Patience

Charlene did her 12 hour Nurse Diesel shifts last Thursday and Friday nights and was just coming around to normal on Sunday morning.  We both love to have 'Sunday Morning' with Charles Osgood on while we read the Sunday paper.  I came across a "Michaels" craft store ad and saw a sale on beads.  Beads?  I don't know why it was such an attraction but suddenly  I envisioned multi faceted glass beads, gobs of 'em, hanging in the bathroom window.  Huh?  Doesn't sound like me - I hate those bead room divider things - hard to walk through when you're a klutz like me.  Charlene had taken the boys to their Dad's place for the day, then stopped at her favorite thrift store.  I decided to go to "Michaels" but waited for her 'cause I knew she'd want to go, too.

We got to the bead section and were just plain Blown Away!  OMG, there's a million different kinds of beads, isles of beads, all with a little tiny hole through them.  We probably went up and down both long isles, four or five times.  The idea of a 'beaded' window disappeared fast as Charlene was thinking jewelry, like, say, a bracelet.  After an hour...... yes, an hour, we bought four packs of one kind, a coupe packs of another and another, and some necklace clasps and some pierced-ear earring hooks.  (Remember, click on a picture to see it full size, then use your browser's Back button to return here and continue)

 

Charlene cut the ends off and put all the loose beads in a giant bowel.

We had also bought hemp string to use for the beads so Charlene unrolled about three feet of it and started stringing beads.

With help from very sharp scissors to keep a perfect end on the string and a Iced Latte from Starbucks, 81 degrees in the shady back porch she persisted for several hours.

She had stopped occasionally, for lunch and potty breaks but it was ready for the clasps.

It was made as a long, single string of beads.  That way, you could easily wrap it around your wrist and clasp it.  Only problem with that is that four feet of rocks is kinda heavy.  Not bad but maybe throw your shoulder out if you swing your arm.......... but, here's a pic of the finished product on her hand.              

She ended up wearing it as a two hoop necklace and it looks great (the bracelet looks great, too - much better in person than the above photo.)  We still have several sets of other beads to make into earrings......maybe..... next........Sunday Morning.