Tried something new today.
I got it into my head some time ago that I’d like a new bracelet to go with my medic alert tag. Not that I don’t like the one I have, but it’s nice to have a change once in a while. The cost, however, has kept me from buying one. But recently, Boy #1 has been making necklaces and earrings and little tags to hang on his backpack (which actually went back to the county, seeing as it was supposed to be a tote for the laptop that he never got back after the upgrade). So this gave me the idea that I could make one for myself.
I had a lot of beads from a couple of necklaces that I broke long ago. One was beads of black jade, and the other had these little beads that looked like fresh-water pearls (I’m pretty sure they’re fake) as well as some interesting glass beads in purple and pink. Add to that a couple of stretch bracelets that my SIL in MA made for me a few years back, and I ended up with an interesting collection of beads, including some metal spacer beads. So, I purchased a box with a variety of clasps, earring wires, etc. and read through the paper of instructions that they included. The instructions asked for "tiger tail" wire as being strong and flexible. Last night, after dinner at the IHOP, we went to A.C. Moore and I found some tiger tail wire, as well as some turquoise and carnelian beads, and the all-important crimp beads to use in creating new designs.
The result: today I made two bracelets. One uses the black jade and faux pearls, and makes a pattern using a double wire. I staggered one black bead, then two pearls together, separated by a tiny golden spacer bead. I put a set of the pearls on each wire, so there was a total of six beads between each of the black ones. It’s hard to describe, really. I’ll have to see if I can get a picture. This bracelet is stiffer than expected and a little smaller, but the lobster clasps make it long enough to be comfortable with the tag in place. It was also hard to work with since I wanted as little wire showing as possible.
The second bracelet came out much better. I alternated the black jade with the turquoise beads, using a flat, six-sided star (looks a little like a sheriff’s badge) to separate them. This one is much more flexible and fits as well as my original one. I even bought some tiny charms to hang from each bracelet, just as I have on my original one. It was an interesting experience, and not easy considering how much my hands were shaking (something the Girl commented on).
I’ll do more later as the muse moves, I guess. I have vague plans for the purple and pink beads, and definite plans to use the black jade and the carnelian together. I might even have enough of the turquoise beads left to put them with the carnelian ones.
But for now I have two new bracelets and can give my original one a rest.
In other news, I’ve written Luci and Jeff (along with Grandma, Kyrano, and – for the moment – Tin-Tin) out at CIR. I’ve told those in the RP that they can count on Jeff for brief visits and phone calls, and if necessary, I’ll play him then. But Luci is definitely out of the picture, so the girls who are still there (and those who want to join) don’t have to worry about correct characterization or grammar or spelling or even earth logic. All I ask is that they use Jeff sparingly, especially since I didn’t leave them with the enormous task of having them write the boys dealing with their grieving father, which had been my knee-jerk reaction last month.
Thunderfan is gone for the moment and I got as far as I could with that story before the site went down. As a result, I’m turning my attention more toward IR:TNP and the Magician RP, which we’ve moved to an MSN site so we have control over the actual group. If Daria starts up her canon-only RP again, I’ll volunteer to play Jeff, though at this point that offer might be met wtih some resistance, especially since a certain unnamed player seems to be of the opinion that she can play there without me. Sorry, doll, but I was there first. Just because I didn’t play the movie RP doesn’t mean I won’t join the next TV oriented one.
I’ve got to get back to my fanfics, though. The characters are beginning to clamor in my head again.