pretty little things

{photo credit: me}

remember that time i went to ornamentea and bought a bunch of pretty beads? yes, well, the purchased beads sat for a long time in a pretty dish on my dresser. i liked to look at them and feel fancy. i tried to impress others with them, too. "oh, those? dahling, those are my decorative beads." news flash. zero people are impressed with beads in a dish. welp, it was worth a try. might as well put them to good use. have a look-see.

{photo credit: me}

better than beads in a dish-earrings on a jar!

{photo credit: me}

{photo credit: me}

i love the color combinations here

{photo credit: me}

these earrings make me think of chips and black bean salsa. i think it's the turquoise. 

{photo credit: me}

{photo credit: me}

{photo credit: me}

these guys are headed to swank!

the colorful beads make these earrings look so summery, and even though i'm not in love with this season, i think i can at least pretend to be when i have these babies hanging from my ears.

i've recently been following a new blog and etsy store that has the prettiest handmade earrings ever. the artist, megan, is totes adorbs and is a wiz at making pretty little things. her earring designs are very simple but so gorgeous. check her out!

do you have any new blogs that you've discovered? what's been giving you inspiration?

bedazzled!

{photo credit: me}

"woman was born to create. in creating she becomes herself, accomplishes her destiny. to create is not merely to produce a work, it is to give out ones own individuality." -jeanne de vietinghoff

yeah, de vietinghoff, preach it. when an artist makes something, the main purpose is not necessarily to make another thing. the process of making and creating and crafting is sometimes the most important, the most therapeutic. it's during this time that i discover my personal crafting style or look. when i make a greeting card, sometimes it takes me an hour just to figure out what color combinations i want to use. it's all a part of the process.

i have more recently been teaching myself how to make earrings, and it's FUN. i get to play with wire cutters and tiny pliers and even tinier beads that i like to knock out of their containers and spill all over our carpet.

there is a great little shop in downtown raleigh that i frequent, well, frequently.

{photo credit: trazzler.com}

ornamenta is a craft lovers paradise. they have a huge assortment of beads, scrap booking supplies, craft tools, yards and yards of pretty ribbons and lace, cards, and books. i have no idea how they fit all of their great stuff into such a small space, but they make it work. my favorite item they "carry" is a glass canister full of (free) chocolate kisses. um, OK.

i went in last week to "look around" and ended up coming home with a paper bag full of gorgeous beads. take a look!

{photo credit: me}

{photo credit: me}

{photo credit: me}

i haven't started crafting with them, yet. i'm still in the honeymoon stage. i have them sitting in a pretty dish, and i just look at them and swoon.