Buy one thing at the bead shop.... I DONT think so!!!!

Yes, I am quite ashamed of myself this morning.  I decided that I just need a little touch more "stuff" for my bead soup recipient and so I went for a little drive to my lovely local bead store.  Its a fabulous shop which has just recently moved premises and expanded into clothing as well in a very large store space with the beads and findings well organised up the back.  Fortunately for me I got to chat with the owner Lenore who is a very lovely lady who was extremely helpful and even offered for me to put some of my lampwork stock in there too.... gotta love that!  The only problem was, Lenore was a bad enabler... ha ha ha.  When I asked if she has any sterling toggle clasps in stock she excitedly told me she had quite a few left over from a buying trip about four years ago and she got them out of the cupboard for me......ooooooooH WOW!  They were gorgeous and quite cheap.  She explained that she hasn't bothered to weight and reprice any of them so they are a price from 4 years ago... which was quite apparent I have to say.

In any case I went through the containers like a rat up a drainpipe and managed to spend nearly $200, only narrowly avoiding the massive and fancy $60 each gorgeous ones (might have to sneak back after payday I am thinking).  Here is a handful of some of the ones I got, the little purse one is particularly cute, but the teapot and a spoon for the toggle is just so cute I could eat it up.

I think I might be in danger of becoming a toggle clasp 'ho if you know what I mean.  I have ordered many nice ones from Bali before now, but I am already feeling the pull to go back into the bead shop for more.... soooooo nice and sooooo cheap!

One thing I did pull out of the kiln last night from yesterdays torch session was this boro fish pendant.  It is not the prettiest fish I have ever made and to be honest it is a little large for a comfortable pendant (unless you like large pendants of course).  I was trying out some ideas for fish scale effects and slapped the rest together sort of spur of the moment.  I think it looks a little like a blue guppy.

My kids absolutely loved this fish pendant, but then again if I put a bit of dogpoop on a necklace, they would probably love that too!