Artbeads.com: Winter Enchantment Part 1

The sun is shining this afternoon, but the chill in the air is still enough to remind me that's it's still winter out there.  A few weeks ago I was walking down the street towards my apartment building and the frozen trees were catching the lights so beautifully that I had to run upstairs and grab the camera.  It was a bit challenging to capture the branches because the wind kept moving them, but with a ton of shots and some editing, I was able to get some good ones.

The glittery brightness of these brown branches was actually enchanting...so, when I got the note from Artbeads.com about the blog partner program for this month, I knew exactly where I'd go for inspiration:  the trees!

Pearls...glowing Swarovski crystal pearls.  The bigger the better.  Brown, copper, and bronze are warm on the inside and glistening on the outside.  My lovely friend, Casey, asked for a necklace with "something green and brown" so I immediately went for the big brown pearl and combined it with a mix of brass chain, a green garnet nugget, and a few smaller bits including a faceted green pearl and some lava rock.  I love the mixture of textures and chain.  Luckily she did, too! 

I've become obsessed with brass lately, so this pretty brass toggle had to be part of the mix.  I used to think "base metal" was just that...too base to be used.  But, as sterling silver moves out of the realm of affordable, I am totally digging the look of copper and brass.  Artbeads keeps their selection nice and fresh, so just about every time I place an order, there are a couple of clasps in the mix.

Since I really wanted to make the most of those luscious pearls, I used a few more in combination with little faceted green pearls (I've never seen these before...picked them up at a trunk show at Bead Haven), some smaller Swarovski pearls, and lava rock...all finished off with another pretty deco brass clasp.

Thanks, again, to Artbeads for letting me be a part of their beading blogging community.

As a little bonus, Artbeads has offered a special discount to us, the awesome blog readers of the world...it's an exclusive 15% off coupon that's good until the end of February.  To use the coupon, just copy and paste the code below into the ‘Coupon/Gift Certificate/Gift Card Code’ box of your shopping cart and click ‘apply’.

Exclusive Design Partners coupon code: ZZ-DESIGNER-0211

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Disclosure...As a a part of Artbeads.com blogging program, I received the big brown pearls and the square toggle free of charge.  It's my responsibility to use them and let you know if I love em' or hate 'em.  I am not being compensated by Artbeads.com for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.