Back in Town

My niece was in town for a brief visit - she had her niece's and nephew's graduation from JHS and a wedding (just for the record...it wasn't one of the kids graduating from JHS that got married!). Isn't she the cutest? I know, one should not have favorites when it comes to nieces/nephews, but I think because she was the first and we all "grew up" together in those days -- I have got to admit, she is my fav. And, she scores even more points for being my partner in crime, totally getting my excitement and love of "rocks."




And, speaking of favs, while I love all the pieces that come out of my studio, I do have favorites. Sometimes its the gemstones or glass beads that totally capture me and other times it is the end product that catches me by surprise, becoming my new favorite. Fickle, I suppose, but isn't that part of being a female? The good news is that we get choices and our favs can change from day to day and no one bats an eye. Let's see -- this would be my pick of the day. A beautiful bracelet totally inspired by one of the newer Kazuri beads that I got at the Tucson Gem Show in February. Platinum is new to their beadmaking craft and the black and platinum on these beads is lovely. Mixing it with glittery Czech glass makes a statement in contrast, of sorts. As many of you know, I so love working with Kazuri beads -- it's good to know that in some small way that, along with all of my Kazuri customers, we are helping to change the world one bead at a time. You can read the Kazuri story and see (and buy) other Kazuri designs at my site, http://www.tanyalochridge.com/. How about starting a Kazuri collection? Sounds good to me. It's a great way to spread the Kazuri word when people ask about the beads -- and, trust me, they will.