Gimme a hand, will ya? Okay, okay, that's corny and makes absolutely no sense whatsoever UNLESS you know that I just received my order from Nile Corp of my new hands. I used to photograph all my jewelry against a flat surface or using a pretty bottle or drinking glass, but it's sooooooooo much nicer to have those little hands for the photos. Once again, Carol Dean (SandFibers) came to my rescue. I was emailing back and forth with her a few months ago, and she suggested that I use the little hands and then pointed me in the direction of Nile Corp. I started with a small white hand, a very stylized tall arm/hand, and a white leatherette bust (for necklaces).

Well, I dropped the little white hand and broke the little finger. Drat! I glued it back on, and it works okay, but I always have to remember to touch up the photos to remove the fracture line.

I don't have a particular photographic "style" for my jewelry. I'm bored easily (have I mentioned that I have the attention span of a gnat?), and I'm always experimenting. I decided that I wanted some new hands, so off I went to order more; and I really love them! I bought a black one that has a different shape than the white one I've been using, and I also bought a translucent one that is just beautiful! They're like little sculptures.

They also do great things for showcasing my beadweaving.

Here's a simple little bracelet, called Hip to be Square, that I listed in my Etsy shop just a couple of days ago. Doesn't it look wonderful against that translucent hand?

And here's my latest original pattern. This is The Foxxy Cleopatra Cuff, a bold and beautiful piece of beadweaving, even if I do say so myself! I created this design from a pen and ink drawing I did years ago, and although the drawing was just in black and white I think this looks really cool executed in two shades of pink/mauve, brown, and black. I'm trying to decide whether to enter this piece in the Etsy BeadWeavers June Challenge. I still have a couple of days to think about it, as the deadline for entries is June 5. Whether I enter or not, be sure to check the Etsy BeadWeavers blog on June 7 to cast your vote for your favorite entry!

Doesn't this look wonderful photographed on the black hand I bought? (I put that picture at the top of this post because it's one of my favorites.) :-)

And the winner is...

The winner of the Etsy BeadWeavers Stormy Weather Challenge can be found on the EBW Blog. There were an AMAZING number of votes this month! Thanks to Sarah (thebeadedlily) and Carol Dean (SandFibers), who both posted an equally amazing number of comments in the Etsy forums to keep the voters coming to the blog.

I didn't keep track of the number of visitors here, but I wound up with 24 comments! So I used a random number generator I found online, and the winner of the Chocolate Covered Cherries netted cuff is........... Jean! (totallytwisted). Jean's a member of the Etsy BeadWeavers team also, so I hope my little bracelet bears up under scrutiny. :-)

What's funniest to me is that I was reading all the comments as they were posted, and Jean's said that she never wins anything. I guess she can't say that any more.

**** V * O * T * E ****

No, this isn't to prompt you to vote in the presidential election (although you really should).

This is to remind you to go to the Etsy BeadWeavers Blog to cast your vote for your favorite entry into the Stormy Weather Challenge. You can see all the entries here, and if you visit the blog you'll find individual links that will let you see more pictures of these gorgeous pieces.

I decided to do another drawing this month!!! So go vote, then come back here and leave a comment telling me you voted (you don't have to disclose which piece you voted for); and you'll be entered into a drawing to win this beadwoven/netted bracelet, Chocolate Covered Cherries! I'll use a random number generator to select the winner on March 16. Make sure to leave your Etsy shop name or your email address so I'll know how to contact you!