A Gift From Marion...

If you were reading my blog last June, you would have read my post here about spending a day with my good friend, Marion. Marion and I "met" on Ravelry and became fast friends. She was in Sarasota in June to visit family, so we made a date to spend the day together. We had a grand time, and it was as though we'd known each other for years.

Marion is a talented glass artist, and I was admiring the bracelet she was wearing that day. She told me about Pandora and Troll bracelets. Am I the only one who'd never heard of them before? Her beautiful bracelet had some of the most wonderful beads I'd ever seen and I found out that she'd made them! I told her how captivated I was with her bracelet and her talent.
On Saturday, I received a gift from Marion. Inside, I found a Troll bracelet and clasp exactly like hers! Then, I opened little packages inside to find the most exquisite beads, spacers and a special silver charm. (You do see it, don't you?)
The little speckles on the beads on the left of this photo are sterling silver! And look! A special bead with dog paws! It's Marion's own design and she perfected it just for me. You can't even imagine how much I love these beads.

She created most of these beads with silver linings so they can ride along the bracelet and not be damaged. There are beads with speckles, beads with swirls, beads that are etched, beads with little bubbles. Oh, my! The orange one will remind me of our August Blissfull ATC group swap, too! It's actually one of my favorites, along with the green ones, blue ones, paws... Silly me. I can't begin to choose just one!
Marion even made a special charm for Kes! I can hang this from Kes' collar, and she'll really be stylin', don't you think? I love that Marion even included a little tag with Kessie's name on it! This girlfriend doesn't miss a single detail!

See the small silver spacer beads to the far left? Marion told me that they're made with a special glass called "Triton". When it's heated and formed, it will cool to a regular "glass look", but when she adds more flame (with less O2) it immediately flashes silver. It's expensive and Marion said that she usually only uses it for special details on her glass pieces. I'm so lucky that she chose to use some for me.
The card she wrote to me features a water lily. It is actually a photograph with an art treatment, taken by Roy Van Loo, Jr. He's a wildlife photographer/artist in Michigan. I'm telling you...Marion is so thoughtful. She knows that Handsome was a professional photographer, so this was a little gift to him, too.
After much playing, fondling, sorting, oooo-ing and ahhhhh-ing, I decided to place these beads on my bracelet for now. (I'm bummed that I can't actually wear them all at once.) I added sterling silver spacers from my own jewelry-making stash to augment those that Marion included for me.

What do you think? Isn't Marion one talented lady? I called her Sunday night to tell her just how much I appreciate and love her gifts. She told me that she got another acorn for her bracelet, so that she'd always think of me when she looks at it. I'm blessed with a whole bracelet to remind me of her generosity and love. I can't wait to see her again so that I can hug her in person. Thank you, Maid Marion. You're just the best!