I'm a HUGE fan of GoodyBeads.com. I have never had such wonderful customer service - seriously! I love their beads and they have excellent prices. I also like to stop in local bead shops when visiting out of town places.

 Wow! These are really pretty!! Great Job!

 Since you said you'd like maybe some Swarovski, here's a link to what I've been using lately. They are super pretty! They are filigree metal beads with 2 colors of Swarovski crystals in them. They come in 2 sizes. A little more pricey, so I would use them carefully. But I just love them! Here's the address to one of the pages ...

 I say whatever you use, keep it dainty. Even on large ankles, dainty is better. I have used 4mm bicone swarovskis, 4mm czech fire polished, and then various small pressed glass or stones. I try to keep those around 6mm. And for sure you want to include in a little bit of metal - like the basic daisy spacers here and ther. Also, I like to ...

 I don't, but have you thought about going to your local antique shop and picking up an old watch? There are lots that you could take apart for the parts, and it wouldn't cost much. There are certain antique watches that do cost a pretty penny, but not all. It's worth a shot - I used to have a booth in an antique shop and saw ...

 I got mine at Goody Beads; they were half the price of Artbeads!

 One of my most favorite tools is the wire cutters from Soft Flex. It's pricey - mine were about $50 or so several years ago. But they are TOTALLY worth the money. And the trick is to know what each tool is used for and then don't deviate from that. As soon as you use a nice pair of wire cutters on a head pin, the tool is ruined for ...

 I think you can find some at Land of Odds - www.LandOfOdds.com. They're usually a bit more pricy on things overall, but this seems to be somewhat specific that not too many carry. I've never ordered from them before, so I can't comment on how that part is. Good luck!

 Anyone know where I can buy the inexpensive black cord, probably nylon, necklaces that have a base metal clasp? I think they usually come about 18" or so. Thanks!

 I've bought some in the past from Fire Mountain. But I have to tell you - I didn't end up using it because the links had too big of gaps in them and my wire would easily slip right through. If you use something thicker then it should be fine; they're very fun looking!