The Pearl is the Oyster's Autobiography

I decided Wednesday that I was going to look at more pearls. I found them and bought them...LOTS of them.

Tahitian blue and light green grabbed my eye this time, so I bought every pack they had. Now, with a lighter wallet, fewer hours, and a blister on my thumb, I have several new pieces of jewelry to sell. :D

I couldn't leave the store without strolling through the silver aisle. Silver will probably be my downfall. I found some cute little diamond cut spacers that I thought would look amazing between a couple of pearls. They are tiny and sooo sparkly. While I was working with them, I couldn't fight the urge to make them glisten in the light. My husband was not as amused as I was. What can I say, I'm female. I like pretty, shiny things.

I started working as soon as I got home. I made a necklace and matching bracelet with the light green pearls and the spacers. Yesterday I finished up a hand-knotted Tahitian blue necklace. I think I've finally gotten the hang of knotting each pearl. I think it does give them a more elegant look. Here's a preview of the green necklace while I was working on it:

This picture doesn't nearly do it justice. I had to use my phone, because I let the camera battery die. If you want to see the finished product you'll just have to check out my etsy shop some time tomorrow. I should have the 2 necklaces and the bracelet up soon. 

I'm taking my wonderful hubby out to Brazilian for Valentine's Day in Atlanta. It MAY be more for my pregnant, craving self. lol Either way, we'll both enjoy it. I made him (I can't keep secrets) open his present early - the entire box set of Rocky films along with a giant tub full of snacks for movie watching. It seemed like the perfect guy gift.

I hope everyone has as great a weekend and Valentine's Day as I will!!!!

Winter Weather Advisory? Snow Problem.

In the land where Summer lasts from April to November and Winter doesn't grace us with it's presence until mid-February I have found myself staring at that little red notice at the top of weather.com: Winter Storm Warning.

The chance of snow tonight has now risen to 80%, and I for one have had enough. This will mark, at least, the 5th time that it has snowed in central Alabama since December. In the time between December and now we have been stuck in the house for nearly a week, we have lost money from missing work, we've lost power, and I'm starting to lose my sanity. Bring back the heat. Bring back the 95 degree temperatures that feel like 112 with the humidity. Shoot, bring back the mosquitos. I would gladly trade them all if not another single, solitary, stinkin' snowflake fell in our yard again this year.

The only good thing that comes from such awful weather is the time I have at home to spend with my family and work on my store. Sheer boredom can really get the creativity going, and my husband, though he knows nothing about bows or tutus, makes a great sounding board. During the last big snow I did manage to get my 4 year old to try on a tutu, but he drew the line at a ballerina twirl.

With this winter nastiness, I won't be able to go out for new supplies. I had thought about stopping by the craft store on my way home tonight, just in case. I think I have a new addiction thanks to the pearls I made. I find myself searching for the number of colors they come in. How would pink look with silver? Can I throw some glass beads in the mix somewhere? Are there any good inspiration sites? My mind is racing with ideas. That's it, I've talked myself into it. Craft store, here I come!

New Everything!

Within the last month I have opened my shop on etsy, made a store page on Facebook, and created a new Twitter account. This blog seems to be the last step in my online campaign for the Lucky Clover.

When I started buying up all the ribbon and silver I could find, Steven and I joked about how busy I was about to become. Things were supposed to fly off the shelf as soon as I posted it for sale. It hasn't. This online business is not easy, but I think we've finally figured out a plan of action that will jumpstart my revenue. I have business cards on the way. We've made a flyer template that we need to get printed up. All of our brainstorming sessions are about to come to fruition.

As some of you know, we have a little boy (Lleyton Gear) due on April 22nd. The Lucky Clover Boutique is going to be my job while I'm at home with a newborn. We are way behind in what we need to get done before the baby gets here. lol His nursery hasn't even been started. My friends with little boys have been kind enough to give me their hand-me-downs, so we won't have to worry about clothes for a little while. My oldest son, Koi, is very excited for his little brother to get here. He asks me almost daily how much longer. He's only 4, so he doesn't quite grasp the concept of months. For him it seems like an eternity. I've been worried about how different having a baby in the house will be for him. He's had 4 years of me and his grandparents all to himself. He's just a tad bit spoiled, but that will change soon enough.

Onto the crafting stuff. I've been trying to learn new techniques for bows, and I've also tried out some new stuff with my jewelry. This strand of pearls had me in fits:

It took me a few days to make. Hand-knotting is an art form, and I have a new found respect for the people that do it. I got half way through before I realized I had messed up. Two of the pearls were touching, and there was no way for me to fix it without starting completely over. The end result came out fantastic though. I really, really love this piece.

Last week I was browsing around the craft store when I came across these great plastic appliques:

I love all things Irish, clovers, and anything green. I knew I had to have them. Figuring out what to do with them has been another challenge. I was looking through my ribbon and decided to make use of some white and yellow ribbon I had:

For some reason, most of my ribbon is satin. I know grosgrain is a lot easier to work with...I guess it's the shine that I enjoy more. I really do need to start buying up some grosgrain. Anyway, I decided to make a couple of little tuxedo bow clippies with my clovers:

I haven't got them mounted on an alligator clip yet, but this is what they look like. It feels like it was just Christmas and New Year's, now it's Valentine's and St. Patrick's Day.

*Sigh* Well, I've been pretty long winded with my first blog post. I'll have to make it a habit.