the velvet manatee gallery

Greetings and salutations from the Velvet Manatee Gallery.

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I know what you are thinking. What in the world is a "Velvet Manatee Gallery"? You have often heard me speak of a very special friend I have in my life, and I'm not just talking about the short bus kind of special. She is Naomi, and she has been my best friend for 20+ years. As a matter of fact, she is the reason I got into beading in the first place. After not seeing her for I don't know how many years, I walked into what was at the time her store "Bead Dreams" in El Paso. From there, well, the rest is history. Now Bead Dreams isn't there, and neither is Naomi. She lives with her wonderful (and cute might I add) hubby, Russ, in beautiful San Antonio. Without going into the whole sordid story, she said if she ever had another business name, it would be "The Velvet Manatee". So here, I am paying homage to a woman who's artistic ability is my muse.

The following pictures are of her creations she either made and I begged for or she made for me. You will notice that we both share a strong love for turquoise, silver and coral :).

These two necklaces were ones that were in the bead boxes she gave me for my birthday present last year. I love these pieces.
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My bracelet. My lovely, lovely blingy bracelet. She designed this for me as a Christmas/birthday present. I *love* it so much and wear it as often as I can. This baby is one-of-a-kind, just like it's creator.
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Although I am not Catholic, I simply adore rosaries and the religious icons. This is a rosary she made with Mother of Pearl, freshwater pearls, silver and Mother Mary pendant she made herself. I love wearing this.

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This necklace she gave me because I'm guessing she didn't want it back after I got done drooling on it lol. It did, at one time, have a stunning Jesus and the Lamb pendant she made on the bottom, but one day I went to put it on and the glass was broken on the pendant. I still have the pendant in a safe place, and wear the necklace a lot. She would always ask me if people were offended by the necklace, but they never were, and even if they were, that is their problem, certainly not ours. I have recieved so many compliments on this particular piece.

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Last, but not least, my gold Peruvian frog necklace. Again, the drool factor was a bit over the top, but you can plainly see why. It is beautiful. Gold and coral just go so well together, don't you agree?
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That is it for the Velvet Manatee tour for now. I have other pieces to show off, but will do that another time. Naomi is a godsend in my life, and I am truly blessed that she is my friend.

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