True Blue

Spent the weekend creatively. Haven't made jewelry in awhile, especially seed bead work so decided to try a pattern that I've been admiring for some time. The only problem was I had some beads that I really wanted to use and wasn't sure if they would work in this particular pattern. The beads were called sapphire blue and are 3mm Czech glass round beads. To me it was more of a light cobalt blue than sapphire and seemed to compliment the stash of cobalt blue silver lined seed beads that I have. However the pattern calls for size #11 and #8 seed beads...how big is a size #8? Was it as big as a 3 mm? Still don't know the answer to that question but the size 3 mm round beads appear to work and I like the over all look of them in the bracelet. Guess that's all that matters?

As I worked the design I thought about what type of clasp to use and knowing that the original pattern called for a button clasp I contemplated using something different, mainly because I really didn't have much of a selection in decorative shank buttons. On a whim, or perhaps more of a hunch, I scouted through my button tins (all three of them...those Danish butter cookies have the nicest tins).

Finally I found a couple of cards of old shank buttons. How old ? Well let's say I bought them back when my daughter, Wendi , was only 2 and she is going to be 38 this summer. Guess that would qualify them for being Vintage ? The cards are marked La Mode, which is a brand name of sewing notions and, according to the card, the buttons were made in Western Germany. I was fascinated that they were not sewn to the card packet but each was held in place by a tiny metal pin that looks very much like a little cotter pin, very cute and rather quaint. Anyway they were the right color of blue so they are now a component of the bracelet which I named; "True Blue Heart". Corny yes but my brain wasn't very sharp this weekend.
Well it's finished and it's pretty and it only took me 10 hours to make...let's see at $10.00 an hour that would be...hmmmm don't think so !!!!