Thunder Bling Jewelry - Handmade Tribal Chic Jewelry - My New Etsy Shop

I have opened a new etsy shop to showcase some of my jewelry work that doesn't fit into my DoodlepunkArt shop.

Many of my pieces feature sparkly crystals and hammered metal.

Other work features fiber, wood, bone and gemstone.

I really enjoy using waxed nylon cord, meticulously creating a knot between each bead to achieve soft, comfortable pieces that won't grab your hairs.

Many of my pieces are boho chic, yet very sparkly.

This knotted blue tiger eye bracelet has both bling and a natural, bohemian feel.

These two agate bracelets are more tribal, yet I still snuck in a teensy bit of bling in the first one with the metallic copper glass seed beads.

I've gotten sort of obsessed with making bracelets lately.

This one is made with lapis lazuli chip beads and sunstone.  Each gemstone bead is divided by a metallic copper glass seed bead.  This bracelet is beaded in a more standard fashion with sturdy beading cable, so it holds a more circular shape.

This one is hand-knotted using carved bone, recycled vintage wooden beads and glass seed beads.  It is nickel free, like most of my work.  This one comes in men's sizes as well.  

This one features mint/aqua green agate and black crystals.

This one has sunstone chips and cobalt blue crystals which have antiqued copper caps.

This one is hand-knotted as well with red bamboo coral and turquoise magnesite beads.

Here is another one that features the glass crystals with the metallic caps, only these ones are burgundy red with blackened silver caps.  The black stones are agate.

Here is another turquoise magnesite and red bamboo coral bracelet.

Both of these earrings are turquoise magnesite as well.

To check out more of my beaded work, go to my ThunderBlingJewelry shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThunderBlingJewelry

Be True To Yourself

Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow.  ~Norman Vincent Peale

In my life I have heard many times from both of my parents something similar to this, "That is very imaginative.  Too bad nobody would ever want to buy that."  or  "This is weird. Why can't you just paint a pretty flower or a mountain?"  

The more we stray from "the norm" the more we will hear things like this.  "Why can't you be like ____?"  The kids who are different in school get ridiculed.  We keep getting these messages to conform.  "Buy this so you can be happy."  "If you don't look like this, you are ugly."  

God made us each unique and special.  This is part of His plan for us and conforming to "the norm" is turning your back on yourself and God and denying your True Will.  If we strive to do and get better at what it is that is uniquely us, that comes to us naturally, that brings us joy, then eventually we will find our path and it will lead us on a great adventure.  

As artists, we must strive to find our own way, despite the "You must be crazy" looks and comments.  We must have faith in our vision and stick with the task of bringing it into reality.  We must be true to ourselves and embrace what it is that we love to do.  

Choosing a profession that we don't love can lead us to misery.  Choosing one that we love may be a rocky path, but it makes a great story and a meaningful life with a sense of purpose.  I do not know a lot of people who are truly passionate about what they do.  Despite my struggles, I would not trade lives.  

I have made a profession out of a vision.  My mom thought I'd gone completely bonkers when I started wandering the driveway looking for interesting gravel.  She said, "Why can't you just string some pretty beads together...make something someone would actually want to wear."  I had a vision.  It was incomplete, but I explored it and it turned into DoodlepunkArt, and now I work for myself doing something that I LOVE with a fervent passion.  I have thrown my heart over the fence and the rest did follow.