What have I missed?

I've finally broken the surface to come up for air...

The last couple of weeks have been incredibly busy and I can't remember the last time I went a week and a half without being able to write a single blog post; and what a couple of weeks we've had release wise!!

Although I've not been able to write about it yet, I've been avidly following the global release of X by Trollbeads last week live on Twitter and the subsequent articles.  Below are two articles from two of my favourite bloggers about the launch but please do have a search of their blogs for more news and articles as both have covered X by Trollbeads very comprehensively.

Copenhagen Launch of X by Trollbeads on 17th September by Endangered Trolls

New York City Press Event of X by Trollbeads on 18th September by Charms Addict

I was lucky enough to receive a single rubber X link on launch day.  The link was sent courtesy of the lovely Steffans in one of the best marketing strategies I've seen from a retailer.  Steffans sent out black envelopes with a typically Steffans stylish invitation to start your X adventure with one rubber X link...

Did it tempt me to buy more after seeing it, and more importantly touching it, hell yes!!

Whilst I was fairly convinced I would experiment with just a rubber bracelet to start with, the question I had remaining was what did it feel like?

I'd consider myself a very tactile person; I literally shop for clothes by touch and whilst I obviously have to like the look of something, I browse by touch first.  Steffans marketing campaign answered that key question immediately and X passed my touch test with flying colours... and yes, I did order on launch day!

In the course of my own X adventure I took a little detour into Story on the way.  My love affair with Story has been a long time coming, ever since I first saw a red snakeskin bracelet featured on Endangered Trolls.  Much like my prelude to the original Trollbeads I've been looking at Story for months now before taking the plunge; definitely no regrets as I've been wearing it non-stop ever since.

I took both my Story and my rubber X bracelet on a lovely mini Troll date last weekend and got to play with someone else's beads trying to create bangle and FN combinations with beads leftover from the bead box... quite absorbing work and whilst I always joke about "will work for tea and beads" sometimes that really does happen.  My favourite and first combo of the day was this one:

I've also had most of the rest of my Trollbeads Fall Collection order delivered, a few stragglers didn't make it from the second order, but they're finally on their way now and this release has seen me buy multiples first time around... that's NEVER happened before!

Although the Halloween Release has been pulled from Trollbeads having been rolled up with the Fall release, there was still the People's Bead 2013 Announcement, again may I point you in the direction of Endangered Trolls for a great blog post and subsequent discussion with many of the winners popping on and joining in.

People's Bead 2013 blog post and discussion courtesy of Endangered Trolls

Then the Trollbeads Christmas Collection has been previewed, OH MY, just when I think we won't get any more images, even more pop up!

Christmas Collection Preview by Endangered Trolls

In between all the big release news, and I haven't even begun to make decisions yet about the new Limited Edition Stories for You release this week from Trollbeads, (as covered by Endangered Trolls here) my heating has been broken and (mostly) fixed to limp through another winter (we hope) and to keep warm I've done what any sensible woman does, and booked a  last minute holiday so...

The blog may be a bit sparse over the next couple of weeks as I fly next week and have only this weekend to dig out 2 bikinis which I think I may have lobbed (separately of course) into the 4 corners of the back of a set of built in wardrobes - being an old house the homemade (nothing to do with me the thing is hideous but at least huge) wardrobe set up is very Narnia like.  So my mission for the weekend is to hunt these out along with any other suitable summer attire which I've not kept together thinking I wouldn't need it until next May at the earliest...

I may be some time...