I'm donating a piece of jewelry for Kathy's Garden Party, an annual benefit held in Milwaukee. Last year's bracelet was a hit, so I decided to do a charm bracelet every year. This year's theme: Way Beyond the Sea.

I was on the hunt for seashells, but the ones I found seemed too brittle to hold up to the wear and tear of a bracelet. So I think I may just stick to ocean-colored beads. I trolled the newly organized BeadStyle workroom (thanks, Jane and Emma!) and found a bunch of great gemstones: pearls, turquoise, amazonite, chrysoprase, fluorite, and quartz in blue and green. I figure that, by combining shapes and textures, no one will notice that there are no seashells or adorable dolphin charms. (Although, I may attach a heart, just because I like hearts.)

When I was at the Bead and Button Show, I also bought heavy-link chain from Chelsea's Beads. I love using heavy chain for bracelets, and Chelsea's Beads had lots of different kinds at the show. They also had huge lobster claw clasps, which will be handy if I want to put a chain extender on the bracelet.

Okay. Now I'm off to put together the bracelet. See you next week!