How to Mooch a Bead - In Eight Easy Steps

This method has been proven to work time and time again. You won't find these techniques anywhere else - I am only sharing this top secret information here. Now pay attention.

1. Upon noticing the bead you want, make a gasping sound like you're sucking in your breath in surprise.

2. Then exhale and say, "Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! It's soooooo cute!"

3. Next, with eyes wide, ask "Is it sold?"

Upon hearing that it is not, in fact, even listed to be sold, continue to step 4.

4. Say with much enthusiasm "I will buy it! I will pay you for it!"

5. Give it a few more "oooohs and awwwws" for good measure. Try using the voice you use when talking to your cat.

6. Promise to wear it.

7. Then go right to sleep when I tell you.

Maybe, just maybe, you'll have a new choker to wear the next day.

8. Forget all about your offer to pay good money for it.

Murrini Monday ~ Hooter Style

When Lori, of Lori and Kim, sent me this excellent duo of yellow, black and white murrini, she put a note on the baggie that said "for owl eyes." She knows me too well. And yes, the perfect slices of murrini became fantastic, mesmerizing owl eyes:

As you probably are aware, another name for owl is hooter. What's better than one hooter? A pair of hooters!

This pug is a bathing beauty in her murrini bikini - same two slices of murrini I used for the owl eyes, only I didn't flatten them (the pug needed all the enhancement she could get).

And here's a shot of the hooters for a side-by-side comparison.

I highly recommend heading to Lori and Kim to check out their latest batch of murrini blends. You're sure to get a jumpstart on Halloween planning (that's right, I said Halloween!).

Random Friday

I'm a rule breaker. I admit it. When I'm trying to think of names for my beads, I often hop on over to The Comprehensive Bunny Name List. I can't remember how I found this site, but I love the suggested bunny names. However, the site explicitly states that Use of this list to obtain names for kitties, puppies, gerbils, hamsters, or other fuzzy pets is an abuse of this service and will not be tolerated. Oops. At least it doesn't mention turtles.

I Skyped for the first time a couple weeks ago. My parents were in Vietnam, and we caught them early in the morning on the computer. It was about 8pm here, so it was about 8am there. It was really fun! My dad aimed his camera outside and showed us the crazy traffic and little scooters everyone drives around on, as well as a couple places off in the distance he remembered staying at during the war. Very cool.

I've been on the email list for our local pet shelter volunteers for a while now. I got on the list for my son, who has wanted to be involved. Well today he'll be working in the food area of CATMANIA at Orphans of the Storm in Riverwoods. The event runs all weekend, and there are lots of kittens and cats waiting to be adopted.

We did our annual trip into cheese country to go strawberry picking a couple weeks ago. We love going to Thompson's Strawberry Farm in Bristol, Wisconsin. We picked A LOT of strawberries. Of course, the kiddos wanted to stop by the Jelly Belly factory afterward, so we did that, too. Check out the gross Jelly Belly flavors that our neighbor's son tried - ick!

Both my girls start camp next week. My older daughter will go away for about 12 days - her first time at overnight camp. My younger daughter will be at the same camp, but for the day camp program. I'm able to send them to camp with money I earned selling beads - so thank you everyone who as purchased from me! Now I have to figure out what to do during the time they are gone - clean out their closet or make beads?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Murrini Monday

I gave in to my murrini addiction last week and scored more murrini (one little baggie can't hurt, could it?) from my dealers, Lori and Kim. Fortunately, I had enough murrini to get me by until my new blend arrived.

Dolly is looking good in her orange murrini bikini. It might look like she's had work done, but believe me - they're real and they're fabulous.

This blue baby dragon frog started out as a mouse. But sometimes the glass just tells you what it wants to be, and the turquoise glass I was using kept saying "baby dragon frog." Really. Whatever he is, he's holding tight to his pink and green murrini flower.

This mouse bead actually made it to fruition. Gracie the gray mouse is so happy to be a mouse, as opposed to a baby dragon frog, that she's ready to share her love and happiness with a pink and green murrini heart.

Bogart the black owl is sporting some striking murrini. I love the colors I was able to get out of this murrini. I'm still experimenting with striking murrini, and I've had a few misses along the way, but I think this one is a hit.

Here's my new blend, perfectly called Calorie Free Love ~ my very favorite murrini colors (retro candy colors) combined with the hippy designs of peace and love and happiness and checkerboards and . . . yin yangs! I just might have to hold auditions for which beads will get to sport those pink and black yin yangs - love those!

Murrini for today's edition of Murrini Monday is brought to you by Lori and Kim. Find their online shop at Lori and Kim, and their Etsy shop at Lori and Kim on Etsy.