free time

...it's not all wasted on the internet. i've been pretty crafty lately, which makes up for the fact that i have about ten books checked out from the library and i have yet to finish (or start...?) any of them. or it at least partially makes up for the fact.

i've been getting back into jewelry making, initially because i needed birthday gifts for some friends.

i made these for a friend but liked them so much i made another pair for myself.

i like the look of feather earrings but i don't like the price. i guess i just have a hard time paying twenty, thirty, even seventy (?!) dollars for something that weighs like, negative three ounces. luckily for me my local bead store sells feathers! i sort of made up how to connect them to the hook with these little doo-hickeys i found at the bead store (i think their original purpose is to attach cord to a clasp? who knows.) but it seems to have worked relatively securely, and looks somewhat professional no less. you can't really see in the picture though.

if it were 2005 this would be my myspace "default"

i made this coral-themed set for another friend's birthday. when i gave her the present she said, "nicole, you could make a living making jewelry... holders!" i guess she thought these were cooler than the actual present itself:

haha. i'm guilty of backhanded compliments too. better than no compliment at all, right?

ps. you may notice my somewhat excessive usage of seed beeds. they're so cheap! 99¢ a strand.