned into a large saga.  I don't mind, as I often think some things happen for a reason, and it led to a chance conversation as I was somewhere I wouldn't normally be at that time... which led to another conservation which I had no idea was even possible, which, if any of it goes to plan (ha!), could lead to some exciting opportunities next year - so it's had a very interesting, but totally not expected outcome... nor anything I could have possibly imagined...

...and yes, that will remain cryptic for quite some time, but when I can eventually tell you about it, whether it happens or not, I'll remind you of this post!

In other news, I have been steadily buying bits and pieces, however, unbelievably I'm well on target for my New Year's Bead Resolution of spending less, go me!  Yay for preloved beads, lovely artisan makers and sales with HUGE discounts!

There have been a lot of Skeletons turning up; on X links, bone beads and full skeletons, not THE skeleton though before anyone gets too excited.  I've been a very happy bunny to have so many arrive!  I haven't taken many photos (bad Mars) so I'll just tease you with these two, the X link and the Bone Bead which is my new favourite bead.

One of my big treats was via a sale.  I added the Trollbeads Amethyst and Malachite Fantasy Necklaces to my collection; I'm ashamed to say that after waiting so long for an opportunity to buy them during a sale I've not done much with them... it's the whole meeting myself coming back effect.

I've indulged in some of the new Trollbeads Spacers, or new stoppers, but more on those another day... and I've even bought myself a Pandora Bracelet, well ordered it at least!

Yep, all of this in the last 6 months and I'm still on track, I can barely believe it myself!

What has surprised you this year?

Do you think I'll blow my "half year" budget in the last 2 weeks of the month?!

Sticking to my Budget?! 16 days to go!!

Well, this is a surprise post!

I started 2016 with good, nay, great intentions of really cutting down on how much I spend on beads, and then promptly managed to spend January, February and March's (strict) allocations all before the end of January!

In my defence, (there's always a defence), February's allocation was for OHM's Love Cage and if I hadn't have preordered in January I don't think I would have got one...  March's allocation also has a defence too (see earlier bracketed comment) which was spent on a preloved Amethyst and an old letter style bead both from Trollbeads.  Sometimes with beads you are looking for you really do need to grab them when you see them if they are at a good price preloved.

Oops I almost forgot that February also included some of the new oxidised stoppers from Trollbeads too... I actually have no excuse for that one as I could have picked those up anytime!!

I am exactly halfway through March and provided I don't spend anything for the next 16 days, I will be on target with a strict budget for the first quarter of the year... if I achieve this - it really will be a first!

Mars xx

First beads of 2016 - Midnight Brilliance

I seem to be going preloved, new, preloved in my bead purchases this year - and yes that is 3 months worth all paid for in January!  I knew that trying to start the year by being uber-strict in the amount I was going to spend was a tad unrealistic.

I ignored the new collections generally and decided to go down the preloved route with a 3rd Trollbeads Midnight Brilliance when one popped up for sale.

No. 3 in the middle, it's a tiny bit bigger than my first 2

Oops, what do you mean I haven't shown you the first two I bought last November??

When Midnight Brilliance was released by Trollbeads last year as a Limited Edition Black Friday bead - it came with a hefty promotional discount as part of the launch - 25% off if you bought it between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  Ergo, it meant I could save quite a bit of cash as I knew straight away I wanted two... part of what I call my "Noah's Ark Bangle Obsession".

My original 2 Midnight Brilliance beads

I guess this is another exception of when I did go for it at release date!  It wasn't a cheap bead so the 25% off promotional price brought it down to a more acceptable level, but I knew it was going to be popular as well as cheaper and I really didn't want to miss out on a pair!

...with matching clear overlays

I asked the retailer to send me two matching ones as I didn't want to end up with another Sahara Night situation...

I have two Sahara Night Facets (below) that have very different amounts of clear and never look quite right if I try to match them on a bangle, nor a bracelet or necklace for that matter; must buy a 3rd in the hope I get eventually get a pair.  No wonder I deviate from my budget so often!

NOT matching clear overlays

I thought I was done with my January shopping, but I couldn't resist adding this lovely preloved amber to the mix,  It has striped ridges with some circles in a pattern that I don't have on any of my other amber beads.

I've just had a sneaky peak in my bead box and think I have enough amber beads to make up a 3rd amber bracelet, hmmm, not had a play with my ambers for a while.

Enough Amber left over for a 3rd amber bracelet?

How many multiples do you indulge in - beads, shoes, boots, jewellery?

Do tell! Or are you strictly singles all the way?

Collections pass me by...

I've been reflecting over the last month on the changes in my bead buying and to a certain extent my interest in collections; I've become far less bothered about the main collection release dates at the time of their release.

Trollbeads Cambridge Preview Event - January 2015

2015 started as it usually does, and I really enjoyed the preview evening at Trollbeads Cambridge for the Spring Collection and the event at Jeffries Jewellers in South Wales for the Trollbeads Easter Collection in March, but after those two releases I've somewhat lost my way.

Wrist Shot - Jeffries Jewellers - Easter Event March 2015

I've not gone to see any of the new collections on release day, and I've not seen some of them at all - and I'm not talking about just the recent Spring or Valentine beads released in 2016 either.

If I look at what I bought over the course of 2015, it was a real mix of new, preloved, main brands and artisans - but, and here is the main difference... compared to previous years there has been a lot less of buying new collection pieces on, or near, release day*.

Ohm's Bead of the Month - October 2015

*with the exception of the Ohm's Bead of the Month beads and Elfbeads Deal of the Year, as those were a buy now or forever regret your decision kind of purchase!

So where is all this rambling taking me today, well nowhere really, since I started with my New Year's Bead Resolutions I've become fascinated with my own spending habits and bead acquisition in it's own right and I've noticed a stark contrast to how this year has started compared to previous years.

But don't worry, I've already spent March's bead budget before January finished - some things never change!

Have your bead buying habits changed over the years?

A Different Kind of Halloween

I was convinced that I would need to break up last year's Halloween Bracelet* in order to make another as there were so many "must have" beads on that bracelet and I love the combination of black, orange and green!

*actually in my case an all year round bracelet - bats and skulls are not just for October!

OHM's lovely Deadhead Bead arrived just in time!

Then, being stubborn I decided to try and do something completely different with my haul of new beads - mixing them with beads that are currently "off bangle", available and perhaps some that have not seen much action lately!

This is what transpired, it is totally NOT what I had in mind when I ordered my new beads!

I went for a completely different colour palette of soft pinks and purples with metallic blues, hard stone and a sprinkling of soft black just to add some contrast.

The detailing in OHM's Deadhead bead is fabulous and you can just see the chain peeking through the eye and the teeth; I can't wait to try this on a coloured leather bracelet!

Another stand out bead for me is Elfbeads Everscale silver.  I love the sweeping curves that are not neat and even, and when you find the sweet spot for it on a bracelet it really *pops* - yes I know that sounds so cliched but it actually does!  Here I've used it nestled in between Trollbeads Blue Tiger and the original Aurora bead.

New to me, but an older Trollbeads Halloween bead is the Spider, it tends to spin on a bracelet looking like it's about to start creating a new web any second, it's a gorgeously detailed bead for those of us with a fondness for our 8 legged friends!

Another new one from my haul was Redbalifrog's Book of Spells, a  different design front to back and lovely "bookmark" detailing on the top and bottom of the bead.  Here it's between my Trollbeads Blue Hematite and Aurora Stripes, and to finish off this side of the lock; another of my favourites... one of my retired Trollbeads Zodiac Stars in Onyx.

My glorious new (to me) Redbalifrog Frog Lock, I've had my eye on this lock ever since it was released and I finally have one.  Longer than my average locks (think Big Fish/Flower in Trollbeads terms) it adds length to my bracelet but nothing I need to worry about.

Trollbeads Three Monkeys is another old bead, but again one that I've only recently picked up and not really used yet.  Great detailing as is often the case with older silvers, and it complements the same level of details on the new Trollbeads Heart Catcher (or more recently rebranded Wicked Web?).  A Spider on one side and a Heart on the other, either way, it's becoming a firm favourite of mine!

Incidentally on the Heart Catcher / Wicked Web shown above you can just about see that the heart and the spider are lined up in the same spot!

Another new silver (I really was on a shopping roll) was Cyclops Skull from Redbalifrog, I fell in love with this as soon as I saw the campaign images; it's just as glorious and full of detail in real life as we've come to expect from Redbalifrog.

Finally Trollbeads Silver Path of Life is seen here in between the Valentine bead from 2014 and the Aurora Flower bead.  I've barely used the Valentine bead but I love the contrast here between the copper hearts and the skull!

I had this bracelet as a Work in Progress when I first photographed it late at night to show some friends - but in truth I've not changed anything about it from my late night bead play.  All I needed to finish it was to see it again in daylight to realise I'd cracked it first time around.

What do you think to my new take on my Halloween Bracelet?

New era or should I stick to my beloved orange, green and black?

Double, Double Toil and Trouble

I'm having a Victor Meldrew moment here... a glorious 5 days of feeling much better after Lurgy 1.0 finally gave up defeated after our epic month long battle, and then I went down with Lurgy 2.0 on Friday...

An unexpected visitor who came to see
what I was up to last week... I think he heard about
my new Redbalifrog Lock!

So far it appears to be a faster, quicker version so I'm hoping it's also a shorter version and that I might be sane & healthy by the weekend.  I really don't fancy another 4 week stint - I have plans and a life to get back to!

As a result of Lurgy 1.0 I indulged in my Redbalifrog Wishlist starting with the Dragon Lock that's been at the VERY top of my lock wishlist for years.  This was shortly followed by the Frog Lock from the 2014 Me'Lange Collection and two of the charms from the Myths and Legends Collection that debuted earlier this year: Book of Spells and Cyclops Skull.  Which you might notice is doing a headstand for the photo, bear with me, it's been one of those weeks!

Look what happens when you're stuck at home ill!

In the background you can see I'm catching up with my rubber links from X Jewellery, the not so new but gorgeous Khaki colour, with more on the way now I've seen the colour in person!

I also wanted to show you what's been on my wrist this last week or two, a slightly belated delivery of beads that have gone straight from parcel to bangle.

Scott Bouwens Glass Beads

Two gorgeously deep red and black beads from Scott Bouwens - if the name sounds familiar to Trollbeads fans, Scott was the designer of the Rocky Beach Kit!

These weren't the only beads that arrived, nor my only Scott beads... but it's time to have another Lemsip and I'm flagging a bit.. so I'll leave you with just these for  now!

What new things are you looking forward to?

Glitter & Leaf, Sparkle & Earth, Troll & Elf Beads

I buy very few full kits of beads by any brand, but there are always a few exceptions, Rocky Beach Kit by Trollbeads was one of my first and the silver half of OHM's Rawr Collection is one of my most spectacular, but today I'm looking at 2 different glass kits from Trollbeads and Elfbeads.

The Sparkle Kit from Trollbeads was released as part of the Spring 2014 Collection, and whilst I've used the beads individually I always wanted to do something "more" with them.

Trollbeads Sparkle Kit - Spring Collection 2014

Another set of beads, which aren't actually a kit as such, but which I do have all the variations are the Earth Beads from Elfbeads, I've always thought they would play well with the Sparkle Kit but I've never been able to manage anything I wanted to blog about before.

Elfbeads Earth Beads Set

I started off making a bracelet with lots of Dragon Beads, but whilst it was fun - it didn't quite do it for me, so  I set that one aside and took away all the dragon beads.  I still wanted to try and do something with the two kits, so undeterred, I had another go!

Chinese Silvers 2009 with Sparkle & Earth Beads

All I did was add a different set of silvers and tweak the colour mix... this brings a completely different vibe to my Chinese Silvers Bracelet, it's much softer than the turquoise agates I'd been using previously and I really like the mix of gold glitter and leaf with the silver beads.

What do you think?