Really.  Is there anything better than sorting through a pile of buttons…finding the perfect ones?  And with friends at that!

Back in the Fall (I'll be catching up blog posts for the rest of my life) I did a program at the local ladies club.  Woo, did we have some fun whippin' up these bookmarks!  I'm certain most of you have the ingredients to make these in your crafty cupboard—ribbons, buttons, and hot glue.  I also had silk leaves, felt flowers and such for layering.  You can click the pic to enlarge it for details.

The green trays had everything needed to make the bookmarks—great because you can prep them with materials before hand and then put them out on demand.  I learned that from my supervising teacher when I did my student teaching.

I also showed how to attach beaded dangles using the ribbon end findings.  The bookmark on the left is my friend Susan's—love how she had beaded dangles and buttons.

You can make 3 or 4 in about 10 minutes (or close to).  This is another dandy Mother's day gift especially to go in a special book.

You know I love these things…I really do.  30 little beads woven into one big bead!  There's a dandy tutorial over on my old podcast blog (stay tuned for details on that because there's some exciting talk going on about it) so you can make your own.  As for the handmade ear wires from which these gems hang, my new book, Metalsmithing 101 for Beaders (to be released this fall), will show you how.  You can use Swarovski crystals, E beads, seed beads–experimenting is fun once you get the hang of how to weave the beads.

For Easter this year, one of my Aunts made these neat little nest branches.  The nests were real, but vacated and then she tucked moss and pretty little eggs in them.  They were all different and amazing to look at.  

Speaking of collecting and nesting, this is what's been going down in the Bead Blogger nests this past week…

About.com Jewelry Making
Puzzle piece jewelry is perfect to make during the month of April since it happens to be autism awareness month. Here are a few projects to help you make your own puzzle piece jewelry.

Art Bead Scene
Worried about the economy? Take care of your bead business with these tips.

Art Jewelry magazine
Demos and more planned for the Bead&Button Show 2009

Barbe Saint John – New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Marketing Monday: Its all about word of mouth

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi creates a punched fiber collage necklace.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Spring is here and Melanie announces a big springtime sale on her website, going on from now until Earth Day.

Jewelry & Beading
Make a fiber and wire necklace that will slide right on with no clasp!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviews an excellent wire wrapping book, Beautiful Wire Jewelry for Beaders, by Irina Miech

Strands of Beads
Melissa shows off a new necklace design inspired by Sir Thomas Wyatt's poem "Whoso List to Hunt"

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Taking advantage of Artbeads.com's free shipping and fast, friendly service, Andrew attempts to capture the beauty of a Lord Byron poem with the new Crystallized – Swarovski Element Disk Pendants in his new necklace design, "Cloudless Climes".

And Margot's got a new Impatient Crafter video up!

Who has the button bracelet!?!?

Me and Katie Hacker do!

A few weeks ago, Katie gave me a blank bracelet with gluing pads to make a button bracelet.  This is a project from her super book, Hip to Bead.  Which, by the way, is chalked full of versatile, cool beading projects.  The bracelet form is from Rings and Things and boy do I love it!  The wide links make using large buttons easy!  Simply glue the buttons to the pads on the bracelet and  Hello Mother's Day gift! lol  Especially, if you use sentimental buttons from a family button box.  I like to use Dazzle Tac adhesive for pieces like this.  Fun, Fast, Fabulous-my kinda project!!  Be sure to check out Katie's version too! 

P.S.  If you like those fabric covered buttons (which I snagged in the scrapbooking section of the craft store and cut off the metal tabs), I think you'll find mega inspiration in Carmi's post here...and here.

What. A. Lovely. Day.

P.S. Birds, leaves and buttons hot glued or perched as it were on top of plastic eggs.  So fun to hide!  These were filled with those easy peesy glass droplet magnets with images Mod Podged underneath—You know the ones.

I like to have a pumpkin on the table for Halloween, hearts on Valentine's and some eggs at Easter.  It's all in an attempt to keep it simple, but festive around here.  These have been sitting next to a vase of daffodils the past week and boy have I enjoyed them.  They came to be when my friend Dave asked, "why am I never on the blog."  (Dave's one of my best friends from high school that was in town for a couple of days)  My response was easy and direct, "ya gotta craft if you want to be on the blog!"

I had a bowl of paper mache' eggs that needed doing something with and I just got a box of the new Folk Art colors by Plaid.  Dave base coated, I polka-dotted, and sealed them with some Extreme Glitter also by Plaid.

Somewhere in the middle Dave said, "Jeez Candie, you make Martha seem like a Saint." Hilarious.  Me?!? 

**The eggs took approximately 1 1/2 hours to make by air-drying, but you could speed things up with a hair dryer.

is so easy and when children create, the result always seems magical and perfect.  Throw some beads in a bowl, prep wire or elastic with a clasp or taping the end and away they go.  NO RULES and voila!

This is my girl C's bracelet.  She hunted and pecked through the bead bowls like a pro.  Love the sweetness of this piece from color to charm choices!