From the bloggers who brought you lint ball beads and dead cicada jewelry comes a new beading material that can’t be beat when it comes to going green (or in this case, brown). I’m talking about reindeer dropping beads!

The Miller Park Zoo, in Bloomington, Ill., has been harvesting crops of droppings from the zoo’s two reindeer, Ealu and Rika. The droppings, which approximate the size and shape of marbles, are dried and clear-coated before receiving a coat of festive paint or glitter. Then the beads are strung onto holiday ornaments, such as the ones shown here.

The ornaments are available at the Miller Park Zoo gift shop for $5.00 and come with a certificate of authenticity (believe me, you’ll need it when you show off your ornament to incredulous friends). If you call or visit the zoo, just ask for “magical reindeer gem ornaments,” the official name of the products.

For more information, see this blurb by Yahoo News, also the source for these fantastic photos.