New Elizabeth 1 Tudor Rose Bracelet

Tuesday is here and as promised, here is the newest installment of my NeoAmour collection! This bracelet is based on Elizabeth 1, daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn (yes, that Anne Boleyn). She came to the throne after her half sister Mary (AKA Bloody Mary, daughter of King Henry VIII and Catharine of Spain) died, with no money, very little in the way of military defense, half the country (as Catholics) hating her, and the rest of the world wanting to invade her country or marry her to make it easier to rule her country.
By the end of her reign (known as the "Golden Age"), she had never married, by choice, defended herself and her country against numerous attacks, and had brought her country from near poverty to a time of incredible prosperity. This was one woman with no equal and it is in her memory that I made this.

~click the image above to go to a larger version~

I made this bracelet over a period of 2 days, taking a little over 8 hours to make. I based the colors on the Tudor Rose, a symbol of her family's house. It is about 1/2 inch wide, perfect for dressing up or down. I used black Czech glass seed beads for the base, green Czech glass seed beads for the small leaves, and Japanese glass seed beads for the rose - a gold center surrounded by an opalescent white with a red border.
I tapered the ends and then made a custom sterling silver "S" clasp, attaching a safety chain for extra security.
I like this bracelet so much that I am keeping this one, but I will be listing a custom version for sale in my Etsy store, so that you will be able to get it in the perfect length for you! Please do stop by and have a look at all of the wonderful pieces available, and any feedback would be most welcome :)

Thanks for visiting today, be sure to enter my free earring giveaway here and please keep checking back for more jewelry, particularly on Tuesdays for new pieces from my NeoAmour Collection.
Have a happy Tuesday,

Father's Day Update: A Great Time for All!

We got up to the track at about 1:30, which was much later than we had hoped. We had been cutting down trees the night before and were a little slow getting up. Then I kept forgetting things, like food, or water, or to charge my camera battery, so it was a slow start! We did, however, get there in time to see my dad win his second race, but lose his third. He didn't win the day, but it was great just to be up there with him. It was just my dad, Brennan and myself, so it was a small but happy group that kept a wary eye on the very dark clouds that kept rolling towards us. We were actually sort of fortunate that my dad went out when he did, as it gave us all time to pack up and be ready to take some photos of the jet car:Yes, it really does have a jet engine in it and yes, it is very fast and VERY loud, lol. It is always a treat to see them, however, and I'm glad my camera battery didn't die this time! The jet car had finished its run and we were just about to leave when I turned around behind the track and caught some really great rain and cloud photos on the Gatineau hills behind the racetrack:
As we were leaving (and heading right towards the rain) the rain got to heavy that you couldn't even see the Gatineau Hills!
We went back to my parents for some great shish-kabobs (they had beef and veggie, I had veggie) with lentil rice for me (plain rice for them) and local asparagus, YUM!
I made my dad a special card using Publisher that had his race car in it (I should have taken photos, the card turned out really well), and I got him the DVD "Horton Hears a Who" because he and my mom really like animated movies (and this one is just so cute!).
It was a great day, we all had fun, and I got home to realize that the two hours at the track had given me one Heck of a sunburn (woops, forgot that clouds and sun can burn!), but it was worth it.
I hope you had a great Father's Day too!
Don't forget to check back tomorrow for a post on my new Elizabeth 1 Bracelet, you won't want to miss it!!

Happy Father's Day!

I love my dad. He's my step dad, technically, but to me, his is my dad. See, my biological father abandoned my mom when she was pregnant, denied I was his offspring, made her go through all sorts of embarrassing paternity tests and court hearings (which did, incidentally, prove I was his biological child), tried to refuse to pay child support, actually DID stop paying child support, was totally absent and a general jerk for all intensive purposes. My mom and I lived on our own until I was 8 and then there was a miracle...
My mom met my dad, and although he never formally adopted me, he was the first man to call me his daughter. He was the first man I called "Dad". He taught me how to use a lawnmower, drove me to horseback riding lessons, supported the family when my mom lost her job and then became disabled and couldn't work outside the home. He showed up at my hockey games when I played and yelled and cheered me on. He is usually incredibly quiet, but when he speaks, he has the greatest sense of humor, and wit.
We never had a ton of money, but there was always a warm, comfy house, a little smile and good food. We didn't need to take expensive vacations, because almost every Sunday during the summer there was 'The Track", or, Luskville Dragway as it is officially called. My dad has the coolest damn race car ever. It's a 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu that he has turned into one hell of a racing monster. Starting it up invariably shook the house, woke the neighbors, knocked every squirrel off every tree on the block, and made us all smile with pride and excitement. Yup. That's my dad.
My 'real' father for all to see.
Love you daddoo, happy Father's Day :)

Another Great Feature!

Carol over at The Grand Design featured my jewellery! Please go and check out her blog (and my feature!) for some really cool articles :)