new book recommendations, Etsy shop to check out, and a sneak peak

I found two new crafty books at the library last week that caught my interest. They are The Button Maker: 30 Great Techniques and 35 Stylish Projects by Sarah Beaman and Beader's Stash: Designs from America's Favorite Bead Shops by Laura Leavaas. My major complaint about both books is that there are not enough pictures of the steps for the projects. The finished project pictures are great, but for those of who are beginners at either skill, that's really not enough. There are a lot of good ideas in both books, though. I think that with some trial and error, I could attempt at least a few projects from each book.

There is one project from Beader's Stash from the owner of Bead in Hand, which is the bead store that I grew up going to (when I did much less complex projects than I do now) and still frequent on occasion when I'm back in the Chicago area. I thought that was pretty neat!

I came across a new Etsy shop through someone else's blog this weekend that I think everyone should check out: macaroll (another special education teacher!). She sells homemade ceramic beads, buttons, and pendants for very reasonable prices. These are just two of my favorites items from her shop

Wrap it Up...

Feelin' Blue

Finally, here's a sneak peak of my newest embellished square stitch cuff that I finished this weekend. :)

And here's a little bonus: a picture of Angel that I took after I'd finished my latest round of jewelry pictures. We rearranged the living room a little last week because we got a few new pieces of furniture from IKEA. We moved one lamp next to the couch, and Angel decided that would be a good place to hang out today. :) I may post pictures of the living room rearrangement sometime, too.