the whole world, in my hand...

Oh how I love my new Utee melting pot!
Today I dipped some of my paper mache beads into the thick, amber colored magic for the first time. I was so excited how a little bit of shine can make colors and depths appear and turn ordinary beads into extraordinary.
It's a little tricky dipping the stuff. It's super hot, and not exactly easy getting the coating on each bead evenly.
After some practice, I'll get it down.
In the meantime, here's a pic of some of the beads, and the necklace I made today with three of my favorite paper mache beads.

Turquoise and red this time

After a few months of pure heck, I'm back and home and tinkering again. I got some bead box organizers at Jo-ann Fabric the other day and it inspired me to make something with all my beautiful supplies.
Here's a paper mache bead necklace I finished today. I made the turquoise and red beads from paper mache I recycled from old newspaper.
It's chunky, funky and colorful -- an instant old favorite!

Shrunken Monday Night

On Monday night, life unexpectedly gave me some FREE time. My daughter stayed over at her abuela's house, and my husband was obligated to work late.
I dashed over to Michael's Craft Store and bought some Ruff 'n Ready frosted Shrinky Dink plastic and some colored pencils.
I played around and made several pendants with the stuff, and was overall pretty pleased with how they turned out. I especially like the hippie-colored rainbow ones.
Late into the night, I also created this turquoise beaded necklace that will probably become a staple in my everyday jewelry collection.
Not bad for a few hours work!