Tuesday Tidbits

I'm thinking about putting some structure around my week of posts - I'm already doing a Sunday link round up in Wandering Around the Beadosphere, yesterday I did a Monday Miscellany, which is whatever happened over the weekend that didn't get into my weekend posts.

Today, I just had some little things to show off - and I think what I'll do on Tuesdays is feature little tidbit things like earrings or other accessories - maybe I made 'em, maybe someone else did - like this little gem Smutopia sent me with the lovely rhodonite necklace I bought from her.

Could be used as a zipper pull, or could be added as a charm to a bracelet or necklace, maybe add a couple to a cell phone using one of these cell phone lariats (I call 'em lanyards, but lariat is ok, too). These came in my Rings & Things goodie package. They've got a split ring so you could secure a charm on a wrapped wire loop or through a hole in the charm. The assortment package has many colors, appears to be out of stock at the moment. Individual colors with silver tone metal are available as well as a gold plated cap with black lariot.

Here's a quick and easy cell phone charm I made using Czech pressed glass flowers in rainbow colors on the yellow lariat.

Simple headpin and loop design could be jazzed up with other beads or metal spacers. Here's what it looks like on my phone.

Of course there are endless things you can do with these lariats. Give as party favors, stocking stuffers, thank you gifts with purchase, sell them in craft show bargain baskets or give them as part of the packaging on sold items - and if you did that, I think you'd want to be sure to attach a little business card (a Moo mini-card would be a perfect size) or something with your online storefront URL on it.

I'm getting Moo-mini's, and if they arrive on time, I can put them and a little steampunk-ish charm on some lariats I already had in stock and hand them out. I'll try to remember to show an example here of what I'm thinking of when they come in.

Last little bit, working on some charms for Bay Con - not sure if they'll end up on something else or if I'll offer them as charms - sorry the picture is so big, any smaller and it would be very hard to see - the charms are only 5mm across. In addition to the bits and gears from watches, there are also some Swarovski flatbacked crystals. I hammered them flat because they came rather concave and on some of them I used a nail buffing board to give back a little shine to the finish, which I think makes them look even more like old, distressed metal.