I made these bracelets about this time last year. They are based on projects from the book, "Seed Bead Fusion," by Rachel Nelson-Smith. Nelson-Smith is one of several accomplished bead artists whose work I follow online. Every so often, I will spend some time at my computer catching up on the websites of the handful of artists whose work inspires me. I look at their work and use it to push myself to try new techniques, to go bigger, and to create work that reaches the next level of artistry and execution. Generally, I try NOT to actually copy anthing I see being done by others. I do take classes when I can, however, because I want to try new techniques and expose myself to the ideas and perspectives of others, both instructors and fellow students. For whatever reason, recently I haven't had the time to take classes. When I saw Nelson-Smith's book, I treated the projects in it as I would projects I'd done in a class. I did them to learn something new and work "outside my box." Both bracelets seen here are variations on a project in Nelson-Smith's book. I followed the basics of the patterns, but created my own . Even so, I view thse works as influenced and inspired by Nelson-Smith, so they do not represent my own work. The finished works were for myself--not for sale and not for my portfolio.