Way beyond the sea

This feels like old news by now (the event was last Saturday), but I've been wanting to show you the finished bracelet that I donated to Kathy's Garden Party.

By the way, last week was crazy, which is why I've been absent. So instead of doing a fresh post with new thoughts, I'll just give you the link to the BeadStyle blog. Which, by the way, is updated almost daily by the editors. If you like jewelry, it's worth checking out.

Ginger's charms

Today, I made a necklace with the tags from Ginger's collar. The back of her Planet Dog tag is engraved with her name, my name, and my contact info. And I just noticed that the drawing looks like her.

Behind that, the green rabies tag hasn't retained much of its original bell shape. It's worn from years of clanging, but I attached both tags because they jingle. If I jump up and down, I can make the same sound Gigi made when she trotted around. (Or, I could just shake the necklace.) And of course I added a heart.

I got the idea for this necklace from Lisa Havelin, a metalsmith who makes reliquaries to memorialize your pet. I've been trying to think of ways to do that; it helps me deal with feeling sad.

Yesterday I went to sleep with one of Ginger's favorite toys, her fleece buddy. It was covered with dog hair and crusty drool. A few swipes with a wet paper towel took care of that, but I don't feel the need to keep any whiskers or tufts of fur. The tags will do just fine.

By the way, here's a dusty photo of her that's on my bulletin board at work. Carole, BeadStyle's art director, says this is her favorite photo. (We think Gigi looks like a dachshund. I suspect she was a shepherd/hound — beagle or dachshund? — mix.) She looks pensive here; I love the slightly furrowed brow. If you click on the photo, you can see her squeaky pork chop in the background. She loved to run around the living room, chomping and squeaking and trying to get you to chase her.

Okay. I think that's enough about Gigi for today. (She'd get annoyed by too much attention.) Thank you for all the poems, cards, hugs, and phone calls — and for reading about her. Today definitely felt better than yesterday.

A call for hearts

Anyone know where I can get some vintage heart charms? Quick-like?

I'll be making 35 pairs of earrings for the winning bidders at Yukie's Team in Training bachelor auction. I need to send the earrings to her by the first week in May, and I just realized that tomorrow is April 1st. Yikes. By the way, the auction is a fundraiser for the San Diego marathon in June. More details to come...

Win a vintage bracelet kit!

Hey beaders, here's your chance to let everyone know your jewelry thoughts: Post a review of Cool Jewels: Beading Projects for Teens on Amazon and enter to win a vintage bracelet kit. The kit has all the supplies you'll need to make a bracelet like the one on the cover — including hand-picked charms (hearts, hearts, hearts!) and beads in my favorite retro colors. (If you want, I’ll even put the bracelet together for you.) Please post your review by November 1, 2007, and email me at cooljewelsnaomiATgmailDOTcom to enter. Thanks!

Favorite Cool Jewels projects: No. 3

"Tokens of Your Affection" (page 20) is one of the easiest projects in the book. Technique-wise, these necklaces require just opening and closing jump rings or making a couple of wrapped loops. Materials-wise, they don't require much effort or expense, either. You can attach almost anything to your chain!

Vintage chain works well. It's affordable, has a nice patina, and often has the perfect heft — not too heavy, but strong enough to support a few charms. The subway token necklace took me only a few minutes to design and put together, but I wore it almost every day last summer. Every day. I sometimes built my outfits around that necklace, shying away from busy prints. I finally broke the habit at the end of September, when I had to deliver the manuscript and all of the finished jewelry. Now that I've got it back, I wear it layered with the heart-and-key necklace. I'm enjoying the mixed-metals look.

Favorite Cool Jewels projects: No. 5

Every day this week, I'll post a photo of my favorite projects from Cool Jewels. Today's pick: "Charmed," the bracelet that appears on the cover. Maybe it's no surprise that I love the cover, but I didn't have much influence on the choice — that's left to the art director, editor, publisher, and circulation people. Like any author, I wanted something truly representative of my work, and this was it: gold and fun but not too flashy. Pink and green are my favorite colors (actually, blue is, too — but not in jewelry), so I'm happy we used a piece that included both. Incidentally, the Bingo Nut charm came from an Ebay bag of stuff. Bingo is like Lionel Richie: even if you don't play it, you're glad it doesn't ever go away.

Also, I have a sentimental attachment to this bracelet, maybe because I labored over it, rearranging to find just the right spot for each metal, enamel, and plastic piece. True story. Charm bracelets require time and thought to give the appearance of casual style.