summer south west neutral

hi bead friends! wish to share my latest creation, inspired to come together this way by the south-west themed combos on our forum. please forgive my longwinded "story": the old west was from a "make a cocktail" mixologist contest at the goldmineTBboutique last year (i'd entered a "creme armadillo batidos" and they picked this bead as part of the winning prize). it usually lives w/my S.A. WT beads and stones. it is one of my all time favs (though never would've picked it myself--aren't beads fascinating that way?). the cactus (a total-never-paid-attention-before-whim) and black squirrel arrived today from the US "collector's" sale, and the kangaroo today too, secondhand. am also thrilled to have this waterlily arrive today from a lovely forum member who was generous enough to part with one. (thank you!) love that she came to me this way!    really "needed" one b/c the lily is the flower of july, the birth month of my gram who passed some time ago.  of course the "be happy" is a most prized special, she and the little snake like to travel together w/ a pair of smiles and a spirit of adventure during the summer. i do realize there are no waterlilies or kangaroos in the american southwest--they are a mirage brought on by heat and thirst--only seen by the delirious traveler hanging on by a thread there at the end.  

That's beautiful plumbun!

Love the cactus bead with its an interesting shape and texture. After seeing all the Old West beads here, I have grown to like it. "You all" have put me to shame...I have to redo, shape up and update my Southwest bracelet... I think it needs an armadillo of some sort too. That just makes sense.    

Very Trolly sort of Southwest and I love it. Do you really mean to tell me all those Kangaroos I saw on the highway from the bar where induced by the many many margaritas? Right? Well it was hot.  

Love the subtle colours and the silvers work together so well

I see rocks and dry land it is great bracelet.
I love the black squirrel looks always like hearts your one is perfect.

I love south west themed bracelets and yours especially with all the pale beads, lovely     I love what you said about the cactus, I have it as well, got in a sale and never noticed before but when it arrived I was lovestruck and it is one of my favourite small tbs

Plumbun, that is a real masterpiece in my opinion - I get halluzinations of kangoroos in the southwest just looking at it

Really beautiful!!

thank you all for the sweet comments

strike wrote:That's beautiful plumbun!

thanks strike! you always have something nice to say!

Gail201 wrote:Love the cactus bead with its an interesting shape and texture.  After seeing all the Old West beads here, I have grown to like it.  "You all" have put me to shame...I have to redo,  shape up and update my Southwest bracelet... I think it needs an armadillo of some sort too.    That just makes sense.    

hardly gail! pls show your bracelet again when you have time (couldn't find the current one, would love to see old and updated- no pressure)  

Treeinwind wrote:Very Trolly sort of Southwest and I love it.  Do you really mean to tell me all those Kangaroos I saw on the highway from the bar where induced by the many many margaritas?  Right?  Well it was hot.  

yes definitely "sort of" lol, u know, was gonna put something like that in the title at first and forgot; think ...margaritas landed the kangaroo in this habitat too...

Cloverbead wrote:Love the subtle colours and the silvers work together so well

thanks clover   glad you think they work (phew!) was thinking the lily could pass as a succulent  

Really a masterpiece!!! Beautiful combo and lovely stones and beads

Michelle wrote:I see rocks and dry land it is great bracelet.
I love the black squirrel looks always like hearts your one is perfect.

i see london i see france...i see a black squirrel's... well... it's funny, michelle, b/c my bf asked me "what is that bead called, a heart?" and i was thinking, huh? wouldn't have noticed if you two hadn't pointed it out.

(side note and "too much information" warning: was looking for one that had more lines than dots...once someone here (my memory...don't want to call the wrong name) made a hilarious analogy about its looks and female anatomy ...told my bf the whole story yesterday and he completely agreed and said mine has you-know-what streaks (and the hole)...   i still might want one w/the dots  

either way, a heart, yes, yes it is a heart    

minty wrote:I love south west themed bracelets and yours especially with all the pale beads, lovely     I love what you said about the cactus, I have it as well, got in a sale and never noticed before but when it arrived I was lovestruck and it is one of my favourite small tbs

   you are so right, the same thing happened to me. how do you combine yours? i imagine it as a perch for lovely birds (pictures, pictures!)    

Trollperle wrote:Plumbun, that is a real masterpiece in my opinion - I get halluzinations of kangoroos in the southwest just looking at it

 oh thanks, trollperle! hopefully i'll keep it together for much of the summer... for the halluz-ez mostly!

kyhalfpt wrote:Really beautiful!!  

thanks, ky!! i appreciate it.

reltan wrote:Really a masterpiece!!! Beautiful combo and lovely stones and beads

this is kind of you and trollperle to say, but when i think "masterpiece" i think sea bracelets like yours!   but thank you for saying so    (you do not tell lies      )  

plumbun wrote:

minty wrote:I love south west themed bracelets and yours especially with all the pale beads, lovely     I love what you said about the cactus, I have it as well, got in a sale and never noticed before but when it arrived I was lovestruck and it is one of my favourite small tbs

   you are so right, the same thing happened to me. how do you combine yours? i imagine it as a perch for lovely birds (pictures, pictures!)    

Actually I wanted to do a mexican bracelet first, thus the need of eagle, snake, cactus and rock in lake beads for the coat of arms, then I changed my mind and wanted to add aztecs and navaho and pueblo for a indian and south american themed bracelet but now I want to combine the themes with my spirit bracelet and actually there will be two birds added now that you mention it



Unfinished spirit bracelet, I actually might need a larger bracelet/maybe leather because I want to add 3 turquoise beads (no money right now) and 3 evolve beads, so the bracelet will be too short... and I need a matching lock, wanted to add the mexican lock when it still was a mexican themed bracelet but my favourite right now is the water lock... we'll see, will be a long time until it is finished  

plumbun wrote:

Treeinwind wrote:Very Trolly sort of Southwest and I love it.  Do you really mean to tell me all those Kangaroos I saw on the highway from the bar where induced by the many many margaritas?  Right?  Well it was hot.  

yes definitely "sort of" lol, u know, was gonna put something like that in the title at first and forgot; think ...margaritas landed the kangaroo in this habitat too...

The "sort of" is what makes it really Trolly to me, even the Trollbeads version of the cactus is "sort of" a cactus. I use the cactus as "sort of" an art deco look. That is what makes Trollbeads unique, things sort of look like something but not exactly, you have to look to see it, it is not all cutesy and in your face.

minty wrote:

plumbun wrote:

minty wrote:I love south west themed bracelets and yours especially with all the pale beads, lovely     I love what you said about the cactus, I have it as well, got in a sale and never noticed before but when it arrived I was lovestruck and it is one of my favourite small tbs

   you are so right, the same thing happened to me. how do you combine yours? i imagine it as a perch for lovely birds (pictures, pictures!)    

Actually I wanted to do a mexican bracelet first, thus the need of eagle, snake, cactus and rock in lake beads for the coat of arms, then I changed my mind and wanted to add aztecs and navaho and pueblo for a indian and south american themed bracelet but now I want to combine the themes with my spirit bracelet and actually there will be two birds added now that you mention it



Unfinished spirit bracelet, I actually might need a larger bracelet/maybe leather because I want to add 3 turquoise beads (no money right now) and 3 evolve beads, so the bracelet will be too short... and I need a matching lock, wanted to add the mexican lock when it still was a mexican themed bracelet but my favourite right now is the water lock... we'll see, will be a long time until it is finished  

this is already beautiful! TFS! looking forward to seeing the final; it sounds so interesting. you will probably "have to"   do a stack w/leather and full bracelet to capture the whole look.   

Treeinwind wrote:

plumbun wrote:

Treeinwind wrote:Very Trolly sort of Southwest and I love it.  Do you really mean to tell me all those Kangaroos I saw on the highway from the bar where induced by the many many margaritas?  Right?  Well it was hot.  

yes definitely "sort of" lol, u know, was gonna put something like that in the title at first and forgot; think ...margaritas landed the kangaroo in this habitat too...

The "sort of" is what makes it really Trolly to me, even the Trollbeads version of the cactus is "sort of" a cactus.  I use the cactus as "sort of" an art deco look.  That is what makes Trollbeads unique, things sort of look like something but not exactly, you have to look to see it, it is not all cutesy and in your face.  

you're so right. and the cactus could be art deco or like a cactus/gear or something

Very nice, I love it! Even more beautiful because of the nice memories and stories that are attached to the beads