Summer Time and the Living is Easy

It's the first week of summer vacation. The classroom is packed away and cleared out for the summer cleaning crew. My work clothes have been cleaned and hung in the back of the closet. Shorts, t-shirts, and light summery dresses will rule my wardrobe for the next two and a half months. I finally have the energy and clear head to sit and run my fingers over my long-neglected bead collection. I took two or three days last week to pull out every single bead from every nook and cranny of my tiny apartment, in which I've struggled to find a method of storage for my ever-expanding hobby. I put everything in the middle of the floor, spent $19 to buy a nail-and-screwdriver storage bin at Lowe's, and organized by color, material, size, shape, and brand. After two or three days, I had a beautiful array of neatness before me, and my imagination began to run wild with the possibilities for all these shapes and colors. I always regret over-designing - creating something too complex or too busy. I've always been happier with the simpler designs. And for summer, with the scorching heat and muggy air, simplicity is key. Colors are often bright and fresh, but fabrics are light, organic, and minimal. So I wanted my designs for the summer to reflect that attitude. I have some ideas for chunkier designs for those hot summer nights, but for now, here are some of the latest easy-breezy summer designs from Second Street Jewelry, formerly (and sometimes still) Something Pretty Jewelry. You can visit the shop here.

Honey - $20 - A warm drop of sweet nectar sparkles in the sunlight. I love the romantic gold tint of the vintage-style glass. Hangs on a long 24" antiqued bronze chain. See more here.

Cheerful - $16 - Twenty-two happy little Japanese seed beads with a pretty pearly luster smile across your collar bone on a sterling silver chain. One mood in a series of similar styles of different colors and mindsets. See more here.

Strength - $16 - Twenty-two solid matte black Japanese glass beads on a sterling silver chain. One mood in series of similar styles. See more here.  

Treasure - $12 - Three sparkling nuggets hug together on a dainty antiqued gold chain. A lovely hook-and-eye clasp completes the look. See more here.

Whisper - $16 - Twenty-two cloudy Japanese glass beads form a quiet, delicate arc across the wearer's collarbone. See more here.

Peace - $16 - Twenty-two silvery glass beads float across the wearer's collarbone for a subtle, weightless sparkle. See more here.

Firefly - $18 - A slightly opaque green glass orb fills with a radiant glow in the sunlight. The color and size remind me of the flickering fireflies that ghost through the trees on summer nights. See more here.

Serenity - $16 - Five petite glass globes in sea foam green. Light as bubbles from the ocean tides. See more here.

Mist - $16 - A small pale milky purple faceted sphere hangs on a long antiqued bronze chain. Glows white in the sunlight, softens to a lovely pale purple in the shade. See more here.