I didn’t think that I had many Christmas-y silvers. Last year’s red, white, and green bracelet used Sugar Sleigh Ride and the Pandora St. Nick and my egg nog and rum combination had the fantastic Get Your Nog On. The only Christmas silver I remembered adding since then was the Ohm St. Nick. The rest of the silvers were seasonally appropriate, but not really specific to Christmas. I knew that I wanted to do at least two Christmas bracelets this year since I liked being able to swap between my Christmas bracelets last year depending on my mood or what I was wearing. So, I figured that I’d have to be creative with my silvers again to create more than one Christmas combination this year.
But, when I went to put together a Christmas bracelet, I realized that I had more than enough Christmas silvers! I had forgotten the redbalifrog Nordic Tree. And Tomte. Near the end of November I had picked up a Trollbeads Holly Bushes on sale from my local dealer who is closing down. Then I bought Baby Reindeer in the Ohm Cyber Monday sale. Suddenly I had more Christmas silvers than I could use!
Still, it was a bit of a relief. I knew that there was a chance that the metal clay that I needed for the Julbock wouldn’t arrive in time for Christmas, so I didn’t want to leave my Scandinavian Christmas bracelet as my only Christmas option and then not have it at all! I just had to figure out what I other Christmas combinations I wanted to make.
I played around with a few beads in late November and quickly came up with a traditional red, white, and green bangle. I figured that was a good start to my second bracelet, but I had also signed up for a secret santa bead exchange and wanted to see what my surprise bead was before going too much further. I also knew that I could squeeze another bead onto my Scandinavian Christmas combination, so it was just a matter of waiting to see what my secret santa bead was to see which of the two combinations it fit into best.
When my secret santa package arrived, the bead reminded me of the cloisonné ornaments that I had picked up on a whim a few years ago, so I decided to create a “Christmas ornaments” bracelet. My planned pair of Christmas bracelets became a trio. Most of the beads for the combination came to me quickly. I figured that I needed a bead to represent the tree (ornaments are useless without a tree!) and the green spiro unique reminded me of the needles of our Christmas tree and how the Christmas lights throw shadows across different areas of the tree. Jingle Balls reminded me of the typical ball ornaments, and the Yellow Hematite also had the feel of a classic ornament. But there was one thing missing. After putting the blue glitter glass on, I regretted not picking up the red glitter version when I saw it last year. I knew that it would finish off the bracelet perfectly. Once I got that idea in my head, I couldn’t get it out. After trying unsuccessfully to find a red glitter bead at the local and online dealers that I knew, I even started looking at local craft stores for a red bead that I could draw glitter patterns on! Thankfully, I finally found the proper version, so no beads were harmed in the making of this bracelet. ;) I also seriously considered picking up another green spiro, but didn’t think that it would arrive in time for Christmas.
I didn’t plan on having three Christmas bracelets, but I’m glad that I do. What amuses me is that I worried about not having enough Christmas silvers, and then didn’t even use half of the ones that I have!
Do you make more than one bracelet for the holidays?
I like all of your Christmas bracelets! I don’t have many Christmas beads at all, as I have a hard time shelling out the money for them when I know I’ll only use them for a short time every year. I love your Nordic Tree, so maybe that will be next year’s purchase!
Thanks :) It’s taken me a while to build up my Christmas silvers since I also didn’t want to spend the money when I only wear them for a month. I’ve mostly relied on the Christmas colours rather than the Christmas silvers for the last few years. I really was surprised how many I had when I finally sat down to look at my beads!
The Nordic Tree was originally bought for my Camping bracelet, so that made it a bit easier to justify buying, knowing that it would get worn in the summer and the winter. I really like it, although it’s larger than many of my other beads so I sometimes find it harder to balance.