Topic Archive: Fresh Picks on The Fresh Daily

Winter warmth by Carolinawren

New Fresh Pickers for October

• Monkeykat Rhi
• whistling bird
• Froggy Chick aka Wendy F
• Carolinawren
• dawni-jo
• Faith
• Tracine
• Silver Leaf
• tweetybird59
• Sweet n Sassy
• Artful Accents
• Sarahcita
• Kitty Girl
• Charlene C
• L Soponis
• Traci C
• Aussie YoKel
• MONIKAPIP
• Melissa
• lizzieo68
• Lis G
• P Canales

Top 15 Favorited Picks

1. 100% Chance of Rain by Chicky D aka Debra
2. Pinked!!! by Leigh D
3. Spa Delight by Alice t
4. Sister Goldenhair by Atomic Toad
5. Caelia by FaeryGoth Chick
6. First Impressions by Breezy Chick aka Bree
7. Wild Purple Asters by Mary S AKA Sweet Chick
8. Walk Softly by Cuban Queen Crazy Chick
9. Vintaj Venture en Bleu by Chicky ChaCha
10. Copper and Ice by L Soponis
11. Winter warmth by Carolinawren
12. out of my comfort zone by M mccallister mrs chick
13. Olympic Peninsula by Smoky Rose
14. Cinnamon Toast by Jane MS
15. Smoky Impressions by Luv2bead – Little Chick

100% Chance of Rain by Chicky D aka Debra

This group of favorite picks really showcases the use of subtle and warm tones. There are however a few that feature purples and blues. I always say that purple is my least favorite color, but oddly enough I was reading Vogue UK and found that they are saying the top colors for fashion this winter (2009/2010) are: Indigo (the more saturated and intense the color the better) and regal tones of violet, purple and inky grape. I guess I’ll have to embrace these colors, at least for this season…

These colors are gorgeous when used the right way.  How would you use them? Let’s see some Fresh Picks!

They are all beautiful combinations.  Which Fresh Pick would you be most interested in creating a piece of jewelry out of and what would you create? If you do, be sure to show us in the design gallery

Top 15 Favorited Designs from the Gallery

1. Waterfall of Pearls by Taylored Designs
2. Amazonite by Chanda C
3. Amber Waves by Jeannes Gems – Gem Chick
4. Blue Jeans by Starsparkle Spiral Chick
5. SANTORINI by Beadazzled
6. Jasper ‘n Copper by Little Round Chick
7. A mermaid for my friend by Wemai Coffee Chick
8. Misty Morning Sunrise by John M
9. Turquoise and Copper by Kathryn Lobert
10. Autumn Wine Charm by Chicky D aka Debra
11. Bon Jour! by Sali Jo GemsChica Chick
12. Bohemian Tigress by Judith Ann Boyer
13. Chocolate and berries by Gunilla B
14. Two Favorites by Brenda H
15. Laboradorite Nugget and Faceted Gemstone Necklace by Jewelry by Shannon Leigh

Waterfall of Pearls by Taylored Designs

I have to say the design gallery has never looked so good!

The designs you’re creating and sharing with the rest of us are really beautiful. There are some great textures, colors, and metal work – especially in the top 15 this month.

I do have one request, and I know it might seem cumbersome because everyone is getting so busy this time of year, but I’m going to ask it anyway. If you have a piece that requires more than basic stringing technique, would please add some instructions or tips applicable to your piece? I think that it would really help, because the pieces are gorgeous and inspiring but it would also help to teach people how to achieve the same coolness. Again, if you have time

Thanks everyone!

Autumn Sunset

It’s that time of year again! Freshly harvested apples, changing colors of the leaves, apple cider, frosted pumpkin spice donuts, cider mills, corn mazes, caramel apples, weekends filled with football and nights filled with playoff baseball.

There’s also a smell in the air that I can’t quite put my finger on. Some would say it’s the smell of dying leaves, which is partly true, but I think it’s mostly nostalgia.

Some of my fondest memories take place in Autumn. My wife and I were married just last fall up in Mid-Michigan. It couldn’t have been a more picturesque weekend. The sun was shining, it was about 75 degrees, and the trees were dressed up in their full Autumn colors.

This year, for our first anniversary, we’re staying up in Northern Michigan for a long weekend of rest and relaxation. It’s a resort about 20 minutes south of Traverse City, the self-proclaimed cherry capital of the world! As cheesy as that sounds, it’s a neat little town that reminds me a lot of Ann Arbor. It has that “artisan” feel, but it’s quite a bit smaller and right on the water. Michigan’s wine country is just a drive down the Leelanau Peninsula and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is also close by.

In between naps, we might find time to play some golf or visit the newly renovated spa. Then, we’ll take the ski lift to the top of the mountain to listen to a couple of the live bands play and soak in the beautiful scenery. On a clear day, you can see the sunset on Lake Michigan! We’re certainly looking forward to creating more wonderful Autumn memories this year and all of the years to come.

Fall is most certainly my favorite time of the year. It seems to be a favorite among our Fresh Pickers, too! There are dozens of Fresh Picks inspired by the season. Just do a search for “Autumn” or “Fall” on the Search the Picks page to see what I mean. I’ve made a pick of my own called “Autumn Sunset” inspired by my vision of how I’ll be celebrating my first anniversary.

Do you have a favorite season? Let us know in the comments below.

Hello, Fresh Pickers! A while back, I gave you a preview of some work we’re doing here to organize our growing collection of Fresh Picks. While the work isn’t finished yet, we were able to release a small feature that we think will be very helpful in the meantime. As of today, you can search for Fresh Picks by typing in part (or all) of the name in the box on the Fresh Pick Search page. Here’s how it looks:

Searching by Fresh Pick name...

We hope you find this feature useful for when you remember a Fresh Pick’s name, but not when it was created! Here are a couple fun searches to try out:

• Flowers
• Breeze
• Candy
• Shine

Let us know in the comments if you find this feature useful!

Top 9 Fresh Picks (June 1-22):

1. *Laurel* by Valentine Chick
2. 精衛 by D D Mystic Chick
3. A Mermaid’s Necklace by Cuban Queen Crazy Chick
4. Walk on the Beach by Smoky Rose
5. The Clouds in the Sky by Elaine aka Belly Chick
6. Summer Dreams by Fashion Chick aka SC
7. Droplets by Sandy S
8. Waiting for a sunny day by Wemai Coffee Chick
9. Beautiful Summer Evening by Allure of Gems by Julia
10. Starry Midnight by Southern Chick

What stands out with this set of favorites is how much blue, green and brown are being used.

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The other day I was just sitting around with nothing to do (yeah, right!) and I started wondering about how often different items were used and which items were most popular to use in your Fresh Picks. We have compiled a very interesting set of winners… Check it out!

Favorite Gemstone Category to use in a Fresh Pick

	1st: Black Onyx
	2nd: Labradorite
	3rd: Coral

Most used gemstone bead in a Fresh Pick

White Opal Round 3.5-4mm

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It’s hard to believe that over that past year, the community of Lima Beaders has designed over 6,000 Fresh Picks! These wonderful idea-generators are featured throughout the web site, but it’s growing harder every day to swim through the variety of concepts, colors, and combos that inspire us to create. So, we’re looking to get a little organized.

In addition to being able to search for Fresh Picks by name (think: “ocean” or “wedding”), we think it would be neat to allow you to browse through the picks by category. This brings up an interesting question, though: what categories do we use? Here are some interesting ideas we’ve had:

• Seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall)
• Holidays (The typical ones…)
• Occasions (Weddings, Birthdays, Celebrations)
• Nature (Flowers, Landscapes, Water)
• Emotions (Happy, Sad, Thoughtful, Pride, Sympathy)
• Animals (Pets, Cats, Dogs, The Wild)
• Going Out (Food & Drink, Night Life)
• Locations (Landmarks, Cities, Countries)
• Pop Culture (Movies, Songs, Famous People)
• People (Family, Friends, Myself)
• And more…

What do YOU think?

Since you’re the designers, we want to know what you think! Love it? Hate it? Have any good ideas? We’d love to hear the different ways you think Fresh Picks could be organized so they’re easy & fun to browse. Let us know in the comments! And if you’re new to designing Fresh Picks, give it a try!

I was reading The Garden to Payton yesterday and for some reason I started thinking about Fresh Picks and how they are used.

The Garden by Shel Silverstein

(from Where the Sidewalk Ends pg 61)

Ol’ man Simon, planted a diamond,
Grew hisself a garden the likes of none.
Sprouts all growin’, comin’ up glowin’,
Fruit of jewels all shinin’ in the sun.
Colors of the rainbow,
See the sun and rain grow
Sapphires and rubies on ivory vines,
Grapes of jade, just
Ready for the squeezin’ into green jade wine.
Pure gold corn there,
Blowin’ in the warm air,
Ol’ crow nibblin’ on the amnythyst seeds.
In between the diamonds, ol’ man Simon
Crawls about pullin’ out platinum weeds.
Pink pearl berries,
All you can carry,
Put ‘em in a bushel and
Haul ‘em into town.
Up in the tree there’s
Opal nuts and gold pears–
Hurry quick, grab a stick
And shake some down.
Take a silver tater,
Emerald tomater,
Fresh plump coral melons
Hangin’ in reach.
Ol’ man Simon,
Diggin’ in his diamonds,
Stops and rests and dreams about
One…real…peach.

This past week, a lot of the picks have palettes centered around a color theme with a splash of this or that.  Great job, I can’t wait to see how people use them (hint: check out my “Getting Some INK” Blog post)

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These are the latest “most popular” Fresh Picks.

Water, Sunsets, Stars, the Woods and Raspberries… Am I missing anything?

Top 10 Favorite Fresh Picks:

1. Flamingo Green by seashellsally
2. Bali by Gabrielle L
3. My Daughter the Mermaid by Cuban Queen
4. antique green by kcdesigns
5. Raspberry Delight by Luv2Bead
6. Fallen by CAS
7. Camping in the Woods by Ambo
8. Seaside Starlight by chloe the congo
9. Perky in Pink by A Golke
10. Haze Over Sea Waters… by Allure of Gems by Julia

Flamingo Green by seashellsally

Flamingo Green – The picture you uploaded is amazing. The peridot tumbled nuggets and the pistachio pearls caught my eye right away and the 2 rhodochrosite beads you chose are just the right amount of flamingo.  I think you really captured the moment in the photo. Maybe a good project/fresh pick inspiration for everyone would be to follow suit and take a favorite moment captured in film and recreate it with beads. HMMMMM I feel a contest coming on.

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Top 10 most visited Fresh Picks:

• Illuminated Forest by Cuban Queen
• Seaside by kcdesigns
• Chocolate Mint by A Golke
• Antique Caribbean by Heather
• Leading Me Around in Circles by CAS
• Escence of Labradorite by seashellsally
• Lost and Deserted by Luv2bead
• Waterlilies by Debbi C
• Earthy 70’s by BelladonnaLee
• Fresh Melons by B Beck

Illuminated Forest by Cuban Queen

Illuminated Forest – Bright zesty green paired with golden hues, so vibrant and sparkly, shimmering and springy. I like your selection of tiger eye for the gold gemstone, not usually a stone I would pick for a piece of jewelry, but I think you made me have a change of heart.  The gold pieces that you added to this pick are great showstoppers. I can see something made of this combination worn at The Oscars. Love it!

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Lots of green this time! Check out the top 10 most visited Fresh Picks from the past 2 weeks below. We’ve added the number of comments for each Fresh Pick to the list. Click on them to check out the conversation! Also, don’t forget to vote for your favorite.

These are the most visited Fresh Picks from the past 2 weeks:

• Sea Spray by kcdesigns (8 comments)
• Archipelago by Jennifer A (23 comments)
• Fresh Kiwi by Luv2bead (4 comments)
• Go Green! By Bella Claire (4 comments)
• Lotus by Sara (5 comments)
• Lime Time by A Golke (2 comments)
• A Whir of Dragonfly Wings by CAS (1 comment)
• Imbolc by Cuban Queen (3 comments)
• Take me to Aruba by Anna C (0 comments)
• Down By the Sea by JewelsbyJill (4 comments)

Sea Spray by kcdesigns

Sea Spray by kcdesigns – I love how you chose to mix up the pattern, transparency, and shape/size of stones rather than the color. Our green fluorite and variscite are 2 of my favs for spring.  They remind me of a vacation at the beach, which is probably why everyone is so drawn to this pick.  The Vintaj pieces that you chose are the perfect complement for this combination.  I think if I were to make a necklace or bracelet with this fresh pick I would need to add some biwa pearls for “spray”.

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Until this morning, I actually had myself fooled into believing that “spring was almost here” – then I woke up. The weather forecaster said last night that only people close to the Ohio border needed to worry about heavy snow. We’re not really that close, so I felt relieved. When we woke up to fresh snow on the ground and more falling heavily from the sky, I just laughed. What else can you do? Luckily I can look to the Fresh Picks created by you all for some solace. By looking over the top picks I can really see some beautiful spring colors. They remind me of the end of March – soft flowers poking up, blades of grass showing through as the snow thaws and of course…mud.

Here are the top 10 most viewed Fresh Picks for the past 2 weeks:

• Warm Breezes by A Golke
• Egyptian Nights by Mirjam E
• Cherry Blossoms by Sandy S
• Butterfly Nets by CAS
• Pistachio Ice Cream by Debbi C
• This Just In by kampearls
• Serenity by Sandy S
• Black Ice by Melanie m
• Violet Orchid Romance by Luv2bead
• Spring Inspiration by Gretchen S

Warm Breezes by A Golke

Warm Breezes by A Golke
I’m lying in a hammock on my deck in the summer and I just close my eyes as a warm summer breeze brushes past. Ahhhhhhhh. Very smart choices in this pick. I feel like you were selecting beads that would all work together in a necklace rather than just selecting beads that look cool together. The combination of champagne & gold freshwater pearls, brown rhodochrosite, amber, hessonite, lemon quartz & rutilated quartz faceted nuggets, silver moonstone, smoky quartz and serpentine with banding is fantastic. These colors & patterns work so well together without being obvious. I love the Vintaj pieces you selected — they really add that breezy feel. Great job A Golke!

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I hope everyone enjoyed time with family and friends this past holiday season. Unfortunately, it had to end and we find ourselves in the middle of January already. Luckily we have Fresh Picks to save us. I need to apologize to everyone for not staying on top of the Favorite Fresh Picks posts. I am very excited to see how much everyone is using the fresh pick comments. Now all we need are more images of our customers’ work to get uploaded in the Fresh Pick comments – we love seeing the creativity!

These are the most visited Fresh Picks from the past 2 weeks:

• Snowflakes Like Butterflys by CAS
• Turquoise Smoke by Peggy A
• Snowflake Lace by AnnMarie H
• Gingko [my cat] by A Golke
• New Space by JewelsbyJill 
• BytheLightoftheSilveryMoon by Debbi C
• Shades of Montana Winter by KarenDe H
• Turtle Crossing by Sandy S
• Year of the Ox by Cuban Queen
• Copper Rose by Gretchen S

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Today we’re making the official announcement about some things that have been in the works for the past month at Lima Beads. Some of you have already discovered (and used!) a few of these features, but there’s more to announce, and I hope you’ll read on.

Commenting on Fresh Picks

Today is the official launch of Fresh Pick Comments. When you’re browsing any of the Fresh Picks on Lima Beads, you can add your comments and questions at the bottom of the page. Already we’ve seen conversations flourish about design ideas, color usage, our pets, the weather, and just about everything else! You can even upload pics of finished jewelry that was inspired by the Fresh Pick. To quickly browse all the conversations, just click the Fresh Pick Chat topic on the right side here in the blog. Or, follow along under “Recent Chatter” on the main Fresh Picks page. We hope you like it!

New Snapshots page

With our growing collection of Fresh Picks (thanks to YOU!), we knew we needed a better Snapshots page to browse the picks. We’ve organized it with tabs to make it easy to see the latest picks from the past few weeks. And we added the “Who’s Picking” area to feature the designers that create all these great ideas! Check it out, and let us know what you think!

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The Fresh Picks this past week could have been inspired by travel magazines, holiday cooking, memories of vacations, or winter. These are great ways to trigger your creative energy. While shopping downtown this week, I was inspired by a rose bush covered in snow – with the pink roses still in bloom! It was too odd not to notice, yet people walked past this bush all day long without stopping . . . to smell the roses.

This time of year we all seem to be in such a rush to do everything – drive, shop, cook, eat, create – try to take a moment in the midst of all your rushing around to notice obscure moments around you. You’ll be surprised by what might influence your next design.

This week’s Top 10

• Cardinal’s Nest by Cuban Queen
• Mint Chocolate Cocoa by Lisa S
• Icicles and Peppermints by Snickers
• A Chain Tied To My Heart by CAS
• Polynesian Batik by Perlemamma
• sand and sea by Jodi O
• Café Crema by Anna C
• Symphony in B Minor by Sandy S
• raindrops and sunshowers by Tab
• Cape Cod by Debbi C

Cardinal's Nest

Cardinal’s Nest by Cuban Queen - I love Cardinals. We have one in the tree out side our kitchen window all winter, but he just never seems to sit still long enough for me to take a picture of him This pick does a great job of creating this image for us. The coral chosen is the perfect red. I like how one may not immediately think of combining the coral with mica quartz, bronzite, Chinese ocean jasper, and turritella agate, just to name a few. I really like the use of the copper wire wrapped triangle, it adds that “Je ne sais quoi”. If I were going to make a piece with this pick, I might add a few CZ salsa or poppy faceted fans, I can’t resist a touch of sparkle.

Mint Chocolate Cocoa

Mint Chocolate Chip by Lisa S - This is a delicious combination. As it so happens I am drinking a Mint Cocoa from one of my favorite grocery stores, Trader Joe’s, with Dakota (my dog) in a deep sleep at me feet. The brown stones chosen seem to swirl around each other while minty greens are tossed in for the finishing flavor. This pick would definitely make a statement if designed into a necklace… there are some pretty big and bold shapes. The silver green dancing button does a fantastic job of softening this design.

Icicles and Peppermints

Icicles and Peppermint by Snickers - I took one look at this pick and said to myself… “I have to make something out of this!” I love how its holiday and winter and sparkle and snow all wrapped up without being kitschy. Excellent choices in pearls, the colors – fire pink, gold, pepper red, silver peacock and pearly whites, and the biwa sticks really make this piece pop. The Australian chrysoprase adds a breath of refreshing green while the crystal clear CZ and the Stampt pewter poinsettia filigree are the icing. I feel like getting my tree or going to Chicago to see all the beautiful lights and decorations. Just wonderful!

We’ve got lots of different inspiration here this week! Chocolate (always awesome), fall in the Southwest, aloe, snow and rain (not sure how I feel about these two), starry skies, marine life, flowers, and one of the most popular songs of all time.  For those of us in the northern parts of the country – winter is coming and there’s nothing we can do to stop it, so we might as well make picks and design lots of pretty things.

This week’s Top 10:

1. Chocolate on a Blue Day by CAS
2. SouthWest Fall Garden by Haute Rawx
3. Aloe by Tab
4. Snow Bunnies by Jyll P
5. November Rain by Cuban Queen
6. Snow Falling on Cedars by Beadaholchick
7. Night of a 1000 Stars by Lima
8. Dolphins And Sharks by Perlemamma
9. tulips and daffodils by Julie v
10. Amazing Grace by Sandy S

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Purpleheart Tree

I’m in need of some expert advice! Since Deidra and I are newlyweds and saving for a house, we decided that instead of buying expensive gifts, we would make something for each other this year. Naturally, the first thing that popped into my head was jewelry. The only problem is, even though I work at Lima Beads, I’ve never even held a beading tool or cracked open a beading magazine.

That’s where you come in. Ali has already agreed to teach me a few beading techniques, but I’m not sure what beads I should be using. So as my first step, I want to choose a Fresh Pick that will be the inspiration for my design.

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The favorite Fresh Picks this week make me want to start a fire and find a blanket to get under. You can tell that winter is starting to make it into our minds and what could be better than being beside a fire with a great book (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), wearing a cozy cashmere sweater, drinking a hot coffee (or green tea) while a chilly nor’easter wind is blowing outside (Brrrrr!)?

I was curious about “Birch Beer” so I looked it up. Apparently it is a carbonated soft drink made from herbal extracts (usually from birch bark) with a taste similar to root beer, but mintier – sounds interesting!

These are the TOP 10 this week

• A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Cuban Queen
• Istanbul by Perlemamma
• Whale Pod in a Puget Sound by Bonnie R
• Birch Beer by CAS
• Ocean’s Depth by Thelma B
• Brrrrrrrrr! By Sandy S
• Cozy in Cashmere by Jill W
• Nor’ Easter by WillowCreek
• Coffee by the Fire by Tyra S
• Snoqualmie Falls by beadaholchick
• green tea by Kitty

A Midsummer Nights Dream

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Cuban Queen

I Love the dark and luxurious night effect when the black and purple stones are combined with gold pearls and Stampt antique gold filigree balls. The touch of olive green pearls and fern cz adds that summery leafy feel. Just like Shakespeare’s play, there is that special touch of fantasy thanks to Green Girl’s pewter butterfly faery and romance thanks to the use of the filigree pieces in gold and pewter. Great contrast in shape and texture, love the splashes of sparkle! This pick definitely creates the right mood, I might actually have to go and read A Midsummer Night’s Dream now rather than the cliff notes like I did in school (sorry Mrs. V.).

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This past week’s top picks are a great example of seasons changing.  Almost all of these picks are inspired by something outdoors – events, moments, favorite places, the weather, etc… 

The top 10:

• Lunar Eclipse by Phyllis R
• Sugar and Spice by links
• Cascade Rainy Days by beadaholchick
• Along the River’s Edge by Cuban Queen
• Angel’s Breath by Haute Rawx
• Lima Lemon Lime by Gerdy M
• Norwegian Winter by Perlemamma
• autumnal aspirations by Jill W
• “Snow” is a 4 Letter Word by CAS
• Fae by Sandy S

Lunar Eclipse by Phyllis R

Lunar Eclipse – This pick reminds me of midnight.  I love the addition of the chryscolla diamond. The turquoise-green color adds a bit of zip to the deep purples and blues. The blue rainbow fluorite is an excellent choice if you are looking for blues, purples and greens – very economical The Stampt Pewter Filigree Beads add a beautiful “mist” to the pick.

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These are last week’s top 10 favorite Fresh Picks! Some new Fresh Pickers made the list – congratulations everyone!

1. Gold Infinity by Starsparkle
2. Siren’s Transformartion by Sandy S
3. The Virtues: Temperance by CAS
4. Copper Mountain by Victoria M
5. El Dia de los Muertos by Cuban Queen
6. Night of a 1000 Stars from Lima’s Picks
7. Gothic by Perlemamma
8. Turquoise and Lime by Phyllis R
9. Raindrops on Roses by Katrina A
10. Black Cherry Tree by Kitty

What I think about the top 3:

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It appears as though music and food have played a big part in the inspiration for the favorite Fresh Picks and their titles this week.

I can tell that the upcoming holiday is on the minds of the Lima Fresh Pickers with titles like Halloween Party, Masked Ball, Black Cat, BOO!, Hallow’s Eve, Candy Corn, Midnight Mistress and Samhain. These all offer great ideas for combinations of beads – possibly incorporating items you wouldn’t normally choose, but it’s OK – it’s Halloween I think that most of these would be great to make into pieces to be worn year round. Holidays give us great inspiration for jewelry designs.

This week’s Top 10 is a bit of a surprise to me. Not because the picks aren’t fabulous – because they are – but because of the colors and subtleness of the arrangements. There is something very calm about this week’s top picks.

This week’s top 10:

1. Jazz at the Blue Note by Cuban Queen
2. Spinner’s Lace by Sandy S
3. Snow White by Perlemamma
4. Vanilla Bean from Lima’s Picks
5. Raindrops on Roses by Katrina A
6. Gypsy Winds by Steph
7. Birds of a Feather from Lima’s Picks
8. Calmed Passions by Lily A
9. Gothic by Perlemamma
10. Black Cherry Tree by Kitty

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