This weekend, there was one moment that stood out as pretty much perfect. Matthew, both kids, and I were all sitting around our little yellow kitchen table together. Matthew had his sketchbook out, working on art for his job. Taylor and Jacob were creating adorable under sea watercolor drawings, one after another. And I was sorting through beads and making necklaces. We all worked together, each on our own projects. And it felt just perfect. It’s wonderful to notice that about a moment while you’re still in it, while it can be savored.
After that, the kids got hyper again, and I found myself asking them to either be quieter or go play in their rooms because they were giving Mommy an actual headache. And life went on in its normal crazy, but still great, fashion.
This necklace is one that I made during our lazy Saturday together. I have been wanting one of those chunky necklaces that’s made up of many, many strings of seed beads all tied together. But I’m working from an old bead stash that didn’t have enough small beads to create quite what I wanted. I found enough small beads to make three strands, and decided that a braid would be nice.
I knotted the ends of the strings together at each end of the beads, and then tied them several times around a large-ish jump ring. Then I used a needle to feed some of the leftover thread back through the beads so that it wouldn’t show. I attached those two jump rings to some chain and clasps. Then, I twisted the whole thing around and through itself until I had a braid. Very simple, and though not exactly what I’d wanted at the store, I love it.
