Cat's Corner

Well it’s been a while since I last bought a Trollbead – since that splurge back in May in fact!  I’m waiting for the first UK Trollbeads Convention in October for my next purchase(s)!  However, I was lucky enough to get a couple of gorgeous Trollbeads for my birthday – Third Eye Chakra and Black Armadillo.  I originally had them both on a black/purple/gold combo but have since switched to a simple, classy black and gold design:

This goes with pretty much any outfit and really shows off the beauty of the gold beads, don’t you think?  These are also some of my most treasured for sentimental reasons – Daisy was a first wedding anniversary present from my husband (daisies were our wedding theme), Around The World was my prize for winning a Trollbeads ‘Be Original’ competition, Gold Endless was a leaving gift when I left my last job and Small Planet was bought by all the attendees of the first UK Trollbeads meet-up in 2008.

Clockwise from Mexico Lock: Safety Chain, Stopper, G, Grey Wolf, Space, artisan, Labradorite, Around the World, artisan, Black Diamond, Daisy, OOAK, OOAK, Gold Endless, Milan, artisan, Small Planet, Black Armadillo, C.

View all my Trollbeads posts here.

Well I’m having a very exciting day so far in relation to Trollbeads!!  First off, a guest blog I wrote for Trollbeads UK went live today – read it here.

Then I had an email from TB HQ to say that my People’s Bead 2010 entry – a camera design entitled ‘Capture the Moment’ – had made it into the top 100 designs!  I’ve won a bracelet, lock and the winning bead :O)  I’m verrrrrry excited indeed!  View the top 100 and the finalists here.

Read all my posts about Trollbeads here.

Last weekend was my birthday and I am happy to report that I was totally spoilt rotten!!  I finally got my hands on those yummy Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Melissa Shoes (brown bow flats) – thank you hubby :O)  I was also treated to two Trollbeads from my Dad – black armadillo and 3rd eye chakra – which looks stunning on my black/gold/purple combo!  A friend also sent me a beautiful artisan bead, a reddy purple armadillo that is just gorgeous and my Mum gave me a rather scrummy iPod shuffle in a lovely aqua colour!  Very spoilt indeed…

My birthday celebrations included a LOT of eating, seeing Toy Story 3 in 3D, visiting Lord Snowdon’s ‘In Camera’ photography exhibition and spending a day up in London.  I visited the Neal Street stores of Crocs and Filofax and bought a beautiful vintage laboradite and silver ring in the Covent Garden antiques market!  I will blog reviews of the two stores and my fabulous new shoes in the near future – keep an eye out!

As I’ve been offline for a week I thought it only fair to treat you to two Trollbeads combos! The first is to complement a fantastic vintage amber necklace I found at the car boot sale this morning. It’s also partly inspired by the tribal theme that’s all over the fashion magazines at the moment – hope you like!

Clockwise from Flower Lock: artisan stopper, artisan silver, tibet ornament, ooak, Tupilak (big), alabaster amber, Grey Wolf, Lions, jasper, ooak amber, china LE silkworm, ooak amber, china LE white jade, Koala, Fur Animal, alabaster amber, winter, brown bud, vivienne, tupilak (small).

The second is more playful, inspired by the orange dress/purple leggings combo I’m wearing today – I teamed it with my most precious gold and silver beads to give it a classy twist…

Clockwise from Mexico lock: Fairy, stopper, tibet kyang, Orange Armadillo, G, Silver Trace (Pink), space, ooak, around the world, khaki stripe, daisy, Purple Stripe, gold endless, ooak, Planet (small), LE crazy lace agate, C, striped bud, ooak, Lucky Knot.

Get your Trollbeads bracelet from a UK stockist here.

When I first started my Trollbeads collection, I decided I’d start with a necklace chain, so that I could build up my collection slowly (ha!)…well anyway I’m sure you’ve figured out the rest, but whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been collecting for a while, here are ten reasons why you need a necklace (you can thank me later!)…

1. If you’re starting out, a necklace looks great on its own or with a single bead
2. If you already have a bracelet, you can match a necklace with just one bead
3. Mix and match Trollbeads with other pendants for a unique look
4. Share unisex pendants with the man in your life (if you can bear to!)
5. Showcase your special or favourite beads by moving them to your neckline
6. When you feel like showing off, put your whole collection around your neck!
7. Make use of other charms too, eg the Thomas Sabo charm carrier that fits perfectly!
8. If you work with your hands, a necklace will keep your beads safe from knocks
9. Show off a big bead, e.g. a fantasy ooak, by placing it in the centre of your necklace
10. If you were collecting a different brand of charms before you discovered trolls, this way you can still wear both!

Get your necklace chain from a UK Trollbeads retailer here.

Tip:  If you have long hair or plan to wear lots of beads at once, I wouldn’t recommend the small basic lock.  My hair gets caught around this lock and if you’re wearing lots of beads, Troll themselves recommend a bigger lock to ensure it will take the weight.  Why not go for a larger lock like one of these?

Here are some of my necklace combos for inspiration (click for a larger view):

Want to read more about my Trollbeads collection?  Read all the Troll posts here.

This weekend we had a very important visitor from the USA, Luvdatrolls, forum admin for www.trollbeadssociety.com!  A bunch of us met our royal visitor at the fantastic Steffans in Northampton and they had so many beautiful OOAKs in stock, I couldn’t resist a little splurge!  Well - there were something like ten racks just of OOAKs – what’s a Trollbeads addict to do?!  So here’s what I bought:

The sharp eyed trollies among you may notice there’s also a Limited Edition Empowerment Pink Python in there – all the way from the United States (thanks Luv!).  I spent a fun evening making bracelets with these yummy new beads – take a look at what I put together…

My favourite is the orange stripes with white dots, as it reminds me of my beloved caterpillar beads!!  Right…now I’m off to embark on my month of living on baked beans ;o)

I’ve always loved the bracelet on the cover of one of my Trollbeads catalogues, so yesterday I decided I’d make a bracelet inspired by it!  I’ve used similar colours, which have a real summery theme – perfect for the blistering hot weather we’re having in England at the moment!

Clockwise from Small Flower Lock: Tibet Kyang, Summer Bud, LE Tulip, Dark Blue Dot, Rose, Lions, Tibet Green Lilac Armadillo, OOAK, Wisdom, Pink Silver Trace, Tibet Green Lilac Armadillo, Koala, OOAK, LE Crazy Lace Pink Agate, Forget-me-not, Striped Bud, Red Pink Prism, Smiley, Safety Chain.

Late last year I had a very special invite to a UK Trollbeads event, where I was able to book an appointment to ‘Meet the Beadmaker’!!  I was told that the beadmaker herself is the longest standing employee of the Trollbeads company and she flew over all the way from Copenhagen especially for these events.  I was allowed to ask for any design I wished for, so I went for my dream bead – an Anniversary Caterpillar in purple!

Above you can see the colour was vibrant while hot but changed when cooled – the final colour of the bead can be seen below.  For comparison, it’s very similar to Purple Stripe - I think the glass colours must be the same.  If you’re interested to see how Trollbeads are made, there’s a great video on YouTube here.

In 2006, Lise Aagard (CEO of the Trollbeads company) ran a project in Tibet, teaching refugees to make glass Trollbeads as part of a Self Sustainable Business Project.  

The beads produced in Tibet were purchased and later sold as a set – you can read more about the project here.

I have been lucky enough to collect five of the six beads – Green/Lilac Armadillo, Ornament , Kyang, Takma and and an OOAK Cappuccino.  I don’t wear these beads as often as I should, but I recently purchased the Summer Rose Debut Bracelet and they make a nice addition as a spring/summer bracelet:

Clockwise from silver Flower Lock:  Tibet Kyang, OOAK Tibet Cappuccino, Lions, Rose, Fur Animal, Forget-Me-Not, Silver Trace - Pink, Green/Lilac Armadillo, Wisdom, Green/Lilac Armadillo, LE Valentines Agate, Koala, Grey Wolf, Tibet Takma, LE Tulip, OOAK, Tibet Ornament, Smiley.

Sadly the Tibet set is now retired, but sometimes they pop up in stores when you least expect it!  All of mine were bought in UK stores from 2008-2009 apart from one of the dillos, which was kindly sent to me by a fellow collector.  If anyone knows where I could get hold of the actual ‘Tibet’ bead to complete my set, please get in touch!!

My love of Trollbeads has connected me to other collectors around the world and I’ve been lucky enough to receive collectors’ books in Dutch and German – great for looking at but sadly I can’t read them!  So when I heard a coffee table book was being released in English, I knew I had to get a copy!

Each chapter explores a different area, speaking with the Trollbeads family themselves, the designers, the fans and even exploring the materials and production processes used to make our beloved beads.  The supporting photography is stunning and includes pictures submitted by the fans – I even spotted several of my trollie friends!

One of my favourite features is the explanation and illustration of the making of a silver figure (pictured below), designed by Søren Sølvsmed.  Søren created the first ever Trollbeads in 1976 and says of his job, “making something pretty, beautiful and pleasant to look at is fun…a lot of the time I just sit and play, trying out different techniques.”

I’ve been collecting Trollbeads for two and a half years and thought I knew pretty much all there was to know, but this book lets you deep into the Trollbeads family and unearths a multitude of insights.

Get your copy and free Mocha bead here!