The four bracelets I've assembled so far, pardon the flash
OK, on to Italian Modular Charm Bracelets finally. If you haven't seen these, they're stainless steel (and sometimes gold) stretch bracelets with links that can be switched out and customized however you want, and made whatever size you want. The really fun part is the thousands of different charms you can put on them. Most of the charms are flat, like the bracelets, which I love because I hate dangly things. They also make links with dangle charms soldered onto them if you like that sort of thing.
I didn't even know these things existed till a friend of ours, who actually just got back from Italy, was wearing one. He told me to look the maker of his (Zoppini) up on eBay or to go look at the malls, but I'm an eBay person. There are entire categorized sections of eBay devoted to these, the best place to start is in the Modular Italian category. Now there are usually over 50,000 listings in this category, but if you like to browse, it's broken up into smaller subcategories. The easiest thing to do is type in a word to search for (like "halloween") and check out what comes up. There are charms for sale from about a dollar up to $20 or $30, they are usually priced by quality. There are cheap Asian made charms and the nicer, higher quality Italian made charms. Also a number of American made ones. If you'd like them to last a long time go with at least the mid priced ones, expect to pay between $9 and $16 for them.
Now the first mistake I made was when I spent too much money on the base or starter bracelet. It's good to invest in a good quality stainless steel one, but if you end up with a lot of charms you won't even end up needing a bracelet. There are several major Italian and American companies that make them, it's best to pick one that has a brand name as a starter because there's also lots of cheapies. I had some weird idea that the charms fit over the links on the bracelet but they actually replace the links. I bought two bracelets and extra links and now have like 4 bracelets because of all the charms I've bought. The average person needs about 18 total links (including charms) to make one bracelet. The actual blank bracelets themselves, especially the matte ones and colored ones, are attractive on their own in a kind of nice urban way also. BTW, there are actually several different sizes of bracelets, some narrower and wider, but the standard 9mm "medium" sized bracelet is the one that most of the charms are made for.
When you're looking at charms there are several types. The most common are ones with enameled designs on them, then there are laser etched charms, then a variety of homemade ones. There are handpainted, handmade varieties, but be more careful with these, they're often more fragile than the factory made ones. Make sure the links say they are stainless steel and that the charms are soldered on, not glued. You can even get custom etched ones with different words and designs on them, I got one made that says "Morticia" and it looks great.
When you're flipping around looking, if you see something you like, bookmark it and check and see what else the seller has. Most of them will combine shipping on multiple purchase, though many have a 1-5 day limit on when the auctions close. Also, speaking as an eBay seller, PLEASE don't sent more than one Paypal payment, we get charged a fee for each payment sent. But anyway, you'll end up finding specific sellers that have a lot of things you like, but before you start buying, do some searches to see what price other sellers are selling the same charm for. Also, many sellers have eBay stores where they list Buy It Now items so don't overpay for something the seller has 20 more of.
Unless you have really strong fingernails, it's good to have a charm tool to help get the charms on and off of the bracelet. I bought a black plastic Zoppini brand tool, and it works great and doesn't scratch the bracelet when you're pulling and pushing on the links. They run about $6. A lot of sellers will throw in a tool when you buy a starter bracelet also. Once you get the hang of it, it's actually pretty easy to get the charms on and off.
Now that I've bored you to with all this info, let me tell you some of what I've bought so far and give you some good sellers to check out. My charms include:
A glitter Texas flag, an enameled Democratic donkey, a green shamrock, several different cat charms, a tiny gold computer, a gold camera, a motorcycle, a Batman logo, a stack of books, a witch on a broom with a black CZ in the center, a peace sign, two laser paw prints to represent my two dogs who have passed on, a police badge, a police cap, a police car, a pair of handcuffs and a pistol (I used to work in law enforcement). I also have several fleur de lis symbols, a moon and star, a horseshoe, and a teapot and cup. And I've made a Halloween themed bracelet with a jack o'lantern, a black bat, a coffin, an arched black cat, a couple of skulls, a spider web and Snoopy & Woodstock sleeping on a jack o'lantern. And I have a black witch hat, a cauldron, a witch on a broom, and a spooky owl on the way. (Got several of them today!)
These are people I've bought from and had good luck with so far:
For good inexpensive charms check out:
Pugster Inc
Fundamental Advice
Silverstone Direct
For laser engraved & custom charms:
SpectraCharms
Morning.Calm
Parodi Design
For authentic Italian, better quality and licensed charms:
Charming Chick Stuff
cmr3
MommyLuvsToShop
QuiteCharming
Nappi Italian Charms
Kelleyland Kollectibles
Back to the after effects of the last few posts... All in all the whole situation was probably a good thing, it sort of shocked me out of the hole I've been living in. When you work at home you start to take your appearance for granted, I'm afraid. Especially when the only places I go seem to be the grocery store, post office and bank. And we'll have an occasional meal out, sometimes with a little neighborhood shopping afterwards (book store, Walmart, exciting places like that). And I'm a tomboy, I don't get along with things like hose, skirts, heels or even bras. I never have, never will.
So the first thing I realized is I have to start eating better and lose some weight. I was a skinny person the first half of my life and then it started to slowly creep up on me as my health declined, which of course made me feel even worse. And gave me high cholesterol. At 5'1" every bloody pound shows and even when I was 98 pounds I wasn't a good clothes hanger, I have an odd build, it's always been hard to find clothes that fit and looked decent. I have a medium to large frame for a short person, wide shoulders, large ribcage, no waist (I've got like an inch or two between my hip bones and my ribs), I wear and 8 1/2 shoe (and I have flat feet), and now I have the added problem of having big boobs so nothing fits right anymore.
I'm so tired of wearing big baggy tee shirts and knit pants. I want to wear normal tees and jeans... and boots! I miss wearing boots but they look ridiculous with my normal pants. So, I'm trying to eat better, snack less and next I need to start some sort of exercise program. I think I'll "restart" my yoga, at least it's something.
I'm working harder on my hair also. I've always had wavy, frizzy, fine hair and I'm one of those people that refuses to use hairspray or gel, but I actually bought some straightening gel this week. Haven't tried it yet, maybe tonight. I shower before bed, so the thought of having something in my hair freaks me out. But we're actually going to a movie tomorrow night (two weekends in a row, wow!). I also had a panic attack of sorts yesterday and toned down my hair color. I colored it about a month ago, my normal Clairol blue black, but I must have left it in too long because the color took more than it usually did and it looked a little TOO black for my complexion. My hair doesn't absorb color well so I've never had that problem before. I spent an evening playing at the Clairol Try It On Studio (I look cool with purple hair, who knew?). So I'm thinking I'll try and add some brown over it, but I'm broke and couldn't afford it, then I get home and realize I actually have some color under the sink from like a year ago. Yippee! I used to always mix dark brown and black but I've been lazy this year and been buying the pre-packaged kits. So I find a bottle of Miss Clairol darkest brown (neutral base) and just go for it. And it looks better, a little softer with more depth. Maybe I'll work back towards dark brown again, who knows...
What else?? I'm trying to dress a little more girly, not be so baggy, actually remember to put on a little bit of jewelry, use a bit of makeup for actual events like dinners out with friends and things. I bought Dr. Phil's book, I'm actually going to try and read it, I like Dr. Phil. I remember when my mom was my age she gained some weight and kept it on for quite a while, then her doctor told her to lose it for her health and now she's tiny. She and my dad used to walk every day, and both got in really good shape, though now they're not able to anymore. I'm trying to get my husband out to walk, the weather has been strangely "fall like" the last week or two. And he did go for a walk this week. Men can lose weight so easily, just a couple of little changes. He's likes to walk, I'm terrible at it because of arthritis in my feet. So yoga it is for now...
Next entry, I'm finally going to get to the Italian charm bracelets :-)
Well there were no questions last week, and I missed the week before, but I'm a car nut so I've got to answer these :-)
1. What vehicle do you drive? A 91 Olds Cutlass. I'm embarrassed to say my parents bought it for me as a present and I had no choice in the matter. I do appreciate it, but I'm a sports car freak. I've owned: a 79 Camaro, a 1970 something (76?) Firebird with a 400 hp engine, a 96 Camaro, a 1980 something Mustang, a 78 Datsun 280Z, and best of all, a 1973 Corvette. I also had an 86 Suzuki Intruder motorcycle, so I'm more than a little embarrassed to be driving this one.
2. How long have you had it? Since it was new... 12 years?
3. What is the coolest feature on your vehicle? It's black.
4. What is the most annoying thing about your vehicle? It's a piece of crap mechanically. It had a lemon engine and I've replaced the transmission twice and I still haven't turned the odometer over. It's really sad.
5. If money were no object, what vehicle would you be driving right now? Now that you ask, actually I've been researching cars lately. My practical choice would be a V6 Toyota Camry Solara. Black with grey interior. It's a coupe, will probably run the rest of my life, it has a perky engine and room enough to haul people and big things like my packing supplies. And it's got all the comfy extras. My "wishlist" not as practical choice would be a Toyota Celica, still a reliable car but lots more sporty (but smaller). I've made a pledge not to buy another American made car, I've spent enough to buy several cars repairing the one I have now.
Fantasy world car? Hmmm.. a brand new or really cherry old Corvette, another 73 would be fabulous. I really love old sports cars, but I'm at the age now that for every day driving things like good air conditioning and shock absorbers have become more important than they used to. And electric windows, keyless remotes, fun things like that. And knowing the car's going to start when I ask it to. A cell phone and a gun will only get you so far...