This Week's Project: Zen Stone Bracelet

Before I mention this week's project, I wanted to share something special with you that I have been working on for the last year and a half. I had a miraculous moment of inspiration AND confidence strike at the same! An idea came to me that I wanted to share with my fellow beaders. It occurred to me that one way to do that would be to put the ideas into a book.

It is my pleasure to announce that I will have a book coming out sometime around December '09 or January 2010. I will be mentioning more about this as things progress, but for now, the final edits have been completed and it has been sent to print. Yay! This has been a wonderfully surreal experience and one that I can't wait to share!

Now, getting back to this week's project... I bought Monday's calming matte stone bead for the purpose of making something for my co-worker that she could remove easily for the purpose of enjoying its calming zen qualities.

I used stretchy cord and just clear swarovski bicones or flowers in between them so it wouldn't distract from the stones. I had thought about using just one stone for the focal bead, but once I got started, it seemed important to have them go all the way around the wrist.

I was surprised to find this bracelet has a bit of an art deco look to it on the wrist which makes it extra cool! The more I handle these stones, the more I like them. They do have a warmth to them that you don't get with polished stones. Nice! (Yes, I made one for myself too....)

There were some great ideas left on Monday's post about using one of these stones in a simple pendant which I'll be doing tomorrow. (Thank you for the inspiration!)

I hope you are all having a nice and crafty weekend!! :)